Community News
Clean Eating: Cantaloupe & Cucumber Salad

Here’s a refreshing side salad for a change of pace. It’s delicious served with a spicy grilled chicken, tofu, or fish. Or serve this over a bed of leafy greens with extra dressing on the side. Gently fold together 1/2 small cantaloupe and 1 medium cucumber (cut into 1/2 inch chunks), 1/2 cup crumbled feta, and 6 big basil leaves (sliced thinly). Whisk and add to salad: 1 tbsp olive oil, 2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar, and freshly ground salt and pepper to taste. Top with 2 tbsp sunflower seeds. (This is the perfect place to showcase your gourmet balsamic vinegars and good quality olive oil. Skip the salt and sprinkle with a little Fleur de Sel for some drama!)

Lisa Kehler, OffYourPlateNutrition.ca

Book Club: The Dirt Cure

Growing Healthy Kids with Food Straight from Soil. In the tradition of Michael Pollan, Mark Hyman, and Andrew Weil, pioneering integrative pediatric neurologist Maya Shetreat-Klein, MD, reveals the shocking contents of children’s food, how it’s seriously harming their bodies and brains, and what we can do about it.

Maya Shetreat-Klein, MD, Dirtcure.com

Grilled Vegetables With Herbed Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

Mix of: eggplant, zucchini, onions, sweet potato, peppers. Italian or Greek Salad Dressing (regular or low-fat). Small block of goat cheese at room temperature (regular or low fat). Fresh garlic, roasted garlic or garlic powder. All-purpose salt-free herb and spice seasoning mix (or dried Italian seasoning).

Directions

  1. Cut peppers in half and remove seeds. Slice the other vegetables in 1/4 inch slices.
  2. Combine vegetables and enough dressing to coat everything in a resealable bag.Turn a few times to distribute dressing and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
  3. Blend goat cheese, garlic and seasoning mix (to taste) and refrigerate. For convenience you can use a garlic and herb soft cheese like Boursin instead of making your own.
  4. Place veggies on oiled grill at medium heat. Cook 8 – 10 mins checking and turning often until done to your preference. Discard the dressing used for the marinade and use fresh dressing to baste occasionally if you like.)
  5. Arrange warm vegetables on a platter or individual plates and top with a generous dollop of goat cheese. Drizzle with a little olive oil and top with fresh ground pepper if you like.
  6. Serving options: serve at room temperature as part of antipasto plate or use in a sandwich with a good smear of goat cheese mix.

Lisa Kehler, Off Your Plate Nutrition, OffYourPlateNutrition.ca

Happy Thoughts

In the philosophy called Science of Mind, “We teach how to think, not what to think”. When you truly understand how you create your life with your thinking, you unlock the power of life. When you think about something for a long time and add strong feelings to it, an experience is created. Life responds by mirroring your beliefs. This is the ‘How’ part of all of life. We encourage an awareness of ‘What’ you think. When you begin to think with awareness, and deliberately, the result is empowerment and a happier life. You are always free to choose what to think. And when you understand infinite good is possible, you will wisely choose your ‘What’. Did you know reactions are thoughts? And usually negative in nature. These negative thoughts resonate in your body. These thoughts cause deeper wrinkles, diminished health, and less joy.

Rev. Anne Ahokangas
cslwinnipeg.org

Get More from Vacations

Do you find it takes you up to three days to get into “vacation mode”? Summertime is vacation time, and your time away is far too precious to spend it trying to “hurry up and relax”. Once you do wind down, do you often get sick? The go-go-go nature of our lives means that once your system has a chance to calm down, your immunity also goes down the tubes at the same time, leading to illness or exhaustion. Floating therapy before your vacation can help you get your mind and body back into balance so that you can actually be more present on your vacation. And isn’t that what vacations are really for?

Leah & Brad, FloatCalm.com

Healthy Sleeping Habits

If you have increased muscle aches and pains through your lower back or neck in the morning, the way you are sleeping may be contributing to your pain. Sleeping on your back with a small pillow under your knees maintains the natural spinal curve and can relieve extra pressure through your lower back. Lying on your side with your knees slightly bent and with a pillow between your legs is also a good position to maintain a neutral spine. It is best to try to avoid stomach sleeping, as this causes increased pressure through your lower back and extra torque through your neck. Firm mattresses and pillows are supportive and allow your spine to stay neutral and prevent your head from bending side to side. Be sure to ask your physiotherapist for sleeping posture tips that will work for you at your next appointment!

