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The Greatest Gift

Toronto Holistic Nutritionist Laurie McPhail The Greatest GiftWe’re in the bell lap of 2022 and the holiday season is officially in top gear. A few years ago I offered up some timeless tips on how to Feast Festively Without Piling on the Pounds, which you may wish to revisit. This year, however, I thought I’d do something different and jumpstart the season with some holiday wisdom by way of analogy. During the gift-giving season, I think this analogy really drives home the point that a healthy body is truly the greatest gift of all.

I hope the perspective it offers will help you navigate the holidays as you make choices about what you eat and how you spend your time. Staying healthy has a lot to do with eating nutritiously, yes. But it also involves prioritizing exercise, rest/recovery and mental health. And if there is one thing I’m discovering as the years tick by, it’s that my body is less forgiving than it used to be. It is far better to avoid the “potholes” in the first place! Because, truly, the gift of a healthy body is the greatest gift you can give yourself this holiday season! And be sure to read to the end of the post for my personal gift to you – my collection of Healthy Holiday Recipes.

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Dishing It Up On Snacking

Toronto Holistic Nutritionist Laurie McPhail Dishing It Up on Snacking

Do you find that once the snow flies you drift into snacking and wanting to eat more? I do. Perhaps winter’s chilly temperatures trigger biological changes that stimulate hunger and increase cravings for more energy-dense foods. Call it an evolutionary drive to fatten us up to survive harsher conditions.

Another theory points to the fewer daylight hours. Sunlight is a cue for the brain to release serotonin, a mood-boosting neurotransmitter. So perhaps the relative lack of sunlight in winter prompts cravings for carbohydrates, which also stimulate the release of serotonin. People tend to be most vulnerable to snacking in the early evening, as darkness falls. And in winter, the window of time between dusk and dinner gets larger. If you snack mindlessly during this time, you just might get larger too. 😉

So this month I’m dishing it up on snacking. I’ll touch on the science of snacking, what to snack on when a snack makes sense and the type of “snacks” that are always A-OK!

This month in Dishing It Up on Snacking …

  • The Science of Snacking
  • Snacks that Satisfy
  • Beware of health claims on foods (especially snack foods)
  • Try an ‘Activity Snack’
  • The 7 best short workouts for heart health, strength and mood

Read on for a bite-sized summary and links for each story …

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Moroccan Carrot, Chickpea & Halloumi Salad

Toronto Holistic Nutritionist Laurie McPhail Moroccan Carrot, Chickpea & Halloumi Salad

One of the best things we can do for our health is to amp up our vegetable intake and replace simple carbohydrates with more complex ones. An easy way to accomplish this is to have a repertoire of simple yet tasty recipes that do just that. This Moroccan Carrot, Chickpea & Halloumi Salad is one of those recipes. It’s super simple, super delicious and super versatile.

Sign up to my newsletter today to receive the recipe for my Moroccan Carrot, Chickpea & Halloumi Salad.

 

 

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To D or not to D?

Toronto Holistic Nutritionist Laurie McPhail To D or Not to DTo D or not to D – that is the question. I’m referring, of course, to vitamin D and whether it’s a good idea to take a vitamin D supplement. Here are some multiple choice answers for you to ponder:

  • a) always
  • b) by no means
  • c) capsule form only
  • d) definitely in the dark days of winter!

So, to D or not to D. That is the question. And the answer is …
d) definitely in the dark days of winter.

Read on for more about why it’s important to supplement vitamin D.

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Pumpkin Spice Latte…Deconstructed

Toronto Holistic Nutritionist Laurie McPhail Pumpkin Spice Latte

It’s hard to believe it’s October already. Yet the mornings are getting chillier and there’s an autumnal vibe about. We are coming into comfort food climate. With October hosting both Thanksgiving and Hallowe’en, thoughts turn to pumpkins and spice and all things nice. And who hasn’t been tempted at one time, or many, by a steamy Pumpkin Spice Latte on a cool fall afternoon?

While we know these concoctions aren’t exactly nutritious, it’s hard to say no. So I hope my recipe and what I’ve written below will convince you that making your own is a far better way to treat yourself. Sign up to my newsletter today to receive the recipe for my Pumpkin Spice Latte.

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Dishing It Up By Numbers

Toronto Holistic Nutritionist Laurie McPhail Dishing It Up by Numbers

You’ve heard of Paint by Numbers? Well, this month we’re Dishing It Up by Numbers.

While we’re in back-to-school mode and making our to-do lists (and since numbered lists seem super popular), I thought it would be fun to reflect on a number of ways we can hone healthier habits as we head into fall.

Dishing It Up by Numbers

  • Eight easy ways to be healthier right now
  • More than 6 drinks a week leads to higher health risks
  • 5 Good Habits That Might Cause Premature Aging
  • 4 Important Things We Get Wrong About Aging
  • Strength Training Can Help You Live Longer (2 sessions a week)
  • Power of the Streak: Could It Be Our Best Motivational Tool?

