Is your little one ready for solid food?

Quinny is finally eating solids! She humbles me as a practitioner because she certainly does not follow any textbook theory on raising children. She is almost 10 months old, and up until now has been exclusively breast fed, thriving at nearly 20 pounds. Rather than worry that she was not taking to solids, I decided to follow her clues and sure enough, this week her body felt it necessary to commence the solid food journey. Even though she is older, I am still following strict food introduction principles. Namely, no grains! I usually get quite a reaction from parents when I explain how difficult grains are on a developing digestive tract. Parents have been wrongly advised to start their babes on cereal grains. It is common knowledge that babes lack sufficient amylase (the enzyme required to digest grains), so it makes sense to wait until a child is at least one to introduce grains, especially wheat. A healthy digestive tract allows for a strong immune system, radiant skin and optimal nutrient assimilation. Many children suffer from later allergies, skin reactions, constipation and other gut related disorders as a result of early grain introduction, because of the inflammation caused at the intestinal wall. Instead, egg yolk, vegetables, fruit and organic meats are ideal. Food introduction is one of the most important milestones of your child's development!

Dessert on a fly....

Whew! That was a busy weekend. Arnel had a rare Saturday off of work, so we decided to make the most of it and take the kids to Heritage Park in the morning, and then to Lake Bonavista for swimming with friends in the afternoon. Everyone slept well that night! Sunday, our great friends Ashif and Rebecca invited us over for a delicious brunch, however, when I got home I totally forgot that we were having my brother and fiance over for an afternoon visit. My soon to be sister in-law shares a passion for cooking and experimenting with healthy food, so I always like to use her as my test subject. I couldn't resist the opportunity, so I tried out a new pie crust recipe and filled it with a favorite raw food recipe: avocado key lime. Remember - I was in a rush, so rest assured this recipe was a quicky!

NUT CRUST
2. tbs. light, cold pressed oil
2. tbs. maple syrup
1/4 c arrowroot powder
1/4 c. spelt flower ( OR BUCKWHEAT FOR GLUTEN FREE)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 c. ground almonds ( I blend whole almonds in my magic bullet)

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix the oil and syrup, then add arrowroot powder, flour and cinnamon. Lastly, mix the ground nuts. Press the crust into the bottom of a lightly oiled small pie pan. For no-bake pies, bake the crust for 12-14mins or until firm. Cool.

** It made one small pie, I would recommend using 1.5x this recipe for a larger pie.


FILLING
2 avocados mashed
3 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/4c. agave nectar

Add to a food processor, until smooth.
Add to pie crust, and chill for 2 hours. Add fresh berries!


The verdict - DELICIOUS! The crust has an outstanding flavour, and the filling...well, divine! It tastes even better today!

High Triglycerides- a sign that you may be too stressed

I was having a friendly 'debate' with one of my friends, who happens to be a MD, about our differing approaches to lowering lipid levels in patients. She was claiming that the key to lowering cholesterol was to avoid dietary saturated fats, in addition to drug therapy. I disagree. I routinely treat people who are baffled by elevated lipid levels, despite their best efforts to eliminate fat from their diets. Dietary fat is not necessarily the culprit here - sugar is! Take triglycerides for example, which are made in the liver from excess SUGAR (not fat). What does this have to do with stress? Stress causes the secretion of cortisol, a powerful hormone that alters insulin and sugar balance in the body. The end result - elevated blood sugar levels saturate the liver, and cause lipid levels to rise! Naturopathically, the key to balancing lipid levels is very logical - decrease consumption of refined carbs, and get a handle on stress by supporting the pancreas and adrenal glands. Presto, levels will drop!

Companion Planting- Holistic Gardening

What an amazing concept! Companion planting is my newest fascination. With all the rain we've been getting lately, I've decided to curl up more frequently with some great books and dive into gardening. My great friend, Kim, recommended a wonderful book by Louise Riotte, Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Companion planting allows gardeners to attract certain insects and repel others, to create a balanced, healthy eco-system. By combining purpose and beauty, holistic gardening can be very rewarding.

I'd love to hear back from any of you with experience in companion planting...

Tip: use plants that are native to your area so the insects you are trying to attract already know what to look for!