Avoid Mental Stagnation, Pay Attention to Food Order, ‘No-Phone’ Zones
Hi Folks! Connor and Nick here from Healthy Living With Nick and Connor. Thanks again for being on our email list, it means a lot, and we are excited to share our weekly email with you. We hope you enjoy it! Here is what we hope you take away from this one:
1. Make yourself aware of what leads to mental stagnation and prioritize avoiding it.
2. Eat food in the right order and reap the benefits. Why not?
3. Bed = no phone zone. Plug it in across the room, better yet, in another room.
Starter Mindset Tip: Build Barriers to Mental Stagnation
The first step to growing, to meeting new challenges, and accomplishing goals is having the right mindset. Here are things that can quickly lead to a suboptimal or stagnated mindset that will make this more challenging; being overtired, being stressed, too much monotony, a lack of time, a lack of desire. Being overtired is such a common feeling these days with the fast pace of life and difficulty with optimizing sleep. Being over stressed and having a full schedule can also lead to the feeling of never being rested. One way to set yourself on the right track to tackle all your endeavors is to first make sure you feel rested. This is probably the best place to start if you feel like you are getting mentally stagnated. Maybe clear out a day or two to get some R & R. Often this time is well worth it as it makes you more efficient with everything else you are doing. It will also often help overcome any lack of desire in tackling new challenges. If you are getting too stuck into a routine try adding in a few new activities as a way to recharge your mind out of stagnation.
Health Recipe: Dessert First? Why Food Order Matters
Timing: 10-30 minutes
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Serving Size: Small - Medium
Spiciness: Mild – Medium
INGREDIENTS
Just you and your kitchen
REASONING AND BENEFITS
You may have wondered to yourself; is there a reason why we eat food in a certain order, why we eat dessert last? The answer is, yes. This recipe will highlight the reasoning behind it. Ultimately it comes down to sugar and our bodies response to it. The lower the spike in blood sugar and hormone insulin after a meal, generally the better. Higher levels of blood sugar over time can be damaging to the body. Eating dessert or high sugar foods last allows us to become less hungry and therefore eat less of it. Not only will we eat less, but our bodies won’t absorb as much if we precede it with protein, healthy fats, and fiber rich foods. So, if you eat a piece of cake on an empty stomach this can raise your blood sugar more than if you ate that very same piece of cake after eating a healthy meal. Plan out your meals to eat the sweeter stuff after the less sweet stuff.
INSTRUCTIONS
Dessert is best served last. Set up your meals in a way that minimizes the blood sugar spikes from sweeter foods.
Plan for a few courses in your meals starting with courses high in vegetables, fiber and protein.
Take your time and don’t rush through these courses just to get to that delicious dessert.
PRO TIP: Pay attention to what your body is craving and try not to let it go right for those sweets.
* Plan meals to include foods that help prevent blood sugar and insulin spikes by learning to cook some great recipes.
** Incorporating exercise after a meal can also help keep that sugar spike to a minimum. Going for an after meal is a perfect way to dampen the spike.
*** For master level sugar dampening, you can precede your meal by having a shot of things like lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.
Dessert Quote:
“I am increasingly persuaded that our 24-7 addiction to screens and social media is perhaps our most destructive habit, not only to our ability to sleep but to our mental health in general. So I banish those from my evenings (or at least, I try to). Turn off the computer and put away your phone at least an hour before bedtime. Do NOT bring your laptop or phone into bed with you.” ― Peter Attia MD, “Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity.”
