Grocery Shopping

Plan ahead:

• Have three to four recipes you plan to make in the upcoming week.
  • Here are some pantry friendly recipes:
    • https://www.loveandlemons.com/pantry-recipes/
    • https://www.budgetbytes.com/
  • Grocery list – Prepare your grocery list in advance. If you share a grocery list with someone else in the house, consider using a cloud-based notes application.
  • Aim to use plant-based meals every week: legumes (e.g. canned and dried beans and lentils), tofu
  • Frozen vegetables are just as healthy as fresh — consider buying frozen if this is cheaper.
  • Seasonal produce tends to be cheaper. Use this guide: https://www.ontario.ca/foodland/page/availability-guide

Prepare:

Before you go to the grocery store, take stock of what items you have already and which items you will need to buy. Check your pantry, fridge, and freezer.

• Flyers – Use grocery flyers or apps like Flipp® or Reebee® to help find deals.
• Price match – Some stores will price match the lower advertised price from a competitor. Provide the retail clerk with a digital or print copy of the competing offer (flyers are helpful here), they will sell you the product for a lower price. You can check online (or ask in store) if a grocery store will price match.
• You can “rain check” at grocery stores if an item on sale is out of stock.
  • This allows you to return at a later date to purchase the item when it is back in stock at the sale price. The standard is that this offer lasts 30 days, but check with your store.
• Wait for pantry items to go on sale, then stock up!

Preparing Foods

• Be flexible — if recipes call for certain ingredients, look up substitutes or alternatives. For example, if a recipe calls for asparagus but it is not asparagus season, you can consider using another vegetable such as broccoli, cauliflower, etc.
• Don’t throw out all your scraps!
• Keep seafood shells, bones of meats, and odds and ends of vegetables in freezer bags. You can turn these into broths.
• There are online resources for how to use food scraps, check them out!
• Make extras, especially vegetables and grains. You may find other ways to repurpose this. For example, sautéed veggies can go into a salad for lunch the next day. Leftover meats can be cut up to be included in a wrap the next day. Last night’s stir fry can be cooked with farro or barley as a new side dish.

Storing Meals

• Freeze cooked meals into portions you will likely consume in a week. (e.g: two or three portions of chili or soup that you can reheat throughout the week and have with sandwich or salad).
• Freeze meals already portioned into a balanced plate to create a homemade “TV dinner.”

The post Budget-friendly healthy eating: practical tips appeared first on Your Health Matters.

Yoga, like most Eastern philosophies, views the mind and body as interconnected. Working with our body and breath affects our thoughts, and vice versa. How we move and think and our way of being in the world have a profound effect on our health and well-being. This does not mean we can “think” ourselves into being well. Rather, by incorporating practices that steady the mind, we support balance, ease and connection: the underlying conditions for good health.

“Yoga is a process of replacing old patterns with new and more appropriate patterns” ~ Sri T Krishnamacharya

How are yoga and healthcare coming together?

A growing body of evidence supports yoga as an effective integrative treatment for chronic physical and mental health conditions. A recent conference, the Montreal International Symposium on Therapeutic Yoga (MISTY), brought together a wide range of interprofessional presenters, including family doctors, social workers, psychologists and physiotherapists, who have years of experience integrating yoga into their clinical practices. The conference presented evidence-informed, holistic practices drawn from the rich tradition of yoga, and its role in health: from getting a good night’s sleep, managing persistent pain, improving balance and pelvic floor health to helping with trauma and mental health conditions.

A theme that emerged at the conference regarding the integration of yoga and healthcare is that yoga practices are powerful because they help us ‘be with’ difficulty. The habits we develop in an attempt to avoid or suppress pain and discomfort can cause great suffering. We cannot avoid pain in life, but we can learn to choose how we respond. Yoga practices, which include physical postures, breathing practices, mindfulness, meditation, mantras, and intention, help us identify and let go of habits and behaviours that no longer serve us and provide a path toward developing healthier habits.

“The success of Yoga does not lie in the ability to perform postures but in how it positively changes the way we live our life and our relationships.” ~ T.K.V. Desikachar 

How can patients and clinicians incorporate yoga into modern healthcare?

The idea here is that practitioners engage patients in their own care to optimize their health.

