Talkin' Triggers...Part 1

The dreaded trigger foods...you know what I'm referring to.  Those foods that once you start eating them, you cannot stop.

I love WW because you really can eat anything you want, provided you log your points.  But that, for me, can be a trap.  For instance...if I "say" I'm going to have two chocolate chip cookies it usually results in my eating an entire sleeve.  Ouf.  Sweets are my trigger.  Go figure.

I tell myself to stop because it's wrong. I continue.
I tell myself I'm going to be sick if I eat all that.  I continue.
I start to berate myself about how I am deliberately sabotoging my efforts.  I continue.

Before I know it, I've ruined my day in terms of points.  It's a lack of control, it's my body saying, "More, more, more."

From Women's Health Magazine

Junk Food Junkies

"It may seem silly to think about being addicted to food, something we'd die without, but most of us eat for a lot more than just survival. Merely looking at or thinking about a food you know you love activates the reward portion of your brain, the nucleus accumbens—the same area stimulated by drugs and alcohol. This triggers the release of dopamine, a feel-good chemical that enhances your awareness of that food (so forget ignoring it!).

And once you've taken that first bite, watch out. Tasting food engages all of your senses (and may be felt more intensely in women than in men, for unknown reasons). Your nervous system responds by secreting insulin (which drops blood glucose) and relaxing your stomach muscles, which makes you feel like you need to eat more to be satisfied, says Susan Roberts, Ph.D., a professor of nutrition at Tufts University and coauthor of The "I" Diet.

There's a reason this tends to happen almost exclusively with fatty and sugary foods and not, say, lettuce. The saturated fats in foods like bacon and cheese impair your brain's normal ability to regulate appetite and cravings, so you don't realize you're full until you're completely stuffed, says Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., a health psychologist at Stanford University and author of The Willpower Instinct. What's more, that effect on your appetite can last for up to three days, the length of time it takes to flush those fats from your system. So one unhealthy indulgence can end up triggering a major relapse."

This is real.  You may have told yourself that it's not.  That it's all in your head.  It's not.

I had to make the conscious choice to avoid them.  Which is fine.  I mean, do I really need sweets?

What triggers you?  How do you avoid those foods?  Do you have suitable replacements for your trigger foods?  We can talk more about this and will.  Important: Don't blame yourself! Today is another day - let's move on!

Let's help our bodies move forward with this delicious blend...

Trigger Flush

Ingredients

1 grapefruit sliced

3 oranges sectioned

1 cucumber sliced

Sprigs of mint leaves (I grow my own now)

1 tray of ice

1/2 - 1 pitcher water (depending on the size of your pitcher)

Wash grapefruit, orange, cucumber and mint leaves. Slice cucumber, grapefruit and peel oranges. Combine all ingredients with ice into a large pitcher.

Refrigerate Stir and Enjoy!

Note: Cherry Almond "Cheesecake" is what's on the menu today!  Protein packed and full of flavour.  Check back in tomorrow for the recipe!

Have a wonderful day and stay safe out there!