Monthly Archives: March 2021

Support Your Immune System

One of the primary causes of dying of “old age” is illness. An ineffective immune system makes it much more likely that someone will die of pneumonia, Covid-19, or even cancer. Hippocrates, the father of western medicine, stated that all disease begin in the gut. It is not a wonder that most people who suffer from illness also have a history of unhealthy habits with their diet.

While this is more common in the elderly, even younger people can suffer from an immune system insufficiency especially with the increase of toxicity within our environment. Your immune system keeps you alive every day by fighting off disease-causing bacteria and viruses. It also kills cancer cells that form based on toxicity and genetic risk factors.

Use these strategies to support your immune system and optimize your chances for a long and healthy life:

1.Eat nutritious foods. Along with getting enough sleep, this is probably the most important tip on this list. Eating healthier is the most powerful way to be healthier. Energy In, Energy Out.

• Your body is constantly creating new cells that are part of the immune process. Providing those mechanisms with the right building blocks is one of the effective ways you can boost your immune system. You build the strength and energy by eating nutritious chemical free food such as fruits and veggies.

• If you’re not a fan of fruits and vegetables, make sure you take a multivitamin each day along with smoothies or fresh juices to get the ey nutrients necessary.

2.Exercise. A healthy body leads to a strong immune system. Scientists believe that a strong circulatory system can help to support your body’s immune response. This allows the body to rid the body of waste products via the lungs and blood stream.

• A healthy body weight, normal blood pressure, and overall cardiovascular health minimize the stress on the body which can reduce the likelihood of getting sick as your metabolism is working well.

3.Relax. Stress is hard on every part of your body, including your immune system. Chronic stress responses can provide an explosive amount of hormones in the body which can be hard not he body and is not sustainable over time. You’ve probably noticed that you’re more likely to get sick when you’re chronically stressed. Minimize the amount of stress you’re exposed to and find healthy ways of dealing with stress when it can’t be avoided by changing your mindset, journaling, or working with a healer or therapist.

4.Get plenty of Vitamin C. The biochemistry is complicated, but among other functions, vitamin C improves the structure of the skin to keep out pathogens. It also accumulates in immune cells and regenerates their oxidative ability which is one of the mechanisms used to kill pathogenic cells. This is not the only nutrient that is helpful minerals such as Zinc, Vitamin D3, and probiotics are also very helpful in supporting the immune system, especially when the body is deficient.

5.Fast. As we age, our stem cells tend to become dormant. Stem cells are the cells that produce cells. The stem cells that support the immune cells can be woken from dormancy by fasting.

• Some studies suggest that three days without food is enough to trigger this effect. Others are showing 4-5 days.
• Fasting stimulates the body to remove older, damaged cells and the stem cells to produce new cells, including those related to the immune system.
• There are also diets that successfully mimic fasting sufficiently to show the same results. Working with a Naturopath can help to review your lab to not only see if you are healthy enough to fast but also to see if you can fast in a healthy manner.

6.Avoid smoking. Smoking has several negative effects on the immune system. One of these is the effect of nicotine. Nicotine suppresses the immune system and suppresses the inflammatory response which is an important part of the immune response. Not to mention the over 400 chemicals and heavy metals involved in smoking.

7.Sleep. Not getting enough sleep is a great stressor on the body. The science is quite clear that 7-9 hours of sleep is optimal for the vast majority of adults. If you don’t have time for at least seven hours of sleep each night, it might be time to make some changes in your schedule of lifestyle. Also, if you are constantly waking up in the middle of the night or even not sleeping restfully waking up refreshed you could have a challenge with the neurohormonal system. It may be beneficial to have a Naturopath to help you assess your circadian rhythm.

You might not think about your immune system a lot, but it’s working hard for you every day. You’re exposed to roughly 60,000 types of germs each day. That’s types, not the total amount. Even in a clean setting, your body is exposed to millions of pathogens each day. It is important to understand the body gets healthier with exposures. Being afraid of germs or trying to over clean yourself or your environment can have the opposite effect on the health of the person. The body needs microbes to build strength, and while there may be viruses and bacteria that are harmful it is more important to build the health of the body rather than being afraid of exposures. That is after all the only thing you can truly control and be proactive.

Giving your immune system some consideration can do wonders for your health and longevity. If you have a compromised immune system, heal slowly, or need support please reach out to our office to schedule a consultation.

You have worked out, you have exercised, you have disciplined and now are stuck. 10 more pounds. Stubborn. Or you are 10,20, 30 + pounds over weight. Rather than trying to lose a large amount of weight, you’ll have better results if you attack your weight challenge 10 pounds at a time. This is a manageable and believable goal, and you’ll only need to make a couple of small changes to achieve it. Taking these in chunks also keeps you motivated, helping you to feel inspired through the process.