One example, is the Sunnybrook Academic Family Health Team’s Therapeutic Yoga for Seniors program. Participants are guided through a therapeutic yoga practice, which includes meditation and relaxation; participants also learn about yogic philosophy. This is coupled with education from an occupational therapist about falls prevention, home safety, energy conservation and advanced care planning. After seven weeks, most participants report an improvement to their balance; they also report feeling more motivated, calmer, stronger, satisfied and more aware of their bodies and their breath.

Last year, our family health team partnered with the Alzheimer’s Society of Toronto (AST) to pilot a yoga and nutrition program for people with dementia and their care partners. Participants were guided through gentle chair yoga and mindfulness practices and learned straightforward nutrition tips from a dietitian. Participants reported similar positive results and we’re now looking to offer therapeutic yoga classes for caregivers to help manage their stress.

Given the successes we’ve seen from these programs, we are now planning a pilot research project to measure the effect of therapeutic yoga on the balance, mobility and other quality of life indicators of older adults.

For those in the area interested in yoga and its potential health benefits, please contact Ingrid Wirsig for more information at 416-480-6942 or email ingrid.wirsig@sunnybrook.ca.

The post Best of both worlds: Integrating the ancient practice of yoga and modern healthcare appeared first on Your Health Matters.

How often is Canada’s Food Guide updated, and who decides the changes?

Canada’s Food Guide was first developed in 1942, and there have been five revisions since.  The most recent was in 2007, and this new version is a significant departure from the previous ones.  The latest version was produced in consultation with the general public, policy makers and healthcare professionals, and was developed to be inclusive of our Canadian diversity, including Indigenous Peoples.

What are the biggest changes in this latest update?

This newest version of Canada’s Food Guide extends beyond talking about what to eat, and provides guidance on how to eat.  Most notably, the “four food groups” are no longer. Instead, healthy eating behaviours, such as cooking more often, eating with others, being mindful of your eating habits and enjoying your food, are emphasized. The update encourages plant-based eating, with more focus on vegetables, fruit and whole grains.  The new protein group encourages a variety of foods in addition to meat, such as fish, eggs, legumes, nuts, seeds and low-fat dairy.  Canadians are also encouraged to consume whole foods and limit processed foods, which are often high in sugar, sodium and saturated fats.

This update also replaces the old rainbow background many people will remember with a new icon: a plate. The plate model gives a useful visual snapshot of what healthy meal portions look like, and the importance of overall balance.

What do these changes mean for Canadians?

A few important things. First, it will help Canadians identify healthy food choices, and will encourage healthy lifestyle behaviours. That’s because the new Guide encourages Canadians to think beyond just food choices, and to consider eating in a more mindful and healthy way.

It is also a more practical educational resource that can be adapted to a range of individual and cultural needs and preferences. Following a balanced plate, according to the Guide, is a simple and effective way to create a healthy meal. This approach also puts less emphasis on specific serving sizes.

The new online version of Canada’s Food Guide is currently available and is user-friendly, easy to navigate and provides additional tips and useful resources such as recipes.

Are there recommendations that haven’t changed?

The recommendation to eat more vegetables and fruit continues to be prominent in this update.  And while the former Guide mentioned whole grains and fats and oils, this version provides clearer guidance on choosing whole grains, and healthy fats.

What’s would you like people to take away from all this?

The bottom line is that healthy eating behaviours and balancing good nutrition is a key part of a healthy lifestyle.  Eat more plant-based, minimally processed foods and enjoy them mindfully.  Healthy eating can be simple and enjoyable!​ 

Any other thoughts?

The revision of Canada’s Food Guide is a great opportunity to revisit our eating habits, and work on implementing healthier eating strategies.  It’s already generating a lot of discussion around healthy eating, and the benefits of making healthier food choices.

As a tool, it can help point Canadians in the right direction when it comes to building overall healthy eating habits. For those who have more specialized nutritional needs, working with a registered dietitian can help create an individualized nutrition care plan.

The post The low-down on Canada’s new food guide appeared first on Your Health Matters.

Well, I’ll give you the bad news first: these types of viruses are typically very highly contagious and spread very easily through families and households.

The good news is if it’s been over three days since your exposure, you have likely dodged this one (knock on wood).

“Winter vomiting bugs” (also referred to as the stomach flu) that cause quick onset vomiting and/or diarrhea are typically noroviruses. They usually take one to three days to incubate (but can strike even faster) and often seem to come out of nowhere, and usually only last about 24 hours.

