How To Stop Emotional Eating

Eating to soothe our feelings is natural and normal. 

Human beings have been doing this forever. Food is more than fuel. It’s a source of joy, social connection, and comfort. If we eat a bag of chips after a stressful day from time to time, it’s not the end of the world. 

If it becomes a regular habit to numb out negative feelings with food and it begins to impact your health, it’s time to do something about your emotional eating. 

Constant emotional eating is not a sign that you’re weak. It’s a sign that your anxiety, sadness, boredom or burnout has become so painful for you that you’re desperate for relief. Food is a quick way to get a rush of feel-good chemicals in your brain so it becomes your go-to source of relief. 

So much advice around emotional eating focuses on distraction. Go for a walk! Drink some water! Eat a healthier alternative! But none of these strategies address the root cause of your emotional eating - your emotions. 

So how do you stop emotionally eating? Get support for your mental health. Learn how to feed yourself with foods that lower anxiety and regulate the mood. Get tested for nutritional deficiencies and hormonal imbalances that can impact mental health. Get help coming up with a list of supplements and natural remedies that can address your anxiety, stress or sadness. Try acupuncture that focuses on calming down your nervous system. Get help figuring out how to cope with stressors in your life.  

These are some of the ways that I help my patients every day with their emotional eating as a naturopathic doctor. 

Do you have questions about emotional eating? Click the button below to contact me. 

Struggling to Lose Weight: Looking Beyond Calories

Research continues to come out showing that there may be more to the weight loss equation than the simple idea that we just need to burn more calories than we eat to lose weight. A 2015 paper was published that found that Americans nowadays are struggling more to manage their weight compared to a few decades ago – even if they eat and exercise to the same extent and consume similar amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fats.

This study found that while many Americans are consuming more calories now compared to four decades ago, there are other important factors that could be contributing to the rise in BMI and weight in the population. Here are some of the factors that scientists are considering:

• Stress and poor sleep may impact hormones in a way that makes it harder to lose weight.

• Toxins in the environment may impact the way your body uses calories. These are chemicals that can be found in household products and food and they may interfere with weight management.

• More of the population is on medications that could contribute to weight gain.

• The types of good bacteria in the gut may have changed in the population over the decades and this may be influencing the amount of calories that the body extracts from the diet - leading to weight gain.  

A lot more research needs to be done on these non-diet and non-exercise factors but it’s definitely exciting that our view of weight management is expanding. This could be really valuable information for those who feel like they are eating and exercising appropriately and still struggling to manage weight.

Do you have more questions about this topic? Click the button below to get in touch.

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Sick of Always Being on a Diet? Consider Intuitive Eating

Are food, weight and dieting major sources of anxiety for you? Are you trapped in that classic dieting cycle? The one where you carefully watch your diet, then later break the “rules”, feel guilty, “binge”, feel more guilty about binging and then promise yourself to watch your diet even more closely. If you’re completely fed up with this cycle and you want to work on improving your relationship with food, I suggest considering intuitive eating.

Intuitive eating is all about letting go of rigid rules around food in order to improve a negative relationship with food. It’s about following your body’s hunger cues and being flexible with your food choices. If you want to learn more about what intuitive eating is and my own personal experience with it, check out my article HERE.

Today I want to focus more on the science behind intuitive eating. The concept of relaxing the rules around eating can be really intimidating so going over the science behind intuitive eating might help you feel more at ease about it. There aren’t many studies out there on the subject yet, but the ones that exist are promising.

So, lets run through some of the promising findings that have come out about intuitive eating:

-          Intuitive eating may promote a better body image than rigid diet control

-          In some studies, intuitive eating resulted in a greater drop in BMI or at least it did not cause any weight gain

-          Intuitive eating may be associated with improved eating behaviours

-          Psychological health has been shown to improve with intuitive eating

I suspect more interesting findings will come out over time. If you want to learn more about how to do intuitive eating, you can click HERE. Clicking this link will lead you to my “Favourites” page where I have a link to a great resource to get you started on your own research.  

