Heal From Your Past

What Is Energy Healing? A Peek Inside My Upcoming Book

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 22:31:56 GMT

I'm so excited to share that I've been busy the last while writing my next book!

It's a new book teaching Accelerated Release Technique(TM), and I'm writing it because ART has changed a LOT since I wrote my original book on it, The Energy Healing Bible , and it is time for an update.

It's still early days — no launch date, no cover design, no dramatic countdown timer. But I had someone ask me the question "What is Energy Healing?" a few days ago and I found myself expressing my ideas as I had written them in this chapter. I could see it in her eyes as the "aha" moment came and it all clicked, so I was actually quite proud of myself for coming up with a description that I'm finally satisfied with!

I wanted it on my blog for anyone else asking the same question.

So today I'm sharing it with you — almost exactly as it appears in the manuscript — as a first look at what's coming.

Ready? Here's Chapter 1.

~ ~ ~

Chapter 1: What Is Energy Healing?

Before I begin to teach you energy healing techniques, it is important that we have a firm understanding of what energy healing actually is.

And given how much can really be captured under the umbrella of "energy healing," I would suggest it is easier to explain what energy healing is not, and then go from there.

Energy healing excludes any form of healing that attempts to relieve or reduce physical or emotional dis-ease through manipulation of the physical body. Interventions like diet, exercise, pharmaceutical or naturopathic medications, surgery, massage, and so on. I would also go so far as to include all forms of "talk therapy" including psychotherapy, counselling, and even NLP (neuro-linguistic programming), parts therapy, and inner child healing — all of which seek to foster behaviour change through techniques that strive to shift the underlying thought patterns through mental change work.

Energy Healing IS Spiritual Healing

The foundation of energy healing is that we are spiritual beings, made of pure energy, manifesting a physical body in order to have an earth experience.

Put another way, we exist in two realms simultaneously: the spiritual realm, where our consciousness exists and through which we are connected through Universal Consciousness (aka the Divine) to everything else in existence within the Universe — and the physical realm (Earth) where we have bodies and minds separate and distinct from everything else.

Energy healing seeks to influence physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual states through directly addressing us as energetic beings rather than physical ones.

Just as there are many ways to heal a given problem through physical interventions (adjustments in diet, exercise, and medication or surgery are very different approaches, but could all successfully reduce someone's pain), there are many different energetic interventions that could do the same thing in their own unique ways — including acupuncture, reflexology, hypnosis, and homeopathy, to name a few. While it is outside the scope of this book to go into detail on the various energetic healing modalities, the basic premise of dis-ease is that there is something wrong with the nature of the energy flow — either the quality of the energy itself, a blockage, or some other interference — that is manifesting improperly in the physical realm.

To be clear, both types of intervention — physical and spiritual — can work. But true healing only occurs when the interventions address the spiritual root cause.

Most medication manages symptoms only — requiring consistent use to maintain a certain level of relief, which is not true healing. Acupuncture cannot heal emotional trauma, however it can restore balance to a body suffering from a blockage in energy flow. Engaging in an exercise program has potent effects on the body, causing a cascade of changes including reducing cortisol (stress hormone) levels, which in turn can positively affect happiness, self-esteem, self-worth and many other emotions and beliefs. Emotions and beliefs don't have a physical form — they live in the body as energy — the negative forms of which create many of the blockages known to impede energy flow.

You should be able to see now why some healing methods create lasting change, while others provide only temporary relief.

The Physics of It All

The most important principle you need to remember is Einstein's mass-energy conservation principle, E=mc². Matter is neither created nor destroyed, meaning energy and mass are interchangeable. Put another way, our energy is in constant flow between the physical and spiritual realms — and as the energy moves from one to the other, it goes from a pure energetic state (spiritual realm) to our manifested physical reality (physical realm, aka Earth) and then back again.

Change the spiritual and you change the physical. Immediately.

Okay, now that you've got a general idea of the physical/spiritual divide, and how our physical experience is a manifestation of that which is going on within the spiritual realm — I hope you're ready to dive into the nature of the spiritual realm, because things are going to start getting trippy!

~ ~ ~

What Comes Next

And that's where Chapter 1 ends — right at the edge of the rabbit hole. :)

Chapter 2 goes deeper into the nature of the spiritual realm, and once I've got all that background out of the way, then we get right into the business of learning how to shift energy using a pendulum.

I anticipate sharing more chapters and behind-the-scenes glimpses as the book progresses. If you want to make sure you don't miss them, the best thing to do is to subscribe to my newsletter . All my blog posts get announced there as they come out.

In the meantime, if what you read in Chapter 1 resonated and you're wondering what it would look like to actually work on your own energetic root causes — that's exactly what I do in my one-on-one sessions using the Accelerated Release Technique.

�� Book an Introductory ART Consultation — and let's find what's actually going on beneath the surface.

Not sure where to start? Book a free Discovery Call and you can ask all the questions you need to figure out if A.R.T. is right for you. No pressure, I promise!

How I Helped a Mom Heal Her Child Without Seeing Him Once

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 21:46:11 GMT

Anytime I can help someone with a challenge they are facing, it makes me happy. But some sessions just leave me bursting with excitement to talk about.

This was one of them.

A few weeks back, a mom came to me for a session. Not for herself — well, technically for herself, but really for her son. He was four years old. And for several weeks straight, he'd been waking up every single night between 2 and 4 AM, staying awake for two to three hours at a stretch, completely unable to settle back down. My kids are grown now, but I certainly remember those days of my kids being unable to sleep, and it makes me tired just thinking about it!

The poor thing was exhausted. She was worried. And upset with herself that she was starting to lose her temper with her family. (Lack of sleep will do that to you.) And she had tried everything she could think of. Less sugar in his diet. Earlier screen cutoffs. Checking for nasal congestion. Potty training adjustments.

Nothing worked.

So she came to me, and we decided to find out what was actually going on.

What Does It Mean to Heal a Child Through Their Parent?

A parent can actually serve as a proxy in an ART healing session, connecting energetically to their child's experience so healing can happen without the child needing to be present.

This isn't a workaround or a second-best option. It's truly an incredible way to work with young children who can't articulate what they're feeling, or who don't yet have the language to describe that something scared them or doesn't feel right.

When a parent comes in with the intention of helping their child, they tap into that deep knowing every parent carries. They are already connected. My job is just to help them access it deliberately.

In this case, that's exactly what we did.

What Was Really Causing His Sleep Disruption?

The root cause wasn't sleep-related at all — it traced back to a frightening experience at a new skating school that made him feel unsafe. That feeling of being unsafe was then triggering him to wake up in search of comfort.

Here's how the story unfolded.

Around the same time the sleep problems started, this boy had switched to a new skating facility. He'd loved his previous skating school — truly loved it. But this new place felt different, and right from the start, he didn't want to go.

On the first day, the kids played a game on the ice using a net which freaked the kid out. He hated it! And from that point on, he absolutely refused to go back on the ice. They even abandoned the class for free skates so his dad could go on the ice with him, but he cried doing that, too. He wanted nothing to do with it.

When we traced the timeline back, everything started to make sense.

The sleep disruptions and the skating resistance had started at almost exactly the same time. That wasn't a coincidence.

In both situations, the boy didn't feel safe.

How Did the Session Work?

In the session, the mom stepped into her son's experience on the ice — feeling what he felt, seeing what he saw — and through that empathetic connection, we released the emotional charge of the event for her son.

I had Mom imagine being in her son's place. Connecting with how he felt. She could see him being scared and upset and wanting to leave.

Through that connection, we worked together to release the emotions connected to that experience. Every time I had her "check in" on what she saw, he looked a little different, less and less panicked or anxious. And by the time we were done, imagining her kid no longer brought up any images of fearfulness; in her mind's eye she was seeing him as happy and adventurous instead.

So cool! I always love that!!

Did It Actually Work? What Happened After?

Two weeks later, the mom reported that her son had been sleeping through the night since the session and was now willing to go on the ice with his dad again. Woohoo!

Two completely different-looking problems — one in his body (sleep), one in his behavior (skating refusal) — turned out to have the same emotional root. A moment where he felt unsafe, that never got fully acknowledged or released, affecting him in multiple ways.

This is how the subconscious works. It's not trying to make your life harder. It's trying to get a message through.

Can Any Parent Do This for Their Child?

Yes — parents can be powerful healing proxies for their children, especially for young kids who can't participate directly in sessions. The key is a parent's willingness to genuinely step into their child's emotional experience.

The love is already there, so the connection is already there. It may feel like you're "just imagining" what your child is feeling...but you're doing more than that. You are tuning in through your relationship and guiding me so I know what needs healing on their behalf.

This is something I work with parents on regularly. It's one of the most quietly profound things I do.

If you're a parent and you're watching your child struggle — with sleep, with fears, with unexplained resistance to things they used to love — there's a good chance there's an emotional root cause that hasn't been found yet.

And finding it doesn't have to take months.

What Are the Signs Your Child May Have an Emotional Root Cause Driving Their Symptoms?

Watch for these patterns — they often point to an underlying emotional trigger rather than a purely physical or behavioral issue:

A sudden change in sleep patterns without any obvious physical explanation
Resistance or fear around something that used to feel safe (a school, an activity, a person)
Clinginess or a sudden need for more reassurance than usual
Physical complaints (stomachaches, headaches) with no medical cause found
Behavioral changes that coincided with a life transition or stressful event
A child who "won't talk about it" but is clearly carrying something

The timing is your biggest clue. If you can pinpoint when it started — even roughly — you're already halfway to understanding what happened.

Why Aren't We Taught to Think This Way?

Honestly? Because we're trained to troubleshoot the symptom. Sleep doctor for sleep problems. Skating coach for skating resistance. Dietitian for eating issues.

Each of these has its place. But when you keep treating the branches while the root stays untouched, things keep coming back — or new symptoms appear in different forms.

The subconscious mind is extraordinarily good at pointing at what needs healing. It's just rarely using the language we expect.

A four-year-old waking up at 2 AM for weeks isn't being difficult. He's saying, "I don't feel safe, and I need someone to understand why."

Once someone did — once his mom could use her connection to him so we could release it — he could finally rest. (And so could she!)

Ready to Find the Root Cause?

If you're reading this and nodding along — either for your child, or because something in your own body or life has that same "can't find the cause" quality — this is what I do.

We find the real source. We release it. And often, things shift faster than you'd expect.

�� Book an Introductory ART Consultation — and let's see what's actually going on beneath the surface.

Not sure if this is right for you? Book a Discovery Call first. No pressure, just a conversation so you can get your questions answered.

Why the People Who "Always Help" Are the Ones Who Never Feel Loved

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 21:31:20 GMT

How a single moment of childhood guilt created a lifelong pattern — and how we healed it

There's a type of person you probably know well. Maybe you are that person.

They're the one who always shows up. The one who holds it all together. The one who takes care of everyone around them — sometimes at great cost to themselves. And here's the thing that nobody talks about: they're also usually the one who feels the most alone.

My client was exactly that person. A healthcare professional by trade, she had built an entire identity around being the caregiver. It wasn't just her job — it was who she believed she was supposed to be.

So when a serious injury forced her to become the one who needed care… everything inside her started to crack.

In this post, I'm going to share her story — including the moment from her childhood that secretly started all of it. It's one of those stories where the subconscious connection will make you stop and think, " Oh. That's why. "

Because what looked like a wound about feeling unloved was actually rooted in something much smaller — and much more fixable — than she ever imagined.

— — —

What Happened When She Got Hurt

�� A serious injury shattered her sense of safety and invincibility, forcing her to confront both mortality and her deep belief that no one was allowed to take care of her.

My client came to me after just recovering from a significant physical injury — the kind that doesn't just hurt your body, it shakes something deeper inside you.

Before the injury, she had always believed she could keep going. Forever, if necessary. She genuinely thought she'd be working well into her 90s. She was someone who powered through, who showed up, who kept the wheels turning no matter what.

Then the injury happened. And suddenly, none of that felt true anymore.

What followed was what she described as a confrontation with mortality. For the first time, she felt genuinely unsafe in her own life. The invincibility she'd built her identity on — gone, just like that.

On top of that, the recovery itself brought up painful feelings. Her first daughter helped care for her at the beginning, but then my client felt she was "shuffled" to another daughter to look after. Whether that was the literal sequence of events or the way her subconscious interpreted things, the feeling was the same:

She didn't feel loved.

So she came to me. Not just to heal the injury — but to understand why she felt so unsafe, and so profoundly unloved.

— — —

The Surprising Thing We Found First

�� Beneath her feelings of being unloved, the subconscious revealed a savior complex — a deep-seated belief that she was only allowed to be the one doing the caring, never the one receiving it.

When we began working together using my Accelerated Release Technique(TM) (ART), the first thing that surfaced wasn't what either of us expected.

A savior complex.

Now, at first glance, that might sound a little strange. A savior complex in someone who was already a healthcare professional? Isn't that just… part of the job?

Here's where it gets interesting. Yes, she was drawn to healing work. But the deeper pattern wasn't about choosing a noble career. It was a belief buried so far below the surface that she had never questioned it:

"It's my job to take care of everyone else. Nobody is supposed to take care of me."

That's not a career choice. That's a rule the subconscious wrote long ago — and it had been running the show ever since.

So the real question became: where did that rule come from?

— — —

The Life Event That Started Everything

�� The subconscious traced the savior complex back to age six — a single moment of guilt about "burdening" her mother became the belief that shaped her entire life.

This is where the story gets really good. And surprising.

We drilled down into where this belief was first created, and the subconscious brought us back to when she was six years old. The emotions that surfaced around the event were telling: abandonment, doubt, and something that felt a little spiteful.

The memory that came up was deceptively simple.

She missed the school bus.

That's it. That's the big moment. A little girl, about to start kindergarten, somehow missed her bus home. It wasn't dramatic. It wasn't violent. It wasn't even particularly unusual.

But here's what happened inside her little mind in that moment.

She felt guilty. Deeply, crushingly guilty. Not because she was in trouble — but because her mom had to come pick her up.

"Mom shouldn't have to come and get me. I shouldn't have been irresponsible. I feel bad that I made Mom take care of me."

And in that tiny, quiet moment — with no drama, no yelling, no big traumatic event — her subconscious made a decision.

— — —

The Decision a Six-Year-Old Made That Changed Everything

�� To avoid ever feeling that guilt again, her young subconscious decided she would always be the caregiver — never the one who needed help. One moment. One rule. A lifetime of consequences.

Here's what I find so fascinating about the way the subconscious works. It doesn't need a big event to write a rule. It just needs one moment where the emotion is strong enough.

In that moment on the sidewalk, waiting for her mom, my client's subconscious made a very logical (by a six-year-old's reasoning) decision:

"I never want to feel this guilty again. So from now on, I will always be the one taking care of others. I will never need anyone to take care of me."

And just like that, the savior complex was born.

Not from neglect. Not from abuse. Not from some huge, life-altering trauma. From a missed bus. From guilt. From a little girl who didn't want to be a burden to her mom.

That single belief then quietly shaped decades of her life: her career choice, her relationships, her inability to accept care when she needed it most, and — when the injury finally forced her to receive help — her overwhelming sense of being unsafe and unloved.

— — —

What Happened When We Healed It

�� Once the guilt from the childhood event was released, the savior complex dissolved — and she immediately began to feel loved, safe, and genuinely happy again.

Once we identified that life event and the belief it created, the healing was straightforward.

Using ART, we worked through that memory — not to relive it or dwell in it, but to release the emotional charge that had been stored there for over forty years.

We helped her let go of the guilt. We cleared the belief that accepting help was something to be ashamed of. And we gave her subconscious permission to update that old, outdated rule.

The shift was immediate.

She told me afterward that she now knows — genuinely knows, not just intellectually understands — that she is loved. That she is safe. And that it is not only okay but necessary for her to let others take care of her sometimes.

"She is much, much happier."

That's what happens when you heal the root. Not a band-aid. Not a coping strategy. The belief that was quietly running the show gets updated, and the whole system recalibrates.

— — —

Why This Matters — Even If You've Never Missed a Bus

�� Small childhood moments carry enormous weight in the subconscious. If you feel compelled to "always help" or struggle to accept care, there's likely a buried belief driving it.

You don't need a dramatic childhood to have a deeply held subconscious belief running your life. The subconscious doesn't rank experiences by how "big" they were to the outside world. It ranks them by how much emotion was attached at the time.

A missed bus. A thoughtless comment from a teacher. A moment when you felt like you weren't enough. These small, ordinary moments can become the foundation of beliefs that quietly govern everything — your relationships, your health, your sense of safety, your ability to feel loved.

If any of this resonated with you — if you recognize yourself in the pattern of always being the one who gives, the one who holds it together, the one who can't quite let yourself be taken care of — it might be worth exploring what's underneath that.

It doesn't have to be complicated. And it doesn't have to take years.

— — —

Ready to find out what's really going on underneath?

Book a session with me and let's see what your subconscious has to tell us. The first session is where the magic starts — and most people are surprised by how quickly things shift.

�� Book Your First ART Session Here

Or if you'd like to chat first — no pressure, no commitment — book a discovery call here .

Why Pain Doesn’t Have to Be a Normal Part of Aging

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 22:01:00 GMT

The Move That Broke Me (Literally)

For the past several weeks (months!) I have been in the process of moving houses. OMG! The longer you live in one place, the more “stuff” piles up. I quickly discovered that purging under a deadline is exhausting!

My advice? Do yourself a huge favor: let go of anything you haven’t used in years. Clearing clutter isn’t just good for your home, you'll feel emotionally lighter, too.

Decluttering aside, after a big day of moving furniture and all the other heavy or bulky things that required a truck, every muscle in my body was sore. My back, legs, arms—even my wrist—were screaming in pain. Climbing one flight of stairs felt like scaling the CN Tower. I felt completely wrecked. At an emotional low, everything I tried took me 3-4 times as long as normal. Moving through life at half speed, I was really not myself. This was 3 weeks ago.

I expected at least a few days of soreness, but weeks later the pain persisted. I hate popping pills, but I was taking BOTH Tylenol and ibuprofen every morning just to get through the day. Yikes!

The Line Between Physical Healing and Spiritual Healing

You might be wondering: If I’m an energy healer, why didn’t I just “fix” myself?

Here’s the truth: physical injuries need physical time to heal. Muscles, ligaments, bones—they don't heal in an instant. The physical body is relatively fragile, and needs care to keep it in working order.

That said, it is truly remarkable in its ability to heal.

I’ve always said that if broken bones are able to knit themselves together in 6 weeks, there is really nothing in the body that should take over 3 months to heal. But when pain lingers beyond the normal healing window, it’s often tied to something deeper: an emotional or spiritual block.

So, if healing doesn’t happen in that time, one should then look to a spiritual cause either preventing healing from taking place, or more often, preventing the pain from going away, even through the body itself may already be healed sufficiently to be pain free.

When my pain stayed intense after two weeks, I knew there was more to it than just overworked muscles.

The Subconscious Connection: Feeling “Old”

Working with the subconscious means everything is symbolic. In my case, the pain and fatigue I was feeling was accompanied by a single thought: “I feel old.”

That thought immediately made me think of my mother, who recently turned 93! She had just broken her calf while traveling—right in the middle of my move! While I took out time to help prepare her house so she could recover at home, with everything else going on, I felt guilty that I wasn’t doing more. Like I'm a bad daughter for prioritizing my own life ahead of my mother's.

And my own pain was only exacerbating my inability to do anything about it.

Healing With ART (Accelerated Release Technique)

Once I recognized the feelings at the root of my issue, I used my own Accelerated Release Technique (ART) to release the guilt and shame that I had been carrying. While there was a little more to it, after about an hour of ART, the mental fatigue disappeared completely and my physical pain drastically improved. Thank heavens!

While my wrist is still tender, that's on me. There has still been lifting and schlepping stuff from my old home to my new one, and this past weekend was spent setting up my son’s new space for his next few years at university in Waterloo (hence more lifting and schlepping!) so I likely have a physical injury that hasn't been given a chance to heal. The rest of me, however, feels like my old - young - self! I can run up stairs, bend, and move freely once again without pain. Yay!

Why This Matters for You

Pain does not have to be part of aging. The subconscious mind holds powerful keys to healing emotional pain, physical discomfort, and spiritual blocks. Once you release the hidden beliefs and emotions weighing you down, your body and mind can return to their natural state: healthy, whole, and free.

I believe it is everyone’s divine right to be healthy, happy, whole, and abundant.

And with knowledge of ART, you can take your healing in your own hands.

Ready to Assert YOUR Divine Right to Live Your Best Life?

Registration for my next ART Masterclass is now open!

Pay your $250 deposit to enroll by September 1st, 2025 (midnight EST) and get the two prerequisite courses FREE:

How Heal From Your Past ($199 + HST)
Connecting to Your Subconscious Without Hypnosis ($19.95 + HST)

Spaces are limited—secure your spot today!

Join with a friend and you’ll BOTH receive $150 off the Masterclass.

�� Click here to register for the Masterclass ��

Have questions? Send me a message — I’d love to hear from you!

I hope to see you in class!

How Past Life Healing with ART Helped Her Let Go of Work Burnout

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 22:03:03 GMT

Feeling Drained at Work? The Real Reason Might Surprise You

This week I want to share with you the story of a client who had been feeling emotionally exhausted and frustrated at work. As we began working together using the Accelerated Release Technique (ART) , we uncovered something fascinating that I call an "outside influence."

An outside influence can be a person, place, thing, or even a concept that your subconscious mind links so strongly to your emotional state that just thinking about it brings up the same negative feelings — almost like a Pavlovian trigger.

In this client’s case, the trigger was her boss.

Just thinking about him instantly made her feel tired, irritated, and energetically drained.

Uncovering the Root Cause with ART

As we attempted to clear her boss’s influence from her subconscious, ART led us somewhere unexpected: a past life experience .

Now, if you’ve experienced the Accelerated Release Technique , you know there’s no hypnosis involved. Instead, we use a unique set of tools to help the subconscious mind surface buried thoughts and emotional memories.

Images began to emerge. In that past life, she was married to a man she recognized instantly: her current boss. In that lifetime, he had left her for another woman, triggering deep emotions of abandonment, exhaustion, and desperation.

Healing a Past Life Without Hypnosis

The amazing thing about ART is that healing a past life is simple . All it takes is mentally rewriting the story.

Her intuition told her that if they had lived somewhere else, the other woman would never have entered the picture. So we took her mind back to that moment in time and shifted the narrative: they won a trip, fell in love with a new destination, and moved there. In this new version, their relationship flourished.

Almost instantly, her subconscious let go of the emotional burden .

I asked her again to think about her boss. Her answer?

"No, he doesn’t trigger anything anymore."

Just like that, the emotional charge was gone.

What Happened Next

With her boss no longer triggering negative feelings, we continued the session to help her release exhaustion in other areas of life .

This is just one example of how the Accelerated Release Technique helps you break free from subconscious patterns — even ones carried over from past lives.

Could You Be Carrying a Past Life Burden?

If you find yourself emotionally triggered or stuck in patterns that don’t make logical sense, your subconscious might be holding onto a past life memory.

With ART, we can help you:

Identify emotional triggers
Release past life imprints
Let go of energetic exhaustion
Reclaim your emotional freedom

Ready to clear what no longer serves you?

Visit healfromyourpast.com to book your session today and start your healing journey.

#AcceleratedReleaseTechnique #PastLifeHealing #EmotionalFreedom #EnergyHealing #SubconsciousHealing

We are all energy healers

Thu, 22 May 2025 13:44:17 GMT

Even if you don't know it

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The connection between emotions and weight

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 20:48:33 GMT

There are two things that have been agitating me lately: my workload and my weight.

I had been ruminating my most recent newsletter, frustrated that I hadn't yet written it as yet, and annoyed with myself that I hadn't made note of a particularly interesting story that I wanted to share. (Having a story already in mind makes writing so much easier!)

I had actually decided - and even started on writing - this newsletter beginning with an apology for disappointing those that read it specifically for the stories, and just share all of the things that have been going on that brought me to this place.

I was going to be very clear, however, that I acknowledge that I do this entirely to myself. I take it all on. I absolutely realize I take on too much.

I couldn't focus, so I decided I needed a shower. There's something amazing about being in the shower - it grounds me, and I seem to do a lot of my best thinking in there.

I undressed and caught myself in the mirror as I hopped in, and stopped. I didn't recognize who I saw. That woman in the mirror was not me.

I'll freely admit, my weight has always been an issue for me. Being an overweight kid was part of what made me obsessed with diet and nutrition, leading to my early career in dietetics. I maintained a healthy weight for years after my kids were born, and then I switched to energy healing, the pandemic hit, and my waistline has been expanding ever since.

(Energetically, weight is SO COMPLEX! I tell everyone that as soon as I crack the weight loss "code", I'll become a billionaire. ��)

So I'm in the shower, and now I'm thinking about my weight. How (because of my experience as a dietitian) I know I don't eat so poorly or so much as to be picking up the pounds so quickly. And despite not exercising as much as I should , I actually have a lot of muscle, so my base metabolism shouldn't be in the cellar. And truly, we all know people who eat like crap and don't move at all who are thin as rails. And who can't gain weight even when they try. I know it's all about beliefs, and how our subconscious uses our challenges to bring our attention to the emotional issues in our lives. I know it is not as simple as calories and calories out.

I couldn't figure out I was doing wrong, though...I just seemed to be piling it on.

OMG. I'm just piling it on.

Talk about a lightbulb moment!

I have been incredibly happy and excited about all of the projects that I have accomplished over the last 6 years: My first book about ART; creating my online trainings; developing an entire learning platform to host those trainings; creating a new website dedicated to ART; participating in and/or organizing multiple talks & presentations; attending multiple trade shows; creating a third website (renuarora.ca) and going through a whole branding process to be the umbrella for my energy healing and training activities; spent a year as president of the networking association I belonged to; completely redoing my ART training program; running regular ART Masterclasses; writing my second book; and have I mentioned that last week, on April 1st, Accelerated Release Technique(TM) was officially trademarked??

Oh yeah...getting divorced, and then remarried, running a butter tart business with my husband on the side, and trying to still maintain some kind of social life outside of work.

Yowza! Boy, have I been piling it on!

Subtly, and then not so subtly, my body has been trying to let me know that I have been taking on too much.

And it's time for me to listen.

I'm still running my next Masterclass this summer, although I'll pull back on the advertising. If I only run one section, so be it. I'll put more energy into filling the classes in the fall.

I'm no longer going to sweat it if my newsletter doesn't come out exactly every 2 weeks. (Granted, I've been rather terrible about being as consistent as I'd like, but now I'm just going to stop beating myself up over it!)

I want to get into public speaking and had plans to focus on that next (while doing everything else!) It can wait until next winter, after this book launch is complete, I've had a semi-relaxed summer, and have finished filling my fall Masterclass.

Hopefully, I'll learn my lesson!

And if the weight starts coming off, I'll let you know! I'm totally ready for the billions to start pouring in. :)

Here's what can happen when your Inner Child takes over

Sun, 23 Mar 2025 19:45:32 GMT

This is a story that recently took place in a class with one of my students.

We had been discussing one of the most important things to take care of at the start of a session: reducing interference.

When we start a healing session, we always connect with our guidance team (i.e. Spirit Guides) to make sure that they are "on board" with what we want to work on. There are a few reasons they may try to stop us. Sometimes they are merely reflecting back to us a belief system, of where we were unaware, that needed addressing. And at other times, they could literally have their own trauma being triggered, and that needs to be healed before we can move forward. Either way, without the cooperation of our guidance team, trying to solve issues can take far longer than it should because we are so vulnerable to their potential sabotage.

More recently, I have added to the Accelerated Release Technique a requirement to check on the client's Inner Child as well for the very same reasons.

I was demonstrating "how to start a session" using this one student as a volunteer and, not surprisingly, as this always seems to happen when I am hoping to demonstrate a new concept, we immediately got to see interference in action: my student's Inner Child decided to be a hindrance. We began the session with a particular problem in mind, but her Inner Child was having none of it! When asking if we would be allowed to receive "concise and timely answers" during the session, we received a definitive "no."

Put another way, her inner child was literally telling us that she was going to put forward answers that would take us on a meandering route to our solution.

Assuming that this Inner Child just needed some healing so that she would then acquiesce and step aside so we could continue to address our intended issue, I continued along that vein, finding out what the Inner Child needed.

It was only a matter of a few minutes when the word "allergies" popped up and I was led to start shifting that energy type.

And then it hit me. My student has mentioned in the past that she has a gluten sensitivity and that that was something she was keen to work on eventually eliminating with ART.

OMG! Her Inner Child basically wanted to be able to eat a cookie! (And bread, and pie, and cake...and all the yummy foods she had felt she was missing out on.)

She literally hijacked the session because that was what she wanted us to work on - and because she had the power to do so.

That revelation came as class was ending, so apparently my student's homework is to work on her gluten sensitivity, or else her Inner Child will never give her any peace...

And as her teacher, I can't wait to hear how it goes!

Do you feel like your Inner Child might be running the show in your life? If you'd like to take back your own power, book a Discovery Call with me and I can help get you back on track. Or consider learning the Accelerated Release Technique and you can do it yourself. Click here for more details on the process.

No. You're not crazy.

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 15:22:13 GMT

Honestly. I believe you.

One of the phrases I hear most often from my clients is "You're going to think I'm crazy, but..."

They say this because they know my office is a safe space. There is no judgement here.

They worry that if they were to say anything to their doctor or other medical professional they would immediately be recommended medication or a psychiatric appointment.

But they know the thoughts and feelings that they are experiencing aren't disruptive enough that they feel so desperate as to want to go that route. They are just...strange and uncomfortable.

Not only that, but they are afraid to be told there is something wrong with them. That what they are experiencing isn't "real." That they are broken. That it's "all in their head.'

Well, of course it's in their head! Where else would it be? It's "in our head" because that's the place where we try to make sense of our experiences.

Because we manifest our reality.

Every single thing happening in our lives is the way it is because of the thoughts, emotions, and beliefs broadcast from our subconscious mind.

Put another way, our OUTER WORLD is a perfect reflection of what is going on in our INNER WORLD.

And our inner world is extraordinary! It is magical. (And sometimes completely bizarre, too!) It is like Alice in Wonderland. Or a fantasy novel. Or science fiction. It is a place where anything is possible.

Everyone's mind works like this.

You are not the only one.

YOU ARE NOT CRAZY.

And that fantasy movie playing in your mind is exactly the information that we need so you can heal. It is the spiritual representation of what is manifesting in your 3D (physical) world..

Do you have this nagging feeling that your lack of financial success has something to do with a curse sent by your ex? You're likely correct and now we can work on undoing the curse.

Do you have a pain in your body someplace, that never sustained a physical injury, but your instinct says that your relationship with your dad has something to do with it? Then that's what we'll probably find and by tackling the relationship with your dad, that pain will go away.

Do you have a fear or phobia that you have no explanation for beyond a certainty that it is from a past life? Great! Together we'll uncover it and heal the trauma from it, and with it, your phobia.

Do you have a heaviness around your heart that feels like a thick mass of unmovable negative energy and you know there is no pill in the world that will fix it because you're sure it is a result of stuck emotions? You've come to the right place. We'll find the emotional baggage and eliminate it, leaving you feeling lighter than you have in years.

Truthfully, it doesn't actually matter if I think what you are seeing is "real." (However, in my over 10 years of healing, what I find energetically nearly always matches exactly to what my clients are envisioning - no matter how bizarre - so I believe it to be real.) What is more important, however, is that you feel like it is real.

The work we do is in your world. Your mind. If your subconscious needs to be convinced that the curse is gone, that's what we'll do. If it needs to heal that past life experience, we'll do that.

An energetic wound. A karmic contract. A cord that needs cutting. A walk-in. A soul retrieval. An alter. Whatever you sense. Whatever we find. We take it at face value.

So if there is something wrong in your outer world, I can guarantee you there is just some healing that needs to happen in your inner world. And when you know what questions to ask, and what to look for, it's not as impossible a task as you might think.

I can help you decipher your inner world. I can do this with you in the form of individual healing sessions , or I can teach you how to do this yourself - to heal yourself and others.

For just $199 (less than the cost of a single session with me!) you can join in my How to Heal From Your Past Introductory Course. There you will learn the basics of how to connect your outer world to your inner world and start healing it.

Have questions? Reach out to me via email or by booking a free discovery call with me. It would be an honour to walk with you on this journey.

How we healed her Insomnia

Thu, 23 Jan 2025 23:50:17 GMT

So she could finally get a good night's sleep

This week's story of the subconscious is of a client of mine who, among other issues, had regular insomnia, going on for years. See if you can figure out the connection before I tell you...

More than anything in the world, she felt desperate to get a good night's sleep.

What did we find at the root of her problem?

Her subconscious took us back to when she was about 16 or 17 years old. Her parents were always incredibly controlling. She felt she didn't have any freedom to do what she wanted, and she longed for independence.

Being somewhat rebellious, the way she worked around this problem was to sneak out at night when her parents were asleep. That worked great...until she got caught!

That one night held a complex mix of emotions for her - anger and frustration at her parents, mingled with the guilt of not living up to their expectations. Her subconscious wanted her to heal it.

Have you solved it yet?

My client's inability to sleep, desperately wanting to be asleep, was her subconscious trying to make a connection to that time in the past when she desperately wanted her parents to be asleep!

After we healed that life event, her sleep improved significantly. :)

Do you have trouble sleeping that you can't explain? Or know someone else who does? Book a session with me so we can get you resting easy once more.

The voices in your head aren't you

Fri, 30 Aug 2024 20:57:26 GMT

The voices in your head aren't you.

I was in the middle of doing prep work for completely overhauling my ART training over the next month and I realized that the above was something that I understood from the thousand(s?) of sessions I have done, but have never put into words.

The voices in your head are not you.

There is only one YOU in your head. That's the one THINKING. Asking questions. Making decisions. The one who knows what you want and don't want.

So, who is calling you names? Making nasty comments? Saying things that you know aren't true? Or aren't how you really feel?

I refer to these chatterboxes in your head collectively as "the peanut gallery." They fall into one of 3 categories. Something that was a part of you, but split off and is no longer "attached". Something that was never part of your energy. Or it's your inner child.

If it's your inner child, that is the childlike part in every one of us that keeps us young, and they need some soothing. We all live with a younger version of ourselves inside. But this younger version has it's own needs and wants, and you have to learn to work together to live harmoniously!

If it was never a part of you, it's some kind of energetic interference. Someone else - whether living or dead - is invading your space. It could even be your spirit guides themselves, believing that they are protecting you with that belief, or they themselves need healing and they are imposing their beliefs upon you. Most of the time, we just take the few moments we need to heal them so they no longer feel it necessary to interfere.

And then there are the ones that were once a part of you. These are typically referred to as Alters. These were formed out of trauma. As a result of a traumatic experience, the body coped by splitting off the trauma into a separate segment in an attempt to "contain" it. These segments have their own consciousness and belief system...therefore they no longer truly represent YOU.

People with dissociative identity disorder (DID. Formerly called multiple personality disorder) have Alters that are so imbued with trauma energy that they can occasionally "take the drivers seat" and during those times, "You" are relegated to the background. As such, people with DID will often have large gaps in their memory when an Alter had taken over.

The wild thing is, everyone has Alters. It's only in DID that the trauma is so overwhelming for an Alter to be able to take control.

You can speak to Alters. Find out what they need in order to heal. Once they are healed, they can integrate back into the whole. (ie. become part of you once again)

And once you address all of the "personalities" that have appeared, the peanut gallery finally becomes quiet.

For this week's story, while I was working with a client she suddenly shared that she felt like people want what she has, and wanted her to suffer...while all she wanted was peace.

Her subconscious told me that that feeling wasn't the one we were supposed to work on, though. That that was actually symbolic of something else in her life...somewhere else that there was suffering and she wanted peace.

She then told me "there's a part of me that wants to die." She clearly hears it say "I want to die."

We both know that's not what she really wants. It's a voice in her head. In moments, I discover it's an Alter. This Alter was suffering and wanted peace. This is what we were being directed to heal.

Once they are discovered, healing an Alter is actually rather straightforward and simple. So within a few minutes, the peanut gallery was quiet. She no longer needs to hear those words in her head again. What a relief!

If you find this as fascinating as I do, then consider learning ART! There is a 5-week, live training course with me (conducted over zoom) and a couple of smaller prerequisite courses. You can find all the information about when the various courses are offered and their pricings by clicking here .

You will be amazed by what you learn!

How long does energy healing take to work?

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 19:25:05 GMT

I was reminded this week about how much more the subconscious knows than I could ever guess.

In particular, I'm thinking of the magic that seems to take place in my Assessment Session. How your subconscious just knows how long it will take the energy healing to work.

If you haven't yet worked with me, let me explain: during your first session with me, you'll let me know what the issues are that you want to work on. It could range from anxiety to chronic back pain to an intolerance to gluten to a tense relationship with a family member to everything and anything in between! The list is essentially endless.

At the end of the session, your subconscious will spit out the number of sessions it will take to heal the issue(s) to at least 90% (if not 100%). Or, as far as my skills can get you. (Let's be fair, I'm not God, so I can't promise to be able to get everything to 100% healed. But, I'm very good at what I do, so we should realistically make good progress regardless.)

How does it come up with this answer? I don't have any idea. Your subconscious just knows . It knows what baggage needs to be healed. It knows the best order to approach the healing work in order to get the fastest results. (For my knitting or crocheting friends out there, if you've ever found your yarn all knotted, you know that you can't always unravel the yearn from one end to the other directly; you often need to work different areas, loosening it here or there, so it can then disentangle more easily. The same with the emotions, beliefs, and life events tangled within the subconscious mind.)

To be honest, the accuracy continues to astound me. It's not always 100% correct, but it seems to be spot on at least 95% of the time.

The funny thing, though, is that is seems to account for unexpected surprises, too!

What do I mean? Let's say an assessment suggests we will need 5 sessions for a particular client, but just before the second session takes place, the client had an unexpected issue come up with a neighbour that left them discombobulated. It's not unusual that the subconscious will "interrupt" our treatment plan to work on a "current issue" that is troubling my client in the moment.

How does this unexpected detour affect our treatment plan of 5 sessions?

Typically, it doesn't.

Somehow, the subconscious knew we were going to take that detour, and it built it into the treatment plan. It's freaking amazing to me whenever I see it happen!

Then there's other times where we think the problem is solved, but we still have sessions left on the treatment plan.

I had something like this happen again in the last week.

A client had come to me with severe anxiety. On a regular basis it would come on so strongly and suddenly as to be debilitating at work. He was afraid he might lose his job as a result.

He felt really great after our Assessment Session, like the panic attacks had been healed. The assessment suggested he would need 2 additional sessions, though.

A few days later, the panic was still there, so he purchased the 2 sessions that were recommended.

Again, after our first follow-up session, he felt the same as the first time - we had eliminated the belief "It's too much for me to take" and by the time we were done, he couldn't even remember what a panic attack felt like! It felt so very distant to him yet again.

He seemed to be feeling so good even I wondered if my assessment had been wrong. Maybe we wouldn't need the other follow-up session? But after a few days, the panic came back just as strongly.

We just had the final session. It has been a few days and the panic has been there, only this time much less frequently than usual, and also only briefly. This feels much more like the energy is finally working its way out of his system. Like we have reached the end this time. Exactly on schedule.

The subconscious knows.

I've taken it as a reminder, too, that healing doesn't always happen overnight. And it is not always as straightforward as we would like. Sometimes it feels like we take a step forward and then two back.

The thing is, you need to keep plugging away at it. You'll eventually get there.

Do you sometimes wish you could get to the root of your own issues and heal yourself? (Or just go straight to healing events in your past that you know are causing you problems now?) Do you feel like you have so much healing to do that it would cost a fortune to work through it all with me or another practitioner?

Then consider taking my How to Heal From Your Past course!

For less than the price of a single standard ART session, you can get access to over 5 hours of online video training and 6 hours of virtual, in person training with me to teach you the foundational techniques behind the practice of ART.

The material taught in this course is equivalent to everything I knew in my first two years practicing as an energy healer!

My first course offering is starting next week, at 1-4pm EST on July 7th and 14th.

Click here to reserve your spot in the How to Heal From Your Past Introductory course. (Select BOTH DAYS)

This month won't work? The reserve your spot for the next one, happening Sept 8th and 15th. Or the one after that. They'll be offered regularly on my schedule.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Can't wait to see you there!

Losing your connection (spiritually speaking!)

Wed, 24 Jan 2024 00:41:06 GMT

This is a short one...

A client came in for her first session with me, and as I typically do for an intro session, we planned to find and heal a life event for her. This generally starts off with us needing to find out a belief that the client is hanging onto as a result of the experience.

I got my clues, but none of it meant anything to my client. I checked into see if we were being blocked, and I didn't see any issues, but still no spark of insight came to her. Worse yet, nothing was coming to me either. I usually get an intuitive hit to guide the conversation but this time, nada.

Then it occurred to me to ask if she and I were still connected. I got a "no." No??

I tried again to connect and found, in a nutshell, that her spirit guides had booted me out!

It sometimes happens that I can't connect initially, but I don't generally get kicked out mid-session like that.

So I asked what her guides needed to allow us to move forward and it turns out that they needed an apology from me!

I can only guess that I ticked them off in a past life. ��

I apologized. Thankfully they accepted. And I quickly found that the information that I had received earlier had been completely false and we had to start from scratch. Happily, they didn't interfere again and my client and I went on to have a great session. ��

Today's tip: if you are doing your own healing work and you find your intuition shut down, verify that you are actually connected!

And don't be surprised if somebody's grudge from a past life comes up to be resolved. :)

If you are interested in learning more about whether ART is right for you, either to learn for yourself, or to experience as a client, book a discovery call with me and let's chat!

Sometimes your emotions aren't your own

Sun, 31 Dec 2023 11:00:00 GMT

Before the year ends, I've got one last story to share for 2023.

Today's client reached out to do a session with me because she felt that something was amiss and her intuition told her that I could help.

She was finding herself unusually angry with her husband. She's not by nature an angry person so this unnatural rage bubbling up whenever she would see or even think about him was especially disconcerting. Connected to her anger, she also had this strange feeling that he himself was feeling distant and resentful towards her.

To be honest, it was a confusing session. I didn't really know where we were going with it, but I always maintain trust in the subconscious and that it knows more than I do - and that everything would make sense by the end. I was not disappointed!

My client and I reasoned that since she was feeling his resentment, it made sense that he was the one needing the healing. So, I tapped into his energy and immediately found a huge cluster of trapped emotions and beliefs - disgust, a lack of control, a belief that he couldn't be happy, that his happiness was dependent on others, not being good enough, and more.

We cleared all of that after which she sensed an improvement in the resentment, but not yet to the feeling of him being distant.

Add to that, she was also now feeling a lack of love, and not being wanted. Even more new, unusual emotions for her.

So we kept going. With a little more digging, all of the pieces started falling into place.

It turns out that she and her husband have a beautiful daughter whom they adore, but needed medical intervention to conceive. My client knew she was destined to have another child - she had heard this child communicate with her before, during previous sessions with me and at other times, too. Recently she had broached the subject with her husband about starting the process again for this second child and he had not shown any interest.

That's when it all clicked.

NONE of the emotions my client had been experiencing were her own. The anger, resentment, disconnect, lack of love or anything else...those all belonged to not-yet-even-conceived Baby #2! All the emotions and beliefs we had healed...those belonged to the baby as well! It made so much sense! This baby was aching to join the family, but dad's lack of interest led to feelings of rejection, anger, and sadness. Wow!

