How to Choose Your Mineral Supplement

Choosing a proper mineral supplement can be overwhelming. The challenge is trying to choose a supplement that contains what you need and which has nutrients in an easy to digest form.  After all, what’s the point of taking a supplement if you aren’t going to absorb the nutrients in it?

Minerals, as with other nutrients, are generally more easily absorbed when they are from natural sources. Natural sources are great because your body recognizes it more as a “food” and they contain all trace minerals as opposed to using a tablet manufactured in a lab. There are many excellent natural sourced, whole food mineral supplements on the market, two of my personal favorites are LeafSource and Umac-Core.

If you are purchasing a supplement that has been formulated with multiple minerals, Chelate and Citrate are two terms you want to look for.  Chelated means the nutrient is firmly attached to an amino acid, fatty acid, or other organic compound so that they do not separate in the digestive tract which enhances their absorption.  A mineral in chelated form can increase absorption by up to 10 times!  When taken with a meal, minerals are usually automatically chelated in the stomach during digestion, however those of us with digestive disturbances, and the elderly, do not produce enough enzymes so this chelating process does not work as well as it should.

Why take minerals?

Minerals play a vital role in nearly all body reactions.  They enhance the proper utilization of vitamins and other nutrients and function as co-enzymes and enable the body to perform life sustaining functions (energy, growth, healing).

Why do we need mineral supplements?  Our body can’t manufacture minerals and our soil doesn’t contain as much essential minerals as it once did, therefore our foods are not as nutrient dense as they once were.  Processed foods, which are a staple today’s society, do not contain as much nutrition. The mass production of food that we tend to rely on results in premature harvesting so our produce do not reach peak of nutrition.

Frozen Dinners Have Come a Long Way

Our determination to make healthier choices and eat more nutritious foods sometimes gets put on the back burner when our life becomes hectic and rushed. Healthy eating does require a bit of preparation and although I highly recommend scheduling time into your routine to do this, I do acknowledge that sometimes we need a more convenient option.

Frozen dinners have evolved from the gray, mono-tone, mystery-meat mush into appetizing, not-so-bad-for-you meal options. Of course the sneaky unhealthy culprits are still lurking on those freezer shelves however, so it’s important to not let their attractive; misleading packaging can lead you astray.

When purchasing frozen dinners make sure the ingredient list:

• Contains lots of vegetables; the more colors the better

• Contains “real” ingredients

• Does not contain preservatives, artificial colors or flavors

• Avoids soy based products (TVP – textured vegetable protein, tofu, etc)

• If they use pasta or rice: whole grain or brown varieties

The Nutritional Label should fall within the following guidelines:

• 15+ grams of protein

• 3+ grams of fiber

• Lower sodium

• Under 500 calories

*Beware! Sometimes nutritional info is based on only ½ the container…and seriously…who’s only going to eat ½???

A few brands out there that have meals that fall within these guidelines include:  Kashi, Amy’s, Healthy Choice, President’s Choice Blue Menu, and Lean Cuisine. Please be aware that not ALL these food items from these companies are good choices. You still must read the packaging.

Obviously the use of frozen meals is not optimal. I highly recommend you still only use these items sparingly and focus on preparing whole, nutritious meals!

Have a healthy day with Healthy Way!!

Why Detox?

A detox program can help your body adjust to a healthy eating plan and will help jump-start a weight loss program after consuming excessive “cheer” & food over the holidays also!

Detoxification promotes the elimination of toxins from the body. Toxicity is of much greater concern in the twentieth century than ever before.  Toxins are in the air we breathe, the food we eat, the beverages we drink, cosmetics, etc. Accumulation of toxins hinders the body systems but through detoxification we can enhance the body’s eliminative pathways to purge and filter the toxins and allow our body to function at its most optimal level. You can expect to gain more energy, improve your overall health and wellbeing and possibly even get rid of conditions such as: acid reflux, headaches, skin problems, constipation, fatigue, etc.

Using the Infrared sauna can dramatically improve the detoxing program also by inducing deep tissue detoxification. The infrared waves penetrate the tissues up to an inch and a half on all skin surfaces.  These waves trigger the tissues to release the toxins being stored in them so they can be flushed out of the body. The infrared sauna can increase your body’s ability to sweat more than 3 times as in a conventional steam sauna. By causing the body to sweat it helps clean the pores of the skin, help get rid of cellulite, and encourage more toxins to be released. As an added benefit to all of the medicinal benefits of the infrared sauna it can also cause your body to burn 600 calories in 30 minutes!

We create custom-making detoxification programs for people of all ages, and with all health concerns. There are many different types of detoxing programs out there, and many of them can cause unwanted side effects. It is very important to talk to someone who’s experienced and can encourage you to make the right choice for your specific health needs. Come in and jump-start your New Year’s Resolutions with a personalized detox program!

New Year’s Extremes

It’s typically this week that most people are gearing themselves up for their New Year’s Resolutions. Some resolutions can be very successful but oftentimes people set themselves up for disaster by not being realistic. I like to refer to these as New Year’s Extremes.