As a naturopathic doctor who works extensively with conditions like anxiety and depression, I see how our mood can affect our food choices and how guilt around our food choices can negatively affect our mood. I enjoy working with patients who are ready to improve their relationship with food and I’m always happy to connect patients to fabulous counsellors and dietitians who share my passion for this subject. Time and time again I find that when we get our mindset to a healthier state, it’s so much easier to eat in a way that helps us feel amazing both physically and mentally.

The Diet Philosophy that Changed my Life

Have I never written about Intuitive Eating? Well, I apologize for waiting so long to write a post about something that has been so important in my life. This one’s going to get a little personal, but there’s no harm in getting to know your ND a little better, right?

Intuitive Eating has been my go-to style of eating for years now. It’s the reason why my diet may not be as pristine and perfect as others. But it’s also the reason why I have a much healthier relationship with food than I ever imagined was possible.

You see, for a large chunk of my life (pre-teens to early 20s) I had an unhealthy relationship with food. I was obsessed with limiting “bad food” and making my diet as perfect as it possibly could be. I felt horrible when I deviated from the perfect diet I planned for myself every day. In my late teens, I would have so many food cravings for the foods I kept trying to “ban” in my life that I eventually would give in and eat uncomfortable amounts of those foods. This deprivation-overeating roller coaster took a significant toll on my mental health. Plus, I felt so embarrassed that my life was being dominated by something so ordinary as food.

Eventually, I discovered something called Intuitive Eating. This is a system of eating popularized by two American dietitians over a decade ago. It is a system of eating that seems so simple but was so foreign to me because of my food issues and history of disordered eating.

Simply put, Intuitive Eating involves eating when you’re hungry, stopping when you’re full and eating whatever you want. It aims to strip away the mentality of “good food vs. bad food” that leads some people to constantly feel deprived and plagued by cravings. It involves eating mindfully and really paying attention to how food makes you feel physically rather than focusing on beating yourself up for eating something that was on your “bad” list. Sounds like common sense right?

But in a world that is so obsessed with rigid, prescriptive diets, this concept feels very foreign to many people. It was foreign to me. I thought to myself, what do you mean eat whatever I want? If I give myself permission to do that, I’ll eat the whole kitchen and I’ll eat mountains of junk food. I’m going to gain so much weight eating like this! There is no way that people with a healthy weight go around eating like this.  

I was so fed up that despite these thoughts, I decided to give Intuitive Eating a try. At first, I did eat a LOT of junk food. I mean, I finally had this freedom to eat what I wanted to so of course I was going to let loose. But then something unexpected happened. Once my mind wrapped itself around the fact that there were no longer going to be restrictions on the junk food I was eating and that I could have it whenever I wanted to, I became less interested in it. My mind was also less cluttered with guilt and diet-plotting so I was able to focus more on the fact that I physically felt unwell after eating all that junk food. This awareness also made the junk food less interesting. The diet mentality was slowly disappearing and the forbidden fruit effect was fading along with it.

Nowadays my diet has naturally fallen into the 80/20 pattern. 80% of it would be considered healthy, 20% if it would not. When I’m having lots of processed or inflammatory foods, I feel the negative physical affects but I no longer feel the guilt. The times that I do push myself closer to that 100% “healthy” diet, it comes from a place of wanting to take care of myself rather than a place of shame and guilt.  

As for studies on Intuitive Eating – there aren’t many. But, I personally don’t need them to be convinced. From a young age, I was acquainted with the shocking power that your mind can have over you. This has fueled my passion for mental health. Disordered eating and unhealthy relationships with food can really drain the peace from your life. If you’re struggling with these issues, Intuitive Eating might be something worth looking into. It’s not for everyone, but it was life-changing for me and many others. 

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Would you like a FREE list of foods that can soothe anxiety? Click below.

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Reducing Inflammation Can Reduce Anxiety and Depression

How are your 2019 goals going? Do you feel like you’re making progress with your New Year’s resolutions? Or is your mental health weighing you down? It can be disappointing to make all these goals for your new year and then realize that you don’t feel like taking steps towards them because you’re too anxious, depressed, unmotivated or irritable. “New Year, New You” might already be fading away to “New Year, Same Old”. Sometimes before you start tackling your goals, you need to get your head in the right space first. If you’re struggling with anxiety or depression, that means doing everything you can to improve your chances of healing.    

