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The dysbiosis of which I speak is “GUT dysbiosis”. Perhaps you’ve never heard the term before, but it’s probable that you may have felt the symptoms; dysbiosis is quite common.
Normally, your gut is inhabited by trillions of good bacteria, the ones that help you digest your food, produce energy, and regulate your immune system. When your gut is dysbiotic, this means that the “bad germs” begin to edge out the “good germs.” When this happens, basic functions are compromised and symptoms begin to appear.
Not all symptoms of dysbiosis are obvious, so how do you know if you have it? Some people will experience diarrhea, bloating, or constipation, while others feel exhausted, have food sensitivities, or are constantly getting sick. Symptoms can be misleading so let’s instead note what causes dysbiosis in the first place.
- Antibiotics
- Stress
- Poor nutrition
- Pain killers
- Oral contraceptives
These factors disrupt the balance of bacteria leaving vacant space for the “bad guys” to colonize the gut and crowd out the “good guys”. These bad microbes produce toxins that damage the intestines and cause uncomfortable symptoms.
We can help to alleviate dysbiosis by changing the way we eat; moving towards a fibre-rich, whole foods diet with limited sugar intake is the first step. Eating a nutrient-dense, sugar reduced diet will give the intestines the tools they need in order to heal and at the same time it will stop feeding the bad bacteria.
Secondly, making some lifestyle changes to reduce stress will improve our digestive health and at the same time it will reduce how often we get sick. Less sickness leads to less of a need for antibiotics and pain killers.
Lastly, a probiotic supplement is a worthwhile investment if you think you may suffer from gut dysbiosis. A quality probiotic will help reinstate good bacteria into the digestive tract which will balance the gut flora and reduce symptoms of dysbiosis.
If you think you may have some dysbiosis in your gut, perhaps it’s time to speak with your natural health care provider.
Happy 2012 everyone!
The New Year is a great time to re-set, re-evaluate, and to reflect; a good time to start fresh. I like to start fresh in January, in September, and on Mondays. Rarely do I look forward to starting fresh because it usually means exercising discipline, but it never fails that a couple of days after I start I feel fantastic.
Usually, I decide on very loose resolutions come the New Year, this year was no different. I want to remember my re-useable grocery bags when going to the store (embarrassing that I continue to forget them), I’m going to try to be more choosy about the battles I fight by letting a lot of unimportant things go, and of course I want to exercise more regularly and eat well. Yes, we nutritionists also struggle with healthy eating!
Its very common that a couple of weeks in, once life gets busy again after the holidays, and stress levels creep back up we fall off of our health and wellness plans and return back to old bad habits; old habits die hard and when we’re stressed those old habits are comforting. One of the best ways to stay on track with our health and wellness plans is to manage stress, maintain balance in all of life’s areas, and to use moderation by setting realistic goals.
In order to manage my own stress I’ve incorporated a couple of new tools and the one that I’d like to pass on today is Holy Basil.
 Holy Basil is related to the basil we all love in home cooking but it has very different therapeutic properties. It helps to induce relaxation and calm and at the same time reduces stress and depression. It does this by balancing cortisone levels and as we know cortisone is implicated in the stress response. In addition to helping calm the nervous system, Holy Basil also balances blood sugar, acts as an anti-oxidant, and has anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial properties.
If you are looking to incorporate something new into your supplement regime, try Holy Basil.
What do you have in your supplement cupboard? I’m curious.
I just got back from 2 weeks out west visiting my sisters both of whom have newborn babies. My twin sister had her first: little mister Elliot,
 My older sister had her second: little miss Farrah, The purpose of the trip was to meet the new bundles of joy and to help-out as much as I could. It was a lovely trip although I’m not sure how much help I was…..the reality of the situation is that traveling with a toddler is quite the task!
The biggest issue is that they fall off their routine and have to adapt to a new setting, and in our case, to a new time zone. Not only is it difficult for most toddlers to adapt, but mine had to adapt with an ear infection to top it all off. I came home a little shaken, but arrived in one peice.
