NutritiousMeg

I’m gonna say it before you even think it: looks Ewwwwww, tastes Yummmmmm!

You know what they say, “don’t judge a book by its cover!”

I went to the Farmers Market in Milton last weekend and bought a beautiful basket of peaches but because I also bought blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries the peaches were forgotten.  I went to eat one yesterday and they were way too ripe and the majority were bruised.  I decided to make a peach crisp that I changed up a little from Elana’s Pantry.

It’s different than your average crisp or crumble in that it’s not very crispy or crumbly; it’s got a personality of it’s own.  Elana called for grapeseed oil, whereas I went with organic butter, the choice is yours.  For baking, I like quality butter, it provides the body with necessary fat soluble vitamins and strengthens the cell wall.  This morning I had the “crisp” for breakfast with plain organic yogurt sprinkled with ground flaxseeds, it was wonderful!

Peach Raspberry Crisp

• 6 large peaches, sliced
• 2/3 cup raspberries
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp arrowroot powder (helps to keep the contents somewhat intact, buy it at your local health food store)
• 11/2 cups ground almonds (use your food processor and grind until the almonds are as finely ground as possible)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda (aluminum free)
• 1/4-1/2 cup organic butter (melted)-I used 1/2 a cup but would use less next time
• 1/8 cup raw agave nectar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Place peaches and raspberries in a casserole dish and sprinkle with lemon juice, vanilla, and arrowroot powder.  Mix well
3. In a separate bowl combine ground almonds, sea salt, baking soda, organic butter, and agave
4. Pour almond topping evenly over the peaches
5. Bake covered for 45 minutes.  Check regularly to avoid burning the top
6. Once removed from the oven take off the top to avoid trapping moisture, believe me, this dish is already moist enough!
7. Serve warm or cold.  You may find the butter hardens if kept in the fridge, simply melt it out on low heat in a saucepan before eating.

Enjoy!

The human body is at least 60% water.  Water is the main component of all bodily fluids.  Water is involved is almost every bodily function.  Water hydrates, heals, and detoxifies.  There is no doubt about it; water is the most important substance for human health.

The average person doesn’t drink nearly enough water: 20% of people don’t drink any water at all and 42% of people only drink 2 glasses of water per day.  Combine that with the fact that many of us consume coffee, pop, alcohol, milk, and juice which dehydrate the body further; most people are walking around chronically dehydrated.  Dehydration is linked to many health problems; when there isn’t enough water to effectively move nutrients throughout the body and to clear toxins from the system things like diabetes, arthritis, asthma, depression, heartburn, headaches, just to name a few, are likely to develop.

So we know that water is necessary for basic human health, everyone has different needs as far as quantity is concerned, but a good rule of thumb is 1.5-2 litres daily.  Seems simple enough: drink the recommended amounts of water and be healthy!  Not so fast…..

Where are you getting your drinking water from?  Most of us drink tap water which is likely contaminated with bacteria and definitely contaminated with chlorine, disinfectant products, heavy metals, pesticides, plastics, and that’s only to name the most common.

When I started to learn about all of the things I was consuming along with my tap water I couldn’t possibly continue to drink it.  I was revolted.  I’d been using Brita filters for years, but wasn’t diligent in changing the filter and know that bacteria is often the result of such laziness.  Also, to get ideal results, water must be cold to avoid the release of contaminants….I only drink room temperature water.  The Brita was starting to feel like a second rate option.

I decided to have a reverse osmosis (RO) unit installed and I’ll never look back.  RO can remove much smaller particles than a carbon block filter, particles about 100 times smaller!  They rid the water of chlorine (in most cases), fluoride, bacteria, parasites, pesticides, solvents (if carbon filter is included), heavy metals, and minerals (which you can obtain through excellent diet and a quality supplement program).

Here’s what our looks like:

Unlimited clean drinking water, best investment ever!  The company we went with is Neptune Systems, a small company that’s been around for years.  416 488 7072 if you want to inquire about their products and prices.

Cheers, to a contaminant free drink of water!

