Live your healthiest, happiest, most purposeful life
Category: Faith-Based Nutrition
A Faith-Based Nutrition Blog and a collection of Stories about God Moments in our lives:
A Dietitian shares stories about being mindful of God’s presence including being mindful of God’s presence when we are eating.
Mindfulness of God’s Presence while Eating:
Lacy Ngo, MS, RD, a dietitian, shares nutrition tips as well as stories about her own mindful eating weight loss journey. This website contains over 400 weight loss tips and focuses on mindful eating. The site provides over 400 weight loss tips including a step-by-step guide on how to eat mindfully.
Uplifting God Moments, God Stories, and God Experiences:
Lacy Ngo, MS, RD also shares amazing and uplifting God experiences and God moments. Explore these uplifting God stories.
God’s Grand Design: The Miracle of Food and the Human Body
God not only gives us the gift of food, but also gives us beautifully complex and miraculous bodies. The ways our bodies protect us and use fuel from the gifts all around us (food) is truly mind-blowing. If you want to see a miracle just look at the complexity of the human body, and how the body uses food! I don’t want to just tell you though; I want to show you. So for this blog, I am going to walk you through a simplified explanation of what happens to your food from the time it enters your mouth all the way to how it is used in your cells. Hopefully, this basic walk-through will demonstrate how truly wonderful the human body is, and how food and the human body work together…
Lacy Ngo, MS, RDN is a registered dietitian and owner of Mindfulness in Faith and Food, LLC. Mindfulness in Faith and Food, LLC focuses on how to live your healthiest, happiest, most meaningful life through faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition. Ngo is nationally known as one of the top experts in faith-based mindfulness and nutrition and also the author of several books including, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life, Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals, and The Nourishing Meal Builder. You can also find evidence-based nutrition articles, recipes, convenient healthy snack lists, and faith-based mindfulness techniques on her blog, Mindfulness in Faith and Food.
This site contains affiliate links (See full disclosure here.)
Food and the Human Body: Digestion, Absorption, and Metabolism; How our Bodies use God’s Gift of Food; Written by registered dietitian, Lacy, Ngo, MS, RDN
The Nourishing Meal Builder beautifully combines faith-based mindfulness and nutrition science to help you live your healthiest, happiest, most meaningful life. You can find out more about this refreshing book here.
Faith, Mindfulness, and Nutrition takes you on an inspiring and uplifting journey with dietitian, Lacy Ngo. Thanks to faith-based mindfulness and nutrition, Ngo went from being weight obsessed to feeling healthy and happy in her own body.
Digestion, Absorption, and Metabolism
As we go through the digestion, absorption, and metabolism processes, I will provide nutrition notes in pink to show places in the processes that affect your health.
Digestion and Absorption Basics
The digestive system provides two main functions: digestion and absorption. Digestion is the process of breaking food into components small enough to be absorbed. Carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugar, proteins are broken down into amino acids, and fats are broken down into fatty acids. Absorption is the process of taking substances into the interior of the body. The digestive system includes the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, intestines, and anus. The whole digestive tract is made up of the lumen (the interior wall). The mucosa is a protective layer of tissue responsible for absorption. The transit time is the time it takes food to pass from the mouth to the anus. The transit time for healthy adults is about 24 to 72 hours. This transit time is effected by diet, physical activity, emotions, medications, and illness.
The Digestion, Absorption, Metabolism Processes
Developed by Registered Dietitian, Lacy Ngo, MS, RDNFood and the Human Body: Digestion, Absorption, and Metabolism; How our Bodies use God’s Gift of Food; Written by registered dietitian, Lacy, Ngo, MS, RDN
After going through the digestion, absorption, and metabolic processes, hopefully you have noticed two things:
1. Our bodies are amazing and can take on and fight off a lot of environmental factors. Our bodies are complex masterpieces. I am blown away when I think about what God can do!
2. Although our bodies can protect us from so much, what we put into our bodies can greatly affect our mind, body, and spirit. Again, God is amazing. I am so thankful for all of these foods and resources God put on the earth that give us the ability help our bodies’ function.
Food and the Human body: Digestion, Absorption, and Metabolism; How our Bodies use God’s Gift of Food; Written by registered dietitian, Lacy, Ngo, MS, RDN
What Foods Should I Eat to Help My Mind, Body, and Spirit Function and Thrive?
Thank you, God, for the gift of food!
Food provides us joy, nourishment, and energy. Food has so many life-sustaining benefits. But which foods do what? And can I find this list of foods in one spot? Here are a few more questions you may be pondering: What foods are anti-inflammatory? Are there foods that boost the immune system? What foods help with mood, depression, anxiety, and brain function? Can certain foods boost memory and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia? What foods reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes? What foods help with bloating, stomach distention, constipation, GERD, cramps, diarrhea or other stomach problems? Can certain foods reduce joint pain, arthritis pain, headaches, and migraines? Are there foods that can help with autoimmune diseases?
The answer is yes; certain foods can reduce the risk or alleviate symptoms of these conditions!
Certain foods, when eaten too often, can also increase the risk of these conditions or exasperate symptoms. The upcoming book is going to go into MUCH more detail by providing food lists, recipes, and discussions of the research, BUT while you wait, I have made a simple, easy Meal Plan Checklist that all subscribers can print and start using now! You can get the Meal Plan Checklist here!
Lacy Ngo, MS, RDN is a registered dietitian and author of The Nourishing Meal Builder.The Nourishing Meal Builder beautifully combines faith-based mindfulness and nutrition science to help you live your healthiest, happiest, most meaningful life. You can find out more about this refreshing book here.
Create anti-anxiety, anti-inflammatory, mood boosting, immune supportive meals that reduce the risk of chronic disease and promote cognitive function, focus, attention, and memory.
Mindfulnes in Faith and Freezer Meals is a faith-based mindful living and nutriion ebook written by a registered dietitian. This book is so packed full of invaluable information that it is hard to describe it in one sentence (hence the need for this “70 reasons” post). So keep reading the list to truly understand what is in this book. But if I had to describe it in one (or three sentences) I would say this:
Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals is designed to help you live YOUR healthiest, happiest, most meaningful life through faith-based mindfulness and nutrition. This book is perfect for busy families who want to eat healthy and organize their lives in order to follow God and server others more fully. Timesaving, make-ahead healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes, as well as mindful living and mindful eating techniques are included.
This site contains affiliate links (See full disclosure here.)
70 ways that the faith-based mindful living and mindful eating practices explored in “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals” transformed my life.
70 Reasons you NEED Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals
The Perks to Learning to Live a Faith-Based Mindful Life
1. You want less stress in your life.
Mindfulness techniques have been shown to have a huge impact on stress. Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals provides detailed stress-relieving mindful living and mindful eating techniques. For me, the faith-based mindfulness techniques included in this book provide the greatest impact when it comes to stress relief.
2. You want to improve your mood through mindfulness.
Did you know preliminary observations show that Mindfulness programs in schools may improve social behaviors, mood, stress levels, and even academic performance and test score? Schools are even reporting less suspensions, detentions, violent incidents, principal visits, bullying, and classroom disruptions since incorporating mindfulness programs! If these mindfulness techniques can improve the moods of children in schools, perhaps they can help you too!
3. You want to improve your brain function and focus through faith-based mindfulness.
Notice these school mindfulness programs seem to help with academic performance and test scores as well. Mindfulness techniques help clear our minds of all the other thousands of thoughts preventing us from focusing, and we know that stress can hinder our ability to focus and pay attention. This is where those stress relieving mindfulness techniques can be helpful. Plus, when we practice faith-based mindfulness, we learn to notice God in the present moment. Feeling God’s presence and knowing God is with us, provides peace and comfort like nothing else. Talk about a stress reliever.
4. You want more control over your emotions and actions.
When I practice faith-based mindfulness, I listen to God more. Listening to God helps me make better choices because I’m not letting negative emotions take control of my actions. (At least not as often, anyway)
5. You want to enjoy the present…
6. And have a more positive outlook on life.
One aspect of mindfulness is focusing on being present in the moment. Another aspect of mindfulness is focusing on the positive in your life in that moment. With faith-based mindfulness, you are focusing on how God is present with you in that very moment. While focusing on God’s presence you get to notice all the gifts from God and the beautiful little things in God’s world. Soon after incorporating some of these mindfulness practices, you may begin to notice that you have a much more grateful attitude. (This helps with everyday life situations and annoyances. Sometimes bad things happen and you will, of course, feel sad and upset. Those feeling are completely okay. You should let yourself feel them.)
7. You want to experience those goose-bump, “God is here,” moments a little more often.
When I intentionally focus on God in the present moment, I actually SEE what God is doing in my life and the lives of others around me. By focusing on God in the present moment, I get to experience the feeling of amazement more often, and I WANT TO BE AMAZED!!! (Don’t we all want to be beautifully amazed?)
9. And notice God as God guides you through your day.
10. You want to strengthen your walk with God.
Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals explores not only mindfully pausing and praying before eating, but also discusses mindfully pausing before doing anything! Pausing before eating was crucial for my nutritional health, but I began to notice how crucial the pause was in every aspect of my life. I began to notice the impact of pausing and praying before entering any new environment whether the new environment was a park, a friend’s home, or the grocery store.
