Tag Archives: cortisol

Naturopathic Weight Loss Tips

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Everyone who has been trying to loose weight will try all sorts of different things that will help loose weight and hopefully fast, without much effort. But in truth it is important to loose weight gradually and hopefully keep it off.  Many restrictive diets will cause quick weight loss but in order to loose weight and keep it off, you need to first establish a lifestyle and diet that is feasible for a long time to come without skimping on healthy nutritious foods. Of course quantity is important and eating too much or too little will effect your metabolism as well. Here is a compilation of simple naturopathic weight loss tips from me to you:

1.  Establish regular meal times.  Try not to skip any meals because skipping meals leads to overeating later in the day.  If you don’t have time for a full meal, try to eat a healthy snack or meal replacement bar instead. When you skip a meal, your blood sugar drops and your stress hormone cortisol increase as result to increase the amount of blood sugar in the body, which in turn will also effect your lipid levels in the blood.  Its important to establish regular meal times and eat often.

2.  Make small substitutions in your diet to cut calories. Calories add up quickly especially when you are trying to be mindful about eating healthy. Whenever possible go for foods that are alternate to high calorie foods such as water, diet soda, or unsweetened iced tea instead of high-calorie drinks.  Choose low-calorie and low-fat versions of salad dressing, cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise.  Go easy on fried foods – bake, broil, poach, or grill your food instead. Instead of sugar, try stevia instead which is a plant sweetener with minimal calories and best of all its guilt free!!!

3.  Read food labels when you are purchasing food items.  Did you know that most of us are not aware of how much a portion size amounts to?  Take a bowl of cereal for example. Most of us who are trying to be vigilant with the amount of empty calories we consume in a day would not think that a bowl of healthy cereal is too much right? Wrong. If you read the labels of the foods you purchase, you will be shocked to realize that what we consider a portion size is very different from what the manufacturer thinks mount to a serving size. Hence pay very close attention to the portion size, the number of calories in each portion, and the amount of saturated fat in each portion.  This can help you make the healthiest food choices.

4.  Measure your servings to control the amount.  Usually when you are you hungry, you will fill up your plate to the nines and chomp as quickly as you can, without realizing you will have probably consumed way more calories than required for a sitting. What does your body do with the extra calories?  It usually uses some for energy, but the rest its stores away. So rather than eating with your eyes, pre-portion your servings so you are not overeating and skip the seconds. So when you feel like snacking on something such as chips or ice- cream, only take a handful or 1/2 a cup of chips and a scoop of ice cream instead of grabbing the whole bag or tub.

5.  Identify “guilty pleasures” such as ice cream, cookies, or potato chips.  Continue to enjoy them by trying the low-calorie versions or eating less of the regular versions. Guilty pleasures usually come in to play when you are feeling down and upset, right?  We tend to go for all those yummy tasty treats that makes us feel so much better for a few minutes but only take a few hours of intense activity to burn off. So whenever you are feeling down and emotionally upset or charged, instead of grabbing that bag of cookies, pick up your sneakers and a water bottle and go for a jog instead and burn out that frustration instead. If you really feel like munching on something – try carrot sticks or celery sticks instead of carbohydrate rich foods. Try to pre plan what you are going to be eating as opposed to eating on the go and then just grabbing something on the way – such as fast food. This will save you time and money and unwanted calories!

6. Controlling calories when dining out.  This is a common question for many patients who feel that once they are put on a mindful diet, they cannot eat out and enjoy the social aspects of eating out and enjoying food. So here are a few tips: If you are eating at a fast food restaurant, order kid size meals or “downsize” food and drinks instead of “super-sizing” them.  Check the nutrition portion of the food and make sure its a healthy option, healthy options are both tasty and nutritious, and of course guilt free. If you are eating with a friend or two, share the appetizers and meals, so you can enjoy more variety as well. If you order a salad, ask for the dressing on the side as opposed to on the salad, and pick low fat dressings. Try to make simple substitutions to your meals, and without realizing it, you will be down a dress size in no time and have lost some weight without even trying.

