 If you rely on a cup of coffee to get you going every morning like I used to, you may want to start experimenting with some healthy coffee alternatives to give your overworked adrenals a much needed break.
As a student I used to drink about 2 double americanos everyday, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, just to feel normal! If I missed one I would get such a bad headache. I slowly decreased the amount I was drinking and at the same time started having smoothies everyday, with maca for my adrenals, and blue-green algae for energy, and eventually was able to give up coffee all together. Reasons to Decrease or Avoid Coffee:
Delicious Healthy Coffee Alternatives:
Contact Shawna today for Nutrition Consulting, if you would like support and information on quitting/reducing coffee, how to support your adrenals (especially important during perimenopause and menopause), or simply learning how to incorporate more superfoods into your life!
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 When the topic of soy comes up many people, especially men, say they try to avoid it due to the phytoestrogens present. While it is true soy, as well as flax, does contain some phytoestrogens, it should be the least of our concerns. The main culprit of too much estrogen in the body comes from our environment in the form of pesticides, plastics, canned foods, animal products, and other endocrine disrupting chemicals in our personal care products and household cleaning products.
A great documentary that explores this topic is called The Disappearing Male and it can be watched online for free. I highly recommend watching this eye-opening documentary, and then start making an effort to minimize your exposure to these endocrine disrupting chemical compounds, whether you are male or female. But getting back to the soy discussion, here are some tips:
The bottom line: listen to your body and enjoy a wide variety of plant-based foods which may include organic fermented/whole-food soy in moderation. Contact Shawna today for Nutrition Consulting, Personal Chef services or a Private Raw Food Class !  Question:
What are the best foods for cancer prevention? Answer: Foods high in antioxidants and foods that support the immune system are the best foods for cancer prevention. Try to eat a rainbow of colours everyday to get a wide variety of antioxidants. Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, especially dark leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and kale, berries, onions, garlic, ginger, and turmeric. Mushrooms seem to be particularly high in cancer-preventative properties; try adding shitake, maitake, chaga, reishi, and turkey tail to your daily diet and/or in supplement form. There is also a group of foods that contain anti-angiogenic compounds. These foods prevent the growth of new blood vessels bringing oxygen and nutrients to tumours, therefore preventing them from increasing in size. We will all have microscopic cancer cells develop at some point in our lives, the key is to prevent them from increasing in size by having a strong immune system, exercise and stress management, eating protective foods, and having a balanced social, emotional, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. For more information on the exciting research involving anti-angiogenic foods please check out Dr. William Li's TED Talk. Want to learn more?  Brazil Nut Brownie Bites
Gourmet and guilt-free, these nutrient-dense brownies are delicious, rich in selenium, and ready in 5 minutes! 1 cup brazil nuts, raw 1 cup walnuts, raw 3/4 -1 cup medjool dates, pitted 1/2 cup raw cacao powder 1 tsp vanilla powder pitch of sea salt Garnish: 1/4 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened 1. In a food processor, process brazil nuts and walnuts until flour-like consistency. Be careful not to over-process as the mixture will become too oily. 2. Add remaining ingredients and process until mixture starts to form a ball, or sticks together when pinched. If too crumbly and dry add more dates. If too sticky and moist add more walnuts. 3. Form mixture into 2-inch cubes. 4. Toss cubes with shredded coconut and set in freezer for 5 mins. You can substitute the Brazil nuts for almonds, cashews, hazelnuts. I like to use Brazil nuts to get my daily dose of selenium - 2 Brazil Nuts a day provides all your daily selenium needs! Contact Shawna today for Nutrition Consulting or Raw Food Classes.  Question:
Whenever I juice I feel like I am wasting too much of the fruit/vegetable. Wouldn't it be better just to eat the fruits/vegetables rather than juice them? Answer: You definitely shouldn't think of it as a waste. The benefits of juicing are possible because the fibre has been removed, allowing for instant absorption of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and amino acids. You get an instant energy boost and tons of nutrients every time you drink fresh (unpasteurized) juice, and because there is no fibre you are giving your overworked digestive system a much needed break. Since so much of our energy is used when we digest food, every time we drink juice there is energy leftover that can then be used for detoxification, cellular repair and healing. Juicing also allows us to consume more fruits and vegetables than we could if we were just eating them whole. Don't want to waste the pulp? You can save the pulp by freezing or dehydrating and then use it to make soup stock, crackers, croutons, breads. Learn 7 more ways you can use juice pulp. Contact Shawna today for Nutrition Consulting, or Raw Food Classes to learn how to ensure you have a good nutritional foundation for your journey to vibrant health.  If you want to opt out of this worldwide experiment that is currently taking place regarding GMO safety then your best bet is to eat organic. If you haven't already heard about the negative health implications discovered from studying animals that are fed genetically modified foods, then I would recommend watching the documentary GMO OMG. Once you learn about the consequences of consuming GMOs you may want to spend a little extra time in the grocery store reading ingredients. Avoiding GMOs is easy once you know what to look for: 1. Learn what crops on the market are currently approved GMOs. 2. Always buy the organic options for foods that are typically GMO. 3. Packaged foods can be tricky - a package can say organic even if some of the ingredients are not organic (i.e. may only contain 80% organic ingredients). One example could be organic corn chips where the main ingredient is organic but maybe the vegetable oil is not - vegetable oil can include soy oil, corn oil, canola oil, and/or cottonseed oil - all of which are GMO unless they are organic. 4. Learn the different names for corn-based ingredients and make sure those are listed as organic. 5. Look for the Non-GMO Verified Project logo. Contact Shawna today for Nutrition Consulting or Raw Food Classes to learn how to ensure you have a good nutritional foundation for your journey to vibrant health.  |
AuthorShawna Barker BSc., RHN is a nutritionist, college instructor, and raw food educator. Archives
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