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Top 8 Smoothie Power Ingredients

We all want abundant energy, longevity and to feel incredible at each and every moment. Many of us know deep down that our diet is perhaps the best place to start, but when we don’t know what that entails, we don’t get anywhere.

Due to our fast paced Western lifestyles, we often neglect our nutrition in the morning and grab something on the go. For example, a bagel and cream cheese can spike our insulin levels which causes our sugars to be rapidly metabolized. High levels of insulin block the activity of LPL (Lipoprotein lipase), an enzyme critical to determining where and how we store fat. This results in fat becoming stored in fat cells and an inability to burn fat. Long term elevation of insulin levels result in rapid aging and fat accumulation.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and provides fuel to our brains, and energy to our cells.

This is why I’m a big proponent of starting my day off with a health packed smoothie.

Smoothies are fast and easy to make, and we can often buy the ingredients in bulk ahead of time. It is easy to add in energy boosting and life sustaining ingredients to walk out of the house feeling amazing. The way you start your day determines how well you live your day.

Below are my top 8 picks for your smoothie super ingredients:

Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are tasteless and can easily be added to your diet. Adding a tablespoon to your smoothie can have tremendous benefits.

They are high in protein, and Omega-3. They’re also packed with calcium (18% of your recommended daily intake in an ounce!), phosphorous, and manganese. They deliver a ton of nutrients with few calories. Plus, most of the carbohydrates come in the form of fibre!

On top of all of that, chia seeds are high in antioxidants which fight cancer causing free radicals.

Cinnamon

One of the oldest spices known to man, cinnamon has been used as a botanical medicine since 2,700 BC. And for good reason. Its healing properties are due to its essential oils, and adding half a teaspoon to your smoothie provides the following benefits:

Regulates blood sugar: it stimulates insulin receptors, increasing our cells abilities to use glucose. Perfect for helping prevent Diabetes.

Provides powerful anti-microbial protection: it helps stop the growth of bacteria as well as fungi. This provides protection against the yeast candida, as well as H. pylori – the bacteria responsible for causing Ulcers.

It may prevent Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Ground Flax Seeds

Flax seeds are extremely concentrated with omega-3 fatty acids—anti-inflammatory and heart-healthy nutrients. They can also absorb eight times their weight in water, and can pull out toxic metabolites from the large intestine.

They are also an amazing source of alpha-linolenic acid which is required for proper skin function and can help reduce the risk of dying from heart disease.

I like to grind my own flax seeds and I suggest you try the same and put a tablespoon in your smoothie in the morning!

Coconut Oil

By weight, coconut oil has less calories than any other source of fat.

It is true they contain saturated fats, but not all types of saturated fats are harmful to the body. Only 9% of the saturated fat in coconut oil is palmitic acid—the long chain saturated fat most commonly connected with increased heart disease. Two-thirds of the fat are medium-chained fatty acids, which the body can easily metabolize and convert into energy.

All the fatty acids in coconut oil have anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-microbial properties. Coconut oil can also help us lower cholesterol! There are also a lot of new studies suggesting that coconut oil can help improve brain function. Also, all that good fat helps regulate your insulin levels, so go out and buy a jar today!

Cacao

Cacao is the dried and fully fermented bean of the cacao plant, the same one responsible for producing our oh-so-loved chocolate. It is one of the most nutritionally packed foods on the planet, containing the highest concentration of antioxidants of any food, and is rich in minerals like magnesium, zinc, copper, serotonin, and a lot, lot more.

Not only that, it tastes fantastic and also acts to dilate our intestines, allowing for more nutrients to be absorbed and maximizing the benefits of all the other good stuff we’re eating.

Papaya

The bright orange colour of papaya reflect an abundance of beta-carotene, which is again extremely high in anti-oxidants. They also contain an enzyme called papain which aids in our digestion of proteins, and is renowned for its anti-cancer and skin purifying properties.

You can also eat the seeds! These seeds can actually guard against and flush out parasites. Papayas are also incredibly delicious.

Figs

The fruit of the ficus tree, figs are densely concentrated with calcium and fibre. Their tiny seeds can also help draw out parasites and dissolve mucus in your intestines. Their supply of dietary fibre can help those who have weight management issues, as high fibre foods can help you feel full longer and reduce hunger cravings.

Most of us in the West have diets that are too high in sodium. When our sodium levels increase over our potassium balance, we can get higher blood pressure. Figs contain an abundant amount of potassium, helping prevent our blood pressure from skyrocketing.

