We challenge you to join us and Seven Shores and drink one Green Smoothie each day for 5 Days – starting after Thanksgiving Weekend from Tuesday Oct.12^th to Saturday Oct. 16^th.   See how you feel after … we will have a follow up on facebook.

Benefits to the Seven Shores Green Smoothie Challenge:

1. Creating a Habit of Drinking Green Smoothies
2. To help begin building our Immune Systems for the winter
3. To have Increased Energy all day long
4. To use the kale, spinach, carrots and other greens, veggies and fruit from our local farms … the combinations taste great … you have to try it!!

How the Seven Shores Green Smoothie challenge works:

• Each day Seven Shores Cafe will make a fresh green smoothie for you in a 946ml (32oz.) Mason Jar.
• Cost is $35 for 5 Green Smoothies (pre-payment can be made in cafe)
• Pick up Smoothie in the Cafe anytime between 7am and 7pm
• Return your mason jar the next day and receive your next smoothie
• A chart will be in the cafe – tracking your number of smoothies consumed
• On Saturday 16^th receive recipes of the 5 smoothies
• If you have a juicer at home and would like to do it yourself – we can provide the produce, juice and recipes for you to pick-up on Tuesday – $25 fee.

Information Night (location – Cafe): Thursday October 7^th from 7pm to 8pm:

To know more about Building up Your Immune System and the Benefits of Drinking Green Smoothies – Come and Listen to Kristijana Rakic, ND – www.vibrant-living.ca You will also have a chance to sample a green smoothie and ask any questions about the challenge.

Seven Shores Cafe is about using local and organic produce and other products on their menu in support of the local farmer and keeping the food fresh and nutritious.  The challenge is during the time of National Organic Week – supported by Canadian Organic Growers – Waterloo Chapter www.cogwaterloo.ca.  The greens and veggies used to make the smoothies will be coming from our local organic farms:  Pfennings, Fertile Ground and Transpire Organic Farm!

Any questions please email info@sevenshorestrading.com or call 519.342.0916

Vibrant Living is proud to announce the launch of EVANHEALY all natural skincare line.

For years our Naturopaths have been recommending Evanhealy products.  After so many success stores and the out pore of unbelievable testimonials of how these products have transformed the skin health of our patients we wanted to make it more accessible to everyone but offering the full line.

Evanhealy products are fantastic for anyone wanted an ALL natural skincare line free of preservatives, harmful chemicals, dyes and perfumes.

Evanhealy offers products to help treat:

• dry, oily, sensitive, problematic or acne prone skin
• eczema, psoriasis, rosacea
• repair damage caused by sun, pollutants, aging and inflammation
• fine lines and wrinkles
• healing of scars
• preserve youthful vibrant skin

To learn more about Evanhealy products and their philosophy please visit  www.evanhealy.com

Please stay tuned for an up-coming FREE skincare seminar that will be presented by your naturopaths this fall.

I have been wanting to plant a garden for many years now, and we finally got around to building one this spring.  It was actually being completed the day that I went into labour!

I would encourage anyone with space and the desire to think about planting one for next year. There is something about going to the backyard to get your vegetables that is very satisfying.  I have to say that it is a learning process, we planted way too much zucchini and not enough lettuce…so let me just say that we have had to come up with many different ways to eat zucchini!!   The nice thing about it is that no green thumb is required, so it makes you feel like a real star. You just plant it, and water it a couple of times and a couple of months later you a whole garden full.

That being said, I have included 2 of our favourite summer zucchini recipes!

Grilled Zucchini

This is a very simple cooking method that you can do with any vegetables.  We usually put in zucchini, onions/leeks, tomatoes from the garden and then whatever other vegetables are in season…asparagus, peppers, beans, eggplant, mushrooms.

Many books will recommend that you soak your veggies for 30min before grilling them. We don’t do that, we just purchased a grilling basket and then put them on the top rack of the BBQ on low heat. The concern about the BBQ is the charring, as it can be carcinogenic so it is important to now “blacken” your meat/fish or veggies.