No wonder my client was so confused as to what to do. The emotions were so foreign to her, not at all how she usually responds to disappointment, and now we understood why!

Shortly after that, a wave of sleepiness hit my client, always signal of a message from someone trying to come through: very clearly, she heard the words "Bring me home now" in her head.

Baby #2 was no longer angry or hurt, just insistent that it was their time to make an appearance.

And with that, my client felt totally better - back to her old self once again. We could both see a visible change in her face - she was smiling from ear to ear. And ready to pass along the message to her husband. ��

Do you feel like you are behaving out of character? Sometimes your emotions are not your own! Whether they are yours or not, they can be healed so you can feel back to normal once again. Book a session with me and I can help!

Happy New Year! See you in 2024!

The meaning in her migraines

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 16:02:27 GMT

One of my clients came to me to address, amongst other things, migraine headaches. She would get them regularly, requiring daily medication which, when working properly, would mean she would have fewer episodes and (hopefully!) less severe ones.

Until working with me, she never felt like her head was ever fully pain free.

If you have never had a migraine, or known anyone who has suffered from them, then to put it simply, a migraine is an extremely intense headache, which for most sufferers, can be debilitating. In addition to throbbing pain, they may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound that can last from hours to days.

Many migraine sufferers are forced to sequester themselves alone in a dark, quiet room until the symptoms subside.

After a bit of work, her subconscious lead us to one key experience in her childhood.

It was in grade 5, when she was newly designated as "enhanced" at school. That change meant that she was suddenly required to be taken out of her regular classes to participate in extra programming with the other enhanced kids.

And she hated it! She was being pulled away from her friends and being given extra work to do, to boot! Yuck!

Are you ready to play detective...what do you think the connection is?

That kid was angry. The injustice of it all! Teachers, parents...the whole system seemed to be forcing her to do something she had absolutely no interest in. Deep inside her, there was an inner child screaming to the world "will everyone just leave me alone?!?"

What happens when someone gets a migraine? The whole world has to leave them alone! It took giving her a lot of pain to get it, but that inner child eventually got what she was asking for.

Crazy, eh? It's actually more common than you think.

Once that was understood, our next task was to heal that child so it could stop being so angry and upset.

And shortly after that, my client's head stopped hurting. That little bit of pain that she always felt, was gone . Her subconscious no longer had a purpose for her migraines, so it was time to let them go.

If you suffer from migraines or know anyone who does, book a session with me so we can make them a thing of the past.

The Cause of her Self-Sabotage

Thu, 14 Dec 2023 17:51:07 GMT

If you find yourself holding yourself back on doing something, you are absolutely not alone! It is one of the most common things that I see, but it is often one of the more devastating. To know that you have a gift to share with the world, to want to do it and know that you should, but to feel this invisible resistance keeping you from your dreams...it is heartbreaking!

It invariably leads to us questioning ourselves, wondering "What is wrong with me?"

It's just another case of your subconscious trying to tell you that you've got something from your past that needs to be healed.

That was the situation for my client in this week's story.

My client in question is a fellow alternative health practitioner. She had an event coming up and was afraid that people wouldn't sign up. I could see her whole heart wasn't into it. She was doubting herself.

But it was bigger than the one event. It turned out that the emotions she was feeling surrounding the event could be found in other places in her life as well. She had to admit that she wasn't 100% certain that her husband was fully on board with her work. And quite frankly, part of her doubted herself and whether her work was as effective as she thought. (A sentiment I could absolutely relate to from the early years in my practice.)

We discovered that she had the phrase "Am I ridiculous?" anchored into her subconscious.

It took us some work, but eventually the memory surfaced that when she wanted to go to university, her parents didn't approve of her desire to go into music therapy, and they made it very clear that they thought she ought to do something else. This made her question her own judgement, and the thought "Am I ridiculous?" anchored in.

Together we shifted that belief and integrated the phrase "I do amazing things and am loved for it!" in it's place. She ended the session with a new level of confidence and self-assurance.

And the event? It went great!

If you are an entrepreneur and you find yourself questioning your ability to be successful, book a session with me and we'll have you ready to take on the world in no time!

"Why don't I fit in?"

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 11:00:00 GMT

A client was struggling with feeling like she doesn't belong anywhere. She moved to Canada from Chile when she was young, and despite living here for so long, has never felt entirely at ease. But during trips to visit Chile, she would feel like an outsider there as well.

We discovered that her subconscious was holding onto the belief "Why don't I fit in?" As long as that belief was programmed into her psyche, we knew she wouldn't feel at home no matter where she was. Together we determined that what she really wanted to believe was "I am comfortable anywhere".

So where did her subconscious anchor in the belief "Why don't I fit in?". As it turns out, at the airport, on the day she arrived in Canada as a little girl, she and her family encountered something they had never seen before: an escalator. My client accidentally managed to get separated from her family and onto the escalator...and they all panicked! They were terrified that she was going to reach the end and get sucked into the machinery. Of course, the escalator monster didn't end up eating her, but it left her completely puzzled, asking herself "Why don't I fit in?"!

She and I got a big chuckle out of this one!

Once we healed the terror and embarrassment from the experience we were then able to release the negative belief and program in her new belief "I am comfortable anywhere". That is now her new truth.

If there is a moral to the story, it is this: trauma is in the eye of the beholder. Even seemingly insignificant events can have a huge impact on our lives, because what would be meaningless to an adult can be terrifying for a child. So if you've got embarrassing or uncomfortable stories from your childhood, don't ignore them - they are probably impacting you in ways you would never expect.

The subconscious seldom reveals what you expect!

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 17:10:46 GMT

That was certainly the case with a recent client.

In her first session with me, my client admitted that she has been struggling a lot lately, suffering with feelings of inadequacy, and imposter syndrome, which had been triggering her to engage in avoidance behaviour, including turning to internet surfing and television watching to cope.

We quickly found that she was holding onto the belief "I'm not good enough."

In my head, I thought, "well that would make sense...if she doesn't feel good enough to engage with the work she is meant to do, she would be drawn to procrastinate and do other things, like TV or internet."

Where did the belief "I'm not good enough" come from? We tracked it to a time when she was younger and her older brother bullied her. Despite her telling her parents that he was mistreating her, they took no action, and the torment continued. To her, "I'm not good enough" really meant "I'm not good enough for my parents to care about me...I'm all on my own". This general problem came attached to a specific memory that came to mind, though. In this one, her brother "decided" that she would no longer be allowed to watch TV for a year. He put a sheet over her head to prevent her from viewing the TV, and would interfere in other ways anytime she would try. As always, her parents did not intervene, and this behaviour went on for some time.

And then it hit us.

She wasn't surfing the web and watching television because she was avoiding doing other work. She was watching it because the little girl inside her wanted to watch TV and was upset with her big brother for not letting her!

My client's subconscious was communicating with her. That "desire to watch a screen" was meant to remind her of an earlier experience of when she had that same desire; it was trying to direct us to heal the abuse and neglect she experienced when she was young.

By the time we were done healing the experience, my client said the thought alone of spending hours in front of a screen made her nauseous - she had no desire to do it. She even wrote me later and told me that she had no craving to spend time on the internet or TV, and instead her evening was "pleasantly filled with other joyful stuff."

Yay!

Do you know anyone who is addicted to their screens? If they would like to get hours of their life back doing meaningful activities that would bring them more joy, let them know I can help and suggest they book a session today.

Can't drink milk? You probably have mother issues

renu@healfromyourpast.com (Renu Arora) — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 17:06:35 GMT

Everything we react to, whether it's foods, things in the environment, people...whatever...the reaction is there for a reason . Your subconscious is communicating with you.

Let's take lactose for example. Some people (okay, most of them) will say that lactose intolerance exists "because the body has stopped producing the enzyme that digests lactose". (I was a registered dietitian for 12 years, so that was exactly what I believed, and didn't think twice about it.)

But have they ever asked themselves why the body stopped producing lactase (that's the enzyme).

Like, did the person's DNA change? And all of a sudden, this one protein is unavailable for production? Or did the production system change (and miraculously only this one single protein was affected?) I was never, ever, provided with a satisfactory reason for why the body couldn't do it's job anymore. "It just stopped" is a description, not a reason .

So let's look at the symbolism of lactose. Lactose is found in only one place: milk. Milk has only once source: mothers .

To the subconscious, milk (lactose) represents mothers.

Let me give you a real-life example.

I met with a new friend for a get-to-know-you coffee date. Without any prompting from me, he told me exactly what his subconscious had been trying to tell him for 30 years, in under 30 minutes.

As we were settling in and he was adding cream to his coffee, he casually mentioned to me how until recently he used to be unable to tolerate any amount of dairy for years. He used to love milk as a kid, but sometime after university, milk stopped loving him and even the littlest bit would have him running to the bathroom. Over the last few years, however, he started to be able to tolerate more and more, so now he can have the cream in his coffee or a slice of pizza without digestive discomfort.

So far, so good.

Then we started talking about our families.

He was pleased to let me know that his youngest of three kids had just graduated from university and admitted to a sense of relief that his mother had been able to see all of them graduate. He went on to tell me that when he himself graduated from university he didn't want to go to his convocation ceremony, so he neglected to tell his mother about it. She was devastated! She had very much wanted to see her son's graduation and so he had felt guilty about it for all these years. Now that she was able to see her three grandkids in their caps and gowns, he didn't feel quite so bad.

Bingo!

My friend's reaction to dairy was directly related to the level of guilt he felt towards his mother.

So, if you have an issue with milk, there's an exceptionally good chance that you've either got an issue with your own mother, or a maternal figure in your life, or the concept of motherhood. I've seen it over and over.

Heal the issue with mom, and you can say hello to ice cream again. :)

Do you have your own allergy or intolerance you'd like to get rid of? Book a session with me and we can make that problem history!

How to Cleanse a New Home before Moving in

renu@healfromyourpast.com (Renu Arora) — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 15:22:05 GMT

Check out my recommendations and more in this recent Redfin article

Moving Homes? Experts Share How to Cleanse a New Home Before Moving In

Congratulations! You received the keys to your new home and are ready to make a move into your new space. With any luck, the previous owners or landlord would've done their best to ensure the space is in tip-top shape, but chances are they didn't think of clearing the energy. Whether it's to an apartment in New York or a newly renovated Victorian-style house , it takes time to get used to a new home and make it your own. That's why Redfin reached out to us and other experts for our best tips on how to physically and spiritually cleanse a new home to invite positive energy. Read on to learn more about the different methods you can use to kickstart a new chapter in your home.

Click here to read the full article

What the heck is mindfulness?

Fri, 01 Jan 2021 22:04:00 GMT

Hello my friend,

In most of my posts , I share with you my clients’ experiences and provide the links between the problem or challenge they’re facing and the underlying root cause.

Anxiety and Social Distancing

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 20:05:00 GMT

If you look around, you will note that some people are managing fine, some are having severe difficulty coping, and still others are surprised at their own levels of anxiety . You might even be one of them, faced with this brand new experience and unfamiliar with your own response.

What makes the difference? It’s all about subconscious programming. The traumatic or upsetting events from our past, often from childhood but not always, leave their mark in our psyche, and until we understand, accept, and let go of them, those psychic scars create “glitches” in the subconscious program, leading us to behave in ways that feel outside of our control.

Let’s say, for example, that at some time in your past you lost someone to an illness. If you never fully examined and released all of the emotions around the loss, then it means that the psychic scar is still present and will result in reactive behaviours in certain scenarios. Maybe it makes you uncomfortable with hospitals? Or you dislike germs? Or you are obsessed with staying healthy? Most days, you wouldn’t even realize you had a problem at all: you have no need to think about hospitals; you’re good about washing your hands; you get regular exercise and eat healthy.

Today is different. We are in the midst of a pandemic and we fear it’s not too long until we or a loved one will need the care of a hospital. We’re told not only to wash our hands to stay safe, but to wear masks and sanitize our door knobs, surfaces, and everything we bring in from outside in case of contamination. And we’re trapped inside our homes where it is harder to exercise and easier to eat. We are anxious when we no longer feel in control, and it is now that those old underlying traumas are reminding us of their existence. Some of us are in severe jeopardy of losing our livelihoods, our homes, and our lives, and I have no desire to minimize those legitimate pressing concerns, but when the emotional distress is from something as objectively simple as “being stuck indoors,” it is worth investigating and unhooking the root cause.

For this month’s “Stories of the Subconscious” I want to share a situation my client, self described as “worrying about everyone.” She worried about the safety of her kids (both in their 20s), about her husband, and about being in dangerous situations (eg. driving in the rain) for herself as well. During our session, we realized that her subconscious has programmed in the belief “I am scared”. The subconscious constantly looks for ways to prove its existing beliefs to be true , so unconsciously, she was attuned to seeking out reasons to be scared.

As it turned out, she had a very good reason for her fear. When she was 7 years old, she witnessed her younger sister being hit by a car. Thankfully her sister recovered fine, but the trauma of the event was still there. The programming took place. It is easy to see how she took on the belief “I am scared” in the moment.

Once we established the link between the life event and her current anxiety, we were able to let the event go and replace her old belief with “Everyone I love is always safe.” Since then – and even now while we’re in the midst of this pandemic – I’m happy to report that she has been feeling much calmer and more relaxed about her family and herself.

Are the effects of Covid-19 triggering unfamiliar anxiety? Or making older anxieties worse? Then I invite you to book a session with me and be ready to handle the rest of this pandemic and beyond feeling emotionally strong and in control.

And since you’re here already…

BTW, she’s offering an amazing special at the end. If you decide to take her up on it, let her know I recommended her to you.

The curious case of the bitter taste

Sat, 29 Feb 2020 20:22:00 GMT

A while back I had a client with exactly this problem. She knew exactly when it started. It was Christmas, she was making dinner while snacking on pine nuts, and she soon discovered that everything she had cooked tasted “off” to her even though the rest of the family assured her that it all tasted perfectly fine.

At the start of our session, she immediately tried to come up with associations with Christmas – grasping for anything that might have been going on at the time. That was a reasonable thing to do, but once we started working to identify the root cause, we were taken in a completely different direction. We were led to an event from a few years earlier in which she had broken up with her ex. She admitted to me in my office that she had been very angry at the time and wasn’t very nice to her ex. The thing is, she considers herself to be a nice person, so that interaction left a bad taste in her mouth.

You know what else left a bad taste in her mouth? Pine nuts! The reaction had nothing to do with Christmas after all, rather her subconscious was merely trying to communicate to her about an old life event seeking resolution by creating a feeling that would remind her of it.

Once we got to the root we were then able to eliminate the emotional baggage – and the “bad taste” it had left – confident that while we were doing so, her pine mouth would soon become a thing of the past as well.

When the foods we love don’t love us

Sat, 25 Jan 2020 06:05:00 GMT

One client recently came to me with a number of food intolerances, each of which came with its own set of symptoms, and as it happened, reasons for being. I’ll be describing three of them.

Nightshades

Nightshades (a group of vegetables including foods such as tomatoes, potatoes, bell peppers, and zucchini) caused my client a whole lot of digestive distress, including nausea and diarrhea. It took us a little work to drill down, but eventually we discovered at the root of it an experience from her childhood in which her grandparents were very upset at her father for him deciding not to follow in their footsteps to carry on the family business. They were angry and unpleasant, and made life miserable for both her mother and father. What was the family business? A farm! As a child during these unpleasant visits, my client would go out into the fields and pick tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and zucchini among their other crops. The distress of the foods was meant to remind her of the distress of the situation she and her family had had to deal with at the time. Resolving the emotions of the life event freed her from the associated reactions to the foods.

Tea

Tea caused my client heartburn. Investigating this intolerance directed us to her time doing a work internship in Australia many years ago. For her own reasons, she needed to stay there despite the fact that the people she had to work with were miserable towards her. She hated every day and each night she would cry all the way home on the train. Her heart burned . We never figured out why tea was the trigger for the experience, but once we let go of the life event, her subconscious had no need for her heart to burn any further, so the intolerance disappeared.

Chocolate

I think this one is my all-time favourite because it tells me the subconscious has a sense of humour. Well, my client’s does, anyway. When working on her intolerance to chocolate, we uncovered only one thing: the emotion of “laziness.” What does chocolate have to do with laziness? I told her I was reminded of an expression an acquaintance of mine often uses (always dripping with sarcasm) “I’ve got nothing to do, so I’m just going to sit around and eat bonbons all day.” My client replied, “I use that phrase all the time!” Apparently her subconscious had linked eating chocolate (bonbons) with being lazy . And the kicker – what do you suppose her reaction was to the chocolate? Urinary urgency! No being lazy now!

Do you have any strange reactions to a particular food? I can guarantee it’s there for a reason. Your subconscious has a message for you, and it will only let it go once you figure it out. If you can’t do it yourself, feel free to get in touch with me and arrange a session . I promise you’ll be amazed at what we find!

Is Energy Healing Right for Everyone?

Sun, 04 Aug 2019 20:44:00 GMT

Last week I did a Facebook live discussing the question of whether or not energy healing is right for everyone. Check out the video or read my script below to get the gist.

Hello and welcome! Thank you for hopping on this video with me. My name is Renu Arora and I’m an energy healer specializing in the subconscious. I’m also the author of the upcoming book, “The Energy Healing Bible” which is due to come out any day now.

Today’s question is: Is Energy Healing Right for Everyone?

The answer there is a resounding: Yes and no.

There are a lot of moving parts to be looked at here. One, if you are cynical about energy healing, then no, it won’t work, so don’t even bother…I’ll explain that in a moment.

Two, there are many different types of energy healing modalities out there, and some will work better for some people than others. It depends on the person and the modality.

First, let’s talk about energy healing when there is cynicism involved. Before I get into that, you have to understand the difference between cynics and skeptics. Skeptics are the people who say things like “I don’t believe that it will work, but I’m willing to keep an open mind.” Before I got into energy work, I was definitely in the skeptic camp. My motto was “prove it to me, then I’ll believe it.” A cynic, on the other hand, has made up their mind that energy healing will not work, and is entirely closed off to the possibility. If they try it, it is for the purpose of proving themselves right. With them, I don’t even bother because honestly, it is a waste of my time. They won’t see any results because they don’t want to see them. Because it’s not safe for them.

I know, to say it’s not safe sounds pretty dramatic, so I’ll elaborate. You’ve probably heard of the concept of the “Ego.” The job of the ego is to keep us from experiencing or re-experiencing emotional pain. It’s trying to help us survive when things are tough. The way it does that is by taking on beliefs that keep us from addressing the problem. From even recognizing that there we even have a problem.

For example, imagine a person in an abusive relationship. Ask this person why he or she is staying with someone who treats them so badly, and they respond with something like “it’s not that bad.” Meanwhile, you can see from all the fighting and trauma that it really is that bad. The fact is, when the abuse started, there was the feeling that this person wasn’t going to be able to get out of it any time soon, so the ego took on some beliefs to help survive through it. Beliefs like “I don’t deserve to be happy” or “this is as good as my life will get.” Seen through those beliefs, the situation is normalized and therefore “not that bad.”

So what does this have to do with cynics? A cynic is, generally speaking, someone who is very insecure. This person has a need to be right, and the ego has decided that being shown to be wrong would be too painful to handle. So the ego will actually take steps to avoid being proven wrong. Usually, they won’t even be caught giving it a chance – they will be very adamant that it is a waste of their time, even getting angry when you suggest otherwise. And if they are pushed into it, it will literally not work . Their ego will prevent the healer from being granted access, blocking the ability to experience any kind of result. So, a cynic has to be in a very desperate state to try energy work; things have to be so bad that they just want anything to take their pain away.

That was point one. Point two has to do with the fact that there are so many flavours of energy healing out there, and some people will respond better to some than others. When you think of western medicine, some people respond well to one drug and minimally to another. It’s the same with energy work. There is Reiki, reflexology, crystals, access bars, aromatherapy, timeline therapy, and so many others including my own, The Accelerated Release Technique. Depending on your personality and beliefs, you will benefit more from some over others. So, do your homework, or just be willing to give a few a try until you find the one that’s right for you.

That’s all for today. I hope I’ve given you a little more insight into energy healing. If you enjoyed that, please like and share this post, follow me on Facebook, or you could even pre-order a copy of my book .

Be sure to catch me next time when my topic will be, what can energy healing do?

Why do so many energy healers seem crazy?

Wed, 12 Sep 2018 13:10:00 GMT

The New Frontier

I was right about half of it. There is logic and reason behind everything, but the basic foundation upon which so much of energy healing is based is so far unprovable. I imagine it is like being in the early days of the study of chemistry or biology. There was a time when we could reproduce chemical reactions but had no understanding of molecules, atoms, or electrons. For example, we were able to make soap for thousands of years by adding oil to a base before we figured out why the combination worked. Or how about herbal remedies to treat infections before the discovery of bacteria? Ancient Egyptians used moldy bread to treat infected wounds long before its active ingredient, penicillin, was discovered.

All of this is to say that energy healing is at the beginning stages of a new frontier. And as we begin to understand what we can achieve with these new foundational principles, we may, hopefully one day, get to a point where these foundations are no longer in question. Because right now, to be quite honest, the fact that we “see” or “believe” things about the world that the mainstream has not yet accepted, makes us look just plain crazy!

The Common Ground

Where is our common ground? How much is the mainstream willing to accept? They seem to understand the idea of “emotional baggage”: we are products of our experiences, and sometimes things happen that shake us, impacting how we see the world – what we believe, and the way we behave, think, or react. Often we don’t even know or understand what it is that has created this “programming” we follow, but we know something happened.

So they can get behind hypnosis. Connect directly with the subconscious and change the program. Or counselling – discover the connection so we may consciously work toward letting the past go.

Where the Crazy Begins

So far so good. Here’s where the “crazy” begins.

In my experience, hypnosis is not required in order to reprogram the subconscious. As an energy healer, I can connect directly to the subconscious without my clients “going under.” However, to explain how this works, a new foundational principle is absolutely necessary. That is: we are spiritual beings living in a physical “suitcase.” We are spirits with a body.

Mayday! Mayday! Are we starting to talk about religion??

No. We’re not. But isn’t it interesting how every single religion believes in the existence of a soul, and most of the world population believes in reincarnation? A soul is just that, the spirit that animates the body. The majority of us believe that we are more than just the physical packaging we travel in. That there is some form of divinity in the Universe. (Aside: the question I can’t help but ask is, if we can believe in the existence of God, or a higher power, why do so many of us resist believing in the divine within ourselves?)

Now take that a step further. If we do take as our basic premise that there is a soul, then as we live and breathe here on earth our purpose for existence is nothing more than to experience and to learn. To overcome the challenges we face and to grow as individuals.

Do we believe that we’re to go through this merry-go-round called life for all eternity? No. Every religion believes in an end. When your spirit has achieved everything it is going to achieve, it no longer needs to come back to Earth.

Logically for all of this to be true, there must be more spirits than there are people .

There are more souls than bodies to inhabit them. There are only so many people that can live on this planet at a time.

So what happens to the rest of them? This is the thing that makes energy healers and others who believe in energy work look like we have some missing screws…

Angels and Messages

Some spirits may take the form of angels and spirit guides. Many individuals strongly feel the presence of angels around them, seeing or hearing them, and even talking to them. Angels frequently send us messages. You’ll notice them if you’re paying attention. For example, many people, like myself, will go through phases of seeing the numbers 111 or 1111 over and over – on the clock (whether it’s the true time or flashing on a digital clock that has been reset); on invoices; or even on books that have fallen open in front of us. Personally, I’ll continue to see the numbers over and over for days until I work to decipher the message, after which it stops. Others may see different numbers repeating, which will have different meanings for them. Whatever the pattern, it most certainly is not random.

Guardians

Do you know anyone who has admitted to feeling like a loved one who passed away is still “watching over them.” Often a parent or grandparent, or maybe a spouse, child, or best friend? They aren’t crazy either. I’ve met many people who receive regular signs from guardians, alerting them to their presence. From finding bunches of dimes in the oddest places to feathers where you would least expect it, guardians can be very creative in letting you know they are there. If you are one for photos, I had one individual show me photo after photo of herself where a bright point of light (referred to as orbs) was clearly visible in each when there was no rhyme or reason for being there. Always near her . She was solidly convinced that this marked her grandmother’s presence. In addition to that, I am friends with a number of mediums who are able to receive messages from these spirits and relay them to their inquiring recipients.

Aliens

Ghosts and Haunted Houses

Finally, there’s the weird, “unexplainable” stuff. Have you ever walked into a space – a home, an office, a mall, or other place – and just felt like something was “off”? Or noticed an area of a room in which the air feels several degrees colder than the rest? Or maybe you’ve heard voices when nobody is there? Or that no one else heard? Or things in your home have moved from where you put them, or fallen off a table without a satisfactory reason? Or an electronic device – a TV, radio, or computer – turned on or off by itself?

Nope. You’re not crazy either.

As I mentioned earlier, as spirits, we’re all here on a journey to learn and experience. Sometimes spirits had lessons to learn – something they needed to complete during their lifetimes – but for one reason or another remained unfinished and they can’t, or won’t, journey on until they do.

On that note, if you’re interested in this topic, this and more will be found in my upcoming book on energy healing. Subscribe to my newsletter for updates, or check out my blog to know more about me and what I do.

And P.S. If you’ve got a “haunted house” of your own, please feel free to reach out to me . It’s not on my website as a service I offer – not yet, anyway (it might make me look crazy, right?) – but considering how often I’ve had to deal with this now, it might be worth considering!

Have you had an experience with other spirits? Is it similar to ones I’ve described? Or something totally different? I’d love to hear your story, so please share!

Why energy healing can’t do everything

Sat, 26 May 2018 02:09:00 GMT

As much as I truly believe that all of our problems are a result of unresolved emotions or other stuck energy, the fact is that we can not – nor should not – expect that we can fix every problem solely through energy work.

This may seem obvious to you, but it recently came as a revelation to me.

You see, I’ve been fortunate to be extremely healthy for most of my life. No significant injuries or illnesses, and not that many insignificant ones when I think about it. Headaches and other aches and pains are all rare for me, too.

And frankly, for those minor aches and pains, energy healing generally seems to do the trick.

But when the physical body is in real trouble, then physical therapies need to be included.

For example, a few months ago, I started a group workout plan with my amazing personal trainer, Marco . Before we began, he did an assessment during which we discovered a problem with my left knee. I couldn’t do a squat without pain. And when we looked carefully at my positioning, we realized I couldn’t even do a squat properly – my knees bent inwards instead of straight over my feet. I knew that I would occasionally experience a twinge in my knee out of the blue (usually on the stairs, for example), but I didn’t mentally translate that as a “knee problem.” Apparently some damage had been done at some point and my body was compensating for it so I didn’t know it was even there.

The next week saw me visiting a lovely physiotherapist , Diana. It didn’t take her long to figure out I had done a number on my knee over years spending too much time sitting at my desk with my legs crossed. (Which made sense…I had never directly injured myself, and the way some muscles had shortened or lengthened was consistent with holding my legs in that position). She started me on exercises, and it was at that moment that I realized how very weak my one leg was versus the other.

That’s when it dawned on me. No amount of energy healing was going to make my muscles physically stronger. I had to do the exercises.

Just as no amount of unhooking past emotional trauma is going to make weight come off. Food quality and quantity matter.

I have been hooked on the quick fix for a while now. I love how the work I do has my clients eliminating emotional baggage amazingly quickly, allowing them to almost instantly be free of fears, phobias, anxieties and other negative emotions and beliefs that they had been carrying around, often for years.

I’m in the middle of writing my new book, and I just wrote a section where I explain how “humans are a perfect balance of the physical and the spiritual, neither one having more importance than the other. When we “live in our heads” we may perceive ourselves as purely spiritual beings, but it is the gift of a physical body that allows us to have this experience of being here on earth.”

When we resist doing the things we need to do for ourselves, like exercising or preparing a salad, then that is a signal from the subconscious that there is some emotional block needing to be addressed. However, after that it’s up to us to take care of the body we’ve been given, because nobody else is going to do it for us.

Your subconscious has a sense of humour?

Wed, 14 Feb 2018 03:56:00 GMT

If I haven’t said it before, the subconscious can be pretty funny.

I was working with a friend, JT, this past week to address some food intolerances that had come up recently. Within the past year, and completely out of the blue, she had started to reacting to salmon, hummus, and peanut butter.

We decided to start with salmon first.

As we do, we looked for the emotional root cause for the intolerance, and quickly homed in on an issue she was having with a group of colleagues at work.

One woman in particular was especially aggravating for her. The woman had been sending her department work to do but would neglect to provide all the necessary details; when JT confronted by her about being unable to do the work properly without all the required information, she received nothing but arrogance for her trouble. Over a year later, JT was still annoyed by it.

Once we neutralized the feelings between her and the woman, her problem with salmon disappeared! But what would salmon have to do with a frustrating colleague?

After a bit of searching, a memory surfaced. JT remembered being in the lunch room one day while this colleague, whom she disliked so much, was microwaving salmon.

And that was the link.

It was like her subconscious said “She likes salmon, and I don’t like her, so I can’t enjoy salmon anymore.” Isn’t that crazy? Crazy, but true.

The whole point of the intolerance is to get our attention regarding some unresolved incident. JT’s salmon problem was meant to remind her of the colleague and the negative feelings surrounding her!

And the hummus?

The hummus took us a little more time to figure out.

The event was straightforward. We tracked it back to a performance evaluation her boss had given her. It was a good evaluation overall, but there was one piece in it that JT thought was unfair and shouldn’t have been included, and she had some lingering bitterness about it.

We cleared that up quickly, and hummus was testing fine, but what was the link?

JT rarely ate hummus. And despite our efforts to find a link with hummus to the boss who did the evaluation, none was forthcoming. “I know there wasn’t any hummus at my performance evaluation!” JT joked.

So I gave up. The intolerance was fixed, so discovering the link was more to satisfy our curiosity than anything else.

We moved onto peanut butter.

But the peanut butter was now testing strong.

Apparently the same event had triggered both intolerances.

We decided to search for a link to peanut butter, which surfaced after just a few minutes.

They have a no nut policy at work, and rather than being strict about implementing it, JT’s boss was so lax that she herself brought in a Reese Peanut Butter cake to celebrate an employee’s birthday. (An action which JT found rather shocking.)

And therein lies the link.

JT didn’t have a problem with pea nuts, just peanut butter . She could eat peanuts all day if she wanted. The cake was a peanut butter cake. Her subconscious was linking her to her boss through the memory of bringing in peanut butter. We found it!

So where does the hummus come in?

When her subconscious found that having a peanut butter intolerance wasn’t doing the job to get JT’s attention to resolve the issue, it cast a wider net. It added more foods to react to. It’s very possible that had it gone on longer, even more foods would have become a problem…butter, cream cheese, jam…everything you can spread? Who knows? But that is how the subconscious works.

Nuts, eh? (pun intended)

If you’ve got food intolerances that you’d like to resolve (and maybe even figure out how they came to be in the first place), connect with me to give the Accelerated Release Technique a try. I’ll be happy to help!

Do you believe in miracles?

Wed, 13 Sep 2017 12:22:00 GMT

I do now.

I’m talking about those “there’s-know-way-that-could-possibly-have-really-happened” kinds of experiences that science is completely incapable of explaining.

I’m talking about some seriously weird sh*t.

Why do I believe? Because in my line of work, it’s impossible not to. I’m an energy healer working with the subconscious using a brand new modality called the Accelerated Release Technique (ART). And I promise it’s unlike anything else you’ve ever experienced.

To illustrate, here’s a typical day in the Arora household (Friday, Sept 1):

1:30pm

13-yr old Daughter: Mom, I need you to work on me before school starts on Tuesday! I want to wear earrings but all the ones I have I’m reacting to. It’s getting so bad…the last time I tried, within a half hour my left ear even started to bleed!

Me: Oh! I didn’t realize that was a problem for you! I’m sorry, kiddo. I’ve got some time free at the moment, do you want us to work on it now?

1:30-2:30pm

ART session with my daughter. We discover first that the reaction to the earrings was symbolic of an event from her past, after which we identify the exact event (from age 6!) and then resolve and release the underlying emotional issues associated with it.

2:30pm

Daughter puts on the same earrings that had previously caused her an adverse reaction.

4:30pm

Me: Hey, Kiddo! How are your ears now?

Daughter: No pain! Not bleeding! Thanks, mom.

Now she can wear whatever earrings she wants without her ears becoming swollen and bloody. Just like that. Sounds like a miracle, right?

I’ve had clients come into my office with long term (ie. multi-year) congestion issues walk out incredulous because they can suddenly breathe through their noses; I’ve had a client with unexplained shakiness in his hand (bad enough at times to make writing difficult) leave with his hands no less steady than mine; I’ve had clients with desperate fears of heights leave me and go walk on the glass floor of the CN tower without a care. I’ve had clients with gut-wrenching gluten intolerances eat cookies and pound cake within hours of a session without a twinge of pain; and how about the pack-a-day smoker who left and didn’t pick up another cigarette again? The list goes on.

With ART, I get to feel like a miracle worker.

The Accelerated Release Technique has been a gift and a labour of love. A gift because it doesn’t really feel like it’s “mine” – I am still in complete awe over every session, marveling over how efficient and effective it is at zeroing in on the root of our issues and then releasing them so healing can take place. And a labour of love because I have worked to make it as simple and straightforward as possible. I don’t credit myself with having any natural intuitive gifts, so unlike every other modality out there, this one has been developed for individuals like myself in mind. If I can do it, anyone with an open mind and a penchant for problem-solving can do it, too.

And today, right now, I am looking for those people. More specifically, I’m seeking out those special few individuals who are going to love and resonate with ART as much as I do. The ones who are going to feel passionate about sharing it with the world.

These individuals are excited about energy healing. They want to use it for themselves, their family, and their friends, but also want to share their gifts in their communities as well. ART is too amazing to keep to ourselves!

It doesn’t hurt if they have a healthy interest in making good money while healing the world, either. The effectiveness of ART is not to be undervalued; in what may take years of therapy for other modalities, the Accelerated Release Technique can typically achieve in the matter of a few months.

And with ART, patience is a virtue. Humans are complex. On one level, they may desperately want to be free of an issue, but somewhere else they are holding fears or beliefs that get in the way of letting the practitioner in. These barricades may be abundant and the ART practitioner needs to bring them down one at a time. It takes time, but the payoff is more than worth it.

And finally, ART practitioners are detectives. It is not enough to simply make the problem go away; we need to understand why the problem manifested in the first place. This is the foundation of subconscious work. The subconscious is talking to us. We need to listen carefully to what it is saying.

I am holding my next ART practitioner training workshop on Nov 3-5, 2017 in Mississauga for a very small, select group of individuals who fit these characteristics. As of today, I only have 3 spots remaining. If you think you may have what it takes to succeed as an ART practitioner, then I would love to hear from you so we may discuss the possibility of you joining us. You can also find more information on my website . The best way to reach me is renu@healfromyourpast.com .

And if you know someone with whom this may resonate, please do us both a kindness and forward this along.

Finally, if you’re interested in hearing more about ART for yourself, or even booking a session to see what miracles may happen for you, please get in touch with me! I’d love to hear from you!

Oh, and please check out the video below!! It is a quick demo of an ART session which was done shortly before my last workshop. The modality has changed a little since then (it’s even easier and better!) but it still gives you a good idea of what ART is all about.

Many thanks!

P.S. Even if you don’t know of anyone personally who has shown an interest in energy work, if you could do me a favour and share this, you would helping me tremendously in getting the word out. Plus, you never know whom in your network you may be helping!

Are you a closeted spiritualist? This post is for you!

Tue, 16 May 2017 19:43:00 GMT

If you haven’t been following me for long, you may not know that my interest in energy work was not always something that I felt comfortable sharing. It was uncomfortable because I myself had once been an ardent skeptic, so I knew the kinds of negative thoughts and opinions I was up against. I was afraid that people would think less of me – that I was “crazy” – and that I’d suddenly lose the respect of many people that I had worked to achieve over a very long time.

To some degree, this is exactly what happened. Certain friends would completely stop asking me about my work and what was going on with me; the new chapter in my life became the proverbial elephant in the room that nobody wanted to acknowledge was there. Were they embarrassed? Did they want to keep themselves from hurting my feelings? I don’t know, but I dreaded the period of “small talk” between the beginnings of our get-togethers and the game or movie or other purpose for gathering. I couldn’t get away because most of these friendships were shared with my husband. It didn’t help matters that he himself held exactly those same negative thoughts and opinions, and that he would freely admit to me how embarrassed he was by me and how much he hated being thought of as the “poor guy with the crazy wife.” Thankfully, he has come around and now fully supports me, but for a while I didn’t know how our marriage could have survived otherwise.

If you can’t be yourself around the closest people in your life, how can you expect to do it amongst groups of strangers?

But I kept seeing results. Things that I at one time would have called miracles happened on a regular basis. It would have been easier to stop and just go back to my life as a dietitian, but I kept going despite feeling so alone and unsupported everywhere outside of my office; I knew the work I was doing was too important to quit. I was making a difference in people’s lives.

But what did my friends and family think of all the amazing results? That I was just really good at “peddling placebos”. I was heartbroken.

Fast forward a year and life is completely different. Not only are those skeptical friends and family members now in my corner, they’ve started asking me for sessions! I’ve figured out ways to get believers and disbelievers alike on board to give ART a try, and they can’t deny the results. I’m attracting people into my life who support me and the work I do and I’m happier now than I can ever remember being. I get to spend every day doing what I love, bringing health and happiness to the people around me.

And I want the same for everyone. In Thursday’s webinar I’ll be sharing my story and everything that I myself have learned to “come out of the closet”. If you or anyone you know is seeking to break out of their shell and fully embrace all that life has to offer, then I invite to participate in this webinar and share the link with your friends.

You can register by clicking here . Don’t delay…the webinar takes place this Thursday at 4pm!

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Top 5 Ways to Spot a Spiritual Person (aka You Might be a Spiritual Person if…)

Mon, 03 Apr 2017 11:01:00 GMT

Last week, I had the opportunity to do a presentation for members of a referral marketing network I belong to, and I thought it would be a fun idea to give them the tropes or stereotypes of spiritually open people so they could spot potential clients to introduce to me. To my surprise, many of them who already self-identified as spiritually inclined weren’t even aware of these!

Here’s the list. I’ll be curious to know whether you find that any of this applies to you or not. Let me know in the comments!

The top 5 characteristics of Spiritual Seekers

1) They LOVE the colour purple

Purple clothes pepper their wardrobe; men with purple ties and sweaters; women in purple coats. They are drawn to it. Why? This requires a little understanding of Chakra psychology, mainly that the chakras each resonate at a different colour frequency, and that the spiritual (Crown) chakra is purple (violet). For all the chakras, individuals with an abundance of energy concentrated in one area tend to favour the related colour.

The most interesting part of this particular stereotype is that it exists whether you consider yourself to be spiritual or not. Purple has been my favourite colour for as long as I can remember, however until I was personally initiated into the world of energy work, I thought all of this stuff was utterly crazy! That said, despite that belief, I was always open to the possibility that there might be something about the world that I didn’t know or couldn’t explain. Without knowing it, I was a Spiritual Seeker.

They wear crystal jewelry, or they keep crystals at home or on their desk. Some even keep smaller crystals in their pockets or purses. I’m not talking about the conspicuous ones – diamonds, emeralds and so on – but things like rose quartz, amethyst, amber stones and more. Crystals radiate energy, and many energy-sensitive people are drawn to those energies.

3) They like to share Inspirational Quotes

These are the individuals on social media sharing quotes by Louise Hay, Deepak Chopra, and other well-known spiritual thought leaders. They have read The Secret or talk about the Law of Attraction and Abundance. Instead of using the word “God” you may hear them speaking about the “Universe”.

4) They frequently use the word “Journey”

Spiritual people view life as a journey, more about accumulating experiences rather than reaching any particular destination. This is a common characteristic of individuals open to the world of spiritual understanding.

5) They use words like “Energy,” “Auras,” “Chakras,” “Chi,” or “Karma”

Can’t forget the obvious! Using energy-speak is a definite sign of someone interested in all things spiritual.

So there you go. You may find that all or none of them apply to you, but I’d love to hear your comments either way!

Spirituality Meets Science Episode #19 – Understanding Bowen Therapy

Mon, 06 Feb 2017 14:42:00 GMT

In this episode, Renu and her guest, Monique Bourgeois, discuss Bowen Therapy.

Monique can located in Mississauga and be reached at www.healingpointsbodytherapy.com .

Spirituality Meets Science Episode #18: All About Mediumship

Mon, 30 Jan 2017 02:32:00 GMT

In this week’s episode, I chatted with Jen Pantella “the No-Nonsense Psychic Medium” and spiritual store owner, Marlena Blodgett, explain all about mediumship.

Jen can be reached on Facebook as No Nonsense Psychic Medium or via email at nononsensejen@gmail.com.

Marlena can be reached at www.facebook.com/EnchantedMeadows or Enchantedmeadows.net. Her store, Enchanted Meadows, is located at 223 Main Street, Slatington PA and the number there is 610-760-3015.

Jen had offered to be my volunteer for my Facebook Live demo, but sadly, tech difficulties prevented us from connecting. We still intend to make it happen, so that will get posted separately once it happens.

Spirituality Meets Science Episode #16: Scientific Hand Analysis

Sun, 15 Jan 2017 18:56:00 GMT

This week, I talked about Scientific Hand Analysis with certified hand analyst and lifestyle strategist, Marcella Theeman.

Marcella can be reached via her website www.yourhandscape.com or on Facebook at Handscapes .

After the show I did a live demonstration of the Accelerated Release Technique on Facebook Live which you can catch below.

Spirituality Meets Science Episode #15: Understanding Akashic Records

Fri, 06 Jan 2017 14:31:00 GMT

In this week’s episode I interviewed certified Akashic Records healer, Emily Harrison.

Emily can be reached at www.askyourrecords.com . Connect with her and you can receive module one of her course on learning how to read the Akashic Records for free!

Following the show, we moved over to Facebook Live where Emily volunteered to receive a demonstration of the Accelerated Release Technique.

Spirituality Meets Science Episode #14: Taking Your Meditation Practice Deeper

Sat, 31 Dec 2016 02:34:00 GMT

In this week’s episode I chat with my guest, contemporary shaman, EagleSpirit, on how to get the most out of meditation.

EagleSpirit can be reached through her website eaglespiritjourneys.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FeelSoulGood

To access EagleSpirit’s free guided meditation from her Journey of the Heart CD go to http://eaglespiritjourneys.com/heart-to-heart-global-meditation-peace-in-paris-and-beyond/ The healing CD is also available on iTunes at http://bit.ly/1jQKfYL

Spirituality Meets Science Episode #13: Chakra Psychology

Sun, 18 Dec 2016 17:33:00 GMT

In this week’s episode of Spirituality Meets Science, I chatted with guest Stella Stathi about her work using Chakra Psychology.

Stella works with women to overcome their Food, Weight, and Body-Image issues through her program Body Prema: The Chakra Path to Radical Food & Body Freedom. Stella can be reached via her website www.bodyprema.com or email her at stella@bodyprema.com.

Spirituality Meets Science Episode #11: Access Consciousness Bars

Wed, 07 Dec 2016 04:10:00 GMT

In this episode, Renu and her guests, Tess Griffin-Adams and Anca Moraru, discuss the the science behind Access Bars.

Tess can be found in Port Joli, Nova Scotia and can be reached via her website tessadamscoaching.com, on Facebook at Vibrant Living By the Sea, or by email at tessadamscoaching@gmail.com.

