Winter is Coming

Even I will admit, this past Sunday was COLD in Toronto. The sudden drop in temperature and bitter wind was a sad reminder that summer is over, or for all you Game of Thrones fans “winter is coming”.  Cold weather, dark mornings, and lack of sunshine can make anyone want to curl up and hibernate for the winter. It’s much harder to tell yourself ‘let’s go for a run’ when you step outside and are immediately freezing. However, bad weather should never be an excuse for being lazy, but dressing inappropriately for the weather is. To get you ready for Fall fitness here are some tips.

Dress Warm. The MEC store on King Street is one of my favourite places to shop downtown. They have EVERYTHING you need to stay fit and active under all weather circumstances. I managed to go for a long bike ride Sunday, with a little help from my neck warmer, fleece lined vest and winter biking gloves from there. Without these items, there’s no way I would have ever left my cozy apartment. If you go and feel lost in the sea of overwhelming products, snag a staff member ASAP as they are extremely knowledgeable and helpful. My latest find? An awesome front light for my bike that is USB rechargeable, great now that the days are getting shorter.

Prepare yourself mentally. This may sound a little silly but seriously, telling yourself ‘you can do it’ and setting a fitness goal pre-workout (ie. I will bike for one hour or run 5 miles) can help you stay on track and forget about the fact you can no longer feel the tips of your fingers.

Be safe! Coming from experience, there are countless ways you can injure yourself biking in this city. If you are new to cycling and unsure of how to navigate within the city, here are two super nerdy but helpful links from the City of Toronto listed below. The first one talks about general bike safety in the city, and I personally wish I had read the part about crossing street tracks before I wiped out and destroyed my elbow this summer. The other is a cycling map of bike friendly routes and location of bike lanes in the city. You can also use the bike route function on Google maps to find bike friendly roads and planned routes when inputting directions. Guess you no longer have an excuse to drive that car huh??

http://www.toronto.ca/cycling/safety/

http://www.toronto.ca/cycling/map/index.htm#tcm

Safe and happy workouts :)

A Girl's Gotta Eat: Toronto Edition

I officially survived my first week of medical school. And although I already feel completely overwhelmed, I also feel a calming sense of knowing that I made the right decision. I feel right at home with my classmates and can’t wait to start learning more and more about naturopathic medicine. It’s hard work, but I know all this information will be of great benefit to my patients one day. While I’ve been living in Toronto since May, a lot of my classmates have moved here for the first time. Since I LOVE exploring and try new restaurants and food, I though a blog post on some of the best hole in the wall and hidden treasures would be a great choice.

Best sushi lunch special- Sushi on Bloor

This is not my own opinion, but the opinion of several other blogs and critic reviews online. There is a reason Sushi on Bloor has a line up at lunch every day. Their sushi is cheap, fast, good quality and incredibly delicious. My fav, #S7, hold the spicy mayo. There are vegetarian option as well.

Best dine-in sushi- To-ne Sushi

To-Ne Sushi on Queen west is the place to visit for sushi downtown. The restaurant (and bathrooms) are clean and nicely decorated, the staff friendly and the green tea is always hot and comforting. They have a good menu with lots of interesting roll combinations and appetizers. I love their seaweed salad, always beautifully presented and twice the size of most other restaurants. Prices are slightly higher, but 100% worth it for the quality and portion sizes. Try the Blue Jay Roll or Boston roll.

Best Korean- Ka Chi (St. Andrew Street location) 

This little restaurant is both the best Korean and my favorite restaurant to visit with my special guy. We discovered it walking around Kensington one afternoon, and now make weekly visits to the friendly staff at Ka Chi. The prices are ridiculously cheap; we still don’t understand how they can serve such good quality filling meals at small prices. Unlike some Asian restaurants that are rice (read carb) heavy, their dish actually contain huge quantities of fresh and flavorful vegetables, meat and seafood. I love the grilled mackerel and spicy stew combo, and the spicy stir-fried squid with vegetables. Be adventurous and try all the side dishes as well.

Best Indian- Mt. Everest

Mt. Everest on Bloor makes me feel like I’m back in Nepal whenever I visit. Their food is cooked from scratch and they will modify menu items (ie. no added cream) if you ask. The service is slow, but the food is worth the wait. My favorite is their lamb vindaloo, perfectly tender cooked lamb and great spice. The Himalayan Hunting platter is also great for sharing and one order of rice is PLENTY for two people.

Best Vegetarian- Fresh

Fresh has two convenient locations in Toronto, one at Bloor and Spadina and one at Spadina and Richmond. They have an extensive vegetarian and vegan menu that even true meat eaters will enjoy. Their ace of kales salad, and soup, salad, cornbread combo are two of my favorite items. They have tons of GF options, and really interesting combinations of veggies and sauces. Try their sweet potato fries for a yummy indulgence.

