Emotional Eating.Gain control over it!

Emotional eating is found to be a common problem among some obese people.Emotional eating is eating as a way to suppress the negative emotions , such as stress, anger,fear, boredom, sadness and loneliness.
Both major life events and the hassles of daily life can worse negative emotions , then lead to emotional eating and disrupt some people's weight loss effort.

The main causes are
-Unemployment
-Financial problems
-Health problems
-Work stress
-Bad weather
-Fatigue
Infact , our emotions may become so tied to our eating habits that's why some people reach for a sweet treat whenever they are angry / stressed without stopping to think about why they are doing.whatever emotions drive you to eat , the end result is oftenthe same . the emotions return and you may also now bear the additional guilt about setting back your weightloss goal. this again lead to force you to continue the unhealthy cycle-eating whenever you stressed/ in an emotional upset.

Tips to get your weight-loss efforts back on track
■Although negative emotions can trigger emotional eating, you can take steps to control cravings and renew your effort at weight loss. To help stop emotional eating, try these tips:Take a walk, watch a movie, play with your cat, listen to music, read, surf the Internet or call a friend.

■Take away temptation. Don't keep supplies of comfort foods in your home if they're hard for you to resist. And if you feel angry or blue, postpone your trip to the grocery store until you're sure that you have your emotions in check.

■Don't deprive yourself. When you're trying to achieve a weight-loss goal, you may limit your calories too much, eat the same foods frequently and banish the treats you enjoy. This may just serve to increase your food cravings, especially in response to emotions. Let yourself enjoy an occasional treat and get plenty of variety to help curb cravings

.■Snack healthy. If you feel the urge to eat between meals, choose a low-fat, low-calorie snack, such as fresh fruit, vegetables with fat-free dip, or unbuttered popcorn. Or try low-fat, lower calorie versions of your favorite foods to see if they satisfy your craving.

■Get enough sleep. If you're constantly tired, you might snack to try to give yourself an energy boost. Take a nap or go to bed earlier instead.

■Seek therapy. If you've tried self-help options but you still can't get control of your emotional eating, consider therapy with a professional mental health provider. Therapy can help you understand the motivations behind your emotional eating and help you learn new coping skills. Therapy can also help you discover whether you may have an eating disorder, which is sometimes connected to emotional eating.

■Have a hunger reality check. Is your hunger physical or emotional? If you ate just a few hours ago and don't have a rumbling stomach, you're probably not really hungry. Give the craving a little time to pass.

■Keep a food diary. Write down what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you're feeling when you eat and how hungry you are. Over time, you may see patterns emerge that reveal the connection between mood and food.

■Get support. You're more likely to give in to emotional eating if you lack a good support network. Lean on family and friends or consider joining a support group.

■Fight boredom. Instead of snacking when you're not truly hungry, distract yourself. 

■Tame your stress. If stress contributes to your emotional eating, try management technique, such as yoga, meditation or relaxation.  

If you have an episode of emotional eating, forgive yourself and start fresh the next day. Try to learn from the experience and make a plan for how you can prevent it in the future. Focus on the positive changes you're making in your eating habits and give yourself credit for making changes that'll lead to better health.

Basic Nutrients For Sustaining A Healthy Body

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are one of the main dietary components. This category of foods includes sugars, starches, and fiber.The primary function of carbohydrates is to provide energy for the body, especially the brain and the nervous system.

Two Types of Carbohydrates

Simple carbohydrates: These are also called simple sugars. Simple sugars are found in refined sugars, like the white sugar you'd find in a sugar bowl. If you have a sugar candy, you're eating simple carbs. But you'll also find simple sugars in more nutritious foods, such as fruit and milk. It's better to get your simple sugars from food like fruit and milk. Why? Because they contain vitamins, fiber, and important nutrients like calcium. A sugar candy does not.

Complex carbohydrates: These are also called starches. Starches include grain products, such as bread, crackers, pasta, and rice. As with simple sugars, some complex carbohydrate foods are better choices than others. Refined  grains, such as white flour and white rice, have been processed, which removes nutrients and fiber. But unrefined grains still contain these vitamins and minerals. Unrefined grains also are rich in fiber, which helps your digestive system work well. Fiber helps you feel full, so you are less likely to overeat these foods. That explains why a bowl

 of oatmeal fills you up better than sugary candy that has the same amount of calories as the oatmeal. So which type of carbs should you eat? Both can be part of a healthy diet.