I’ve lived in Toronto for almost 13 years and I’ve always loved the hot and humid summers but, honestly, isn’t this taking it a little too far???!!!  Perhaps because of all the extra blood volume in pregnancy this is feeling more intense than usual….but I’m not convinced; my hubby looks like a beached seal right now and he’s not pregnant!.  I guess an air conditioner would help…but I hate them….but it would feel so good……..

At least I have my new favorite smoothie that gives me some relief from the heat.  This concoction was inspired by a smoothie I once had at Fresh.  It tastes like a specialty milk shake and is kind to the digestive system at the same time.  Sometimes eating meals in this type of heat can be a drag, the best thing about smoothies in this weather is that they can be nutrient-dense and satisfying without feeling like you’ve got a ton of bricks in your gut.  Oh, and they only take minutes to prepare.

Try this one for size, especially if you’re a coffee lover:

Ban-Almond Mocha

• 1 frozen banana (I recommend peeling and pre-cutting your bananas before freezing them)
• 1 tbsp almond butter- the fat and protein from the almonds helps to keep blood sugar balanced)
• 1 cup organic or swiss water decaf coffee- prepare the night before and refrigerate so that it goes into the blender cold, the stronger the better!
• Enough unsweetened almond milk to just cover the bananas
• 1/2-1 tbsp maple syrup- you may want your smoothie sweeter but better to start with less then add more later
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cocao powder (ideally raw)

Optional additions: 1 tbsp ground flaxseeds, 1 scoop protein powder.

Add to the blender and enjoy for breakfast, dessert, or a snack!

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

When I was out west in Victoria last month I was surrounded by plenty of moms with nursing babies.  I went to my nephew’s music class, we hit the park a handful of times, we swam at the pool, and generally there are a lot of new families in Victoria.  The one thing that stood out to me was how many women were nursing openly and seemingly very comfortably.  The second thing I noticed was how many of the nursing babies were older than a year old.  Things just seemed so different in Toronto.

With few exceptions, most women I come into contact with in Toronto nurse covered up with a hooter hider of sorts, or they save nursing for the privacy of their home and bottle feed in public (whether it be formula or expressed milk), and they usually wean the baby off the breast around the 6 month mark.  So, when I came back from my time in Victoria, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of “I wish I was raising my child there”…less social pressure…I can admit it: I easily fall victim to peer pressure.

There are so many benefits to breastfeeding; I’d hate to think that a woman would cut the process short, be stressed during nursing, or stay at home to avoid the situation all together just because of the social pressures of living in a cosmopolitan economic hub.  I remember, during my last couple months of working at a restaurant catering to corporate clientele in the financial district of Toronto, a woman came in with an infant requesting a table for one.  She was taken to a seat near the mens washroom and created a huge fuss amongst the men in suits; her baby was hungry, naturally, she nursed him.  Obviously, I get it, it made some of the men who aren’t used to seeing breasts in that context uncomfortable, but on the other hand it really pissed me off; her baby needed to eat and she shouldn’t have to hide in a bathroom stall to feed him!

The emotional and physical benefits of breastfeeding our children are not in question, all of the research indicates that breast milk is the most ideal food for babies.  I can only hope that if I’m lucky enough to be physically able to breastfeed, I’ll also be strong enough to endure the sideways glances and nurse my baby in peace, wherever I am.

I want to hear from you!  What are your thoughts on the subject?  I encourage you to post your comments on the blog so that we can have an open chat about it!

Summer’s here and along with it comes glorious sunshine that gives us that healthy glow.  Most people love having a tan; it makes us look younger and healthier.

Now that I’ve crossed over into my 30’s and have a baby on the way I figure it’s time to start being more responsible with my skin care.  I’ll admit that I’ve spent more than my fair share of time in the sun “au natural” without much sun protection.

