Your life will inevitably change after a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). You will not only have physical challenges but also emotional challenges that can decrease your quality of life. Although there is no cure for COPD, you can do many things to slow its progression, which can increase both your survival and quality of life.
The key to a successful holiday season that you actually enjoy is to start planning well in advance — even before Thanksgiving. That way, you’ll know exactly what you need to do, and you’ll never have to step foot in a mall the week before Christmas ever again. And trust us, what is holiday joy if not the knowledge that all your presents are bought and wrapped, and all you have to do is sit by the fire with a mug of hot chocolate?
When you live near a grocery store, it can be tempting to spend half your paycheque there — picking up staples is easy when all you need to do is fill your cart. However, did you know that there are tons of things that are surprisingly easy to make at home that taste better than their store-bought counterparts? Basic pantry staples like bread, chili powder, and pizza sauce will always taste better when they’re homemade. You can make them exactly to your taste, and you don’t need to worry about any unhealthy hidden ingredients because you can control exactly what goes into the mix.
Like any aspect of health, maintaining brain health now is like an investment for the future. Taking care of your brain now with good foods means your brain can perform well long after your body has ceased to function as you wish. But, if you don’t take care of your brain, the time to enjoy life might be cut short, with Alzheimer’s, dementia, and memory loss.
When the temperatures begin to drop our response is often instinctual — just like other animals, all we want to do is burrow into a warm nest, and spend several months sleeping, and living off food that we’ve already gathered. While jobs, children, and other social obligations make this enticing prospect more of a fantasy than a reality, we can still ensure that our fall season is cozier than ever by whipping up a series of hearty and delicious dinners that take advantage of the last days of seasonal produce.
School’s officially back in and well underway! Raise your hand if you are a parent with kids in school, who struggles with making lunches? It can be a daunting task: not only trying to find foods those little ones will actually eat, but items that will fit within school guidelines (i.e. nut-free, litter-less, etc.).