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HEALTHWISE BULLETIN

Be Informed. Stay Healthy

Vol 2.1; Monday Nov 4 2024

Hello Readers and Followers,

Thank you all for subscribing to our weekly HealthWise Bulletin! We’re excited to bring you our third issue and are grateful for the opportunity to support your health and wellness journey. 

We understand that many of us have experienced unnecessary suffering due to past mistakes and poor health or lifestyle decisions. Whether it’s indulging in unhealthy foods, taking medications without understanding their effects and contraindications, or simply ignoring warning signs, we've all learned valuable lessons along the way.

For some of us, these lessons came at a high price, but with resilience and grace, we have emerged stronger and more knowledgeable. Our mission is simple yet profound: to help you make informed decisions that lead to better health, by understanding the vital links between your diet, lifestyle, and well-being.

Health-related decisions that are made without adequate information can have serious consequences, often affecting one’s entire life. Every health decision has a ripple effect. 

For instance, prolonged use of certain medications such as those used to manage symptoms of certain lifestyle diseases may impact kidney health. Excessive use of painkillers may harm the stomach lining as well as organs such as the kidneys and liver. 

Some Painkillers come with warnings not to be used continuously for more than two weeks. There are reasons for such warnings. Don’t ignore them!

That’s why it’s essential to critically assess your health practices and pursue the most balanced, sustainable choices for your body. It is better to be safe than sorry.

In this week’s HealthWise Bulletin, we’re diving into these key topics:

1. Your Weight Loss Journey and Why It Should Be a Healthy One

2. Tip of the Week: The Pitfalls of Generalized Diet Plans

3. Question of the Week: How to Interpret Your Blood Pressure Readings

4. "Boundaries that Empower: Building Healthier Relationships Through Self-Awareness"

We aim to provide insights, share best practices, and help you to confidently navigate your unique health path. We hope you enjoy this week’s issue, and we welcome your questions and insights. Your experiences add invaluable wisdom for us all.

Best in Health,
The HealthWise Team

Last week, we shared stories of people who successfully shed extra weight, including my journey. Today, let’s shift focus: it’s more important to prioritize the quality of your health than to simply lose pounds or kilos.

We do not promote extreme dieting or starvation, which is not sustainable long-term. Instead, we encourage a balanced approach that focuses on nourishing your body, something you can do for the rest of your life. Our version of fasting involves eating the right foods but limiting meals to no more than twice or thrice per day. 

For example, try having a nutrient-dense breakfast around 10 a.m., and dinner at 6 or 7 p.m. By following this routine, you’ll naturally fast for 8–9 hours during the day and 12–15 hours overnight, depending on your morning meal time. Eating two satisfying meals a day reduces the need to snack, allowing your body to reset and repair. You only drink water between meals.

Note that eating frequently can hinder wellness, as most snacks, sodas, and juices spike insulin - our body’s fat-storing hormone. Spiking insulin too frequently can lead to insulin resistance, the mother of metabolic syndrome - which causes all sorts of health conditions including high blood pressure, and diabetes type 2. 

Drinking only water between meals helps to avoid insulin spikes since water contains no calories, keeping your body much healthier. Remember, diet preferences vary from person to person, and it’s essential to find a plan that suits your tastes, lifestyle, and health needs.

A vital aspect of this approach is prioritizing nutrient-rich foods. Cut down on carbs, processed foods, and anything else that is high in calories while being low in nutrients. 

Focus on whole foods such as vegetables, eggs, and animal proteins, especially fatty meats. As you keep carbs low, stick to complex carbohydrates such as cooked green bananas, sweet potatoes, cassava, and other whole foods. Avoid processed carbs such as white rice, wheat, packaged maize meal, spaghetti, and other such foods. 

Contrary to common beliefs, fatty meats can support a leaner, healthier body better than leaner meats. The color of the meat (red vs. white) doesn’t necessarily indicate its health value. Instead, pay attention to the way the animal was reared (what the animal, bird, or fish was fed on). 

Nature or grass-fed animals that have access to sunshine, fresh air, and exercise generally provide healthier meats compared to those raised on grains and manufactured feeds while also being confined to small, crowded spaces. Sadly, many so-called white meats today are largely fed artificial feeds and supplements that may reduce their health quality. 

Your weight-loss journey should be about building sustainable, health-enhancing habits. Focus on nourishing your body, not just shrinking your waistline. To get more information about our health and wellness program, get in touch with us. 

TIP OF THE WEEK 03: The pitfalls of generalized Diet plans

Nowadays there is a lot of information available online about diets. Many people have benefited from such information but still, it is important to consult before adopting a generalized diet plan. I learned this the hard way.

Let me use blood pressure to illustrate. You might come across a diet plan recommended for people with high blood pressure. You may even get information from someone who followed a specific diet plan and succeeded at balancing their blood pressure. The plan may not suit your specific needs because a lot of contrasts between different individual's make-up and health conditions.

First and foremost, blood pressure medications aren’t all the same. Specific medications work in unique ways, and understanding this can be of great help to your health. For example, some blood pressure medications, such as beta-blockers, cause your body to retain potassium. If you take too much potassium while on this medication, can lead to toxicity, which can be life-threatening - something I learned through personal experience.

