Diiirty...veggies!

If there’s one thing I’ve become very aware of, it’s that most of the fruits and vegetables we eat are covered in pesticides. Did you know that?
Pesticides are used on everything from our tomatoes to lettuces to apples and peaches and grains too. They are used to control the amount of weeds that grow and help control insects from damaging the crops. However, these same pesticides do affect our health and well-being. Pesticides are linked to everything from cancer and obesity, to hormone health (think fertility ladies!!) and brain development... and more! (http://www.whatsonmyfood.org)
We try to be so good to our bodies, fill it with real, natural, whole foods yet because of pesticide use we actually end up compromising our health.

What is the point in eating bowlfuls of fruit or filling our plate sides with brightly coloured veggies if it’s all running rampant with chemicals that are physically harming us and our children?

No doubt eating organic can be very expensive. That is why I follow a list published by the Environmental Working Group: the Dirty Dozen. Instead of buying everything organic which could potentially double my grocery bill, I refer to the DD list. The DD list lists types of produce in descending order from highest pesticide use to lesser so (but still sure to contain pesticides!).  Here it is:

The Dirty Dozen (in descending order from worst to still pretty bad)
1. Peach
2. Apple
3. Sweet Bell Pepper
4. Celery
5. Nectarine
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10.Grapes
11. Carrot
12. Pear

Personally, I tend to also include most fruits or veggies where I eat the skin. That said, I rarely buy bananas or avocados organic since it has a thick skin that I do not eat anyways. It does not necessarily mean they are free from pesticides but it's where I choose to draw the line for now. For more information, go to http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/

Know what you and your family are eating. Educate yourself and others. Make some changes.
Enjoy the journey... S

An Apology to My Fur Baby

It occurred to me, while I was doing the dishes tonight, that there is absolutely no way in preparing your family pooch for a new addition to the family. There are lots of kids books written to get soon-to-be older brother and sisters used to the idea, excited at the notion that they will be a role model to someone younger than them. I even read articles before my son was born where dog owners had trained their pooches to alert them when their little one needed a diaper change! That sounded kind of fun!

Sure we had people suggest the typical stuff you hear: before mom and babe come home, have dad bring a blanket or the hat off the babe so they can get used to the scent. Others would just say how they were amazed how quickly their furry baby moved to the bottom of the totem pole as soon as their little one arrived.

I was not concerned in the least about losing touch with my pup. In fact, I thought it was practically neglectful to lower her rank in the family. But I was wrong - and it wasn’t until tonight while I was cleaning, she caught my eye as she lay curled up on the couch, monitoring my every move from afar, quietly sulking, sighing, waiting for me to show an ounce of interest. It broke my heart.

You can’t prepare your pup the way you can a young child. To them, one day you are their bestest friend, the next day you, being their main strolling companion and meal preparer, go rushing from the house in a panic, disappear for a few days, and return, with your arms full. And your arms remain full until finally, may it be 4 and a half months later, you look up as you’re doing your dishes and catch her puppy dog eyes in what feels like forever... 

For the first time in 4 and a half months I got down on the kitchen floor and snuggled and kissed and smelled my pooch. And I talked to her and I made some vows to her. I vowed to stop and pet her more first and foremost. I vowed to be more patient and forgiving to her and her beaver-like thumping tail. I vowed that one day the 3 of us would be a team, hiking daily for hours along the hydro trails (a girl can dream!). That I would work up to the Super Mom status – you know, be Young Mom you always see while driving, power walking up the hills dressed with her power walking jacket, hat, gloves, sunglasses, pushing her enthusiastic tike in his giant chariot stroller, while her giant fur baby walks proudly beside her.

But I also asked for her forgiveness, and a little bit more time to get my shit together. And because she is so loving, so patient and loyal, I know she will forgive easily – as long as I remember to stop and snuggle her every now and then. Because if I don’t, she has made it very clear, she has no problem helping herself to my shoe collection.

