nutrition – Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION.

Mentally Mindful

R U OK?

Our mental health: It’s on everyone’s mind…no pun intended. And with good reason. With so many uncertainties coming to us all at once, how do any of us manage to stay sane in today’s world?

Among various causes for concern, the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly not helped. It has negatively affected many people’s mental health and created new barriers for people already suffering from mental illness and substance use disorders. During the pandemic, about 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder, a share that has been largely consistent, up from one in ten adults who reported these symptoms from January to June 2019.

The good news is that people are becoming more open to discussing this previously taboo personal issue. Especially since famous people like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle bring it into the open to try to raise awareness and help end the stigma related to this problem. The reasoning being that no-one should keep a stiff upper lip at the expense of their own well-being.

We know that blocking emotions for any length of time is not healthy. It can result in severe psychological effects. So aside from talking to anyone from a professional to a friend, what else can we do?

Aside from a good night’s sleep (not always the easiest to accomplish if you have anxiety) can nutrition help?

According to Inspire Health (a Canadian leader in integrative cancer care with medical doctors, clinical counselors, dietitians and exercise therapists all working together to help support people dealing with cancer) it can have a positive effect.

My husband and I were regulars at Inspire Health in Vancouver when he was going through his cancer journey. While they sadly to say could not save him, for many months they were very helpful in helping to raise spirits by offering classes on everything from group meditation to acupuncture, counselling and healthy eating classes. All with people going through similar circumstances in a safe, peaceful and nurturing environment.

After almost four years I still receive e-mails from Inspire Health. Here is the latest which I’m happy to share with you:

From INSPIRE HEALTH Blog:

Our mental health and emotional well-being are not always the easiest topics to discuss — and this may be one of the reasons why these topics are not always explored in a medical appointment. Strategies for managing anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions often include medications, stress reduction, and counselling. But, excitingly, there is new and emerging evidence showing that nutrition can also play a significant role in supporting our mental health.

You may have heard of the amazing neurotransmitter called serotonin, which helps to regulate sleep, appetite, and mood, and also helps to inhibit pain. Did you know that 95% of our serotonin is produced in our intestinal tract? This production is influenced by the kinds and amounts of different bacteria that live in that gastrointestinal tract, also known as the microbiome.

The gut is connected directly to brain processes via the gut-brain axis. This axis includes the vagus nerve and nervous system, chemicals called neurotransmitters, the immune system, and the chemicals produced by the microbes and bacteria living in the gut. Think of the microbiome as an amazingly diverse forest system where we want various species of trees, fungi, moss, grasses, and other plants to thrive.

We have been hearing about probiotics for at least the past decade, and we are now realizing the importance of not only eating foods rich in probiotics (e.g.: yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, miso) but also feeding these bacteria with fibre. In addition to fibre, there are also specific nutrients in our foods that support our mental health, which include our B vitamins, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Keeping blood sugars relatively stable can also be supportive for our mental well-being. We can keep these sugars stable by creating a balance of protein, carbohydrates, fats and fibre in our meals and snacks.

So, can nutrition support mental health? Yes, and in many ways!

Here are a few practical tips:

Feed the bacteria in the gut with a good amount of fibre each day. Aim for 20-30 grams per day, unless you have been advised differently by your physician.

- Ground flax in your morning cereal
- Top your yogurt with berries and bran bud type cereal
- Swap your white or whole wheat bread product for whole grain or sprouted grain
- Incorporate more beans and lentils into your meals and snacks

Get your nutrients from whole foods as much as possible and include foods with B vitamins, vitamin D, and omega-3 fats.

- B Vitamins: salmon, leafy greens, eggs, legumes
- Vitamin D: salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel, eggs, fortified foods
- Omega 3: flaxseed, chia, walnuts, salmon, sardines, hemp hearts

Create balance in meals and snacks.

- Like a smoothie for breakfast? Make sure there is enough protein by including foods such as nuts, seeds, nut butter, yogurt, or soft tofu.
- Soup or salad for lunch? Make a soup creamier and full of protein by blending soaked cashews. Add nuts, seeds, beans, or another protein source to salads.
- Balance your dinner. Try for half of your plate as veg/fruit, ¼ as your starch (rice, quinoa, potatoes, pasta) and the last ¼ as your protein source – fish, beans, tofu, poultry, etc.
- Add to your snack. When having a piece of fruit, try adding some nuts or nut butter (e.g., apple slices with almond butter) or try one of our delicious snack recipes from our website such as the spiced carrot cake globes.

