{Eat for your Health} Obesity

Obesity. In my opinion, it’s the perfect chronic disease to end off this series with, since obesity has been linked to many other complications and diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. For the longest time {and even still, this is an issue!} there has been a stigma associated with obesity – that those struggling with obesity are lazy, or sluggish, or simply lack the motivation to get the weight off.   New research is demonstrating that obesity can also be influenced by genetic factors, building an increasingly strong case to support that obesity is indeed a disease and not just a lifestyle problem. In fact, in October, the Canadian Medical Association formally recognized obesity as a disease.

An individual is classified as obese if they have a BMI {Body Mass Index} of 30 of greater. Having a high BMI in conjunction with a large waist circumference {classified as greater than 102 cm for males and greater than 88 cm for females} puts an individual at a very high risk for other health problems and conditions. Obesity is becoming increasingly more prevalent in Canada, with the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey revealing that nearly a quarter {about 23%} of Canadians, aged 18 and older, are classified as obese, and an additional 36% were classified as overweight.

Obesity isn’t only a problem in Canada. Worldwide, the prevalence of obesity and overweight is increasing, advocating for more research and interventions to stop this trend in its tracks. If you want to read more about obesity at a global level, click here.

To tackle obesity, a coordinated effort is required from both public and private stakeholders, including government, multinational food companies, producers, food marketing, healthcare…and the list goes on! But the biggest changes can start with small efforts from every individual. Read on for some things to watch for in your own diet to help maintain a healthy weight, and promote a healthy lifestyle.

The Importance of Fibre

Canadians aren’t eating enough fibre. It’s not the most glamorous nutritional topic, by far, but it is so important when it comes to feeling full and satisfied. A healthy adult needs approximately 21-38 grams of fibre per day to promote digestive health and help prevent those sugar cravings that can sneak up on you! You don’t have to make drastic changes in your diet to add more beneficial fibre. Choose high fibre breakfast cereals instead of refined grains, look for more whole grain bread products, and eat lots of fibre rich vegetables, pulses, and legumes.

Unlimited Vegetables

Eating at least seven servings of fruits and vegetables a day not only fills you up with minimal calories, but also provides your body with important vitamins and minerals to keep everything running in tip top shape. Like we discussed earlier in the arthritis post (LINK TO POST), filling half of your plate with vegetables is a great trick to help you get those servings in each day, and help cut out some of the heavier foods that you might otherwise fill your plate with. Vegetables don’t have to be boring either! Roast them, grill them, throw them in a salad, mix them up in a smoothie, or even sneak them into homemade baked goods! The possibilities are endless, so I challenge you to learn to love your veggies! Find a cooking method that you love, and never be afraid to experiment! The worst thing that could happen is your dog ends up with your questionable flavour combination and gets a gourmet dinner!

Ditch Drinking Your Calories

This is a big one that I think is so important when it comes to watching how much we are eating and fueling up on the good stuff. I know everyone loves the candy cane, hazelnut, caramel butter, pick-your-flavour lattes, but the calories in these frothy drinks can be upwards of 500 calories! And because we can slurp it down quickly, often we are unaware of the amounts of empty calories {not to mention added sugars} that our body now has to find a way to store. Stick to water the majority of the time, and save the fancy drinks with the sugar syrups as rare treats.

Watch the Processed

Today, we live in what’s called an “obesogenic” environment, meaning we live in a world that encourages us to overindulge when we eat and exercise less. High fat, high sugar, high salt foods have been engineered to be highly palatable and over time we’ve wired our bodies to crave much more than we need to eat! This can wreak havoc on our waistlines, not to mention leaving us nutritionally deprived. My challenge to you is to take a step back from the pre-packaged, processed fast food and put the focus on eating real, wholesome food. Trust me, you’ll feel the difference!

Keeping It Mediterranean

It all circles back to a plant-based, whole food approach to eating. Keeping it real and fresh does wonders for your energy levels, your skin, your health, and your overall wellbeing! If you want to learn even more about the Mediterranean diet and its studied health benefits, click here.

Thanks for taking this #eatforyourhealth journey with me! Check out Bourbon + Honey (LINK TO POST) for the last meal plan of this series. Did you learn something new? Let me know in the comments below, or tag us on social media using #eatforhealth.

 

 

{Eat for your Health} Heart Disease

Your heart is arguably the most important organ in your body. Essentially, the heart is single-handedly responsible for making sure vital oxygen and nutrients are circulated in your body via blood to keep you alive. It’s pretty important {and that’s putting it lightly}, so shouldn’t we eat like we value our hearts?

Honey Glazed Walnut Crusted Salmon

So it’s January 7^th and I’ve already messed up writing the correct year like 87 times. Is it just me, or does it take like three months for the new year to fully sink in?

Happy New Year {Eat For Your Health Intro}

Happy New Year Savour & Shine readers! I hope you had a fabulous evening of celebrations and are ready to start off 2016 on the right foot. January 1^st is such a great day – you get to reflect on the past year and create new possibilities and goals for the year to come. What will your focus be for this year?

Savoury Scrambled Eggs

Growing up, I never liked eggs for breakfast. I would always choose pancakes or French toast over eggs. I’m sure this doesn’t surprise anyone given the multiple times I’ve already mentioned my big sweet tooth on the blog.

Your Healthy Eating Holiday Survival Guide

The Christmas season is my favourite. All of a sudden my calendar is filled with parties, open houses, dinners, and wine nights with friends. It’s a time when our smiles get brighter, our outfits get to glitter, and {unfortunately} our waistlines can get bigger. So think of this post as your holiday survival guide, helping you to navigate every festivity with enough wiggle room to enjoy yourself, but equipped with the tools to help you avoid that guilt from overindulging.

Chocolate Raspberry Smoothie

Who says chocolate covered fruit can only be a dessert thing? What if I told you that it’s possible to have a healthy breakfast smoothie that tastes like chocolate raspberry cheesecake? Trust me, it’s possible.

Pantry Clean Out {Make Healthy Eating Easier}

This past weekend I set out to re-organize and clean my pantry. It’s nice to do this at least once a year to clear out any items that may have gotten shoved into dark corners and forgotten about, as well as discard any stale products. I’m fairly Type A, so I tend to function much better when my life {i.e. my closet, room, and kitchen} is organized and in order. It helps keep my mind clear and focused on whatever task I need to get done that day, instead of procrasti-cleaning. It’s a thing. It also helps me to stay motivated to eat healthy! When you’re go-to snacks and healthy pantry staples are the first thing you see when you open the door, you’re more likely to incorporate those into your meal {and not binge on chips and crackers}.

Nutrition Knowledge Nugget #2: The Power of Protein

It seems like every food at the grocery store is touting the latest and greatest nutrient. So often you’ll see things like “high fiber”, “omega-3 enriched” and of course “protein” everything! I can’t count the times I’ve seen the word protein plastered across a granola bar box or cracker container. Protein is important in our bodies for a variety of reasons, but an excessive intake of protein isn’t going to put us on the fast track to better health.

Harvest Salad

Being the greens lover that I am, I could probably eat salads year round and be pretty content. But there are a few days when it’s cold and windy outside and I just want to have something that tastes like fall. I want a little more richness and hearty flavours and less light citrus and berries {now I’m daydreaming about summer salads on the patio: withdrawals are mad real at the moment}.