In my previous blog post of Why are you tired all the time?  I touched on three common reasons people suffer from fatigue.  Dehydration, low intake of whole foods and low dietary intake of iron and B-12 rich foods.  These are far from the only reasons you might be battling ongoing fatigue, but they are some of the most common reasons and a great place to start, if you are looking at energy boosting strategies.
 
Now I want to talk to you about some simple strategies to help you naturally increase your energy levels.
 
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Tip Number One, Avoid skipping breakfast. Although I see the value in fasting to give your digestive system a break for 12-14 hours hours daily, and even fasting for a bit longer a couple times a month, Continuous fasting actually disrupts your metabolism.  

It is so common for me to hear people sharing how physically and mentally exhausted they are. As a Nutritionist I feel like I am working front-line within a chronic fatigue epidemic. 

Most of the moms who seek out the guidance of a Nutritionist do so for two reasons: 
1.  They are exhausted all the time.
2.  They want to improve body composition. 

In order to help these women achieve their goals I have to create a solid foundation in their daily nutrition so that we can ensure their bodies are getting the nutrients they need to function optimally.  
Simply put, I am seeing a bunch of undernourished people, who are so depleted, their body is no longer producing enough energy, and it's impacting their quality of life!  
 
Fatigue not only impacts your quality of life, but it also reduces motivation, can significantly decrease productivity and can even harm a relationship!! (Just ask the spouse of a person who is suffering from chronic fatigue)
 
So what can we do to change it? Well the solution thankfully is often very simple! And it all starts with what you put into your body.
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I am kindly requesting this be read with an open heart and mind. Talking about our dietary choices can be tough subject for many because well, our choices are personal. I write this with no judgement, but a simple goal to share my professional opinion and personal experience as a Nutritionist who is passionate about learning and helping others achieve optimal health..  
 
I started in the health care field in 2002 where I felt totally overwhelmed  with the amount of conditions I was seeing that were preventable. I made a decision then to play an active role in helping people prevent losing their quality of life, by teaching about healthy diets and lifestyles.  I have been researching Nutrition for 15 years and spent my last 11 years in the Nutrition and cancer field.  My Mission is to teach people how to protect themselves against disease.  

Well its that time of the year again, when we are incredibly aware of all the over eating we have done over the holiday season, and now with a New Year just begun, our first goal is to get on track with our diets and lifestyles.  
 
If you want to get results and keep them, then the secret to that my friend is in creating a new lifestyle. Now, I am not talking about turning your life inside out right at this moment.  No, if you want long-term results we need to make gentle shifts in your lifestyle all throughout 2019.  

With each step, you will acquire new results, and be able to keep the results you had already obtained.  If you want amazing results, you need to understand you are in for a long-term commitment.  However like most long-term commitments the BEST and most rewarding results are found in them!!! (Relationships, career, friendships, lifestyle etc.)
 
So lets get moving.  Here are my Top 4 Weight Loss Strategies.....

​Thank you again for sticking with me on this really important series. I am sure if you are on session 4 of this series, its because you are feeling me when it comes to the discussion of picky eaters in your home.  Session one we looked at what picky eating was, and when it is time to be concerned.  Session 2, I shared my TOP mom and Nutritionist strategies with you, and in session 3 I shared some tools you can print off and start using at home.
 
Session Four is about how mom and dad are handling picky eating at home. I Feel I need to take a moment to acknowledge that I am in now way a mental health expert. I am however a mom of 4 children, one of whom has food behaviour problems with sever picky eating.  I am also a nutritionist, who has worked with hundreds (if not thousands ) of families who have faced picky eating at home for more than 14 years! Experience is my friend here.

You may or may not agree with me, and I am ok with that. I do however want to share how we manage it at home and how many of my clients have found success at home.
 
So here we go, how to use a little tough love for picky eaters.

We are back for part 3!! How amazing is all this information we have been sharing together!! I am so honoured you have made it to session 3 of this series.

In this part I am going to GIFT you with some tools to simplify the healthy eating process.
Click Below for my Likes and Fav Meals charts.
These two forms will help you grow a list with your child focusing on the foods they actually want to eat.  