Enjoy the journey, and the walks... S

Frogs & Snails & Puppy-dogs' Tails

Where do I even begin? I have put this blog post off for so long because SO much time had passed that the whole idea of writing something, reconnecting, seemed quite overwhelming to say the least. But I have to start somewhere, it’s time to get back on track... so here I am.

Hello... how have you been? Me, how am I, you ask? After I left you hanging with the announcement of my pregnancy, and then nothing?!?! (I’m so sorry!) I am fine thank you. Actually, I am more than fine. I am over the freaking moon.

In July, I gave birth to our baby boy and our lives have not been the same since. Husband and I have fallen in love all over again with this new little person. But it’s a deeper kind of love that I never would have expected. It’s this from-the-deepest-part-of-my-soul-my-being love.

And can we please talk about the fact that we had a BOY?!?! I was half convinced we were having a girl because, well, I'm a girl! (makes sense, no?) AND according to my girlfriend and a tried and true "wives tale" – all of the hair on my body had stopped growing, literally, my freakishly hairy arms were bare and the gorgeous "pregnant hair" I was anticipating just sat stunted on top of my head – this my friends meant I was having a girl! 

But since my Son's Birth Day I have been consumed with nothing but thoughts and dreams of jumping in puddles, Blue Jays baseball, hockey leagues and basically all things blue (yes, I know that's not necessarily only "boy stuff" but right now, for me, it is). Seriously! And I absolutely love it. This is a surprise to me only because I’m quite girly - but from the first day I jumped on the band wagon and have not looked back. Ugh, pink schmink!

So I guess this is my re-introduction. Here we are, at three and a half months of age. Son is napping peacefully and I’m ready to get back on board with what I love... What better time than now to just Stop? Breathe. Take it all in. 

If I could freeze a moment in time it would be the feeling of my Son breathing, sleeping, cooing in the nape of my neck. To me, this is Life, this is my oxygen, my being now and forever. And you? What makes you want to stop the hands of time, to appreciate Love and Life?

Enjoy the journey... S

I'm here for good

So here’s the thing… I’m not someone who just decides one day that she’s going to write a blog, posts some entries, then gets too busy with “life” and forgets about her commitment, her Big Idea. No, no, very much on the contrary. I have been thinking about this very post for approximately 11 weeks now. I’ve been dreaming about this moment – because it would only be too good to be true and because it seemed like such an impossibility at the time… and I could finally explain my absence from the cyber world.

If I remember correctly, the last time I wrote I was well on my way of starting my first 5-day juicing cleanse – and I could NOT wait to tell everyone about my results. I was SUPER excited to be doing something so detoxifying and just for me, hoping to rid my body of any nasties I’d accumulated over my 32 years! (Yes, I realize it would take more than one round of juicing to accomplish that!) But as Life would have it, It had other plans for me… and my husband…

It’s no secret in my close circle of family and friends that Husband and I have been trying to start a family of our own for over a year. In fact, the cleanse was intended to be the “kick-off” to a healthy round of baby-making fun. I’d already worked up to 4 solid days a week of following a vegan diet, something that rewarded me with astounding results of health, vitality, and all round well-being (more on that in another post!).

We’d had our first miscarriage almost a year ago, we mourned, I healed physically – I’m not sure you really ever get over something like that. I’d had my surgeries (I’ll spare you and myself), I’d finally finished up my follow-up appointments, things were healing, Mother Nature was slowly getting back on track, and my uterus was finally anything but “hostile.”

As luck would have it (as well as having wonderfully devoted fertility doctor monitoring my every move) Husband and I conceived on our very first attempt back “in action.” Needless to say we were not expecting this to happen. I don’t think I ever expected it – hence my planning a juice cleanse right around this delicate timing in my calendar.

