Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is the NUMBER 1 KILLER of men and women in North American. Since 1984, more women than man die from CVD every year. Here are the top 6 killers of women and men in order:
Top 6 Killers of Women
1) Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)
2) Cancer (lung, breast, colon...)
3) Respiratory/Lung Disease
4) Alzheimer's Disease
5) Diabetes
6) Pneumonia/Flu
Top 6 Killers of Men
1) Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)
2) Cancer (lung, prostate, colon...)
3) Accidents (car,...)
4) Respiratory/Lung Disease
5) Diabetes
6) Pneumonia/Flu
Women live on average 8 years longer than men (sorry, life's not fair) which is why Alzheimer's shows up on the list for women and not men and since there is a higher risk for developing Alzheimer’s as you age. This also means that most men will be dead before they will lose their minds (although some women would disagree!!)
All joking aside, the main point here is that taking care of your heart needs to be your top priority. I can remember my aunt, who has a strong gag reflex, asking her dentist if she really needed to floss ALL her teeth. His response was "No, only the ones you want to keep." So when people ask me if they really need to exercise and eat healthy, can you guess my answer? These things are not optional if you want to live a long and healthy life.
The good news is if you take good care of your heart, the rest of your body will follow. First, it is a good idea to know your Cholesterol levels and check your Blood Pressure on a regular basis just so you know your risk factors.
One of the best ways to lower Cholesterol is to increase your fiber since fiber binds with fats, such as Cholesterol, and is excreted. The easiest way to do this is to add 2 Tbsps of ground Flax Seeds to your diet every day. Flax is easy to digest, it is loaded with Omega 3 Fatty Acids, it binds to fats and toxins, it promotes good bacterial growth in the intestines and it makes the stool slippery so bowel movements are easier. Psyllium is often recommended, but I don't like it as much because it has no Omega 3's and it absorbs 40 times it's weight in water, so if you don't drink enough water you can actually become constipated.
Of course the best fiber comes from fresh fruits and vegetables. You absolutely must consume these daily. I know you have heard that a gazillion times and there's a reason for that - IT'S TRUE. The fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients (phyto = plant) are absolutely vital to your health. The more nutrients you get into your body from natural sources, the less likely you are to crave junk food. Many North Americans, despite eating vast quantities of food, are literally "starving to death" because they are not getting nutrients into their bodies from eating highly processed foods that are devoid of all nutrients. When the body is starving, triglyceride levels become elevated and insulin resistance develops which can lead to Type 2 Diabetes (watch for another blog posting to come)
Fish oil has natural anti-inflammatory properties and studies on patients with CVD have found that inflammation is a major cause of the CVD so taking fish oil helps reduce the risk. Cold water fish such as salmon, herring, trout and mackerel are an excellent choice.
Eating Oatmeal, that is traditional oats - not the quick oats, is a great way to lower Cholesterol. They are a rich source of Tocotrienols - these are "relatives" to the vitamin E family and prevent oxidation of LDL Cholesterol.
Almonds and walnuts are a great source of monounsaturated fatty acids. Studies have shown that walnuts significantly increase the elasticity of the arteries.
Reduce simple sugars and eat foods with a Glycemic Index rating of less that 55 (http://www.glycemicindex.ca/glycemicindexfoods.pdf). This is great strategy for reducing all disease. Low Glycemic foods do not spike blood sugar levels and start the insulin roller coaster that leads to nothing but trouble.
Now for the dreaded "E" word - EXERCISE. No one is expecting you to become a marathon runner, but everyone can at least go for a 20 minute fast-paced walk every day. I get up 30 minutes early every morning (and I am NOT a morning person) to go for a bike ride. I always feel amazing afterward. Load your IPod or MP3 with some great tunes, or better yet, a motivational CD, and the time will fly. Your heart is a muscle and you absolutely have to exercise it.
Remember, keeping your Heart Healthy means keeping you Healthy.
Showing posts with label nutrition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nutrition. Show all posts
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Habit #4 "Eat Foods That Are Right For You"
As a Registered Nutritionist, I have clients who come to me with a variety of ailments seeking to restore balance in their body. In this series "Habits for Vitality", I'm going to give you some basic habits to incorporate into your life to help you make the changes necessary to live an Optimal Life.
