Month: October 2022

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All For your Info Recommendations Success Story

Two Unique Ways We Can Help Ourselves Thrive

Dr. Tamara Kung, ND

We spend a lot of time thinking about and putting into place actions to support our health. We focus on nutrition and sleep to try and give ourselves the best odds to function well both mentally and physically. These factors alone are important influences that alter the trajectory for health, but we may be missing something here, as mental health and obesity continue to rise. 

There is growing scientific research showing that there is in fact something we can do to help build emotional resilience again. Something that hasn’t been a big topic of discussion or practice.

Step 1:

Science is pointing to the powerful benefits eating together! 

Gathering around the table may seem like a nostalgic concept, reserved for a simpler life with less busyness. But what COVID has taught families, even if it was a fleeting moment, was that we can muster and rouse ourselves from the vortex of life to spare 15-20 minutes to eat with each other. 

Teens who have dinner with family have lower rates of drug and alcohol use, compared to those who have fewer meals together. They also exhibit fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression, better nutrition, and lower rates of obesity. The evidence points towards the same results for adults

So just what exactly is the number of meals needed to get these benefits? It’s difficult enough to organize various schedules, and it’s almost impossible to eat together for every single meal. Thankfully, studies show that it doesn’t have to be every single day or every single meal to see positive outcomes. Just 2-3 family meals together a week lowers rates of obesity, and there are better mental health outcomes compared to those who only get one or no meals as a family. Teens who eat meals together 3-5 times per week show an even more significant improvement in physical and mental health. 

The second way we can build resilience and create an inclusive, more positive environment for us is a more hypothetical thought experiment from yours truly. 

Step 2:

Expand the curiosity and experience of other cultures. 

Exposing ourselves to variety helps to open perspectives. With an increased awareness of life’s diversity, we begin to develop more empathy for lives that are not like our own. 

So when we combine step one and step two, I suspect we can create an engaging way to reconstruct meaningful connections that will offer more protection for us. Gathering for a few meals together and introducing a theme weekly or monthly about another country is a great example. Whether that’s simply listening to music, bringing forth an interesting piece of knowledge, or making and enjoying a cultural dish together can take meal gatherings to the next level. 

Enjoying meaningful meals together may just be a missing link in helping us thrive. 

Reference:

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/p0331-youth-mental-health-covid-19.html

Eisenberg. M. E., et al. (2004). Correlations between family meals and psychosocial well-being among adolescents. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, 158(8), 792-796.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/485781

Berg. M. J., et al ( 2021). Are there protective associations between family/ shared meal routines during COVID-19 and dietary health and emotional well-being in diverse young adults? Preventive Medicine Reports. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8487301/
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All Performance Recommendations Resources Tips

Is your sleep increasing or decreasing information

By Tim Irvine

Everyone loves a good night’s sleep. The feeling we get is almost euphoric when it happens, so why wouldn’t we love it? Besides the conscious happiness we have with good sleep, so many subconscious, biochemical benefits help our health over the short and long term.

We have also come to understand the evidence linking inflammation to poor health is conclusive. Knowing what causes inflammation is critical if we want to avoid various forms of the disease, poor mental health, and an inability for injuries to heal well. That’s where the quality of our sleep comes in.

Is there a link between sleep and inflammation? You bet there is.

A recent Harvard Health article examines the effect of poor sleep on inflammation. Sleep deprivation, particularly that of deep sleep, leads to increases in inflammation for several reasons:

  • An increase in inflammatory molecules within the body
  • Cells in blood vessel walls that activate inflammation are triggered because blood pressure does not decline as it would with proper sleep
  • A build-up of protein in the brain creates inflammation

Twenty-five percent of Canadians suffer from sleep issues that prevent them from getting the quality sleep they need. Then there is the portion that doesn’t know they have issues. This means a good percentage of our population is not getting adequate sleep and are therefore prone to health-damaging inflammation.

If you have trouble getting to or staying asleep, you have a more concerning form of sleep deprivation. If you fall asleep easily and sleep through the night, that’s good. If you do so but sleep less than 7 hours, you may not get enough quality cycles in, which can lead to inflammation build-up.

Getting an understanding of your unique sleep patterns is important. After all, knowledge is power. If you are certain you have a sleep issue, consult a medical professional specializing in sleep. If you are uncertain and curious, do the same, or you can turn to sleep measurement devices like an Oura Ring to gain some valuable data. I am a perfect example of how objective data can be of benefit. I consistently had seven hours from lights out to my alarm going off but using one of these devices; I found out I was not getting the cycles of deep sleep I needed. I added a full hour to my sleep pattern and have felt much better.

