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Healthy Blueberry Muffins

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The smell of fresh blueberry muffins in the air. Brings a lot of attention to the kitchen. It can be a challenge to bake healthy snacks that’s not packed full of sugar and fat.

Meg’s Healthy Blueberry Muffins recipe substitutes some common ingredients without loosing any of the flavour. Now that’s something everyone can enjoy!

 

Traditional blueberry muffins recipe contains:

  • 2 cups white flour 
  • ½ cup white sugar 
  • 1/3c. Vegetable oil 
  • ½ c. blueberries 
  • baking powder 2 tsp.
  • 1 egg 
  • 1 c. milk 

 

Meg’s Healthy Blueberry Muffins Recipe:

  • 2 cups white flour  – cut white flour in half and add a whole
    grain/flour such as whole wheat, oatmeal, barley, spelt, brown
    rice, quinoa flours (or a combination of) =
    *Use 1 c. white and 1c. whole grain in recipe
    *might need a bit of extra liquid
    *adds fiber and nutrients
  • ½ cup white sugar – decrease to ¼ – ⅓ c.
  • 1/3c. Vegetable oil – 1/4c.(4 T) Oil is ample. Can add ¼ c. apple sauce or grated apple to make up difference, add moisture due to whole grain addition, and for sweetness given less sugar. Could go as low as 2 T oil and add more apple
  • ½ c. blueberries – can increase to 1 cup for more moisture, sweetness, nutrients, fiber
  • baking powder 2 tsp.
  • Also contains 1 egg and 1 c. milk all good
  • Extra flavor –  add 1 T lemon or orange rind or combo and enjoy some bioflavanoids while your at it 🙂

Baking Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
  • In a large bowl, stir together milk, egg, and vegetable oil, and oil substitute.
  • Add flour, flour substitute, baking powder, sugar, and blueberries; gently mix the batter with only a few strokes.
  • Add your own special touch
  • Spoon batter into cups.
  • Bake for 20 minutes. Serve hot.

 

We all know that it may be often difficult to stop at one muffin. Meg’s Healthy Blueberry Muffins recipe is a wonderful way to give your family a healthy snack.

Managing nutritional needs may seem complicated with all of the information out there. What types of food? How should our food be prepared? Having a nutritional coach to help find answers that best meets our individual needs may be the answer.

To learn more about Meg’s nutritonal coaching services click here. We hope you enjoy this recipe for yourself, family and friends.

 

Check Out This Video Of Meg’s Blueberry Muffin Recipe

 

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Baking chocolate chip cookies can be a great family activity. So can eating freshly baked cookies! Unfortunately, tastey bakings can often mean high amounts of sugar and fat. Likely more than what you are looking for in the typical diet.

Meg’s Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe substitutes some common ingredients without loosing any of the flavour. Now that’s a win win!

 

Typical traditional recipe contains the following ingredients:

  • White flour 2 cups
  • White sugar 1.5 cups
  • Butter ¾ cup (12 Tablespoons)
  • Salt ½ tsp.
  • Baking Soda 1 tsp.
  • Chocolate chips 1-2 cups

 

Meg’s Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe:

  • White flour 2 + cups – cut white flour in half and add a whole
    grain/flour such as whole wheat, oatmeal, barley, spelt, brown
    rice, quinoa flours (or a combination of) =
    *Use 1 c. white and 1c. whole grain in recipe
    *might need a bit of extra liquid
    *adds fiber and nutrients
  • White/brown sugar 1.5 cups combined -can cut sugar by 1/3-1/2= Use ¾ – 1 c. sugar in recipe
  • Butter ¾ cup (12 Tablespoons) – fat can be cut ⅓ – ½
    Use 6-8T butter in recipe
  • Salt ½ tsp. – can eliminate all together given butter and baking soda contain salt, or cut in ½ using ¼ tsp salt
  • Baking Soda 1 tsp.
  • Chocolate chips 1-2 c. – quality dark chocolate healthiest option as contains less sugar and more nutrients than milk chocolate (more processed and more sugar added). Recommend 1 cup chocolate chips and can add ½-1c. dried fruit for more sweetness, moisture, texture, flavor, nutrients (raisins, craisins, dates, apricots, etc.)
  • Can also add some nuts pecans, walnuts, almonds for crunch, protein, fiber, healthy fats, minerals