These viruses are spread in droplet form, most often on the fecal-oral route (think someone goes to the washroom and doesn’t wash their hands properly and then touches a shared surface, which you later touch and then touch your mouth). The viruses can also spread through airborne particles of vomit, and in the vomit itself. And, as you describe, this can get everywhere. If you are the person cleaning up the mess, it’s really hard not to get it. If you are cleaning up, touching the laundry, changing diapers, or comforting a sick little one, wash your hands…wash your hands a lot.

Routine handwashing is the number one way to prevent these types of illnesses from spreading. People, especially little kids, can carry and pass along the virus even if they don’t themselves have symptoms. Be a vigilant handwasher at all times of year, but it’s particularly important if the “vomiting bug” is in your home or going around your child’s school. Some research suggests alcohol-based hand sanitizers don’t kill these viruses so go for good ol’ fashioned soap and water whenever possible.

These kinds of viruses also survive on surfaces for a long time. Let’s say the infected person uses the washroom, touches the tap to turn it on and then you touch the tap, then you put in your contact lenses or floss your teeth, you are likely exposing yourself to the virus. Wipe everywhere the affected person may have touched – door handles, light switches, toilet seat and flusher, taps, toys, phones, your kitchen. Many household cleaners aren’t great at killing the viruses, so look for something that’s bleach-based.

Once the virus enter your body, there’s nothing that you can do to stop it from materializing; no magic pill that will suppress it. If it strikes, be sure to rest, drink lots of water and avoid dairy if you’ve got diarrhea. Wash your hands with soap and water every time you use the washroom or touch your mouth or nose, and wipe down the surfaces in your home.

One last thing, a common misconception is that the “flu shot” should protect against this nasty bug. Just a reminder, the flu shot offers protection against influenza, the respiratory flu – which hits with fever, aches, cough, sore throat, congestion, headache. Learn more about that here. There’s no vaccine for the norovirus – the best way we can stop its spread is by handwashing!

(Written as told to Alexis Dobranowski)

The post Is the ‘vomiting bug’ coming for me? appeared first on Your Health Matters.

Watch the presentation and take the short quiz below to test your know-how!

The post Diabetes and your diet appeared first on Your Health Matters.

While these certainly may be great ideas, you might want to re-think how you word it, says Dr. Jeremy Rezmovitz, family doctor on Sunnybrook’s Academic Family Health Team.

“It’s not enough to say ‘exercise’,” he says. “We need to reframe this and ask ‘what are my health goals and how can I achieve them?’”

Dr. Rezmovitz says in his practice, he works with his patients to set ‘training goals’.

Training means approaching lifestyle changes in a structured, measurable and goal-oriented way. It makes Dr. Rezmovitz, as he puts it, “a health coach”.

For example, if a patient is found to have high blood pressure, Dr. Rezmovitz doesn’t simply pull out his prescription pad and call it a day.

“We talk about it,” he says. “What are the benefits to lowering your blood pressure? Do you want lower blood pressure? Do you want to do that with or without medication? Would you change your diet in order to achieve that goal?”

Sustained high blood pressure can put patients at risk of heart attack and stroke. Stress, genetics, diet and low physical activity levels can increase your chance of having high blood pressure.

“So, in the case of high blood pressure, I can’t change your genetics, but we can outline some goals that could help you lower it, if that is your goal,” he said. “If you want to make healthy eating choices, don’t buy potato chips the next time you do your grocery shopping. If you want to eat healthier lunches, plan ahead, pack your lunch and skip the drive-through. Align your actions with your goal. ”

Dr. Rezmovitz recommends talking to your primary care doctor or nurse about your goals, be they around your blood pressure, physical activity level or reducing your risk of illness.

“It’s a real shift in the relationship with your care team,” he says. “Rather than just taking about what ails you today, let’s talk about your overall health and your overall values. Is the way you are living your life matching those values?”

So maybe today you are a few pounds heavier than you’d like to be, he says. But instead of making your goal “lose weight” and then losing heart when you step on a scale, reflect on why you want to lose that weight.

“Maybe you want to lose weight so you can live longer, or you can avoid diabetes or you can reduce your risk of stroke,” Dr. Rezmovitz says. “So then instead of making the goal a negative action — like “lose weight” or “stop eating badly” — reframe it into a positive one: what will you do to make a change?”

And that’s where the training approach comes in, he says.

“Let’s reframe it together: I want to live a long life, free of illness. How can I do that?”

(A version of this post appears as a monthly health column in The Leaside Streeter)

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Are nuts good for you?

