Do It Yourself

How to Paleo the Right Way – A Guest Blog By Katelyn Butler Birmingham

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Paleolithic Diet Food ListThe Paleo diet has been on the market awhile now…people have had time to ‘digest it’ so to speak, but its more than just eating bacon and sausages every day. If you’re going to go Paleo, here are some important things to remember:

1)      Eat Whole Foods. This means if it comes in a can, a box, vacuum sealed or says ‘just add water’ it should be avoided.

2)      Fruit and Veggies are your friends: berries, apples, bananas, sweet potato, rutabaga, carrots etc

3)      Drink water! Add citrus, cucumber or berries to make it more exciting.

4)      Nuts and seeds are a great source of protein: Almonds, macadamia nuts, brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds…Go nuts!

5)      Meat, seafood and eggs are encouraged – but be mindful of portion size – no bigger than the palm of your hand.

6)      No Dairy!

7)      No Grains – no breads, pasta, cereals or rice

8)      Think of yourself as a Hunter/Gatherer – If you can’t hunt it or pick it from a tree/bush or from the ground, you probably can’t eat it.

9)      Spice things up – all of the spices under the sun are allowed.

10)   Have fun with food – create new recipe ideas!

Here is a Sample Day to get you started:

Breakfast:

  • One soft boiled egg
  • Two cups of combined steamed asparagus and red peppers
  • One cup of mixed berries
  • Herbal tea

Snack:

  • Handful of mixed pine nuts, walnuts and sunflower seeds
  • Water

Lunch:

  • Salmon salad with Apple slices.
  • Salad: lettuce, spinach, red onions, tomatoes, cucumber. Top with salmon and thinly sliced apple.
  • Dressing: Combine 2 Tbsp olive oil, black pepper and balsamic vinegar
  • Water with raspberries

Snack:

  • Piece of fruit of your choice
  • Water

Dinner:

  • Chicken breast with sautéed mushrooms, onions and bok choy
  • Side of mashed yams with cranberries and black pepper
  • Coconut milk to drink

The Paleo Diet has a lot to offer as far as eating well and feeling great – just remember the above and you’ll be well on your way!

Thank you to Elisha for allowing me to guest blog while she is away 🙂

Katelyn Butler-Birmingham, CCNM Naturopathic Medical Intern

@KTBB_ND

Pumpkin Craisin Bars Recipe

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This recipe was inspired by the Craisin Bars recipe I posted several weeks ago. The changes I made were in the hopes of making it more “friendly” for those who might not like walnuts.

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tablespoons of Almond Butter (I like to use Almond and Cashew Butter)
  • 1/2 Cup of Brazil Nuts
  • 1/2 Cup of Dehulled pumpkin seeds
  • 1 Cup of Dates
  • 1 Cup of Dried Cranberries (Craisins)
  • 2 Teaspoons of Vanilla

Directions:

  1. Begin by using a food processor to grind the brazil nuts and pumpkin seeds. Set the Ingredients aside.
  2. Combine the Almond Butter, Dried Cranberries, Dates and Vanilla in the food processor and grind until it becomes finely chopped.
  3. Add the Nut mixture to the Fruit and Almond Butter Mixture, and mix well.
  4. Lay wax paper down in a casserole dish and put the mixture in the dish, making it flat and pressed down.
  5. Let the mixture set, then cut into bar shapes.
  6. Lay them flat in your freezer and let them harden.
  7. Pull them out of the freezer when ready to enjoy!
  8. Alternatively, you can use the mixture to make small “Energy Balls”, as opposed to the bars.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, please book an appointment with Elisha Cook at the RSNC today and let me help you achieve your health goals.

 

Exercise with a Busy Schedule

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Busy smiling businesswoman holding a laptop and lifting a dumbbeExercise can be hard to fit into schedules despite how good it is for us. What most do not realize is that exercise does not have to be a structured event. Exercise needs only be something to get you moving and preferably the heart pumping. Unfortunately, our society has moved from an active lifestyle to a more sedentary (sitting more often) one, and any activity that gets you off of the couch or out from behind your desk is ideal. Here are some ways you can keep active without necessarily going to the gym:

  1. Take the Stairs

Sometimes this is easier said than done, but adopting lifestyle habits such as taking the stairs whenever possible helps to make you more active in other areas of your life.