Since coconut oil is very heat stable, we usually melt some coconut oil and then brush our veggies with that.  Mix them with some fresh spices…we planted parsley so we usually use some of that, or you could put in thyme, basil etc.  Let them cook for about 5min or so, stirring them often.  Pull them off of the heat, and add a very small amount of braggs soy sauce to them.  Serve these with fish or organic meats.

Stuffed Zucchini

Recipe serves two as a side dish but is easily doubled.

Ingredients:

• 1 zucchini, freshly picked and washed; scrubbed with a brush if necessary to remove dirt
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
• 2 tbsp. onions
• ½ – 1 tsp. dried oregano, to taste
• ½ – 1 tsp. dried basil, to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• ½ cup tomato or spaghetti sauce…commercial versions tend to be high in salt, so we usually just crush tomatoes from the garden and then add more basil/oregano to taste
• 2 tbsp. breadcrumbs (we use ezekial or rye)
• 2 tsp. nutritional yeast (This a deactivated yeast that tastes much like parmesan cheese. It is a complete protein that is high in Bvitamins, specifically B12 which is great for vegetarians or vegans. You can find it in the health food section of Zehrs and some say it looks like cornmeal…but I think it looks like fish food!  It is also great as a topping for popcorn.)

Directions:

• Boil zucchini for 10min in hot water
• Preheat oven to 350F
• Sauté onion and garlic in coconut oil for 2-3min
• Add tomato sauce to heat and stir
• Add breadcrumbs, basil and oregano – we like it a little spicy, so usually add some chili powder or cayenne
• Allow zucchini to cool, and then cut in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop the insides out and save in a small bowl. Chop any pieces that are larger than bite size into smaller pieces
• Add the zucchini mix to the sauce mixture
• Fill the empty zucchini with the mixture and top each with nutritional yeast
• Bake for 15min
• ENJOY!

Recipe adapted from http://vegetarian-recipes.suite101.com

pH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline something is. pH balance is a very important part of health. pH is measured from 1 (very acidic) to 14 (very alkaline). Our body works really hard to keep the pH of our blood at a slightly alkaline level (7.4). Our diet can have a significant impact on our blood pH. When we eat more acidic foods such as sugar, processed food, red meat our bodies have to work extra hard to restore the pH of the body. Consider this: A 350 ml serving of Coke, Pepsi or similar drink delivers a sugar fix equivalent to about 9 teaspoons of sugar straight into the blood stream. This instantly acidifies the bloodstream to the extreme point that without an immediate emergency response from the body, it would kill you in a mater of minutes…you’d have to drink 32 glasses of alkaline water to neutralize the blood pH…to prevent death by acidosis, the body reacts swiftly by drawing huge amounts of organic calcium from the bones and teeth and pouring it into the bloodstream to neutralize the excess acid and quickly restore alkaline balance. Calcium is the body’s most potent alkalizing agent”

It’s no coincidence that acid foods that pack on the pounds and contribute to other help problems such as osteoporosis. Acidic foods accelerate aging, especially after our 40’s when the body isn’t as efficient at buffering the blood with calcium.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that alkalizing diets improve bone density and serum growth hormone concentrations; the acidosis resulting from acidic diets contributes to bone and muscle loss.

Our fat cells actually help to protect us again the excess acid in our body by trapping the acid in the fat cells. The more acidic the diet is the more your fat cells grow. Also, the body resists breaking down fat stores when the body is acidic, so to help mobilize and breakdown fat you need to alkalinize!

Clinical studies show that alkaline mineral water (such as spring water) is the best way to obtain alkaline minerals and acid waters like colas are the best way to quickly deplete them!

The most nourishing alkaline foods are nature’s super greens – spirulina, barley and wheat grass. Other super foods are Essetential Fatty Acids (omega 3) help maintain an alkaline body. For a more complete list of alkaline and acidic foods please see the chart below.

