Good health is a reason to celebrate!
National Nutrition Month is a campaign that reminds us of the importance of healthy eating. We also become more aware of the positive impact nutrition has on our health and well-being. Due to the efforts of dieticians, this national campaign has become one of the most recognized nutrition awareness-raising campaigns in Canada.
We embrace and celebrate this national campaign because we know that healthy changes in your eating habits are a major step for you in taking control of your life.
In support of National Nutrition Month let’s take a look this week at the “rainbow of colors” and what this means to you!
A diet rich in colorful fruits and vegetables helps prevent many chronic diseases, including
- heart disease
- cancer
- stroke
- conditions such as macular degeneration and cataracts
This month, branch out of your usual habits at the grocery store. Buy produce with a variety of colors including red, orange, yellow, green and purple to give your body the full spectrum of plant pigments with powerful antioxidant effects. Choosing many colors will not only ensure you are getting the nutrients you need for your very best health but by making these choices you will also help your body to protect you against disease.
As well as fighting off disease, do you want to slow down the aging process? By choosing a wide variety of color with your fruit and vegetable selections you will consume a wide range of compounds known as phytochemicals. Phytochemicals work in harmony with nutritional antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium to fight against the aging process.
Here is a sample of some colorful foods that you can add to your plate:
- Red/Purple/Blue/Black: blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, red apples, red peppers, red cabbage. These foods contain powerful antioxidants that reduce the risk of heart disease by inhibiting blood clot formation.
- Orange: mangos, apricots, cantaloupe, pumpkin, squash, orange peppers. These contain nutrients that reduce age-related macular degeneration and the risk of prostate cancer, lower LDL cholesterol and blood pressure, promote collagen formation and healthy joints, fight harmful free radicals, encourage alkaline balance, and work with magnesium and calcium to build healthy bones.
- Yellow: yellow peppers, some types of golden delicious apples, yellow beets, yellow tomatoes. The nutrients in these perform the same functions as the Orange category.
- Green: Spinach, honeydew melon, artichokes, asparagus, green beans, sugar snap peas. The nutrients found in these vegetables reduce cancer risks, lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol levels, normalize digestion time, support retinal health and vision, fight harmful free-radicals, and boost immune system activity.
- White/Green: includes garlic, onions, celery, pears, cauliflower, white peaches and nectarines. These foods have been shown to have anti-tumor effects.
Happy Spring and may you find many reasons to be healthy.
Take a mini vacation from the list of “Yes I Can” and “No I Can’t” with some fun weight loss tips.
Perhaps we need a break from thinking about all that we can eat and all that we will not eat today. Let’s take a mini vacation to enhance our moods and elevate our spirits with any one of these 10 fun weight loss tips:
- Music: Your world becomes happier while your step is just a little lighter when you can sing or hum along to your favorite tune. A variety of problems including depression, high blood pressure, asthma, migraines, ulcers and a range of physical disabilities are currently treated with music. Turn up the dial!
- Laughter: It’s been said that “laughter is the best medicine”. Take this medicine in heavy doses every single day. Don’t wait until you need a pick me up. Experts say that laughter can relax your body and reduce problems associated with high blood pressure, strokes, ulcers and even arthritis. Find a friend to laugh with about your diet dos and don’ts.
- Massage: Oh yes, please! Diet or no diet a massage is wonderful anytime. Indulge yourself and try hot stone massage therapy. You’ll find yourself with a big smile on your face ready to face the world and whatever foods come your way.
- Exercise: Forget about what you “should” do today. Go out and do what you feel like doing. Do you feel like dancing? Put on the music at home and just dance. Just make it fun and watch how much easier your dieting day becomes.
- Sauna: Drop in to your local swimming pool for a wonderful cleansing sauna. Warm your bones and soul, clean out your pores and go forth into the day feeling lighter and refreshed. You’ll look forward to refilling your body with healthy hydrating liquids.
