family health advocacy

Vanilla Pudding Cake

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Are you hosting a dinner party or having friends over for lunch?  Make-ahead this traditional and easy Vanilla Pudding Cake and save time and stress on the day.

Ingredients:

  • 60cl Almond vanilla milk + 10cl
  • 3 Eggs
  • 30g Coconut sugar
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • 100g plain Greek yogurt
  • 160g arrowroot

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat milk until bubbles form at edges.
  3. In a bowl, combine sugar, eggs, cornstarch, Greek yogurt, 10cl milk and the vanilla extract.
  4. Pour into hot milk, a little at a time, stirring to dissolve.
  5. Continue to cook and stir until mixture thickens (~5min). Do not boil.
  6. Remove from heat and transfer into muffins this or individual serving bowls.
  7. Bake in oven for about 45-50min.
  8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
  9. Place in the refrigerator and chill completely.
  10. Enjoy your delicious vanilla pudding cake!!

Fun Facts!

Did you know mаnу people utilize аrrоwrооt flоur as a wеіght-lоѕѕ ѕubѕtаnсе?  Thе роwdеr thickens mеаlѕ when incorporated, but hаѕ a vеrу low fаt content аnd nеxt tо nо саlоrіеѕ.  Bу adding the роwdеr іn сооkіng, it еxраndѕ the аmоunt of food, without multірlуіng thе саlоrіеѕ.  Click here to learn everything you need to know about the Arrowroot Plant!

How Our Perceptions Affect Our Pain

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YOU must address all areas of your health for your body to heal.  This includes your mindset, nutrition, exercise, environment, and nervous system.  Many people make it all about one thing (i.e., Nutrition or exercise) and neglect the rest.  This alone will not give your body the opportunity it needs to heal.  Most conditions are due to a deficiency in any or all aspects of your health, so it’s important to address all of them.  This article will highlight how a problem in any one of the areas of health can be causing your symptoms.  Future articles will also teach you how to remove the underlying problem in any of these areas of health.  But by far, the most important component of your health begins with your mindset!  Let’s discuss pain and the brain.

It’s NOT All In Your Head

Some patients who repeatedly see doctors in search of an answer to their chronic pain with no clearly identified cause, have been told: “it’s all in your head.”  I disagree.  The pain is very real.  Pain is something you are feeling and experiencing.  However, what is in your head is the ability to re-wire how your brain perceives the world and your body, including pain.  This is an output from the brain, not an input from the body.  When you have chronic pain, the brain frequently perceives things like light touch as being painful.  But remember, you CAN control your brain’s perception.

Understanding Chronic Pain

When dealing with chronic pain, the key to removing one of the major and most common forms of interference is this.  Understanding and accepting that there is so much more involved than just the physical aspect that feels painful.  It’s easy to understand how things like massage therapy, eating better, taking supplements, and exercising are going to help you on this HEALing journey.  It’s not as easy to understand how our thought processes and experiences in the past and present have an impact on our physical being.  There are widespread neurological implications of emotions.  Examples such as anger, anxiety, fear, self-doubt, sense of failure and more.   Click here for further reading on A scientific validation of your emotions.

Outside therapies alone, although helpful, are limiting.  We all have subconscious and conscious negative thought patterns that were learned at a young age either from past mental or physical traumas that you have attached to an emotion.  If you avoid working on removing those thought patterns, you won’t reap the benefits of the unlimited potential for healing that is within you.

Pain And The Brain

Pain is an experience. Physical pain from an external stimulus will initiate a message to be sent from tissues, through neurons called nociceptors.  It alerts the brain of a potentially dangerous situation.  This message arrives at the brain, and its level of “danger” is determined by a response based on information your brain has gathered throughout your life.  Your brain and nervous system form memories of pain when we experience pain.  This helps us avoid perceived dangerous behavior that once resulted in pain such as touching a hot stove.  We also create pain memories from hearing or seeing someone else experience pain as a result of a behavior.

If you have ever been diagnosed or heard of someone being diagnosed with a “pinched nerve” you have already created a “pinched nerve” memory in your brain.  Your brain has a cognition or context of what a “pinched nerve” means.  This is based on any experience related to the diagnosis.  Brain cells in the “pinched nerve” memory bank will also belong to anything else you associated the pinched nerve diagnosis.  Neck pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, and sciatica are just a few of the examples.  This means IF you are told you have a “pinched nerve,” you activate the brain cells associated with a pinched nerve and experience its symptoms.  This occurs even if you don’t really have a pinched nerve.  This is one of the dangers of a misdiagnosis!