Anca lives in Mississauga, Ontario, and can be reached at ancadanym@yahoo.com.

Spirituality Meets Science Episode #10: New Energy Medicine

Fri, 25 Nov 2016 16:19:00 GMT

In this episode, Renu and her guest, Art Pouchet discuss a new modality called New Energy Medicine.

Art can be reached via his websites www.newenergymedicine.org or www.integritytherapeutics.ca. Or you can contact him directly by email at newenergymedicine@gmail.com.

Guest interview with Messengers of Spirit

Sun, 13 Nov 2016 15:58:00 GMT

On Friday I had the pleasure of being a guest on the internet show, Messengers of Spirit. The topic was Divine Healing. Enjoy!

Spirituality Meets Science Episode #9: Understanding Reiki

Sat, 12 Nov 2016 15:40:00 GMT

In this episode, Renu and her guests Astera Manis and Abra Merlino discuss the ins and outs of Reiki.

Astera can be reached at Silver Star Reiki. Her email is silverstareiki@gmail.com and phone number is (312) 810-0801. Abra can be reached at Wellworks Mind and Body Studio at the number (609) 517-8927.

Spirituality Meets Science Episode #8: Introducing the Accelerated Release Technique!

Fri, 04 Nov 2016 15:12:00 GMT

In this episode of Spirituality Meets Science, my good friend, “Coach Nick” Pereira switch things up a little bit and he interviews me. This week marks my official launch of the Accelerated Release Technique. It has been many months in the making, but the Trigger Release Method that I have been using and teaching for so long has evolved and morphed into something brand new and even more amazing.

I’m afraid we had some technical difficulties in the beginning, but we get through them and have a wonderful discussion. I hope you enjoy it!

An open letter to anyone who cares about me

Tue, 01 Nov 2016 16:02:00 GMT

I need to get to work.

I have my very first practitioner training workshop which I’m delivering solo coming up this weekend, and I’ve got lots left to do, but this morning I’m feeling so overwhelmed with sadness that I can’t concentrate or focus on anything.

And I know from experience, strong emotions need to be let out, and writing them down is the best way to release them. But I can’t just journal out my feelings and put them away; there’s some part of me that needs to believe that there’s a sliver of a chance that the people I’m writing about might see this and want to make things better, so I’m doing this publicly. And, if they choose, they can pretend they never saw this, and things can just go on the way they always have, but I’ll know I’ve done as much as I’m comfortable doing.

Why here? Why not. While I try to keep my posts strictly professional, I figure it’s my blog and and if you find this particular post to be a self-indulgent pity party, then please skip to another post. I promise, they’re not all like this.

A little background: I’ve been involved in energy work for the past few years, but it’s been my sole focus for one year now. Before that I was a dietitian, a scientist, and a hard-core atheist I was respected by my peers for being very intelligent and logical, and their opinion meant a lot to me. I thought energy work was utter nonsense and wouldn’t have given it the time of day. Most of my friends thought the same.

But then things changed. I learned. I experienced. I was shown incredible things in the world of energy that my scientist-mind wanted to understand. I wanted to explain the unexplainable. I studied. I researched. I did case study after case study after case study. I’ve spent literally thousands of hours discovering the rules of the energy world, because there are indeed rules. Blood, sweat, and tears have gone into putting together something, the likes of which I don’t think has ever been seen. Granted, from my limited experience, maybe there is something just as amazing out there, but for someone who, only a few short years ago didn’t believe in souls, or a universal energy, or anything out there that was bigger than ourselves, I feel like this is knowledge that could revolutionize the world.

The list of amazing things I’ve seen could go on for pages, but here are just a few:

Spirituality Meets Science Episode #7: Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)

Thu, 27 Oct 2016 21:18:00 GMT

In this episode, Renu and her guests Ara Good, Fran Burke, and Nicole Tomingas discuss the science and practice of the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).

Ara Good can be reached via her website www.aragood.com ; Fran can be reached at www.howtoendexamanxiety.com ; and Nicole can be reached at www.nicoletomingas.ca .

Spirituality Meets Science Episode #6: Hypnosis

Sun, 23 Oct 2016 18:24:00 GMT

In this episode, Renu and her guests, Nisreen Foda and Jodie Tessier, discuss the science and myths surrounding hypnosis.

Nisreen can be reached by email at nfoda@hypnosislifesolutions.com or phone at 416-571-2700. Her website is hypnosislifesolutions.com

Jodie can be reached at PFHypno@gmail.com.

Spirituality Meets Science Episode #5: Understanding Crystal Therapy

Tue, 18 Oct 2016 16:06:00 GMT

In this episode, Renu and her guest, Lesia Yacht, discuss the science behind Crystal Therapy.

Why everyone should be like me

Thu, 13 Oct 2016 11:00:00 GMT

I love Trigger Release, and being a TRM practitioner. But I’ve got to admit, for the last few months, I’ve been feeling pretty blah. Not like my usual self at all. I usually have so much energy that you’d pretty much have to pin me down to contain my excitement, but something has been just a little “off” for a while now, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

I started my new practice in November…was there some underlying fear holding me back, so I wasn’t giving my all? Then came Christmas, so was I “too busy” with all the activity of the season that it was draining me from really getting things done? And then we hit the New Year and I found myself catching a bug that just didn’t want to let go of me.

Excuse after excuse after excuse. And I’d use TRM with myself to see if I could uncover it, but I never made any significant impact. What was I missing? Or was there really nothing there and my body was just trying to tell me that I needed to take a break?

So today I was lying in bed feeling miserable, again with no energy, and absolutely no desire to leave the comfort of my warm sheets. But I really did want to get up and join my family, to enjoy the day together.

And then it suddenly dawned on me: Wholeness. If you don’t know about Trigger Release, then let me share with you the part of the methodology that really makes the biggest impact on people’s lives. Wholeness.

To best understand it, picture your life-force energy (your spirit, your soul, or whatever name you prefer) as existing in a great big sphere. All the information, past events, everything that is working to create your experience here on earth lives in that sphere. Sometimes, tragedies and traumas happen which can fracture that energy sphere, leaving pieces attached, but distanced from the whole. So now instead of imagining a sphere, imagine a balloon with strings attached. Part of your energy is in the string, but the string isn’t entirely connected to the whole.

To put this energy fracturing into a more tangible context, think of a time where some tragedy or trauma took place, but you weren’t emotionally capable of dealing with it right then. Your subconscious chose to put it in the “back of your mind”. In that moment, your energy was fractured.

A key part to understand about TRM is that when we use the methodology to get answers from a person’s subconscious, we only have access to the energy that is in the sphere! There can be vital information in the “strings” relating to a person’s issue, but the subconscious will treat it as though it is not there. So the very first thing we do in a TRM session, is make a person as “whole” as they can be in the moment. In doing that, we can feel much more confident that we’re addressing the root cause of a problem.

I realized this morning that I hadn’t checked my own self for “wholeness” in many months. It didn’t occur to me that I had been through anything particularly shocking or traumatic in the last while. I quickly discovered that I was wrong: When I left my dietetics practice to do TRM full-time, I made some people deeply unhappy with my decision. I knew that their reaction had bothered me, but I “put it out of my mind” so I could get my practice started without the distraction. In not dealing with my own issues right away, my energy was fractured…all the TRM work I did afterward to find out what was going on never got to the core.

So today I sat in my bed with my book and my pendulum, getting to the root. I figured out why I was procrastinating, and why I didn’t want to leave my bed. I cried as I discovered that somewhere deep down I believed that I didn’t know who I was meant to be; and that that lack of clarity of purpose in my subconscious was keeping me in limbo, wanting to move forward, but staying stuck.

Under an hour later, I emerged from my bed full of excitement, ready to take on the world. I feel like I’m finally back to my old self, and I’m marvelling at the difference.

TRM is not magic, and you don’t need any special intuitive abilities to be able to do it. (Just like being able to cook, some people are more naturally gifted at it, but with practice, anyone can do it). So why do I wish everyone could be like me? Because I wish you could sit in your own bed, figure out why you’re feeling down, let it go and then bound forward into your day.

If you’re interested in learning more about TRM, either to become a client or a practitioner, please feel to contact me at renu@healfromyourpast.com. I’d be thrilled to connect.

Spirituality Meets Science Episode #4: Reflexology

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 00:55:00 GMT

In this episode, Renu and her guests, Trudy Parolin and Sandra Dale, discuss the science and practice of Reflexology.

Trudy can be reached through her website http://www.atouchofenergy.ca/ and on Facebook as well. Sandra can be reached at the clinic where she works, Erin Mills Optimum Health, at http://www.erinmillshealth.com/

Spirituality Meets Science Episode #3: Understanding Aromatherapy

Fri, 23 Sep 2016 02:00:00 GMT

In this week’s episode, Renu and her guests Helen Smeh and Yvonne Erlichman discuss the science of scent…Aromatherapy!

Spirituality Meets Science Episode #2: All About Quantum Touch

Thu, 15 Sep 2016 02:27:00 GMT

In this week’s episode, me and my guest, Ty the Spirit Messenger, discuss the ins and outs of Quantum Touch.

Spirituality Meets Science Episode 1: 3 Ways to Demystify Energy Work

Fri, 02 Sep 2016 17:54:00 GMT

Do You Believe in Ghosts?

Sun, 10 Jan 2016 02:56:00 GMT

I certainly didn’t always. And I really don’t like the term “ghost”…it makes me think too much of the cartoon “Casper, the friendly ghost” or the translucent, floating, talking figures in the “Harry Potter” movies. I really can’t take that kind of stuff seriously.

I prefer the term “spirit.” Why? When we speak of someone’s spirit, we don’t generally associate it with something tangible. More than likely, my preference may have something to do with the fact that I don’t sense spirits in any “conventional” way. Having expanded my network to include many, many energy workers, I’ve met a surprising number who have told me that they do see or hear spirits on a regular basis. While a few years ago I would have considered that worthy of some form of psychiatric intervention, nowadays, my choice is to believe that either my new friends just happen to be significantly more energy-sensitive than I am, or that I should be checking myself in somewhere with padded walls. The choice was made easy after the following event took place.

I’m going to call this Episode 1 of the Weird Files.

A long-time client of mine came to me with a request regarding a friend of hers, whom I’ll call Anne. Apparently they had moved into their new home just over a year previously, but since the move, Anne’s 9 year-old son had been having a lot of distress when it was bedtime because he said “people” would visit him all night and keep him awake. My client asked me if I might be able to help.

My thought: So is the kid crazy, or are there actually ghosts in the house?

Now I’d heard of people cleansing their homes of negative energy using various rituals – burning sage and such – but I can’t say I thought much about it. However, I knew my business partner, Helen, would have some idea. Correct in my assumption, Helen did have some wisdom regarding getting rid of spirits from the house which I relayed. Unfortunately none of it worked. So, we were asked if we would be willing to come in and see what we could do. Intensely curious, we agreed to try.

Oh my God. Yes, we were seriously going out to be Ghostbusters.

The first thing we did was go up to the kid’s bedroom. Helen walked in first and immediately walked out. As energy-sensitive as she is, whatever it was in there nearly knocked her out…she came out of the room nauseous with her head spinning. As a result, I was tasked with analyzing the room, because, as I’ve mentioned before, I have absolutely no “sixth sense” about this stuff at all. I didn’t feel a thing.

So how did I analyze it? Dowsing rods. If you don’t know what they are, I suggest you read up on them. They are incredible tools that have been used for thousands of years. Hydro workers use them to this day to accurately locate sources of groundwater. Using a pair of dowsing rods specially attuned to human energy frequencies, I scanned the empty room. The rods went crazy! Any time I pointed the rods at certain points of the room, they would swing out rapidly; I used them to scan the next bedroom and nothing happened. Very strange. For sure there was something bizarre going on in that kid’s room!

Without getting into too many details, we figured out that the spot where there was the most activity with my dowsing rods was a particular electrical outlet in the room. Helen surmised that that was where “they” were getting in…it was so intense it was like they were being pulled in.

That got us (okay, Helen…I was totally out of my element!) thinking. She suspected that someone in the house was acting as a magnet for them. We went back to chat with the family and did some energy tests on the family members. Again, for the sake of brevity, we discovered that the dad was particularly energy sensitive…but in his case, it didn’t mean that he was seeing ghosts himself, more like whenever he would park under a street lamp, it would burn out! Strange things would happen to him whenever electricity (aka energy) was concerned.

This was where I could do my thing :). We identified that he had an “intolerance” to various forms of electricity, and then using Trigger Release, we were able to eliminate his intolerance. Once that was done, we went back to the room and, amazingly, the electrical outlet was no longer triggering my dowsing rods! There were still pockets of energy in the room though, so we pulled out some sage and crystals and proceeded to cleanse the room. (Yes, I did feel rather silly doing it). Afterwards, however, the corners were clear, too. The dowsing rods didn’t flicker. Amazing!!!

About a week later we connected with Anne to find out how her son was doing. She was thrilled to report that he had been sleeping peacefully without any complaints at all! She noticed another thing, too…for the very first time in the year-plus that they had been living there, the floor in her son’s room was warm. (Do dee do do, do dee do do…)

Do I expect you to believe any of this? Probably not. Looks pretty freaking crazy to me, too. I wouldn’t have believed any of it myself if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.

Do you have your own ghost story to share? I promise I’ll believe you!

Do you know WHY you have pain?

Sat, 19 Dec 2015 17:06:00 GMT

Fridays I spend with my partner, the incomparable Helen Sladden . These are the days we take care of the nitty gritty around promoting and marketing the Trigger Release Method to other energy workers who may be interested in adding a new modality to their toolbox; as well we have clients come to see us where they, by virtue of having two practitioners working together, get a more intense TRM session, and we have the opportunity to learn more and gain an even deeper understanding of energy healing which we are then able to incorporate into the methodology.

Not far into the session, I could feel my lower back starting to bother me. I switched sitting position a few times, and that didn’t seem to help. I knew back problems had something to do with emotional support, so I quickly thought about recent events in my life, but since nothing had changed lately, I didn’t see what it could be. At one point I had to reach down to grab something off the floor and – “Ouch!” It hurt enough that I mentioned that my back had begun to trouble me; though not to worry, we could still finish the session and then I’d deal with it.

Once we were done, and our client had left, Helen began talking about social media and how she would work on getting over her resistance to it, as well as suggesting other avenues she could use to get our message out. I think she could see my mood brightening as we spoke, and after a few minutes she turned to me and asked, “how is your back now?”

Surprised at the question, I wiggled around in my chair a bit to find that my back pain was better! Unable to figure it out myself, I asked Helen, “what happened?”

Her response. “You weren’t feeling supported by me .”

She was right. Our discussion in the morning, while I didn’t consciously think it was bothering me, had knocked some of the wind out of my sails. I had felt like I was going to have to do extra work to compensate for her being unwilling to click on a “like” or two. My back was trying to let me know that I needed to take charge and address my feelings. Lucky for me, however, Helen saw it for me and provided the show of support I needed. Thanks, Helen!

Have you got lower back problems? Do you feel emotionally supported by all the people in your life? Or is there something lacking? Sometimes simply writing down your emotions is all your subconscious needs in order to release them. So, leave it in a comment…who knows how you’ll feel once you get it out of your system!

A story about lobster, and connecting the dots

Sat, 12 Dec 2015 14:23:00 GMT

A few months ago I worked with a woman who had an intolerance to lobster. She enjoyed it tremendously, but her reaction to it was unpleasant enough that she could no longer eat it. As she was about to go on a trip back to her hometown in the maritimes (lots of fresh fish and shellfish!), her lobster problem was the focus of our session.

Not getting anywhere with that approach, I asked her to stop trying to think of lobster stories and just focus on the clues her subconscious was providing for us. Once she did that, a completely different event was revealed to us: a good friend of hers had moved away when she was young and while they had kept in touch, their relationship had never been the same. My client admitted to me that she did hold onto some regret over not making the effort to reconnect and rekindle their old friendship.

Bingo. Regret is a powerful emotion whose job is to spur us into action – either to fix the problem if it is still possible to do so, or to accept what we cannot change and move on. Holding onto regret is never beneficial. After identifying the event, we continued with the Trigger Release Method to resolve and release it. As soon as that was complete, my client’s subconscious indicated that her intolerance to lobster had been cleared.

But what on earth did the life event have to do with lobster??? I didn’t see anything obvious, so I asked her if she could piece it together. It only took her a moment to make the connection… “my friend’s dad was a lobster fisherman!”

The subconscious never fails to amaze me.

Afraid of heights? Here’s one man’s story of releasing his fear.

Sun, 06 Dec 2015 05:26:00 GMT

I’ve mentioned many times that fears, phobias, allergies, intolerances, and more exist as a way for the subconscious to signal to us an unresolved issue from our past. As a Trigger Release practitioner, it is sometimes a challenge to make sense of the relationship between the signal and the cause, but here’s a beautiful case study which illustrates just how clever the subconscious mind can be.

A few weeks ago I had a gentleman visit me to see what the Trigger Release Method is all about. As we chatted about different issues we could work on it came to light that he had a severe fear of heights. His wife wished they could travel together, but there was no way he was flying in an airplane! (They do a lot of driving as a result). His fear was so strong that as he was describing a trip that he had been on with his family, including a description of being afraid of watching another car driving high up a nearby mountain, he interrupted himself to tell me “Renu, my palms are getting sweaty just thinking about it now!” As it turns out, he couldn’t even look at the photos from this trip without discomfort.

Using TRM we tracked his fear back to a single incident that took place when he was about 9 years old. He and his friend were at home playing while his grandfather happened to be doing some work on the roof. Thinking it would be funny, the boys moved the ladder!

…Needless to say, they got into heaps of trouble for their behaviour!

So how does this translate to a fear of heights? The next step in Trigger Release was to discover what purpose that experience served in his life…what lesson was he meant to learn from it? The lesson that came up was to “Trust in the act of Forgiveness.” Looking back on the event, he realized that he still felt guilty over leaving his grandfather stranded on the roof. He knows he was just a kid, and that his grandfather would definitely have forgiven him, but he didn’t “trust in the Act of Forgiveness,” so the guilt remained nonetheless. His fear of heights was the product of the guilt he was experiencing – taking on the fear that his grandfather would have felt during that episode was one way that his subconscious was trying to signal him to resolve the guilt.

After we identified the event, he then mentioned to me that he would occasionally have dreams where he himself was the one trapped on the roof, unable to get down…an even clearer signal was being sent by his subconscious!

The next step was to “anchor” in the lesson as per the TRM technique, after which I then asked him to think again about the car on the mountain that we had been discussing not even an hour before. He concentrated on the memory for a few moments and then asked me…”I’m thinking about it, so how come my palms aren’t getting sweaty?”

I only had one reply to give him. “Because you’re no longer afraid of heights.”

What is your problem? It’s not that bad.

Sat, 28 Nov 2015 02:16:00 GMT

Yes. It. Is.

We’ve all been through it. We react to something way more than the “average” person does, but since it is normal to us, we wonder how come everyone else doesn’t feel the same way.

For example, I adore mushrooms, but I once had a hard time understanding those people who hate them so much that they will go so far as to pick out every last one rather than let a single piece past their lips.

But at the same time, I despised coriander. “Disgusting!” “That stuff tastes like soap!” “Whenever a little bit makes it into my food I can’t taste anything else!” “How can you stand it?” I would ask, bewildered.

That is the nature of intolerances. They are personal.

This really hit home last week when I was at a conference with my daughter.

We were at a booth sponsored by HydroOne, and they had one of those machines like you’d see at the Science Centre, a silver ball that generates static electricity. One kid is supposed to put a hand on the ball, and holds hands with another kid, who holds hands with another kid, until you reach the one on the end…the electricity has no place to go so the last kid winds up with hair standing on end from the static charge. A pretty neat demonstration, except that my daughter wanted no part in it. She was totally freaked out by the thought of having this electricity running through her. Thinking she was just being “silly,” I told her it was no big deal and she should participate in the circle.

Big mistake! As my daughter tentatively reached for the hand of the kid touching the ball, you could hear the crackle of the static shock she got. It hurt her so badly she had tears in her eyes, and cried to me that she felt like she had just had a heart attack. Sounds a little extreme, right? I, too, might have thought that she was just “being a wimp” except I’ve seen my kid fall off her bike and faceplant onto the pavement with less anxiety…she’s no wimp by a longshot.

So what does this all mean? When you have an intolerance to something, your body doesn’t perceive or react to it the same way as everyone else. We really do become hypersensitive to it, leading us to react more forcefully than we may otherwise have done. When we correct the intolerance by resolving the underlying problem, the hypersensitivity disappears and our reactions to them become “normal” once again.

As an example, I can now eat coriander without difficulty. I still don’t love it, but I don’t need to pick it out anymore. For another example, I had a session with a young lady who couldn’t stand celery; if there was even a little bit in her food, she said it would make everything taste bitter. When we were done, however, she was eating (and enjoying) raw celery by itself!

So, the next time you catch yourself or someone else “overreacting” to something, try to refrain from judgement and instead recognize that everyone has their own issues, resulting from their own personal past experiences; realize that their bodies may be responding to the exact same thing as you but in a very different way, one that seems quite extreme, but also that they may have no way of controlling the reaction.

Is there something you react to more forcefully than your friends? Do you have any stories to share of different types of intolerances you’ve seen? Awareness is the first step to tolerance, so sharing your story could help someone else.

Chocolates and cookies and pastries…oh my!

Sat, 21 Nov 2015 05:40:00 GMT

Do you crave those sugary treats? Add that little extra sugar to your coffee? Use granola bars or digestive cookies as your between-meal snacks? Or do you go wild on fruit throughout the day?

If any of the above are true, it is possible that you have an intolerance to sugar !

An “intolerance” to something is an energetic term that is used to describe any way that your body doesn’t properly recognize or utilize that thing. The classic, most obvious intolerances are allergies, in which the body reacts right away to the substance as it tries to eliminate it from the system. Less obvious intolerances lead to signs and symptoms which one might not experience for days or weeks. To my mind, the most interesting way that intolerances may manifest is in how we emotionally respond to the substance…for foods in particular, intolerances may manifest as foods we love , foods we hate , or foods we crave .

I know it sounds odd to think of someone craving something they don’t like, but it does happen. I have had clients who didn’t love particular foods, but they craved them nonetheless. Or for a non-food, think of smokers who dislike cigarettes but crave them anyway. (Yes, that means that all types of addictions can be thought of as energetic intolerances.)

So, if a craving for a sugar intolerance may have an energetic component as a result of your subconscious trying to tell you something, what do you think it may be trying to say?

Sugar is sweet, right? When we crave sugar, (and when there is no physiological problem, as in a candida overgrowth) it is because your subconscious is trying to let to know that your life is lacking in sweetness…that something sweet is missing in your life.

I’ve actually seen this over and over again. For example, a session with one young lady revealed that her sugar cravings were the result of her sister, with whom she was very close, having eloped and abruptly leaving the family home.

And another was the result of a new mom having to go back to work after her maternity leave had ended. While she was happy to go back to work, she also missed that regular connection with her little one.

A sugar intolerance does not necessarily mean that you don’t currently see your life as “sweet,” but it implies that some sweetness was lost at some point, and you still, at some level, regret the loss.

So, if you’ve got a sweet tooth, take some time to think about where in your life some sweetness was taken away, and whether you still feel a twinge of sadness over it. If so, write out your feelings…get it out of your system…and then let it go. You might be pleasantly surprised at the result!

If you can’t do it on your own, then you may want to give Trigger Release a try. I’d be happy to help!

Saying goodbye

Sat, 31 Oct 2015 17:20:00 GMT

It’s official! I’ve just finished my last week as a dietitian, and I’m beginning my new career as a full-time Trigger Release Method (TRM) practitioner! Woohoo!

It’s funny, I thought leaving dietetics would be a bittersweet experience, but I’m surprised to find that it’s really not.

I suppose that’s partly because over the past few weeks I’ve had a few people contact me who would still like to meet with me to provide them with some nutritional advice even after I make the change. It occurred to me that just because I’m leaving dietetics, it doesn’t mean that I have to leave the field of nutrition . I quite enjoyed myself during my time as a dietitian, and it’s not like I’m going to suddenly forget everything I’ve learned over the past twelve years, so I’ve decided that I will continue to offer my services as a nutritionist alongside my TRM practice. It won’t be my primary focus, of course, but it will be there for anyone who wants it.

Mostly, though, I’m just really excited to begin this new chapter in my life. It has been so rewarding to be able to help so many people eliminate allergies and intolerances, fears and phobias, chronic pains and anxieties and so much more over these past couple of years that I am truly bursting with excitement to be able to do it full-time.

With the changeover, I’ll be moving over to a new website, www.healfromyourpast.com , and taking down this one (although I have imported all my blog posts into my new location…it would have been sad to lose everything I have written over the past three years). I thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading what I have written, whether this is the first time you’ve heard of me or if you’ve been alongside me for years: your time is precious and I appreciate you spending some of it with me.

If you like what I write, and you’d like to accompany me on this new adventure, then I ask that you please subscribe to my new blog/newsletter .

If you want to find out more about the Trigger Release Method, go to www.triggerreleasemethod.com. For info specifically on working with me, go to www.healfromyourpast.com. I give every new client one free TRM session, so you can try it out worry-free! What have you got to lose?

I hope you’ll take me up on my offer and give it a try.

And now, onward!

Hmmm…energy work, eh? What’s really going on?

Thu, 22 Oct 2015 03:28:00 GMT

I’m counting down the days…10 more until I “officially” begin my new career as a Trigger Release Method practitioner.

I’m sure you must be wondering what on earth I must be thinking to be giving up my “respected” position as a dietitian for something that, I won’t argue, seems a bit nuts for most people. So, today I want to give you some insight into the reason I’ve fallen in love with this entirely new way of looking at the world, and it all has to do with understanding and appreciating the elegance and mystery of the subconscious…

The following is my very first case study in energy healing, the one which planted the seed of what was to eventually develop into the Trigger Release Method. It is an excerpt of the book Trigger Release: Returning to Wholeness written by myself and my co-author, Helen Sladden.

The Beginning:

C.G. is a lovely gentleman who came to me, hoping that as a BIE practitioner, I could help with his multiple food intolerances. There were a very limited number of foods that he could eat that didn’t give him phlegm or some other discomfort. The problem had been getting worse over the past few years, and he finally couldn’t ignore it anymore. Something had to be done.

Muscle testing with samples of food items revealed over forty different food intolerances. As a result of my experience with BIE so far, I suspected that addressing all 40 foods was likely going to take bi-weekly sessions for months. In that moment, I thought to myself, is there a simpler way? A little sheepishly, I asked C.G. if he was willing to allow me to try something I never had done before, a method that I had only just heard about. To my delight, he was a good sport and didn’t hesitate to say yes.

We picked up one of the vials, and through muscle testing, I asked if there was an emotional root cause to the intolerance. My heart skipped a beat when the response was “yes.” I continued on. Did a life event cause it? “Yes.” Using some lists of emotions, the precursor of the “Clues List” we use today, I asked for emotions that would help us identify the life event. We got just one – anger. More questions were needed to narrow it down. How long ago? “10 years.” Who was involved? Wife? “No.” Parents? “Yes.” Father? “No.” Mother? “Yes.” So you had an argument with your mother 10 years ago? “Yes.”

The light bulb went off. “That was the year I got married, and it was also the time I had this huge argument with my mother. Our family has always been vegetarian, and I told her that I had decided to eat meat.” There was no doubt in his mind that this was the argument in question. C.G. believed that he had let the anger and resentment of that argument go in the past, but truthfully, he had just buried it. As this was long before we had developed the Lessons List or knew about the Ego, Outside Influences, and all the rest, we simply spent some time discussing the event and releasing the anger that he had been holding onto. Once that was done, I asked his subconscious if there were any other emotional root causes we needed to address. Answer, “No.”

We then retested the vial that he had been holding onto and to the shock and awe of us both, it was testing strong!

We decided to do it again with another vial. But it was testing strong, too! In fact, all forty vials that had previously tested weak were all strong. I almost fell on the floor.

C.G. and I then pieced together what had happened. After he had had this argument with his mother so long ago, his intolerances started, but not all at once. Interestingly, the very first foods he had begun reacting too were meats.

Why would that be interesting? It shows us that the subconscious doesn’t do things randomly. It wanted C.G. to address the argument he had had with his mother, an argument about eating meat. Doesn’t it just make sense that the subconscious would get his attention by disturbing him every time he ate meat as a way for him to put two and two together? Unfortunately, it didn’t work, so his subconscious had to take more drastic steps. Over the years, in my opinion, it added intolerances to dairy, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and more, until ten years after the original incident, he couldn’t ignore the signs any longer. So he found me. Then, once we found the original cause, his subconscious, content now that it had delivered its message, no longer needed to send him signals. In an instant, all his food intolerances were gone.

It’s been over a year now since that day, and C.G.’s food intolerances have never returned.

Making a Change

Thu, 15 Oct 2015 18:45:00 GMT

If you’ve only just started reading this blog, and didn’t read my last, few posts, particularly “Coming Out…in a manner of speaking” or “Trigger Release for Inner Peace” then let me bring you up to speed. Long story short, over the last couple of years, I’ve developed more than a passing interest in energy healing and spirituality, to the point that, with my wonderful colleague, Helen Sladden – a phenomenal Reiki master and intuitive counsellor – we have developed a brand new alternative healing modality called the Trigger Release Method. The book I am referring to is Trigger Release: Returning to Wholeness , wherein we describe and teach how to use this methodology.

Also since that last post, my partner and I have taught two Practitioner Training Workshops. We now have a handful of individuals who will soon to be experts in TRM, ready to open up their own practices to assist others. You know, it’s one thing to believe that you’ve created something that may improve the lives of others; it’s an entirely new feeling when another person believes in you and your vision enough to wish to share it, thereby taking it further than you could do alone. It is humbling, flattering, awe-inspiring, and frightening all at once!

So you can see, my attention is clearly divided. While my work as a dietitian has been very satisfying and rewarding for many years, it now pales in comparison to this new frontier I have entered. As much as I do still enjoy teaching my clients good habits that will, when consistently implemented, create long-lasting health benefits, it’s nothing like the feeling I get when my client is suddenly able to eat a food that used to make him sick; or when her pain disappears in an instant; or that knot of anxiety in his stomach dissapates; or she tells me that she finally, after however many years it has been for her, feels “whole.”

So I’m both excited, (and somewhat freaking out) to announce that I’ve decided that at the end of this month, I will be leaving dietetics to pursue energy work full-time. (Translation: I’m not planning to pay the >$1K per year to maintain my registration with the College of Dietitians and membership with Dietitians of Canada so I can keep the letters RD after my name, without the desire to primarily practice as an RD.)

Until then, I’ve got a few posts in me before I change over, and once I have my new newsletter database set up, I’ll provide details on how to subscribe to my new site should you wish to follow me there.

If you want to know more about Trigger Release, and get a glimpse into how it has managed to pull me away from the career I thought I’d be following for life, then check out the website www.triggerreleasemethod.com for details. If you’re curious to see for yourself what it’s all about, then look at my new website www.healfromyourpast.com . In the interest of getting as many people to try it as possible, I’m offering everyone a free first session, so you really can “try before you buy.” I’m confident you won’t be disappointed.

Signing off for now!

Renu

Campaign progress: almost half way there!

Thu, 02 Apr 2015 14:13:00 GMT

I’m exhausted!

Who knew running a crowdfunding campaign would be so tiring?

Before I get too far into into the behind-the-scenes of running the campaign, I first must say how thrilled I am that as of this moment we’re only a few dollars short of being at 50% of our goal, and we’ve still got 10 days to go. Yay!! My partner and I have been unbelievably humbled by the support we’ve received so far…family, friends, clients…the idea that we have touched the lives of so many and that they appreciate us so much that they are willing to provide not only emotional but financial support as well is truly incredible. We can barely express our gratitude.

If you didn’t read my last post , you may not be aware that I’m co-authoring a book! The manuscript is nearly complete and in order for us to be able to afford to publish it, we’ve launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise the funds needed from the kindness and generosity of friends, family, and acquaintances who see merit in the work we’re doing and would like to see the end product, and/or who just have enough goodwill towards us to support us in something that is so very important in our lives.

Also if you haven’t read the last post , or the one previous to it, you might be surprised to hear that it is not in the field of dietetics or nutrition at all! Rather, it is a book on energy healing; specifically, a brand new methodology that my partner and I have developed ourselves.

As I was saying…boy am I tired! I’ll be honest with you, I don’t really have a knack for social media. I’m reasonably comfortable with Facebook, though I don’t generally spend a lot of time using it. Twitter completely confounds me…I feel like it’s geared towards people with ADD…with things moving so fast, it just hurts my brain! My life would be so much happier if I never saw another “hashtag” again! Don’t even get me started on Instagram, Pinterest, and I don’t even know what else is out there.

Successful crowdfunders know how to make use of social media. That means regular posts to gain momentum. Here’s the thing…I had no idea to what to post each day. Then I had an idea:

My book is on energy healing through our new methodology, the Trigger Release Method (TRM). My partner and I have spent the last year and a bit developing the methodology by working on many, many people. We’ve had some incredible successes. In anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, I’ve seen food and environmental intolerances eliminated; arthritis pains, back pains, and other pain issues disappear; fears and phobias vanish; lots of mental and emotional issues resolve; and much more. I’ve managed to gather enough testimonials to be able to post one for each day of the 30-day campaign, and so that is what I’m doing. (Not a bad idea, eh? If I do say so myself…)

There are currently 10 days left in the campaign, and 21 testimonials on the site. If you’re curious to know what TRM is all about, please take a look at the campaign page: www.triggerreleasemethod.pubslush.com . If you’ve worked with me already, then it’s possible you’ve already experienced TRM…if you liked what you saw, then I could really use your help. Heck, if you are willing to contribute a few dollars just because you like me , I’ll be grateful for that as well (probably more so!).

Finally, if you’re interested in trying a TRM session for yourself, I’d be more than happy to work with you! If you’re local (Mississauga or Etobicoke, Canada) then contact me and I’d be pleased to book a session with you. Once the campaign is complete (and I have some time to breathe!), I’ll be offering Skype sessions as well, so stay tuned for that!

One last time, here’s the campaign site: www.triggerreleasemethod.pubslush.com

Wish me luck!!!

Renu

Trigger Release for Inner Peace

Mon, 16 Mar 2015 14:00:00 GMT

Have you ever found yourself repeating the same mistakes over and over, without ever knowing why?

Can your issues overwhelm you, leaving you feeling lost and alone?

Every day we routinely carry out activities without a thought as to where the ideas or actions come from. We generally know ourselves – how we’ll react in a given situation – but we often feel powerless to actually change our reactions. Our instincts take over: they tell us to worry; or to get angry; or to run away; or to remain calm; or to display any number of reactions to the countless different situations we encounter.

If all of our actions were under conscious control, then this would never happen. We would simply choose how we wish to behave, and that would be all there is to it.

But it’s not that easy. Have you ever heard the expression “to be of two minds” about something? It’s actually a pretty good description of what goes on inside us; we really do have two minds: the conscious, and the subconscious mind.

Our conscious mind is what we use to achieve our daily routines; it is the analytical part of the mind. It is the part of the mind that allows us to process new information regarding the world around us, and that allows us to learn. Once we have learned something, however, the conscious self no longer has to work on it, so it “downloads” this information to the subconscious, the unlimited repository where we hold all the data and information of our accumulated existence. When you were young, you learned to crawl, then walk and talk. But now, we don’t think about putting one foot in front of the other to get us from here to there; or about how to form the sounds in our mouths to make up words. The subconscious takes care of all of that.

The problem arises when our “two minds” are in conflict. For example – you’re feeling angry or upset about something when you know you really shouldn’t; you have an irrational fear or phobia that you want to let go of, but can’t; you know you shouldn’t have that second piece of cake, but you really , really want it.

When our “two minds” disagree, there’s always a reason; it’s because something is out of balance, and our subconscious mind is trying to get our attention. Most of our memories we would call “two-dimensional” – they are stored like the pages of a book – there for us to peruse and file back when finished. Some experiences, however, are charged with emotions; when we think of them we instantly feel anxiety or fear or bitterness or a lack of self-worth etc. The emotions behave like an extra dimension, taking up space, not easily filed or stored. These emotions can erupt spontaneously, offered up as a gut response to a trigger. There are times when we may have even forgotten the initial Life Event or challenge that stored the particular emotion or reaction, but the subconscious has not; it is constantly seeking resolution.

We now know that to achieve balance and inner peace we must release the triggers and limiting responses; letting go of the emotional charge, outdated or inappropriately stored subconscious programming. Only then will the subconscious no longer “argue” with us; balance will be affirmed; the problem resolved and the trigger released.

For the past couple of years, my partner, Helen Sladden , and I have discovered that unresolved issues or triggering life events may not only be linked to mental “arguments with Self” but may also result in physical symptoms and discomfort, food intolerances, emotional and sleep imbalances, irrational phobias and fears, arrhythmia and even more. Using a technique we have developed called the Trigger Release Method, our work with scores of clients so far has resulted in arthritic pain relief in the hands; joint relief; calmer and more restful sleep patterns; eliminated food and environmental sensitivities; increased self confidence; digestive relief; greater understanding and acceptance; relief of other mental, physical, and emotional issues; plus opportunities to discover the inner self.

We strongly believe that the Trigger Release Method is a breakthrough in energy work and we are thrilled to announce that our book, “ Returning to Wholeness: How to easily overcome destructive thoughts, resistance to change, and to free yourself from your past ” detailing the exact methodology to follow to learn about and release the blocks that have been holding you back from achieving balance and inner peace, will be out soon. We are currently in the middle of a fundraising campaign to raise the money necessary to publish it.

If what we’ve written today intrigues you, and you are interested in learning about us and our work, or in providing your support, please visit our campaign site at http://triggerreleasemethod.pubslush.com/ . If you become a fan, you’ll receive updates on the campaign as it progresses. Finally, if you know of anyone who might be interested in what we are doing (or who might know others who may), please spread the word…anything you could do would be greatly appreciated!

And if you’re one of my clients who has seen the Trigger Release Method in action, I ask you to use this opportunity to make a comment about it and help me spread the word about how easy, insightful, and effective it is! Thank you!!

Coming out…in a manner of speaking

Sat, 07 Mar 2015 17:05:00 GMT

For the past year and a half, I’ve been a closeted Spiritualist.

There, I said it. There’s no taking it back.

Why is this a big deal for me to say? Because I can only imagine what you are thinking of me right now. Because it’s what I would be thinking of me right now if I hadn’t seen and experienced what I have in the last couple of years. That is: “Really? I can’t believe she takes this hocus pocus mumbo jumbo seriously! If she believes in that, what other nonsense does she think? Anyone who utters such crazy-talk obviously has their head in the clouds and can’t possibly be very bright.”

I’ve already gotten a taste of this attitude already: when I’d mention this new interest to some friends or acquaintances, the conversation would rapidly get changed to something else; some of my closest friends would at least do me the courtesy of telling me outright how nuts they thought my new ideas were, and then patiently listen to me, amused smiles on on their faces, and forgive me this one defect in my personality because they’ve known me for so long. My own husband is troubled by this change in me as well, all the more so because of the expressions of pity he has started getting from his friends: “Poor guy, so sad his wife is such a head-case.”

Before all this, I myself was a resolute atheist, with little or no patience for spirituality or religion. I’m a scientist (for real! I have a degree in biochemistry) so without a reason to believe in something “divine” or “supernatural”, there is no way I would be convinced to do so. For me, nothing changes without proof.

So how did I get from there to here in such a short time? In a nutshell, I was convinced , little by little, kicking and screaming, struggling with my beliefs all the way. It wasn’t like some huge accident or trauma occurred, with me waking up to “see the Light”. It certainly wasn’t some supernatural experience or some such. It crept up on me very slowly in the beginning, gaining momentum as I started to understand more, to the point where now I don’t have any idea how far down this rabbit hole goes.

It started with an introduction to something called BIE (Bioenergetic Intolerance Elimination). Simple enough. I was taught that everything has energy (that’s not news) and as a result, each vibrates at a different frequency (also logical). The body happens to recognize substances not so much by their physical characteristics, but by their frequencies of vibration. (Little bit of a leap here). This was proven to me over and over again through something called biofeedback analysis (aka muscle testing ). This type of testing, with a remarkable degree of accuracy, can determine if a person has a mild, moderate, or severe intolerance to a substance (or none at all). Even more amazing was the theory that intolerances exist because the body has stopped recognizing the frequency of the substance, and through the BIE process, the body can be reintroduced to it. Sounded completely unbelievable to me, that is, until the process managed to relieve me of a long-standing soy intolerance in under 15 minutes.

A true scientist is a person who can have tightly held beliefs, but in the face of new information will re-evaluate what she knows to be true. The ego is not involved here; it is more far important to discover the Truth than it is to be proven wrong.

As unbelievable as BIE was, I couldn’t pretend that it didn’t work. My paradigm needed to shift. I needed to recognize that Energy played a role in healing. My new Truth was that we all have energy flowing through us, our Chi or Aura, if you will, and our interaction with the world had more to do with this energy than I could quite understand.

This was still very science-based: energy is science, right? You don’t need to believe in some kind of higher power to believe in energy. It was an understanding of energy that most people didn’t “get,” but I was totally comfortable with it.

Then I met Helen and things got strange in short order.

Helen is a Reiki Master (with a lot of other certifications, but that was the one for which I sought her out). A friend convinced me that I should learn Reiki with her, and despite my skepticism, I agreed, and I contacted Helen to teach it to us. While I don’t remember my initial thoughts on Reiki, Helen and I immediately clicked. We knew that somehow our different healing modalities were going to come together, so we started getting together weekly to explore putting together BIE and Reiki. During these weeks Helen and I would discuss the impact of emotions and stress on the development of disease, and I’d go back to my practice to discover that yes, indeed, most people developed a new issue immediately following some stress in their life. She tried to convince me that the new problem is just a message, the body’s way of pointing out an unresolved situation or trauma, and I would listen patiently, thinking that as much as I liked her, she really did hold some very strange beliefs.

Then I read an article written by another BIE practitioner, Kory Monteith, suggesting that intolerances could be cleared simply by using muscle testing to access the subconscious; if one is able to identify the root cause of the intolerance and address it, the intolerance resolves itself, obviating the need for the BIE machine. Hold it. Whaaaatt??? Isn’t that what Helen has been trying to tell me for the past few months? Intrigued, I called Kory up so she could explain to me her exact methodology. The next day at work I had a client with so many food intolerances that it would have taken me months to address them all, so I decided to test out Kory’s theory with him. Amazed was not a strong enough word to describe how I felt as muscle testing revealed the emotions, timeframe, and individuals involved in a life event that my client readily remembered; then after discussing the situation and releasing it from his system all of his food issues were completely resolved (and as of a year later, not returned).

So my paradigm had to shift again. I had just witnessed someone heal from 40 food intolerances in front of my eyes by simply figuring out what emotions were trapped in his psyche that needed to be released.

Helen and I later had a client with severe arthritis in her hands necessitating the use of 6 tylenols per day whose subconscious was so protective, we couldn’t access the life events in question because, we assume, it would have been too painful to discuss. We didn’t get anywhere with her that day. Helen, realizing in her wisdom that the life events themselves are not really important, but it’s what we learn from them that counts, asked the Universe what the lessons are that we are meant to learn, sat down at her computer, and proceeded to channel 52 life lessons. The next time that woman came back, we asked her subconscious if there was a lesson she was meant to learn and got an affirmative response. Once we finished anchoring the relevant lessons, her pain completely disappeared. She no longer takes any tylenol for her hands.

