Fun Facts

• The olive is technically a fruit.
• About eight olives, roughly one pack of Li’L Oliver is equal to half a serving of fruit, which can count towards the Canada Food Guide recommendation of up to six servings of fruits and vegetables a day for children under 13.
• Eating olives boosts your iron intake, which plays a key role in keeping you healthy and happy. 
• Olives are high in oleic acid, which studies have shown reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Olives are rich in phytonutrients, bringing added benefits for our cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, muscle, immune, inflammatory and digestive systems.
• Oleuropein, found exclusively in olives, is an antioxidant nutrient that has shown to decrease LDL cholesterol and protect nerve cells.

Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Time: 8:00 pm ET

Party Hashtag: #MyKidsLunch

Hosts: @cararosenbloom and @Chancesmommy

• Whole grain products are a great source of nutrients such as fibre, B-vitamins and minerals that are necessary for growth and development.
• A balanced meal should include: whole grains, vegetables & fruit and protein.
• Cara recommends the balanced plate approach: fill your plate, or lunch box with: half vegetables or fruit, a quarter protein and a quarter whole grains.
• Get kids excited about their lunch by giving it a cool name and using bright colours.

Healing Organic Fruit Smoothie

• 1 organic banana
• 7-8 frozen organic strawberries
• 4 tbsp of plain organic yogurt
• 1 tbsp of natural honey
• 1 scoop of Healing Mix

Fitness Inn Pavilion - Ste. Anne's Spa

Eucalyptus Steam Room - Ste. Anne's Spa

Outdoor Hot Tub - Ste. Anne's Spa

For our spa treatments, my husband chose an express facial and I relished in an incredibly soothing Chakra balancing massage. Was it ever amazing!

Spa treatment room - Ste. Anne's Spa

Ste. Anne's Spa - rain showers and change rooms

The archway - Ste. Anne's Spa

Sniff.

Cough.
 
Achooo!

• For congestion, we add drops of eucalyptus when taking a shower which will combine with the positive effects of the steam. We also set up a humidifier at night.
• To alleviate coughs due to colds, we always have honey on hand or a natural cough syrup.
• When it comes to vitamins, I am getting better at including them in our daily routine, especially vitamin D. We will also make more of an effort to eat meats that are high in vitamin D or stock up on vitamin D enriched beverages such as 100% orange juice and milk.
• This is also the perfect time to remind the kids to wash their hands for 15-20 seconds, especially after blowing their nose, using the washroom or before eating.
• Homemade chicken soup, like the one my mom makes, is always comforting whenever I have a cold. Drinking plenty of hot liquids such as tea also helps me feel better.
• Lately, our family has been using an air purifier and we have installed a germ fighting filter. I leave it on quite often now.

Today marked the launch of a national dialogue on childhood obesity. With a new site called Our Health Our Future, the Federal, Provincial and Territorial governments of Canada are reaching out to children, parents, caregivers and educators to encourage them to engage in discussion that will include "making our social and physical environments more supportive of physical activity and healthy eating, identifying and addressing obesity risks in children early, increasing access to nutritious foods and decreasing the marketing of foods and beverages high in fat, sugar and/or sodium to children." When I was invited to attend today's press conference to share the challenges I face as a parent, I felt extremely honoured. Both the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health and the Honourable Maureen MacDonald, Minister of Health and Wellness, Nova Scotia were there to speak about this initiative.

This was the first time I had ever attended a press conference as a guest speaker. I was really excited to share my thoughts and had a hard time limiting what I wanted to say. Yet, once it was time for the conference to begin, I became nervous. Very nervous. There were a lot of cameras and several important people there and I soon found myself worrying about being able to clearly verbalize my thoughts. It's so much easier to blog about them, thanks to the delete button and grammar check function. I had prepared some notes but didn't want to resort to reading from them, but rather speak from the heart. At one point, I forgot what I wanted to say next and then stumbled through the rest. I will attempt, therefore, to share in this post what I wish I could have eloquently put into words today.

When I first became pregnant, food was a very important factor in our lives. It became an even greater issue once our daughter was born and we chose to breastfeed. My daughter weighed in at approximately 6 lbs 12 oz when we left the hospital. Based on her age and weight, I remember that she fell on the lower end of the growth chart. And for the first five months of exclusive breastfeeding, she was only gaining about a 1 lb a month which was barely on the lower end of 'normal'. Consequently, I felt an incredible amount of pressure to introduce solids early. In the back of my head, I was always thinking about how exclusive breastfeeding had several health benefits, one of which included lowering the chances of obesity later in life. I wasn't really concerned about my daughter being 'overweight' per se, but I was still worried about overfeeding and making sure she was fed the healthiest options. We chose to stick to mainly organic and natural foods as much as possible. And since we are a dual-income family, we can afford that luxury. But back then, the availability of certain products was somewhat sparse among the local grocery stores. And there have been times when it was simply more convenient to buy conventional foods. However, it was always surprising to read labels and discover how many foods that I grew up with and that are marketed for kids are full of sugar.

Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I have a sweet tooth. Unfortunately, my children love sweet treats almost as much as I do. And while limiting the amounts of sugary foods our children eat, we don't deprive them of it entirely. Instead, we opt for foods containing unprocessed or natural sweeteners. A number of weeks ago, I met Peggy Kotsopoulos who is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist. She spoke to the impact of sugary foods in kids' diets and to its correlation to childhood obesity. It reminded me of the importance of monitoring the quantity and quality of sugar in our children's diet. She offered up suggested alternatives that have a lower glycemic index when compared to regular sugar. And while we have been using these alternative sweeteners for many years at home and look for them in ingredient labels, I often wonder about the actual amount my kids are consuming. Because as much as we can control what they eat while at home, it's not as easy once we leave the house.

One of the issues I mentioned today is the difficulty in taking our kids out to certain attractions and venues that also happen to sell food but offer little in the way of healthy options. And because I am not the most organized mother I know, I don't always plan to have healthy snacks on hand. But what about places that don't allow you to bring in your own food, such as at an indoor playground, let's say? I have been to some locations where the concession stand has candy bars and chips strategically placed where kids will find them. Our local community centre is conscious of offering healthier choices for kids via vending machine and has colour-coded stickers to identify which ones they are. But I'm not sure kids will take the time to read the legend. I would imagine that if they see the candy, they will want it. I have also been in schools that have taken out vending machines that sell snacks and have kept only those that sell milk. However, they also sell flavoured milk that contains significantly higher amounts of sugar than regular milk. And what about low-fat foods that are supposed to be healthier but have more sugar to help make it taste better?

Another issue I touched upon has to deal with physical activity. While my daughter's school and daycare include physical activity as part of their daily routines, we sometimes find it hard to keep our kids just as active at home. We don't have a huge play space for the kids in our home but they do have a large yard to play in. What ends up happening, however, is the kids stay mostly indoors, especially during the cold winter months. With two parents that both work during the day, we prepare dinner as soon as we come home. We could easily send our kids outside to play but we both feel it's unsafe to leave them unsupervised. Our community is great but we still worry regardless. During the warmer months, we can barbecue outdoors while the kids play. The community centre also offers some fantastic summer programs for kids but you have to register early to secure a spot. The playground also required some repairs last year as well but I'm sure it will happen over time. In meanwhile, I embrace my children's love of music and dance and join in when they want to dance their crazy dances. And while I also embrace technology and want our kids to be tech savvy, we try to limit the amount of time that they spend sitting in front of a screen by introducing them to games and shows that encourage them to move around and have fun.

In the end, I am grateful that my kids are healthy and happy. Even though my daughter may be on the higher end of the growth percentile now, I try not to focus too much on the numbers. As long as she grows up with a healthy self image and self-esteem, then I'll be happy. Because she is beautiful, bright and makes me proud. And, by the way, the very reason I started this blog. Finally, I am also grateful that we Canadians now have place to share ideas and discuss how we can make a unified effort to ensure the health and happiness of all of our children.

Disclosure: The thoughts expressed in this post are my own.

The other day, Peggy Kotsopoulos spoke at a media event which took place at the Life Choices Natural Foods headquarters in downtown Toronto. During her presentation, we learned a wealth of information including ways to sweeten foods the natural way and how to add lean protein and Omega-3's to your child's meals without them even realizing it. Peggy probably spoke for a mere half-hour, but she shared so many important and interesting facts that my head is still spinning. You may have seen her on television recently making guest appearances on both Breakfast Television and CBC's Stephen and Chris show. If you've ever watched any of the t.v. segments, you will know what I mean when I say that her passion and knowledge of holistic nutrition became quite evident within the first few minutes. In this post, I will do my best to impart the wisdom she shared with us that day.

