Trying to eat healthy but don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen?  You don’t have to!

There are simple things you can do to make eating healthy from home quicker and easier.
 

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1. Food Prep – Pick one day of the week (Sunday works well for many) to prepare meals.  Make a few different dishes to store in the fridge for the week.  When you are hungry there is food ready to go so you are less likely to reach for the unhealthy snack foods.
 
2. Wash and Prep Veggies Ahead of Time – Wash and cut up a large bowl of salad veggies and squeeze the juice of one lemon over the veggies before storing in the fridge.  The lemon juice will help the veggies stay fresh longer.  When you need salad just take a portion of veggies, add lettuce and salad dressing and you are ready to go!
 
3. Make large batches – When you prepare a dish, double or triple the recipe so you have leftovers to last the week.  
 
4. Roast Veggies – You know those veggies you bought with all intentions of eating, but now they are starting to wilt in the fridge?  An easy way to cook veggies is roast them.  Wash, chop, toss in coconut oil and seasoning, and throw on a roasting pan in the oven.  Cook for 30-45 mins, until roasted at 375 F.   
 
5. Store prepped & marinated meat in the freezer – If you find a good deal on organic/free range meat or fish, but a bunch and freeze it!  I like to portion the meat, marinate it, and freeze 2 portions in a Ziploc bags with the marinate.  When you need it, defrost and it is ready to cook!
 
6. Keep Healthy Quick Options in the Pantry – We all have days when we don’t have time or don’t feel like cooking.  The key is to stock your pantry with healthy go to options.  For quick protein, I keep canned sardines, wild salmon, or wild tuna.  I also keep macadamia nuts, almonds, and pistachios for a quick snack.  Dates are also a good option to satisfy a sweet craving. 
 
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Interested in a customized nutrition plan?
Visit my website & Blog for more information and how to book an appointment: www.drlindseynd.com or t. 604.779.7869

Statistics show that the average North American consumes about 150 pounds of sugar each year, 60 pounds of which is in the form of refined white sugar! Sugars not only feed the anaerobic forms of life and disease, but also cause the peaks and valleys, or ups and downs, in blood sugar & insulin levels, mood, mental focus and our energy.

To experience a substantial level of energy, mental focus, and sustained performance, the proper maintenance of constant and adequate glucose (blood sugar) levels is one of the body's most important functions.

A slow, steady absorption of glucose rather than rapid peaks and valleys which come from refined sugars, starches, and even high amounts of complex carbohydrates and fruit sugars, is key to maintaining level blood sugar.

Excess sugar consumption can lead to nutritional deficiencies, weakened pancreas, digestive distress, allergies, Candida Albicans, hypoglycemia, type II diabetes, heart disease, stress, aging, as well as degenerative diseases. Over-consumption of sugars can even contribute to the increase of low density lipoproteins and heart disease.

In like manner, over-consumption of complex carbohydrates in the absence of a balanced amount of good fats and protein can be metabolized by the body just the same as refined sugars. This can trigger hypoglycemia and late onset diabetes, which statistics show are on the rise, particularly among vegetarians.

Although high blood sugar levels may be controlled by the use of insulin, there are associated complications with prolonged use of insulin. There is medical evidence that daily injections of insulin may be partly responsible for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications. Dr. Bernard E. Lowenstein, M.D., reports that too much insulin can stimulate the production of excessive cholesterol in the body. High insulin doses can aggravate the tiny blood vessels, a condition characteristic of diabetes.

We are actually born with a palate for sweets but acquire the taste for sour, bitter, and other tastes later in life. So, for the most of us, sweet foods give us a sense of pleasure. Nature provides us with all the sugar we require through our foods; especially whole foods or superfoods which have the fiber, enzymes, co-enzymes, catalysts, trace minerals, and nutrients to properly assist the slow absorption and assimilation of the sugars that are contained in these foods.

There are some natural sugar substitutes that can be used to help you with your sweet tooth but the goal is to change your taste preference away from sweet/sugar.  This can be done by reducing sugar consumption over time and replacing sweet with nutrient dense fat and protein foods.

I work on nutrition with all my patients and address some of these exact changes on an individual basis.  Contact me for one on one health support and book a visit today! www.drlindseynd.com

HEALTHIER SWEETENERS

 STEVIA 
Stevia is a natural plant extract which is 200-300 times sweeter than sugar, with hardly any calories. Stevia does not feed yeast or Candida and should be a natural sweetener of choice when dealing with parasites, fungal infections, diabetes and hypoglycemia.