Pausing and praying, was life changing. I began to notice the importance of pausing and praying when I felt angry, or before saying something difficult, or before even talking with my children. When I forget to pause, I noticed the difference in MY actions and my strength to endure life. On the days that I do a better job of pausing, I notice God’s presence and God’s guidance more.
The Perks to Cooking A Month of Meals in One Day
11. We have established that life is stressful, but meal planning and cooking shouldn’t have to be.
I love to cook, but I found that I didn’t have the time to cook everyday. Trying to juggle cooking, soccer practice, dance class, volunteer meetings, work, cleaning the house, and all the other “mom duties” was just causing too much stress. Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals shows you how to cook a month of healthy freezer meals in one day. Talk about taking the stress out of cooking! I cook once, and I am done for the whole month.
12. Your life is too busy!
To piggyback on #11, sometimes we just can’t find the time to cook healthy meals. When you prep and freeze them all at once, you have time for the other things you want to do.
13. You want to save money.
This book helps you save money in multiple ways. Because you have food on hand, you eat out less. We all know that eating out is expensive. Since you are cooking everything at once, you can bulk shop and thus get bulk prices. This book also provides money saving tips and tricks that I use while grocery shopping. My grocery bill has substantially gone down since I started freezer meal cooking.
14. I can serve others through food.
Food nourishes, comforts, provides energy, and sustains us. After a long day, sitting down to eat gives us needed rest. Food is a gift from God, and when we eat, we are about as close to God’s creation as we can get. In fact, if you think about it, we are actually taking God’s creation into our bodies. So, I think, when we give someone food, it is the ultimate sign of our love for them.
A benefit to having all of these freezer meals on hand is that we have food ready ASAP when our friends or family could use it. Whether a friend just had a baby or just got home from surgery, you have a freezer meal ready to give.
15. You want more time to serve God and others.
Cooking, grocery shopping, and meal planning can be extremely time consuming. One of my priorities in life is to serve God and others. With all my meals done, I have time to spend quiet time with God, and I have more time to love on and serving others in our community.
16. You don’t have to make all your recipes at once, but if you do want to make them all at once, this book shows you how to do it quickly and Efficiently.
Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals provides steps and pro tips on how to make all the recipes in one day. These “Efficiency Pro-tips” are strategically placed where you would actually need the tip if you were making all the recipes at once.
17. No need to make a grocery list.
Along with the recipes and “Efficiently Pro Tips,” a complete grocery list is included as well! Blank spots are even included in case you want to add snacks, paper products, or other misc. items to your grocery list.
18. You want your kids to eat healthier, and these are kid-friendly make-ahead meal.
Sometimes convenient food is not as tasty as the good ole’ home cooked stuff. Well, this is real home cooked food! But it is still convenient because you fixed it all in one day!
21. You want to eat at home more.
Before I started this freezer meal routine in my home, there just wasn’t enough time in the day to do it all AND cook. We would often find ourselves grabbing take-out, going to a restaurant, going through a drive through, or eating random less healthy stuff for dinner, and yet as a dietitian, I knew needed to figure something out. This make-ahead freezer meal routine was the solution I needed.
22. Meal planning is not only time consuming, it is mentally draining.
We often have such a huge mental load along with our physical load. Our brains have to organize and remember soo much information. After a long day, opening up that fridge, and trying to make yet another decision, is just too much. The meal planning is done when you do it all in one day! Seriously, many times I just grab the first freezer meal I see. They are all yummy so I know dinner is going to be good regardless of what I grab.
23. You get to have one mindful day to yourself every month.
Mindfulness gives your brain a chance to rest. You rest your brain by centering or focusing your thoughts on one thing. Often times that one thing is breathing. Another component to mindfulness is focusing on the present moment. I use my cooking day as a chance to center my brain on one thing- cooking the food from God’s earth.
When I cook, it is just me and God in the kitchen. I say a prayer and thank God for this food, and for all the people who will be nourished by the food.
When I am stirring, I focus on stirring. I notice how the spoon feels in my hand, and how the food moves in the bowl.
You can also practice a little self-care during your cooking day. Turn on the music, or drink a glass of wine. The point is to slow down and be in the moment. Don’t focus on finishing fast. Remember, I provide efficiency tips so you don’t have to worry about that. In fact, frantically rushing often actually slows us down because we make mistakes.
24. You don’t want to keep buying healthy stuff, only for it to spoil before you get to eat it.
This was a huge problem for me before Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals. I would buy, say, healthy fruits and vegetables to make a salad, and I would really enjoy that salad. And I would even eat the salad again for lunch the next day, but then I didn’t want to eat the same vegetables for a third day. I wanted variety, but if I ate variety, my food would spoil. Now I have all these amazing vegetables and whole grains safely frozen so that I can change up what I eat. Now my food doesn’t spoil and…
25. I get to eat a variety of foods. With freezer meals, I can mix-and-match and change up what I am eating everyday.
26. You want to lose weight.
I don’t want to focus too much on this because all sizes can be healthy. Some people are naturally smaller and some naturally weigh more. We have different builds and genetics. Plus, other things like medications, medical conditions, and even uncontrollable seasons in life can affect weight.
But I also don’t want you to feel that wanting to lose weight is somehow wrong. You may want to see if weight loss will help you have more energy or help with a medical condition. Maybe you feel like you could keep up with your children more if you carried less weight, or maybe you want to see if weight loss can help with joint pain.
There are reasons you may desire weight loss, and fortunately mindful eating can help with weight loss while also helping you stop that food obsessing often associated with dieting. The Mindful eating techniques, recipes, and nutrition tips provided in this book will help you feel full and notice your hunger/satiety cues. Moreover, the desire to binge decreases because you are actually enjoying your food ALL THE TIME.
In a nutshell, with Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals, you don’t need to focus on weight; you can just know that you are eating well by developing a routine using recipes and tips in the book.
27. You want to maintain your weight.
Maybe you don’t want to lose weight, but you do want to maintain a healthy weight. The techniques, tips, and recipes in this book can help you maintain your weight as well.
28. So we have established that this book shows you how to efficiently make all your breakfast, lunches, and dinners in one day, but what of you just want to make a month of dinners?
You can! The recipes and a complete grocery list for just dinners are also included.
29. And guess what. A complete grocery list for just the breakfast recipes is included too.
So if you have your dinners covered but want more breakfast meals ready to go, your can just make a month of breakfast meals if you prefer.
30. A complete grocery list for just the lunch recipes is included as well so you can also just make the lunches.
31. You are about to have a baby, and you know you are going to be sleep-deprived and time-crunched soon.
I have had so many people report that these meals have been lifesavers when they were in the newborn phase of parenting. I even had a couple of moms tell me that they ended up having to be on bed restat the end of their pregnancy, and these meals were everything!
32. When you are ready to eat breakfast or lunch (or even dinner if you want), all your need to do is microwave.
The breakfast and lunch recipes are pre-portioned because many of us eat our breakfast or lunches on our own. When it is time to eat, you can just put one of your meals in the microwave for 2 minutes, and it is ready!!!
33. Dinners are perfect of family meals.
In the ebook, I recommend packaging your dinners family style. That way you just simply throw your meal in the crockpot or oven, and your meal for the whole family is done!
34. You have healthy food ready to take to work.
These pre-packaged home-cooked microwavable lunches are PERFECT for work!
35. Meal prepping is one of the keys to weight loss.
Most of us need to get a little organized and form some sort of easy to follow routine in order to make real lasting changes. Well, Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals IS the ultimate meal prep book because the ebook shows you how to prep ALL your meals for a month at once!!!
36. Another cool thing about having these freezer meals on hand is that you can host guests anytime.
Lots of these recipes work great for parties and socials! Having the girls over for a brunch? Just heat up some crustless quiches. Did you decide last minute to have people over to watch a football game? Throw the burrito dip into the crockpot, and you are ready to host!
37. Enjoy more family time.
I am free to play with my children or help them with homework in the afternoons because I’m not cooking!
We are now consistently having family dinnertime together! I get to have even more quality family time while sitting at the dinner table.
The Perks to Mindful Nutrition and Mindful Eating
70 ways Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals Transformed my Life through Faith-based mindfulness and nutrition: mindful eating techniques and healthy make-ahead recipes included.
38. Learn mindful eating techniques as well as…
39. Learn about the one prayer before a meal that stopped me (a dietitian) from overeating.
There is something about turning on the music and just spending some uninterrupted time in the kitchen one day each month (My meals last 3 months for my family, so I only cook these freezer meals once every three months!)
42. Sneak in more vegetables.
Having vegetables mixed in as part of your main meal, definitely can up your vegetable intake for the day!
43. You want to enjoy your food.
Many times, dieting and food rules, take the joy out of eating. Mindful eating brings the joy back tenfold.
44. You want to stop binge eating.
With mindful eating, you are always mindfully enjoying your food; thus, you never feel deprived. Therefore, your desires to binge eat decreases.
