How to Cope with Holiday Stress Eating & Feel Better

A Guest Post from Nutritionist Amy Fox

The holiday season is meant to be the most wonderful time of the year, but for many people, it’s a time of stress and emotional eating. The abundance of delicious food and the pressure of buying gifts, preparing meals, and socializing with family and friends can take a toll on our mental and physical health. But it’s important not to beat ourselves up about it. This article will provide five practical tips for coping with holiday stress eating. We will also discuss what happens when we stress eat and how to feel better afterwards.

Identify Your Triggers

The first step to avoiding stress eating is to identify your triggers. It could be boredom, loneliness, anxiety, or the availability of sweets. Once you know your triggers, you can create a plan to avoid them. For example, if you tend to eat when stressed, consider taking a short walk or practicing deep breathing exercises. One of my favorite strategies is decluttering a drawer or folding a load of laundry.

Continue reading →

December 19, 2023 1

Beware the apple sauce you give your children

Federal authorities are investigating apple sauce packets sold in 22 states that contain elevated levels of lead. the investigation centers around whether there pouches were intentionally contaminated, various sources report.

“The Food and Drug Administration is investigating elevated lead levels in apple cinnamon applesauce pouches sold under three brands — Weis, WanaBana, and Schnucks — and distributed by Amazon, Dollar Tree and other online retailers,” reports Patch.com.

“All three of the now-recalled applesauce brands were made at an Austrofood plant in Ecuador, where FDA officials announced last week they were focusing their investigation. The agency said health officials in Ecuador found that cinnamon from Austrofood’s supplier had higher levels of lead than the country allows. The company, Negasmart, is facing sanctions while officials there track down the source of the cinnamon, the FDA said,” Patch reports.

States where products have been recalled include California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

I never much liked apple sauce anyway, but here’s one more reason to put it aside for now.

*Beware these brands, there’s been a recall for high levels of lead.*

December 15, 2023 0

Will new weight-loss drugs change how you eat? Many think so but I have questions

Reports have proliferated of late about how Ozempic and another new drug, Wegovy, will change how Americans eat and so help the health of many, many now-overweight people.

Moneyzine.com, for example, recently published Which Industries Could Benefit or Lose The Most Due To Ozempic?

Among its key findings:

By 2035, an estimated 7% of the entire U.S. population could be on Ozempic.
The demand for snack and convenience foods could potentially decrease by up to 3%.
Ozempic usage may result in a $3.5 billion deficit for the alcohol industry.
Gym memberships have doubled since the advent of Ozempic.
United Airlines stands to save $80 million annually with the increased use of GLP-1 medications (Lighter-weight passengers mean less fuel consumption, one assumes).

All of that coming with the drugs available only to those in income brackets who can afford them at their current prices.

Continue reading →

December 9, 2023 0

A healthy soup that’s not so healthy

I’m constantly searching for truly healthy recipes — those low in sodium, fat and sugar. Sadly many labeled as healthy are not and I point those out so you can avoid them. Here’s the latest I came across, Healthy 40-Minute Pork, Pepper and Rice Noodle Soup on FoodNetwork.com.

“This healthy weeknight meal brings together irresistible flavors in just 40 minutes. Think savory pork, crunchy vegetables, filling noodles and a tangy broth,” begins the recipe. You should also be thinking high-fat and extremely high sodium.

If you click on the nutrition information for the recipe, the problems become clear, each serving contains 24 grams of fat and more importantly 7 grams of saturated fat, along with 1,293 mgs of sodium.

Continue reading →

December 8, 2023 0