5 Top Ways to Stay Alkaline:

1. Drink, Drink then Drink some more!
   1. By far the most important and yet the easiest way to accelerate your alkaline diet weight loss results is to hydrate consistently. Avoid Coffee, tea, soda and other acidic drinks.
2. Avoid Foods with preservatives, food colouring and additives.
   1. The body wasn’t designed to digest these chemical substances, so it must either: eliminate them, neutralize them or park them away where they can’t damage your body
3. Avoid artificial sweeteners like the plague.
   1. If you have been trying to lose weight, chances are you have relied on artificial sweeteners to cut calories.
4. Always have cut veggies and soaked nuts ready in your fridge
   1. Having more of the alkaline foods readily available makes it easier to make the healthier choice. Buy veggies that you enjoy eating!
5. Choose more vegetarian sources of Protein
   1. Meats are more acid especially red meat. Choose less acid protein such as vegetarian protein – beans, nuts, seeds, fish

General Guidance:

Stick to salads, fresh vegetables and healthy nuts and oils. Try to consume plenty of raw foods and at least 2-3 litres of clean, pure water daily. Avoid or reduce of fatty meats, dairy, cheese, sweets, chocolates, alcohol and tobacco. Packaged foods are often full of hidden offenders and microwave meals are full of sugars and salts.

Heart Health

Asparagus are especially high in folate. Folate is essential for a healthy cardiovascular system. Just one serving of asparagus supplies almost 66% of the daily recommended intake of folate.

A Natural Diuretic

Asparagus is a very good source of potassium (288 mg per cup) and quite low in sodium (19.8 mg per cup). Its mineral content, combined with an active amino acid in asparagus, asparagine, gives asparagus a diuretic effect. Historically, asparagus has been used to treat problems involving swelling, such as arthritis and rheumatism, and may also be useful for PMS-related water retention.

Food for Healthy Gut Flora

Asparagus contains a special kind of carbohydrate called inulin which is a health-promoting friendly bacteria in our large intestine. When our diet contains good amounts of friendly bacteria the digestive system works smoothly.

A Birth Defect Fighter

Eat lots of asparagus if you’re thinking about becoming pregnant or are in the early stages of pregnancy. A cup of asparagus supplies approximately 263 mcg of folate, a B-vitamin essential for proper nervous system development. Inadequate folate during pregnancy has been linked to several birth defects, including neural tube defects like spina bifida.

For more information on asparagus and for delicious recipes visit the official Ontario website for asparagus.

Let’s find out what is in your own local grocery store that can help you age vibrantly, naturally!

Diet

This is not going to come as a surprise to many of you…but what you eat on a consistent basis will effect how your skin ages.

Studies are showing that eating a diet that is higher in fish, vegetables, fruits, legumes while consuming lower intakes of butter, sugar and meat can positively effect skin wrinkling.

So…eat those veggies

(Purba Exp Dermatol 2008)

Lycopene

We know that sun damages the skin. It has been found that increased intake of lycopene has been shown to be able to have UV protecting properties. This means rich lycopene based diets for 12 weeks have been shown to reduce UV induced redness when patients are exposed to the sun. Does this mean eat tomatoes, and don’t wear sunscreen? No, it just helps to further reduce the UV damage.  Also lycopene has been shown to help reduce the depth and severity of furrows and wrinkles in humans.

(Riediger J Am Diet Assoc 2009)

Cocoa

No, this doesn’t mean you can go out and eat unlimited amounts of O’Henry Bars!

But…pure cocoa has been show to contain antioxidants that reduce skin aging. Consumption of 325mg of cocoa flavonols per day for 3 months reduced UV redness, improved skin hydration and decreased roughness and scaling of the skin.

How much is this?  If you get raw cacao powder about 2 tsp will contain roughly this amount. Check out our recipe on the website for healthy hot chocolate.

(Neukam Eur J Nutr 2007)

Fish Oils

You have heard over and over to take your omegas, here is another reason why. Studies are showing that the EPA found in fish can provide internal protection against UV damage and improve skin elasticity. Make sure you take a fish oil supplement that has been tested for heavy metals and take the equivalent of 1000mg of combined EPA/DHA per day.

(Riediger J Am Diet Assoc 2009)

Proper Hydration

We know that drinking your water, and being well hydrated will lead to healthy skin with that glowing appearance. It has been shown that things like fermented dairy (yogurt, kefir), green tea and borage oil can improve hydration from the inside out.

So skip that second cup of coffee and donut and have some plain yogurt and green tea!

