Thursday, January 22, 2015

My Current Favorite Pantry Staples!

I'm a little obsessed with these two items at the moment. Sometimes when we get bored with our flavors it's nice to experiment with something a little different:
1. Smoked Paprika
I've been adding this to things like soups, hummus, guacamole, dips and eggs. It gives the food a depth of flavor that is very different. It's changed the taste of my hummus for the better, and last night I added it to Black Bean Soup - heavenly

2. Wakame Flakes
We know that we don't get enough sea vegetables in our diets (which are a great source of iodine for our thyroid glands), nor do we get enough minerals. This simple addition adds both. I throw 1-2 tbsp of these flakes into all my broths/soups (which adds a mild saltiness and rich flavor), pasta sauces and quinoa salads. Nobody notices, which means my kids are eating it up without knowing. Wonderful!

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND
Naturopathic Doctor, Clinic Director
info@vitalityforlife.ca
www.vitalityforlife.ca
Twitter: @NaturoDoctor
We're On Facebook!

Mineral-Rich 'Hug-in-a-Mug'....Yum!

We know our kids don't get the same amount of minerals as past generations have - our food unfortunately is not grown in the same mineral-rich soils (over-harvesting and over-production), processed foods and grains which have stripped the nutrients from our food, the hybridization of grains that have changed their composition, and having moved away from our traditional nourishing diets (organ meats, bone broths, unpasteurized milk, good fats etc).

What can we do? Making bone broths is a great strategy, but you may find you don't have the time to do it regularly (I know I don't). This is one of my favorite 'quick' methods of getting those minerals into my kids that supposedly is as dense as bone broths (and they LOVE it - they call it their 'hug in a mug'). I offer this most mornings before breakfast to warm them up - add 1-2 TBSP Mineral Matrix (by St. Francis) into a mug, top 3/4 with boiling water, and the other 1/4 with organic cream/milk/almond milk and 1 tsp honey/maple syrup and serve. YUM!

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND
Naturopathic Doctor, Clinic Director
info@vitalityforlife.ca
www.vitalityforlife.ca
Twitter: @NaturoDoctor
We're On Facebook!

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Reflections of the past year and EXCITED for 2015!

I recently had some time to reflect back on the past year - I've been hearing from several people that they felt 2014 was a real time of change, growth and learning, and I must say the same was true for myself. Both professionally and personally I felt that 2014 was a real stepping stone towards a more focused, self-actualized life...perhaps some of this is just age and life experience!
I had the chance to sharpen my skills in several areas and also to appreciate what I do and see the huge impact that it can have on patients, friends and my own family.
Surprisingly, I had some real fulfillment in certain unexpected areas - for example, some of my most rewarding cases this year were treating chronically constipated children! There's nothing better than seeing the relief in a parent that has had to witness an uncomfortable child for weeks/months on end, not to mention the change in the child! Many of these children started to exhibit very negative behavior around bathroom visits, so being able to reverse their fear, stomach pain and general comfort was very rewarding (not to mention knowing that we reversed the potential for life-long digestive complaints and lowered the risk for chronic disease and illness).
My other area of real fulfillment was helping several of my fertility patients achieve healthy pregnancies. Being a mother myself, and knowing that it does not come easily to many women makes this an area of extreme satisfaction - there's nothing greater than witnessing the miracle of pregnancy and birth, and also being able to meet the babies once they are born! I hope to continue working with women to improve fertility using specific nutrition, acupuncture and lifestyle interventions (and of course working with the babies to set them up for great health)!
I have to say however that life is still very much pulling me in the direction of 'prevention', which means working with people to make small interventions that result in big changes. Specifically nutrition and general fitness. I seem to be working more and more with moms, as they try to find balance and restore their own health (and that of their family's) after life, work, stress and obligations get in the way! They are often look for weight-loss, fitness ideas, menu planning and and increase in energy levels. I find it extremely rewarding working in this area because I notice that moms are often the cornerstone of health in the family - they are the ones scheduling medical and dental appointments, menu planning and grocery shopping. Moms have such a huge capacity to change the health of the entire family, which also seems to trickle down into the extended family (their own parents, siblings etc). I will continue reaching out to this amazing population of women, and am in the process of creating an exciting new program for them that should be ready for this spring (stay tuned:)
I'm also very excited and honored to be part of the Life Watchers course at the Goodness Me store that recently opened...I really think it's going to change lives in Barrie, and from the traffic that the store is getting it seems like Barrie was in need of a store like this! Can't wait to meet all the new patients and students that are motivated to make some amazing new changes in their lives! I hope you are as pumped and motivated for 2015 as I am - may you all embrace
the adventures that await you, and when life gives you lemons, make some lemonade (with a pinch of cayenne and maple syrup)!

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND
Naturopathic Doctor, Clinic Director
info@vitalityforlife.ca
www.vitalityforlife.ca
Twitter: @NaturoDoctor
We're On Facebook!