How to distinguish between true, physical hunger vs. emotional hunger
Do you often find yourself eating when you don’t feel hungry? Not sure why you are eating? Use the tips below to help distinguish between physical hunger and emotional hunger. Identifying and decreasing emotional eating is one of the first steps to achieving your health and wellness goals.

1. Emotional hunger is sudden. It comes out of nowhere it seems. Physical hunger is gradual. Your stomach rumbles, later it growls. Physical hunger gives you steadily progressive clues that it’s time to eat.
2. Emotional hunger is for a specific food (ex: cake) while physical hunger is open to different foods.
3. Emotional hunger is “above the neck”. An emotional based craving begins in the mouth and mind. Physical hunger is based in the stomach. You feel gnawing, rumbling, emptiness and sometimes pain in your stomach with physical hunger.
4. Emotional hunger is urgent and demands that you eat now. Physical hunger is patient. It prefers you eat soon but does not command that you eat right this very moment.
5. Emotional eating is often paired with an emotion, which can either be an upsetting emotion or even a joyful emotion. Physical hunger occurs out of physical need.
6. Emotional eating often involves automatic or absent-minded eating. You look down and the food you were eating is gone and you don’t really remember tasting each bite. Physical hunger involves deliberate choices and awareness of the eating.
7. Emotional eating sometimes does not notice, or stop eating, in response to fullness. Emotional overeating stems from a desire to cover up painful feelings. Physical hunger allows you to stop when you are full.

Source: Virtue, Doreen. Constant Craving A-Z. (Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, 1999)



                                                                                                    Chicken Fajitas
Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
8 oz.  Italian salad dressing
12 whole wheat flour or whole grain corn tortillas
1 small onion, cut into strips
medium bell pepper, also cut into strips
16 oz. favorite salsa
8 oz. non fat cheddar cheese
4 oz. nonfat plain yogurt
2 whole tomatoes, chopped
1/2 head lettuce, chopped
Directions:
Cook strips of chicken in small amount of water until tender, add Italian dressing, onion and bell pepper strips and cook until liquid is gone.  Place chicken, onions and peppers on tortilla, top with 1 T. yogurt, salsa, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes.  Serves 12.
Nutrition Information:
Total calories            Total grams protein   Total grams carbohydrate           Total grams fat
215                          18                                            20                                                            7
Significant source of the following vitamins, minerals and other nutrients:
Vitamin C, Niacin, Potassium, Calcium and Lycopene
On your diet this counts as:  2 oz. protein, 1 grain and 1 veggie

Exercise motivation:
Are you having trouble getting started on, and keeping up, an exercise routine? Do you feel motivated one week, then not motivated the next? Follow these tips towards building an exercise routine that truly lasts.
 
1.Find activities that you enjoy
                Some forms of exercise may have stronger benefits than others, but the best form of exercise is the one you enjoy doing because you will end up doing it more often and more consistently.
 
2. Focus more on intrinsic motivations
                Research shows the strongest and longest lasting motivation is intrinsic. This means motivation that comes from inside of you such as the “runner’s high” after a hard workout, or noticing that you have more energy during the day, or overcoming physical challenges you didn’t think possible such running that extra mile.
 
3. Make exercise part of your schedule
                Having times for exercise built into your schedule will not only help you make time for exercise, but also limit demotivating hurdles such as trying to decide when you will be exercising and telling yourself you’ll do it later. If exercise is a regular part of your schedule, you’ll barely have to think about it except when you’re doing it.
​

​Black-strap Molasses Salmon
Heart healthy salmon with a tasty new twist.
Ingredients:
·         1 (16 oz.) salmon filet
·         2 Tbsp. black-strap molasses
·         2 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
 
Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Lay out a large piece of aluminum foil long enough to double up and create an aluminum foil pocket.
3. Lay the salmon filet on ½ of the aluminum foil.
4. Drizzle the molasses and then the soy sauce over the filet.
5. Fold the other half of the aluminum foil over the top of the salmon and roll the edges to create a sealed pocket.
6. Bake for 20 min or until salmon is just tender.  Do not over cook as salmon dries out rather quickly. 

  
Tips:
 Leftover salmon makes an excellent topping for a spinach salad the next day.
Make enough to snack on as a heart healthy treat with a few multi grain crackers. 
 
Number of Servings: 4
Serving Size: 4 oz. 
 
Nutrition facts per serving: Calories: 220, Fat: 5g, Saturated fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated fats: 0g, Monounsaturated fats: 4g, Carbohydrates: 8g,Sugar: 8g, Fiber: 0g, Protein: 31g, Sodium: 780mg, 
Significant source of EPA and DHA, 4 oz. contains 1518 mg.