Information/Research Archives - Page 16 of 16 - Plattsville Natural Health Clinic

Healthy Shopping

December 2, 2014August 19, 2014 by elisha

Making healthy grocery shopping decisions can be hard, especially on a tight budget. There are ways that you can make healthier food choices when you are shopping for your groceries though.

Shop the Perimeter

Shopping the perimeter of the store is just that: shopping the outside sections of the store. The reason why this is suggested is because there tends to be more whole foods on the perimeter of the store and less products with high contents of sugar and preservatives. By keeping a conscious effort to try and avoid the middle sections if possible, you will be able to prepare meals that might be more nutritionally valuable.

No Coupons

There have been studies produced showing the negative impact that couponing can have on your health. This is because what tends to be promoted with coupons are foods that are not the healthiest choice.

Shop Sales

This may seem obvious, but shopping sales allows you to save some extra money, especially if you might be choosing some healthier products that might cost more.

Organic when you can

Ideally, choosing organic sources of products is more beneficial than your standard products, especially when it comes to meat. An area where you should avoid compromising on this, if possible, is with meats. Non-organic meats tend to contain hormones and possible preservatives that are less than ideal.

Frozen is okay

When you cannot afford to get organic, or when it is not available, standard products are completely acceptable to choose. This even includes buying frozen vegetables/fruits. Basically it comes down to any fruit or vegetable is better than none. So if you need to purchase frozen vegetables or fruits to save a couple extra dollars, then do so! Buying canned fruits and vegetables is fine as well, but it is important to make sure you are reading the label, and avoiding those that are packed with syrups or a lot of sugar.

Plan meals in advance

Planning your meals for the week will help keep you focused on what you are really there to get while grocery shopping. By doing this, you avoid purchasing products that you see and want, but do not really need.

Seasonal When Possible

Finally, buying seasonal fruits and vegetables is a good way to save some money (because it tends to be on sale), support local farmers, and purchase foods that might have more nutritional value (because the produce was more recently harvested, spent less time traveling, and so has retained more of its nutritional quality).

Some of these ideas are not necessarily cost effective, but, by adopting some of these habits, and keeping these things in mind while shopping, it may help you to choose healthier, higher quality foods.

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, please book an appointment with Elisha Cook at the RSNC today and let me help you achieve your health goals.

Your Mind and Your Brain: What you did not know

December 2, 2014July 8, 2014 by elisha

Recently, I had the privilege of attending a conference where the guest speaker was Dr. Caroline Leaf, whom happens to be a cognitive neuroscientist. There were quite a few take home messages that I received from listening to her, that I have summarized into 5 key points, that I wanted to share with you, my readers:

You are Fearfully and Wonderfully Made.

Your body is a wonderful, amazing piece of machinery that has the capacity for health and wholeness. You are unique and there is no one like you. Embrace this, and embrace who you are and who you were created to be.

You have a great gift

Though most people might think that this strictly means talents, it actually doesn’t. Yes we all have skills and abilities that are wonderful and unique, but we also have a great gift within us which is the gift of choice. You have a choice as to whether you live your life happy or sad. Some people might immediately start to think “You have no idea what it is like to be me or live in my shoes.” And you are absolutely right, but you have a choice. You can choose to be sad, angry, envious, etc.; or you can choose to step out from your circumstances and choose to be happy, loving, caring, compassionate, and whole. No one said this was easy, or that it could be done overnight. But you do not have to wake up and be depressed just because you feel depressed. As Dr. Caroline Leaf eloquently put it, “Your mind contributes to the cause and healing of what ales you.”

Negative Thoughts can be Destructive, Positive Thoughts can be Protective

Not only do negative thoughts lower your self-confidence and make you feel angry, depressed, or anxious; but they can also be physically destructive. Negative thoughts can cause inflammation in the brain (which could transcend to the body) and also cause destruction and decreased connection of brain cells. Positive thoughts have the benefit of not only making you feel better, but also of protecting your brain from damage, as well as causing the growth and increased connection between brain cells.

