HealthyGirl - Find your Wellspot

Wellspot Podcast #3 – 5 Tips to Happiness [video]

Leanne Grechulk — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:31:47 +0000

In this episode, I talk about Happiness and 5 tips to bring more in your life!

What is your favorite one? (comment below)

Wellspot Podcast #2 – 5 Tips for Personal Well Being and Health [video]

Leanne Grechulk — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:24:54 +0000

Once you have watched this video, I’d love to hear what is you top tip for Well being and Health… Post it in the comment box below!

Road to Health

drshaunna — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:10:38 +0000

Road to Health

THE ROAD TO HEALTH IS PAVED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS

HERE IS WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

Quick travel tips to make your journey a little healthier this summer
How to decode restaurant menus

QUICK TRAVEL TIPS

Summer is here and the living is easy – or is it?

Summer time can present some special challenges on our road to health. A little new found freedom in our schedule can give way to chaos and haphazard judgements pretty quickly that can throw us off balance. Eating at restaurants can be a minefield of fat, salt and sugar that we have to navigate or suffer the consequences. Long hours traveling either on the road or in the air with limited access to food when we want it sometimes has us storing up like a bear heading into winter – just in case. Here are some quick travel tips that you can pack with you this summer:

Bring water in refillable water bottles with you on your journey or purchase water right after security in the airports. An abundance of air travel recently has proven to me how dehydrating air travel can be.
Bring unsweetened, unsalted trail mix, almonds or other nuts. They can satisfy your hunger in a healthy way. Great for times when you get to your destination after all options for food have closed or you find yourself in the middle of nowhere.
Bring tea bags. You are just a cup of boiling water away from a nice cup of tea.
Bring oatmeal. 1/3 cup of rolled oats and 1/2 cup water in the microwave for 1 min20 sec or better yet use boiling water and cover in a bowl for 5 minutes and top with your favorites.
Bring fruit . Apples are a high fiber, low fat snack that packs well and can withstand travel more than some other fruits.
Walk – around the hotel, airport, malls. Use fitness facilities at hotels. Bring resistance bands. They pack light and allow you to customize the resistance to your own strength.
Take a hike! Take an active holiday and go for walks, cycle, swim or whatever else gets you going.

RESTAURANT GUIDE

Order water with every meal.
Increase the tea – most are loaded with antioxidants. Add citrus to your green tea and you will increase the absorption and bioavailability of the antioxidants substantially.
Look for the veggies and pick them.
Look for the lean protein and have a serving with every meal.
Send back the white bread. Choose whole grains.
Share meals to get a reasonable portion size.
Substitute fresh sliced tomatoes for hashbrowns or fried potatoes.
Choose steamed, poached, broiled, baked, roasted and grilled.
Order dressings and sauces on the side.
Choose oil and vinegar dressings, mustard, salsa and lemon.
Beware of buttered, basted, battered, breaded, fried, creamed and cheesed.
Consider a la carte to get what you want without the excess.
Beware of white pasta. Choose the whole grains.
Choose water based broths and tomato sauces.
Avoid or limit the alcoholic beverages, soft drinks and sugared up specialty coffees. Try club soda with a twist of lime instead or a cup of hot or iced tea. Have a glass of water before and/or after your other calorie rich, glass of sugar to minimize the impact.
Currently Boston Pizza and Olive Garden offer whole grain pasta options.
Tim Hortons and McDs have low fat yogurt and salads.
Tim Hortons and Subway offer whole wheat subs.
Starbucks make a very quick meal of oatmeal topped with dried fruit and nuts in the airport, at the gate, on the plane or just in town but on the go. Some Starbucks also have salads and many have fresh fruits.
Lastly, when all else fails, choose smaller portions, sit down, chew thoroughly and savor and enjoy every delicious mouth-watering bite!

Be Good For You!

Shaunna

Superberries

drshaunna — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:06:30 +0000

SUPERBERRIES

What you will learn:

Berry Good Information: What is so super about berries – anthocyanin, ellagic acid, fibre and more
Berry Delicious Prescription: Quick and delicious ways to enjoy berries

Berry Good Information

It is berry season and this is a great time to enjoy all the natural goodness packed in such a tiny sweet package. Berries just might be the sweetest little superfood ever. Don’t let their small size and sweet nature fool you though.

