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Author: siah_fried@yahoo.com

What is emotional regulation?

Emotional regulation is a buzz word among parent experts right now. Essentially, emotionally regulating oneself pertains to an individual’s capacity to refrain from immediate reactions. These skills manifest during the interval between impulse and action, as individuals evaluate their natural inclinations against their desired responses. In other words, find your own coping skill such as taking a deep breath or walk away before reacting to your child’s big emotion. If a parent can be grounded themself then they can be calm for their child. When calmness prevails between parent and child during a tough moment, a teaching moment can result and less angst is present between both. A phrase I learned from Jai Institute of Parenting certification program is, “Anchor yourself so you can be a safe harbor for your child.”

Are you a lighthouse or helicopter parent?

We have all heard about helicopter parents. We have all seen them in action. We even may “helicopter” ourselves sometimes. Research shows that this style of parenting leads to kids being more fearful, anxious, dependent and self-conscious.

I found a parenting term that refers to a much healthier and more likable kind of parenting, “Lighthouse parenting,” by Alexandra, Founder of Big Life Journal.

©siahfriedcoach.com

The Importance of Macro and Micronutrients

Macro and Micro Nutrients Macronutrients are the main nutrients our body needs to stay alive and functioning. They come from our three main nutrient sources: carbohydrates (which our body uses immediately to break down energy), protein, and fats. They are referred to as macro because we need a large amount of them for energy in the form of calories. They also maintain your body’s structure and functioning. This is why it is important to eat balanced diets with the suggested amount of each macro at every meal instead of favoring any one macronutrient per a weight loss diet or other reason (unless advised by your doctor per a health condition). There is scientific basis for the recommended amount of each macronutrient based on age and energy output. For more information, take a look at the American Dietary Guidelines. Micronutrients are referred to as micro NOT because they are less important than macronutrients, but because we need smaller or trace amounts of them for normal growth and development. Micronutrients, often referred to as vitamins and minerals, are vital to healthy development, disease prevention, and wellbeing. With the exception of vitamin D, micronutrients are not produced in the body and must be derived from the diet. Though we only need small amounts of micronutrients, consuming the recommended amount is important. Micronutrient deficiencies can have devastating consequences. At least half of children worldwide younger than 5 years of age suffer from vitamin and mineral deficiencies CDC/Nutrition/micornutrient For coaching appointments please reach out to me at: Siah_fried@yahoo.com  Eating Disorders, Disordered Eating, & Dietary Restriction Can Result In Macro & Micro Undernutrition According to the Cleveland Clinic, malnutrition is an imbalance between the nutrients your body needs to function and the nutrients it gets. It can mean undernutrition or overnutrition. You can be malnourished from an overall lack of calories, or you might have a protein, vitamin or mineral deficiency. You might also have more excess calories than your body knows what to do with. Macronutrient undernutrition Also called protein-energy undernutrition, this is a deficiency of macronutrients: proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Macronutrients are the main building blocks of your diet, the nutrients that your body relies on to produce energy to maintain itself. Without them — or even just one of them — your body soon begins to fall apart, breaking down tissues and shutting down nonessential functions to conserve its low energy. Micronutrient undernutrition Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals. Your body needs these in smaller amounts, but they are very necessary for our body, for all types of functions. Many people are mildly deficient in certain vitamins and minerals from a lack of variety in their diet. This is why the medical and nutrition community reminds us to vary our daily nutrient intake. You might not notice a mild vitamin deficiency affecting you, but as micronutrient undernutrition becomes more severe, it can begin to have serious and lasting effects on the body and brain. An increasing number of studies are revealing that diet and nutrition are critical not only for physiology and body composition, but also have significant effects on mood and mental well-being. In particular, Western dietary habits have been the object of several research studies focusing on the relationship between nutrition and mental health. Muscaritoli M. (2021). The Impact of Nutrients on Mental Health and Well-Being: Insights From the Literature. Frontiers in nutrition, 8, 656290. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2021.656290

Do You Know What The Dietary Guidelines Are? Why Should We Pay Attention To Them?

The Dietary Guidelines of America (DGA) are based on extensive scientific review of the current body of evidence on key nutrition and health topics for each life stage. Twenty distinguished scientists on the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee contribute their expertise conducting an independent scientific review characterized by more transparency and public participation throughout the process than ever before. The Committee’s work produced a comprehensive scientific report on the current state of nutrition science and provided advice to the Departments for their development of this 9th edition of the Dietary Guidelines. Thus the recommendations you hear your doctor and other health professionals refer to are founded on evidence based research. What I find interesting this plethora of valuable, accurate information on nutrition and disease prevention is provided to us for free and by leading public health experts, doctors, registered dietitians and their years of evidence based research. However, Americans continue to be overweight, obese and spend billions of dollars in the diet industry. The reason our top 10 causes of death are lifestyle related I believe is partly because we don’t realize how valuable a tool the DGA’s are and how easy to apply and implement to personal lifestyles they are. I don’t think most people understand the DGA and why the recommendations are so rich. Please reach out to me for coaching on the DGA if you would like to understand them more. Every five years since 1980, a new edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) is released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I would imagine as soon as the latest DGA is released, the Committee begins gathering the newest research for the next set of DGA. DGA are created based on the most current findings and since research is constantly being done, the DGA may slightly vary every 5 years. Promoting health and preventing disease are the goals of these guidelines. The most recent DGA includes cultural diversity and different eating practices. All individuals can benefit from a healthy eating pattern, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, or health status. The DGA are intended to be a framework that can be customized to you based on your specific needs. In addition, you can also find advice tailored to the needs of each life stage, infancy through elderly. The DGA recommendations emphasize the importance of healthy eating patterns instead of focusing on individual foods regardless of where you are in life. The new DGA are broken down into four main points: Follow a healthy dietary pattern at every life stage Customize your choices to reflect personal preferences, culture, and lifestyle Focus on meeting food group needs by adding nutrient-dense foods and beverages, and stay within calorie limits. Elements of a healthy eating pattern include: Vegetables of all types, whole fruits, grains (half of which are whole grain), dairy products that are fat-free or low-fat and/or lactose-free alternatives, protein foods (both animal and plant-based) and oils (including vegetable oils and oils in food like seafood and nuts). Most of this remains as it is in the last few editions. Limit foods and beverages higher in added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium, and limit alcohol. This also remains the same. The DGA acts as a resource everyone can use to make healthier food choices. As usual, the most recent update is based on science and research and is formatted in life stage sections. Check out this PDF for your copy of the latest and greatest DGA.