How Emotions Can Hijack Your Diet Choices

Do you ever ask yourself why food is known to damage you, but not to heal you, to make you feel better? Why do the media and doctors say that you should eat less of this and less of that? Why food x caused y condition and nothing is said about what you should eat for a healthy system? I do to. Even more after being diagnosed with an autoimmune chronic illness like multiple sclerosis. I not only choose to quit sugar, but gluten and dairy too. Let me tell you why.

Last time I wrote about this issue (find it HERE) I was on a positive wave, or more well said, going through a constant good and calm state of my life. What I failed to remember was that life is a roller coaster. I didn't pay enough attention to the fact that the Black Knights (more about them HERE) are bound to come back and trash my efforts of leading a healthy life.

I'm talking about those moments when you feel so upset or tired, that you just need an ice cream or some chocolate. Eating sweet or tasty foods helps you feel better almost instantly (or at the bottom of the can, in some cases).

But that's the real problem. Our brains have been wired from an early age to know that we can find comfort in eating. What nobody told us was how to better manage what and how we feel. How to identify and balance the emotional roller coaster life has prepared for us, and do that without food.

For me, choosing not to eat gluten, dairy and sugar came as a no brainer once I did my research. And when I say research, I mean spending hours upon hours finding out how casein and gluten can mimic other proteins in the body and how sudden insulin spikes put the body into deep stress (and get you fat in the process). I have the notes to prove it! :))

I still have the same principles and ideas, only that now I am more aware of how moments of angst, fear or anger can make my hormones and neurotransmitters fluctuate, and thus somehow make me crave the foods that I know very well can make me feel bad.

On a rational level, it's all good, and I stick to the plan about 80% of the time. The other 20% is dependent on how I'm feeling. That's why I now focus mostly on balancing my emotional state, as it is the root of all evil. Kidding, just the root of cravings (which are equally as bad :)) ).

All this "I'm changing my diet!" is in fact a process, with its ups and downs. But nobody really talks about failure. About cravings, about how it's all connected to the way we feel, not only by logic and willpower. The stricter the diet, the most prone to failure it is. Especially if you go through hard moments in life. 

Here's where self-compassion comes in. I used to get upset with myself for eating some gluten or having some dairy, or for eating chocolate at certain times of the month. The trick is to allow yourself to indulge for a bit (if you're feeling really crappy there's no use in making things even worse) and then return to your usual eating habits. The problem begins when you continue on a downward spiral and eat mindlessly, going over your own decisions.

At the end of the day, we are all free to make our own choices, but just make sure they align with the rest of our lifestyle.

The following months we'll go deeper into what it takes to become stronger: body, mind and spirit. To become the architect of your wished lifestyle. To become #strongerthanMS.

Until then, I thank you for being here. Liked this post? Share it with friends. Want to receive more articles like this right into your inbox? Add your email to the SMart Choosers list HERE. You’ll receive every new article and a monthly Newsletter of wonderful resources and insight, to help you make the smart choices that best fit your lifestyle.

Sincerely yours,

Denisa

Food, Exercise and Rest. Improve Your Brain Health and Get Stronger to Fight MS

Today’s article is centered on a topic that has been part of my MS management strategy since the month of being diagnosed. It’s the first thing that came to mind: how can I take care of my body in order to minimize the possible effects this condition might have on me at some point.

It might seem like common sense to eat well, get your body moving and having a good night’s sleep, but in dealing with MS, they become crucial, as your body is attacking itself and needs all the help that it can receive in order to have a chance to fight back.

MS is primarily or at its early stages an inflammatory disease. To me it makes a lot of sense to do your best to reduce that inflammatory state. All these three elements are potent inflammation fighters, if used right and on a regular basis.

FOOD

Our bodies constantly renew cells, giving us new tissues, organs and a whole new body in just a few years. This is why what we eat it crucial to our health. 

Imagine your body as a dirty glass, the dirt in it being all the junk and processed foods we have, all the toxins and damage done by intestinal inflammatory processes throughout our lives. And now imagine opening the faucet and letting fresh water pour over the glass. What happens? At first, nothing much, the water fills the cup and then overflows. But if you let it on, the dirt will finally clean away, it will melt and let the glass cleaner. Not entirely clean, there will be harder bits remaining (scars), but you’ll end up with a clearer vessel. 