It’s interesting: I’d had no way of knowing if I was pregnant or not but as I filled my fridge with bottles of freshly juiced fruit and vegetables something inside was telling me not to go through with the juice cleanse just yet – to not to essentially starve myself (well really “you know who”) until we were sure. So we waited, and I drank the juice as snacks throughout the following days… and it was about 7 days later where a blood test at the doctor’s office confirmed what I’d dared myself to believe for a secret moment in time, while filling my fridge with those bottles of freshly juiced fruit and vegetables. We were in fact pregnant. (sshhhhhhhhh!)

Enjoy the journey... S

The seasons are a-changin'

Wow, how quickly the seasons change. I still feel like summer is just around the bend yet we've quickly entered November where snow can hit pretty much any time now... I even bought sand for our driveway today to have on hand just in case - yikes!

As seasons change so does the energy and health of our bodies. It's a good time to reflect on ourselves – our physical health as well as mental. Seasonally we should go through our individual health and well being check-list to make sure we're still feeling connected and good inside and out.

Some things to consider when doing so: do your batteries need recharging, have you been working too hard and missing too many yoga classes (yes!)? Do you need to do some serious (mental) dusting, do you need help carrying out any (emotional) trash to make room for storing warm and positive energy? What about your diet? Have some of your vices crept their way back in to your daily routine without you even noticing (Hello dessert-with-breakfast-lunch-and-dinner! Where's just-one-drag-oh-hell-I'll-have-the-whole-thing)?

I've just come off of 3 really gruelling weeks at work. Yoga is but a distant memory, my diet has turned into one big comforting over sized (carbohydrate) sweatshirt, and I'm feeling a bit at a crossroads with my professional life... Things rustling inside me, I feel uneasy and the need to clear some space, re-evaluate and take control of my life, my sanity.

One way I've decided to do this is by doing my very first juice cleanse! I've always wanted to do one but I've always been so turned off by all the prep work it entails, not to mention I'd have to invest in a juicer I'm not even sure I'd ever use again. The cleaning, the buying, the expense – and all while you're slightly on edge because you haven't eaten any dang food for 3 or 5 or 7 days. It just seemed so un-fun and unhappy. Boo.

However the other day I was doing some research and I fell upon this gem of a company in Toronto that actually prepares and delivers your juice cleanse system right to your door! The company name is Total Cleanse (totalcleanse.ca) and it seems to be my dream come true.

They have a few varying cleanses depending on your experience and magnitude you want to cleanse. Once you choose your cleanse and send in your order they in turn deliver your days worth of juice, all numbered in the order you drink them, right to your front door. No shopping, cleaning, chopping, cleaning, chopping, and more shopping....

I put in my order last night. I'm going to "Revitalize" for 3 days starting Monday (kind of like "fertilize", no?!) And then I plan to return to my yoga classes, maybe give my sister a call to let her know I'm still alive, and reconnect with my Besties. I'll let you know how things turn out...

Enjoy the journey... S

PS. You should always notify your doctor before you start any kind of cleansing system. I am not a doctor or a health professional – everything you read on this site is purely opinion and interest-related.

Thank you Summer

There has been a lot of nostalgia for me this summer. In fact, every summer brings back old memories of good times with family and friends. Whether it's up at the cottage with my siblings, having a drink on the dock with friends, or strolling the streets of Toronto after dinner time, the sun still not having gone down for the day, the buzz of summer stays with me all year long and I feel free the minute hot sun hits my pale face (sunglasses please!)

The summertime has always brought so much comfort and good times my way. As signs of winter melt away and we eagerly shed our heavy coats, polish our toes, and wait for the first of the spring crocuses to break ground.

I’m not going to lie. I’ve had a heck of a year. In fact my spring was such a downer personally, that I was longing for the thick hazy heat of summer to wash away a really mucky few months that my husband and I had just passed through.

By March I was wishing the time away – looking beyond the crocuses this time. I wanted to fast forward to the cloud bursts brought on by the heat waves of summer. If I could just get past the first few April showers and quickly mow through the freshly grown green grass I could jump safely into summer time and give myself and my heart a real break. 