45. You are tired of mustering up enough willpower to diet.
Remember if you are always enjoying your food, then you don’t need willpower.
46. You just want healthy, delicious recipes, but you don’t want to cook all your foods in one day.
You can still make these recipes one at a time whenever you want. There is no rule that says you have to cook them all at once if you don’t want to.
47. Healthy Snack Ideas are included.
Chapter 22 provides a list of healthy and EASY snacks!
48. A registered dietitian wrote the eBook.
A registered dietitian, by definition, is considered the expert in the field of nutrition science. The term Registered Dietitian is actually different than a nutritionist. In fact, the term nutritionist is not a regulated term and has a more general meaning. The term, registered dietitian, however, is regulated much like the terms doctor or lawyer. In other words, you are not allowed to call yourself a doctor unless you are a doctor, and you cannot call yourself a registered dietitian unless you have completed all the academic and professional requirements.
To become an RD you must complete a bachelors degree at a college accredited by the Commission of Accreditation of Dietetic Education; complete 1200 hours of a competitive internship; pass the CDR Exam; and by 2024, all register dietitian will be required to have a master’s degree as well. Many RD’s already do. Registered dietitians are required to complete Continuing Education Units throughout their career to keep their registered dietitian credentials.
You can find amazing nutrition books by non-dietitians, but you can see why seeing that RD or RDN beside an author’s name in a nutrition book is a plus.
49. Mindful eating demo video is provided.
You don’t have to just read about mindful eating. The ebook also provides a link to an actual mindful eating demo video so you can actually SEE what mindful eating looks like.
50. Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals not only discusses mindful eating, but also discussed how to mindfully plate your foods to prevent over-filling your plate.
51. A collection of over 300 dietitian-approved healthy eating and fitness tips and tricks are included like…
52. Snacking Tips (Chapter 6)
53. Dining Out Tips (Chapter 7)
54. Portion Control Tips (Chapter 8)
55. “How to Make Your Own Recipes Healthier” (Chapter 9)
56. “Health and Fitness Tips for Vacationers and Frequent Travelers” (Chapter 10)
57. “When my Work Environment Causes Weight Gain” (Chapter 12)
58. “Eating Healthy at Social Gatherings” (Chapter 12)
59. “Developing an Exercise Routine” (Part 1, Chapter 13)
60. “How to Exercise when Your Kids Are Always Around” (Part 3, Chapter 13)
61. “But What if I am Too Busy to Exercise” (Part 4, Chapter 13)
62. “Ways to Sneak Exercise into your Day” (Part 5, Chapter 13)
63. You can use your results from the included interactive quiz, to determine which tips and tricks you think would make the biggest impact in your life.
64. A “Putting it All Together: Routine Planning Worksheet,” is also included in the book.
You can use this worksheet to figure the habits you would like to implement into your routine.
65. Learn how to organize your kitchen to promote lasting changes
66. Feel satisfied and full after eating these freezer meals.
These meals are hearty, delicious, comfort classics done in a healthier way. They are also abundant in fiber, which helps you feel full.
67. Along with fiber, these meals are full of essential vitamins and minerals.
68. Mindful eating can aid in digestion.
How? Although most digestive enzymes are released in the stomach. Digestion actually starts in the mouth. In fact, one enzyme, called Salivary Amylase, is released in the mouth. This enzyme starts breaking down carbohydrates. Cool fact, if you let a piece of bread sit in your mouth for a moment, you may notice a sweeter taste. That taste occurs because the more complex carbohydrate breaks down into a simpler sugar. Also chewing thoroughly gives those other enzymes in your stomach more surface area to do their work, which again promotes healthy digestion and absorption.
69. Mindful eating can reduce the risk of many chronic diseases.
We established in #68 that Mindful eating aids in digestion. Healthy digestion promotes gut health. Poor gut health is related to inflammation and reduced immune function. Gut health, inflammation and immunity are all linked to many condition including IBS, Crohn’s, Autoimmune Disease, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, stroke, brain function and focus, mood and even depression and anxiety, to name a few. So anything that promotes a healthy gut is something worth looking into in my book. (Fortunately, a mindful eating guide IS included in my book!)
Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals is designed to help you live YOUR healthiest, happiest, most meaningful life through faith-based mindfulness and nutrition.
What Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals is NOT
This Freezer meal plan is NOT a rigid “you must eat these freezer meals” plan. This isn’t about strict rules or dieting. Not eating these meals is NOT wrong. In other words, you have not messed up if you go out to eat one night or if you decide to fix something other than your freezer meals one night. If your routine changes sometimes, you have NOT broken a rule or failed. In fact, I provide eating out tips as well as other helpful tips about portion control, snacking, and more.
You can use these provided tips along with your freezer meals to customize a routine that works for your family. I have also provided a chapter on mindful eating. You can incorporate mindful eating everywhere and anytime. You will see how mindfully eating, in my opinion, is one of the number one ways to maintain and lose weight if this is one of your desires.
So read the step-by-step mindful eating guide and incorporate it even when your routine is out of whack. You can mindfully eat at home, at work, at restaurants, and on vacation. Mindful eating techniques travel well, so to speak. This meal plan is meant to make life and eating healthier and easier for you and your family. This plan just makes it easy to eat healthy meals when you are too busy and overwhelmed. This is for families who just want a simple routine to relieve the stress of meal planning and cooking.
How has Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals Helped You?
Has the Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals ebook changed your life in some way? Email me your transformation story by using the Contact Me form on mindfulnessinfaithandfood.com. Maybe you have even experienced another benefit from Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals that I haven’t even thought of. Please email me any of your stories and experiences. I would be so thankful that you took the time to tell me. 🙂
What do you want your life to look like? What about your children’s life? Are there things you would change? What does YOUR healthiest, happiest, and most meaningful life look like?
I am a list person, so when I am asked this question, my immediate impulse is to make a list.
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My Mindful Living Checklist (Does your list look similar to mine?):
1.My greatest desire is to glorify God in all that I do. I want to show God’s love through kindness and giving. My prayer is that I listen for God’s guidance in every situation because when I listen to God, amazing things happen, and I WANT TO BE AMAZED!!!
2. I wish to have a peaceful and positive life and a grateful attitude. I want to enjoy the little moments by taking the time to notice God’s world and soak it up!
3. We humans seem to have a natural desire to work and create. We want to have meaning and purpose in our lives. This is true for me too. In my ideal life, I want to learn, grow, and work. I want to create something new, and in some small way make the world better. I want to challenge my mind through reading and learning from God and others, and I want to challenge my body through physical activity.
4. Just as I desire to work, grow, and be challenged, I equally want to have time to rest, relax, and play. Sometimes finding the time to relax is the most difficult challenge in life, and yet so important for our health and our ability to serve God and others.
What Do We Want for Our Children?
Of course, I want these things, even more for my children. One of my greatest joys is watching my children as they feel God’s presence. They look so peaceful and content. My 2ndgreatest joy is seeing my children show kindness to others, and my third greatest joy is witnessing my children living in the moment and appreciating the little things.
We may all have different wishes and desires, but when we break them down, I’m guessing that this list is at the heart of most of our desires…
Live YOUR healthiest, happiest, most meaningful life through faith-based mindfulness and nutrition. For busy families who want to eat healthy and organize their lives in order to better follow God & serve others. Time-saving make-ahead meals, mindful living, mindful eating techniques included
But How Does Mindful Living Help Us Become This Person and Live this Healthy, Happy, Purposeful Life?
Well, I don’t fully know all the answers, but I do know a few things that help, and those are:
Spending time with God
Practicing faith-based mindful living techniques including Mindful eating
Mindfully eating foods from God’s earth that nourish our mind, body, and soul
Getting adequate rest, sleep, and physical activity
So that is where my book, 18 weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life comes in. This book is designed to help you live YOUR healthiest, happiest, most meaningful life through faith-based mindful living and nutrition.
The Life Changing Benefits of Mindful Living
There are many benefits to incorporating the mindfulness techniques discussed in 18 weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. In fact, mindfulness techniques are so beneficial that schools have even started implementing mindfulness programs.
Although more research is needed, current research indicates that implementing Mindfulness programs in schools may improve social behaviors, mood, stress levels, and even academic performance and test scores. Schools are even reporting fewer suspensions, detentions, violent incidents, principal visits, bullying, and classroom disruptions since incorporating mindfulness programs!
The Benefits of Faith-Based Mindful Living are Overwhelming
If you think about it, these results make since, don’t they? Practicing mindfulness techniques can relieve stress and help us have better self-control. When we have less stress and learn to have more self-control, we tend to make better choices. Less ideal choices can sometimes cause even more stress, which brings us full circle. Furthermore, aren’t we better able to focus and learn when our brains are calm verses stressed?
So you can see how mindfulness activities can be so impactful, but for me, the most profound impact happens when I combine faith and mindfulness.
1. Mindfully focusing on God’s presence in every moment. One aspect of mindfulness is about focusing on being present. But with faith-based mindfulness, you are focusing on how God is present with you in that very moment….
2. …And while focusing on God’s presence you get to notice all the gifts from God and the beautiful little things in God’s world.
