By Rachel Ann Johnson
When Dina Hansen set out to write her book, Stop Eating Your Stress, she wanted to approach the subject of healthy eating from a holistic standpoint. Referring to her debut title as the anti-diet book, Hansen said “The word diet is like poison to my brain.” While the majority of eating plans revolve around what people eat, that only provides half the story, Hansen said.
Stressing the importance of focusing on how people eat instead of simply what people eat allows for personal exploration of the feelings that underlie emotional eating. Anxiety and stress disrupt digestion and lead to the release of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol which negatively affect the digestive process as well, according to Hansen.
Hansen explains that catastrophic life events led her to scrutinize her own health while attending college. “I was eating fast food and convenience foods and was malnourished with high anxiety,” she said. She believes her symptoms of depression, anxiety, fatigue, and pain were all indicative of the stress that eventually contributed to the grand mal seizure that would change her path in life. She began studying for her doctorate in holistic nutrition and discovered that the approach to overall health is multifaceted.
“There are 12 main aspects of life and focusing on one aspect is not giving us the whole picture,” she said.
This holistic approach is what motivated Hansen to host a support group in Riverview that helps women grasp these topics and take control of their health through mindful stress solutions. “One of the secrets I share in my book is how to satisfy needs without mindless emotional eating,” said Hansen, whose book is currently available in the Amazon Kindle format.
Hansen plans to release the book in print and audiobook formats soon. She is offering a special series on holistic health beginning in April.
For more information on the series, which will be held in Valrico, or the support group in Riverview, visit www.dinahansen.com.
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