Choose to Put Fear Aside

by ashley on May 13, 2013

I just had a conversation with a good friend of mine. She commented on the fact that she hadn’t read my last blog post because she was afraid it would hit too close to home, that she would see her own habits staring back at her.

In all honesty, that was my intent with the last post. I want people to read it and see themselves. I want people to have that ‘a-ha’ moment, and think, “Maybe its time I looked deeper at this”, or “Maybe its time I made some changes”. To do that, we all most stare fear in the face.

Most often, we avoid looking at that reflection of our current habits. Why? Because we fear change and perceive it to be hard. We are afraid to admit to our faults or that we have struggles.  We all have shame hidden in those dark corners of our being, and so we fear what we might find. To stay safe, we continue to suppress feelings, worry-some thoughts, or self-sabotaging behavior.

I had to remind, or perhaps come clean for the first time with my friend. I said “You do realize that I post about mental health and emotional eating because I deal with it too”. I use yoga, nutrition and days on the farm to help keep anxiety, depression and those self-sabotaging thoughts at bay. I had to move through the fear of failure to get my health back on track and to get where I am today. The fear never disappears, so it becomes a continual choice to move past it.

I cannot speak for every nutritionist, yoga instructor or wellness guru out there, but of those that I do know, most have a story. Whether it be struggles with mental health, eating disorders, loss, addiction, cancer, or digestive diseases. They all moved through their health crisis, and the fear that came up for them. They could have failed along the way, but they continued to choose health and become dedicated to their healing. They can now share their knowledge and their journey with others.

What I want for all of you, is to put that fear aside and choose to take another step in your healing journey. Whether its fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of being vulnerable, or fear that your spouse/family/friends may see you in a different light. When you can put those feelings aside, that is when you can acquire knowledge and experience growth.

Fear is not what you think it is. Fear is not who you are underneath your facade. Fear is not the real you that you must somehow fix or improve or overcome. Fear is a very useful signal along the path to freedom. The stronger the fear, the closer you are to what you are seeking. If you want to stay “safe (i.e. stuck where you are), fear tells you to stop what you are doing, But if you want to be free, fear lets you know you are on the right track, it is a signal to push ahead in the same direction, to pick up the pace.

- Cheri Huber, “The Fear Book“

Take 5 minutes and write down three excuses or fears that stand in your way to achieving health. 

Be brave and share them below.

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Why your ‘Good Intentions’ Don’t Always Work

by ashley on May 8, 2013

I always hear from people that they have good intentions to eat well and live a healthy lifestyle. Almost everyone has lofty goals about their health and fitness; we all want to feel our very best, right? Some of us are just expert procrastinators, but often, one of the key culprits which stops us from making the best choices is STRESS!

Have you ever been in this situation?

You want to start eating better while you’re at work and you’ve vowed to start bringing a healthy lunch to work. You get up in the morning and proudly take out your salad you prepared the night before, along with a piece of fruit and a container of veggies and hummus. You are set.

You get to work, your boss dumps yet another project on your desk that is due by the end of the day and you’re already behind on the rest of your work. Your stress level rises at the thought of the looming deadlines, and the possible late night ahead of you. 

By the time lunch rolls around, you don’t have time to take a break so you quickly scarf down your lunch at your desk. You’re still hungry…for something cheesy, greasy or even caffeinated. You dream about a greasy cheeseburger and fries. Or maybe a slice of cheesy pizza. That would really hit the spot, and make you feel better, right? You cave because you feel you deserve it. You’ll get back on track tomorrow. 

Does this sound familiar? You can replace this scenario with any stressful situation – a breakup, money trouble, family tension etc. When life gets chaotic (lets face it life is almost ALWAYS chaotic), our good intentions regarding our food choices go down the drain.

Lets look at this fancy little chart (I like charts), which explains why our body easily confuses PHYSICAL HUNGER with EMOTIONAL HUNGER.