Let’s go back to that “Healthy, Happy, Meaningful Life list” because Faith-based mindfulness helps me fulfill that list like nothing else.
Here is How My Life Has Been Transformed Through Faith-based Mindful Living:
I listen to God more: Listening to God helps me make better choices. I’m not letting negative emotions take control of my actions. (At least not as often, anyway)
Now I am more at peace and filled with comfort because I am noticing God is with me everywhere.
I get to have more goose-bump-“I’m awe-struck” moments because when I intentionally focus on God in the present moment, I actually see what God is doing in my life and the lives of others around me. By focusing on God in the present moment, I get to experience the feeling of amazement more often, and I WANT TO BE AMAZED!!! (Don’t we all want to be beautifully amazed?)
Mindful Living Translates to Mindful Eating: The Prayer Before a Meal That Stops Me from Over Eating and Other Mindful Eating Techniques
Did you know learning to pause and pray is what finally helped me (a dietitian) stop overeating?
When you mindfully eat, you get to experience ALL these faith-based mindfulness benefits and more. Mindful eating gives us the opportunity to focus on God’s presence, feel gratitude for God’s gift of food, and rest our brain! We get to have mini mindfulness moments with God EVERY. TIME. WE. EAT!
With mindful breathing, we are pausing and centering out minds on one thing-breathing. When we are mindfully eating, we are still pausing and centering our brain on one thing, but this time that one thing is eating. With faith-based mindful eating, we are resting our brain by focusing on God and the food God provided.
Some of the Other Benefits to Mindful Eating Are:
Weight Loss
I don’t want to focus too much on this because all sizes can be healthy. Some people are naturally smaller and some naturally weigh more. We have different builds and genetics. Plus, other things like medications, medical conditions, and even uncontrollable seasons in life can affect weight.
But I also don’t what you to feel that wanting to lose weight is somehow wrong. You may want to see if weight loss will help you have more energy or help with a medical condition. Maybe you feel like you could keep up with your children more if you carried less weight or maybe you want to see if weight loss can help with joint pain. There are reasons you may desire weight loss, and fortunately mindful eating can help with weight loss while also helping you stop that food obsessing often associated with dieting. Mindful eating helps you feel full and notice your hunger/satiety cues. Moreover, the desire to binge decreases because you are actually enjoying your food ALL THE TIME.
Relieves Stress
Like the mindfulness practices above, Mindful eating is a stress reliever. Stress can cause weight gain so this is yet another way mindful eating helps with weight loss.
May Reduce the Risk of Many Chronic Conditions
Mindful eating can aid in digestion. How? When you mindfully eat, you take your time chewing your food. Chewing thoroughly gives your stomach enzymes more surface area to do their work, which again promotes healthy digestion and absorption.
Mindful Eating and Gut Health
These reasons, along with the ability to relieve stress, are how mindful eating can aid in digestion. Healthy digestion and stress relief promotes a healthy gut. Poor gut health is related to inflammation and reduced immune function. Gut health, inflammation and immunity are all linked to many condition including IBS, Crohn’s, Autoimmune Disease, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, stroke, brain function and focus, mood and even depression and anxiety, to name a few. So anything that promotes a healthy gut is something worth looking into in my book. (Fortunately, a mindful eating guide IS included in my books!)
How Can Nutrition Help You Live a Healthier, Happier, and More Meaningful Life?
Okay, this feels like a good place to talk a little about nutrition, and how in the world nutrition helps my family and me become those people and live that life listed in the opening paragraph. Healthy foods can help us focus, improve our moods, and give us the energy we need to serve God and others; learn and grow, and live a more positive life.
In 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier More Purposeful Life you are provided with a list of nutrients and foods that promote cognitive function, boost mood, support the immune system, and reduce the risk of chronic disease and some autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases. I know our children’s learning, behavior, and mood are important to us, so I picked ingredients that can help with focus, attention, behavior, and immunity. These amazingly beneficial foods are included in the Meal Builder Table in this book. With this table, you will be able to build a healthy meal on the spot. The possibilities are endless! You will be amazed at how easy it is to throw together a nutrient-packed meal!
Be Inspired to Take that Mindful Living Step
18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Live takes you on an inspiring and uplifting journey with me, a dietitian who has lost 50 pounds through faith-based mindful nutrition. Thanks to faith-based mindfulness and nutrition, I went from being weight obsessed to feeling healthy and happy in my own body. Ironically, during the process, I ended up, not only losing weight but also strengthening my walk with God. Now she feels healthier than ever, AND she truly enjoys eating! I am able to feed my mind, body, and soul nourishing foods and feel good in my own body without weight obsessing.
Aucoin M, Lalonde-Parsi M-J, Cooley K. Mindfulness-Based Therapies in the Treatment of Functional Gastrointestinal : A Meta-Analysis. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : eCAM. 2014;2014:140724. doi:10.1155/2014/140724.Bakosh LS. Doctoral dissertation. 2013. Investigating the effects of a daily audio-guided mindfulness intervention for elementary school students and teachers. Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses database. (UMI No. 3618722)
Bakosh LS, Snow RM, Tobias JM, Houlihan JL, Barbosa-Leiker C. Maximizing mindful learning: An innovative mindful awareness intervention improves elementary school students’ quarterly grades. Mindfulness. 2015 Advance online publication.
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Parker AE, Kupersmidt JB, Willoughby MT. An investigation of mindfulness education and self-regulation in middle school classrooms. 2014. Manuscript in preparation.
Black DS, Fernando R. Mindfulness training and classroom behavior among lower-income and ethnic minority elementary school children. Journal of Child and Family Studies. 2014;23:1242–1246. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
Britton WB, Lepp NE, Niles HF, Rocha T, Fisher NE, Gold JS. A randomized controlled pilot trial of classroom-based mindfulness meditation compared to an active control condition in sixth-grade children. Journal of School Psychology. 2014;52:263–278. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2014.03.002. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
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Liu, R. T. (2017). The microbiome as a novel paradigm in studying stress and mental health. American Psychologist, 72(7), 655-667.http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/amp0000058
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Top Meal Prep and Meal Planning books written by registered dietitians
Nutrition Books for Specific Conditions Written by Registered Dietitians
I hope you have found this series an invaluable resource of nutriton information.
This is the fifth post in the series…
Best Books Written by Registered Dietitians
(Note: At the top of each post in this series, I have provided a description of what a dietitian is; therefore, if you have read any of the other posts in the series, you may want to skip down to the list portion.)
You may be asking…
So what exactly IS a Registered Dietitian, and why do I want to take note when a health and wellness book is written by a Registered Dietitian?
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A registered dietitian, by definition, is considered the expert in the field of nutrition science. The term Registered Dietitian is actually different than a nutritionist. In fact, the term nutritionist is not a regulated term and has a more general meaning. The term registered dietitian, however, is regulated much like the terms doctor or lawyer. In other words, you are not allowed to call yourself a doctor unless you are a doctor, and you cannot call yourself a registered dietitian unless you have completed all the academic and professional requirements.
Requirements for Registered Dietitians
So what are the requirements? Is there some kind of certification you need to be a registered dietitians?
Actually, you cannot just get a certification to become a registered dietitian. Whereas there might be certifications available for nutritionists.
To become an RD you must:
Complete a Bachelors Degree at a college accredited by the Commission of Accreditation of Dietetic Education. Some of the required courses generally included are:
Microbiology
Medical Nutrition Therapy
Biology
Chemistry
Organic Chemistry
Anatomy and Physiology
Evidence Base Nutrition
Human Nutrition and Metabolism
Nutrition Counseling
and more
2. Complete 1200 hours of a competitive internship (The internship is usually completed in hospitals, community service agencies, medical clinics, etc)
3. Pass the CDR Exam
Just like a lawyer can’t practice law without passing an exam, an RD cannot become a registered dietitian without pasing the CDR.
4. By 2024, all register dietitian will be required to have a master’s degree as well. Many RD’s already do.
5. Complete Continuing Education Units throughout their career to keep their registered dietitian credentials.
So you can see why it is a plus when a health and nutrition book is written by a registered dieitian. I want to preface here that just because an RD is considered the expert, doesn’t mean you can’t get great nutrition information and advice from non-dietitians. People who have a passion for nutrition or people who have discovered something that works for them can write insightful nutrition books.
Many health and wellness enthusiasts have done extensive research on their own and have valuable information, but if you are getting advice from non-dietitians, I would recommend looking for the following:
Are they getting their information from a Registered Dietitian? Are they seeing what multiple registered dieitians have to say about the topic before giving advice?
Do they know when it is time to refer their clients to a registered dietitian? Many informed people have general nutrition knowledge, but when a client or customer needs medical nutrition therapy; then, a dietitian may be needed. Dietitians are trained in nutrition as it relates to diseases, drug-food interactions, tube feeding, enteral nutrition (nutrients through the veins), and various other medical conditions. These topics can get complicated and even be dangerous if incorrect information is given.
For example, someone may tell a client to eat more bananas because bananas are healthy, after all, BUT if a person has kidney failure and is on dialysis, too many bananas could put someone in the hosptial or worse!
One Final Note..