Likes List~ The goal is to add foods to all sections and to be praised when new healthy foods get added. Sit with your child and add as many items that they know they like to the lists.  Once you have completed the list, post one or both on the fridge, making it a goal to be adding a couple new foods to the list each week. Be sure to offer lots of praise as new healthy foods are added!
 
Fav Meals Chart~ The goal of this chart is to add all existing meals your child likes and add new ones as they try them.  Most children love being able to add meals to their list, and it helps moms and dads with planning. As with the LIKES LISTS be sure to offer lots of praise for new meals that get added. I enjoy going through healthy cookbooks with my children looking at new recipes they can choose and we try together!

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Meal Planning Forms
Check out this how to article on how to create a family meal plan and download the meal planning forms! Here you can print off and plan not only your weekly menu, BUT also your grocery list to match it each week.  If planning your family menu feels overwhelming, be sure to read the article linked below that shares 7 Steps to Healthy Meal Planning!

Welcome back to my series on how to overcome picky eating at in your home!! Part Two. This part of my four part series is going to jump right into strategies for those picky eaters at home.  Now keep in mind what works for one may not work for another and you may find that you have to circle back to one a few times.  BUT forward movements with picky eaters are forward movement!
 
The Strategies!

1. Create a "Like’s List" you are constantly adding to with your child.  This is a list that goes on the fridge and there is positive enforcement around new adds!  I have one I use at home you can download in session 3 of this series.

2. Plan Meals together, especially dinner!! Allowing your child input into the family’s menu will help to reduce stubbornness around meals.  I find it useful for families with picky eaters to have a favourite meal list on the fridge, so they can remember all of the things they do like to eat.  

I am so excited to be sharing this series with you on picky eating at home.  As a Nutritionist I have worked with dozens of families with real concerns about picky eaters in their homes.  And in many cases, it is a serious concern! I am also a mom of 4 children, 1 of whom has always been a picky eater, to the point that he will starve over eating what has been prepared.  This is a real problem for a lot of families and in this series I will cover strategies you can use to help overcome this in your home.

This part is about identifying what a picky eater is, and when its time to be concerned from a nutritional stand point.

So what does picky eating look like? Well if you have one at home, you don't need my description of it! But here it is from a Nutritionist standpoint. Picky eating in children is when there is a flat out refusal to eat a variety of natural and nutrient dense foods.  Taste, smell and texture often play a role for many children who are picky eaters, but so can colour and appearance. The concern with serious picky eaters is not only malnutrition, but in many cases an overconsumption of processed foods.
 
Here is what you need to know about the above reasons your child is feeling resistant to eating foods based on these criteria.  They are true in your child’s mind! 

Well its official, its Back to School time, and with that comes the challenge of providing our children with not only nourishing lunches, but lunches they will actually eat!! As a mom of 4 children, and Nutritionist I know the struggles families face when it comes to packing healthy meals at school!
 
One of the biggest concerns I have for school age children is the amount of processed foods that can find their way into their lunch boxes.  Now, I will also share that my children’s lunches are never perfect, and yes we do purchase granola bars and the occasional treats, BUT what I am talking about is the highly processed lunches that are mostly packaged foods, full of preservatives, colouring, flavourings and frankly chemicals that will NOT help your children focus!
 
With so many children diagnosed with learning and attention challenges, and as a mom and Nutritionist, I always tell my clients to start with what you are packing them! If you want to learn more about foods that help them focus you can read this article here.
 
If you want to help them to focus, then you must understand they need stable blood sugar and clean nutrition to fuel their brain. In order for this to happen we have to begin by providing them with healthy lunchbox options. Now for the moms of picky eaters who are about to leave this article, hang tight!!! I got your back with this one!!  Here’s the thing, often for our picky eaters, it has a lot to do with the flavour enhancers, sugars, and chemicals that our children’s processed foods are loaded with, not the whole foods!
 
Think about it this way, do you get the same taste, and physical response from eating an apple as you do eating Doritos? Children’s foods are so loaded with chemicals and sugars, their body’s start to expect the chemical reaction and intense taste every time they eat something.  If the food you are providing them does not offer that chemical/sugar reaction, then it often ends up on the no list! But there is a way to help re-wire them!
 
The challenge is to eliminate the processed options and work with your children on what they DO want in their lunches without offering the flavoured and food colouring heavy foods. Which actually brings me to Tip #1!