Baking Instructions:

  1. Heat oven to 375°F. In small bowl, mix flour, flour substitute, baking soda and salt; set aside.
  2. In large bowl, beat softened butter, sugar, sugar substitute with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon about 1 minute or until fluffy, scraping side of bowl occasionally.
  3. Stir in flour mixture just until blended (dough will be stiff). Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
  4. Onto ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart.
  5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Store covered in airtight container.

 

We all know that it may be often difficult to stop at one cookie. Meg’s Healthy Chocolate Chip Recipe is a wonderful way to give your family a healthy snack.

Managing nutritional needs may seem complicated with all of the information out there. What types of food? How should our food be prepared? Having a nutritional coach to help find answers that best meets our individual needs may be the answer.

To learn more about Meg’s nutritonal coaching services click here. We hope you enjoy this recipe for yourself, family and friends.

 

Check Out This Video Of Meg’s Recipe

 

organic nutrition chiropractic benefits

What Chiropractic Patients Want To Know About Organic Food vs. Conventional Food

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Many supermarkets have started offering their shoppers a choice in produce: organic or conventionally farmed. This can leave many wondering just what the difference is.

The truth is, both foods taste the same – or very close. Both have the same vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, so what is the big difference?

It comes down to two major areas: safety and nutrition. That is what consumers need to understand when they are trying to make a decision on whether to purchase foods that have been conventionally farmed, or foods that are organic.

What is “organic”?

Organic is an often misused word but the true meaning is that the term refers to how food is grown and processed. Organic farming is intended to encourage water and soil conservation as well as reduce pollution.

Organic farming does not use chemicals for controlling weeds, eliminating insects, or fertilizing. Most of the methods are completely natural. For instance, an organic farmer may use natural fertilizers to enrich the soil, strategically placed plants to control insects, and mulch or crop rotation to control weeds.

Organic vs. conventional foods

Conventionally farmed products will often use chemicals for insect control and weed control. They often use some type of processing on their foods.

The fertilizer used in planting often has chemicals. The foods may even be genetically modified. Animals may be injected with steroids and hormones which can cause unpleasant or even harmful side effects.

Organic foods do not use any chemicals, they are not genetically modified, and they are not injected with antibiotics or steroids. The food has been very minimally processed – if at all.

There are no additives that don’t belong and could be potentially harmful. Organic foods are safer for human consumption and they are typically more nutritious.

How to identify organic foods

In the United States, a food or product that is labeled as organic is required to be certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA has a certification program for organic growers and it has a set of very stringent standards that the product or food must meet.

There are some exemptions. For instance, a producer who does not sell more than $5,000 annually just in organic foods is not required to get the certification although they do have to adhere to the USDA’s stringent requirements for organic foods.

When a food carries the USDA Organic label, it means that it meets the requirements. While organic producers are not required to put the label on their products, many do.

The labeling varies, depending on the type of food. Single ingredient foods like eggs, vegetables, and fruits are considered to be 100 percent organic and are allowed to carry the USDA seal.

Foods that contain two or more ingredients, like breakfast cereal, are still allowed to use the USDA seal, but also must include the following information:

  • Organic – The product must be 95 percent organic or greater in order to be able to use this term
  • 100 percent organic – The product must be completely organic or all of its ingredients must be organic
  • Made with organic ingredients – The product contains no less than 70 percent organic ingredients

If the product has less than 70 percent organic ingredients, they are not allowed to use the word “organic” anywhere on their product labels.

