Jennifer Harris MD

❗️Inflammation is at the core of most diseases. Specifically, vascular disease, which includes high blood pressure, peripheral vascular disease and chronic kidney disease.

💊Alpha lipoic acid is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant that increases microcirculation which means more oxygen to the tissues that most need it.

🔸Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is a result of nerves not getting enough oxygen because the small blood vessels are damaged from the uncontrolled glucose levels. The best way to prevent this is to control your glucose levels, but if you have got to the point where you have developed peripheral neuropathy, than alpha lipoic acid can help!

💪 Creatine is not a weight loss drug. But it can help you build muscle, and muscle is more metabolically active than fat, so you burn more fat in the long run, making it easier to achieve your health and fitness goals!!

✨ click this link to get your

🇨🇦 https://ca.fullscript.com/welcome/docwithdiabetes

🇺🇸 https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/docwithdiabetes

꧁☬SUPPLEMENTS☬꧂

Multivitamin ✅
Creatine ✅
Vit A, B, C, D, E ✅
Minerals ✅
Specialty supps ✅
Protein powders ✅

Get it all right here!!! Check out the link in my bio to get your essentials today with a 10% discount!!

Canadians please click the 🇨🇦 link
Americans follow the 🇺🇸 link

🇨🇦 🇺🇸

The Best Tuna Casserole 🥘

Cook the pasta
Sautée onions and garlic in evoo
Add tuna
Add salt, pepper, juice from 1/2 lemon and parsley
Add a little water from the pasta (1/4-1/2 cup)
Add veggies
Simmer on low until veggies are tender
Mix the pasta and the tuna/veggies
Add Parmesan and enjoy

🥦 I like to experiment so add as little or as much veggies and tuna as you want. More veggies = more nutrients and more tuna = more protein and DHA+EPA omega 3s!

An investigation by found the chemical 𝗖𝗛𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗧 in non-organic oat based products in the US. The chemical is banned from use on crops in the US but can be imported from other countries where it is still in use.

This chemical can disrupt fetal growth, alter testosterone production, affect reproduction, and more.

Oat and wheat based cereals, granola bars and products are affected. I would highly recommend buying 𝑶𝑹𝑮𝑨𝑵𝑰𝑪 oat and wheat based foods, if you consume them.

Life is busy. I get it. But nutrition shouldn’t be compromised. Especially for your kids who have developing brains and need healthy fats (avocado, fish, olive oil), whole grains (quinoa, oats, rice), and non-refined sugars (root vegetables and fruits). Breakfast can be tough but make some overnight oats before bed or throw some eggs in a frying pan and make scrambled eggs. It’s not as difficult as you think, I promise 🥑🍳🫐

🤔 Does going gluten free sound difficult to you? Challenged with meal ideas? I recently had a patient who has non-celiac gluten sensitivity but continued to consume gluten because she was unaware of all the amazing foods that she could have!!

✨ When you are removing something from your diet, focus on the abundance of foods you can eat rather than the one ingredient or food you cannot. Psychologically it makes it a lot easier for you to be successful!

Everyone loves ranch, but do you know what is in it?? Make sure you are choosing wisely and avoid those additives, fillers, seed oils, and added sugars. Better yet, make your own!

🥭 Fruit is good for you, right??

Dried fruit is very concentrated (as all the water has been removed) so it is high in sugar, naturally. But, many companies add sugar to dried fruit because, well, they know you are a sucker for it! Don’t fall for those tricks. READ THE LABEL!!!!

My absolute fav is the brand Organic Dried Mango. But be careful, it’s so easy to overeat 🤤

Let’s talk JUICE 🧃

It’s important to read labels. When a label says “0% juice” it is usually made with added ingredients. If it says “100% juice” it is usually made with fruit and water. The difference is in the ingredients.

Choose drinks that are made from 100% fruit. If we are talking glucose, both options will raise blood sugar, but fruit juice is natural and will result in less inflammation in your body when processing it.

