Happy March, everyone!
My favorite link this month is a great article on the art of mindful eating and how to start your own practice. Mindless eating is, unfortunately, all-too common in our fast-paced culture, and can lead to poor food choices. I have tried the mindful eating “raisin” exercise, mentioned in the article, in a mind-body skills group once, but using Doritos instead of raisins. I was shocked at how truly disgusting – chemical, fake, overpowering – the flavors were…flavors I thought I enjoyed when I consumed them at a much faster pace. Perhaps we would all eat less processed food if we REALLY tasted it?
I also highly recommend the book referenced in the article – “Mindless Eating” (http://mindlesseating.org/) by Dr. Brian Wansink. It reviews the various unconscious triggers that lead us to eat more than we need – and how we can manage them to make better choices, automatically.
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As always, I welcome suggestions, comments, or interesting links. Please send to: chelgason@synergenius.biz.
Wishing you a wonderful month!
Chanel Helgason, MD
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“The longest journey you will ever take is the 18 inches from your head to your heart.”
– Andrew Bennett
THIS MONTH’S LINKS
Eating more mindfully
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/
My favorite TEDTalk ever – hilarious, and full of important information. How choosing our focus can create more happiness for us, and raise our performance, too!
http://www.ted.com/talks/
Nice interview with Dr. Weil on lifestyle approaches to depression, a bit more detailed than February’s article.
http://www.npr.org/2011/12/02/
Building on Dr. Ben-Shahar’s article from last month, here is a nice article on the importance of recovery time:
http://bonnieleonard.com/2009/
The necessity for empathy for success
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Bringing your life into balance by choosing how you spend your time
http://www.wholeliving.com/
An important video exploring the effect of media on how we view women.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
The importance of creating positive expectations for health care treatments. Avoiding the “nocebo” is at least as important as maximizing the “placebo.”
http://iwellville.com/home/
Mediterranean diet protects the brain:
http://online.wsj.com/article/
This effect illustrates the power of the mind-body interaction – and the importance of stress reduction as a tool for reducing health care costs for everyone.
http://psychnews.
A BIT OF HUMOR
Gonzo is a genius:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