Kristy Maksymyk BMR-PT, Prairie Trail Physiotherapy, PrairieTrailPhysio.ca

Removing Dental Amalgam

Dental amalgam has been around for decades and was the treatment of choice for teeth that had dental decay. It remains a good material, but today there are other options. When removing dental amalgam due to structural issues or recurrent decay, there are often questions about the mercury and how it is removed safely to minimize exposure to yourself and the environment. There are guidelines in place to help prevent the mercury from being washed down the drain and entering our environment through units in the dental office. As well, from a personal protection standpoint, dental dams, high volume suction, and water irrigation all prevent the ingestion of the components from dental amalgam when it is being removed.

Dr. Ken Hamin
ReflectionsDentalHealth.ca

Diet – a 4-Letter Word!

The human brain is an amazing and powerful tool. It has the capacity to heal, imagine, and reason. In fact, its main job is our survival. Given this fact, doesn’t it make sense that dieting, which is starving yourself a little, would go against the very nature of survival? Is it any wonder diets don’t work? Dieting also encourages us to eat the wrong foods and sometimes become addicted to them because our brain believes it is helping us. Our society has evolved, but a part of our brain hasn’t kept up. Add this to all of the unhealthy food choices we have available, and you can see a disaster in the making. The good news is the same brain will, with the right coaching, turn that around for you and make it all attainable. Connecting and coaching the subconscious mind is a natural alternative to pills, surgery, and diets.

Sherry Wilkinson
WinnipegHypnotherapy.com

What is Ganban-Yoku?

Ganban-yoku is a very popular form of thermal relaxation therapy in Japan. It uses rare stones found only in certain areas of the world. They release therapeutic warmth once they are heated, and help relax the body and mind. The stones are embedded in comfortable, smooth slab beds. They are heated gently by a hydronic water system. Many people compare the Ganban-yoku experience to relaxing on the beach on a warm day. What is unique about the treatment is the kind of sweat Ganban-yoku produces. Silky sweat is perspired during the session and does not have stickiness or smell, and we recommend not taking a shower after the treatment, and patting dry. This silky sweat acts as a natural lotion, leaving your skin smooth, radiant, and glowing.

PoccaPocaSpa.com

Surrender to the YES

Surrendering to the YES is not about giving up or giving in. It’s about letting go and understanding that, in this particular moment in time, there is nothing you can do but receive the experience, let go of all expectations, and ride the wave between what you’ve known and what is not yet shown. Sometimes in life, the best-laid plans don’t always work as they were supposed to. When we stop fighting, fixing, pushing, doing, or trying to make the pain or situation go away, we can begin to embrace the fear and feelings without getting too stuck or shut down. Oprah Winfrey shares, “Our deepest struggle can, if you are willing, produce your greatest strength.” When we can fully surrender to what is, releasing expectations of the way we had hoped it to be, we can welcome in all the YES’s to come!

D’Arcy Bruning-Haid
Souls-journey.com

Natural Product Review: Garden of Life

Dr. Formulated Probiotics are clinically studied probiotics for mood and relaxation support. In his latest book, Brain Maker, Dr. Perlmutter presents riveting and novel research revealing a strong connection between our mood and the bacteria living in our digestive tracts. The exact mechanisms through which bacteria modulate our mood have yet to be understood fully, however, studies have shown that our microflora affect certain neurotransmitters and hormones that regulate and influence our state of mind. The Dr. Formulated Mood+ was specifically formulated with 50 billion CFUs and 16 different strains of bacteria. It contains clinically studied Lactobacillus helveticus and Bifidobacterium longum in the same amount shown to significantly decrease cortisol levels and thus support a balanced mood, relaxation, and emotional wellbeing. The formula has additional organic Ashwagandha extract, an adaptogenic herb shown to further support stress management, and organic Alaskan blueberries for antioxidant support.

Aviva Natural Health Solutions
AvivaHealth.com