1. Basic Holistic Nutrition - Eat Well to Be Well
2. Foods that Super-Charge You
3. Gain Slimness - Reprogram Your Thinking About Losing Weight

Basic Holistic Nutrition - Eat Well to Be Well

Good nutrition is of vital importance for good health. It’s that simple!  We are what we eat, digest and assimilate.  

Good nutrition plays a huge role and is key to the health and maintenance of our bodies. The latest research proves that there is wisdom and healing power in eating a healthy and varied diet that includes whole foods.

The Surgeon General believes that 65% of diseases are preventable through good food choices and whole food nutrition. Eating whole foods delivers to your body a combination of balanced nutrients. These nutrients were designed to nourish and protect your body in a way that refined foods can’t.  Energy systems, immune functions, brain function, healthy DNA and strong hearts all thrive on healthy food and good nutrition.  

In addition, the “good” foods you eat provide you with the raw materials necessary for your body to produce thousands of chemical reactions which are necessary to regulate energy systems, moods, body repairs, and many other countless critical functions.

The problem is that a large portion of today’s population is still consuming a diet that is de-void of important nutrients.  North Americans are still in this vicious cycle of consuming a diet that is high in fat, especially trans fatty acids, high in sugar, salt, and cholesterol.  They consume FAR too many processed and refined foods, consume too much red meat, alcohol, too much pop, and junk foods.   All of these short circuiting your system, creating toxins, free radicals causing inflammation, pain, accelerated aging, obesity, Candida, arthritis, diabetes, immune system dysfunction, heart disease and the list goes on and on.  We are a society that consumes an overconsumption of refined and processed foods, therefore exhausting our nutritional reserves.

Imperfect foods, I like to call them DEAD FOODS, grow imperfect bodies!  Dead foods cannot feed our bodies and our minds the nutrients it needs. Dead foods are just that DEAD, they cannot maintain our health.  Anything, that is processed, refined, comes in a box is considered a dead food.  You cannot live on these dead foods and thrive!  

So if we are what we eat as the saying goes, then it is inevitable that our bodies are not functioning a peak performance on these devitalized foods.   YOU WILL BECOME DENATURED, DEFICIENT AND POTENTIALLY TOXIC.

Ever heard of the phrase your wealth is your health??  So many have suffered the consequences of poor eating habits and making poor eating choices.   So many would do anything to reverse and regain their health back, sometimes it is too late.

So what can you do???  Make it one of your New Years Resolutions to make simple changes and adjustments to your diet, educating yourself on proper nutrition and finding out what your alternatives are.  Changing your diet can have a dramatic difference and effect on your overall state of health and well being.  And remember good food choices start at the grocery store!

Good nutrition influences your state of mind, your ability to learn and concentrate, your level of alertness, the development of your brain, and your overall physical and mental development, fueling your body allowing you to function and do everything in your life to its greatest potential!

Good nutrition is KEY for optimum health as is a positive attitude, getting enough rest, exercise and drinking plenty of clean water.

Ultimately you are responsible for your own health.

SO LOOK BETTER, FEEL BETTER, PERFORM BETTER AND THINK BETTER!  EATING PROPERLY CAN DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE YOUR LIFE!

In addition, remember to get regular Body Talk Sessions and do Access on yourself to keep those lines of communication within all systems open allowing the body and mind to function at it’s best.

Integrated Wellness, Body, Mind and Soul
Lena Mascarin RNCP, CBP

Foods that Super-Charge You!

So here we are, another New Year and with that are the many resolutions that we make each and every January. Whether your goal is to lose weight, join a gym, stop smoking, change your diet, change your lifestyle etc, having a solid plan can make the difference between failure and success. Focus and commitment is key. Once you have made a commitment, you are more likely to stick with it.

So this year, why not make a commitment to look and feel better, lose a few pounds, nourish your body and mind and feel more energetic! Easier said than done you say?? Anything is possible. Having a positive attitude is key, and a willingness to step out of the box and begin a new relationship with food in 2009 is a step in the right direction.

Being a registered nutritionist, I am a firm believer that we are what we eat! Eating the correct foods can help our bodies thrive. Consuming the wrong foods can be detrimental to our health.

1. It is of vital importance that our foods are:
2. Of highest quality
3. Unrefined and unprocessed
4. As natural as possible
5. And high in antioxidants (antioxidants help the prevention of many diseases)

As Hippocrates once said. ‘Let Food be thy Medicine, Thy Medicine shall be Thy Food.’

