TEFF aka LONDON ROCKET

TEFF. The smallest seed on earth, but it has a lot of nutrition. High in fiber, iron, protein and calcium. It has all 8 amino acids and high in minerals. It has a mild nutty taste. I use it in my oatmeal, protein shakes, water, I add it to my veggies, meat, pretty much I add it to everything! Its amazing with inflammation and also helps with digestion. A must have in your diet. Find it at your local nutrition store.

cha cha cha chia!

The first time I tried Chia seeds I was in downtown Toronto, I went to see Steven and Chris and it just so happened that all the products that Dragon's Den was displaying were the products that had won for the year. I was looking around and found this one product called "Holy Crap". I was looking for an excellent breakfast cereal. This was the day I would try something completely new and exciting! I learnt that the cereal is:

• high in protein
• gluten-free
• organic
• antioxidant

It has 3 essential seeds; organic chia seeds, organic buckwheat and organic hulled hemp seeds.

It was so exciting watching the lady pour some Holy crap onto a dish and adding water, within seconds the seeds began to grow before my eyes!!! Took it home and tried it out with yogurt in the morning and wow, was it yummy and filling! it felt awesome getting so much nutrients in the morning. There's nothing better than to feel good about what you're putting into your body especially in the morning. I'm sure many of you have heard of Holy crap, if you haven't or if you have but haven't tried it, I recommend you try it especially if you feel clueless in the morning or your in a rush getting kids ready. The nice part about this product is that its bland, you can add fruit, dried fruit or super foods like cacao nibs or Goji berries, which is a fruit I'm looking forward to trying!

I know the feeling of being stumped when wanting to change our eating habits and I believe this is a great way to start. A great breakfast makes us more conscientious of what we decide to eat for the rest of the day. So, make it an excellent one!!

Holy crap can be found at your local health food store or online http://store.holycrap.ca/collections/all/products/holy-crap-cereal

tree of life

Scanning the health food mart, I came across a product, the name caught my attention immediately. This superfruit is called Baobab. It's derived from a tree called Baobab and its one of Africa's most recognizable trees as it majestic bearing is a symbol of dry tropical Africa. It comes in a powder form and the first thing I did was turn the package around and saw amazing written all over it! For 2tbsp (16g) @ 45cal you get:

• no fat or saturated trans fat
• no cholesterol
• no sodium
• 350mg of potassium (that's more than 1 banana)
• 7g carbohydrate
• 7g fiber (28% DV)
• 4g sugar
• 0.5g protein
• Vitamin C 80% DV
• calcium and iron 4% DV
• Thiamin and vitamin B6 6% DV
• Magnesium 10% DV
• Manganese 6% DV 

So, what does this all mean? The calcium content is 2X that of milk, its high in fiber and a substantial amount of Vitamin C, significant amounts of B vitamin which are rich in amino acids, the potassium content is 6X higher then that of bananas. Its an excellent probiotic which aids in the bacterial flora in the intestines (thank you fiber!) Its even said to have more antioxidants than Goji berries!!!!

I LOVE this superfruit! I add 15g to my protein shake, I add it to my tea and you can add it to your yogurt, smoothies, desserts, cereals, or with bread. What does it taste like? What's the consistency like? It has some what of the same consistency as baking powder, it does get clumpy if not mixed properly. It has a sour taste, like lemon, and its FANTASTIC!! this superfruit is part of my daily must haves!

Get out there and explore! You don't need to go across the world to find new foods. I'm so happy I came across this superfruit.

Have a super weekend!

How I start my day

Like most people, I never ate breakfast. When asked why I would say "I feel sick to my stomach if I eat that early" mind you it was 10am lol. I realized that truly I had to time or if I did have time I wasn't sure what to eat. When I began to lose weight I heard a lot about how important breakfast is and soon I realized that it was the key to losing weight.

When you eat in the morning you tend to reach for fruit, cereal, oats, eggs etc. This has a huge effect on how your day will play out in terms of how you will eat and what you will choose to eat. When you have breakfast your setting your day up for complete success if your looking to lose weight. The question I get asked is "what should I eat"? For me breakfast is the one time where your allowed to eat what you love! You end up burning it thru the day since it fuels you for your daily activity. You could never go wrong with breakfast. Below are my top 3 breakfast meals I love to have in the morning because they fill me up for a longer time, they give me nutrients to keep me going till my next meal and they taste delicious!



my morning protein pancakes! yum yum!

Protein Pancakes!

3/4 c of egg whites
1 scoop of protein powder (vanilla or chocolate is my fav but you can use which ever one you like)
1/4 c Oats

Mix ingredients together.