Can Nutrition Support Mental Health and Well-Being?

ON ANOTHER NOTE: I would like to give reference to a website of a personal friend who offers mentorship for mind, body and soul. Her name is Sabine. She comes highly recommended. Sabine’s workshops and seminars are offered online or in person (if you happen to live in Vancouver or in Berlin when she’s there). As an economist, published author, keynote speaker on wholeness and an expert in consciousness development and holistic marketing, her main focus is helping individuals, couples, and organizations in inner change processes. Her spiritual initiations and retreats help to transform fears, blockages, resistances, doubts and traumas. Well being at it’s core.

Human beings cannot solve current and future challenges on the same levels of consciousness on which they created them. Disbalances that show themselves individually, collectively, regionally and globally in the form of diseases, crises, conflicts and wars in all systems can neither be permanently controlled nor fought. They can, however, be completely transformed. Through higher levels of consciousness. Their attainment requires a whole transformation – Sabine Schneider – Founder

https://sheizas.com/

Remember; your life only gets better when you do!

Sources:

Forbes Magazine

KFF

Health + LifeStyle

2021 here we come

Okay let’s be real; 2020 sucked Big time!

Leap Year
An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves – Bill Vaughan (American columnist and author). Is it possible to be both an optimist and a pessimist? I think in this case it is.

It’s already 2021 Somewhere

Here are some things to consider as we get ready to close the door on one of the most horrible years of our lifetime:

The dumbest thing we could have ever bought was a 2020 planner.

The world has turned upside down. Old folks are sneaking out of the house & their kids are yelling at them to stay indoors!

Every few days try your jeans on just to make sure they fit. Pajamas should be reserved for quarantine and bedtime (even though I’ve actually worn mine under a coat – but only on occasion. I mean, who’s looking?).

This virus has done what no woman has been able to do. Cancel sports, shut down all bars & keep men at home!

I never thought the comment, “I wouldn’t touch him/her with a 6-foot pole” would become a national policy, but here we are!

I need to practice social-distancing from the refrigerator. You too?

I hope the weather is good tomorrow for my trip to the Backyard. I’m getting tired of the Living Room.

Never in a million years could I have imagined going up to a bank teller wearing a mask to ask for money.

While we’re on the subject…

Regardless of whether you are FOR or AGAINST masks, FOR or AGAINST social distancing, FOR or AGAINST shutting down the entire economy, FOR or AGAINST the vaccine, FOR or AGAINST being able to meet with a few healthy friends or even healthy family members, FOR or AGAINST the mainstream media, our governments and even the medical establishment not even uttering a single word about the importance of maintaining a robust immune system through proper diet, supplementation (hello vitamin D), exercise, stress-reduction, etc., we are quickly falling down a rabbit hole with no end in sight.

My brother Brad King (health + nutritional expert) added…

You are the only ones who can make a difference in your overall health – YOU! Stop living in a constant state of reaction and start becoming proactive. If you sit on your behind and expect your health to be taken care of for you, you are sadly mistaken.

Wake up, move your body, eat some healthy food, stop watching so much negative news, smile more (yes even with a mask on), breath some fresh air (please don’t say you wear a mask when you’re out hiking or taking a walk outside), expose your skin to real sunlight (obviously never get burned), sleep deeply and love with all your heart.

Here’s to a much, much better 2021 and beyond. Oh, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Food + Drink

Food: the forgotton few

Two things I picked up recently at the supermarket: Sunchokes & Watercress.I haven’t had watercress in ages mostly because I rarely find it other than farmers markets. I almost forgot the nice peppery taste and how great it goes in salads either as the main leafy green or added to a mix of others.

One time in Jamaica I swam across an area of the wild cruciferous plant so I snapped off a bunch of the leaves and took it back and made watercress sandwiches (with thinly sliced onion on the advice of someone who swore how delicious & nutritious it was). It used to be a staple of the working class diet in England. It comes with good recommendation. The ancient green is said to have also been a staple in the diet of Roman soldiers with a long history of benefits like immunity boosting properties, a cancer preventative and support for thyroid. In fact, Hippocrates, the father of medicine, used watercress to treat his patients. What was good enough for the Romans & Hippocrates is good enough for me.

Sunchokes are a different matter.

