How Intuitive Eating Can Help You Quit Diet Culture
The concept of mindfulness has fully saturated mainstream culture at this point. Though it’s more likely to conjure up an image of someone sitting cross-legged with closed eyes than sitting at a table looking wide-eyed at mealtime, it’ll serve you just as well on your dinner plate as it will on your yoga mat. What is intuitive eating? Eating mindfully, also known as intuitive eating, is trending in the health and wellness world. But it couldn’t be more different from fad diets or other trends like fasting and cleanses, which have restrictive lists of rules and foods to eat or avoid. Intuitive eating starts by simply tuning in to your body’s needs and cues, but it goes further than that. As a Harvard Medical School article put it, “In essence, mindful eating means being fully attentive to your food — as you buy, prepare, serve, and consume it.” And that includes focusing on how different foods and eating habits make you feel, both physically and mentally. While this may feel … intuitive ... it’s easier said than done in a culture with consistent and often confusing messaging around what constitutes healthy eating. Even the tried-and-true method of calorie counting has raised doubts in recent years due to inaccuracies in calorie calculations for the nutrition labels and research on how calorie restriction can backfire by changing your hormone levels and even slowing down your
metabolism. Kristen Smith, a registered dietitian and the spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, says it’s also linked to disordered eating habits. Intuitive eating may just be the antidote. Singer Demi Lovato, who has been open about her struggles with an eating disorder and body-image issues, credits a more mindful approach to eating with helping her overcome harmful eating patterns.
How does it lead to better health outcomes? Having a regular exercise routine and eating well have long been known as the two pillars of physical health. When it comes to the latter, intuitive eating helps you create healthy and sustainable eating habits. The upshot is that when you eat better, you’ll feel better. Being attuned to that connection is the foundation of mindful eating. Most of us know that we should eat whole foods, including lots of fruits and vegetables, but feeling the outcome of increased consumption of these foods will help you stick with and build the habit.
In an Auto Accident? 5 Things You Should Do First
No one expects an automobile accident to happen, which means very few people know how to proceed when it actually does. Unless you’ve been in an accident before — or you’re a personal injury lawyer in Boston — chances are you have no idea how to proceed. Luckily, we’ve put together five things you can do after your car accident to keep you on the right side of your claim: Take pictures. Not just of your car, but of the other car(s), surroundings, and even the weather. Be sure to take pictures of any injuries sustained during the accident. This way you’ll have proof of injury long after the bruises have healed. Keep a diary. The aftereffects of an accident might interrupt your life more than you realize. Keep a log of things you couldn’t do because of your accident. Whether it’s missing that 5K you were planning on running, or
skipping a day of work to get your car at the shop, these details are important. Don’t talk to the other person’s insurance company. Just don’t do it. The insurance company has one goal in mind: to avoid paying a claim. Don’t give them any material to work with. Don’t sign anything! Claims adjusters or “insurance company representatives” will talk to you about how they feel terribly about your accident. It’s natural for us to downplay our own injuries in this situation and say, “Oh, I’m feeling just fine, thanks for asking!” These “representatives” will say they just want to help you pay your bills and offer you a document to sign and may even make a fast offer to settle your claim. However, these initial offers are often very low and the full extent of your injuries may not be known. Documents are powerful in court.
Don’t sign anything the insurance company gives you as these can be used against you later in court. Forward all correspondence to your lawyer. The law is complex and filled with loopholes you might not be aware of. Play it safe by sending all communication, whether it’s with the other person involved in the accident or the insurance company, to your lawyer. We hope these help you! And if you find yourself in an accident, don’t be afraid to get our professional help at Brooks & Crowley.
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