Best GF friendly lunch spot

Arepa Café located on Queen west is a celiac’s haven. Their sandwiches are all made on grilled cornbread, and they offer a variety of meat and vegetarian fillings. The meat is fantastic and the sandwiches are huge enough to fill you up for the afternoon.

Best Dessert

Menchies in the Annex beats out all other fro-yo places in the city. Their frozen yogurt simply has more flavor, and they have tons of different healthy (fruit, nuts) and less healthy (chocolate, candies) toppings to choose from.

Still to try

There are two restaurants in Kensington market that are on my radar. Hibiscus Café is vegetarian and GF friendly, offering huge buckwheat crepes with sweet and savory fillings. Seven Lives apparently has amazing tacos with creative fillings and long line-ups to match.

What's your Excuse??

People are full of excuses for everything in life. Whether it’s a work, school, or other various commitments, there always seem to have a different excuse for why they can’t accomplish something they set out to do. I’ve heard everything from ‘I don’t have time”, “that’s too much work”, “I can’t”, “I’m too tired/frustrated/PMS/insert word of choice” to the classic “I’m too hungover”.

When it comes to healthy living, there is no shortage of excuses here either. I’m here to tell you though that making excuses for your behaviour is a poor substitute for the real problem. Are you scared of failure? Are you worried all your hard work at the gym won’t pay off? Are you afraid of trying to be healthy all over again only to give up and quit after two weeks? Let me tell you, living life to your fullest is NOT easy, I’ll admit that, BUT I believe there is always a way!

Let’s look at my life for a minute. I BROKE MY ARM (stupid streetcar tracks) and I’m still at the gym on a regular basis. I can use the recumbent bike and also do core work on mats. I can walk around downtown instead of taking the bus in this beautiful summer weather. I can do squats and lunges and lower body workouts no problem. Sure I need to buy a new bell and helmet, but I will be right back on my bike when I get the A Okay from the doc. If I am still able to maintain my fitness goals, what’s stopping you?

The top excuse for not eating healthy, that ‘it’s too expensive’, is a flat out lie. All of this fresh produce, complements of Kai Wei grocery on Spadina Avenue, cost me $23 dollars. Yup, that’s it, all three cucumbers were $1 and I ‘splurged’ on a container of kimchi for $2.50. Don’t shop at the overly expensive, under-stocked Sobeys at Front street, get some exercise, walk the extra ten minutes and buy your groceries in Chinatown. You will do your wallet and your health some food.

It’s time to take CONTROL of your life, stop the excuses and start living for real!

p.s. if you wonder what the kimchi is for, I made homemade enoki mushroom and kimchi soup. Delicious.

July SuperFood of the Month is.....

Happy Belated Canada Day!

To honour this great nation, I wanted the July Superfood of the Month to be something red, and couldn’t think of a better food than Strawberries.

Strawberries are delicious, nutritious and currently in season, making them a cheap and fun snack to buy. Now that I’ve officially moved to Toronto, I’ve taken full advantage of all the health-related benefits of big city living.  I can bike or walk to practically anywhere, tons of great, fresh ingredient restaurants to choose from (this will be mentioned in a future post!), cuisines and produce from all over the world, and most importantly, Chinatown groceries stores within ten minutes of my new place. These are the BEST places to buy your fresh groceries in the downtown core. Last week, I bought two pints of strawberries for $2 dollars, three avocadoes for $1 and three cucumbers also for $1, talk about saving money! Yes the groceries stores in Toronto’s Chinatown aren’t ‘attractive’, well-lit, or the cleanest and nicest smelling, but these typically cash only joints offer a huge variety of interesting produce at dirt cheap prices.

Back to strawberries. When it comes to fruit, any berry is the best bang for your buck. Berries are lower in sugar/fructose/carbs than most other fruits, low glycemic index  (great for diabetics), chocked full of antioxidants, low calorie and high fiber. A cup of strawberries has only 45 calories, by comparison a medium (read: not GMO gigantic) banana has around 105.

People always associate vitamin c with oranges, but strawberries are actually an excellent source of vitamin C, their antioxidants help protect you against cancer, certain diseases of the eye, inflammation, and their fiber to promote good digestion.

One of the things I like most about strawberries is their versatility. They add flavor to both sweet in savoury dishes, and can be used in appetizers, salads, mains, breakfast staples and lots of different desserts. I have attached some recipes that I highly recommend trying as a great way to incorporate this superfood into your diet.

