To learn more about this video, purchase it, or learn about their motivation, visit this website.
Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Day 101- Hope Restored- Functional Neurology
One of the best parts of my job is meeting and working with amazing practitioners. These doctors are making astonishing accomplishments in the progress of understanding, preventing, and reversing many neurological disorders. Watch this short trailer to see a glimpse of what some of these trailblazing doctors have been working on!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Day 100- Is "My Plate" any better than the food pyramid?
Well, I have to say that any change had to be better than the traditional food pyramid that we have grown up with over the last two decades.“It’s going to be hard not to do better than the current pyramid, which basically conveys no useful information.”
- Walter C. Willett, chairman of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health.
- Walter C. Willett, chairman of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health.
The USDA and the Obama administration have decided to ditch the useless and confusing pyramid for a new image that they call, "My Plate." Although, it's not what I believe to be the "ideal" plate, it's slightly better than the alternative, in my opinion. MyPlate depicts a traditional pie chart, with each slice in a different color (although no pie is recommended in the guidelines).
The premise of this new concept, is still much like the food pyramid, but slightly more comprehensive. It still shows us how to divvy up our diet amongst the 5 major food groups, but now with an image that we can relate to.
According to Health.com:
"For most people, the comparison won't be favorable. Comparing the ideal proportions of MyPlate to those of the typical American diet is like holding MyPlate up to a fun-house mirror: The grains and protein categories are stretched out; fruits, vegetables, and dairy are shrunk down; and the plate- unlike the food pyramid - doesn't even acknowledge the fats, oils, and sugar that are prevalent in the American diet."
So although the MyPlate image seems easier to understand, this simplicity also takes away some of the information that people received with the food pyramid. The image doesn't educate on what healthier grain options are verse say, white bread. Or what kind of healthy fats should be considered in a daily diet. Another unanswered question is portion size. Although we know how much of the plate a food group should occupy, how much exactly does that indicate in regards to serving size?
Also, my personal qualms with this image is that a great deal of our population experiences blood sugar dysregulations, so although fruit is a natural healthy option, it also contains plenty of sugar, which I don't believe should be recommended in such a large quantity. There is also no information about fats, and many people don't know that a lot of the nutrients in vegetables are fat soluble, so in order to be absorbed by the body they must be eaten along with healthy fats.
Also, my personal qualms with this image is that a great deal of our population experiences blood sugar dysregulations, so although fruit is a natural healthy option, it also contains plenty of sugar, which I don't believe should be recommended in such a large quantity. There is also no information about fats, and many people don't know that a lot of the nutrients in vegetables are fat soluble, so in order to be absorbed by the body they must be eaten along with healthy fats.
I am also not a true believer in this set dietary guideline in general. Therefore, stating that a healthy diet consist of grains and dairy, is not exactly what I would be pushing. Although, I agree this may be fine for some, a large group of the population would most likely be better without the said food groups. Could it be that grains remain because they are easy to grow and sell? Ask yourself: Would we suffer if we removed grains from our diet? Would we develop any nutritional deficiencies if we were to go without? Try it, I think you will be surprised at how much better you actually feel. So to say that grains and/or even dairy must be included in a healthy meal I think is a little bit of a far fetched idea.
I have pointed out several flaws with the MyPlate icon, but I also mentioned in the beginning that I thought this new concept is much better than the previous pyramid idea. The food group pie chart image is a great concept, which I completely agree with. Although what I would like to see included in this image is healthy fats, less grains, and fruit, and more protein. Instead of merely a plate with different colors indicating food groups, I think that it would be more helpful to include the percentage that you should include of each in an ideal meal.
With the $2 million that went into the development and promotion of this new icon, I think that we may still be lacking information. If the goal is to get people to eat healthier, we can't simplify it down so much that it leaves too many gray areas. I understand that people are busy and we are trying to make the idea of eating healthy easier for busy families. But come on people, this is your health, don't you think that everyone could spare a few extra minutes to learn the basics of a healthy diet and lifestyle.