(Puch Exp Dermatol 2008)

For those of you who haven’t heard of this program, Jamie Oliver is better know as the “Naked Chef”. He has created a revolution in the school programs at home in England, and has now brought the project to one of the unhealthiest cities in America.

As you can imagine, he gets a lot of resistance and has great struggles trying to get these kids to eat “real food”.    The kids are currently on a school lunch program and are being fed pizza and strawberry milk for breakfast and then pizza or chicken nuggets again at lunch.  Of course all of these meals are processed containing a whole list of additives not to mention vast amounts of sugar and salt.

Jamie’s mission is to get “real food” back into the school cafeterias which includes meals like pasta, with a meat sauce that is full of vegetables and real chicken or sloppy joes made of unprocessed beef and vegetables and even mac and cheese…but the homemade kind not from a box. He even admits that the meals are sometimes not the “best” choices but they are better than the stuff they are currently eating.

There have been 3-4 clips in this series so far that I have found fascinating and wanted to share them with you

Is That Chicken?

In one of the first episodes, Jamie does an experiment where he takes a chicken and explains to a group of 6-7 kids where processed chicken nuggets come from. He takes a whole chicken and cuts off the legs and breasts, explains these are the good parts and sets them aside. What is left is the carcass, bones, fat, cartilage..and he takes all of this and cuts it up and places it in a food processor. At this point the kids are screaming and totally grossed out. Jamie explains that these are the ingredients they are eating when they consume chicken nuggets. Then he takes the “mash” and combines this with flour, fillers, and spices to make it taste good, forms them into patties and fries them with a coating.

The kids are watching this whole process, and at the end he asks for a show of hands as to who would eat this.

Even though 3 minutes before they were disgusted by the “mash”, every child put up their hand that they would still eat the chicken nugget. Gross!

The point being, we really have to focus on educating our kids about what is actually in our food as when this food comes in pretty packages they are disconnected from what they are actually eating. This goes for adults too.

What is a Vegetable?

Along this same line, Jamie went into the classroom and was trying to get kids to identify vegetables.  While the kids had no problem recognizing things like French fries and pizza – not one single child was able to identify a carrot, potato, eggplant, broccoli etc.

Come Over To The Common Sense Corner

Jamie has his meals going up against the regular school lunch program. On this particular day, he made a pasta that included 7 different kids of vegetables, and that was going up against a burger and fries with the “option” of a side salad.

The supervisor pulled Jamie aside and said that according to standards there wasn’t enough vegetable in his meal. The policy required that you need 1 ½ cups, and even though there were 7 different kinds of vegetables in the pasta there wasn’t 1 ½ cups. When he questioned where the vegetables were in the regular school program dish the answer was the French fries and the option the kids had for the side salad (even though not one child was in the salad line).

This is where we have to use our common sense, and agree that sometimes policy just doesn’t make sense. I bring this up as this happens a lot! We know in our heart of hearts what we should and shouldn’t be eating but we tend to rationalize. My favourite example of this is the whole grain fruit loops…we know this really isn’t great for us, yet we rationalize that at least it is whole grain, or reduced in sugar.

When presented with situations like this…no matter what the policy or label may claim we challenge you to put on your common sense hat!

Is That Milk?

The last one was probably the most mind blowing for me. The last episode had Jamie trying to feed the children plain milk instead of giving them the option to choose the strawberry or chocolate version.  Typically these flavoured milks have more sugar than a can of pop…and we know all of the problems that over 10tsp of sugar in one drink can have on a body, let alone a little body!  The rationalization for the flavoured milk still being offered was that it is better for a child to drink the sugar to make sure they get their calcium.

My jaw dropped to the floor!

We now know that sugar is one of the major driving forces of things like cardiovascular disease, inflammation, diabetes and now new research is pointing at Alzheimer’s as being the type 3 diabetes.  In addition, we know that calcium is leached in an acidic environment…and one of the number one acidic foods is sugar.

Again…here is where we need to advocate for and educate our children.

One of the teachers in this episode encouraged the children to choose the regular plain milk and explained why, and everyone in that class made the right choice in the cafeteria line.  It is up to us become educated ourselves, and then educate our children and given the choice they usually do make the right decision!

