Get answers to your nutrition & healthy eating questions. 

If you’ve ever stood in the isle of the grocery store staring at the nutrition label and wondered, “is this good for me?” you’re not alone. Everyday, many of us are asking questions about nutrition to help make lifestyle choices for healthy weight loss, lower cholesterol, reducing the risk of chronic disease, or to improve overall health.

A Nutritionist is educated in understanding the body and its nutritional requirements. They know how to help address your goals with regards to food, supplements, and lifestyle modifications, and can provide information to make informed choices. Some of the most frequently asked health and nutrition concerns are about:

• Weight Loss
• Healthy Eating
• Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes
• Heart Health: High Cholesterol and High Blood Pressure
• Pregnancy & Lactation
• Vegetarian Eating
• Sports Nutrition
• Digestive Health 
• Food Allergies
• And more...

So, although you might be tempted to lean over and ask the person next to you “is this too much sodium?”; a Nutritionist can lend a hand to help you make informed decisions to feel your best.

Got a question for our Nutritionist?

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Image source: LJWorld

Webber Naturals expert, Dr. Stephanie Rubino, discusses your 2012 Weight Loss Resolutions and asks, "Have You Given Up?"

My gym has not been busy for the last few weeks. The hustle I witnessed in January has disappeared. Where did everyone go? Have people given up on their weight loss resolutions already? It is not surprising if this is the case.

Motivation to accomplish new goals for the year tends to wane within a few weeks to a few months. Often times, this may occur for a variety of reasons: your resolution was too broad, your results did not occur fast enough, or your goals were unrealistic. But, whatever the reason, it’s never too late to make a commitment to yourself to start again and begin your journey on a weight management program. Creating a step by step program, like the one below, might be the best approach for you. 

Step 1: Your Nutrition

Which areas in your daily diet need some attention? Do you need more fibre, protein, water, or good fats? Take the time to record everything you eat for one week - and be honest! Then evaluate and make sure you are doing the following:

• Eating breakfast every day and not skipping meals.
• Incorporating low glycemic carbohydrates such as brown rice, quinoa, and sweet potatoes.
• Consuming a source of protein at each meal, such as lean meats, fish, beans, lentils or nut butters.
• Drinking at least the equivalent of one-half your body weight in ounces each day.
• Eliminating saturated and trans fats, and adding healthy fats from nuts and different oils such as fish, olive and flaxseed. 
• Practicing portion control: protein portions should be the size and thickness of your palm; vegetables should be equal to that of two loose fists; and carbohydrates should be the size of one clenched fist. 

Step 2:  Are You Moving?

Are you being physically active? If not, what obstacles are preventing you from achieving this? Remember, it’s all about movement. As the weather improves, it’s a great time to walk or run outdoors, take a bike ride, or dust off those rollerblades! All you have to do is find three 1-hour periods per week to be physically active. If you are still unsure of where to start, get some advice from a personal trainer or workout with a friend.

Step 3: Incorporate Natural Health Products

With the advice of your health care provider, you may consider using natural health products that have been shown to support weight management. Here are few products that you may want to consider to help you achieve your weight loss goals:

• PGX® Daily helps stop food cravings, reduces appetite and provides a lasting feeling of fullness so you eat less. PGX® slows the digestive process to help level out the "blood sugar rollercoaster" that can contribute to obesity, diabetes and pre-diabetic conditions. PGX® Daily is available as softgels and unflavoured granules, which can be mixed easily with moist foods such as soups, yogurt and cereal, or in water or juices.
• Green Tea may support weight management by increasing calorie and fat metabolism.
• Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) may increase metabolic rate, decrease abdominal fat and enhance muscle growth.

Remember, setting small and realistic goals is the best way to approach a weight management program. It is also important to make a plan. You may decide in week 1 you will drink an extra glass of water each day, and in week 2 you will start to jog three times per week. Set your plan and then evaluate your progress. Are you accomplishing each goal? If not, what is holding you back? Take the time to identify any obstacles you might be facing and determine how you can overcome them. It takes time and dedication, but the results will lead to a healthier you!

Image source: http://www.myfitwichita.com/the-new-weight-loss-resolution/ 
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Webber Naturals expert Wendy Tao shares the latest news on the sunshine vitamin!

You might just be surprised at the many benefits of vitamin D...

Draw a line from the northern California border to Boston on the East coast of North America. If you live north of that line — 42-degrees latitude — even if you go outside every day from October to March, you aren't likely to get enough sun exposure to make enough vitamin D.

If you don’t have access to the sun all the time, how can you get your vitamin D without spending huge amounts of money on a sunny, beach-side vacation? You can get additional vitamin D from the foods you eat or from supplements, especially during those winter months.

The importance of vitamin D and the deficiencies related to northern climates are old news. So why has vitamin D been in the limelight for the last few years? Our scientific understanding of how this nutrient works, and what it does have expanded and it certainly does more than prevent rickets (a childhood disease involving soft bones).

Did you know that vitamin D may help combat cancer? Reinhold Vieth, a nutritional scientist at the University of Toronto, proposes that many cells in the body use vitamin D to produce a signaling molecule that improves inter-cellular communication. The signals help a cell determine what part of the body it should become or what function it should have. The signal may also tell cells to stop replicating or proliferating, which is crucial when it comes to cancer cells. 

Not only can vitamin D help signal cancer cells to stop multiplying, studies suggest that it can also help those suffering from Alzheimer’s. A recent study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found that vitamin D may activate key genes and cellular signaling networks to stimulate the immune system so it rejects a protein, called amyloid-beta, found in patients with Alzheimer’s.

A Winnipeg doctor, Dr. Taback, made the news this past January taking the study of vitamin D in an exciting new direction. Dr. Taback submitted a proposal seeking $10 million in research funding over the next three years to give babies at high risk of Type 1 diabetes up to 2,000 IU a day of vitamin D as a preventive strategy. He wants to prove that there is a direct relationship between an insufficiency of vitamin D and onset of Type 1 diabetes. Scientists have found that the immune system, and the insulin-secreting beta cells in the pancreas of people with diabetes, have receptors for vitamin D.

Another new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine journal found that women with painful periods, severe pelvic pain and immobilizing cramps before or during menstruation, suffer much less pain by taking a single mega-dose of vitamin D five days before their next menstrual period. Vitamin D works as an anti-inflammatory to decrease prostaglandin activity that may trigger inflammation and pain during menstruation.

Last but not least, Vitamin D may also help prevent cardiovascular disease by reducing chronic inflammation. It has been shown that low vitamin D levels are associated with increased risk for heart disease.

So remember: if you can’t see the sun, the sun can’t see you — so supplement with vitamin D , the sunshine vitamin for healthy bones, heart, brain and so much more.

Image Sources: We Heart It and fitnessgurusam.com

References

1. Atherosclerosis and Cardiovascular Disease 
2. Boning up on the sunshine vitamin 
3. Can Vitamin D Treat Pain? http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/759254
4. Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled Study
   
5. How Much Sun Exposure Do I Need for Vitamin D? 
6. Improvement of Primary Dysmenorrhea Caused by a Single Oral Dose of Vitamin D: Results of a Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study
   
7. Type 1 diabetes prevention 'better than cure'