Well that's my two cents...
Here is what Dr. Sears came up with:
Pura Vida!
Here is what Dr. Sears came up with:
Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Day 99- HONOR YOUR HEALTH
Principal #10: Honor your healthMake foods choices that honor your health and that leave you satisfied. It's alright to not eat perfect all the time, truthfully who honestly can. Learn how to find your own personal balance, don't completely deprive your body of the things it loves (if there is no medical reason for it). Indulge in your cravings every once in awhile. Allowing yourself the freedom to break the rules periodically will not completely destroy your weight loss goals. It is when you break the rules on a regular bases that you are going to run into problems.
You also need to love your body enough to provide what's best for it. Make exercise something you enjoy instead of a chore that you have to do. Exercise has many amazing health benefits, and should be included in your weekly routine. Make time for exercise as you do for any other part of your day. When people get busy, their workout is usually the first thing that they get rid of, instead try to still find time for a workout even if it is just a few minutes. Those few minutes of exercise can help to dampen the stresses that you are facing and give you a healthier out look on what else lies ahead.
No one says that you have to be perfect to achieve your goals, but learn what works for your body. Once you honor your health, everything else will come naturally.
Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP
Monday, June 6, 2011
Day 98- EXERCISE- FEEL THE DIFFERENCE
Principal #9: Exercise- Feel the differenceExercise because of the way that it makes you feel. If you only focus on the calorie or weight loss effect of it, it may take away some of the enjoyment of it. Exercise is the best medicine for depression, and it's this way because of the strong effects it has on the serotonin receptors in the brain. Exercise is like a feel good drug, as long as you don't turn it into a chore.
When you begin to obsess over calories and losing them, exercise becomes something that you begin forcing yourself to do instead of wanting to do. Find exercises that you enjoy to do. If you think running on the treadmill is boring and you dread the thought of it, choose a different exercise, or take your runs outside where the scenery will constantly change. Our maybe gyms aren't your thing, try joining a sports team. Not only will you get exercise playing your favorite sport, you will also meet people and make relationships with like minded people in the meantime.
Exercise, when not purely thought of as a way to loose weight will have many more health benefits, not only creating a more positive outlook, but also increasing your ability to sleep more soundly, concentrate better, keeping you more energized, and increase your appetite for healthy food.
So instead of logging your miles on the treadmill or focusing on the hours you spend in the gym, exercise for the pure enjoyment of it, and I promise you that the outcomes will be even better than you would have expected.
Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Day 97- Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce- Couch Potato Workout
I figured that since I am in Boston this weekend, why not share a great video from Celtic, Paul Pierce, on how to workout during television commercials. See now you have no excuse to not stay active!
For more information and workouts from the Celtic players, visit Game Time Workouts.
Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Day 96- RESPECT YOUR BODY
Principal #8 Respect your bodyThis may be my favorite of all the principals! Respect your body, so much easier said than done. How much I have longed for those long super model legs, that perfectly flat stomach, the cute little size 6 feet, you know all the things that we have no control over. I have a severe case of body envy, that I just can't shake. And I know I'm not the only one that is guilty of this.
What we must learn to do is respect our bodies. Respect the features that make us "us." There are many things that make up our genetic blueprint that we can not change. Sure there are now options available; we could get liposuction, breast augmentation, plastic surgery, we can workout until we are on the brink of collapsing, we can starve our bodies, or we could just be happy with being "us."
Women, especially, are so overly judgmental of their own bodies. We can't look beyond a certain feature of our body that we don't like and we think that everyone feels the same. We could be happy about our bodies, except one minor thing, and that one thing could drive us insane. When we get compliments from others we think that they are wrong, and draw their attention to our flaws. We need to learn how to focus on the good instead of obsessing over the bad.
