Is our food killing us?

Do you ever stop to think about what you eat?  We all know that foods high in sugar, salt and fat are not healthy but did you know that some of the so-called healthy foods are actually poisoning our bodies?  A lot of our foods today are highly processed and our meat comes from animals that are raised in small unhealthy areas, forced to eat food that is not natural for them and given hormones and antibiotics.  We are eating foods that can cause numerous health problems such as:

• obesity
• heart disease
• stroke
• alzheimers
• allergies
• autism
• learning disabilities
• autoimmune disorders
• some cancers
• osteoarthritis
• diabetes

Companies spend billions of dollars each year pressuring us to spend more money on fast food, prepared food and unhealthy products just so they can make money.  Obesity is growing rapidly, especially in children and we need to start paying attention to what we are eating and feeding our families.

We need to start developing a habit of eating healthy, whole foods like fresh vegetables and fruits, more fibre, foods that are low in salt and fat and meat/meat products that come from farms where animals are pasture-raised, grass-fed and free from chemicals.  We should also avoid sugar and sweeteners and use honey instead.

Eating fast, frozen or prepared foods may make our busy lives easier but as we age, our health will undoubtedly deteriorate and we will suffer in one way or another.  Better to take the time and prepare healthy foods while we are still in good health and have the ability to work at keeping fit.

Until I had my second stroke, I never really paid a lot of attention to what I ate.  I tried eating things in moderation but I didn’t really know how harmful the foods were that I was eating.  After doing lots of research, I have totally changed the way I eat and I also do regular exercise.    There are lots of books on dieting but you really need to be careful what you are reading and look for those with common sense and not just empty promises.   In my book, “Grandma’s Notes on Healthy Eating”, I have summarized what I have gained from several really good books.  One of the best books that changed my view on eating is by Dr Caroline Leaf, “Think and Eat Yourself Smart”.  She shows how food affects our brain and our bodies.

Since changing my diet and adding regular exercise, I feel so much better.  I still go out for a burger and fries on occasion or have a sweet treat but I don’t do it on a regular basis.  Maintaining a healthy weight requires a lot of hard work and patience but once you set some healthy habits it will benefit your health in so many ways.

Stop dieting and start losing weight

Most people approach dieting in the wrong way.  Once we realize that we have gained a few pounds too many, we search for quick and easy answers.  The problem with this is that we didn’t gain weight overnight and we can’t lose it in a few weeks or months.  There is NO quick fix and anyone who promises this is just leading you down the wrong path.

When you look at losing weight by counting calories or watching the scales, you are defeating yourself because this is a negative approach to dieting.  In fact, stats show that about 90% of everyone who diets will fail.  This is certainly not an encouraging fact but people keep trying over and over again in the hopes that something magic will happen.

Instead of focusing on a diet plan, we need to focus on healthy eating combined with regular exercise.  This is a positive approach and one that is far more likely to succeed.  In my second book of the Grandma’s Notes series, I have written a short, easy-to-read book on the healthy way to lose weight.  It is a practical, logical and realistic way that has worked for me.  Check out my bookstore at http://www.imconfident.com or go right to the Blurb bookstore.

 

Are you using toxic products

I keep reading books and articles about toxic substances that are in foods and products.  Let’s face it, the world uses all sorts of dangerous chemicals that are harmful to our health.  Many of the food items we eat contain additives and preservatives that we are not even aware of and many of the products we use contain chemicals that we should be avoiding.

It can be very hard to avoid everything that is dangerous to our health because there are toxins in the air we breathe and in many of the things we come into contact with, but we should keep informed so we can make healthier choices.  I’m certainly going to be more careful when I buy groceries and other products.

