Let’s Talk Health and Nutrition with Dr. H

  Plant-based eating is beneficial to our health but it also plays an important role in protecting the planet. It is becoming increasingly evident that our food choices have an impact on the environment.  Choosing to transition to an increasingly plant-based diet enables us to significantly reduce our carbon footprint.  This in turn contributes to a more sustainable future.  Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions: The livestock industry is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.  Cattle farming alone accounts for a significant portion of global emissions.  Choosing an increasingly plant-based diet can reduce the demand for livestock farming and the emissions associated with it. Conservation of water and land resources: Raising livestock is water intensive.  By shifting towards increasingly plant-based diets, we can help to conserve water resources and reduce the demand on water supplies.  Plant-based diets also generally require less land ...

  National Nutrition Month is an annual nutrition campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to promote the importance of healthy eating and physical activity.  This March 2024, National Nutrition Month will be celebrated with a focus on sustainable and plant-based diets, as well as the role of nutrition in overall health and well-being. This year the theme for National Nutrition Month is "Beyond the Table."  The campaign aims to raise awareness about the impact of food choices on the environment and to encourage individuals to adopt more sustainable eating habits.  For instance, by choosing plant-based foods, individuals can improve their health while also helping to protect the planet.  In addition to promoting sustainable eating habits, National Nutrition Month 2024 will also highlight the importance of nutrition in preventing and managing chronic diseases. With the rise of lifestyle related illnesses such as obesity, diabetes and heart diseas...

                                                                                                                Aging is a natural process that is also influenced by our lifestyle factors and choices. One such aspect is the role of optimal Nutrition in influencing the aging process and promoting longevity. We can promote brain health, the health of our hearts, preserve our bone density, maintain muscle mass and generally support the health of our cells by adopting and maintaining a well-balanced diet with an emphasis on nutrient dense foods.  This blog post provides 5 practical Nutrition tips and areas of focus for maintaining healthy nutrition habits as we age. 1.  Incorporate Anti...

                                                             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...

  There are several nutrition myths that get in the way of making necessary lifelong dietary and behavior changes. This post seeks to examine those myths and to present factual and/or evidence-based refutations for each scenario. Myth 1:  Special Detoxification Diets are needed so that toxins can be removed from the body: The body has its own detoxification systems by way of the liver and kidneys.  When these are functioning optimally and not diseased, toxins are eliminated and excreted effectively. The key is to have a well-balanced, varied and adequate diet that contains rich sources of fiber and to keep the body adequately hydrated to support the body's natural detoxification system. Myth 2: All Carbs are bad: Like Proteins and Fats, Carbohydrates are sources of energy for the body.  In fact, under normal conditions, carbohydrates are a preferred energy source.  Carbohydrates are also needed to help spare breakdown of proteins.  The key is to k...

                                                                Part of maintaining a healthy diet is the ability to make good and informed choices when shopping at the grocery store.  This is facilitated by the ability to read and interpret food labels very carefully.  In this post, I am providing 8 tips for doing just that with the hopes that we will all make better and more informed choices when we do food shopping. Beneficial Tips for Reading Food Labels: 1. Examine the Nutrient Content: Carefully look at the quantities of nutrients such as carbohydrates and breakdown of fiber and sugars contained.  Also, check for fat content and the associated amounts of saturated fat, cholesterol and any trans fats.  Review protein content and also look for micronutrients such as sodium.       ...

                                    Fad Diets versus Nurturing Healthy Eating Habits - YouTube                                    

                                              https://www.youtube.com/@letstalkhealthandnutrition2855