by Shawn M. Nisbet, RHN, CFA and Healthy Living Magazine Hormones control almost every aspect of your physical and mental health. When one hormone is a bit off, all of your hormones are a bit off. If they are not balanced, it is almost impossible to control your weight – no matter how little you eat or how much you exercise. Our bodies produce dozens of hormones that control virtually…
by Shawn M. Nisbet, RHN, CFA and Healthy Living Magazine Sometimes the simplest things in life are the most important – and that definitely applies to digestion. Remember when your grandmother told you to sit up straight, chew your food and eat slowly? Well, she was right. Today’s society has forgotten that food is our nourishment to live and not just something to fill us up until the next meal.…
by Shawn M. Nisbet, RHN, CFA and Healthy Living Magazine A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book. – Irish Proverb In 1910, North Americans slept about nine hours a night. By the mid-1970s the average night’s sleep had dropped to seven-and-a-half hours and to just seven hours by the late 1990s. According to a recent survey by Statistics Canada, one in seven…
by Shawn M. Nisbet, RHN, CFA and Healthy Living Magazine You used to eat anything and not gain an ounce. Now it seems you just look at a chocolate doughnut and you gain weight. As we age, our metabolism slows down, but there are many things you can do to speed it up. Metabolism: What is it? Metabolism is the process by which your body burns calories (food energy), and…
by Shawn M. Nisbet, RHN, CFA and Healthy Living Magazine Plates, coffee cups, muffin tins, even pizza pans – they’re all getting bigger. But big portions can cause a weight gain of 10 pounds in a year! Shawn Nisbet serves up some sensible advice on getting a grip on today’s ‘portion distortion.’ We don’t tend to notice bigger portion sizes until our bodies get larger. We want more food for…
by Shawn M. Nisbet, RHN, CFA and Healthy Living Magazine “Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food” – Hippocrates A healthy immune system is equipped to deal with common illnesses, such as colds and influenza. Your body can heal, repair, regenerate and restore health if you nourish it with healthy foods, moderate exercise, deep sleep and consistent stress management. Here are the immune-boosting foods that…
by Shawn M. Nisbet, RHN, CFA and Healthy Living Magazine There are good fats and bad fats. To be healthy, we should eat a low-fat diet. That’s what we’re told. But is it true? Since the mid 90’s, more researchers and health advocates have questioned the fear that fat makes us fat and causes disease. Emerging evidence indicates certain types of fat, especially essential omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fats,…
by Shawn M. Nisbet, RHN, CFA and Healthy Living Magazine Food Sensitivity or Food Allergy? According to the old adage, ‘one man’s food is another man’s poison.’ Yes, different people can have radically different reactions to exactly the same food. But is that reaction the result of a food sensitivity or a food allergy? At least 30% of us will experience one or more episodes of some kind of food…
by Shawn M. Nisbet, RHN, CFA and Healthy Living Magazine Do I need to take hormones to feel like myself again? And while bio-identical hormones are said to be a safer source, are they right for me? The decision whether or not to take hormones is not an easy one. Shawn Nisbet offers some advice. Whether women decide to take hormones or not, it is important that they take a…
by Shawn M. Nisbet, RHN, CFA and Healthy Living Magazine Hormone replacement is a hot topic these days because it holds the promise to relieve symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes and mood swings. Hormones are even said to slow down the signs and symptoms of ageing! But what are hormones and how do they work? In the first of a two-part feature, Shawn Nisbet investigates. Hormones act as…