We have all heard it: “You are what you eat!”, and the ongoing research is backing up what our predecessors have always known, and confirming this adage in surprising ways.

Though it may not be all that surprising anymore, as the wealth of mainstream nutritional information we have access to today, compared with 20 years ago when I started my practice, is vast.  In 2005 when I first set up my practice as a Naturopathic Doctor, I was only the 3rd in the city, the 13th in the province.
Most of my patients would look at me cross-eyed when I suggested a “probiotic” supplement, and their mouths would drop open if I went on to mention the importance of increasing fermented foods in the diet.  At the time, most people knew of “sauerkraut” and that was about it, and its reputation was tarnished, as children many of us of eastern European ancestry would have been force-fed this sour/ bitter & very smelly food by our well-meaning grandmother.

Today, we have ready access to all types of fermented foods and beverages, from the aforementioned “Kraut” – not readily available in delicious flavours from turmeric-pineapple, to dill pickle!  And probiotics are commonly listed on someone’s daily supplement regime, right beside Vitamins C and D.
That being said, there may be some of you reading this that aren’t aware of what a probiotic is, and since gut-brain health is the subject of this article, I had best explain!

A probiotic is a supplement or food that is high in beneficial bacteria.  Our gastrointestinal systems (GITs), right from our mouth to our anus, are lined with specialized bacteria, almost 6 pounds worth in our entire system!, that help us to digest food, they make vitamins for us (like Vitamin K and many of the B vitamins), they help boost our gut-related immune system, and thus help us fight infection, they metabolize fibre and create short chain fatty acids that are great for energy, maintaining a healthy weight, and keeping the lining of the gut healthy.  They also synthesize certain neurotransmitters – those chemicals that are also made in the brain – that are responsible for our mood, motivation, memory and sense of calm.
READ MORE

A phrase I often find myself repeating to my clients, and myself, on a regular basis is: “It’s not easy, but it is simple”.  As the photo accompanying this article suggests, to live a healthy life really is simple.  It isn’t rocket science.  The elements required to achieve and maintain a healthy mind, body, and spirit are actually quite straightforward (despite what we are often led to believe in our world that seems to like complicating things so much!):

• Sunshine
• Water
• Rest
• Air
• Exercise, and
• Diet

I would add to this one additional “doctor” and that is Healthy relationships (With Self and Others), though the details of this point will be beyond what is covered in this article… maybe next month!
Truly, if we would step away from the quest for finding labels for our issues, searching for fancy cures to what ails us, we would realize that the equation for health is really truly simple.

Health = Deposits > Withdrawals.

In order to be healthy, we need to ensure we are making more “deposits” into our “health bank account” than we are making “withdrawals” and the 6 + 1 “doctors” mentioned above are essential deposits we can make that go a long way in establishing optimal wellness.
READ MORE

Here’s the scoop: eating good fats is essential for your overall health and well-being?
Why?  Because every single cell of our body is made up of what is called a “phospholipid bilayer”!
And what, you might be asking, is a “phospholipid bilayer?… and why do I care?”
Well a phospholipid bilayer is, simply put, two rows of essential fatty acids whereby the individual fatty acids are joined together by bonds between carbon atoms, and each row is connected to the other row by the hydrophobic ends of each of the fatty acid chains.
Phew, that’s a mouthful.. but here is why you should care!
The fats that we consume incorporate themselves into the membranes of, that’s right, every single cell in our body.  So, we truly are “what we eat” when it comes to the fats we consume.
Saturated fats are fatty acid chains that have no double bonds, and are therefore quite rigid.  These are found in animal fats, red meat, dairy, etc.  And not to say these foods shouldn’t be consumed! They do have their own benefits, however if we consume them as our main source of fatty acids then our cells correspondingly become more rigid, so the movement nutrients and waste products in and out of the cells, and other cell signalling pathways are impaired, the membranes that harden leave tissues such as arteries more susceptible to damage, increased pressure (hypertension), etc.  Our skin becomes less pliable, smooth, and youthful looking. Our joints and muscles gets creakier as a result of less fluid membranes.
Here is where omega-3 fatty acids, the “good fats”, comes into play.