When we are physically hungry, our stomach grumbles, we are open to various food choices…even the healthy ones! Most importantly, you are able to stop when you are satisfied.

Lets take a look at The Saboteur that is EMOTIONAL HUNGER.  It is:

Sudden.

  • Are you starving, but you were full 5 minutes ago?
  • Do you need to satisfy your craving NOW?

Specific.

  • Are you craving a food you can’t do without?
  • Chocolate?  Pasta?  A cheeseburger? Coffee?

In your head.

  • Are you dreaming of your desired food?
  • Is your mouth watering just thinking of it? Can you almost taste it?

Paired with an upsetting emotion.

  • Did your boss yell at you today? Are you overwhelmed by your job?
  • Did your friend take their bad mood out on you?

Involves automatic or absent-minded eating.

  • Does your hand want to automatically keep shoveling ice cream into your mouth?
  • Have you eaten a whole bag of chips without noticing?

Promotes guilt about eating.

  • Do you often eat to feel better, and then become angry with yourself for eating cookies, cakes or cheeseburgers?
  • Do you claim you will eat better tomorrow?

When we over-eat due to stress, we are covering up all of those painful emotions that does with it. Perhaps its anxiety, frustration, inadequacy, anger, resentment. That’s right, because we don’t want to deal with our emotions, we eat to cover them up. We sabotage ourselves and put off our healthy eating for yet another day.

 

If this is you, take a look at our newest workshop: Feed Your (physical) Hunger, Starve Your (emotional) Stress! Running Sunday May 28th in Fonthill!

 

 

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Don’t Worry, Be Vitamin B Happy!

by ashley on March 18, 2013

I’m ecstatic to have another guest post by Crystal Grobb Morin, Nutritionist and Yoga Instructor. She shares her knowledge of how B Vitamins play a imperative role when dealing with anxiety and depression. Enojy!

The next stop on our exploration of nutritional factors relating to depression are the family of vitamins known as the B Vitamin Complex (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, folate, biotin and pantothenic acid). They act as co-factors in key enzymes that help the body obtain energy from food and control the production and balance of neurotransmitters.

All of the B vitamins are what is known as water soluble. This means that they dissolve easily in water. They are NOT stored in the body and are eliminated in our urine. As such, we require a continuous daily supply in our diet. So what happens when we don’t obtain what we need from our diet?

vitamin b

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vitamin B1

Last week we talked about the function of glucose on the brain; without this blood sugar, the brain quickly runs out of energy.  Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) helps convert glucose into fuel for the brain. Thiamine is known to modulate cognitive performance. There are a host of concerns with a deficiency in this vitamin including:

  • loss of appetite
  •  insomnia
  •  memory loss
  • depression
  • thoughts of suicide

It is a vicious cycle – deficiency can to lead to loss of appetite and not eating is a risk factor for not getting enough essential nutrients. To make matters worse, consumption of simple sugars depletes the body of its B1 supply. So, if you are reaching for those pastries or white bread, rice and pasta, you are forcing your body to leech this essential vitamin.

Vitamin B6 

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) aids in the processing of amino acids, which are the building blocks of all proteins and some hormones. It is needed in the manufacture of serotonin, melatonin and dopamine. Recall the discussion last week about the importance of these hormones in your brain. Vitamin B6 deficiencies, although very rare, cause:

  • impaired immunity
  • skin lesions
  • mental confusion

A small deficiency sometimes occurs in alcoholics, patients with kidney failure, and women using oral contraceptives. Orthomolecular medicine – an alternative form of medicine – suggests that megavitamin dosing (amounts well above the Recommended Dietary Allowance) is necessary as we do not get adequate amounts in our food sources even when we eat the best diets.

