Tag Archives: diet

Healthy Dietary Changes For Your Health

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Its easy to make small simple changes to your diet that will keep your heart and weight in a healthy range. Here are some of the recommended changes:

Decrease                                                    Increase
Calories                                             Fresh vegetables
Fats                                                     Fresh fruits
Saturated fats                                       Sprouts
Cholesterol                                          Drinking water
Red meats                                            Exercise
Dairy foods                                             Love
Refined sugar                           Complex carbohydrates
Refined flour                                            Fiber
Salt                                                      Whole grains
Processed foods                                     Legumes
Soda pop                                               Vegetable oils
Ice cream

Here is a list of foods classified in terms of their quality:

Unhealthy

Healthier

Ideal
Sodas Fruit juice Water, mineral water
Refined sugar Honey, raw sugar Small amounts of honey, molasses, date sugar
Saturated fat Unsaturated fat Low-fat diet
Refined oils Vegetables oils Cold-pressed olive oil
Shortening and margarine Butter or chemical-free margarine Other cold-pressed vegetable oils, such as flaxseed, canola, or sunflower
Refined flour Whole grain flour Home-ground flour
Refined grains Whole grains Organic whole grains
Processed foods Naturally prepared foods Whole foods
Additives and preservatives Natural foods Whole foods
Enriched or fortified product Natural nutrients Whole foods

Adapted from  “Staying healthy with nutrition”

For information on what protein supplements are right for your body , click here.

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

Is Arthritis Effected By Foods I Consume?

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Arthritis is a condition which affects joints and bones, depending on the type other areas may be affected and quite often deformed by it. The – itis stands for inflammation in the area. There are various types of arthritis. The most common forms are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is one that affects your joints, can cause deformities of the joints and is significantly affected by the type of diet an individual has.

The vegetables in the night shade family particularly has a significant effect on the swelling and tenderness of the joints. The night shade family vegetables include tomatoes, potatoes, green peppers and eggplants. If you do suffer from arthritic type symptoms, and do have family members who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, you may experience some relief by avoiding the night shade family vegetables from your diet for a while. Another factor that may affect the amount of inflammation is how acidic your diet is. The more processed and meaty your diet is, the more acidic the body becomes, which can also impact how much inflammation your body produces.

A diet that is high in green leafy vegetables, good quality fruits and grains will quite often help reduce the inflammation in the body. In practice, I have quite often found food intolerances and mild allergies can also cause quite a bit of inflammation in the body due to histamine release in the blood stream. If you suffer from any type of arthritis, take a look at the following factors:

1. Diet – how is your diet – a weekly diet diary of what you ate and how your joints felt will help you narrow down possible triggers in food.

2. Stress – how stressful is your life and what relaxation techniques are your using to help deal with day to day life and other stressors. REMEMBER – stress is not only work and family related, stress is anything that puts your body out of its normal state of being – this could include mental, emotional, psychological, physiological, environmental and dietary factors.

If you are having difficulty identifying what might be making your symptoms worse, talk to your naturopathic physician or your doctor about possibly looking into other causes that might be affecting you.

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

Cellulite Melt Down

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Melting Away Cellulite Naturally

Orange peel syndrome, cottage cheese skin the mattress phenomenon, hail damage … WHAT IS A WOMEN SUPPOSED TO DO!

Cellulite is the unsightly dimpling, padded or “orange peel” appearance of the skin that appears after puberty in women and is probably one of the most aesthetically troubling concerns of women, more than wrinkles and aging skin. Majority of the cellulite is fat that has deposited in the cells of the stomach, arms, thighs and the buttocks region.

Cellulite is not related to being overweight; average and underweight people also get cellulite too!

CAUSES

Cellulite formation occurs due to a number of causes:

Diet and lifestyle being high on the list. Various changes in metabolism and physiology may cause cellulite or contribute to cellulite. Among these are a disorder of water metabolism, blood circulation issues and deposition in fat due to abnormal hyperpolymerization of the connective tissue.

Hormonal Factors

Hormones play a dominant role in the formation of cellulite. Estrogen is the most important hormone. Practically all females past the age of 20 display some degree of cellulite, some may have it earlier too. It is seen in males with androgen-deficient states – this means that cellulite formation appears to have a hormonal component to its presentation. Other hormones including insulin, the catecholamines adrenaline and noradrenaline, thyroid hormones, and prolactin have all been shown to participate in the development of cellulite.

Predisposing factors

Several genetic factors have been shown to be necessary for cellulite to develop. Gender, race, biotype, a hormone receptor allele that determines the receptor number and sensitivity, distribution of subcutaneous fat, and predisposition to circulatory insufficiency have all been shown to contribute to cellulite.

Diet

Diet has been shown to affect the development and amount of cellulite. Excessive amounts of fat, carbohydrates, salt, alcohol or too little fiber can all contribute to an increased cellulite.

Lifestyle

Smoking, lack of exercise, tight clothes, high heeled shoes, and sitting or standing in a single position of long periods have all been correlated with an increase in cellulite. A high stress lifestyle will cause an increase in the catecholamine hormones.

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO TO GET RID OF CELLULITE?

At our naturopathic clinic, I have found that acupuncture and massage with certain oils to have been extremely effective in smoothing out cellulite and the results can be seen right after the first visit!!

Of course, diet and lifestyle changes are extremely important in keeping cellulite away, so people don’t despair … there is hope!

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

Why Is Our Weight Loss Program So Different

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The majority of the weight loss programs are based on generic weight loss pills, crazy crash diets and exercise, however, what if you have tried all that and still not lost the weight… this is where we can help you as we provide holistic healing that combines the mental, emotional and physical aspect of you as an individual.

Why is our Toronto Weight Loss Program so different? Firstly you would have to come in for an initial assessment which includes a blood and urine test, and our naturopath may also recommend additional tests such as thyroid tests, adrenal function tests for stress, hormone tests, and food intolerance tests, among others depending on your specific reasons for being unable to loose weight or maintain the weight loss.

We will then provide a full physical exam as well. Our naturopath’s holistic treatments will be based on your comprehensive intake, tests and various forms, and our treatment plans are not a life long commitment, after the initial assessment and physical, we will provide your treatment plan based on natural therapies – such as nutrition, diet and lifestyle changes and specific natural supplements that address your situation.

Unlike weight loss clinics which tend to provide generic pills and diets for everyone, our naturopathic treatment is based on your symptoms and your health, once you have achieved your ideal weight, you will be able to maintain it without the need to pills etc. as you will be working with a healthy lifestyle change that is individualized to you.

I do not encourage starving crash diets, as they only make things worse, especially if your weight gain come after a stressful situation so the last thing you need to do is stress your body again with crazy diets.

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