Paradigm shift. Now we are beings on this earth with the goal of learning the lessons life has to offer. This is the nature of spirituality. We are spiritual beings living in a physical “suitcase”.

If it were just these couple of cases, I might have been able to convince myself it didn’t really happen, but I see this kind of healing on a * daily * basis. Intolerances, pains, fears, phobias, and more, gone in a matter of a few minutes. Things that a few years ago I would have considered nothing short of miraculous are (while no less thrilling each time), almost routine. There really is no turning back.

I’m coming out with all this now because my “public persona” is about to change, and I need to explain why. I can no longer pretend to be the same person I used to be. I have been on a blogging hiatus as I sorted out what was important to me and what I wanted to say. For my clients, readers, family, and friends, this is my way of making it official.

I can no longer talk about calories and weight loss without focussing on the fact that emotions, and belief systems have a huge impact on whether, on a deeper level, we feel safe enough to let the weight go.

How about sugar cravings? Your body is telling you it is lacking something sweet. What is it missing?

Or even something as seemingly straightforward as an iron deficiency is not necessarily so straightforward…what is your body trying to say to you if it is incapable of absorbing such a key nutrient?

Yes, of course, proper diet plays a huge, vital role in achieving optimal health (I haven’t forgotten that!), but some problems just run deeper than food alone.

I have always been respected for my intelligence and my down-to-earth, practical nature, and I have taken pride in that. I didn’t just change my mind overnight; I haven’t been possessed by some alien being; I haven’t been brainwashed by a cult; and deep down I’m still that same, intelligent, down-to-earth person I always was, but with a deeper understanding of the world than I used to have. I really hope I haven’t lost your respect, but here’s the bottom line: if all of this makes you uncomfortable, then unsubscribe; if not, then look forward to hearing about the world from a whole new perspective.

Health Canada is jumping on the sugar bandwagon…kind of

Fri, 25 Jul 2014 19:48:00 GMT

Standardized serving sizes

Proposed is to make serving sizes standard across similar foods to make different brands easier to compare. For example, right now you’ll find yogurts sold in tubs with suggested serving sizes of anywhere from 1/2 cup to 1 cup, meaning you have to do a bunch of mental math to see how they compare, bite for bite. Once the changes are implemented, all yogurts sold in tubs will have a serving size of 3/4 cup on the label.

For some other examples, all breads will use 2 slices as the standard, crackers will be the number that closest approaches a 20g serving and so on.

This change gets a double thumbs up from me!

Added sugars to be itemized separately

Just like we now have sub-categories for saturated fats and trans fats on the Nutrition Facts label, added sugars will be given its own line. This means buying healthy foods like muesli or a fruit and yogurt parfait won’t set off the sugar alarm the way they do now; milk sugar and fruit sugar will not be part of the “added sugar” line, only the extra sweeteners will. (The one exception is fruit concentrate because, really, that’s just sugar.)

This is a huge improvement and I hope this will make it easier for those of us who wish to reduce our intake of added sugars to make it significantly easier to do.

The one disappointment I have is that while Health Canada is now including a %DV (daily value) for sugar, they have chosen to use the value of 100g of total sugar (20% of calories) as their daily limit, rather than the 24g (6 tsp, or 5% of calories) of added sugar recommended by both the WHO (World Health Organization) and AHA (American Heart Association). In my opinion, this is a huge copout by Health Canada in favour of the food industry; the evidence against added sugar is mounting, but without some guidance on specifically how much added sugar we should allow, the lines are blurred between added sugar and natural sugar and it’s much more difficult to know what you’re getting. I think it’s important that consumers see that their can of regular soda pop, at 39g of sugar, contains 140% of their DV for added sugar, or that a medium iced cappuccino from Tim Hortons (46g sugar) contains 184% of their DV. As it is proposed the numbers won’t look so bad. We’ll see the pop as 39% of our total sugar, not thinking about the sugar contained in the fruit and dairy products we are consuming each day.

Added sugars to be grouped together in ingredient list

As you’re probably aware, ingredients are listed on the package in order of weight, from highest to lowest; however, sugar has so many forms that, up to now, manufacturers could disguise how much is in a product by listing each form separately. Glucose, sucrose, dextrose, high fructose corn syrup, rice syrup, agave nectar, cane sugar, beet sugar, glucose/fructose, and more are all different names for sugar. Many products are primarily sugar by weight, but when listed separately they don’t appear so bad. The new proposals recommend that added sugars all be grouped together as in the example below.

There are several other changes, all of which are well thought out and should serve their intended purpose of making the Nutrition Facts more useful. If you’re interested in learning more, you can check out this website . Better still, Health Canada is seeking public input on the changes until Sept 11, 2014, so click on “Participate now!” and you share your opinion. I did. Maybe if enough of us say something, they’ll use the %DV for added sugar instead…now’s our chance to make a difference!

Snack more after exercise? Depends on how much fun it was.

Mon, 16 Jun 2014 13:30:00 GMT

Scenario two: it’s a couple days before Halloween and the family wants to look at all the houses with their spooky decorations, so you walk around for an hour, having a good time taking in the sights.

The interesting thing to note about the two scenarios is they are exactly the same, except the first one is perceived as “exercise” while the second is “fun”. And a new study published in Marketing Letters reveals that when we define an activity for ourselves as “exercise” we are more likely to later reward ourselves with a treat, or a larger portion of one, than if we simply engage in the activity for the enjoyment of it.

For instance, let’s look at one of the experiments in the article. Study participants were divided into two groups, both of which were being asked to walk 1 mile, but provided with different incentives. Half of the participants were asked to walk the mile purely for the purpose of exercise, with instructions to rate their energy level at each of 6 points along the route. The second group was given mp3 players and asked to listen to music and at each of those 6 points on the route, rate the clarity of the music reception. The first group, who perceived the activity as “exercising” consumed larger portions of pudding and regular pop afterward than the other participants who found the experience to be more “fun”. In both cases, the energy expenditure was the same, but the desire for a pleasurable reward is triggered less often when the activity itself has been enjoyable compared to when the individual felt like it was work.

Three separate experiments were conducted in the study, all exploring this idea in various ways. It’s well worth the read.

For me, the take-home message here is two-fold. One, we should aim to make physical activity as enjoyable as possible: listening to music while walking; watching TV while on the treadmill; and engaging in activities that allow us to simultaneously be social with friends, for example; the more intrinsically fun it is, the better our mood afterward, and the less we seek compensation through food. And second, if we do choose to exercise for the sake of exercise, we should be aware of the natural tendency we have to eat more afterward and monitor ourselves to prevent this behaviour.

What are your thoughts on this? Have you noticed this tendency in yourself? I’d love to hear from you!

A guide to choosing your produce in season

Mon, 26 May 2014 14:02:00 GMT

So I recently watched a documentary delving into many unpleasant truths about today’s food industry and at the end felt more frustrated than anything else about the plight we are in. Food is big business, and as I’ve complained many times before, unless and until we get a system of government regulation (and a government that implements it) that actively pushes for the health of Canadians over the interests of food producers and manufacturers (eg. standardization of organic produce , limits on sodium allowed in processed foods, labeling of GMOs, to name just a few), we really are at the mercy of what’s in the grocery store.

Before any hard-core health nuts get on my case, we don’t all have the time, space, or inclination to grow our own food, nor do we all have easy access to farmer’s markets, or the financial wherewithal to afford to buy organic. While desirable in the abstract, these are not always realistic for the majority.

My biggest takeaway was to buy local whenever possible. Food that’s produced locally will have been picked when just ripe, and chances are, it’s only been a day off the field. So, it’s as fresh, tasty, and nutritious as it’s going to get. Food that has to travel great distances to get here is picked under-ripe so that it can ripen on the truck. That translates to food that’s been pulled out of the ground earlier than it should (so it misses a few more days of picking up nutrients from the soil), and which then has to sit in a truck for days while the nutrients it does have begin to deteriorate. This isn’t even getting into the environmental impact of the energy for gas and refrigeration required for transport.

Buying foods in season, because of the minimal transport required, also cost less than anything you’ll get out of season.

If you want just the list without the extra info, then I’ve compiled the information from the site into a chart for you. You can view it here or download a pdf copy below.

Looks like it’s time to buy some asparagus…:)

P.S. In case you’re interested, the movie was Food Inc. Highly recommended, but not for the faint of heart.

Ontario Produce Availability Guide

I have a bone to pick with Clif Bars

Wed, 14 May 2014 16:30:00 GMT

In case you haven’t heard of them, they’re fairly popular energy bars (amongst people who consume energy bars.) Their claim to fame is that they’re made with “70% Organic Ingredients.” I was traveling a few weeks back and on the way home my host kindly offered to provide me with some snacks for the trip home. I had never tried a Clif Bar before and appreciated the opportunity to test one out.

This post isn’t about the merits of the bars themselves. I don’t typically eat this type of product, so I have limited basis on which to make a comparison. I can say that if you’re looking for a quick between-meal snack, at 250 calories a bar, they’ve got far more calories than a reasonable snack should offer. (A more appropriate range would be 100-180 calories.) Plus, they are quite sweet, which should be no surprise since brown rice syrup was the first item on the ingredients list.

No, my problem is with their Nutrition Information table. I have no problem with the fact that the list of vitamins and minerals they include is a mile long – anything beyond Vitamins A, C, calcium, and iron are voluntary – and it’s no lie to include everything that’s there, even though some may be present in such small quantity as to be negligible. Companies realize that not everyone is going to actually read the nutrition facts; a good number will simply glance at the lengthy list and believe that they are buying something especially nutritious. That’s (technically) a legitimate advertising technique.

For those of us who do read the table, however, it’s a whole other story. The makers of Clif Energy Bars go out of their way to make it as hard as possible to judge the nutritional value of their product. I’m a registered dietitian who has spent years in school working with Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) and Recommended Daily Intakes (RDIs), and I still had to spend an hour looking up whether each of the nutrients had a good amount or an insignificant amount in the bar!

How confusing is it? Let me count the ways:

1. Uses absolute numbers instead of percent

Do you walk around with the knowledge that the recommendation for riboflavin is 1.7mg, or for biotin it’s 300 µg? Despite my background, even I don’t have them all memorized. In Canada and the US we have something called the “% Daily Value” on our nutrition labels. The Daily Value is an amount that, for the given nutrient, should meet the needs of 98% of the population. The Percent Daily Value then allows us to, at a glance, determine if there is a little of a nutrient in the food, or a lot of it. Pretty straightforward, eh?

So when Clif Bar & Company decides to tell us that there are 0.35mg thiamine and 50mg magnesium, I get a little annoyed. Do they expect us to start carrying around reference guides with us to the supermarket?

2. Use mg as the unit of measurement for almost everything.

At least if they’d used the same unit of measurement for everything, I’d have to award them some points for consistency. No such luck. Everything is in mg, except for Vitamin A and niacin. Actually, their choices of units are so bad, that the bulk of my issues lie right here.

2a. Use of mg where other units are standard

There are some nutrients, like Vitamins D and E, for which you’ll never find them expressed in mg. There are different forms of each vitamin, with differing biological activity; the differing forms are measured in something called International Units (IU), so no matter which form of the vitamin you’re getting, you know that it is just as biologically active as another form with the same measurement. So 2.5mg of Vit E means nothing unless you know what kind of vitamin E you’re getting, and if it’s a nutritionally significant form or not.

2b. Use of RE for Vitamin A

This one is a little more complicated, but no less annoying. Vitamin A, like Vitamins D & E, also comes in different forms with different amounts of biological activity. For a long time, International Units (IU) were the standard, with each compound measured and expressed in IU. I won’t get into the details, but powers that be decided that IUs weren’t as accurate as they had originally thought, so they came up with an alternative conversion system, providing it with the name RE (Retinol Equivalents) instead. Then those, too, were deemed to be inaccurate, and the most recent system of conversions is referred to as RAE (Retinol Activity Equivalents), and RE was retired. The US FDA (Food & Drug Administration) continues to use 5000IU as the Daily Value for Vitamin A, but that is likely to change soon to RAE. (Health Canada currently uses RAE.)

So, what this means is, nobody uses RE anymore. Really. Just Cliff Bar & Company.

2c. Uses NE for niacin

Okay, technically they’re on the right side of this one. There’s movement from mg to NE (Niacin Equivalents), but as with RAE, the change is in progress, and most people have not yet made the switch. The Daily Value (which is the most common reference point for us) has not been converted to NE as yet, so again, the information is not as useful as it could be.

2d. Uses mg when µg makes more sense.

I like numbers, so I’ll admit that once in a while can be surprised at how uncomfortable some individuals can be when it comes to doing some simple math. This time, however, even I couldn’t be surprised. Take a look at the amount of Vitamin B ₁₂ in a bar: 0.00025mg. Are we really expected to read that as 25 ten-thousandths of a milligram? Considering the DV is 6.0 µg, wouldn’t it make more sense to represent it as 0.25 µg in a serving? Just sayin’.

What’s so wrong with eating Indian food?

Mon, 14 Apr 2014 14:00:00 GMT

This question is suddenly relevant to me because I was approached recently by a journalist from the magazine South Asian Focus to provide expert advice on the dietary habits of a couple of Indian families for an article he was writing. These families have both recently been making changes to their diet to “eat healthier” and were incorporating more North American foods into their diet as a result. I was asked directly by the interviewer if the traditional Indian foods they were consuming were healthy. Interestingly, I wasn’t asked the same of the North American foods – there seems to be an unspoken bias that North American foods are healthier by default.

If you know much about Indian cooking, it’s not hard to see why. Traditional Indian foods – which, if you only eat in restaurants, is exactly what you’re most likely to be consuming – are terribly unhealthy. Indians love to cook with lots of oil and heavy creams. You’ll find vegetables cooked so long you’ll no longer be able to identify them. Samosas, pakoras, bhatura, kofta, bajji – you would think Indians don’t snack on anything that’s not deep fried. And the sugar in their desserts! You can get a toothache just looking at some of them.

Don’t get me wrong…I love them all. The flavours are heavenly. My parents had their own Indian restaurant when I was a kid. My mom is the most amazing cook EVER, so trust me, I know what’s traditional, and I also know what counts as classic restaurant fare.

On the other hand, however, there’s so much good about Indian food, that I feel like I need to talk myself hoarse to convince people not to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Many Indians have a vegetarian diet (of which I’m a great supporter!) with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables included in the mix. All that needs to be done is to adjust the recipes a bit; and nowadays, there are lots of healthy variations readily available in bookstores and on the internet. Cut down on the oil; bake instead of fry; use milk instead of heavy cream; and maybe turn the stove off a little early on those veggies and you’ll go a long way to make Indian cuisine some of the healthiest you’ll find.

Culture changes at its own pace, and you can’t change your genetic makeup, but you have complete control of what you’re going to eat, and that’s a choice you make every day, typically three or more times per day. Done right, Indian food, with all its wonderful variety, aromas, and flavours, can very easily be a regular part of a very healthy diet.

If you’d like to see my original article in South Asian Focus , click here . It’s the cover story; you’ll find the article on pages 10-11.

And if you’d like an example of Indian cooking made a little healthier, then look for my butter chicken/paneer/tofu recipe in my recipe book. It’s a free gift for signing up for my healthletter. Click here to get it.

Getting healthy with chia seeds and bingo

Wed, 19 Mar 2014 22:47:00 GMT

Today I’m pleased to share a guest post by Jamie Long. I’m looking forward to trying the recipe, too!

High cholesterol and cognitive disorders are two of the most common health problems in the US today. A cholesterol fact sheet from the CDC- Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, shows 71 million American adults have high low-density lipoprotein or “bad” cholesterol, the leading cause of heart disease. According to the American Psychological Association , approximately 20 percent of adults aged 55 and over suffer from a mental disorder, the most common being severe cognitive impairment (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease).

As we grow older, our body and mind tend to deteriorate. We can lower our risk of getting heart disease and cognitive disorders by a healthy diet and regular mental exercise. So, why not try chia seeds and bingo?

Chia are tiny black and white seeds that are used as energy boosters. It originates from a flowering plant in the mint family that’s native to Mexico and Guatemala. North America was unfamiliar with chia until researcher Wayne Coates began studying it in 1991. His research shows its positive health effects such as boosting energy, stabilizing blood sugar, aiding digestion, and lowering cholesterol. It is likewise rich in omega-3 fatty acids, carbohydrates, protein, fiber, antioxidants, and calcium. It can also aid in weight loss as it makes you feel fuller faster. Chia seeds are tasteless so you can easily incorporate them in your meals.

Another thing that’s beneficial to your wellbeing is playing bingo. According to the Psychology Department at the University of Southampton , playing bingo regularly can sharpen your mental abilities. It also lowers the risk of getting cognitive disorders as you grow older. Studies show the same effect with online bingo.

Because of the growing online gaming industry, people now have the convenience of playing bingo online. In a recent interview, Michael Buckley, Executive Chairman of Gaming Realms, operator of online bingo game Bingoiceland.com , said: “The online gaming environment is expanding, particularly in the mobile and tablet space.” Much of this market growth will come from the increased adoption of smart phones by consumers.

With all that in mind, here is a recipe of a refreshing and nutritious dessert you can snack on while playing online bingo. Chia Seed Pudding from Food Network’s celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis .

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:6]

5 Things to Know About Garlic

Sun, 24 Nov 2013 18:32:00 GMT

So as I was finishing up making some of my so-good-it-should-be-famous hummus, shamelessly scraping and licking the remains from the blender bowl, I was reminded once again how much I love garlic. Here are 5 useful things to know about this wonderful plant, including on a few tips and tricks on how best to work with it.

Not only does garlic add a delicious bite to many foods, it also packs quite a nutritional punch. The active ingredient, allicin, has been linked to a whole host of benefits including the following:

And more ….

2. To get the most out of your garlic, crush it.

Great news about trans fats!

Wed, 13 Nov 2013 19:02:00 GMT

The FDA is moving to ban them!!!

About this time last year, I wrote a post entitled Good news on the Cholesterol Front , a summary of a couple of studies that had come out, both of which indicated that cholesterol numbers were coming down for the first time in 20 years, and both of which reached the conclusion that this was due to reductions in trans fat consumption over the past decade.

For more details on how and why overall trans fat intake appears to have gone down, you can read my earlier blog post.

Today I’m very pleased to announce that the FDA (the American institution that regulates foods and food additives in the United States) has – finally! – caught up with all the scientific evidence out there and decided to remove the GRAS (“generally recognized as safe”) label on trans fats, effectively banning them from use in the US.

Good on the United States for making this important move to protect the health of its citizens! It is estimated that the removal of trans fats from the supply will prevent 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths yearly.

What’s Canada’s government doing? Hmmm….pretty much the same as last year, which is to say, nothing. (Aside: as on more than one occasion before, I’m biting my tongue to prevent completely venting on how furious I am at our current government’s use of Health Canada to protect the financial “health” of Canada’s big businesses, and not the health of Canadians themselves.)

But what does the FDA ban mean for Canada? Lots! Food manufacturing in the US is big business, and if food companies are now being required to reformulate their products to remove trans fat for the American market, it just makes sense that, instead of producing separate products to ship to Canada, we’ll receive the reformulated products as well. I expect the same to work for Canadian brands that ship to the US. This is excellent news!

Trans fats are gradually being banned all over the world. With the US having made this remarkable step, it’s just a matter of time before Canada does the same.

Want a Special Halloween Meal? Try Spider-Dogs!

Thu, 31 Oct 2013 15:41:00 GMT

My last blog post, written by guest blogger Tara Abu-Klam, was on tricks and tips to get picky eaters to eat their school lunches. She had a few things in there that I had never seen before, so I was eager to give some of them a try.

One in particular, a spaghetti and meatball necklace, was of particular interest. Not entirely sure how well it would work, I decided to go online to see if anyone had done it elsewhere and had some pictures posted. No luck there, but what I did find was something that looked a lot more fun and perfect for Halloween! Spaghetti- in -hotdogs!

Before anyone gets on my case, I’ll be the first to admit that this isn’t the healthiest food I’ve ever made. Being a dietitian doesn’t mean that my family and I don’t occasionally stray off Canada’s Food Guide. What it does mean is that I know, as anyone who strives to be healthy should understand, is that you don’t need to have a perfect diet to achieve this goal. But before I turn a fun post into a lecture, I’ll just redirect you to read my thoughts on this subject in my previous blog post on the 80-20 rule.

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This would probably work well with meatballs, although you have to make sure they are at least partially cooked ahead of time.

Have a fun and happy Halloween!

Picky kids? Make your food fun!

Wed, 16 Oct 2013 16:31:00 GMT

Today I’m featuring guest blogger, Tara Abu-Klam. Tara is a 3rd year dietetics student at Ryerson University. She’s active both in her school and community, running a school program called “Be Well”, geared towards the promotion of healthy living through social interactions and workshops. She describes herself as having gone from being a picky eater herself to a full-fledged foodie with great ideas to make food fun and appealing.

So you have a child, eh? And they have an issue with swallowing healthy food? Well, one thing you should know is not to worry, kids do that! The second thing you should know is that kids have imagination and like to play; they played with their food the first time you gave it to them, so your role as a parent should include embracing their imagination and go with the flow.

Let’s get to business, if you want the Tupperware you send with your kids coming back empty, well you better make the inside creative and fun. I’ll be suggesting some tricks for the important foods, some of which were inspired by my mother and grand-mother, others are just from the imagination of my inner-child.

Oranges: carve the skin only into shapes (usually eyes and mouth). This allows them to peel the orange easily while keeping it fresh and, of course, fun.

Sandwiches: write a message inside their sandwich using the minimal amount of dressing (ketchup, mayo etc.). This keeps them interested and curious of what their sandwich will tell them once opened. Here’s a tip: write the message on the side with the bread. Ketchup or mustard work best…the message soaks into the bread so it can still be legible when lunchtime arrives.

Soft Fruit: kiwis, peaches, plums etc. you can cut them up into flower-shapes and place them neatly in a container. This makes it really easy for them to eat without worrying about peeling or taking out the pits. Chef’s tip: take a

knife and poke into the middle making a zig zag (you’re not slicing from the outside) Once you’ve cut through the whole fruit, you should be able to lift the top half off from the bottom, yielding 2 flower-shaped pieces.

Veggies and Dip: sliced carrots, sliced cucumbers, celery etc. mixed together in a container. Another container has a healthy dip (hummus, Greek yogurt, zesty orange dip). And provide them with a funky food-pick to make it easy, clean and fun to eat their veggies. Dips and toothpicks are both big favourites for kids!

Cookie Cutter: those should be your best-friend! Shape their sandwiches, their cookies, their burgers even their fruits and vegetables! The sky is the limit really.

Spaghetti: poke the spaghettis through the meatballs before cooking them. This will make it easier to eat, you can even put a challenge on the container to eat the meatballs without breaking the spaghetti string. Chef’s tip: start with partially cooked meatballs with the raw spaghetti poked through; cook the spaghetti and meatballs together in boiling water until done; strain, add your favourite sauce, and serve!

Rice: try making sticky rice shaped into balls which can then be dipped into chili or masala.

I hope this opens up your imagination, too, and you can come up with your own ideas as well. Already have some ideas? Please share! I’d love to hear them, as I’m sure many other parents of picky eaters would, too.

Now let’s just hope your kids will be the ones eating their fun, delicious and healthy food and not their jealous friends!

Did you hear about the guy who made alcohol in his gut?

Tue, 24 Sep 2013 14:00:00 GMT

There’s no punchline here…this is absolutely true.

A man from texas suffered from a condition called Gut Fermentation Syndrome, (aka Auto-Brewery). His gut was out of balance, overgrown with an organisim called Saccharomyces cerevisiae, better known as Brewers yeast; any time he would consume sugar or most carbs (food for yeast), ethanol would be produced and get absorbed into his bloodstream, creating a rise in his blood alcohol level and causing him to be intoxicated – all without consuming even a drop of alcohol!

The full case history was published in the International Journal of Clinical Medicine . It’s a short, fairly easy read (for a science journal), and quite interesting.

It brings me to a larger point about gut health, though. While this condition is admittedly rare, gut imbalances are not. It only takes a round of antibiotics or a period of illness or stress (be it physical or emotional, as I mentioned in a previous post , stress can wreak havoc on the body), and the delicate balance of good and bad bacteria in our digestive system can be thrown off.

Here’s a cute, short video put together by USANA about the importance of gut balance. (It’s actually an ad for their probiotic, but the information is sound nonetheless)

Many forms of stomach discomfort and worse are caused by an imbalance in the gut. (e.g. far more common than Auto-Brewery is a candida albicans overgrowth; a fascinating subject for a future post). If you suffer from regular gas or bloating, a good probiotic might very well do the trick to get you feeling better. And as the video mentioned, 80% of the cells of your immune system are located in the gut as well, so an imbalance there also affects how well your immune system functions.

If you’re interested in the USANA product, I am a USANA Independent Associate, so you can contact me if you wish to try it. (I use it myself and can feel the difference right away when I take it) Otherwise, there are lots of good probiotics on the market. If you think your digestive system could stand some improvement, then I strongly encourage you to give a good probiotic a try.

Government allows vitamin D fortification of breakfast sugar…oops! I meant cereal

Tue, 03 Sep 2013 14:30:00 GMT

So to hear that the government is considering relaxing its policies on the issues of fortification, I believe, is a good thing. Since the 1970s, the government has made it mandatory that milk and margarine be fortified with Vitamin D, but in order to prevent overconsumption of the nutrient, disallowed it to be added to any other foods. Rickets, a bone disease linked to Vitamin D deficiency which had once been relatively common, essentially disappeared with the introduction of this policy.

Now the Sunshine Vitamin is getting more attention again and recommended intakes have increased from 400IU daily to 600IU as its numerous roles in the body are becoming better understood. A 50% increase in intake requires either that the government recommend supplementation for all, or that more foods be fortified. So what foods to fortify?

Froot Loops, apparently.

And Frosted Flakes, Krave, and Corn Pops. Frosted Mini Wheats, Special K, and Rice Krispies were also part of the group selected for fortification by Kellogs, the only brand in Canada given the go ahead for this three-year trial run.

This is so many degrees of bad. For one, as University of Saskatchewan professor Susan Whiting pointed out in her interview with the Toronto Star :

What’s worse, we’re being faced with a lesser-of-two-evils situation here, and the government needs to get its priorities straight. Not to mince words, but sugary cereals like Fruit Loops, Corn Pops and so on are bad for you . They truly have no redeeming features beyond the vitamins and minerals they are fortified with. Excess sugar and processed food consumption paves the way to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver, and so much more. There is NO good reason to ever buy them. But now Kellogs is allowed to advertise that they have Vitamin D inside, splashing “Good for You” on their packaging, and encouraging more parents to serve themselves and their children big bowls of sugar for breakfast.

Oy. For now, just take a supplement. A year’s supply costs less than a couple of boxes of Fruit Loops and is significantly better for you.

The Frankenburger…good or bad?

Sat, 24 Aug 2013 22:48:00 GMT

It has finally happened. Someone (in this case, reseachers at Maastricht University in the Netherlands) has grown a hamburger developed in the lab and cultured from stem cells. The taste test took place a couple weeks ago to rather ho-hum reviews, the consensus being that it had the texture of a conventional beef burger, but the taste was not as appealing due to a lack of fat.

But that’s the kind of problem that’s comparatively easy to fix – none of the stem cells had been developed into fat, which is what needs to occur in future to improve the flavour. The real problem will be converting this system for affordable mass production. The 5-oz patty that was served cost over $300,000 to produce.

I have no doubt that, in time, scientists will figure out how to solve those problems; that by the next decade we’ll be able to dine, relatively inexpensively, on beef burgers and steaks that did not require the death of a living creature to produce. My question is: is this truly a worthwhile endeavor?

It certainly has many plusses. For many, the reduction in animal suffering is a significant draw. I know there are many vegetarians, myself included, who gave up meat because of the ethics surrounding killing animals for food when, strictly speaking, it is not necessary to do so to live healthfully. As well, there are more than a few meat-eaters out there who always feel a pang of guilt when they consume animals, but for a variety of reasons are either unwilling or unable to give it up. So, guilt-free meat consumption is not an insignificant reason for this research to continue.

Even more valuable is the environmental impact this could potentially have on greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, and land use in general. Currently a significant percentage of our agriculture production is used to feed livestock. According to one statistic , it takes on average 6.2 tonnes of feed (much of it corn and soy) to yield 1 tonne of edible carcass meat, making meat consumption a rather inefficient use of our resources. This doesn’t even begin to touch on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced from the animals themselves. It is a well-known fact that the environmental impact of worldwide livestock production exceeds the impact of cars and other methods of transport. The single fastest, and most effective intervention we could make to mitigate the effects of global warming would be to become vegetarian…or at the very least to significantly reduce our meat consumption. Unfortunately, there are many people who don’t want to hear that, and large industries that would be at risk, so beyond the push for “Meatless Mondays” in the US (which has not been sanctioned by the USDA for this very reason), little has been done on this front. But I digress…

So, lots of benefits. But seriously, though, does this make sense? Are many meat-eaters going to go for it? Are they going to see this as meat? Because really, no matter how good it gets, it’s not going to taste exactly the same. Heck, meat from different parts of the country, or grass-fed versus grain-fed meats taste different to some. Will we see the “it’s only meat if an animal died to produce it” mentality?

To sum up, I think this is a big waste of resources. The people who are really affected by animal suffering, or environmental causes, or who are willing to concede that animals don’t have to die to produce a tasty, nutritious product are the ones for whom this project is designed; but those are the same people who would be willing to consume less meat, and maybe eat some meat alternates instead. It’s convincing the others that will be a challenge.

What do you think? Am I being unfair to my meat-eating friends? Would you be willing to try a frankenburger? Can you explain why the carnivores’ collective shudder over the idea of eating a meat substitute? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

The path to health part 6: exercise

Thu, 01 Aug 2013 14:48:00 GMT

This is the final piece in this series on the fundamentals for optimal health. While am a dietitian and I have no formal training in this area, nonetheless I would be completely remiss if I didn’t at least mention it: the final basic necessity to achieve True Health (as I see it, anyway!) is exercise.

There are two types of exercise: resistance (aka strength) training and endurance (aka cardiovascular) training. Resistance exercises are those which require using maximal strength for short bursts of time. Lifting weights is classic strength training. This type of exercise makes your muscles stronger and more powerful.

Cardiovascular training, as the name suggests, is good for your heart. This is exercise that you do for longer periods of time and which improves blood circulation through the body. Walking, running, biking and so on, all fit into this category.

So which should you do? There are plenty of debates over this one, but only if you’ve got an objective other than overall optimal health (i.e. exercise specifically for weight loss). But for good health? Both, of course! Does that mean you need to go out and get a gym membership? Not at all – unless you really want to.

The path to health part 5: Stress

Mon, 15 Jul 2013 15:46:00 GMT

Stress is in your head. Quite literally. It springs from thoughts and emotions. Fear, anxiety, worry, anger…these all stimulate the stress response in our bodies. But just because something starts “in your head” does not mean that it cannot manifest itself in very real, tangible, physical ailments and illnesses. And this is also most certainly not to say that it is something easy to manage or control. The first step, at the very minimum, is to recognize the profound importance of making the effort to control them.

As I already explained the biochemistry of stress in my earlier post, I’m not going to repeat myself here. If you haven’t read it, I recommend you do so, for the reason that, for many people, it’s hard to grasp the concept that your physical health can have such a strong link to your emotional health unless the connection is spelled out in black-and-white. For this post I’ll simply state that feelings of stress cause the body to release stress hormones that, when allowed to persist for the medium- or long-term, can wreak havoc on the body’s digestive system, immune system, metabolism, sleep system and much more. Generally speaking, it throws your body out of balance, and when balance is lost, things go wrong.

Stressful situations breed illnesses. Obviously it’s not every time nor every illness, but quite frankly, when you work with enough people you get to see patterns. Find a person who has suddenly developed a new condition seemingly out of the blue – stomach ulcers, allergies, celiac disease, migraines, you name it – and if you do a little digging you’ll very likely discover that it developed around the time of something very stressful occurring in their life.

For example, IBS is an intriguing condition. I work now and then with people with IBS and since I’ve been looking for it, I’ve found that every one of them shares similar characteristics: they hold in their emotions, especially stressful ones. I have two cases that immediately spring to mind: in one case, a gentleman developed his symptoms around the birth of a developmentally challenged child (this in and of itself is very stressful, but he also felt it necessary to hide his stress for the sake of his family), and in another, a woman began to experience symptoms after she had been sexually assaulted but didn’t report it (she had been carrying around this secret for years as her IBS got worse and worse.) It’s an eerie parallel…those who work hard to mentally put a vice grip on their emotions have bowels that become similarly constricted. The hallmark symptom of IBS is alternating patterns of constipation and diarrhea; bowels that are constantly constricted simultaneously cause constipation and diarrhea because solid matter has no room to move, and the only thing that can pass through is liquid.

So stress can be a trigger for many, many conditions, which leads me back to my first point. To stay healthy, we need to be able to manage our stress well. It’s simply not good enough to say “this situation is making me angry/worried/anxious etc., but I can’t control it” so do nothing. You are absolutely correct that the situation may be out of your control (though very few things truly are entirely in someone else’s hands), but how you react to it is in nobody’s control except yours. You choose to be angry and impotent about something versus motivated and resolute to fix it. You choose to use your energy to be anxious and worried instead of directing it towards something productive or helpful. And you choose to to remain a slave to stress rather than employing well-known, established strategies for combatting it, and reducing the circulation of those damaging hormones throughout your body.

I’m not a therapist, so I can’t offer you advice on how to work through your personal issues, or provide suggestions on exactly how to tackle the problems you’re facing. The fact is, however, they must be tackled; to do nothing is to open the door to illness.

What I can do is tell you is that the best and easiest way to turn off the production of stress hormones (the “fight-or-flight”) response in favour of the “rest and repair” response is to breathe . Not the shallow breathing that we do all day, but deep breathing. When we breathe deeply, we send a cascade of signals through the body indicating that the stress response is no longer necessary. You can’t breathe deeply when your body is in “fight-or-flight”…it’s just not possible. Ever notice how the most popular strategies for stress management involve deep breathing – yoga, meditation etc.? This is the reason.

You’ll actually find that most people with panic attacks and anxiety disorders are very shallow breathers – if your shoulders move up and down as you breathe, you are taking shallow breaths. There’s a terrific site I’ve found which teaches how to do this deep breathing technique. It’s geared towards people with anxiety attacks, but is applicable to everyone who wishes to relieve stress.

One final method to relieve stress: laugh. I’m sure you’ve heard it elsewhere that “laughter is the best medicine” and maybe even thought it was a rather hokey expression, but now I want you to think about laughing in the context of deep breathing…a good belly laugh forces all the air out of your lungs, and then, out of necessity, you are forced to take in deep breaths in order to replace it. So, laughter as medicine? Absolutely! So if you’re stressed or ill, take some time to laugh. Leave the dramas and thrillers aside…sit back in front of a good comedy and laugh ’til it hurts.

I’m really interested in hearing your comments on this post. Have you noticed the same thing as me…that illness follows stress? Please share your story: the more concrete examples we have, the more people will understand the link. And do you have any great ways to de-stress? I’d love to hear those, too.

The path to health part 4: bowel function

Mon, 24 Jun 2013 19:30:00 GMT

Take a look at this infographic. According to the USDA, the average American consumed about 1966.3lbs of food daily, which translates to 5.4lbs of food each day. If you add in water and other fluids not counted, that means we take in roughly 8lbs of food and fluids daily; assuming your weight is stable, then that means you expel 8lbs of waste each day as well.

Some of it will be lost through respiration (conversion of energy in foods to carbon dioxide and water, which we then breathe out), but the majority is removed via sweat, urine, and feces. And eight pounds is not a small amount!

To be frank, bowel movements are not something that get discussed a lot, so most people don’t know what is truly considered “normal” or “healthy”, so I’ll start there. Each of us should be having a bowel movement 2-3 times per day. And they should be easy to pass. Seriously, if you’ve brought reading material into the bathroom with you, expecting to get more than a page or two read, you’re taking too long.

Many people believe that one bowel movement a day is enough. If you’re one of them, think about how much solid food a day you consume…and then decide if once a day is likely to be adequate (I doubt it). And if you go less than once every day, then you really have your work cut out for you. There is nobody for whom that would be considered “healthy”…you absolutely need to reassess your food & fluid intake, and maybe speak to a professional regarding the addition of additional supplements and/or medications to help promote regularity.

Food we consume should be expelled within 16-24 hours. What happens if our colon is sluggish, and waste matter doesn’t make it out that fast? As waste passes through the bowels, water continues to be reabsorbed through the lining. The longer it remains in contact with the lining, the harder and harder it gets, becoming stuck to the lining and more difficult to pass. That feces can stay stuck to the lining for days, months, or even years! The problem with this is twofold: first, this accumulation causes a narrowing of the passageway, making it even more difficult to pass waste through the colon.This leads to both constipation and diarrhea. Constipation because solid waste has a difficult time passing through, and diarrhea because liquid waste is no longer able to make contact with the lining, so water is not reabsorbed, and waste remains liquid.

The second issue is that as the feces sits next to the lining, it begins to break down and decay, releasing loads of toxins that are reabsorbed into the bloodstream where they begin to accumulate in tissues in the body (this is called autointoxication, or toxic colon).

A toxic colon can be responsible for a multitude of symptoms, including headaches, feelings of tiredness or sluggishness, abdominal discomfort, and bloating, When the liver is overloaded with toxins to process, the body finds other ways to eliminate them, so skin conditions, such as acne, eczema, under-eye circles and issues such as bad breath and body odour are all frequently seen with autointoxication.

What causes constipation (and subsequently, a toxic colon)? Poor diet with a lack of fibre and fluids; consumption of highly processed foods; lack of exercise; stress; medications; too much “bad” bacteria in the gut; lifestyle; and a number of other issues can contribute. So, bring on the bran! Load up on fruits and vegetables. Drink lots and lots of water. Relax. Get moving. Get a good probiotic. And if all that doesn’t do it, speak with a professional. You may require supplementation to help. Bowel regularity is fundamental….you can’t ignore it and ever expect to be truly healthy.

The path to health part 3: hydration

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 13:43:00 GMT

Did you know that a high-level athlete will notice a drop in exercise performance when only 2% dehydrated? In no way does this mean that only athletes need to be concerned about optimal hydration; what it does mean however, is that the body stops working as well when it’s even a little short of all the water it needs. Athletes put tough enough demands on their bodies that they actually notice a difference right away, but the same is true for everybody: nobody can function at their best if they are not fully hydrated.

Imagine what happens to all those processes if there’s not as much water. If there’s less water in the cytoplasm of the cell, how do all those cell components get around as easily? If there’s less water in the body, our blood will be more concentrated, too, and nutrients cannot travel through so easily. Inadequate fluid in the blood is literally toxic to the body…we eliminate toxins through urine, feces, and sweat…if we don’t have enough water, how can we get rid of them? The list goes on and on. Is it any wonder a little dehydration can have such a profound impact?

Symptoms of dehydration include dry mouth, headache, fatigue, and muscle weakness. Ever been drinking at got a hangover the next morning? Alcohol is a powerful diuretic, causing the body to excrete lots of water. The symptoms of a hangover are in large part due to dehydration. (tip: drinking a large glass or two of water before bed can go a long way towards reducing hangover symptoms in the morning)

So how much water do you need? Just as we’re not all the same size, and we have different levels of activity, there’s no one-size-fits-all recommendation for fluid intake. You may want to check out my earlier blog post detailing why the belief that everyone needs 8-cups of water a day is incorrect . The very best way to see if you’re on track is to check your urine. If it’s pale yellow to clear, your fluid intake is good. If it’s darker yellow and/or strong-smelling, you’d better drink up!

What to drink? Actually, you don’t necessarily need to drink your fluids to be well-hydrated. Consuming foods with a high water content also counts towards meeting your needs: fruits, vegetables, soups, even pastas and grains that absorb fluid while being cooked, all of them add to our fluid intake. Foods that melt – like ice cream, jello, and popsicles for example- also count as liquids. As for drinks, almost anything goes. Caffeinated beverages can have a mild diuretic effect, but it wears off on people who consume caffeine regularly, so even tea and coffee count for regular consumers. Alcohol, unfortunately, as I mentioned earlier, is a diuretic and forces the body to lose more fluid than is taken in. A good rule of thumb is to take in two glasses of water for every one serving of alcohol consumed.

To your health!

The path to health part 2: Acidity

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 20:32:00 GMT

Acidity???

Yes, acidity. This is probably a new one for most of you, and for reasons I’ll get into later, it’s not something that the large nutrition or dietetic associations in Canada or the US are ever going to discuss. But it’s one of the most important nutritional concepts you should be aware of.

I’m going to take for granted that you know the basics of acids, bases, and pH: just to remind you, though, an acid is a substance which, when dissolved, yields a pH of less than 7; something that is basic, also known as alkaline, yields a pH that is greater than 7; and something that is neutral has a pH of exactly 7.0.

Blood pH is very tightly regulated in the body. It is meant to stay between 7.35 and 7.45 at all times, which is slightly alkaline. Many people will tell you that what you eat will make no difference to the pH of your blood – it will always stay within 7.35-7.45 – and generally speaking, that is true: the body is very good at maintaining pH homeostasis. But does that mean that the acidity or alkalinity of the foods we eat makes no difference to the body? Not by a long shot!

Think about it: every time you eat something that makes your blood more acidic or more alkaline, your body has to react in order to keep the balance. There are systems in place to act as a buffer when necessary. I want to be quite clear here, it is rare that our diet is too alkaline and we need to buffer it to make it more acidic. It is extremely common that we are consuming foods that make our blood too acidic , requiring buffering to make it more alkaline. So, I’m going to explain what happens when we consume acid-forming foods.

One way our body neutralizes acid is through our phosphate buffering system and as it turns out, 85% of the phosphate from the system comes from our calcium phosphate reserves. Do you know where we store our calcium phosphate? That’s the main structural component of our bones and teeth. So, eating a high acid-forming diet, and living an acid-forming lifestyle (more on this another time) lead to the removal of calcium to buffer the acid, and a gradual weakening of bones and teeth. Osteoporosis, anyone?

To make matters worse, the by-products of many of our buffer systems yield free radicals. I’m going to have to write a full post on this later, but the “Coles Notes” version on free radicals is that they damage the body’s tissues. Like a bull in a china shop, they bounce around damaging everything they touch, eventually getting neutralized by antioxidants in the body, like vitamin C, vitamin E and others (yet another reason to take your vitamins !). This damage done to the body’s tissues attracts the immune system to heal it; the immune system, as part of this process initially causes inflammation . Ever bumped your knee and it initially becomes red and swollen? That’s inflammation. Inflammation is painful .

So let me sum that up for you:

regular consumption of acid-forming foods = lots of free radical damage = chronic inflammation = chronic pain.

If you’re suffering from chronic pain (arthritis, joint pain, back pain, you name it), try eating nothing but alkalizing foods for a week and see how you feel. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that your pain is significantly improved if not gone.

You’ll see that lemons and oranges are on the alkaline side. Don’t confuse the pH of the food outside your body, with the pH of the foods after digestion .

Is it possible to eat an entirely alkaline diet all the time? i suppose so, but it would be very limiting. General consensus seems to be to consume at least 80% of your diet as alkaline foods. The rest can come from wherever you like.