Your Own Food Revolution

To embark on your own Food Revolution…come to our Transformation Weekend on June 5/6, 2010.

2FOR1 special is on until May 7th!

For More Details click here now: http://www.lose-weight-waterloo.com/

Until Next Time…tune into Jamie’s Food Revolution.

Stay Vibrant

Robin and Kristijana

Dear Community Member;

After the outstanding success of the 1st Annual Community Wide Spring Cleanse we did last May, we’ve decided to keep the tradition going and help member of the community improve their health with another cleanse this year!

Beginning Monday May 3, 2010 you are invited to participate in a 14-day spring cleanse, involving a two week commitment to guided healthy eating and movement designed to detoxify the body.

Vibrant Living co-founders, Robin Walsh N.D. and Kristijana Rakic N.D., Moksha Yoga, and Seven Shores Urban Market & Café are bringing together their collective expertise to host the 2nd Annual Community Wide Spring Cleanse charity event.  The Annual Community Wide Spring Cleanse is designed to promote healthy eating, the importance of environmentally conscious living, the benefits of low impact exercise, and the value of community involvement.

Vibrant Living:

Prior to the kick-off date for the Annual Community Wide Spring Cleanse participants are encouraged to attend an hour-long information session.  Topics such as, the benefits of cleansing, how to best aid the body during the cleansing process, how to assist the body in daily detoxification, and how to limit exposure to both dietary and environmental toxins will be discussed.  Please join us for one of the following information sessions:

• Sunday April 25, 2010 at 4:30 pm at Moksha Yoga, 55 Erb Street East Waterloo, Ontario, N2J 4K8
• Thursday April 29, 2010 at 7:00 pm Seven Shores Café, 8 Regina St. N Unit 5. Waterloo, ON. N2J 2Z8

Upon registering by clicking here, participants will be provided with an information package, prepared by Robin Walsh N.D. and Kristijana Rakic N.D, which will explain the benefits of a dietary cleanse, and include a comprehensive meal plan, a list of health promoting foods to add to your diet, and a list of foods to avoid, as well as, a shopping list to help guide your choices.

Moksha Yoga:

To add the detoxification benefits of hot yoga to the Annual Spring Cleanse participants receive a complimentary hot yoga class designed to enhance the cleansing process.

The facilities at Moksha Yoga Waterloo have been built and are maintained with a commitment to ethical, compassionate, and environmentally conscious living. Visit http://wwww.mokshayogawaterloo.com to learn more about the health benefits of hot yoga and their commitment to environmentally conscious living.

Seven Shores Urban Market & Café:

Participants can purchase an organic, locally grown food boxs for $15, $25, $50 or create your own. The food boxes are a great opportunity to improve your diet with organic foods, and to support the local farm community.

To reserve a food box for the Annual Spring Cleanse, click this link to email Shawn.

Pick up for the food boxes will be Friday April 30th; Tuesday May 4th; Friday May 7th; Tuesday May 11th and Friday May 14th. To learn more about the organic food box program visit http://www.sevenshorestrading.com.

In Sum, Cleansing…

• Improves energy level
• Helps us to cope with stress Improves recovery time after strenuous exercise
• Improves physical performance and stamina
• Removes impurities from the body for improved health and better absorption of nutrients
• Strengthens the immune system
• Helps prevent degenerative diseases
• Improves bone strength
• Improves the production of collagen for joints and ligaments
• Improves memory, concentration and focus
• Promotes weight loss
• Is for anyone who wishes to look and feel young and healthy

In health,

Vibrant Living – Robin Walsh, ND & Kristijana Rakic, ND
Moksha Yoga Waterloo
Seven Shores Urban Market and Café

If you are an allergy sufferer and are go to the pharmacy or health food store and are confused as to what to take…you are not alone. With all of the products on the market, it is easy to feel overwhelmed.

We hope to clear up some of that confusion, and give you the clinical experience of what we have seen work to help support you and your family!

Essential For All Allergy Sufferers

1. Essential Fatty Acids (fish oil/omega 3)

Fatty acids are converted to hormone like substances in your body called prostaglandins that act like messengers to regulate body processes. For allergy sufferers, prostaglandins play a role in controlling inflammation.