*Wash blueberries and strawberries (cut strawberries in 4, use about 1/4 c of blueberries or as many as you like!)
*Pour a generous amount of batter on to medium heat skillet.
*Add blueberries and strawberries.

Once you see bubble flip those babies over

Add honey, jam or whatever rocks your taste buds! ENJOY!

Yogurt parfait!

This is very simple.

Ingredients:

-Plain yogurt (I like to use the plain but you can have what you like)
-Goji berries
-Black mission Fig
-Amla berry powder
-Honey

*I also like to add crumbled biscotti for a crunch or almonds or both!*

mix ingredients together and eat it up!

Egg white omelette and oatmeal!

Ingredients:

3/4 c eggwhites
1 whole egg

*you can add any veggie or chicken*

1/2 c oatmeal

*add cinnamon or chopped up fruit*

and......coffee :) I go for a walk first thing in the morning and grab my fav coffee walk back and have my breakfast.. :) This one I have on the weekends


My goal is to always find foods that are not only nutritious but also deliver nutrients. I love to go to my local nutrition house and look around for new organic dried fruit or powders that I can add to my yogurt or smoothies. Its what you love! and you can make it whatever you like! I like to add remixes to my breakfast because that's just my style. What's yours?

Typical breakfast around the world:

Switzerland

• combination of raw grains (mostly rolled oats), nuts and fresh and dried fruits, which was served with yogurt or milk.

Italy & France

• Coffee (cappuccino, tea etc.)  with bread and butter or a croissant

Central America

• Egg dishes include: Huevos rancheros and Huevos motuleño-This dish is made by spreading refried beans onto fresh tortillas, then adding a fried egg or two, chopped ham, peas, and cheese.
  The Costa Rican national dish is gallo pinto, which means "spotted rooster." The dish is a combination of fried rice and black beans, lightly spiced, that might be served with sour cream and eggs at breakfast time.

For more typical breakfast around the world visit http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2008/08/breakfast-around-world-list.html

It would be fun to have a "theme breakfast". hmmmmmm......



do not take silence as an answer

With my mom being really sick after her Gastric by-pass surgery, recently she's been feeling low in energy, cramping in her stomach and feeling as though she cannot go a day without feeling pain. In my anguish to help her, I had come to realize that the doctors weren't providing us with any solutions nor giving us any answers to our questions.  My goal was to understand what the root cause of her pain may be. Immediately after she left the hospital, I went to my local natural nutrition store and spoke with the nutritionist, I told her everything my mom was feeling and she recommended several minerals and vitamins.

Being severely iron deficient, I picked up Iron Vital F, its been working miracles. Her energy is coming back, she has color in her face and can now speak without having to push her words out. She also feels its been very effective as her doctor prescribed iron pills which only made her feel very sick, rather than treating her iron deficiency. She takes 8mg of Iron Vital F (minimum dose) and already feels a difference in her journey to recovery.

Another vital supplement was her multivitamin. She was taking Centrum multivitamin, I switched her to a liquid multivitamin and she immediately noted the difference in how she was feeling. She finds this natural multivitamin more effective in getting the necessary nutrients as she can only eat so much. I'm beginning to see and note that most of the people in todays society lack the vitamins they need to sustain their immune system and everything else that helps us get up and start our day.

Aloe Vera was a product I didn't think of until the nutritionist pointed it out and told me that because of the surgery her stomach and digestion are a lot more slower then how it was before. We've all heard the benefits of aloe Vera, especially, on the skin, but when used to ingest it plays a huge role in coating and healing the esophagus, the lining of the stomach and also works as a natural laxative. With my moms stomach being less then half of what it was before, her digestive system is still adjusting to the initial shock of not having to process quantity of food. The digestive process is much slower and can at times cause a lot of constipation, gas or bloating. These symptoms can cause lots of pain and discomfort especially after having this surgery. The aloe vera acts as a lubricant and a healing natural liquid that has resulted in my mom being more regular, feeling relief and most importantly relieving her pain in the stomach and abdomen.

Protein is a nutritional supplementation that should be at every meal. I cannot stress how important it is to consume protein to maintain muscle which in turn will benefit us as we age. The stronger our muscles are, the more likely we are to keep ourselves from losing muscle mass. Muscles are not just for aesthetics, we don't need to be super lean or muscular, what's more important is to train the muscles to be strong. The stronger we are, the more likely we are to avoid falls, prevent injury, maintain proper posture to avoid back pain and many benefits that come with adding more protein to our daily meals. I was on the hunt to find a natural product that would deliver enough protein rather than just reach for protein powder. Awhile back I saw a documentary called "Food Matters". In the notes I took they mentioned an all-natural, fast absorbing and one of the highest sources of protein; Spirulina. Spirulina, can be found in pill form or powder form. I also picked up a package of powder spirulina for my mom. It mixes easily in water, you can add it to your morning shakes and sip it thru the day. Its a freshwater algae, its natural and fast absorbing making it a superfood. Adding spirulina to your daily diet, will boost your metabolism and also keep you regular. I will also be posting more about spirulina and the benefits of adding it to your diet.

