Author Cathy Biase Categories Media, Podcasts, The Health Hub Posted on 0 Comments

This Week On TheHealthHub…Plant-Based Dieting & Unique Pressures For Female Athletes with Olympian and World Champion Ski Jumper Sarah Hendrickson

Sarah Hendrickson is an Olympian and World Champion in the sport of ski jumping. She attended the first ever Olympic Games in Sochi Russia in 2014, and with bib number one, became the first ever female to ski jump in an Olympic event. Prior to that event, she won the first ever world cup event and world cup overall title in the sport. Although she does not like to be defined by her injuries, a crash in 2013, training for the Olympics, severely injured her right knee. But with an intense rehab program, recovered in a short five months to qualify for the Olympic team. Sarah knows her challenges with injuries has taught her a lot about mental toughness, mental health, rehabilitation and perseverance to return to her passion. Although she has retired from the sport, she remains highly involved on the international level through the International Ski Federation as a four year athlete representative for women’s ski jumping. The inequality that this sport specifically faces fuels her dedication to push for more acceptance, increase prize money and increase the amount of events to someday match the men.
Learning points:
  • Can a plant-based diet support the nutritional needs of an Olympic athlete?
  • Are there unique pressures for female athletes?
  • How did Sarah’s injury impact her mental health?
Social Media:

 

Listen live or catch the podcast on iTunes and SoundCloud!

Every Tuesday from 11am -12pm I host The Health Hub, an interactive, forward thinking talk show on Radio Maria Canada.   Call, tweet or email your questions as together we explore health issues that are relevant to you from new and innovative points of view.

TheHealthHub is now on iTunes!

Subscribe and don’t miss a single episode!

Follow us on Social Media

We are @thehealthhubrmc on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

How To Listen Live

Visit our website and learn how to listen live to our show each week. http://www.radiomaria.ca/how-to-listen

Let us know!

If you have a health topic that you would like us to discuss or are a health care specialist who wants to be a guest on our show let us know!

Here is our email.  We would love to hear from you! thh@radiomaria.ca

 

 

Author Cathy Biase Categories Blog, Media, Podcasts, The Health Hub Posted on 0 Comments

This Week On The Health Hub…Plant-Based Diets & Peak Athletic Performance With Dr. Andrew Chen

Andrew L. Chen, MD, MS, a native of Maryland, earned a Masters of Science in Biomatierals Engineering at The Johns Hopkins University and a doctorate in medicine at The John Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.  He completed his residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at the Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York where he also completed a fellowship in orthopaedic research at the Musculoskeletal Research Center in New York.  Following this, he completed a fellowship in Sports Medicine at the Steadman-Hawkins Sports Medicine Clinic in Vail, Colorado.  Dr. Chen practices at The Alpine Clinic in Franconia, New Hampshire, and is certified in Orthopaedic Surgery by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons, with subspecialty certification in Sports Medicine.  Dr. Chen is the Chief Medical Officer for United States Nordic Sport, a Team Physician for the United States Olympic Committee, and a Team Physician for the United States Ski and Snowboard Association.  Dr. Chen is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and the American Orthopaedic Society of Sports Medicine.  In addition to numerous published articles, book chapters, and books, Dr. Chen has presented research numerous international, national, and regional forums, and has been featured on WMUR’s New Hampshire Chronicle, several television interviews and presentations, and radio interviews nationwide. He has assisted in the care of several professional sports teams, and was a physician for Madison Square Garden in New York City.  Dr. Chen currently resides in New Hampshire with his wife, a specialist in Plant Based Nutrition, and his two teenage children.
Learning point:
    1. Can an elite athlete be a top performer on a plant-based diet?
    2. Is a plant-based diet suitable for all athletes?
    3. Why is there confusion about determining adequate protein levels?
 

Listen live or catch the podcast on iTunes and SoundCloud!

Every Tuesday from 11am -12pm I host The Health Hub, an interactive, forward thinking talk show on Radio Maria Canada.   Call, tweet or email your questions as together we explore health issues that are relevant to you from new and innovative points of view.

