Why Self-Discipline Is a Muscle You Should Start Flexing

By Patricia Moreno When I was growing up, I thought the word discipline meant punishment. I didn’t like to be reprimanded, be told what to do, or follow rules. When I was in my 30s, I finally realized that line of thinking wasn’t doing me any good and that I needed to develop the muscle of self-discipline. After reading The Yoga of Discipline by Gurumayi, I basically put myself into self-discipline boot camp. I had a life coach at the time and the rules were strict. If I didn’t follow through on what I said I was going to do, I would have to pay a fine, give up drinking coffee the next day, or even do something more drastic. Why did I want to put myself through this? I wanted to develop the ability to follow through on the things I said I wanted to do. I wanted to stop overindulging frequently and eat more healthfully. I wanted to stop regretting my choices and feeling hopeless in the attainment of my dreams. I wanted my weight to stop fluctuating constantly and to stop using unsustainable means to manage it. I knew that my bad attitude needed an overhaul, and I wanted a change. I was tired of letting myself down, and I finally realized that letting myself off the hook wasn’t always the answer. Sometimes, I needed to simply follow through on things whether I felt like it or not. I needed to keep my word and delay instant gratification. In other words, I needed to flex my self-discipline muscle much more. The Power of Self-Discipline It sure wasn’t easy, but it was a great investment I made in myself. It radically improved my life and how I felt about myself and opened my mind up to more possibilities than I had envisioned before. Take a second to think about it. What is holding you back from achieving your goals? As we move into the new year—a time of reflection and new beginnings—it is a great opportunity to become more self-aware. Ask yourself, “What would my life be like if I had a little more self-discipline? What would more self-discipline open up the door to for me to accomplish?” This year, instead of simply thinking of goals you want to achieve like losing 20 pounds or making an extra 100k, I invite you to instead focus on your character. Decide to use your goals as opportunities to develop self-discipline, integrity, self-acceptance, confidence, or appreciation. The goals are a way to keep yourself in the game of becoming a total badass, inside and out, but when you set them, don’t think about the goal as the prize. Instead, focus on who you need to become in order to experience more personal fulfillment. When you focus on developing yourself instead of simply achieving a goal, a whole new world of opportunities will open up for you. Exercise your power to choose. About Patricia: Patricia Moreno—a Guest Expert for The Nutrition School—is all about helping people awaken their inner bad-ass by combining practices that exercise mental, physical, and spiritual muscle so they can live a life of Thinner Peace. Her secret recipe is the integration of mind, body, and spirit and the deliberate development of self-love and self-mastery. She is the creator of the intenSati method and The Practice which will be released January 2017.

What Do Your Food Cravings Really Mean?

Q: Why Do I Get Food Cravings, and What Do They Mean? A: Food cravings may sometimes arise from old habits or memories (like the smell of your grandmother’s chocolate chip cookies…mmm). However, while most of the research is young and doesn’t show a direct link between specific cravings and nutrient deficiencies, there is some evidence pointing to food cravings as your body’s natural, instinctive way of letting you know you that you need more of an important nutrient. Listening to your biology isn’t easy in today’s world, but it’s crucial here, especially since cravings may direct you towards a false fix, like processed foods and sugary treats, which will temporarily alleviate the craving but won’t get at the root of the issue. I stopped by The Doctors recently to share a few of the most common food cravings and what your body may be telling you when you have them, and I’ll break them down for you, here. Crave This, Eat That The Craving: French fries What It Means: If you’ve got a hankering for fries or other salty snacks like potato chips and pretzels, you could be slightly dehydrated. Hey, it’s always great to drink more water, so start there. But it could also mean you need calcium, since studies have shown a marginal deficiency of the mineral could stimulate the desire for salt, and others have shown women on low-calcium diets crave salty food more. How to Satisfy It: If you indulge the craving, the salt will temporarily increase calcium levels in the blood, essentially tricking the body into thinking it’s taking in calcium when it’s not. Instead, reach for calcium-rich foods like yogurt, kefir, almonds, tofu, sesame seeds, and sardines. The Craving: Chocolate cupcakes What It Means: An overactive sweet tooth may be a signal that you’re magnesium deficient, according to research. And while magnesium deficiency is not proven to cause PMS symptoms, some studies have shown increasing the amount of the mineral your diet can decrease PMS symptoms such as irritability, fluid retention, and headaches. I don’t know about you, but for me, those symptoms often lead to cravings for a bottomless tub of chocolate ice cream. How to Satisfy It: A diet rich in foods such as spinach, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains will ensure that you don’t become magnesium deficient. Then, you can eat sugary treats as conscious indulgences, when it’s really worth it, rather than constantly fighting the urge. The Craving: A juicy burger What It Means: Here’s a case where your body’s sending you a clear signal. A strong craving for meat may mean you’re iron-deficient. In fact, studies show that in pregnant women and others with iron deficiencies, food cravings serve to prevent or alleviate the nutritional deficit. How to Satisfy It: Go ahead, grill up a grass-fed, organic burger, since red meat is the best source of iron. You can also get it from fish and poultry, or if you’re a vegetarian, in tofu, legumes (lentils and kidney beans), nuts (cashews and almonds), seeds (pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds), oatmeal, dried fruit (apricots and raisins), and vegetables (mushrooms and potatoes). Just keep in mind that it’s harder for the body to absorb iron from plant-based sources. To help, pair iron-rich foods with foods rich in vitamin C, as it will help your body absorb the iron. The bottom line? Listen up! Your body has got a lot to say. Your food cravings may be telling you a lot more than, “Do not pass go, head straight for the nearest Shake Shack.”