Our bodies are the way they should be, it makes us different from everyone else. Granted there are somethings that we should and can change. Your genetic blueprint may not contain the extra 20 pounds that you are carrying around. Learn to focus on things that are changeable, things that will make you a healthier person, while still being you. We know that we can't change the size of our feet, so why expect to change the rest of bodies to that degree?
Learn the difference between features that are in your control and those that are beyond your control. Embrace your difference, and respect your body!
Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP
Friday, June 3, 2011
Day 95- HONOR YOUR FEELINGS WITHOUT USING FOOD
Principal #7 Honor your feelings without using food
When you are sad maybe you reach for the ice cream or chocolate, when you are happy maybe you celebrate with pizza, when you are bored you grab the bag of chips, when you are stressed you choose something salty, when you are tired maybe something sweet. This is called emotional eating; eating due to emotions instead of hunger. Many emotions have their attached "comfort" food, the food that you turn to when experiencing a certain emotion.
Instead of turning to these foods, we need to find ways to deal with these feelings. We need to teach our bodies that food will not fix these feelings and may in the long run only make them worse. We must recognize that we turn to these certain foods when we are experiencing certain emotions, and learn how to handle this feelings in a healthier way.
Below is a list of the differences between physical hunger verses emotional hunger:
Next time you reach for food, ask yourself "am I really hungry?" Learn the difference between true hunger and just eating due to various emotions. As someone who now sits in front of a computer for most of the day with work, I find myself snacking a lot more than I should, usually it is just mindless, bored snacking, but the problem is I might not even really be hungry. Acknowledging this emotion, will help me to plan accordingly , either by only having healthy snacks available, such as carrot and celery sticks, or by putting my foot down to eating in front of my computer. This way if it is truly hunger that is causing me to want to eat, then I must get up to go get food, as it will not be as easily accessible.
Let us all work on honoring our feelings in a more healthy and productive way, without first turning to food, which may only mask the issue, and leave us possibly feeling worse than we did before.
Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP
Chart website
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Day 101- Hope Restored- Functional Neurology
One of the best parts of my job is meeting and working with amazing practitioners. These doctors are making astonishing accomplishments in the progress of understanding, preventing, and reversing many neurological disorders. Watch this short trailer to see a glimpse of what some of these trailblazing doctors have been working on!
To learn more about this video, purchase it, or learn about their motivation, visit this website.
Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Day 100- Is "My Plate" any better than the food pyramid?
Well, I have to say that any change had to be better than the traditional food pyramid that we have grown up with over the last two decades.“It’s going to be hard not to do better than the current pyramid, which basically conveys no useful information.”
- Walter C. Willett, chairman of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health.
- Walter C. Willett, chairman of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health.
The USDA and the Obama administration have decided to ditch the useless and confusing pyramid for a new image that they call, "My Plate." Although, it's not what I believe to be the "ideal" plate, it's slightly better than the alternative, in my opinion. MyPlate depicts a traditional pie chart, with each slice in a different color (although no pie is recommended in the guidelines).
The premise of this new concept, is still much like the food pyramid, but slightly more comprehensive. It still shows us how to divvy up our diet amongst the 5 major food groups, but now with an image that we can relate to.
According to Health.com:
"For most people, the comparison won't be favorable. Comparing the ideal proportions of MyPlate to those of the typical American diet is like holding MyPlate up to a fun-house mirror: The grains and protein categories are stretched out; fruits, vegetables, and dairy are shrunk down; and the plate- unlike the food pyramid - doesn't even acknowledge the fats, oils, and sugar that are prevalent in the American diet."
So although the MyPlate image seems easier to understand, this simplicity also takes away some of the information that people received with the food pyramid. The image doesn't educate on what healthier grain options are verse say, white bread. Or what kind of healthy fats should be considered in a daily diet. Another unanswered question is portion size. Although we know how much of the plate a food group should occupy, how much exactly does that indicate in regards to serving size?