TheHealthHub is now on iTunes!

Subscribe and don’t miss a single episode!

Follow us on Social Media

We are @thehealthhubrmc on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

How To Listen Live

Visit our website and learn how to listen live to our show each week. http://www.radiomaria.ca/how-to-listen

Let us know!

If you have a health topic that you would like us to discuss or are a health care specialist who wants to be a guest on our show let us know!

Here is our email.  We would love to hear from you! thh@radiomaria.ca

   
Author Cathy Biase Categories Blog, Cancer Coaching, Food & Nutrition, Lifestyle Posted on 0 Comments

Not Sleeping Well? Maybe You Need To Eat More!

Consider this: We sleep for about 1/3 of our life.  That, my friends, is a significant amount of time!

So, what happens when we sleep?

Have you ever thought about it?

Well I’m here to tell you that there is a world of action going on as we lay supine bridging one day to the next.

Brain Action

While we sleep our brain is working hard to process what we’ve learned during the day. Research also shows that sleep may promote the removal of waste products from brain cells.  Effectively this means that while we sleep our brains are detoxifying.brain

Detoxifying and Repairing

While we sleep our body is also hard at work detoxifying other areas of our body, as well as repairing it.

Our liver is at its peak detox stage between 1 and 3 am and our lungs around 4am.

And during sleep our body repairs cells, tissues and muscles. It synthesizes proteins and releases hormones.

Immune System

While we sleep our immune system is hard at work defending us.  It releases cytokines (proteins that fight inflammation and infection) as well as antibodies and immune cells that work to fight off harmful germs and infection.

So, as I am sure you can surmise, sleep is not a passive passage of time.  It’s an essential piece of our health puzzle.

Sleep Disruptors

There are many things to take a look at when you are trying to figure out why you may not be getting a good night’s sleep:

  • Poor sleep habits like not going to bed at a consistent time each night
  • Stress
  • Certain medications
  • External light
  • Room Temperaturesleep

And I am going to offer up one more.  A reason not often considered.

Are you consuming enough good quality food each and every day?  If not, this could be a contributing factor to poor sleep.

You need to provide your body with enough of the essential nutrients that it requires to have the energy it needs to perform all of those tasks that I mentioned above.  It’s vital for a restful sleep.

Our activity level, metabolism, body weight and how much we sleep each night are key factors in determining how many calories we burn while we sleep.

You can turn to calculators like https://captaincalculator.com/health/calorie/calories-burned-sleeping-calculator/ to help you determine more precisely how many calories you burn while sleeping but to put things into a bit of perspective here, a person weighing 150lbs may burn 400 calories during 8 hours of sleep while someone who is 185lbs may in the area of 500 calories.

It’s significant isn’t it?

I’m seeing this issue pop up more and more, especially in people who are experimenting with some form of fasting.  Fasting can be a great tool if done properly.  But it is not for everyone and definitely should be discussed with a practitioner who has experience in this area.

So here is a parting tip for you if you are trying to improve your sleep.

Keep a daily food journal.  Record what and how much you eat every day.

What you learn from it may surprise you!

References

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/how-sleep-clears-brain

https://www.healthline.com/health/why-do-we-sleep#restoration

https://www.healthline.com/health/calories-burned-sleeping

 

Author Cathy Biase Categories Blog, Podcasts, The Health Hub Posted on 0 Comments

This Week On The Health Hub…Transitioning To A Plant-Based Diet With Melissa Halas

Melissa Halas, MA, RDN, CDE, is a nationally recognized nutrition expert with 20+ years of experience helping kids, adults, and communities live healthier lives! As a registered dietitian and mom, she’s passionate about making good nutrition easy, tasty, and fun! She is the founder of the first kid’s nutrition mega-site, SuperKids Nutrition, providing expert resources to help grow healthy communities. Melissa is also the creator of the Super Crew®, who get their powers from healthy plant-based foods and motivate young children to develop healthy eating habits from an early age. With a strong commitment to living and teaching sustainability, her activities with the Super Crew promote green choices! SuperKids Nutrition partners with the American Institute for Cancer Research on the Healthy Kids Today Campaign and with over 5000 schools in the US, providing menu activities and parent newsletters. Melissa addressed nutrition concerns for adults, from how much coffee is safe to which foods to eat for brain health at https://www.melissashealthyliving.com/. Check out her Super Crew books for kids and her Plant-Based living books for Adults on either of her websites.

