Tag: Health

Eating Healthy Shouldn’t Be So Hard

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To simply put it, eating healthy shouldn’t be so hard but the reality is that it is. The reason why it is so hard is because we are surrounded by fast foods whether it be fast foods down the block or processed foods in our supermarkets. Eating junk foods is like poison to our body. It doesn’t do anything good for us but makes us prone to conditions such as heart disease and it does not have any nutritional value. I know doing groceries and cooking food can be time consuming and sometimes we don’t have the time for it and buying groceries can cost a fortune (trust me I know) but it is worth it and it outweighs the risk of all the things that can happen when you eat an unhealthy diet for such a long time.

So the question really is how should we eat? From a holistic standpoint the answer I would give is eat a plant based diet and do not eat any meat. But that is not the reality for most of us and a lot of people still eat meat and do not want to give up meat. So I would say eat more plants and less meat. Eating more plants and less meat doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t eat what you like, it just means the things that are not good for us such as sugary and highly processed food should be eaten in moderation and really it’s that simple.

When it comes to processed foods, if it comes in a packet and has a lot of ingredients that you can’t pronounce more than likely you shouldn’t eat it. Stay away from refined carbohydrates, white flour, white sugar, and anything that has high fructose corn syrup. Try to aim to eat more organic food when possible and eat animal products that are organic and grass fed. The most important factor when it comes to eating food is that your body must be able to digest and absorb nutrients. Take your time when eating food and don’t rush it, chew your food thoroughly.

Even though eating healthy sounds boring it really doesn’t have to be. Even when it comes to eating vegetables you can give any vegetable flavor and seasoning. It doesn’t have to be bland, season your foods with all the flavors and tastes that you enjoy ( go easy on the seasoning because of salt) but, give your food flavor and have fun. Hence, eating healthy doesn’t have to be and shouldn’t be hard.

Written By: Vanessa Jo

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Let’s Get Real About Inflammation In The Body

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To simply put it, inflammation is a mechanism in immunity. Inflammation is something that always takes place in response to any kind of damage to our cells or tissue. It also occurs if we get injured or from organisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi. The inflammatory process must occur in order for our bodies to heal. For example when we have a high grade fever, that fever is an indication that the body’s inflammatory process has kicked in and is sending everything it needs ( certain fighter cells) to tackle the problem taking place. When this happens the blood vessels will dilate (open up) to allow more blood to go to the problem area. The area of inflammation may also become swollen, hot, red, and painful.

What I just described is acute inflammation, after it occurs the body and problem area should return back to normal. Now, when acute inflammation is not able to be resolved our body’s in return enter a chronic inflammatory state. When our body’s remain in a chronic inflammatory state this is return can lead to diseases such as cancer, heart disease, autoimmune diseases, asthma, depression, and so much more. 

Now when we think of nutrition we also want to keep in mind that there are foods that can enhance and trigger inflammation and there are foods that can heal the process of inflammation and help the body return back to a normal state.For foods to be able to do such a task goes to show you how important good nutrition is and how foods heal the body. 

Foods that reduce inflammation are foods such as dark green leafy vegetables ( spinach, kale), flax seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, potassium broth, and foods high in omega 3’s.

Foods that will keep the cycle of inflammation in the body include animal fats (meat), dairy (milk), sugar, salt, refined grains ( white rice, white bread), and fried foods. 

Animal fats can help us to initially to promote the inflammatory process because they make pro inflammatory “eicosaniods” but the problem is that the western diet promotes more “building blocks” to keep these pro inflammatory eicosanoids in our body so the inflammation never goes away and becomes chronic.

Remember we all have a choice to make when it comes to the way we eat and good nutrition. Choose the foods that will heal your body.

Reference:

Deeply Holistic By : Pip Waller

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The real reason why you are not losing weight

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This blog post is one that I have been wanting to write for a long time. The reason why it took me so long is because I wanted to find the right things to say as I wrote this. This blog post was not only a reality check for myself but it may be for many others as well. As I have mentioned in previous blog posts after giving birth to my son I went from 145 pounds up to 180 pounds over the course of my postpartum period and everything that was happening in the world. While this was all happening and I was well aware that I was gaining weight I tried my hardest to work out constantly which is something that I was never used to doing before and I also worked on changing my eating habits.