Once you conquer the first ten pounds then you can set another goal to lose another 10 pounds. The key is to just keep going until you’ve reached your weight loss goal.

Do the minimal amount to lose 10 pounds in a reasonable amount of time.Let is be easy. Let it inspire you. Let it feel good. It doesn’t have to be hard. That is why diets don’t work. They are hard. They are difficult. They are exhausting. We want this to be a lifestyle. We want this to be easy, and we want this to fit into your life. The fewer changes you make, the easier the changes will be to maintain. The fewer changes you make, the more changes you can make in the future. If you use every trick and tactic right out of the gate, you’ll run out of tools to use in the future, so it is best to take it at a slow and satisfying pace.

Lose 10 pounds with the minimal amount of stress and effort:

1.Drink fewer calories. If you drink calorie-containing drinks, it’s easy to consume a lot of calories without your awareness. It may be tempting to drink a mocha, cafe high sugar drink to get you going but these can pack on the pounds and leave you feeling burnt out and exhausted by lunch time. Try switching to water with vitamins in them to save yourself several hundred calories each day. You can flavor it with fresh fruit as well, yet adding liquid nutrients to your water can allow for added nutrition and hydration. A win, win!

2.Walk. Hitting the gym could be even better but be certain you’re walking each day. We’re meant to move around more than most of us do. If you have foot or leg problems, swimming is an excellent alternative. Wearing a Fitbit or apple watch can be motivating as you close rings, or see the number of steps increase. Challenging yourself to walk a certain number of daily steps or even a friendly competition with friends and family can keep the game fun and light while you get healthy.

3.Eat slower. You’re much less likely to overeat if you eat slower. Pay attention to the food in your mouth and chew thoroughly. Avoid watching TV or playing on your phone while you eat. Give your meal your undivided attention, eat slowly, and you’ll eat less. This is the practice of mindful eating Mindful eating can prevent overeating as you are becoming fully aware of what and how much you are eating. Asking yourself questions like what organ am I gong to eat with this meal or how am I going to heal by eating this can also be of good health.

4.Reduce your intake of processed carbs. These are also loaded with calories and are unhealthy food choices. These include things like cookies, crackers, bread, and pasta. Not only are these bread, pasta, and rice choices unhealthy (due to glucose spikes) they can also leave you feel unnourished and can be highly addictive. Try eating protein instead of reaching for the simple carbohydrate.

5.Stop eating after dinner. After two or three meals, your body has had enough. Eating after dinner is unnecessary and can cause a host of problems. Eating a lot and then going to bed isn’t optimal for your weight or your health. If you do choose to have dessert make it a simple bowl of cherries or an orange. Even though a shot of glucose may not be ideal it is much healthier than a bowl of ice cream or sugary dessert.

6.Sleep more. Studies show that tired people are attracted to fattening foods more than the well-rested. A lack of sleep also contributes to metabolic issues that make it harder to maintain a healthy weight. When you are fatigued, worn out, and exhausted the body is depleted. Making sure that you get your rest and don’t burn the candle at both ends is helpful to rejuvenate your health.

7.Eat at home. Eating out and being healthy is challenging. You can save a lot of calories and money by staying home for your meals. Most restaurants are in the business to sell food, and therefore will use fat, sodium, or sugar to sell their food. This doesn’t make them wrong or bad it just simply means this is an excellent cheat meal once a week. Having more controls over our food and knowing how your food is prepared can go a long way in ensuring proper caloric intake.

8.Weigh yourself daily. When you measure something, the thing you measure changes. Weigh yourself each day and average your weight at the end of each week. You might find this is enough to move your weight in a positive direction. This can be tricky as some people can be obsessed or even frustrated if the scale does not move. You may have gains in other areas such as the way your clothes fit, how your body feels, or waist measurements. If the scale does not move do not discourage simply use another method or drop back to weekly or even monthly measurements.

9.Eat more vegetables. With few exceptions, vegetables are low in calories and high in bulk. You’ll feel full without expanding your waistline. Follow your mom’s advice and eat more vegetables. Veggies are low in calories and are complex carbs as well as fiber which will allow for the bowels to move better as well as keep weight down. Work on adding carbs that are low glycemic such as your greens t help not only keep your weight down but detoxify your blood.

10.Skip breakfast. For ages, we’ve been told to eat three meals a day. However, newer research suggests that skipping breakfast or dinner is a healthier way to live. Avoid skipping lunch. This idea works best if you skip dinner, but most people find it easier socially and psychologically to skip breakfast. Ensure that you get all of your daily calories, increase protein, and reduce fats to make sure that you are eating a balanced diet.

Losing 10 pounds is a lot easier physically and mentally than losing 60 lbs. Set a series of 10-pound weight-loss goals until your target weight is reached. A few small changes can be enough to see real results by keeping you motivated and energized.

