The Truth About Being Addicted To Chocolate

Does the thought of chocolate make you swoon? Do you feel woozy with hunger just by catching a whiff of chocolate? You might just be addicted to chocolate. Don't think you are alone. When I was young and started working my first job, I would spend the majority of my earnings on the stuff. I ate so much in fact that even my skin started to suffer. At the time, there wasn't a true diagnosis for chocolate addiction; thankfully times have changed and it is recognized right along with an addiction to internet, television and other things.

In my practice I came across a client who termed herself a chocoholic. She was regularly hypoglycemic and admitted to getting high from eating chocolate. It's hard to image that the stuff can have that effect, but it's a proven fact that chocolate contains natural ingredients the effect serotonin levels. During our sessions, it came to light that she gorged on chocolate when faced witemotih situations that caused her stress. Like many people facing addiction, her eating mass amounts of chocolate was her body's response to anxiety. Granted it's much better than smoking or drinking, but it still holds long term negative side effects. As a child, her rewards and punishments were based on food. The more extreme end of that would be when her mother would weigh her before each meal to determine if she would be allowed to eat that day.

This abuse turned her to a cycle of adult binging and purging which destroyed her self esteem. Food had become the controlling factor in her life preventing her from looking at situations in a normal way. During our sessions, we worked though a lot of these issues to help discover and limit the effect of the emotional triggers that caused her to binge on chocolate.

I am sure you are wondering how this may relate to you. Chocolate addiction, like any other addiction is more than a simple habit in most cases. Some clients are able to apply hypnotherapy to assist in removing the habit, but in cases where the issue stems from emotional pressures additional help is needed.

Another one of my clients admitting to being addicted to sugar; specifically chocolate, and he heard that I might be able to help him via hypnotherapy. After speaking with him at length I discovered a deep dissatisfaction in his home life. He and his partner though living together had not been intimate over the last five years. I told him that he most likely has an addiction to chocolate rather than simply a sugar habit. After receiving that bit of information he wanted to stop attending our sessions. Instead of dealing with the issue he requested that we not focus on that. I informed him that we could work on other parts of his life, however without working on the main issue, his habit would remain.

At the time he wasn't ready to deal with the real issues which I had to respect as a professional. My role is to suggest treatments that may help a person with their stress, but not to force a person into dealing with an issue before they are mentally ready. He wanted to work only on getting rid of his chocolate eating habit and nothing else. It's entirely possible that he has gotten rid of that habit, but more likely than not it has been replaced by another one.

If you are addicted to chocolate and the root cause is some form of emotional stress, only working to get rid of the habit won't prevent you from replacing it with another habit. The human mind is a pro at creating loopholes. This is the same reason many people who stop smoking or drinking turn to other habits such as eating. This all leads to weight gain in the end. If you want to lose weight, feel better, or just increase your self esteem treating the cause is the only way to cure the symptom.

Author: Sonia Devine

Top 7 Healthy Traveling Tips

Last week I traveled to Washington DC for work and I thought it would be fun to share some of my best tips for traveling healthfully. Eating healthy and feeling energized while traveling can be particularly challenging, especially if you have special dietary needs or preferences. Since I was traveling for business, I wasn't able to have as much flexibility and control over my schedule as if I were traveling on vacation, so I definitely picked up some techniques along the way that made it easier to eat healthy and feel my best on-the-go.

Tip #1: Do your research before you go
The internet is your friend and it will help you to explore the city you are visiting before you embark on your trip. I always find this especially important if you eat a plant-based diet like I do because it helps you to know how veg-friendly the city is and you can prepare by packing extra snacks if needed. I always look for:

• The closest natural foods or health foods store. (In a pinch, a regular grocery store will also do!)
• A nearby juice bar (if possible)
• Nearby Asian, Thai, Indian, and (healthy) Mexican restaurants. (These restaurants are usually my best bet for finding plant-based protein sources and fresh veggies in an unfamiliar city. Plus, they are also a great option if you are traveling with others that eat meat as they will have options available too.)

If you know that you are traveling to a city that isn't veg-friendly or doesn't have any options for dining healthfully, the next few steps are really important because they will help you to be prepared and make the best choices on the trip.

Tip #2: Pack your snacks

Nothing is worse than traveling hungry. I always make sure I have a variety of healthy snack options with me to prevent blood sugar crashes. Some of my favorites include:

• Nuts (preferably unsalted) or seeds
• Crackers 
• Nut butters (I really love these individual Justin's almond butter packets because they don't have to be refrigerated for traveling and are easy to use on-the-go.)
• Dried fruit
• Larabars (Cashew Cookie is my favorite!)
• Herbal (or decaf) teas

Other items to pack:

• A small bottle of extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar (helpful for salad bars with limited dressing options)
• A can-opener (helpful if you plan to purchase canned beans, see below)

Some snack options from my recent trip: crackers & celery w/ dip, a fresh green juice from a juice bar, and getting a side of beans from Chipotle.

