A Time to Bloom:  Focusing on Food and Nourishment

This article is the third in a series of nine which focus on areas that I explore with my health and wellness coaching clients.  Our health and well-being are so much more than just what we eat and how active we are, even though that is certainly part of it.   What changes would you like to see in your life?  Whether its nutrition, being physically active, reducing stress, being more in-tune with your mind body connection, or being more aware of your environment and its impact on health and wellness, there is always an opportunity to explore potential areas for change.   This month’s focus is on food and nourishment.  With this year coming to an end and January right around the corner and an opportunity for a fresh start, it is a great time to talk about this dimension of health and wellness.

Nutrition is a vital component of overall well-being but can often be a confusing and overwhelming topic. Health coaches, unless they are registered dietitians, can help individuals explore this dimension of health and wellness and offer general guidelines for healthy eating and coaching around behavior change in this area.   In my experience, many people know which foods are healthy and which are not but struggle with healthy eating habits and making change.  Below are tips and resources that I share with some of my health coaching clients.   Including mindful eating in the discussion is important as so much of eating well can be not so much how much we know about eating healthy, but our behaviors.

As we enter the holiday season and into a new year, what changes might you like to make with food and nourishment?   Consider working with a certified health coach to explore this area further.  Or seek out a dietetics professional if you require more specific expertise.  If you don’t know how to find either, visit the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching at https://nbhwc.org/find-a-certified-coach/ or the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics at https://www.eatright.org/find-a-nutrition-expert.  Continue to educate yourself in this area as well.  Here’s to a healthy and happy holiday season and a new year ahead that might include a new journey in eating healthy and well!

Tips

• Before you eat, check in with your body to make sure you’re actually hungry.
• Start each meal with 3 deep breaths. Notice how your food tastes and looks before starting to eat.
• Eat mindfully, by paying attention to the food being eaten. Savor the tastes and smells of the food by pausing and lowering your fork between bites.  Stop eating when you’re moderately full.
• Eat while sitting down. Avoid the temptation of eating while standing, walking, or driving.
• Avoid eating in front of the TV, computer, or while reading. This can lead to overeating.
• If buying super-sized/economy packages of food, separate them into single serving sizes (use Ziploc or Tupperware) to avoid the risk of over-indulging.
• Place food on plates in the kitchen and then put the food away before taking the plate to the table. Servings should only be the amount of food that will satisfy hunger, not an amount that causes fullness.
• Since on average, we eat 92% of what’s on our plates, regardless of their size, use smaller plates, bowls, and cups.
• Slow down the pace of eating. Use tricks like putting the fork down between bites or eating with the non-dominant hand or with chopsticks.

General Nutrition Resources:

• The Nutrition Source – Harvard School of Public Health: A source for evidence-based diet and nutrition information from the Harvard School of Public Health. You can download Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate here, as well as access nutrition news, advice, healthy tips, recipes, and other resources. Available at: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/
• Eatright.org: This is the official site of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and features nutrition information for the public on a range of topics, as well as resources for health professionals to facilitate referral to and collaboration with Registered Dietitians. Available at: http://www.eatright.org/
• Linus Pauling Micronutrient Information Center: A source for scientifically accurate information regarding the roles of vitamins, minerals, other nutrients, dietary phytochemicals (plant chemicals that may affect health), and some foods in preventing disease and promoting health. One can either select a nutrient category or search the Micronutrient Information Center for articles on individual nutrients, phytochemicals, or foods. Available at: http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/
• The World’s Healthiest Foods: This website, created and funded by the non-profit George Mateljan Foundation, contains around 300 fast and easy, healthy recipes, and provides evidence-based information about the health benefits and nutrient content of many whole foods. The database is also searchable by nutrient (for example, a search for “fiber” returns a list of fiber-rich foods, along with a well-cited monograph covering functions of fiber, health benefits, etc.)  Available at: http://www.whfoods.com/
• Local Food Guide: Resource for finding locally grown food wherever you are. Available at:  https://www.eatwellguide.org/

Mindful Eating Resources:

• Mindful Eating — Studies Show This Concept Can Help Clients Lose Weight and Better Manage Chronic Disease. By Cheryl Harris, MPH, RD, Today’s Dietitian, Vol. 15 No. 3 P. 42. Available at: http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/030413p42.shtml
• Mindful Eating as Food for Thought. By Jeff Gordinier. New York Times. Published: February 7, 2012. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/dining/mindful-eating-as-food-for-thought.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
• The Center for Mindful Eating: The Center for Mindful Eating website provides professionals, institutions and the general public with resources and information necessary to implement the principles and practices of mindful eating. Available at: thecenterformindfuleating.org
• Am I Hungry: The Am I Hungry website includes resources and information about mindful eating from Michelle May, MD, author of several books about mindful eating. Resources for health professionals can be found here: http://amihungry.com/resources/
• The Mindful Diet: How to Transform your Relationship with Food for Lasting Weight Loss and Vibrant Health: Published by Scribner/Simon & Schuster, Ruth Wolever, PhD, Beth Reardon, MS, RD, LDN and Tania Hannan combine health psychology, coaching principles, and cutting-edge nutrition to demonstrate key strategies to change eating patterns in a sustainable way. Links to recorded mindful practices that help people center their lives and shift food-related behavior patterns can be freely accessed at: https://www.dukeintegrativemedicine.org/research/the-mindful-diet/

Sources and Citations:

A Time to Bloom Health and Wellness Coaching, LLC https://atimetobloomcoaching.com/

Vanderbilt Health Coaching Program, Resources for Health, and Wellness Coaches. https://www.vumc.org/health-coaching/health-coaching-program

Wansink, B., Johnson, K. The clean plate club: about 92% of self-served food is eaten. Int J Obes 39, 371–374 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2014.104