Stress plays a prominent role in how we, as humans, perceive ourselves and others. We also know that stress plays an integral part in our health; from our blood biomarkers to our physiological state and lifespan, stress has a cascade effect on just about every aspect of our health. We sat down with Dr. Caroline Leaf, author of Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess, to discuss her proven strategies to reduce stress through managing the mind.[1]

The start of a new year often comes with reflections and goal-setting, and this year, we’re challenging ourselves to reflect on our individual relationships with food. Mindful eating, a trendy approach to food rooted in ancient practices, relies on explicit attention to hunger and satiety cues and applying a set of habits to mealtime. Acknowledging sources of hunger, whether they be physiological or emotional, and paying singular attention when eating are healthy ways to modulate food intake ...

What do your cravings feel like? Like you’re out of control? Like nothing else will cut it? Do they actually feel like hunger? Sometimes what we think is hunger is really just our body needing a release from a negative feeling. But a new field of study on an ancient technique is showing promise for uncoupling our urges from our spoons. Mindfulness training, specifically mindful eating, might just be the tool we need to kick cravings and emotional eating to the curb.