Vitamin B12 and Folate

B12 is important to red blood cell formation, and deficiency leads to an oxygen-transport problem known as pernicious anemia. This disorder can cause:

  • mood swings
  • paranoia
  • irritability
  • confusion
  • dementia
  • hallucinations
  • mania
  • appetite loss
  • dizziness
  • weakness
  • shortage of breath
  • heart palpitations
  • diarrhea
  •  tingling sensations in the extremities

Folate, another B vitamin, is needed for DNA synthesis. Poor dietary habits contribute to folic acid deficiencies, as do illness, alcoholism, and various drugs, including aspirin, birth control pills, barbiturates, and anticonvulsants. It is usually administered along with vitamin B12, since a B12 deficiency can mask a folic acid deficiency. Folate deficiency is extremely common among depressed patients.

Vitamin B3

Perhaps the most interesting research on the relationship between depression and vitamin deficiency is around vitamin B3 (niacin). Low levels of Niacin can result in a condition known as Pellagra which can lead to serious psychological problems. Even a minute deficiency in this vitamin can result in anxiety and a foggy brain. Some studies have shown that mega dosing of Niacin can reverse the worst cases of depression. Certain lifestyle factors such as excessive use of alcohol can deplete Niacin very quickly.

Vitamin b3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A little known fact is that Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, found that by taking high doses of Niacin, his life long battle with depression was relieved. He spent the last ten years of his life encouraging AA treatment to include therapeutic doses of Niacin in the recovery program. It is mind boggling to think that more than fifty years ago, a natural remedy to depression and alcoholism was recognized.

Take Action

What do you do with this information? First and foremost, eat a well-balanced diet rich in the B vitamins. Thankfully, B Vitamins are plentiful in whole foods. Include a variety of nuts and seeds, whole grains, wild rice, oranges, oats, soybeans, various green vegetables, legumes, dairy products, eggs, fish, meat, and cereals to be sure you get all these complex vitamins. Also, include in your daily routine a quality B-complex supplement.

 

Crystal Grobb Morin is a nutritionist and yoga teacher from the Niagara Region.She is passionate about nutrition education; particularly as it relates to disease prevention and recovery. Her philosophy in life centers around balance - it is not something we hold; it is something we come in and out of every moment of our lives. The challenge is to be able to recognize your center and always come back to that.

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Let Food Be Thy Medicine

by ashley on March 8, 2013

“Let food be thy medicine; medicine be they food” – Hypocrites

Last night I was lying in bed snuggling with my three year old son. He turned to me and said, “You’re a good mommy”. My heart leapt at that statement and I was happy. But it got me thinking about a time when I didn’t feel like such a good mommy.

Rewind two and a half years ago to when my son was between the age of three to six months, and I felt like the worst mother in the world. I felt hopeless, apathetic and unmotivated. I cried uncontrollably for no reason. It was supposed to be the happiest time in my life, but it was the worst instead. The reason: DEPRESSION. Yep, you guessed it, the topic on all our minds these last few weeks. Now, there are MANY reasons for depression, and postpartum depression caused by hormone fluctuations is fairly common. But, what if I told you something deeper may have been at the root of it all. I was caring very little for myself; all of my time and energy was going into making sure my newborn was well nourished. I began to look at some alternative treatments to my depression when the medical community could not help me.

Hypocrites said it best, “Let food be thy medicine”. What does this really mean? In our current culture, there is a pill for absolutely everything that ails us. Yet, many of us don’t know to look at the simplest of solutions: the plate in front of us. So what’s on your plate? Or rather, what ISN’T on your plate?

Did you know that nutrition plays a vital role in the prevention AND treatment of depression? Let’s look at the biggest offenders:

  • Sugar Intake (Sometimes called the sugar blues)
  • Deficiency in B vitamins (notably B12, Folate and B6)
  • Deficiency in Omega 3 fatty acids (EPA, DHA)
  • Deficiencies in Amino Acids that are precursors to neurotransmitters (tryptophan, tyrosine, glutamine)
  • Deficiency in minerals such as Iron, Selenium and Chromium

Imagine being able to reverse your depression simply by changing your diet, eliminating those nasty drug side effects. After all, many of the current drugs on the market do the work that proper nutrition is supposed to produce: increase levels of serotonin and dopamine in the brain.