 








What I've learned thru-out this week just by helping my mom and getting her the nutrients she needs, is that we are malnourished, misdiagnosed and mislead. Why do I say this? It seems everything we "feel" is cured in form of a pill. It seems so easy for a doctor to prescribe generic drugs or we can easily pick-up drugs over the counter but none of these fast acting drugs take away the cause. As we begin to use these drugs our body becomes immune to the initial numbness and soon enough we need something stronger. My approach is to treat the root cause and to become more aware of how the lack of vitamin and minerals has an immense impact on how we feel each and everyday. The body has the power to fix itself if we provide the essential nutrients it needs. We've seen what chemicals can do to us, we seem to be getting more and more sick and death rates going up due to health reasons caused by the very drugs we "think" will make us feel better. Our chances of avoiding DNA damage is if we invest in our health and provide our body with what it needs to sustain our precious life. Its true when they say "life is short" but why live it in sickness and pain? Live it knowing that you're doing everything you can to live a healthy, hearty lifestyle, knowing that your not only benefiting yourself but also the loving people that surround you. My goal is to understand and share that nothing is cured with a simple pill, understand and sharing that numbing the pain is no cure and understanding and sharing that fueling our body with vitamins and minerals has no side effect except for feeling better. The wonderful thing about taking in more natural nutrients is that, the body only absorbs what it needs and your urinary system disposes of the excess.....hmmm that should speak volumes! Its been shown that no one has ever died from treating themselves with vitamins or minerals.   http://www.naturalnews.com/027993_vitamins_nutritional_supplements.html

Living a healthy lifestyle is not just saying it, in my opinion it includes the following:

• do the necessary research on any over the counter drugs or prescription drugs you take and understand that the side effects may not show now but will show in the future possibly spreading into future generations.
• taking just a multi-vitamin is not sufficient. We are a fast moving world and need to be fueling with a lot more than just a pill a day. Always choose vitamins and minerals that will compliment what you feel and what you need depending on your lifestyle. Everyone is different and speaking to a natural nutritionist will give you insight on what will truly make you feel and live a more pain free lifestyle. (soon I will be certified to evaluate and create a dietary plan :)
• Choose more clean meats and poultry. Allow your body to digest the meats we eat. It actually takes the body 36-72h to digest a non-vegetarian meal, taking this into consideration, its 24h longer then a vegetarian meal. My point, you do not need to eat meat everyday! Give your body the chance to fully digest meats so you don't get backed-up and eat more beans, lentils and greens which also provide protein and healthy carbs! check out this link http://www.livestrong.com/article/441273-how-long-does-it-take-a-meat-diet-to-digest-compared-to-a-vegetarian-one/
• Do not live in denial about what you eat, do something about it.
• Make small changes to your daily diet and fitness routine.

Get informed, take action!

the common question now? whats next for me?........

My June 22 bikini and fitness competition is over but that does not mean its over yet! As mentioned in my journey to the stage blog, I've learned so much about nutrition in the past months and have been looking up different ways to get more vitamins and minerals into my body rather than hormone, pesticide and GMO foods.

Its amazing how much our food is being tampered with. Its scary to know that, most foods, if not all the food at our local grocery store is potentially toxic. Because the demand for food is much higher then many years ago, using generic food or food that has been sprayed or injected, to make it grow faster, is having a huge impact on our health. We hear it more than ever about mad cow, salmonella and foods being recalled. Not to mention what its doing to us. Cancer of all forms is the number 1 killer along with cardiovascular disease. Its scary when we begin to look up where our foods come from. Many of us believe that our meats are still being raised properly in farms, outside in the fresh air but realistically these practices are very old school and even now these big meat and food corporations want you to still believe its like that. I've done my homework and continue to learn but I've come to realize that instead of us getting the appropriate food value, we are actually getting more generic food into our bodies making us toxic.

As I explore this new journey in my life, I do want you to know that I'm in no way a natural nutritionist........... yet! All the information I will be posting about is homework I'm doing and 100% of what will be posted will be organic foods, super foods, raw foods and where we can get locally grown foods along with nutrition tips and training tips too! Always keep in mind that with anything new, its a slow process, you can't go from level 1 to level 100 in one day. Its a learning process and just with the small research I've done, I've already learned so much!! I'm really excited to share all this information and hopefully we can become less toxic and more conscious about nutrition.