Eating healthy foods and as little processed or cooked as possible will get you similar results. Stick to it, make it part of your identity. Train to battle MS.

EXERCISE

Exercise is another must-do when your body faces getting weaker. Long story short: MS aims to get us totally paralized. There! I’ve said it! It gives me chills everytime I think or say it, but it is a fear I understood I must face from this year onwards. It has been at the back of my mind for a while now. But you know what they say about your “enemies”: keep them closer than your “friends”. And this year I will do just that: face my fears, say them out loud.

It’s the same thing as when my mother and I took our first airplane flight together. It was a first for the both of us, but she was more scared than I was. I don’t know exactly why, but heights don’t scare me. Not being in control does. So, she was so anxious about turbulences and getting safe to our destination and although I tried to calm her down, she had her fears. So I decided to say her (our) fear out loud: “What is the worst thing that could happen? The airplane falls down and we die. That’s it! Can we prevent it? Can we do something about it? Then why bother? Worrying is of no help. Just enjoy the ride!”. She looked surprised and a bit shocked, but in the end she agreed with me.

Likewise, what is the worse that can happen with MS? You can become paralyzed, have major pain or die. Can you prevent it? Can you control it? Can you do something about it? No, but you can make the ride the best it can possibly be. The ride is your life and you can help yourself by moving your body. Do whatever you can do. 

We all have different capabilities and MS affects us in different ways. There are MSers who do thriathlons and others who are bed bound. There are people who are afraid to get heated up or to get out of the house. There are people who have pain and decide that they can’t push through.

But YES, YOU CAN! YES, YOU CAN! “Use it or lose it” one expression used to say. I’m not mean, I’m not forcing you do do anything that you can’t or don’t feel comfortable doing. It’s just that I saw it to be possible. I see examples of people that do it. Of course that at the same time there are people who can’t. There are all kinds of situations. There are all kinds of snowflakes. #NoTwoTheSame, as Shift.ms says.

Our bodies are made for movement. As long as you can crawl, do that. Get better ar crawling. There is no shame in wanting to survive. There is no shame in wanting to live and get better. People make it so hard by having big egos, by being so influenced by what other people say about them, about being judged.

It might sound unbelievable to you, it might seem like I’m B.S.ing you, but little by little, I come to understand that there is no ego, there is nothing to be ashamed about. It is all in our minds. We humans are independent beings, and when we face losing that, we get scared, we refuse to accept it. But at the end of the day, who are you to feel that way? There are thousands of people going through the same battle everyday. Some push through. Be one of those people. Constantly. Make it a life quest: "Be on top of all my struggles!"

Be dignified enough to push through the struggle. It’s the hardest thing you might need to do, but it’s why God allows you to live. To make a difference, to be humble and to be more open to what others are going through. We are so selfish and think that our lives are the most impacted ever.

Open your eyes and see how many are in the same or even worse situations. Stop complaining and start acting and doing something to fight back. Get on that eliptical and peddal for as long as your body alows you, stretch your upper body half while sitting in the wheelchair, smile if you are bedbound.

You are a wonderful human being. Don’t feel sorrow. We all face the same end. There’s no need to make the road there even harder than it is. Cry, hit something, yell, journal, confess to a priest, pray, get it out of your system.

And then smile. It calms your soul.

REST

Sleep is the key element that binds the first two together. We eat, we move, but the body needs to rest and recuperate after all this effort. It needs to regenerate the organs, to recharge your energy supplies and to tend to the body. 

We sleep in 1 and a half stages. It has been recommended to sleep at least 5 stages like this, meaning a minimum of 8 hours a night in order for sleep to be efficient.

Of course, when you have MS and fatigue as a symptom, no amount of sleep can make you feel rested, I agree. But you must go with the flow. Do your best in managing your daily activities and hacking the life out of your tasks, as to help the body recharge. I’ve writter about this here. I will also come back with even more details about sleep and how well it correlates to what you eat and how you move.

INSTEAD OF A CONCLUSION

Nobody said that you can cure MS by doing these three things. That would be just junk talk, delusional and counterproductive. When MS hits you, cause it will, it’s best to be prepared and a little more stronger than you were yesterday. You’ll get through it with possible less damage, you’ll raise up the chances of recovering faster after a relapse. 

