1 00:00:08,760 --> 00:00:12,160 Speaker 1: Hi everyone, It's Carli Taylor here for this week's Mojo Monday. 2 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:15,720 Speaker 1: So today we are going to talk about food as 3 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:19,440 Speaker 1: a foundational pillar of mental fitness. So this is part 4 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:24,279 Speaker 1: three of the Becoming Mentally Fit series. And look, we're 5 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:27,680 Speaker 1: talking about these pillars of mental fitness, but we know 6 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:32,879 Speaker 1: that they're not separate. They're all intertwined. So what we 7 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:36,240 Speaker 1: eat and drink is very much influenced by our mindset. 8 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:40,760 Speaker 1: Can be our overall mindset, So our overall attitude towards 9 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:46,959 Speaker 1: food or our mindset in the moment and the choices 10 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:50,240 Speaker 1: that we make of what to eat or drink, our 11 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:53,920 Speaker 1: mindset has a huge impact on that. So becoming aware 12 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 1: of your mind and the chatter in that moment is 13 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:02,720 Speaker 1: really crucial. We'll always justify a glass of wine after 14 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:06,280 Speaker 1: a stressful day. So if I'm not aware that that's 15 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 1: where my mind will go, and it's Tuesday, which is 16 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 1: an alcohol free day for me, then I can easily 17 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:15,280 Speaker 1: fall into this sort of reactive mode just doing what 18 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:18,920 Speaker 1: my mind says based on how I feel in that moment, 19 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:22,480 Speaker 1: which might not serve me well the next day. So 20 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:26,320 Speaker 1: awareness of your inner chatter around food is really crucial 21 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:30,320 Speaker 1: because that's how you take control over whether you reach 22 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:33,080 Speaker 1: for that wine or the chocolate or the chips or not. 23 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:37,399 Speaker 1: And that can take a lot of discomfort tolerance too, 24 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:40,600 Speaker 1: because giving, in let's face, it is a lot easier. 25 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:46,479 Speaker 1: So I've been watching the SBS series alone and it's 26 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:49,800 Speaker 1: really it really sparked me thinking about why we eat. 27 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:53,800 Speaker 1: And if you haven't seen it, it's a fantastic series. 28 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 1: It's a reality series and it's very raw, very real, 29 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:04,080 Speaker 1: and it's quite rutal because contestants are dropped into these 30 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:08,320 Speaker 1: remote wilderness areas and they're dropped there alone and they've 31 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 1: got to survive. And the one I was watching is 32 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:16,160 Speaker 1: called a Loone Frozen and it's based in Canada, Canada, 33 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:21,840 Speaker 1: which has brutal like the weather, conditions are insane, and 34 00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:26,360 Speaker 1: one of the contestants, Amos, said something that does really 35 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 1: stuck with me. So when you're out there, you're not 36 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:34,799 Speaker 1: eating for enjoyment or pleasure or from boredom. You're eating 37 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:39,840 Speaker 1: to survive. And he referred to it as the survival diet, 38 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:43,359 Speaker 1: which I'm sure is the language for survivalists, but it 39 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:47,240 Speaker 1: was it was new to me, and so every decision 40 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:52,360 Speaker 1: around food when it's about survival, is about calories, so 41 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:57,399 Speaker 1: it's about fuel and preferably protein and fat, but it's 42 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:01,440 Speaker 1: whatever that you can find. There's no there's no abundance 43 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:06,639 Speaker 1: of food, especially when the winter sets in and you 44 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:10,160 Speaker 1: burn more calories looking for food than you actually eat, 45 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:13,560 Speaker 1: and if you lose too much weight, they pull you out. 46 