Food and Mood: Holistic Health Mindset

Awareness helps you break out of the diet and health dilemma. Awareness can set you free. Why? Because it creates positive shifts in our lives!

I know first-hand how food and mood go hand-in-hand because I made the shift to better health through awareness. When I lived my life in high gear, not making time for regular healthy meals, grabbing something on the go, and drinking wine at night on a regular basis I didn’t feel good. I didn’t sleep so well. And I gained weight. I just knew that something had to change.

Does Any of This Sound Familiar?

It’s a vicious cycle because stress leads to sleeping less, which leads to reaching for caffeine and sugar for a fix, which is followed by a crash and a need for another fix to pick us up. In addition, skipping regular meals and lack of exercise often leads to alcohol to unwind. And so the cycle continues. Deep down we know that this way of living doesn’t make us feel good physically, mentally or emotionally.

I turned my life around when I realized that what I ate had a direct impact on my energy and my mood in addition to my weight. Weight gain is not the only negative from eating poorly! That’s when I embraced healthy choices that could become part of my everyday life.  I lost the weight, I started to sleep better, I didn’t have sugar crashes and my mood became more even. It was such a revelation.

In simple terms what we eat has a direct effect on our mood. Understanding the connection between food and mood helps to make a huge shift towards better choices and consequently better health. Whether we realize it or not, we all want to feel better but sometimes we are just not sure of how to get there.

You can probably relate to this whether it rings true for you or whether you know someone who is living a life of mood and energy swings. They may be sleep-deprived and consume a ton of caffeine to stay alert during the day, along with fast foods while on the run just trying to get through the day!  After sleeping poorly, they wake up the next day and start all over again with the same old habits. Why?

Stuck in a Rut? These 3 Holistic Health Tips Can Help

1. Ask yourself, why are you doing this to yourself? Do you honestly think that you are going to be in good health later in life? It’s time to break the cycle, get off the hamster wheel and make yourself a priority.

2. Put your own oxygen mask on first. Seriously! There is a reason that this is part of the safety drill on commercial flights. If you are not taking care of yourself because you are putting others first, think again! If they are relying on you, doesn’t it make sense to take care of yourself instead of putting yourself last? At least make yourself as equally important to avoid the onset of health problems.

3. Think about managing your priorities and not just your time. Isn’t your health a good one to put at the top of the list? When you think of it in these terms, it’s easier to want to take better care of yourself. Healthier food and beverage choices lead to a happier and healthier you. 

Please share your thoughts and observations. We all deserve to have abundant health and happiness in our lives.

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