This inaccurate information we have gathered about how we imagine our body to work has contributed to our brain’s evaluation of how much danger we are in and your perception and experience of the external pain stimulus.

Mindset Exercises

Our positive and negative emotions associated with a diagnosis can have an impact on our degree of pain.  Now that you understand the connection between your beliefs and the pain you experience, we can dive into some relevant and applicable mindset concepts that you can start to apply right away.  I will provide you with paradigm-shifting exercises that accompany each concept.  I encourage you to dive in deep.  We are going to cover some of the time-tested, relevant concepts of emotional healing – gratitude, affirmations, and acknowledgment of your achievements.  The more energy and time you put into these mindset exercises, the more you will get out of them.  Your mind can’t tell the difference between reality and what you tell it!

I find that some patients are more prepared than others to tackle their state of mind during the healing process.  I provide guidance in the form of literature, counseling, and advanced workshops on developing a healthy mindset.  It’s not uncommon to see patients with very similar symptoms in our practice.  However, the patients who dedicate the time and energy to their mental health and creating a positive mindset tend to get better results with their care.  The positive mindset they create drastically decreases their healing time and ability to return to normal activities of daily living, pain-free!  To read more on How our perceptions affect our health, click here.

You’re one step closer!

Eggless Cookie Dough Fudge

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This recipe is a cookie dough lovers dream!  No Sugar Added and no with no eggs, you can enjoy this fantastic fudge without the worries of eating uncooked eggs!  Better still, you don’t need to worry about using your stove.  So make these eggless cookie dough fudge bites today!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 cup grass fed butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup smoothie cashew butter
  • 2/3 cup sugar-free sweetener of choice
  • 6 tbsp coconut flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup stevia sweetened chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Combine softened butter and cashew butter in a bowl
  2. Add coconut flour, salt, and vanilla.
  3. Add 1/3 cup of sweetener, then slowly add the rest of the sweetener to taste
  4. Stir in 2-3 tbsp of chocolate chips
  5. Spread eggless cookie dough mixture onto a 8×4 inch loaf pan lined with parchment or wax paper
  6. Top generously with remaining chocolate chips, add more if desired.
  7. Refrigerate until firm, then slice into 12 pieces. Store fudge in the refrigerator
  8. ENJOY!

Protein Pancakes

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Who doesn’t love pancakes for breakfast?  This protein packed recipe will keep your body fueled and functioning well throughout your morning routine.  Give them a try for yourself.

PANCAKE INGREDIENTS:

– 2 eggs
– 1 scoop of @botanicahealth vanilla protein powder
– 1/2 cup oats blended
– 1/2 cup of almond milk

Topping Ideas:

-Blueberries

-Chia & hemp

-Coconut flakes

-Agave (to replace syrup)

-Organic cashew butter

DIRECTIONS:

Mix everything into a bowl and cook.  Decorate your pancakes with your favorite toppings and devour!  Looking for another breakfast idea? Click here for on the go breakfast muffins.  These breakfast muffins are a great way to start your morning off right!  Not only are they super easy to make but also great when you are hosting a breakfast as this recipe makes 12 small muffins AND you can also customize to suit specific dietary needs.  What more can you ask for in a breakfast muffin!

Get Your Body Ready For A Baby

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We have headed into a new year where anything is possible!  We can leave behind all the things that didn’t go the way we wanted them to and move forward with a fresh outlook.  This is especially true if you’ve been struggling to conceive.  Let the struggle of the past year go, take a deep breath, and look forward to the possibilities of the new year just beginning.

If you want the best chances of getting pregnant in 2019, put BABY into practice:

B: Boost Your Cholesterol

Most of us have heard all our lives that we need to lower our cholesterol, but that is not a good idea, especially if you want to get pregnant and carry a baby to term.  Contrary to popular belief, cholesterol is good for you. It is the building block of hormones like progesterone, the baby making hormone.  Without progesterone it is difficult to get pregnant and stay pregnant.  Without cholesterol, you can’t make progesterone, click here to learn more!

Action steps:

  1. Have your doctor check your cholesterol levels.
  2. Add cholesterol rich foods to your diet such as eggs, liver, butter, and full fat dairy (just don’t use ultra-pasteurized dairy).

