Archive for June, 2005

How to avoid trans fats

June 26, 2005 at 11:38 pm · Filed under Eat

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Trans-fatty acids are fats that are manufactured by solidifying or “partially hydrogenating” vegetable oils that are normally liquid at room temperature. They are found extensively in processed foods, as they add shelf life to the products. As Paul Chek explains in his book How to Eat, Move, and Be Healthy! trans-fats structurally are closer to plastic than fat, and have been linked to heart disease and elevated cholesterol levels. As opposed to the much maligned saturated fats, trans-fats really do cause problems in the body. Trans-fats are finally getting the bad reputation they deserve, and food manufacturers and fast-food restaurants are starting to look for ways to remove them from their products. Unfortunately, these fats are cheap to produce, and will probably remain everywhere in our food supply for a long time to come, AND they are usually NOT listed on food labels.

The best way to avoid trans-fats is to avoid processed foods altogether, as you will then also succeed in avoiding all kinds of other nasty stuff like colourings, flavourings, preservatives etc. Margarine and shortening are probably the most well-known trans-fats out there. Use raw organic butter instead. If you want to figure out if there are trans-fats in those favourite packaged foods that you are not currently ready to give up, here is what you do. Take the total fat listed on the label, and subtract out the saturated and unsaturated fats, and this will give you the total trans-fats in the food. Hopefully it is zero!

Feel free to pass on this tip or any of the others to your relatives, friends or colleagues, and suggest that they sign up for their weekly tip at www.wellnesstips.ca.

Chek, Paul; How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy!  Chek Institute, San Diego, CA, 2004.

Enig, Mary; Know Your Fats: The Complete Primer For Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils, and Cholesterol Bethesda Press, Silver Spring, MD, 2003.

Chek, Paul; You Are What You Eat CD Series  Chek Institute, San Diego, CA, 2002.

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Neat little kitchen trick

June 19, 2005 at 11:30 pm · Filed under Detox

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I will tell you right up front that I heard this on CBC radio (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) sometime within the last year, but I have searched the archives and cannot find the exact program, so I apologize for the lack of proper referencing on this one.

The rags and sponges we use to wipe down our kitchen counters are probably the dirtiest things in our homes. Is it possible that you soaked up those chicken juices with a rag, rinsed the rag out under the tap, and then at some later time, used that same rag to wipe down your countertops? The warm, moist rags are perfect breeding grounds for bacteria, and then we promptly wipe that bacteria all over our kitchen counters when we clean up. According to this unknown CBC radio piece, the kitchen counters that appeared to be the cleanest, were actually the ones that tested the most covered in bacteria. The messiest kitchens actually tested with less bacteria simply because they were not wiped down.

Does that mean you need to be a slob to be more healthy? No! Just wet the rags and put them in the microwave and nuke them for three minutes. That will kill every bit of life in those rags, and you will be okay to wipe down your counters. Then nuke them again for another three minutes, and you will be ready for the next time you need your rag. Neat, eh?

Feel free to pass on this tip or any of the others to your relatives, friends or colleagues, and suggest that they sign up for their weekly tip at the website below.

www.wellnesstips.ca

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Let your breath move you

June 12, 2005 at 11:18 pm · Filed under Breathe

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One of the most amazing things we do all the time is breathe. From the first breath we take as a baby through to the last breath we take when we die, the cycle of breath continues whether or not we notice.

Our breath is essential to our survival – we can only last about 4 to 6 minutes without it.

Free breathing massages all our organs including the heart, decompresses our spine, oxygenates each and every cell in our body, and relaxes the mind.

Take a moment or two to notice how you breathe.  Place one hand on your chest, and the other on the side of your lower ribcage.   Do not take in more air than you normally would do, but rather, quietly observe your breath and notice which hand is doing most of the moving.

Is it the rib hand?  Good.  Notice how your belly is expanding with each breath too. 

Place both your hands on your lower ribcage now.  Relax your abdomen, and as you inhale a normal amount of air, feel your ribcage expand all around. Allow the air to come out all by itself. Notice how your spine moves.

If you are lying on your back or stomach, notice how your pelvis moves. Are your legs moving too? Your breath is breathing you and in so doing, is moving you. And that is the way it should be.

Farhi, Donna;  The Breathing Book  Henry Holt and Company Inc., New York, 1996.

Lee, Diane; Post Partum Health for Moms; An Instructional and Exercise Class for Restoring the Core  DVD; Diane G Lee Physiotherapy Corp.; Surrey BC, Canada.

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Our bodies are meant to move!

June 5, 2005 at 10:53 pm · Filed under Exercise

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Try to incorporate some form of exercise most days of the week. If you are not well or have no energy and cannot imagine working out, try energy-building exercise, such as tai chi, qi gong, or yoga, do it regularly, and marvel at the energy you gain from the practice. Stick to pain-free ranges of motion, and enjoy! For more energy building exercise that you can do easily at home refer to How to Eat, Move, and Be Healthy! by Paul Chek, and learn the zone exercises. Donna Farhi’s book Yoga; Mind, Body, Spirit which is primarily devoted to the yoga asanas is another excellent resource.

Exercise does not need to be a workout in the gym. Go for a walk or bike ride. Go inline skating. Go cross country skiing. Jump in a lake and swim. Enjoy an afternoon of kayaking or canoeing. How about hiking or mountain biking? Go indoor wall climbing. Play a game of tennis, soccer or baseball. Go skating. Just have fun and be active. Your body will thank you.

Chek, Paul; How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy!  Chek Institute, San Diego, CA, 2004.

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