There is exciting research in the field of mental health regarding the role that inflammation plays in anxiety and depression. Laboratory studies have found that inflammation impacts regions of the brain associated with fear and anxiety. Scientists have also found that factors that increase inflammation like poor diet, poor lifestyle, illness and stress can interfere with the production of serotonin and dopamine. These are brain chemicals that are important for mood and happiness.

Of course, inflammation is not the only factor involved in anxiety and depression but numerous studies have found that anxiety and depression patients seem to have higher levels of inflammation markers in their blood and cerebrospinal fluid. It also seems like anxiety and depression can further increase inflammation in the body (sounds like a vicious cycle, right?). It has even been found that some patients with mental health conditions have a genetic predisposition to higher levels of inflammation. Some doctors are using the term “brainflammation” to describe this connection between mental health and inflammation.  

Naturally, scientists want to see if reducing inflammation can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. Herbs that reduce inflammation such as turmeric have been able to reduce symptoms of both anxiety and depression in several studies. There are many other natural ways your naturopathic doctor can use herbal medicine and nutritional supplements to reduce inflammation.

But beyond taking a pill, how else can you reduce inflammation? Eat well. Sleep well. Exercise. Relax. Lose Weight. These are core pillars of health and key ways to reduce inflammation.

Confused about all the information out there on how to eat well? Talk to a naturopathic doctor. Our whole job is to sift through the truth and the trendy myths to give you the diet information that will actually help you without overwhelming you. Not sleeping well despite drowning in melatonin supplements and sleepy tea? Talk to a naturopathic doctor. We’ll set you up on a science-based plan that solves your unique sleep problems. If you need support with losing weight, managing stress and exercising, naturopathic doctors can help you or connect you to resources and other people that can help you.

January can be such an exciting month full of promise for the year to come. It doesn’t have to be a month of disappointment and failed New Year’s resolutions. If you take the right steps and get the right support, this can be a year of real progress in your physical and mental health. If you want “New year, New you” to be true for you in 2019, prioritize yourself and prioritize your mental health.

Acupuncture to Reduce Smoking, Drinking and Other Cravings

Do you have any habits or addictions in your life that you wish you could get rid of? Almost everybody has some sort of habit they struggle with. For some it’s stress-eating, nail biting or constant cell phone checking. For others it’s smoking, alcohol consumption or gambling.

Feeling like you can’t control behaviours like these can be incredibly frustrating. You may be fully aware of the damage that some of these habits do to your health and that awareness may make you want to quit but it doesn’t always make it easier to quit. These habits can rob you of your time and your wellbeing and leave you feeling helpless and sometimes even embarrassed.

How Acupuncture Can Help

As a naturopathic doctor, I’m licensed to perform acupuncture and I have found it to be a valuable tool for many conditions. Acupuncture has been used to manage addictions in hospitals and treatment programs for over thirty years in North America and around the world. The National Acupuncture Detoxification Association developed a protocol that is the most commonly used protocol in these settings. Most of the research on this protocol revolves around reducing smoking and alcohol consumption but ongoing research is exploring how it can reduce other unhealthy habits.

Though the studies of this acupuncture protocol have had mixed results, many researchers agree that acupuncture can be useful for reducing addictions when combined with other treatments. I certainly don’t recommend this as a solo treatment, but I’ve had success using it when combine with other interventions like lifestyle changes, counselling, herbal and nutritional supplements or medications. The best combination of treatments will be different for everyone. I also like to combine this protocol with other traditional acupuncture points depending on your unique symptoms and health status.  

Historically, acupuncture was found to make quitting addictive habits easier by reducing withdrawal symptoms, cravings, stress and irritability and improving wellbeing, sleep and energy. In my own practice, I’ve found acupuncture can indeed make quitting habits like smoking easier. I have even successfully used it to help with food addictions but using this acupuncture protocol for food addictions has not been scientifically studied to my knowledge.

