How can you conquer emotional eating once and for all?
Is it okay to have a cheat day when you’re keto?
Confused about the different types of carbs, when is the best time to eat them, and how many carbs you should be eating?
What’s the verdict on soy…soy protein, soybean oil, and soy sauce?
How can you conquer emotional eating once and for all?
How can you combat emotional eating when you’re running low on willpower?
• First rule of good nutrition: If a food is in your house or possession, you’re going to eat it.
• If you want to eat less junk and reduce emotional eating, create more barriers/obstacles to eating junk food and comfort foods.
• On the flip side, remove obstacles to eating healthier. Make healthy foods convenient and available.
• Identify triggers; what events, situations, people, environments, etc., “trigger” emotional eating?
• When it comes to emotional eating, take time to think about whether or not eating is actually solving the problem?
• Instead of resorting to emotional eating to “resolve” your problems, experiment with other activities, such as playing with your kids, taking a walk, surrounding yourself with people who are happy, energetic, and doing healthy things.
• Lack of sleep can also lead to emotional eating.
Is it okay to have a cheat day when
you’re following a ketogenic diet?
• It’s important to look at any way of eating as a lifestyle, not a short-term diet. Is this something that you can maintain for life?
• The difference between a targeted ketogenic diet (TKD) and a cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD).
• It’s perfectly fine to have one cheat meal each or a cheat day every other week when you’re keto or following any other diet.
• Think of it this way: If you eat poorly all the time, having one salad per week isn’t going to make you healthy.
On the flip side, if you eat well nearly all the time, one cheeseburger or cheat meal isn’t going to “undo” all your work.
• There doesn’t seem to be any metabolic magic to a single cheat day or meal; however, a cheat day/meal may help increase your adherence/compliance to your diet.
• Keep in mind that, more than ever, there are healthy recipe options for favorite cheat foods.
For instance, there are keto recipes for pizza, ice cream, and even children’s favorite foods.
Carbs (e.g., starchy, fibrous, simple), the best times of day to eat them, and how much you should eat?
• Breaking down the different types of carbs, including starchy, fibrous, and simple carbs, and more importantly, the various foods where you’ll find them.
• A general guideline is that faster digesting carbs may be best around periods of activity (e.g., exercise), while slower digesting carbs that are higher in fiber may be better around periods that you’re less active.
• Insulin sensitivity tends to be highest in the morning and after exercise.
So, breakfast and around exercise may be the “best” times to eat carbs.
• In general, carb intake should be proportionate to activity levels and inversely proportionate to body fat levels.
Is soy any good? What about soy protein?
How about soybean oil?
Should I avoid all soy?
What about liquid aminos that come from soy?
• You can find both soy- and coconut-based liquid aminos, and as far as they go, they are a flavor enhancer.
In other words, they don’t provide a significant amount of protein.
So, choose based on your taste preference and/or any allergy restrictions.
• The top concerns surrounding soy include:
GMOs (95% or so of soy in the US is GM); soy protein (phytoestrogens); and fatty acid profile (heavy in omega-6 fats).
• Soybean oil is relatively rich in omega-6 fatty acids, which are pro-inflammatory, especially when overconsumed and consumed in excess of omega-3 fats.
This is incredibly common today.
• When you tell someone to reduce/eliminate soybean oil, it leads to a reduction in the consumption of processed foods, which are the primary source of soybean oil.
• Soybean oil is not typically used for cooking; however, if there’s any question, it shouldn’t be.
It’s rich in polyunsaturated fats, which are highly susceptible to oxidation.
Soybean oil is typically refined, bleached, and deodorized.
Don’t cook with soybean oil.
• Like many plant-based foods, soy contains phytoestrogens, which have weak estrogenic activity. Soy is a particularly concentrated source phytoestrogens.
This poses concerns for anyone who wants to limit/manage their estrogen levels (e.g., men).
This, however, may be of benefit to some women (e.g., post-menopausal).
• Soy-based foods that would be acceptable, include miso, tempeh, and natto, which are fermented foods, as well as edamame and tamari.
Of course, if these foods are chosen, they should be included in small to moderate amounts.