Get the facts:
Nuts are packed with protein, fibre and essential fats. The type of fat in nuts is largely unsaturated fats. Nuts also provide some calcium, vitamin E, B vitamins, potassium, magnesium and are a source of antioxidants.

A small handful of nuts (30 grams) eaten each day may reduce your risk of developing heart disease and has been linked with lower body weight and lower risk of obesity. Use a handful of nuts as a substitute for unhealthy snack options such as muffins, cookies, chips and chocolate. A 30 gram serving is about the size of a golf ball. Each type of nut contains its own unique nutrients, eat a variety.

Is honey better for you than sugar?

Get the facts:
Honey is another form of sugar. In fact, your body handles naturally occurring sugar in food, and processed sugars and syrups in the same way. While some people consider honey to be more natural, it is still a type of carbohydrate or sugar and a concentrated source of calories with very few other nutrients. Excess sugar in any form gives extra calories and raises your blood sugar. Whether you choose to use honey, brown sugar, agave syrup or white sugar, the advice would be to use small amounts.

Can drinking lemon water help with weight loss or detoxification?

Get the facts:
Lemon water is often promoted to help burn fat, lose weight, or detox, but there is no evidence to support that it works. Unfortunately, lemon water does not work to burn fat in the body. Adding lemon juice to your food or drink may add a refreshing light taste, but it will not reduce the fat absorption from your meal. There is also no evidence to show that it can significantly increase your metabolism to lose weight.

Lemon water also does not serve to detoxify the body. There are many complex systems already built into the human body to help with detoxification. The best way to keep your body’s organs healthy is to limit the intake of alcohol, and processed high fat and sugary foods. Overall, lemon water is a healthy beverage. It is free of sugars and calories, and works well to quench your thirst. Drinking lemon water to replace sugary beverages like soda, fruit juice, or sweetened caffeinated beverages would be a healthy change. So, if drinking lemon water helps you drink more water and stay hydrated, then by all means drink up!

Ask your healthcare provider for a referral to see a dietitian if you need help separating food facts from fiction in managing your health. Check out dietitians.ca for more reliable nutrition information.

This post was written by SUNDEC dietitians:
Marsha Feldt, RD, CDE
Annie Hoang, RD, CDE
Jill Zweig, RD, CDE

The post Happy Nutrition Month! Let’s separate food facts from fiction appeared first on Your Health Matters.

1. Vegetarian fare

Consumers are becoming more aware that vegetarian proteins offer a lot of benefits for their health and the environment. Some of the healthiest diets we know of feature vegetarians proteins such as soy and legumes. These diets include those supported by the Canadian Diabetes Association such as the Mediterranean, DASH, and vegetarian diets. Try incorporating some meatless meals into your diet by replacing meat with legumes or soy.  For example, you can change regular tacos to a vegetarian version by using firm crumbled tofu instead of ground meat.

2. Leafy greens – and not just kale!

Move over kale, it is time to share the spotlight with all the other healthy leafy greens on the market. Leafy green vegetables are great sources of micronutrients such as vitamins A, E, K, folate, calcium, and magnesium, just to name a few. Think outside of kale, and consider swiss chard, collard greens, rapini, and bok choy for your next salads or stirfrys.

3. Purple food

Have you tried a purple potato? How about purple cauliflower? If not, you are not alone. These purple versions of popular vegetables are sprouting up in farms and supermarkets. We have long known about the power of purple. The colour purple indicates high levels of the anthocyanins, a group of healthy antioxidants that can be important for heart health, cancer prevention, and cognitive function. Add purple to your colourful plate to ensure a healthy and nutritious meal – think eggplants, cabbage, blueberries, plums, and maybe even try a new purple food.

The post Healthy food trends for 2017: a dietitian’s top picks appeared first on Your Health Matters.

Answer: This is a great – and rather common – question. So first off, remember you are not alone. For many people, the holidays bring a lot of joy and excitement but also a lot of pressure, stress and anxiety. So the real question is whether it is “normal” stress, or something more concerning that should be addressed with your doctor.

Potential causes of holiday stress include purchasing gifts, preparing to host holiday gatherings, going to holiday parties, and attending challenging family get-togethers. Some people find the holiday period particularly difficult if they don’t have people to celebrate with, have recently lost loved ones, have recently ended a relationship, or it rekindles unpleasant memories from the past.

So as the season gets underway, try to take care of yourself. Keep a sleep pattern. Continue with your routines – like eating healthy meals at set times and exercising. Set aside some alone time to re-energize. Try to get outside. Also try to make an effort to socialize. If you do not have friends or family nearby, consider participating in a holiday meal at a community centre.

