Have you watched Hungry for Change yet?

A few Saturday nights ago, I had nothing better to do than sit in front of Netflix (sad, I know, but let’s stay on topic here). As I flipped through the new releases, a documentary called Hungry for Change caught my eye.

I suppose it was the documentary’s cover image, a happy chick holding a grocery bag full of whole foods wrapped with a measuring tape, that caught my eye.

Because my grocery bags have been looking more and more like that lately (see Can Clean Eating Help Restore Hormonal Balance?), it seemed potentially up my alley.

So, what’s Hungry for Change all about?

We’re fortunate enough to have a guest post today from Dr. George Drinka, child psychiatrist and author. Dr. Drinka’s upcoming book, When the Media Is the Parent, is posed to educate parents about the massive role media (think television, video games, and the Internet).

Today, he’s talking with us about the role media plays in childhood obesity, fast food advertising geared toward children, and how, in time, the media might even help promote healthier eating.

Psych Central and I launched “Your Body, Your Mind” just a few months into 2012, and we’ve enjoyed a blessed year, to say the least.

So blessed, in fact, I had to come up with some new criteria in order to cut the list of most popular posts down from nearly 30 to just 15.

So, instead of going by viewing statistics only, I also included tweets, posts, and pins.

That’s right, the following 15 “Your Body, Your Mind” posts were the most viewed and shared on social media like Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

So sit back, get your bookmark button ready, and check out some of the best body, mind, and spirit posts we had to offer this year.

OK, I am of course only assuming that Marla Lopez is one of the world’s pickiest eaters but, given she eats only three types of foods, I don’t think it’s that far a stretch.

The 54-year-old mother recently told ABC News that her diet – which consists of milk (including ice cream), white breads (including crackers, tortillas, and pancakes), and potatoes (including potatoes and French fries) has been a picky eater since she was an infant. She would gag and spit up her baby food and, these days, can’t even touch spaghetti.

Oh, and you know how important it is for us to “shop the perimeter”? Grab as much of that healthy, brightly colored produce as our buggies and budgets allow? By her own words, Lopez doesn’t “see food” when she looks at the fruits and vegetables.

Happy Friday, readers!

The holiday season is in full swing, and with all the parties and family gatherings usually comes food.

Lots of food.

Vegetable and cheese trays are popular staples this time of year. They’re convenient, simple to prepare, and affordable to buy if you’re short on time!

So, I thought now would be a good time to review my favorite brand of gluten-free crackers for those of you who want or need to keep things gluten free for your physical and mental health this season.

Between my gluten-free food reviews and all the gluten-free activity going on over at Therapy Soup (check out The Gluten-Mood Connection to get started and then check out some gluten-free menus and download your copy of a gluten-free food and mood log), you probably already have a solid working knowledge of some common gluten-free foods.

Still, unless you’ve been eating a GF diet for a while and this ain’t your first rodeo, it’s not that easy to turn “fruits and vegetables, fresh meat and eggs, and most dairy products” into a Thanksgiving dinner menu.

(Especially when so many traditional Thanksgiving recipes involve wheat!)

So, I’ve combed the Internet for some appetizer, main dish, and dessert recipes to help you have a gluten-free Thanksgiving.

Please scan the list, bookmark anything you like, and feel free to share your own GF Thanksgiving recipes in the comments!

Oh, Halloween!

I would say it’s my favorite holiday, but it’s more a part of my favorite time of year.

Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s – they all wait on Halloween to kick off the holiday season.

Plus, who can resist costumes, scary movies, and ghost stories?

Not I.

Neither am I all that great at resisting some of the other things that come along with Halloween, like candy…

…aaaaaand pretty much any other Halloween-themed sweet treat.

Do you know the palm rule?

Whether you’re dieting because your weight prevents you from being physically active and healthy or you just want to become more mindful about the foods you use to nourish your body and mind, trying to eat a healthy diet can get stressful…

…and, sometimes when we get stressed, we eat more, exercise less, and, well, give up.

Which is entirely opposite of what you’re trying to achieve!

Below, I’ve listed three simple tips that can help you keep your diet simple, and therefore (I hope!) stay motivated and successful.

Feel free to chime in with your own tips in the comments, and remember: This isn’t a one-size-fits-all, prescription for diet, fitness, or weight loss as any of them relate to physical and mental health. These are merely tips, to be added or avoided as they work (or don’t) for the individual.

Continuing with my efforts to review gluten-free foods for folks who follow GF diets for various physical and mental health reasons (plus, GF foods I have to actually make – like the gluten-free brownies – and not just those I can warm in the microwave – like the gluten-free cinnamon rolls…even though they were delicious!), last week I tried gluten-free cornbread!

Now, I’ve tried a few different gluten-free breads before. I had luck with regular sliced bread (like the Schar Gluten-Free Classic White Bread), but not much luck with hot dog buns (specifically, Ener-G Tapioca Gluten-Free Hot Dog Buns).

Fortunately, my experience with this particular GF cornbread was more similar to that of the sliced bread than the hot dog buns!

Autumn is awesome, isn’t it?

I mean, really?

Crisp air, brightly colored leaves, carving jack-o’-lanterns, getting lost in corn mazes, finally digging out those layers (the girls know what I mean), and…

Oh, yeah!

Delicious foods!

Of course, we already know how good fall foods are, but do we know how they benefit us beyond our taste buds?

Here’s a list of 5 ways fall foods can improve your mood.