I’ve Had The Time of My Life in a Bathing Suit

by Ilona Napravnik

Last month, an amazing opportunity fell into my lap.  I was offered an all expenses-paid 11 night Caribbean cruise for the beginning of February and it goes without saying I leapt on the opportunity thinking life was grand.  

Then reality set in when I went swimsuit shopping.  A little background, I completed a detoxification program in the fall (the program is very strict nutritionally and involves a lot of control) and as a reward I spent my holidays on a see-food diet, if I saw something remotely edible and it wasn’t nailed down, it was mine.  So my work was cut out for me in January.  Before I went into full blown panic mode I reasoned, I had a month, a treadmill and a nutrition degree, three months of excess didn’t stand a chance.

As a nutritionist the first attack was to my diet.  I eliminated all allergens; wheat, dairy, soy, citrus and corn from my diet.  If anyone is following my recommendation, along with this remove all known “bad” foods: sugar, alcohol and caffeine.  This ensures any weight gain attributed to food sensitivities, bloating and distension, would be removed.

Then I got on the treadmill every day after work, even if it was only for 15 minutes or half an hour.  Exercising for a short time every day is more advantageous than exercising excessively once a week.  And also, it takes three weeks to create a habit, so taking a night off in that three week period will make it a much harder habit to return to.  It is far too easy to let an exercise program go by the wayside unless you are diligent and stick to it.  The instant energy boost was also great for all the shopping I had to do in the lead up to going away.  

And lastly and most importantly were exercises to strengthen the core muscles.  I have been doing yoga a couple of times a week for many years and find this very helpful.  Pilates is also another core strengthener without much effort.  And most simply is the act of pulling in your stomach muscles which helps to train them to be flat.  And during my month of hardship, a friend mentioned her favourite stomach exercise which is the “plank”.  This exercise basically involves raising your body on your toes and forearms and to hold this position for a minimum of a minute.  Your body takes on the appearance of a wooden plank and hence the name.  This might sound easy but I dare you to get down on the floor right now and try it, my first attempt ended in 45 seconds.  I realized it’s also a great way to make time seemingly stop.  

That was all that was needed for one month to give myself the svelte body I had prior to the Christmas cheer.*  Bottom line, I looked great on the cruise, up until the first four course dinner but that’s another story without the happy ending.  And I had a great time.

*Results will vary depending on your level of intensity and your starting weight*  

Creamy Asian Tahini Noodles… Nom Nom Nom!

by Hayley Shwaizer, CNP

The ultimate vegan comfort food! I’ve made this dish for a few dinner guests now and I’ve gotten rave reviews. There are a few steps to this recipe, but they’re well worth it. You can buy soba noodles and dried seaweeds in the health food sections of a quality supermarket, online or at your local health food store. Tahini or sesame paste can also be found at the aforementioned shops or at specialty Middle Eastern shops.

 

1                      250g packet of brown rice soba noodles (king soba is my favourite brand), cooked as per package instructions

2 cloves                       garlic, diced

1”                     piece of ginger, grated or finely diced

½ tsp               dried red chili flakes

½ cup              tahini (sesame paste)

¼ cup              tamari/soy sauce

1  cup              dried arame sea vegetable

¼ cup              pine nuts, toasted (approx. 5-10 minutes – medium-low heat on the stovetop)

Vegetables      Whatever you have on hand that you might add to a stir fry such as: onion, celery, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, bell peppers, mushrooms, green beans, bean sprouts, dark leafy greens like kale, spinach, bok choy, or all of the above!

1. Wash and chop up your vegetables, soak the arame in filtered cold water, drain after 5-10 minutes, and set aside (note – you can use the discarded seaweed water to cook with for added nutrients!)
2. Bring a pot of filtered water to a boil and cook you noodles as per package instructions, rinse noodles in cold water, drain and set aside
3. In a separate pot add a little water (instead of any cooking oils) to your garlic, ginger, onion, carrots and dried red chili flakes and put on a medium heat for 5 minutes (note – if you want to use a cooking oil I suggest coconut oil)
4. Give it a stir, then add your other vegetables EXCEPT for the leafy greens, cook for 5-8 minutes
5. Turn off the heat, then add a touch more water, the tamari/soy sauce, tahini, leafy greens, pine nuts, and noodles, stir it up and cover for 5 minutes then serve!