So, with this in mind, here are my suggestions to you of 12 Super Foods this year, to include in your diet for a healthier you…

1. Green Tea – rich in antioxidants (studies have suggested that antioxidants fight off cancer, colds/flus and have the potential to be anti-aging)
2. Broccoli – high in Vitamin C and contains anti-cancerous properties
3. Yogurt – All Natural! High in probiotics. Helps reculture the ‘good’ flora in the large intestine, helps maintain regular bowel movements, supports the immune system.
4. Berries – Wild and organic berries are an excellent source of fibre and high in antioxidants. Helps with inducing satiety and heps reduce food intake which is helpful for weight management.
5. Pomegranates – are an anti-oxidant superstar! This fruit is high in Vitamin C. Anti-inflammatory.
6. Garlic – a must have in everyone’s diet. Garlic has some great and powerful properties. It helps lower total cholesterol and blood pressure. It is also a liver friendly food that assists in liver detoxification and destroys infection-causing viruses and bacteria.
7. Oats – are a great source of soluble fibre, which helps lower bad cholesterol. Can also help lower blood glucose after a meal and are important for maintaining colon health.
8. Quinoa – an excellent alternative grain that is gluten free and high in protein. Quinoa contains fibre, antioxidants and may help lower triglycerides.
9. Buckwheat – this grain is a health powerhouse. High in protein and amino acids Lysine and Arginine, buckwheat is gluten free and helps in lowering cholesterol.
10. Cold-water fish – consume wild salmon, sardines, herring, and mackerel. They are a great source of Vitamin D and Calcium and a great source of essential fatty acids, which are of vital importance to our health.
11. Cinnamon – this warming spice can help lower blood sugar levels, aid digestion, and help reduce inflammation.
12. Nuts and seeds – ‘Go Nuts’ – Nuts and seeds are high in protein, contain healthy fats – Omega 3 and 6. Nuts and seeds help reduce visible signs of aging such as wrinkles and sagging skin, helps control your weight with no hunger pangs and dramatically decreases your risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Of course raw is always better and always consume in moderation.

Also, always remember to include more fruits and vegetables in your diet, and incorporate good fats such as olive oil, flaxseed oil, and nut oils too.

To help with weight loss, eat smaller portions, limit intake of carbohydrates, and yes do please get some form of exercise at least 3 times a week – your heart and arteries will thank you.

And don’t forget to drink pure clean water every day!

So go to it! Altering your diet doesn’t take a great deal of effort. Commitment, yes, and just know you are doing yourself good. So get on board and set your health and diet intentions! Make better food choices, try making small changes, keep a positive attitude, exercise, get adequate rest and start feeling and looking better. Your energy will soar!

Wishing you an exciting journey to greater health and freedom.

Lena Mascarin RNCP, CBP
Certified BodyTalk Practitioner
Registered Nutritional Consulting Practitioner
Holistic Practitioner

GAIN SLIMNESS, REPROGRAM YOUR THINKING ABOUT LOSING WEIGHT!

Finding it difficult to lose weight and shed those extra pounds?  It could possibly be in the choice of words you are using and thinking.

Shift your awareness from the words diets, weight loss TO one of BECOMING HEALTHY AND GAINING SLIMNESS and watch your weight melt away!  

It’s a new paradigm in thinking about loosing weight.  Your body is an amazing temple that wants balance, seeks to be healthy, fit, lean, slim and happy!  

The problem is we self sabotage ourselves, with the negative thinking we have about our weight and the way we look. High stress levels, anxiety, poor diet, emotional upsets, traumas, all contributing to our out of control eating and poor eating habits, leading to obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. Our belief systems also play a huge role in how we feel about ourselves and our weight, including body image issues.  

Allow me to explain how your mind/body works…
What you say, believe and think on a daily basis becomes your reality!   So guess what?  When we are constantly saying or even thinking. I want to lose weight, I am going on a diet, I am going to cut calories your body goes into survival mode and begins thinking “oh my, am I going to have another meal and or am I going to be fed today.”  So guess what the body does?  It goes into survival mode and holds on to every ounce of fat!   Making it much more difficult for you to lose the fat!  The body holds on to the fat it has stored because your mind has internalized these statements and actually believes them.  Words and thoughts such as, I am going on a diet, weight loss, or even just thinking the words I am fat and don’t like what I see. “  Your body/mind goes into fearful mode and survival mode when these thoughts and words are expressed.  Negative charges are associated with these words and thought patterns, thus the body will hold on longer to the body fat and not release it.

Change your thinking and shift your body into getting slim, through healthy thinking, making better food choices, educating yourself about your health and wellness,
excercising , keeping stress levels at bay and living a healthy lifestyle are very important to get you to your ideal weight!

Tell your body you Love it daily and tell it you are ‘gaining slimness’ not LOSING WEIGHT. Your body will love you for it” and watch your body shape change before your very eyes.

GAINING SLIMNESS, GAINING SLIMNESS, GAINING SLIMNESS – say it everyday …………. Pin it up in your kitchen, bathroom, car, office, bathroom………it will be a reminder for you and watch the magic happen.

Lena Mascarin BA. RNCP. CBP
Holistic Practitioner
Registered Nutritional Consulting Practitioner
Cert. BodyTalk Practitioner
Integrated Wellness Body, Mind and Soul
www.integratedwellness.ca