BODY, MIND, AND HOLISTIC HEALING. YOUR Qs WERE ANSWERED BY #1 NUTRITIONIST FLORIANA URBISCI.

Holistic Healing is a must during these hard times.

Our lives are in a complete state of constant unbalance; from over-working hours in the office to being stuck at home for over 2 years; from exercising regularly to laying on a couch endlessly eating junk food, and this gaining weight and getting stressed seems never to end. We all went through the feeling of bloat, fatigue, cravings, mood swings or other symptoms including difficulty in losing weight.

We are honoured to have Floriana a holistic nutritionist, using evidence and science-based tools to contribute to our well-being and to achieve positive changes, health goals, and lifestyle.

She encourages healthy eating for better nutritional food habits, promoting supplements to be included in your healthy lifestyle to make sure their nutritional requirements are met, and this is what we love about our number one nutritionist.Without our further due let us dive into Floriana’s answers to your questions.

Question 1: Hydration, I can’t drink water. Maybe a glass or two. Does beer count?

Answer: Daily water intake is essential and vital for overall health. The body is made of approximately 75% water and craves it every day! A minimum of 2 litres of filtered or bottled water is recommended for adults as it supports every organ and system of the body including the digestive, intestinal, urinary, respiratory and immune system. In addition, keeping hydrated with water helps the body to carry nutrients and oxygen to the cells, flush out toxins, aid in digestion, promote healthy skin and help to keep joints lubricated and flexible. A great way that may help to increase your water intake is by flavouring the water with some lemon, lime or cucumber.

Any type of alcohol drink including beer is a diuretic and once consumed it can cause the body to dehydrate.

Other beverages that have a diuretic effect include coffee, tea, and soda. All of them can cause dehydration. A rule of thumb if consuming any of these drinks is to always replenish right after with one glass of water to help keep the body from dehydrating.

It is also important to keep the consumption of any diuretic drink to a minimum and focus on maximizing your water intake for good health and longevity.

Question 2: Hello Floriana, I don’t have time to cook, and my husband doesn’t like veggies. We like to dine out, and we eat at Tims when at work. Would you recommend some healthier choices that I can make without having to cook?

Answer: Great question! The importance of getting healthy meals made into our daily routine is a good habit to create to help keep us healthy and energized throughout the day. I highly recommend making smoothies to go especially if you are both out most of the day! A good smoothie can consist of frozen berries, spinach, chia seeds and a good quality protein powder. Check out one of my favourite tasting protein powders by Nature Sunshine Products by clicking on the link below and to receive 25% off your first order! https://www.naturessunshine.ca/recommended-products/60523534/11fgbpkwck5782/?sid=60523534&offer=NSP

A good quality protein powder like Nature Harvest Protein helps to feel satisfied due to the good quality and sustainable protein it contains and there are some greens in it that, not noticeable by taste. The option to add an extra great source of greens like spinach is vital for optimal digestion, cellular function and spinach is almost tasteless which will make it easier to consume for those who do not like veggies! These on-the-go smoothies help to avoid a trip to a fast-food chain and are more economical in the long run while at the same time it’s an easy way to enjoy all the health benefits of the vitamins, minerals and fibre that the smoothie has to offer!

Eggs are another quick and easy meal idea to make especially when cooking them soft boiled or hard-boiled as it normally takes only 4 to 8 minutes depending on how you like them. Eggs are an excellent complete protein source containing all essential amino acids. Amino acids make proteins in the body to help break down food and repair body tissue. A great food combination with eggs is to add some leafy greens or spinach, drizzle some olive oil and a pinch of sea salt and enjoy it like a salad making it ready to eat in minutes! Keep in mind, soft-boiled eggs have the added benefit of the liquid yoke which provides a good source of healthy fats. However, if the eggs are overcooked they become hard-boiled and the yoke becomes bad fat, in this case, it is wise to eat the egg whites only.

Question 3: Do you think Yoga can be enough for my daily exercise? I think there is not enough cardio in it.

Answer: Yoga is a form of meditative exercise in which you move your body into various positions to become more flexible and stronger. Therefore, it is important to add some form of cardio to your daily routine like outdoor walking, swimming, dancing, rollerblading or ice skating! Cardio helps strengthen the heart and lungs, improves circulation in the body and is essential for healthy living. Studies have shown that a minimum of 30 minutes of any form of cardio a day is important to reduce the risk of illness or disease.

Question 4: I don’t feel like sharing, but I would need a piece of advice against my panic attacks

Answer: Thank you for being able to share your personal concern. Panic attacks are not uncommon and are often related to mood and anxiety disorders. Approximately 4% of people in the world can experience a panic disorder in their lifetime. Here are a few steps to take when you start to experience a panic attack:

1. Ground yourself and focus on slow breathing. Take a breath in slowly through the nose and out through the mouth for a few minutes to help reduce symptoms gradually.

