We would like to take this opportunity to introduce Lesley Raubvogel to our practice. Lesley is a certified psychotherapist who graduated from York University and the Transformational Arts College.

Lesley is a caring, client-centered and interactive therapist who works with individuals and couples. Her priority is to create an atmosphere of safety and compassion where her clients can work through any challenges they may be facing. Using a variety of techniques, Lesley helps clients work through issues such as, fear, anxiety, grief, parenting, addictions, abuse, relationships, self-esteem and stress management. Lesley empowers her clients to discover their own inner wisdom and strengths. She helps clients to become more self-aware and gives them tools and any coping skills they may need. Lesley’s goal is to help her clients to make better choices, to reach their goals and to live more fulfilling lives.

Lesley is available at the clinic on Fridays and is happy to provide a free initial consultation to all new clients by appointment. To schedule a consultation or for more information, please call the office at 905.881.8733.

I wanted to write about Gluten because “Gluten Free” seems to be the latest of the “food fads”. What is Gluten and why go gluten free?

Gluten is a protein primarily found in wheat (including kamut and spelt), barley, rye, malts and triticale. It is used as a food additive in the form of a flavoring, stabilizing or thickening agent, often as “dextrin”.. People with Celiac disease lack the enzyme to digest gluten making it extremely toxic for them to eat it. Many ordinary people have trouble digesting this protein, or, because to the abundance in our diets, have developed a sensitivity, almost an allergy to it.
If you suffer from a lot of stomach problems, inflammation or even hormonal or skin problems, Gluten sensitivity may be a causative or contributing factor. One way to determine if Gluten is affecting your health is to eliminate Gluten from your diet for 14 to 30 days and then slowly add it back. Yes, I know, easier said than done!! Gluten is so abundant in so much of the foods we eat, eliminating it is not so easy, however, there are many “gluten free” products available now that make it easier. What many people don’t realize, is that you don’t have to go shopping in an expensive organic store to eat Gluten Free. Also important to keep in mind is that labeling a product “gluten free” does not automatically mean that the product is healthy for you or ok to eat.

Gluten is primarily found in wheat. So things like bread, cake, cookies, many cereals are loaded with gluten. Gluten is naturally not present in starchy foods like oatmeal, rice, quinoa, corn, potatoes Several grains and starch sources are considered acceptable for a gluten-free diet. The most frequently used are corn, potatoes, rice, and tapioca (derived from cassava). Other grains and starch sources generally considered suitable for gluten-free diets include amaranth, arrowroot, millet, montina, lupin, quinoa, sorghum (jowar), taro, teff, chia seed, and yam. Various types of bean, soybean, and nut flours are sometimes used in gluten-free products to add protein and dietary fiber. Almond flour is a low-carbohydrate alternative to flour, with a low glycemic index. In spite of its name, buckwheat is not related to wheat; pure buckwheat is considered acceptable for a gluten-free diet, although many commercial buckwheat products are actually mixtures of wheat and buckwheat flours, and thus not acceptable. Gram flour, derived from chickpeas, is also gluten-free (this is not the same as Graham flour made from wheat).

Gluten is also not present in meats (beef, pork, poultry, fish etc), dairy products, nuts, fruits and vegetables. On the treat side, pure chocolate, corn chips, popcorn is also gluten free. So as you can see, there is lots to eat on a Gluten free diet with just a little planning and not too much effort. Just pass on the bread, muffins and cake and you’re off to a great start.

How’s your health?

I recently gave a goal-setting workshop which was a bit of a change from the usual diet and exercise ones –the focus was on motivation. How do you feel about yourself? Are you in the best health of your life, or are you tired, sore and overweight. Do you need to take medication to manage your cholesterol or blood pressure? Most people are complacent and really take their health for granted until it’s too late.

Taking care of your health is the most important thing you can do. Yes work is important, we need money to survive. Taking care of your family is important too. But if you don’t have your health – well you really have nothing and you certainly will place a burden on your family.

There are a few basic things you need to do that will make a HUGE difference. The first thing is exercise. I know what you’re thinking: “blah, blah, blah – I’ve heard this before, I’m too busy, I hate exercise, I’m tired, I work too hard, I don’t have time, I can’t afford a gym membership……”

Well – I say, “STOP” – those are just excuses! How much time do you spend watching TV, reading e-mails, on facebook? Find 30 minutes 4 times a week and you will taking the first step to changing your life! What can you do? Just walk – too cold? Put on some music and dance; walk up and down the stairs in your house or office for 20 minutes; get an exercise video, put it in your laptop and press play; skip; do jumping jacks; have the kids join you and make it into a game; join Curves; look at your local community programs; go for a swim!!! MOVE YOUR BODY! Just 30 minutes 4 times a week. I know you can do it!!