Diet, for me, is always the first place to start; a diet rich in antioxidants (berries and leafy greens) and a healthy supply of omega 3 fats (fish oil and flaxseed oil) protect the skin and allows it to work in synergy with the sun.  Covering up is another logical step; investing in a quality pair of sunglasses, busting out a  great sun hat (not for me because my head is too big and hats ruin my hair), sitting in the shade, and wearing loose long sleeved shirts are simple ways to protect yourself from the sun’s harsh rays.  Then come the sunscreens, and believe me, not all can be treated equally.

Many of us assume that to protect our skin we can simply lather on sunscreen with a high SPF and we’re good to go.  According to a recent article by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) many popular sunscreens just aren’t cutting it.  They rated only 8% of sunscreens as safe and effective!  Here are a couple of their primary concerns:

• Exaggerated SPFs are giving people a false sense of security.  Yes, they may prevent sunburn but provide little protection against harmful UVA radiation.  Consider any SPF over 50 a red flag.
• Many sunscreens use a form of Vitamin A (retinyl palmitate) that’s suspected to speed the growth of skin lesions and tumors…eeks!
• A hormone disrupting product called oxybenzone that penetrates the skin and enters the bloodstream has also been detected in most sunscreens.  To me, this is of special concern for children who have porous skin and are usually being lathered in sunscreen by protective parents.

To find out how your sunscreen rates and for a list of the EWG’s top rated sunscreens check out this section of their site: 2010 Sunscreen Guide

Worries about not getting enough vitamin D?  In order to achieve the daily recommended amounts of vitamin D we need 30 minutes of sun exposure daily-any more than 30 minutes does not provide added benefits.  This exposure should occur during the peak hours of the day between 11am and 2pm.  Now, some people work indoors and can’t get out during those hours and others don’t want to sit in the sun for worry of skin damage or heat intolerance.  If you’re one of those people continue supplementing with vitamin D throughout the summer months

Yours In Health,

Nutritious Meg

As the weather changes and refreshing beverages become a must, I decided to fashion a pregnancy drink that I can savour throughout the upcoming summer months.  It’s an iced tea/virgin mojito that’s perfect for a hot day with friends while they’re enjoying coronas.

It’s super easy to make, delicious (not only for the pregnant chicks), and contains helpful herbs for pregnancy.  First there’s Raspberry Leaf which has a long tradition of use in pregnancy to strengthen and tone the tissue of the uterus.  It is also known to  reduce morning sickness and assist in contractions during labour if taken throughout pregnancy.  The second herb I incorporated was Nettle which is known to reduce swelling commonly in the legs and ankles, improve elasticity of the veins reducing the incidence of varicose and spider veins, and to relieve hemorrhage of the uterus during labour.

Pre-Natal Iced Tea

• Traditional Medicinals Organic Raspberry Leaf Tea: 3 bags
• Traditional Medicinals Organic Nettle Tea: 3 bags
• 4 tbsps honey
• Juice from 3 organic lemons
• 1 sprig of mint

1. Boil water and fill a standard size tea pot, steep all 6 tea bags for 15-20 minutes.  Ensure tea pot is covered with the lid
2. After 10 minutes stir in honey and allow to steep for 5-10 more minutes
3. Fill a large jug with ice, pour tea over the ice, allow to cool
4. Add lemon juice and stir
5. When ready to serve, tear up a mint sprig over ice and add the tea.

If you really want to get the party started, add a splash of sparkling water!

I love trying recipes that have new ingredients in them, once I’ve tried the dish of choice I decide whether or not the new ingredient is a keeper.  This is how I’ve come to have some interesting new things in my pantry- umeboshi paste, all types of seaweed, Bragg’s seasoning, tamari, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, rice paper, cacao nibs, guar gum, etc…I don’t use these items on an everyday basis, but they’re great to have around for when needed in a recipe.

Tonight I wanted to try miso.  I’m almost embarassed to admit that it’s taken me this long to give it a go…better late than never!  Miso is produced when soy and a grain are combined with salt and mold culture.  This combination is left to ferment and become a paste.  Miso is rich in B vitamins, minerals, and protein.  It’s also very flavourful and contains live cultures that aid in digestion.

This recipe is rich and warming with a textured crunchy freshness.  Great meal for this all-over-the-place weather we’re experiencing.