🦴 𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐎𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐒 🦴

• 73% of people with osteoarthritis are >55 and 60% are female
• knee joint is most commonly affected followed by the hip
• ageing populations and increasing rates of obesity are leading to an increased prevalence of osteoarthritis
• osteoarthritis is NOT an evitable consequence of ageing

quoted from the website of

🥗 Change your diet, change your life!

Move it or lose it! There are so many benefits to being physically active but here are just a few. As you age it is important to lift weights. Muscle wasting occurs faster at advanced ages and lifting weights also helps prevent osteoporosis. Grab a friend and start lifting today!!

•𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒂 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒎•

There are ebbs and flows to each aspect of your health. You as a person are the sum of your parts, and your health encompasses all areas of your life. If you are struggling financially, you cannot expect your physical health to be exceptional. And if your relationships are suffering, your mental health will most likely be affected too. These “types of health” are all interconnected and together form the basis of you as a “healthy” individual.

Where are your strengths? And which type of health needs your attention? Post in the comments 🤍

ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜ

What does it look like for you? What does it MEAN to you? 👇 Let us know in the comments below.

This week we will discuss various health topics, what they may look like in your life, and how you can improve them. Let’s live “healthy” in 2024 and beyond 🤍

PROTEIN! Which has more? Be sure to look closely at the serving sizes, but regular pasta has 7g of protein per 56g serving while the chickpea pasta has 11g of protein per the same serving size. One other big difference is the amount of FIBER. Regular pasta has 3g per serving whereas chickpea pasta has 8g of fiber per serving.

It’s a win-win. Gluten free chickpea pasta has more protein, fiber and you avoid gluten! You’re welcome 😘

Cheers to the new year 🥂 🎉 A warm welcome 2024, I am ready to embrace you. Let’s go!

✨ 2024 is on the horizon and so many of you want to set goals for the new year. While that is admirable, make sure to set goals that are SMART…specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely. Creating smart goals will ensure you are more likely to succeed in achieving them! It also helps to share your goals with family or friends so they not only know your goal, but can help you be successful in achieving it!

For example, say you want to work out more in the new year. Your goal shouldn’t be “to work out more” it should be “I will go to the Merritt gym on Tuesdays and Saturdays every week for 12 weeks and follow xyz workout routine.” This demonstrates you have a plan, it is specific, you can measure your progress and it has a timeline. A goal without a timeline is only a dream. Make it real 👊

#2024

Wishing everyone a healthy and happy holiday with loved ones 🎄🤍

#2023

Mostly reminders for myself this holiday season but helpful for everyone!

• Ask others for help, delegate those tasks so you can take care of and prioritize the things you need.

• The holidays are a time for indulging in food and drinks you don’t normally do. It’s ok to enjoy your time with others and indulge, but do so mindfully! Only enjoy those treats you really, really want!

• It’s a busy, stressful time but try to enjoy the little moments that mean so much. I love watching my children smile and enjoy the lights. They stare at them with such amazement, to see that in their eyes is magical 🥰

🫐🥑🥒

Delicious, filling, healthy…what else can you ask for?

Add ingredients to make your own desired consistency.

✨ Pick your learning style: reading -> seeing

I’m a visual learner so the pic allows me to fully comprehend how what I eat affects my body.

Which style learner are you? Comment below 👇

🅰🅳🅳🅴🅳 🆂🆄🅶🅰🆁
-candy (skittles, cotton candy, licorice, milk chocolate bars, gummy bears and even gummy vitamins)
-ice cream
-cake
-muffins
-donuts

𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙞𝙡𝙨
-cottonseed oil
-canola oil
-rapeseed oil
-sunflower oil
-corn oil
-safflower oil
-soybean oil

𝙂𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙣, 𝙙𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙮 are common allergens and many people have intolerances to them. The best way to find out if you need to avoid consuming these would be to take a food sensitivity test. I love the FIT 176 panel which also provides screening for antibodies to Candida, zonulin and LPS. DM me if you are interested in getting tested!

Let’s talk sleep environment!

To sleep optimally, your body needs to relax prior to sleep and it needs to know it is time for sleep. You may hear about a “consistent bedtime routine” or “sleep/wake times” and those are about preparing your body and mind for sleep.

