elisha, Author at Plattsville Natural Health Clinic

Sauce-less/Salt and Pepper Chicken Recipe

September 1, 2015 by elisha

Having completed the elimination diet previously and restricted my diet from certain substances for my own health concerns, I found it challenging to find any sauces that fit my needs. I have also found that many of the sauces contain excess sugar and added preservatives, making them less than ideal for a healthy diet. Finally, my husband did something so simple to our chicken that we now use all the time! Simple, easy and delicious! Rather than using a sauce, we do more of a rub for the chicken that works out great! The ingredients below are rough estimates as it depends on your preference, health concerns and dietary restrictions. Most of the ingredients we do to taste.

Ingredients

Chicken (thighs, drum sticks, or breasts)
Approximately 1 cup of olive oil
Approximately 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
Approximately 1 – 2 teaspoons of salt
Approximately 1 – 2 teaspoons of pepper

Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix together olive oil and garlic powder in bowl.
Coat both sides of the chicken with the olive oil mixture.
Sprinkle the salt and pepper over all of the pieces of chicken.
Place chicken on a baking pan with parchment paper or on a non – stick sheet.
Place chicken in oven for 1 hour, then remove, let cool, and serve.

Like I said, simple but so good and void of excess sugar and “contaminants” to your diet!

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact Elisha Cook via the contact portion of this website.

Tips for Effective and Safe Strength Training

August 25, 2015 by elisha

How you approach strength training or exercise of any form can greatly impact the results you achieve and your safety while performing them. Here are some tips and strategies on how to avoid injury and get optimal results while exercising:

Always warm up and cool down properly. Examples of warming up and cooling down include cardiovascular training for 10 minutes prior, and stretching following exercise.
Use proper form to avoid injuries and maximize gains. If you are not using the proper technique, all of your hard work will be for nought! You can learn good form through a class or one-on-one sessions with a certified exercise professional.
Breathe out when you are lifting or pushing; breathe in as you slowly release the load or weight. Never hold your breath while straining. This action, called the Valsalva maneuver, can temporarily raise your blood pressure and can be risky for people with heart disease. It also puts more stress on the pelvic floor muscles, and can lead to some unfortunate conditions including hernias and organ prolapse.
Don’t lock your joints; always leave a slight bend in your knees and elbows when straightening out your legs and arms.
Don’t be so eager to see results that you risk hurting yourself by exercising too long or choosing too much weight. And remember that it’s important to rest muscles for at least 48 hours between strength training sessions. It might be useful for novice strength trainers to start with a shorter strength training session, and gradually work their way up to longer sessions. This might also include starting with one strength training session per week and gradually working up to 2-3 times per week.
If you’ve been sick, give yourself one or two days off after recovering. If you were ill for a while, you may need to use lighter weights or less resistance when you first resume exercising.
Strength training exercises should not cause pain while you are doing them. If an exercise or movement causes significant pain, stop doing it! When performing an exercise, stick with a range of motion that feels comfortable. Over time, try to gradually extend that range. This being said, if you have experienced a specific injury in the past, it is important to consult a health care provider such as a Naturopathic Doctor so that they can help you modify exercises to fit your body’s needs and strengthen necessary muscle groups.
Listen to your body and cut back if you aren’t able to finish a series of exercises or an exercise session, can’t talk while exercising, feel faint after a session, feel tired during the day, or suffer joint aches and pains after a session.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Source: Harvard Medical School

Power Food: Tomatoes

August 18, 2015 by elisha

Tomatoes are in season, and more than that, they pack a nutritional punch! Many studies have looked at the health benefits of tomatoes, and shown that they can benefit many systems of the body. The main nutritional benefits stem from their vitamin and mineral content including, lycopene, vitamin E, vitamin C (40% of daily value), folate, beta carotene, potassium (8% of daily value), vitamin k, iron (7% of recommended daily value), vitamin A (15% of daily value)and flavonoids. These nutrients found in tomatoes and tomatoes themselves have been shown to decrease inflammation and are have a significant amount of antioxidants. The health promoting effects of tomatoes are vast and include:

Decreases LDL (bad cholesterol)
Decreases homocysteine (marker of risk of cardiovascular event)
Decreases platelet aggregation
Decreases blood pressure
Increases antioxidants
Aids with detoxification
Increases skin cell replacement
Regulates blood sugar

It is also ironic that tomatoes have a similar shape and appearance to a heart, because tomatoes are cardio-protective (protect your heart). Tomatoes can also decrease the risk of harm to other organ systems such as those listed below. Decreases risk of:

Osteoporosis
Cancer
- Cervical
- Lung
- Prostate
- Breast
- Stomach
- Colorectal
- Esophageal
- Pancreatic
- Oral
Cardiovascular disease
Cell damage
Ultraviolet skin damage
Cognitive decline

Because of all of the beneficial properties of tomatoes, they may show benefit for the following conditions or states:

Atherosclerosis
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Cancer
Increased homocysteine levels
Detoxification
Osteoporosis
Dialysis
- Increases energy and helps with rejuvenating the health of patients on dialysis
Post – workout
Sunburns
Migraines
Immune system insufficiency
Acidosis
Lead toxicity
Can help older people stay active for longer
Macular degeneration

Special considerations about tomatoes involve how they are processed. When tomatoes are cooked, it increases the bioavailability of the antioxidants. In other words, cooking tomatoes increases the nutritional impact. In addition, when tomatoes are consume with olive oil, it helps to increase the absorption lycopene.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Sources:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10408690390826437#.VdNASMvbLmI

http://www.phytojournal.com/vol1Issue1/Issue_may_2012/3.pdf

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf0115589

Identity Crisis in Health

August 11, 2015 by elisha

Many do not realize the large impact that one’s mental health has on their physical well – being. I begin this blog by saying this, because it is so important that we understand how impactful our mental health is on our overall health. If you believe you will not get any better, chances are you will not. However, if you believe that you will get better, and hope for that, chances are you will get better or feel better overall.

Though this does not apply for all cases, many a time I have seen what I call an “Identity Crisis” in health, which has a negative impact on one’s healing. Generally an identity crisis would consist of an individual not knowing who their true self is. What I define as an Identity Crisis in Health is where one identifies with their disease, and not their true self. So, for example, someone may say and identify with “I have Arthritis” as opposed to “I am Jane”. This may sound very strange, and you may be saying, “even if I had arthritis I would say my name is Jane, so what are you talking about?”

In some cases, individuals may get burdened with a condition or ailment that they suffer from. This can lead to depression and entering into a state of acceptance of this condition and one’s current quality of life. This state is often accompanied by thoughts of “I will never get better” and “there is no hope for me”. This can result in an Identity Crisis, where one begins to identify with that condition and accept the terms of that conditions. This can be problematic for some as it begins to alter how they live their lives and change how they relate to others. One may not want to do activities that they used to enjoy, without even trying, simply because they have a condition. The identity crisis can also impact how you feel about yourself and what you may say towards yourself (For more information regarding self-talk, please see my previous blog Positive Self-Talk, which explains how self-talk can impact you).

Though this state may seem harmless, it can impact an individual’s road to recovery. For some, it is hard to think of yourself as anyone but an individual with arthritis for example. It may be hard to imagine life as an individual outside of this condition. As a result, successful recovery may only come from an appropriate treatment plan in addition to changing your thought process. I often encourage individuals to believe that they have control and they can have a choice as to what they think. It takes a lot of effort and it is not easy, but it is possible with time and self – discipline. Focusing on the solution, where you will end up, and the state you hope to be in, may be more beneficial then continuing to think in previous ways that you have. And so, I challenge you to be the optimist and believe in recovery and hope for it. Challenge the thought that “you will never get better”, and start thinking “I can defeat this”. Do not let your condition define who you are and rob you of your true self.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.