While inflammation is not always bad, when it is out of control it can be destructive. We know that out of control inflammation is part of the allergy response. Since there are some prostaglandins that promote inflammation, and some that reduce it…the types of fats that we eat will influence our allergenic response.

2. Reduce Inflammatory Fats

These fats are converted to prostaglandin PG2 – creating an inflammatory response and aggravating allergies

Foods that create PG2 include dairy, meat, eggs

3. Increase Anti Inflammatory Fats

These fats are converted to PG1 or PG3 which create an anti-inflammatory effect in the body, block allergenic responses and enhance the immune system

Foods that create PG1/PG3 include nuts, seeds, avocado, flax, fish, olives, hemp

We suggest that in addition to shifting the fats in the diet, that all allergy sufferers will supplement with an omega 3 fatty acid. Fish oils are usually the best, just make sure that the source has been tested for heavy metals. You should take 1000mg of EPA/DHA per day.

4. Vitamin C With Bioflavonoids

Vitamin C works similar to the action of a conventional antihistamine, but without many of the side effects. It is important to get vitamin C with bioflavonoids, as these enhance the effectiveness of vitamin C. Talk to your ND for individual dosages of this vitamin.

5. Saline Nose Rinse

Saltwater rinses will flush your nasal cavity and help to thin mucus and get rid of allergenic irritants. Saline nose rinses can be purchased from your local health food store or pharmacy, and the ratio of salt to water should be approximately 1/8 tsp of salt to 1 cup of warm water. During a flare make sure to do this twice a day, as this will greatly reduce the allergenic load on the system.

It is important to take these things before the allergy season starts. Once symptoms begin it is harder to balance the overresponding immune system, so we want to try to prevent as much as possible. If you start taking these 4-6weeks before your allergies flare, it will help to strengthen your immune response.

Individual Allergy Prescriptions

There are many other things that we can take, but these are more based on individual cases.

Here are the top 3 allergy products that we find help:

1. Pascoeallerg: This is a homeopathic that you can take to help to strengthen and build the immune system before allergies hit. We typically suggest taking this 4-6 weeks prior to allergy season. For more information, talk to your ND at your next appt.
2. Dilute Homeopathics: If you know what you react to, we can actually start to give your body homeopathics of that substance prior to allergy season. This is much similar to the idea of an allergy shot. You give small, minute amounts of the allergen and it builds your defenses and reduces your reactivity. Homeopathics are very safe, and are great for adults, children and even pets. Talk to your ND about your option.
3. Quercitin: Quercetin has been found to limit the release of histamines by stabilizing mast cells. Quercetin is an antioxidant in the bioflavonoid family found in fruits and vegetables such as apples, red onions, blueberries, cranberries, green and black tea, and broccoli. In addition to the vitamin C, you can also get quercitin in supplement form and take about 2 weeks before your allergies flare and during allergy season.

Vibrant Living is growing and with the expansion of our new Naturopathic and Wellness Clinic we have installed a medical grade infrared sauna to help provide the best treatments available to our community.

Sauna treatments are booked for one hour time slots.  The average duration of infrared treatment is 30 minutes, giving you an additional 30 minutes to shower and change.

With each treatment we provide towels, electrolyte solution, filtered water and a hair dryer.

Assists with and/or alleviates symptoms of the following:

• Causes weight loss (without having to lift a finger)
• Helps treat cellulites
• Improves your immune system
• Improves your strength and vitality
• Helps cure several skin diseases like eczema, psoriasis and acne
• Strengthens the cardio-vascular system
• Helps control your blood pressure
• Detoxifies your body
• Gives you more energy & relieves stress
• Helps treat burns and scars
• Relieves pain (joint pain, sore muscles, arthritis)
• Helps control your cholesterol level
• Helps treat bronchitis
• Helps treat hives, gout, tissue damage, prostate hypertrophy

Book Your Infrared Sauna Treatment Today!

• Single Treatment $25
• 10 visit package $199
• 1 month Detox $249
• 3 months unlimited $495

You do not need to be a current patient of our clinic to use the infra-red sauna.