Five Tips to Balance Blood Sugar for Energy and Vitality

Balancing blood sugar levels throughout the day is the key to steady energy, balanced moods, and clear thinking.  Have you ever wondered why your energy levels crash in the middle of the day? or for no reason at all you find yourself upset or stressed over something that shouldn’t really bother you? Many times fluctuating blood sugar levels can be responsible for these maladies and there are a few simple things you can do about it.

1. Start your day with a super food smoothie

Fuel’s super green smoothie

Fuel’s cacao maca smoothie

A simple smoothie made from a high quality protein (we are fans of Sun Warrior and Vega over here at Fuel), unsweetened non dairy milk such as almond or coconut (coconut water is another great option) natural sweeteners such as dates or frozen fruit, soaked raw nuts and seeds for extra creaminess and healthy fats, and super foods like raw cacao, chia, greens powders, or hemp makes the perfect breakfast to infuse your day with energy.  This also makes a great afternoon snack to get you through until dinner.

2. Eat clean

shopping at the local market for the Fuel meals, we use only the freshest ingredients!

Always choose whole foods over refined and processed products.  Refined sugars and processed foods contaminated with artificial ingredients put a huge stress on your body.  Many people look to refined sugary products for a quick energy boost because their blood sugar is often way out of balance.  When you turn to these foods the cycle simply continues, a momentary increase in energy always results in a crash leading you to more sugary foods.  We need real food to function at an optimal level.  The body has no idea what to do with artificial flavors, sweeteners, and preservatives.  These ingredients create physiological stress on the body and eventually throws metabolic processes way off track.  Using fresh ingredients is always the best choice!

3. Eat smaller more frequent meals throughout the day

how to eat the Fuel way…each vertical row represents a day’s worth of meals on the Fuel plan

Long gone are the days of ‘three square meals’!  The vey best way to keep your metabolism ‘Fueled’ and blood sugar balanced is to have smaller more frequent meals.  The body does not like to digest large quantities of food at one sitting nor does it function optimally by skipping meals throughout the day and then consuming most of your calories at one meal.  In order to have sustained energy the human body thrives on moderate portions of clean, whole foods eaten every few hours, this is the best way Fuel to your active lifestyle!

4. Incorporate exercise throughout your day

Desk-ercise anyone?

Many people think that if they get a daily workout in at the gym this is enough, not so!  I am a big fan of scheduled workouts, I look forward to mine daily, however if you are sedentary for the greater part of the day and then hit the gym hard this actually creates stress in the body.  Incorporating simple movements throughout your day is a great way to warm up the body for more intense exercise and keep the metabolic fires burning all day long.  Even if you sit at a desk 8 hours a day just getting up to stretch and walk around the office every hour will help.  We all know the ancient wisdom of taking the stairs, parking further from your destination, walking instead of driving, cliche as it sounds if you add it all up it really does make a difference.  Movement throughout the day is an excellent stress reliever as well, taking a break for a short walk will inspire creativity even in the midst of looming deadlines, you will always find yourself more productive in the end I promise!

 

5. Take time to just chill out!

Taking time to decompress and unplug from the craziness of life will do wonders for your body, mind, and spirit.  When we are in a constant state of sensory overload our bodies produce excess cortisol which sends blood sugar on a roller coaster ride.  Taking time throughout your day to stop what you are doing and take a few deep breaths is a great habit to get into.  Just like you schedule your workouts and business appointments schedule breaks during your day and make an appointment with yourself for rejuvenation each and every day.  Doing anything that is for no other reason than pure joy can be considered a rejuvenating activity.  When was the last time you did something just because it was fun?

These tips offer a great jumping off point to more energy, less stress, and an overall feeling of wellness.  Often times we overwhelm ourselves with complex rules of how to achieve optimal health when really all we need to do is take a few baby steps.  Once you change a few easy to modify habits your increased vitality will direct you to make even greater changes and soon you will find yourself easily doing a juice cleanse with the drop of a hat!

Cheers to your increased vitality!