How many times have you said (or heard someone say) “OK that’s it, after New Years I am going on a diet! I’m not eating any more carbs! All I’m going to have for breakfast and lunch are protein shakes!” Now I know you are feeling bloated/full/pudgy, etc after the holidays what with all of the food, parties and alcohol but that does not mean it’s a good idea to plunge yourself into an often short-lived, intense, and restrictive diet. These extreme/fad diets almost always set you up for failure long term. Sure you will lose weight in the short-term but look at the big picture – can you really live like this the rest of your life? The answer is no! Eventually you will slip back into your old way of eating and you’re back to square one.

So why not try something new and more obtainable? Look at the big picture and set more realistic goals for your New Year’s resolutions will improve your overall health and will help you make long term healthier lifestyle choices! A few tips to get you started…

• Make healthy eating as simple as possible (i.e. lean protein with each meal, lunch and dinner include 1-2 cups of veggies and whole grains) and remember the more processed a food is the less nutritionally dense it is.

• Try 1 new healthy recipe a week

• Set one day a week aside for a “cooking day” so you can prepare large amounts of healthy food that can be frozen or packed up to grab for the rest of the week. Make healthy food convenient!

• Be aware of your sugar intake, added sugars and not. Sometimes it’s difficult to put into perspective how much sugar something contains. A tip: 4 grams of sugar = 1 tsp. So for example a cup of orange juice usually contains 20-35 grams of sugar (5 – 8 teaspoons!!)

• Drink more water – your goal should be approx 2 L a day

Healthy, balanced eating does take a little prep and some time, but it should not be overwhelming. Take slow easy steps in converting your unhealthy choices over to nutritionally dense ones and have fun with it! Also remember it’s not about being good 100% of the time, that’s no fun! I usually recommend an 80/20 split.

Holiday Reminder: I will be out of the office Jan 2 – 8 returning Jan 9^th.

Have a Healthy Week everyone and I will chat with you in the New Year!

Let Your Kids Go On Strike, Nutritionally Speaking!

Unfortunately for some parents your child will go through a period where they suddenly refuse to eat certain foods. Most often these are healthy foods that they previously had no problem eating, making meal times frustrating.

I recently came across a helpful blog “It’s Not About Nutrition” by Dina R. Rose, PhD. She is a sociologist (has over 15 years in experience teaching and research) as well as a mom and a foodie. Her blog is dedicated to The Art & Science of Teaching Kids to Eat Right.

She has an easy and ingenious answer to the above problem – let them go on strike! (click here) She used this strategy with her own daughter with great results.

If you have another approach that worked for your family please feel free to leave us a note telling us about it! We are always happy to hear your suggestions.

 Have a healthy Day with Healthy Way!

Herbalism vs. Homeopathy – What’s the Difference?

There is a common misconception that “Herbalism” and “Homeopathy” are the same because they both use plants in their therapeutic approaches. This is not the case. Although herbs are used in Homeopathy, it is fundamentally different from Herbalism in its philosophy and approach to treatment.

Medical Herbalism (aka Phytotherapy) is the practice of using the whole plant to treat people holistically. As herbalists we use many different types of herbal remedies, most commonly tinctures, extracts, teas, capsules, or oils. A herb is selected for the medicinal properties of its chemical constituents to treat and prevent illness in the human body. The herbal remedies encourage the body’s innate ability to heal itself and regain optimal balance of its tissues and organs by enhancing its natural functions.

Homeopathy originated in Germany in the 1800’s with the work of Samuel Hahnemann. Homeopathic remedies are chosen by selecting the remedy that would supposedly cause similar symptoms to the disease itself if used in higher a dose. This is the basis of the homeopathic principle that “like treats like”. Homeopathic remedies are administered in extremely diluted forms and are thought to work by influencing the “vital force” within the body.

Homeopathic remedies are made using a process of dilution and succession (a vigorous shaking by hand or machine) known as potentiation. The general theory is that the more the dose of the remedy is reduced, the more its potency is enhanced. 60% of homeopathic remedies are sourced from plants, the rest are derived from minerals, animal products or nosodes (extracts of diseased tissues).

The original substance is repeatedly diluted and then shaken over and over again to achieve different dilution strengths. Two systems of dilution are used in the processing of homeopathic remedies: the Decimal system or the Centesimal system. The Decimal system dilutes the initial substance by 10 each time and results in remedies listed as 3X, 6X, or 30X etc according to the number of times the solution was diluted. The Centesimal system is used for higher solutions and dilutes by 100 each time. The resulting remedies are referred to as 3C, 6C, 12C, etc. The solutions are then absorbed onto an inert tablet or granule for ingestion.

A remedy may in some cases be given in a dilution so great that no single molecule of the original substance remains. The concept of “memory laden” water implies that the effect lies in a pattern impressed on the water molecules. In this sense homeopathy works more on the energetic plane as it is administering the “energies” of the original substance.