This means that you have to be careful that you don’t over-consume potassium-rich foods such as beans, lentils, green leafy vegetables, root vegetables, tomatoes, avocados, bananas, and so on as long as you are on such medications. Excess consumption of such foods may overload your bloodstream with potassium, which might end up damaging your vital organs, particularly kidneys.

On the other hand, certain diuretics used to bring down blood pressure cause the body to lose potassium, which means that you’ll need to replenish it daily by consuming potassium-rich foods. Failure to replenish potassium could lead to complications such as enlarged heart. That is something you want to guard against.

This distinction is essential for your well-being. Someone else’s diet may work for them but could do great harm to you if you happen to be on a different type of medication.

What is our takeaway from this discussion? Don’t assume that a diet or lifestyle that works for one person will be safe for you, even if you happen to be going through a similar health condition.

Avoid shortcuts such as following generalized diet plans from social media but seek guidance from an experienced health and wellness coach to help you make the right kind of choices. Always carefully go through the information leaflet that comes with your medication and discuss your dietary needs with your healthcare provider, nutritionist, or coach.

Your medication type should guide your dietary choices for the best and safest health outcomes. Ask questions and also report any concerns or negative reactions. Do not take any reactions for granted. They can be fatal.

The lower number - the diastolic pressure (e.g., "80" in 120/80) - is very important and should therefore not be ignored. The number shows how your heart performs at rest. If this lower number consistently rises above 110 and doesn’t settle down after a few minutes of rest, it’s cause for concern and should never be overlooked.

Your pulse rate (e.g., 86 in BP 120/80, P 86) is also an important indicator of your health. A normal resting pulse is generally between 70 and 100 beats per minute, so if you frequently record rates over 100, it’s something to bring up with a healthcare provider.

Remember that BP readings vary throughout the day. Activity, recent meals, and even the time of day can influence your numbers. Blood pressure is often slightly higher in the morning, giving the body a natural energy boost. A single blood pressure reading does not necessarily mean that you have a health problem. 

It's wise to avoid rushing into medication for moderate BP levels such as below 150/100. Lifestyle modifications - such as diet, exercise, and rest - can help. Using any kind of medication unnecessarily can disrupt your health, something I learned from personal experience. 

Being started on medications without trying lifestyle modifications first caused unexpected problems, more so because the advice I was given about diet was not right for the type of medications I was on. My experience made me wish I’d given lifestyle modifications a chance in the initial stages. 

As you work on lifestyle modifications, monitor your BP closely and seek professional advice before making decisions. If your blood pressure is 160/110 and does not come down quickly after some rest, you do need to seek medical attention. 

Setting healthy boundaries is very challenging for many people because of the way a lot of children are parented. Children get punished for trying to establish boundaries, which instills in them that establishing healthy boundaries makes them bad people. 

It’s essential to acknowledge that a lot of people are not fully self-aware. They still interpret boundaries through the lens of their childhood programming. When you establish a boundary, those who lack self-awareness may judge, criticize, resist, or even cut you off simply because they are uncomfortable with boundary setting. It touches an unhealed childhood wound in them.

Rather than feeling pressured to explain or justify, accepting this as natural can ease your journey to assertive, healthy boundary-setting. Do not take it personally when people resist your boundaries.

A key part of setting boundaries is realizing what you can control - and what you can’t. We can’t control another person’s growth, understanding, or response to our boundaries, but we can control how we choose to respond. By keeping our focus on personal growth and allowing others to be where they are on their life’s journey, we build resilience and maintain a healthy emotional distance.

Boundaries are there to protect, not to isolate. While it’s natural to experience challenges and resistance while setting boundaries with difficult people, it’s also important to remember that you don’t have to cut everyone off simply because they view things differently or resist your boundaries.

The more self-aware you become, the more you’re able to see how others’ beliefs, experiences, and conditioning shape their views. Personal growth often involves letting go of beliefs and practices that no longer serve us, which can sometimes challenge those close to us. This can lead to judgment or criticism as others react to the changes they see.

Rather than overreacting to these responses, remaining calm and compassionate can allow relationships to become healthier over time. Exercise compassion and patience.

When resistance arises, staying grounded and exercising self-control helps prevent situations from escalating. Rather than reacting to someone else’s words or behaviors, choose to stabilize your emotions and take stock of your responses.

Ask yourself what part of you may feel hurt or vulnerable, as this often points to an area that could benefit from healing. In doing so, you turn what might feel like a trigger into an opportunity for growth and resilience.

As you grow healthier and develop more balanced boundaries, you’ll find that you can hold your own space while respecting others. Boundaries aren’t walls that exclude; they’re frameworks that define healthy connections.

Life’s challenges, which can come in the form of differing opinions, disagreements, or other relational stressors, don’t have to create enmity and separation. Instead, they can promote greater awareness, teaching us to accept differences without compromising on self-respect.

Ultimately, life is relational. We’re designed to coexist and grow together, our differences notwithstanding. While strong boundaries are essential, so is an open heart too. In respecting diversity of thought, feeling, and experience, we foster tolerance that extends beyond our personal lives and contributes to a more peaceful world.

Would you be interested in learning more about our reparenting program that has transformed many lives? Get in touch with us, and learn how you can transform yours.

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Stay informed and healthy!