Over the course of these past two years I worked out the hardest I’ve ever worked out before and I changed my diet. I thought I was doing everything right, at least that is what my mind was telling me but the truth is sometimes we are not completely honest with ourselves. I kept telling myself I’m eating good and I’m working out why am I not losing weight? Well, the truth is even though I was eating “right” I also was eating “wrong”. My husband and I still indulge in things we should have had in moderation. I was still eating the foods that were hurting my new lifestyle sugary foods. I have a sweet tooth and so does my husband, so we were both still ordering cakes, desserts, ice creams, and shakes. So even though we cleaned up our eating habits, eating the sweets just caused us to gain more and more weight. It is as if we had worked hard for nothing.

Even though in reality it was not for nothing because we still adapted a new lifestyle from this , when it came to controlling our urges for sweets we were weak. Now I’m not saying that one person can never have sweets ever again, but one should not have it almost everyday like my husband and I did. So this blog post is more of a reality check to really examine the reasons why we are not losing weight. Sometimes we think we are doing things totally right but that is not always the case.

But do give up on your journey to weight loss, I know I won’t. As a nutrition professional it is important for me to be an examples to others and I admit I am not perfect, because there is no such thing, but we all can accomplish our health goals no matter how long it takes.

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Why Should We Drink Water

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Let me tell you something about water: it’s everywhere! From soil moisture and ice caps to the cells inside our bodies. Just like the surface of the earth, the body is made up of 60 to 70 percent. Our cells need water for our bodies to function at an optimal level. Water is one of the best cleansers our bodies need and also a healing agent for our bodies. When we don’t drink enough of it, it can lead to many signs and symptoms that we may not even realize comes from not drinking enough water.

Let me tell you some more interesting facts about water. Water is not only in the blood, but the heart and the brain is also ¾ quarts water. The lungs are made up of 83 percent water. Water helps us to lubricate the joints, regulate body temperature, and nourishes the brain and spinal cord. That alone goes to show you how many body systems can be affected if you do not drink water so the next time your joints hurt think to yourself are your joints properly lubricated? When our brain realizes that we have not had enough water it then signals the hypothalamus to release diuretic hormones which in return tells our kidneys to enable the blood to absorb and retain more water, leading to darker urine. Why do the kidneys do this? Because the body has to hold onto whatever water is available so that you do not go into full dehydration.

Now, when we drink water we need to make sure that we have the perfect balance not to drink too much and not drinking too little. Below I will list some of the symptoms we can experience when we are either dehydrated or over hydrated.

Dehydration causes:

-Drops in energy
-Mood Swings
-Skin moisture decreases
-Blood pressure
-Brain can temporarily shrink

Over hydration causes:

-The brain slows down
-Sodium electrolytes become diluted causing cells to swell
-Kidneys can’t keep up with hydration and may cause headaches vomiting seizures so drink 8 to 10 glasses a day

Did You Know?

  • When we don’t drink enough water our body responds to that by not telling us to drink enough water, and when we do drink water our body responds to that by telling us to drink more interesting right?
  • Each day we lose two to three liters of water from activities the body carries out such as breathing, sweating, urine, and  bowel movements
  • Drinking water can lower the chance of stroke, manage diabetes  and reduce the risk of some types of cancers

Reference(s):

National Association for Fitness Certification, Nutrition Coach Foundations© 3rd Ed.

Deeply Holistic. Pip Waller

Signs of Heart Attack in Women

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Signs of a Heart Attack in Women

If you did not get a chance to read my previous blog post on heart health and women, please go and check that out. So, this year women’s history month I wanted to keep the topics simple, so I choose to speak about women and heart health. As I said in my last post women suffer from heart disease just as much as men do. It is the number one killer in America. That is really concerning but as we know our country is filled with a lot of fast foods and processed foods and it is everywhere and it is easy for busy people like ourselves. Even though it is unavoidable we can still work on getting better and making healthier whole food choices.

In my last blog post, I realized that I left out one key important thing the signs of a heart attack in a woman. The symptoms may be different from how men experience it which is why we must not leave this out and talk about it. So, let’s jump straight into it. Listed below are the signs and symptoms of a heart attack in women.

Signs and Symptoms of Heart Attack in Women

  1.  Pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. The pain can last more than one minutes stop and return
  2. Pain in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach.
  3. Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
  4. Breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, or lightheadedness.

** The thing when it comes to signs and symptoms is that certain signs and symptoms can be signs and symptoms of something else and not necessarily a heart attack. Some people may experience some of these symptoms daily and may not be able to tell the difference. This is why it is very important to pay attention to your body on a daily basis. If you have any of these symptoms, please do not hesitate to get checked out. Go to your nearest urgent care center or emergency room.

Written By: Vanessa J

For more information please visit the American Heart Association website and talk to your primary care provider.