Happy June! I hope you are enjoying this weather. If you are not, just remember groaning about the cold not that long ago.
What are you telling me?
Your body constantly talks to you. Every second you are awake and even when you are sleeping. Here are some examples of what happens without you having to even think about it.
Your heart beats 100,000 times a day. This muscle beats for you without a hitch (if there is one you know it). Thank your heart. Say to it “Let me make it easier for you by fueling my body”. Your heart works harder when we eat poorly. Eat some greens!
We take a breath about 22,000 times a day. Your lungs need to be pink, strong, and healthy. Stop smoking (you know this) and move your body. Living the healthiest lifestyle will keep your lungs filling and moving that oxygen around your body.
You blink 17,000 times a day. Who wants to keep track? You have no control. This happens on autopilot. It keeps our eyes lubricated. Have you ever experienced dry eyes? They hurt; can feel itchy, scratchy and burn. Some of the causes can be contacts, medications or staring at a screen for too long.
You have about 6,000 individual thoughts a day. Read that again, 6000 individual thoughts. We have way more thoughts than that, but it is because we are repeating thoughts over and over. Hello! Overthinker right here. A tip to stop repeated thoughts, write them down and act on it to get it out of your brain.
Alright, I could go on and on about the functions of the body that happen that we don’t even have to think about but the main point that I want to make is…Your food has a direct impact on these taken for granted basic functions of the body.
Most of us take what is happening in our bodies for granted and we do not listen to what it has to say. Until that is, it is screaming at us. Which is when we are sick and/or in pain. I am on a mission to help prevent that screaming because I would much rather have a conversation on good terms than being forced to listen and act.
My mission is to start with food and movement. I want to focus on food in this column today, but I cannot not say something about movement. If you have been around me for a while you know how much I talk about daily intentional movement. It is vital. The old adage is that you start to slow down as you age. Please STOP that thinking, that is how we get in trouble. As we age, we need to move more than ever. If you are in your teens, 20s and even 30s reading this, please start to develop the habits now that will carry you through the rest of your life. In your 40s, 50s, and 60s you have so much time left to develop new habits and break up with all the bunk information we grew up listening to. 70s and beyond, guess what! You do not get out of this! You are not too old to start something new. Right now, make a small simple impactful, intentional decision to start moving! It will create big change in your life!
Is it a craving?
Now that we have made that simple decision about moving our bodies, let’s talk about cravings. A craving is a strong powerful desire for something. Why do you crave certain foods? And is it really the food we are craving or is it our body telling us that something is not in balance. We could be dehydrated, stressed, or tired. We think we need the potato chips; we eat them and still feel off balance. That is because the potato chips were not what we were craving.
At some point in our lives, for some of us it is daily, we have all craved some type of food. If you are meeting all (most of us are not) your dietary needs, a craving for ice cream is probably not a craving and you would really just like an ice-cold treat. As an adult there is something nostalgic about having an ice cream cone on a hot summer day.
If you are not meeting your dietary needs the cravings could have a deeper meaning. I implore you to take stock of what is going on in your life and find the root cause. Keep a food journal to track not only what you are eating and drinking, but how you feel before and after, the time and your activities. I am not saying you have to do this forever, because it can be a lot, especially if it is not a habit for you. A journal though will be one of the greatest tools for you (and your doctor) to use to get to the cause of the issue.
Are you feeling salty?
What I mentioned above about being dehydrated, stressed, or tired are some of the likely culprits of why you want the foods you want. Let’s talk about salt (which is a bit different from being salty!). For example, if you want those chips I mentioned above or pickles, pizza, bacon or even bread, you are most likely dehydrated. Should you grab some water? Well, I am certainly not going to tell you no. Please note that for people with a healthy balanced diet, water is most likely enough to keep you hydrated, so keep drinking. If you do not eat a healthy balanced diet and you are craving salty foods and at the same time are ever feeling dizzy, have nausea and are confused or irritable (please see a doctor), you should add in electrolytes. I encourage you to find something healthier than those 2 drinks that end in -ade. They are full of dyes and additives that you don’t need.
