Newsletter September 2019

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month - Help Us Spread the Magic of Camp

Between all of the hospital visits, medical tests, blood transfusions, nauseating rounds of chemotherapy, isolation and fear, cancer makes life really tough for a child.  This is why we believe that the camp experience is so important for kids affected by childhood cancer.

When kids arrive at camp after months of exhausting sickness, lonesome seclusion and terrifying treatments, they are shadows of their former selves.  But as the camp experience unfolds, the tears dry up, the smiles come out and they regain the spirit and strength to push onward through the disease.

Camp does more than just help these kids feel like kids again.  When these children are removed from the frightening grownup issues they face every day, and we bring them into a setting where they can laugh and play like any other kids, it lifts their spirits, boosts their mental recovery and greatly improves their quality of life.

These camps never charge the families anything.  They receive no government funding and rely solely on the generous donation of the public.  The Bernstein Diet & Health Clinics organization is committed to supporting these special camps and improving the lives of children suffering through cancer.  And we need your help to make the magic happen.

Every August, the Bernstein Diet & Health Clinics contributes $25,000 to sponsor the Tour For Kids charity cycling event to help raise critical funds for Camp Trillium, Camp Quality and Camp Oochigeas. 

You can help – make a donation to Warren Bernstein’s ride in the Tour For Kids cycling event, hosted by the Coast To Coast Against Cancer Foundation, in memory of his daughter Tamara and the many friends that we have made and lost along the way.  Please visit www.Bernstein.TourForKids.ca to make a donation and learn about this wonderful organization.

Thank you.

High Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a soft, wax-like substance found in the bloodstream and in all of your body’s cells. It is an essential building block for healthy new cells that is produced naturally in the liver.

The medical term for high blood cholesterol is hypercholesterolemia, or Lipid Disorder. Such a disorder occurs when you have too many fatty substances in your blood. These substances include cholesterol and triglycerides. High cholesterol can be inherited, but it’s often the result of unhealthy lifestyle choices, so it can be effectively prevented and treated with a healthy diet and regular exercise. Medication may be required if lifestyle changes don’t prove effective enough.

High cholesterol can lead to atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in the arteries), coronary artery disease, stroke, heart attack, and death. Risk factors include obesity, genetic disorders, diets that are high in saturated fats (found in red meat, egg yolks, and dairy) and trans fatty acids (found in processed food), a sedentary lifestyle, excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, and some medications.

The best preferred treatment for high cholesterol is to eat properly and get to a healthy, normal weight. Over 90% of our patients with high cholesterol can achieve and maintain normal cholesterol levels without medications as a result of losing their excess weight with our healthy diet. You may not need to take cholesterol lowering pills ever again.

When cooking, follow these best practices:

• Use a rack to drain off fat when you broil, roast or bake.
• Broil or grill instead of pan-frying.
• Cut off all visible fat from meat before cooking, and take all the skin off poultry pieces.
• Use a vegetable oil spray to brown or sauté foods.
• Make recipes or egg dishes with egg whites or egg substitutes, not yolks.
• Instead of regular cheese, use low-fat cheeses.

Contact us for more information on how our diet program can help you manage chronic health problems.

Recipe of the Month: Orange Chicken Stir Fry

To increase or decrease sauce, adjust amount of water accordingly.

Getting the most from your program. Get to your goal weight

Every patient has their own unique motivations for wanting to lose weight. Likewise, every patient comes in with their own ideas of how much weight they want or need to lose. But often, this is different from what we recommend to our patients as their Ideal Healthy Goal Weight, and they may fear that they cannot achieve that goal.

Medically speaking, your Ideal Healthy Goal Weight is that weight at which your body has lost all of its excess fat. There are numerous benefits to reaching and maintaining your ideal healthy goal weight;
• Without any excess fat, your body’s organs and processes are operating optimally.
• Maintaining a healthy weight reduces your risk of developing weight-related health complications.
• It is easier to maintain your ideal healthy weight over the long term and prevent rebound weight gain.
• Preventing rebound weight gain saves the stress and expense of repeated weight loss attempts.

Keeping these important benefits in mind, do not settle for “almost” getting to your goal, and do not sell yourself short on what you think you can accomplish. Most of our patients are astonished at how much better they look and feel as they progress through the program, and periodically re-evaluate their goal as they see how easy it is, and build confidence that they really can do it.

You can feel rest assured that our experienced team of nurses and doctors will work with you, one-on-one at every visit to keep you on track, feeling well, and motivated all the way to your Ideal Healthy Goal Weight.

Remember, you can visit the clinic up to 5 days per week (Monday to Friday) if you feel that you need or want the extra support, at no additional cost above the regular 3 visits per week.

September 29 is World Heart Day

Lose weight and help your heart

Did you know that an overweight person’s heart has to work harder to pump blood?  This is a growing concern because being overweight or obese are major risk factors for heart disease and stroke. By achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, you can significantly reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke.  A healthy weight can also help control other conditions such as high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and diabetes.

There are many factors to be managed during weight loss, so we feel it is critical that the entire process is monitored carefully. Without proper medical supervision and dietary coaching, you may experience short term weight loss, but won’t have the tools and knowledge to keep it off long term.

At Bernstein Diet & Health Clinics we work with everyone who wants to lose weight.  We also do a Framingham Risk Score for our patients, to help with early detection and prevention of Cardiovascular Disease.  Our nursing staff and physicians can help you learn more about what your Framingham Risk Score is and what it means.

We’re Hiring!

Clinic Support & Administration

We are always looking for skilled people to join our team. Opportunities exist for personal and professional growth, in one of our administration and support team positions. Your chance to make a contribution to our patients’ success range from entry level to management positions in areas such as: Finance; Human Resources; Contact Centre; Warehousing/Logistics; Operations & Nursing Support; & Information Technology.

For a list of current openings, and to apply online, visit the following link: https://www.drbdiet.com/clinic-support-administration/

Physicians

Are you ready for a rewarding change of pace? With our dedicated and streamlined approach to patient care and clinic operations, the convenience of regular day-time working hours and attractive compensation, we present a significant lifestyle opportunity for today’s doctors. All while making a positive difference in so many of your patients’ lives. For a list of current openings, and to apply online, visit the following link: https://www.drbdiet.com/physicians/

Nurses & Medical Receptionists

Are you tired of working unstable shifts & weekends? Are you looking to improve the balance between your work and family life? If you answered YES then we have the opportunity for you! As part of our highly skilled team, you will be closely monitoring our patients’ health, educating them on proper nutrition and motivating them to achieve their goals and maintaining their healthy weight for the rest of their lives!. For a list of current openings, and to apply online, visit the following link: https://www.drbdiet.com/nurses/

Tips for Using the Bernstein Diet Mobile App

The Bernstein Diet Mobile App is here to help track your weight loss journey. Patients can access Recipes, Food List, Weight Tracker & BMI Calculator!

1) Weights are now uploaded directly from the clinic

Now you don’t have to enter your weights manually any longer. The weights will be automatically uploaded to your profile directly from the clinic after your visit.

2) Personalize Your Weight Tracker

If you would like to add a photo or a message to a date on your weight tracker, you can tap on the dot in the graph for that day to edit it. You can also include a photo or message when adding a new day to your tracker.

3) Favourites

You can use the three-dot menu when viewing any food list item or recipe to add it to your Favourites list. You can go to the Food List or Recipes areas of the menu to see your list of favourites. If you navigate further into the food list categories before opening your favourites list, your list is filtered to show items belonging to the category you opened it from.

Get it now!

Android phone or tablet (4.1 or higher): Click here
iPhone, iPad & iPad Pro (iOS 8 or higher): Click here