Anytime you hear the term “omega” fatty acid, an unsaturated fatty acid is being referred to.  Permit me to continue to indulge my nutritional biochemistry geek!  Unsaturated fats have double bonds in them. Not every carbon is attached to a hydrogen atom.  This makes them “kinky”.. more fluid.  A “monounsaturated fatty acid” like Omega-9, from olive oil, has one such “kink” in it.  A “polyunsaturated fatty acid” like Omega-3, from flax oil, has multiple double bonds in it, therefore is even kinkier.. aka more fluid in nature.
When our cells are made up of these types of fatty acids, there is free flow of nutrients into the cells, waste products out of the cells, due to the more pliable nature of the cell membranes, and the increased signalling that can happen as a result.
READ MORE

In other cultures, and eras, around the world, people used food as medicine. In our North American culture and the society in which we live, we live on the opposite end of the spectrum, and instead of eating foods with medicinal qualities, we eat foods of convenience, that are processed and packaged, nutrient-depleted, and often chemical/ preservative/ and sugar-laden. One could argue, I would! that these would be best not even considered foods! And rather than promote health, they negate health.
I love experimenting with different superfoods and herbs and spices in my cooking, and doing what I can to return my way of living and eating to one where I am getting health benefits from what I am consuming. For my article this month, I decided to profile a super food that I have been thoroughly enjoying consuming, in multiple different forms: ginger root!
Originally from China, ginger has been in use for ages. It is known as a spice and an herb for its culinary, nutritional and health properties. Ginger looks like a knobby fibrous root with smooth light brown skin. Its flesh is white when you peel it – although it tends to turn pink when marinated (which is served with sushi). The plant itself grows up to four feet tall and has a bamboo-like appearance. It blooms aromatic yellow or green flowers with purple streaks.
Ginger is a yummy seasoning in sweets, including cakes, cookies, breads and beverages. Its slightly hot, citrus-like flavour makes any dish taste special, particularly in sauces, marinades and soups. Ginger is very low in cholesterol and sodium. It’s a good source of dietary fibre, vitamin E, vitamin B6, iron, magnesium, potassium and selenium, and a very good source of manganese.
Ginger supports healthy digestion, stimulates gastric juices, and helps treat abdominal bloating, vomiting and diarrhea. Ginger also enhances natural resistance for colds and flu. Ginger mixed with honey is an efficient expectorant, giving relief from cough, cold, sore throat and runny nose. Ginger is also recognized for reducing inflammation in joint diseases, such as arthritis and rheumatism.
You’ll find ginger in the form of capsules, tea, powder, oil and even dried (and candied), depending on intended usage. When buying it fresh, look for ginger root with the least number of knots and/or branching. It should be kept in a cool, dry place, usually at 6 to 7 C. It may be refrigerated in plastic wrap for a couple of weeks or frozen for up to three months.
I am including some of my favourite recipes that incorporate this medicinal root.
READ ON FOR RECIPES

Do you feel stale from months of indoor captivity and inactivity? Does each day seem like a prolonged copy of dreary yesterday?
You can’t control the weather but you can influence how you feel about it. Shed your winter ennui by inviting spring now.
Seek clarity on what matters most in your daily choices and you’ll restore your vitality quickly.
Simply de-cluttering or organizing little things can help you focus on the big things.
Working on what you can do something about gives you a sense of accomplishment. It also gives you the chance to assess and be grateful for what you have.
​
Refresh, rekindle and appreciate 