They are a vegetable formerly known as “Jerusalem Artichokes” and are neither from Jerusalem nor are they related to artichokes. They are originally cultivated by Native Americans. I guess that’s all the history I’m getting or giving for now. They look like large pieces of ginger but taste a bit nutty and sweet at the same time. It’s pretty weird sounding.

I am neither used to seeing them or cooking with them but since I’m always up for trying something new, I bought a package. I asked a supermarket employee in the vegetable department what to do with them. He said “cook em up like you would a potatoe. Peel, leave skin on, mash, bake or boil – they’re delish!” I decided to slice them fairly thin with skin on, drizzle olive oil over top, a little sea salt & fresh dill and bake them in the oven. They baked in very little time and were quite yummy with more of a root vegetable taste.

Orange roughy with asian marinade, steamed broccoli & baked sunchokes. Image: d. king

I will make them again and try different ways of serving them.

Have you tried them?

FUN

Health MATTERS: a few noteworthy facts

Here are six interesting research-backed food facts – some that might seem a bit shocking. Something to talk about at your next cocktail party – it’s amazing to find out how much food and nutrition info. we don’t know.

Source: Purdue, Tafts

Source: NY Times, Journal of Pain.

Source: Cinnabon, Coca-Cola

Source: Starbucks

So watch out for this. I used to drink vodka & soda.

Some thoughts…

If I had to choose I would much rather put extra calories into a big gooey cinnamon bun than a soft drink.

Know your ingredients. Unless you look up the ingredients how in the world would you know that Starbucks was colouring their frappuccinos with ground up bugs? I used to drink those too.

Invest in a black light.

Your thoughts?

FUN

Health MATTERS: Exercise vs. Diet – which one matters most?

If you had to choose between Diet or Exercise when it comes to slimming down which would it be?

Does one matter more than the other? I know, it’s not really a fair question but some people want to lose weight but really don’t want to 1) Exercise or 2) Diet.

Of course you can always do one without the other but any thinking person knows that doing both will be more effective. I was reading an article about this with two experts weighing out the differences.

HIT THE GYM:

Expert: Michele Olson, PhD, professor of physical education and exercise science at Auburn University at Montgomery, Alabama.

“Yes, you can lose weight with diet alone, but exercise is an important component. Without it, only a portion of your weight loss is from fat – you’re also stripping away muscle and bone density. Since working out stimulates growth of those metabolic tissues, losing weight through exercise means you’re burning mostly fat. The number on the scale might not sound so impressive, but because muscle takes up less space than fat does, you look smaller and your clothes fit better. Data shows that to lose weight with exercise and keep it off, you don’t need to run marathons. You just need to build up to five workouts a week, 50 minutes each, at a moderate intensity, like brisk walking or zumba. Resistance training helps too. Don’t just do isolated weight-lifting exercises like bicep curls – you’ll get leaner faster by using your body weight against gravity, as with movements like squats, lunges, push-ups, and planks. And, of course, beyond burning fat, people shouldn’t forget that exercise can have other impressive health perks, like improving the quality of your sleep, lowering your cholesterol, and reducing your stress level.”

EAT SMART

Expert: Shawn M. Talbott, PhD, nutritional biochemist and former director of the University of Utah Nutrition Clinic.

“As a rule of thumb, weight loss is generally 75 percent diet and 25 percent exercise. An analysis of more than 700 weight loss studies found that people see the biggest short-term results when they eat smart. On average, people who dieted without exercising for 15 weeks lost 23 pounds; the exercisers lost only six over about 21 weeks. It’s much easier to cut calories than to burn them off. For example, if you eat a fast-food steak quesadilla, which can pack 500-plus calories, you need to run more than four miles to ‘undo’ it!”

“So, what should you eat? It’s true that low-carb diets tend to be the most popular because they offer the fastest results, but they can be difficult to sustain. I recommend striving for a more balanced plan that focuses on fruits and veggies, lean proteins, and whole grain carbs. And never cut calories too low (this causes your metabolism to slow, and you can start losing muscle mass). For a healthy daily calorie count, allow 10 calories per pound of body weight – so a 150-pound woman should shoot for a 1,500 calorie target. That way, you should be able to lose weight no matter how much you exercise.”

THE LAST WORD: While diet and exercise are both important for long-term weight loss, remember this: “You can’t out-exercise a bad diet,” says Talbott.

Source: as told to Sarah Z. Wexler for “O” Magazine