Things I Learned From Peggy:

• One cup of juice contains about 25 grams of sugar which is more than half the daily consumption.
• White breads convert to sugar in the body. While breads made with whole grains are good, sprouted grains are much better.
• Correction: I have been informed by the Canadian Aqua Industry Alliance that the following statement is incorrect: "Wild fish is better than farmed fish. Did you know that farmed salmon are fed hormones which turn their flesh white? The farmers thus inject them with food colouring to maintain its 'natural' colour." It was not my intention to present any misleading information, but merely to retell a statement that had been made.
• Yellow dye #5 has been linked to ADHD in children and has been shown to be a major cause of allergies.
• The state of Florida is the only state that is still allowed to add food dye to their oranges! (Yes, I was just as surprised by this disturbing fact.)
• Sprouts contain up to 600 times more nutrients than spinach. Amazing, isn't it? We sampled sunflower sprouts and they really do taste like sunflower seeds!
• Coconut butter/oil is actually good for you because it will not be stored in your body as fat due to quick absorption by the small intestine. It also has a high smoke point which means it won't break down in high heat as, let's say, olive oil. The latter should be reserved for light sauteing or to dress foods after they have been cooked.
• One or two Brazil nuts a day can help boost your spirits since they help to raise serotonin levels.
• (Corrected since original publication of this post.) In general, we need to keep the ratio of Omega 6:3 to 2:1. Thanks for pointing that out, Peggy!
• Chia seeds are great to have on hand and Savi seeds are the next big thing in terms of power foods.
• When cocoa powder is made from the cacao bean, the remainder is mostly fat (called cocoa butter, I think) and is used to make white 'chocolate'. Um... yuck.

Learning about simple food substitutions at Life Choices headquarters.

I am so grateful for this opportunity to meet Peggy and sample some of the delicious products from Life Choices Foods. It has impacted the way I think about food and Peggy's enthusiasm has made me all excited to try new things in the kitchen. Not only is she a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, she is passionate about sharing her insights and helping children to eat healthier diets and is also a Certified Health Educator. And by the way, we took the family shopping at the Big Carrot today to find a batch of sunflower sprouts, which we added to our lunch, and bought a jar of coconut butter, which happened to be on sale. Yay!

Chocolate mousse with pumpkin purée.

Peggy also showed us some really easy recipes such as a chocolate mousse made with pumpkin purée, cocoa powder and maple syrup. She also has a recipe for a chocolate avocado pudding.  I love her suggestion to use coffee extract for a mocha version or hazelnut butter to make 'nutella'. Yum!

My favourite dish was her mini-mac muffins using whole wheat shells with flax and white cheddar by Life Choices. It was super tasty and filled with wholesome natural goodness. They can also be frozen for future meals and make for a great addition to your child's lunchbox. Here is Peggy's recipe:

Mini-Mac Muffins

Who doesn't LOVE mac n' cheese? This take on a kid-friendly staple is a guaranteed hit! You can have the ease and convenience of traditional mac n' cheese without all the artificial ingredients and food dyes (in particular, yellow dye #5 which is linked to ADHD in children). This baked mac n' cheese blends in puréed cauliflower for extra creaminess, ground chia seeds for an even greater boost in brain power and colourful veggies, including red peppers and zucchini. AND they are baked right in individual portions in muffin tins, making them an easy and portable lunch-box winner! Serve with raw veggie sticks and dip, such as hummus.

Makes: 6 Mini-Mac Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg Life Choices Whole Wheat Shells with Flax & White Cheddar
• 1cup greek yogurt  
• 1 cup pureed cauliflower (see recipe below) 
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
• 2 tbsp ground chia seeds 
• 2 tbsp milk 
• 1 small sweet red pepper, diced 
• 1cup zucchini, grated
• 3 oz cheddar cheese, finely grated

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease xx muffin cups; set aside.
2. In saucepan of boiling water, cook Life Choices Whole Wheat Shells as per package instructions; drain and return to pot.  
3. Stir in cheese mix from package, along with yogurt and extra virgin olive oil. 
4. Stir in chia seeds and milk. 
5. Stir in cauliflower purée, red pepper and zucchini. 
6. Spoon into prepared muffin cups; sprinkle with cheese. 
7. Bake until set and cheese is bubbly, about 20 minutes. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes.
8. Wearing oven mitt to hold pan, run knife around muffins to loosen and lift
   out. 

For cauliflower purée:

1. Chop and steam 1 small head of cauliflower until tender 
2. Add cooked cauliflower to food processor or blender along with 2 tbsp
   each extra virgin olive oil.
3. Blend until pureed.

Tip: This also makes a great substitute for mashed potato.

Peggy suggested another fabulous idea to make your own Rob the Hotdog Kebobs using sweet pepper, tomatoes, pineapple and Life Choices hot dogs, which, thankfully, do not contain those nasty cancer-causing nitrates. I really like this idea because the kids can easily join in the fun and make their own.