00:03:14,639 --> 00:03:18,359 Speaker 1: And there's a whole different relationship to food that they 47 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:23,080 Speaker 1: have food on a loan. When they find it, it's 48 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:27,000 Speaker 1: like it's sacred because it's about survival. And when they 49 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 1: do get protein from a hunt, the gratitude and the 50 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:34,560 Speaker 1: emotion as they eat it is quite incredible. They're so 51 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: present with every bite and so connected and grateful to 52 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 1: the animal that they've just hunted. You know, their mindset 53 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:50,280 Speaker 1: towards food is incredibly primal. So let's propel ourselves into 54 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:53,560 Speaker 1: our modern world, which you and I live in right now. 55 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 1: So we're on the opposite of the survival diet, and 56 00:03:57,320 --> 00:03:59,400 Speaker 1: a lot of the time we are actually on a 57 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:03,280 Speaker 1: pleasure diet. So we base our decisions on what to 58 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:07,320 Speaker 1: eat around how we feel. We ask our partners, our kids, 59 00:04:07,320 --> 00:04:10,800 Speaker 1: what do you feel like for dinner? If we're hungry, 60 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:13,840 Speaker 1: it's like, what do I feel like eating. We don't 61 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:17,920 Speaker 1: ask ourselves what does my body need right now? I'll 62 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 1: base dinner around that, or I'll base my snack around that. 63 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:25,760 Speaker 1: And we have this abundance of calories that we could 64 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:29,840 Speaker 1: consume all day long if we wanted to. And we 65 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:35,400 Speaker 1: can eat for dopamine, we eat for distraction, we eat 66 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:38,960 Speaker 1: for comfort, we can eat based on our mood, we 67 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:42,520 Speaker 1: can eat for entertainment. And unless you are eating with 68 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:45,880 Speaker 1: some sort of intention for training or building muscle, or 69 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:49,600 Speaker 1: aging or weight loss, the issue is that there are 70 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:54,000 Speaker 1: so many choices to make, and those choices include food 71 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:58,479 Speaker 1: that is highly convenient. Because we're busy, we have less 72 00:04:58,520 --> 00:05:04,000 Speaker 1: time to be preparing food, food that's made in a factory, 73 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:07,760 Speaker 1: made by man and not nature, and made to be addictive. 74 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:12,440 Speaker 1: So I'm talking about ultraprocessed foods here, food that you 75 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:16,840 Speaker 1: cannot recognize as once being alive. It's full of non 76 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:21,560 Speaker 1: food substances, full of chemicals, and research is now showing 77 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: that ultra process foods, which is a dominant part of 78 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:30,200 Speaker 1: the modern diet, are directly linked to poorum mental health outcomes, 79 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:34,279 Speaker 1: including high rates of depression. That anyone that tells you 80 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:36,560 Speaker 1: that food doesn't make a difference to your mental health, 81 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:39,279 Speaker 1: is not up with the research and is living in 82 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:42,120 Speaker 1: the dark ages. And I get really frustrated when I 83 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:46,200 Speaker 1: hear trusted medical practitioners tell their patients that food doesn't 84 00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:49,160 Speaker 1: make a difference. And don't get me started on the 85 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:54,120 Speaker 1: hospital food, which I'm completely digressing. But there was a 86 00:05:54,600 --> 00:05:59,240 Speaker 1: twenty twenty three systematic review, a meta analysis that included 87 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 1: over two hundred and sixty thousand adults, and it found 88 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:07,080 Speaker 1: that higher ultra process food consumption was linked to a 89 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:12,040 Speaker 1: twenty eight percent increased risk of depression, and every ten 90 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:15,719 Speaker 1: percent increase in ultra processed food intake led to an 91 00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:20,239 Speaker 1: eleven percent rise in depression risk. So I will put 92 00:06:20,279 --> 00:06:23,520 Speaker 1: the research into the show notes if you're interested in 93 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:27,400 Speaker 1: diving deeper into that. But think about that. We're not 94 00:06:27,480 --> 00:06:31,120 Speaker 1: just talking about junk food here. We're talking about food 95 00:06:31,279 --> 00:06:37,040 Speaker 1: that is engineered in labs to be hyper palatable, shelf stable. 