Consider that there are two sides to depression – feeling miserable and feeling apathetic and unmotivated – serotonin (mood) and dopamine (motivation) control these functions respectively.  These can be the most horrific feeling that you will ever experience because it feels so uncontrollable. But if you understand the science behind these feelings, you will see how you have the power, in most cases, to control your depression.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter. It plays a vital role in our cognitive functions such as memory and learning. Equally important is its ability to regulate our mood, appetite and sleep. Yes, this is why when we are depressed our eating and sleeping habits change, because they are interconnected. But what comes first? Poor diet leading to mood changes or mood changes leading to poor diet?

Our brains control every aspect of our lives, either consciously or unconsciously. It stands to reason that we should feed it what it needs. So what does the brain use as its main source of energy? Glucose. Yep, sugar! Okay, I know what you’re thinking, but you said sugar intake is an offender! True! But, not all sugars are created equally – and the brain depends on a STEADY supply of sugar.

Here is food for thought: for breakfast, you make yourself a bowl of frosted flakes and a cup of coffee before heading to work. By ten in the morning, you are exhausted, so you reach for another cup of coffee and a Danish. This perks up your energy – temporarily. Approximately one hour later, you are even more tired than before. At lunch, you have a sandwich with white bread, luncheon meat and cheese and a pudding cup. By three in the afternoon, all you can do is think about a nap. Sound familiar?

So what happened? You just experienced several SPIKES in your sugar supply caused by ingesting SIMPLE carbohydrates. Your body can use simple sugars very fast, which causes insulin to be released by the Pancreas. Insulin helps let blood sugar into cells where it can be used for energy. Excess sugar uses up the body’s supply of Insulin and the body has to work overtime.

A rule to follow is eliminate all ‘white’ (refined) food such as white bread, rice and pasta, and include complex carbohydrates as they provide a steady supply of glucose. No spikes in blood sugar! All of these low carb diets are DANGEROUS! Diets low in carbs precipitate depression. We absolutely need carbs, we just need to eat the right kinds of carbs. So, eat complex carbs such as:

  • Plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables
  • Whole grains such as whole wheat pasta and bread (make sure it includes the bran, germ and endosperm)
  • Brown rice (brown basmati and brown jasmine are particularly tasty)
  • A variety of other whole grains such as spelt, wheat berries, quinoa, and millet

Not only will you be getting a steady stream of glucose to your brain, you will be giving your Pancreas a break from over producing insulin (which can lead to diabetes) and increasing essential vitamins and minerals that are also linked to depression. More bang for your buck!

In the next few weeks, I will take you through the heaviest nutritional offenders to help stave off depression and be giving you easy and yummy recipes to put your new found knowledge into practice. There is truth to the old adage, you are what you eat.

 

St. Catharines-20111203-00143Crystal Grobb Morin is a nutritionist and yoga teacher from the Niagara Region.She is passionate about nutrition education; particularly as it relates to disease prevention and recovery. Her philosophy in life centers around balance – it is not something we hold; it is something we come in and out of every moment of our lives. The challenge is to be able to recognize your center and always come back to that.

 

 

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Let the Light Shine in…

by ashley on February 28, 2013

Last month I was asked by my amazingly strong and talented friend Ashley to contribute to her Life is Sweet Project on her Dancing Through Life blog.

To honour the loss of her mother at the age of 14, Ashley put together a month of blog posts about people’s experiences with mental illness and loss. I was honoured to have the opportunity to contribute to such an incredible collective project, sharing my own struggle with depression.

Other than seeing videos of myself as a small child, I typically only remember short snippets of my life where I felt truly happy. I have always struggled with being mildly depressed, but in 2011 I crashed, HARD. I had many days, weeks and months where I questioned if I wanted to continue living or if my life was even worth living. Those are never good thoughts to have, ever. While I was initially resistant to reach out for help, through the support of my family and Naturopathic Doctor, I was able to pull myself out of the darkness and back into the light. It took a lot of self-reflection to let go of the thoughts, behaviours, and expectations of myself that weren’t serving me.

