~ Stare ~Smell~ Listen~ Feel~ Taste ~ “

My philosophy of food is to go with your senses and get inspired by fresh food that engages all of your senses. I am a firm believer in eating what makes you feel good and making the connection of what we put into our bodies to how we feel. It goes without saying that when we eat fresh, alive foods we feel fresh and alive!!

Following your senses may be choosing foods that are visually appealing, presenting your meal with style, smelling the aroma of the flavours, listening to our bodies and how we feel, deciding what textures and varieties appeal to us, and of course savouring that last bite that you wish wasn’t the last.

I like to have balance in my diet, and with balance I mean I don’t really have any particular “diet”. I eat meat when I feel like I need or crave meat. I love trying new recipes, types of cuisine, and experiencing new culture’s traditions. I feel like there are so many different choices in this world and to eat the same way all of the time would get really boring so I try not to limit myself too much, however there are lots of foods that I try to avoid. 

Mostly in my diet and recommendations to others I try my best to avoid processed and refined foods, fried foods, fatty meats, organs, the dirty dozen, limit red meat and pork, and try to choose Local or Organic foods whenever it is feasible and within my budget. 

I love this quote:

One of my favourite ways to ensure I am getting lots of live enzymes and nutrients is by adding smoothies and juices to my daily routine. Our healthy cells thrive on alkaline, oxygen-rich, plant based foods including leafy greens, wheatgrass, sprouts, sea weeds, veggies, and fruit. Unhealthy cells prefer an acidic environment which is created by animal and dairy products, processed and refined foods, synthetic chemicals, sugar, and alcohol. Raw and living foods (foods that are still alive and growing such as sprouts) are the most oxygen-rich and alkaline foods we can eat. By trying to be as alkaline as possible we are setting up an environment for our cells to thrive and our bodies to work on daily maintenance rather than constantly fighting disease, viruses, and foreign invaders. Smoothies and Juices are a great way to alkalize the body so I will explain more about them, their benefits, and ingredients you can use to make them. 

Did you know that the average American consumes 22 teaspoons of Sugar per day?! That's 355 calories, just from sugar alone. It's a difficult thing to avoid when it is hidden in just about everything! Sugar is in packaged foods, cookies, bread, cereals, instant oatmeal, peanut butter, crackers, applesauce, sushi, baked beans, sauces, condiments, canned soups.. even vitamins and cough syrup?! 

Sugar makes us feel better for many reasons, it stimulates the release of Dopamine in the brain which helps with mood. It's only natural that when something makes us feel good we want more of it! It's a well known fact that when we experience theses cravings, withdrawal symptoms, and relapse symptoms that these symptoms are similar to those of cocaine and heroin abusers. Thats how addictive it is but also socially acceptable!! 

Balancing your lifestyle is so SUPER DUPER important!!! For me, by balance, I mean eating a balanced diet of healthy, nutritious foods and leaving some room for indulgence (I said some!! lol), exercising daily and sweating to release toxins and produce endorphins (Ok!! I will admit this is my challenging one!! I get into a routine and follow it religiously for months and then something happens where I break the routine, and BAM. Before I know it exercise is a thing of the past.. So This is My Challenge to get back and get motivated!!), getting enough sleep each night and feeling well rested, participating in healthy, meaningful relationships, feeding your soul (doing something JUST FOR YOU), and practising some form of meditation, spirituality, or belief that is supportive and healing. Living a balanced life helps coping with day to day life much easier. I believe that when we don't live balanced lives our bodies make sure we make up for it somehow..For Example getting sick. :-( Our bodies' need rest and eventually will tell us that in different ways that force us to shut down for a bit and take a much needed break. These are some lifestyle habits that I think are important:

SOMETHING JUST FOR YOU: Whether you read a good book, go for an after dinner walk, take a bath, or sit in a sauna before bed, it is good to find something you enjoy that is just for you everyday. This gives you a little break from everything else and gives you something to look forward to each day. What is something that you love to do that is just for you?

Bringing Awareness to Digestion For Optimal Health

We’ve all heard the Expression.. “You are what you Eat!”  You are also what you Absorb (or don’t absorb). This is absolutely true when it comes to your Digestion and the Digestive process. When your Digestion is processing symptom free, the better chances you have to properly absorbing all of those vital nutrients! Good digestion is as important as good food because our cells can’t use what our body can’t absorb.


Signs of Poor Digestion:
Constipation, Un-digested food in the stool, Bloating, Stomach aches, Heart Burn, Acne, Excessive Gas, Belching, Burping after meals, Feeling too full after eating, Tired after eating, Difficulty Losing Weight, Migraine Headaches, Constipation, Loose Bowel Movements, etc.

Poor digestion is one of the most common problems that I encounter as a Holistic Nutritionist! 
So, What’s going on?

1. Man Made/ Added Ingredients into Our Food Supply:

• Processed and unnatural foods (including genetically modified foods) 
  
• Foods containing chemicals  (pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, chlorine, etc.) 
  