The blueberry in particular has more antioxidants than any other fruit or vegetable for its size! One serving of blueberries has the same amount of antioxidants as five servings of broccoli. Amazing! It is for this reason (and because they are so berry berry good) that I have them daily on oatmeal, salads or in smoothies. Keeping frozen blueberries in the freezer ensures you can enjoy them when fresh is not available.

Anthocyanin is a polyphenol that gives berries their bright colours beckoning us to eat them saying “ Pick me! Pick me!” The colour and antioxidant power of blueberries is concentrated in the skins. Anthocyanin works alongside vitamin C and a team of others to fight off disease. Wild blueberries are usually smaller and therefore, they have relatively more skin and a higher concentration of antioxidants. Don’t be too picky when you are berry picking though. Any berries are better than none.

Anthocyanin also helps produce collagen and this makes for good quality tissues including our blood vessels. These help to dilate our blood vessels and in conjunction with folate help to prevent clot formation which is obviously important in the prevention of heart disease and stroke. Studies have shown that people who eat one serving daily of strawberries have lower blood pressure.

Ellagic acid is another polyphenol in berries that has been shown to stop the formation of tumors. An animal study found that diets with a high 5% portion of the diet coming from strawberries and raspberries had a decreased risk of esophageal tumors. Studies have also shown that people who ate the most ellagic acid were three times less likely to develop cancer than those who ate little or no dietary ellagic acid. Another study found that consumers of ellagic acid were 70% less likely to die of cancer. Researchers in Montreal have found that ellagic acid is almost as powerful as certain substances developed by the pharmaceutical industry to prevent tumour angiogenesis. Raspberries, blackberries and boysenberries are particularly high in ellagic acid (22mg/serving) as well as strawberries at (9 mg/serving). Cranberries, blueberries and nuts also have ellagic acid.

Studies have also shown that people who have a daily cup of blueberries perform 5% better on motor skills. A study from the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging found that rats fed the the equivalent of 1/2 – 1 cup of blueberries had improved memory, coordination and balance. Studies also suggest antioxidants can decrease our risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s too. Berries just might be what the doctor ordered to keep us mentally as well as physically fit.

Blueberries are high in the soluble fibre pectin and is good for waste and waist management. Because berries are high in fibre and have a very low glycemic index they are helpful in balancing our blood sugars. Great news for controlling those sugar cravings. These little berries will satisfy that sweet tooth in a healthy way.

Cranberries and blueberries are also helpful in preventing urinary tract infections by reducing the ability of E. coli to stick to the lining of the urinary tract.

What about juices?

Beware of added sugar, artificial sweeteners and anything on the label your grandmother wouldn’t recognize. The healthy fibre and antioxidants are concentrated in the skins of berries. Favor those juices with sediment (berry skin) in the bottom for an extra nutritious boost. Commercial juices don’t necessarily have to be bad. Commercial pomegranate juices have three times as many antioxidants as red wine or green tea. However, juice is higher in calories and often lacks the fiber so favor the whole fruit over juice. It can be great though to add a splash of natural fruit juice to water or sparkling water to create your own flavored water without the added chemicals in commercially prepared flavored water.

What about dried fruit?

Although a lot of the goodness is in the skins of these berries, they are often sprayed with pesticides and other chemicals. So fresh and organic is your top choice. When fruit is dried, a lot of the antioxidants are concentrated ( except for vitamin C) which is great. Unfortunately, the chemicals are concentrated too. Strawberries are one of the dirty dozen ( more on that in another article) meaning that they are one of the most heavily sprayed with pesticides and it gets in the seeds that we eat on strawberries because they are on the outside and part of the edible fruit and can’t just be washed off. Therefore, generally choosing organic when it comes to strawberries is worth your spare change. Blueberries and cranberries aren’t part of the dirty dozen but when possible, I try to choose organic. Beware of added preservatives (sulfites) and sugar to optimize the fuel that becomes you.

How do I freeze berries?

To freeze your own berries, spread DRY blueberries or raspberries on wax / parchment paper one layer thick. Place in freezer. Once frozen, then you can transfer to a freezer bag.

