Community News
Have You Tried Kefir?

Kefir is a unique cultured dairy product and one of the most probiotic-rich foods on the planet. Drinking Kefir has incredible medicinal benefits for your digestion and gut health. It’s tart and refreshing flavor is similar to a drinking-style yogurt, but it contains beneficial yeast as well as friendly probiotic bacteria found in yogurt. The naturally occurring bacteria and yeast in combine symbiotically to give superior health benefits when consumed regularly. It is loaded with valuable vitamins and minerals and contains easily digestible complete proteins. For the lactose intolerant, kefir’s abundance of beneficial yeast and bacteria provide lactase, an enzyme which consumes most of the lactose left after the culturing process. Drink up for benefits to your immune system, your bowels (see you later, IBS symptoms!), and your bones. It helps fight allergies, improves lactose digestion, supports detoxification, and even kills candida.

Disability Tax Credit, www.disabilitytaxcreditwinnipeg.com

Positive Mental Health is a Laughing Matter

While living with mental illness is no joke, laughing for positive mental and physical health seriously works. In fact, evidence supports the claim that a joyful heart provides a similar benefit to that of medicine. Although not considered a replacement for medical treatment, some doctors are using laughter as an adjunctive therapy. In the short and long term, laughter has been shown to, 1. Stimulate/boost the immune system; 2. Alleviate pain; 3. Reduce anxiety and stress; 4. Reduce depression; and, 5. Promote a sense of hopefulness. What if you don’t feel like laughing? No problem, fake it until you make it. Physiologically speaking, for the most part, your body doesn’t know the difference. And, faking it often leads to the real thing which may be exactly the health supplement you need to get to the positive side of negative circumstances.

Sean Miller, Canadian Mental Health Association, mbwpg.cmha.ca

Book Club: Big Magic Creative Living Beyond Fear!

Empowering author Elizabeth Gilbert asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear. She discusses the attitudes, approaches, and habits we need in order to live our most creative lives. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy.

Did You Know?

Blue corn has been popping up as an ingredient everywhere from tortilla chips to breakfast cereal. New research suggests that anthocyanins, the nutrients that give the corn its blue color, may help protect against metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer!

www.newhope.com

Clean Eating: Spaghetti Squash “Mac ‘n’ Cheese”

Ingredients:

1 large spaghetti squash

3 tbsp coconut oil

3 tbsp spelt flour

2 cups unsweetened almond milk

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp onion or garlic powder

pinch ground black pepper

1 cup (4 oz) any hard cheese, shredded.

Red pepper flakes, to taste. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Wash squash, cut in half lengthwise and remove seeds with a spoon. Place cut side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 40-50 minutes. Let cool and separate into strands with a fork. Preheat medium pot on low-medium heat and melt oil. Whisk in flour and milk until smooth. Add salt, onion powder and pepper; whisk and let simmer for about 4 minutes or until sauce has slightly thickened. Add cheese and whisk again until smooth. Add squash and mix gently with a spoon to combine. Cover and let squash warm through for about 5 minutes. Enjoy!

www.ifoodreal.com

The Mindful Valentine

Valentine’s Day.. a day for celebrating love (and chocolate). I often refer to mindful eating as a way of practicing self-care around food. Taking care of yourself by making conscious decisions that leave you feeling better after eating. Not worse. How do you show love for yourself around food? Write yourself a letter and count the ways you love thee or could love thee. “I eat sitting down. I pay attention to my first few bites. I chew thoroughly before my next bite. I eat anything without guilt. I ask myself if I’m hungry before I eat. I listen to my body to see how hungry I am before my first bite. When I eat too much, I just learn from it and move on. I eat for fuel, nourishment, and pleasure. Every day is a day for showing yourself love around food. Celebrate how you nourish your body and spirit.