Avocados

As I mentioned in Should I eat Fats? Truths and Myths while most calories from Avocados do come from fat, two thirds of those fats are the heart healthy monounsaturated fats (which are also found in olive oil). Monounsaturated fatty acids which help increase HDL and lower LDL.

Avocados have been noted as one of the key contributors to the healthy Mediterranean diet. Not only do they contain healthy fats, avocados are high in fiber, beta carotene, folate and potassium. Plus they’re delicious!

Watch out as they can turn your smoothie into a dense pudding! If you enjoy eating it with a spoon then this is quite the treat, but if you want it to remain drinkable, aim to use a quarter of a ripe avocado in your smoothie.

 

So get blending! Click here to watch one of my previous smoothie recipe videos, and have a wonderful day!

 

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What are you Weighting for?

The other day I overheard a woman speaking to her friend, it was something most of you have surely heard many times in your life. “No matter what I do and how much exercise I get, I can’t lose weight.”

With millions of dollars spent on weight loss books, programs, diets, people will do seemingly anything to shed their unwanted pounds. There is certainly no lack of information. In fact, there’s too much out there leading to mass confusion, trends that don’t sustain weight loss, and an array of opinions leading us to question where to even begin. We continue to complicate the issue every single day.

It’s almost as if we’re on a constant search for the magic bullet. There is none.

Having a healthy body and a healthy mind is a full time job. We cannot expect a bottle of pills or a six week program to change our body for good. Yet we’re spending millions on exactly that. What’s not easy is changing your lifestyle to foster the habits needed to sustain weight loss and provide optimal health, and it is the lifestyle habits that are all too often ignored.

As a nutritionist, my job goes beyond just the scope of what we put into our mouths. I strive to teach people that they alone are in charge of their body and their life. We can’t let tools be in charge, we have to take responsibility and take action. Behavioural modifications, many which seem uncomfortable or daunting at first, are absolutely necessary if we want to change our bodies.

Once we’ve seen progress and experienced what it is like to feel vibrantly healthy, it becomes easy to continue making the right choices. I’m not saying we can’t treat ourselves or splurge every once in a while. But, once we know how good we can feel, we become more in touch with the signals from our body, and thus will continue to make the majority of positive choices. But if we never have those positive feelings, it can all seem like a fleeting dream.

Change is hard. Change brings fear to most of us. For many, becoming complacent with health and weight challenges is the easiest choice. As time goes on, many of us will go continue to push ourselves through a downward spiral, making the ultimate goal of optimal health seemingly more and more unattainable. And then our vitality is robbed. We can become harder on ourselves, more depressed, and even feel hopeless. We can put up imaginary walls and limits on ourselves which keep us down. Our social lives are often impacted and we see no reasonable way out.

Is there an easy solution? It’s in our hands to take action. Small changes are easier than drastic ones but can make all the difference. Most weight loss programs are either a 180 degree change from our current lifestyles or are only attacking one element, and that is part of the reason why they’re not sustainable.

You have a unique body chemistry. You have a specific metabolism. You have different energy requirements from your neighbour. You therefore require an action plan that is tailored to you and your lifestyle. Maybe you have had your gallbladder removed or have issues with your thyroid. We are all different and we all respond differently.

Thankfully, the essence of our body’s chemistry is universal. When we have elevated levels of C-Reactive Protein (CRP) we have a clear marker for inflammation in our bodies. High levels of inflammation can cause heart disease, blood lipid disorders, diabetes, high blood pressure and a resulting inability to lose weight. By analyzing your blood’s chemistry, we can create a personalised program to help you reduce inflammation, increase energy, and balance your hormones—specifically, insulin.

Insulin is a hormone that puts sugar into your cells. The so-called “Western Diet” consisting of highly refined carbohydrates (for example pasta, bagels, muffins) and sugars causes our insulin levels to be consistently elevated. When we have elevated insulin levels, three things happen. First, we enter a cycle of rising and crashing blood sugars, forcing us to crave more foods which will continue to damage our hormonal balance and making us constantly hungry. Secondly, our body will be much more prone to store the incoming energy as fat. Third, we actually block our ability to burn fat.

Consistently living with increased blood sugar concentrations can be extremely harmful as glucose molecules bind with proteins, ruining the protein molecules normal functions. We need those proteins to help us uptake insulin properly and to help prevent this cycle.