No electronics before bed. I’m sure you’ve heard this before but what you are watching prior to bed (think drama, suspense, horror), these can all activate your mind which is the opposite of relaxation. Also, the blue light emitted from screens causes the mind to think it is daytime and prevents your brain from releasing melatonin, the sleep hormone.

If you eat in your bed and/or work from your bed, your body and mind have a hard time distinguishing when it’s time for sleep vs time for work. If you can, avoid working and eating from your bedroom.

Cooling your room to 65F (60-68F is optimal) can alert your body it is time to sleep. Our bodies naturally cool overnight and when the body temp drops more melatonin is released. I know, I know, 65 is cold, but you don’t have to freeze, it’s about keeping the room temp down. Get a nice cozy and warm duvet and you will sleep so sound!!

Lastly, invest in a good mattress and pillows. You spend a lot of time in your bed (well, hopefully you are spending 7-8 hours there a night) so do some research and find a mattress that will support the type of sleeper you are. If you have chronic pain, sleeping on a bad mattress can exacerbate it, so invest in yourself and your health by getting a good quality mattress. We recently purchased a mattress and I wasn’t sure I would like it. I’ve never had a foam mattress before, only springs, so it was new. But nectar has a great refund policy (365 days) and we never had to use it! We love our mattress and we even bought one for the spare room too!

Sleep is critical for:

- immune function
- defense and repair of your body
- regeneration of brain tissue allowing learning to occur and memories to be formed

Sleep is foundational to health but it is estimated over 35% of Americans don’t get enough sleep. Anxiety is the leading cause of sleep disruptions which creates a negative snowball effect for your mental health.

Dreams occur during REM sleep and deep sleep is when restoration is at its peak. After getting an I had so many more insights into my sleep. I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to prioritize sleep and learn more about your body during the sleep stages.

Follow along for more tips this week 💤

The holidays can be stressful for so many reasons, but don’t let money be one of them. The best way to avoid financial stress over the holidays is to CREATE A BUDGET and LET GO OF EXTERNAL PRESSURE you may be feeling.

It can be tough when you feel pressured to buy for so many people and you want to give the nicest gifts, but it really is the thought that counts!

The best, and most important thing you can do, is to sit down for a few minutes and look over your financial situation. That way, when you start buying, you don’t lose track and get surprised with the credit card bill at the end of the month! Set realistic expectations and if you need help setting goals, DM me!

The holidays can be wonderful, and stressful, all at the same time. So many people feel guilt around their eating habits over the holidays. And let’s be serious, there are so many temptations, how do you choose just one?

Here are a few tips to keep you on track this holiday season! Stay mindful and keep that guilt at bay. We are all in this together 🎄🎁

So easy. So cheap. And just as clean 🧼

Make your own laundry detergent from 3 easy ingredients. Avoid dyes, fragrances, endocrine disruptors. Simple ingredients available on Amazon, made quickly when you need it!

1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup super washing soda
1/3 cup Castile Soap

To make:
Combine baking soda and washing soda in a one gallon container with a little hot water. Stir and break up clumps. Add Castile soap and more water, stirring gently until you have added a total of one gallon of water.

You can add essential oils (5-10 drops) of your favorite scent to add personality to your detergent!

It’s that time of year!! With winter approaching and daylight savings time having just passed, we are now facing much shorter days with reduced sunlight. This can make anyone sad, but some are more likely to develop Seasonal Affective Disorder. Follow these tips to help keep yourself happy and healthy this winter!

I have held a lot of hands and wiped even more tears throughout my career in medicine. Patients come to us vulnerable and scared. As an anesthesiologist, the most common emotion I see in patients is FEAR. I always reassure my patients that is normal when coming in for surgery or a procedure. But when seeing a primary care doctor or practitioner for your overall health, fear should not be one of those emotions!

✨ Feeling supported and heard is so important as a patient. But with the stresses of the current medical system, these are not priorities. Functional medicine changes that. The relationship between patient and physician or practitioner is built through a mutual partnership where both are equally invested. Trust is built and maintained and difficult discussions are had for the best interest of the patient!

If you are scared of visiting the doctor or have fear around a procedure or diagnosis, DM me and come discover functional medicine 🤍