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Top 3 Tips for Abundant Energy

 To live in a human body, you must have access to a certain amount of energy. You may either use this inherent in a nourishing and self-sustaining way, or in a destructive and debilitating way. In the case that you consciously or unconsciously choose negligence or self-abuse over loving attention and self-respect, your body will likely end up having to fight for its life.

– Andreas Moriz

 

I love the above quote and I believe that our health is so often taken for granted. Yet time and time again, so many of my clients complain about their lack of energy. So I wanted to dedicate this article to the top three tips for abundant energy!

I personally have truly been blessed with abundant energy but when I really look at my own journey there are definite things I do to maintain it. I always say that health is a full time job and when we make it a priority it actually becomes quite easy (and addictive!)

You are the hydration station!

water

Looking at a plant sitting on my windowsill I noticed that all of the leaves were dropping. I forgot to water it!

After some water, a mere few hours later it sprang back to life and it reminded me how important a simple thing like water can make all the difference. Our body is made of approximately 60% water. All of our bodily functions rely of water and yet we forget to drink it!

Coffee, tea and alcohol all dehydrate us, so we need to make a conscious effort to drink more. Simply take your bodyweight and divide it in half. That is the amount of ounces of water you need at a minimum. Someone who is 150 pounds needs 75 ounces of water per day, or about 9 and a half cups. A very simple tip is to get a big bottle and commit to drinking it all before you go to bed. Headaches are almost always your body’s sure cry for hydration!

If you don’t use it you lose it.

jogging

This applies to your muscles. We were born to move and yet we are spending so much time sitting all day. Sitting is the new smoking. Each of us has the same amount of time every day and why is it that so many of us are not able to make time for movement.

If you want energy you have to move your body so that it can release feel good hormones and reduce your stress, not to mention sleep is so much better. I work sometimes 6o hours a week yet I ALWAYS make exercise a priority because it keeps me energized and focused. Sometimes we feel so tired but after a good workout you will feel like a million bucks. A simple trick is to get a cheap pedometer and make it your mission to walk 10,000 steps a day. If you can accomplish that, doing even more becomes not only easy but exciting!

You are what you eat, so don’t eat crap.

healthy-food

What we put into our mouths truly affects our energy. Want more energy? Easy. Start by avoiding the five new food groups:  frozen, fast, fried, junk and processed. Try a 21 day whiteout: no white food (or, beige… donuts, bagels, muffins, pasta…etc) for 21 days and eat food that grows toward the sunshine. If it has to pass a chemistry on the way to your mouth it probably is not food and will make you tired. For me having a bagel and cheese makes me want to fall asleep at my desk. Color is the secret so choose lots of colourful foods as they have so many life sustaining nutrients.

 

Your mental energy is a product of what you are doing to your body. You wouldn’t be surprised if your car didn’t run properly if you put the wrong fuel in it. So why are we surprised when we don’t function properly after not adequately fueling ourselves?

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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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Lifestyle Choices and Habits of Confident and Successful People

It looks as though some people in life are playing their cards right. Most of us know someone in life whose confidence and outlook we admire. They are happy, self-assured, successful, energized and they appear as if they haven’t a worry in the world. Cruising through life looking like everything is a breeze, they can whip a five course meal together without stress or complaining. They bring you course after course with a smile on their face looking the whole time as if they didn’t lift a finger. You may find yourself intrigued and relaxed in their presence. They are in charge – but what is their secret? And what are they doing to make you think that their life is perfect? If some people can go through life feeling like this, why can’t we all? A great quote from one of these people comes from Benjamin Franklin: “Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of the mind than on outward circumstances.” Our relationships, how we feel and our success all starts with our perception. Ever notice how negative people are always blaming something other than themselves and have a hard time relaxing?

Many years ago I attended a seminar by a motivational life coach/speaker Raymond Aaron. Raymond coaches people to be their best, expect the best and never ever give up. He is an amazing mentor who shines a light on all of our dark places. His goal is for his clients to become successful and gives them the tools and techniques to do just that. One of my first sessions with him was quite fascinating. He said that to be the best we can be we need to clean up our messes. What on earth did that mean? He literally wanted us to clean up the physical messes. His reasoning was that to create the life you want you cannot clutter it with mess, because it clutters your mind. If you are disorganized in one area of your life you are probably disorganized in all areas. Having clutter in our physical lives doesn’t allow for our true potential to shine through and fogs our decision making and motivation.

