How to Deal with Energy Vampires

Have you ever felt like the energy has been sucked from you from the mere presence of someone else? Or you feel like no matter what you say or do you are wrong? How about when you work so hard to impress, but end up being criticized? You try hard to remain positive and strong, but their negativity and toxic approach leaves you feeling drained, anxious and depressed.  These people are called Energy Vampires. They can show up at home, work and play.

So how do you deal with these energy suckers? 

Unfortunately, garlic doesn’t work here.

Here are my 5 tips:

1) Poor Baby: imagine the person as a small child, who probably has been treated poorly by a parent or caregiver. Possibly, neglected emotionally and not given the care and support in the formative years that is crucial for good energy to flow.

2) Rise Above: many negative people have deep-seated fears, insecurities and sadness that they cannot come to grips with. It feels better to make someone else feel bad then deal with his or her own pain.  Try to smile through the energy sucking and not allow their words or choices to enter into your heart.  When you rise above, a negative person will not get the same satisfaction out of the experience and will often move on.

3) Look in the Mirror: often, I have found that people come into our life to teach us a lesson. Possibly, this negative person can teach you something valuable about yourself. Write down how the person makes you feel: does it trigger any past memories?  How would you like to be able to deal with conflict? Journaling can be helpful during this process.

4) Bubble Boy:  is not just a Seinfeld character, but something you can imagine to protect yourself from an energy vampire. Some find it valuable to visualize a protective bubble or white light surrounding you. You can even imagine mirrors that reflect back to the person the negative vibes they are sending out.

5) Lover not a Hater:  especially when it’s a family member, the only thing you can remind yourself of is that everyone needs love to grow.  The very thing you would like to see in the negative person is the only thing you can give out. This doesn’t mean you have to accept the negative behavior, especially if it’s harming you emotionally.  But try to send the person loving thoughts rather then hurtful ones.

The goal is to not be angry at this toxic person, but to help them to learn the lessons that will allow them to grow emotionally.

If you have any tips that have worked for you, please post to share with others.

Healthy Lunch Box Ideas for Everyone!

Miranda Making Jax Snacks - Healthy Smoothie

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• 10 Health-Designed Fresh Juices & Smoothies
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Grilled Cheese ~ Livin' Light Style

My son adores grilled cheese sandwiches like most kids do. 

I've changed it up slightly to make it easier to digest, but still gooey-good.

Traditional grilled cheese sandwiches  call for butter, those conveniently packaged cheese slices or what I like to call food-colored fake cheese and white bread (sugar). It's so simple to take a traditional item like a grilled cheese and swap the unhealthy ingredients for more health promoting ones. 

 

   

Instead of White Bread substitute for an alternative like Spelt Bread. Stone Mill is popular in most mainstream grocery stores. Spelt is higher in B vitamins and a light enough bread that your kids won't think it's that healthy ;)

Instead of food-colored fake cheese swap it for cheddar goat cheese. Goat cheese is the easiest dairy product to digest. It's properties are closest to mother's milk and it melts well!

  

  

Instead of butter try grape seed oil. It's high in anti-oxidants and has a high smoke point. 

Instead of sugary Ketchup

try letting your kids dip it in some healthy hummus

or salsa. Usually, as long as they are dipping all is good!

Top 10 Eating-Out Nutrition No-No's

 It's fun to explore a variety of different foods and restaurants, but keep in mind these nutrition no-no's when you eat-out!

1) Drinking liquids with our meal. Drinking too much when eating dilutes digestive enzymes and slows down digestion leading to bloating, gas, etc. 

Eating Correction: no more pop, or other carbonated beverages. Drink only 1/2 glass of room temp water if you must drink. Try drinking 1/2 hour before and 45-1 hour after a meal

2) Improper Food Combining : Stop eating fruit after a meal! Eating fruit with or after a starch or a protein can cause fermentation in the gut, which leads to us feeling more bloated and hungrier sooner than we would if we skipped the fruit.
Eating Correction: Eat fruit in isolation 30 minutes before a meal or 45 min after. The only exception is papaya, pineapple and mango because of natural digestive enzymes that exist in these fruits.

3) Eating something sweet or cold after a meal. Cold foods like ice cream should be avoided right after a meal as anything cold or hot can also slow down digestive function. 

Eating Correction: If you are craving a sweet cold treat wait 45 minutes to give your digestive organs some time to do their thing.

4) Assuming the named menu item is healthy without asking. Too many fast food restaurants will label their meals with misleading names like "grilled chicken" when many of these dishes contain more sodium and calories. If you are watching what you are eating make sure no matter where you go you can judge for yourself if the food is healthy.  

Eating Correction: Read nutrition facts at a fast food joint or if ordering at a restaurant make sure to ask what kind of sauces are used, is there cream? butter? etc.  If so, you can make it healthier just by asking.

