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Are Your Cravings Running The Show?

 

Have your cravings ever gotten in the way of a weight loss goal?

Cravings are a lot more about what and how you’re eating, rather than about pure willpower

Here are a few of the things that may be driving your cravings:

  • Insulin: Eating the wrong foods in the wrong way will lead to higher insulin levels in the body. High insulin is a driver for cravings, weight gain, inflammation, poor sleep, hormone disruption and much more. Check out this great reference.
  • Balance: Getting the right balance of high quality protein vs carbs is crucial for managing cravings. This study shows that what you eat for breakfast will have an impact on how you will eat late in the day. It’s important to note that this balance looks different for each person; a possible reason why cookie cutter diets don’t work for everyone.
  • Fiber: Once you’ve gotten the protein/carb balance right, getting the right kinds of carbs will also have an impact on cravings. Nature intended for most whole foods to come with plenty of natural fiber. Fiber helps keep the good bugs happy, helps keep insulin levels stable and helps us eliminate toxins. The processing of food often gets rid of the essential fiber component.
  • Probiotics: How is your gut? What a lot of folks don’t realize is that our gut bacteria can actually have a huge impact on cravings if things get too far out of balance. Eating sour foods that naturally contain probiotics such as yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kombucha… will actually curb cravings and rebalance gut bacteria.
  • Nourishment: Is your food truly nourishing you or has it been stripped of its nutrients during processing? Are you getting enough variety? Nutrients are needed for every single metabolic process in the body. What do you think the body does when it needs nutrients? IT SIGNALS HUNGER.
  • Healthy fats: Processed food gets stripped of its healthy fats which are then replaced by lower quality, inflammatory fats that are shelf-stable. Healthy fats nourish the body, help keep you satisfied longer and make your food delicious.

 

If cravings have caused you to slip up in the past, it’s likely because one of these crucial elements was left out – NOT because you have a lack of will power.

Contact me if you’d like to discuss next steps.

Share this with someone you love.

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Call Bullsh*t On Your Gremlins

I used to be a smoker. It took me about 8 years and at least 9 tries to finally quit for good.

I can still remember the dread I’d come up against every time I’d screw up enough courage to try again.

What I realize now is that each unsuccessful attempt was actually a stepping stone.

Each time I’d get a little clearer on what makes me tick and what makes me self-sabotage…

The experience also taught me to not quit trying even though it was a little painful and humiliating.

A lot of times, clients come at weight loss with the same defeated attitude. Often they’ve tried A LOT of things only to fall back into old habits.

Changing habits isn’t easy, otherwise everyone would be doing it. It’s not always linear and it doesn’t always happen on the first try but it is ALWAYS possible.

So next time you think about getting back on the wagon, check in with yourself.

What’s your self-talk?

Does it go something like this: You can’t do it. Who do you think you are? You’ve tried this before. You’re a loser. It’ll never work. You’ll always be this way. You’re too weak. You’ll always be…

Now call BULLSH*T on that voice.

Some people call that voice their gremlin, some people call it the censor.

No matter what you call it you have to start noticing it for what it is: An old program that was likely installed when you were in grade school and is no longer serving you.

I highly recommend reading this classic if you’d like to start getting good at calling out your gremlin.

Each past experience, even the ouchie ones, are getting you one step closer to finally breaking the old habits and installing the new program.

Don’t stop trying and don’t stop showing up for yourself.

Call me if you’d like to discuss your health goals.

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Delicious and Easy Marinara Sauce

Have pesky health issues been creeping up on you?

Are you on the fence about looking into your diet for possible answers? Are you worried that you’ll be in food prison and never get to enjoy your favourite treats ever again?

Stop worrying.

I’ve put together an info-packed workshop that will hit the spot.

In my upcoming Foods that Harm Foods that Heal workshop, I’ve distilled some of the most important messages that I repeat to clients again and again.

I’m not claiming that I’ll revolutionize your health in an hour, but I do hope to reassure you that addressing diet, even just in the form of some very basic swaps, isn’t the giant mountain you may perceive it to be.

Eating is personal – really personal.

For example; I have clients that intuitively gravitate towards a more plant-based diet while other clients would feel terrible if they tried to remove animal protein from their diet.

No two people are the same which is why cookie cutter diets don’t work.

The part I love the most with clients is witnessing their aha moments when they stop doing what they’ve always thought they should do and started paying attention to how they feel.

That being said, there are some sneaky ingredients that are just plain old nasty that have no place on anyone’s plate and especially not in your perfect body machine.

These culprits are concocted in labs and mainly serve the food manufacturer’s bottom line… more about that in the workshop.

On a personal note – I love food. It’s my raison d’être, my hobby and my passion. I’ve also witnessed first-hand what the loss of health can do to a person’s life as well as how it affects the people around them.

Good food is powerful prevention.

What I love most is bringing my passion for health and my passion for good food together as wholesome, natural food that is delicious and doable.

P.S. If you’ve worked with me before, this workshop will be a great refresher and motivator.

Now onto the recipe:

Do you have tomatoes coming out of your ears?

Fire up the BBQ side burner, pour a glass of wine and try your hand at this delicious marinara sauce.

If the thought of peeling pounds and pounds of tomatoes sounds overwhelming –no worries- you don’t have to peel the tomatoes for this recipe, all you’ll need is an immersion or wand-type blender.

diced tomatoes with skin on and anchovies

diced tomatoes with skin on and anchovies

I always add anchovies to my tomatoes sauces. The idea isn’t to taste the anchovy but it works miracles at elevating the sauce somehow.

An old friend gave me this tip years ago (thanks Dave) and I always have anchovies on hand because of it. If you’re not crazy about anchovies, you can omit them or use half the amount.

I like to make a giant batch that I freeze in small bags or containers to have on hand as a shortcut in many recipes.

(This is called healthy fast food folks!)

frozen bags of marinara sauce

frozen bags of marinara sauce

I always make the sauce neutral and add whatever different flavours I want to it depending on what I’m making.

For example, you could pull out a frozen container of basic marinara, add in some cream and some fresh basil and enjoy it over grilled zucchini and eggplant with melted cheese.

You could add in some chopped bell peppers and a little heat (chili flakes or jalapenos) and enjoy the sauce over pasta or even with a piece of chicken or fish.

I make these Swiss chard rolls with ground pork, wild rice, lots of mint and finish the whole thing with the marinara sauce and a touch of cream… yum.

No matter how you unleash your crazy in the kitchen, I hope you have fun with this one.

Click here to download the marinara sauce recipe

Cheers,
Kim

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