Proteins

 Protein is essential as part of the basic Nutrients because the body is made of proteins.Proteins form part of hormones and enzymes, help form antibodies to fight infection, build muscles, and repair damaged tissue. Your muscles, your organs, and your immune system are made up mostly of protein.Meat, fish, poultry, dairy products and eggs are excellent sources of protein.

Protein from animal sources, such as meat and milk, is called complete, because it contains all nine of the essential amino acids. Most vegetable protein is considered incomplete because it lacks one or more of the essential amino acids. This can be a concern for someone who doesn't eat meat or milk products. But people who eat a vegetarian diet can still get all their essential amino acids by eating a wide variety of protein-rich vegetable foods.

For instance, you can't get all the amino acids you need from peanuts alone, but if you have peanut butter on whole-grain bread you're set. Likewise, bengal gram ( kadala, chana)won't give you everything you need, but bengal gram curry  and puttu (breakfast dish in kerala) or idly and sambar will do the trick.

Fat

 It helps with the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E and K. It keeps the body warm, maintains hair and skin, and protects the vital organs. Fat should form 30 percent or less of your total calorie intake. Saturated fats should form less that 10 percent of the total calorie intake.

There are five groups of fat: saturated; monounsaturated; polyunsaturated; trans-fatty acids and omega 3 fatty acids. You should limit your intake of trans-fatty acids as they lead to higher cholesterol levels. Fat produces more energy than carbohydrate and protein.

Vitamins

They are chemicals that the body needs to process nutrients, regulate the nervous system, and help to build genetic material, proteins, red blood cells, and hormones. The body cannot create enough vitamins and you therefore need to obtain it from food and supplements. Day light and heat can destroy vitamins. You should therefore store it only for short periods and consume fresh. Use little water to cook vegetables and only cook it for a short period.Vitamins are mostly found in vegetables and fruit, but can also be obtained from dairy products, poultry, fish, meat and eggs.

Two types of vitamins: fat soluble and water soluble.

When you eat foods that contain fat-soluble vitamins, the vitamins are stored in the fat tissues in your body and in your liver. They wait around in your body fat until your body needs them. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are all fat-soluble vitamins.

Water-soluble vitamins are different. When you eat foods that have water-soluble vitamins, the vitamins don't get stored as much in your body. Instead, they travel through your bloodstream. Whatever your body doesn't use comes out when you urinate.

So these kinds of vitamins need to be replaced often because they don't stick around! This crowd of vitamins includes vitamin C and the big group of B vitamins — B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), niacin, B6 (pyridoxine), folic acid, B12 (cobalamine), biotin, and pantothenic acid. Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of vitamins .

 

Minerals

Minerals needed to sustain a healthy body and mind. Minerals are inorganic substances that the body needs for forming teeth, bones, and blood cells, regulating body fluids and to assist in the chemical processes of the body. There are two main categories of the essential minerals needed for survival. Macro minerals include calcium, magnesium, chloride, phosphorus, sulphur and potassium sodium. You need a minimum of 100 mg a day. The other group is called trace minerals and you need a smaller quantity of this group. It includes copper, cobalt, iodine, iron, fluoride, manganese, selenium, zinc, and molybdenum.

Water

Water is the most important component of the basic Nutrients.  Water makes up 50 to 75% of the human body. You need at least 8 glasses of water a day to keep the body healthy. It cleanses the body, keeps the skin, organs and hair in good shape, is needed to produce digestive enzymes, help the body collect the nutrients from food and liquids, helps to control the body temperature, and is needed for proper cell function. Woman should drink more water than men in order to prevent premature ageing. You need to drink more than two liters of water per day if you exercise. You don’t have to drink only water; it can form part of other liquids such as herbal tea, milk and juices. Caffeine rich products such as coffee dehydrate the body and you will need to drink more water if you consume a lot of coffee.



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