When it comes to food, we should choose natural, whole foods that are not processed to death.  Following is a list of foods that have toxins which can cause serious health risks.  For detailed information check out this link…..http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/06/10/9-unhealthy-foods.aspx

• canned tomatoes – the lining of the can contains BPA
• processed meats – have been given growth hormones and antibiotics, filled with sodium nitrate, preservatives and chemicals
• margarine – contain trans fats, free radicals, preservatives and solvents
• vegetable oils – highly processed
• microwave popcorn – lining in bag contains chemicals
• non-organic potatoes – treated with pesticides that absorb into the potato
• processed table salt – we need salt but table salt is not like the natural salt we need
• soy products – most are genetically engineered
• artificial sweeteners – contains chemicals that can wreak havoc with your body

David Suzuki tells us that some of the ingredients in most beauty products contain industrial chemicals that can cause cancer and other serious illnesses. Here is a list of these ingredients.  Detailed info at this link…..http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/health/science/toxics/dirty-dozen-cosmetic-chemicals/?gclid=CLSKr4HVg8kCFYU5aQodG9AGtQ

• BHA and BHT
• Coal tar dyes: p-phenylenediamine and colours listed as ‘CI’ followed by a 5 digit number
• DEA related ingredients
• Dibutyl phthalate
• Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives
• Parabens
• Parfum a.k.a. fragrance
• PEG compounds
• Petrolatum
• Siloxanes
• Sodium laureth sulfate
• Triclosan

There is also an article that details certain dangerous products sold in dollar stores.  Following is a list.  Detailed information at this link….http://www.womansday.com/health-fitness/advice/g1798/the-10-most-toxic-items-at-dollar-stores/

• electronic accessories contain chlorine
• black plastic kitchen utensils contain bromine
• flannel backed and vinyl tablecloths contain high lead
• metal Christmas garlands contain bromine
• silly straws contain DEHP
• vinyl floor coverings contain chlorine and phthalates
• holiday light strings contain cholorine and bromine
• metal children’s jewelry contain lead
• metallic beads contain bromine
• window clings and removable wall stickers contain PVC

If you want to read about more dangerous chemicals in everyday products, check out these links…..

http://www.livestrong.com/slideshow/1009710-12-dangerous-chemicals-avoid-everyday-products/

http://www.breastcancerfund.org/clear-science/environmental-breast-cancer-links/household-products/

 

 

 

 

 

We don’t need a new diet, we need a new lifestyle

People are always looking for a new diet, a faster and better way to lose weight.   They listen to promises that they will look better and feel better in just a few days or weeks.  But if these promises were true, how come so many people are continually on diets?   The sad fact is, about 90% of people who diet will gain the weight back and sometimes will gain back more.

We don’t need a new diet, we need a new lifestyle.  Dieting doesn’t work in most cases.  People want their weight to drop quickly and will try almost anything that promises a quick fix.  They don’t think realistically.   The math is simple – you can’t lose 100 pounds in a few weeks when it took years to put on.

Don’t listen to all the crazy promises that you hear.  Companies will tell you anything just to make a buck.  The only way you can lose weight and keep it off, is to eat healthy foods and exercise daily.   Drink water, eat fruits and vegetables and consume smaller portions.  Cut out junk foods and only have a small ‘treat’ once in a while just to keep you motivated.

Your health depends on what you eat and how you take care of your body.   You only get one body for life, so treat yourself with care.  You deserve it!

 

If you owned a pedigree dog, would you feed it french fries?

If you owned a special animal like a pedigree dog or race horse that was considered to have great value, how would you treat it?   Most people would take great care in feeding it healthy foods, keeping it well-groomed and making sure it got plenty of rest.  You certainly wouldn’t feed it junk food like french fries and chocolate bars.  You wouldn’t leave it standing in the rain and all covered with mud.  You wouldn’t keep it up late nights exercising or doing some kind of work.

Yet, how do we treat ourselves?  We fill our bodies with unhealthy foods, don’t always take time to care for our bodies and we fill our days with so many activities that we don’t have enough time for a proper night’s sleep.  Do we not consider ourselves as valuable?  For many of us, the answer is ‘no’.  We don’t treat ourselves as the special, unique and valuable person that we are.

We have to realize that we only get one body for life and it is very important that we take good care of it.  Eating healthy foods, exercising and getting proper rest is the key to having good health and maintaining a healthy body.  If we don’t take care of ourselves, we can end up with serious health issues as we grow older.

You are much more valuable than a pedigree dog, so start taking care of your health today!

 

ARE YOU LOGICAL ABOUT DIETING?

Gaining weight is a problem with many of us.  We like to eat and we aren’t always careful about eating healthy.  Why is it that junk food tastes good?  And then when we gain a few pounds, we feel bad and try to figure out how we can lose it as quickly as possible.

