Frequent Questions

There are many factors to take into consideration when asking that question, such as: Age, gender, Weight, Activity level, illness, and climate.

Ensuring that you are getting enough water and the right fluids will largely influence your hydration status. Most of us are familiar with the 8 x 8 rule, which reminds us to drink 8 ounces of water 8 times per day.

For ideal hydration you can use this equation: 35mL/Kg of body weight. If you are more active, have been unwell, or consume alcohol, you may need to increase you water intake.

Signs you may be dehydrated:

If your water intake exceeds the ideal hydration, or you are excessively thirsty even after drinking the recommended amount, I would recommend contacting your family physician, as this could be a sign of an underlying health condition.

There is a wide range of online app calorie counters for your mobile phones. Many of these can be downloaded and are free to use. The one I personally use is an app called “My Fitness Pal”.

Many restaurants are now required to put calorie information on their menus, so you can also check the calorie content of foods when eating out. If they are not posted, you can ask.

Calories should be calculated per portion or per meal.

• Do not skip breakfast
  • Skipping breakfast will not help you lose weight. You may miss out on essential vitamins and nutrients, and you may end up snacking more on junk food throughout the day because you feel hungry.
• Start every meal with a couple bites of protein before the rest of your meal
  • Recommended order: Protein first, vegetables 2^nd, and carbs last. This will allow any carbs to digest slow and will avoid an insulin spike.
  • Add a protein element to carb-heavy meals to maintain blood sugar balance.
• Eat regular meals (same times every day)
  • Don’t let yourself get over-hungry, which can lead to poor food decisions.
  • Also don’t force yourself to eat if you aren’t hungry, as long as you don’t let yourself get too hungry later.
• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables
• Increase your daily exercise gradually every day. (Every step counts)
• Drink plenty of water (ideal: 35mL/Kg of body weight)
  • It is easy to sometimes confuse thirst with hunger. You can end up consuming extra unneeded calories when a glass of water is really what you need.
  • Try an electrolyte or salt in your water. This boosts your body’s processes without the need for nutrients from food and can help reduce hunger and cravings.
• Eat plenty of high fibre foods
  • Fibre helps you feel full and also helps your body break down carbs more slowly to avoid an insulin spike.
  • Women should aim for around 25 grams, and men 38 grams of fibre a day.
• Always read food labels. Many products have hidden chemicals, additives and fillers. If you don’t recognize an ingredient, research it so you know the good and bad of that particular ingredient.
  • Nutrition labels can help you choose between products and keep a check on the number of foods you’re eating that are high in fat, salt and added sugars.
• Use a smaller plate
  • This helps with portion control
• Do not stop eating your favorite foods cold turkey. This will just make you crave them more and you may succumb to binge eating.
  • Start slow. Gradually reduce these foods. It will help much better than cold turkey.
  • Think about your cravings to find out what nutrient, flavour, or emotion has caused it, then find an option that satisfies that – it might sometimes be that food, though you’ll be surprised at how often it’s not!
• Stop stocking up on junk food and non-healthy snacks
  • If you see it, you will eat it, eventually.
  • Make sure you give yourself a healthier option so that you can satisfy grazing habits or cravings without binging.
• Reduce your alcohol intake
• Plan your meals. I like to do all my shopping on Saturday, and meal prepping on Sunday.
  • Plan your breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for the week, making sure you stick to your calorie allowance. You may find it helpful to make a weekly shopping list.
  • Pre-portion your food so it’s easy to heat and enjoy, and there’s no excuse to order.
  • Post your weekly menu on the fridge or somewhere visible, so you never ask, “What’s for dinner?”
• If you go out to eat, look at the menu beforehand and decide exactly what you’ll order. Don’t wait until you’re there and hungry to choose.

Hit the freezer section, Frozen fish, fruits and vegetables are generally less expensive than fresh, and many come in convenient serving sizes (no more tossing half-full containers of spoiled spinach) and keep for weeks. Most are already prewashed and ready to go.

The simple answer is yes. Most people should get all the nutrients they need by having a whole foods and balanced diet, although some people may need to take extra supplements to “Top Up” those nutrients that are missed in our daily diets.

Note: Supplements are just that.  They are intended to supply nutrients that may have been missed through the foods that you eat.  Supplements DO NOT replace natural foods.

One of the most common supplements missed is Omega 3’s.  These are what is called your EFA’s (Essential Fatty Acids). The reason the call these essential is because our bodies cannot make these, and they must be supplemented.

Omega 3’s can easily be obtained by eating fatty fish (salmon, sardines, tuna and trout as well as many others)

Great in-depth site of information on Vitamins and Minerals: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamins-and-supplements

Allergies are an atypical immune response to a food, environmental, or other external substance that would otherwise be safe for humans to ingest or be around. Pollens, legumes, pets, and chemicals are some of the most prevalent; however, allergies can be formed to nearly anything that can be touched, inhaled, or ingested – including medication and even water! Daily or seasonal allergens that we are all exposed to include dust mites, animals and household cleaners, and the reaction to spring pollination is referred to as hay fever. Possible symptoms include chest or nasal congestion, post-nasal drip, and weeping eyes in addition to skin hives or eczema. Asthmatics often have an allergic response to one or more items.