Add this knowledge and habit to your anti-inflammatory toolbox, and you will experience immediate and long-term benefits. You will be happy you did.

Categories
For your Info Performance Recommendations Tips

Eating Locally: Embracing Seasonal Foods

By Dr. Tamara Kung, ND

Eating locally is considered to mean food that has come within a 150 mile or 240 km radius. In contrast, the average produce can travel as far as 1,500 miles (2,415 km) which costs a larger carbon footprint. 

For sustainability reasons, many people are opting for locally grown produce. But what may keep local foods on the radar, and part of a regular practice are some of the deliciously big benefits. 

Nutrition Content:

Most foods that you find at a farmer’s market would have been picked within 24 hours of you purchasing it. This is important regarding the nutrient density of foods as once food is separated from its source of nourishment; the quality of nutrition begins to degrade. So, when we are eating blueberries for their antioxidant properties, they are at their most powerful anti-inflammatory abilities shortly after being picked.. 

Satisfaction Factor:

Foods are way more delicious when picked at their peak ripeness. The flavours and the aroma of freshly picked foods have much more depth and intensity than a food that’s been withering away for weeks. This is the experience when you pick herbs fresh from the garden and its smells delightfully fill the room as you prepare it.  

Diversity: 

Eating locally opens up your repertoire to seasonal produce andadds variety to what you’d normally put into your basket. You may see colour variations like purple cauliflower or realize that squashes are piling up at the front of the produce sections. This helps prompt you to diversify your diet which is half of the equation of what it means to eat healthily.

Community:

When you eat locally, you have more opportunities to meet and connect with the growers or distributors of your food. You get to see the actual supply chain from which your food is being delivered to you and that can build a sense of trust and pride in the quality of your foods. Sparking up conversations on variety, flavour, location are all great topics to dive into with your fellow shoppers, growers and sellers. 

Seasonal Spotlight: 

Beets reach their peak sweetness during the cooler months of fall and spring, and provide a visual pop to any dish. It can be as simple as raw and grated with your meals, roasted with salads, made into curries, or for the cooks out there, into a beautiful lasagna. 

Three types of beets

1. Red = rich and earthy great for roasting, grating raw, pickling

2. Candy Cane = crunch & sweet great raw

3. Golden = mild and starchy great for roasting, grilling, steaming

Pro Beet Tips:

• Selection: Choose smooth, firm medium-sized beets (giant ones can be more bitter)

• Storage: in a cool dry cellar for months, or the fridge for weeks. Trim off beet greens (see next tip) because the greens quicken the root rot

• Beet Greens: part of the spinach and swiss chard family, trim them 1 inch from the root and enjoy in any way you would spinach or chard. Examples include tossed in salads, stir fried with garlic, olive oil & lemon, folded into pasta dishes, simmered with stews, soups and curries. 

• Lock in the colour: cook unpeeled (use a vegetable brush to scrub the edible skin), peel and slice just before serving

Beet Recipe Inspirations: 

• Sliced in arugula salads, with roasted pecans, pear, goat cheese, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 

• Sri Lankan Beetroot curry

• Rainbow lasagna 

Cappelli, Lucio, Ascenzo, Fabrizio D, Ruggieri, Roberto & Gorelova, Irina (2022). “Is Buying Local Food a Sustainable Practice? A Scoping Review of Consumers’ Preference for Local Food.” Sustainability, 14(2).10.3390/su14020772

Frieler, B. (2017, May 1). 10 benefits of eating local food. Bastyr University. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from https://bastyr.edu/news/health-tips/2017/05/10-benefits-eating-local-fo…

Honeycutt, E. (2017, December 21). Why buy local food? it’s healthier for you and better for the environment. Food Revolution Network. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from https://foodrevolution.org/blog/why-buy-local-food/

Rather, I. A., Koh, W. Y., Paek, W. K., & Lim, J. (2017, November 17). The sources of chemical contaminants in food and their health implications. Frontiers in pharmacology. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5699236/

Wunderlich, S. M., Feldman, C., Kane, S., & Hazhin, T. (2008, February). Nutritional quality of organic, conventional, and seasonally grown broccoli using vitamin C as a marker. International journal of food sciences and nutrition. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17852499/