  1. Park Further from Buildings

Parking further from your destination helps once again to encourage a more active lifestyle. Please do use caution with this as some areas might be unsafe to do this in.

  1. Step Counters

Many people use different pedometers or step counters in order to track how many steps they are taking throughout the day. It is a good way to make sure you are keeping active enough and track how active you are throughout the day. Most people suggest that 10,000 steps is classified as achieving an active day. You can download different apps on your phone to track your steps, or purchase step counters such as “fit bits” (I am not associated with this company in any way) for example.

  1. Dance to Music

Dancing to music is a great way to keep moving and get your heart pumping, while benefiting your mood.

  1. Make Exercise a Family Activity

Exercise can be challenging to incorporate into your daily routine when you are the only one in your family being active. By making exercise a family activity, for example going for a walk together, it encourages not only you to develop healthy habits, but your family as well.

  1. Use your Break Time

Making exercise part of your break time at work is a great way to make sure you get some exercise into your day. This doesn’t mean you have to go to a gym during your break, but it could even be going outside for a 10 minute walk for your break. Not only is it good for your body, but it will help you to refocus for work.

  1. Cleaning or Yard Work Counts

Though it is quite the chore, cleaning or yard work counts as exercise. You are up off the couch and active, and it provides a means for burning calories and getting your heart pumping.

  1. Join a Class with Friends

Joining a class at your local gym with friends is a great way to be kept accountable to your active lifestyle changes, but also helps you to stay active and continue to have an active social life.

  1. Work-out Videos

Finally, there are many workout videos available online that you can use to help you exercise at home.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, please book an appointment with Elisha Cook at the RSNC today and let me help you achieve your health goals.

Your Mind and Your Brain: What you did not know

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Abstract light human brain, vector illustrationRecently, I had the privilege of attending a conference where the guest speaker was Dr. Caroline Leaf, whom happens to be a cognitive neuroscientist. There were quite a few take home messages that I received from listening to her, that I have summarized into 5 key points, that I wanted to share with you, my readers:

  1. You are Fearfully and Wonderfully Made.

Your body is a wonderful, amazing piece of machinery that has the capacity for health and wholeness. You are unique and there is no one like you. Embrace this, and embrace who you are and who you were created to be.

  1. You have a great gift

Though most people might think that this strictly means talents, it actually doesn’t. Yes we all have skills and abilities that are wonderful and unique, but we also have a great gift within us which is the gift of choice. You have a choice as to whether you live your life happy or sad. Some people might immediately start to think “You have no idea what it is like to be me or live in my shoes.” And you are absolutely right, but you have a choice. You can choose to be sad, angry, envious, etc.; or you can choose to step out from your circumstances and choose to be happy, loving, caring, compassionate, and whole. No one said this was easy, or that it could be done overnight. But you do not have to wake up and be depressed just because you feel depressed. As Dr. Caroline Leaf eloquently put it, “Your mind contributes to the cause and healing of what ales you.”

  1. Negative Thoughts can be Destructive, Positive Thoughts can be Protective

Not only do negative thoughts lower your self-confidence and make you feel angry, depressed, or anxious; but they can also be physically destructive. Negative thoughts can cause inflammation in the brain (which could transcend to the body) and also cause destruction and decreased connection of brain cells. Positive thoughts have the benefit of not only making you feel better, but also of protecting your brain from damage, as well as causing the growth and increased connection between brain cells.

  1. Your Thoughts can Impact Others

Your thoughts have great potential beyond yourself. This can be explained through research in Quantum Physics (stay with me, I will not go into it too much). Basically, the way you act and think impacts those around you (and even those not around you). Quantum physics explains that basically time and space are endless, and our mind and thoughts are able to reach across this expanse, and impact one another, because of this common connection that we each possess. As a result, if we are angry, bitter, and ungrateful; this not only affects our bodies, but can also impact others.

  1. Stress is not the Enemy

Many people think that stress is a bad thing. This is actually not quite true. It is actually how we respond to stress that is either beneficial or destructive. If you remain positive in the face of struggles and stress, you are more likely to live longer according to recent research. On the other hand, if you tend to be negative in regards to your stress, you are more likely to die early.

The bottom line is, don’t you owe it to yourself to start changing your thinking? You do not have to continue to live in the critical mindset that you may have, and you can choose to change your thoughts and perceptions to those that will be health promoting.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, please book an appointment with Elisha Cook at the RSNC today and let me help you achieve your health goals.