Total Therapy Blog
Spring Cleaning – Why You Should Clean-Up Your Body’s Act
March is National Nutrition Month. For most Canadians, National Nutrition Month isn’t anything more than a blip in the calendar. We have other things on our mind – how the Canucks are doing, whether the teachers will go on strike, how long before the rainy season ends, etc. The thing is, we don’t really think about nutrition except in a vague I-should-probably-lose-some-weight kind of way.
We should care. As Canadians, proper nutrition – or rather, lack thereof – is a big deal. Take sodium intake. Excess dietary sodium intake causes approximately 14 000 preventable deaths in Canada per year. On average, we consume 3400 mg of sodium a day – more than double the maximum recommended daily intake of 1500 mg.
But why stop with sodium? We’re a country of over-consumers. The average Canadian eats 26 teaspoons of sugar a day. We eat the equivalent of half a stick of butter a day in saturated fat. We drink too much coffee, and we don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables.
It’s our bodies that pay the price for our bad habits. Obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and cancer make up the lion’s share of what ails Canadians. The more junk we put into our bodies, the less we get out of it.
Good News
That’s the bad news. The good news is that you can make a change for the better. This spring, instead of spring cleaning your closet, why not focus on “cleaning out” your body instead? It can be something simple, like making a point to add one extra serving of vegetables to your day, or cutting back on a habitual sweet treat. Try these simple tricks, courtesy of prevention.ca.
If you’ve had limited success with the “do-it-yourself” approach, get outside help. Enlist a friend to keep you on track – tell them what you’re trying to do, and let them know how they can help you. Get in touch with a nutritionist or dietician to get ideas as to where you can start making healthy changes. They can work with you one-on-one to design a plan that works for you. Ask your doctor whether or not you qualify for the Ministry of Health’s Prescription for Health program to see about subsidized access to nutrition programs.
If you’re looking for a little kick to get into a healthier mindset, consider doing a cleanse. Cleanses are short-term programs that help “reset” your body back to a more healthy normal. They emphasize an anti-oxidant rich diet, which gives the body an added boost in repairing toxic oxidative damage and enables your body to build up a “healthy reservoir” of nutrients needed for proper functioning. Cleanses can also be useful in breaking pesky habits like caffeine or sugar addictions. For more detailed information on what a cleanse can (and can’t) do for you, click here.
This spring, take your cleaning to the next level. Your body will thank you.
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