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

Living a Cancer Prevention Lifestyle

It is a staggering statistic that estimates 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will be confronted with a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime.  What may be even harder to comprehend is that only 5–10% of all cancer cases can be attributed to genetic defects. The remaining 90–95% have their genesis in environmental and lifestyle factors.  Consider this:

“The evidence indicates that of all cancer-related deaths, almost 25-30% are due to tobacco, as many as 30-35% are linked to diet, about 15-20% are due to infections, and the remaining percentage are due to other factors like radiation, stress, physical activity, environmental pollutants etc.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18626751

The long and short of this is that there are lifestyle choices that we can make to tilt the odds more favourably in our direction.

Quit Smoking  

quit smokingGo back to the quote above, “The evidence indicates that of all cancer-related deaths, almost 25-30% are due to tobacco”

Eat Whole Foods

Whole, unprocessed foods give our bodies the nutrients that are needed to repair our tissues and fight off disease.  Our bodies cannot synthesize all of the nutrients that are needed to function optimally.  Proper nutrition fills in those missing pieces.wholefoods

 

 

 

 

Keep Moving

movingMove every day!  Walk, run, yoga. Whatever your fancy just keep moving. Movement and exercise helps you to maintain a good weight, helps bust stress, helps to manage insulin levels and helps you to get a good night’s sleep.

Manage Your Stress Level

laugh

Ongoing stress leads to inflammation.  Ongoing inflammation can lead to disease.  (You can take a look at my blog post to get a better understanding of inflammation.)  Surround yourself with positive people.  Forgive quickly. Laugh more.

Drink Less Hydrate More

Keep alcohol consumption to a minimum and water consumption to a maximum. Alcohol can be dehydrating and a stressor to your liver and kidneys.  Drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day helps to maintain your fluid balance and detoxify your body.drinkwater

Small changes daily can lead to big payoffs in the long run.  Start today to build your cancer prevention lifestyle.

rhubarb
Author avisha Categories Blog, Food & Nutrition, Recipes Posted on 0 Comments

Spotlight on Rhubarb (and a yummy recipe too)

Rhubarb has a short harvesting season spanning from April to June.  Its long slender stalks are the edible part of the plant.  Its leaves are toxic and thus cannot be ingested.

Rhubarb’s health benefits include its vitamin A, C, K and calcium content as well as its high fiber content.

Raw rhubarb stalks are naturally tart so it’s almost always cooked or baked with some added sweetness.

The season is short so grab some now!

Here’s a delicious, healthy recipe for you to try using this seasonal gem!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Recipe

Enjoy!

Author avisha Categories Blog, Food & Nutrition Posted on 0 Comments

5 Ways to Help You Reach Your Daily Fiber Goals

Dietary fiber is a plant-based carbohydrate that cannot be broken down by our bodies. Fiber performs many important function including:

  • aiding in the digestion and absorption of glucose and fats
  • feeding our good bacteria
  • helping to remove waste and toxins from our body
  • regulating our bowel action

By performing these vital functions fiber helps with digestive health, weight management, blood sugar and cholesterol regulation as well as decreasing the risk of some cancers.

There are 2 types of fiber and both are needed in your diet.  They are soluble fiber and insoluble fiber.

Soluble fiber expands as it passes through our system absorbing water creating a gel-like substance. It helps to soften stool allowing it to pass more easily. Soluble fiber also binds to substances such as cholesterol and sugar, slowing their absorption in to the blood. Examples of food high in soluble fiber include: oats, barley, nuts, seeds and lentils.

Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and passes through our digestive/intestinal system pretty much intact helping to prevent constipation. Foods high in this type of fiber include beans and legumes, asparagus, beets, broccoli and kale.

In working with my clients, I recommend a daily intake of 30 – 40 grams of fiber per day suggesting highly to aim for the upper end of this range.

Getting this amount of fiber per day can be challenging so try and incorporate these 5 strategies to help you reach your fiber goals.

1. Eat a variety of nuts & seeds

Nuts and seeds are chalk full of fiber.  Think flaxseeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seed and hemp seeds.  Then walnuts and hazelnuts and almonds.  Whatever your fancy, consuming nuts and seeds as a snack or incorporated into things like salads are a great fiber boost AND a great segue in to my next tip….

2. Make Yourself a Salad Every Day

No better way to get fiber from plants than to eat them! And do it in style!  Add peppers and cucumber and carrots and…

3. Keep the peels on your fruits and veggies

Fruit and vegetable peels are very high in fiber. Now of course you’re not expected to chomp on a pineapple casing but common sense will guide you.  If not here is a short list: Cucumbers, carrots, peppers, zucchini, potatoes, apples and pears. Wash them up well and enjoy!