So one final thought before we move on to the book lists. If a book is written by a non-RD, you may want to see if a registered dietitian has written a review about the book, recommended the book, or even written a forward for the book.
Nutrition books written by non-dietitians are not a deal breaker, by any means, but you can see why seeing that RD beside an author’s name in a nutrition book is a plus.
Okay now for the good stuff…
The fifth post in this series is…
Meal Planning & Meal Prep Books by Registered Dietitians
I LOVE to feel organized. Getting organized takes the weight off your shoulders, doesn’t it?!?! That is why I love this book! The goal of this book is to help you organized your meals for a whole year! This meal planner includes:
One year’s worth of weekly templates to plan breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks
Grocery lists and price comparison sheets
Recipe pages
This wonderful origination tool is written by registered dietitian, Jessica Levinson, MS, RDN, CDN.
This book also made an appearance in my “Healthy Living Books Written by Registered Dietitians,” but I thought this book fit well in this list as well. This 6-week guide includes more than 100 breakfast, lunch, and dinner solutions. In this book, you will find simple, realistic solutions as wells as assessments, food tips and meal ideas to help you live a happier, healthier, and stronger life.
If you want your meal plan to be full of flavorful, nutritious plant-based foods; then, this is the book for you. This guide, which is broken down into 52 weeks, provides 125 A-MAZING plant-based recipes!
Our lives are so busy that we often don’t have much time to plan and cook our foods. This is why meal prepping is soooo beneficial! Toby Smithson provides so many meal prepping tips and solutions in her book. This book is perfect for busy families who want to find a way to eat healthy on a busy schedule.
The Meal Builder Cards included in The Nourishing Meal Builder takes the stress out of meal planning. In fact, you don’t have to do much meal planning ahead at all!
In this ebook, you get a list of anti-anxiety, anti-inflammatory nutrients and foods that support the immune system; boost mood; reduce the risk of chronic disease; and promote cognitive function, focus, attention, and memory. You simply use these list to grocery shop! Then when you are ready to cook a meal, you use the meal builder cards to create a nourishing meal on the spot! It’s so easy and the meal possibilities are endless!
Create anti-anxiety, anti-inflammatory, mood boosting, immune supportive meals that reduce the risk of chronic disease and promote cognitive function, focus, attention, and memory.
As soon as I discovered this book, I knew I had to include it here. Deciding what to eat on a diabetic diet, can feel overwhelming. This books takes out the guesswork by helping you easily plan your meals. Diabetes Meal Planning and Nutrition for Dummies includes tons of helpful information like healthy eating tips for diabetes, food swap ideas, and of course, yummy recipes!
This IS the ultimate meal prep book! Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals shows you how to prep ALL your meals for a month in ONE DAY!!! I developed this book because, although I LOVE to cook, I couldn’t find the time to cook healthy meals everyday. Life. Gets. Soooo. Busy, and figuring out what to eat everyday can sometimes be one more mentally draining decision you have to make.
That is why I began prepping and freezing a month of meals in one day. Over time I became extremely efficient at making all of these meals at once. I can now get all my breakfast, lunch and dinners for a whole month prepped and frozen in only 6 hours!!! This book teaches you the tricks and the steps to take in order to prep and freeze your meals efficiently too. When it’s actually time to eat breakfast and lunch, you simply throw one of these meals in the microwave for 2 minutes and IT. IS. DONE!!!! For dinner, I usually put the family-style meals in the crockpot while I am making my kids lunches in the morning. It’s so simple! With Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals, you have one less thing to think about each day. Now you can enjoy healthy meals and focus on your family instead of trying to figure out what to cook!
Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals includes the some of the most popular family recipes. From Pizza Bites and Southwest burrito dip, to Asian Chicken and rice; there is something for just about everyone.
God is in everything so although there are excellent non-faith weight loss books out there, I love it when I find high quality faith-based weight loss books and courses.
Best Chirstian Weight Loss book and courses; Faith-based weight loss
Here is a list of my top favorite faith-based weight loss books and courses:
Faithful Finish Lines Courses
Christian Weight Loss Courses
Faithful Finish Lines is run by Sara Borstede and Becky Lehman. They have both lost over 100 pounds and started Faithful Finish Lines because they wanted to share their personal weight loss success in order to help others. I love how real and authenic these ladies are. They are totally relatable and down to earth, and their courses have helped many succeed. Faithful Finish Lines has a rather large selection of faith-based courses.
These courses are developed by Brandice Lardner. I love her outlook on life and food. Her blog at gracefilledplate.com is an excellent source of information! You can also find information about her faith-based weight loss courses here. Below are a list of her weight loss courses and Bible Studies!
Did I mention, I love these Weight Loss Bible Studies!
Written by a registered dietitian, this ebook is overflowing with professional weight loss knowledge. She also includes the strategies she used in her own personal weight loss journey. This ebook combines mindfulness, faith, and effective weight loss techniques to help busy families through their healthy living journey.
Okay, I am kind of partial to this book because it’s actually my book. You see I am a dietitian who also lost substantial weight so I understand what works both professionally and personally.
Although I love to cook, trying to juggle cooking, soccer practice, dance class, volunteer meetings, work, cleaning the house, and all the other “mom duties” was just causing too much stress. We would often find ourselves grabbing take-out, going to a restaurant, going through a drive through, or eating random less healthy stuff for dinner, and yet as a dietitian, I knew needed to figure something out.
So I decided to cook it ALL AT ONCE. Let me tell you, THIS WAS LIFE CHANGING!
My family now has more energy, more family time, less stress, and we have lost weight. My family is eating dinners together, and we now have so much more free time in the afternoon. I am no longer spending my afternoons in the kitchen; instead I am now present with my children. So I do not exaggerate when I say these meals have been LIFE CHANGING.
What is included: -14 breakfast, 14 lunch, and 16 dinner healthy freezer meal recipes (most recipes last my family 2 meals so, for us, that means these meals last a whole month!) -The “What is Preventing you from Living Your Healthiest Life” interactive quiz -The Mindful Eating and Faith Guide -A Mindful Eating Demo video
“Simply Fresh: Healthy Made Simple” by Kylee Melo, RD
Although this book is not exactly a faith-based weight loss book, the beginning of this book talks about the importance of faith and even mentions what research says about the correlation of faith and health. This is a great book for vegetarians or anyone looking for more delicious healthy plant-based meals.
This is one of the first faith-based weight loss books I ever read. We actually used this book in a weekly book series at my church. This book is definitely worth the read, and a great companion for any health and fitness journey
*Here is another one written by yours truly : ) This one is not focuses on mindful eating and eating nourishing foods, more than on weight; however, several have found weight loss success after reading this book.
Written by a registered dietitian with a masters in human nutrition, The Nourishing Meal Builder helps you create nourishing meals on the spot. With the included meal builder cards, you will be able to easily combine cards to create anti-anxiety, anti-inflammatory, mood boosting, immune supporting meals that reduce the risk of chronic disease and promote cognitive function, focus, attention, and memory. As a faith-based dietitian, Lacy weaves the importance of faith in health throughout her book.
Faith, Mindfulness, & Nutrition
This is not a weight loss book per say, but does talk about the journey a dietitian (aka me), goes through to go from weight obsessed to feeling healthy and happy in her own body. You can read the description below:
Learn how to live your healthiest, happiest, most meaningful life through faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition. Faith, Mindfulness, and Nutrition takes you on an inspiring and uplifting journey with dietitian, Lacy Ngo. Thanks to faith-based mindfulness and nutrition, Ngo went from being weight obsessed to feeling healthy and happy in her own body. Ironically, during the process, Ngo ended up, not only losing weight, but also strengthening her walk with God. Now she feels healthier than ever AND she truly enjoys eating! She is able to feed her mind, body, and soul nourishing foods and feel good in her own body without weight obsessing. Get ready to get goose-bumps as you read this amazing true story.
As a dietitian who has a history of weight loss struggles, I am often asked to give my professional and personal opinion on what are the top keys to sustained weight loss. (You can read my weight loss story here).
This question has really gotten me thinking. What is my answer? First, we are all so different and complex. What works for one person may not work for another person. Plus we all have different goals and “healthy” does not look the same for everyone. One person may look different than someone else, but that doesn’t mean they are not BOTH healthy.
Being healthy is not about looks. Being healthy involves mind, body, and spirit. We all have areas we would like to improve. We are all continually growing and striving to live our healthiest life. In fact, growing, learning, and striving is what makes this beautiful journey called life a fun and exciting adventure.
This is why when I was in private nutrition counseling, I talked to my clients about what THEIR goals were. I tried to let the client take the lead as we talked about all aspects of life: mind, body, and spirit.
I wanted to preface again, that health and success are different for everyone and being complex human beings, one strategy may work for some people, but not for others. Dietitians are trained in motivational interviewing. With motivational interviewing, we let the client lead and try to answer client questions based on science. We help the client figure out what strategies THE CLIENT thinks will help them the most.
Why Are These My Top Weight Loss Tips?