96 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:40,200 Speaker 1: And I remember when it first came out, I think 97 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:43,719 Speaker 1: in the seventies, like my mum getting so excited about 98 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:46,240 Speaker 1: these foods that were going to last for weeks and 99 00:06:46,279 --> 00:06:50,880 Speaker 1: weeks and weeks. So there's shelf stable. They're addictive and 100 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:54,520 Speaker 1: that includes the majority of breakfast cereals, and it includes 101 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:59,039 Speaker 1: super market breads amongst all the obvious stuff. So ultra 102 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:02,800 Speaker 1: processed foods and nutrient poor, they're full of additives that 103 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:06,359 Speaker 1: may negatively impact your gut microbiome, which we now know 104 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:10,520 Speaker 1: plays a crucial role in brain health. So every time 105 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:14,960 Speaker 1: you eat, there's a chemical message to your brain. So 106 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:20,080 Speaker 1: real food nourishes your body and your brain. Ultra processed 107 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:24,320 Speaker 1: food starves it. So when you eat, think of it 108 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:28,800 Speaker 1: as feeding every cell in your body. Every cell has 109 00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:32,600 Speaker 1: this energy center called the mitochondria, And think of the 110 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:36,360 Speaker 1: mitochondria as a mouse spinning on a wheel. If it's fed, 111 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:39,360 Speaker 1: it's going to spin all day long. It's going to 112 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:42,960 Speaker 1: have loads of loads of energy. But if you starve it, 113 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:45,480 Speaker 1: it's going to slow down. It's going to become sluggish 114 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:49,200 Speaker 1: and struggle. And that's what happens when we eat a 115 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:53,080 Speaker 1: lot of crappy food. We slow down, we get tired, 116 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:58,040 Speaker 1: we feel sluggish, and it affects our mental fitness. That's 117 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:01,920 Speaker 1: because we're not feeding the cells in our body. We think. 118 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:05,000 Speaker 1: So what we need to do is really think beyond 119 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:09,480 Speaker 1: our stomach and beyond pleasure, and we need to think 120 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:12,960 Speaker 1: of every cell, every cell that's in our body because 121 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:17,880 Speaker 1: they're relying on us to feed them. So I'll take 122 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:20,520 Speaker 1: you through a guide that we have in our house, 123 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:24,760 Speaker 1: and it's called the eighty twenty rule. So eighty percent 124 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:28,200 Speaker 1: of the time we eat real whole food, So think 125 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:32,960 Speaker 1: vegetable fruits, quality proteins, raw nuts, olive oil. Twenty percent 126 00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:37,560 Speaker 1: is the treat food. So whatever you consider the best 127 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:40,400 Speaker 1: treat for you, like, you want to get full enjoyment 128 00:08:40,480 --> 00:08:42,520 Speaker 1: out it. You want it to be the best quality. 129 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:45,040 Speaker 1: You want to have no guilt around it because you're 130 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:49,360 Speaker 1: giving yourself permission to eat that. And what that means 131 00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:53,440 Speaker 1: is that there's a trade off. So my kids have 132 00:08:53,559 --> 00:08:55,400 Speaker 1: been brought up and we did Poul and I do 133 00:08:55,480 --> 00:08:59,600 Speaker 1: this as well, with this skill of trading off. So 134 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:02,120 Speaker 1: if you do you know your treat for that day, 135 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:04,640 Speaker 1: then you may need to have a trade off with 136 00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:08,080 Speaker 1: another treat when another treat opportunity comes along. So you 137 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:12,160 