Total Wellness Summit

There is so much information available to improve our health and a lot of is for free! Taking advantage of what people are offering is one way to shift your perspective and improve your total well-being.

The Total Wellness Summit put on through the Food Network is just one of them. I’m learning so much from their free videos and it puts me in the right frame of mind to open up to healthier ways of living.

So many people say it’s too expensive to eat or be healthy – gym memberships cost too much, vegetable prices are unreasonable and junk is just so cheap but at what cost? Long term wise, it’s easy to understand why more and more people are starting to invest in themselves and their family to improve their total outlook in life. FoodMatters, the website which hosts this summit, offers a lot of advice and information that will motivate you to make a healthier meal everyday of the week!

It’s easy to feel better and still be able to afford an occasional treat. I challenge you to research how to make your favourite meal even healthier today!

Thanks for reading and trying,

Sarah Butland


Eat Like a Blue Jay?

Promotions are everywhere in Canada showing food sponsored by the Toronto Blue Jays and, though I’m a fan of the Jays, I am not a fan of the message.

My six year old son is addicted to baseball in the summer, primarily watching the Blue Jays win their way to the top of the league. When he goes grocery shopping with me and sees their well recognized logo on hot dogs, chips and even beer now (though he’s not in that store I know he would love the cans) he immediately wants the product. A lot of the times he’s trying to sneak it into the cart without even knowing what’s in the package, for him it’s all about that logo on the package.

Once I remove it from the cart and explain what it is he’s ok with leaving it behind because he has been raised to understand health from illness.

Together we watched a documentary titled Kids Menu so that another educator could reiterate what we’ve been teaching him with more lessons and in a way he was eager to learn from.

With all of the new connections I was just introduced to 80 Twenty Nutrition and was delighted to find a recipe our whole family will enjoy called PBJ (Peanut Butter Blue Jays) Rally Shake. I invite you to try the recipe as well as read the entire article posted on the page and support the Toronto Blue Jays this season!

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

author of Sending You Sammy

***Sarah Butland is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.***

 


Meet Holistic Lifestyle Coach Anik Gallant!

5 easy habits that will instantly boost your energy!

The following are some of my favorite health tips that I share with my clients. You can follow them without changing your current eating habits. By simply adding the following steps into your day, you will greatly improve your level of energy and feel great.

1) Warm lemon water. As soon as you wake up in the morning, add 1-2 slices of fresh organic lemon to 1 cup of warm water and sip while you get ready for your day. Lemon helps kickstart your digestion for the day and brings your body into a more alkaline state. Doing this every morning gently detoxes your liver and will help with weight loss.

2) Green smoothie. Before you eat your breakfast (and after your lemon water), start your day with a Green Beauty Smoothie. Packed with fruits and veggies, this alone can fill you up. If not, just eat what you normally would for breakfast in addition to the smoothie. The Green Beauty Smoothie is packed with nutrients ready for quick absorption and is sure to give you energy.

Green Beauty Smoothie

3 cup water

1 ripe banana

4 dates, pitted

1/2 cucumber, with peel

2 stalks celery

1 apple, with peel

1/2 organic lemon, with peel

1 big handful of leafy greens (such as kale, spinach or romaine)

1/2 scoop super green powder (such as spirulina or chlorella)

*Place ingredients into blender, blend and enjoy! Makes 2 large servings.

3) Daily salad. Eat a large salad 5 days a week. Get creative and make your salad appetizing to you! Load it with your favorite veggies, sprinkle some hemp seeds, almonds, pumpkin seeds or dried cranberries. Try and keep your dressing options simple (homemade is always better than store bought). I personally like a blend of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, a dash of maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Finally, add a healthy side of protein to your salad, such as lentils, beans, chicken, eggs, tuna or beef.

4) Snack smart. Between meals, try not to snack. Ideally you want to give your digestion time to process all the food from your previous meal before eating something. If you do feel hungry and choose to snack, here are some good options:

  • A fruit smoothie. Fruits made into liquids are quickly digested and provide you with immediate fuel. Make with almond milk instead of juice to help balance blood sugar.
  • Eat an apple with a handful of organic almonds.
  • Cut up some carrots, peppers or cucumber and eat with hummus, bean dip or salsa.

Choosing healthy snacks will fill you up until your next meal and are light enough to keep your energy levels steady during your day. Remember to avoid munching on simple carbohydrates like cookies, chips or crackers which can make your blood sugar levels drop and make you feel tired.

5) No eating after 6:30pm. A healthy body starts with a healthy digestion. Our bodies heal and repair during our sleep time therefore it’s important that by bedtime your stomach is empty with no more food to digest. If you have food in your stomach when you go to bed, your body has to work overtime to digest instead of healing and repairing. The result: waking up groggy and tired. To help reduce cravings and munchies attacks, sip on some room temperature water or herbal teas throughout the evening.

A New Brunswick Resident

A New Brunswick Resident

Anik Gallant is a holistic lifestyle coach and creator of Blissfullyorganik.com, a food and lifestyle blog where she publishes healthy and delicious gluten-free recipes. She’s passionate about inspiring healthy living in others and loves sharing useful tips for everything related to food, health, yoga, and living an amazing life. Connect with her or sign up to receive your free copy of her recipe e-book every month. www.blissfullyorganik.com