“What should I eat to be healthy?” I really wish there was one simple answer, but just as we are all unique in our personalities, we are unique in the foods we need to consume. A Ferrari needs high octane fuel and a Honda needs low octane fuel – that’s just the way it is for them to perform optimally. So what fuel do you need to perform optimally? Perhaps the information below will help answer that for you.
Hippocrates 460-377 B.C. once said, "Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food"
Lucretius, the Roman Healer/Philosopher observed some 2000 years ago, "One Man's food is another man's poison".
Have you ever heard of an elephant hunting down a wildebeest and eating that for lunch, or heard of a lion eating leaves and grass? Of course not. Animals instinctively know what food source their bodies require and eat only that.
As humans we have this instinct as well, the only problem is, we ignore it. The signs and symptoms are all there but due to an overabundance of food at our disposal we choose to eat all that is available without consideration for the affects on our body.
Example 1: you eat some food for dinner and then get wicked heartburn or indigestion.
What is the typical response to this? Take a pill to fix the problem. This seems ridiculous to me.
Why not reflect on the fact that whatever it was you ate is not right for your body and thus causing this uncomfortable reaction? You system is literally trying to regurgitate what it considers to be toxic.
Example 2: you go out for lunch with some friends and 2 hours later you are dopey and desire an afternoon nap.
What is the typical response to this? You grab a coffee or something sweet for a pick-me-up. Now you are setting yourself up to crash again.
Why not reflect on what you ate for lunch and recognize that whatever you had is putting a strain on your digestion – which by the way, requires a lot of energy – and try to figure out the problem. If you had pasta for lunch, try protein next time and see the difference (or vice versa).
Example 3: your girlfriend goes on a diet and loses a ton of weight practically overnight. You give it a try and not only does it not work, but the pounds pile on instead.
What is the typical response to this? you beat yourself up and wonder “what’s wrong with me” and perhaps even go to the health food store looking for a pill to solve the problem
Why not reflect on the fact that your girlfriend is different from you. One size most definitely does not fit all. Think about the foods that make you feel full and satisfied for a long time. Trying eating only protein or only carbs at a meal and note the difference in how long you feel energized.
Keep a food diary – not just what you eat, but how you feel. Consider the following:
Mental Clarity: are you able to sit and read a book and absorb the information or is your mind wandering?
Appetite: are you hungry less than 2 hours after eating or are you satisfied for hours?
Cravings: are you desperately looking for chocolate, sweets or potato chips?
Emotions: are you feeling emotionally stable or are you ready to freak out if anyone so much as says “boo” to you?
Physical: are you feeling any pain, discomfort, allergic reaction, indigestion, headache, etc.?
Sleep: are you able to sleep through the night without waking? If you wake up for a “toilet run” or because of a sound, can you fall back to sleep easily?
Your Metabolic Type is unique and hereditary. Eating the right foods in the right combinations for your Metabolic Type will make you feel great and improve your vitality and general well being.
Metabolic Typing Diet has been around since the mid 1980's when researchers in the US discovered "biochemical individuality". They found that no two individuals are alike on a biochemical or physiological level. Cutting-edge research by Wolcott and Fahey (2000) shows that a 'Metabolic Typing Diet' will enable you to:
• naturally achieve and maintain your ideal weight
• enhance athletic performance
• enjoy sustained energy and endurance
• conquer indigestion, fatigue and allergies
• bolster your immune system
• prevent and reverse diseases
• slow down the aging process
• overcome mood swings and depression
• ultimately improve your whole lifestyle and gain vitality
Each individual has a specific dominant metabolic rate, which is determined via factors such as heredity and environment, (weather, stress, etc). These factors may change over time, but by 'listening' to your body, you can regain and maintain a sense of well being and vitality.
Understanding your MT will lead to increased physical energy enabling you to perform everyday tasks better, control cravings, eliminate hunger between meals and ultimately to increase your sense of well-being.
If you would like to know your Metabolic Type and a list of the foods you should be eating, visit www.myhealthybalance.com, pay for the online test and I will email you the link and then the results when I get them. You will receive a full listing of the foods you should and should not eat and foods that are neutral. If you have specific ailments, there is further intake information we can incorporate to get a more detailed list of foods.