There are many choices out there for adding in electrolytes. As you are researching, look at the label and make sure the supplement contains sodium (+), magnesium (+), potassium (+), calcium (+), chloride (-), phosphate (-), and bicarbonate (-). Electrolytes are substances that have a natural positive (+) or negative (-) electrical charge when dissolved in water. You are nearly 60% water, which means that almost all the fluid and cells in your body contain electrolytes! I now give you permission to tell everyone you are electrifying!!
A healthy balanced diet will contain those key electrolyte substances and you may not need to add in a supplement. For those of us that are not exactly eating to fuel our bodies you may want to add that supplement along with changing your diet. Start switching out the highly processed foods and unnatural drinks to foods that contain the substances above. Here is a short list of foods to start eating.
Sodium – When you think of sodium, you think of table salt (use a Himalayan pink salt or a Celtic Sea salt), but don’t forget about carrots, cauliflower, spinach, radishes, and cabbage.
Potassium – as you read the word, you thought banana, which I will not deny. Did you know that prunes have more potassium than bananas and so do dried apricots (no sugar added)! Other potassium rich foods are medjool dates, tomatoes, broccoli, oranges, spinach, and potatoes.
Magnesium – Foods rich in this mineral are pumpkin seeds, spinach, lima beans and swiss chard, avocado and dark chocolate (the darker the better).
Calcium – Go nuts with almonds! Kale, spinach, milk, collard greens, salmon, chia seeds and bok choy are all filled with calcium.
Do you spot the theme? Raw foods, nothing highly processed or filled with chemicals. Some of these foods contain everything you need! If you do not eat this way, start today and work to eat more raw foods every day. When I say raw, I simply mean the food in the most natural state, you can eat it raw but cooking the food works too. In fact, some foods work differently when you eat them raw vs. cooked. Do the research for you, try new to you foods or the same old foods in new ways. Make it exciting. Eating healthy is not and does not need to be boring!
Please note that I am not a doctor (and I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express), nor do I know your current health or history. You should always seek medical advice if you are having any symptoms that are not normal for you or are making significant changes that could affect your health.
Recipe of the Month: “Snicker” bites
One of the foods I mentioned above was Medjool dates. This amazing food is not only rich in potassium but also in calcium, magnesium, and copper (helps with iron absorption). They give you a boost in antioxidants and they contain vitamin B6! You really should add these to your diet. Back to the super easy, no cooking or baking recipe with only 5 main ingredients.
Ingredients:
- Medjool dates (how many ever you want)
- Nut butter
- Chocolate (enough to cover the dates)
- Coconut oil
- Salt
Grab a date, slice long ways but not all the way through (you are making a boat), and flick the pit. Fill the boat with your favorite nut butter. Set these aside.
Place your chocolate (the darker the better) with a little bit of coconut oil in a bowl and melt. Up to you whether you use the microwave or stove. When I melt chocolate in the microwave, I start at 30 seconds and then stir. If you are melting a lot you will continue that pattern. If it is not so I suggest 10 seconds and stir until melted all the way.
Next, using a fork, dunk your filled dates in the chocolate and cover them all the way. Set them on parchment paper on a plate. Sprinkle salt on the chocolate. Note, if you want to sea the salt (haha), wait until the chocolate is almost hardened before sprinkling it on top. Chunky salt works way better than fine.
Place the plate in the freezer, let them harden. Enjoy!!
Move of the Month: Get Outside
Grab your “snicker” bites and get outside. Walk, bike, go to a playground and run around with your kids. Go explore! We have been cooped up inside so much or bundled up so tight that we cannot feel the air, that we now need to get out and feel the air and sun on our skin and the dirt and grass on our feet! Relish this time, soak it all in! Enjoy it all.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me. Starting and navigating a new journey can be intimidating and overwhelming. Working with someone who has been in your shoes is extremely helpful and encouraging. Journeys are better when in the company of others.
Jilisa Ghareeb has been a BODi coach for 8 years. Her favorite part of being involved with fitness and nutrition is watching her clients change and open up a whole new world. As a coach she, is able to help others by introducing them to a change that is often scary, intimidating, and full of “what ifs” to an encouraging and inspirational lifestyle full of “I cans.” She uses her own story to show others that everything is possible with hard work and determination. If you are interested in reaching out to Jilisa for more information, you can contact her via email, on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube.
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