• Foods containing chemicals, or that have undergone processes designed to preserve them (preservatives, oil, sugar and grain refining, hydrogenation, Nitrites, Nitrates) 
  
• Alcohol, Caffeine
  

2. Food Allergies/ Food Sensitivities

3. Lack of Movement/ Exercise on a daily basis

Now that we are all working very hard to stay hydrated from last week's challenge I am moving on to how to improve getting rid of waste and toxins as soon as possible. I know many people feel very uncomfortable with this subject and may think or have been told it's "normal" to be constipated. I feel so strongly that we need to be eliminating regularly and efficiently that I am choosing this as my 2nd Challenge to you! 

 Increasing your Water and Fibre go hand in hand in promoting regular and effective Elimination. Why is this so important? All of our toxins, build up, and waste is collected and the faster we get these out of our bodies, the less time they have to collect in the body and create problems in our systems. Constipation is very common and many symptoms and side effects can be caused by this. Acne, Skin Issues and Rashes, Headaches, stomach pains, and irritability are some symptoms just to name a few. 

A diet too low in fibre, insufficient in the good "healthy" bacteria, and too high in processed foods is the major cause of colon problems.

 So What do we need to do to promote healthy bowel movements?

• DRINK LOTS OF WATER THROUGHOUT THE DAY! Going back to Challenge #1, I can't emphasize enough the importance of this!!!

• MAINTAIN A BALANCE OF SOLUBLE AND INSOLUBLE FIBRE (30-40 grams per day) Soluble: gluey or gummy when added to water- such as flax seeds, chia seeds, and oatmeal   Insoluble: vegetables: dark leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, etc)

• INCREASING FOODS THAT ARE HIGH IN PROBIOTICS: Probiotics are foods and supplements containing the beneficial bacterial cultures that help the body's naturally occurring intestinal flora re-establish themselves. Probiotics can be found in fermented foods such as Miso paste, Kimchi, Tamari, Sauerkraut, Kefir, Kombucha, and Pickled Vegetables. Probiotics improve digestion, enhance mineral absorption, reduce cholesterol, help the liver complete detoxification, and strengthen the immune system.  Check out my good friend's Alchemy Pickle Company for where you can get some Amazing fermented foods and beverages all locally here in the City!! 

• CHOOSING HEALTHY FATS TO PROVIDE LUBRICATION: Increase your healthy fats with Essential Fatty Acids known as EFA's. EFA's can be found in cold water fish oil, flax seeds and oil, chia seeds and oil, salmon, halibut, avocado oil, fresh raw walnuts, sunflower seeds, and pecans. 

• LOWER THE AMOUNT OF REFINED STARCHES, SUGAR, AND PROCESSED FOODS IN YOUR DIET AND INCREASE WHOLE, REAL FOODS IN THEIR NATURAL FORM: Ok, so I know this is a BIG one.. but its all about baby steps.. if you eat white bread right now make a switch to Whole Grain, If you LOVE sugar and sweets start switching to real fruit and natural sweeteners like Honey and Coconut Syrup. Remember.. baby steps.. each step that you make toward healthier choices all make a HUGE difference in the end! When I talk about whole foods I mean Beans, Legumes, Veggies, Fruit, and Grains that don't come out of a box or take less than 3 minutes to make! 

• INCREASE YOUR FRUIT AND VEGGIES!!! I know you've heard this since childhood, but your mother was right!! So many benefits come from eating real fruit and vegetables.. and they are so rich in fibre!! Try one new veggie each week and keep it exciting! 

• EXERCISE: At least 3-4x per week, and everyday if you can ( 30 minutes each day).

• MAKE TIME TO GO TO THE WASHROOM!: Like everything else in our lives sometimes we just rush too much! Relax and Make time!

Hopefully you have learned a couple of tips and know which ones could benefit your daily routine right away! This Challenge is so important to me and is on the top of my list next to water because I think it is something everyone could use a little help with. A lot of people rely on caffeine for their daily bowel movement. Would they still go minus the caffeine? I think about it like the green bin. We throw out all of our waste in the green bin that has no use to us.. such as damaged, rotting and bruised produce where it sits and continues to rot and putrefy. Now think about waste and toxins that are being stuck in our systems..  nothing good is happening from that.. RIGHT?!!

Please join in on the comments on the Fresh Senses Facebook Page and Let Us know how you're finding these challenges! We would LOVE to hear from you! Good Luck with Challenge #2!! 

Each week there will be a new challenge to guide YOU and everyone around you towards a healthier lifestyle. 

There will be tips, challenges, exciting and new information, and best of all you can share your experience with everyone else on the Fresh Senses' facebook Page. 

TO SIGN UP: ENTER YOUR NAME AND EMAIL AND SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG and enter a comment saying SIGN ME UP!!. You can either post your comments on the Blog posts or on the Fresh Senses' Facebook Page. Also add a question or comment about what you would like to learn more about and your interests and goals. 

What would make this challenge even more fun?! Is there someone in your life that you know would love to make some changes? Invite YOUR Friends, Family, and Co-Workers too and you can all share your experiences together! Send them the link to my Blog and Facebook Page to get them STARTED!! ...ARE YOU EXCITED??!!