You can start changing your body’s chemistry today. For example, eating one apple a day lowers cholesterol and uric acid unlike no other fruit and can help lower insulin levels. Cinnamon has been shown to improve our body’s ability to uptake insulin. Foods that contain high levels of healthy fats don’t actually make us fat, in fact they do the opposite—they stabilize our blood sugar levels and prevent them from crashing down and keep our energy consistent. Starting each of our meals with two bites of protein causes our pancreas to produce the hormone glucagon, a hormone which blocks insulin production resulting in lower insulin levels which stimulates fat burning, blocks fat synthesis, and prevents the dreaded attacks of ravenous appetite.

If you know more details of your unique composition, you can begin bringing your body into a more ideal balance immediately. There is an approach which takes all of these factors into consideration, if you’d like to learn more, take a look at how Metabolic Balance is built around you and your lifestyle. Food isn’t everything though. It takes a tough mind of determination, action, and a revamp of your psyche to make change, but it is possible.

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Top Health Benefits of Eating an Apple a Day

We’ve all heard the phrase “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” but is there actually any truth to it? The phrase dates back to the 1860s out of Wales. It has evolved from: ‘‘Eat an apple on going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.”

Ancient Romans boasted about the health properties of Apples and it also ties back to Ayurvedic medicine from 1,500 years ago. They certainly were on to something back then, and there’s a reason the phrase still holds strong today in its simplified form. Essentially all fruits have tremendous nutritional benefits, apples were likely singled out years ago because they are easy to grow and can be stored for a long time, but let’s not negate their tremendous benefits.

Apples are full of beneficial health properties. For starters, they have some of the highest concentration of antioxidants out of all foods. No other fruit can compare to the vitamins and minerals in the cholesterol and uric acid lowering apple. Old apple varieties (that turn brown quickly) are especially rich in polyphenols which actively counteract free-radicals.

Apples contain pectin, a soluble fibre which helps reduce our cholesterol levels and help maintain a healthy digestive system.

Chewing apples stimulates our saliva production which has a host of health benefits for our mouths, namely lowering the levels of bad bacteria and reducing tooth decay.

A 2011 Dutch study found that consuming apples and pears may help prevent strokes.

Another study in 2012 by Ohio State University found that eating an apple a day significantly helped lower the levels of bad cholesterol amongst middle-aged adults.

Strong bones and a healthy brain – Apples contain boron, a nutrient which aids calcium metabolism, gives anti-arthritic properties and has been known to help sharpen our brains.

Apples are loaded with phytonutrients; Vitamins A, E, and Beta-Carotene. These nutrients can help prevent spikes in blood sugar and reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and asthma.

Vitamin C – there’s no shortage of information on health benefits of Vitamin C, one of the best things we can consume for our immune systems which apples contain a good amount of.

Prevention of Gallstones – we get gallstones when we have too much cholesterol in our bile to remain a liquid. Diets high in fibre (go apples!) can help alleviate these conditions.

Better bowl movements – The fiber found in apples can absorb excess water from your stools and pull water out of your colon to keep the tracks moving smoothly.

When eating apples, make sure you eat the skin too. Many of the nutrients are actually located in the skin. I always recommend buying organic foods when you can, and some are more important than others; according to The Environmental Working Group, apples are one of the most heavily pesticide-contaminated produces. Always wash them thoroughly before eating them. Finally, apple seeds should be avoided by pregnant and nursing women as they are toxic when consumed at high doses.

 

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Being Beautiful and Confident From the Inside Out


Everyone admires a rightfully confident person as they have something that we all want. They seem to walk through life effortlessly. But is confidence taught or is it caught? Being beautiful from the inside out is a process. Many confident people have created habits for themselves which they reinforce every single day. In this article I would like to talk about the first of ten habits that I use every day which maintains my sense of self and fills me with joy and a lust for life.

From early childhood I struggled with confidence and it took me years to feel good about myself. I observed the habits of others, questioned them, and began to adapt and make small changes in how I carried myself. I focused not on the negative, but on the positive. I began to create positive habits in my life without worrying what habits I should drop, as they began to disappear and found no room in my new found outlook.

There are so many things we can do for ourselves and our confidence. It is really up to you as no one else can do this for you. If you want change in your life then take these steps as life passes us pretty fast. Ideally each of us wants to be confident and never feel that we can’t do it. You can. I love to watch the Olympics on TV for two reasons. First, their athleticism is incredible and those who win knew they were going to win! They saw the gold medal in their mind’s eye and believed in it from a very early age. So it’s no surprise to me when they are the ones standing on the podium!