I look forward to your comments

Next week – more health tips to change your life for 2012!

Happy New Year. Hard to imagine that we are so far into January – especially because the weather has been so mild. Now that you’ve settled back into your routines, it’s a great time to plan for this year and your life. Most people just go through the motions of daily life. They have so much on their plate that time just passes by. One day, they wake up and realize 5 or 10 years have passed and they never got to live the life they had hoped for.

Setting New Year’s resolutions or “goals” shouldn’t just be about losing weight – they should be about how you want to live. Do you want to get fitter and healthier? Do you want to travel somewhere? Is there something you’ve been dreaming about having– a relationship, a car, a renovation? Write down what you want and then make a plan. Decide when you want it to happen by. Look at it every day. Take some time each day to bring yourself closer to the goal via your plan. Make it a priority. Visualize yourself as the person you want to be, doing the things you want to do and having the things you want to have.

You get to be, do and have whatever you want – but you have to start with a dream and then a plan. This week, take the time for yourself and start planning your journey. Make this the year for you!

Please feel free to share your thoughts and goals.

This is an amazing video sent to me by a friend showing the best medicine in the world for everything. Enjoy…

23 and 1/2 hours: What is the single best thing we can do for our health?

I love December because it’s holiday time and we can feel the excitement building. The problem with this month is that we are soooo busy. There are parties to attend and lots of gift shopping, vacation planning and then the regular “life” stuff like work and home responsibilities. It can feel over whelming.  With all the parties and treats around we can let our healthy lifestyle practices slip. It’s easy to make excuses to let yourself go, but at what price?

Skipping your exercise, eating  treats, and having extra stress is going to take it’s toll on your body. It’s not just about the extra pounds but about how you feel. Too much sugar, lack of exercise and too much stress have all been proven to decrease the function of your immune system. It’s no wonder so many people end up with colds and flu over the holidays. Here are some ideas that may help you stay healthy for the holidays:

1. Get your chiropractic adjustments: It only takes a few minutes to get adjusted, but adjustments have been shown to help your body deal with stress better and boost your immune system.  Children who have regular Chiropractic adjustments have fewer colds, ear infections and flu. “People who receive regular chiropractic adjustments have immune system competency that is 200% greater than those who don’t.” (Dr. Ron Pero. New York Preventative Medicine Institute and Environmental Health at NYU)
2. Stay active: Even if you’re feeling tired and pressed for time, do something! Go for a walk, get to the gym even if it’s only for 20 minutes, dance! You’ll feel better just for moving your body.

3. Watch the treats! It’s hard to avoid all the sugary treats that are around. Sometimes trying to avoid them all together just leads to binge eating: “I had one so I may as well eat the rest”  Make a decision that it is ok to have a little, but you won’t go overboard. Don’t keep treats out where you are likely to grab something every time you go by. Decide that you can only eat a 1 small treat for desert, after you’ve eaten healthy food.

4. Party healthy.  Put out things like veggie and humus platters, sushi, roasted nuts, and grilled chicken skewers. For sweet treats – fruit dipped in dark chocolate, fruit with yogourt dips, low fat whole wheat biscotti provide lots of healthy options to choose from. Try to limit or avoid fried foods, pastry wrapped hors d’oeuvres and store bought baked goods which are loaded with sugar and high in fat, including trans fats. If you are invited to a party, offer to bring something and make it healthy so you are sure there is something there for you to eat.

5. Discover on-line shopping. Sometimes a few hours in front of the computer can save you hours of fighting the crowds and germs in the mall – not to mention that the deals are often sweeter too!

6. Drink LOTS of water.  Keep a reusable water bottle handy and sip through the day. Water keeps you hydrated, especially important now that the heat is on and the air is so dry.

7. Take your Vitamins.  Vitamin D, especially, has been shown to boost your immune system.  Our bodies produce Vitamin D when we are in the sun.  With sunlight so scarce, this is probably the most important vitamin to take.  Take 1000 – 4000 IU  of D3. A good multi, antioxidant, omega-3′s (fish oil) and probiotic are also essential to good health.

7. Focus on Gratitude. I recently wrote an article on gratitude. This is a time of the year when stress is high. Money may be tight or you may be dealing with family relationship stresses. Instead of letting all these things wind you up, focus on all the great things you have in your life.