The purpose of this is not bringing into question the value of Homeopathy however, it is important to understand that its use of plants is in no way “herbal”. Homeopathy does have benefits such as being completely safe to use during pregnancy. This is mostly due to the fact that the remedies are SO diluted they do not exert the same medicinal action that the whole herb would.

Hopefully I have succeeded in explaining the distinction between these two modalities, however as always please do not hesitate to leave a comment or contact me for more information!

Have a healthy day with Healthy Way!!

What Exactly Are Goose Bumps?

Ever wonder what causes goose bumps; why we get the same reaction to being cold as we do if we are excited or scared? Never really thought you had much in common with a porcupine? Well think again!

I came across this article which offers an amusing scientific explanation for this involuntary skin reaction.

Happy Health Nugget day!!

December 2011 – January 2012

The latest edition of the newsletter is now available HERE.

Have a healthy day!

Cloth Diapers – Not What They Used To Be!!

I know I might get jumped all over on this topic as I do not yet have kids, however before you immediately get your backs up please know that I have close friends that use cloth diapers who have inspired me! So with that here we go…

Picture from www.ampdiaperstore.com

As a society we are definitely becoming more environmentally conscious and concerned about what ends up in our landfills. This is great news! Brandon is getting more and more environmentally friendly with the adopting of a recycling program with personal recycling bins at each home, Brandon University being the 3rd Canadian University to eliminate bottled water in 2010, and now with the City of Brandon announcing the that as of 2012 there will be a ban on the sale and distribution of single-use bottled water in all city-owned and operated facilities.

But why are we turning a blind eye to diapers? I know, I know one step at a time right? But it isn’t just about the landfills – we are exposing our babies to chemicals their little bodies and skin just doesn’t know how to deal with. One of the main culprits being dioxins. Now if you have been following my blogs and/or newsletters at all you will be aware of what Xenoestrogens are. Dioxin, which is a byproduct of chlorine used in the manufacture of diapers (as well as female hygiene products: tampons & pads), can accumulate in the body and lead to hormonal imbalances among other things. This is a great article that explains the toxicity of disposable diapers – please take a quick minute to check it out: “Toxins in Disposable Diapers: Dioxin and Sodium Polyacrylate“.

Ever wonder how long it takes for a disposable diaper to break down in the landfill? An Australian cloth diaper company, G Diapers, have a great video showing the time laps of how quickly their biodegradable diapers break down into compost compared to a chlorine free and disposable diaper:

So those friends I mentioned at the beginning? They have been using AMP Diapers – the best part? They are local – owned and manufactured out of Winnipeg, MB. They are amazing – with a variety of fun colors as well as adjustable clips that allows the diaper to grow with your baby! This company was developed by a mom who had unsuccessfully tried using cloth diapers more than once – so she developed these diapers as an answer to those parents searching for that easy to use, environmentally conscious alternative to disposable diapers. Honestly from what I’ve heard (and what I’ve changed during my babysitting duties!) they are not much different than disposables! Here’s her website:  AMP Diaper Store.

So if you have kids in diapers, or are soon to be a new parent please educate yourself and decide what is best for you. Cloth diapers definitely are not what they used to be and can end up benefiting you (and baby) in so many ways…saving cash, lowering the toxic exposure to your baby, and shrinking your carbon footprint!!

Turn Dry Skin Soft & Cracked Lips Kissable!

With the cold weather of winter comes dry skin and cracked lips. We can go through bottles of lotions and tubes of lip balms and still have no relief. If this sounds like you take a minute and review the following 3 tips:

#1 – Get Hydrated! Typically with the cold weather we don’t drink as much water. This can be compounded by the typical increase our intake of flavoured coffees and holiday spirits which both act as diuretics – depleting our bodies of even more water. Try to ensure you are sticking to that 2-2.5 liters of water a day – you can get it through herbal teas if you prefer warmer drinks, or my favorite: hot water with lemon slices!

#2 – Oil Up! Increasing your intake of Omega 3 essential fatty acids in the form of fish oils will dramatically help moisturize the skin from the inside out. This is especially important if you suffer from seasonal eczema / psoriasis. I usually recommend a dose of 4000-6000mg a day (usually 4-6 capsules).

#3 – Don’t Be Fooled – Choose Real Natural Cosmetics! Take a good look at the ingredients on those lotions and lip balms you are using. Many of them (including some “natural” ones) contain irritating and drying alcohols (parabens: methy-, ethyl-, propyl-) which are used as preserving agents. The problem is as you apply it to hydrate your skin/lips the alcohols evaporate causing a rebound drying effect and you will have to apply more and more lotion – each time drying the skin out a little more. It’s a never ending battle! Not to mention many lotions contain perfumes or artificial ingredients that irritate the skin. Use all natural lotions and lip balms without any alcohols / perfumes for the best results. If you want to check out how your lotion / lip balms rate you can search for them in the Skin Deep database located on the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics website. My favorite lotions / lip balms come from Burt’s Bees, Live Clean, Alba, and North American Hemp Company. Or get creative and make your own! It’s easy to make your own lip balm and intensive hand/foot salve. All you need are some oils (herbal infused or otherwise) and some good quality beeswax!