Speaker 1: know your treat is chocolate after dinner, which is my treat, 138 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:15,960 Speaker 1: So I'll turn down the biscuit or the chips during 139 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:17,599 Speaker 1: the day because I know I want to have my 140 00:09:17,679 --> 00:09:21,280 Speaker 1: chocolate later on. So pole's trade off when we're out 141 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:25,440 Speaker 1: for dinner, it's saying notice to the dessert because he's 142 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:29,160 Speaker 1: drinking wine. So that's the trade off, So try it 143 00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:32,560 Speaker 1: next time you're out for dinner. Make an intentional decision 144 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:37,439 Speaker 1: based on the attitude you want towards food, because attitude 145 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:41,480 Speaker 1: is a choice. So choose your attitude around food, like 146 00:09:41,640 --> 00:09:45,880 Speaker 1: sit with that discomfort that that may bring in that moment, 147 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:51,760 Speaker 1: knowing that their choice is under your control. And a 148 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:55,800 Speaker 1: really great guide for this to help with awareness of 149 00:09:55,800 --> 00:10:00,400 Speaker 1: what to eat is the Nova Classification classification System. So 150 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:03,319 Speaker 1: it's n OVA. You can just google it. And what 151 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:06,359 Speaker 1: it does is it ranks food based on how processed 152 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:11,199 Speaker 1: it is. So Group one is your unprocessed, minimally processed, 153 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:14,840 Speaker 1: the stuff your great grandmother would recognize, and then it 154 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:19,120 Speaker 1: goes up to group four, which is your ultraprocessed, factory 155 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:23,040 Speaker 1: made food like substances, which is still designed for that 156 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:28,600 Speaker 1: long shelf life and maximum bliss point. So yeah, really 157 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:33,480 Speaker 1: really good guide, very very simple. There's a visual on there, 158 00:10:33,559 --> 00:10:36,120 Speaker 1: and yeah, a good one to show the kids as well. 159 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:40,840 Speaker 1: So here's your mojo mundane nudge for this week around food. 160 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:45,480 Speaker 1: When you reach for food, consider the reason you're reaching 161 00:10:45,520 --> 00:10:49,320 Speaker 1: for it? Is it for mood regulation? Are you bored? 162 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:53,520 Speaker 1: Are you hungry? And if so, is this food in 163 00:10:53,559 --> 00:10:58,280 Speaker 1: your eighty percent? And will it nourish yourselves? Will it 164 00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:02,280 Speaker 1: feed that metaphoric little mouth us that needs nourishing energy 165 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:06,280 Speaker 1: to spin that energy wheel? And what is your twenty 166 00:11:06,280 --> 00:11:09,600 Speaker 1: percent treat food? What are you willing to trade off 167 00:11:09,640 --> 00:11:15,480 Speaker 1: for it? And decide your attitude towards food. You can 168 00:11:15,559 --> 00:11:19,120 Speaker 1: intentionally choose your attitude. There is going to be a 169 00:11:19,160 --> 00:11:21,840 Speaker 1: part of your mind that's not aligned with that attitude, 170 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:26,960 Speaker 1: and that's okay, that's normal. We all experience that, expect it, 171 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:30,680 Speaker 1: but then choose not to give into it. Because there's 172 00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:34,160 Speaker 1: another part of your mind that wants a healthy body 173 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:37,000 Speaker 1: and brain, that wants energy, that wants to age well, 174 00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:40,920 Speaker 1: that doesn't want to get preventable diseases. And that's the 175 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:43,080 Speaker 1: part of you you want to listen to. That's the 176 00:11:43,160 --> 00:11:46,480 Speaker 1: part of you that you want as your guide. So 177 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:49,840 Speaker 1: allow that part of you to shine through and take control. 178 00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:53,840 Speaker 1: So I hope you've got value from that one. Food 179 00:11:54,360 --> 00:11:59,040 Speaker 1: is another huge topic, but I think if we can 180 00:11:59,280 --> 00:12:04,959 Speaker 1: simplify with our eighty twenty rule and the nova classification system, 181 00:12:05,080 --> 00:12:09,000 Speaker 1: it can certainly help us when we are making choices 182 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:13,119 Speaker 1: every day around food. So I have a great week everybody, 183 00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:15,240 Speaker 1: and I will catch you next week. See ya.