Additional touches

For even more protein, add hemp hearts at the end (they should not be cooked). You could also add some toasted sesame oil, hot sauce, kelp/dulse flakes, sea salt and/or pepper at the table for additional flavours.

An Intro to Eating Sea Vegetables: My Top 5, How to, and Why!

by Hayley Shwaizer, CNP

Eating seaweeds might sound a bit unpleasant to those new to the idea, but as Healthy Hotties we know what the Japanese have known for centuries - sea vegetables are alkalinizing superfoods, packed with 10-20 times more nutrients than land plants (though technically they are not plants nor animals, but algae). The wide varieties of minerals are from the mineral-packed ocean waters they grow in, which simply cannot be found among most other foods.

Sea vegetables have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer (especially colon and breast cancer), anti-coagulant, anti-thrombotic, and anti-viral properties. While they have a considerate amount of other benefits, seaweeds are mostly known for their high concentrations of iodine and vitamin K, needed for optimal thyroid function and to protect our bones, prevent calcification of the arteries and to make sure our blood clots normally.

Let me introduce you to my top 5 sea vegetables so you can start adding them to your diet right away without feeling the need to turn your nose up to the idea:

Arame Strings 

• Thin noodle-like dark strings of goodness that give an attractive blackish shine to any meal
• A good seaweed to start with because it is mild in flavour
• You can add it to pretty much anything like salads, sautéed vegetables, brown rice and stir fries.
• Try it tossed with Chinese cabbage, soy sauce, ginger, lemon juice and flax oil for a lovely Asian variation of coleslaw
• Soak for 5 minutes in filtered water, drain and use (careful, it expands to about 3 times the size!)

Kelp or Dulse Flakes

• Very flavourful, light brown to dark green in colour, usually found in a flake or powdered form
• I use some in lieu of sea salt when cooking several dishes. You can also keep a container of kelp flakes on the table, mixed with garlic powder and pepper to add extra nutrition and seasoning to your meals

Kombu Strips

• Very dark in colour and usually sold in strips
• Used to flavour soup stocks, but also recommended to add to the pot when cooking beans because they contain glutamic acid which softens the beans making them easier to digest and prevent flatulence
• Soak for 10 minutes in filtered water until soft, chop it up and add a 2” piece to your soups, stews and bean dishes. Be sure to cook kombu for at least 20 minutes

Nori Sheets

• Dark purple-black coloured sheets that turn deep green when toasted
• If you’ve ever had maki rolls at a Japanese restaurant then you’ve already eaten nori!
• Vegetarian nori rolls are fun to make and are a delicious healthy addition to your lunch box. All you need are nori sheets, short grain brown rice, thinly sliced raw veggies to fill them with such as celery, spring onions, carrots, cucumbers, or avocado... then roll away! You may also want some tamari or soy sauce for dipping

Spirulina and Chlorella Powders

• Blue-Green micro algae powders with high levels of chlorophyll
• The mother of all superfoods, in my opinion, these powders are packed with nutrients and their proteins bind to heavy metals and pesticides to help with detoxification. They also boost immunity and energy levels
• Add half a teaspoon of the powder to an 8oz glass of water or add it to your smoothies or favourite fresh juices such as apple or carrot juice to mask their taste
• You can also purchase them in supplement form. Just be sure that the spirulina is organic and the chlorella has broken cell walls for the best quality and highest absorption rates

 

Special Cooking Tips:

The water seaweeds are soaked in becomes very nutritious and flavourful and can be used in the recipe you are making. To gain maximum flavour and nutrition, try to use the same amount of water to soak your sea vegetables as is needed for your recipe.

DO NOT OVERSOAK – The longer you soak them the more important nutrients are drawn into the water and out of the vegetables. Water also clogs sea vegetables rendering them less able to absorb the flavours of the seasonings used in your recipes.