MAPLE SYRUP
Dark, pure maple syrup is an unprocessed sweetener and has naturally occurring minerals and nutrients.  The natural minerals and nutrients help slow the absorption into the blood stream so you do not get as strong of a spike in blood sugar as we see with white sugar.

DATES
Whole dates contain fiber and nutrients and make a great option to add sweetness to smoothies, recipes, or to have with tea.  The fiber and nutrients of the dates help slow spikes in blood sugar.

ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS
Be sure to include healthy fats in your daily diet. Omega-3 essential fatty acids from natural oils are essential to health, but your body cannot manufacture it. Therefore, they must be consumed daily in your diet. Essential fatty acids also play a very important role in keeping the blood sugar level.

For example, give a bottle of soda pop or sugar water to one child and a bucket of ice cream to another. Assuming that both of these foods contain the same amount of sugar, you will notice that the child drinking the soda pop will have an elevated glycemic index, whereas the child eating the ice cream will not have elevated blood sugar. The second child's blood sugar was not elevated, not because the ice cream is a wonderful food or had less sugar, but because the ice cream, along with the sugar, contained fat and protein.

WHOLE FOODS AND A BALANCED DIET
After an initial cleanse, consider a balanced diet of properly combined whole foods. Work to develop a balanced diet high in fiber, high-moderate in fat, moderate in protein, and moderate-low in carbohydrates. Eat organic whole foods with sufficient quantities of quality protein and fat at each meal.

When your blood sugar drops, you may become drowsy, foggy or sluggish. When elevated, high blood sugar may cause you to become jittery, irritable and hyperactive, with no mental focus.

To avoid the peaks and valleys that come from refined foods, stay with a simple diet containing quality proteins such as lean meats, fish, free range eggs, avocados, coconut oil, grass fed butter, olive oil, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and lots of green vegetables.

Our bodies are genetically programmed to repair, regenerate and fight diseases every living moment of our lives. The same way a wound, a broken bone or a cut heals itself before your eyes, our body is capable and is programmed to repair, regenerate, and fight diseases every living moment of our lives.

Health is gained or lost at the cellular level on a daily basis. The quality of the cells you build, your immune function, mental acuity, longevity, and quality of life are dependent upon and begin with your next meal.

Our brains are constantly evolving, and the daily lifestyle choices we make have the power to influence this process to help improve memory, cognition, and overall brain health.
 
Each of these tips can be customized to the individual, and I work with my patients’ to do just that.  Here are my top 5 tips to Boost Brain Health.
 
1 Exercise – One of the single most impactful things you can do to support your brain health is exercise!  Exercise helps memory, increases blood flow, builds new neurons, and improves insulin sensitivity.  Aerobic exercise shows the most benefit in helping the brain but strength training and HIIT exercises are also beneficial.  No matter what you do, just get moving!
 
2. Eat Healthy Fat – Your brain is largely composed of fat and requires healthy fats from the diet to operate at its best.  Brain healthy fats include avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, omega-3 fatty acids, and raw unsalted nuts & seeds.
 
3. De-Stress – Doing things that you enjoy, spending time with friends or loved ones, meditate, rest, and relax.  Whatever you do, do something that helps you de-stress and calm your brain.
 
4. Improve Digestion – You know the saying “trust your gut?”  Well your gut is really another brain, and the two brains are in constant communication.  Poor digestion or digestive issues impact the brain as well.  I work with all my patients to address digestive issues and get this system working optimally.
 
5. Reduce Inflammation - Inflammation and poor digestion go together.  Improving diet and removing inflammatory foods like dairy, gluten, and sugar will go a long way to reducing inflammation and helping the brain as well.  A food allergy panel can also help identify specific food intolerances that may be contributing to inflammation in your system. 
 
 
 
Interested in a customized brain health plan?
Visit my website & Blog for more information and how to book an appointment: www.drlindseynd.com or
t. 604.779.7869

​Rotating of seeds is a valuable way of restoring hormonal balance for men and women.   Seed cycling is so effective because the hulls of the seeds contain chemicals called lignans, which help modulate the hormonal pathways of the body while the seed oils are comprised of essential (or omega) fatty acids that provide the building blocks for steroid hormone synthesis. 

As each seed type contains variations of these lignans and fatty acids, rotation of these seeds through the month provides the body with the variety of precursors it needs to create normal hormonal cycles.  The additional oils (EPA/DHA & GLA) may also be added for added balancing.