Miso Walnut Soba Noodles

• 6 ounces soba noodles
• 1 small bunch aparagus, cut into quarters

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
• 1/4 extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium clove garlic
• 2 tbsp white miso paste
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup water, for desired consistency

Topping options (be creative):

• Chives, chopped
• Cucumber chunks
• Carrots
• Diced and lightly blanched chard
• Fennel slivers
• Toasted almonds

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, sea salt generously and cook the soba as per the package instructions.
2. About 15 seconds before you plan to drain the pasta add the asparagus to the pot.
3. Drain the pasta and asparagus and toss with about 1/2 the walnut miso dressing.  I’d recommend making the dressing before cooking the pasta.
4. To make the dressing, use a food processor, magic bullet, or hand blender to puree garlic, walnuts, olive oil, miso paste, honey, vinegar, and sea salt.  Add warm water a bit at a time until the dressing is the consistency of a heavy cream.
5. Add as much or as little dressing as you’d like and toss well.
6. Arrange pasta and asparagus in a shallow bowl and garnish generously with toppings.

For the meat eaters out there: this recipe may taste great with some grilled free range chicken.  Any leftover dressing should be kept for the next days salad or quinoa.

Go on, be bold in kitchen, try something new!  For me, miso is a keeper.

I love dill, it has such a fresh and intense flavour.  Not only does is taste great with capers and smoked salmon, it’s also got some wonderful medicinal properties.  Dill is a great remedy for intestinal gas and indigestion and it’s also known to stimulate milk flow in nursing mothers…I may need more dill in the months to come!

Leek & Potato Smoked Salmon Dill Soup

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 leek, chopped
• 2 potatoes, scrubbed, not peeled, and chopped
• 4 cups Pacifica low sodium chicken stock
• 3 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 2 tbsp organic chopped dill
• 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 150g wild caught smoked salmon, roughly chopped
• sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

1. Place oil and leek in saucepan over medium-high heat and cook for 5 minutes of until soft.
2. Add the potatoes and stock, bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cover for 8 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
3. Place mixture in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
4. Return the mixture to the saucepan and on low heat, add the almond milk, dill, and lemon.  Gently heat until warm…for almond milk integrity do not bring to a boil.
5. Stir through smoked salmon, salt & pepper, serve.  Serves 4

There’s a large part of me that feels like we’re getting it all wrong with this generation of kids, that we got it wrong with our generation, as well as the generation before us.  I’m not trying to be all doom and gloom; just being honest.  I feel like we can start getting it right by making informed choices for our kids.  In case your not sure what I’m referring to, I’m talking about how we manage our kids health.

Children don’t have the language or the maturity to decide how to be raised, they can’t influence their parents choices, so it’s our responsibility, as parents or parents-to-be to do our research before we decide what avenue to take when dealing with common childhood illnesses.  How we manage our children’s health will affect the strength of their systems for the rest of their lives.  It’s a big responsibility!

The great thing is that the most common childhood ailments aren’t serious, things like: colic, teething discomfort, fever, runny noses, tonsilitis, ear infections, growing pains, diarrhea, bladder infections, chicken pox, coughs, colds, etc… Kids aren’t difficult to treat naturally because their systems are less complicated that adult’s systems; there are fewer factors to consider.  The scary thing is that if you take your child to the doctor with any of the above mentioned concerns it’s likely that he’ll be prescribed medication.

Now, I’m not saying that when our kids are sick we should be passive, to just ignore it assume it’ll just go away; that’s when it may progress into something that requires medical intervention.  What I’m saying is that parents need to be well equipped so that they can get the situation under control before things progress.  Parents should be equipped with knowledge, excellent nutrition, and a natural first aid kit.  This requires research because you won’t get this information from your doctor.

The wonderful thing about conventional medicine: it’s there for us in cases of emergency.

The not-so-wonderful thing about conventional medicine: it treats every discomfort as if it’s an emergency.