Other ideas included:

Funny Face Organic Whole Grain Pizzas

Greek Yogurt Parfait chock-full of protein

You can read Peggy's recent article called "What's in Your Kid's Lunchbox?" on the Life Choices website. You can also find plenty of other recipes to try while you're there.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Life Choices for sponsoring the event as well as providing us with a couple of bags full of their delicious products.


And also, I would like to thank Peggy Kotsopoulos for sharing her passion for food and nutrition, and for helping to make a difference in children's health and well-being.

How many of you made New Year resolutions for 2011? And for my next question, how many of those resolutions are related to health and well-being? My experience leads me to believe that the numbers would be quite high. We all want to feel better and look better, too. The problem is that there are so many ideas out there (and by ideas I mean diets) that claim you will lose weight and experience better health. Hence the reason I find it difficult to commit to a resolution that focuses on pounds and inches. I will admit that I have terrible eating habits and that I have put on some weight recently. I feel out of shape and I only have myself to blame for it. So I've decided not to commit myself to the idea of attaining the perfect body, but rather, a healthy body, one that functions as it should. And I have decided to apply some of what I have learned from The Phytozyme Cure.

Written by Dr. Michelle Schoffro Cook, The Phytozyme Cure provides detailed information on the healing powers of phytonutrients and enzymes, which can help us to strengthen our immune systems, protect us from disease and yes, even reverse those dreaded signs of aging. With her extensive background in Natural Medicine, Nutritional Consulting, Orthomolecular Health, Acupuncture and Bioenergetic Medicine, Dr. Michelle Schoffro Cook paints a concise picture of how phytonutrients and enzymes work, what their individual benefits are and how we can and should take advantage of them. It has taken 20 years of clinical practice for her to be able to use the latest scientific discoveries and provide the tools needed to tackle 30 common health conditions ranging from ADHD/ADD, Alzheimer's, Depression, Diabetes, Ear Infections all the way to Heart Disease.

I think it's important to note that the author, while in her late teens, was diagnosed with a rare genetic disease for which there was no cure. When an unfortunate decision was made by her physician to change her treatment medication, she became severely ill and bedridden, unable to lift her limbs to leave her bed on most days. After consulting several specialists, she was inevitably told that there is no cure for her genetic disease and that she would require medication for the duration of her life. Without it, she would surely die. It wasn't until she forced herself to spend some time outdoors under the sun that she clued in to the healing powers of nature. Today, she has more energy and has dramatically reduced the pain she used to feel. And although she still has her bad days, she has survived the past 16 years without the medication that used to keep her alive.

In The Pytozyme Cure, it becomes clear that enzymes play a crucial role in overall well-being, digestion in particular. I know this is true because I once suffered from serious gallstone pain. It was so bad at one point that I was picked up in an ambulance after calling in my symptoms that sounded like I was having a heart attack. What I was really experiencing was heartburn, indigestion and acid reflux in addition to what felt like constriction around my chest. I couldn't even hold my then one-month old firstborn to nurse her. It was awful. After further examination, it was determined that gallstones were the cause and that I would need to remove my gallbladder. I had experienced several bouts of this pain that I just wanted it to go away. So I went ahead with the surgery. Weeks later, the pain returned and I felt disillusioned. It wasn't until I met with a naturopath that I discovered that I could have avoided surgery altogether. Based on what I had described, he predicted that I was probably deficient in enzymes. After he completed a food intolerance test, he threw in an enzyme test at no charge. I was astonished to find out that of all the major digestive enzymes your body needs, I had but one. That's it. His suggestion? Take a digestive enzyme supplement, which I did for about a month without regret. He also suggested that women should add a pro-biotic to their daily diet as well. So when I read about The 7 Ways to Improve Your Digestion in The Phytozyme Cure, I couldn't help but nod my head in agreement. Needless to say, I will be following the seven steps more closely. I am also planning on re-introduction a digestive enzyme back into my diet once I take a better look at my options. There are a lot of suggestions in the book that after a first read left me feeling a little overwhelmed. I also plan on being more conscious of what I eat and will aim to consume a larger variety of fruits and vegetables in a range of colours each day in order to experience the benefit of "the phytonutrient rainbow". The Phytozyme Cure includes a handy reference chart that lists the uses and primary sources of phytonutrients.

Here is a list of some of the benefits you will read about in The Phytozyme Cure:

• Faster healing 
• Improved energy 
• Greater mental clarity 
• Increased resistance to illness 
• Enhanced immune functioning 
• Accelerated weight loss 
• A more youthful appearance

You can also read excerpts from The Phytozyme Cure: Treat Or Reverse More Than 30 Serious Health Conditions by Michelle Schoffro Cook or better still, win a copy for yourself!
In order to win a copy of The Phytozyme Cure, simply leave a comment on this post and share your resolution for the New Year. 

