Zuvia Naseem, MSc, RD, CDE

STRESS EATING Since COVID-19 has struck, we have seen a number of cases rise of mental health issues since we know mental health is related to our overall wellbeing. Stress eating is one of the syndromes that puts different impacts on different people. Stress causes some people to ignore their hunger cues and refrain from eating for long stretches. For other people, stress turns them into emotional eaters who mindlessly munch. Those who stop eating are so focused on thei...r stress that they don’t hear or tune into their hunger cues. Those who overeat are attempting to distract themselves with food. The stress related hormone cortisol messes up our metabolism. When a person gets stressed, due to work or staying home for long periods with no social gatherings, what happens is the brain signals our adrenal glands to produce cortisol (stress hormone), which brings our mood swings, a sudden revert from food intake, anger, anxiety etc. But sometimes after cortisol decreases a person can get out of this situation and get back to normal. What happens is when this stress state stays longer like what is happening now days in the covid-19 pandemic when people feel isolated, stay home, no social gatherings, lose their jobs. Then this hormone cortisol produces more, continuous and stays longer in our system. This brings more changes in our metabolic system and messes up our hunger, insulin and blood glucose production which results in continuous clues of hunger and then feeding. The liver releases its glucose stores, which alerts the pancreas to produce more insulin, more fats deposit in our adipose tissues, gaining weight and feeling stress and again the cycle continuous. There are other factors which also help in gaining weight like when a person gets stressed, he/she takes more alcohol, more smoking, lack of sleep and skipping meal, all these factors lead to increase in cortisol. WAYS TO FIGHT AGAINST STRESS EATING: Eat more anti-inflammatory foods like fruits, vegetables, omega-3 sources like fish, walnuts. Stop taking more alcohol, smoking, trans fats, added sugar and processed foods. Meditation is important. Whenever feel stressed, do yoga, get outside and breath in fresh air. Engage yourself in any favorite hobby or work that keeps you busy and distracts you from the matter that causes stress. Put a barrier between you and food. Whenever you feel stressed, it’s better to call someone, ask for help, or make a cup of green tea, sipping on tea calms you. A distraction of 15-30 minutes away from the situation will help you stop binge eating. Regular exercise and making sure you get enough sleep every night also can help you to better handle the challenges that come up every day.

OH BABY!! IT's COLD OUTSIDE: There is no secret that North Americans drink a lot of coffee, it is a whole year business in western world and it’s the number one source where they get their antioxidants. Antioxidants help fight aging and heart disease, but coffee doesn’t really have that many of them we just drink so much of it!... Not only can your daily cup of coffee helps you feel more energized, burns fat and improves physical performance, it may also lowers your risk of several conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Several sources suggest that 400 mg of caffeine per day the equivalent of 4 cups (945 ml) of coffee is safe for most healthy adults. Evidence suggests that 45 cups of coffee per day is associated with the greatest health benefits. However, if you’re sensitive to caffeine, you should aim for lower amounts or avoid coffee altogether

UNFOLDING THE DRAMA OF DETOX CLEANSE: Well, the story starts with the invention of the Master Cleanse (also called the lemonade diet or lemon detox diet). Who was the master mind or we can say detox mind behind this...........??? Stanley Burroughs, who initially marketed this lemonade diet in the 1940s. He claimed that the diet tones, reduces and cleanses the body, allowing the body to heal itself. Although there is no such case in detoxification our body from outer ...Continue reading

DO YOU KNOW...?? By eating 1 brazil nut you will be able to get 96 mcg of selenium which equals the 174% of the Daily value of selenium per day.... The recommended Dietary Allowances for Selenium: ... is that Male and female (14-51+ years) require 55 mcg selenium Selenium is an essential trace mineral, means your body needs it from food sources. The main functions of selenium are as: Selenium is very important in providing us immunity against different types of infections. It also acts as an anti-oxidant and helps against free radicals that have the tendency to damage the DNA and the outer covering of our body cells, so in that case selenium maintains our heart and our brain health. Selenium plays an important role in the thyroid function and the immune system. Selenium is an essential mineral for maintaining a proper function of the thyroid gland. Selenium is not only essential for the thyroid to produce the most active form of its hormones (called T3), but also helps regulate the amount of hormones produced. Protein foods from animals are generally good sources of selenium. Seafood, organ meats, and Brazil nuts are the foods that are the highest in selenium. An average person can easily get recommended dietary allowances of selenium. Deficiency is very rare. So, if a person is not at risk of developing deficiency then there is no need to take extra doses of selenium supplements (unless their physician recommends) as those supplements claim health benefits including boosting the immune function, improving hair and nail health, and supporting a healthy thyroid.

SUPER-SALT OR SUPER-HYPE...??? Now days, there is a hype trending about the type of salt, which is now taking people’s attention. The pink salt or Himalayan salt!! People are using this salt as if it is not a flavor enhancer but some kind of a superfood that gives them all nutrients. It's not their fault to think like that.... market tactics, false claims and hype created by media persons and manufacturers What is salt...? ... Salt is also called sodium chloride (NaCl). It consists of 40% sodium and 60% chloride, by weight. It was something that really hadn’t changed for centuries. But now when you stroll down the aisle, you will find a variety of salts, from table salt to kosher salt, Celtic salt and now our very famous and darling pink salt. Let me break down the salt information: Table salt is refined, heavily grounded to give it a sand like consistency. Usually people add anti-caking agent (aluminum based) to prevent it sticking and form big lumps. It is fortified with iodine. Its sodium content is comparatively more than other types. Sea salt as the name mentions comes from the sea, naturally iodized, has some sea minerals and minor sea impurities. Celtic salt has a light grayish color and is quite moist. It is made from seawater and contains trace amounts of minerals. Kosher salt is coarse, and flaky textured. Otherwise, it is very similar to table salt. It is useful for some types of cooking methods, not usually iodized. Himalayan salt (pink) is mined in Pakistan. Its pink color comes from iron oxide (the same compound found in rust). Not usually iodized. It contains minerals like potassium, calcium but very little. It's sodium content is less than table salt. Salt is salt as we say sugar is sugar, means whatever type of salt you use gives you the salty flavor. Only foodies or chefs or those who have very strong taste buds can feel the taste difference. But people like me never able to find the difference. I just enjoy the flavor of food by adding salt. Now come to the point, if we say Himalayan and sea salt have more minerals than table salt I mean come on who gets their nutrients from salt...? There are other real sources to get potassium, iron, calcium from different dominant foods than salt. According to Canadian heart and stroke foundation, on average, adult Canadians consume about 3,400 mg (roughly 1 teaspoons) of sodium per day. This is significantly above the recommended level as the upper tolerable limit for health, which is 2,300 mg per day (approximately 1 teaspoon). Humans require a small amount of sodium in order to maintain health. However, in some people too much sodium causes blood pressure to rise. High blood pressure increases your risk for heart disease and stroke. The bottom line is to add salt in foods to enhance the taste and not for fulfilling your mineral requirements.