I took a look in my purse after the session and it was a mess. No wonder I couldn’t find anything. So I began cleaning up mess after mess. First the purse then the kitchen drawers, the garage and finally my office. Bam! I was finally organized. Once I cleaned up my outer surroundings the internal impact was immediate; I felt clear, organized and left with only one thing to do – continue bettering my life. I finally knew where everything was and I felt renewed. Raymond reminded me that to be creative you have to make space both inwardly and outwardly. I felt like I had a fresh start. Start by donating and throwing away things you don’t need – just get rid of it! When we have too many useless things in our lives we are much more likely to feel out of control and hopeless. Ask yourself if you truly need those boxes that have been sitting in storage for years.

Once I cleaned up my outer messes I got hooked on finding ways to improve my life. I then turned my focus inwardly and decided to clean up something else; the people in my life. This may sound harsh but in life there are many people who detract from our positive energy, slow us down, or simply waste our time. You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Just like airplane safety procedures; you must take care of yourself before assisting others. And so I began. I used my personal motto and that is: “You have to help me grow or you have to go!” Your friends are a reflection of you. I wanted people to challenge me, love me and support all of my endeavors. If you only hang out with negative people, how can you ever expect to have a positive outlook? I needed to weed the garden of my life and water those special flowers. This exercise helped me truly appreciate the relationships and amazing people in my life.

Once all of the inward and outward messes got cleaned up I felt like I was brand new and full of energy and love. Most profoundly, I was motivated. If you could take care of the things on your mind right now, what would that entail? It all starts with one step at a time. Clean up the mess!

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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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Should I Eat Fats? Truths and Myths

In this article I aim to shed light on some of the common misconceptions about fat. Our society has been wrongly led to believe that consuming fats are bad for us. Not only is that untrue, it’s dangerous. Good fats are needed by our bodies for a number of reasons. Here are just some of the more common myths we hear and why they’re simply untrue.

Myth: Eating Fat makes you Fat

Fat is an essential part of every single one of your cell membranes and is also required in order to properly digest fat soluble vitamins. We need good quality fats as a source of energy and to help manage inflammation in our bodies. Inflammation is one of the main reasons why we have so many diseases today. Eating “good” fats make us feel fuller quicker and longer – craving less of the foods our bodies don’t need. The real culprit to gaining unnecessary weight are sugars and refined carbohydrates (think white, processed foods) – when we eat sweets our blood sugar and insulin levels spike. Three things happen when we have too much insulin in our bodies: we’re constantly hungry, we block our body’s ability to burn fat – contributing to aging, and our body stores sugars as fats and we actually end up craving even more. By eating good fats like nuts, seeds, avocados, olive and coconut oil, we are less likely to have these cravings.

 

Myth: Saturated Fat is Bad for you

“Simplistic and inaccurate half-truths that serve advertising and sales efforts have created confusion. We need clear, factual information in simple English.” – Udo Erasmus, Fats that Heal – Fats that Kill

Not too long ago we were wrongly told that all fats are bad. People still make the untrue connection that eating fat leads to being fat; this is simply untrue and can have horrible health consequences. Saturated fats are needed by our bodies for a number of reasons. Study after study have continued to show that there is no correlation between consuming saturated fats and cardiovascular diseases.

Saturated Fats also help promote your liver health as they aid as protection from alcohol, drugs, and medications. Your lungs also benefit; your lungs are coated in a surfactant which is 100% saturated fatty acids. By not eating these fats, this layer can collapse your airspace and distress your respiratory system.

Saturated fats are also essential to your nervous system and ultimately the signals responsible for your metabolism and managing insulin releases. We also need saturated fats in our white blood cells to maintain strong immune health, and finally – our brains. Our brains are made mostly of fat (60%!) and cholesterol . We now know that we need essential fatty acids (like in your salmon) for proper brain and nerve function, but the bulk of the fatty acids in your brain are indeed saturated – we need to feed our brain these fatty acids!