“What should I eat to be healthy?” I really wish there was one simple answer, but just as we are all unique in our personalities, we are unique in the foods we need to consume. A Ferrari needs high octane fuel and a Honda needs low octane fuel – that’s just the way it is for them to perform optimally. So what fuel do you need to perform optimally? Perhaps the information below will help answer that for you.
Hippocrates 460-377 B.C. once said, "Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food"
Lucretius, the Roman Healer/Philosopher observed some 2000 years ago, "One Man's food is another man's poison".
Have you ever heard of an elephant hunting down a wildebeest and eating that for lunch, or heard of a lion eating leaves and grass? Of course not. Animals instinctively know what food source their bodies require and eat only that.
As humans we have this instinct as well, the only problem is, we ignore it. The signs and symptoms are all there but due to an overabundance of food at our disposal we choose to eat all that is available without consideration for the affects on our body.
Example 1: you eat some food for dinner and then get wicked heartburn or indigestion.
What is the typical response to this? Take a pill to fix the problem. This seems ridiculous to me.
Why not reflect on the fact that whatever it was you ate is not right for your body and thus causing this uncomfortable reaction? You system is literally trying to regurgitate what it considers to be toxic.
Example 2: you go out for lunch with some friends and 2 hours later you are dopey and desire an afternoon nap.
What is the typical response to this? You grab a coffee or something sweet for a pick-me-up. Now you are setting yourself up to crash again.
Why not reflect on what you ate for lunch and recognize that whatever you had is putting a strain on your digestion – which by the way, requires a lot of energy – and try to figure out the problem. If you had pasta for lunch, try protein next time and see the difference (or vice versa).
Example 3: your girlfriend goes on a diet and loses a ton of weight practically overnight. You give it a try and not only does it not work, but the pounds pile on instead.
What is the typical response to this? you beat yourself up and wonder “what’s wrong with me” and perhaps even go to the health food store looking for a pill to solve the problem
Why not reflect on the fact that your girlfriend is different from you. One size most definitely does not fit all. Think about the foods that make you feel full and satisfied for a long time. Trying eating only protein or only carbs at a meal and note the difference in how long you feel energized.
Keep a food diary – not just what you eat, but how you feel. Consider the following:
Mental Clarity: are you able to sit and read a book and absorb the information or is your mind wandering?
Appetite: are you hungry less than 2 hours after eating or are you satisfied for hours?
Cravings: are you desperately looking for chocolate, sweets or potato chips?
Emotions: are you feeling emotionally stable or are you ready to freak out if anyone so much as says “boo” to you?
Physical: are you feeling any pain, discomfort, allergic reaction, indigestion, headache, etc.?
Sleep: are you able to sleep through the night without waking? If you wake up for a “toilet run” or because of a sound, can you fall back to sleep easily?
Your Metabolic Type is unique and hereditary. Eating the right foods in the right combinations for your Metabolic Type will make you feel great and improve your vitality and general well being.
Metabolic Typing Diet has been around since the mid 1980's when researchers in the US discovered "biochemical individuality". They found that no two individuals are alike on a biochemical or physiological level. Cutting-edge research by Wolcott and Fahey (2000) shows that a 'Metabolic Typing Diet' will enable you to:
• naturally achieve and maintain your ideal weight
• enhance athletic performance
• enjoy sustained energy and endurance
• conquer indigestion, fatigue and allergies
• bolster your immune system
• prevent and reverse diseases
• slow down the aging process
• overcome mood swings and depression
• ultimately improve your whole lifestyle and gain vitality
Each individual has a specific dominant metabolic rate, which is determined via factors such as heredity and environment, (weather, stress, etc). These factors may change over time, but by 'listening' to your body, you can regain and maintain a sense of well being and vitality.
Understanding your MT will lead to increased physical energy enabling you to perform everyday tasks better, control cravings, eliminate hunger between meals and ultimately to increase your sense of well-being.
If you would like to know your Metabolic Type and a list of the foods you should be eating, visit www.myhealthybalance.com, pay for the online test and I will email you the link and then the results when I get them. You will receive a full listing of the foods you should and should not eat and foods that are neutral. If you have specific ailments, there is further intake information we can incorporate to get a more detailed list of foods.
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