I did learn something from this trip though, I learned that it’s important to keep whatever you can control as close to normal as possible.
Why not keep their meals and snacks the same and why not feed them at their usual time. Food is an integral part of a toddler’s routine and in many cases familiar food makes toddlers feel safe. So when a toddler is in a strange place having familiar food on a familiar schedule helps to make them feel more “at home”. It’s really easy to get caught up in buying all of the baby convenience foods like goldfish crackers and arrowroot cookies, instead try making easy, healthy, and homemade food for kids while traveling so they’re supported nutritionally for the stresses of traveling.
I made an adapted version of Your Green Baby\’s granola bars and have decided that they would be a perfect travel snack for the whole family, but especially for toddlers.
Granola Bars
- 1/2 cup brown rice syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp organic butter
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 3/4 cup spelt flakes
- 3/4 cup whole oats
- 1/4 cup coconut flakes
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pumpkin seeds
- Gently heat syrup, vanilla, butter, and almond butter in a sauce pan until melted.
- Slowly stir in remaining ingredients until well mixed.
- Pat mixture so that it’s flat into am 8×8 inch pan.
- Refrigerate for an hour then cut into desirable sized bars to be enjoyed.
I wasn’t brought up eating turnips, parsnips, celeriac, and rutabaga; we were more of a carrot, celery, lettuce, kind of family. I think when we were going to eat root vegetables my mom would usually cook potatoes in some form or another. My mom has always had a vegetable garden, but since leaving home she’s taken it to the next level…I wouldn’t be surprised if she now has a whole variety of root veggies.
Anyways, since the weather is cooling down and we’re reducing our smoothie intake and increasing our soup intake, I decided to make a root vegetable soup last night. While I was preparing it I was doubtful and had a back-up plan in mind (eggs on brown rice toast with avacado, my go-to when time is tight), I mean; white root vegetables? The thought of them deosn’t get the mouth watering.
To my surprise both Fitzroy and I loved it. It was hearty and thick and came with plenty of flavor, this recipe is a keeper!
Tarragon Root Soup
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large turnip, peeled and chopped (about 3-4 cups)
- 1 large parsnip, peeled and chopped (about 3-4 cups)
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon*
- 2 tsp whole fennel seeds
- 4 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/3 cup plain full fat yogurt
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- black pepper to taste
- In a soup pot, sautee the onion and garlic in the olive oil for about 5 minutes, stir frequently to avoid burning on the bottom of the pot.
- Add turnips, parsnips, tarragon, fennel, and sautee for another 5 minutes.
- Pour in soup stock and add the salt, bring to a boil. Once boiling cover and reduce to a simmer until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in yogurt.
- In a blender in batches, puree the soup until smooth and return to the pot.
- Stir in lemon juice and add pepper to taste.
- Serve with my favorite sprouted salad croutons or croutons of choice.
This soup is a favorite now, try it and let me know what you think.Happy Fall (not officially, but it sure feels like it)
* Nutritional info on Tarragon: vitamin and mineral rich it stimulates the appetite, eases digestion, acts as a diuretic, anti-parasitic, anti-viral, and anti-inflammatory. It promotes liver health and gives the immune system a boost.
Now that Tavius is 1, the question is: what will his beverage be?
For moms that are still nursing there aren’t as many concerns over what their child should be drinking because the baby is still benefiting from nutrient dense mother’s milk. Many moms have to go back to work at this point and must reduce or stop breastfeeding altogether….so what will their beverage be?
The struggle is that many small children are extremely picky eaters and don’t consume enough nutrient dense food to fulfill their needs. Tavius, for example, lives on sprouted toast, organic full-fat plain yogurt, and apples. The question becomes, how do we get more nutrition into these little ones?
Your pediatrician will recommend whole cow’s milk to provide calcium, protein, and fat. Some parents have concerns about whether or not cow’s milk is good for their children….so for these parents there are alternatives. Alternatives that are high in fat, protein, calcium, and other important nutrients.