Learning Points:

  • What are some tips for transitioning to a plant-based diet?
  • Why is it important for cancer prevention to children to be on a plant-based diet?
  • How can we get kids into the kitchen to learn how to prepare healthy meals?

Social Media SuperKids Nutrition

  Melissa’s Healthy Living

Listen live or catch the podcast on iTunes and SoundCloud!

Every Tuesday from 11am -12pm I host The Health Hub, an interactive, forward thinking talk show on Radio Maria Canada.   Call, tweet or email your questions as together we explore health issues that are relevant to you from new and innovative points of view.

TheHealthHub is now on iTunes!

Subscribe and don’t miss a single episode!

Follow us on Social Media

We are @thehealthhubrmc on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

How To Listen Live

Visit our website and learn how to listen live to our show each week. http://www.radiomaria.ca/how-to-listen

Let us know!

If you have a health topic that you would like us to discuss or are a health care specialist who wants to be a guest on our show let us know!

Here is our email.  We would love to hear from you! thh@radiomaria.ca

 

 

Author Cathy Biase Categories Blog, Food & Nutrition Posted on 0 Comments

What You Eat Can Impact Your Stress Level

In challenging times like these when stress and worry are peaking don’t forget to look at what is at the end of your fork for some help.  You can get a lot of support from the meals that you put together.

Let’s take a look at ideal inclusion and needed exclusions.

What You Eat Contributes To Your Stress Level

Food that contains a lot of sugar can cause a roller coaster ride for your blood sugar and this can cause you to feel jittery and to have mood swings.  Best to stay away from foods in this category.

Keeping in line with the thought of controlling blood sugar, complex carbohydrates, foods high in fiber, are an important inclusion in a diet focusing on stress busting.  Fiber slows down the speed that sugar enters into your blood stream, so it helps you to avoid those sudden spikes and drops in your blood sugar levels, balancing your mood and easing your stress.  Foods high in fiber include cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, celery, berries, leafy greens, beans and whole grains.

Fiber is also key for your gut microbiome health and because your brain and gut are connected a healthy, happy gut microbiome leads to a happier you.

And if we are talking about creating a happy gut, we can’t forget fermented foods that are a good source of probiotics. So, we are talking about things like kefir, kombucha, apple cider vinegar and kimchi.

Some studies have suggested that omega-3 fatty acids may be beneficial for improving mood.  One possible reason is that omega-3 fatty acids are essential for brain cell structure and function.  Another could be that they provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory support.

Food sources of omega-3’s include wild caught salmon, sardines, flax seeds and chia seeds.

Magnesium is a go to supplement for improving sleep, quelling stress and calming nerves but why not get it from the food that you eat?  Foods naturally rich in magnesium are leafy greens, such as spinach and Swiss chard and dark chocolate.

Adaptogens

Finally, I want to mention that you can incorporate adaptogens to help you handle stress.

Adaptogens such as Ashwagandha and Holy Basil and some mushrooms including reishi and cordyceps are known to support the body’s ability to handle stress.

These can be easily included into your diet as teas or added into smoothies, salads and soups.

Here is one idea for you!

 

Stress Busting Hot Chocolate Recipe

Ingredients & Directions

Add to your blender and combine:

1 cup non-dairy milk (I love cashew for this one)

1 TBSP cacao powder

1 tsp maple syrup (or to taste)

1 tsp Ashwagandha powder

1 tsp Reishi mushroom powder

After you blend the ingredients add them to a pot and warm up. ⁠

Top with cinnamon if you like⁠

References

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/expert-answers/fish-oil-supplements/faq-20058143

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC538287/

 

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