Just add a few of these tips to your life until you’re losing 1-2 pounds each week. Avoid the temptation to try to lose 25 pounds each month. Two pounds/week is 100 pounds/year. How much did you lose last year with your current strategy? And if you are already down and still have a stubborn bulk consider a body contouring package or a metabolic assessment within our practice to see where you can fine tune and trim down.

For your best results, take your time and make permanent changes to your habits. Remember this is a lifestyle and not a diet. Contact our holistic medical practitioner if you need further help.

If you’ve tried to lose weight and failed, you’re probably thinking that it’s a mighty difficult task to accomplish. Do you feel like you’ve tried every diet out there and nothing works? Or have you dieted and still was left feeling sicker, with more weight gain. Well, help is on the way. Here you will learn how to start a diet plan.

Don’t give up! Achieving your weight loss goals might be easier than you think, and working with a professional can not only demystify the weight loss journey but also measure your progress which can keep you motivated as see the scale drop.

Small Changes = Big Results

As you’ve no doubt noticed, weight loss isn’t a quick fix. You can’t go on a two-week diet, lose the weight, and then think that the weight will stay off for good. Even if you’re really good about following a diet at first, you’ll more than likely gain the weight back. This has to be a lifestyle of eating healthy and not a quick fix. This is why fad diets do not work, because they are more focused on quick fixes that are not sustainable for long term which leads to further frustration.

Why?

It’s because a two-week diet does nothing to alter your lifestyle. The best results come from changes that you incorporate into your daily life, and many of these changes aren’t drastically different from what you do now. This way it fits into your life with ease, which will make it more sustainable over the long term.

You can even continue to enjoy the foods you love as long as you do so with a wise plan! I always recommend one cheat meal per week.

If you make a series of small changes, one at a time, you’ll give yourself a chance to get used to them which will make it less overwhelming, more attainable, and slowly making shifts. It won’t seem like such a shock to your system when you introduce the changes gradually. Sooner than you think, you’ll lose the weight and gain the healthy body and lifestyle that you desire you just have to be consistent, as well as focused.

Here are some weight loss tips to implement into your new lifestyle:

1.) Increase protein. Eating enough protein can keep the blood sugar stable, lower cravings, and keep the unhealthy calories from fat down. Add a protein shake as a snack or a simple protein snack in between meals can help keep the calorie count down and the blood sugar balanced.

2.) Cut out soda. Soda is a big offender when it comes to empty calories. The best thing you can do for your body is to replace the soda you’re drinking with water. Water is critical to your good health. Shoot for drinking half of your bodyweight in ounces of water. It also helps fill you up and has zero calories, no matter how much you drink!

• If you’re having trouble kicking the soda habit, try alternating soda water each time you go to get a drink. This will gradually get you used to less soda and increase your water intake. This was very helpful in making the shift from soda to water, because of the fizz.

3.) Start walking. If a regular exercise routine is difficult for you, strive to walk more often. Walking doesn’t feel so much like true exercise, but it is and you’ll be rewarded for it. Some simple tips to add extra walking into your day include:

• Park farther from the store so you have to walk a little distance.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Go for an enjoyable walk with your neighbor. You can visit, catch up, and exercise all at the same time! This is a great way to exercise and multi task
• If you do not have anyone to walk with throw on an audiobook and enjoy learning more about a specific subject this can make you more motivated to walk if you have something to look forward.

4.) Watch your portion sizes. Portion sizes just keep getting larger and larger. You may not even realize that you’re consuming a portion that’s much too large for you. Look up what a healthy portion size really is for the meal you’ve chosen. You might be surprised at the results!

• Start your meals with a full glass of water.
• Combat oversized portions by using smaller plates.
• Half your plate should be vegetables, a quarter should be protein, and the other quarter should be carbohydrates. Eyeball these portions and if you eat out take half of the meal to go for a later meal
• Give yourself the correct amount of food and then refrain from seconds. This may mean measuring your food, or proportioning your food to understand portion sizes.

5.) Have desserts sparingly. Save desserts for special occasions or times when you deserve a nice treat. Avoid eating them every day, or you’ll be adding massive amounts of calories to your daily intake.

• It’s a good idea to plan ahead for occasional desserts and only buy them for those certain meals. That way, they aren’t there tempting you the rest of the time. Try not to keep them around the house accessible and when you do indulge eat it at that time and let the rest go.

• Have plenty of healthy snacks available to curb hunger or cravings in between meals specifically protein snacks.

You can easily turn these tips into healthy habits by incorporating them into your lifestyle one at a time. Get used to one tip before you add another one. This should be an easy and effortless process, and not a difficult one. The more difficult you make it for yourself the less likely you will want to continue. Most of them involve only small changes. However, these small changes will enable you to achieve how to start a diet plan! If you are looking for more practical tips and tricks subscribe to our YouTube channel for more nutrition and health tips.