Which seed is known to be sky-high in calcium? The sesame seed. Which nut contains lots of good fat? The cashew. Why not make cashew sesame milk for your little one or why not have it for yourself? Almond hemp milk is another nutrient rich option.
For harder nuts like almonds, soak them overnight before making your milk. For soft nuts like cashews there’s no need to soak.
Cashew Sesame Milk
3/4 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup raw sesame seeds
3 medjool dates, pitted
2 cups filtered water
Place all ingredients in a blender, magic bullet, or vitamix. Blend until most of the chunks are pureed and it’s a smooth consistency. Place a sieve over a glass jar and pour the mixture into the sieve. Press the mixture with a spoon to encourage straining. Once the seed-nut mixture is dry you’re all done and should have a nice amount of homemade milk ready to serve up. The same steps apply to the almond hemp milk, however you’d soak the 3/4 cup of almonds overnight. If the sieve option seems too finnicky for you why not get a nut sack from Meghan Telpner? Here’s what my finnicky contraption looks like:
 Now, if I’m being honest, Tavius didn’t love this milk as I’m sure he wouldn’t love cow’s milk…like I said he loves his toast, yogurt, and apples…BUT when I blended this milk up with banana, blueberry, and spinach he sipped away happily. Mommas have to be creative!
Todays post is all about why we should stop hatin’ on saturated fat, namely butter. I know most of us don’t hate on it for it’s lovely flavor, it’s usually a health concern hate on. Well, I’m here with good news: the hatin’ stops here!
I like organic butter from grass fed cows and recommend it. The saturated fat in butter (or coconut oil if you’re a vegan) is a necessary part of the diet, here are some of the reasons why:
- saturated fat gives the cell membrane structure protecting the cell from foreign invaders
- butter is an amazing source of vitamins A, D, E, and K
- calcium needs saturated fat in order to effectively strengthen our bones
- saturated fat protects the liver from toxins
- saturated fat enhances the immune system
- butter from grass-fed cows contains Activator X which helps the body absorb and use minerals
Contrary to popular belief, saturated fat is not the leading cause of heart disease, it’s polyunsaturated fats that are the culprit. Polyunsaturated fats become rancid when exposed to heat, light, cooking, and processing making it a free radical. Free radicals are implicated in many diseases including cancer and heart disease.
In Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions you can find plenty of information that will bring you back to the love of butter.
Here’s a copy of the questionnaire I’d like parents to fill out. Please copy and paste it to a Word file and once you’ve filled it out email it to me at nutritiousmeg@rogers.com
Pass it along to any parents in your circle that would be willing to fill it out. The more feedback we get the more information we’ll have to put together a proposal that gets us into daycare. If you have no idea what I’m talking about click here to read my last blog with all of the details.
Thank you in advance!
Researching Parent’s Thoughts on Daycare Menus
- Is your child currently in daycare or are you planning to put your child into daycare soon? If your child is not yet in daycare only answer the questions that apply to you.
- Is your child in a home based daycare ___ or a large daycare center ____
- What is your child’s age ___
- Does your child have any food sensitivities or allergies? Yes___ No ___
- Are you happy with the food offered at your child’s daycare? Yes ___ No ___
- If you are not, what are your concerns?
- Is the food in your child’s daycare center made on the premises or brought in? __________________
- On a scale of 1 (less important) to 10 (very important), how important is the food served at your child’s daycare to you ______
- Was the daycare menu a factor in your decision to choose your current daycare center? Yes ___ No ___
- Since starting daycare have you noticed any changes in your child in the following areas:
Digestion ___ Illness ___ Behaviour ____ Other ___________________________
Comments:
Since becoming a mom I’ve made some amazing connections and friendships with other moms in my community. I feel very fortunate that I’m able to stay home for another year with my son, but many of the moms I spend time with are coming to the end of their maternity leave and getting ready to go back to work. So begins the daunting task of finding a daycare.
It’s difficult enough simply finding a daycare that can accomodate your child; now what if you needed it to be in a certain location, or if your child needs certain routines adhered to, or what if you were concerned about the quality of nutrition at the daycare you were accepted into? I guess in most cases there’s a compromise being made by the parent somewhere along the line.