Some of the signs to watch out for: Do you have poor sleep or the desire for increased sleep? Has your appetite significantly increased or decreased? Do you have poor concentration or the inability to enjoy activities that you once previously enjoyed? Do you have a lack of motivation or a lack of interest in interacting with other people (and therefore social isolation)?

These questions can help to determine if your level of stress or anxiety should be of a concern. If you answer “yes” to these questions and it persists for two or more weeks, or your mood is interfering with your work or home life, please make an appointment to speak with your family doctor. If you have thoughts of wanting to harm yourself, call your doctor or a distress line, for example 416-408-HELP (4357) in the GTA. If you are in immediate crisis, call 911.

If you know your increased anxiety is a pattern and it happens every year around the holidays, try to get help in advance. If the stress is coming from a particular family member or specific gathering, consider whether you can limit these activities to decrease your stress, or set up a system to help – take a buddy to the party, for example, or set a time limit for being there.

You may find these resources helpful:

• Stress, depression and the holidays: Tips for coping
• Making the most of the holiday season
• Mental health resources – Sunnybrook Department of Psychiatry

The post Ask a Family Doctor: I get anxious around the holidays. Is this normal? appeared first on Your Health Matters.

To answer this question, I’ll need to give you a bit of quick background.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted viruses in North America. There are about 100 strains of the virus, and several high-risk strains are known to cause cervical cancer and other gynaecological cancers in women as well as other types of cancers that affect men and women (like oral and anal cancer). Most people can clear the virus from their system, and actually don’t even have any symptoms. Some strains cause warts on the genital, vaginal or anal areas (or very rarely in the mouth) a few weeks or months after infection. The warts aren’t cancer.

But, some types of HPV can cause cell changes that could lead to cervical cancer in women, penis cancer in men (rare), or anal / mouth cancer in both men and women. Each year in Ontario, there are 1,090 new cases of cancer and 14,666 new cases of genital warts attributable to HPV.

Yes, HPV is a sexually transmitted disease – but we don’t give pre-teens the vaccination because we think they are sexually active. In fact, the vaccine is most effective if you haven’t already been exposed to the virus and that’s why Ontario’s program works with students in Grade 7. Evidence actually shows that most pre-teens aren’t yet sexually active. Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends vaccination in Grade 7 or 8 because receiving the vaccine at this age (12 going on 13, typically) maximizes the benefits of the vaccine. Studies also show the HPV vaccine produces a higher immune response in pre-teens than it does in older teens and young women.

Since 2007, girls in Grade 8 in Ontario have been offered the HPV vaccine for free. The HPV consists of two doses, given six months apart, through schools now to Grade 7 students. Three doses are required if first dose is on or after 14th birthday.

You are correct in that the vaccine is now offered to boys as well. This change occurred in April 2016. The vaccine helps prevent boys from getting HPV, which can lead to cancer of the penis, throat and mouth, and also helps prevent them from spreading the virus to their sexual partners. Again – this is not because we think your seventh grader is having sex. This helps prevent him from getting the virus and spreading the virus when he does become sexually active, whatever age he may be at that time.

The HPV vaccine covers many, but not all, strains of HPV.  The vaccine currently provided by Public Health covers four major strains (responsible for about 70% of cervical cancer).  A newer vaccine, not currently provided by Public Health, covers nine strains (responsible for about 90% of cervical cancer). Both vaccines prevent about 90% of genital warts.  Speak to your physician to find out more information about the newer vaccine, which can be obtained through your physician’s office; however, you will need a prescription, and the cost is approximately $175 per dose.

Even after getting the vaccine, it’s important to take measures to practice safe sex. Speak to your pre-teen or teen about this. Male condoms worn properly during sex can help prevent spread of HPV and other sexually transmitted infections. Vaccinated women should get screened for cervical cancer through regular PAP tests after age 21.

If you need more information on HPV or the vaccine, here are some great resources: Toronto Public Health  and Health Canada. 

Or make an appointment with your son’s family doctor to discuss the vaccine. While the vaccine is offered through the school-based system through Public Health Units in Ontario – this varies by province – you can also speak to your doctor or a Public Health nurse at a clinic near you wherever you live.

The post Ask a Family Doctor: Why are pre-teens offered the HPV vaccine? appeared first on Your Health Matters.