Tip #3: Pick-up some fresh snacks and basic ingredients when you arrive

One of the reasons why I research a health foods or grocery store before I go is because then it's easy to pick-up some fresh snacks when I arrive. Even if you don't have a refrigerator in your room, you can easily make an ice bath in your sink to keep these items cold overnight or for a few days (just replenish the ice as needed.) Some of my favorites include:

• Whole carrots, cucumbers, celery sticks
• Fresh guacamole or an avocado
• Hummus
• Fresh fruit
• Mixed greens
• Canned beans 

I love these options because they can easily double as meals if I need them too. I will often pair my flax crackers with hummus and veggies to make a light lunch or combine mixed greens with veggies, canned beans and the olive oil and vinegar that I packed to make a large salad for dinner. If you are planning to dine out or have lots of restaurant options, you might not need to be this resourceful.

Tip #4: Drink water and stay hydrated

One of the worst things about traveling is how dehydrated I feel during and after a flight. Carrying a water bottle and drinking lots of water ensures that I will stay hydrated and energized throughout my day. I also try to drink at least a cup of water for every hour that I am flying, as well as increasing water intake on the days before and after flying.

Some salad variations from my recent trip: a Mediterranean salad at a food court with a side of beans, a fancy quinoa salad at a bar, a house salad at Chile's, and the salad bar at Whole Foods. 

Tip #5: Eat smart when dining out
From small airports to big cities, I have experienced a variety of challenges during my travels over the last few years since going plant-based. Dining out is always easier if you are going to a restaurant that is veg-friendly or at the least has lots of healthy options, however, when that's not possible here is what usually works for me:

• Start with a large salad. Every restaurant should have some type of salad and you can usually get it without cheese, croutons, and mayo-based dressing. This is helpful if you don't have a lot of options for fresh food wherever you are dining. 
• Pair together a variety of sides to create a meal. Restaurants are usually able to give you a side of black beans (double check they are vegetarian), steamed broccoli, and rice. In a pinch, this can be a lifesaver. I also like to order a side of beans and put them on top of a salad to bulk it up a bit. 
• Ask what accommodations they can make. Some restaurants are more flexible than others, but often times they can remove cheese on items or make dishes vegetarian/vegan if you need them to be. A polite request can go a long way. 

Tip #6: Supplement as needed

This last trip I used a few supplements that were immensely helpful for traveling and I will definitely be using these on future trips. My favorites were:

• Natural Calm Anti-Stress Drink packets. I've talked about the importance of magnesium supplements in another post and I found these individual packets were great for traveling and helping to reduce stress and fatigue during the trip. 
• Airborne Immune Support on-the-go packets. Traveling can be stressful at times and I hate arriving home with a cold. I've had great results using Airborne while traveling in the past and I loved these packets because they were convient to mix with water during the flight.
• JetZone Jet Lag Prevention. This trip was my first time trying this supplement and I was a little skeptical of it as first, but I decided to try it because of the time difference between the East and West coast. I was already immensely sleep deprived leading up to the trip so I wasn't sure if it helped that much on the way there, but I definitely noticed it on the way back. My trip back included thirteen hours of a subway ride, a train ride, working, a layover, and two long flights. By the end of it I was exhausted, but I had a wonderful night of sleep when I returned and woke up incredibly refreshed the next morning. I know there is no way I would have felt this good without this. If you are traveling between time zones, I would definitely recommend trying it. 

Tip #7: Respect your body
Traveling is physically and mentally exhausting and it's important to take care of your body. This includes:

• Getting extra sleep as needed.
• Moving your body. This might be walking around the city, using a hotel gym, or doing some yoga poses in your room. I always pack my resistance bands so I can do some basic resistance exercises (e.g. arm curls, side leg lifts, etc) in a small space if I don't have other options for exercise during the trip. This really helps with jetlag, overall fatigue, and feeling energized during the trip. 
• Avoiding salt, sugar, and caffeine as much as possible. Even though I work to avoid these things in general, I have found that minimizing salt, sugar, and caffeine while traveling is especially helpful for keeping my energy level up and preventing mood swings. 

What are your best tips for traveling healthfully? Leave me a comment below and let me know!