Michelle Waithe, holistic nutritionist at Fuel

Healing Joint Injuries Naturally…How to Heal a Torn Ligament

First I suppose I should explain why I am writing about this topic.  It just so happens that I was forced to learn more about natural remedies to use when dealing with a injured knee due to personal experience.  I had recently been incorporating more walking and some running into my routine to recover my body from recent physical and mental stress.  All the pieces of the puzzle were in place, great new shoes (which you will see in the pictures below) to accommodate my fallen arches and over-pronation and a routine that was just intense enough to get my physical body back into shape after some health challenges while giving me some much needed mental focus and relaxation.  All that being said this was still a strain on my body and I could feel some tension in the medial (inside of the leg) ligaments in both my ankles and knees.  This has been a recurring problem for me in the past due to my posture while exercising and compensating for the extreme pronation in my feet (tendency for the weight to roll to the inside of the foot).  I thought that in time my body would adapt and strengthen as needed, then it happened…

I was merrily going about my evening relaxation routine, lounging in comfy clothes and getting ready to wind down with a good book when my kittys were anxiously waiting to come inside for dinner.  At this point I was actually singing aloud some silly song I had made up about the cats coming in for dinner and I as I came up the two steps from our sunroom completely in another world of joyful delusion boom I hit the floor!  Remember that part about the comfy clothes? well I was wearing a pair of sweat pants that albeit extremely cozy were about three sizes too big and too long consequently I tripped on them with all my weight landing on my left knee.  At the time my merriment turned into a comical cry but I really thought nothing of it and picked myself up, along with the plant that suffered some damage on my way down, and continued on with my evening feeling some mild discomfort that faded by morning.

As I am often guilty of doing I went on with my exercise routine as planned and ignored the lingering pain in my knee until it got to the point where the swelling was unbearable and I could barely walk without a limp.

Finally I made my way to the doc’s office and she confirmed either a mild tear in my MCL (medial collateral ligament) or a severe strain and prescribed a combination of rest, anti-inflammatory pharmaceuticals. and supporting my knee with a brace until pain had subsided and the ligament was healed.  Never one to give into medical convention I threw out the prescription for the anti-inflammatory drugs and my mind began racing of how I was going to heal this naturally with diet, supplements, home remedies and figure out a way to adapt my workout routine to accommodate an injury.  So here’s what I did….

A friend and colleague mentioned that in Iran her family has used a traditional method of healing injuries to joints and bones with a paste made from egg yolk and tumeric.  Being a nutritionist and lover of any natural home remedy I was very excited to try this and found amazing results.  So simple and inexpensive this is a fantastic remedy to reduce swelling and inflammation, relieve pain, and speed the healing process.

All you need is one egg yolk, I used organic omega 3 eggs, and about 2 Tbsp. of tumeric powder, again I used organic tumeric to get the most healing benefits (in fact I use only organic spices to retain the potent healing properties often lost in traditionally processed irradiated spices, but that will be a topic for another post!)

Simply mix the egg yolk and tumeric into a paste and apply to the affected joint (do not apply to broken skin or open wounds).

I suggest doing this over a towel you don’t mind ruining and using some gloves.  I learned this the hard way after cleaning up stubborn tumeric stains from our kitchen floor and having bright yellow stained hands for a good part of the day!!

Looks a bit gross I know!!

Then wrap the joint with a cotton cloth to cover, an old t-shirt cut into strips works best (organic white cotton is preferable to avoid dyes etc. penetrating the skin) and follow up by wrapping with a tensor bandage to give the joint some extra support.

You can leave this on for as long as possibly comfortable. When at home I left it on all day, worked out with it on, and even wore it under my pants when out and about seeing clients.  When you are ready to remove the bandage I suggest doing this outside to avoid tumeric egg yolk crumbles all over your floor and bath tub, again a lesson learned the hard way.  Your skin will be a glorious bright yellow hue, but don’t panic this will wash off in the shower and fade over time.

On the advice of my mother who always has home remedies for anything that ails you, I also took epsom salt baths daily with an added boost of a product called Alka Bath, which is a detoxifying mineral bath salt combination with semi-precious stones and by far one of my favorite products ever!  After the baths I followed up with a castor oil massage on the affected knee, again on the advice of my wise mother.  These treatments significantly helped with the pain, discomfort, and swelling phew!

In addition to an already 80-90% raw, extremely clean diet I wanted to add some specific nutrients that support joint and ligament health, specifically vitamin C, zinc, amino acids, and foods with anti-inflammatory properties.  I went through my fridge and pantry and found some great foods that contain high levels of these nutrients and focussed on adding even more of these into my daily routine.  Here are some of the gems I already had in my kitchen to aid my healing…

Pumpkin seed oil, which is high in zinc (this raw pumpkin seed oil is made from Styrian pumpkin seeds which is the best I have ever tasted, the actual raw Styrian pumpkin seeds are super yummy too!!) goji berries, golden berries, and red peppers all extremely good sources of vitamin C, bee pollen which is an excellent source of amino acids as well as a whole host of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes necessary for healing (Honeycombe Botanicals has the best bee pollen I have ever tried!!) , coconut oil which has amazing anti-inflammatory properties, and raw cacao which also has significant anti-inflammatory properties and an abundance of antioxidants necessary for healing.