 

Myth: Margarine is Better for you than Butter

There’s an old saying – You should never eat a food that has to pass through a chemistry lab on the way to your mouth. As we just touched on, Margarine was born when doctors started wrongly claiming that saturated fats were a no-no. True butter has one ingredient – churned cow’s milk. Margarine is highly processed and is primarily made with vegetable oil which is normally a liquid at room temperature. To make it solid, margarine usually is hydrogenated,  turning some of the oil into harmful trans fats which interfere with your normal biochemical processes. Even if margarine is labelled as trans fat free (they can make the claim if there’s less than 0.5 grams per serving), the oils margarine are made with are often high in Omega-6 fatty acids – which we already consume too much of. Other studies have even linked the consumption of polyunsaturated vegetable oils with a host of other problems; cancer, violence, and yes… even heart disease.

 

Myth: Low-fat Foods are Better for you

When fat is taken out of food, the taste often goes with it. Food companies replace this with sugar – which as we described above is actually worse for gaining fat than consuming fats in your diet. Many low fat foods are heavily processed and very low in essential vitamins and minerals. Relying on these foods can lead to deficiencies and many other health problems. On top of being full of additives and sweeteners, low-fat foods are usually laced with high fructose corn-syrup!

 

Myth: Eating Fat will Raise your Cholesterol

Recent evidence does not support this old claim that has been engrained in our society. We have anywhere from 1,100 to 1,700 milligrams of cholesterol in our bodies. Upwards of 75% of that can be produced inside of our bodies by our liver, the rest comes from our diet. Most people actually don’t see spikes in cholesterol from consuming cholesterol, and if they do, they are usually very short lived. The majority of the cholesterol in our foods actually can’t be absorbed by our bodies, and our bodies are really good at regulating our cholesterol levels; when our intake goes up our body simply produces less.

 

Myth: LDL Cholesterol is Bad

Low-density lipoprotein is known as the “lousy cholesterol”, as high levels are known to increase your cardiovascular risk. However, LDL cholesterol also acts as an antioxidant and is needed to waterproof cells and keep cell membranes fluid – our bodies do still need an adequate level, it’s when levels get too high that we have issues. Niacin (or vitamin B3) can actually lower our natural production of LDL which helps to keep our blood fats low. When this happens, we see an increase in cell metabolism which burns more glucose and prevents sugars and starches from turning to fat. You can supplement your diet with sun-dried tomatoes, paprika, bran and chicken to get a good dosage of B3.

 

Myth: Your Body Doesn’t need Fat

As we touched on above, our bodies simply need fats. But many of us are consuming too much of the wrong types of fats. The average North American’s daily caloric intake is comprised of roughly 45% calories from fat, whereas it should be 25-35%. Good fats like Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are fats the body needs to build important structures like cell membranes.

 

Myth: Coconut Oil is Bad for you

Coconut oil is high in medium-chain triglycerides which help boost metabolism. They also contain lauric acid which converts to monolaurin – together these have positive antibacterial properties; fighting off bacteria, fungi and viruses. Coconut oil is also extremely heat stable unlike many other vegetable oils, making it ideal for high temperature cooking. Additionally, coconut oil can turn to ketone in our liver which provides energy to our brains. In one study, women who consumed coconut oil versus soybean oil actually reduced waist circumference.

 

Myth: Avocados are Fattening

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!

Many of the above misconceptions have been big contributors to North America’s obesity epidemic. I’ve recently begun introducing my clients to a revolutionary diet program which aims to adapt and regulate your diet to bring your hormones and metabolism to their ideal balance. Click here for more information on Metabolic Balance.

What are your thoughts on consuming fats? Share your comments below

 

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Can’t Take a Compliment?… Just Say Thank You!

Has anyone ever given you a compliment and you immediately brushed it off as quickly as it came? The person may simply have been admiring something that they found positive in you, yet we are all too fast to dismiss the kind words. Or worse – we end up in a more negative state then we started off in!