Your Thoughts can Impact Others

Your thoughts have great potential beyond yourself. This can be explained through research in Quantum Physics (stay with me, I will not go into it too much). Basically, the way you act and think impacts those around you (and even those not around you). Quantum physics explains that basically time and space are endless, and our mind and thoughts are able to reach across this expanse, and impact one another, because of this common connection that we each possess. As a result, if we are angry, bitter, and ungrateful; this not only affects our bodies, but can also impact others.

Stress is not the Enemy

Many people think that stress is a bad thing. This is actually not quite true. It is actually how we respond to stress that is either beneficial or destructive. If you remain positive in the face of struggles and stress, you are more likely to live longer according to recent research. On the other hand, if you tend to be negative in regards to your stress, you are more likely to die early.

The bottom line is, don’t you owe it to yourself to start changing your thinking? You do not have to continue to live in the critical mindset that you may have, and you can choose to change your thoughts and perceptions to those that will be health promoting.

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.

The Benefits of Exercise

December 2, 2014July 2, 2014 by elisha

Many people know that exercise is good for you, but what exactly is it good for other than getting that “beach body”. Aside from helping maintain or gain a healthy weight, exercise has also been shown to have the following benefits:

Boosts energy
Encourages healthy sleep
Relieves stress
Improves mood
Lowers blood pressure
Lowers bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol
Reduces sensation of pain through release of endorphins (natural pain killers)
Reduces risk of future disease such as heart dsease and cancer
Enables more time in nature – causing more exposure to fresh air

Even as little as 30 minutes a day for 3 days of the week has been shown to have benefits for one’s overall health. With having more of a focus on being active, one might be better able to achieve their health goals.

Power Food: Strawberries

November 26, 2014June 24, 2014 by elisha

Strawberries are a delicious fruit with quite the history. Historically, they were used for such conditions as kidney stones and were believed to possess great medicinal value. Strawberries were also used to symbolize perfection, righteousness, and love. Beyond these historical traits, strawberries provide an array of health benefits.

To begin with, strawberries are a terrific source of Vitamin C. They contain even higher concentrations of vitamin C than citrus fruits. A hand full of the fruit is enough to meet daily requirements for vitamin C. Strawberries also contain a high concentration of folate. Aside from these nutrients, strawberries are also a good source of fiber, potassium, vitamin A, manganese, iodine, magnesium, copper, iron, and phosphorous. In combination with these vitamins and minerals, strawberries also contain Quercetin, which has been shown to be effective for allergies. This fruit has also been shown to increase the absorption of iron from the diet.

Currently, we know that Strawberries have the following therapeutic actions, which makes it such a “Power Food”:

Anti – neoplastic – research has suggested that strawberries can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer
Anti – inflammatory – reduces or eliminates inflammation in the body
Anti – oxidant – reduces free – radical damage that can promote or cause disease
Anti – allergenic – reduces allergies, or symptoms of allergies
Anti – bacterial – kills or inhibits the growth of bacteria
Anti – aging – promotes health
Anti – coagulant – reduces blood thickening that might lead to disease
Anti – hypertensive – lowers blood pressure

Along with these health promoting benefits of strawberries, they also have the capacity to reduce insulin spikes following consumption of bread, protect against DNA damage (which can contribute to diseases such as cancer), and increase HDL (good) cholesterol.

Based on all of the properties that strawberries possess, they have the potential to aid in preventing cancer, cardiovascular disease, and plaque forming within arteries. One might argue that based on the properties that strawberries contain, that they could be beneficial for infections, high blood pressure, allergies, and promoting overall health.

Before you go running to pick those healthy, delicious strawberries, one thing should be taken into consideration. Food preparation matters. The fresher the fruit, the healthier it is for you! The more processing, such as cooking, that the fruit undergoes, the less of the nutritional properties that will be available.

So, the next time you look at a strawberry, do not merely judge it by its lovely red exterior, but acknowledge its nutritional value and how it can help you achieve your health goals!