Summer has always been good to my family and I. I’ve spent countless days and weeks at the cottage where lounging on the dock was considered a “water-sport”. Camping with the cousins, boat rides in the SeaRay, trips to the General Store, Fire Hall Fundraisers, jumping contests off the end of the dock, cocktail hour, naps in the shade, “melty” ice cream, Noxzema, tube rides, mud pies in the shallow end, celeb magazines, V.C. Andrews, suntan lotion, Sun-In, dill pickle chips – to me this is what summer is all about, forever and always.

But of course there’s one thing I’m missing which was also very much a part of my summers past. The CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) of course!! Having pulled myself out of a dark spot this year I suddenly got the urge to hit the Ex for the first time in almost, well…15 years…?

Talk about feeling like a kid again! It only seemed fitting that I drag along my best friend since grade school. Actually she was totally gung-ho – just as much about the food and rides and I was, which is why we make such a great pair at times. First deep-fried Mars bar dinner followed by Tiny Tom’s for dessert then off we went to scope out the rides. We went for the (safe) Classics: the Ferris Wheel and then the swings that spin around and around and around...

It was exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time. I was really disappointed to see my nerve had pretty much disappeared since the last time we were here years ago. While a mother and son in front of us chatted away and took pictures on their 'round about trip, BFF and I had our eyes pinched shut with our sweaty little hands grasping the bar that lay across us. With each swing of the seat we felt our hearts jump out of our chest. Oh but it was hilarious. And fun. And ridiculous that we were being so ridiculous. And we laughed, between our screams, and then I laughed in such a way that I realized at that moment in time I really hadn’t done so in months. And it felt great.

And this is why I love summer so…

Enjoy the journey (and being a kid again)… S

Lunch Meat Gone Bad: Nitrates

There’s been a lot of BAD hype the last couple of years about “nitrates” in our food, specifically sodium nitrate. I’m not sure if it’s because there’s been an influx of pregnant friends in my life (lunch meat is a big no-no apparently!), or if it’s because of the massive recall of various Maple Leaf Foods processed meat products (due to listeria 2 years ago), or if I’m just paying more attention to what I’m eating. But sandwich meat and the like is being exposed for what it really is: bad bad stuff for you, your health and well-being.

Sodium nitrate is used to preserve and cure processed meats such as ham, sausage, salami, hot dogs, bacon, and some smoked and cured fish. It’s also used in meat as a means to prevent botulism and to give it that pink colour we find so appetizing and associate easily with “fresh” and “good for you” quality.

However sodium nitrate is nowhere near good for you and here’s why:

• first, these processed meats are usually high in salt and fat which endangers your cardiovascular system 
• the second health hazard is found with the “direct carcinogenic effect of nitrosamines, which are formed when nitrate interacts with amines (parts of proteins) in [your] digestive fluids or [your] foods eaten. Nitrosamines have been shown to be potent carcinogens in animals, producing increased amounts of cancer in the liver, lungs, and pancreas…” (Haas and Levin, 469) In other words, it causes various types of cancer 
• third, sodium nitrite is known to trigger migraine headaches, brain tumours and a form of lung disease, COPD (Common Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) 

So why are producers of these meats still allowed to use sodium nitrate in the food we consume? The very basic answer to this it that meat-processing is a billion dollar industry and manufacturers claim there is no good substitute for these nitrates and nitrites. And that's that...

But it doesn't mean this is out of your hands. The best possible thing you can do for yourself is choose to not eat these processed foods. If you’re looking for a healthier alternative your best bet would be organic chicken and tuna.

Life without bacon, can you do it? Let me know :)

Enjoy the journey... S

Haas, Elson M., MD and Buck Levin, PhD, RD. Staying Healthy With Nutrition – The Complete Guide to Diet and Nutritional Medicine. New York: Random House Inc., 2006.