 Keeping your Eye on the Prize

When I was a teenager I was sitting on a dock in the summertime and I observed a seagull circle above the water. Around and around he went and then finally he splashed into down into the water and pulled out a fish in a seemingly effortless fashion. He kept his eye on the prize. This is what we need to do. First, know what you want and secondly never take your attention off of your goal.  Maybe you don’t know what you want? Then ask yourself: if you could wave a magic wand in your life what would you like to happen right now. Think about that. Maybe it is a new job or relationship. Life is like a restaurant; we have to put our order in. Once you know what it is, it is there for the taking – but how do you do that?  Your thoughts have energy and everything is energy. When you put energy into something it draws it closer to you.

15 Times a Day

The first exercise I would like to share with you is the 15 Times a Day Exercise. Write your goal down 15 times a day by hand every day until it becomes a reality. If you want a mate but don’t leave the house you will never meet anyone, so you have to do your part. By writing it 15 times a day magical things begin to happen. It can be a goal or a statement of how you want to perceive yourself; it could be “I am beautiful”, “I am Happy”, “I am confident”, “I am in a loving relationship”, “I am getting a raise”… When I first started this myself I was at a crossroads and did not know what to do. Someone told me about this exercise and I began to practice it. Mine was really long and it took me a long time to write it, but it was worth it.

It was, “I am happy, healthy, peaceful, prosperous, and live in an abundant spiritual and emotional world”.  Today my business is growing beyond my expectations and I am grateful for having so many loving and amazing people in my life. One week after I started this exercise I had an offer to join a medical team and two weeks later my father knocked on my door and handed me a gift of money. He told me that my 8 siblings and I were all getting the same amount. I was floored. My parents had never done anything like that before. When I wasn’t writing it I was saying it over and over in my head. Maybe it was by chance, but believe it or not six months later I won five thousand dollars in the Canadian Cancer Society Lottery. By repeating your goal over and over to yourself, you become a magnet – attracting things that help you make it a reality. It is so simple – you just have to do your part. If you want change then make change happen. No one can do it for you. You are going down a new road and so many surprises await you. Just watch what happens.

Have an attitude of wonderment and let the universe fill in the blanks. Set your goals, expect the best, allow for the unexpected and be grateful for the gifts that come your way.

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Metabolic Balance Coaching!

Food is life. Food is medicine. Metabolic Balance understands this at its core. The MB program is backed with over 25 years of scientific studies and wisdom that ancient cultures have known for centuries. Toronto nutritionists like myself are beginning to recognize this wisdom, which is why I recently became a certified Metabolic Balance Coach.

This shtick-free, long-term weight loss program focuses on all-natural, food-based nutrition to permanently kick yo-yo dieting. MB’s unique weight-loss and health roadmap based on personalized nutrition plans is what attracted me to the program. When I learned that the personal nutrition plans were customized for each user based on their unique bloods values, medical history and personal food preferences, in order to create the biochemical changes needed for weight management—I was hooked.

As a Toronto Nutritionist I am now able to bring this unique, scientific, biological nutrition road map to Toronto, and my clients.

The Metabolic Balance Roadmap
The MB roadmap consists of four distinct phases, that fall into either “body chemistry” or “food chemistry”, which together will balance your hormones, enzymes, insulin production and bio-chemistry.

Using an in-depth analysis I can help determine the best foods for you, not based on caloric or fat content, but on foods effect on your body’s hormonal system. These properly-selected foods will regulate your insulin levels (amongst other things), which will avoid the food cravings and burn-out that leads to yo-yo dieting.

By balancing and strengthening your complete hormonal system your body will find its ideal weight naturally. Users who are overweight often experience a speedy weight reduction, losing anywhere from 3lbs to 6 lbs a week—while improving overall health and energy levels.

The Proof is in the Pudding (and no—you can’t have pudding)
A recent year-long study that was published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism (Vol. 2010, Article 197656) concluded that “relevant blood parameters as well as Health-Related Quality of Life improved significantly” in people following a plan created by a certified Metabolic Balance coach.

Can it Help Me?
Clients who have heard about my newest certification are asking me, “Jane, can it help me?”. I am a firm believer that this program can help all of us improve our overall health. If you’re curious, simply give me a ring—as a Toronto nutritionist I’m excited to share this with my clients.

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