Women:
The rotation plan can be done according to either the menstrual cycle (if it is fairly regular) or phases of the moon (if the menstrual cycle is absent or too irregular)

* From days 1-14 of the menstrual cycle (or from new moon to full moon)
1-2 Tablespoon(s) per day of ground flax/ pumpkin seeds/ or Chia Seeds
EPA/DHA 2,000 – 3,000 mg EPA/DHA (1,500 each)
Flax and pumpkin seeds support the ESTROGEN dominant time of your cycle and balancing the omega 3 pathway.

* From days 15 – 28 of the menstrual cycle (or from full moon to new moon)
1-2 Tablespoon(s) per day of ground sesame or sunflower seeds.
GLA (Borage or Evening Primrose Oil) 500 mg
GLA (rich in Omega 6s that contains linoleic acid) converts in the body ultimately to prostaglandins, hormone-like molecules that help regulate Inflammation and blood pressure as well as heart, gastrointestinal, and kidney functions
Sesame and sunflower seeds support the PROGESTERONE peaks of your cycle and balancing the omega 6 pathway.

Men:
The rotation plan is done according to the phases of the moon (and is the opposite of women’s rotation):
* From full moon to the new moon: 1-2 Tablespoon per day of ground flax or pumpkin seeds.
* From new moon to the full moon: 1-2 Tablespoon per day of ground sesame or sunflower seeds.

Seed Preparation: It works best to use a coffee or spice grinder to grind the seeds.  Only prepare a few days supply at a time as the seeds may oxidize and become less potent.  Store the ground seeds in a jar with a tight fitting lid and keep in the refrigerator.   One or two tablespoons per day can be used.  You can eat the seeds with any foods such as salads, cereals, vegetables, grains or mix them in a little rice or soymilk and drink them.  It adds a nutty crunchy taste to foods. IT IS BEST TO USE ORGANIC AND RAW SEEDS.

Flax Seeds 
Flax seeds are high in B vitamins, manganese and magnesium. These power-packed seeds have many other nutrition components. 100 grams of ground flax seed supplies about 450 kilocalories, 28 grams/fiber and 20 grams/protein. Flax seeds should be ALWAYS be ground fresh before consumption (reduces rancidity) and can be added to any meal.

Pumpkin Seeds 
Pumpkin seeds are very beneficial to your health because of the minerals they provide.  The seeds contain high amounts of iron, magnesium phosphorus and zinc.  They are also a fantastic source of protein (2 grams per tablespoon), phytosterols and beneficial polyunsaturated fats.
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Sesame Seeds 
Sesame seeds are very rich in iron, magnesium, manganese and copper. There are about 90 mg of calcium in one tablespoon of unhulled seeds and 10 mg in hulled seeds. They also contain vitamin E (tocopherol) and vitamin B1 (thiamine). Sesame seeds contain the richest source of lignans, namely sesamin (a phytoestrogen), which has antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. The phytosterols present in sesame seeds are associated with reduced levels of blood cholesterol. ​

 Sunflower Seeds 
Sunflower Seeds are a rich source of vitamin E; also contain linoleic acid (an essential fatty acid), amino acids and minerals that include magnesium, potassium, zinc and calcium. Sunflower seeds are rich in phytosterols and can be part of a cholesterol-lowering diet. The nutritional value in one serving  (1/4 cup) includes, 3.0 g/fiber and 6.0 g/protein. A serving of raw sunflower seeds also provides a person’s daily requirement of iron (about 13%). ​

Have you seen those little immune shots sold at juice bars for up to $5? They are simple and easy to make at home for a fraction of the cost.  

These Immune boosts are full of easy to find ingredients that all support your immune system, and help fight colds & flus.  I like to make a batch that I store in the fridge and drink 2 shots a day during the winter months or when I am feeling something coming on.  

Try it out and let me know what you think!
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Ingredients & Directions 
(use organic whenever possible)

Orange - Peel & slice 1 orange 
Lemons or Limes - Juice of 2 lemons or limes 
​Garlic - 3 cloves of garlic, peeled & chopped
Ginger - Large chunk, about 2" of ginger, peeled and chopped
Turmeric - 1 tablespoon of turmeric powder
Honey - 1 tablespoon honey, Manuka honey is the best if you have it, otherwise a natural honey
1 cup of water
Cayenne Powder - Add to shot before drinking

​Add all ingredients to a blender, and blend until smooth.  Add cayenne to shot before drinking, add as much as you can tolerate.  Store the rest in the fridge.