A: Assess Your Iodine Levels

Iodine is important for thyroid hormones which you need for a healthy pregnancy.  Thyroid hormones support nearly every cell in the body including the central nervous system and developing brain of a fetus.  If a mother is deficient in iodine it can affect the IQ and brain function of the baby.  Iodine deficiency can also be a factor in fibroids, endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome.  For more information, click here to read iodine-friend or foe.

Action steps:

  1. Ask your doctor for an iodine loading test.  This is a urine test, not a blood test. You can also order a test yourself by clicking here.
  2. Eat iodine rich foods like seaweed, shellfish, fish, and full fat diary.  An easy way to start is to sprinkle kelp flakes on foods.  Supplements may be needed but it is best to work with a knowledgeable physician when taking iodine supplements.

B: Banish The Toxins

We are exposed to numerous toxins from food, plastic, personal care products, cleaning products, weed killer, fire retardant clothing…the list is endless.  The problem with all these toxins is that many are endocrine disruptors which means they mess up your hormones which can make it difficult to get pregnant.  It may take a while to banish them all so the important thing is to just start somewhere.

Action steps:

  1. Click here for my free getting started guide to eliminating toxins in skincare products and food.
  2. Get a copy of The Switch Diet available on Amazon for a more detailed step by step guide.

Y: Yield To A Time Out

Stress is something we all face, but if we don’t manage it well, it can derail our best efforts to get pregnant.  Stress can come from relationships, finances, our to-do list, and even from our own unmet desires.  It’s good to take a time out periodically to get a new perspective, recharge, and let go.

Action steps:

  1. Schedule some time every day to relax, breathe, and meditate.  Click here to learn more about the benefits of meditation.
  2. Look at your schedule.  Is there anything you can say no to?
  3. Take a break from scheduling (sex) and tracking (cycles) if it’s creating tension in your relationship.
  4. Do something fun every day.

If you remember BABY, you’ll be well on your way to a healthy pregnancy.  If you’d like more support on your journey to becoming a mom, click here to join or get more details about my Baby-Ready Body Academy which will be open for enrollment on January 20th.

Top Tips To Manage Your Emotions

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For most people the holidays are a time to take a break from the hustle of every day life and a time to spend with family and friends.  It is a time that people observe special religious festivities and a time of gift giving and merriment.  A great many of us will make new year’s resolutions to either give up something that is detrimental to our health or add something to our regimen.  Like something that will help cope with things like depression and anxiety and bring us closer to health and happiness.

But now it’s January.  You’ve just realized you have overeaten, overdrank, overspent, and indulged in a great many behaviours that you normally wouldn’t have if it was any other time of the year.

When it comes to spending habits in Canada, one in three Canadians said they ended up spending more than they meant to last year.  (1) It’s easy to fall into despair, disarray as well as frustration and fear as a result of our actions during the holidays.

According to motivational speaker Tony Robins, “Gratitude is the solution to anger and fear.”  (2) In other words, you one cannot hold feelings of anger/fear and gratitude simultaneously.  This is good news if we are searching for methods to cope with the aftermath of the holidays when all festivities have concluded, all the gifts are opened, and perhaps some anxiety about our credit card bills start to arrive making us ever so reluctant to pay a visit to our post office box.

For more on Tony Robbins, click here for THE 5-STEP PLAN TO AN EXTRAORDINARY YEAR.

How To Manage Your Emotions

Here are some tips you can use to manage your emotions and transform your state of being into a healthy and positive state.  This exercise is the HeartMath Institute’s Heart-Focused Breathing® Technique and I would like to share it with the reader as it is entirely possible to calm both our nervous system and our overactive mind.  In other words, attempt to turn down the frantic fight or flight sympathetic nervous system and turn up the parasympathetic system.

Over activity of the sympathetic nervous system will cause our breathing and heart rate to increase as well as release stress hormones like cortisol into our bloodstream to help prepare us for a fight or flight scenario.  This is innately programmed into our nervous system as a protective mechanism. By calming the sympathetics and shifting to the parasympathetics, which control our resting, relaxation and digestive responses, we can put ourselves in a state of ease. The good news is that we can do it relatively easily with this simple exercise.  Click here to read about A Scientific Validation Of Your Emotions.

Step by Step Instructions:

Start with sitting in a quiet place, in an upright posture and begin breathing through your nose and exhale out through your mouth.