Food is a trigger for many allergies. Strawberries, peanuts (a legume), nuts, eggs, and shellfish are just a few of an extensive list of commonly found ingestible allergens. In addition to actual food allergies, certain foods can be inflammatory without causing an actual allergic response. What often happens in this case is that several sources of inflammation cause the body to react with a stress response, causing sickness, allergic reactions, or other physical symptoms. Finding the foods that work best for your body can reduce the instance of allergies by improving the load on the immune system in general.

The human body was made to be in motion, and all physiological processes respond well to regular exercise. Improved bone density and muscle strength are just the start – exercise also helps regulate blood sugar, heart rate, digestion, and even mental health! Studies show a strong correlation between consistent movement and sleep, illness and disease resistance, and even an extended lifespan. There is also an important element of this that affects the growth, development, and emotional state of children, and the recommended daily amount of exercise is 150 minutes as a minimum.

Now, for different people, different movement may be more ideal. For example, running may not be ideal for someone dealing with weight-related joint issues. Some of the best types of exercise for everyone regardless of illness or mobility are walking, yoga, and weight training. These three ways to move improve protein synthesis, reduce the glycemic response, and provide mental relaxation. Of course, there are endless ways to enjoy movement, especially as the body gets stronger and healthier through good food and positive mindset.

Absolutely! Sleep is your body’s primary restorative activity at a cellular and neurological level. A lack of sleep reduces the conversion from short to long-term memory as well as the ability to cleanse cells of stress hormones and toxins. This means that without proper sleep, your memory, cravings, and of course, stamina, suffer.

If you are getting poor sleep, your nutrition could be the key. Anti-inflammatory, easy to digest foods, and a scheduled timeline for eating and exercise can help the body shut down digestive and nutrient conversion for truly restful sleep. Haphazard or non-routine diet and exercise can actually work against the body’s natural processes and contribute to weight gain, sluggishness, and inflammation even in a calorie deficit. Extended sleep deprivation has been linked to mental instability, including hallucinations, irregular moods, and sensory issues.

Reducing alcohol has many societal and social implications, so this question comes up often! There are a few reasons that decreasing alcohol intake will improve your health. The first is that quite simply, your body considers it a toxin, so it stops other processes to excrete alcohol first – after all, its primary goal is to keep you alive, and you cannot live with alcohol in your blood for an extended period of time.

The second reason is that because alcohol needs to be processed first, your most important weight management and bodily operation mechanisms also shuts down – fat and protein synthesis is put on hold when you drink. Of course, carbohydrates are considered quick energy, so they are put into storage, which leads to water retention and fat cell growth. Additionally, booze affects heart rate and the liver, as well as the muscles and brain. Pregnant women also risk affecting the growth and brain development of the baby, and should absolutely not consume alcoholic beverages.

In addition to this, alcohol negatively affects your sleep, adrenal system, and neurological reward pathways. So not only will your brain have trouble refreshing at night, you will also see reduced excretion of the toxins and diminished positive effects on a subjective level – a common side effect of regular alcohol ingestion is depression. The more and longer you consume alcohol, the more it impairs your thoughts and feelings even when you are without it.

Tobacco cigarettes are the leading cause of many cancers as well as a host of other health concerns like heart disease. Nicotine is the active ingredient in cigarettes, and as a stimulant, it adds the addictive qualities most smokers experience, changing their blood pressure and affecting their neurological state. There are two big issues with cigarettes. First, they are consumed via smoke inhalation, which has a very fast uptake mechanism in the body as the lungs provide direct access to the bloodstream – the lungs essentially become paralyzed and the sensitive respiratory processes are compromised; unable to help with excretion of the toxins, while the reward pathway is immediately triggered, causing addictive behaviours.

Second, the number of chemicals pumped into a tobacco cigarette is inexplicably high, all of which are proven toxic to humans and animals in much smaller doses than what just one cigarette would deliver. E-cigarettes are no exception, as they often also have additional compounds to liquify and deliver the nicotine that are even more hazardous. As the nicotine and other chemical build up, arteries lose elasticity, and blood volume decreases, allowing plaques to form along the walls of arteries and capillaries. As this happens, those blood vessels lose the ability to execute the pumping motion needed to carry blood throughout the body, increasing the risk of strokes, blood clots, aneurysm, and heart attacks.

Yes, and potentially even more than if you were a smoker! Secondhand smoke, also known as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), is inhaled involuntarily by the people in proximity to a smoker, especially in an indoor area. Secondhand smoke doesn’t go through a filter, so it is more dangerous than being a smoker in many cases!

In addition to direct inhalation, cigarette smoke coats surfaces and the toxins can be absorbed by the body or ingested accidentally. Even pets licking their fur can become ill from secondhand smoke. Asthma and respiratory illnesses are common in homes with secondhand smoke, and the risk of various cancers is nearly as high as in smokers themselves.

If you have a smoker in your household, it is a great idea to talk to them about smoking outside, or in a separate area like a garage where the carcinogens and smoke will not affect other members of the household, as this could be a huge reason for chronic illnesses.