This often leaves the other person puzzled as they were truly speaking from their heart. How come so many of us have so much trouble accepting compliments – and how can we take away something positive from these experiences? We have all had so many experiences in life that leave us jaded, and at these times most of us are really our own worst enemy. Without the right attitude, a positive intent can quickly turn negative and rob us of our vitality and our confidence. That doesn’t sound right – does it?

Wouldn’t it just be great if we could say “thank you” and truly believe it? Well you can. The next time you hear someone say to you, “I love your hair”, don’t run your hands through it and say something like “oh I haven’t washed it for a week,” just say thank you! At first you still may not find their words to be genuine or you may innately reject them off the bat, but the more you say thank you the more a funny thing begins to happen; A deep part of your self hears it and you start to feel good! And when you feel good you shine and radiate energy, leading to a snowball effect of positive emotions. Who doesn’t want that?

Like most people, I personally used to have a terrible time accepting compliments. The turning point was during a trip to the Caribbean; My family had just given up our dream home when a close friend invited me and paid for a vacation to Jamaica. One day while I was there, I decided to go mellow out and relax at the spa. I wanted to treat myself but money was tight, and when I got up to leave my friend came in and informed me that the bill was paid for. Of course my first reaction was to dismiss this and say no – he had already done way too much. However, he simply put up his hand and said to me, “Jane, just say thank you”… and so I did.  I realized that by saying no to the gift I was only holding myself back. When we brush off compliments and acts of generosity we are only doing ourselves more harm than good. I realized that I had been doing this my entire life. Are we really meant to turn these things away?

We can all easily compliment others – We’ve all heard people say: “You made my day!” Every so often we’ll compliment someone who knows how to take it, and we’ll see them wiggle with joy. Well it is your turn. Many of us probably don’t even realize how many nice things are actually said to us – we tune them out and dismiss them.

Well friends, I challenge you to make a change and start reaping the benefits of feeling good! Today is a new day. Ask yourself how confident you are from one to ten. If you are not at the top and you have an issue accepting compliments, then start by saying “thank you” and watch what happens. Lastly start complimenting others – Words carry energy and have a tremendous ripple effect. By bringing a light to someone else’s day you can also brighten yours.

You are perfect just the way you are… just say thank you!

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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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Is Your Food Making You Sick?

One of the biggest roadblocks today in people’s pursuit of better health is often something we overlook. More and more people today are having issues with their health and they can’t seem to pinpoint that nagging cause of their problems. The cause may be food allergies they didn’t know they had. If one parent has allergies then one in every four of his or her offspring will have some allergies as well. Red cheeks, red ears, lack of alertness, eye wrinkles, aggression, blowing your nose all the time and those dark circles under your eyes can all be a sign that you are allergic to something. Ever see a child constantly pushing upwards on their nose? This is probably an allergy to milk products. Take a look at your tongue. If it is mottled or looks like a map of the world you may be eating something that your body is allergic to.

Other signs are puffiness under the eyes, diarrhea, insomnia, asthma attacks, fatigue, anxiety, constipation, hives, cramping and even bloating and swelling.

There are other parts of the body that can be affected by allergies. Unfortunately these are not always suspected, recognized or even agreed upon. Often parents are told that their children’s complaints couldn’t be an allergic reaction.

Food allergies and sensitivities are on the rise, due to environmental degradation, chemicals and the reliance on the Five New Food Groups, Fast, Frozen, Fried Junk and Processed. Yet it so often goes undetected. Food allergies can be immediate or delayed (90- to 95% of immune reactions to foods are delayed symptoms onset food allergies) so trying to figure out what it is, can be tricky.

One of the classic forms of testing is known as a skin prick test. Here a doctor pricks your skin using about 100 different food substances and then they observe the reaction 15 minutes later. The shortfall of this type of testing is that foods being tested will show a reaction from 6 to 48 hours later, rendering the test incomplete.

There is an alternative diagnostic tool for determining allergies – and that is an elimination diet. This method is good but it is also very time consuming.

Another way and one of the best methods I have found to determine if you are eating foods that you are allergic to, is known as an ELISA Test (Enzyme–Linked Immunosorbent Assay). This test is done by a practitioner who effortlessly draws four drops of blood from your finger, and has it tested for 96 different foods. There are seven categories of foods which are Dairy, Meat/Fowl, Seafood, Vegetables, Fruit, Nuts and Grains and Miscellaneous such as coffee, sugar and yeast. The assay is specifically designed to detect circulation food specific immunoglobulin known as IgG and IgA. Once the test is complete you get a personalized report of the foods that you are allergic to or you have food sensitivities and to which degree.

