Let’s Talk Health and Nutrition with Dr. H

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  A healthy lifestyle mindset is key to ensuring overall health and wellness and for preventing the development of chronic illnesses.  Adopting certain lifestyle habits and being consistent about them create a healthy lifestyle that contributes to optimal physical, and mental health as well as optimal health across the other dimensions of health and wellness.                                                       Tips for working towards and maintaining a healthy lifestyle include:     Stress Management:   It is important to incorporate one or two stress management techniques into the daily routine to help reduce stress, promote positive reactions to stressors and to induce relaxation. There are many methods that can be tried and adopted including mantras, affirmations, meditation, abdominal breathing and yoga. Adequate Sleep:...

  Dimensions of Health and Wellness:                                  As indicated in a previous post titled "Are you truly Healthy?" there are several dimensions of health and wellness which a re intricately connected, and all have a direct effect on our health. As expressed previously, all dimensions need to be developed to achieve optimal health, wellness and wholeness.  As a recap, dimensions of health and wellness include:  Physical - incorporating the development of a healthy lifestyle including good nutrition, physical activity, developing habits of adequate rest and sleep, participating in routine health screenings and avoiding the use of alcohol, tobacco and other harmful substances. Spiritual -  involves deriving meaning and purpose in life which relate to our beliefs and value system.  It involves "getting outside of ", "transcending" the 'physical' self....

  As we approach the summer months, it is imperative that we devise strategies to ensure adequate hydration.  Adequate hydration is one of the significant factors associated with maintenance of optimal health and wellness.  The following tips are helpful in monitoring and maintaining hydration status:   Utilize Hydration Reminders daily for tracking water intake.  This can be done by utilizing a hydration app, setting reminders on your phone or using a water container that has measurements to facilitate tracking of water utilization daily. Try to consume 8-10 (8oz) cups or glasses of water daily to maintain hydration.  Consume and regularly include foods that are relatively high in water content such as cucumbers, watermelon, strawberries, oranges and other citrus. Pay special attention to replenish water lost during exercise by drinking water before, during and after you exercise to maintain adequate hydration levels. Be mindful and make an effort to limit...

Managing our hectic lifestyles:                                                         In today's fast paced environment, overstimulation seems to be the order of the day.  Consequently, our physical, mental and emotional dimensions of health and wellness are adversely affected. However, we can very mindfully pause, step back and refocus on reducing our stress levels or, at the very least, learn how to effectively manage stress.  Developing and maintaining healthy lifestyle habits are paramount to counteracting the daily stressors we face.  By incorporating regular physical activity, making adequate sleep a priority, and incorporating stress busting techniques such as a mantra, daily affirmations, meditations, abdominal breathing etc, we can certainly manage the impact of stressors on our health even when it is impossible to remove t...

                                                    T he Mineral Calcium:                                       Calcium is an essential mineral that functions in the development and maintenance of strong bones and teeth.  It is of vital importance particularly for growing children and adolescents, pregnant women and the elderly. Dairy products have long been known to be great sources of calcium.  However, with many people now considering plant-based diets, the questions arise regarding the benefits of calcium intake as well as how to attain optimal calcium from a plant-based diet.                                                 ...

                                                Understanding BMI: Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure of an individual's weight in kilograms (or pounds) divided by the square of the individual's height in meters (or feet).  "Body Mass Index (BMI) is now the most widely used measure of adiposity" globally (Heymsfield, 2016).  Research has shown that chronic disease risks such as the risks for developing diabetes, heart disease and other weight related health risks increase with increasing BMI.  However, findings suggest even from the earliest studies that, at a given BMI, health risks are not evenly distributed across ethnic groups (Shai et al, 2006).  In addition, as an index, BMI is not without its predictive challenges.  For instance, individuals who are very muscular with a low percentage of body fat may also have a body mass index (BMI) tha...

Importance of Skin Health: The health of the skin is extremely important as the skin is the body's first line of defense against external influences such as bacteria, mechanical and chemical stressors as well as ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Good nutrition is one of the major factors in attaining and maintaining healthy skin.  Both macronutrients and micronutrients are important to skin health (Lakdawala et al, 2013).  However, there are specific micronutrients (key vitamins and minerals) that play significant roles in maintaining the structural integrity of the skin barrier as well as important biological and physiological functions. Functionality of the Skin:   The skin comprises of two major layers which are the epidermis and dermis.   The epidermis interacts directly with the external environment and may come into contact with toxic substances, pathogens and UV radiation.  Therefore, the epidermis primarily acts as a barrier.  As a barrier,...