Not Another Health & Wellness Resource (3) – Tips on Making Healthy Nutritional Choices

April 15, 2020

Jakaeden Frizzell, CPD Program Coordinator

Welcome to another post in this blog series, “Not Another Health & Wellness Resource”. Previous posts have discussed strategies to support behaviour change::

Not Another Health & Wellness Resource (1) – Identifying Friction to Your Behaviour Change 

Not Another Health & Wellness Resource (2) – Using a SMART Goal Approach

Part 3 of this series features a post from Dr. Michelle Sthamann, a local Naturopathic doctor based in Regina, giving tips for healthy nutritional choices while working remotely at home:

All of the travel restrictions and stay-home orders these past few weeks have created an opportunity for us to slow down and focus on the fundamentals of our health. Maintaining a positive mindset to transform the extra time into an opportunity to reduce our disease and infection risks should be at the forefront of everyone’s mind. 

Nutrition will always be the number one factor to modify an individual’s health profile. Eating food is something we do everyday regardless of the intention, and therefore is the most influential factor in our personal wellness. The nutrients you obtain from food can either provide the building blocks of biochemical processes, supporting your hormones, immune system, nervous system, and tissues or it can be causing damage via inflammation that will degrade our functioning. 

How to get started with nutrition at home and managing calories:

• Drink at least one full glass of water upon waking.
• Obey the two-hour rule: Wait two hours upon waking to have your first meal, and stop eating at least two hours before bed
• Incorporate good quality protein with your first meal (…bacon doesn’t count!). Have an omelette with plenty of vegetables, or a plant-based protein powder smoothie with greens to stabilize blood sugar.
• Utilize the power of free delivery! Support businesses like Body Fuel Organics. They have organic produce and top-quality animal products from local businesses, and they deliver for free to your door.
• If you are not sure about the details of the foods you usually eat, track your food intake for one week on apps like MyFitnessPal to reestablish your caloric and nutrient content. Investigating your food quality and quantity will not only hold you accountable but will alleviate the uncertainties of meal prep to create a more accurate plan for the future.
• ALWAYS makes sure your plate is half vegetables.
• Drink 2L of water everyday.
• Make a few meals one day and eat leftovers the next. Meal prep eliminates the struggle of finding time and energy to make fresh recipes every meal. Ain’t nobody got time for that!

As a Naturopathic doctor, I am currently offering Telemedicine appointments which are covered under insurance. I also have access to body composition analysis, meal planning programs, and the education required to create an individualized plan to help make your transition to healthy eating a breeze! If you are interested, I would be more than happy to work with you. Wishing you all the best during this bizarre time!

To book an appointment online with Dr. Sthamann, visit michellelenawellness.com or call reception at 306-757-4325.