Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Seven Tips to Break the Cycle of Emotional Eating


See if you recognize this cycle: Emotional eating leads to poor food choices. These poor choices lead to feeling bad about ourselves. Feeling bad about ourselves leads to more poor food choices. So destructive, isn't it. Let’s take a look at how to combat a common emotion such as stress with good nutrition and break that nasty cycle.

Eat Breakfast: Skipping breakfast is the worst decision you can make. Breakfast jump-starts your metabolism and produces enzymes needed to metabolize fat to lose weight. It also helps to maintain stable blood sugar which helps to maintain stable emotions.

Replace Coffee with Green Tea: If you’re a coffee junkie, you may not realize that if you ingest high levels of caffeine, your mood will soar only to then plummet, leaving you craving more caffeine to make it soar again, causing you to lose sleep, suffer health consequences and, of course, feel more stress. Green tea (decaffeinated) is full of antioxidant and free-radical scavenging properties making it a must-have for the health conscious.

Sparkling Water: If you’re a soda drinker, you’re adding caffeine, sugar, or if you are a diet soda fan, artificial sweetener to your body everyday with negative consequences. Water on its own may not feel like the treat you crave so that is where sparkling water comes in. Water is good for your health, your skin, helps to prevent headaches and has the added benefit of helping you to feel full thus helping you to resist treats.

Healthy Snacks: A baggie full of carrot sticks, pretzels, apple slices, or almonds can help you deal with the times of the day when you have the munchies. By having healthy foods readily available on which to snack will help you to resist going in search of something less healthy to deal with your cravings.

Brown Bag It: Portions in restaurants are notoriously large and it is so tough to opt for steamed veggies when french fries are available. Bringing your own lunch is a sure fire way to keep nutritionally conscious. And it still gives you time to take a walk around the block perhaps?

No Caffeine After 2pm: Caffeine consumed with dinner can interfere with your sleep at night. Lack of sleep slows down your metabolism leaving you feeling sluggish.

Stock Your Pantry and Refrigerator with Healthy Choices: Plan a menu of healthy meals and snacks at the beginning of each week, list the ingredients you’ll need, and shop for everything once a week. That way you know you’ll have what you want when you need it, and you won’t have to stress over what to eat each night; you’ll already have thought of it! Keep cookies and treats at a minimum so you won’t have temptations staring at you each time you open the cupboard.

Ask Dr Shook takes a look at emotional eating, food as an addiction, exercise, nutrition, as well as review of many popular diet plans in her specialty track entitled: Change Your Relationship with Food…Change Your Life. Healthy diets are out partner in combating the stress in everyday life. It's time to put an end to self-sabotaging behaviors!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Tips for Talking to Teens


"You never listen to me!" Most parents can readily say they have been the recipient of this accusation on more than one occasion. But communication between parents and teens can work and is something for which to strive. AskDrShook offers these tips and more with the OMGosh Teens Specialty Track:


Be Available


  • Notice times when your teens are most likely to talk--for example, at bedtime, before dinner, in the car--and seize the moment. Don’t discount that some of the most rewarding conversations happen spontaneously. The trick is to be alert.

  • Start the conversation. When they get home from school, ask them about their day. Yes, they will probably just say "it was okay" and no back and forth conversation will ensue, but it still lets your kids know you care about what's happening in their lives.

  • Find time each week for a one-on-one activity with each child, and avoid scheduling other
    activities during that time. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, or expensive; it’s the time together that counts.

  • Learn about your children's interests--for example, favorite music and activities--and show interest in them while at the same time respecting their privacy. A parent’s over interest in their world can be a “deal breaker”.

  • Don’t start conversations with a question. That puts them on the spot. Start instead by sharing what you have been thinking about.

Listen and Respond

  • Make a rule to listen to everything because when your teen knows you are listening to the little stuff, their faith that you will listen to big stuff as well increases.

  • Listen to their point of view even if it's difficult to hear and focus on their feelings instead
    of your own. There will be time for your feelings later.

  • Let them complete their point before you respond and don't interrupt. In a national survey, more than half the children said that when they talked, their parents often didn't give them a chance to explain themselves. What a frustrating feeling!

  • Talk to your children--don't lecture, criticize, threaten, or say hurtful things. Your goal is
    to have a conversation and conversations involve at least two people. Almost every parent says at least 50% more than he or she should.

  • Repeat what you heard them say to ensure that you understand them correctly. This is important for both of you.

  • Soften strong reactions and don’t attack. Kids will tune you out if you appear angry or
    defensive. So take a deep breath before engaging your vocal cords.

  • Express your opinion without putting down theirs; acknowledge that it's okay to disagree. Show respect for your teen's opinions and hopefully they will show respect for yours.

  • Be yourself and don’t try to talk like your kids or their friends. Teens are smart and will see right through that. You’re a parent so talk like a parent.

  • Ask your children what they may want or need from you in a conversation. Are they asking for your advice or do they just need you to listen? (This is good advice in a marriage as well).

There is no recipe for perfect parenting. But it is encouraging to know that parents and teens can bridge the communication gap with a dash of patience and a big scoop of respect. And above all, remember children are never too old to be told that they are loved.