With that being said, here are the key weight loss strategies that seemed to benefit the majority of my clients and me. These tips seem to work for many people because these strategies:
Reduce stress and anxiety
Simplify life
Require less willpower
Reduce food obsessing
Let us enjoy our food and help us with finding peace with food and out bodies.
And yes, help with weight loss
So here they are…
My Top 5 Weight Loss Tips
Create a healthy lifestyle friendly kitchen.
Notice that key tip number 3 is ‘eat at home more’. Tip number 3, however, doesn’t work as well without tip number 1.
When our kitchen is filled with delicious healthy foods, and if we eat at home most of the time, well, then we WILL eat healthy delicious foods most of the time.
There are many ways you can create a “Healthy Lifestyle Friendly Kitchen.”
Or you can learn how to organize your kitchen and have all your healthy breakfasts, lunches, and dinners prepared for the whole month in one day by reading the “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals” ebook. Talk about having a healthy lifestyle friendly kitchen! All your healthy meals for the whole month are done and ready to go!
Develop a healthy and SIMPLE routine
We are all creatures of habit. We crave whatever we are use to eating or doing. So if we develop a healthy routine or habit, then we, by nature, will WANT to stick to the routine. Think about brushing your teeth. This is such a part of our routine that if for some reason we can’t brush them, we are chomping at the bits to get home and get those teeth brushed. Or if you are use to eating a snack when you watch TV; then, when the TV comes on, something doesn’t seem right if you don’t have that snack. It takes time, but if we form healthy habits, they will become so routine that we will not feel right without doing them.
When clients develop a routine that involves eating healthy meals at home; then they were more likely to notice lasting changes.
So sit down and think of what you would like your routine to look like. Write down your routine. Think about your daily life, all your obligations, and activities. Include all of these into your routine. Your routine doesn’t have to be rigid, but we naturally form routines anyway, it might as well be a healthy one.
How are you going to incorporate eating at home into your routine? Are you going to meal plan and meal prep on Sundays? Are you going to follow a healthy eating cookbook to make your meals? Or is eating at home impossible right now? What does your dining out routine look like? How can your form some heathly dining out habits?
Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals Helps with Tip #2
One strategy that has worked for me and many other busy families is cooking and freezing all your meals for a month in one day. Just like with Tip number 1, the “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals” ebook is meant to help you incorporate tip number 2 (Develop a Healthy and SIMPLE routine) into your life.
In this ebook you actually learn how to make a month of meals in one day. Many of the meals are slow cooker recipes, so as part of my routine, I just simply throw a meal in the crockpot while I am packing school lunches for the kids in the morning. Dinner is done!
Customize your Routine with “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals”
This ebook also provides other specific tips that you can pick and choose to incorporate into your daily routine.
Chapter 4 provides an interactive quiz called “What is Preventing You From Living Your Healthiest Life?” Remember when I said we are all complex and what works for some may not work for others? Well, this quiz helps you figure out what specific strategies you think will work for YOUR life.
Eat at home more than you eat out.
Time and time again, this seems to be a key tip for many. The problem is many of us are too busy to find the time to cook and eat at home. I know at our house we have something going on almost every night. We have games and acrobats class on Mondays, soccer on Tuesdays, Dance, book club, and cheer on Wednesdays, and soccer and scouts on Thursday. We are on the go all the time.
Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals Helps with Tip #3
The make-ahead freezer meals in the “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals” ebook have been the key way I have been able to incorporate tip number 3 into our busy life. Because I have these meals already done, our weeknights are so much less stressful, and we are eating at home so much more. Before these freezer meals, we were eating out, grabbing snack foods, or getting take out all over the place. As a dietitian who loves to cook, but couldn’t find the time, I knew I needed to figure something out. This is when I became known as the freezer meal lady, and my family is now eating so much healthier. My husband even lost 17 pounds within the first few months of switching to this freezer meal lifestyle!
Mindfully Eat
I saved this one for last because it is near and dear to my heart. Mindfully eating has helped many with portion control and weight loss while simultaneously helping them stop food obsessing and find peace with food. With mindful eating you learn how to enjoy your food instead of seeing food as the enemy. On the Mindfulness in Faith and Food blog and in the “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals” ebook, you also learn how to not only enjoy your time eating, but also how to enjoy your time eating in the presence of God. You can learn how to mindfully eat by clicking here.
Find ways to be physically active on most days.
Physical activity doesn’t have to be an hour in the gym everyday. You can find many ways to be physically active. In fact, if you need some inspiration check out the posts below:
Of course, since these are the biggest keys to weight loss in my eyes, the “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals” ebook discusses all 5 keys in depth. If you want to learn more about this ebook click here.
Thanks for reading! Let me know what strategies have helped you grow and learn mentally, physically, and spiritually. Please fill free to share, like, or pin this if you found it helpful!
Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals: How it All Started
I love to cook, but I found that I didn’t have the time to cook everyday. Trying to juggle cooking, soccer practice, dance class, volunteer meetings, work, cleaning the house, and all the other “mom duties” was just causing too much stress. There just wasn’t enough time in the day to do it all AND cook. We would often find ourselves grabbing take-out, going to a restaurant, going through a drive through, or eating random less healthy stuff for dinner, and yet as a dietitian, I knew needed to figure something out.
Why This Is Life Changing
Eating healthy family meals together was important to me, and the chaotic meals were stressing me out. So I decided to cook it ALL AT ONCE. More specifically, I decided to cook enough breakfasts, lunches, and dinners to last my family a whole month, and I decided to cook it ALL in ONE DAY! Let me tell you, THIS WAS LIFE CHANGING!
My family now has more energy, more family time, less stress, and our bodies have even started changing. My family is eating dinners together, and we now have so much more free time in the afternoon. I am no longer spending my afternoons in the kitchen; instead I am now present with my children. And because I am less stressed, I am a happier, more relaxed, and more patient mom. In other words, I am now mindfully living in the moment during the afternoons instead of running around trying to frantically figure out what to feed my family for dinner. So I do not exaggerate when I say these meals have been LIFE CHANGING.
Because I have been making them for my family and friends for so long, I have learned the tricks and tips on how to efficiently and quickly make all my meals at once. Making freezer meals has become one of my passions and joys in my life. I wanted to share that passion with others, which is why I decided to write the “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals “eBook.
Mindfulness…
In this ebook, I not only show you how to cook your freezer meals, but I also discuss how to plate and eat your food using mindfulness techniques.
In Faith…
Health is not just about our body; it is about the whole person: mind, body, and spirit. In “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals,” I talk about how my faith journey has helped me live a healthier life.
And Freezer Meals…
For this plan, you spend one day out of the whole month cooking all your freezer meal… then your are DONE COOKING FOR THE WHOLE MONTH! So you cook 14 breakfast, 14 lunch, and 16 dinner freezer meals. Most of the breakfast and lunch meals are divided into serving sizes so all you have to do is grab one and pop it in the microwave! Yep! Homemade…easy…microwavable freezer meals! The dinner freezer meals are packaged family style. Meaning you make all of it at once so that your whole family can enjoy the meal together. Of course, you can always cook it and then eat the leftovers for lunches too. Each meal lasts my family for 2 meals or more, so these meals EASILY lasts us 30 days (a whole month)!
The goals of cooking all of your meals in ONE Day are:
More daily free time,
A decreased grocery bill,
Healthier meals for the whole family,
Less daily stress, and
Weight Loss/Weight Maintenance
No more worrying about what to cook or when am I going to cook each night. Since doing these freezer meals, our family is eating at home more because we are less likely to say, “There’s nothing to eat so lets just go out.”
As you can imagine, planning and prepping a months worth of freezer meals in one day is also a fantastic weight loss technique for ALL of the above reasons! Plus enjoying your food is probably one of the most important tips for lasting weight loss. These freezer meals are delicious, nutritious, easy, home-cooked meals that you can mindfully enjoy.
Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals eBook
More Perks
Bonus 1: Many of these meals make fantastic appetizers or party foods so if you suddenly realize you are suppose to bring something to a Super Bowl Party (think Protein Blends Burrito Dip) or a ladies luncheon (think Crustless Omelet Muffins), you can grab one of your already done meals!
Bonus 2: You have food ready to go when a friend is in need. In my town, giving food is one way we show our love to one another. So whether your friend just had a baby or your aunt just had surgery, you can provide some food for them ASAP. These meals are perfect! Just grab one of your comfort food freezer meals and add a gallon of love and a pound of prayers, and go!
One more thing…
Because I am a registered dietitian, I wanted to include more to help you organize your kitchen and your life to promote a healthy lifestyle for the whole family. So along with the Freezer Meals I have included the “What is Preventing You From Living Your Healthiest Life?” interactive quiz as well as results and solutions based on your results.
Learn how to efficiently cook healthy make ahead freezer meals once a month; the ultimate bulk cooking and meal prep guide for families; developed by a registered dietitian
What Others are Saying about the “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meal” ebook
“I have lost 17 pounds since I started eating these freezer meals. They are healthy AND taste great!!! We are now eating at home more, which has made a huge difference!” Chad
“As I read this book, I kept thinking, ‘this is so much more than a freezer meal cookbook! Lacy needs to be a life coach! She has such a positive outlook on life!’ “The Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals” ebook is so uplifting and encouraging!” Wendy
“I can actually see a decrease in my grocery bill since I started eating these freezer meals, and my kids love them! We are eating healthier now. Plus, we are eating more meals together as a family!” Nicole
The Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals ebook becomes available a few times a year. If you want to recieve an email when Mindfulness in Faith and Feezer Meals is open for sales again click here.