2. Be kind and gentle towards yourself and tell yourself “I am ok.”

3. Start to regain control with some form of meditation and continue to focus on breathing with your eyes closed if possible.

4. Release any negative thought patterns and focus on visualizing yourself in a state of inner calmness.

5. Seek support from a close friend or family member and if symptoms persist it is a good idea to find a professional therapist to help you cope and get to the root cause.

Question 5: Do you know if there are side effects from excessive use of Paprika or other spices?

Answer: Natural spices can be from a seed, fruit, root, bark or other plant substance and are primarily used to flavour different food or drinks. Some spices are also used to enhance colour in certain dishes too.

Everything we eat including spices should not be excessive but always in moderation otherwise any type of side effect or symptom can occur such as a digestive disturbance like heartburn or a headache to name a few.

A general rule of thumb for spices specifically depends on the quantity you are making. A recommended guideline is to use 1/2 teaspoon of spice for every pound of meat or vegetables used in a recipe or 1/2 teaspoon in approximately 2 cups of any sauce or soup. However, any red pepper flavours like paprika or other spicier spices like black pepper or chilli pepper will increase in intensity upon cooking. Therefore, in this case, it is important to use in small increments to allow the flavour to intensify during cooking.

There are amazing benefits in using natural spices including promoting better circulation, helping balance blood sugar levels and for more great benefits check out my previously published article below.

“7 Essential Natural Spices For Healthy Cooking” click here https://www.inspades.news/7-natural-healthy-spices/

Question 6: Hello Floriana, I love all your articles and I wonder if you will be sharing more of your content? I read in your article that lean protein and fibre are important and I just subscribed to a company that delivers food that I can choose. Do you think this is a good idea? They make me save time on the groceries and I quite like the selection.

Answer: I am happy to hear you are enjoying my articles and yes I will be continuing to share more content on Inspades News as I personally have a passion to help educate others on the importance of health and wellness!

In regards to your question, it is important to make sure that when ordering with any company the meal choices are healthy choices. This includes lean proteins preferably vegetarian, organic chicken or a good quality wild-caught fish like salmon. A colourful array of vegetable choices and good grains like brown rice will make meals a complete source of vitamins, minerals and fibre. I recommend including some good fat choices like raw nuts or avocado which can be added as a topping or on the side to complete any meal.

Question 7: In these holidays there is a lot of talk about counting calories, but how can you really count calories when getting an additional beer, or a glass of wine, or an extra slice of cake. There is no way to be on the phone and start tallying all up. But these Holiday festivities are over a month-long. Gatherings are before Halloween and go beyond New Year’s Eve. There are just so many veggies that I can eat when there are bread, cheese, tiramisu, and all sorts of goodies. What should I do?

Answer: This is a good question! I do not personally recommend calorie counting! Let’s start with what is a calorie? A calorie is primarily a unit of energy. An intake of daily calories from food is important as the body needs this energy from calories to live and function well but what is really important is to choose mostly good calories rather than bad calories.

A higher amount of good calories versus bad calories are essential to fuel the body but vary based on size, gender, age, metabolism and other factors. A good idea is to gauge how you feel once you finish eating a meal. The good calories will help to feel satisfied but it is also important not to overeat whether it is a healthy food or not. The body can easily signal some type of symptom if consuming a higher caloric intake than the body requires. Some of these symptoms include feeling heavy, tired, sluggish or drowsy. To avoid any of these symptoms, it is good to be mindful at every meal by choosing wisely what feels best to digest!

The good calories come from foods that are in the most natural state which are mother nature intended. These good daily calories include good quality carbohydrates like organic brown rice, steel-cut oats and legumes and other food groups including good fats, lean proteins, vegetables and some fruit. The quality of good calories helps the body to digest the food properly, absorb the nutrients well and help with the daily elimination of waste products and toxins from the body. In turn, some of the benefits of eating good calories include better energy, better moods, better sleep and ultimately good healthy weight management.

Whether the goal is weight loss, weight gain or to maintain a healthy weight, the quantity and quality of food is what makes all the difference. I recommend at any special occasion and during the holidays the 80/20 rule which means 80% choose healthy foods to eat “the good calories” and 20% enjoy the fun foods “the bad calories” like a favourite piece of cake or pie!

We are so glad to have Floriana as our columnist and we invite you to connect with her to get all her pieces of advice, news, and discounts!

Bookmark Floriana’s page on INSPADES.NEWS and come back for more!

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