For additional entries, you may choose to do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each entry indicating what you have done.

• Blog about this giveaway (2 entries).
• Add my button to your site.
• Become a follower of Toronto Teacher Mom using Google Friend Connect.
• Subscribe to Toronto Teacher Mom.
• Become a follower of Toronto Teacher Mom on Facebook via Networked Blogs. 
• Like the Toronto Teacher Mom's Facebook fan page.
• Become a follower of Toronto Teacher Mom on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. Feel free to use the following tweet:

Contest ends February 7 at 10 pm EST. Open to Canadian residents only.

I am excited to introduce you to the underWAY Blog Tour campaign by Mom Central. Thin for Life for Weight Maintenance has now added their underWAy supplement drinks to their repertoire and, as part of this tour, I have been sent two packs each of their Acai-Pomegranate and Grape varieties. These drinks are to be consumed before and after a workout to help hydrate and rehydrate, contain 10 calories and 2 carbs per 250 mL serving and are free from preservatives, artificial flavours and sodium. They are infused with HeroFiber and heart-healthy vitamins that work to help suppress your appetite and quench your thirst naturally. underWay supplement drinks are brought to you by the same people who made Smart for Life Cookie Diet.


Included in my trial package was an assortment of the Smart for Life product line which includes cookies, cupcakes, soup, cereal, shakes, bagels and crunch. Today was the first day I tried one of these products. I elected to try their Thin Adventure Carrot Sunshine Cupcakes and was quite surprised at how delicious they taste. So much so that I created a little video using my newly installed Smart Board tools. It's nothing fancy, just me talking you through their Smart for Life website and pointing out some information of interest. I am planning on doing more videos like this one depending on how well they're received. I can't say I'm a huge fan of my voice but my son's, on the other hand...



Okay, so the video is a little cheesy but the cupcakes are far from it. They really do pack a lot of delicious flavour into a mini cupcake. I ate one about two hours ago and I am only now starting to feel a little hungry. What I did not mention in the video is that the Thin Adventure Smart Foods were designed to:

introduce kids to healthy, tasty, quick and easy choices instead of fast food and poor nutrition. Many fast foods are made with unhealthy ingredients such as preservatives, pesticides, and toxins not to mention sugar and high fructose corn syrup. This is the reason we are becoming a nation of kids that are inactive and less fit as well as seeing an increase in various diseases such as cancer, autism, ADD and many more. foods are made with natural and organic ingredients without toxins or preservatives...and they taste great!

products are healthy snacks or meal replacements that the whole family can enjoy. If you would like to lose weight, follow our Meal Plan and learn to eat often with small, multiple meals throughout your day or use the Smart Foods as healthy snacks, and share them with your friends and family.

You can visit ThinAdventure.com for more information, games and resources. I will aim to post more information over the next week or so as I try out the rest of the Smart for Life and underWay products. There is just so much to try and so few waking hours.

Ten (10) lucky Toronto Teacher Mom readers will be selected to win a case of underWAY and Smart for Life products to try for free!
To find a store near you, try the store locator on the under-WAY.com site or take advantage of their free shipping offer. You can also visit SmartforLife.com to learn more about their products and program options. They currently have a limited time offer on their 42 Day Variety Program which would cost about $5.49 a day.
In order to win one of 10 cases of free underWAY and Smart for Life products, leave a comment sharing why you would love to try underWAY and/or Smart for Life products. This entry is mandatory. Please note that you may enter on any blogs participating in the tour but you are only eligible to win once throughout this tour.

For additional entries, you may choose to do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each entry indicating what you have done.

• Become a follower of underWAY on Twitter. 
• Like the underWAY Facebook fan page.
• Add my button to your site. (Worth 2 entries. Please leave two separate comments.)
• Blog about this giveaway with a link back to this post. When you are done, leave a link to your post in your comment. (Worth 3 entries. Please leave three separate comments.)
• Complete my reader survey. (Worth 2 entries.)
• Become a follower of Toronto Teacher Mom using Google Friend Connect.
• Subscribe to Toronto Teacher Mom.
• Become a follower of Toronto Teacher Mom on Facebook via Networked Blogs. 
• Like the Toronto Teacher Mom's Facebook fan page.
• Become a follower of Toronto Teacher Mom on Twitter

Contest ends August 4 at 11pm EST. Open to Canadian residents only

Winner will be selected using Random.org and must reply to the notification email within 3 days or a new winner will be drawn.