Common childhood illnesses should be invited and encouraged, not suppressed with medication and antibiotics.  Illness is present to teach the child’s immune system how to function properly so that once they become adults and are exposed to more harmful bugs they’ll be strong enough to fight them off.  Remember, it all starts in childhood.  If a baby is given tylenol to reduce a fever, cortisone cream to treat a rash, anti-histamines to stop a runny nose, anti-biotics for their first ear infection, and anti-inflammatory drugs for minor pain their systems will never learn to fight these minor discomforts on their own.  They’ll have to rely on these interventions for life, which causes the types of health issues I see in adult clients on a very regular basis.

Did you know that instead of taking your child to the family doctor who has pharmaceutical reps knocking on their door, you can bring them to a naturopathic doctor instead?  Nutritionists are available to coach you through the ideal way to introduce food to babies so that their digestive function develops optimally.  Homeopathic medicine is a very gentle yet effective way to treat common childhood ailments.

The goal: to brighten the future for generations to come.

Eating healthy is cheap, but you have to be willing to put the work in.

When I first started studying nutrition I worked at a restaurant that served dijon mustard regularly, whenever a clip jar of dijon was empty I’d have it run through the dishwasher and bring it home.  This started my collection of glass jars.  Then I got really into nut butters and whenever I finished a jar I’d save it too, now I have quite the collection.  I’m not patient enough to scrape all my labels off, I figure after it’s been washed a handful of times this will just happen.  I use these jars as storage containers for all of my staples (brown rice, quinoa, lentils, chia seeds, gluten-free flours, nuts, seeds, cacao nibs, etc…).  When I go grocery shopping I know that I have the staples at all times and I simply have to buy produce and animal protein, mostly for my meat-eating husband, to put together a complete meal.

Making healthy nutritional changes is a major transition, not only emotionally and physically, but financially as well.  One of the biggest complaints I hear from clients and friends is that eating healthy is too expensive.  Yes, shopping at Sobey’s will cost a fraction of the price compared to the bill at Whole Foods if you buy the exact same items, but buying the exact same items is not the strategy, your eating is changing therefore your tactics in the grocery store must change as well.

When you look into the fridge and pantry of someone who eats well it may look as though there’s nothing to eat.  Reason being: it’s not prepared yet.  All of the basic whole foods are present (and very cheap) they just haven’t been put together to make a meal.

Last night while prepping to make dinner I had a can of beans, a sweet potato, a bag of seaweed, and an onion sitting on the counter.  That’s pretty much all I needed to make a dinner.  The total cost was about $5.00.  So eating healthy is less of a financial burden and more a time commitment.

I slightly changed up this recipe from my cooking classes with Eva Cabaca from Live Nutrition School.  They’re a great alternative to the pre-packaged veggie burgers that are pricey and laden with random fillers.

Adzuki Bean Patties

• 1 can organic adzuki beans
• 1/2 cup wild rice
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 inch kombu (seaweed)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp freshly ground cumin
• 2 tsp freshly ground coriander
• 1 tsp freshly ground mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp ground oregano
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 gloves mashed garlic
• sea salt to taste

1. Rinse rice in a sieve then bring to a boil with 1 cup of water.  Add the beans and the kombu and bring to a boil again.  Once boiling reduce heat and cover.
2. While the rice and beans are cooking wash and dice sweet potato (don’t peel), cut into chunks and add on top of rice and beans after about 10 minutes of simmering.
3. Preheat oven to 350
4. Chop the onion, warm the oils in a large skillet and add cumin, coriander, oregano, garlic, and the onion.  Sautee until the onions are tender, set aside and wait for rice and beans to be done.  You’ll know they’re done when the sweet potatoes are soft and the water is almost gone.
5. Once the rice and beans are done add the onion and spice mixture and mash together with mustard, pepper, and sea salt.  To adjust consistency sprinkle flour over the mixture to thicken.
6. Form into patties and place on parchment paper.  Cook for 25-35 minutes.  May need to be cooked longer depending on consistency.

These are great for young children as they’re flavourful and have a lovely consistency.  I served mine with hummus and a salad, but feel free to make a burger if you’re in the mood.