And I couldn’t finish this list without adding my own #1 for a little back-to-school homework:

  • Try 1 NEW VEGETABLE each and every week. How long you can keep your streak going?

Read on for a bite-sized summary and links for each story …

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Fennel & Arugula Salad with Chicken…Deconstructed

Toronto Holistic Nutritionist Laurie McPhail Fennel and Arugula Salad with Chicken

In my last blog post, Tips for a Hot Bod, I mentioned dining out on salads and using your BBQ to avoid turning on your oven in the heat of sizzling summer. This Fennel & Arugula Salad with Chicken is a perfect example. It was a particular favourite of a recent client, too, so I thought I’d share it with you.

If you don’t have a BBQ or are too hot to use it, simply buy a rotisserie chicken or cooked chicken breast from your grocer. Of course, if you are cooking chicken for another recipe, it’s a no-brainer to make extra so you can serve this salad for a subsequent lunch or dinner. Prefer a meatless meal? You can make this with white beans, chickpeas or tofu instead. If you eat seafood, poached salmon or shrimp work well here too.

Fennel is not the most attractive of vegetables so it often gets overlooked. And it’s Latin name, Foeniculum vulgare, isn’t much of an advertisement. The bulbs we buy are a variety called Florence fennel, which sounds far more pleasing. Read on for why this vegetable is more versatile than vulgar.

This salad makes for easy entertaining as you can prepare everything through Step 1 ahead of time. Then all you need to do just prior to serving is toss in pre-washed arugula and top it with slices of cooked chicken and a sprinkle of chopped pistachios. My client took it to a pot-luck book club event and she said it was a hit. It’s also great for picnics or to whip up while on a cottage vacation.

Speaking of which, I’ll be taking the remainder of the month off for my annual “no-blog Aug” vacation. 😉  I wish you a rollicking good rest of summer and see you in September!

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Tips for a Hot Bod

Toronto Holistic Nutritionist Laurie McPhail Tips for a Hot BodIf you’re expecting this post to reveal a raft of diet and exercise tips to give you the hot bod of a swimsuit model, then you’ll be disappointed. Besides, most of them are digitally altered anyway (at least it certainly makes me feel better to think that). What I’m really on about is what you can do when your bod gets too hot since, as I write this, the temperature outside is a sweltering 31 degrees Celsius.

Summer sizzles, so I thought some tips for healthy hydration and cooling off a hot bod would be a hot topic. Particularly for those of us also in hot flash territory. 😉 I was lucky enough to be at a cottage in the Ottawa Valley for a few days during this heatwave and jumping in a spring-fed lake did wonders for beating the heat! But if you aren’t near a cooling body of water, then what?

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Secret Ingredient Broccoli Cheddar Frittata

Toronto Holistic Nutritionist Laurie McPhail Secret Ingredient Broccoli Cheddar Frittata

This post is part travelogue because it was my stay last weekend at the picturesque Pangea House (scroll to the end for pictures) that inspired my recipe for Secret Ingredient Broccoli Cheddar Frittata. This riverside heritage inn in Gananoque, Ontario is a real gem and Jody and Geoff, the owners, are wonderful hosts! Your stay includes a hearty, nutritionist-approved breakfast as well. 😉 Ours was as follows:

  • slices of fresh pineapple and watermelon,
  • homemade oat, yogurt and blueberry muffins,
  • berry yogurt smoothies,
  • broccoli & cheddar frittata and mixed greens with house-pickled peppers
  • and hot, buttered toast!

“Cheoff Geoff” loves to chat about food. As he served the frittata, he let us in on the secret ingredient that is a must for a good frittata. Look closely at our breakfast menu and you might be able to guess what it is (hint: he used it a few ways).

Do you give up? It’s yogurt! Specifically Greek yogurt. Now I cook a lot and for some reason it has never occurred to me to put yogurt in my frittatas. But Geoff was so right. It makes the frittata. Join The Nutritional Reset community here to receive the recipe for my Secret Ingredient Broccoli Cheddar Frittata (and upcoming featured recipes). And read on below to find out more.

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Dishing It Up on Aging

Toronto Holistic Nutritionist Laurie McPhail Dishing It Up on Aging

My wedding anniversary is coming up next week and, wow, twenty years has just flown by. So yes, it’s true, time flies when you are having fun!  And it is also true that aging is an inevitable part of life.

But aging is also a process and, while it cannot be reversed, we can make choices that may help slow this process down. So this month I’m dishing it up on aging!

And just in case you were wondering, no, that is not me and my husband in the photo. He still has more hair than that. 😉

Dishing It Up on Aging

  • Is there a cure for ageing?
  • 7 Signs Your Nutrition Isn’t On Track
  • Avoiding late-night meals may have anti-aging benefits
  • Alcohol consumption patterns and unhealthy aging among older lifetime drinkers
  • The Queen’s secret to ageing gracefully

Read on for a bite-sized summary and links for each story …

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