By Christine Cheng, R.Ph. and Fred Cheng, R.Ph.
Ringing in the New Year often comes with it resolutions to improve oneself: eat better, sleep better, exercise more, lose weight, etc. We could make an argument for eating better being the most important resolution because this can impact your health in every way. As the saying goes, “you are what you eat” and our loyal readers will likely notice that we always encourage a healthy diet as the backbone to improving just about every health condition. Most people know that we should eat a colourful diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables as they provide us with so many necessary minerals, vitamins, and phytonutrients that have important metabolic and antioxidant roles to play. However, we should also pay attention to the macronutrient content of our diet, i.e., how much fat, protein and carbohydrates we take in.
It is interesting to note that fats and protein are considered essential to humans, i.e., we must get them from our diet. Although we shouldn’t ignore carbohydrates completely, they are not considered essential as our bodies are capable of generating the glucose it needs to (e.g., to power the brain, which prefers glucose as a source of energy). Having said that, carbohydrates are found in fruits and vegetables packaged along side all those important nutrients noted above so we shouldn’t keep them off of our dinner plates completely!
Good fats are relatively easy to find: fish and other seafood, nuts and seeds, and plant oils (eg, olive or flaxseed) are all good sources. For those who may need a higher dose of essential fatty acids for their therapeutic benefits, there are many supplements available. NUTRASEA® is a reliable brand to try.
Getting good sources of protein may be more challenging as many people think of steak as a good source of protein. The goal here is to get adequate protein without the potentially detrimental health impacts of associated saturated fats as is often found in meat-based protein. Look towards plant-based sources such as tofu. Many protein powders today are sourced from plants and not just whey (which is milk-based). Supplements such as MUSCLE RESCUE from Innovite can be useful for anyone looking to preserve and/or to build lean muscle mass. This patented, vegan blend of amino acids (the most basic building blocks of protein) has been clinically proven to preserve and increase the growth of muscle tissue. Although this is a great supplement for athletes looking to improve their lean muscle mass, even those who are less (or not) mobile such as the elderly or those recovering from surgery can benefit.
The New Year is a great time to think of developing the best version of you. For dietary advice, seek counsel from a dietician. If weight loss is your primary goal, consider the IDEAL PROTEIN WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM that we offer at both of our locations. Making a few changes to your dietary choices now can go a long way to improving your health immediately and ensure a healthier you for the future.
Christine and Fred Cheng are a passionate, charismatic sister-brother pharmacist team at their unique, family-operated Pharmasave stores in Cloverdale and Steveston, B.C. They specialize in natural remedies and compounding for both human and veterinarian use. Everything mentioned in their article is available InStore.
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