I said earlier that dietetic associations won’t tell you this stuff. Sadly, money makes the world go around, and well, Nutrition Month in Canada is primarily sponsored by the Dairy Farmers of Canada and the USDA (which puts out nutrition recommendations for the US) is also responsible for promoting meat and dairy in the United States. You’ve probably noticed that most meats and dairy are on the highly acidic lists. I don’t need to put the dots together for you, but you can see why the “official” line is unlikely to recommend lowering meat and dairy consumption in either country. While I’ve noticed more dietitians now than before lament the emphasis on dairy on Dietitians of Canada sponsored material, this problem was never more on display than a few months ago when, in the United States, employees at the USDA were called into question by the National Cattleman’s Beef Association for supporting the “Meatless Mondays” initiative in an internal newsletter. Within hours, the newsletter was taken down and they issued an apology. Massive conflict of interest, or what?

To summarize, for long-term health, we want to avoid free radicals that do damage and cause inflammation. Diet can play a key role in this by choosing primarily alkaline-forming foods (and alkaline water). Got more questions on this? Please, feel free to ask! If you’ve got a question, I’m certain someone else is wondering the same thing. So ask away! I’ll do my best to answer.

The path to health part 1: the 80-20 Rule

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 18:22:00 GMT

Last week I promised that I would begin a series on the fundamental rules for living healthfully. Here is the first installment.

The fact is we need a certain amount of vitamins, minerals, protein, fibre, essential fats, antioxidants and so on every day in order to keep our immune system strong, digestive system working, and every other element in our bodies functioning optimally. And let’s face it, “junk food” is exactly that – completely devoid of most nutrients other than calories. If your diet is nutrient-poor, you’re NOT going to feel your best. You’ll be more tired throughout the day than you should be, you’ll get sick more often, and your chances of avoiding long-term disease get worse and worse. So if your diet consists of a lot of junk food, you are obviously consuming less healthy food than you could be, and you’re unlikely to have enough of the good stuff you need to get the job done.

So how much of your diet can be “junk”? I say no more than 20%. Sounds like a lot? Let’s break it down: let’s say you need 2000 calories daily to maintain your weight. Then 20% is 400 calories. But now we have to define “junk”. For me, that’s anything that isn’t part of a food group, or that technically is, but has been heavily processed so the nutrient value isn’t optimal.

In case you’ve forgotten, here are the four food groups:

Fruits & Vegetables (you should know what these are)
Grains (breads, cereals, pasta, rice, crackers, oatmeal etc.)
Dairy & Alternatives (milk, cheese, yogurt, soy milk & cheeses, kefir etc.)
Meat & Alternatives (meat, poultry, fish, beans, lentils, tofu, nuts, seeds, eggs, etc.)

I also make some allowances for healthy oils like olive and canola in salad dressing and while cooking…some fat is essential, but most of your fat intake should come unprocessed from foods such as olives, avocados, nuts, seeds and so on.

So what’s “junk”?

Still think 400 calories are a lot? Ever have a Tim’s bagel with cream cheese on it for breakfast? You’ve just used up your 400 calorie allotment right there (we discussed the white bread, but cream cheese is so far removed from milk that it can’t be counted either.) I guess you’re going to have to pass on that large double-double to go with it. The extra couple hundred calories from cream (milk fat…not much use beyond calories) and sugar (more empty calories) would completely blow your empty-calorie budget. (It’s 270 calories to be exact, according to the nutrition calculator on their website. )

Seriously, we are surrounded by processed s**t everywhere we go. If it doesn’t much resemble the food from its original state, most likely it’s not a healthy food. And if the ingredient label shows a bunch of added sugars and fats, it’s probably a good bet that that’s not healthy for you either.

It’s time to take personal responsibility. If you know you’ve eaten a sandwich on white bread and a handful of M&Ms already, you’ve reached your limit for the day. Want a snack? Well, you’re going to have to leave the chocolate chip granola bar aside ( not in a food group ) and have a fruit or vegetable instead ( food group ). You could even put some peanut butter on that apple (yum!) or have some hummus with those veggies. Now you’re not only satisfying your hunger with a delicious snack, but you are no longer neglecting your body’s need for nutrients.

Every time you put something in your mouth, you’re making a choice between health and sickness. I’m suggesting that you make at least 80% of what goes in your mouth healthy, nourishing food which will promote health and ward off illness. I can’t deny that there are umpteen choices to be made every day, and there are lots of people around who will try to sway your decision for the worse, but the decision always rests with you. Eating healthy isn’t hard, but it takes a person who cares about their health to make the right choices.

So how much do you care?

What does true health mean to you?

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:09:00 GMT

Ask yourself this question: do you want to be healthy or not? If you answered yes (which I hope you did!), then I have a more important question for you to answer: how important is it to you to be healthy?

And what does it mean to you to be healthy? Is it simply living a long life? There are pills and surgeries and respirators for that. But is that good enough for you? Is that how you really want to live? Or do you want freedom from disease? A life free from diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, gallstones, cancer, yeast infections, colds, flues, osteoporosis, gout, constipation…the list is virtually endless. Free from pain. Free from medications. Full mobility. Strength. Stamina.

I know that there are some genetic conditions that we cannot avoid, and physical traumas the we cannot anticipate, but so much of what ails us is directly within our control.

You might ask what’s got me thinking about this. I was recently asked to respond to a reader question in Canadian Business Magazine . The article only covered part of my answer because it also only covered part of the question. Here was the full question:

“If I get a big chocolate bunny for Easter, am I better to eat it all at
once or to spread it over several days? I’m thinking my body won’t absorb
some of the calories if I eat all the chocolate at the same time. Note:
Sharing or throwing out the chocolate is not an option.”

The question itself didn’t surprise me…many people wonder if they can fool their bodies so they can eat whatever they want without paying the price. It was the part about not having the option to share or discard the chocolate that bothered me, and still bothers me now because it is the more important issue, and I was dismayed that it did not get published. Here was my response:

“You always have options. Sure, a one-time overdose on a chocolate bunny doesn’t cause diabetes, but regular consumption of high-sugar foods will do so in the long run. If you knew that at this particular event, you’d be making the choice between “share or throw out” or “get diabetes”, what would you choose? Only you can take responsibility for your health, and that may involve making choices that make other people upset. Every single time you make a choice over what to put in your mouth, you are choosing between health and sickness. How many times do you risk choosing sickness before sickness chooses you ?”

I’ll repeat the important part: How many times do you risk choosing sickness before sickness chooses you?

This is your life. Not your grandmother’s or your husband’s or your friend’s or your coworker’s or anybody else who is important to you. Nobody can make you sick. And by the same token, nobody can make you healthy. It’s your choice , every time.

Choosing health is easy. But only if you want it enough. Choosing sickness is also easy. Especially if you don’t care about yourself enough.

Over the next several weeks, I plan to go over all the elements of good health. I want you to know what the choices are. I want you to know which choices lead to sickness, and which lead to health. I’ll tell you now that the path of least resistance is the one that leads to sickness. It’s too easy to eat poorly, and not exercise, and live with constant stress. Many topics I’ve discussed before, but they are worth repeating. And all are important.

I’m looking forward to this. I hope you are, too!

If you thought artificial sweeteners were bad before…

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:37:00 GMT

According to a recent publication in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, there is a stronger connection between the consumption of “diet” or “light” soft drinks with the development of Type 2 Diabetes than the consumption of regular soft drinks. This was a large-scale study involving 66,188 French women from the E3N cohort whose dietary intake patterns and health statistics were followed for a period of 14 years.

There are a couple of particularly interesting things to not in the study. One, the women drinking the “diet” drinks tended to consume more of them than did the women consuming sugar-sweetened drinks. (Approx 2.8 glasses per week versus 1.6 glasses per week on average.) In addition, when comparing equal rates of consumption, diabetes prevalence continued to be higher for the “diet” group. At an average consumption of 0.5L of soda per week, the incidence of diabetes was 15% greater in the “diet” group. At an average intake of 1.5L per week, the “diet” group developed diabetes a whopping 59% more frequently.

How on earth does something that has no sugar or calories cause diabetes? As it turns out, the answer is two-fold. It appears that diet drinks tend to stimulate greater cravings for sugar in general, leading to the consumption of other sugary or carbohydrate-rich foods that increase blood sugar; when blood sugar is up, the body produces insulin in response, and with repeated exposure to very high circulating insulin levels, over time the body becomes insulin resistant, and diabetes develops. Secondly, it turns out that aspartame (the most prevalent artificial sweetener) also triggers insulin production in its own right the same way that the sucrose (table sugar) does, triggering the same path for insulin resistance as sugar.

Further studies are needed to corroborate the results from this one, but the evidence is certainly strong enough to give pause.

Now I’m not a pop drinker generally, so I can’t say I know first-hand if the above assertion about sugar cravings is valid. Do you drink diet pop? And if you do, do you find you crave sugar afterward? I’d love to know!

My 7-Minute Workout Progress Report #2

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 18:48:00 GMT

So I’m over a month in and I’ve completed just over 3 full cycles of the 7-minute workout (7MWO). I think I’m now a believer. For those of you who haven’t been following along, let me recap. I’m a registered dietitian who is great about following a healthy diet and staying within my target weight range, but who fails miserably where it comes to exercise…I’m constantly in a time crunch and simply don’t feel that I have the extra hours needed to devote to exercise and staying (okay… getting ) in shape, despite how important I know it to be.

So, a couple months ago when I heard from a friend about how she got in shape (she lost 76 pounds in 9 months!) in a program that advocated strength training for only about 7 minutes a day, 3 to 4 times a week, I thought it was worth checking out, both as something that could fit in my own schedule, as well as something I could advocate for my clients. To read my earlier reports, here are post 1 and post 2 .

This past 10 days have been different from the days previous. For the first few weeks, I was really just trying to get a baseline more than anything. Much of the time I wasn’t using the correct weight for the exercise…how are you supposed to know what weight will be heavy enough that you can only do between 8-12 reps until you actually start testing them out? And it took me a few weeks to really figure out how to do a couple of the exercises properly (hello “knee pushups”). So 7minutes was a misnomer. This time, however, I knew what I was doing, and that makes a world of difference.

The results? AMAZING! Here are just a few examples:

For other exercises I’ve been able to go to higher weights or graduated to more difficult exercises, which are hard to quantify here. But without exception everything has improved, and I haven’t exercised any body part more than once in 10 days (sometimes longer). 10-50% improvement with just a few minutes worth of effort? That’s simply too cool for words!

But before I have you thinking it’s all peaches and cream, the program is not without its hiccups.

I can’t seem to make time in my schedule “every other day”… I work better with fixed days for working out. So, I’m doing it 3 times per week, and that doesn’t seem to be a problem. Considering the number of days I missed because I didn’t have a fixed schedule, I’m probably doing better now.

Some of the exercises are dreadfully boring! You just have to keep doing them until your muscles fatigue…on more than one occasion I gave up before that point because it seems to go on forever. And now that I’m stronger, they take even longer! I suspect I’ll be dropping a few exercises just so I can stay within the 7-10 minute time-frame. I’m currently doing the “beginner, no equipment” exercises. I think the exercises with equipment probably target particular muscle groups better, letting you complete the exercises faster.

Finally, the 7MWO is a network marketing business, and there’s lots of advertising on the site to join as an associate, which I find mildly irritating. When I initially signed up, I kept getting e-mails about the compensation plan etc which I wasn’t remotely interested in. I figured out how to change my e-mail settings so I wouldn’t get any of those e-mails, so that has helped.

Happy Pancake Tuesday!

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 21:02:00 GMT

Today is Pancake Tuesday, also known as Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, and Fat Tuesday. It is the day that precedes Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent in the Christian Church.

Lent is the period of 40 weekdays that precedes Easter and it is the most solemn period of time in the Christian Calendar. For observers of the faith, Lent is devoted to penitence and abstinence. During this time, foods such as meat, fish, eggs, fats, and milk are restricted, and so historically, in preparation for Lent, families would use up their supplies in advance, culminating in a particularly fatty feast the day before. Pancakes typically contain butter, milk, and eggs, making them perfect for this purpose.

Pancakes have been a family favourite for years, and over time I’ve tweaked my recipe to make it healthier, but no less tasty. It’s healthy enough that I don’t feel bad serving them up on a regular basis. Here it is:

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I usually top my pancakes with applesauce instead of syrup, and throw on some other fresh fruit. With some eggs or other protein on the side, it turns out to be a well-balanced, tasty meal.

If you like this recipe and would like to try some of my other favourites, visit my home page where you can download my FREE recipe e-book, containing this and many other easy, tasty, vegetarian recipes.

Enjoy!

Proper portion sizes: it’s in your HANDS

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 18:52:00 GMT

Over time, restaurant portions have gotten bigger and bigger. Eateries use “value for money” as a feature to attract our business, and boy has it worked! It has worked so well in fact that the problem now is that we have become so accustomed to seeing those larger serving sizes – not only when we eat out, but also when we order in, or see their ads in magazines, online, or on television – that we have literally lost all sense of proportion. Massive plates heaped with food have gradually become normal.

So how do we retrain ourselves to proper portions? I’m no fan of asking people to measure out their food before eating, but I do agree that it is a good thing to do once in a while to learn what a half-cup or cup of food looks like, for example. And I really dislike generalizations about the quantity of food people should eat. For example, as standard serving of rice is half a cup. That’s pretty much the amount of rice most people should consume at a sitting. However, is that amount likely to be appropriate for a 4’11” woman or a 6’2″ male? Probably not. People are not all the same size, so their portions shouldn’t be expected to be the same. So, how much should you be eating? For some guidance, look to your hands.

Make a fist. That’s the size of your stomach when it’s empty. On average, it’s about a cup, but for a small woman it will be less, and for a large man it will be more. Your hands are a great tool to figure out what’s the right amount of food, for you . That one fist is also the quantity of concentrated food you should be eating at a meal, namely the total of starches and protein foods. You can (and should) then fill up on an equal volume of fruits and vegetables as they are a large part water and don’t take up very much room in the digestive tract. (And don’t forget the abundance of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants they provide!)

Using two hands cupped together, you’re also looking at a cup. This is good for judging mixed meals like casseroles or chili.

Cupping just one hand is good to estimate the starch alone, for example pasta, rice, quinoa, barley, potatoes, etc. This is approximately a half a cup.

The palm of your hand equates to roughly 3oz, which is also the typical serving size for meat, fish and poultry.

Putting two thumbs together equals approximately 1 tablespoon, which is good to measure peanut butter or salad dressing, while one thumb tip equates to about 1 teaspoon, a good measuring tool for butter or margarine.

So there’s no need to travel around with measuring cups and spoons to make sure we’re not eating too much. By relating our food intake to the size of our hands, we’ll never be without an accurate yardstick to measure against. So go ahead and play with your food for a bit! See for yourself how your hands measure up, and use this tool at every meal. Once you adjust to visualizing proper portion sizes, in time, that unconscious eating will become a thing of the past.

Coca cola fighting obesity? No, not really.

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 19:48:00 GMT

A couple of weeks ago, Coca-Cola™ put out a video entitled “Coming Together” to tout all the wonderful things that they have been doing to play their part in combating the obesity epidemic. It doesn’t really deserve to be viewed because of all the misrepresentation of facts going on, but I’ve included it at the bottom in case you’re curious.

A word to the wise at the Coca-Cola™: if your very existence is part of the problem, don’t try to convince us that you’re actually part of the solution. Enough people know better, and your attempt will only backfire!

I’ve mentioned on several occasions my opinion on the role of excess sugar in the obesity epidemic, and in particular, the sugar from sweetened beverages including soft drinks, iced teas etc. In a nutshell, excess sugar in our diets is causing huge fluctuations in North American’s blood sugar levels, which in turn impact hunger, and drive obesity. For a more in-depth discussion, please see my posts Is Sugar Toxic?: Part 1 and Part 2. As well, I’ve addressed the problem about soft drinks specifically in another post .

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) wasted no time to set the record straight on Coca-Cola’s™ misleading advertising in this parody of the original ad, “translating” corporate-speak into an explanation of the facts. Entertaining and informative at the same time. Well worth viewing.

A few months back, CSPI also put out a powerful video that (somewhat graphically!) demonstrated the harsh consequences of a diet heavily reliant on sugary beverages, called “The Real Bears”. Check it out here .

In addition, another person going by the name “John Pemberton” (the name of the original creator of Coca-Cola™) has put together his own parody of Coca-Cola’s™ video with the title “The Honest Coca-Cola Obesity Commercial” Another very good video, well worth the 2 minutes to view it.

I really feel strongly that people really don’t understand how much of a problem excess sugar really is, so I ask you to please share this post widely. Even if it curbs a little bit of soda consumption for a few people, it will make a big difference in the long run.

Thank you!

And here’s the original:

My 7-Minute Workout progress report

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 06:11:00 GMT

About a month ago now, I decided to do a test of a workout system advocated to me by a friend, called the 7-Minute Workout (7MWO for short). Essentially, the program suggests that a person needs only to exercise for approximately 7 minutes a day, 3 times a week to effectively build muscle. For reasons explained in a previous post , I decided to give it a try, and today marks my first progress report.

First, I want to say that I chose the “Beginner, no equipment” set of exercises to do, and I was quite surprised at how many really good exercises can be done without any special equipment beyond a set of weights. The very first couple of weeks on the system I couldn’t believe how sore I was! Who knew you could work out your triceps and chest just by pushing against a wall? Or that your quad muscles would pain for days just by squatting for a few minutes? I wouldn’t have thought that just doing a few minutes of exercise would feel the same as lifting weights at the gym half an hour or more, but it most certainly did!

That said, I haven’t had any soreness since the first time through all the exercises. I’m doing them the same way – still working my muscles until they’re exhausted – but there’s no painful reminder of my effort in the next days. I asked my friend if that meant I was doing something wrong, but she assured me that she never had any pain at all, including her first week. Hard to believe that those 7 minutes could be making a difference (isn’t it supposed to be n o pain no gain ?), but I’m not complaining!

The updates:

I’m not particularly fussed about my weight…it usually fluctuates between 138-142, and it’s far too soon to give credit to any extra muscle mass. I am concerned that my scale says my body fat percentage has increased . The only way that could have happened is if the weight lost between the last weigh-in and this one was mostly muscle. That seems highly unlikely to me! More likely, my scale is not calibrated properly and it is not measuring body fat percentage properly. This means I’ll have to use another method to track progress.

Since you’re expected to track your own progress by how many reps you can do of a certain weight, that seems as good a method as any to assess if I’m building muscle mass. I’m not going to record everything here, but just a few. These are from Day 5 of the 10-day cycle:

Unfortunately, last time through, I only marked down a note for myself on which weights I would be using this time; I didn’t write down my reps. Now I’ll track it better. Since I’m at the 12+ number of reps for a couple of the exercises, It’s time to increase the weights. It will be interesting to see how fast I progress through it. Now I’ve gotta go find a 20 lb weight…

That’s the update for now. If you’re trying it too, please give me your feedback! I’d love to hear how others are finding the program. And if you’re interested in giving it a try, you can get some more information about the program in my earlier post , including specifics on how the program works and how to sign up.

Until next time!

Getting sick a lot? A good multivitamin might help.

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 19:34:00 GMT

Oy! This has been the worst flu season I’ve ever seen. Friends and family members are being knocked out of action for days, not to mention the numbers of appointment cancellations I’ve received over the past six weeks due to illnesses.

As reported in The Star :

“Toronto Public Health confirmed 1,180 flu cases between Sept. 1, 2012, and Jan. 15, 2013 — a spike over a five-year average of 318 cases for the same time period. There have been 68 institutional outbreaks, compared to a five-year average of 16. Those figures exclude 2009/2010, when H1N1, or swine flu, was pandemic.”

Doing the math, about 4 times as many people have gotten sick with the flu this year than on average. That’s a lot of people!

It’s been one year since I was introduced to the world of multivitamins. As I’ve said before, I started off as a multivitamin skeptic. I’ll let you read my previous post to see what changed my mind. Since that time I’ve managed to convince a number of people to take the product I recommend, and meet many more who are already on it. Before going any further, however, I’m going to state for the record that legally one cannot make any claims that any natural health product can prevent, treat, or cure disease. So, all I’m going to do is share my personal observations and let you make up your mind.

I’ll start with my husband. He used to get sick all the time. He worked extremely hard and almost like clockwork, as soon has he had a break – typically every long weekend – he would get sick. (I noticed this because it was extremely frustrating to want to do family stuff on a long weekend, and have a quarter of the family miserable in bed each time!) Since starting his multi, he’s been sick only a couple of times, but only mildly, and typically for just one day. He did get the flu, but again, he was exhausted for just one day, and was 100% better a day or two later.

A friend and I have daughters who are close friends. She wasn’t convinced that my multivitamin brand was any better than hers, but had joked with me that she should give the children’s product to one child and not the other, to see if she noticed the same differences with her kid that I had with mine. In December, I gave her a bottle to do the test on her daughter. Over Christmas, the whole family got the flu for a week…except for her daughter, who bounced back after only one day .

A friend who is a teacher used to get sick regularly (bless all my teacher friends working in those germ factories!), along with her whole family. While she’s been on the product, the family has still continued to get sick while she has avoided it.

In fact, I’ve got lots and lots of stories of people staying healthy while the people around them suffer through the bug of the week. Or if they do get sick, they recover in a very short time.

See the same trend I do? Having a good multivitamin gives their bodies the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants needed to promote a strong immune system and fight infections, so it should be no surprise that they stay in such good health all the time.

I’m self-employed, so I don’t get paid sick days. I literally can’t afford to be sick. Nor can I take time off for my kids to be sick. If you’re in the same boat (or just don’t like getting sick!) and are looking for the best product to help avoid illness, then contact me via my website and I’ll be more than pleased to help.

And if you’re already taking a great product, please let us know what it has done for you! I’d love to hear your experience.

To your health!

A Dietitian’s Experiment with Exercise

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 20:30:00 GMT

I know I usually stick exclusively with blogging on food and nutrition, but I’ve embarked on an experiment and for a couple of reasons I’ve decided to include it in my blog.

For one, putting out your intentions for the world helps you be far more accountable. Much like when my clients come to see my in my office, many find they are able to exercise more self control because they know they’ll be coming in to see me and don’t want to admit that they didn’t live up to their promises.

Second, this is a potentially life-changing program for many (if it lives up to the hype) so it’s that much more important for me to give it a proper test before recommending it. And if I can convince a few people to try it alongside me, then I can get more feedback to work with.

So without further ado, I’ve joined an exercise program called the 7-Minute Workout (7MWO for short). My reasons for joining are two-fold. While i am quite content with my weight and overall appearance, (This was not always the case. Before my first pregnancy I was 25 pounds heavier than I am now. Sometime after that I stopped weighing myself, so I don’t honestly know what my highest, non-pregnant weight was.) I am well aware that I am not as physically fit as I should be for optimal health. Specifically, my body fat percentage is much too high!

The second reason is that the majority of my clients come to see me about weight loss, and while good nutrition is the single most important element to achieving a weight loss goal, it cannot be denied that exercise has an important role to play as well. In particular, strength training. Quite simply, for two people of the same weight, the one who has a greater percentage of muscle will have a higher metabolism, and will therefore need to eat more to maintain that weight. Without some form of strength training activity as we age, we gradually lose muscle, and without a decrease in our food intake, weight gain soon follows. I want to know if this program will help build muscle as effectively as it promises.

A new friend of mine introduced me to the program. Her name is Suzanne, and she started the 7MWO when it was first developed in March 2011. Diets alone didn’t work for her previously, but with this program, combined with improvements to her diet, she lost 75lbs in 9 months and has continued to maintain the loss for a year now.

Here’s what makes the 7MWO program interesting. First of all, the recommendation that you need only do 7 minutes of exercise at a time. Even I, with my busy schedule, can find 7 minutes to dedicate to working out. That’s actual exercise time. When you add in some rests, it might take 10-15 minutes. (Early on it takes even longer while you’re learning how to do the exercises themselves.)

Next is the part that distinguishes it from all the more “conventional” exercise regimes I’ve seen. Before I get into it, we must first understand that strength training is inherently catabolic – when we work our muscles to the point where they can’t do any more (eg. we pick a weight that we can only lift 8-12 times before we are exhausted), that causes damage to the muscle fibres. We are stimulating those fibres to grow to be able to handle that amount of weight. But early on, we have broken down our muscles. It takes a few days just to heal back to their original state. The problem is, according to the trainers of the 7MWO, most people will begin weight training after those few days, so they break down what just healed. What needs to happen, they suggest, is that your muscles should be allowed to rest longer to have a chance to actually grow .

So what does this translate to? A workout of one or two muscle groups (eg. tricep & chest OR biceps & shoulders OR quads etc.) every other day, over a 10-day cycle. Then repeat. This way, you let every muscle group rest for a full 10 days before working it out again. And if you’re only working one or two muscle groups, it can easily be accomplished in 7 minutes.

The theory sounds really good to me. I know from experience that the last time I tried an exercise routine, I felt like I had made much more progress on those occasions when I “fell of the wagon” and took more days off of exercising than I had intended. I couldn’t explain it until now. And it’s a small enough commitment that I’m willing to give it a try for a couple of months at least.

My objective is to get my body fat percentage into something respectable! I’m on Day 16 right now – midway through the second cycle. Not really enough time to notice any significant improvement, so I don’t have anything to report as yet. I didn’t take measurements before starting (didn’t think of it), but I did take it somewhere in the first week, but didn’t mark the date because I hadn’t expected to be blogging about it. I’m just going to say Jan 1 because it would be somewhere close enough. Here goes:

I expect there to be some fluctuation in my weight and body fat percentage. Depending on hydration status, fluid retention, and few other factors, both can change. What I’ll be looking for is a trend. For your information, below you can see the generally accepted body fat percentages developed by the American Council on Exercise.

If you’re interested in trying this out with me, then please order through this link . 7MWO is advertised through network marketing, so that’s Suzanne’s link to sign up. (As I see it, if you’re going to try it out, it would me nice for the commission to go to the person who introduced us to it.) The cost is less than $10/month, and there’s no contract, so you can cancel at any time.

And if you do give it a whirl, please comment and let me (and others) know how you’re finding it. You can “friend” me on the site, too! I really want all the feedback I can get. Is Suzanne’s success a fluke – more just good diet than exercise – or does this program have merit? Expect a progress report from me in about 10 days.

I look forward to hearing from you!

5 Easy Ways to Shed the Winter Weight

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 03:56:00 GMT

Happy New Year! As much fun as the holidays were, I must say I’m relieved that the excesses of the season are finally over. As good as I am about sticking to reasonable portions of foods, I love my holiday treats, too; even my clothes were feeling noticeably tighter until the parade of parties came to an end.

So without further ado, here are the 5 most important things you can do for yourself to get on (or back on) track.

1. Clean House – the time to have an abundantly-stocked pantry is over. There’s no need to keep tins of holiday baking or gingerbread houses or bowls of chocolates or bricks of cheeses. These constant temptations around the home (or in your desk or car) are the worst form of self-sabotage. Either give it away to someone who wants it, or throw it out if you can’t find any takers. I hate the idea of wasted food as much as anyone else (though quite frankly, I don’t have as much of an issue tossing out empty-calorie junk food), but if you have trouble letting it go, ask yourself this question: would you rather it go to waste, or to your waist?

2. Don’t Skip Meals – especially breakfast. This is probably the most often-repeated piece of nutritional advice I see, so it honestly amazes me that there are so many breakfast-skippers around. Breakfast is key to revving up your metabolism for the day. Your metabolism slows down while you’re sleeping and that first meal of the day tells your body that it’s time to wake up. Skipping breakfast also means you’re likely to be super-hungry by the time you stop for a meal, and therefore likely to eat more than you should, setting the stage for the blood sugar roller coaster and weight gain I’ve explained in previous posts .

3. Use a Smaller Plate – We eat more when the plate size is bigger. It’s a fact. Go out to a restaurant these days with the enormous plates and mounds of food and recognize how much more you eat there than you would at home. Now our plates at home are unlikely to be restaurant-sized, but they can still be quite large….and we fill them up when we eat. It’s hard not to. We like the look of a full plate; when there’s a lot of empty space, our minds trick us into thinking that we haven’t taken enough food. On the flip-side, however, when we fill a smaller plate, our minds believe we have taken plenty. So try a smaller plate and see if you’re feeling satisfied at the end of the meal; chances are you’ll be comfortably full, and you’ll have saved yourself a couple hundred calories without effort.

4. Don’t Drink Your Calories – Juice, regular pop, alcohol, and any other sugary drink should be treated as a treat, not part of your regular routine. Multiple studies have shown that the body doesn’t treat calories from liquids the same way it does calories from solid foods. Food calories trigger feelings of fullness that will in turn suppress intake at the next meal. Liquid calories don’t do that. The next meal will not be any smaller than if that drink wasn’t consumed. So, you’re better off having a whole piece of fruit rather than juice. And when you want to drink, water is best, but any other sugar-free drink is better than the alternatives.

5. Have the Right Goal – Resolve to eat healthier, not to lose weight. Having the right mindset can make all the difference. A goal to lose weight just sets yourself up for discouragement if your next weigh-in doesn’t show you results right away. However, if your plan is to eat healthier, then you have the chance to succeed with each and every meal and snack every single day. You can be proud of every healthy decision you make, and have the chance to do better the next meal after you make a slip. Once you get the healthy eating under control, the weight comes off on its own.

What easy tips do you have to save calories without feeling deprived?

Healthier holiday baking

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 16:58:00 GMT

We’re into the home stretch. Christmas is just around the corner but the parties don’t end until after New Year’s Day. The holiday season is in full swing, and the and evidence of Christmas baking is apparent everywhere you look.

Happy holidays!

A case for vegetarianism

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 17:45:00 GMT

I’ve been a dietitian for over 10 years now, and a vegetarian for nearly 9 of them. I became vegetarian because of personal difficulty justifying the ethics of killing animals for food when I, better than most people, know how to eat a well-balanced, healthy diet without doing so. At the time I would never have proposed that a vegetarian diet was inherently any healthier than a non-vegetarian diet. However, more and more, the research is showing that vegetarians and vegans, indeed, are generally healthier than their meat-eating counterparts.

The issue was discussed last week in an article in the Toronto Star, brought about by the recent report of the Adventist Health Study-2. This study examined the overall health of 96,000 Seventh Day Adventists across Canada and the US over the span of more than a decade. Seventh Day Adventists are typically vegetarian or vegan. The results clearly indicate many improved health measurements, specifically lower incidences of chronic diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, certain cancers, diabetes, and arthritis. The lifespan for the average Seventh Day Adventist man is 83.3 years, which is 9.5 years longer than the average man. For an Adventist woman, it’s 6.1 years longer, achieving an average of 85.7 years of age. To be fair, some of the improved statistics may be due to the fact that most Adventists do not smoke or drink, either.

The Star also mentioned another large-scale study, the China Study, which was published in 2005. China’s government did a population-wide study, painstakingly documenting eating patterns of citizens across the country and then comparing those regional diets with regional data for rates of various diseases. A direct relationship was apparent, showing that increases in animal protein intake correlated strongly with increased rates of chronic disease. This study was highlighted in the documentary Forks Over Knives , a film which also examined other evidence to back up this theory. (I highly recommend seeing this one…the breadth and depth of documentation presented is truly remarkable.)

The evidence is mounting. People consuming less animal protein tend to have better long-term health. This does not mean that simply becoming vegetarian will lead to an improvement in health. There are many very unhealthy vegetarians out there. In fact, despite 40% of Indians being vegetarian, they have one of the higher rates of diabetes and heart disease in the world. It’s worth noting, however, that they also consume a significant amount of milk and dairy products, and is the number one milk-producing country world-wide. “Vegetarians” encompass a wide range of intakes: some consume fish, others just dairy and/or eggs. Few benefits will be seen if one is simply replacing one animal protein for another: switching from poultry and beef to fish or cheese or eggs, for example. However, removing animal protein altogether, or at least significantly reducing it – by substituting in beans, tofu, nuts and seeds, for instance – can lead to significant health improvements. Vegans consume no animal protein at all, and their diet, in all these studies, consistently demonstrate huge improvements in health statistics. Just look at Bill Clinton! With his impressive weight loss and improved health, he’s the poster boy for the power of a vegan diet.

I know most people wouldn’t even consider a vegan diet, but if you’re at least trying to reduce your meat consumption, and want to do it in a healthy way, I’d love to meet with you! As i said, I’ve made the transition myself and would be pleased to help you do it, too.

How to roast a red pepper

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 18:17:00 GMT

I love roasted red peppers. Made as a wrap with some light cream cheese; layered into a sandwich; or blended into hummus, roasted red peppers have a sweet taste, with a delicate texture that is simple but delicious.

The roasting process involves cooking the peppers in such a way that the flesh becomes tender and the skin is completely removed. So without further ado, here’s how you do it:

Choosing foods labelled organic? You might be taking your chances.

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 19:12:00 GMT

I’ve discussed in a previous post that purchasing organically-grown food is by no means a guarantee that the food is more nutritious. There are too many factors at play which can have an impact on the nutritional quality of food.

That said, I also mentioned that the one thing that organic produce does have in its favour is the absence of chemical pesticide residues. While Health Canada and all Big Agra companies will vigorously state that any residues left on produce would be minimal and be well beneath their thresholds for toxicity, I for one wouldn’t blame anyone for being cautious about ingesting any amount of a potentially toxic substance. For those who can afford the additional expense, purchasing organic produce seems to be a prudent, reasonable choice.

But are you getting what you’re paying for?

A recent report by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy reveals that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), who took over the regulation of organics in Canada in 2009, has no requirement for the testing of these products. What does that mean? It means that Food is being given an organic certification without actually being subjected to testing to determine if, indeed, the food is free of pesticide residues.

Currently, the process to receive an organic certification involves a thorough review of the farmer’s paperwork (looking for purchases of pesticides, or other indicators of pesticide use) as well as a tour of the facility, of which there is ample notice given (no surprise inspections). That’s all.

This is an invitation for fraud. In fact, as reported in the National Post , “CFIA documents showed that the agency did internal spot tests last year and found that nearly 24% of the 178 organic apples they tested contained pesticide residue. The results were kept for internal discussion only until CBC News compelled their release through the Access to Information Act.”

If food and livestock are not tested before being certified, then the certification is essentially meaningless.

I wish I could offer some good news here, or some advice on how to make certain that your organic produce is actually organic, but unless you know the farm where your food is coming from, there are no guarantees that the food you buy is free of chemical pesticides.

Looking on the bright side, though, that same study could read that 76% of the apples contained no pesticide residue. The majority of organically certified food is indeed organic. The best you can do (beyond lobbying for a proper certification process) is to continue to purchase organic and recognize that even if these residues are not being completely eliminated from your diet, they are being significantly reduced. And that’s still something.

Twinkie RIP? I say good riddance!

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 19:23:00 GMT

Ugh! If I see one more news article or yet another blog post lamenting the loss of “our beloved Twinkie,” I think I’m going to scream!

In case you’re unaware, earlier this week, in part due to a messy labour dispute, but mostly due to years of management missteps in the day-to-day operations of the company, Hostess Brands in Texas officially filed for bankruptcy and is closing it’s bakery operations, which includes labels like Twinkies, Ho Hos, and Wonder Bread; these are now up for sale.

Since that time, Americans all over have been weeping over the demise of the Twinkie; even health bloggers I’ve read are calling it as sad day, as they reminisce over consuming Twinkies in their youth. The day the announcement came out, Americans cleared the shelves of grocery stores of Twinkies and other Hostess products. Go on E-bay right now and you’ll find individuals trying to sell boxes of them for upwards of $30 for a package of 10. What’s sad to me is that there are people out there who are willing to buy them.

I read that people are so upset because Twinkies are an “iconic American brand”; they have been around for so long (since 1930) that it’s hard to imagine America without it’s Twinkies; with the demise of the Twinkie goes a little bit of their childhoods; and on and on. There’s currently even a Facebook page dedicated to “Save the Twinkie” with over 19000 followers!

While I’m sorry about the fate of Hostess itself – the loss of additional jobs in this economy is nothing to make light of – but the loss of the Twinkie is not something I would shed any tears over. The Twinkie is a white flour, sugar and fat concoction completely devoid of nutritional value beyond calories. If that is “iconic America” then I think it’s about time that America developed some new symbols to represent it.

From what I can see, the Twinkie represents America at it’s worst . It is the purest representation of processed food. When I spend time blogging over the toxic effects of sugar , and the resulting blood sugar roller coaster that is driving the twin obesity and diabetes epidemics, I can point to the Twinkie. When I am forced to conclude that we need to take supplements in order to be healthy in today’s society, in part because of the reduced quality of food being produced and consumed, the Twinkie again is a bright shining star leading us to the land of poor health.

I can’t think of a single reason why I shouldn’t be rejoicing that there’s one less sugary, fattening, addicting, non-food, processed concoction on our grocery store shelves. So to those of you who love your Twinkies, take heart – you will get over the loss and your body will thank you for it. Unless you find a replacement. Or you come to Canada ; (fortunately? for Canadians) the rights to the Hostess Twinkie brand in Canada are owned by the company Saputo Inc. whose production is completely unaffected by the events transpiring in the US.

Understanding calories

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 22:28:00 GMT

As a response to the obesity epidemic, In March 2011, the FDA made it mandatory in the US for all restaurant chains with more than 20 locations to have the calorie content of all products listed on menus and menu boards. The theory is that if people know how many calories are in the foods they are consuming, they will make better choices to consume lower-calorie alternatives.

Now that the calories have been listed for over a year, the results are coming in and the experiment appears to be a failure. We’re not seeing any significant change in individual consumption, and for those of us in the health and wellness fields, it has left us scratching our heads. Why would people continue to choose such high calorie foods when they know now just how huge a proportion of their daily needs are being supplied by them?

The answer is that most people actually don’t know. The majority of individuals don’t have any idea what their daily needs are, so the numbers on the menus don’t mean anything to them. So for this post, I’m going to put the numbers into perspective.

To begin, it is very important to know how many calories people need to consume each day to maintain their weight. Typically, consuming more will lead to weight gain, and less will lead to weight loss. (Occasionally there are factors at play which would negate either of those assertions, but that will have to wait for another post)

The average woman needs between 1800-2000 calories per day. If she is taller, more muscular, or more active, she will require more. A smaller, older, or less active woman will require less. The average man requires 2200-2600 calories daily. The same adjustments are true for men as they are for women.

That’s the starting point. So now let’s look at some of the most common foods we eat:

So a balanced lunch of a simple sandwich with 2 slices of bread, a serving of meat, an ounce of cheese, with some veggies on the side and some juice to drink would be around 550 calories; or about 1/4 of most people’s daily needs.

Restaurants are rarely so simple. Take a typical McDonald’s meal:

So we’re already looking at 1110 calories! Over half of what most people need for the entire day being consumed at one meal. And what if you had a large fry instead? That’s 500 calories. Or how about the eggnog shake that’s so popular at this time of year? A small (12 oz) is 540 calories, while a large (22oz) is a whopping 830 calories! Before you know it, a “simple” lunch could supply you with enough calories for the whole day.

I used McDonald’s as an example because it is quite typical of most fast food places. Sit down restaurants are even worse because they not only cook with more fat than we would at home, but the portion sizes are easily double what one should normally consume at a sitting.

And don’t forget the liquid calories…they can make a huge impact as well. A medium (14oz) double double coffee at Tim Horton’s has 210 calories. That’s 10% of all your calories for the day in one drink. Have 2 or 3 a day? You’re looking at a significant percentage of calories coming from those 15 minute coffee breaks.

I could go on. With the number of meals eaten outside the home increasing every year, it’s honestly no wonder to me that North Americans are getting heavier and heavier. Restaurants are competing for our business by making our meals as tasty (ie. fatty and salty) as possible, and by providing us with value for money (ie. supersized portions) to keep us coming back. They’re not in it for our health. I wish it were as simple as just saying that we should all home-cook all of our meals, but we’re not all fortunate enough to have the time or skills to do so (though I believe where there’s a will there’s a way). So understanding food, calories, and portion sizes is critical if eating out is to be a regular part of our lives.

So read the menus; look at the apps; use the information available to you to make smarter decisions to live a healthier life. No one else is going to do it for you.

Want to lose weight? Get some sleep!

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 02:13:00 GMT

In the study, participants had two measurements of insulin sensitivity taken after each of two study periods. One measurement was an intravenous glucose tolerance test, which determines the body’s insulin sensitivity; and the other measurement required the removal of some abdominal fat cells to determine how well individual fat cells responded to insulin.

The first study period involved each of the participants spending 8.5 hours in bed for four consecutive nights. After four weeks, the participants returned for the second study period, during which they were permitted only 4.5 hours in bed each night. During both study periods, caloric intake and physical activity were controlled.

The results were consistent with all participants: after the four nights of inadequate sleep, insulin response was impaired significantly. Responsiveness as tested by the glucose tolerance test went down by an average of 16 percent, while insulin sensitivity in the abdominal fat cells decreased by 30 percent, on average.

What does this all mean? Insulin is the hormone that is responsible for removing excess sugar from the blood and storing it in the liver, muscles, and fat cells. When cells start becoming resistant to insulin, the body has to produce even more insulin in order to achieve the same response. Liver and muscle tend to become resistant first, therefore becoming less able to store sugar for energy, so more and more sugar is deposited into fat cells until those cells become completely insulin resistant. As insulin levels increase, obesity develops; once cells are significantly resistant to insulin, the body is no longer able to remove sugar from the bloodstream as well, and then we have type 2 diabetes.

Sleep deprivation also tends to lead to other unhealthy behaviours. Studies have shown that people with poor sleep also tend to consume extra calories, and as well, chronic fatigue leads to reduced activity and energy levels, which are also barriers to weight loss.

So, if you’re cursing your alarm clock every morning, then you should consider getting to bed earlier. I know how hard it is to consider going to bed when you’ve got a million things on your to-do list, but you’ll find getting to bed earlier leaves you feeling much more energetic and productive; chances are you’ll have the energy to complete that list and more on after a good night’s sleep. Your body will thank you for it!

5 Tips to Help Avoid the Holiday Weight

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 17:05:00 GMT

Halloween might be over, but the yearly assault on healthy eating is just getting warmed up. While we face the piles of leftover candy in our homes and offices, shops are stocking up on all our favourite holiday treats; the holiday parties are already being marked on the calendar; and we’re heading into 2 solid months of celebration mode. Wonderful for the spirit, yes, but less so for the waistline.

How do we get through the next few months without adding on the pounds? Here’s a list of my top five suggestions for the season:

#1. Weigh yourself or take measurements weekly. If you really don’t want to gain weight, then you need to be aware if your holiday eating is getting you into trouble so you can nip it in the bud right away. Knowing that your weight has gone up might just give you the self-discipline you need to prevent turning a 2 pound weight gain into a 5 or 10.

#2. Have a snack before you go to a party . This is an old standby, but it bears repeating. There’s nothing worse you can do for yourself than to arrive at a party starving. Please don’t “save your appetite” for the party, because you’ll only end up consuming hundreds of calories on appetizers or simply overeat the first time food appears. A snack including a little protein about 30-45 minutes before the party starts should be just right to take the edge off and restore self-control.

#3. Spend your calories wisely. There are always loads of appetizers and desserts to eat, but how many of them do you see as really special? Chips and peanuts, you can get them anywhere. The same goes for store-bought cookies or smarties or ice cream. Eat only the few items you can only get at this time of year and savour them (like my cousin’s exceptional butter tarts…yum!). The only thing you’ll be missing is an upset stomach and a few extra pounds!