This recipe below features classic ingredients for a strawberry spinach salad. I often avoid these salads at restaurants because the nuts are candied meaning they are coated in unhealthy oils and excess sugar. Toasting nuts brings out their flavor without any added calories.  I would also suggest adding some red or green onion, and you can always sub avocado for the cheese to make this salad paleo friendly.

http://southernfood.about.com/od/spinachsaladrecipes/r/bl60522d.htm

This is one of my favorite food blogs. I haven’t made these muffins yet, but after my next trip to bulk barn to stock up on more cornmeal, I will definitely give this recipe a try.

http://www.runningtothekitchen.com/2013/04/strawberry-corn-muffins/

Strawberry and Rhubarb is one of my favorite combinations, the PC blue menu strawberry rhubarb jam is delicious on almost anything. This dessert recipe is allergy friendly, easy to make, and you can always adjust the amount of sugar/honey you add to taste.

http://paleonadime.blogspot.ca/2013/04/paleo-strawberry-rhubarb-crisp-gluten.html

You can buy giant bags of frozen cherries at Costco. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, just Google how to make ice cream without an ice cream maker and there are some blog posts on this topic.

http://www.elanaspantry.com/cherry-strawberry-ice-cream/

Got an abundance of strawberries? Dice, freeze on a cookie tray so they don’t stick and then keep in the freezer and add to smoothies throughout the summer.

Some food for thought

This is by far the LAZIEST post I have ever written. Although there are plenty of things I want to blog about, these past few weeks have been filled with moving, cleaning, organic chemistry (the WORST), job training and a billion lists of things I need to get done. Therefore I decided not to write an actual post, but direct you to some fabulous articles I came across on the Internet this week.
On the plus side, I finally became a real resident of Ontario last week after waiting for hours in line at the Service Ontario office. I guess its sort of symbolic that I sold my mountain bike and bought a hybrid bike instead. Goodbye Alberta, hello crazy traffic in downtown Toronto.

I have attached what I think are some of the top stories this week that will make for an interesting read.

http://www.elanaspantry.com/giveaway-paleo-cooking-from-elanas-pantry/

I really shouldn't post this because I want to win a copy of her beautiful new cookbook, but was feeling extra generous today and thought I would share this fabulous giveaway with all my readers

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2013/05/31/healthy-chocolate-fudge-zucchini-brownies/

I love baking with coconut flour because of it's great taste and quality nutrition. The problem is that is absorbs a huge quantity of liquid, which requires lots of eggs in recipes. I have a few friends who are allergic to eggs and wanted to share this recipe so they could enjoy these delicious goodies!

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-stigma-of-obesity/#axzz2VvlfyC6r

This article is something everyone should read and take a minute to think about. My favorite line is "My mother used to constantly say “Worry about yourself." I couldn't agree more. Quit judging people around here, instead focus on yourself and making your life the best and healthiest it can be.


http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/weight-exercises-women?cm_mmc=ETNTNL-_-1323188-_-06112013-_-Module3

A great article for all women who have a fear of lifting out there to read. I am a huge fan of strength training, and anyone who is a slave to the cardio machines should really think about adding some strength and conditioning components into their workouts. 

Happy Reading, Stayed tuned for June Superfood of the Month 

You're out for dinner and......

I LOVE to travel. If I wasn’t going to be an N.D., I’d want to be a travel writer or have my own travel TV series. I’ve been very lucky to travel to all ends of the world (Ecuador, Kenya, Nepal, Australia) and always looking for my next adventure.

Having said that I HATE the process of travelling itself. The line-ups at security, long flights with crying babies, jetlag, time zones and I always seem to be that ‘random’ who gets subject to the pat down or full body scan. On the plus side, travelling to new countries means experiencing new foods, cultures and culinary cuisines. On the down side, it can also mean fast food or restaurant meals that cause some serious tummy troubles, and usually a gluttony of sodium, sugar, scary additives and calorie overload.

While I could write this post for several different restaurant types (Mexican, Japanese, Indian, Korean etc.) I’m going to focus on typical restaurant meals you could find at chain restaurants like East Side Mario’s, Kelsey’s or Jack Astor’s to name a few. If you want information on how to chose healthy at specific restaurants or cuisines, send me a message and I can help you you out!

Before we begin, below is a picture of the bistro shrimp pasta entrée from the Cheesecake Factory. I want you to guess how many calories, grams of saturated fat and milligrams of sodium it contains. Scroll down to the bottom of the post to see the actual numbers and understand why it’s easy to overeat at restaurants. With a few simple suggestions and a couple substitutions, this doesn’t have to be the case.

1. Appetizers may seem like a quick snack, but these can be one of the worst things to order at chain restaurants. Avoid anything breaded, fried, crispy, or that comes with a creamy dipping sauce. Same goes for soups; a clear vegetable based soup is a better choice than a cream based. If you think anything with the word ‘salad’ is healthy, think again. Check out my previous post about salads for some tips.

2. Don’t be shy about making changes to the menu. Ask for double veggies instead white rice, order plain steamed veggies with marinara sauce instead of pasta, get a salad with dressing on the side or see if the item can be prepared without any added salt. For all your Oakville folks, one of my favorite restaurants is Stoney’s. Many times I have ordered a sandwich served on a field of greens instead of bread and never had an issue with this request.