These three are not miracle cures, are not whishful thinking, but ways through which you can take care of yourself, in which you can help your body cope with life with MS.

It’s like healing the wounded. It’s fighting back. It’s not giving up, accept your faith and drown yourself in anger and frustration. Be assertive! Take control of your life as well as you can.

Why give in? Why be a victim? Choose to live!

Sign up to the email list, to be sure you’ll get the three main articles I publish every week, plus an occasional fourth or fifth post when I have something new to share!

Until next time, make the SMart Choices for your lifestyle.

Love,

Alexandra

Deliciously Toxic! Why You Become Addicted & Sick from Today's Food - #SMartWednesday

This week on #SMartWednesday we do a short analisys of addiction and how you can better cope with it in today’s fast pacing world. Make the smart choice and read all about it in the article below.

WHAT IS ADDICTION & HOW DOES IT WORK?

The compulsive use of a substance or activity that provides pleasure, interfering with your day to day activities such as work, relatioships or health. There are mainly two types of addiction:

1. behavioral - compulsive use of natural rewards such as food, exercise or sex;

2. drug-related - compulsive use of chemicals that influence your brain connections.

It works by increasing the concentration of synaptic dopamine (happiness hormone and neurotransmitter) in the brain, thus giving you a rush everytime you use the behavior or substance. Your brain gets a reward each time and that feeling is highly addictive.

Sometimes, you are not aware that you have an addiction to something until someone points that out to you. This is one of those cases.

If I started by telling you cocaine and heroin cause addiction, that would be totally redundant and a waste of time. Telling you that most food you eat today makes you addicted and sick, will most likely catch your attention.

WHY DO YOU GET ADDICTED TO FOOD & WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT?

Modern society is proudly displaying the advances of technology and the way we are now able to make more food and have supermarkets full of ready-to-eat products, perfect for our fast-forward lifestyle and Earth’s growing population.

These products are highly processed foods with loads of added fat and refined carbs known to influence addictive behavior when they are consumed in high ammounts. Fat is a taste and flavour enhancer, thus making you unable to resist the taste and goodness of food. Refined carbs, once ingested, quickly metabolize into sugars (glucose) that spike your insulin levels only to drop them even faster, and make you crave more of that product.

You eat those products because they help release stress and make you feel good instead. The reward (feeling better) is greater than the negative outcome (you get fat). Conditioning the brain to release dopamine and make you happy after eating certain foods, makes you addicted. The brain identifies them as a pleasure-generating stimuli and you’re hooked!

Sugar and fat rarely occur in the same food naturally. Think grapes. They contain sugar (fructose) but zero fats. Nuts are full of fats, but have no sugar whatsoever. Processed foods have been genetically engineered to have high amounts of both (ex: pizza, chocolate, cake). The taste is amazing and so rewarding. You get addicted without even knowing it.

In drug addictions, a concentrated dose of a substance increases its abuse. It’s absorbed faster into the bloodstream, thus the rush is much quicker. The same with highly processed foods. It’s packed with chemically produced sugar, carbs and fat, that are many times more concentrated than the ones you find in nature (raw, organic foods).

The link between high glucose levels and addiction areas in the brain makes you crave food just for pleasure. The nutritional value is gone, and you feed yourself only chemicals that pose as delicious food. Deliciously toxic, that is. And addictive.

Any foreign substance that enters the body is facing an attack from the immune system. It fights to protect the body from anything alien. Any attack results in inflammation. Any inflammation could be the result of a chronic illness or acute discomfort. Are you willing to take that risk just for that yummy pizza?

Here’s what to do.

MAKE SMART CHOICES, IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH

I know it’s very hard to make healthy choices when you are bombarded with food-porn images and videos all over the internet, on social media, advertising and cooking shows. It’s hard. Damn hard.

But you know what’s even harder? Living with a chronic disease generated by chemical food and a chaotic lifestyle. It’s all about the choices you make.

Researchers at the University of Michigan have identified the highest addictive foods, the majority of which are highly processed. The top 10 items are also the most pleasurable ones for many people living today.