#4. Keep an eye on the liquid calories. A can of regular Coke (or other regular soft drink) has about 140 calories. A 6oz glass of wine has about 120 calories. A 12oz bottle of beer has 130 calories. And most fruit juices have about 120 calories for an 8oz serving. Over the course of a night, these can really add up! One way to keep the numbers down is to alternate caloric drinks with water or another calorie-free alternative.

#5. Ditch the elastic waistband. Or the loose-fitting dress. And under no circumstances undo the top button of your pants! Your stomach will always try to tell you when you’ve had enough to eat, and if you’re clothes are too comfortable, you’re more likely to ignore it when it tries to signal that it’s time to stop. Listen to your body. It will never lead you astray.

Good luck with the season! If you would like more suggestions or insights, then I would love to meet you one-on-one for a consult. Click here to book an appointment.

Do you have any favourite holiday eating tips? If so, I’d love to hear them!

Happy holidays!

Good news on the cholesterol front

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 17:18:00 GMT

A couple of different studies over the past few months have reached the same conclusion: cholesterol levels have been coming down for the first time in 20 years.

The first study , done in the US by the Center for Disease Control, looked specifically at cholesterol in children and found that, over the past decade, the average LDL (“bad”) cholesterol has decreased and the average HDL (“good”) cholesterol has increased. This is despite the ever-increasing rate of obesity in children.

Another study completed recently looked at cholesterol rates in adults, and also has seen a drop for the first time since the 1980s. This, too, has been despite increasing obesity rates and correcting for the increased usage of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs in the adult population.

So what could be causing these improvements? Both studies reached the same results: trans fat intake has been going down. It all began in 2003 with a “ Ban Trans Fat ” campaign through whose efforts at litigation and via other mechanisms, have successfully lobbied to:

The word is out about the dangers of trans fats, and I’m pleased to see, in my own practice at least, that most people I encounter do look for these on the labels of food they purchase.

You might be wondering where we are at in Canada. Calgary is currently the only city to have a complete ban on trans fats in restaurants and fast food places. In June 2006, the Canadian government’s Trans Fats Task Force put forth the recommendations that to limit trans fat intake:

In June 2007, Health Canada adopted the recommendations of the task force and was going to give the food industry 2 years to voluntarily comply with them, and if that did not occur, regulations would be put in place. (So that would take us to 2009, right?)

The recommendations and process are all documented on their website, if you’re interested.

Here we are nearing the end of 2012 and it turns out that Health Canada (ie. the Canadian government) has decided not to pursue the recommendations of it’s own task force and has let the entire issue drop . “(Federal Minister of Health) Aglukkaq made the decision even though senior officials had briefed her on a cost-benefit analysis commissioned by Health Canada showing a “significant net benefit to Canadian society” of up to $9 billion over 20 years if trans-fat caps were imposed.”

Sigh. This is an echo of their treatment of the Sodium Working Group whose recommendations to decrease salt intake in Canada were also ignored.

The harsh reality about sugary drinks

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 16:35:00 GMT

A new video has just been released by the Centre for Science in the Public Interest, and if you’ve read a few of my previous blog posts, particularly Mike Bloomberg, you’re my hero! , and several that preceded it, you’ll know that I feel very strongly about the negative impact of refined sugars on today’s society: obesity, diabetes, and all the complications thereof have been skyrocketing, and a significant amount of this is due to increased consumption of added sugars.

I’m all for doing whatever works to get control over this epidemic, be it legislation or education. (I prefer education first, but it takes more time, and in my opinion this is a problem that is too big, and too devastating, to rely solely on long-term solutions.) The CSPI has created a pull-no-punches animated video that, I hope, will go a long way on the education front.

I generally try to use my posts to take something complicated in the world of nutrition and boil it down to the basics. The CSPI has done such an excellent job with their message, that this time, I’m going to share it as is. Below is the letter that was published by CSPI founder, Michael F Jacobs, including a link to the website with the video. I’ve also embedded the video here on this site, but I highly encourage you to visit the website in any case; there are many truths to be revealed, and they can’t all fit in 3-and-a-half minutes of film.

CENTRE FOR SCIENCE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST

For the past 10 months we have been quietly working on a secret project
aimed at repositioning soda and other sugary drinks from a source of
happiness to a disease-promoting source of sadness.

Today we are announcing the world premiere of The Real Bears, an
animated short film featuring an original song by Grammy-award-winning
singer songwriter Jason Mraz. The Real Bears tells the story of a family
suffering from the adverse health impacts of soda consumption, including
weight gain, obesity, and tooth decay, as well as diabetes and its
associated complications, including amputation and erectile dysfunction.
In the film’s stirring conclusion, the family of Bears decides to
reclaim their health-and their happiness.

Soda and sugary drinks still are the biggest single source of calories
in the American diet, accounting for about 7 percent. And while
Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and other soda companies spend lavishly to position
the products as sources of happiness, sugary drinks are directly linked
to obesity and diabetes. Each additional sugary drink consumed per day
increases the likelihood of a child becoming obese by about 60 percent.
Drinking one or two sugary drinks per day increases one’s risk for type
2 diabetes by 27 percent.

The Real Bears family learns-like many real American families have-that
these conditions and their complications are sources of sadness, not
happiness.

We may not have Coke’s or Pepsi’s advertising budgets but we do have the
truth. And now we have The Real Bears. Please watch the film today:

http://www.therealbears.org

Sincerely,

Michael F. Jacobson

New(ish) pediatric feeding guidelines: add meat and meat alternatives first

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 17:43:00 GMT

For some time now, Health Canada has advised that a baby’s first solid foods should be something rich in iron; typically, that has been iron-fortified cereal. This would be followed by vegetables, fruits, meats, and then dairy products.

The rationale is that when healthy, full-term babies are born, they have enough iron reserves to last them until they are about 6 months old. Typically, babies begin transitioning to solid foods somewhere between 4-6 months, and considering how vitally important it is that iron intake be adequate to promote blood production and proper development, they need to be consuming foods rich in iron to fill the need. Cereals fortified with iron (which most are) are still suggested as a good first food, but meat (eg.poultry, beef, and fish), and meat alternatives (eg. eggs, beans, and tofu) are recommended to be consumed early on as well. In fact, underscoring the importance is the new recommendation that these iron-rich foods be offered to baby at least two or more times daily.

In serving meat – as with everything else – at this early age, one must be very careful that the food is well-cooked and in very small pieces, if not pureed, to avoid any choking hazards.

Another point of interest is that it is no longer recommended to delay the introduction of potential allergens such as eggs, peanut butter, and fish. Research has shown that delaying allergenic foods does nothing to decrease the prevalence of allergies. Still, one might want to be cautious about the introduction of highly allergenic foods by introducing them at home and having an antihistamine readily available in case of a reaction. Alternatively, some parents may wish to wait until the child is old enough to communicate experiencing allergy symptoms (eg. funny feeling in lips or tongue, or difficulty breathing).

Now that we’re realizing there’s no special order required for the introduction of foods, with the exception of dairy products, which should still wait until 9-12 months, I would personally recommend incorporating a wide variety as soon as possible to expose baby’s palate to a multitude of flavours. Many experts suggest fruit should be last as some babies might reject other foods if they develop a sweet-tooth early. The sooner they develop a taste for a variety of foods, the less picky they’re likely to be as they get older. And that’s something I can get behind!

Caveat emptor (Buyer beware)

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 16:33:00 GMT

Nutella not so nutritious

In April this year, Ferrero was forced to pay out $3 million due to a class-action suit against the marketing of its chocolate hazelnut spread, Nutella. While a look at the ingredients or the label really should make you believe you’re reading those of a candy bar, the product had been advertised with claims such as “Nutella is made with simple, quality ingredients like hazelnuts, skim milk, and a hint of cocoa.” For those who unfortunately don’t have any education in food, nutrition, or label-reading, this advertising is all they have to go on.

Click here for more details on the class action settlement.

NTBY Kid’s vitamins display fraudulent labels

In August, US nutritional supplement manufacturer, marketer and distributer, NTBY , has been sued for nearly $2.1 million when it was discovered that a several of their kids vitamins, each of which advertised containing 100% of their daily needs of DHA (an omega-3 fatty acid important for brain development), was found in reality to contain only one-one thousandth (1/1000) of the amount.

The brands included their lines of Disney and Marvel Heroes children’s multivitamin gummies and tablets.

The NTBY corporate website indicates that it offers over 22,000 products; if the kids lines has been proven to not live up to what’s advertised, it makes me wonder about their other products. Why should they be any better?

This speaks directly to a post from a few weeks ago, “ do you know what’s in your vitamins? ” The sad truth is that the health foods & nutritional supplement market is very poorly regulated, and we need to be viewing any and all products with a careful eye. We’re buying these products to improve our health, but if we are not fully aware of what we’re spending our money on, at best we can be getting something that isn’t as good as it should be, while at worst, we can be getting something that is harmful to us.

Activia’s advertising taken down a notch

This one took place a while ago, but I’d only just heard. Dannon had been advertising that it’s yogurt products, Activia and DanActive, have probiotics that have been “clinically” or “scientifically proven” to improve digestive health; with that claim, they have managed to attract a large group of consumers willing to pay a premium for their products.

This case is not so cut-and-dried as the other two above. There indeed has been a lot of research into probiotics, and the results look quite promising. Probiotics have for centuries been recognized to have beneficial effects, although they are not necessarily the solution to all digestive problems.

When searching for blog topics, a friend had suggested I discuss Activia vs. other yogurts. At the time, I had simply assumed that Dannon had the better marketing campaign, and there’s probably no difference. I now know that Dannon spends millions of dollars backing research into probiotics; and their mission is “ to formulate DANONE products with health benefits based on scientific evidence ” They’re putting their money where their mouths are. As a result of the suit , they were on the hook for $45 million dollars, and had to replace their claims with “clinical studies show” and the like, but in my humble opinion, they are on the right track. If you try them and you feel better in a few weeks – great! If not, then it might not be the balance of gut bacteria in your system that’s your problem, or the Dannon product isn’t right for you.

In any case, it’s always good when companies are held to account for their actions. However, we can’t rely on a class action suit to make us savvier consumers. Some companies are fantastic, and some will do anything for a buck…be skeptical, be wary, and do your homework!

Do you know any sandwich shops that serve the ends of the bread?

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 20:29:00 GMT

That’s not a question I had even considered until watching Tristam Stuart’s TED Talk: The Global Food Waste Scandal.

Nor had I asked how it is that all the potatoes in the grocery store have such a similar shape? And why do the apples never seem to pucker in, like they do on my tree at home? What about the way the bread at the bakery is always exactly the same size and weight?

I figured the less-than-perfect fruits and vegetables were cut up and canned, or used to makes jams etc. But that can only account for so much. The fact of the matter is that Western countries throw out nearly half of their food, not because it’s inedible, but because it doesn’t look appealing.

I wish it were so simple as to blame the food industry, but we, the consumers, are just getting what we want. Do you spend time choosing your produce, looking for items without bruises or dimples or marks? I’ll be the first to admit that I have always done so, but now I’m trying to learn to be less particular. (Old habits die hard!)

Watch the talk embedded below and let me know what you think. Do you agree that this is a problem that needs to be solved? Where do we even begin?

Getting your “Five-a-day?” Congratulations! But you’re probably still deficient.

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 18:34:00 GMT

Around the world, health professionals are unified in promoting the consumption of fruits and vegetables. In Canada, we optimistically suggest that everyone should be getting “ 5 to 10 a day “, while in the US (as well as the UK, Germany, and others), the slogan is simply “5 a Day”.

The problem is, “5 a Day” simply isn’t good enough anymore. It might have been in the 1950s, but in today’s world we would have to consume significantly more than that in order to be optimally healthy. In fact, I’m not sure that the majority of us can do it with food alone. And the reason for this is twofold: food today isn’t as nutritious, and our nutrient needs are far higher than they used to be.

Today’s food just doesn’t cut it.

Every so often, Health Canada tests fruits and vegetables in Canada and provides tables listing their nutrient content. When you see a product label indicating the percentage of Vitamin C, iron, calcium etc. per serving, those values are calculated by plugging the recipe into a computer program which uses the data supplied by Health Canada. (Individual companies are not sending their food to be independently tested by labs, so having this data is important.)

Last week I discovered an article from the Globe and Mail published on July 6, 2002, ( ten years ago! ) by Andre Picard comparing the nutritional values, as provided by Health Canada, of 25 different fruits and vegetables between 1951 and 1999. The following is a sampling of what they found:

Everywhere you see red, the nutritional value has gone down…and that’s a lot of red! As you can see, the levels of vitamins and minerals in all of the foods they looked at have almost universally deteriorated, a lot . Take potatoes, for example, since it’s probably the most consumed vegetable in North America. The amount of calcium has gone down by 27.5%; the amount of Vitamin C, iron, and riboflavin have each gone down over 50%, and the Vitamin A in potatoes is completely gone…there used to be Vitamin A in potatoes, and now there is none! For the 25 most popular fruits and vegetables that were examined, nutrient losses were similar.

To put this into perspective, back in 1951, a woman could get her full Recommended Daily Allowance of Vitamin A by consuming just 2 peaches . Today, she would need fifty-three (53) peaches! Or how about the fact that you would have to eat eight oranges today to get the same amount of Vitamin A in just one orange in 1951.

Canada’s situation is not unique. According to data in the US and the UK, similar losses have been tracked in their food supply as well.

The first question to be asked is: why is this happening? The most obvious reason has to do with mass-farming practices on the one hand, and the degradation of nutrients during long-haul transportation on the other. Historically, food was sourced locally and farming involved regular crop rotation, allowing land to lie fallow, and other techniques to ensure that the soil remained healthy, and in turn, so would the crops that grew on them. Millions of dollars have been spent on increasing profits through modern technology: fertilizers and chemicals to put out higher crop yields which are more resistant to pests and droughts, and which look beautiful to the eye. Where is the money ensuring that nutrient value has not been shortchanged as a result? Call me a cynic, but I’m not surprised.

The second question to ask is: what is being done about this? The answer: nothing. The only thing more shocking to me than the sheer magnitude of the nutrient losses is the fact that public health officials have known about this problem for decades and they don’t seem to see it as a problem worth addressing. This problem is not even on the radar! At the very least I would have expected Dietitians of Canada to make some sort of stand on food quality in Canada, given that our discipline’s raison d’etre is to promote healthy living through good nutrition. How can you meet your nutrient needs through food if the food doesn’t contain the nutrients in the first place? I’ve never had one communication from them addressing this issue.

So why is there no public outcry? The answer is that, despite the drastic decreases to nutritional values, our food is still good enough, if we eat very carefully, to (barely) supply our RDAs.

RDAs: Recommended Dietary Allowances

And that’s the problem. The RDA’s are defined as “the average daily dietary intake of a nutrient that is sufficient to meet the requirement of nearly all (97-98%) healthy persons.” We label our foods with %Daily Values (determined by picking the highest RDA value across demographic groups for the nutrient). The recommendations in Canada’s Food Guide (and the US MyPlate) have been developed in order to meet RDA values. We’ve convinced ourselves that if we meet our RDAs, we’re doing what is needed to keep ourselves healthy. But we’ve forgotten our history. What does “meet the requirement” mean?

The RDAs were originally developed during World War II in order to determine what minimal nutrient intake was necessary to keep our servicemen and women up and fighting during periods of rationing . As in, how much Vitamin C do you need to prevent scurvy? Or how much thiamin to prevent beriberi? Or the amount of Vitamin D needed to prevent rickets? We’re not talking about optimal nutrition here. These are the levels known as adequate to avoid overt nutritional deficiencies , but they in no way give us the amounts needed to prevent long-term chronic disease. As an analogy, it’s like asking what’s the minimum amount of air I can put in my tires to keep my car moving? Having anything less than the optimal amount of air yields more wear and tear on the car, reduces its efficiency, and shortens its life overall. Having less than optimal nutrition does exactly the same thing to your body.

As I pointed out earlier, in 1951 it was extremely easy to meet your RDAs. A couple pieces of fruit and a few vegetables, each of which was chock-full of a wide spectrum of nutrients, and you were there. In fact, you’d be taking in far more nutrition than simply meeting your RDA values. In 1951 it was easy to be optimally nourished with food alone.

The RDAs have been updated every decade, and most nutrient levels have only changed slightly over the past 50 years. Where the evidence has strongly indicated a role in disease prevention (eg. Calcium & osteoporosis, Vitamin D & cancer), recommendations have increased. Surprisingly, most of the other nutrient recommendations have gone down!

If the history isn’t convincing enough, the RDA book itself states “RDAs are neither minimal requirements nor necessarily optimal levels of intake. It is not possible at this time to establish optima.” It’s in black and white, yet somehow we refuse to recognize that there is a difference between minimal and optimal.

Optimal has changed

Modern society is worlds different from the 1950s. Stresses to our bodies are increasing constantly: not only the go-go-go of today’s lifestyles, but also things such as lack of sleep; air pollution; noise pollution; the chemicals and toxins that surround us in our foods, cleaning products, beauty products, paints, glues, light bulbs etc. The list goes on. All of this affects us. Even if we’re not eating it directly, we breathe it in, and it absorbs through our skin. Our bodies defend ourselves with our immune system, our liver, our digestive systems, our skin, our tear ducts, our nose hair and so on. Those only work and regenerate if they are properly nourished and hydrated. The more stress, the more work they have to do, and the greater our nutritional needs to keep at full fighting strength.

Bridging the gap

“We are living to short and dying too long” – Dr. Myron Wentz . As a society, we’ve become very good at taking care of infectious diseases. Immunizations, antibiotics and antivirals are amazing at keeping us free from the multitude of diseases that brought down our grandparents and great-grandparents. Now, however, we are seeing an unprecedented rise in chronic degenerative diseases. The diseases that rob you of life; that kill you slowly, over years or decades. Cancers, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and so on. These are diseases that start off with oxidative damage to individual cells. Damage that could potentially be prevented or reversed with proper nutrition: antioxidants, vitamins and minerals whose function it is to protect each and every cell in the body.

Can we prevent these diseases with food today? I don’t think so. Not the majority of us, anyway, who can’t seem to get even 5 fruits and vegetables in daily; and those five just barely keep us from becoming visibly deficient. Not with the amount of processed food in our diet, whose nutrients have been stripped away and replaced with fat, sugar, and salt.

The way I see it, we have two choices, and one imperative. We can overhaul our diets to eliminate the processed food, so we can maximize the nutrients that we can get from our diets. We can do the best we can, and take a high-quality nutritional supplement as insurance. (I’ve written a couple of blog posts on this subject previously to help choose a good product) And we must demand better from our public health professionals and ultimately the government to see that something is being done about this. The problem is not irreversible, we just need to take action.

I’d be very interested to hear your comments. Are you as shocked as I was? Do you see any other ways to solve this problem? (we can’t all grow veggie gardens in our back yards, sadly). What are your thoughts?

The secret to reaching your goals

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 18:16:00 GMT

A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege and opportunity to attend a convention on Health and Wellness. Among many of the seminars and workshops were some devoted to learning how to grow your business; how to network with others; how to truly be successful at what you do.

Thinking about all of the advice they offered, I realized that most of it is applicable on a personal level. How do we reach the goals that we set for ourselves? Today, I’m going to discuss three of them.

What’s your WHY?

The first and most important suggestion is to have a powerful “ why “. Why is this goal important? Why is it really and truly worth spending the time and effort to achieve it? Using myself as an example, from a business perspective, why should I be putting in all the extra effort on running my own business instead of working for someone else for a paycheque and benefits? I want the flexibility of working my own hours so I can spend more time with my kids while they’re young. I want to earn more so I can be free of debts by the time I’m 50; I want to be able to pay for my children to go to school as long as they need to get the career they want. I love this job and I want to keep doing it as long as I can. Those are extremely important to me, and they keep me going, even when the going gets tough.

How about you? Are you trying to lose weight? Why? Do you want to be healthier? Why? It’s not enough to simply want those things. You’ve got to REALLY want those things. I see people day in and day out who would “like” those things; but the only way things would improve for them is if a magical fairy would wave her wand and make it happen. They don’t have a strong enough reason to make it happen .

What’s your why? Do you have a family history of diabetes or cancer – seen a loved on suffer – and want avoid that fate for yourself? Do you want to still be around and active enough to play with your grandkids? Do you want to be a better role model for your children? Do you want the freedom to buy clothes from non-specialty stores? Do you just want to not be out of breath when you climb the stairs?

I can’t tell you if your why is strong enough. I certainly can’t judge whether your why is “good” or not…what may seem trivial to one person may have a significant, deep meaning to someone else.

Set goals

Set goals for yourself. Either daily or weekly or both. From a business perspective, this could be “I want to talk to 2 people about my business each day”. If you want to get healthier, it could be “I’ll only eat out twice this week” or “I’ll walk 30 minutes every day this week” or “I’ll eat 5 servings of vegetables every day”. Any number of goals are possible depending on what stage you’re at in reaching your target. Remember to be specific . Saying you’ll eat “more vegetables” or “walk daily” lets you shortchange yourself too easily. You need to be able to measure how well you’re achieving your short-term goals so you can adjust as you improve.

If you’re not actively working at achieving your long-term goal, then it won’t happen . There is no magical fairy. It’s your life , and it’s completely under your own control . And if you’re not motivated to keep working at this goal, then your “why” isn’t strong enough. You need to take a look again at why you’re doing what you’re doing.

If you’re not making progress, talk to an expert

If you knew everything there was to know about achieving your goal, and you have a strong enough “why” to motivate you, then you’d already be there, wouldn’t you?

So if you’re not there, and progress has stopped, then chances are there’s something else you could learn. Talk to someone who has been through it already . If I want business marketing advice, I’ll talk so another entrepreneur who has been successful in his or her business, or maybe go straight to a marketing specialist. I’m not likely to ask someone who has spent their entire career as a cashier or sales clerk, for example.

If you want to become healthier, do you talk to your friend who has been an athlete all his life? Or the one who is a couch potato with no interest in becoming fit? How about talking to someone you know who has changed his or her lifestyle and is getting healthier day by day? Or an expert on fitness or nutrition, like a personal trainer or dietitian?

Albert Einstein defines insanity as “the act of doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result”. If a few weeks or a month of doing the same thing isn’t eliciting any progress, then why should months or years of it be any better?

Reaching big goals is never easy, but only with the right motivation and tools do you have the best chance at success.

Good luck!

How stress makes you gain weight

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 19:52:00 GMT

I’m sure we’ve all heard it said at some point that when you’re stressed it becomes very difficult to lose weight. It’s not simply the idea that people overeat when stressed, or have limited emotional reserves left to focus on healthy eating; often it is quite the contrary. Stress affects the production of different hormones in the body, namely adrenalin and cortisol, and it is the action of these hormones that has a profound effect on our metabolism and tendency to gain weight.

Adrenalin is responsible for short-term stress situations. If we think back to how we evolved, short-term stress situations were instances when our lives were in immediate danger; for example, a wild animal emerged from the forest, or someone from a rival tribe attacked. This would initiate the “fight or flight” response for which adrenalin is responsible. If we are to either fight or run, we need immediate blood flow to our arms and legs and we need sugar in our bloodstream to fuel our muscles. So, blood flow is diverted away from our digestive system (can’t waste energy digesting lunch if we’re about to become lunch for something else!) to power up the rest of the body, and our liver and muscles start releasing sugar into the blood to provide fuel for the upcoming exertion. In addition to other effects, appetite is suppressed (can’t afford to be distracted by a rumbling stomach at a time like this!) as is the immune system (fighting an infection is less of a priority than fighting for your life.) Once the immediate threat is over, once we’ve either won the fight or escaped, our adrenaline levels come back down and blood flow, blood sugars, and normal functioning returns.

Nowadays, it is fairly rare for most of us to be in situations where our life is in actual danger, however, anxiety and stress in our everyday environment can still initiate this ancient response. You’ve slept through your alarm and have only 15 minutes to get yourself and your kids ready and out the door. You are caught in rush hour traffic and are running late for a meeting. You arrive to work to find 40 e-mails waiting for you. You feel like you don’t even have time to breathe and you’ve only been awake for an hour! This kind of perceived stress will send your adrenaline levels soaring and your blood sugars through the roof! But since this is occurring while you’re sitting at your desk, you really have no need for that extra sugar; instead of being used to fight or run, the excess sugar triggers another hormone – insulin – to store it once again; once the muscles have as much as they can hold, the rest is turned to fat.

So you can see in the short-term how stress causes weight gain. Now once the body believes that the threat to our health is long-term, the dominant stress hormone changes from adrenaline to cortisol. Historically, long-term stresses used to only be things like famine or war, when long-term survival was at stake, whereas today we stress about finances, relationships, health, weight, and so forth. You can probably guess what the body will do to promote long-term survival, when we believe times will be tough and food will be scarce…we conserve! Muscle uses more energy than fat, so we break down muscle and convert any extra energy to fat. Hormonal balances change in order to utilize as little energy as possible. So despite being in a state of plenty, our bodies react as though we are preparing for starvation, so a diet that was just right for weight maintenance before is causing weight gain.

So if you’re eating well, exercising, and still not seeing the reduction in fat you were expecting, consider that the stress in your life may be impairing your ability to lose weight. Look at ways to relieve stress: deep breathing, meditation, yoga, pilates, a warm soak in a tub, aromatherapy; do what works for you. Until you tackle that rampant cortisol, achieving your weight loss goal will continue to be an uphill battle.

Reference: Weaver, Libby. Accidentally Overweight . 3rd ed. USA: Little Green Frog Publishing Ltd, 2011. Print.

Do you know what’s in your vitamins?

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 16:13:00 GMT

In a previous post , I discussed why I believe that proper vitamin and mineral supplementation is essential in today’s world in order to achieve optimal health. I’ll admit that among most dietitians and other health professionals, I am in the minority, but having personally experienced the benefits of a good multivitamin on top of an already very healthy diet, I can only conclude that either the food we eat today is not as nutritious as it once was; the atmosphere we live in is more polluted, requiring greater levels of antioxidants to protect us; or a combination of both.

I mentioned in another post some of the methods to determine how to choose a good multivitamin. One of those methods was to rely on independent reviews, such as the Nutrisearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements by Lyle MacWilliam, MSc, FP.

Last week, I was extremely fortunate to attend a seminar presented by Lyle MacWilliam, in which he described the process by which the Comparative Guide was developed. Lyle MacWilliam is a former Member of Parliament and Member of the Legislative Assembly for British Columbia. He served as Canada’s federal Minister of Health and he was heavily involved at the time in the development of Canada’s current regulatory framework for natural health products (which includes multivitamins). During his tenure, he recognized that, with the size of the industry as it was, and ever growing, the ability for Canadians to make informed choices about the quality of their supplements was getting more and more difficult. So, he used his extensive knowledge of science and nutrition to develop the Comparative Guide .

That much I already knew. It was what followed that came to me as as quite a shock. In Canada there are tough standards for the manufacturing of nutritional supplements, but in the United States, the onus is on the supplement manufacturers to prove that their products are safe, not the FDA. So, while once upon a time, it was part of the regulatory body’s responsibilities to ensure that products on the market would not do any harm, things are no longer like that. Compliance at the pharmaceutical level of manufacturing is strictly voluntary. How many manufacturers are really checking their products? How many of them will guarantee that everything they say is in the product is in there, in the doses specified? And more importantly, how many will guarantee that their product is free from contaminants ? Very few.

There are supplements on the market with traces of lead, arsenic, mercury and a whole host of other contaminants. And unless you are taking a supplement from a company that follows Good Manufacturing Procedures (aka GMPs), or subscribes to an independent verification program, there is no guarantee that the product has been tested for quality or potency.

You might be wondering why would anyone put that stuff in their products ? The same thought occurred to me, too. The fact is, they wouldn’t. But, if the raw materials from their suppliers were contaminated, then that stuff will wind up in the end product. How many times do we hear of recalls due to lead in children’s toys? It’s not an additive…it’s a contaminant.

In doing their research for the book, Nutrisearch offered any product that scored the top rating, 5.0, to apply for an additional award which was received if they submitted their product for independent verification. Out of the 14 manufacturers that got a 5.0 rating for one or more products, only 4 bothered to apply for this award. What does that say about the manufacturing standards of the majority?

Luckily, if you’re buying products sold in Canada, you’re probably safe. However, if you’re cross-border shopping, or having them shipped to you from the US, then you need to take a good look at the certifications on the bottle; there’s no other way to be certain that you’re getting exactly what the label promises, and nothing more . There are three independent non-government programs in the US which certify supplement quality: Natural Products Association Certification (NPA GMP), NSF Dietary Supplements Certification, and USP Dietary Supplement Verification (USP GMP). Independent labs may also be used to verify quality, so supplements may be labeled with the Internal Standards Organization’s ISO 17025 Certification. In Canada, all products should have a DIN (drug identification number) or NPN (natural product number).

To your good health!

If you’d like to order the supplements I take and recommend, click here .

Making sense out of the “Nutrition Facts” label

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 17:30:00 GMT

The “Nutrition Facts” label in its current form has been around for a pretty long time, becoming mandatory for most pre-packaged foods in December 2005.

The purpose of the Nutrition Facts labels is to help you make a choice between similar products. For instance, two brands of breads, or cereals, or soups, or cheeses. The objective is to pick the healthier one.

So lets take bagels, for example. The very first thing you need to look at is the serving size on the label. One brand may list a serving as a whole bagel, while another might list a half a bagel. So, the first thing you need to consider is, how much are you likely to eat? If you’re likely to eat a whole bagel, then in order to compare products, you’ll need to do some mental math to multiply the serving size and all the other numbers by 2 to reflect the larger amount of food.

The next thing to note is calories. The average adult needs roughly 1800-2200 calories daily, depending on age, sex, and activity level. So when the cheesecake label says it has 650 calories per slice, you should recognize that that’s potentially a third of your calorie needs for the day. (I know, sad but true.)

The next important group of numbers to understand is the %DV (Percent Daily Value). The daily value for each nutrient is based on the highest requirement across all the demographics for age and sex, and so should meet the needs of anyone over the age of 2. Don’t bother trying to use these numbers to track your intake – too many foods, namely fresh fruits, vegetables and meats, don’t have labels. The numbers are used to determine if there is a little or a lot of something in the food. Typically, if a nutrient meets 5% or less of the DV, it has a little. If it meets 20% or more of the DV, it has a lot.

Nutrients to decrease are saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium. The actual amounts of these are listed, but it’s far easier to use the %DV as your guide. Fibre is also listed, and that’s one to increase. Sugar content gets a little tricky because you can’t distinguish natural sugars (eg. from fruit) from added sugars; it’s best to read the ingredient list to get a good idea or what’s in the product. Finally, the content of Vitamins A & C, as well as iron and calcium are also reported as many of us do not get enough of these nutrients, so it’s a good idea to look these as well.

I hope I’ve helped to make grocery shopping a little easier for you. With a little practice, you’ll be an expert!

The downside of iced tea: kidney stones

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 16:46:00 GMT

The kidneys are responsible for keeping us healthy by maintaining our blood in a state of balance. Their job is to make sure the fluid, sodium, potassium, and other nutrients carried in the blood are at the levels needed for optimal functioning; the kidneys also remove the waste products that result from everyday metabolic processes that would otherwise accumulate and poison us. These unwanted products are filtered out of the body into urine, which is then stored in the bladder until it is emptied.

Sometimes, a solid piece of material will form out of the waste products in urine; these are known as kidney stones. Very small stones may pass right through the system without notice, but larger stones may become stuck in the ureter, bladder, or urethra, (altogether known as the urinary tract), causing a blockage in the flow of urine and resulting in a significant amount of pain.

There are four kinds of kidney stones: calcium, struvite, uric acid, and cystine. The most common of these four is formed from calcium oxalate; if you have a history of this kind of kidney stone, then your doctor would have told you to avoid foods with high levels of oxalate, such as spinach, rhubarb, beets, and nuts, among others. With less oxalate in the diet, the less chance that the body will accumulate enough oxalate to form more stones.

You would also have been told to consume plenty of fluids; the more the better. Typically, the recommendation is about 12 cups (96oz) of fluids daily. Taking in high volumes of fluids help to ensure that the urine is very dilute. Stones are less able to form in more dilute environments.

What your doctor may or may not have told you is that tea has a moderate amount of oxalate as well. Generally, people do not drink enough hot tea in a day to pose a real concern over oxalate intake, but iced tea is another story. During the hot summer months, many people choose to stay hydrated by drinking iced tea because it is low in calories, and for many, tastes better than water. High iced tea consumption is well documented to trigger the production of those painful kidney stones..

The summer can be a real challenge for the kidney-stone prone! Especially during a summer as hot as the one we’re having now, it is even more challenging just to stay hydrated, let alone to consume adequate fluid for stone prevention. But sadly, iced tea is not the way to go. Water is best, but as another alternative, you may want to consider lemonade (artificial sweetener may be wise because of all the added sugar). Lemonade made from fresh lemons (not powder) contains citrate, which actually inhibits the formation of kidney stones. Don’t confuse citrate with citric acid (Vitamin C)…high levels of Vitamin C, such as around 2000mg daily as would be found in some mega-dose supplements, are converted into oxalate!

If you have kidney stones, it is important to know exactly which kind you have. The treatment for any one of them is going to be different from the others, including both dietary interventions and medicines that may be used. Decreasing oxalate intake, for example, if you’ve got a uric acid stone isn’t going to help.

If you’d like to know more about the other kinds of kidney stones, leave me a comment. I’ll be happy to help!

OMG! Are you kidding me?

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 16:16:00 GMT

There’s yet another new diet book on the market, but this one seems to be gaining some traction. It’s called Six Weeks To OMG: Get Skinnier Than All Your Friends, and it has apparently replaced the Dukan Diet on the top of the bestseller list.

I must first say that I take issue with most diet books, and have little tolerance of them. The implication of a “diet’ is that it is a temporary solution to lose excess weight, after which time one will go back to “normal” eating. But it is precisely that “normal” eating that caused the weight gain in the first place. Anyone can lose weight on a diet, but it is the gradual transition to healthy eating for life that will make sure the weight stays off. It’s a very rare book that comes out with sound principles that can be adapted to long-term, healthy living.

I also need to admit that I have not read the book, however from reading a multitude of reports on it, I have gleaned a pretty good idea of its contents; therefore, I have no qualms whatsoever about discussing it with some authority.

Here are the basics of the OMG diet.

1. After waking, drink 2 cups of black coffee (the author suggests this as caffeine has been shown to have some effect on boosting metabolism). Caffeine is a stimulant and is also habit-forming. Overuse can cause heart palpitations, as well as anxiety and sleep disturbances. Is this really a healthy change to be recommending?

2. Skip breakfast. Exercise on an empty stomach. Do not eat for 3 hours. (the author suggests that this forces the body to use its own fat stores for fuel). Ever heard of Sumo wrestling? These wrestlers typically weigh 300-400lbs. Two of the cornerstones of the sumo wrestler diet are to skip breakfast and exercise on an empty stomach. Skipping breakfast is known to lower the metabolism as the body is already in a fasting state; it begins to conserve energy the longer it is deprived of food. Exercising on an empty stomach also does the same; the body will try to try to use a minimal amount of fuel during exercise, rationing what is available. This also leaves you hungrier later, and therefore more likely to overeat. Sumo wrestling has been around for over one thousand years…that’s a lot of time to perfect the diet.

Eating for Ramadan

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 18:03:00 GMT

Ramadan began earlier this week (July 20) and will continue for 30 days, until August 19. For those of you who don’t know, the month of Ramadan is a particularly holy period for Muslims across the world.

During this time, in addition to other observances, Muslims fast during daylight hours. They consume absolutely no food or drink (not even water) from dawn to sunset. Since Ramadan is during the summer this year, that translates to nearly 15 hours each day without eating or drinking anything.

(Another thing you may not be aware of is that the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar; it’s 12-month period is approximately 354 days, instead of the 365 days of the solar-based Gregorian calendar. This means that Ramadan begins 11 days earlier each year. Hence, it does not always take place during the summer.)

The purpose of Ramadan is a spiritual one: a period of self-denial, alms-giving, and prayer for the pious, in several ways similar to Lent in the Christian faith. While my personal beliefs on the health benefits of fasting are debatable (there are many who would argue in favour of regular fasting to “cleanse” the system, and I respectfully disagree), I cannot help but be in awe of the dedication and commitment to faith demonstrated during this time.

That said, while I don’t recommend fasting, if one is to undertake this challenge, it is best to prepare as well as possible. So here are a few tips to consider:

1. Don’t skip breakfast! Missing the morning meal is a bad idea on a regular day, but when you are facing no food until evening, it is even more critical to take in some nourishment to get you through the day. It may be tempting to sleep in rather than wake up to eat before sunrise, but it’s better that you take in the calories and have a nap later if you need the extra z’s.

2. Make sure that the pre-dawn meal, called Suhoor , is adequate in protein. Protein delays the release of carbohydrates from the meal into the bloodstream, allowing for steady blood sugars for a longer time. Translated, this means that you can go longer without feeling hungry. Protein foods include meats (including fish and poultry), beans, lentils, eggs, dairy products, nuts, and seeds.

3. Meals should be low in sodium. Salty foods will trigger the sensation of thirst, and as no fluid is to be consumed during the fast, this can be very uncomfortable deal with during the day.

4. Plenty of fruits, vegetables, and fluids should be consumed at meals. Especially this summer, as it has been so hot, dehydration is a significant issue to consider. Adequate intake at the allowed times will go a long way to preventing headaches and other symptoms of dehydration.

5. Keep cool! Again, to prevent possible dehydration, do not put yourself in a position of extreme heat. This includes exercising during the day.

6. If you’re going to exercise (always a good idea), be sure to do it immediately preceding the sunset meal, called Iftar , that breaks the fast. That way, upon completion of exercise, you’ll be in a position to eat and drink to replenish your reserves.

7. Make a point of eating a wide variety of foods. Cutting down to two meals daily, with no snacks, means that meeting all your nutrient needs will be a challenge. To meet these needs, a variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, proteins, grains, and dairy products is necessary. If you’re not already taking a multivitamin, this would be a very good time to start.

I hope you find this information helpful. Do you have any other suggestions to make the Ramadan fast more bearable? I’d love to hear from you!

What would Batman eat?

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 12:15:00 GMT

The rules for a healthy diet are the same for everyone , Batman included. The only difference is that, for athletes, a few adjustments need to be made to compensate for specific needs.

For example, an endurance athlete (eg. marathon runner) would, in the days before a big race, be required to taper off training to give his body a chance to build up his glycogen stores (generally known as carbohydrate-loading). This athlete would eat differently on training days versus off days, and in the pre-event days, a more carbohydrate-rich diet would be consumed. Does this fit Batman’s profile? Let’s think this through…Batman is very strong and agile, and is required to use these skills for short periods of time on a regular basis. So no, he’s not an endurance athlete.

Batman is essentially a high-performance athlete who needs to train for hours each day in order to keep up his skills; and he can’t afford to have a state of low energy because he needs to be able to pick up and go on short notice. In his case, proper nutrition at all times of the day is crucial. I’m afraid sugary desserts and concentrated sweets are out…they would have him on a high for a short while, then crashing an hour later.

Any individual undergoing regular training is going to have to be very careful about what he or she eats, and when. A highly muscular body is going to be going through calories fast and furious; regular meals and snacks are going to be essential in order to keep the energy up. No skipping meals allowed.

Breakfast always has been the most important meal of the day, but for an athlete, it will be even more so. While sleeping for several hours, the body has been utilizing its stores of energy; liver glycogen (glucose) stores have been depleted, and blood sugar is as low as it will be all day. This is the time to refuel and get a jumpstart for the day.

A balanced breakfast including complex carbohydrates, protein, and fruit would be ideal. A high-fibre cereal with milk and berries? Some whole grain toast with eggs and a banana? These would provide the sugar needed to replace those tapped out stores while providing sustained energy throughout the morning. I’ll assume Batman trains right after breakfast. Before a training session, it is even more important to make sure he’s consuming easily digested, complex carbohydrate; this will keep him from flagging during his workout.

After the workout, a recovery drink should be consumed within about 20 minutes in order to trigger the replenishment of glycogen stores and the building of muscle. It is recommended that the snack contain about 4g carb to 1g protein. Chocolate milk is a new favourite among athletes as it naturally hits this optimal ratio.

After this, a proper mid-morning snack would be needed. Again, some carbohydrate and protein would be ideal to keep blood sugars optimal. Crackers and cheddar? Fruit and yogurt parfait? Enough to keep him going until lunch.

A balanced lunch with starch, protein and vegetables would be perfect. Some pasta with meatballs and a hearty salad would keep his energy levels up. Or a turkey sandwich with cheese and grilled vegetables on the side. Maybe a chicken stir-fry on quinoa. There are lots of possibilities. The key is still to have several food groups represented, including lots of vegetables to provide all the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants he needs to stay strong and healthy.

Another snack with carbs and protein should follow a few hours later, and then a dinner similar to the lunch meal.

I haven’t listed portion sizes or calories. It is quite possible that Batman, with his intense training schedule, could be consuming up to 6000 calories a day. Portion sizes would have to be quite large at meals and snacks to accommodate, and his food would likely need to be prepared with a fair amount of heart-healthy fats, such as olive & canola oils, or nuts and seeds to make up the difference. And with that number of calories, he is sure to get all the protein he needs if he keeps his meals balanced properly, and including some protein at each meal and snack.

And don’t forget proper hydration! Batman should be drinking lots of water throughout the day. Even very slight dehydration leads to impaired athletic performance.

For the rest of us mere mortals, the pattern still holds true. Just scale it down for the number of calories you need for the day. If you’re planning to live the life of Batman, now you know what to do!

The importance of fat

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 17:00:00 GMT

The low-fat diet craze has been going on for decades. Previously I’ve explained that one aspect of the problem of eliminating fat from our diet is that we wind up increasing the amount of sugar we consume in its place. As you might remember from my writings: Is Sugar Toxic ( part 1 and part 2 ), the problems of that are so numerous that it took up two full blog posts!.

However, today I am going to focus on the importance of fat itself. Sure, it does contain 9 calories per gram, which is more than double the amount of calories in protein and carbohydrate (each of them has 4 calories per gram), but fat is much more than just a concentrated source of calories.

I’m sure by now you’ve heard of omega-3 fats; they get a lot of buzz because they are essential fats which our bodies cannot synthesize by ourselves. They are responsible for reducing inflammation, lubricating joints, preventing heart disease, maintaining brain function, and more. We must include them in our diet. The best sources are from fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, and herring or from fish oil supplements. Vegetarian sources of omega-3 fats are not quite as well absorbed, but are important to include nonetheless. Good sources include flax seeds, chia seeds, walnuts, canola oil and soybean oil.

Another property of fats is that they are absolutely required for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. These include Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, and Vitamin K, as well as a host of carotenoids (eg. beta-carotene) and other nutrients particularly abundant in fruits and vegetables.

In fact, a recent study sought to compare the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins from salad vegetables using different types of dressings. The study used different types and amounts of fats: canola oil (mostly monounsaturated fat), corn oil (polyunsaturated fat), and butter (saturated fat) that were added to salads in dressings with either 3g, 8g, or 20g amounts of the fats. What they found was that the more salad dressing added, the more absorption occurred except with the canola-oil based dressing. In that case, there was an equivalent, yet substantial amount of vitamin absorption at 3 all three levels.

