One of the most overlooked aspects of mental health is nutrition. Food plays a significant role in our physical health, as well as our mental and emotional health. Implementing a few small changes in your diet can have a positive effect on your daily life. Try foods that are rich in Omega-3 fats such as fish, nuts and seeds. Beans help regulate and stabilize blood sugar levels. Chicken and poultry are loaded with tryptophan, a mood booster. Vegetables contain folate, fiber, and other nutrients to stabilize and elevate your mood. Probiotics contribute to gut health, which regulates emotional health.
Community News
Ice or Heat?
One of the most frequently asked questions of physiotherapists is: ice or heat?
Ice is for injuries — calming down damaged superficial tissues that are red, hot, and swollen. The inflammatory process is a healthy, normal, natural one that, unfortunately, also happens to be incredibly painful. Be careful not to ice too long, as frostbite can occur.
Heat is for muscles, chronic pain, and stress — taking the edge off of symptoms like muscle aching and stiffness.
Generally speaking, ice is for fresh injuries, and heat is for stiff, aching muscles. But it’s best to seek advice from your physiotherapist as to which is best for your condition.
Getting Enough Magnesium?
Our diets are providing less magnesium than they used to. The composition of what we eat and the quality of our foods has drastically changed over the past hundred years, and this has made it difficult for even the most health-conscious Canadians to get enough magnesium. Magnesium is involved in many processes throughout the body. Overstimulating these processes will result in an increase in our magnesium requirements. For instance, when we suffer from high stress, our body produces a hormone protein called cortisol. Producing and regulating this hormone means spending and excreting more magnesium. High-sugar diets also cause more magnesium to be used.
Your Cool New Booze-Free Option
Taking a night off from drinking can now be a part of an exciting night out! Self-care can extend past sunset and socializing can boost your health and wellness game. When we consume beverages that are healthier for our body and mind, we feel more empowered and connected to our souls. We call this mindful consumption. Our Brü is soulfully curated for both flavour and functionality, creating a novel social experience. It’s time we remove outdated, stigmatized labels like alcoholic, recovery, disease and replace them with empowering words like alcohol-free, sober curious, and non-drinker, so people can feel proud about their accomplishment by choosing not to drink.
Clean Eating: Simple Vegan Eggnog
Ingredients: 1 15-ounce can coconut milk (400 ml), 1/2 cup raw cashews, 1/4 cup water, 3 tbsp maple syrup, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon. Directions: Soak the cashews overnight or for at least 1 hour. Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve the eggnog chilled, so keep it in the fridge for at least 1 or 2 hours. Enjoy the Holiday Season!
Health Book Club:
The Art of Choosing You. By Robin Chant. Where does this judgment lead us? It leads us to the polarity of right and wrong, of good and bad. We are in constant battle in our minds as we focus on this polarity. Would you like to let that habit go and choose allowance instead? What does it feel like to connect to you? How do you know if you are connected to your soul? Is it time to find out?
Words to Live By
Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most. Ruth Carter Stapleton
Mental Health This Winter
Winter months can be difficult for those experiencing a mental health challenge or illness, especially during and following the holiday season. There are, however, a myriad of evidence-based ways to boost your physical and mental well-being. One important tool is vitamin D. Research clearly shows the benefits of this powerful vitamin for improving body and thereby brain health. Our bodies synthesize this nutrient through exposure to the sun. However, during reduced daylight months we are unable to get what we need from our solar source. If low mood persists, contact your healthcare provider or local CMHA for additional information and resources.
Finding the Courage Needed
There are 6 types of courage required to navigate a pandemic. Physical courage helps us keep strength, balance and resilience. Social courage gives us the ability to be yourself unapologetically when tough decisions need to be made. Emotional courage welcomes the permission needed to feel all our emotions without guilt or shame, learning from our experiences. Intellectual courage strengthens our back bone to do the right thing even when uncomfortable or unprecedented. Spiritual courage allows us to live with purpose and meaning with a compassionate heart with one’s self and others.
Smart in Everything but Reading
When you have a bright child who doesn’t achieve to his or her potential we often affectionately call them underachievers, because we know they are capable of achieving so much more. Over the years, I have found that bright underachievers often have vision problems which make reading difficult. It may surprise you to learn that many of the children who have vision problems interfering with learning actually have 20/20 eyesight (with or without glasses). A Developmental Vision Evaluation is needed to determine if a vision problem is interfering with reading.
Essential Oil of the Month
Eucalyptus: 100% Pure Joy Naturals essential oil is a go-to remedy for colds and the flu. Eucalyptus essential oil can be used to calm a cough in several ways. A person may want to try: adding a few drops of eucalyptus oil to 1 ounce of carrier oil and rubbing the mixture onto the chest and throat or diluting eucalyptus oil in boiling water and inhaling the steam. It is also a wonderful treatment for sore muscles, a key ingredient in nontoxic household cleaners and much more. Botanical Name: Eucalyptus radiata. Plant Part: Woods and Leaves. Origin: Australia.