1. Pizza (gluten, dairy, sugar in tomato paste)
2. Chocolate (fat, sugar, dairy)
3. Chips (fat, sugar from the amidon found in the potatoes)
4. Cookie (gluten, sugar, dairy)
5. Ice cream (dairy, sugar)
6. French fries (fat, sugar from the amidon found in the potatoes)
7. Cheeseburger (gluten, sugar, dairy)
8. Soda (not diet) (sugar from corn syrup)
9. Cake (gluten, sugar, dairy)
10. Cheese (dairy - lactose and casein)

I’ve said it and I’ll repeat it untill it sticks: quit sugar, gluten and dairy alltogether. In today’s world, if you are not sure where your food is comming from, you should practice caution and not eat it.

The chemical formulas of these three foods are very similar to those of cocaine or heroin. You wouldn’t want to be on the road of no return with one of these two drugs, would you? Then why do it with sugar, gluten and dairy? Only because they taste good and are heavily marketed in our consummerist society? Think about it!

All food that comes from a cartboard or foil packaging is not good for you. I don’t care how pretty it is, I don’t care how tasty it is, I don’t care how much you like it! I have been there for most of my life and what does that helped me with? Only with enhancing the probable predisposition I had for developing multiple sclerosis.

OK, agree! It is only a probability. But are you willing to live with the doubt all your life? Feeling sluggish, cranky and getting fat? With a hammer dangling above your head, posibly favoring chronic illness? I thought you wouldn’t! Neither have I. As much as I loved (not liked, LOVED!) soda, pizza, cheese, chocolate and icecream, they made me sick.

How do I know that? I spent days without any sugar, gluten or dairy. I began feeling better. Then I did test meals. Surprise, surprise! Guess who got bloated, cranky and sluggish? Guess who had more symptoms and malaise? That’s right! ME!

Think about it. We have been used to eat this way since we were little. For the past 20 years, the food industry has boomed with loads of products that only mimic real food. Our taste buds have grown accustomed to them. But are they feeding us the nutrients we need to live in a healthy body and enjoy a long life? No.

That’s why it's all about choices! You have the power to decide which food goes into your mouth and which stays on the shelf.

Join me tomorrow on #HealthyThursday to find out what are the best choices and hacks for healthy eating (with or without a chronic illness like multiple sclerosis).

This was all for this week’s #SMartWednesday! Thanks for being here!

What’s your story? Tell me all about it by writing a comment in the box below. I would love to hear what you have to say and help if I can.

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Lots of love,

Alexandra

Why I Quit Sugar, Gluten & Dairy (And Why You Should Do The Same) - #HealthyThursday

Hi there! So nice to write another #HealthyThursday article for you. This time we deal with food choices when faced with health problems. Do you ever ask yourself why food is known to damage you, but not to heal you, to make you feel better? Why do the media and doctors say that you should eat less of this and less of that? Why food x caused y condition and nothing i said about what you should eat for a healthy system? I do to. Even more after being diagnosed with an autoimmune chronic illness like multiple sclerosis. I not only choose to quit sugar, but gluten and dairy too. Let me tell you why.

HOW EATING CAN IN FACT STARVE YOU

If you’re reading this it’s most likely you have been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition. You could also dropped by just wanting to learn more about the question in the title. Either way, this article is for you. We all want to be healthy and enjoy our meals in the process.

Disease starts small. Very small. Cells are the first ones to get it. Your lifestyle and diet are powerful factors that can make you well or make you sick. But you know this by now. I am sure you had at least one stomach problem or sluggishness from food you ate, sometime during your lifetime. So you can relate to what food can do to you if eaten mindlessly.

There is quite a big difference between being full and being nourished. Our body needs fuel to function the right way. What you eat has great impact on how you feel physically and emotionally. Your internal biochemistry needs to function correctly in order for your body to thrive. Too much inflammation and starved cells are a direct result of your lifestyle choices.

WHO ARE SUGAR, GLUTEN & CASEIN?

Sugar is in fact a group of short-chain, soluble carbohydrates that have a sweet taste. Like most carbs, it can be simple (glucose, fructose) or a bit more complex (sucrose, lactose). You get your daily amount from fruit  and other food you eat, and from table sugar and dairy. In fact, you are consuming just empty calories and your body starves on the inside. Sugar also encourages bad bacteria and yeasts to grow in your gut. It can oxidize proteins, making them unrecognizable for your immune system. In individuals that are genetically predisposed, it can lead to attacks from T cells, as they treat the protein as a foreign invader.

Myelin, the tissue attacked in multiple sclerosis is made out of protein.