7. Avoid places and situations that trigger eating. If certain routes and neighborhoods trigger certain behaviors that are not healthy for you, then you are best avoiding them,  for example, if walking past the donut shop causes donut cravings, try changing your route.  Replace the candy on your desk with fruit or avoid walking near the office candy bowl.  Avoid eating while watching television, reading, or driving.  Quite often a lot of things we do are done even without thinking and this is the case when it comes to putting food in the mouth / snacking  when you are busy concentrating on other things, and before you know it, you have consumed more than you should have, so try to concentrate on one thing at a time, without mindless eating.

By: Sushma Shah, Toronto Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.

Natural Pain Relief Treatments For Arthritis – Rheumatoid And Osteoarthritis

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As the weather changes, people suffering from inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis tend to experience more pain and sometimes more swelling in their joints as well. The morning stiffness tends to get a little worse as well. Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are classified as “ Bi syndromes” and tend to be effected by weather elements – particularly cold and humid temperatures. Here are a few naturopathic treatments you can try at home for arthritis that might provide some relief to your joints and bones.

1. To do have a diet that is free of the night shade family vegetables – this includes egg plants, peppers, tomatoes and potatoes. These vegetables tend to worsen inflammation, particularly in people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. A complete avoidance for a while would be ideal. Inflammation in the body can be measured by testing various indices such as CRP, ESR and CORTISOL through your naturopathic clinic.

2. Try to maintain a diet that is gluten free and dairy free. This may help in reducing the pain and inflammation in the joints. An overload of different foods in the body, particularly allergens such as wheat and dairy can exacerbate symptoms of arthritis. Inflammation could be effected by food allergies and intolerances you have but are not aware of. You can test these using food allergy/ intolerance blood tests.

3. Mild exercise and stretching in rooms that are a little warmer and more humid may provide relief as loosening up stiff joints. The warmth will loosen and relax muscles, which in turn will release some joint tension. One of the reason why people tend to wake up stiff is because of lack of proper circulation in the body, leaving hands and legs quite stiff on waking. Improving circulation is a great way to reduce stiffness and joint pain. Mobility is great for improving circulation as is massage and acupuncture.

4. Massaging joints with warming oils – such as mustard, castor oil, peanut (if tolerated), rosemary and thyme may also be beneficial in improving circulation and reducing pain related to osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. If you are suffering from osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, talk to your naturopathic doctor and see what the best natural treatment option for you would be to be pain free.

By: Sushma Shah, Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.

Undiagnosed Hypothyroid Problems

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Have you been experiencing any of the following symptoms?

  • Slow pulse
  • Lethargy
  • Hoarse voice
  • Slowed speech
  • Puffy face
  • Drooping eyelids
  • Loss of eyebrows from the side
  • Intolerance to cold
  • Weight gain
  • Constipation
  • Dry, scaly, thick, coarse hair
  • Raised, thickened skin over the shins
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Confusion
  • Depression
  • Dementia
  • Headaches
  • Menstrual cramps or other menstrual disorders

In children:

  • Growth retardation
  • Delayed teething
  • Mental deficiency

Have you been to you regular doctor and had your thyroid tested but all the results were normal? If you answered yes to this question, then you are likely suffering from a subclinical hypothyroidism, which is quite often undiagnosed through the regular medical testing that your doctor may provide. So what to do now? Well, there are various tests that you can ask your naturopathic physician for  that may be able to detect this subclinical hypothyroid state. Subclinical hypothyroid states might also be caused on by an imbalance in other hormones such as your female hormone – estrogen or your stress hormone – cortisol, making diagnosis of functional hypothyroidism even more difficult. Women tend to gain weight when they enter perimenopause or menopause, which could be attributed to a change in various hormones, including a decrease in your metabolic rate.

The thyroid gland is responsible for maintaining and regulating the metabolic rate, hence indirectly, entering menopause or perimenopause may cause a functional hypothyroid state, which may not be detected through the regular medical laboratory tests. Talk to your naturopath to check for something called Reverse T3 – a hormone that may be imbalanced when you have functional hypothyroidism. Once your naturopath has diagnosed and done the proper assessments, and testing, they will usually help you balance your endocrine system naturally, which includes balancing your overall hormonal status including your thyroid.

By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.