Also, my personal qualms with this image is that a great deal of our population experiences blood sugar dysregulations, so although fruit is a natural healthy option, it also contains plenty of sugar, which I don't believe should be recommended in such a large quantity. There is also no information about fats, and many people don't know that a lot of the nutrients in vegetables are fat soluble, so in order to be absorbed by the body they must be eaten along with healthy fats.
Also, my personal qualms with this image is that a great deal of our population experiences blood sugar dysregulations, so although fruit is a natural healthy option, it also contains plenty of sugar, which I don't believe should be recommended in such a large quantity. There is also no information about fats, and many people don't know that a lot of the nutrients in vegetables are fat soluble, so in order to be absorbed by the body they must be eaten along with healthy fats.
I am also not a true believer in this set dietary guideline in general. Therefore, stating that a healthy diet consist of grains and dairy, is not exactly what I would be pushing. Although, I agree this may be fine for some, a large group of the population would most likely be better without the said food groups. Could it be that grains remain because they are easy to grow and sell? Ask yourself: Would we suffer if we removed grains from our diet? Would we develop any nutritional deficiencies if we were to go without? Try it, I think you will be surprised at how much better you actually feel. So to say that grains and/or even dairy must be included in a healthy meal I think is a little bit of a far fetched idea.
I have pointed out several flaws with the MyPlate icon, but I also mentioned in the beginning that I thought this new concept is much better than the previous pyramid idea. The food group pie chart image is a great concept, which I completely agree with. Although what I would like to see included in this image is healthy fats, less grains, and fruit, and more protein. Instead of merely a plate with different colors indicating food groups, I think that it would be more helpful to include the percentage that you should include of each in an ideal meal.
With the $2 million that went into the development and promotion of this new icon, I think that we may still be lacking information. If the goal is to get people to eat healthier, we can't simplify it down so much that it leaves too many gray areas. I understand that people are busy and we are trying to make the idea of eating healthy easier for busy families. But come on people, this is your health, don't you think that everyone could spare a few extra minutes to learn the basics of a healthy diet and lifestyle.
Well that's my two cents...
Here is what Dr. Sears came up with:
Pura Vida!
Here is what Dr. Sears came up with:
Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Day 99- HONOR YOUR HEALTH
Principal #10: Honor your healthMake foods choices that honor your health and that leave you satisfied. It's alright to not eat perfect all the time, truthfully who honestly can. Learn how to find your own personal balance, don't completely deprive your body of the things it loves (if there is no medical reason for it). Indulge in your cravings every once in awhile. Allowing yourself the freedom to break the rules periodically will not completely destroy your weight loss goals. It is when you break the rules on a regular bases that you are going to run into problems.
You also need to love your body enough to provide what's best for it. Make exercise something you enjoy instead of a chore that you have to do. Exercise has many amazing health benefits, and should be included in your weekly routine. Make time for exercise as you do for any other part of your day. When people get busy, their workout is usually the first thing that they get rid of, instead try to still find time for a workout even if it is just a few minutes. Those few minutes of exercise can help to dampen the stresses that you are facing and give you a healthier out look on what else lies ahead.
No one says that you have to be perfect to achieve your goals, but learn what works for your body. Once you honor your health, everything else will come naturally.
Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP
Monday, June 6, 2011
Day 98- EXERCISE- FEEL THE DIFFERENCE
Principal #9: Exercise- Feel the differenceExercise because of the way that it makes you feel. If you only focus on the calorie or weight loss effect of it, it may take away some of the enjoyment of it. Exercise is the best medicine for depression, and it's this way because of the strong effects it has on the serotonin receptors in the brain. Exercise is like a feel good drug, as long as you don't turn it into a chore.
When you begin to obsess over calories and losing them, exercise becomes something that you begin forcing yourself to do instead of wanting to do. Find exercises that you enjoy to do. If you think running on the treadmill is boring and you dread the thought of it, choose a different exercise, or take your runs outside where the scenery will constantly change. Our maybe gyms aren't your thing, try joining a sports team. Not only will you get exercise playing your favorite sport, you will also meet people and make relationships with like minded people in the meantime.