Gluten is a protein found in grains, mostly in wheat and also in barley and rye. Gluten makes dough elastic, helping it rise and keep its shape. It can cause a lot of issues, ranging from simple bowel problems (ex: bloating, foggy mind, fatigue, rhinitis, etc) and wheat allergies to coeliac disease (intolerance to gluten).

Casein is another type of protein, but it is found in dairy, mostly in human and mammalian milk. It is one of the main triggers of food allergies. Casein can influence the release of histamine in the body, thus leading to inflammation in the bowels and influencing the immune system.

Lactose, the sugar found in milk, is also a major allergy source and deserves a sidekick role in this post. In certain predisposed individuals it can cause lactose intolerance, meaning that milk and other dairy products can’t be digested properly, causing gut problems.

THE ADDICTIVE THREE

Gluten, casein and sugar are very similar to the opioids, meaning they cause addiction. You surely know the effect a cheese pizza, a strawberry milk smoothie or chocolate have on you. The chemical process is simple. When you eat foods like these, your brain releases dopamine to signal the body it just had a pleasurable meal. It also rises your body glucose levels, making you feel good.

Over time, this effect is less and less powerful, thus you increase the amount of dairy, sugar or gluten you eat, in order to feel the same sensations. Your brain becomes addicted to that high. Another damaging effect is that you end up eating to much calories and less and less nutrients.

Because you have been eating them all your life, or most of it, you are not aware of any sensitivities that you might have or not. You do not associate many of your symptoms with food sensitivity to one of these elements.

The body has grown accustomed to the food you have been eating and to the damage it has been causing. You are used to the way you feel, and thus you keep consuming them. For only 30 days, do a test and give up dairy, gluten or sugar and then do a test meal and see how you feel. If you notice any reaction, be careful with it or eliminate it from your diet alltogether.

These three (four if we count lactose) are part of the factors that may increase the strong immune response. You also need to take into account many other issues like the amount of toxins in the body, hormone levels, infections, amount of omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish, chia seeds, flax seeds, etc), food intolerances, etc.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE & MY EXPERIENCE

When dealing with an autoimmune illness, your goal is to dampen the immune cells reaction so they are less likely to attack oxidized protein in the body and cause symptoms or a possible relapse. The solution is quite simple, and has been given by many others before me. Good examples are Sarah Wilson, founder of the I Quit Sugar platform, Dr. Terry Wahls, creator of the Wahls Protocol,  Melissa Hartwig and Dallas Hartwig from the Whole30 Program. They all state that a healthy, nutritious and allergen-free diet is key.

Being such a curious person, I tried their advice on myself and found out they were all right. I also remembered the time I was on the Dukan diet and wasn’t eating any cereals and sugar. Gluten was making me feel bloated and sluggish, sugar made my insulin levels spike up and making me gain weight. Dairy was the last of them, as it never caused me major issues. But a test meal after 30 days off it made me realize that it does more harm than good.

It all led up to making up my mind to quitting sugar, gluten and dairy altogether and replacing them with healthier alternatives (more about these on future #HealthyThursdays). I gave them up and I advise you to do the same. The choice is yours.

I know social influence (ex: meals with friends, commercials, lunch brakes, chocolate :)) ) can have a powerful impact on your choices, but take time to think about the long-term effects and then make a decision. See if and how each food influences you mentally and physically. 

Give them up one at a time and most of all… take your time. Don’t rush it or it will become a chore and you will most definitely give up. It’s OK, we are all used to eating bread, chocolate, and cheesecakes. I know how hard it can be. I’m here for you if you have questions or need help.

I encourage you to do your own research and adapt it according to your own lifestyle. Be as comfortable as you can with the decisions you make for yourself.

If you follow this blog you know that I can’t recommend enough a healthy lifestyle, with all that it offers: whole foods, home-cooked meals, a diet as free as possible of allergens, sugars and toxins, regular exercising routine and basically taking care of any health issues like infections, hormonal imbalances or stress.

It’s all about the choices you make. The smart choices that through daily practice become habits for living a healthy life. Even with an autoimmune disease.

This was all for this week’s #HealthyThursday! Thank you for reading and if you would like to receive my next articles right into your mail

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Have a most wonderful day & make healthy choices!

Sincerely,

Alexandra