Focus:

Focus your attention on your heart area, and breathe a little deeper than normal, in for 5 or 6 seconds and out 5 or 6 seconds.

Breathing:

Imagine breathing through your heart.  Picture yourself slowly breathing in and out through your heart area.

Remember that you are not breathing from upper chest region that uses more accessory muscles and body part and is usually the pattern of breathing of someone suffering form anxiety or anxious state but rather from the heart.  There is a difference.  If this is difficult to visualize try diaphragmatic breathing where your belly expands as you draw oxygen in.  It’s ok if it looks funny and makes the belly look larger than usual.  Nobody is watching remember you’re alone?  Hehe.

Feeling:

Activate a positive feeling as you maintain your heart focus and breathing. Recall a time you felt good inside and try to re-experience the feeling. Remember a special place or the love you feel for a close friend, relative or treasured pet. The key is focus on something you really appreciate.

Conversely, you can attempt a more meditative method and practice NOT thinking about anything other than your breath.  I’ve found both methods effective.  The key is to make sure your exhale is slightly longer than your inhale.

Practice this for at least 5 minutes and observe your mood change in short matter of time.  Click here for 4 Tips to an Abundant, Joy Filled Life

Yes folks, it is literally that easy.  You are in complete control of your mood and emotions.  The mind is a powerful entity and each of us has the capacity to alter our state of well-being should we choose to.  Harness the feelings of gratitude and appreciation.  Appreciate yourself and others.  Be grateful that you are alive.  My wish for you is that this exercise will help you reduce emotional stress and improve your health.  Blessings to you all.

Reference:
https://globalnews.ca/news/4671068/2018-black-friday-canada-holiday-spending/
https://medium.com/thrive-global/tony-robbins-gratitude-is-the-solution-to-anger-and-fear-c3fa819825c
E-mail newsletter: Heart Math Institute, A 3 step exercise to better health.

Prenatal Tips To Stay Healthy During Flu Season

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Flu season is in full swing but being pregnant or trying to get pregnant can make it more difficult to stay healthy.  Here are some prenatal tips you can do to stay healthy without harming your baby or reducing your chances of getting pregnant.

Limit Sugar

Sugar weakens the immune system which makes it more difficult for you to fend off an infection. Sugar also increases insulin which affects hormones that support a healthy pregnancy. Cut added sugar to 2 Tbsp or less per day. Try more nutritive sweeteners like honey, molasses, maple syrup, or coconut sugar, and remember you don’t have to eat the whole thing. If you need a dessert, try berries with whipped cream (not Cool Whip) or cut up some apples or pears and cook them in some butter with cinnamon and ginger.  Are you singing the sugar blues? Click here to learn more.

Try NAC

N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) is safe for pregnancy and may even help you get pregnant and carry a baby to term. It also supports glutathione production, the master antioxidant in the body, respiratory health, and it inhibits the replication of viruses so it can be quite handy during cold and flu season.

Get Adequate Sleep

Shoot for 7-8 hours every night to boost your immune system and support healthy hormones.  Try to get to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning.  The more sleep you get before midnight, the better.  Click here for our top ten tricks to get the best sleep ever!

Take Vitamin C

Vitamin C not only supports a healthy immune system, it also helps you absorb iron and produce progesterone which supports a healthy pregnancy. It’s great for men, too, as it keeps sperm healthy and mobile. It’s easy to tell if you are taking too much C. If you have diarrhea, cut back on your dose.

Get Some D

The best source of vitamin D is sunlight but that can be difficult to get during cold and flu season.  Vitamin D is only found in animal foods like fatty fish, dairy fat, liver, and egg yolks so be sure to include those foods in your diet.  You can also take supplements.  When taking vitamin D, it is also good to take vitamin A (not beta carotene) and vitamin K2.  You want to limit vitamin A to 5000 IU daily. These three nutrients work together and prevent toxicity.  Vitamin D supports a healthy immune system and can reduce complications from pregnancy like gestational diabetes and preterm birth.  Healthy vitamin D stores can also help you get pregnant.  Click here to learn more about the importance of K2.

You can get through cold and flu season with a healthy diet, adequate sleep, and a few key supplements.  Also, don’t forget to move every day, take a walk, swim, do some yoga or even some gardening; just move instead of sitting all day.  Click here for more information on prenatal yoga.