3. When ordering entrees, look for the words grilled, baked, steamed, broiled, poached, roasted, or blackened. These are some of the healthiest ways to prepare meats or seafood items. Stay clear of things like breaded, buttered, fried, creamed, scalloped or au gratin.

4. Watch the add-ons. Sweet potatoes and seasonal vegetables themselves are very healthy, but if loaded with sour cream, butter, bacon, cream sauces, mayo based dips or coated in cheap cooking oil, you are quickly adding calories without any added nutrition.

5. Wait at least 20 minutes after eating your meal before thinking about ordering dessert. Your stomach needs time to signal to your brain that you’re full. If you must order dessert, split one item between two or more people.  Don’t be fooled by buzz words like ‘vegan’, ‘gluten-free’ or ‘organic’. A vegan, gluten-free chocolate cake can still be chocked full of empty calories from sugar and high-carb gluten-free flour blends.

6. Before heading to dinner, check online and see if there is a menu or nutritional information available. Most chain restaurants these days will post both nutritional and allergen information online for all menu items. This is very handy in helping choose a healthier option, but also great for people who have allergies and can avoid having to be 'that person' who grills the server on how the food is prepared and what potential allergens are in each dish. (I've been there....it's not fun...especially in foreign countries)

Thirsty? Plain old water or soda water with lemon is your best bet. If you feel like hitting the bottle, a glass of red wine is always a good place to start 

Answer: that past dish contains 3,120 calories, 89 grams of saturated fat and 1,090 milligrams of sodium, way over the amount you should eat in an ENTIRE day!!!!

My Love Affair with Costco

Time and time again I hear people say “I want to eat healthy, but its too expensive". I completely agree that eating healthy sometimes isn't feasible on a budget, particularly if you are shopping at specialty health food stores. No I don’t want to or can afford to spend $4 on a cucumber at Whole Foods, but there are ways to eat healthy without breaking the bank.

Especially as a student, it's easy to let your health take the back burner when exams, school stress and other commitments begin to pile up. Let’s be honest though, it’s a lot easier to spend $80 at the bar (pre-drink, taxi, tequila shots, Smoke’s poutine, drunk text messages, new lipstick, dress from Aritzia etc.) than it is to buy $80 worth of quality fresh produce at the grocery store.

In comes Costco. How I love going here with my mom and her membership card. Yes Costco sells a TON of junk food, or health food in ‘disguise’ (think protein bars filled with HFCS and soy-protein isolate, that's a whole other blog...), however they also have done an amazing job stocking their shelves with healthy, organic food, full of real ingredients, and a good selection of fresh fruits, veggies, frozen foods and meat.   These are my go-to items I buy at Costco that will have you tons of money compared to if you buy them as single products at Loblaws.

Larabars

Taste of Nature Bars

Unsweetened Almond Milk

Quinoa

Fresh fruits and veggies & frozen stir-fry mixes and berries

Eggs and/or egg whites

Boneless skinless chicken breasts, beef/pork tenderloin and boneless lamb

Frozen shrimp, turkey burgers and salmon burgers & canned wild salmon 

  

Here are some new items I found on the shelves that made great additions to my kitchen

 Starting from the top left, yes snack sized packs of almonds aren't exactly eco-friendly, but they came in handy when I was in Boston for a week long conference. You can stuff one or two 100-calorie packs in your purse and that way you always have a healthy snack on hand

Hemp hearts and flaxseeds are both great sources of healthy fats, I mix them with buckwheat grouts and chia seeds to make my own homemade version of holy crap cereal. If you're allergic to eggs, you can also use 'flax eggs' as a substitute in baking.

This is the biggest pack of sun-dried tomatoes I have ever seen and will probably take me an entire year to get through. Sun-dried tomatoes make a tasty addition to homemade hummus, salads, appetizers and sauces.

Costco is great for bulk nuts. I made homemade Nutella using these hazelnuts, and I also saw a giant bag of sliced, blanched almonds that would be great for making homemade almond flour. Medjool dates make a tasty, nutritious alternative to sugar when baking. They are also great stuffed with goat cheese as a party appetizer. Try this recipe from Elana's Pantry to see how you can incorporate dates into your baking, and dates are also fantastic for making healthy desserts and homemade Larabars. 

Stayed tuned for my next post. Although my week in Boston for the EB conference was fabulous, I was tired of eating out for all my meals and couldn't wait to get home and be back in my kitchen. While the seafood was delicious, restaurant meals and portion sizes tend to be heavy, salty and not always the healthiest. Have you ever had trouble deciphering the menu when looking for something lighter to eat? I'll have some easy solutions to help you out next week!