When it comes to a young child’s nutrition a compromise shouldn’t have to be made, period. The early childhood years are when the foundation is set for long term good health and good eating habits. For our kids, we should settle for nothing but the best.
Enter my friend and fellow nutritionist Kim Corrigan Oliver. At one of out Farmer’s Market visits we got talking about this issue of daycares offering nutrient depleted food to kids and how crazy it seems. She mentioned starting a local Daycare Food Revolution like what Jamie Oliver is doing in the States. Immediately I wanted to be a part of it.
We started by taking a look at what exactly most daycares (there are some daycares in the GTA and surrounding area that are on the right track) are serving up for snacks and meals and sadly it’s mostly wheat, dairy, and processed meats. I say NOT GOOD ENOUGH!
The next step in this process will be to talk to parents and see how they feel, if we want to make a change we need parents on our side. I’ll be posting and emailing out a questionairre that I’d like parents to fill out to help us develop a proposal to submit to some daycare centers. The lucky daycare that accepts our proposal will receive the first, of hopefully many, menu overhauls.
Stay tuned as Kim and I move forward on this journey and please feel free to comment with any feedback you may have.
When I imagine typical summer food I think potato salad, pasta salad, hot dogs, hamburgers, wrinkly chips and dip, and ice cream cones. Eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to avoid typical summer foods, it just means getting crafty and altering those traditional recipes. For us tonight it was: project pasta salad!
What’s wrong with the typical pasta salad? It’s made with intestine clogging wheat pasta, mucus forming dairy, and lacks in fibre and antioxidant rich vegetables. I came across a recipe in Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special cookbook which I further altered to suite my taste buds and nutritional requirements.
 Brown Rice Pasta and Bean Salad
Salad
- 2 cups brown rice pasta (I used macaroni noodles)
- 1.5 cups diced snap peas
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup diagonally cut green onions
- 2 tbsp freshly grated radish
- 1 bpa-free can chickpeas, rinsed
- 1 bpa-free can small kidney beans, rinsed
- 1/2 cup chopped Bubbies Dill Pickles
Dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1.5 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp organic apricot or orange marmalade
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp dried dill
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to boil, add pasta and allow to cook for 7-10 minutes. Rinse in cold water and set aside
- In a large bowl mix snap peas, celery, green onions, radish, chick peas, kidney beans, and pickles
- Add cooled pasta and stir
- Combine all dressing ingredients and blend or shake in a glass jar until thoroughly mixed.
- Stir dressing into salad and serve
Feel free to add any other vegetables you have in your fridge. I might add something red next time to enhance the color of this salad; perhaps some diced red pepper or cherry tomatoes….
Tonight my husband and I enjoyed this salad on our back deck with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Perfect way to celebrate him being done school, I love summer!
Living so far east (upper upper Beaches), most days I take the train into Riverdale, or down to the Beach, or over to Leslieville, sometimes I even venture to the Annex to visit my bud Ali and her son Grant. Here he is with Tavius: If I had it my way though, I’d spend more time in my hood….granted it does need some work but there are many gems that I’ve discovered since the sun started to shine this year. Also keeping me in the loop, I recently met a lovely neighbor who writes a blog all about our little Main and Danforth pocket.
Yesterday I was able to take advantage of the hood and hit the East Lynn Farmer’s Market which runs every Thursday from 3pm-7pm competing with the popular Dufferin Grove Farmer’s Market. It’s small but well attended. Even yesterday with the rain there were lots a peeps milling around.
Strawberries were in abundance yesterday and I noticed that the produce is becoming more plentiful as well. Up until last week it was slim pickings due to the rainy spring, but things are looking up!
These guys were where I spent my money. Organic strawberries for Tavius and organic lamb for an upcoming dinner for Fitz and I. I don’t cook meat very often so now I’ve just got to figure out how I want to prepare it!
My market experience was enhanced because we got to spend it with this little character…Lila another east ender. Find out when you’re nearest Farmer\’s Market takes place and shop local; it’s the right thing to do!
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