How to navigate Halloween candy as a parent.

As a parent, you might feel some anxiety around Halloween approaching. There’s candy…everywhere… and your kids want it all. Or at least that’s how it may feel.

So how do you navigate allowing your child to eat candy? Many parents worry their child will eat too much.

Here’s some sweet food for thought:

• Treat candy the SAME as any other food, even vegetables.

  -Why? Because this will reduce the forbidden or “special” label on it. As humans, we like special things, limited time offers, forbidden treasures, and novelty items. By putting candy on the same playing field as veggies, it’s no longer this special it to be desired after.

• Allow your child to eat as much as they want.

  -If they eat too much, then they’ll get a stomachache and learn to eat less next time. Self regulating the amount they eat will help them feel satisfied and confident in their abilities to eat.

• Encourage your child to eat it as a part of meal or snacks.

  -This will ensure your child eats a variety of foods. This will also reinforce the first 🍭point. It also teaches that food isn’t something that needs to be earned (ex. If you eat your veggies you can get dessert).

More questions about this? Meet with our dietitian nutritionist!

Call the front desk to schedule an appointment.

Other Signs of Hunger

When we think of hunger signs we commonly imagine the classic sign of a growling stomach. Yet, there are a variety of hunger sings, some more subtle than others.

1. Headache or Mental “Fog”

   1. When you haven’t eaten in 3+ hours your body will experience a gradual dip in blood sugar levels. This can lead to a headache or lack of mental clarity. You might find it difficult to focus on a task or notice yourself continually zoning out.

2. Tiredness

   1. If the body is running low on energy, then we will likely feel tired. This can be one sign that it’s time to eat again.

3. Food Thoughts

   1. Are you constantly thinking about food or drawn to pictures of food? We are biologically wired to seek food when our body is hungry. This might show up as obsession with cooking, food pictures, grocery stores, or planning food.

4. Anxiety or Fidgeting

   1. While anxiety can have many origins and influencers, one of those can be related to hunger. When the brain is malnourished or hungry, it can produce an anxious state. Scientists suspect the anxiety might be a biological drive to make us more alert for food sources.

5. Irritation or Hangry

   1. Hangry is the mix of hunger and anger. When you notice your irritated (especially if its for no reason) check in with yourself. When was the last time you ate? Was it enough? Perhaps try eating something.

6. Feeling shaky or weak

   1. When the body is running low on energy, you might feel physically shaky or weak. Physical exertion, such as lifting weights, running, etc. may become more difficult than usual. This is a sign that your body doesn’t have enough energy.

7. Nausea or Stomach Pains

   1. This one may seem counterintuitive, however, nausea can sometimes be a symptom of hunger. This can occur due to the acidity of stomach acid, in addition to taking certain medications (ex. NASIDS) or supplements (ex. multivitamin) without food.

While this isn’t an exhaustive list of hunger signs, it hopefully provides you some guidance on navigating your less obvious hunger cues. Questions or want more? Contact us to meet with our nutritionist!

Reclaiming Your Binge Foods

What does it mean to reclaim “binge foods?”

First, a “binge food” can be any type of food and it is specific to the individual. It’s a food that tends to be eaten in a binge. For some individuals they may have specific foods while others don’t.

When recovering from binge eating disorder (BED) you might be tempted to want to completely cut out all foods that you usually binge on. They may feel like triggers or scary.

Yet by cutting them out this is reinforcing restriction, and science shows us that (mental or physical) restriction often fuels binging.

Reclaiming that food means learning to eat it in a way that respects your emotional and physical needs.

For example if you usually binge X food, then reclaiming it would mean that you’re eating X food when desired until you are emotionally satisfied and physically comfortably full. You are reclaiming that food from the eating disorder.

The eating disorder has likely made it an “all or nothing” food, and by eating it in a self-attuned mindful way you are creating a middle ground.

This can be really scary and/or hard to do and should be done with the help of an ED-informed therapist and/or dietitian.

Contact us if you are interested in learning more!

Mindful Movement

What is mindful movement?

Mindful movement is physically moving your body in a way that feels energizing, enjoyable, and uplifting. It celebrates your abilities and respects your limits. It brings your more in touch with your physical self.

Mindful movement is NOT…

- a workout program (it can include this if this is what feels good to you but it itself is not one)

- punishing, punitive, or painful

- focused on weight loss or changing the shape / size of your body

Mindful movement includes so many types of movement, not just the conventional ones.

For example, here are some potential types of mindful movement:

- hiking / walking

- sports (e.g. volleyball, spike ball, soccer, ping-pong, etc)

- dancing 👩‍🦽

- cleaning

- kayaking

- roller skating 🛼

- yoga / stretching

- rock climbing

slacklininging

- martial arts

Remember, some types of movement will feel positive while others may not. That is okay! And variety is key. Switch up your movement often. Focus on enjoying it, celebrating your abilities, and feeling connected with your body.

*Disclaimer: Make sure you are medically cleared by your healthcare teams before engaging in physical activity.