Food Addiction is Real.

Nobody chooses to be fat.

Have you ever thought you might be addicted to ice cream or to chips?It's possible. Many processed foods are laced with chemicals that make us feel we must eat more than makes common sense.

No one ever binges on apples and they are full of natural sugars.
No one ever binges on celery and it's full of valuable salts.
The reason why people don't binge on these is because when we eat them we can tell when we're full.
The difference between an addiction and a craving is knowing when to stop

Obesity is not a choice. It is a result of not having choices.

In processed meals there are often chemically created sugars, fats and salts that trigger cravings and addiction. These work by confusing your brain so that it ignores messages from your body.

That's why you may feel unable to resist them. The chemicals are messing with your mind and that is bad for your body. That's how cookies, chips, ice cream or soda become an addiction.

You are not alone.

People who cannot get fresh fruits and vegetable where they live are often victim of the chemical trap. If this is you, there are solutions.
Talk about it with friends, neighbors and family. You will discover that you are not alone. Nobody wants to be fat, nobody wants to be unhealthy.

Be willing to try something new to escape the trap of processed meals.
You can order certain healthy snacks in bulk that won't be expensive and divide them between families.

Examples:
Shelled nuts provide abundant healthy protein and can be purchased online in bulk.
Dried fruit that has no additives is full of nutrition and a healthy snack. If you eat dried fruit you must drink more water. The reason why is because fresh fruit is mostly water, so when it's dried it's concentrated.

Enlist your teenagers.

Talk to your kids about chemicals in their food that are controlling their appetites.

Kids don't like the way they feel or look when they're overweight or obese. Let them know that you are going to work together to protect each other.

Teenagers are brilliant on computers. Give your teenagers the job of surfing the web to find out new affordable eating alternatives that make sense for the whole family. Tell them to be creative and trust their intuition to figure out how to help all of you.

Tell them you will eat what they find.
Let them know what they're doing important for all of you!
 
Every kid who has the time to surf the web, play games, or do e-mails has the skills to find food alternatives for your family. Teenagers, especially, are known for thinking outside of the box. Give them the freedom to take control of dinner 3 nights a week.

Talk to them with respect about the fact that you all need to take control of what enters your bodies because right now, you're all victims of food addiction.
This is about creating the future and they know it.
You can be bold together to beat the chemical trap.

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Yale's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity "Food Addiction" Scale

If you identify with any of these you may be addicted to chemicals in your meals.

1. I eat much more than I had planned.
2. Not getting certain types of meals is something I worry about.
3. I keep trying to diet but am unsuccessful.
4. After I eat, I feel sluggish.
5. I have become more socially isolated because of my weight.
6. Even though I know certain snacks are 'bad' for my health, I still eat them.
7. I need increasing amounts to be satisfied.

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Be curious. Use your intuition to protect yourself from food addiction.

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Am I Really Hungry? gives tools the whole family can use to learn to eat intuitively.Read the book and escape the trap of food addiction.

Climate Control : Summertime

Hot Weather means different body needs.

In summer heat your body works harder to keep you comfortable and so it has less energy to digest food. Sure, you can go into air conditioning and eat a heavy meal. But when you leave, you will feel sluggish. That puts a damper on enjoyment and lowers productivity.

I live in NYC and the heat for the past 3 days has been over 100 degrees setting all kinds of records. Heat affects us in so many ways- besides the obvious sweating and discomfort- really hot weather impacts our appetite. We instinctively eat less or lighter foods in hot weather.

This sounds good for losing weight, but the problem is that a lot of us live with air conditioning. When you’re cooled off, a big hot steak, and a piece of heavy cake looks appetizing. Ouch.

Don't be fulled into eating by climate control!

Sharpen your 6th sense in the summer heat by using your intuitive self-defense, called Foresight. Try it and you will recognize your intuition, and it will get stronger the more you use it!

Foresight is looking ahead of the consequences of what you're about to do.

Ask yourself:

How will I feel if I eat this now?

Do I want it?

What can I eat that will help my body be comfortable in this heat?

It's intuitive to stay in sync with your body. It's stressful to fight with your body and it's painful to ignore it. Tune in to your summer body. 

Be good to your body in the heat.

Eat celery. It's full of minerals and natural salts you lose through perspiring.

Drink coconut water because it replaces electrolytes.

When you're eating in air conditioning use a smaller plate to hold your food and smaller utensils. This is a way to achieve portion control without thinking about it.

Extreme heat also effects us emotionally. Temperatures can shorten, and moods can dip. Emotions that make you eat destructively or want to give up are not intuitive. Intuitively you want the best for your self. That's your intuitive self-defense.

A good summer habit is to sip water while working or relaxing.

Be careful of fruit drinks because they often are as sugary as soda. 

What your body wants when you are hot, is water. 

If you don’t like the taste of water, then try some of these tricks:
         -Put about an inch of fruit juice in your glass and fill the rest with water. If it’s available, add ice to help you cool down. Plus, the chilled drink may taste better to you.

         -Keep some herbal/fruity iced tea in the fridge. Many herbal teas have raspberry or other fruits in them. Since it’s hot to make tea, if you have the time, any tea can be made in advance by just placing tea bags in a pitcher of water, and letting it sit in a sunny window for a few hours or overnight. The flavor will automatically seep out of the bag and into the water. Sweeten your tea with fruit juice.

        -A slice of lemon or lime can make a glass of water a drink. Lemon or lime with a few tablespoons of juice mixed with water is very refreshing.
       -Put a half teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water. The vinegar is not as acidic as lemon and it will make your mouth feel clean and refreshed. Plus, may people consider apple cider vinegar to be a health tonic.  Some small studies have hinted that apple cider vinegar could help with several conditions, such as diabetes and obesity.

Use the hot summer months to eat differently and see how your body responds. Trust your instinct to eat light and you will feel lighter. Winter eating habits are for the winter- your needs change with the seasons.

Use intuition to protect yourself.