Health Concern

Although highly nutritious by absorbing so many minerals from the ocean, seaweeds may also absorb unwanted heavy metals. Of most concern are the high arsenic levels found in some seaweeds, especially one I didn’t discuss above called hijiki. Hijiki is like arame, but stronger in flavour and higher in nutrients. It is difficult to find due to the arsenic contamination which is very dangerous to consume. If you would like to try some, be sure to get a certified organic brand such as Maine Coast Sea Vegetables Inc.

The five different types of sea vegetables mentioned above are sure to get you moving in the right direction, so try to incorporate some of these wonderful mineral-dense gifts of the sea into your diet and let me know how it goes! (You can start by checking this recipe).

Love your Liver Smoothie

This smoothie is super rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals as well as having many immune boosting properties. Studies show that beets protect liver cells from harmful chemicals while dandelion greens are known to improve liver function by enhancing the flow of bile. Say ‘I love you Liver’ by drinking one of these nourishing tonics every morning!

Ingredients

1 small beet (juiced)

3 to 4 beet green leaves

3 to 4 dandelion leaves

½ lemon

2 apples

1 inch fresh ginger

1 cup water

Process all ingredients through your juicer. Otherwise, if you have a powerful motor, blend all together in your blender until smooth. Should be drunk first thing in the morning after consuming an 8oz glass of pure water with lemon.

Recipe adapted from The Green Smoothie Queen http://www.greensmoothiequeen.com/en/blog/archives/622

Photo courtesy of http://www.essentiallyhealthyfood.com/essentially_healthy_food/drinks/page/2/

Love Your Liver

by Kimberly Davidson CNP

If asked what the most important organ of the human body is, usually the brain or heart are first to come to mind. No doubt we could not survive without either of these, however today I nominate the liver as the most important organ of the body.

The liver is responsible for over five hundred different functions in the body. Yes, I said hundred.  The liver is the body’s major metabolic organ and plays a vital role in digestion. In digestion, the liver synthesizes bile which is the primary product required for digesting fats. Bile output, which is stimulated by the hormone secretin, is necessary for the absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K). During absorption, nutrients travel in the blood first to the liver via the hepatic portal vein, so that the liver can have “first pick” of the nutrients. Being that it is the liver that processes the many vital substances responsible for the body’s overall health and well-being, amino acids, fatty acids and glucose are removed and stored or processed in various ways. Just from amino acids, the liver can synthesize lipoproteins, cholesterol, enzymes, blood proteins such as albumin (the most abundant protein in the blood) and clotting factors such as prothrombin and fibrinogen. Gluconeogenesis is an example of an important bodily function occurring in the liver. Because the brain and red blood cell production are dependent on steady levels of glucose, stores must be maintained. Also, the liver will synthesize glucose when notified that glycogen stores are low. In the absence of insulin, fructose, which is hydrolyzed from sucrose, is able to enter muscle cells and adipocytes. Fructose is metabolized primarily in the liver.

Although the largest, this modest organ is often overlooked, probably much due to its association with being called ‘the filtration plant of the body’. None of us really want to know what goes on at a filtration plant, however we all recognize that we cannot live without one. The liver is similar to this. As mentioned above, the liver is responsible for so many vital functions that determine our survival, however it is the detoxification process that is most impressive. Everything that enters the body must pass through the liver via the hepatic portal vein. It is the liver cells that remove all nutrients from the blood, as well as any bacteria, microbes or pathogens that have entered the blood stream. If you stop to think about how many toxins we are exposed to everyday, we then realize the importance of our liver. From the food we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink and the products we use daily, it is no wonder why our liver is probably the most over worked organ in our body. The reason why the human body can withstand such dangerous exposure is due to the liver’s evolved neutralizing abilities. Within the bile that it secretes, the liver contains enzymes that chemically modify the toxins and then properly dispose of them. If the liver is at all compromised, the detoxification process therefore is also compromised. Many studies have shown strong connections between a malfunctioning liver and cancer. It is well known that environmental pollutants (cigarette smoke, herbicides, pesticides, car fumes etc.) are precursors to cancer as well as other illnesses. A body that is unable to protect itself against exposure to these toxins is therefore at greater risk for these diseases.

