Danette May's Lotus Journal - May 2020

Artificial Flavors and the Brain I f you’ve been following Danette’s food guidelines, then you know she isn’t a fan of processed foods. Artificial flavors, sweeteners, dyes, and preservatives (which you can read more about on Page 9) are foreign substances that our bodies aren’t designed to process, and they can cause all kinds of problems, including headaches, fatigue, and lack of focus. Another theory, this one regarding artificial flavors, is that before people started making flavors in test tubes, the taste of a particular food told our brains which valuable nutrients were in it. Cravings were our body’s way of telling us we needed a particular food’s vitamins and minerals. Instead of hurting us, cravings helped us get the right amount of nutrition in our diets. This theory is supported by a study from 1926. For six years,15 babies got to eat anything they wanted from HOW MAN-MADE FLAVORINGS TRICK OUR BODIES

Still, odds are you sometimes find yourself craving your old favorites — the snacks that used to be your go-tos before you started down the path of healing your body with whole foods. Have you ever wondered why that is? What makes those chemical-covered chips or candies so addictive? It turns out that white sugar alone might not be the culprit — artificial flavors and sweeteners could be to blame, too. Scientists have come up with a few reasons that this might be the case. According to Scientific American, one theory is that artificial sweeteners can’t

a list of whole foods like apples, turnips, lamb, and bananas. Amazingly, their bodies naturally led them to adopt balanced diets. It follows that by offering taste without any nutritional value, artificial flavors can trick us into eating empty calories or continuing to eat even when we get the nutrients we need. If all of this is freaking you out, we get it! Luckily, by avoiding processed foods, you can reset your cravings and keep most of this trickery out of your diet. When you can, try to aim for the purest versions of whole foods, like organic or heirloom varieties. For delicious recipes that are healing, food-based, and trick-free, turn to your Fit Rise meal plans or the recipes on

quite live up to natural sugars. Researchers discovered that eating artificial sweeteners activates the same taste pathway in the brain that real sugar does but the reward isn’t as big, and we’re left unsatisfied. That could be why we keep reaching for another candy to scratch that itch.

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Hey there, sisters! As you might have noticed, we had a bit of a hiccup with the March edition of Lotus Journal. Unfortunately, the company that prints our newsletter made an error, and as a result, some of you may have gotten copies with a few of the same articles that landed in your mailboxes back in February. We’re so

sorry for the old news. Rest assured, we’ll make sure you get all of the awesome, inspiring content from Danette that you missed out on. We have some truly great healing tips to share with you! In the meantime, if you ever have a question about your copy of Lotus Journal, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’re always here to help. Sending you all of our love and gratitude, —The Mindful Health Team

Danette May’s Lotus Journal

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