The Catch

If you’re thinking this is too good to be true, now’s a good time to talk about the catch. I find that acupuncture will not make somebody who is unwilling or not ready to quit a habit suddenly able to quit. I have only found it to be helpful for those who are ready to take action to quit and want support to make the quitting process less difficult. It is very important to understand that the acupuncture won’t do the work on its own. It’s meant to be an aid to help you as you do the work.

Breaking habits can be hard. If you’re ready to leave an unhealthy habit behind, get as much support around you as possible. This will increase your chances of success. Get your health back, get your time back, get your sense of self-command back and let your bad habit become a thing of the past.  

Ladies, Do You Have Symptoms of Low Testosterone?

When women think of their hormones the first thing they think of is estrogen. But testosterone plays a huge role in the well-being of every woman. High testosterone has a lot more attention than low testosterone. This is because it’s commonly known that high testosterone is linked to PCOS, acne, scalp hair loss and facial hair growth. Not many women know how having low testosterone can impact them.

Another name for low testosterone in women is “female androgen deficiency syndrome”. The most well-known symptom of this condition is low libido. However, not every woman with low testosterone has low libido. There are many other symptoms like:

- Low motivation

- Fatigue

- Depression

- Feeling generally unwell

- Osteoporosis

- Increased body fat

Low testosterone is most common in post-menopausal women. It can happen in younger women as well. It also seems to be common in women who are burnt out or experiencing something called “adrenal fatigue”. This could be because some of your testosterone comes from the adrenal glands. These are the glands that produce adrenaline and take a big hit when we’ve been stressed or overworked for too long.

More research needs to be done on this important syndrome and more women need to be aware of it. I test for low testosterone through blood or saliva tests. There are many herbs, nutrients and lifestyle protocols that I recommend to raise testosterone levels in women.

The transformation that you feel when your hormones are brought into balance is incredible and so worth the effort. I encourage you to learn more about all your hormones - including testosterone.

The Missing Part of Most Weight Loss Programs

Holiday season is upon us and the new year is right around the corner. You know what that means – weight loss advertisements! You’ll soon be hearing those familiar phrases. Phrases about shedding holiday pounds and starting the new year off right. Ads will centre around gym memberships, diet programs and a few supplements.

Now, I have nothing against many weight loss programs. Many are based on sound principles for weight loss – a good diet and workout plan. I just wish more programs addressed one key thing that stands in the way of weight loss for so many people: the mind.

Most of my patients know what they should be eating to lose weight. Most know how much they should be exercising. It's often something deeper than a simple lack of willpower or time that stands in their way. For many, it’s hard to do the things they know they should do because their mind is not in a good place. 

The reality is that it’s hard to get up and make yourself a healthy meal when you don’t even feel like getting out of bed to face the day. It’s hard to spend thirty minutes at the gym when your mind is scolding you about other worries you "should" be focusing on instead. Food - especially junk food - can be a major comfort when you're feeling down.  Feeling down, stressed or anxious is a major barrier to getting in shape.

You can tell yourself that you HAVE to cut the sweets after work no matter what, but the mind is a powerful thing. If it's not happy it doesn't make the best choices. When it comes time to make that healthy choice it can easily overpower your “have-to’s”.

Then there’s the other dilemma. You’ve had some success with weight loss, but it didn’t last long. You were on a roll, then eventually your mind got in a funk and you started comfort eating to soothe your worries. Or you started not feeling in the mood to go to the gym. The weight went back up.

This is why it is so important to get your mind in the right place before or while starting any weight loss mission. Treat your low mood. Treat your anxiety. Treat your chronic stress. Don’t ignore these things and only focus on the body. Treating these issues is what will enhance your weight loss efforts. Treating them will make the results last.

I treat these issues of the mind with herbs, nutrients, lifestyle changes and acupuncture. I watch my patients transform with this care. They begin to feel more excited about their lives and about taking care of themselves. It becomes easier to make those choices to follow that healthy diet and exercise plan. The weight begins to come off, but they also feel like they are thriving in other areas of their life too.

So, this time around when you’re making weight loss or healthy lifestyle resolutions don’t only think about your body. Give your mind some love as well.