The problem is, we don’t look at dieting in a logical way.  Deep down, we know that we can’t lose months or years of added pounds in a few weeks but we still try anyway.  We look for the quick fix, the promise of looking good in a short time.  Then we try all sorts of stupid diets and buy equipment that doesn’t meet our expectations, which is just a waste of time and money because it won’t work.

If we took some time and set some realistic goals for healthy eating combined with regular exercise, we would soon start to notice some weight loss.  Of course, when I say soon, I don’t mean in a few days or weeks.  It takes months of commitment, patience and living a healthy lifestyle to lose any excess weight and maintain it.  Positive change does not come instantly no matter how much we want it to happen.

In setting realistic dieting goals we first need to determine what our ideal weight should be depending on our height and body shape.  Society tells us that we should strive to be skinny but this isn’t logical when people come in all shapes and sizes.  Everyone cannot be a size 5!  Then we have to create an action plan that includes healthy eating and daily exercise.  Meals should never be skipped and should include fresh fruits, vegetables, protein, dairy and grains.   Anyone with health issues or allergies should work on a diet plan with their doctor.

It takes discipline to lose weight.   Companies that sell diet products and equipment will promise you a quick fix knowing that it will likely not work, just so they can make money.  Don’t fall for their empty promises.  The fact is, 95% of the people who go on diets are NOT successful, so why waste your time and money on something that WILL FAIL and make you feel worse about yourself.  Eating healthy and exercising daily is the ONLY successful way to diet.

Stop dieting!

Are you on a diet?  If so, this post is for you.

Stop dieting!!  Yes, I said stop dieting.  Dieting is not healthy for you.  Research shows that 90% of people who diet will fail.   So get together with 9 other people who are dieting and statistically only 1 of you will be successful.  So what are the odds of it being you?  Not very good.

The reason that most people fail when they are on a diet is that they are not focusing on the real problem.   What is the real problem and why do we diet?  Mainly because we don’t feel comfortable with ourselves.  We don’t have good esteem and we feel insecure.  We don’t like the way we look and we are trying to become the perfect person that the world tells us to be.    So we look for quick and easy ways to lose weight which isn’t realistic or even possible.  If it has taken us years to gain weight, how can we expect to lose it in a few days or weeks?

Then there are people (mostly teens) who shouldn’t be dieting at all because they are already at a healthy weight but they are convinced there is something wrong with their body image.  This can be due to poor parental role modelling, since many parents are continually on diets themselves.

The problem with dieting is that we are focusing on the wrong thing.  It isn’t easy to control your eating when you are always thinking about food and focusing on what you can’t eat.  Instead we should be focusing on healthy eating and thinking about the foods we can eat.

Cheerios has started to promote an awareness of the problems caused by a dieting mentality.  They are encouraging people to live a healthy, balanced lifestyle and be a good role model for their children by taking the ‘never say dieting oath’.   Join the hundreds of people who have taken this oath and  help make our next generation healthy.  http://www.worldwithoutdieting.ca/theoath

 

 

 

What are you feeding your kids?

Way too many kids today are struggling with weight issues.  Why?  Because they are eating the wrong foods and not getting enough exercise.  When I was a child, we ate healthy foods and were sent outside to play.  Today I watch kids stuffing their faces with junk food and sitting in front of the TV or computer, not doing anything that requires much of a movement.   Do adults realize what this is doing to their children?  Do they even care?

Many parents are so involved in their own busy lives that they don’t take time to prepare healthy meals or pay attention to what their children are doing.  They pick up fast foods and fill up their cupboards with packages and boxes of easily prepared foods, not even paying attention to what ingredients are in these ‘snappy’ meals.  It doesn’t matter what the foods cost or how healthy they are, it just matters if they are quick and easy.  Then when everyone in the house gains weight they wonder what happened.

Are you helping your children develop healthy habits?   Or do you fill up your house with junk food and allow your children to just sit and stare at a screen?   It is easy to use the TV or other forms of technology to babysit your children while you are occupied doing something else.  But at what cost?   Everything we do has consequences.   Unhealthy eating WILL cause your family to gain weight and possibly end up with other serious health concerns.   Being overweight is a huge issue today and people are obsessed with dieting.

