By Dr. Kathleen Reagan, ND The holidays are around the corner and we are starting to think about how to manage through all the festive excess. Sometimes it is easier to add foods to our daily routine than it is to restrict. What is easier to add to a meal than a spice? Spices have a long tradition of pulling meals together for taste but they also have a history of medicinal use. Here are some spices you can add to bring a bit of health to your holiday. […]
By Kerri Lambie, Registered Homeopath & Holistic Nutritionist Food was an integral component to my upbringing. I have great memories of sitting around the kitchen table for hours with my family laughing and enjoying the meal prepared for us. Going to school I had the same enjoyment from opening my brown paper bag (yes I am aging myself) and eating with my friends. Although there were many times I was envious of the cakes and cookies my friends had, as my mother opted for healthy snacks. I used to think that times had changed, however now as the mother of two boys I see the same lunch comparisons coming up much like I had those years ago. Soon after beginning kindergarten, my eldest son came home asking why he didn’t get cookies in his lunch like his friends (up until that point his sugar intake was pretty minimal aside from some natural sugars). I knew he was referring to those multi-coloured sprinkle cookies that attracted kids like a magpie to a shiny object! It dawned on me that in addition to making sure he was getting nutritious food for lunch, the snacks also needed to be trendy food that he and the other kids could relate to, so that he didn’t feel deprived and left out. Here are a couple of my boy’s favourites: Easy Chocolate Avocado Pudding […]
Q&A with Dr. Keara Taylor Dr. Keara is joining the Innate Wellness Team in High Park. She is a High Park local and a new mom with a general family practice. She will be taking over Dr. Regan’s maternity leave and staying on to build her practice at Innate. Learn more about her style of practice! […]
By Dr. Kathleen Regan, ND Are you considering a new diet for 2018? You may want to reconsider. A lot of diets restrict nutrients, which are essential for bodily function or increase nutrients that are unhealthy in high amounts over long periods of time. Health is found in balance, not restriction (although balance can sometimes feel like restriction!) The perfect place to start is with the macronutrients: Protein, Fat and Carbohydrates. Learning how to balance macronutrients will get you on the path to feeling better in 2018! […]
By Dr. Kathleen Regan, ND Summer is ruled by the fire element in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is the height of ‘yang’ energy, which rules expansion, growth, and creativity. Nature is at its peak in terms of growth and the motion of natural energy is moving upwards – meaning that this is the perfect time to harness that natural high in your energy levels! Being mindful to match your eating habits to the movement of this season can help maintain health and energy all year round. Enjoy beautiful meals with colorful fruits and vegetables. Not only are these foods inspiring and fun but they are full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Avoid COLD foods but consume COOLING foods. Cold foods cause contraction in the stomach and interfere with digestion. This includes overconsumption of raw fruit/vegetable juice*, salads or raw greens, iced drinks and ice cream. On the other hand, cooling foods are ones that disperse heat without creating coldness in the stomach. These include: salads, sprouts, fruit, cucumber, tofu and many herbal teas (see our Cooling Chrysanthemum Tea recipe). […]
The holidays are often a busy and stressful time. The fast pace can lead to an increase in stress hormones, blood sugar fluctuations, cravings and over-eating. The following are some simple strategies that can help you stay grounded and keep your hand out of the cookie jar. Schedule Your Self-Care Creating a self-care plan BEFORE the madness begins can help keep stress hormones such as adrenalin and cortisol in check! Stress hormones affect mood, blood sugar levels, appetite and food cravings – tempting us to overindulge in sweets, treats and alcohol. Self-care is often something that is prioritized when we have time, but then let go when we need it most. Keep it simple and enjoyable! Examples may include taking time every morning to enjoy a healthy breakfast, a bath at the end of the day, an acupuncture session, a morning walk or going to bed early 1-2 nights per week. Your self-care should keep you in balance and help relieve stress. […]
By Dr. Angelina Riopel, ND Weight loss is a big business. It is confusing and we have been sold the idea of quick fix, dramatic weight-loss that is often not healthy nor sustainable. Unfortunately this often leads to yo-yo dieting, dramatic weight-loss then the inevitable weight gain, and do it all over again. So what is a healthy diet? How does one achieve a healthy weight? […]
By Dr. Angelina Riopel, ND When travelling, changes in routine, sleep and diet can increase risk of susceptibility to infection, fatigue and digestive upset – the last thing one wants to experience while away. Prevention is key and is possible if you begin by preparing your body prior to departure. Two to three weeks before departure proactively addressing digestion, immunity and stress and continuing the protocol throughout the trip, will improve the likelihood of a healthy and enjoyable time away. […]
With Dr. Angelina Riopel, ND As we move into holiday season restrictive diets go out the window, and rightfully so. Unfortunately with holiday indulging many are plagued with digestive drama, such as gastric reflux, gas, bloating and bowel changes such as constipation and diarrhea. Alcohol, fatty foods and excess sugar put stress on the liver, leading to “liver stagnation” and large, complex meals can lead to incomplete digestion, due to insufficient gastric juices. Traditionally herbal bitters and digestive cordials were taken to prevent indigestion and improve digestive efficiency. The flavor of bitter is one that the western diet is lacking, culturally our preference being for sweet, salty and fatty. Traditionally and in many other cultures bitter herbs, bitter greens and bitter aperitifs are taken before or after meals to improve digestion and avoid the unpleasant digestive symptoms that follow heavy meals. […]
Article By: Dr. Nadia Kumentas ND Although you may be familiar with the term “detoxification” do you really know what it entails? Most people link doing a detox with weight loss and while this isn’t necessarily false, there is a lot more to consider when we want to partake in a full body detox.To start off, is doing a “detox” even necessary? The short answer is YES. In today’s world we encounter around 2.5 billion pounds of toxic chemicals (including 6 million pounds of mercury alone) each year. Did you know that the average newborn baby has 287 known toxins in his or her umbilical cord blood? You can only imagine how many toxins you have been exposed to by this point in your life if we started with that level of toxic load! Here are some, but not all, of the factors that can contribute to your total toxic load (i.e. total amount of accumulated toxins in the body): Heavy metal exposure ex. Mercury, lead, petrochemicals, residues, pesticides, and fertilizers Allergies ex. Food allergies, environmental allergies, molds Poor diet ex. Eating a standard American diet that includes processed, high fat, high sugar, high salt foods Medications ex. Remember what goes into the body has to get processed; most pharmaceuticals have a toxic load on the body Internal toxins ex. bacteria, fungus, and yeast inside our own systems and intestines as well as hormonal and metabolic toxins that we need to eliminate Mental, emotional, and spiritual toxins ex. stress, anger, loneliness, irritability, hostility, etc. all have a profound effect on our body chemistry and all of which translate into toxins in our system A little scary right? The good news is our bodies are well equipped to eliminate toxins on a [...]