4. Make legumes part of your diet

Black beans, lentils and peas are but of few of this fiber packed group. Delicious, nutritious and so reasonably priced.

5. Drink smoothies

Smoothies to me are likened to the kitchen sink, you can just throw so much in to them. Consider this, a smoothie made with:

1 /2 cups of pineapple, 1 cucumber, 1 cup of parsley, 4 cups of spinach and some ginger has approximately 10 grams of fiber. Now add 1 Tablespoon of Flaxseed with about 2 grams of fiber and 1 Tablespoon of Chia seeds with about a 4 gram fiber count and you are butting up to the halfway point of your daily fiber goal in one tall glass!

I have one final tip before I close out here. Take a day and record your fiber intake. It will give you a good picture of where you are in relation to your fiber goals.

It may take a bit of time to reach your fiber goal but your body will thank you when you do.

Author avisha Categories Blog, Food & Nutrition Posted on 0 Comments

5 Ways To Help You Reach Your Daily Fiber Goals

Dietary fiber is a plant-based carbohydrate that cannot be broken down by our bodies. Fiber performs many important function including:

  • aiding in the digestion and absorption of glucose and fats
  • feeding our good bacteria
  • helping to remove waste and toxins from our body
  • regulating our bowel action

By performing these vital functions fiber helps with digestive health, weight management, blood sugar and cholesterol regulation as well as decreasing the risk of some cancers.

There are 2 types of fiber and both are needed in your diet.  They are soluble fiber and insoluble fiber.

Soluble fiber expands as it passes through our system absorbing water creating a gel-like substance. It helps to soften stool allowing it to pass more easily. Soluble fiber also binds to substances such as cholesterol and sugar, slowing their absorption in to the blood. Examples of food high in soluble fiber include: oats, barley, nuts, seeds and lentils.

Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and passes through our digestive/intestinal system pretty much intact helping to prevent constipation. Foods high in this type of fiber include beans and legumes, asparagus, beets, broccoli and kale.

In working with my clients, I recommend a daily intake of 30 – 40 grams of fiber per day suggesting highly to aim for the upper end of this range.

Getting this amount of fiber per day can be challenging so try and incorporate these 5 strategies to help you reach your fiber goals.

1. Eat a variety of nuts & seeds

Nuts and seeds are chalk full of fiber.  Think flaxseeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seed and hemp seeds.  Then walnuts and hazelnuts and almonds.  Whatever your fancy, consuming nuts and seeds as a snack or incorporated into things like salads are a great fiber boost AND a great segue in to my next tip….

2. Make Yourself a Salad Every Day

No better way to get fiber from plants than to eat them! And do it in style!  Add peppers and cucumber and carrots and…

3. Keep the peels on your fruits and veggies

Fruit and vegetable peels are very high in fiber. Now of course you’re not expected to chomp on a pineapple casing but common sense will guide you.  If not here is a short list: Cucumbers, carrots, peppers, zucchini, potatoes, apples and pears. Wash them up well and enjoy!

4. Make legumes part of your diet

Black beans, lentils and peas are but of few of this fiber packed group. Delicious, nutritious and so reasonably priced.

 

 

 

 

5. Drink smoothies

Smoothies to me are likened to the kitchen sink, you can just throw so much in to them. Consider this, a smoothie made with:

1 /2 cups of pineapple, 1 cucumber, 1 cup of parsley, 4 cups of spinach and some ginger has approximately 10 grams of fiber. Now add 1 Tablespoon of Flaxseed with about 2 grams of fiber and 1 Tablespoon of Chia seeds with about a 4 gram fiber count and you are butting up to the halfway point of your daily fiber goal in one tall glass!

I have one final tip before I close out here. Take a day and record your fiber intake. It will give you a good picture of where you are in relation to your fiber goals.

It may take a bit of time to reach your fiber goal but your body will thank you when you do.

 

Author avisha Categories Food & Nutrition Posted on 0 Comments

Spotlight on Fiddleheads

The leaves of ferns are referred to as ‘fronds’ and a Fiddlehead is a frond of a young fern.  Generally speaking the season for Fiddleheads runs from late April to early June.

Cooking directions are straight forward:

  1. Cook your Fiddleheads in boiling water until just becoming tender, anywhere from 5-8 minutes.
  2. Drain from water and add to a skillet heated with coconut or olive oil.  Saute for a few minutes adding salt and pepper to taste.

Flavour wise they have a rich taste somewhere between a green bean and asparagus.

Nutrition wise Fiddleheads are high in Vitamin A and C and a good source of phosphorus and manganese.

Enjoy them now while you can!

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