It has been said that if exercise were a drug it would be a miracle pill. There are so many health benefits to exercise that ensuring you include regular exercise in your life is a real must! In reality, in my practice I see far too many sedentary individuals. I hear all the reasons: “I don’t’ have enough time”, “I don’t’ like it”, “I have an injury”, etc

While they all seem like viable excuses, that’s what they are – excuses. Most people treat their health like family and money – they take it for granted until it’s gone! Don’t wait for new years to get moving. In this week’s blog I’m going to give you some easy strategies to get you moving that will help burn calories, and burn off holiday stress.

Walking – if you are not doing any kind of exercise, this is a great place to start. It’s cheap and convenient. All you need are a warm comfortable pair of shoes or boots and a jacket! To make it more fun, listen to music or find a friend to walk with. Commit to walking 20-30 minutes at least 4 days a week. Even go out at lunch and enjoy some sunshine on the mild days. You’ll be amazed at how much more productive you are in the afternoon.

Cardio – to really benefit from exercise and burn major calories you need to work up a sweat and get your heart rate up. Jogging or running is great, but if you’re like me, this may not be your thing. Treadmills and cross trainers are a great solution, but gym memberships and machines may not be in your budget. Thanks to Tony Horton and P90X, I’ve recently rediscovered the benefits of using DVDs at home. The best thing about a laptop, is I can set up anywhere in my house and don’t have to work out in full view in the living room. P90X is quite an advanced program, but I have tried other workouts as well. “The Biggest Loser” has some fantastic workouts that will accommodate beginners and the more advanced. Check out beachbody.com for other programs they offer as well.

Ice skating – the city offers free public skating at most of the arenas. Lace up with the kids and enjoy some fun, active family time.

Strength Training – As important as cardio is, it is important to build up your muscles with resistance training. Research has shown that as we age, we lose muscle mass slowing down our metabolism. However, researchers also discovered that with resistance training, you could rebuild your muscles regardless of age. You can create resistance using weights or tubing. You can also just work against your own body weight doing exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, wall squats and lunges.

The challenge with this type of exercise is knowing which exercises to do and how to do them properly to avoid injury. I highly recommend hiring a good personal trainer if you are a beginner. For women just starting, I also really like the “Curves” program. Curves allow women to participate in a 30-minute program on equipment customized for them.

Again, for the more experienced, there are a lot of home exercise DVD programs that guide you along. I have been using P90X for over a year now and still find it challenging and effective.

Yoga – Yoga is a great full body exercise. You don’t have to be Gumby to participate either. I do recommend that beginners find a class or studio where an instructor can observe you to ensure you are using good form, or injuries can occur. If you are familiar with Yoga, there is a great site called Yoga Today that offer free weekly yoga classes on line and tons of class options for a small fee catering to both beginners and the more advanced.

Pilates – Like Yoga, Pilates is excellent for full body fitness. Pilates is great for building your core – muscles that hold you together. These muscles are important for every activity we do in life. Like yoga, I recommend starting in a class setting. Look for Stott Pilates DVDs as well as “living Arts” who offer classes at different levels.

No matter what fitness stage you are at, it is essential you start making (not just finding) the time to include activity in your life. Keep trying until you find something that works for you. Your body (and mind) will thank you for it – today and in the years to come!

Right now we are experiencing a health care crisis in North America. More and more people are suffering and dying from chronic disease. The majority of these diseases, cancer, heart disease and diabetes, are related to lifestyle. Most people eat poorly, don’t exercise, and have too much stress in their lives.

I’ve been writing blogs for the last few months to give inspiration and information on how to change this. While I have gotten positive feed back, I think the biggest challenge we face is breaking our bad habits and developing better ones.

Our lives are busy and stressful. At the same time there are a lot of distractions that waste our time. Eating well and exercising regularly is not so easy. It takes DISCIPLINE. Discipline is not fun. It’s not easy. Easy is grabbing fast food instead of cooking. Easy is watching TV or surfing the internet instead of exercising. But in the long run – it takes “discipline over regret”.

Nobody is perfect, but every time we give in to the easy road over doing something that is important to our health we take one step closer to illness. This week set a goal – a realistic goal. Maybe to exercise 3 times, eat breakfast everyday, or stop drinking diet pop. Write it down. Then every time you hear that little voice in your head saying “not now” or “I’ll start tomorrow” – think, “Discipline over regret.” Nothing worthwhile comes easy. Do the right thing for yourself today! You’ll never regret it.

Most people think that carbs make them fat – leading to a low carb and no carb diets.  So do they?  The answer is “yes” and “no”. Understanding carbs will help you eat better and control your weight.

There are three major food groups: Carbohydrates, protein and fat. Carbohydrates are foods that have “sugar” molecules in some form that provide energy for our bodies.  Depending on how those molecules are packaged determines how the carb will affect your body.

