World HEALTH Day: BEAT Diabetes

Reference: http://www.who.int/campaigns/world-health-day/2016/poster-halt-the-rise.pdf?ua=1

April 7^th marks World Health Day, a day recognized by many health enthusiasts and given a theme annually by the World Health Organization.  This year’s theme, “Beat Diabetes”, is undeniably, a very important and timely one, as it aligns with achieving the global Sustainable Development Goal three target of reducing premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases by one-third by 2030.

Diabetes is a chronic disease and epidemic that is rapidly increasing in many countries, most dramatically in low- and middle-income countries. Just in 2012, the disease was the direct cause of 1.5 million deaths. In fact, the World Health Organization projects that diabetes will be the 7^th leading cause of death by 2030.

However, the facts of the increasing prevalence of both types of diabetes has a silver lining. Diabetes is both treatable and in many cases, preventable.

Diet and physical activity are key health behaviours that can be altered to reduce or increase your risk of developing diabetes.

Physical Activity

The World Health Organization has developed a set of guidelines for daily physical activity levels. For those aged 18–64 years old:

1.       Adults aged 18–64 years should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week, or do at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity.

2.       Aerobic activity should be performed in bouts of at least 10 minutes duration.

3.       For additional health benefits, adults should increase their moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity to 300 minutes per week, or engage in 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity.

·         Muscle-strengthening activities should be done involving major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week.

Diet

Last month we featured an interview with Dietitian Kiran Bains who provides some great nutrition tips and advice!

The World Health Organization also produces a list of recommended nutrient requirements: protein, energy, vitamin A and carotene, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin B12, folate, vitamin C, antioxidants, calcium, iron, zinc, selenium, magnesium and iodine.

March is Nutrition Month!

Who better to ask about nutrition, than a dietitian?! This month, we have interviewed Kiran Bains, RD, the CEO of a nutrition counselling and corporate seminars company, Edo Vivo, to provide our readers with great nutrition tips and information! She has been featured on various Huffington Post news articles and other news sources! We welcome her to Perceptions4Change.

Q: First and foremost, when seeking nutrition advice, do you recommend readers go to a dietitian or nutritionist? What is the difference?`

A:  Dietitians for sure! As per Dietitians of Canada, Dietitians are health care professionals who have earned a Bachelor’s degree specializing in food and nutrition and have supervised practical training through a university or an approved hospital or community setting. Dietitians are registered with Provincial Regulatory Bodies and are the only professionals who can use the titles “Registered Dietitian”, “Professional Dietitian” and “Dietitian”, which are protected by law. In most provinces there are not regulatory standards to protect the title “Nutritionist”.

Find Your Dietitian! 

Q: What about internet-trending diet advice from foodies? Clearly, if it’s trending, it must work…?

A: It is important to remember not all “trends” are truly healthy or safe, for that matter. You must always look at who and where the information is coming from. Look to see if the source of information is a credible source. For example, is the information from a dietitian or is it from someone who doesn’t have professional nutritional training?  Has the person who wrote the information cited any credible scientific and research-based articles? Is there factual evidence based on clinical trials that this is healthy for you?   When it comes to diet advice, I always say, just stick to the basics. I think we make healthy eating way too complex. There surely is a science behind it which can appear complex and daunting but it truly is simple.  If you’re ever in doubt, ask a dietitian. We are always keeping up with the latest trends and comparing it to what research actually says. You can trust us!    

Q: What do you think is the most important nutrition-behaviour to upkeep? Because we all know sometimes we have a “cheat” day.

A:  If I had to choose one thing to summarize a healthy “nutrition behavior”, I would say, aim to have almost all of your food originating from as closest to the original source from nature as possible. In other words, aim to have as much “whole foods” in your diet as possible and stray away from processed foods and foods with added sugars. This has been my long-standing diet advice and despite all of the “trends” out there, I still stick with this. It has always worked for my clients and myself.

If you want to get more specific, aim to have at least 50 or more percent of your daily intake from vegetables/fruit (mainly vegetables). The rest should come from a mix of protein and carbohydrates. For protein, it should be from lean sources like beans and lean meats (I mostly have fish, eggs, and poultry). For carbohydrates, go for those that are high in fiber like quinoa and oatmeal, for example. And no, carbs aren’t all that bad; you just have to choose the right ones!

Aside from that, I do have meals where I so-called “cheat” here and there but I don’t think of it as “cheating”. I prefer to think of it as “living”.  I became a dietitian because I really do love food all in all and yes, that includes high fat, creamy, and sugary foods but when it comes to things like that, it’s important to know what “moderation” is.  For example, I will have a few bites of cake, shared between friends and I am rather satisfied by that.  The key is to aim for balance in your diet. If I eat something unhealthy one meal, I will aim to balance out the rest of my meals that day to ensure they are healthier.

  

Q: Do you think the food industry plays into the nutrition advice the public receives?

A: Yes, indeed. For example, Dairy Farmers of Canada disseminates a lot of information on the importance of calcium and vitamin D requirements. They tend to stress the need and rationale for ensuring a daily intake of roughly 1000mg of calcium daily depending on your age. They also put out a lot of resources with recipes using dairy products to help the public reach their daily intake.  In general, the food industry does take advantage of the recommendations Health Canada puts out in relation to nutrition requirements.

Q: If readers want more information, where can they go?

A: You can find me on Instagram (@edovivo) and facebook (www.facebook.com/edovivo) or email me at Kiran.Bains@edovivo.com if you have any questions of requests. I also refer my clients to the Dietitians of Canada website for credible nutrition information (http://www.dietitians.ca/)

Thank you for your time Ms. Bains. We appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer some questions for our blog!

Communicating human HEALTH

My experience in global healthcare and public health colors my perspective of life at times and reminds me to not take my life for granted, at times. The photograph accompanying this post was captured by Kevin Carter, a South African photojournalist. The visuals tell a tale of famine in Sudan, prior to the conflict and division of the nation. The tale is complex; poverty in a climate that is detrimental to human existence yields low survival potential. Simplistically, a child is brought to his knees by the famine within a country while a vulture waits in prey for an unfortunate circumstance. The photograph dominates the headlines and media gaining much philanthropic attention for a country in crisis. Months later, the photographer wins a Pulitzer and later takes his own life.  

Source: https://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/vulture-stalking-a-child/

How do we communicate the importance of public health and global health? One could employ sound methodologies or frameworks to ensure that the communication of health promotion or protection is evidence based. At times we utilize visuals to communicate the urgency of a health issue. Advocating for vulnerable populations and worthy causes will definitely earn you a gold star, but what will the message eventually become? Is it a story that we will never speak of because of the negative connotation associated with it? Or will it be a story of human resilience that will echo across our communities. As an advocate of health equity, I believe that it is important to convey messages and human reality as it is. However, I believe it is of utmost importance to consider your audience and what message they will receive...

When you see this picture, how do you feel? As a public health or global health professional how would you communicate this situation or crisis differently? Or would you leave such a communication as it is... Why..?