Cook all of your healthy freezer meals in one day, learn mindfulness and mindful eating techniques, and learn how faith and nutrition are important for healthy and wellness;
Hi All! I am so excited about this free printable 7-Day Mindful Planner! Oh how mindfulness has changed my daily life. I mean…on the days I remember to embrace mindfulness and focus on the presence of God, I am so much more relaxed, and I make better choices. The days I forget to be mindful are a different story. My mindLESS days are a stressful blur and my choices…well, let’s just say I usually want a do-over by the end of the day.
I realized I needed to make mindfulness a priority so I decided to develop the 7-Day Mindful Planner.
This site contains affiliate links (See full disclosure here.)
I love this planner!
The Mindful Planner
What is Included in this Planner?
The first page of the planner provides a mindfulness daily quick reference. Then the following pages include daily mindful Bible verses, space to include mindful exercise, as well as space for meal planning (mindful eating is a huge part of mindfulness).
My favorite part of the planner, however, is the mindful gratitude journal space. (A grateful attitude is also a huge part of mindfulness). In this section, you can reflect and write about the best parts of your day. What a fun way to end your day!
You can download and print as many of these free sheets as you need! I like to print enough for a month, and put them in a pretty binder.
The “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals” ebook
The “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals” ebook not only includes more mindful eating strategies and techniques, but this ebook also includes a detailed freezer meal plan and weight loss guide!
The “What is Preventing You From Living a Healthier Life?” interactive quiz
Mindful eating techniques and guide
A Complete Healthy Freezer Meal Plan: You will learn how to cook all of your breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for a whole month in ONE day. Don’t worry, I don’t just give you a bunch of recipes and tell you to cook them in one day. The ebook includes strategies and “Pro Tips” on HOW to efficiently cook your meals in one day.
The goals of cooking all of your meals in ONE Day are:
More daily free time,
A decreased grocery bill,
Healthier meals for the whole family,
Less daily stress, and
Weight Loss/Weight Maintenance
Learn more about the “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals” eBook here.
“I have lost 17 pounds since I started eating these freezer meals. They are healthy AND taste great!!! We are now eating at home more, which has made a huge difference!” Chad, South Carolina
“As I read this book, I kept thinking, ‘this is so much more than a freezer meal cookbook! Lacy needs to be a life coach! She has such a positive outlook on life!’ “The Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals” ebook is so uplifing and encouraging!” Wendy, South Carolina
“I can actually see a decrease in my grocery bill since I started eating these freezer meals, and my kids love them! We are eating healthier now. Plus, we are eating more meals together as a family!” Nicole, South Carolina
Click here to learn more about the “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals” ebook
When God Knocks on the Door of My Heart…During Book Club
This article has been updated and is an adapation of a segment in 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This unique book was written by Lacy Ngo, a dietitian nationally recognized as a top expert in faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition. She shares the exact steps that, based on science, produce the most dramatic health and weight loss success in her book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This book is like nothing you have ever seen before. It combines faith and science. Both are crucial when it comes to producing real change because real change involves the mind, body, and spirit.
God Knocks, God Whispers
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” Revelations 3:20
“Heeeey,” I heard someone call as they walked into the kitchen. Another one of my dear friends had arrived for our monthly health and mindfulness book club social.
We were all gathered in the kitchen and just catching up on all of our summer happenings. I was telling everyone about my son’s latest ninja warriors camp adventures, when the door bell rang.
This site contains affiliate links (See full disclosure here.)
Who Could That Be?
‘Hmm, must be someone new to book club because this crowd usually doesn’t bother with door bells… or knocking for that matter,’ I thought to myself as I walked to the door.
Standing on the front porch was a nice looking young man. He had a bag full all different types of books slung over his shoulder and two books in his hand.
“Hey,” I said in a curious tone. After his friendly reply, he went into his reason for the visit.
His explanation went something like this, “I am selling these books to raise money for my college tuition. We are asking for a $20 donation or more…or less…or whatever you want to give for the books.”
As he spoke, he moved his arms forward to show the two books in his hands.
I looked down at the books as he presented them. There in his hands were a healthy foods book written by a RD (Registered Dietitian) and a Christian mindful peace book.
I looked down at the books and looked back up at him, “I think God wants me to buy these books.” I bluntly blurted out.
I went on to explain…(Pay very close attention here, because this is the important part)
“You see, this isn’t just any book club social going on right now, this is a mindfulness and health book club social. And I am a RD (Registered Dietitian) who writes a blog about health, faith, and mindfulness…AND the two books in your hand are a book about health foods written by a registered dietitian and a faith-based mindful peace book!”
We talked a little more about where he goes to school and about the other books in his bag. I was intrigued by another completely different book and asked him about it. Although I wanted that book as well, I decided to stick with the first two. I paid him, and he left.
“I’m probably going to write a blog about this,” I told him as he was leaving.
When I came back into the house, I told my friends about the awesome encounter. I showed them my books and told them about the one book I had wanted but didn’t buy. We were all excited about the events that had just unfolded; so filled with joy, we began the book club social.
***
Two Hours Later…
“Bye, thanks for coming,” I called out to all of my friends as they left my house.
“I can’t wait for the next one,” someone called out as they were shutting the front door.
‘Aww, that was so much fun,’ I thought as I picked up the plates and leftover appetizers.
I was putting the plates in the sink when one of my friends comes back into the house.
“Lacy, you know that other book you had wanted?”
“Yes?” I replied.
“The guy selling the books left it on your front porch!” she exclaimed.
“What?!?! How a amazing is that!” I felt like he had left that book as a way of saying that he had felt the significance of what had just transpired as well. I was truly amazed!
Thank God for Those Unexplainable Moments
This young man’s kindness touched my heart. I went to bed so thankful for God and for those unexplainable little God moments in our lives. The next morning I awoke overcome with emotion. I thanked God for the events of last night. On my knees, I cried and prayed. I prayed for the young man, his school, and my book club friends.
I hope I never forget the conversation the three of us had on that front porch. This young man and I talked, but God’s quiet whisper was the loudest and most beautiful voice of all.
“After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” 1 Kings 19:12
Update
Soon after purchasing these books, I began reading the one written by the dietitian first. I was even more convinced that I was meant to read this book. You see, I am a registered dietitian, and I felt lead to combine my nutrition knowledge with my faith on this blog, Mindfulness in Faith and Food. At the time of purchasing this book, I was in the process of writing a faith-based nutrition book, and I was nervous about how it would go. Was I doing the right thing? Opening my door and seeing this young man holding a book written by a dietitian was the encouragement I needed. And when I started reading the book, I was even more encouraged. On the first page (her acknowledgement page) she wrote about following her passion as God leads and about looking to God for guidance in every situation. Later in the book she discussed the positve impact faith has on our health. When I bought this book, I knew I was buying a book by a registered dietitian, but I didn’t know that she talked about her faith in the book as well! Doesn’t that make this story even more amazing!
Please Share Your Thoughts
If you found this “God Whispers” story helpful, I would love to hear about it! I also love hearing other’s God moment stories. Do you have any stories about when God whispers in your life? Please share your ‘God Whispers’ stories with me. You may comment below or send me an email.
Related Post
If you enjoyed this “God Whispers” story, you may also enjoy my other “God Moment” stories.
In past posts, I have talked about how mindful eating can help with weight loss, but today’s post is a little different. Today I wanted to talk about Mindful Living. Mindful living even when you are NOT currently eating, can benefit multiple areas of your life including emotional eating?
In other words, mindful living can help with weight loss even when food is not directly involved. Let me explain…
You are probably not surprised when I say weight struggles are usually more about our emotional struggles that anything else. Life is HARD. Sometimes we have more stress than we can bare. We need a way to cope, and overeating can feel like a quick fix. Bottom line, stress and other emotions are a major player in weight gain. But what does this have to do with mindful living?
What Does Mindful Living Have to Do with Emotional Eating?
Mindfulness is about being in the present moment. The past is gone and the future has not happened, but the present is HERE and NOW. Think about it. What do we spend most of our time stressing and worrying about?…The past and the future. Think about how much less stress we would have if we learned to focus on the present moment. Mindful eating is about focusing on eating and enjoying every bite. Mindful living is about focusing and enjoying whatever you are doing in that moment. Mindfulness is also about having a grateful approach to life. When we are mindflully living, we focus on the positive and what we are thankful for in the present moment. For me, mindfulness is about focusing on God’s presence in our lives at every moment and focusing on the beauty in God’s world. Sounds simple right? Yeah, I know. It is a lot easier said than done. Sometimes we will still worry about the past and future, but fortunately mindfuless exercises can help us live in the present a little more often.
Does the Bible Have Anything to Say About Mindfulness?