Simple Way To Get Into Shape

A nice and exquisite summer holiday is expecting you and you feel very fat or you do not fit in your favorite night red dress? Your husband cannot stop repeating you that you have put on weight or your biggest female enemy in the office takes the advantage of her skinny shape to get the promotion? Or you just feel a bit under the weather, because the needless kilos really are too conspicuous and this makes you sad and even depressed? Well, if you only one of these questions gets your positive answer, maybe, it is high time for you to embark a plan that will help you bring the ex self-confidence of yours back.

To be honest with you, no effective and permanent result can actually come immediately and even the worst and the most drastic diet that verges on starvation is recommendable. We suggest you to overtake something healthier and something that is not too risky to exhaust your body and your soul. Little baby steps in the beginning and progressive plan for action is a better idea for your loss in weight. Here is a simple way to get into shape with no risks or strenuous regime of eating, training, and even living.

First of all, you should increase the time you spare in walking. By walking we do not mean for you to go out and wandering around your neighborhood. Such an aimless activity will not lead to any nice result. It could be better, if you just start going to particular places (groceries, the office, your friend`s house) without the car and use the situation to have a walk breath in the air and let your muscles to stir into action. Then, you may start your training program in the gym without the risk to affect your body with some catastrophic consequences. Speaking of the gym, try to choose at least three days from the week, when you can visit the fitness centre. It is much better to have a half an hour training three or even four times a week than doing it once and spending two or three hours on the running path, for instance.

If you are out of free time, perform the activity from your losing weight plan by cleaning the house more often, using your own feet to get to the office or doing some simple exercises at home, while your are watching your favorite TV show, for instance. As to the diet, forget about starvation, but try to make a simple plan for your daily menu. At first, think of the worst and the most harmful products you include in your lunch and remove it or at least reduce it. Then, start thinking about the possibility to eat more often but less quality of calories and discover the magical ability of the water in every diet.

The article has been submitted by: Knightsbridge Removal Firm

How to Help Children Eat Healthier

Child obesity is becoming a more and more serious problem now, more than ever, and it is vital for you to teach your children proper eating habits. They need to be learned from the youngest of age. Once a kid does get used to eating healthy, these habits stick for a lifetime. And if they do it without a problem at home, they will surely do it not only at school too, but everywhere else as well.

All problems, connected with children's bad eating habits are usually rooted in the household. When a parent rarely prepares homemade dishes, but rather buys takeaway meals from fast food franchises, this is when kids start developing these ill eating habits. It's a proven fact, that children are constantly exposed to all sorts of junk food, but it is their parents duty to keep their sons and daughters away from them and to help them lead a healthy diet. Here are a couple of useful tricks on how to do so.

1.Guide the choice of food, don't dictate it
Have a big variety of healthy foods at home. Without any junk food in the house, there is simply no way the kids could consume such. Leave everything that is not healthy in the store.

2.Provide healthy alternatives
It is vital that you have alternatives to all the products that are considered not healthy to you and your family. For example, kids are known for craving sweets almost constantly. There is a way of getting round this problem - fruits. Always have lots of different fruits in store - apples, grapes, peaches, etc. A different option would be for you to make healthy homemade snacks, for example, such made of oats, honey and various dried fruits.

3.Encourage the kids to eat slowly
Fast eating could be the cause of many health disorders. Plus, fullness and hunger can be better detected when one eats slowly. And that is how the second serving could be avoided. You can achieve that by eating together as a family as often as possible and making the meals a pleasant experience? How can this help? Well, one thing is for sure, your children won't be in a hurry to finish their dish as fast as possible and leave the table.

4.Involve kids in the shopping and cooking process
Shopping for healthy foods together will teach your children a thing or two, and when they are already old enough to go to the store on their own, they will know how to do proper shopping. Same goes for the cooking. Cooking healthy meals together is not only quality time spent together, but also something like lessons for the future when your son/daughter will have to cook on his/her own.

5.Do not allow eating meals or snacks in front of the TV
Watching TV while eating can be really distracting in the sense that the eating becomes the secondary action, and one does not pay attention the whether s/he is full. This often leads to overeating.

6.Prepare your child's school meals
Having control in the household is relatively easy, but what happens when the kids are out of sight?
The school cafeteria offers a decent amount of junk food to be distressed about. And if you would like your son or daughter to stay away from them, prepare him/her tasty meals to take to school.


7.Make the change "from the inside"
Instead of forcing any changes upon your child, rather make him/her realize the necessity of these changes. Explain, in a calm manner, that healthy eating is the way to a long and healthy life.

The change for good happens slowly, especially when it comes to children. This is why you will need to be as patient as possible.

The post has been submitted by : Acton ManAndVan