What does this mean? Heart-healthy monounsaturated fats (canola, olive, soy, and various oils from nuts and seeds) are excellent at promoting the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins from salad, even in small quantities. So if you’re trying to cut back on calories, stick with these oil-based dressings and keep the quantity small, but don’t eliminate the fat entirely with a fat-free dressing, because then you’ll be losing out on a significant source of nutrition.

So from various perspectives, the end result appears to be the same. We need fats, but not too much, and we need them from the right sources. Fatty fish, canola and olive oils, and nuts and seeds – everything you need to absorb fat soluble vitamins and get your omega-3’s, and they’re delicious, too!

In case you’re interested in the original study, here’s the link .

Why I love pizza

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 01:35:00 GMT

Here I sit in my office while my kids are merrily playing with their cousins in another room (all four of them between ages 5-8.) My son’s birthday is this weekend, and he decided that all he wanted by way of a party was to have his cousins sleep over.

If you have kids, then you know that every parent’s greatest concern when you’re going to have someone else’s children over for a meal is “what the heck am I going to feed them?” Well, maybe not every parent’s concern, but I know it’s a big issue in my world. Having a vegetarian household means that some of my non-veg friends and family are not quite sure what to do when my kids are over (sometimes I think macaroni and cheese, or some variant, is the only meat-free meal they know!); and then when their kids come to my place, I worry that my whole-wheat pasta with beans or quinoa with tofu will have them going back home to their parents utterly famished, complaining that there was nothing for them to eat.

It’s important for me to serve healthy meals as often as possible, and I know most of the moms in my circle of friends feel the same. But what healthy, generally kid-friendly, vegetarian-friendly meals are there?

Well, mac&cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches are okay . You have to work at it by including some veggies on the side to make it balanced. And they both can be high in saturated fat, depending on which and how much cheese is used, but that can be controlled.

I love vegetarian chili, but so many kids are really picky about it. Too spicy or don’t like some of the vegetables.

Veggie burgers work well, but again, you need to have some veggies to balance it out.

Eggs are awesome. Once more, however, you need to think about what to serve with it. Omelettes, quiche, scrambled, fried. As long as the kids like eggs, most forms usually go over well.

And then there’s pizza. My all-time favourite kid-friendly food. No, I don’t mean the stuff that comes out of the freezer or that you get delivered. Usually, that’s hopelessly high in sodium, saturated fat, and calories. Homemade pizza can be very nutritious, delicious, and highly adaptable to most tastes.

I love to do “make-your-own” pizzas at home. For the crust, you start with pocketless pitas (whole grain is healthiest) and cover it in pizza sauce. I’ll pick up a store-bought sauce and toss in lots of crushed garlic. If you’re in the mood for something different, then use hummus as your base instead – delicious! Or how about some baba ghanouj? Salsa? Pesto? Peanut butter?

Next comes the cheese. To improve the health profile, always go for reduced fat cheese. 19% milk fat is reasonable and quite tasty. Pizza doesn’t need to be dripping in cheese to be delicious. You want more flavour? Try tossing on some Parmesan, feta, or even blue cheese. A little goes a long way. The kids are usually happy with a smattering of mozzarella.

And finally we add the toppings. If you’re going for healthy, it won’t be drowning in greasy pepperoni, but there are lots of other proteins you can try. How about some cooked chicken or turkey? Or marinated tofu? Canned chick peas? Some cooked and drained lean ground beef? Add whatever seasonings you like. Tandoori masala? Taco seasoning? I’ve even seen whole eggs cracked on before baking.

And of course the vegetables. Onions, red pepper, green pepper, mushrooms, olives…those are pretty standard. What about broccoli? Kale? Asparagus? Artichoke? Carmelized onions? Green peas? Corn? Carrots (sliced thin)? Zucchini?

Cook the pizzas on a greased baking sheet or pizza stone at 400°F for 8 minutes or until the toppings are cooked to your liking.

With pizza you and the kids can get creative. Throw in the vegetables they enjoy. The kids have a great time decorating their own concoctions, and if they have a hand in preparing it, they are far more likely to eat it. And chances are it will taste pretty good, too.

Pressure cookers: they’re not as scary as you think

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 03:03:00 GMT

Pressure cookers aren’t made the same way they used to be.

Seriously, they aren’t. And that’s a good thing! I think we all have horror stories of mom or grandma using one of those original pressure cookers…the lid wasn’t on quite right, or the weight wasn’t placed just so, and the whole thing flew apart in an explosion of boiling hot liquid and partially cooked food.

They’re not like that anymore. Nowadays, they are fitted with a number of safety features – the most important of which is they won’t pressurize until the lid is locked in place, and won’t open until the pressure has been released from within. No more explosions. And they are significantly quieter, so the ever-present fear of an explosion is gone as well.

With that in mind, it’s time to give the pressure cooker another chance and recognize how useful they can be. If you’d rather be anywhere but the kitchen, then the pressure cooker is a wonderful addition to your appliance collection. Most foods will take half the time or less to cook. For example, boiling potatoes conventionally typically requires 20 minutes or so to cook once the water is boiling; in a pressure cooker, the time is reduced to about 9 minutes after the water boils. Most dried beans (after soaking) cook in about 10 minutes, lentils in 6 minutes. A beef pot roast takes a half hour vs 3 to 4 hours conventionally. Or how about soup in 12 minutes instead of 45?

How do they work? They are used on foods that have at least some moisture or liquid in them. Once the lid is locked and the burner is turned on, the liquid begins turning into steam which becomes trapped inside. Since the steam has no place to go, the pressure inside the cooker builds, and as it does so, it increases the maximum temperature that the liquid could otherwise normally reach. Inside the pot, hot steam is infused into the food, so not only does it cook significantly faster due to the higher temperature, but it also retains its moisture.

So, as long as you have enough liquid to start, you end up with delicious, moist foods cooked in a fraction of the time. Also, food that is cooked quickly retains more nutrients, and less time on the stove means less energy being used. So pressure cooking = healthier, tastier food, on the table quicker, and saving money…what’s not to like?

There are lots of references out there on how to use a pressure cooker, and even more for recipes. I myself started with a copy of “Pressure Cooking for Dummies” (yes I did, and I’m not ashamed to admit it!) and I found it invaluable. I highly recommend you give pressure cooking a try. You’ll be glad you did!

Setting the record straight on eggs

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 20:43:00 GMT

Many years ago, decades in fact, scientists discovered that the plaques formed in the arteries of patients with heart disease are primarily made up of cholesterol. So, in 1968, the American Heart Association put forth the recommendation that individuals should consume no more than 300mg of cholesterol per day (this would cut in half the 600mg of cholesterol that was the average daily intake for Americans at the time). So eggs, with their whopping 200mg of cholesterol in each yolk, were quickly placed on the “no-no” list. Made sense, right?

It took time, but the idea caught hold, and nowadays I find that most people I speak to are quite conscientious about limiting their egg intake in order to prevent heart disease. This recommendation was made before I was born, but my generation, too, is practicing this behaviour.

The problem is, over the last 25 years, new studies and new information about how the body works has come to light. It is still true that plaques are made up of cholesterol, but now we understand that the vast majority of that cholesterol was made by our own bodies, and did not come from the food we ate.

We understand now that there are two kinds of cholesterol transport in the body – LDL and HDL. The L DL (the l ousy cholesterol, or the number we want to be l ow) transports fat and into the body; and when there’s too much of it, starts getting stuck to artery walls where the cholesterol in it begins accumulating to make plaques. On the other hand, H DL (the h appy cholesterol, or the number we want to be h igh) is part of the clean-up crew that travels through the body and picks up the cholesterol out of those plaques and carries it out to be broken down and eliminated.)

HDL and LDL are affected by many things; saturated and trans fats, and erratic blood sugars all have significantly negative impacts. Specifically, the intake of saturated and trans fats both trigger our bodies ‘ own production of cholesterol, which is then turned into LDL; as well, high blood sugars trigger the production of insulin, which in turn signals the body to produce LDL. And the effect of dietary cholesterol, after looking at years of study? Negligible.

Studies have been done looking at egg consumption specifically, and consistently show that in healthy individuals, increased consumption (studies varied from 7-21 eggs a week) did not adversely affect their blood lipid profile. In some studies LDL showed an increase, but a corresponding increase was seen in HDL, balancing out the profile. In addition, the LDL and HDL particles themselves were significantly larger; what makes this interesting is that the larger LDL particles are less able to enter the arteries to produce plaques, and the larger HDL particles are better at removing plaques. An improvement on both fronts.

The only area of concern was in diabetic subjects – increased egg consumption increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD).

Given that eggs are an affordable and excellent source of protein, easy to prepare, and versatile food, it is a real shame that their reputation has been maligned for so long!

So what’s the take home message? Go ahead and enjoy your eggs. Unless you are diabetic, even a couple a day appear to be fine. If you are diabetic, keep the number of eggs way down (the risk of CHD increases once you have more than 1 egg per week ). If you’re worried about your cholesterol, remember it’s far better to skip the bacon and butter than to cut out the eggs.

Bon appetit!

A discussion on iron deficiency

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 18:28:00 GMT

I’ve posted a lot on obesity in the last few weeks, so it’s time for a change of pace! A different condition that is rather common, but doesn’t get a lot of discussion, is iron deficiency, so today I’m going give it the treatment it deserves.

To be honest, I’m quite surprised that despite the fact that iron deficiency is seen so frequently, surprisingly few people know very much about it.

First of all, what is iron deficiency? As the name would suggest, it means that the body doesn’t have enough of the mineral, iron, to do it’s job properly. Generally, the first evidence of this is a low hemoglobin level, which means that the body does not have as many red blood cells as it is supposed to have, or the amount of hemoglobin in them is low. Not enough red blood cells or hemoglobin is called anemia . Since there are a number of causes of anemia, tests are then run to rule out the more frequent ones, and if they come back with a low ferritin level (a test of body iron stores), we know that there is a deficiency of iron, and we call the condition iron-deficiency anemia .

Why is this important? The job of your red blood cells is to transport oxygen from the lungsto every single cell in the body. So if there’s not enough hemoglobin, then essentially we’re depriving our bodies of oxygen. Oxygen is essential for life; it is used to convert fuel (food) into the energy needed for every function in the entire body. So low hemoglobin = low oxygen = suboptimal activity in every cell.

Is it any wonder that symptoms of iron deficiency include fatigue, weakness, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, and a host of other potential problems?

And what causes iron deficiency? Since iron is so critical for life, the body doesn’t give up the mineral easily. The primary reason for a deficiency is blood loss: menstruation, blood donation, injury, and gastrointestinal bleeding, which may occur with regular aspirin use or ulcers or for a number of other reasons. Increased blood volume will also increase needs for iron: pregnant women, athletes, and children and teenagers having a growth spurt all have greater blood volume and consequently have higher needs for iron.

Another cause of iron deficiency is reduced absorption. There are a few conditions which may cause reduced absorption, such as Crohn’s or celiac disease; intestinal surgery such as gastric bypass; or taking medications which reduce stomach acid, which is needed for iron absorption. Another one, which will probably surprise, is high consumption of tea. Not coffee, just tea. All teas, black or herbal, with the exception of Rooibos and Honeybush, contain tannins , and tannins interfere with iron absorption.

Finally, what do you do if you have an iron deficiency? You need to eat in such a way that first, you are consuming more foods with iron, and second, that you are maximizing it’s absorption.

Iron from animal sources is absorbed better than iron from vegetarian sources. Some of the best animal sources include clams, liver, oysters, lean beef and turkey (dark meat). Of vegetarian sources, the best include soy products (tofu, soybeans), white beans, lentils, fortified breakfast cereals, and roasted pumpkin and sesame seeds.

To enhance absorption from vegetarian sources, it is best to include a source of Vitamin C in the same meal, as this vitamin converts the iron to a better. Examples include citrus fruits and juices, strawberries, bell peppers, kiwi, and many others.

Another tip to get more iron in is to cook in cast iron cookware. Especially when you’re cooking something acidic (like spaghetti sauce), iron is leeched out of the pan into the food. Instant iron-fortified food!

So iron is clearly important, but that certainly doesn’t mean that everyone should begin supplementing their diets with iron. As I mentioned before, the body doesn’t like to get rid of iron, so if you’re not in a deficiency state, taking an iron supplement can easily lead to iron overload and toxicity. So, if you’re taking a multivitamin, it’s probably a good idea to take one that doesn’t include any additional iron unless you know you need it.

A few more words on obesity in America

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 14:20:00 GMT

I generally don’t like to use my blog space to simply post links to other articles, but I saw an article today which ties in so completely with my post from yesterday on Mike Bloomberg’s proposed ban on sugary drinks , that I think everyone should give it a read.

Neil Macdonald: The sacred American right to overeat

To quote one of the commentators of the post ” is refreshing, pardon the pun, to see Neil using words to describe the obesity epidemic that seem to have become taboo recently.” He certainly doesn’t pull any punches.

Mike Bloomberg, you’re my hero!

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 18:16:00 GMT

In the last six weeks, I’ve published 2 posts discussing the primary reasons for today’s obesity epidemic as I see them. The first, Is Sugar Toxic – part 1 and part 2 , decries the massive increase in simple sugars in our diet, and the second, just last week, Supersizing = Super Sizing , takes a look at the multi-fold increase in portion sizes over the past 60 years.

Mike Bloomberg, mayor of New York City, in one courageous and controversial policy put forth in this last week, aims to ban the sale of sugary beverages to serving sizes that are 16oz (that’s 2 cups) or less. So basically, he’s attempting to address the excess sugar problem and the portion control problem at the same time . I love it!

First and foremost, this policy addresses the issue of empty liquid calories. One of the first things any dietitian will tell you if you’re trying to eat healthier, is “ eat your calories, don’t drink them!” Liquid calories don’t trigger satiety in the body the same way as solid ones do. Several studies have shown that test groups offered a solid food as a snack (eg 200 calorie apple) vs groups offered a liquid food (eg. 200 calories of apple juice) would consume less food at the next meal than the ones consuming the liquid. With this policy, a significant number of people would be consuming hundreds of calories less each day, which could halt the rate of weight gain, and possibly initiate some weight loss, for many.

The second issue the policy addresses is portions. North Americans have completely lost sight of normal portion sizes. The human stomach comfortably holds about 32oz (4 cups) so it’s hard to justify a need for beverage sizes greater than the proposed 16oz maximum.

Why do we order these mammoth drinks that leave us with the sensation that our stomach is about to explode? Or for that matter, why do we order the jumbo popcorn at the movie theatre? Or gorge ourselves at buffet restaurants?

Value for money. Most of us like to believe that we are being responsible with our money, and that we are getting the most value for what we spend. So if we think we’re likely to want a 16oz drink, but a 24oz drink costs only a few pennies more, then it makes sense to get the bigger drink because we’re sure not to be left thirsty…or might as well get the large popcorn instead of the medium…and definitely eat enough so you won’t be hungry for several hours after the buffet. What we don’t realize is that by simply having more food available, we’ll eat more, whether we’re hungry or not. The absence of a larger size just means that we’ll have to make do with the size we’ve got; if we really want more, we can buy another.

My libertarian friend was entirely appalled when he heard this, as I’m sure many people are. I’ve heard it all before…”people should have the right to eat/drink/smoke whatever and how much they choose”…”government shouldn’t be regulating how people live their lives” etc. etc.

Here’s the problem: so far, without government regulation, people are getting fatter and sicker by the year. All you need to do is look at the statistics…rates of obesity and diabetes are climbing, and as a result, so are the complications thereof. And not only are the numbers getting worse overall, but obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension…they’re all affecting more and more individuals of younger and younger ages. How many times has it been said that the generation after the baby boomers is expected to be the first one that doesn’t outlive their parents?

How come we didn’t have disease rates like these 60 years ago? Well, we didn’t have high-fructose corn syrup; we didn’t have Tim Hortons/McDonalds/Burger Kings/Subways etc. chock-a-block on every other corner; we didn’t have an environment where it’s next to impossible to raise a family on less than two incomes, squeezing out the time available to make home-cooked meals and thereby making frozen meals or take-out a regular occurrence; we didn’t have electronic gadgets to provide us with 24/7 entertainment making getting out of our homes to socialize face-to-face with friends and neighbours seem like too much effort. Times have changed, and policy needs to change with it.

Certainly, there are individuals who are taking care of themselves, watching their portion sizes, avoiding junk foods, keeping fit, and taking responsibility for their health and well-being. And I applaud them. Sadly, that’s not the majority. Either through ignorance or circumstance, a greater percentage, every single year, is contributing to those aforementioned statistics. And the thing is, their health isn’t something that affects only their own lives. It becomes a drain on our healthcare resources, it decreases worker productivity, it becomes a hardship on family and friends who are required as caretakers, and it is a loss for society as a whole as individuals need to withdraw from full participation in their communities because of health issues.

I would hope, then, that we all recognize that there is a problem, but for those who don’t approve of the New York ban, what is the solution? I for one, think it is a huge step in the right direction and am eager to see how it plays out.

“Supersizing” = Super Sizing

Wed, 30 May 2012 16:57:00 GMT

American adults are, on average 26lbs heavier today than they were 60 years ago. I don’t have the data on Canadians available, but with the obesity statistics climbing every year, we’re unlikely to be very far behind. While much of this trend can be directly attributed to the types of foods we’re now eating (more solid fats and added sugars, aka SOFAS), the rest is undoubtedly a result of the quantity of food now being consumed. Portion sizes are officially out of control. Take a look at this graphic recently put together by the Center for Disease Control in the US:

While restaurant portions are indeed a significant problem, given that eating out and ordering in has gone from being an occasional treat to regular occurrence in many households, this trend towards over-consumption has migrated into home-cooked meals as well. We’re surrounded by food advertisements, countless images of plates filled with food, almost overflowing. A single-serve of Coca-Cola has gone from 6.5oz to 10oz, with the 12oz can now being standard. Even our local coffee shops are falling all over each other in the race to offer bigger and bigger portions, such that now a standard 8oz drink is labelled extra small (yes, I’m looking at you Tim’s!), so that we are subtly encouraged to consume more. (“Extra small?” That’s the kid’s size, right?) Is it any wonder that we’ve lost perspective on what a proper portion size is?

Our plate sizes don’t help matters, either. I went shopping for plates several months back and realized that it was nearly impossible to find standard 9″ dinner plates, like the ones I grew up with. Nowadays, they’re all far bigger. Why is this important? Because we like the look of a full plate. Much of what we do is because of some psychological appeal, not rational thinking. A plate that has lots of empty space on it makes us think that we are not getting enough food, and are likely to be hungry at the end of the meal. However, that same meal on a smaller plate looks plentiful and satisfying.

Don’t agree? If you’ve ever gone to a fancy restaurant where the plates are really big, but the food only takes up a small spot in the centre, odds are your first thought was “that’s all? Geez, I’m still going to be hungry after this.” However, more likely than not, you were comfortably satisfied by the end of the meal. Not overfull, but not hungry either. It simply goes to show that if we have more food on the plate, we’ll eat more, whether we need it or not.

I frequently tell my clients wishing to lose weight that the first thing they need to do is reduce their portion sizes. Not by measuring out their food, but simply by choosing a smaller plate, or mentally making their plate smaller by putting food only on the portion within the decorative rim. Without fail, they realize that they can eat less and not be hungry afterward, and the weight comes off effortlessly.

Just for fun, I’ve included the portion size quiz provided by the CDC. I hope you enjoy it!

Eating healthy: it’s all in the planning. Part 2 – simplifying grocery shopping

Tue, 29 May 2012 20:11:00 GMT

In my last post I began discussing how to simplify eating healthier by literally planning to do so. Simply putting together a meal plan is a huge step towards achieving the goal of eating a more balanced, nutritious diet. Today I will be continuing the discussion, so if you haven’t read my last post, I encourage you do so in order to get the most out of today’s post.

Last time I explained that once you have your recipe list and your meal plan established, separating out the pre-prep (by far, the most time-consuming and tedious part of cooking) from the actual cooking takes much of the time pressure away; preparing healthy meals then takes only a fraction of the time it once did, making frozen dinners and take-out meals the exception rather than the norm.

With meal plan in hand, the next area of your life that can be simplified is grocery shopping. Personally, I enjoy spending time in the grocery store even less than I enjoy cooking. There are far more things I’d rather be doing, so I try to plan to shop only once per week. That means I need to pay close attention to what I’m planning to make for the week ahead. What that means is, before you head to the store, you should carefully go over your recipes to determine what you will need for them to save you from needing last minute trips on the day of.

If you find that not all of your produce will last a full week before going bad, consider tailoring your meals so that the fastest spoiling veggies get used early, like mushrooms or bell peppers, and then later in the week, prepare meals with hardier vegetables, like carrots and cabbage. Or you can even plan on using frozen vegetables once the fresh veggies are used up. A little bit of advance thought can save us from wasting time on multiple trips to the grocery store, and from wasting money on unused vegetables, while simultaneously making it easier for us to eat healthy meals on a regular basis.

And life can be simplified while at the grocery store if we plan our list right. If you’ve been shopping at the same store weekly for months (even years), then chances are, you know the layout of the store quite well by now. Use that to your advantage! We all follow our usual path to the store…maybe we go to the vegetables first, then the breads, dairy, meats etc…whatever it is, we tend to take the same route each time. When you are crafting your grocery list, instead of haphazardly writing down everything as you remember it, do a mental trip through the store and write the foods down in the order you are likely to pick them up. (You may want to just get it all down first, and then rewrite it before you head out). With a random list, you’re more likely to miss foods on the first pass, having to then backtrack through the aisles, or to forget about them entirely. An organized list gets you in and out fast.

This kind of planning takes a little getting used to, but once you get a routine developed, it gets easier and easier. I’d be lying if I said that home cooking will become less time consuming than eating takeout or from frozen, but with the reduction in effort required, the healthier option finally feels much more worth it.

Eating healthy: it’s all in the planning. Part 1 – getting it all down

Tue, 22 May 2012 21:44:00 GMT

One of the biggest issues my clients run into when it comes to eating healthy is not that they don’t know what they’re supposed to do (ie. eat more fruits and vegetables; eat out less often), but they just don’t seem to have the time to make it happen. I completely understand. It’s not easy to work all day and then expect to arrive home and prepare a balanced dinner complete with protein, starch, and vegetables before someone begins chewing on the furniture. But it can be done, as long as you have planned for it.

Personally, I don’t remotely enjoy cooking. There are countless other things I’d rather be doing, so I do it because I have to, and because I feel that eating a healthy diet is absolutely fundamental to staying healthy. You’ve heard the expression “you are what you eat,” right? In my opinion, that’s been said so many times it seems to have lost all meaning. So, I’ve coined a new expression: “You can’t make a Porsche out of K-car parts.” If you are serious about wanting to live a long, healthy life, free of chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, heart disease and so many others, you really should “walk the talk” as it were. If it’s important enough to you, you can make it happen.

In that case, where to begin? There are so many ways to simplify the whole meal prep and planning process that I’m going to break this down into a few posts. The very first task is to list out all the meals you know how to make. I’ll bet you know more than you think you do. I’ll get you started:

Egg dishes: omelettes, quiche, fritatta, french toast, fried eggs on toast…
Chicken dishes: baked (plain, seasoned with lemon pepper, tandoori, garlic & herbs, teriyaki etc.), stir-fry, oven-roasted, BBQ…
Pasta dishes: macaroni & cheese, spaghetti, manicotti, lasagna, casseroles…
Beef dishes: steaks, stir-fry, stews, meatloaf, tacos, burgers…
Fish dishes: salmon, tuna, cod, halibut, mackerel, shrimp…
Beans & legumes: chili, red beans & rice, bean soup, Indian-style lentils (daal), fajitas…

Then there’s pork, turkey, tofu and so on; put it all down. Do the same for the veggies you can make (even if it’s just “frozen California mix” that you heat and serve…it still counts as a valid dinnertime option.). And then the starches (it could be as simple as “rice” or “quinoa” or “baked potato”.)

Now that you’ve got this great big list of potential items, you’re ready to plan your meals for next week. Think about what you’ve got going on…kids have soccer practice on Thursday evening? Get out of work early on Friday? Long day on Tuesday? Look at your list and choose meals that can be made with the time constraints you have to work with. If you’ve got a short time to cook, plan a quick meal. If you have a little longer, you can get a little more elaborate. If you’re going to be home late, consider a meal you can make in a crockpot that will be ready when you arrive.

Knowing what you’re going to make in advance means you don’t waste time trying to come up with ideas last minute; it saves you the last-minute scramble to the store for missing ingredients (because you would have planned for the necessary ingredients when you went shopping); and most importantly, lets you start prepping ingredients in advance , so you’re not spending time chopping onions and peppers while the sounds of grumbling tummies (and family members!) get louder and louder. In my case, during my downtime after the kids are asleep, I’ll chop vegetables for the next day or two’s worth of meals while I watch TV or chat on the phone. Otherwise, if you have family members who arrive home before you do, then you can also have them begin some of the pre-prep for you, like chopping the vegetables or salad, making rice, setting the table, or whatever their skill level can handle. They can’t help you if you don’t even know what help you need. (And quite frankly, in my opinion, if they’re going to eat, they should help with the prep!)

So there’s your homework: write out your recipe list and plan your menu. For my next post, we’ll talk about simplifying grocery shopping to reduce the number of trips to the store and the amount of wasted food.

First pink slime, now meat glue. What’s next?

Sat, 12 May 2012 03:29:00 GMT

There seems to be no end to the short cuts and deceptions that manufacturers will undergo in order to increase their profits. Last month, I wrote a post on the controversy over “pink slime,” and now this month a new meat scandal has surfaced. This one has to do with “Meat Glue.”

The technical name is transglutaminase enzyme (TG), and it’s considered a GRAS (“Generally Recognized As Safe”) food additive. It’s a naturally occurring enzyme in plants, animals, and bacteria, and it can serve many useful purposes in cooking. It binds proteins together, making it a go-to ingredient to improve the texture of hot dogs and sausages; it gets used in making yogurts and milks creamier; it’s even used to make pasta noodles firmer.

So far, not sounding like a big deal. What is a problem is that some restaurants have been discovered to be taking the properties of TG a step too far, using it to bind together cheap cuts of meats into a product that is completely indistinguishable from a cut of prime steak, thereby duping their customers into believing that they’re buying filet Mignon when actually it is just stew meat that has been glued together.

While the deception alone is troublesome, the bigger problem, honestly, comes from a food safety point of view. As the utilizers of meat glue have been quick to point out, the enzyme is entirely safe and has been used in the manufacturing industry for decades. True, but not the issue. So here’s what is:

When you are working with a piece of beef, generally speaking, any contaminants that have become in contact with the meat will be sitting on the surface of the product. The interior of the cut is safe. This is why individuals can order their steaks rare with some degree of security that they will not contract a food-borne illness. The bacteria on the outside have been killed during cooking, and the inside is expected to be free of bacteria anyway.

So think about stew beef. Lots of small pieces of beef each with a lot of surface area that could be harboring bacteria. When we then make a ball out of this stew meat, some of the pieces that were originally on the outside of the little pieces are now tucked inside a larger piece. If that new steak is ordered rare, then there’s a good chance that the bacteria on the inside will still be active and there we have a food-borne illness in the making.

While the story may have broken in the US, there’s honestly no telling whether meat glue is used for the same purpose in Canadian restaurants. There’s certainly no requirement to list it on the ingredient list! The only advice I have to offer: if you’re unsure about the restaurant, make sure you’re steak is cooked well-done.

Until next time!

P.S. If you’re interested, here’s a link to a video story on meat glue. You can see exactly what it looks like and how it works.

Is sugar toxic (Part 2)

Thu, 03 May 2012 18:03:00 GMT

In my last post , I discussed the problem of how the consumption of too much fructose in the diet overloads the liver’s capacity to process it properly; the excess fructose is then shunted into alternative pathways that directly contribute to the development of heart disease.

What I also mentioned is that our fructose consumption has increased significantly over the past 50 years. It is now far greater than what our bodies were designed for. In nature, the only foods containing fructose are fruits and honey; historically, fruits were only available for brief periods during the year, and honey was guarded by bees. So fructose was hard to get, and consumption was minimal. Nowadays sugar, either in the form of table sugar, honey, high-fructose corn syrup or under the guise of many other names, can be found in almost any processed food, and our overall intake of fructose is going sky high.

Look in your refrigerator and pantry. Almost everything has had some amount of sugar added, including both the obvious and the not-so-obvious. Ketchup, mayonnaise, salad dressings, tomato & spaghetti sauces, yogurt, granola bars, canned corn, bread, deli meats, hot dogs, cereals, salsa, soy sauce, and the list goes on.

And that’s just the hidden stuff. What about the over abundance of sugar laden treats to be found: cookies, pastries, muffins, soft drinks, ice creams, lattes, cappuccinos. Canadians can barely travel a few blocks in any direction without finding yet another doughnut shop. We Canadians certainly love our sweet stuff.

And while you ponder how much sugar is actually in your diet, I want to take you through an intriguing correlation. Over 30 years ago, In the late 1970s and early 80s, the “low-fat” craze began. “To lose weight, all you need to do is cut the fat!” Fat has more calories than protein or carbohydrate, so if you have less fat, you’ll take in less calories, and the weight will come off, right? Nice in theory, but somehow, instead of seeing big improvements in health, we had the beginnings of the obesity epidemic. Weights in North America have been getting higher and higher every year. Check out this interactive graph which tracks obesity rates in the US since 1985 (data was not collected previously). It’s actually a pretty cool tool.

What else happened at the same time? Manufacturers began developing low-fat products to help us achieve our weight loss goals. But in order to make foods lower in fat, without sacrificing any flavour, manufacturers add…guess what?…sugar! So in addition to the added sugar we have in all those products I had mentioned earlier, we also have these “low-fat” muffins, cookies, cereals, and what have you, that have even more sugar in them than the original versions.

But if we’re taking out fat and putting sugar in, we’re still saving some calories, right? So why would people be gaining weight when their calorie intake is less? Because, dollars to doughnuts (sorry, couldn’t resist!), their intake wasn’t actually less, it was more . To explain, protein foods and complex carbohydrates (eg. pasta or oats) digest slowly, so any sugar involved is released into the bloodstream little by little over time. Conversely, when we eat simple sugars like table sugar and honey, they digest more quickly, allowing the sugar to reach the bloodstream all at once, creating a spike. The higher the spike, the more insulin the body produces in response to clean out the extra sugar from the blood; but very often, the insulin works too well and too much sugar is removed, yielding us with rebound low blood sugars.

What happens when our blood sugar is low? We get jittery, cranky, irritable, and HUNGRY! So it doesn’t matter if that muffin we ate an hour ago had 300 calories, we’re hungry again. And what do we crave? Quick-energy CARBS! We wind up with cycles of peaks and valleys, leading us to snack all day and in a constantly hungry state. Is it any wonder portion sizes have gotten so big? Take out the fat and you take out a major satiety factor as well. We’ve simply compensated by eating more and more. (And we can’t forget the “permission” we often give ourselves to overindulge…the “it’s low calorie, so it’s okay to have more of it” mentality.)

To recap, not only does excess fructose lead to heart disease, but the evidence is mounting that added sugars in general are a significant cause of the obesity epidemic, which in turn is creating diabetics in record numbers. All in all, the label “toxic” seems more and more accurate, no?

The American Heart Association is now recommending that women consume no more than 100 calories from added sugars daily, and men no more than 150 calories. That translates to about 25g (5 tsp) for women and 37.5g (7.5 tsp) for men. Not an easy task, but I challenge you to see if you can do it for one week. And then two. The only way to eliminate cravings for sugar is to cut it out for a while; if you can manage it for a couple weeks, you’ll be well on your way to better health.

Is sugar toxic? (Part 1)

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:32:00 GMT

The short answer is: yes.

I know, I know. You’ve heard it before. Fat, carbohydrates, red meat, eggs, margarine, chocolate, bananas, carrots, soy…everything it seems has been at one point good for you, and another point something to avoid. I’ll be the first one to say I wish things were simpler. It would certainly make my job easier.

The fact of the matter is, every day we learn a little more. We understand a little better about how the body works and about how different foods and nutrients affect us. Oftentimes we jump to conclusions prematurely, and then when we discover some new knowledge, we have to recant. (Take eggs, for example. Once we discovered that plaques found in arteries contain large amounts of cholesterol, we panicked over the high level of cholesterol found in egg yolks. Now we understand that dietary cholesterol is not actually a significant trigger for plaque production…saturated and trans fats have far more impact. So, once again eggs are okay to eat.)

This brings me to sugar. Before I get too far, it would be useful to understand that the word sugar has many different meanings. To most, and in the context of this blog post, it refers to added sugars such as table sugar, honey, maple syrup, high-fructose corn syrup etc. Sugar is also a generic “catch-all” for what scientists refer to as “simple sugars” or mono – and di-saccharides . This group includes sucrose (table sugar), lactose (milk sugar), and their component parts: glucose, fructose, and galactose. (glucose + fructose = sucrose; glucose + galactose = lactose)

Glucose is the main source of energy for the body. It is a component of all foods containing carbohydrates, including fruits, vegetables, grains, and milk. When we eat these foods, glucose, as the end product of digestion, is taken into the bloodstream where it is carried to all parts of the body to provide a direct source of energy. On the other hand, neither fructose nor galactose can be used immediately; they must be taken to the liver in order to be converted into glucose for use.

I’m not going to address the conversion of galactose; while milk consumption (and I’m thinking of cheese here) has gone up in the last few decades, it comes nowhere close to the increase in fructose consumption. The question to be asked is, what happens when we overload the liver with fructose? The answer: fructose is easily converted to fat. And where does the fat go? It stays in the liver (creating a fatty liver), is released into the blood stream (increased triglycerides), or it is used to produce LDL (aka “bad cholesterol”, the stuff that gets stuck in arteries and causes plaque formation). All of these are risk factors for heart disease.

And that’s just the first problem. There’s also scientific evidence linking fructose to obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. In other words, all of the components of metabolic syndrome.

Today I’ve given you a bit of the science, and for my next post I’ll highlight some of the trends. The case is quite convincing. If you can’t wait to get more information on this topic, then I suggest you look into the work of Dr. Robert Lustig. He seems to be leading the charge in the battle against sugar. 60 Minutes recently did a report featuring Dr. Lustig which is well worth a look.

I’ll be back soon!

How to chop an onion

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:04:00 GMT

I learned to cook mainly by watching my mother. I’m not much for cooking shows, and I’ve never taken a class, so I was quite surprised to discover, that for the nearly 20 years that I’ve been cutting onions, I’ve been doing it wrong! Okay, maybe not wrong , per se – I still get the job done – but who knew there could be a more efficient way to do it? And without nearly the same degree of eye-stinging that I was used to.

It’s more difficult to describe than to show, so here’s the video I watched that showed me how. I hope it’s enlightening!

So what’s the deal with “Pink Slime?”

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 17:42:00 GMT

It’s all over the news now, gradually gaining steam since Jamie Oliver, a popular British Chef, discussed the prevalence of the stuff in American beef products on his show, “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution” exactly one year ago, on April 12, 2011.

First of all, what is it? The technical name is LFTB (lean finely textured beef) and it is made from the trimmings, meaning the leftover fat, connective tissue, and scraps, remaining after a cow has been slaughtered. It also happens to be the meat from areas of the cow, such as lining the digestive cavity or the outer surfaces of the carcass, that have higher volumes of pathogens like E. coli and salmonella. Previously, this meat was often sent to a rendering plant to be turned into food for dogs or other animals, whose digestive systems are designed to handle this type of stuff better than humans.

In the 1990s, a process was discovered by which the fat could be separated out from the rest of the trimmings, yielding a very low-fat (ie. lean ) product. I can’t really call it meat , considering it’s high proportion of connective tissue. And if that doesn’t sound delightful enough, remember that this product is teeming with bacteria. In order to kill most of the pathogens, it is treated with ammonium hydroxide (yes, that’s the same stuff you have in amongst your household cleaning agents…and yes, it’s the one with the poison warning on it.) Once this is complete, it is very finely ground and added as a filler to many of the ground beef products sold in the United States.

As of a year ago, it was estimated that 70% of ground beef products included up to 15% LFTB, and they may still be labeled as 100% ground beef. There is no legal requirement for LFTB to appear on the label, so there is no way of knowing for sure the extent of its use. Since the controversy erupted, MacDonalds, Taco Bell, Burger King, Safeway and some other major chains have announced that they would no longer sell products with LFTB, and other grocery stores, such as Walmart, would label their products that have LFTB included.

And where do we stand on it here in Canada? According to Heather Travis, director of public relations for Canadian beef, “pink slime and ammonium hydroxide are not used in Canadian ground beef.” I did a little more digging to find the USDA meat export requirements for Canada to discover that any “product treated with anhydrous ammonia as an anti-microbial agent” is ineligible for export to Canada. I also sent an e-mail to Health Canada for the list of what exactly is allowed by way of anti-microbial agents in meat processing in Canada, but I have yet to hear back. I’ll let you know when (or if) I do!

In case you haven’t seen it, I’ve included Jamie Oliver’s piece on pink slime. It’s only about 6 minutes long, so it’s worth the time to give it a look.

My Easter dinner contribution: healthier scalloped potatoes

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 23:01:00 GMT

Despite all that, I must say I do LOVE food. Indian, Italian, Mexican, Thai, Chinese, American and so on…all those flavours and textures…yum! So, I’m constantly on the lookout for new recipes. However, knowing as much as I do about food (ignorance really is bliss sometimes), I can’t help always seeking out healthier recipes or adjusting them myself to improve their nutritional profile. Don’t get me wrong…I can eat them, I just can’t, in good conscience, make them.

Which brings me to this Easter. My family is quite big on traditions, and Easter is full of them. I was in charge of the vegetables, and one classic Easter side dish that I decided to make was scalloped potatoes. Scanning online for recipes, my heart sank. Look at all the cheese! The heavy cream! The saturated fat and calories! Then I stumbled upon a recipe that had hundreds of positive reviews, but which was made without dairy or cheese. My choice was made.

And it was a hit. Nice and creamy and tasted great. Here’s the link to the original recipe , but I have posted it for you below. Oh, and it was incredibly easy to make, too. (My food processor made short work of those potatoes.) I don’t think I’ll be waiting until next Easter to make it again.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:1]

How to choose a good multivitamin

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:19:00 GMT

In my last post , I discussed the reasons why it is important to supplement with a daily multivitamin. One thing I didn’t mention is that while Dietitians of Canada and Health Canada do not take the same position, in 2002 the American Medical Association came out with a landmark review which changed their long-standing opposition to universal supplementation; they now recommend that everyone take a daily multivitamin for the prevention of chronic disease. Here’s a link to the article in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

To be clear, I also propose that the supplement include essential minerals as well; mineral supplementation was not reviewed in the JAMA article.

The supplement market consists of thousands of products, with more coming out all the time. And when you look at the ingredient list, they all seem to look the same; that is, until you know what you’re looking for.

I’ve taken much of my information from Nutrisearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements by Lyle MacWilliam. This guide compares 1600 nutritional supplements on the market on 18 different criteria, of which I will be touching on what I believe are the two most important. The guide relies on the research and recommendations of 12 independent experts in the field of nutrition to determine an average standard for what nutrients are essential for health and in what quantity (referred to as the Blended Standard )

According to the Blended Standard, there are 47 different vitamins, minerals, essential fats, and vitamin-like substances (ie. other plant-based anti-oxidants) necessary for our bodies’ cells to function. Obviously, the first thing we need to look for in our supplement, is how complete it is. What’s the point of popping these pills if you’re not getting everything you need out of them? Related to the question of which nutrients are provided is the question of whether they are provided in adequate quantity to have any benefit. In case you’re interested, a list of the 47 nutrients is provided below.

The second thing to look for is the form in which the minerals are provided. Before I go further, you must understand that minerals, unlike vitamins, in solid form are always bound to something. Think of sodium, for example. There’s sodium chloride (table salt), sodium bicarbonate (baking powder) and countless other substances. Put some salt in enough water, however, and it dissolves into separate sodium and chloride ions. The same is true for all minerals. (Obviously, not every mineral compound will dissolve as readily or easily as table salt!)

The body will absorb minerals in either of two ways. One is as a dissociated ion once it has dissolved; the mineral just passively drifts through the stomach lining. The other is slightly more complicated; if the mineral is attached to something the body needs (like an amino acid, for example), then the body will actively absorb the amino acid, and the mineral gets to piggyback along for the ride.

As we get older, we tend to produce less stomach acid. Often this means that many mineral salts (eg. magnesium sulfate, calcium phosphate etc.) won’t dissolve, so those minerals will not get absorbed; they’ll just pass right through the body. Even worse, there is some evidence to suggest that these types of salts (phosphate, sulfate, carbonate etc. are collectively known as inorganic mineral salts), when consumed as part of a fibre-rich diet, actually act like magnets and pull minerals out of the body. So not only are you not getting the goodness you are expecting from the multivitamin, you’re in fact losing more than you put in!

Minerals attached to organic salts (eg. citrate, alpha-ketoglutarate, malate & others) are preferentially absorbed because the body needs them. Therefore , it makes far more sense to have minerals in these forms in your supplement.

The bottom line: take a look at the mineral forms. Stay clear of multivitamins using inorganic salts… you’ll find them in many of the cheapest vitamins, but they will probably do you more harm than good.

So how do you know which one to choose? What is good? You could start by looking at the Comparative Guide I mentioned. It ranks multis on a scale of 0-5.0. I’d say that anything rated 3.0 or better is likely to be a decent product. Another strategy is word of mouth…if someone recommends a product, telling you how much more energy or how much better they feel while on it, it may be worth a try. Most of us are chronically deficient, though not bad enough to be displaying overt symptoms. Like tires that are not flat, but with not quite enough pressure; we can get from point A to point B, but the ride isn’t as smooth and the mileage isn’t as efficient as it could be. Taking a good multivitamin can get us to feeling optimal and honestly, the difference is noticeable.

What it really comes down to is taking a product that makes you feel better on it than off it. If you are currently taking something that doesn’t do this for you, you should try something else. Give a new product at least a month to see if it helps; the more deficient your starting point, the more “air in the tires” needed before you reach optimal.

If you’re on a multi and you’d like to know how it rates, let me know and I’ll look it up for you! Or if you’re on a product you like, please share. I’m sure there are lots of people who would be interested!

Myth: if you eat well, you don’t need a supplement

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 04:45:00 GMT

Yes, you read that correctly.

I’d say that 99% of the time I agree wholeheartedly with the nutritional advice promoted by Dietitians of Canada, but once in a while, and in particular where it comes to supplementation, I’m afraid I have to dissent.

Today I’ll discuss two specific issues regarding the need for supplements, one involving vitamin D in specific, and then multivitamins in general.

First vitamin D. Vitamin D has been a hot topic in the news lately, and for good reason. Countless studies are currently linking low vitamin D levels to autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, and type 1 diabetes; and also to Parkinson’s disease, several types of cancers, depression, and a host of other illnesses.

Some foods have naturally occurring Vitamin D, specifically fish, liver and egg yolks. Other sources include fortified foods, such as milk and margarine. So really, not too many dietary sources exist. Our bodies are designed to make vitamin D ourselves when our skin is exposed to UV from sunlight. Unfortunately, here in Canada, from October to March the sun’s rays are so weak that the UV index all winter is zero. That means that nobody in Canada is making any Vitamin D for six months of the year. All winter long we’re just using up any extra vitamin D that we stored up during the summer. Wore sunscreen all summer? Or have dark skin? (natural sunscreen) Then you weren’t making very much then, either.

