Are we creating new points of reference? - Welcome to Conscious Nutrition by Heather Fleming.

Hope you are your loved ones are safe and sound. How are you emotionally and physically holding up? Personally, I can feel my nervous system on high alert to protect my well being. This is helping me take extra care of myself. Physically that is doing one simple activity or movement a day, cooking nourishing and comforting meals and as for emotional support it is checking in with loved ones for video happy hours.

Also, for mental well-being, my friend Paula sent over a suggestion to take this free course from Yale, “The Science of Well-Being”. One of my favorite takeaways was regarding mindset and reference points. Our choices come from our internal operating systems based on our beliefs, attitudes and past reference points. Combining the physical awareness of how our nervous system is operating along with what our thoughts and beliefs are choosing, will help us in this difficult time.

Your mindset is your collection of thoughts and beliefs that choose your habits. This collection affects how you think, what you feel, and what you do. Your mindset impacts how you make sense of the world and how you make sense of a super important person, YOU.

Mindset.com defines Mindset as a collection of beliefs and thoughts:

“Mind-sets are those collection of beliefs and thoughts that make up the mental attitude, inclination, habit or disposition that predetermines a person’s interpretations and responses to events, circumstances and situations.”

Here’s what the Oxford Dictionary has to say about attitude:

“An attitude is a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a person’s behavior.”

The basic building blocks of beliefs are ideas. Beliefs are like a tabletop. As you build references and experiences, you add legs to your tabletop. When your idea feels certain, it becomes a belief.

That’s why it’s so important to know what your beliefs are based on.

Your beliefs shape your attitude.
Your attitude also shapes your beliefs.
You beliefs shape your mindset.

Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D. describes two different types of mindsets: A Fixed-Mindset and a Growth Mindset.

“In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success—without effort.
“In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.

Ok, now that we have the reference point of how mindset and beliefs are established, let’s apply it to food:)

I took myself out for Thai food yesterday, meaning I pretended I was out to eat and made this curry along with jasmine green tea. After I ate this meal, I felt great, the curry’s medicinal and anti-inflammatory properties along with the Bok choy, green curry in the jar, can of coconut milk, tofu sautéed in coconut oil and topped with fresh cilantro was exactly what the Doctor of myself ordered.

I bought tofu a couple of weeks ago for a few reasons; to have an extra non-meat protein source on hand, it keeps longer in the fridge and I crave Tofu once a month due to my menstrual cycle.

When I use to have an all or none mind set, I didn’t give soy a second thought, I believed it was “bad” for me and my clients. When I finally lightened up my judgmental mind set and allowed my body to lead, I started to add in the once a month soy and felt WAY better.

What are some of the “diet” rules that could be holding you back or you are ready to create a new point of reference?

I shouldn’t eat late (I had a late night snack last night and it was exactly what I needed)
I shouldn’t eat bread (for my body, I try to not have bread two days in a row)
I should eat protein at every meal (when I let go of this one, I incorporated WAY more variety and veggies)
I should eat now even though I am not hungry (I am still working on this one, but now that our schedule is a bit less hectic this one may be a great one to revisit)
I shouldn’t eat sugar (your nervous system NEEDS sweet, try having fresh fruit, dates and honey on hand)
I should eat more vegetables 🙂 Maybe keep this one in but make sure you NEVER feel guilty about it.

**A great tip I recommend is to NOT combine soy with a Starch such as rice or potatoes. Instead have it with extra veggies and observe that you may digest it better and have more energy. My energy sky rocketed after this meal.

There is scientific evidence that both supports and does not support organic soy. Part of the uncertainty is due to the intricacy of soy’s effects on the body. Soy is unique in that it contains a high concentration of isoflavones, a type of plant estrogen (phytoestrogen) that is similar in function to human estrogen but with much weaker effects. Soy isoflavones can bind to estrogen receptors in the body and cause either weak estrogenic or anti-estrogenic activity. Aside from their isoflavone content, soy foods are rich in nutrients including B vitamins, fiber, potassium, magnesium, and high-quality protein.

Here is one great resource for you to peruse to learn more and then make up your own belief and mindset.

If you are choosing an old meal plan or diet structure because it worked for you once in the past, there may be some underlying beliefs that are not supporting you now. This can hold us back from trying foods that we love and that have healing properties.

If you spend heaps of your time and energy

Feeling guilty about what you ate
Feeling confused on what to eat
Dissatisfied with your meals
Super extra overwhelmed at the grocery store
Annoyed at meal times and wish you wouldn’t have to cook

If you are craving a different mindset around how you choose food, check out my Upcoming Course! The Appetizer course. This isn’t another “program” for you to follow, instead it is learning how to FOLLOW your body. For one week we practice and observe how your mind and body relates to food. It is time for us shift not being in charge of our relationship with food, body and our REBELLIOUS mind. The course is scheduled to begin on April 21st, Click here to learn more and sign up!

Love from your nourishment leader,

Heather Fleming, C.C.N.