Let’s Talk Health and Nutrition with Dr. H

                                                             Optimal health and wellness can be maintained partly by understanding the differences between food allergies and intolerances and learning how to manage them effectively.  Obtaining an accurate diagnosis and guidance from a credentialed healthcare professional and taking the necessary steps to avoid foods that trigger adverse reactions are key to successful management.  Food allergies and intolerances have become quite common and are affecting millions of people throughout the world. Since some symptoms of food allergies and intolerances may be similar, it is significant to know the differences between the two conditions.                                    Food Allergies:...

                                                           Practical Tips for Ensuring Mindful Eating are as follows:   Identify Triggers of Mindless Eating: What are those situations or environments that somehow cause you to lose control of your eating behaviors? Do you practice eating in front of the television where you are bombarded with a host of food commercials?  Are you likely to get up and visit the pantry or refrigerator following food commercials that you have just seen?  Are you overly stressed?  Is it boredom?  Whatever, your triggers are, identifying them is a necessary first step.  Learning to cope with boredom and anxieties is beneficial.  Thinking about and putting into practice healthier coping strategies as well as engaging in alternative beneficial activities such as taking a bris...

                                                     Healthy Snacking can contribute significantly to essential nutrient intake and to the required caloric intake of persons on an overall healthy diet and those maintaining an overall healthy lifestyle. 5 Tips for ensuring Healthy Snacking include: Prioritizing planning and preparation:  Of utmost importance is making sure that nutritious options are purchased and available. Further preparing healthy options for easy access can be helpful such as slicing or dicing certain fruits and vegetables. Establishing a meal and snack schedule: Having a routine for regular meals and possibly snacks and consistently sticking to it reduce the likelihood of meal skipping which can lead to snacking on unhealthy choices when overly hungry.   Keeping unhealthy snacks out of sight: By removing unhealthy snacks fr...

To My Dear Readers: This post is to inform you that I now have available to you a new YouTube channel which is another version or spin off of Let's Talk Health and Nutrition with Dr. H.  This YouTube channel presents much of the information in video format which is sometimes easier to listen to as you go about your own daily activities.  It is my promise, goal and purpose to provide you with consistently truthful, accurate, and valid information as we all continue on our journeys towards optimal health, wellness and wholeness. Remember the dimensions of health and wellness are physical, spiritual, emotional, social, financial, occupational, intellectual, environmental tempered with creativity and cultural awareness. Link to YouTube Channel: Please note that on the Youtube Channel, there are several full videos depicting a myriad of health and nutrition issues and topics.  However, YouTube has now allowed creators like me to provide "shorts" which give just a sni...

                                                          Incorporating a variety of prebiotic and probiotic sources into a healthy diet has beneficial effects.  Among these, are:   Strengthened Immune System:  A first line of immune defense lies within the intestinal tract.  Therefore, the response of the immune system to pathogens can be enhanced by the consumption of prebiotics and probiotics which help promote a healthy microbiota. Reduction of Inflammation: The development of chronic inflammation is facilitated by a constant imbalance in the bacteria within the digestive tract.  This can lead to development of a number of additional health issues.  By promoting a healthier intestinal environment, prebiotics and probiotics are implicated in reducing inflammation. Enhanced Digestion: Prebiotics and probioti...