- Retail: You don’t have to spend thousands. Maybe it’s just indulging in a magazine or a new book to read. Take a walk around Chapters, enjoy the books and invest in your favorite magazine. Take a stroll through a dollar store and blow $10. You’ll feel good taking this break. Sometimes the simple things feel like a mini vacation.
- Friends: Just call up a friend. Chat on the phone. Meet up in your favorite coffee shop for a cup of herbal tea. Sharing your journey and life’s interesting ups and downs with a friend can be the best escape from the routines of every day life. You’ll look forward to arriving home and preparing a healthy meal. Having a buddy to share your fun weight loss tips makes your journey more enjoyable.
- Random Acts of Kindness: Have you ever done something nice for a stranger? One of the best ways to take your mind off of your everyday meal plans and chores that you don’t feel like doing is to do something nice for someone else. Afterward, your meal selections and chores will seem simple. Be careful, this could become a habit!
- Sports: Have you been to your community arena to watch your local hockey team? This is an inexpensive, fun outing. A great way to support your community and to take yourself out of the kitchen.
- Nature: When is the last time you walked along the ocean or the river or through the forest along your favorite trail? Nature has a way of helping us along the road to health and happiness.
Treat yourself today with these fun weight loss tips and any other way you can think of to just simply enjoy yourself. You deserve it!
I can’t remember just when I gave up drinking coffee. I believe it’s been about 2 years. I kept having the feeling of being dehydrated and I was blaming it on the coffee. The more coffee I drank the more dry my lips became and because I hadn’t yet been introduced to Gano coffee, I just simply replaced it with what I thought to be the best green tea for overall health benefits. Now, I really enjoy drinking green tea, with a lovely cup of white tea thrown in every now and again. Based on the following actions and uses I’m glad that I do:
- Acts as an antioxidant and helps to protect against cancer
- Lowers cholesterol levels
- Reduces the clotting tendency of the blood
- Stimulates the immune system
- Fights tooth decay
- Helps regulate blood sugar and insulin levels
- Combats mental fatigue
- May delay the onset of athero-sclerosis
- Good for asthma
- Studies show promise as a weight loss aid
- May help prevent enlarged prostate
Recently, while imbibing in my afternoon green tea happy hour it became obvious to me that I really don’t know much about the blends or the brands I’m buying or whether or not I’m drinking the best green tea. Sometimes I’ll buy based on price, other times I’ll buy because it’s organic and sometimes I’ll buy because I want to try something different. What I do know is that the differences between the types of tea results from the different methods of processing the leaves.
- Tea leaves are steamed, rolled and dried to make green tea. This method preserves the content of the antioxidant compounds known as polyphenols which provide us with the health benefits of tea.
- Black tea is brought to us from leaves undergoing a process of oxidation which reduces the polyphenols content while changing the color and taste.
- Oolong falls between green and black tea in color, flavor and the polyphenol content.
- White tea is imported from a specific region of China. The leaves undergo the least processing so you get even better antioxidant activity than green tea. White tea is very pale and produces a very delicate taste.
All green teas are from the species Camellia sinensis. There can be quite a difference depending on the region where the leaves are grown and, of course, the processing methods. 90% of teas sold are Chinese teas which can be broken down into various regions, the best known being lung ching (dragon well).
There are other teas from Japan which are equally good. There are two types of Japanese green teas, sencha or gyokuro. The difference between the two being that sencha is grown in the full sun while gyokuro is shaded a few weeks before harvesting. There are many different brands but the basic difference is that gyokuro makes a sweeter, darker green tea than sencha which has that somewhat grassy taste. Gyokuro also costs over twice as much. Gyokuro is the special hand made powdered tea that is used in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony.
There seems to be much controversy on the issue of organic vs non-organic when it come to the best green tea. The jury is out for me on that issue but I’ll stick with organic while I continue to research.
Have you found a tasty brand that you consider to be the best green tea? Would you recommend it? I’d like to hear from you if you have an opinion on brands, blends or the organic vs non-organic issue.