Berry Delicious Prescription: Quick and Easy Ways to Enjoy Berries

Fresh, frozen or dried on oatmeal or breakfast cereal.
Add berries in or on whole grain pancakes.
Add berries to low fat yogurt to give a big boost of flavor, nutrition and colour.
Salads. Any and all berries add a wonderful burst of flavor to compliment a salad. Toss strawberries, feta and slivered almonds onto spinach and enjoy.
Add berries into your homemade muffins.
Frozen berries in a blender with a banana, juice, milk, or yogurt make a quick smoothie.
Frozen berry pops will keep your kids and you happy on a hot summer day.
Make your own cranberry sauce.
Dark chocolate dipped strawberries are one of my favorite trays to bring to a party. None of the appreciative guests will have any idea that you have their health as well as their happiness at heart.
Of course, eating them on their own may be the quickest, easiest and best of all. Fresh, local, in season and organic is ideal.

Indulge in fresh berries this summer and eat like your life depends on it!

Be Good For You.

Shaunna

References:

Bravo, L. Polyphenols: chemistry, dietary sources, metabolism and nutritional significance. Nutr Rev 1998; 56 (11): 317-333.

Carlton, PS, et al., Inhibition of N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine-induced tumorigenesis in the rat esophagus by dietary freeze-dried strawberries. Carcinogenesis. 2001; 22: 441-446.

Commenges, D, et al. Intake of flavonoids and risk of dementia. Eur J Epidemiol 200; 16: 357-363.

Hannum, S.M. Potential impact of strawberries on human health: A review of the science. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2004; 44: 1-17.

Hertog, MGL, et al. Antioxidant flavonols and coronary heart disease. Lancet 1997;349: 699.

Hertog, MGL, et al. Dietary antioxidant flavonoids and risk of coronary heart disease: the Zutphen elderly study. Lancet 1993; 342:1007-1011.

Hertog, MGL, et al. Dietary flavonoids and risk of cancer risk in the Zutphen Elderly Study. Nutr Cancer 1994; 22: 175-184.

Joseph, J.A., et al. Reversals of age-related declines in neuronal signal transduction, cognitive, and motor behavioral deficits with blueberry, spinach, or strawberry dietary supplementation. J Neurosci. 1999; 19(18): 8114-8121.

Keevil, J.G., et al. Grape juice , but not orange juice or grapefruit juice, inhibits human platelet aggregation. J Nutr. 2000; 130 (1): 53-56.

Labrecque, L., et al. Combined inhibition of PDGF and VEGF receptors by ellagic acid, a dietary derived phenolic compound. Carcinogenesis. 2005; 26: 821-826.

Maas, JL, et al. Ellagic acid, an anticarcinogen in fruits, especially strawberries: a review. Hortic Sci 1991; 26:10-14.

Mazza G et al. Absorption of anthocyanins from blueberries and serum antioxidant status in human subjects. J Agri Food Chem 2002; 50: (26): 7731-7737.

NUTRITION Rx

1 cup blueberries has 88 calories, 4 g of fibre, 15 mg of vitamin C and 30 ug of vitamin K.

Enjoy a handful a berries a day to keep the doctor away!

The Shift (movie)

Leanne Grechulk — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 19:59:10 +0000

The Shift (Movie trailer):

You can watch it online or order a copy HERE ! Enjoy!

You Can Heal Your Life

Leanne Grechulk — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 18:32:41 +0000

You Can Heal Your Life: The Movie, which is hosted by Louise, offers not only an intimate look into her moving and inspirational life story, but also a special segment devoted to helping you apply Louise’s affirmations and groundbreaking wisdom to heal your own life and the challenges that you face today.

“This movie is the story of my life, my teachings and how I’ve applied the principles of my teachings to my own life,” Louise explains. “I’ve made enormous changes in my own life that I had no idea would be possible.”

When asked what message she hoped people would take with them after seeing You Can Heal Your Life: The Movie, Louise said, “I’d like to see them discover what they can really do for themselves. People are so hungry to learn how to take control of their lives.”

Many thanks to each of you who continue to embrace and support Louise’s wisdom. Let’s affirm that You Can Heal Your Life: The Movie will reach hundreds of thousands more people in every corner of the world so they, too, can learn to heal their lives.