Health benefits of organic foods

The greatest health benefit of organic foods is what it does not provide. Organic growers do not use synthetic pesticides to protect their crops from disease, insects, and molds. This means that the food itself has never been touched by these chemicals.

Organic foods also do not have the food additives that conventional foods often do. They are free from artificial sweeteners, flavorings, and colorings as well as preservatives and mono-sodium glutamate. This means that eating organic means that you aren’t putting those chemicals into your body. Plus, many people say that organic foods simply taste better.

If you have further questions or concerns about your particular diet, please ask us! Our Doctor of Chiropractic can help guide you toward a more healthy life, including the foods you consume.

bones bone health nutrition

6 Synthetic Foods That Can Destroy Bone Health (And How to Undo the Damage)

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Synthetic or artificially made foods used as additives are far more toxic than we can imagine. Some of them don’t even qualify as foods and barely provide any nutritional value. Heavy metals, food dyes, and pesticides in our foods are not only harmful to our colon health but suck nutrients away from our bones. Most commonly found in beverages, trans-fat foods, and breakfast syrups, there are plenty of synthetic foods hidden in your snacks and drinks that may be slowly killing your bones.

Watch out for the following list of man-made additives, sugars, and oils that can possibly deprive your bones of nutritional health if consumed abundantly.

1. Synthetic Sulfites

Sulfites include sulfur dioxide, calcium sulfites, and sodium disulfite. They are mainly used as preservatives and artificial colors. Although banned from being used over vegetables and fruits, sulfites are still freely used in many foods we eat like processed juices and tea, canned foods, and alcohol.
The main reason why they are deadly for bone health is that they take away Thiamin or Vitamin B1. Sulfites tend to hinder growth and development in bones and contribute to inflammation.

2. Phosphoric Acid

Coke is your enemy. In fact, all carbonated beverages with high amounts of refined sugars can eat away bone matter and deplete your bones of calcium, if taken excessively. Cola-based sodas are proven to significantly decrease bone mineral density, according to researchers at Tufts University.

3. Disodium EDTA

Disodium EDTA is a food additive that is used for flavor and color preservation, mostly found in canned foods and pickles. Primarily used to stop foods from decaying, this substance can deprive your bones of essential nutrients by pulling minerals like calcium, zinc, iron, and manganese away from the digestive tract and out for excretion.

4. Hydrogenated Oils

Hydrogenation can destroy all the Vitamin K in oils, which is an essential nutrient for strong bones. Found in cookies, pastries, donuts and junk food, hydrogenated oils typically used in commercial baking can even block the arteries.

5. Aspartame

An artificial sweetener, commonly found in sodas, aspartame can trigger anxiety, nausea, depression, muscle spasms, and wreck bone health.

6. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

Although widely avoided, MSG is still used as a flavor enhancer in many processed foods. MSG has the potential to excessively stimulate our nerve cells, which can lead to dangerous seizures, migraines, and even depression. With so many health menaces, it can possibly reduce bone density as well.
Sadly, even when the glutamate industry knows it’s a toxic substance, they still sell it.

How to Undo the Damage

Luckily, weak bones can easily be strengthened. The first step is of course to ditch all the above-mentioned toxic foods from your diet.
You should ideally eat a bowl of rich greens like broccoli and okra, with lunch or dinner and consume a rich source of calcium in your diet. Dairy foods like milk and cheese are a good source. Spend 30 minutes daily in the sun to allow the body to soak up some Vitamin D.

Doing these simple steps consistently can help your bones regain their lost strength. For more nutritional tips visit www.ocwc.ca .

thyroid function

5 Tips To Help Support Low Thyroid Function

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When it comes to managing your thyroid function there is no one magic bullet. Low thyroid function affects everyone in different ways. Low thyroid function is linked to an array of symptoms like :

  • Fatigue.
  • Weakness.
  • Weight gain
  • difficulty losing weight.
  • Coarse, dry hair.
  • Hair loss.
  • Dry skin.
  • Cold temperature intolerance
  • Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches.