As well as incorporating these foods I also have either a green juice, super smoothie or both daily, which is always a part of my routine but even more important when in the healing process.

enjoying green juice and day dreaming of running through the park someday day soon!

A typical green juice for me might include…

organic celery

organic cucumber

organic leafy greens such as lettuce, kale, arugula or other baby greens

organic parsley or other herbs such as dill or cilantro

organic freshly squeezed lemon juice

a pinch of sea salt, himalayan salt or Herbamare

and here’s what’s in my super healing smoothie…

1/4 cup Vega One

1/4 cup Sun Warrior Raw protein

1-2 tsp. Amazing Grass Superfood Greens (one of my favorite greens powders)

1 tsp. MSM powder (this helps with inflammation and pain)

1 tsp. of Vitamin C powder to aid healing

1-2 tsp. of Wurzelkraft (another one of my favorite superfood products which contains all the vitamins and minerals present in the body)

1 cup distilled water

And for the supplements.. here are a few of the things I added…

New Chapter Zyflammend, New Roots Herbal Infla-Heal Plus, Bio-Sil silica drops, and Hyaluronic acid

You will notice that I mention supplementation last because I strongly believe that natural supplements are wonderful additions to any protocol but they should be secondary to a healthy diet and lifestyle modifications.  The supplements I have chosen to add to my healing regime are mainly to reduce pain, inflammation, and stiffness in my knee and provide a combination of proteolytic enzymes and essential nutrients needed to heal and remineralize the tissues in the knee joint.

I am also a huge fan of using homeopathic remedies to stimulate the body’s natural self healing process….

Traumeel and rhus tox were the right remedies for me however, you should always choose homeopathic remedies based on individual symptoms and it is best to consult a homeopathic practitioner to find the best remedies for your constitution and manifestation of symptoms.

And lastly this is how I modified my workout routine…

At first I could barely put any weight on my left leg so I thought this would be the perfect time to work on upper body conditioning and core strength.  Before my workout I made sure my knee was supported properly with a tensor bandage and flexible knee brace, which is very important to prevent further injury (although I do not have the extra brace on in the picture below as my knee was feeling pretty good that day).

These are the new shoes I was referring to earlier

Then I used a combination of pilates and yoga mat exercises combined with upper body circuits with high reps and low weight done in a seated position. My traditional workouts, prior to injury, generally consisted of more functional fitness type moves with compound exercises but in this case I had to draw on my old school knowledge and figure out a way to get in cardiovascular training and strength conditioning without the use of my whole body.  Once I could put more weight on my knee I also incorporated upper body cardio moves, boxing style which really got me working up a sweat.  In the end I had some pretty fierce workouts without the use of my lower body, my core and upper body are very grateful for the experience.

So what did I learn from all of this?  I definitely have reinforced a sense of confidence in my body’s own ability to heal, which has never failed me.  I have learned that sometimes you need to be pushed out of your comfort zone and routine to learn new things about yourself and what you can achieve.  I have learned that I have a culinary medicine cabinet in my kitchen just waiting to be called upon if needed and I have all the tools necessary for making self healing home remedies, with the exception of eggs and a few extra supplements, right in my own pantry.  One of the biggest realizations was understanding that the importance of appropriate time for rest and time for movement need to be acknowledged, I suppose the Universe will keep reminding me of this lesson until I get it right! And finally for the most important lesson, retire those baggy sweat pants…I haven’t worn them since, boxer shorts and a warm blanket have become my new comfy cozy.

Michelle Waithe, BaSc., RHN, PTS Holistic Nutritionist at Fuel

HEALTHY MEALS IN MINUTES Quick, Easy, and Delicious Recipes for the Busy Fall Season

by Michelle Waithe, BASc, RHN, PTS  Original article published in Vitality Magazine September issue

As the lazy days of summer wind down and we get back into our hectic work and school schedules, maintaining a healthy diet can be a challenge. As a holistic nutritionist the number one request I get from clients is how to make healthy meals quick, easy, and above all delicious. Commercial advertising has taught us that in order to be convenient and tasty, food needs to be served from a drive-through window or ready in seconds in a microwavable package. As a result, many have come to view the art of meal preparation with fresh ingredients as effortful, expensive, and time consuming.

