Feel Nourished, Not Deprived
It is the end of January and your health and wellness goals may not be as front and center as you had planned on at the beginning of the month. I am working with a client that I want to tell you about. She came to me complaining that over the last few months she was drinking more than normal and that she was craving comfort foods. She felt sluggish, tired, and had gained a few pounds around her midsection.
I am hearing this kind of complaint more and more from my clients. Let’s face it we all feel the added stress of the pandemic. I wanted to share with you three things that my client found helpful in guiding her back to a diet that helped her feel nourished, but not deprived.
She added more non-starchy vegetables to her plate or bowl. Her goal is to fill half her plate with vegetables. This does not mean eating cold salads every day for every meal. We talked about adding vegetables to omelets, in wraps and sandwiches, mixed into soups and stews, doubled up in stir fry dishes, added to roasted sheet pan meals, and as a replacement for whole grains (cauliflower rice and zucchini noodles). She found adding vegetables to her diet was easier than she had expected and helped it fill her up. It also helped make her plate much more colorful.
She increased her water intake to half her body weight in ounces. It turns out that we often confuse our bodies feeling for hunger with the feeling of thirst and eat when we are really dehydrated, not hungry. I have been drinking a lot more herb tea and bone broth during the colder months. My client is a fan of sparkly water and dressed hers up with all kinds of fresh fruit and herbs making her own spa water.
My client also started planning her meals, not down to the bite, but she planned the week’s meals and started each morning off by making a list of roughly what she was going to eat for the day. This helped her make room for healthy foods and plan for treats. Nothing says eat more than making a food off-limits. This client decided to lay off the alcohol because she felt the effects on her sleep quality, but she made room in her week for a family pizza dinner and dessert each Friday night.
Tip 4
I said three tips, but I am going to share a 4th tip. My client started getting up 15 minutes earlier to sit quietly and watch the sun come up while she drank her coffee. She found a little bit of joy and a little bit of self-care time in those precious moments that provided a sense of grounding and ease throughout the day. She had not wanted to get out of bed earlier, but after doing it a few weeks realized that it helped lower her desire for comfort food later on in the day.
If you are looking for some practical help reaching your health and wellness goals let’s set up a time to talk. You can set up a complimentary call through my website.
@barbarasobelnutrition2023
