Healthy Living
Healthy Living
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Is Organic Really Healthy?
We think of organic food as healthy, but is organic really healthy? It offers certain advantages for sure, but if we believe it to be universally “healthy”, we’re being a bit naive. Much of food labeled “organic” is still processed food, so here are several reasons why organic foods may not necessarily be a guaranteed healthy choice. First of all, what’s the definition of organic? Organic refers to the way agricultural products are grown and processed. It usually means the food or the ingredients in the food have been grown without synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge (yes really! gross, but true!!), genetically modified organisms (GMOs), or ionizing radiation. In…
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Cruciferous Vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables give you a ton of health benefits! Encompassing a broad variety of nutritious foods, the cruciferous family is recognized for its exceptional dietary and therapeutic qualities. You may be wondering which veggies are cruciferous. They include broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, radish, rutabaga, turnip, arugula, bok choy, collard greens, watercress, mustard greens, and kohlrabi, to name just a few. Power Packed, They Have Tons of Benefits! These power-packed vegetables are rich in essential nutrients and provide a wide range of vitamins, such as Vitamin A, C, E, and K, and minerals like calcium, iron, selenium, and zinc. They are also excellent sources of dietary fiber, which aids…
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Adopting a Healthier Diet
Embracing Persistence: Overcoming Challenges in Adopting a Healthier Diet Embarking upon a journey to adopting a healthier diet is a commendable decision as it promises long-term benefits for your overall well-being. However, your transformation will not be without its challenges. It requires persistence—a steadfast commitment to making positive dietary changes despite the hurdles that may arise along the way. In this article, I want to share with you the importance of persistence in changing to a healthier diet and to shed some light on common obstacles you may face on your journey. Understanding the Significance of Persistence When it comes to adopting a healthier diet, persistence will serve as the…
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Eating Out Of Boredom
Have you ever gotten mid-way through a snack, only to realize you’re not actually hungry – just bored? Scientists have explored the concept of boredom eating for some time, suggesting it could stem from a range of factors, including the sense of pleasure we get when we eat. But, how do you stop eating out of boredom? When we’re bored, we may eat out of habit or in an effort to fill an emptiness we feel inside. It’s pretty common for most of us to reach for food when you don’t have anything else to do. While eating out of boredom from time to time isn’t necessarily something to worry…
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Substitutes For Gluten
What are good substitutes for gluten and why are they important? If you enjoy baked goods – bread with a crispy crust and a pulley chewy center; cookies that are short and cakes that are moist, you no doubt enjoy eating gluten whether you know it or not. Gluten is an ingredient you’ll find in a huge range of common foods around the world. It’s packed into your cookies and cakes, as well as various breads, soups, pastas, and more. While it’s delicious, it’s been shown to have health implications, both mental and physical for many of us. Not everyone responds well to gluten. In recent years, there’s been a…
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Healthy Eating and Getting Your Energy Back
Two of the most important improvements you can make in your life are healthy eating and getting your energy back. Let’s discuss each topic and what to do about them. Finding the Motivation to Eat Healthier Healthy eating is often made to be much more complicated than necessary. There is so much conflicting evidence about what a “healthy diet” even consists of, let alone finding the motivation to follow through with it. Here are some easy ways to eat a healthier diet without the unnecessary struggle. Take Weight Loss and Aesthetic Goals Out of it While your long-term goal might be to eat healthier in order to shed a…
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Chronic Stress Ages Your Bones and What You Can Do About It
When you think of the most common problems faced by people as they age in terms of health, you might bring up the fact that they often have weak or brittle bones. This is true, but this isn’t a problem exclusive to older people. In fact, stress ages your bones, giving you some of the same problems that might be experienced by senior citizens, and does irreversible damage to many of your bones and joints. The main culprit here is cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that gets released when you’re stressed. It’s meant to help you in the event of a short-term stressful situation, and it can do that. However,…
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Diagnosing Diabetes
If you suspect you may be developing issues with high blood sugar or if you are at risk for developing it because of your family history, diagnosing diabetes is a subject with which you want to be familiar. The most commonly used tool to diagnose diabetes is the glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test. Your doctor uses this blood test to determine what your average blood sugar level has been for the past two or three months. Your blood sugar can spike from time to time, so getting an average over a few months is a preferred reading. I have a friend who ate a chocolate bar before going for his yearly…
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Fats are Good for You
Not all fats are bad. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, the sugar industry and the big food manufacturers began telling us eating fat was bad. They avoided mentioning the fact that your body must have certain fats for you to survive. Essential fatty acids are one example of fats you need to be healthy, and you need to consume healthy fats to keep your brain healthy. In fact, your brain is actually more than 60% fat. Let’s talk about which fats are good for you. “Big Sugar” spent a lot of money telling us fat was bad for you and sugar was part of a healthy diet. Look…
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You Have Prediabetes – How Terrified Are You?
You’ve just been told by your doctor you have prediabetes. You’ve left his office armed with all the tools traditional medicine has to offer you. You have your test kit with your lancets so you can prick your finger twice a day and draw blood, your glucose meter and very likely a prescription for a drug like Metformin. Maybe this diagnosis explains why you’re fatigued all the time or why you’re suddenly drinking so much water or even why that cut on your foot just won’t heal. It could explain a host of other symptoms too like your blurry vision. You get home and get on the innerwebs to find…