The characteristics of mindfulness are making space for quiet time and rest, living in the moment, having a gratitude attitude, and (for me) pausing to focusing on God’s presence in our every day lives. Turns out the Bible has a lot to say about these characteristics. I listed a few of my favorite Bible verses about Mindfulness in the infograph below.
The characteristics of mindfulness are focusing on the present (and for me, the presence of God in each moment), being thankful, makng space for quiet time, and pausing during the day. That pause helps with self control and relieves stress. My favorite verse is “Be still and know that I am God.” When I hear this verse, I hear, “be still, stop frantically running around, relax, and stay calm, because don’t you realize that I AM GOD…I got this!”
So How Does Mindful Living Help with Emotional Eating?
Our emotions usually come from either worrying about the past or future. Mindfulness helps us cope with the stresses of life. By living mindfully, we can focus on the present instead of worrying about the past and future. So if you find that you often emotionally eat ( and many of us do including me), perhaps adapting some, if not all, of these six daily mindfulness techniques will be just what your soul has been longing. Perhaps these techniques can take the place of emotional eating as a way to cope with the stresses of life.
Daily Mindfulness Exercises: What does a Mindful Day Look Like?
Hopefully we have established the characteristics of mindfulness, but how do we incorporate mindfulness into our daily lives?
For me, a mindful day would look like this:
1. Pause, Breath, and Pray Before Entering a New Place
Pause…take a moment to breath and mindfully pray before entering a new environment. When I pray, I ask God to help me remember to show love and kindness in this current environment. I then thank God for being with me, and I pray that I hear and mindfully listen for God’s guidance while I am in this place. So pausing and praying before entering a new environment means, I pray on the way to my kids school, before entering the grocery store, or my friends house. I pray before a family reunion or a meeting at work. By doing this, I remember God is with me everywhere. By pausing, breathing, and praying, I better focus on the moment and on God everywhere. This act keeps me calm and comforted and helps me react in a more loving way in different situations. I actually have a cool story about this here.
2. Use Your Senses to Focus on the People and the Place
Once you have entered each new environment, place, or building, focus on the people and the place you are in. In other words, use your senses to be present in the moment instead of thinking about all the things you have to do later. This is particularly important to me when I am with my children. Worrying about all that I have to do, doesn’t help me, and I miss out on beautiful moments with my kids when I worry about things I can’ do anything about in that moment.
You know, I recently caught myself worrying instead of being present. I was late for a meeting, and I was waiting on my daughter’s teacher to arrive so that I could leave for the meeting. While I was impatiently waiting, my 4 year old daughter was twirling and giggling. I suddenly realized that I was missing out on what was right in front of me. I couldn’t do anything about being late so why should I worry? At that moment, I stopped worrying and started twirling and giggling with my daughter. This moment of waiting ended up being a beautiful, special moment, all because I chose to live in the moment.
3. Practice Gratitude (There are Actual Exercises that Help!)
When we approach life with a grateful attitude and look for the good in life, the benefits are endless. According to “Time Special Edition Mindfulness: The New Science of Health and Happiness,” gratitude practices have been associated with improved kidney function, reduction in blood pressure, decreased stress hormones, increased energy levels, and increased reports of happiness. When we focus on the positive aspects of life, we tend to have more compassion and kindness for others; thus, the the circle of positivity continues. Now the person you showed kindness to may leave feeling more grateful and positive. Now they will be more likly to pass it on.
Gratitude Techniques:
Keep a gratitude journal is a helpful gratitude technique. Every night, write down what you were thankful for that day. If that is too much, simply writing down one thing you are grateful for every day. Again, according to “Time Special Edition Mindfulness: The New Science of Health and Happiness,” even this small exercise is also helpful.
Don’t want to even write? Try this… You remember that moment you pause and pray before entering a new place? While you are praying, remember to thank God for something as well.
4. Making Time for Quiet Time
We all need to rest. We need time to clear our thoughts and feel the weight of responsibility lifted for a little while. When I take time to just relax in God’s presence, it feels like a chance to completely be myself with the only One who loves me unconditionally. The problems of the world are gone for a moment. I am safe, free, and at peace. My favorite ways to experience quiet time with God is through prayer, reading: either the Bible or uplifting faith books, and through journaling, which brings me to mindfulness technique number five…
5. Mindful Living: Journaling
You can do three of these five techniques in one with journaling. You can practice gratitude, focus on God’s presence, and have quiet time all through mindful journaling. Keeping a journal has been a part of my life for years, but I truly saw the dfference in my outlook on life when I focused on God and gratitude as I wrote.
In my mindful journal I now include:
All the positve things about the day (what I am grateful for)
Written prayers or letters to God
Any lessons I learned through either my experiences, reading, or Bible studies
Any questions I have about life
God moment stories: These are stories about when I notice God working in my life. One cool thing about taking the time to mindfully notice God’s presence every day is that…you notice God’s presence regularly.Since I started mindfully taking the time to notice God in the present moment, I have had so many “goose-bump” God moments. These are those moments that I think, ‘oh I will rememner this,’ but as time passes, I find I can’t remember the details. Before including these God moment stories in my journal, I would remember something pretty cool happened, but I couldn’t bring the vague memory to the surface in my mind. By including these God moment stories in my journal, I solidify these events to my memory, and if I do forget, I can look at my journal and experience the awe and wonder all over again.
6. Mindful Eating
Okay, I know I have been talking about non-eating mindfulness techniques that help with emotional eating and weight loss, but mindful eating techniques are a part of living a mindful day, and mindful eating can definitely help with emotional eating and weight loss. Mindful eating does more than help with weight loss though. Mindful eating is also a time to pause from the day and focus on God, feel grateful, and enjoy a peaceful experience. When I mindfully focus on God’s presence while eating, I do much less overeating. In fact, I like to say a little prayer before I eat. As I pray, I think about 1 Corinthians 10:31 which says, “ So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
My prayer before I eat goes something like this, “God, thank you so much for this food. Thank you for this time that I have to sit and enjoy the food you have given me. I want to eat for the glory of You, God.” After saying this prayer, I enjoy my food, and I enjoy my time eating in God’s presence. You can find more details about how to mindfully eat in my post, “How to Lose Weight Through Mindful Eating: A Step-by-Step Guide.”
And there you have it; six mindfulness exercises you can incorporate into your day. Adding these techniques to your daily life may just be what you were needed to reduce your emotional eating.
If you Liked these Mindfulness techniques then you may also like…
18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life takes you on an inspiring and uplifting journey with dietitian, Lacy Ngo. Thanks to faith-based mindfulness and nutrition, Ngo went from being weight obsessed to feeling healthy and happy in her own body. Ironically, during the process, Ngo ended up, not only losing weight but also strengthening her walk with God. Now she feels healthier than ever AND she truly enjoys eating! She is able to feed her mind, body, and soul nourishing foods and feel good in her own body without weight obsessing. Get ready to get goose-bumps as you read this amazing true story.
*A Bonus Mindful Wellness Journal is Included!!!
what does mindful eating AND mindful LIVNG have to do with emotional eating, health, weight loss, and wellness
The Nourishing Meal Builder
Create anti-anxiety, anti-inflammatory, mood boosting, immune supportive meals that reduce the risk of chronic disease and promote cognitive function, focus, attention, and memory.
The Nourishing Meal Builder and the included Nourishing Meal Builder Cards take the stress out of cooking nourishing, healing meals! Motivated by her son’s illnesses and her own symptoms, Lacy Ngo became passionate about providing an easy strategy that busy families could use to implement research-based nutrition into their daily lives.
After incorporating these strategies into her own life, Ngo was even more convinced that nutrition can change lives:
-Her mood improved
-Her seasonal allergies stopped showing up in the fall and spring
-Her energy improved
-Her acne went away
-Her family got sick less often
-Her son’s behavior and anxiety improved
What’s included in The Nourishing Meal Builder?
-Lists of nutrients and foods that boost mood; promote cognitive function, focus, attention, alertness, and memory; support the immune system; aid in weight loss; and reduce the risk of chronic diseases, autoimmune diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, joint pain, and even seasonal allergy symptoms
-A simple Meal Plan Checklist
-A faith-based mindfulness and mindful eating guide
-Printable Meal Builder cards
The “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals” ebook not only includes more mindful eating strategies and techniques, but this ebook also includes a detailed freezer meal plan and weight loss guide!
The “What is Preventing You From Living a Healthier Life?” interactive quiz
Mindful Eating Guide
The Importance of Faith
A Complete Healthy Freezer Meal Plan: You will learn how to cook all of your breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for a whole month in ONE day. Don’t worry, I don’t just give you a bunch of recipes and tell you to cook them in one day. The ebook includes strategies and “Pro Tips” on HOW to efficiently cook your meals in one day.
The goals of cooking all of your meals in ONE Day are:
More daily free time,
A decreased grocery bill,
Healthier meals for the whole family,
Less daily stress, and
Weight Loss/Weight Maintenance
Learn more about the “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals” eBook here.
*If you would like to evaluate your own diet and determine which tips work best for you, please take the free DIY Diet self assessment and evaluation developed by a registered dieititian.