Acorn Squash: The Winter Squash You Need to Know About

by Samantha Linden, RDN, NLC Fall is in the air! Which means it’s boots, blazers, and…squash season! Pumpkins always seem to take center stage around this time, obviously fueled by the energy and excitement of Halloween (I think a dietitian’s least favorite holiday). Butternut squash comes in a close second, getting its yearly fifteen minutes of fame on menus everywhere right now. As a nutritionist, this makes me so happy! Is there anything better than seeing people eat seasonally? When you eat foods that are in season, you are eating produce picked and eaten at its peak. In general, these foods will be richer in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. And while pumpkin and butternut squash certainly deserve the spotlight, I think some of autumn’s other produce offerings get upstaged far too often. So I am taking this opportunity to highlight a new star of the show: my personal favorite winter squash, the acorn squash. Acorn squash is the green, speckled round squash you see next to butternut squash at the grocery store…the one that probably has not made it into your grocery cart. Hopefully, that’s about to change.   Why I think acorn squash should not be ignored: Like pumpkin and butternut squash, it is an extremely nutrient dense food, meaning that it is rich in nutrients and low in calories. Acorn squash is an exceptional source of antioxidants.  A 1-cup serving gives you 25% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin A and 25% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin C. {Tweet this}. Like all winter squash, acorn squash is rich in carotenes and has been linked to being protective against certain cancers, cardiovascular disease and macular degeneration. Acorn squash is a starchy vegetable so it is higher in carbohydrates than many other vegetables. However, it is rich in fiber, providing around 5 grams of fiber per 1 cup serving. That fiber will help slow down digestion, fill you up and might even help prevent you from digging into that leftover Halloween candy. Acorn squash is also known for being high in thiamine, a B vitamin that helps the body metabolize food. Like its orange counterparts, acorn squash is rich in minerals such as magnesium, iron and calcium. Magnesium and calcium help to maintain normal blood pressure and magnesium has also been shown to help inhibit fat absorption. Iron is needed to help form red blood cells to carry oxygen through your body. Winter squash, acorn included, has a long shelf life. So, if you don’t get around to preparing it the week you bought it, you have a few more weeks to give it a shot!   At Nutritious Life, Keri promotes finding your healthy food memories and incorporating them into being your most nutritious self. Healthy food memories are healthy foods that were part of your childhood that personally invoke happy, comforting emotions.  For me, my dad’s acorn squash is one of mine. It was nothing fussy, just simple and yummy and always appeared on our dinner table in the fall.  Below is the recipe he used to make and I added an egg baked in to help bump up the protein and turn a side dish into a meal. I hope your family enjoys this as much is mine did, and maybe it will even become one of your kids’ healthy food memories!   Baked Acorn Squash with Egg Baked Inside Preheat oven to 400 degrees Slice acorn squash in half and scoop out all the seeds (set aside if you want to cook them for an extra nutritious snack later). Add a teaspoon of sweetener like honey, agave or maple syrup to each half. Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes. Take out of the oven (but leave the oven on). Crack one egg into each squash half, trying to get the yolk in first. Place back into the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the egg is cooked to your desired consistency. Sprinkle your favorite herb or spice on top of the egg and enjoy!       About Samantha: Samantha Linden, RDN, NLC  is a registered dietitian nutritionist and the founder of Nutrition In Balance, a nutrition consulting and counseling practice in Southeastern Michigan. In her practice, Samantha works with both individuals and families that need guidance on many nutrition related issues, from weight loss to nutritional management of chronic diseases. Samantha writes frequently on nutrition topics and is also a regular nutrition educator for many local corporations and organizations.  She graduated from the University of Michigan and received her post bachelor’s certificate in nutrition from Wayne State. Samantha is an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as well as the Nutrition Entrepreneurs in Private Practice and the Michigan Dietetics Association. She also recently completed her Nutritious Life Certification and is very excited to help Keri and her team spread the Nutritious Life message.