• Clear your pantry and fridge: get rid of the processed foods, sugary foods, salty snacks.  Toss expired condiments, cereals, spices.
• Revisit your supplement cupboard.  Toss what is expired, take what is left to your Naturopathic Doctor to get you on a regime that is tailor-made for you.
• make an appointment with a: health professional (your naturopathic doctor!), spiritual counsellor/ coach, massage therapist, fitness trainer, leg waxer, hair dresser, financial advisor..  decide what areas of your life need a make-over and call in the support!
• vacuum: your vehicle, behind the fridge, under the couch
• clean out your: garage, basement, linen closet, filing cabinet, hard drive, iCloud storage space
• register for a class or read a book in an area of your life that you are seeking motivation and inspiration
• revamp your wardrobe: donate what doesn’t flatter you in fit, style or colour
• mend what is broken, refurbish, recover, re- arrange, recycle
• weed out your address book, re-examine relationships, forgive, restart
• re-read your book collection, revisit childhood dreams, honour an old promise
• re-evaluate your priorities, reaffirm your purpose, renew your vows, clarify your intentions and refine your dreams

Spring is a fantastic time to take a pause and evaluate what old, unhelpful habits you might have slowly developed over the winter, and get clear on what new, life-giving habits you might want to develop.
Our brains are designed so that we cannot just stop doing something.  If we have been in the habit of doing something: drinking wine every night with supper, getting lost in Netflix after a long day, having dessert each evening, then we cannot just decide one day to stop doing it, and expect to be successful.  Maybe some people can, those with iron-will and incredible discipline, but I am not one of those people.  Plus, anytime I have been successful through these means, I am maybe successful for a few months, if I am lucky, but in those months, I am miserable, and every ounce of my effort is consumed trying not to walk down that habitual path.  So eventually, I get tired and worn down and give up, falling back into the comfort of the familiar habit.
READ MORE

I am often asked what I personally take for supplements, and what I give to my kiddos.  Sometimes people are surprised by my answers, for a number of reasons.
A main one is that many people still hold the belief that if one eats relatively well, they shouldn’t have to take any supplements.  And people believe me to be healthy and one of those people.  Which, well, I am!  I do consider myself healthy, largely because I take really good care of myself.
I practice self-love in the forms of daily prayer and meditation time.  I engage in daily physical activity from a place of self-kindness.  I try my very best to get a minimum of seven hours of sleep a night, preferring to hit the 8 hour mark where I can, and making up the difference when I have the opportunity to have a bit of a sleep-in or a nap on a weekend, on vacation.  I eat well, smoothies every morning packed as filled with nutrient dense foods as possible, including several scoops of various “superfoods” as I will discuss in a bit. READ MORE

So interestingly enough last month when I set out to write my blog post article, which you can read here, about what you can do to support yourself should you happen to come down with COVID, little did I know that just shy of a week later I would test positive myself!
Seriously!  I had just finished saying to someone earlier that week that I thought I must have some sort of natural super-immunity because no one in my family had tested positive or come down with symptoms and truth-be-told, our lives were more or less unchanged since the early days of the pandemic, relatively speaking anyway.  Both my husband and I have jobs that take us outside of the home and myself as a Naturopathic Doctor who prefers in-person to telemedicine consultation, and he, as a chiropractor, quite obviously cannot do his work virtually.  We chose to send our kids to school as long as in-person learning was available.  We kept my parents in our bubble since March 2020.  I would meet with friends for long walks outside in order to maintain my community.  Once gyms opened up I resumed workouts outside of the home, following protocols and keeping responsible with hand-washing, masking and appropriate physical distancing.  I did have the first two vaccines back last spring, but opted not to get the booster. Truth be told hoping for the opportunity to gain some natural immunity.
READ MORE

My blog post this week isn’t an original, that is to say much of what I am including is from one of my teachers and mentors, Dr. Lissa Rankin MD. She wrote this great article a couple of weeks ago that I felt very much worth sharing with you all, as I value her perspectives and suggestions very much and they echo my own personal and professional sentiments.
And, well, they are just really well articulated and evidence-based, while still keeping at the forefront of our minds that one of the biggest viruses is fear and divide and that if we fall victim to the tug-of-war going on in the world rather than settling into listening to others, attempting to gain understanding and compassion for all, and working on our own fears, well we are contributing to the fear, violence, disease and unrest.
In any case, you can read her full article here
and are some key points I pulled from her article, in the hopes these will be empowering to you and assist you in making some love-based, responsibility-driven choices for yourself, your family and our community:
READ MORE