It is my passion to bring joy and love back into the kitchen, exploring fresh flavourful ingredients while creating optimal health. Here are my favourite strategies to make healthy eating an enticing adventure as well as a convenient part of your routine. Preparation is the key to daily success and commitment to your healthy eating goals! Even if you have already embraced a fresh, whole food diet you will find these simple ideas and recipes extremely helpful to streamline your routine.

Stock your pantry
Make sure to have healthy ingredients in your pantry at all times so that meal preparation is a smooth process:
– Organic BPA-free canned beans or legumes, organic vegetable stock either in powdered or Tetra Pak containers, whole grain crackers and pasta, and natural nut butters are great convenience items to have on hand.
– Dried herbs and spices, dried legumes, whole grains and whole grain flours, chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp hearts, goji berries and other dried fruit, raw nuts and seeds (keep these refrigerated if buying in larger quantities) are great sources of essential fatty acids, fibre, and vitamins/minerals.
– Fair trade cacao nibs and cacao powder, natural sweeteners such as coconut sugar, raw agave, maple syrup, or raw honey, coconut oil and other cold-pressed oils (refrigerate after opening), and natural Himalayan or sea salt are great for adding flavour and nutrition to any recipe.

Find your favourite cooking references
Keep one or two natural cookbooks in your kitchen to use as a reference for quick and easy meals. The New Enlightened Eating by Caroline Dupont, Get It Ripe and Ripe From Around Here by Jae Steele, and Meals That Heal Inflammation by Julie Daniluk are my go-to favourites.
•    Bookmark websites for quick and healthy recipes. One of my favourites is http://www.beabetterbeing.comfeaturing the Mum’s Original line of superfood products.

Plan your meals for the week
•    Once you have found a few recipes you really enjoy, plan out how to use them throughout the week and create a shopping list accordingly.
•    Make larger batches of recipes like soups, stews, and dips that can be portioned and either refrigerated or frozen for quick meals and snacks.

Make a weekly shopping list
•    Decide which day of the week will be your shopping day. Planning to shop during less busy times can make the experience much more pleasurable.
•    Check your pantry before you shop and make a list of staple ingredients that are running low, as well as any new ingredients or fresh produce you will need for your recipes.
•    You may need to shop twice weekly for produce to ensure optimal freshness; think of it as something to look forward to by exploring new ingredients you may have never tried before.
•    Get familiar with your local health food store and farmers markets; many have regular sales and new specialty items to make your menus affordable and interesting. (See Vitality’s Guide to Organics)

Have a set meal preparation day each week
•    This can either be on your shopping day or the day after.
•    Take time to wash and chop fruit, vegetables, and greens and store in glass containers in the fridge. This will make it easy to choose healthy snack and meal options.
•    Prepare larger batches of soups, stews, dips, and homemade energy bars for multiple meals and snacks during the week, or freeze for the weeks to come.
•    Cook grains and legumes and store in sealed containers in the fridge. These can easily be turned into a wide variety of healthy meals in minutes with a few additional ingredients.

Storage 
•    Make sure to have a wide variety of containers available for storing ingredients and prepared foods.
•    Glass Mason jars are great to store dry goods, such as legumes, grains, flours, and spices.
•    Have freezer-safe containers on hand for storing larger batches of recipes.
•    If using freezer bags or plastic containers use BPA-free varieties.
•    Clearly label your batch storage recipes with the recipe title and the date made.

Healthy and Delicious Snacks
Snacking is another word that conjures up idealistic images appealing to our deepest food desires and cravings. Simply put, a snack is just a smaller portion of food. I challenge you to literally think ‘outside the box’ and come up with some creative snack ideas that will keep you energized throughout the day. Snacking is a great way to keep your blood sugar balanced and the metabolic fire burning.

Here are some of my favourite simple and nutritious snacks. Mother Nature’s package is the best there is!
•    fresh or dried fruit
•    raw vegetables with hummus or bean dip
•    half an avocado drizzled with raw honey or homemade salsa
•    celery with natural nut butter
•    raw nuts and seeds, homemade trail mix
•    homemade energy bars
•    a smaller portion of any meal
If food preparation at home is completely new to you then start off with committing to a few days per week and source other ways to maintain healthy eating with a busy schedule. When you are pressed for time, heading out to a holistic market such as Nature’s Emporium in Newmarket or The Big Carrot in Toronto to pick up ready-made meals and snacks that adhere to the principles of whole foods eating is a convenient choice. If you find yourself unprepared or just craving something quick, healthy, and delicious there are many choices if you know where to look.

