HealthTip: The Strength of Optimism

This post is dedicated to a man who defied medical logic; My wonderful grandfather lived  for 86 years. He had diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), high cholesterol, and showed no significant symptoms of disease until the last ~6 months of his life. The reason for this? Did he have a healthy diet low in excess sugar and fat; high in fiber, fruits and vegetables? No. Did he exercise everyday? No.
What was his secret?
Optimism!
Studies suggest that positive feelings reduce the risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. In a review of 200 studies, the Harvard School of Public Health found that "optimism, life satisfaction and happiness are associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular (heart) disease regardless of factors such as age, socioeconomic status, smoking status or body weight."
Opa was the happiest man I knew. He was always smiling, laughing, loving his family, and saw everything as a positive learning experience.
The most optimistic participants in the Harvard study had a ~50% reduced risk of experiencing an initial cardiovascular event compared to less optimistic participants. This doesn't necessarily mean that healthy lifestyle doesn't matter, because those who exercised, ate a balanced diet, and got enough sleep showed benefit through normalized blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight.

So, what do you take away from this? Although diet, exercise, and lifestyle are important, an optimistic view on life and family support may do more for our bodies than we initially thought. My Opa is proof of this theory! So why not try to take a positive view on life, enjoy each experience, limit stress over small "hiccups," and love your family; I don't think it would hurt!!

Information Source:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_124222.html

HealthTip: Iron

Our bodies require iron in order for red blood cells to carry oxygen to our tissues, supply oxygen to working muscles, and take part in biochemical reactions. Iron is needed for normal growth and development; low iron can result in fatigue, decreased immunity, poor performance, and even irritability.
Iron is found in two forms in our diet: heme and non-heme. Heme iron is in hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells. This type of iron comes from animal foods that originally contained hemoglobin e.g. red meats, poultry, and fish.
Iron found in food such as lentils, beans, broccoli, is non-heme iron. Heme iron is better absorbed by our bodies than non-heme iron. Therefore, it is recommended to have non-heme iron sources with Vitamin C (e.g. glass of orange juice) to promote iron absorption in the body.

Examples of foods with heme iron include:

• Chicken liver; Chicken
• Oysters
• Beef liver; Beef
• Turkey
• Tuna

Examples of foods with non-heme iron include:

• Iron fortified cereal
• Instant fortified oatmeal
• Beans
• Lentils
• Tofu
• Spinach

The absorption of non-heme iron is decreased by tannins found in tea, calcium, polyphenols and phytates found in whole grains and legumes. Not eating non-heme iron with foods that decrease its absorption and eating it with meat protein and vitamin C will maximize its absorption.
For more information about iron sources or recommended daily amounts, please see the information sources listed below.

If you've noticed that you have decreased energy levels, and may have a low iron intake through food, speak with your doctor about a blood test determine the level of iron stored in your body. If lab tests show that your iron is low, explore increasing your iron intake through food and/or supplements with your doctor, dietitian, or pharmacist!

Information Sources:
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/iron-HealthProfessional/
http://www.dietitians.ca/getattachment/130db3ca-3a27-4147-90ae-ae27a543b09b/FactSheet-Iron.pdf.aspx

HealthTip: Wanting What You "Can't Have"?

They say you always want what you can't have.
In the past, or maybe even still today, dietitians have been known as the "food police." I'm here to inform you that, we in fact are not the food police, and if you meet an RD who makes you feel like they are, maybe you're not talking to the right dietitian.
Sometimes specific diets are required in acute medicine to allow the body to heal, but if we're talking about the everyday, regular person who is trying to stay healthy, you don't have to cut out the foods you love.
Pasta, chocolate, cake, ice cream,  soda, burgers, pizza...sounds like a list of foods that may be called "guilty pleasures," but do you really need to feel guilty about eating something you enjoy? How is that guilt serving you?

Get away from the guilt:

• Plan ahead: try to consciously include high fibre carbohydrates, protein, dairy, and vegetables at meals. When all these food groups are present at meal time, you may find yourself feeling fuller and wanting less dessert.
• Have the foods you enjoy but control the amount/ frequency.
  Separate a few pieces of dark chocolate from the whole bar; give yourself 1 scoop of icecream instead of two; instead of having dessert everyday, try having it every other day and alternate with fruit or yogurt.
• If salt is your vice, start looking at nutrition facts tables. As a guideline, try comparing snacks you enjoy and look for those with 15% or less of the daily value of sodium per serving.
• Love your soda? Changing to a diet variety could be an idea. Flavoring for water, such as Crystal Lite is available if you want to try something new to get away from the sugar and calories in soda.
• Try making some favorite foods at home instead of purchasing fast food. Burgers and pizza made at home can be much lower in saturated fat and sodium. Home made burgers also freeze well for easy access when you're in a rush!
• Think before you eat. Are you hungry? Are you eating because you're bored? Are you feeling guilty? If so, stop and ask yourself why and make a thoughtful choice. If you're going to have a certain food and you recognize a negative feeling, consider how much you plan to eat, consider what would get rid of that feeling, make your choice and make it count! 

Enjoy your food, add variety, try new things, balance meals with 3-4 food groups, recognize when associating negative feelings with specific foods, and try to consider why those feelings may be arising.

Mindful, guilt-free, balanced eating is the goal. All foods can fit as long as you consider what you're choosing, how much, and how often!

HealthTip: Glycemic Index

If you have diabetes, you may have heard of glycemic index. Glycemic index (GI) was determined by comparing different foods to how white sugar breaks down in the body. Foods are categorized into high, medium, or low GI foods. Low GI foods take longer to break down and digest, resulting in lower blood glucose increases over a longer period of time(important for people with diabetes). High GI foods break down quickly and result in higher blood sugar spikes.
If you're a diabetic and have trouble controlling your blood glucose after meals, consider adding low GI foods to your diet and see the link below!

Information Source
http://www.diabetes.ca/files/glycemicindex_08.pdf

HealthTip: Carbohydrates

Foods that break down into sugar in our body are considered to be carbohydrates. It would be important for those with diabetes to know which types of foods include carbohydrates because these foods can result in increased blood sugars.

Carbohydrates include:

• Starches and Grains: e.g. pasta, rice, pita, tortillas, cereal, bread, oatmeal, potatoes, corn, legumes
• Milk: milk contains lactose, a naturally occurring milk sugar
• Fruit: e.g. bananas, apples, pears, oranges, grapes, berries, mango
• Juice: contains large amounts of concentrated sugar

Our bodies require carbohydrates to break down into glucose and be used as an energy source. Since our brains cannot function without glucose, it is important to know that it is not necessary to cut out carbohydrates from your diet.

If weight or blood sugar management are a personal concern, start by considering the type of carbohydrates your choosing and the portion of food groups at meal times.

Complex carbohydrates take longer to break down in the body, are often higher in fiber, and help you feel full for longer. For example, 1 slice of white bread may have 1g of fiber; 1 slice of sprouted whole grain bread may have 5g of fiber. The whole grain bread will be more filling, results in a lower blood glucose rise, and promotes regular bowel health.

For more information about complex carbohydrates see: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002469.htm