One large study at the University of Kansas found that 70% of patients were deficient in Vitamin D. That’s in Kansas…given our latitude, one can’t expect Canadians to be any better.

So what is Health Canada’s response? Well, they’ve upped their recommended daily intake levels a little bit for everyone. Where it used to be 400IU a day for adults, it is now 600IU. Are they recommending additional fortified foods? No. Are they suggesting everyone take a supplement. No…just a few select groups. And Dietitians of Canada followed suit. Very cautious, but in this case, I believe too much so.

Thankfully, health professionals are, individually, moving forward on this. All the doctors I know (and I know a lot!) are recommending supplementation of 1000-2000IU for everyone daily. I’m glad someone is.

And now multivitamins in general. I’ll have to admit that until a few months ago, I strongly believed, as most dietitians do, that as long as you were eating a healthy diet, and there weren’t any extenuating circumstances, you should be able to get all the nutrition you need from food. You shouldn’t have any need to supplement. That was until my husband and I were introduced to a really good multivitamin. (There’s a story as to why I even bothered to try a multivitamin in the first place, but the post is already getting long…it will wait for another day.) In a matter of days, I felt my energy level improve. I didn’t even realize that I had any problem with energy until it got better. I was no longer groggy when I woke up in the morning. I no longer felt sleepy on my drive home from work. For my husband, the changes were far more dramatic…he went from being a regular napper to someone who no longer naps at all.

Now I’m convinced that everyone needs a multivitamin. A good one. Why? Because I have a very good diet. I have the diet that I have always taught my clients to eat so they would not need a supplement . I’m a vegetarian. I typically eat 7-10 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Mostly whole grains. Minimal sweets and fatty foods. I don’t expect many people to eat as well or better than me. But if I found that I feel better on a supplement, then that means that I was sub-optimal without it. So realistically, who eats the optimal diet? My guess is no one.

In fact, I’m no longer convinced that we can eat the “optimal” diet anymore. Maybe we could 50 years ago, but things have changed. Cheap farming practices means soil quality is not as good as it once was; if the nutrients aren’t in the soil to begin with, then they won’t be in our food, and they won’t be in us. There is more pollution; more toxins in the air mean more work for our bodies to fight them off, and a greater need for vitamins and other anti-oxidants. Whatever the reason, a balanced diet alone just isn’t cutting it. We need to supplement. It’s important and you’ll feel so much better for it.

The supplement market is a minefield…next week I’ll post on how to choose a good one.

Myth: The best way to limit sodium is to avoid the salt shaker

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:36:00 GMT

Canadians, by and large, do consume too much sodium. However, the greatest portion of our salt intake is not the stuff coming out of the salt shaker, it’s the sodium in processed foods. And by processed, I mean anything not in it’s natural state, including breads, cereals, packaged and ready-to-eat foods, and restaurant meals.

Sodium is a necessary part of our diet, but unfortunately, more does not equal better. Current Health Canada recommendations are that healthy adults should consume about 1500mg of sodium daily for good health. Children should consume 1000-1500mg daily. The upper limit is listed as 2300mg of sodium per day, which is about the equivalent of one teaspoon of salt.

How much sodium to Canadians consume? Depending on which study you’re looking at, we’re typically taking in about 3000-4000mg of sodium per day, from double to almost triple the recommended amount.

A diet high in sodium is a risk factor for high blood pressure (hypertension), which in turn is strongly linked with health conditions such as stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease.

How much sodium is in some typical processed foods?

Bread, 1 slice (35g) 147-238mg

Crackers, salted (30g) 192-335mg

Cheddar or mozzerella cheese, 50g 208-482mg

Bacon, cooked, 75g 1555-1920mg

Luncheon meat, 75g 552-970mg

Legumes, canned (3/4 cup) 489-638mg

Ketchup, yellow mustard or relish, 2 Tbsp 334-358mg

Tomato sauce, canned/bottled, 1/2 cup 585-721mg

Fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, and unprocessed meats and alternates contain very little sodium.

For a more complete list of sodium sources, take a look at this site .

So using less salt while cooking is important, but even more so is choosing low and reduced-sodium foods. Looked for canned products with no added salt. Choose low-sodium versions of your favourite soups and seasonings. Rinse your canned beans and veggies in water to remove extra salt used in canning. Try making your own salad dressings. And above all, use high-sodium foods sparingly.

Canadians really need to take an interest in the amount of sodium in our foods. The Sodium Working Group, a task force appointed by the government in 2007 to tackle what is considered dangerously high levels of sodium consumption by Canadians, called for voluntary reductions in the sodium content of foods by manufacturers. The group was recently disbanded in favour of another group that has heavy ties to the manufacturing industry. So what has happened in these last 5 years? Nothing. Manufacturers insist that Canadians like their salt and overwhelmingly reject lower sodium foods.

The proof is in the products. For example, Kellogg’s All-Bran cereal sold in Canada has 620mg sodium; the same product in the US only has 120mg.

The UK has been actively reducing sodium content in food since 2003 without any significant public backlash or manufacturer complaints regarding reduced sales.

If they can do it, so can we. Sadly, (and this is me on my soap box), we can’t count on this government to do anything for the health of the public that might interfere with the financial health of the private sector. Hypertension is called the “silent killer”…you don’t know you’ve got a problem until it’s usually too late. Reduce the salt now; it takes time, but you’ll get used to the change in taste. And you’ll be healthier for it.

Myth: It’s hard to eat all the fruits and vegetables recommended in Canada’s Food Guide

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:24:00 GMT

Taking a look at Canada’s Food Guide, the numbers of recommended servings of fruits and vegetables do sound a little ridiculous. I mean, 7-8 servings for an adult woman, and 8-10 servings for an adult man. Seriously??

On the surface, that does sound like a lot of food. The important question to ask next, however, is how much is a serving? Really, it’s not so much.

A typical serving of a fruit or vegetable, whether raw or cooked, is half a cup. So a half-cup of berries, carrots, potatoes, corn, bell pepper, pineapple, asparagus, broccoli, peaches, peas, green beans etc. etc. all equal one serving. A small banana or medium piece of fruit usually makes up one serving.

A half-cup of juice – either vegetable or fruit – is a serving.

A half-cup of cooked leafy greens is one serving. Since greens lose so much water and volume during the cooking process, you need to eat more raw greens to equal the same nutritional value. So a serving of raw greens is one cup.

And finally, on the flip-side, a quarter-cup of dried fruit (eg. raisins, dried apricots etc) constitutes a serving. Dried fruit is concentrated (the water has been removed), so you don’t need as much to have the same nutritional value as fresh fruit.

So how to get it all in? Here’s a sample day:

Breakfast: cereal or oatmeal with a half-cup of berries or small banana. Have with a 4oz glass of juice. (2 servings fruit)

Morning snack: medium piece of fruit (eg. an apple or an orange) or a 125mL fruit cup. (1 serving fruit)

Lunch: a sandwich with half a cup of veggies inside (eg. tomatoes, cucumbers, sprouts), and a half-cup serving of carrots with hummus or dip. (2 servings vegetables)

Afternoon snack: Home-made trail mix with nuts, high-fibre cereal and 1/4 cup raisins (1 serving fruit)

Dinner: Have 1 cup of a starter salad or vegetable soup. Have some pasta with lots of veggies added to the sauce (eg. tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers). Have a half-cup serving of steamed broccoli or asparagus on the side. (3 servings vegetables)

Evening snack: a parfait with yogurt, a half-cup of mixed fruit, a little granola and a touch of honey. (1 serving fruit)

That’s a day with 10 servings of fruits and vegetables, and with the quantities at each meal and snack kept fairly small. There’s no need to have quite so much variety; one can simply have just a little more at each meal and still easily meet their intake goal. For example, have 3/4-1 cup portions instead of half-cup …those 7-10 servings will be reached in no time.

A word on variety, though. Different nutrients have different effects on the body, and no single fruit or vegetable has everything we need, so it is important to eat a varied diet. Your best bet is to choose a variety of colours – each one is evidence of a different phytonutrient. Dietitians of Canada suggests having at least one serving of a dark green vegetable (eg. spinach, romaine lettuce, broccoli etc) and one serving of a deep orange or red fruit or vegetable (carrots, squash, red pepper) each day. I would take that a step further and encourage you to have as many colours as you can, including green, orange, blue/purple, red, and even white.

The bottom line is, if you make a point of having a fruit or vegetable with each meal or snack, reaching Canada’s Food Guide targets is not a difficult task. Make those fruits and vegetables as colourful as you can, and you’ll be well on your way towards optimal nutrition and health.

Myth: drinking caffeinated beverages causes dehydration

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 03:30:00 GMT

Researchers used to believe that caffeine had a diuretic effect on the body, leading to dehydration, but evidence to support that claim has been lacking. Conventional wisdom now is that moderate consumption of caffeine (up to 400-450mg/day for healthy adults, or the equivalent of 3-4 cups of coffee) does not have a diuretic effect and thus the fluid consumed can count towards one’s daily intake.

For children and pregnant or breastfeeding women, Health Canada has the following recommended limits:

Age 4-6: 45mg

Age 7-9: 62.5mg

Age 10-12: 85mg

I wrote a blog post earlier this month dispelling the myth suggesting the need for eight glasses of water daily, and in it I also discussed other ways to meet one’s fluid needs. Tea and coffee fit right in, and when they are consumed without extra sugar and milk, they become great calorie-free ways to stay hydrated throughout the day.

One should still use some caution with respect to drinking caffeinated beverages. Caffeine is a mild stimulant, and in high enough doses, can lead to sleep disturbances, headaches, irritability and nervousness.

So go ahead and enjoy your coffee and tea. They counts towards your fluid needs and even have a bunch of health benefits which I’ll discuss in a future post. Just take note if you’re having any of the problems I mentioned…if you do, you might want to switch a few of those cups to decaf. Otherwise, bottom’s up!

Myth: Pasteurization destroys vitamins and minerals in milk

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 22:30:00 GMT

The first thing to understand here is what exactly is pasteurization, and why is it used.

You may have already heard the story: pasteurization was developed by Louis Pasteur in 1864 as he was attempting to discover the cause, and then prevent, the spoilage of wine. He cannot be credited with the initial discovery that microorganisms are responsible for processes such as fermentation, food spoilage, and disease (“germ theory”,) however he can be credited with conducting the scientific experiments that led to this theory achieving widespread acceptance in Europe.

Pasteur also did not determine that heating food would destroy microorganisms (the process of canning , whereby heat treatment and sterilization are used to preserve food for extended periods of time, was developed by Nicolas Appert in 1806), however his contribution was to determine the exact temperature and length of time needed to destroy microorganisms in liquids without changing the taste. Pasteurization at low temperature requires a longer holding time than when high temperatures are used. For example, milk can be heated to 71.7C and held for 15seconds, or at 88.1C and held for only 1 second to destroy the bacteria within. Even higher and lower temperatures/times are used depending on the capacity of the processing plants and the eventual use of the milk. Pasteurization will kill of the majority of pathogens in milk (and other fluids for which the process is used) rendering them safer to drink, and extending their shelf-life.

Pasteurization definitely destroys microorganisms, but the issue is whether it destroys the vitamins and minerals in milk, too. There are many known vitamins and vitamin-like substances, and they all have different vulnerabilities: some are susceptible to light, others heat, others oxidation, and still others are water soluble, getting leeched out when cooked in fluid. Of the most-studied nutrients, only Vitamin C and pantothenic acid are particularly vulnerable to heat. Minerals content is essentially unchanged by pasteurization.

So, yes, pasteurized milk will have slightly fewer nutrients than raw milk, but we really need to consider the trade-off. Pasteurization saves lives. Since the introduction of pasteurization of milk and the corresponding rates of milk-borne illnesses, countries such as Canada, Australia, Scotland and a number of states in the US have forbidden the sale of raw milk. Only a few weeks ago, a new study by the CDC in the US revealed that, between 1993-2006, states where the sale of raw milk is legal had twice the number of outbreaks compared to states where the sale of raw milk is illegal. The study deems that the chance of a milk-borne illness is 150 times higher for a consumer of raw milk products versus someone who consumes only pasteurized products. This has prompted the CDC to issue a warning regarding the consumption of raw milk products in the US.

Personally, there is no question. I’ll take pasteurized milk over raw milk any day. With a varied diet, I know I’m getting all the nutrients I need, despite my milk possibly having a little less than it potentially could. At least I can be quite confident that the milk I drink is safe for myself and my family, and that is far more important.

Myth: Dietitians only eat healthy foods – never cookies, fries, chips or candies

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:57:00 GMT

What is true is that we generally eat well. We try to eat the way we teach our clients to eat. And in my case, that has gotten easier with time. As I learn more, and teach more, the messages have become ingrained; it’s hard to tell other people over and again all the easy ways they can change their own habits for the better without at least some of those habits sticking with you!

So when it comes to eating the unhealthy stuff, we do the same negotiating that we preach. Everything in moderation. Strategy number one for me is to set limits on the unhealthy stuff. Personally, I try not to have more than one “treat” a day. So if I know I’m going out and there’s likely to be dessert, I’ll make sure stick with just healthy stuff during the day.

Dietitians know our own triggers and temptations. I know that I’m great at not buying stuff, but once it’s in the house, I’m horrible at keeping away. So, you generally won’t find cookies or cakes at my place. BUT, if we’ve had company over or we’ve gone a little wild on the household baking, then I know I’ll be eating dessert every day until it’s gone. That’s were I have to refer back to strategy one!

Dietitians also do our best to have delicious healthy foods on hand, so when we want a treat, it doesn’t have to actually be bad. A couple of my favourite foods are parfaits (some greek yogurt with fresh berries and a touch of honey and granola) and fresh apple slices with peanut butter. Mmmmmmm. Yummy. Who needs a cookie if you’ve developed a taste for something so good for you?

And finally, we spend so much time counselling others on eating only when hungry, that it’s natural for us, too, to monitor our hunger level frequently. Before I consider an unhealthy snack, I ask my self why I want it. Am I hungry? Am I bored? Is it possible I might simply be thirsty? Or have I decided that I’ve been good the rest of the day, and now I just want it .

Dietitians are people, too. And we love food just as much (if not more!) than anyone else. We’re just uniquely positioned as the experts in eating healthy, (we certainly talk about it a lot!) so much so that it seems that’s all we do. If you’re interested in eating just as healthfully, contact your local dietitian. He or she will be more than pleased to getting you on the path to eating healthy, too!

Myth: brown sugar, honey and maple syrup are more nutritious than white sugar

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:52:00 GMT

The truth is, it’s all just sugar. The same is true for agave syrup, corn syrup, and every other nutritive sweetener (ie. a sweetener with calories) you can find. They all have approximately 20 calories in a teaspoon and almost no additional nutrients. Brown sugar is simply white sugar with added molasses.

These added sweeteners go by a whole lot of names: glucose, fructose, sucrose, dextrose, maltose…anything that ends with – ose means “sugar”. This also includes lactose , the naturally occurring sugar that gives milk and dairy products their sweetness. (Lactose on its own does not contribute any meaningful amount of nutrients to one’s diet, but as a part of a dairy product, the nutritional benefits of calcium, protein, phosphorus, magnesium, and more are significant.)

Given the almost total absence of anything nutritious in added sugars, it is important that we try to limit the amount of this stuff added to our diets each day. There are no specific guidelines for how much we should have, but currently every health professional out there will agree that North Americans are consuming far too much. Added sugars are found in seemingly everything, from the obvious baked goods, candies and treats, to the less obvious tomato sauces, salad dressings, ketchup, breads, cereals, canned corn, applesauce, yogurts and so much more. Low-fat products, as I discussed in a previous post , are full of them, too. The presence of so many added sugars in our diets crowds out the more nutrient-rich foods that we need to be eating for optimal health. We need to cut back.

Cutting back is hard…the sweet stuff tastes so good! The first thing we can do is substitute naturally sweet foods for the added sugars in our diet. Eat more fruit! People call it nature’s candy for a reason. Chock full of vitamins, minerals, and fibre, you get your sweet fix and do your body a good turn at the same time. Throw some delectable berries into unsweetened oatmeal, or use unsweetened applesauce instead of syrup on your pancakes (I haven’t put syrup on my home-made pancakes in years).

Ever tried eating frozen green peas straight out of the freezer? It’s like eating candy! The kids and I love it. Gotta eat it quick, though…it’s just not the same when it thaws.

It all boils down to “sugar is sugar”, but the story doesn’t end there. We choose whether we have it served as empty calories, or with a side of the good stuff. And don’t forget, you can make this choice over and again…the more we make the better choices for our health, the easier it gets. Good luck!

Myth: There’s no difference between a dietitian and a nutritionist

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:36:00 GMT

Today is Dietitian’s Day in Canada, and in honour of today, I felt this myth to be the most appropriate one to tackle….

To begin, I’d like to say that it has taken me a long time, but I finally don’t feel the need to immediately correct anyone who calls me a nutritionist. I mean seriously, who wants to be corrected over something that seems so trivial? The fact, however, is that this is not so trivial to most members of my profession; nor is it, if truth be told, to me .

RD. Registered Dietitian. I love those little letters after my name and I worked hard to get them there. It starts with a Bachelors Degree in Science, encompassing a surprising range of topics such as nutritional biochemistry, food science, business management, statistics, community nutrition, life cycle nutrition, accounting, medical nomenclature, and most importantly, medical nutrition therapy (MNT). MNT is where we learn about the nutrition management of every condition we could squeeze into four semesters: diabetes, kidney disease, anemia, cholesterol, hypertension, celiac disease, lactose intolerance, cancer, and the list goes on and on.

Once done with the scholarly portion we are then required to have a one year internship where we do on-the-job training, often in a hospital setting. This is where all of the learning we’ve done has a chance to really come to life. In some cases, including my own, the internship was done in a “coordinated program,” meaning that it took place concurrently with the in-school portion. That certainly made for an extremely intense couple of years!

Finally, we are then qualified to sit for the Dietetic Registration Exam. Upon passing, we are legally allowed to call ourselves “Registered dietitians” or simply “dietitians”. These are protected terms – no one in Canada or the US is allowed to use these titles unless they have gone through this same process. So, when you choose to work with an RD, you know you’re getting someone with an extensive background in food, nutrition, and disease management.

The same, unfortunately, cannot be said for nutritionists. This is not to say that there are not some extremely knowledgeable and effective nutritionists out there, but it is truly a “buyer beware” situation. Honestly, anyone can call themselves a “nutritionist”. There’s no specific degree required. No special training. No exam. No license and no regulatory board.

So you see why RDs get all antsy at being referred to as nutritionists? Wouldn’t you in the same position? So, please make an RD happy and call her a dietitian. And wish her a Happy Dietitian’s Day, while you’re at it!

Myth: Frozen and canned fruits and vegetables are not as nutritious as fresh

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:49:00 GMT

For flavour and texture, I’ll admit, nothing beats fresh fruits and vegetables in season. Bought locally, these foods are picked when ripe and can make it from field to table in a matter of days. This is also the time when nutrient levels are highest, so it really can’t get much better.

Fresh foods bought out of season, that have some distance to travel, are picked while still underripe so they can ripen during their journey to your local grocery store. Nature has colour-coded our nutrients for us…the the deep greens, blues & purples, vivid reds and bright whites…all of these are indicators of antioxidant content. Underripe fruits and vegetables without those vibrant colours don’t generally stack up quite as well.

So where does frozen and canned produce come in? Fruits and vegetables used for these processes are picked at the height of the growing season, when they are perfectly ripe. Frozen produce is flash frozen right away – often the same day it is picked. This preserves nutritional value and ensures that when ready for use, it retains optimal flavour and texture. Canned produce may lose some nutritional value during processing (Vitamin C is unstable to heat, so some loss is likely to occur) but many other nutrients are still retained.

Frozen and canned produce has many other benefits beyond nutritional value, the first one being convenience. With all the cleaning and cutting done, it makes getting fruits and vegetables to the table each day a much less daunting task. Who doesn’t want to save time in the kitchen?

Frozen and canned produce has still other benefits as well: they allow Canadians to have access to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables year-round; in remote areas of the country, where fresh produce is limited, they may be the most practical choice; and sometimes it may be more affordable to choose them over fresh produce.

The one concern with canned produce is the additional sugar or salt that may be added. Rinse veggies well or, better still, choose vegetables with no added salt. And try to choose fruits canned in water, juice, or light syrup.

So if you’ve been avoiding canned and frozen produce because you thought it wouldn’t be as healthy (or tasty) I suggest you give it another look. Chances are you’ll find a few new staples for your grocery list.

Myth: Eating a lot of protein helps build muscle

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 21:54:00 GMT

Muscle is made from protein, this much is true. However, there is a lot more to it than just eating protein. Building muscle mass also requires a combination of strength training, the intake of adequate calories from healthy foods, recovery time, and sleep.

While doing strength training, you challenge your muscles with progressively heavier and heavier weights, and in doing so, each day you are encouraging them to grow in response. How much muscle growth is going to occur in a single day? In reality, not very much. It is a slow process, and as such, a person eating a balanced diet including at least 2-3 Canada’s Food Guide servings of protein and 2 servings of dairy or alternates will be consuming more than enough. Only strength-training athletes, such as bodybuilders, may require more protein than this, and even their needs can be easily satisfied with an extra serving or two.

So what happens if you do eat lots of protein? Any extra protein that your body is not going to use will get broken down and stored as fat in much the same way as any other excess calories do. The problem with protein is that its building blocks, amino acids, have the by-product nitrogen. Nitrogen requires more work for the kidneys to process, so for a person with kidney disease or a history of kidney problems, it would be inadvisable to overdo it on the protein consumption.

How much protein do you actually need? The standard calculation is 0.8g/kg body weight. (Not for everyone!!! This calculation is only used for someone at a healthy weight. There is a modification for someone who is overweight.) So, for a person who weighs 150lbs (about 68kg) that works out to about 55g protein. Considering that a 3oz serving of chicken breast has about 30g, a cup of milk has 8g, and a slice of bread or 1/2 cup pasta each have about 3g, it is easy to see that these kinds of protein targets are not difficult to reach. In fact, most North Americans easily consume more protein daily than they need.

So if you want to build muscle there’s no need to go wild on the protein shakes and powders. Do some regular strength training followed by a good post work-out snack containing some carbohydrate and protein (chocolate milk is a great recovery food) and stick with a balanced diet of good, nutritious foods. You’ll be well on your way!

Myth: processed foods have no place in a healthy diet

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:57:00 GMT

The term “processed” encompasses such a wide array of foodstuffs that, with most of our current hustle-and-bustle lifestyles, it would be nearly impossible to eat a healthy diet without them. If the food we are eating is not in roughly the same state as it was when leaving the farm, then it has been processed in some way.

Whole grain pasta, canned light tuna, and even frozen vegetables all have had some degree of processing to make for convenient, healthy cooking. Milk is pasteurized in order to reduce the risk of food-borne illness, making it safer to consume. Grain products have, since 1998, been fortified with folic acid to correct for nutritional deficiencies in the population and as a result have reduced the incidence of neural tube defects in Ontario by half since that time. Homo milk may be skimmed to remove much of the fat and saturated fat, yielding healthier milks and dairy products for consumption. These examples of processing have all made for an overall healthy food supply.

Other processed foods, however, specifically the ones we normally think of when we hear the word “processed,” have been altered in such a way as to have far more calories and far fewer nutrients. The addition of sugar, fat, and/or salt, crowds out the good stuff, leaving us with empty calories and a deficient diet. I’m sure we all know which foods I’m talking about: deep fried foods, chips, cookies, doughnuts, croissants, pastries etc. Is there room in a healthy diet for this stuff? Very little, honestly. And that too, if we’re doing a good job of eating nutrient-packed foods the rest of the time. Make a point of eating all whole grains (nothing white!), getting those 7-10 servings of fruits and vegetables in daily, and make sure your diet isn’t loaded with added sugars, like highly sweetened breakfast cereals or sugar laden yogurts. Then yes, I’d say you could justify those treats.

Myth: late-night snacking will make you gain weight

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:30:00 GMT

There’s nothing inherently wrong with late-night snacking. Weight gain (or loss) is dependent on the total number of calories you have consumed throughout the day , relative to the total number of calories that your body needs to expend in a day. You could have all those calories at one sitting or spread them out all day long, and the equation works out the same.

By the way, I am in no way advocating that you have all your calories at one time. The multiple reasons for having smaller meals and snacks throughout the day is something I will certainly discuss in a future post.

So, the problem with late-night snacking lies in the what and why of it. What are you snacking on and why are you snacking?

First, if you don’t want to gain weight, you have to take a good look at what those late-night snacks are. Cookies? Chips? Cheese & crackers? Ice cream? Sugar-sweetened beverages? It’s too easy to kick back after a long day with a bag of chips only to realize a short while later that we’ve eaten the whole bag. If you’ve been eating good, nutritious food the whole rest of the day, then having a little…well, let’s face it, junk …is not out of line. The operative word is little . If these are the foods you really crave at night, then get one of those portion-controlled snack bags. There are lots of them out there…100 calories of chips, cookies, popcorn etc. And stick with one portion.

And do I really need to mention that there are scores of better, more nutritious snacks that can be eaten as well? Fresh or canned fruit, vegetables, yogurt, edamame, high-fibre granola bar etc, etc. If you haven’t been eating quite so virtuously all day, then these are the kinds of of foods I would recommend. It’s your last chance to get your recommended servings of fruits and vegetables in, right?

The second question is why are you eating at night? Are you truly hungry? Or are you eating out of habit? Or boredom? Or for emotional comfort? There are many reasons why we eat, and they are not all physiological. If the answer has nothing to do with hunger, then you need to explore the real reason and work on that. Unfortunately, that’s an area in which I lay no claim at being an expert, so it is out of the scope of my blog.

Hunger I can work with, though. If you are hungry at night, is it possible that you could move dinner a little later? Or, are you mistakenly interpreting for hunger what is actually thirst? Try having a glass of water and see how you feel. And if dinner is as late as it can be, and you’re not actually thirsty, then by all means, have a snack!

An after-dinner snack only needs to “take the edge off” so we’re not hungry while we’re trying to sleep. It does not need to be very big. The list I mentioned earlier of good snacks all still apply. And here’s another, more comprehensive, one from the Dietitians of Canada website .

So, tonight, when you’re considering an after dinner snack, think about what you’ve eaten for the day and when you’ve eaten it. Now that you’ve got the tools to make the right decision I know you’ll do great! Good luck!

Myth: Sea salt is natural so it’s better for you than table salt

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:28:00 GMT

While various types of salt may have slightly different properties, they are still essentially the same. First, let’s go over the types of salt.

Table salt : this is the typical salt that you’ll find in the salt shaker. It is derived from salt mines and has a fine grain. It is usually fortified with added iodine and has an anti-caking agent, such as calcium silicate, in it to keep it running freely. Table salt is 99% sodium chloride.

Kosher salt : basically the same as table salt but prepared without iodine or additives. It has a coarser grain than table salt as well.

Pickling salt : has a fine grain as table salt does, but without any iodine or anti-caking agents, which would make the brine cloudy.

Sea salt : this is the salt that remains from evaporating seawater. The unique flavours in sea salts are due to differences in the trace minerals that are found in the various sea waters. Unrefined sea salt is 95-98% sodium chloride, with about 2.5% trace minerals.

As you can see, there is not a whole lot of difference between the types of salt. They are all primarily sodium chloride; and when we advocate reducing “salt” in our diets, what we are really referring to is sodium .

There are plenty of ways to try to cut the sodium down, in addition to using less salt in our cooking. Choose processed foods that have “no added salt” or are “sodium-reduced”, including low sodium canned goods, breads, cereals, cheeses and so on. Use flavourings other than salt, such as garlic, lemon, herbs, and spices.

The following list of seasoning suggestions is from Eatright Ontario :

Beef: bay leaf, mustard powder, sage, thyme, rosemary, garlic, curry powder, nutmeg

Lamb: curry powder, garlic, oregano, thyme, rosemary, mint jelly

Veal: bay leaf, curry powder, oregano, ginger, lemon

Chicken: lemon, garlic, ginger, rosemary, paprika, parsley, sage, thyme, basil, tarragon

Potato: onion, garlic, parsley, chives

Fish: bay leaf, curry powder, mustard powder, lemon, paprika, dill, lemongrass, ginger

Pork: onion, sage, thyme, oregano, black pepper, apple, applesauce

Rice: chives, green pepper, onion, cinnamon, bay leaf, paprika, cumin

Finally, there’s the option of using salt-free seasoning blends or salt substitutes. Salt substitutes are usually made of potassium chloride and may taste somewhat bitter. Before using them, you should check with your doctor to make sure that you do not have any conditions which would warrant avoiding extra potassium.

So health-wise, sea salt and table salt are essentially the same. If you prefer the taste of sea salt, then it is no better or worse for you. The bottom line is that the greater our sodium intake, the greater our chances of developing high blood pressure and heart disease.

Slash the salt. Your heart will thank you for it.

Myth: If a food is low in fat or fat-free, it must be healthy

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 02:30:00 GMT

While I believe the trend is reversing now, for a very long time, fat had been considered as enemy number one for anyone trying to watch their weight. It has 9 calories per gram, while carbohydrate and protein each only have 4. And though we understand more that there are healthy fats and unhealthy fats out there, we still tend to fall back on the old idea that if a food is low in fat, it must be healthier to eat than it’s higher-fat counterpart.

But what do we mean by healthier? Lower in calories? Or better for your body? The low-fat or fat-free option may not necessarily be either.

Fat has many different functions in food…not only does it add its own flavour, but it contributes to the texture and mouthfeel of the food in which it is contained. Without fat, baked goods would be dry, pastry wouldn’t be flaky, and chocolate wouldn’t melt in your mouth. So if manufacturers remove fat from a recipe, they may need to replace it with one or more other ingredients that will satisfy those qualities.

What do they replace it with? Very often, fat gets replaced with sugar and/or other food additives with too-many-syllables-to-be-considered-healthy. So, depending on the amount of sugar added, you might not actually be saving yourself many calories. And if you’re a diabetic or just trying to control your blood sugars, it’s entirely possible that you won’t be doing yourself any favours by picking the “low-fat” product.

This is not to say that all low-fat products are less healthy. Dairy products are the best example of lower fat being better for you. Homo milk, 2% milk, skim milk…the only difference between them is the amount of fat they contain. High-fat yogurt and cottage cheese differs from low-fat versions solely by the type of milk used in production, so the only difference is the fat content. Processed cheese and cream cheese have far more additives to achieve their particular textures, so the same cannot be said for them.

The only way to know for sure whether a reduced fat product is a healthier alternative is by reading labels. Compare the original product with the lower-fat version. Check out the Nutrition Facts panel and the ingredient list. Look to see what’s been added and what’s been taken away. And then make your decision on what is “healthier.”

Myth: Cows milk is full of hormones and antibiotics

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 03:16:00 GMT

Let’s start here with where the myth probably came from: legally, Canadian beef cattle are permitted to be treated with growth hormones. The purpose behind the hormones is to produce beef that has more lean tissue and less fat, yielding a product that is therefore healthier to eat with less expense for the consumer. (A discussion of the relative “healthfulness” of meat that has had growth hormone injections is something that can be discussed at another time) While there is no evidence of any harmful effects from consuming animal products that have been treated with growth hormones, if this causes you come concern, you may want to consider choosing organic beef. No growth hormones are used in poultry or pork production in Canada.

On the other hand, Canadian dairy cattle are not permitted to be treated with growth hormones. Consequently, there are no growth hormones in cow’s milk. That goes for both organic or non-organic products.

Antibiotics are a slightly different story.

When animals get sick, they may be given antibiotics. This is true for animals raised for beef, poultry, fish, or pork production. They may even be sprayed on fruit to be given to honey bees! This applies to dairy cattle and egg hens also. However, when a dairy cow is being treated for an infection with antibiotics, her milk is discarded the entire time, and for a mandatory period after that to allow the medication to get out of her system. Eggs from a hen being treated will be disposed of in a similar fashion. Once the antibiotics have cleared, these animal products are reintroduced back to the general supply.

Organic dairy cattle, too, may get sick and be treated with antibiotics; however, once this occurs, the cow is removed from the supply permanently and her milk is never used again.

I’ve certainly met many people confused about the safety and quality of our milk supply, and who debate whether they should buy organic to avoid hormones and antibiotics. I hope I’ve cleared up some of the confusion so you can now make an informed decision on the subject.

Until next time!or

Myth: Everyone needs to drink eight glasses of water a day

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 04:09:00 GMT

This one has been circulating around for a while. In fact, you won’t be able to find a health professional these days who even knows where exactly it came from. And with the number of times that this assertion has been cited, one would think that a scientific study from whence it originated would be well-documented!

There are two parts to the myth and both warrant addressing. First, is the eight glasses (64oz) part, and second is the water part.

First, the amount of water a person needs is dependent on a number of factors, including one’s size, activity level, climate, and any exceptional fluid losses (eg. perspiration, vomiting, diarrhea etc.). For a person who is in a climate-controlled environment, and not experiencing any extra losses, dietitians have a number of methods of calculating fluid needs. The method I use most often is based on caloric intake…fluid needs = 1ml/kcal. Meaning, for someone on a 2000 calorie-diet, needs are calculated as 2000mL (or approximately 8 cups!) So, the 8-cup rule is not terribly far off the mark as most people consume somewhere between 1400-2400 kcal/day, which translates to about 6-10 cups daily.

Notably, alcohol does not make the list because it acts as a diuretic. Alcohol interferes with the production of ADH (anti-diuretic hormone) whose normal function in the body is to conserve water; without it we lose more fluid through urine than we take in. Ever had a hangover from drinking too much? A large part of that is due to the dehydrating effect of alcohol.

So how much fluid is right for you? It’s actually easy to tell. Every time you go to the bathroom, check the colour of your urine: if it is pale yellow to clear, you are doing fine. If it is dark coloured or foul-smelling, you need to drink more.

Do I think we should all be drinking more water vs other beverages? Yes. But the relative merits of water over the others is something that can be left for another day. For now, just be sure to drink (and eat!) your fluids. It is essential for health.

Myth: Healthy food costs too much

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:18:00 GMT

There are many ways to lower your grocery bill without sacrificing nutritional value, but to be fair, many of them involve re-evaluating your own personal eating habits, likes and dislikes, and time available for food preparation. Is it really the monetary cost? or is it the discomfort of choosing foods you are not used to? or maybe it’s the trade-off in time that purchasing less expensive, less processed foods will require? If you would really like to save money on groceries, then please read on!

Let’s take this one food group at a time, starting with Meats and Alternatives. Meat (fish, poultry, lean beef etc.) is a great source of protein, but there are lots of alternative proteins that are just as (if not more) nutritious, but which have a lot less impact on the wallet. Eggs, tofu, nuts (eg. peanut butter) and legumes (dried beans, peas, and lentils) are significantly less expensive, on average, than meat, but make extremely satisfying, nutritious meals.

For fruits and vegetables, it is best to buy fresh produce that is in season. If you can find locally-sourced produce, it will typically cost less than food that has needed to travel long distances to get to you. Check out your nearest farmer’s market if you can.

As for dairy, it is less expensive to buy in bags than in cartons. And if you really want to save money, you can buy powdered milk and use that. It is almost always found in non-fat forms (fat can go rancid; non-fat has a longer shelf-life). So, when reconstituted, it has the flavour and consistency of skim milk. If you don’t like skim, then it is best just to keep this milk for cooking, and buy a smaller quantity of the milk you enjoy drinking.

And for grains, you can save a lot of money by using whole grains bought in bulk over anything in a box or bag. Instead of bread products – buns, wraps, pitas etc – and pastas, experiment with grains like whole oats, barley, brown rice, quinoa, wild rice, couscous and so many more. Even the more expensive grains cost pennies per serving compared to a few dollars for a single loaf of bread.

And of course, check the fliers at your local grocery store before you go shopping. Plan your week’s meals so you shop only for what you need and don’t end up with food going bad in your fridge because you bought it on impulse. Stock up staples or on canned or frozen fruits and vegetables when they are on sale.

That should probably be enough to get you started. Good luck!

Myth: “Multigrain” is the same as “Whole Grain”

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:30:00 GMT

It’s hard to pick a food in the grocery store that is more confusing than bread! And unfortunately, Canadian labelling regulations don’t really help. This is the one place where, if you’re trying to choose healthy, you really have to know your terminology; marketers use product labels and advertising very convincingly, and will often lead us astray.

The first thing to understand is that whole wheat , does not necessarily mean whole grain . A wheat kernel has 3 parts to it: the outer bran (lots of fiber here), the endosperm (here’s the starch), and the germ (most of the goodness of wheat is in here – protein, some fat, lots of B vitamins, vitamin E, iron, and magnesium to list a few). All three are technically “wheat”. The biggest problem with flour made from the entire wheat kernel is that the fat from the germ will quickly make wheat flour turn rancid; therefore, manufacturers will very often remove the germ to allow the flour to have a longer shelf life.

Now follow the logic carefully:

In Canada, for a flour to be called “whole wheat flour”, it must have at least 95% of the wheat kernel. (since the germ only makes up 2.5% of the grain, that can be completely removed and still be legally called whole wheat flour.)

And for a bread to be called “100% whole wheat bread” it just needs to be made completely with the whole wheat flour as defined.

Hence, 100% whole wheat bread is not necessarily whole grain bread.

The exact same logic applies to multigrain breads. Unless the individual flours are from whole grains, the bread can’t be assumed to be a whole grain bread. (The little flax seeds and oat grains sprinkled on the top can be deceiving! You need to check the ingredient list know for sure.)

So what to look for: it’s actually pretty easy. Read the ingredient list and look for the word “whole grain” in front of whole wheat and the word “whole” in front of all the other grains. For example “Whole grain whole wheat”, “Whole rye”, “Whole oats”, “Whole corn”. Some grains that are always whole include amaranth, bulgur, milet, quinoa, spelt, triticale, and brown rice.

That should give you enough to survive the bread aisle! Happy shopping!

Myth: You should avoid carbs if you want to lose weight

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 18:44:00 GMT

I know. You’ve tried it or know someone who has and are amazed at how fast the pounds start coming off! Unfortunately, in the beginning, most of the initial weight lost on low-carbohydrate (low-carb) diets is water weight. Our bodies rely primarily on carbohydrate for energy, so we have carbs (called glycogen) stored throughout our muscles and liver so it is readily available when we need it. For each molecule of glycogen stored, we store 4 molecules of water; what that means, is that as we use up our glycogen stores and we don’t replace it with carbohydrates from our diet, we lose all the stored water that would normally be there. Water weighs a lot .

After that, any additional weight loss is due to reduced calorie consumption, not the lack of carbs themselves. As low-carbohydrate diets are so restrictive, our choices are less and our consumption of calories is less. Research has shown that there is no difference in weight loss when following a low-carb diet plan versus any other one, as long as caloric intake is the same for both.

The restrictive nature of low-carb diets also means we miss out on all the benefits of healthy foods such as whole grains, fruits, starchy vegetables, and legumes. In addition, with so many foods being off limits, this becomes a difficult diet to stick with.

The weight loss plan that works is the one you can stick with. A combination of exercise and learning (with a little help from an RD if needed) to eat a balanced diet that doesn’t leave you feeling deprived is the best way to lose the pounds and keep them off.

Myth: Organic foods are more nutritious than non-organic foods

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 03:31:00 GMT

The truth is, organic food may be just as, more, or less nutritious than their non-organic counterparts. There are many factors which can affect a food’s nutrient content, including how it is grown, stored, processed, and cooked.

To elaborate: growing conditions, especially the nutrient content of the soil, are going to impact the nutrient content of the food. The lack of chemical fertilizers or pesticides is no guarantee of the quality of the soil in which the food is being grown.

Storing temperature, humidity, and length of time will all affect the degradation of nutrients in food.

As for processing, the more that is done, the more degradation that will occur. Even the process of cutting food into smaller pieces can destroy some nutrients. For example, Vitamin E is very susceptible to degradation by light, so a food that has been cut into many smaller pieces has more surface area exposed to light & air…hence, more degradation.

Finally, some nutrients, like Vitamin C are destroyed by heat, or will leach out of foods when cooked in water (water-soluble vitamins).

The one thing that can be said for organic is that there will not be any chemical pesticide residues on them; natural pesticides may be in use, however, so they still should be washed carefully.

For a little more info on organic vs non-organic food, check out this site on eatrightontario.ca.

The moral of the story is, for maximum nutrient retention, get your produce in season and grown as close to home as possible. Failing that, for off-season foods, buy frozen…frozen foods are picked at peak ripeness and flash frozen immediately, thereby preserving more of the vitamins and the fullest flavour. Whether you buy organic or not is entirely up to you.

March is Nutrition Month!

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 02:32:00 GMT

The theme for this year is Myth-Busting! So, in honour of the theme, for the rest of the month, I will be blogging on various nutrition myths and setting the record straight. Here we go…

No time to prepare veggies? It’s all in the planning.

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:25:00 GMT

A recent article in the journal Public Health Nutrition looked at the influence of the perceived cost of fruits and vegetables versus other characteristics such as quality, convenience, and selection, on their intake in low-income neighbourhoods. It turns out, whether people thought the price was high or low was not the deciding factor in whether people eat their veggies or not…it’s the other stuff.

I find that heartening. Most people do genuinely understand that fruits and vegetables are important for good health and want to include them in their diet. And if it’s not the cost that’s stopping them, what is?

This is not a new idea, but it is certainly a reasonable explanation: it’s the preparation. Let’s face it, vegetables, and to a lesser degree, fruits, are a pain to prepare. Washing, trimming & cutting takes a lot of time, and when we’re rushed to get a meal on the table, vegetables seem to be left by the wayside. Frankly, when we get home at 5 or 6 to a hungry family, a trip to Swiss Chalet seems much quicker and more appealing. So how do we work a full day and still manage to eat healthy? We plan for it.

Before you head out to the grocery store, plan out your week. Know exactly what you want to prepare each day. Keep in mind what your schedule looks like – don’t plan something that needs a couple hours in the oven if you’re not going to be home until late, or if you have to eat early to go take the kids to hockey practice. Try to plan in such a way that your meals work together – for example, make extra chicken today to go into tomorrow’s stir-fry.

And then, the most important thing, is to do your prep the night before. During your downtime, when there’s no reason to rush, chop veggies, clean meats, soak beans. You can even measure out spices. I’ll take everything into the TV room and prep while watching TV. Or bring my mini-DVD player into the kitchen and watch a movie. Or listen to my music or podcasts. Or chat on the phone (speakerphone lets you keep your hands free). You get the idea. Then, when you get home the next day, you can pretend you’re one of those chefs on TV…add a little of this to a little of that and before you know it, dinner’s on the table.

Don’t have much time the night before? Make use of convenience items. Bagged salads. Pre-cut broccoli. Diced squash. Frozen veggies galore!

So, it’s not impossible to eat healthy with a full schedule. You just have to decide how important it is to you and then make it a priority.

There’s lots more I could say on the topic of meal planning, but this should get you started. Good luck!

Welcome to my blog!

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 03:52:00 GMT

My favourite part of being a dietitian is the teaching… Being able to take complicated science-stuff and put it into language that the average person will understand; providing a new perspective on a topic that you may not have seen; and most important, giving my clients concrete, yet simple, suggestions on how to reach their goals of eating better and living healthier.

In this blog I plan to do a little of everything and I hope you’ll always find a reason to keep coming back.

If you have a topic you’d like me to talk about, please let me know! Chances are, if you want to learn more about something, then someone else does, too.