Meal Delivery Service
Another great option would be to source out healthy meal delivery services in your area. Most people think of this as an expense they simply cannot afford, but in reality it usually ends up being cheaper than buying the individual ingredients and is a great choice if health is your passion but cooking is not. As a consulting holistic nutritionist at Fuel Nutrition, a healthy meal delivery service in Toronto, I often recommend meal delivery to clients who are new to healthy eating, looking for convenience, or concerned that good food cannot be delicious. The use of fresh, natural ingredients free of artificial chemicals is paramount if you choose to add any pre-prepared meals to your routine so make sure to look for services that offer this as part of their philosophy.

No matter what your current lifestyle, there are many ways to incorporate healthy food even with the most hectic of schedules. Implementing these simple strategies will ensure that healthy eating is a part of your everyday lifestyle and a joyful addition to your routine. At the end of the day the better you nourish your body the more productive you will be, you will be equipped to keep up with the demands of daily life and create abundant health effortlessly.

Here are a few of my favourite recipes that can be made in larger batches and frozen for up to three months. Try one of these on your next food preparation day; doubling a recipe usually takes the same amount of time as making one batch and you will have enough for weeks of healthy meals and snacks.

Hearty Quinoa Millet Patties

(Makes 10 patties)

This recipe calls for a specific product created by the German biochemist, Dr. Peter Jentschura, called Tischlein­DeckDich (named after the famous European fairytale). This is just one of the doctor’s products created to alkalize and regenerate the body, promoting health, healing, and wellness.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp TischleinDeckDich (a convenient pantry item composed of quinoa, millet, and dehydrated vegetables available at health food stores)
• 1½ cups water
• 1 egg (as a vegan option use 1 Tbsp ground chia with 3 Tbsp water and let sit for 15 minutes)
• 2 Tbsp oat flakes
• Herbal or sea salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• Virgin coconut oil for pan-frying

Creamy Zucchini Soup

This recipe was created by Caroline Dupont, author of The New Enlightened Eating. (Makes 6-8 servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil
• Water or vegetable broth (enough to reach about 1 inch below the vegetables)
• 1½ cups sliced leeks or chopped onions
• 8 cups coarsely chopped green or yellow zucchini or a combination
• ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
• Sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Grain-Free Berry Muffins

Adapted from Meals That Heal Inflammation by Julie Daniluk, RHN. This cookbook is gluten-, refined sugar-, and dairy-free with 130 easy recipes that assist the body in the healing process. The berry muffins were created using almond flour and honey for those who are suffering from IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease). (Makes 12 muffins)

Ingredients:

• 2½ cups almond flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp grey sea salt or pink rock salt
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 large organic eggs (for a vegan version mix 3 Tbsp of whole chia seeds with 9 Tbsp water and let stand for 15 minutes in place of the eggs)
• ½ cup liquid raw honey or coconut nectar for a vegan version
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup blueberries or raspberries, fresh or frozen

Homemade Energy Bars

Adapted from http://www.beabetterbeing.com, a blog site developed by Ann Barnes to enlighten others about practical ways to make healthy food convenient and delicious.  (Makes approximately 30 bars when cut into 4-inch squares)

Ingredients:

• 2½ cups of almond meal or almond flour
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup hemp hearts
• 1/3 cup hemp protein powder
• 1/3 cup whole chia seed
• ½ cup goji berries or other dried fruit
• 2 Tbsp greens powder (optional)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/3 cup raw coconut nectar or raw agave
• ½ tsp vanilla

References

• For information on alkaline and gluten-free products formulated by Dr. Peter Jentschura, visit the Canadian distributor’s website http://www.youinfocusproducts.com/ or visit your local health food store. Also, look for their booth at Whole Life Expo, where they will also lecture on Saturday, November 10, as well as a lecture on the benefits of the alkaline lifestyle.
• Fuel Nutrition is a meal delivery service based in Toronto. For more information visit: http://www.fuel-nutrition.ca/meal_delivery.html

Books:
Get It Ripe and Ripe From Around Here by Jae Steele (Arsenal Pulp Press; 2008, 2010)
Meals That Heal Inflammation by Julie Daniluk, RHN (Hay House; 2012). Available at most book stores and through http://www.juliedaniluk.com
The New Enlightened Eating by Caroline Dupont (Books Alive; 2012) http://www.carolinedupont.com
www.awakenyourlife.ca
www.beabetterbeing.com
www.fuel-nutrition.ca
www.naturesemporium.com
www.thebigcarrot.ca

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