What Should I Eat Today?

There is so much conflicting dietary advice out there.  Is fat bad for you? Should I go gluten free? What about cutting out dairy? Does diet coke count as healthy because it’s less calories? It can be overwhelming and contradictory and make it seemingly impossible to answer the simple question, what should I eat today?

The media offers up conflicting evidence on what we should eat based on the latest (read: does not mean best) scientific finding.  We hear that low fat is good for us and is the way to lose weight. Then we hear that sugar is really the culprit, and fat is ok.  They tell us that all carbs are bad but we hear that whole grains might be a healthy option. We hear a report that coffee drinking can cause cancer and in another report hear that it is harmless and can be beneficial to health. UGH, it’s confusing.

The truth is, it is SO much more simple than all that.

Instead of listening to what “they” say, it’s a good idea to start looking within.  We innately know what makes us feel good and what makes us bloated, sucks our energy, and gives us acne.  The problem is we have lost our ability to really tune in to what is happening in our own bodies so we think we don’t have any answers ourselves. But we can get it back! In the meantime I’ll give you some clues…..

Eat real, whole foods and lots of vegetables.

By real, whole foods I mean food in its most natural state.  This means foods from nature like fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, beans, meats and fish, and not foods that are refined, processed, or that contain added ingredients.  And a variety of fresh vegetables should be consumed on a daily basis because of their amazing nutritional benefits. 

It’s very empowering to realize that we do not need to rely on the media, or outside sources to tell us what real, whole foods are. We treat nutrition as a medical specialty and we are highly vulnerable to every study that comes along because we are relying on others to tell us what to eat.  We believe that you have to be nothing short of a genius to figure out what to put in your own body.  That's a lot of pressure!

The thing is, our bodies already intuitively know what these foods are and naturally thrive off of their fuel. And guess what, you already are an intuitive genius, coooool! We just have to retrain ourselves to start listening to what our gut is telling us.

And right now you’re all, “No, I really don’t know what to eat, help me.”  One really helpful way to start the process of tuning in to understand what your body is telling you is to do a three day food log. Write down what you had for every meal and snack, and what symptoms (if any) you had afterwards. It’s a great way to start to pay attention to things you usually ignore like bloating, nausea, cramping, excess gas or pain. This is a great first step into strengthening the connection between what we put into our bodies and how we feel.  And we go from there! It's a total journey, so be patient with yourself :)

Want to find out more about how we can work together to figure out a food plan that works best for you? Click the button below to schedule a free discovery session!

xx Christina Tidwell, MN, RN

The Daily Grind

I am a teeth grinder.  And if you’ve ever woken up with a sore jaw and headache, are unable to relax your jaw during the day, or have had a sleeping partner wake you up to say “stop making that horrible death sound with your mouth,” then you might be too. 

My clenching and grinding peaked to a whole new level with the stress and anxiety of getting through nursing school. After a chipped molar and months of unrelenting jaw pain and headaches I finally went to a doctor for some guidance.  The only solution he offered up was to take a sedative muscle relaxant to relax my jaw and relieve the pain. Muscle relaxants left me in a sleepy, foggy, whacked out state which was not going to work for me when I was trying to pass my nursing finals.

Refusing to believe that hardcore muscle relaxants could be my only option I did what I now know to be crucial to my own health and well being; went and did my own research.  I don’t mean googling my symptoms on WebMD, diagnosing myself with incurable jaw cancer and looking for the best jaw cancer specialist in Seattle kind of research, but rather looking for reliable alternatives that fit better with my own personal health needs.  In this case I went to speak to a pharmacist at a local drug store about alternatives to muscle relaxants.  After I explained my symptoms he immediately handed me a magnesium supplement (I personally buy Nature Calm powder) and instructed me to take the recommended amount daily. 

THIS SAVED ME and is the only thing that has ever worked for my clenching and grinding. Replenishing my body with magnesium had amazing effects and I noticed my jaw relaxing and the pain reducing within a week or so. 

Magnesium is a dietary mineral that is essential for regulating our nervous, muscular and cardiovascular systems. Deficiencies of magnesium can cause constipation, high blood pressure, muscle cramps and anxiety among other symptoms. Just think of magnesium as a naturally occurring muscle relaxer in our bodies. A chill out mineral. Ideally, we get magnesium from our diets by eating foods like dark leafy greens, nuts and seeds, fish, avocados, bananas, whole grains and beans.   Our modern day diets, however, often times lack magnesium so it can be a good idea to supplement your diet with magnesium pills or powder especially if you’re a teeth grinder. 

At the grocery store or pharmacy, look specifically for magnesium citrate, chelate, or glycinate and avoid magnesium oxide as it is poorly absorbed and usually the cheapest forms found in supplements. It’s a good idea to start with 200mg to 400mg of magnesium taken at bedtime.  The main side effect of too much magnesium is loose stools or diarrhea so if you experience these symptoms just dial back the dose!  It’s important to take magnesium daily to get the muscle relaxant effects.

The pressure that grinding and clenching puts on your jaw is akin to having a sprained ankle, meaning it has to gradually heal overtime. So in addition to taking magnesium supplements at bedtime, you can reduce tension by applying warm compresses to your jaw at night, and take moments throughout the day to consciously relax and retrain your muscles.  So give it a try! Your teeth (and sleeping partner...) will thank you. 

*Magnesium is a safe supplement but it’s not for everyone, so consult you doctor before starting to take supplements especially if you have heart disease or kidney problems to make sure it works with your health needs and current medication regime.

If you want some easy, whole food recipes to start incorporating some of those foods click here to download my free guide to batch cooking >> 

You’ll get:

+ 7 day meal plan

+ Step by step instructions for how to cook an entire week’s worth of food in just two 2-hour sessions (life changing)

+ Grocery lists

+ Twelve of my favorite, easy recipes!

Enjoy making delicious and nutritious meals in way less time! 

xx Christina Tidwell, MN, RN