If you or someone you know is suffering from low thyroid function, here are 5 tips to consider.

1.Digestive Habits Improve Thyroid Function

Have good digestive habits like chewing thoroughly and not being distracted while eating. Support the break down of food in your stomach by drinking lemon water. Proteins, vitamins and mineral are broken down for absorption in the stomach.

You may not think to start with looking at your digestion when dealing with low thyroid function, but this is the first place you should start. If you not absorbing important vitamins and minerals that your thyroid needs this can be a major underlying reason your thyroid function is low.

2. Protein & Fats Improve Thyroid Function

Protein is very important for our thyroid function and overall health.  Bone broth and salmon are two great sources of protein if you are experiencing low thyroid function.

Eat healthy fats, we have all heard this, but it really is a basic to health. Our bodies can become overwhelmed by polyunsaturated fats and oils that can interfere with our inflammation and hormonal responses in the body. These imbalances in fat can have a direct impact on our thyroid health. Food sources of omega 3 fatty acids and other health fats are, avocados, fish and Chia Seeds. 

3. Cutting out gluten Improves Thyroid Function

There is a strong link between both Hashimoto’s and Graves’ disease with gluten intolerance.

Reducing or eliminating gluten can be quite difficult for many people. Once gluten has been eliminated from the diet it can take up to six months to have the desired effect our immune systems. That is why gluten elimination should last at least 3 to 6 months

4. Iodine Absorption Improves Thyroid Function

Getting enough Iodine is a good place to start. Great food sources include from fish, sea vegetables and sea salt to the diet on a weekly basis.

Some foods inhibit the absorption of iodine. Foods with this property are called goitrogens. If the problem is low thyroid function then it may be useful to avoid or limit goitrogens in our diets. Examples of foods that act like goitrogens are soy, millet, flax, peanuts, caffeine and canola

The following foods are also goitrogrens. Consider cooking or steaming all foods on this list as cooking breakdown the goitrogens: (all dark leafy green vegetables) spinach, arugula, broccoli, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, chinese cabbage, collards, kohlrabi, mustard greens, bok choy, brussels sprouts, turnips, sweet potatoes, rutabaga, sauerkraut, kimchi, horse radish

Many pesticides used to grow our food also can inhibit iodine absorption. Reduce pesticides by buying organic, properly cooking foods and washing all fruits and vegetables thoroughly. A great resource is to look up the dirty dozen and clean fifteen for a list of what to buy organic. If you are on a tight budget consider buying organic for any animal-based products.

5. Lifestyle tips Habits Improve Thyroid Function

Get adequate sleep because lack of sleep puts stress on the body. Usually somewhere between 7 to 8 hours per night is best.

Exercise moderately. Both no exercise and excessive exercise are hard on the thyroid gland. Many people with low thyroid function will report continued weight gain. This can be frustrating resulting in a lack of motivation to continue exercising.

No exercise is not healthy on the body but over exercising with low thyroid function can be stressful on the body as well. Consider activities such as yoga, dance or movement classes to keep on track. As you continue to balance your thyroid function you can add more exercise or movement into your life.

Meditation and deep breathing have been shown to help balance the thyroid and adrenal glands. As a meditation and yoga teacher I had to add this in. We often don’t take time to listen to our bodies signals and if we take couple moments each day to listen to ourselves, we may be surprised by how our bodies are sending us the information we need to help ourselves. Only you can listen to yourself in this way, don’t make your body have to send you big signs where you must listen.

Do something you enjoy every day. Take a bubble bath, read, go for a walk. Whatever you enjoy! Don’t deny yourself, we only experience this moment once so enjoy it whenever you can.

If you’re interested in a helping hand give our office a call @ 780-455-2112 and our staff will find a time for you to meet me, Alicia Miller, Holistic Nutritional Consultant. Checkout our website @ www.ocwc.ca to learn more about my services.

Alicia Miller, Holistic Nutritional Consultant, Yoga Instructor