Bacon, booze, and obesity are increasing your risk of stomach cancer: study

A new report out of the American Institute for Cancer Research is warning that all three factors are tied to other cancers too, but it’s the first time research has made this particular link.

Trying to lose weight? Try cutting out this much time sitting at work.

Countless studies have pointed to “sitting disease” affecting your health and waistline, but new research suggests that getting out of your chair for 71 minutes a day during your workday could make a difference long-term.

Why changing your lifestyle is a key factor to sustained weight loss.

Sticking to your weight-loss resolution for a full year has proven to be worth the sacrifice, according to a new study out of Denmark.

When you think nuts and seeds, what comes up for you? Is it a forbidden food or one that you include regularly? Is it feelings of confusion around fats in the diet?

When it comes to foods that provide good nutrition but with a high-calorie price tag attached, many individuals struggling to achieve a healthy, natural weight often feel conflicted. In today's blog post, I hope to create feelings of confidence and excitement around the inclusion of nuts and seeds in your diet. And working them into your diet not just 'occasionally' but DAILY!

It is the final week in this year's Nutrition Month campaign, The 100 Meal Journey. We hope you have enjoyed working on a small, nutrition-focused goal at each meal over the month of March. This week focuses on helping you to Make It Stick.

One of the most important steps in making a new change becomes a lifelong habit (i.e. lifestyle), is making a plan for when things go wrong (or back to the 'old' habit). Professionals in the behavior change area like to call this step a Relapse Plan. We all experience challenges that can sidetrack our health and eating plans, but it is what we do to address this fact that makes the difference. Here are some helpful strategies to help make your changes stick.

It is Week 4 in Nutrition Month and this week's focus gets you in the kitchen and out of your food rut! Eating healthy shouldn't mean bland, boring food. It should inspire excitement and new flavor combinations that you've never tried before. If you haven't checked out Cookspiration yet, it is the time! Cookspiration is a website developed by Dietitians to help inspire Canadians who to try new recipes that are nutrient-dense and sure to satisfy.

It is Week 3 in Nutrition Month and our focus is on portion control. When it comes to healthy eating, how much you eat can be just as important as what you eat. Eating portions that are too big, healthy food or not, can lead to weight gain. Follow these tips to manage the munchies while enjoying health and energy-promoting portions.

It is week 2 in Nutrition Month and the focus is on building quality into your diet. When it comes to food choices, quality counts! When we include foods that are nutrient-rich (those that provide a lot of vitamins, minerals, fibre, and micronutrients for the calorie value), we feel our best. If you find yourself craving unhealthy food, one of the best places to start is to look at the quality of your diet. We are what we eat and if you pay attention, we also crave what we eat. The cleaner (healthier) you eat, the more you will crave these foods.

Seeking support?

Get on track with must-have apps from Dietitians of Canada.

A dietitian can help you assess your eating habits, set achievable goals, and put strategies in place for lasting change. Get daily support with these top 3 dietitian-designed apps:

Take A 100 Meal Journey!

Eating well can boost your health and help you feel your best. Want to eat better? Instead of trying to change everything at once, take a 100 Meal Journey. We eat about 100 meals in a month, so this year's Nutrition Month theme is to focus on making a small, lasting change and stick with it… one meal at a time.

According to the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation, an astounding 80% of premature heart disease and stroke is preventable by adopting healthy behaviours. With these changes, you can delay the onset of heart disease or stroke by 14 years! In honour of February being Heart Health Awareness month, look for recipes that have high amounts of omega 3, fibre, magnesium, potassium, and antioxidant-rich ingredients. All important components of heart health protection.

Use our simple formula to build salads that get you excited about bringing your lunch to work again!

So often, I hear my clients say they HATE eating salads. "It's boring." ... "I feel like I'm a rabbit." ... "Salads remind me of being on a diet."

It is that time of year again…. the time of year when many of us create New Year’s resolutions. We do this with the best of intentions as a way to motivate ourselves and move toward an improved self. The problem is that many times this results in a “false hope syndrome,” in which our resolution is significantly unrealistic and out of alignment with what we can really achieve. When the goal is out of alignment with a realistic and sustainable approach to living, we experience a sense of failure when it does not work out The sense of failure (real or not) does not help to build our confidence and belief in ourselves.

Happy New Year!

As the days get shorter and chillier, many of us find it even more challenging to keep our bodies moving or start a new activity. The good news is that Calgary hosts an ever-increasing number of options for those who wish to get fit and active over the holidays and into the new year. Here are 5 ways to get you started (plus one ‘bonus’ option!).

Help the Food Bank with our December Nutrition Challenge

Supporting local Food Banks is near and dear to my heart. It pains me to know that people in this world go hungry when there is an abundance of food waste that occurs every single day. It is for this reason, that I encourage you to take part in my December Nutrition Challenge with a Kitchen Clean-Up activity!

Research shows that when we have less food options available to us, we are less tempted to eat when we are not hungry which results in eating fewer calories overall. Because we specialize and focus in weight management here at CWMC, this is an activity that is worthwhile and will support your healthy weight goal.

You’ve most likely heard the connection between stress the body resisting weight loss. Ever wonder why this phenomenon happens? The connection is linked with the body’s production of cortisol. Stress causes the levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, to rise in your body1. Eating causes cortisol levels to drop, which is why we tend to eat when we are stressed1. Unfortunately, this can interfere with successful weight management. With the holiday’s right around the corner, it’s a good idea to start planning strategies to cope with this stressful time of year. The good news is that there are many ways to cope with stress and reduce cortisol levels. Some of these include laughter2, music3, moderate exercise4, sleep5, and meditation6. This year, make a point to increase your sleep if you are not reaching the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Compliment this with surrounding yourself with loved ones and music, get regular exercise, and maybe try some meditation. Combining these healthy stress-reducing strategies with continued regular, balanced meals and snacks will help to curb emotional eating, allow your body to maintain or reach its healthiest weight, and allow you to enjoy the holiday season even more.

Get Active!!

Join us every month for introductory classes to popular physical activity options. Classes are free* for all new and current patients of Calgary Weight Management Centre to attend with registration and open to the general public for $25/class.

join us on December 2 at 6:00 PM for CWMC's Introductory Class on Cardio Boxing! Call to register.

This month, we are featuring pumpkins. Pumpkin has an incredible nutrient profile. It is packed with heart health-promoting potassium, magnesium, and fiber, LDL-cholesterol lowering plant sterols, and night vision protecting Vitamin A and beta-carotene phytonutrients.

Try your hand with our seasonal feature recipe Pumpkin Rissoto

Interested in learning more about pumpkin and its health benefits? Read this article in the Huffington Post: 8 Impressive Health Benefits of Pumpkin

With two kids at home and one on the way, I've been finding it a bit challenging to get a healthy, balanced homemade meal on the table at a decent time (before 7 pm). Even when I map out my day and start dinner preparations early, I still find that I'm scrambling at 6 pm (with a toddler climbing up my leg) trying to get dinner on the table. Gone are the days when I had three solid hours to prepare dinner, clean, relax, etc. during nap time. Not to mention the fact that a new school routine starts next week! So, I've had to become a bit more efficient when it comes to preparing meals and has discovered a few short-cuts. Here they are: