Naturopathic Doctor

Although at times it may seem cliche to make New Year’s resolutions, there is something very inspiring and therapeutic about using the start of a new year to spark other new starts.

Why not start feeling better about yourself and your everyday life?  Why not try to eat healthier, become more fit, and feel energetic? The problem can sometimes lie with maintaining these goals.  So here are a few tips to help keep you on track:

How to keep your goals

1. Break your goal down into a series of smaller and more quickly reached goals.  It’s much more motivating to start and keep forging ahead when you see that the tasks can be finished quickly.

2. Don’t be discouraged by setbacks, big or small. It is well researched that people who have accomplished much also experience failures and setbacks, just like everyone else.  The unique difference with these people is they keep going and don’t let the setbacks keep them back.  So keep going!

3.  Track your progress and reward yourself along the way.  Take pleasure in what you do accomplish.  This causes certain hormones to be released which creates a positive-feedback-cycle in the brain, and makes you want to continue.

Weight loss on your list of goals?

If one of your New Years resolutions is to lose weight or detoxify, then you need to learn more about the new cutting-edge weight loss program I am offering.

The Healthy and Active weight loss program is based on the latest research between the relationships of metabolism, hormones and nutrition.  You can’t have a healthy weight without balanced hormones.

The program restores your metabolism, balances your hormones and activates your immune system to help keep the weight off.  The Healthy and Active Weight Loss Program was developed in Germany and is used by over 800 medical practitioners and doctors in Germany, the UK and Canada.  Read more about it here.

“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll have what you’ve always had.” ~unknown

Banana Cake - this time I put some plums on top

This is my favourite banana cake recipe. It is incredibly simple and feels great to eat a second helping guilt free.

I’m certainly not suggesting you replace your Christmas pudding but here is a healthy suggestion for one of your holiday meals.

Recipe below:

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Healthy and tasty soup with lots of Greens

Ever wonder if there was any way to make kale taste good?  Try this soup.

Recipe below:

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An update on where to buy fish:

Whole Foods will stop selling species of seafood from sources that are non-sustainable by April 22, 2013 (Earth Day).  In Canada, Whole Foods stores are working with the SeaChoice organization and their labelling system that shows which species are sustainable harvested.

SeaChoice has a colour-coded labelling system that allows you to see which species are sustainably harvested. Download the wallet sized chart you can carry with you.

I’d love to recommend some local, independent fish shops – please let me know when you find sustainably harvested fish in Vancouver.

$69 for a Naturopathic Sapphire Microdermabrasion and Cool Light Therapy Treatment at West Vancouver Wellness Centre ($185 Value)

“As you contemplate eating that second helping at the next holiday party, consider this: A new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine looked at a group of 1.46 million white, nonsmokers between the ages of 19 and 84 over a 10 year period. They found a disturbing correlation between Body Mass Index (weight in kilograms divided by height—in meters—squared) and likelihood of death. People with a BMI between 20 and 24.9 were the least likely to have died within the 10 year period.”

This Good Health article reminds us yet again how important it is to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  To determine your BMI, use this online calculator.

With the holiday season here, it can be very easy to pack on an extra 5 or 10 pounds over the month. Remember, it’s not the one or two times of overeating that makes a difference to your health, but what you do consistently over a period of time (for example, the month of December).

Two easy techniques you can use to keep the majority of your eating balanced:

• Use smaller plates. (Trust me it is well researched and it works!)
• Stop when you are 80% full.   Tune-in to your body…that first fullness signal you get is the one to follow.  Allow yourself to go back to the food in 20 min if you’re hungry then.

Happy eating!

As a Naturopathic Doctor I guide people in their nutrition.  One of the best foods to eat is oily fish (salmon, mackeral, herring, sardines), mainly because of their high omega 3 content.  Remember that omega 3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory, can reduce atherosclerosis and hypertension, boost the immune system,  decrease depression, support brain health, and the list goes on.

But when it comes to eating fish, unfortunately there are no easy answers to choosing the best option.  Here are the key issues with eating fish:

• Farmed fish are not fed the same nutrients and algae they eat in the wild, therefore reducing their omega 3 content and overall health benefits.
• Many fish farms use antibiotics and use dyes to give fish a “healthy” colour.
• Farmed fish cause a significantly negative impact to the environment.  For example, ocean fish pens allow fish lice, feces and contaminants to flow back into the ocean and are widely accepted to be one of the main causes of destroying wild fish stocks.
• Wild fish stocks are depleted.
• Ocean fishing causes a significantly negative impact to the environment.
• Wild fish is contaminated with heavy metals.

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