Too much sugar, too fast and your body overcompensates. You end up with a crash causing you to crave more sugary carbs – leading to overeating. The excess sugar is converted to fat and cholesterol promoting weight gain, and preventing weight loss. Over time this continual overload also leads to Type II diabetes.  Some carbs will affect your sugar more than others, so understanding which ones are okay and which ones to avoid is the key.

Carbohydrates are found in grain products, legumes, fruit, vegetables and of course sugary treats.  When the carbohydrates are in food in their natural state , they come with other elements like fiber, protein or fat that slow down the absorption of the sugar. Slowing down the absorption of the sugar leads to a slow, steady production of energy and does not promote fat storage and insulin burn out the way a sugar rush does. Other nutrients in these foods also make them beneficial for your body. Healthy carbs are found in fruits, vegetables, legumes, beans and whole grain foods.

On the other hand, when the carbs are concentrated by processing and refining them  you end up with a problem.  These “bad carbs” are found in foods like sugary treats, white bread, cake, cookies, candies, fruit juice, jams, dried fruit, honey etc.  The sugar is concentrated and/or these foods are missing components that  help slow down the absorption.  These foods lead to sugar overload.

So do carbs make you fat?  Depending on how you eat them.  Eat your carbs in the most natural state.  Limit grain servings to a maximum of about 3 per day.  Avoid “bad carbs” as much as possible.   Add some fat, protein and/or high fiber foods when eating carbs to slow down the absorption of the sugar.  And lastly, watch your portion sizes.  A carb serving – even a good one – is the size of your palm, not the size of your plate.

Here are some meal ideas that will help to stabilize your sugar for tons of energy and  weight loss.

Breakfast – add an egg or nut butter to your toast or whole grain cereal.

Snacks – humus with vegetables, almonds and an apple, plain yogourt with some fresh or frozen fruit. Avoid chips, cookies, chocolate bars.

Lunches – open face, whole grain sandwiches (eat only 1 piece of the bread) with turkey or tuna.  Soups, chili, leftovers.  Salads with some chicken.  Avoid french fries, white bread.

Dinner: baked fish, chicken, or turkey with a vegetable and salad.  Limit the white pasta and white rice.

Desert ideas: Plain yogourt with fruit, fresh fruit with a little whipped cream (no sugar added).

At first it may be hard to limit or give up your sugar and white bread.  The less you eat, the less you will want and the sweeter it will taste.  Make it your goal to write down what you eat this week to see how much you are eating and then reduce it.  We are here to help with our 4 Keys to Optimal Health program.  Please post comments or questions and I will reply.

Happy Halloween!! 

This week I’m going to talk about how the trick is hidden in the treat.  Did you know that sugar is probably one of the most harmful and toxic foods you can eat? I hate to be a party pooper, but once inside you and your kids, sugar plays all kinds of nasty tricks on your body.

Nancy Appleton, PhD, clinical nutritionist, has compiled a list of 146 reasons on ‘how sugar is ruining your health’ in her book Lick the Sugar Habit. Here are some of them:

* Sugar can suppress your immune system

* Sugar can decrease growth hormone (the key to staying youthful and lean)

* Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children

* Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases)

* Sugar feeds cancer

* Sugar increases cholesterol

* Sugar can weaken eyesight

* Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein

* Sugar causes food allergies

* Sugar contributes to diabetes

* Sugar can contribute to eczema in children

* Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease

* Sugar can impair the structure of DNA

* Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections)

* Sugar contributes to osteoporosis

To read more click here.

Food labels list sugar in grams. A gram of sugar is hard to picture, so divide the number of grams by 4. Four grams of sugar equals a teaspoon. In 2009, the American Heart Association advised adults to eat no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugars a day for women and 9 teaspoons for men (recommendations are based on average weight for women and men). While this still seems like a lot of sugar to me, these numbers may be helpful.

The challenge is that sugar really does taste great and can be extremely addictive.  While it is unrealistic and pure evil to expect you and your family to completely avoid all treats this time of year, moderation and balance are important.

Be aware of how much sugar is in the treats your family eats.  Don’t be afraid to throw some candies out.  Limit how much you and your family are eating. Incorporate healthy foods into their daily diets like fruits, vegetables, healthy fats and proteins to provide balance.  Eating protein and fiber and foods with healthy fats like nuts and seeds before downing the treats will also help slow the absorption of the sugar. Get outside when you can on sunny days and take a vitamin D3 supplement to boost immunity.  Developing healthy eating habits for yourself and your family is essential for a long healthy life.

Have a safe, happy and healthy Halloween!