Latest / Forged In The Dark / It's Not Just What You Eat
Transcript
- Forged In The Dark: Food and stress. Yes, food is fuel, but it's not just what you eat, Now I have so many different thoughts on this today. Welcome to Forged in the Dark. I'm your host, Jamie. Let's dig in. Now the other day I was working and I got that undeniable deep belly growl and I knew it was time for lunch. So I stopped what I was doing, and I got up, I got my lunch, and I sat right back down at my computer. And the second my eyes went to the last line of the project I was working on, I felt this little flutter of pressure. Now I immediately closed my computer and sat and enjoyed my lunch in a completely quiet house. And as I sat there and enjoyed every single bite, I couldn't help but think about you. I couldn't help but think of the person sitting behind their computer at work scarfing their lunch. I couldn't help but to think about the driver that I saw the other day shoving a burger into her mouth while sitting in traffic yelling at the car in front of her. Like I can see her yelling, go, go, go. And I'm thinking, how can she actually take a bite and yell at the car in front of her? And then I'm just flooded by the fact that you cannot properly digest food when you are in the stress response. Now, in a couple minutes, I'm going to teach you a breath technique that has the potential to move you away from the stress response and closer to the relaxation response. Depending on your stress level, it has the potential in three to five breaths to move you from stress to relaxation. But it is an important distinction to make depending on what is causing your stress and how long your stress is. It might take more than three to five of these breaths to get you fully relaxed. But imagine yourself enjoying a meal. Peace and quiet, work is turned off, home life is turned off, it is just you and your food. Now, when I say it is not just what you eat, it's who you're being and how you're eating. Let me tackle that before we go into the breath work. When you look at your food, when you look at your plate, what thoughts are in your head? Are you thinking, bless this meal? Thank you for this meal. Thank you for this sustenance. Thank you for this nutrition. I'm so grateful that I have a meal in front of me. Or are you thinking, boy, I'm being so bad? boy, I'm gonna get so fat. Who you are when you eat is a big deal. If you believe that that food is sustenance, even if it's not as high of quality as food as you would like, you are going to take on the nutrients. If this, if you're looking at the food, shaming yourself, you believe that that food is gonna make you fat, what do you think is going to happen? Now Let's talk about The stress level in eating. Let's talk about how you're chewing your food. Chewing your food. Okay, the simple movement of your jaw signals to your digestive system that food is coming. The same thing when you take the time to smell your food, to look at your food, your saliva glands turn on. So you take that bite of food. That bite needs to be chewed 30 to 40 times to reach your stomach, be broken down further, and then go through the rest of your digestive system. Big chunks of food do not get digested properly. The nutrients do not get absorbed from the food. So you're sitting there eating a meal that that you can't taste and that you're not enjoying and and you're telling yourself that you have to eat because your stomach is growling, but you're there's no enjoyment. And the worst part is you are creating a toxic environment. But by sitting down, eating in the stress response, eating too fast, you are not priming your body for optimal digestion. So I've already gone through multiple things, right? But I want to teach you this breath work. I it is d it is pulled directly from a sleep-based meditation called Yoga Nidra. And now if you are driving a car or doing anything important right now, please do not stop and close your eyes and practice this breath work. But if you are in a safe place, close your eyes. Feel your bum in your seat. Take a big breath in through your nose. Fill your lungs completely. And as you exhale, purse your lips and softly blow like you are blowing a bubble wand. You know how gentle you have to blow to get the bubbles to go. Blow slow and steady through those pursed lips. Get all the way to the bottom of the exhale and then repeat. Big breath in through the nose, feel your shoulders lift, feel your lungs expand. You can even pause and hold the breath at the top. Exhale through those lips, just like you're blowing bubbles through a bubble wand. All the way to the bottom of the exhale. And again, and again. And again, this type of breath work is proven to move you from the stress response to the relaxation response, and it has the potential to give you results in as little as three to five breaths. Every morning before you eat your breakfast, three to five of these breaths. Repeat at lunch and at dinner. Get into the habit of looking at your meal and then closing your eyes and taking three to five of these very intentional stress-reducing breaths. Now I need a breath. Whoo, stress-reducing breaths. And then enjoy your meal. And as you enjoy your meal, monitor your thoughts. What are you thinking about the food in front of you? And chew your food. Take breaks, set your fork down, take a drink of water. See if you can extend your meal to 20 minutes. It is not just what you eat. It is who you are being when you eat. Now, now, if you ever Have the pleasure of enjoying a meal with me in person. I am going to watch how you eat. I'm going to observe. I'm not gonna watch in a creepy way. I'm going to observe you eat. And more than likely, I'm going to have some feedback when I'm having meals with my children and I'm halfway through my meal and they're done. Boys, did you even chew your food? Do you know that your body needs the nutrients from that food? And I think this is my favorite part about today's episode, the Yoga Nidra breath. I have been practicing Yoga Nidra for at least a decade. In short formats by just using this breath where I need it and in long formats, whether it's a guided meditation or a group practice. Not only do I practice Yoga Nidra, when I taught yoga, I would do Yoga Nidra savasanas. And Yoga Nidra works. In an attempt to regulate our nervous system, this breath work can be used for more than meal time. You practice this breath work every day, three, four, five, ten times a day, every single day. And when you find yourself in a situation, you may be surprised that that breath is just there, anchoring you, bringing you back into the present moment, getting you away from the stressor. It is so beautiful when I observe this breath naturally kicking in when I'm in a stressful environment, when I'm in a stressful conversation, when when this breath automatically kicks in if it is if it is a tense conversation, I often say to the person, let's pause. I need to take a few rounds of breath. And that's exactly what we do. So this particular breath has more to do or this particular breath is beneficial to you not just at mealtime. But like Tuesday's at Tuesday's episode. Was all about burnout. Things you you know you must do to manage and reduce your stress to avoid burnout. Do you know that when your body is fueled and hydrated properly, you go through life with more buoyancy? You are able to look at, to sit with, to deal with painful or stressful situations with more ease and grace. Today is all about stress and eating. If you cannot properly digest your food, When you are in the stress response, it is time to make time for your meals. Stop eating while you're driving. Stop eating at your desk. Stop telling yourself stories about what that food is going to negatively do to your body. Lean in to the food and smell it and taste your bites as you chew 30 to 40 times. In all of that chewing, the food mixes with the saliva. Again, it gets to your belly and it digests better. Your brain can't function if it's if if it's undernourished, if it's under hydrated. Practice these breaths three to five times before you sit down to every single meal. Start today with your next meal. Okay. That's what I have for you today. Until next time.