If you are struggling to conceive or thinking about IVF, I am launching Fruitful: 12
Weeks To A Baby-ready Body in January 2019.  Click here if you’d like more information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Myth or Fact? 8 Health Beliefs Debunked

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Every day we read something about health, diets and physical activity and when we go to the grocery store we are bombarded with labels (gluten free, lactose free, low sodium, low fat, etc…).  All those situations make us confused and we don’t know how to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle; Should I avoid carbs?  Should I do cardio every day?  Is it bad if I don’t choose a low fat yogurt?  To help you have a clearer picture  check out the following myth or fact statements!

Salads Are The Healthiest Option On The Menu

Well it is not as simple as that.  A salad at the restaurant may not be like your homemade salad… Usually they contain bacon, cheese, croutons, sweetened dried fruit and of course the bottled dressing.  They may actually contain the same amount of calories than a burger or a bowl of pasta.

Potatoes Are Unhealthy

They have been considered a bad carbohydrate for years.  However, potatoes with a protein and a healthy fat source make a healthy and nutritious meal.  They are also an excellent source for fiber, vitamins C and B6.

Brown Rice Is Better

Brown rice contains more fiber than white rice but it doesn’t mean you have to avoid white rice.  Rich in iron and folate, white rice could be a good option and both types of rice have health benefits.

Organic/Vegan/Gluten Free Food Are All Healthy

Organic chocolate, vegan cookies or gluten free crackers are still chocolate, cookies and crackers whatever the label.  They may have the same amount of sugar or fat as conventional versions.  The best way to choose a product is always to be a detective and check the nutrition label.  Click here to learn the truth about organic foods.

Egg Yolks Are Bad For You

Eggs (whole eggs) can be part of a balanced diet.  Latest research shows that they don’t actually contribute to high cholesterol and they contain vitamins A, D, E and K and omega-3 fats, biotin and vitamin B12 as well.

Cardio Is The Best Way To Lose Weight

Myth!  You don’t need to run 1h on the treadmill to lose weight! (you’re welcome – I know that some of you don’t like cardio…).  Sure cardio workouts help to create a calorie deficit (paired with a healthy diet) and we all know that’s essential to lose weight however, adding strength training could help lean out; maintaining lean muscle mass requires higher energy – that means you burn more calories at rest to keep it.

Feeling Sore Means You Had A Good Workout

Being sore is not necessarily a sign of a good workout.  Sometimes we feel muscles soreness after a new training, exercise or more intensity, because of a new stimulus.  Our body is simply preparing our muscles to do this activity again.

You Should Work Out Every Day

No, total myth!!!  You have to rest guys!  We have to give our body time to recover because without rest our muscles can’t rebuilt stronger. Over-training can also disrupt women’s menstrual cycle, cause sleep and mood problems.

With Internet, magazines, TV shows (and Monica your best friends who “knows” everything), it’s not easy to know which information is myth or fact.  That is why it’s important to talk with a healthcare professionals before making any lifestyle/diet changes and, because we all are different, what works for Monica (your best friend) may not work for you.

The #1 rule you should keep in mind is: Always listen to your body, s/he knows what’s good for you.  If you enjoyed this article check out True Heath – How Most Of Us Get It Wrong and Is It Time To Stop Eating Fruit?

Apples Ambrosia

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This unique recipe can be used as a delightful side dish or a perfect way to end any meal.  It also acts as a great healthy snack for anyone with a bit of a sweet tooth.  Apples not your thing?  No problem, substitute with a fruit of your choosing and ENJOY!

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 apple(s)/pieces of fruit, of your choice, cut up in bite size pieces
  • 2 Tbsp butter or coconut oil
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ginger
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg

Directions:

  1. Melt butter in large skillet.
  2. Add spices and mix until blended.
  3. Add selected fruit and cook until heated through.

ENJOY!!

Pumpkin Pie Spiced Smoothie

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This Pumpkin Pie Spiced Smoothie, (recipe is for a single serving) is perfect treat in the afternoon when you’re looking for something light to get you through between meals.  Also makes for a great on the go breakfast shake!

Ingredients:

  • 1 handful frozen butternut squash
  • ½ frozen avocado
  • 1 glass of almond-vanilla milk (unsweetened)
  • ½ Granny smith apple
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp Pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg)

Directions:

1. Add all the ingredients to the blender.
2. Blend on high for 2-3 minutes until smooth
3. Add milk to thin out if it is too thick. Add more spices to taste, if desired.
4. Enjoy

Note: You can add Greek yogurt or protein powder for a protein shake.