Exercise, when not purely thought of as a way to loose weight will have many more health benefits, not only creating a more positive outlook, but also increasing your ability to sleep more soundly, concentrate better, keeping you more energized, and increase your appetite for healthy food.
So instead of logging your miles on the treadmill or focusing on the hours you spend in the gym, exercise for the pure enjoyment of it, and I promise you that the outcomes will be even better than you would have expected.
Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Day 97- Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce- Couch Potato Workout
I figured that since I am in Boston this weekend, why not share a great video from Celtic, Paul Pierce, on how to workout during television commercials. See now you have no excuse to not stay active!
For more information and workouts from the Celtic players, visit Game Time Workouts.
Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Day 96- RESPECT YOUR BODY
Principal #8 Respect your bodyThis may be my favorite of all the principals! Respect your body, so much easier said than done. How much I have longed for those long super model legs, that perfectly flat stomach, the cute little size 6 feet, you know all the things that we have no control over. I have a severe case of body envy, that I just can't shake. And I know I'm not the only one that is guilty of this.
What we must learn to do is respect our bodies. Respect the features that make us "us." There are many things that make up our genetic blueprint that we can not change. Sure there are now options available; we could get liposuction, breast augmentation, plastic surgery, we can workout until we are on the brink of collapsing, we can starve our bodies, or we could just be happy with being "us."
Women, especially, are so overly judgmental of their own bodies. We can't look beyond a certain feature of our body that we don't like and we think that everyone feels the same. We could be happy about our bodies, except one minor thing, and that one thing could drive us insane. When we get compliments from others we think that they are wrong, and draw their attention to our flaws. We need to learn how to focus on the good instead of obsessing over the bad.
Our bodies are the way they should be, it makes us different from everyone else. Granted there are somethings that we should and can change. Your genetic blueprint may not contain the extra 20 pounds that you are carrying around. Learn to focus on things that are changeable, things that will make you a healthier person, while still being you. We know that we can't change the size of our feet, so why expect to change the rest of bodies to that degree?
Learn the difference between features that are in your control and those that are beyond your control. Embrace your difference, and respect your body!
Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP
Friday, June 3, 2011
Day 95- HONOR YOUR FEELINGS WITHOUT USING FOOD
Principal #7 Honor your feelings without using food
When you are sad maybe you reach for the ice cream or chocolate, when you are happy maybe you celebrate with pizza, when you are bored you grab the bag of chips, when you are stressed you choose something salty, when you are tired maybe something sweet. This is called emotional eating; eating due to emotions instead of hunger. Many emotions have their attached "comfort" food, the food that you turn to when experiencing a certain emotion.
Instead of turning to these foods, we need to find ways to deal with these feelings. We need to teach our bodies that food will not fix these feelings and may in the long run only make them worse. We must recognize that we turn to these certain foods when we are experiencing certain emotions, and learn how to handle this feelings in a healthier way.
Below is a list of the differences between physical hunger verses emotional hunger:
Next time you reach for food, ask yourself "am I really hungry?" Learn the difference between true hunger and just eating due to various emotions. As someone who now sits in front of a computer for most of the day with work, I find myself snacking a lot more than I should, usually it is just mindless, bored snacking, but the problem is I might not even really be hungry. Acknowledging this emotion, will help me to plan accordingly , either by only having healthy snacks available, such as carrot and celery sticks, or by putting my foot down to eating in front of my computer. This way if it is truly hunger that is causing me to want to eat, then I must get up to go get food, as it will not be as easily accessible.
Let us all work on honoring our feelings in a more healthy and productive way, without first turning to food, which may only mask the issue, and leave us possibly feeling worse than we did before.
Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP
Chart website
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)