Fortunately, for those with compromised livers, proper dietary measures, special supplements and herbs along with bi-annual detoxing, the liver can repair itself. Because of the many vital roles that the liver does, nature has provided a surplus of liver tissue. If ever the liver experiences damage or must undergo surgery to have part of it removed, this miraculous organ is actually capable of regenerated itself to where it can function again at 100%!!! This is not to say we can do what we please and not worry about the consequences; quite the opposite. Now knowing the importance of our liver and all it does to protect us from illness, the answer seems pretty obvious. Love your liver and it will love you!!! 
 

Click here for my "Love Your Liver" smoothie recipe. 

*Please stay tuned for Part II – How to Properly Detox , which will be featured in April’s Healthy Hotties blog.

References:

Michael Murray, N.D and Joseph Pizzorno, N.D, Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, 2^nd Edition, Three Rivers Press, 1998

Elson M. Haas, M.D, Staying Healthy with Nutrition, 21^st Century Edition, Celestial Arts, 2006

How Foods Can Keep you Warm this LONG Winter…

by Lisa Batson, CNP

It’s March, snow is STILL falling, and we’re all just sick to death of winter.  But as much as we are dreaming about those summer months, we still have to eat like its winter. What does this mean? Well, most of us don’t take much time to think about how our food choices play a role in keeping us comfy, cozy, warm and happy when the Canadian weather feels like a little more than we can handle.

Eating for the seasons, (aka: following the idea of warming vs. cooling food), is a widely acknowledged practice that can really help us sail smoothly through those winter blues. The idea is that our bodies will function more efficiently when food is consumed that supports our body’s natural state. In summer, when the weather is hot, our bodies want light & fresh seasonal foods that help the body stay cool and that we can digest easily while providing lots of necessary fluids, vitamins and minerals. Conversely, in the colder months, it’s best to make choices that naturally promote feelings of warmth and contentment in the body. So, how can you make these better choices this winter season? Here are some guidelines:

Firstly, you should look to the more warming, autumn harvest or root vegetables, including carrot, sweet potato, winter squash, turnip, beet, onions and garlic. Some other yummy and nutritious foods that support warmth include beans & lentils, nuts, tempeh, coconut and any pretty much all cooked or stewed vegetables. Whole grains like barley, oats and brown rice are warming, and also contain lots of important nutrients to support mental health and happiness, adding another level of fighting power against those winter blues. Make sure to also use more warming spices like ginger, curry, cayenne, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric and mustard seeds. To keep your body warm and your circulation flowing in the colder winter months, the ideal diet for comfort & joy should consist of predominantly warming foods and spices.

The best ways to make sure you’re getting your fill of warming goodies is to eat lots of cooked plant-based whole foods. Personally, I can’t get enough of stews and soups this time of year. They are so easy and so practical to those of us who don’t have tons of time during the week to cook – which these days is pretty much everybody. They are super-low maintenance, highly nutritious, and wonderful to prepare in advance – so they can be a quick lunch or reheated dinner within minutes. 

My very favourite thing to eat this time of year is roasted root vegetables! They are so sweet and hearty and delicious, and go amazingly with any meal. Try the very simple roasted root vegetable recipe below and let me know if you love these kickass veggies as much as I do. Sooo good!

Autumn Roasted Root Vegetables

1 sweet potato, cubed

3 large carrots, sliced thickly

1 medium white onion, sliced

2 cup butternut /winter squash, cubed

3 beets, de-skinned & chopped

1 cup turnip, sliced or cubed

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp oregano

½ tsp sea salt.

Preparation:

Add all cut vegetables in a mixing bowl. Preheat oven to 375. Add olive oil, garlic, rosemary, oregano, and sea salt in a mixing bowl, & toss with vegetables. Roast for 40-50 minutes.

*Picture by Evgeni Dinev