Nutrition
8 Back-to-School Nutrition Ideas Made Easy
It’s a new school year; many of us look at September as being a good time to start doing things differently. For years I felt as though making my girls’ lunches at night was too exhausting, after having cooked or prepared meals for them all day long. This September, I started making their lunches, while preparing their dinner. The kitchen has been messier than ever but I realized that this is the time in which I have the most energy and when I can be most efficient, as much of the food is already out of the fridge. Why I ever thought that putting the girls to bed and then heading downstairs to make their lunches was a good idea, I will never understand. And the years I spent rushing around each morning, making their lunches, are also over. It feels good to actually sit with my girls on a school day and partake in eating breakfast with them. And what a beautiful start to the day for each of us. So, what are you going to do differently this school year? Here are 8 back to school ideas to provide your children with more nutrition and hopefully keep your world more sane overall:
Read MoreA Nutritionist’s Take on Canada’s Food Guide
The number of recommended fruits and vegetables is wonderful. I only have three concerns. Counting juice as a serving, when it is often not fresh and is laden with chemicals and sugar, simply doesn’t make sense to me. The nutrient content of frozen and canned fruits and vegetables is not the same as fresh fruits and vegetables yet no distinction is made in the guide. Secondly, no mention is made of the need for organic fruits and vegetables. The soil in which our ancestors’ produce was grown, was loaded with nutrients, far more than the soil of today! Organic is truly the best we have these days.
Read MoreThe Emotional Connection to Physical Illness
We now have the sickest generation of human beings to have ever existed in the history of mankind. Obesity, allergies, asthma, autism, ADD, chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis and cancer are only a few examples of the epidemics that exist today. The physical reason for these epidemics is that the world is simply more toxic than ever before – our food, water and air are perpetually being contaminated. But why do certain people contract certain illnesses? Wherever there is physical illness, there is always an emotional connection – I have discussed this concept in prior blogs but once I learned of the large interest in this topic, I felt compelled to explain the concept in greater detail.
Read MoreWhat Does a Nutritionist Do and How Can They Help You?
Nutritionists can help you detect food sensitivities/allergies or nutritional deficiencies and then assist you in devising a plan to change your child’s diet. If you determine the foods to which your child reacts and your findings include one of the major food groups, such as dairy and wheat, you might ask yourself, “What can I feed my child?” A Nutritionist will teach you exactly what to feed your child, what the alternatives are and ensure that your child does not miss out on any important nutrients. They will even supply you with recipes and books to assist you, so that you do not need to do any of your own research if you don’t want to!
Read MoreFirst Aid Using Natural Remedies
I am going to share ideas with you in the event that you or your child is sick or needs first aid; my hope is that each of these natural remedies can be found in a store near you or within your own home.
Fevers, infections, and even blisters all have their purpose. It is not our job to suppress symptoms but we can certainly accelerate the natural healing of the body. The goal of home remedies is not to stop the symptoms but to reduce the severity. We always need to remember to honour the illness or the injury and what the body is trying to do.
Read MoreWhat Our Food Cravings Are Trying to Tell Us
The body never fails us; it is we who fail to listen to its wisdom and trust its guidance. Our food cravings are a source of valuable education. Individuals are drawn to certain textures, fat content, flavours and smells of various foods for a reason. Below are different kinds of food cravings and what they are trying to tell us.
Read MoreLearning to Surrender Regarding Your Child’s Health
Sometimes we do obtain the solutions we need but we are simply not ready to implement them. One mother hears that her underweight child needs to go off of gluten, questions the logic of this recommendation and struggles to imagine how she would implement such a drastic change to her way of eating. Months go by, her daughter continues to be diagnosed with “failure to thrive” and then the mother sees another expert who tells her that her daughter needs to go off gluten entirely. This time, the mother is stronger, her baby is older, she has started getting some sleep again and her other children are slightly less dependent on her and she feels ready to take this step. Her baby gradually gains weight and begins to exude health.
Read MoreConsider Food Sensitivity Testing on Your Quest for Health
I stayed away from all the common allergens when I was breastfeeding my youngest yet she still had two nights of crying and gas pains following her feeds. I had the Interro testing done and learned that Paige was sensitive to figs (I had eaten a whole container of wheat-free fig newtons in one sitting one night) and vinegar (I had put oil and vinegar on my salad, knowing that most salad dressings had sugar, chemicals or other common allergens). Once I refrained from eating figs and vinegar, Paige did just fine for the duration of the time in which I breastfed her. There is no question that learning how to detect food sensitivities can be a huge help to the health and happiness of families.
Read MoreRange of Colours on Your Plate Represents Range of Nutrients
Each type of food calls upon a particular set of digestive enzymes to digest it. If those digestive enzymes are continually called upon and your digestive system is not strong (as is often the case these days), the particular digestive enzymes needed to digest your favourite food will wear out. It is no coincidence that the top allergens in North America are dairy and wheat – the two foods that we consume the most. Each time we eat wheat, in our breakfast (toast), lunch (sandwich) and dinner (pasta), we use the same digestive enzyme to break down the wheat. If we start to experience bloating or fatigue or maybe even acquire celiac disease, these are all signs that our digestive enzymes for wheat are not working properly. This is why digestive enzymes are being taken in supplement form, more and more often these days.
Read MoreMum’s Original – Choco-Orange Balls Recipe
I mentioned in my last blog post that I would be sharing more of Ann Barnes’ information with you because she and her work inspire me so greatly. It is…
Read MoreNutrition in Simple Terms – Back to Basics
I attended my first LIPS (Ladies in Philanthropy for Southlake) event at Nature’s Emporium Health Store the week before last. I had no idea of what to expect but low and behold, the keynote speaker explained nutrition in the clearest manner I had ever experienced in all the years I have been attending nutrition seminars and classes.
Read MoreMy Baby Is Reacting to Formula
First of all, I should explain that babies never react to breast milk itself but they can react to the foods that mom is eating and are therefore going into her breast milk. There will be people who tell you this is untrue but I am here to tell you that this is absolutely true. I have seen this with my daughters and also, had dozens of clients over the years whose babies have reacted to the foods in the breast milk they are consuming. When a mother feels her milk is causing pain or suffering in her child, she often decides that she had better stop breastfeeding. More times than not, reactions to infant formula end up being even greater than the reactions to the foods in the breast milk!
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