Lisa Kehler, Off Your Plate Nutrition, www.offyourplatenutrition.ca

Self-Improvement 101

Is there something about your health, personal life or career you would like to improve? The first step is having the desire to change whatever is affecting you. Once you have a desire, you then begin to focus on the end result you wish to create. Sometimes it is smooth sailing to bridge the gap between a desire and reaching the goal. Sometimes it is a lot of work and effort to get there. How much do our inner blocks, limiting beliefs and self-sabotage affect and hinder our ability to reach our goals? What I have learned is that the inner struggles, strife and negative self-talk we are up against are the major contributing factors preventing us from achieving our desires and goals. The key is to become aware of these inner factors and fully resolve them, which clears the inner path to reach your goals.

Shannon Russell, BodyMind Freedom Solutions, www.thedashmethod.com

Live Life to its Fullest

We are all here on earth on borrowed time. None of us know how much time we have left. The only real choice we have is how to embrace the life we have and live it fully! The challenge is to experience and learn from the life that’s happening to you instead of wishing you could have someone else’s. What if you knew you only had one week to live? Who would you see and how would you spend your precious time? We all eventually die and leave behind our worldly possessions. What will it take for you to live the fullest every day as if was your last week? To appreciate every given moment and live it as though death is near, not with fear, but with a sweet savoring of all that is…as you embrace life to its fullness!

D’Arcy Bruning-Haid, www.souls-journey.com

Are You Addicted to Sugar?

Do you find it hard getting up in the morning, and do you crash in the afternoon? YES/NO. Do you suffer from brain fog, headaches or moodiness? YES/NO. Do you crave carbs like pasta and pastries? YES/NO. Do you ever try to hide your sugar intake, or eat it secretly? YES/NO. Do you have a hard time with controlling your cravings? YES/NO. Answer ‘YES’ to these questions? You, like millions of other Canadians, most likely have a sugar addiction. Scientists have found that sugar stimulates the same pleasure centers of the brain as cocaine or heroin. Just like those hard-core drugs, getting off sugar leads to withdrawal and cravings, requiring an actual detox process to wean off. Cutting ties with your sugar addiction can do wonders for your skin, mood, waistline, and sleep schedule. Try cutting back a little every day, and eventually take bigger steps. For example, if you are craving something sweet, have a piece of fruit, or stop adding sugar to your morning coffee.

Felly Grieve, A1 Nutrition, www.a1nutritiongrant.com

5 New Year’s Resolutions to Boost Your Health

It’s a new year and a perfect time to start good healthy habits. Here are five tips to drive your immune system into gear so you can live 2017 full of strength and vitality! 1. Exercise. The Canadian Diabetes Clinical Practice Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of cardio plus two sessions of resistance training per week. 2. Eat more fruits and vegetables. The Mediterranean diet has been proven to lower one’s risk for heart disease and improve longevity. 3. See your doctor for routine checkups. Screening early for disease can help prevent or lessen problems from the disease. 4. Get vaccinated. This allows your body to fight off infections. Check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist to see whether you are up-to-date. 6. Reduce stress. Meditate, do yoga and get plenty of sleep. Make time to pamper yourself!

Care At Home Pharmacy, www.careathomepharmacy.ca

The Best Way to a Persons Heart

This Valentine’s day, you might be thinking the best way to a person’s heart is through their stomach. While this may or may not be true, research shows one of the best ways to optimal mental health is, indeed, through the stomach. What you eat is critical to the health of your entire body including brain health. Many of the nutrients we digest are essential building blocks of neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) that regulate mood, appetite, sleep, weight and a myriad of other processes that work to keep us functioning properly. Diets containing whole grains, fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, lean meat, and fatty fish as well as probiotic-rich foods like pickles, sauerkraut, and kefir are associated with better physical and mental health. Omega 3 fatty acid and vitamin supplementation can play an integral role in our mental health, reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Always consult your healthcare provider before making lifestyle changes.

Sean Miller, Canadian Mental Health Association, mbwpg.cmha.ca