If you are too busy to prepare healthy foods, then you are probably doing too much.  Slow down, spend more time with your family and lessen your stress.   You will all be happier and healthier.

So what are you feeding your kids?  What are you eating yourself?  Are you setting a good example?

Losing weight the proper way

Don’t be overly concerned with your weight. It’s only a number!

The ONLY proper way to lose weight is to eat healthy and exercise.  You simply have to burn more calories than you eat.  So if it is that easy, why do so many people continue to diet year after year and never succeed?

There are several reasons.  People today have no patience and want everything instantly.  They want to lose weight in a few weeks or months and won’t commit to any long-term plan.   People will try just about any diet plan that promises a quick fix.  We are brainwashed by a multi-million dollar diet industry that convinces us we can gain friends, fame and fortune just by using their products and services.  Companies are getting richer and we are getting poorer, both financially and emotionally.

Studies show that people who go on weight loss plans are dooming themselves to failure.  Approximately 10% of the people on diets are successful, the rest usually gain back more weight than they have lost.  These are not good odds at all.  If you got sick and your doctor prescribed some medicine, then told you it would probably make you sicker, would you want to take that medicine?  I hope not, that would be very foolish.  Yet, every day people start on diets in the hopes of losing weight, knowing that they will likely fail.

Losing weight takes time and patience.  THERE IS NO FAST WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT!  You have to commit to a long-term plan of action and focus on healthy eating combined with exercise.  You don’t gain weight in a few weeks or months and you can’t lose it in a few weeks or months.

If you want to maintain a healthy weight, it is important that you are realistic and have a positive attitude.

• Instead of focusing on what you can’t eat, focus on what you can eat and choose healthy foods
• Exercise daily – it helps burn calories
• Manage your emotions – when people are upset, they often use food for comfort
• Be patient – proper weight loss takes time
• Stop comparing yourselves to others – everyone looks different and that is OK
• Limit your TV and internet use – people tend to snack in front of a screen
• Don’t stock your cupboard with junk food – fill them with healthy foods
• Get family and friends to help support you
• Treat yourself once in a while – incentives are necessary to keep us focused
• Don’t beat yourself up if you slip backwards – we are human and we will fail sometimes which is okay as long as we get back on track quickly
• Build some esteem – it will help you accept yourself just the way you are

Some people use food to help comfort them with past hurts, depression or other issues.  If stressful situation are causing you to gain weight, lose weight or develop an eating disorder, you are not making proper choices and it could be very harmful to your health.  Please see your health professional so they can help get you started on a proper diet.

 

Parents are allowing their children to become overweight

In today’s world, being overweight is becoming a huge issue.  More people are overweight now than ever before.  Obesity rates in Canada alone have tripled in less than 30 years!!  Unfortunately this problem often starts in early childhood and is actually allowed by parents. sometimes without them even realizing it is happening.

Children’s weight can be influenced greatly by TV and internet use.  I read an article today about 2 different studies that have been done with groups of children who were overweight.

In the first study, they broke the children into 2 groups and gave them a plan for managing their weight and weekly goals.  One of the groups was given a game console with active sports games and the other group was give a game console with less active games.  At the end of the study, the group that was following the plan and doing the active games had lost some weight.

What the researchers were trying to prove is that children need activity.  They were not promoting the use of active video games, however it likely helped the participants adhere to their goals easier.

In the second study, reports were done comparing the weight of children who watched more TV than others.   The study revealed that children who have TV in their bedrooms and who watch more TV every day will gain more weight than children who don’t sit and watch as much TV.    When people watch TV they tend to snack more and exercise less which contributes greatly to weight gain.

As parents and caregivers, we need to realize that we are hurting our children if we allow them to just sit and watch TV instead of getting up and doing something active.  We all know that once we gain weight, it is hard to take it off.  So start being a responsible parent and take care of your child’s health.   Stop allowing your child to be passive, encourage them to do something active.  The best thing you can if you love your child is turn off that TV and limit those video games!!

Here is a link to the complete story.  http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/children-s-weight-affected-by-bedroom-tvs-active-gaming-1.2558270