5) Ordering too much food. I know it often all looks so good and we are so hungry by the time we get to the restaurant, but we often go overboard with the amount we order. An appetizer, entree and dessert these days can equal to a ton more food than is necessary for us to eat. We then feel sluggish, bloated, cranky and sometimes even mad at ourselves, which can lead to a negative emotional connection to food and lack of energy for exercise. 

Eating Correction: If you are out with another person, try ordering 2 appetizers, 1 entree and 1 dessert (30 mins later) or skip dessert all together. This way you won't get as full and you can still have variety.

6) Adding too many condiments or sauces (that are full of sugar or fat) to our healthy food. Even if you do your best to order that gorgeous looking salad, if you are drenching it in a processed dressing (bad fat) you are contributing to potential imbalances to your health. Ketchup is probably the most overused condiment, which adds many empty calories to a meal.  

Eating Correction: ask for pure olive oil and vinegar and substitute the ketchup for real salsa.

7) Eating dinner too late. Although making a reservation late makes it a little easier to get ready and excited for the evening, eating a heavy meal late can throw off the body's natural way of detoxifying. For example, it takes us about 10 hours to digest beef. Say we eat it at 8:00 p.m. we are still digesting our food by 5 a.m. The body can't spend time on detoxing if it is busy digesting. 

Eating Correction: If you want to eat late make it a smaller meal that the body can work on digesting easier. Try to avoid heavy meats late at night and keep the lighter proteins, veggies and light carbs on your plate.

8) Feeling embarrassed to stay on track with your healthy lifestyle when with a group of people. Many feel that they will look stupid if they choose a healthy meal or ask for a substitute when eating out with their friends. 

Eating Correction: You health is #1 and there are probably others at the table that will secretly be really impressed when you care about your health and it may even inspire them to do more for themselves.

9) Eating only for taste. We often only think in terms of if we like it or not, but we forget about the basic concept that food is our fuel and if we don't start re-training our palate to like a variety of tastes we may deny our body of good overall health. 

Eating Correction: To get started try eating at least one meal a day where you are only thinking about your health. Before you know it you will love the taste of healthy food and all of your meals will be based on your health.

10) Not eating enough raw foods. We tend to overcook everything and forget that raw food contains potent enzymes and nutrients that can really benefit us. 

Eating Correction: Try eating 50% raw and 50% cooked at your next meal and every meal if you want to do something really exciting for your health!

Miranda Malisani
Holistic Nutritionist, Founder of Live Light Nutrition
Nutrition Expert for The Marilyn Denis Show on CTV
miranda@livelightnutrition.com
www.livelightnutrition.com

HEALTHY CHOCOLATE FLOURLESS CAKE

One of my fav things to do is spend one-on-one time with my son in the kitchen. In this video we made a healthy version of a flourless chocolate cake.

Here's the recipe:
1 Cup Pumpkin
1 Cup Almond Butter
1/3 cup Unpasteurized Honey
1/3 cup Dark Chocolate Chips
2 tbsp Raw Cacao
1 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Egg (Omega 3)
Combine together and bake for 30 mins at 350

Miranda on Slice!

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Miranda on Princess

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Miranda will coach you for 6 weeks and will include:

 

• Initial consultation with specific recommendations designed for you. (in person)
• Includes sample menu plans

• Weekly check-ins with diet diary review (not in person)

• Private Grocery Store Tour 

• Subsequent Visit

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Healthy Holiday Eating

It’s the Holiday Time! There’s a chill in the air, bright lights on the streets and festive frolicking at every mall. There is also holiday treats in the office at work, tins of sugary temptations at home and parties to go to with an abundance of heavy food options.  Although it is a cheerful time of year it can also be a guilt-ridden stressful time because of the lack of control surrounding food you may feel during the holidays.

You may wonder, how you are going to enjoy yourself and not gain weight?

You may think about it so much that you just say:

“Whatever! The holidays only come once a year so I am going to eat whatever I want and then worry about it in January.”

I like to call this the Food Trap Layaway. It’s the one responsible for the yo-yo cycle of weight-gain.  It’s the same as the buy now, pay later purchases we make.

As much as you tell yourself you will put money aside, or you will eat better tomorrow it is just so hard to put it into action.

It is no wonder that January is the most depressing month of the year.

This holiday season, I encourage you to change your self-talk to:

“I am going to be in-control of my food decisions and I am going to enjoy doing so”

You have it in you, just make the connection this time around.

Changing your perception about eating will help you to become more responsible for your health.  You will start to relate more to the feeling of giving your body good quality fuel rather than feeling bummed out that you have to deny yourself that gooey piece of Aunt Carol’s Sweet Potato Pie.

Changing your food attitude can create a feeling of empowerment and excitement that makes the holidays just as joyous.

This season, eat for health, rather than how it hits your palate.

All the best for a healthy and happy 2012!

Miranda Malisani
Holistic Nutritionist, Founder of Live Light Nutrition
Nutrition Expert for The Marilyn Denis Show on CTV
miranda@livelightnutrition.com
www.livelightnutrition.com