Have you ever snapped at someone unexpectedly and immediately were like … where the eff did that come from?
Most likely a spouse or partner or friend.
And, they said something pretty harmless and you just lost your shit in what felt like an out of body experience?
No?
Please tell me it’s not just me. 🤦♂️
Full disclosure … that used to happen more often than I’d care to admit.
I’m going to tell you something that will make a massive difference in your nutritional success in 2021.
Being short-tempered, easily irritable, cranky, having mood swings, and, in many cases, depressive-like symptoms can be directly tied to nutrition.
Your MOOD and FOOD go hand in hand
There’s a reason why MOOD is a major biological indicator for poor nutrition and health and here’s why …
Health starts in your brain. 🧠
Your metabolism starts in your brain. 🧠
Your brain is a super computer that is constantly trying to process and sort trillions of bits of information each day.
It’s a hefty job that requires proper ENERGY and FUEL.
But, not just any fuel will do …
Because your brain has protection.
Being in charge means having a whole security squad to make sure only VIPs can enter and hang out with your brain.
However, if you aren’t inviting VIPs to visit your brain …
Then your brain gets lonely. 🥺
And angry. 🤬
And easily frustrated.
Yes … hanger is a real thing.
If something is off with your MOOD … it’s probably the FOOD.
Introducing … neuro-nutrition
This is something that I’ve been talking about for several years now that is just starting to become more mainstream (not fast enough doe).
The idea of neuro-nutrition (or Neurotype nutrition).
That means fueling your brain appropriately to accomplish some amazing benefits:
✅ Mood stability
✅ Less irritability
✅ More patience
✅ Greater motivation
✅ Increased contentment/satisfaction
✅ Improved memory and cognitive function
It’s ironic that ALL diets utilize the same formula: eat less, then eat less, then eat even less.
Because all they see is a caloric equation.
What I see is a recipe for mood disruption, increased hunger/cravings, inconsistency, and years (or decades) of frustration.
How is it that the traditional way of dieting still exists?
That’s a legitimate question.
When something is proven wrong by science and mountains worth of anecdotal evidence, over and over again, shouldn’t we move on from that thing?
Anyway, this is especially relevant this time of year because 99.99% of the population will ignore their brains.
The 0.01% of the POP-ulation (see what I did there) knows better.
Your brain takes up about 2% of your body mass and requires about 25-30% of your daily energy intake.
Knowing that … do you think it’s a good idea to severely restrict calories, cut out entire food groups, and starve yourself lean??
Logically … that’s a big fat NO.
Emotionally … you may be struggling still.
Because, we tend to make most decisions with emotions.
Which actually answers my question above about why traditional diets still exist.
They cater to our emotional vulnerability.
But, that’s another topic for another day.
For now, it’s important to understand the idea of neuro-nutrition.
Support your brain with ENOUGH food and prioritize the QUALITY of that food …
-Lean proteins
-Grass fed beef/organic meats
-Fatty fish
-Leafy greens
-Colorful veggies
-Fruit
-Resistant starch
-Quality carbs
-Quality fats (rich in omega 3’s)
Just to give you some ideas.
Feeding your brain affects your mood
Personally, I like to take care of your brain as almost a necessary primer before tackling body composition.
Why? Because if you’re in a better mood, more patient, and feel better cognitively …
Ultimately, you’ll be more consistent.
And, greater consistency will lead to greater results.
But, most importantly, you won’t have to suffer or struggle to get there!
Another concept that we can thank diet culture for is this idea that results/progress and misery go hand in hand.
“I just have to suck it up and white knuckle my way through it.”
Um, no ya don’t.
Being miserable and short-tempered is an indicator that something is off and progress is highly unlikely.
So if you TRULY want to make 2021 the year of sustainable change and your best year ever …
Don’t ignore your brain.
I’ll continue to provide more practical advice for incorporating neuro-nutrition into your life over the coming weeks.
And, we’ll even be doing a neuro-nutrition challenge (that’s not really a challenge) pretty soon with a beta group so stay tuned for that!
