Flaman Fitness

Post by: Steph Wheler

Nutrition for Cancer Prevention

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month! 

There are many reasons to choose to eat well and many benefits that can be gained from healthy food choices.  Eating a plant based diet is one thing you can do to help lower your chances of getting cancer.  Many plant foods are naturally low in calories and eating them can help you maintain a healthy body weight, which may be one of the most important ways to lower cancer risk. Vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes have fibre, phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals that help keep your body and immune system strong.

            Healthy eating recommendations are also encouraged to help lower your risk for other chronic diseases (heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, etc.).  Start with one change and gradually add more, because even small changes in your food and activity choices can...

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Post by: Steph Wheler

Optimal Omega-3's

There are three omega-3 fats that you may have heard of: ALA, DHA, and EPA (alpha-linolenic acid, docosahexanaenoic , and eicosapentaenoic acid).  They are considered to be essential fats because we need to get them from our diet.  Our bodies can’t make ALA, and can only make limited DHA and EPA from the ALA, so it is important to include food sources on a regular basis.

Omega-3s can help prevent...

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Post by: Steph Wheler

Finding the Right Energy Balance

When we talk about weight gain or weight loss we need to consider how the energy balance is being swayed.  For weight maintenance we want energy in (calories consumed) to equal energy out (calories burned).  When:

energy in > energy out = weight gain

energy in < energy out = weight loss

Our body absorbs calories from food and beverages and converts it to energy to allow us to breath, sleep, function at work, be active, etc.  Consider which way you are trying to sway the balance, then figure out how to create a deficit or a surplus of energy (calories). 

If you are considering weight loss, remember that dietitians recommend goals of 1/2 to 1 kg (1 to 2 lb) per week as sustainable loss.  Losing weight in a gradual way versus a drastic drop means...

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