My clients who have used the ELISA test are thrilled with the results as their symptoms are quick to subside. This can change your life so that you can become more content, happy and free of symptoms. Weight management is the biggest bonus as once these foods are eliminated your body almost always sheds those last pounds that you have struggled with for so long.

Happy Healthy Allergy Free New Year!

Jane Durst Pulkys

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Avoiding Metabolic Syndrome-Toronto Nutritionist

With our five new food groups: fast, frozen, fried, junk and processed, is it any wonder that one in five Canadians have Metabolic Syndrome? Your health is in your hands and understanding what Metabolic Syndrome is can save your life.

Your waist circumference is a good indicator of health issues. Abdominal girth is the predictor for your risk of diabetes, heart disease, obesity and hypertension and more. When your waist circumference is greater than 35 inches for a female and 40 inches for a male, Metabolic Syndrome is likely present.

All of this leads to inflammation in the body. Part of the problem is that toxins are being absorbed from the gut causing inflammation, which results in abdominal fat. One-way to determine if you are at risk is to have your doctor perform a C – reactive protein test, a simple blood test to determine if inflammation is present in the body. The best tool to reverse inflammation is not a drug but the food you put in your mouth.

In a world where Diary is the Queen and Burger is the King, it is no surprise that so many people today have major health issues.

Growing up in the sixties and seventies, it was rare to have an overweight classmate.  It was an oddity to see young people with abdominal fat hanging over their jeans. Today, we see overweight people everywhere.  What changed?  Our food manufactures have modified food so much with additives and artificial flavours, that our bodies are no longer getting the simple nutrients they require. These modified foods are addictive and alter the chemistry of the body while whole, live foods like fruit and veggies are becoming the rarity.

It is a misnomer that fruit contains too much sugar! Fruit raises your glucose level slowly, whereas processed foods spike your glucose levels. The real problem is the glycemic index of our foods. Simply put, food burns fast or slow. “White foods” are the real problem. Those foods are muffins, cakes, donuts, pasta, white rice, ice cream, bagels .pancakes, deserts, cookies that make up 80% of the average person’s diet.

Blood glucose is the primary nutrient for all nerve cells, which is regulated by insulin. Sugar is a treat not meant to be consumed in large quantities. Your pancreas can become overwhelmed by the constant surge of insulin caused by too much sugar, which can create an insulin insensitivity. The increase in insulin concentration leads to high cholesterol, high triglycerides, high adrenalin high cholesterol and hemostasis (which means your blood can clot faster leading to strokes). All these symptoms lead to Metabolic Syndrome.

Prevention is the key in a world that is so busy and where food preparation is no longer a priority. As a busy person, I understand that when a person is hungry, the urge is to eat compulsively, often making poor food choices.  Making conscious choices is the start to health and avoiding Metabolic Syndrome.

Preventing health problems begins with what you put into your mouth. If man made it, don’t eat it. If it comes in a bag, box, pick up window, it probably is processed and high in sugar. If it has passed a chemistry lab on the way to your mouth it will be a problem as well.

Go back to nature. Add those five to seven veggies a day in salads, stews and soups. Eat two to three fruits a day. Add oatmeal and ground flax to your diet. Grab a handful of almonds and walnuts before that biscotti. Add two tablespoons of flax seed oil to your diet. Eat eggs; they are so good for you. Quinoa takes only fifteen minutes to cook and is one of nature’s perfect foods. Eat avocadoes and watch your skin glow. Bypass the coffee shops treats. Instead eat an apple.

Make nutrition fun and colorful and enjoy your newfound energy. Lastly, exercise is the final touch to your vibrant health. If you don’t use it you lose it. I recommend a minimum of one hour of exercise a day. That can be as simple as a walk, swim, bike ride, or yoga class.

Take charge of your health and remember let food be thy medicine!

In health,

Jane Durst Pulkys!

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