Food Archives - Page 5 of 6 - Plattsville Natural Health Clinic

Surviving Exam Season

December 15, 2015 by elisha

Exam time is a stressful and challenging time regardless of what educational institute you are in. As a result, healthy lifestyle and eating habits often “go down the drain”. Over the many exam periods I have had to endure, I have developed tips and tricks to help me stay “above water” when it came to my health and my needs. In addition to studying, it is my hope that developing these healthy habits will help you not only ace your exams, but survive the exam season.

Prepare healthy snacks in advance

Having snacks already made such as cut up vegetables and fruit will help you to avoid the temptation of going for “easy” snack food such as chips, candy, pastries, etc.

Prepare meals in advance

Similar to the point above, cooking meals in advance helps to avoid the temptation to eat out and grab that big mac as opposed to a salad. Often, I cook my meals on weekends in preparation for the week. This way, I know I have a quick and healthier choice to rely on.

Green tea

Green tea has a constituent in it called “theanine”. Theanine helps you to be able to focus without the jittery feeling that coffee can often give. As a result, green tea is great for those long study sessions.

Chamomile Tea (or a relaxing tea) before bed

Not only will this help you to sleep better, but it is also a therapeutic action that helps prepare your mind and body for bed. Which leads to my next point. . .

Sleep

Sleep is important not only for your health but also for your memory prior to exams. Research has shown that getting the 8 hours of sleep before an exam is more beneficial than “pulling an all-nighter”. So do your body and you a favor and sleep.

It is okay to take breaks

Giving yourself permission to take breaks is important. It helps change the way you are thinking and allows your brain to function better and be more productive.

Exercise

Exercise has many health benefits including helping our brains to function effectively, improving energy, and improving mood, all of which are important during exam time. As little as 20 minutes per day has shown to be enough to experience health benefits from exercise. Even if you go for a short walking around your residence or block for a break would be enough to help you refocus and gain a different perspective on your studying.

Deep breathing prior to exams

Finally, breathing is important. Deep breathing prior to exams can help calm you and focus you on what needs to be accomplished. With this in mind, remember to keep things in perspective by asking yourself, is this really a big deal? What would happen if I did fail (realistically)? Often putting things into perspective helps us when we are facing these challenging times.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact Dr. Elisha Cook ND by calling 519-537-7058 and book your appointment today!

Sautéed Garlic and Tomato Sauce on Zucchini Recipe

November 24, 2015 by elisha

Those who are following a Paleo or Mediterranean style diet will love this recipe! This recipe is great for those who are trying to avoid gluten, dairy, and ultimately refined carbs. It can also be a vegan option if the meat/fish option is avoided. This recipe also requires a spiral sliver or spiralizer. The recipe is also best done in stages as opposed to adding all of the ingredients at once. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

6 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of olive oil or coconut oil
2 zucchinis
approximately 625g of grape tomatoes halved – or more
1/3 cup of basil (or Italian seasoning)
Optional: Shrimp
Optional: Feta cheese

Directions:

Heat the oil on low – medium heat.
Add in the minced garlic and sauté until softened (approximately 5 min).
If you are adding in shrimp, add it to the garlic mixture and cook for approximately 10 minutes on medium heat.
Add in halved tomatoes and let cook for approximately 10 minutes (this also depends on the desired consistency of the sauce you prefer. For a “chunky” sauce, cook for less time.)
Spiral cut the zucchini, and add it to the pan, cooking for approximately 10 minutes or until “noodles” are soft.
Remove from pan and serve.
For extra flavour, you can add feta cheese to the top if this works with your specific diet.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Power Food: Apples

October 20, 2015 by elisha

In the western hemisphere there is an old saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Though this expression seems old, outdated, and simplistic; there is some truth to it. Apples have quite the diverse set of health benefits and health promoting properties that make it a mean power food!

Components of Apples

Surprisingly, one of the most beneficial components of an apple is its skin. The skin of the apple contains approximately 50% of the insoluble fiber and vitamin C content of an apple. In addition to containing vitamin C and insoluble fiber, apples also contain a healthy dose of antioxidants, quercetin (great for allergies and inflammation), pectin (helps prevent cholesterol from building in blood vessels), and B vitamins.

Therapeutic Potential

Based on the components listed above, apples may have some of the following health benefits (most of which have been researched and proven):

Reduced risk of lung cancer by 50% with regular apple consumption
Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease by 13-22%
Reduced risk of stroke
Reduced LDL (Bad) cholesterol by 23% in individuals who ate an apple every day for six months
Increased HDL (Good) cholesterol by 4% in individuals who ate an apple every day for six months
Reduced risk of asthma
Improved lung functioning
Reduced risk of type II diabetes
Reduced blood glucose levels
May inhibit cholera toxin (still being explored)
Increased potential to lose weight with consumption of three apples per day (this is due to the insoluble fiber mentioned earlier)

Storing and Processing

With many fruits and vegetables, storing them for any length of time decreases the nutritional impact that it can have. However, apples can be stored for 60 days with little to no impact on their nutritional quality. Research has shown that after 60 days of cold storage, apples had the same antioxidant potential as they did when compared to day 1. This trend is not consistent across different apple types though. For example, a red delicious apple will retain its nutritional quality far longer than a golden delicious apple.

The processing of apples and the impact on their nutritional benefits rests mainly in whether the peal is used. Ultimately, the apples will be more beneficial if the peal is intact. In addition, when the pulp of the apple is disposed of, for example in juicing, much of the potential health benefits are lost. When an apple is juiced, it has only 10% of the antioxidant potential of a whole apple that is eaten. Does this mean that juicing an apple is not good for you? Of course not. Adding an apple to your juice can add a nice flavour, it simply may not provide as much of a health benefit as you would think.

What about pesticides?

Much like other fruits and vegetables, pesticides are commonly used on apples. Some would argue that this is to a greater extent on apples than other fruits. Ultimately, this does bring up concerns about eating them and how to best clean them. The best way to clean an apple is probably the simplest. All that is necessary is using water and rubbing the skin of the apple. Because there are only low levels of pesticide residue on the surface of the apples, this method of cleaning the apple keeps many beneficial properties of the apple intact while still removing majority of the pesticides from the surface. However, for those more sensitive to chemicals, a more thorough approach may be needed.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact Elisha Cook via the contact portion of this website.

Sources:

http://www.livescience.com/44686-apple-nutrition-facts.html

http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1475-2891-3-5.pdf%C3%AF%C2%BF%C2%BD%C3%83%C5%93

Vegetable “Rub” Recipe

June 18, 2015 by elisha

Fresh herbs and spices This recipe is for a “rub” that I add to basically any vegetables I might be baking or barbequing. To add a bit more “kick” I may add an equal part of cayenne or chilli powder to it. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Equal parts of the following herbs and spices (1/4-1/2 teaspoon)

Parsley
Basil
Oregano
Garlic Powder
Turmeric
Pepper
Salt (optional)

1 – 3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil (depending on how many vegetables you are coating)

Directions

Mix all ingredients together.
Coat vegetables with mixture.
Bake or barbeque as would normally or with recipe directions.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, please contact Elisha Cook via the contact portion of this website.