Click here to read my contribution: Let the light shine in

Because of these experiences, I am passionate about working with those of you who are struggling with mental illness, emotional eating and perhaps not yet aware of how nutrition and awareness of your daily choices impact your life.

If you’re inspired, continue to real the remainder of the Life is Sweet Project posts throughout the month of February. The results of the project as a whole displayed such beautiful vulnerability, honesty and strength. The loss of a loved one, or a struggle with mental illness has touched each one of us, or has affected someone we know. Although these topics are often considered to be taboo, we quickly realize no one is alone in their struggles…all we have to do is reach out for a hand. Ashley shared the following quote on the summary post of the project:

 there is so much beauty that you haven’t seen yet. don’t give up now - unknown

Life is hard. Life is complicated. Life can be messy. Learn to see the lessons and beauty within it all. 

 

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Stressed? Depressed? When did you Stop Dancing?

by ashley on February 21, 2013

Last post, I talked about changing your thought patterns: Conscious Thoughts for a Conscious Life. I hope you’re actively giving this a try, it can be life changing (seriously).

So, here’s another perspective to help you get unstuck from the emotional eating cycle. Instead of turning to food when you’re upset, frustrated or stressed, think about those things that excite and uplift you.

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Seriously, if something doesn’t come to your mind right away, close your eyes and get silent. Imagine a few different scenarios or activities until something (or a few things) makes you feel calm, content or even bubble up with happiness.

If you’re still confused, let me give you an example:

After nutrition school I had this desire to become more connected with our food system, and not just searching for organic veggies at the grocery store. I wanted to know what it truly takes to grow and harvest your own food – a process we are all so disconnected from. This desire was part of the reason why I made a conscious decision to move back to my small hometown in Niagara.

Soon after my move, I began volunteering on an organic farm. Although initially my motive was just to learn about how to grow things, I soon found that I felt different too. I would return home after a day of digging in the dirt more excited than I could ever remember. I was truly passionate about farming and our food system.

I loved getting my hands dirty, the sunshine, picking hot tomatoes off the vine, feeding goats, sorting eggs, preparing a meal with produce directly from the farm, and the odd time jumping on a tractor to mulch a field. For me it was like meditation in action and a day to unplug from my phone and computer!

Even though it is strictly volunteer I get so much more than a paycheck. I experience true excitement and happiness that I can put back into my work.

Now, many of you may not have the opportunity to clear your schedule and spend the day on a farm. I’m sure that for some of you, even the thought of getting dirty and being on a farm may make you want to take another shower. So, my point here is to ensure that you incorporate things which light you up into your life. When you’re happy and excited, you’re so much less likely to turn to food for comfort.

Here are some examples:

Take an art class

Go dancing

Sing (even if you’re the only one that hears it)

Volunteer

Take a bath

Go for a run or take a yoga class

Go for a hike

Quick, what is one thing you can do Right NOW that doesn’t involve food that will make you happy!? How can you incorporate more of this into your life?

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Conscious Thoughts for a Conscious Life

by ashley on February 14, 2013

Last week I proposed the question, Are you an Emotional Eater? Link back to read it if you haven’t already.  I believe we all experience emotional eating to one degree or another, but when it becomes constant, or unconscious habit, it can have such detrimental effects on our health: weight gain, eating disorders, depression/anxiety or even something as serious as type 2 diabetes.  Over the next few weeks I hope to encourage you to become more conscious of your emotions and food choices. Then, I will be sharing some guidance as to what to do about it.

Do you remember some of those key words from the last post?

  • Burnt-out
  • Stressed
  • Worried
  • Intimidated
  • Overwhelm
  • Problems

How many of you can relate to these words?

(Notice if you’re saying to yourself: “Oh yeah, I’ve got problems.” Or “I’m so overwhelmed I don’t even have time to read this right now”)

Think about how these emotions effect who you are at work, or in your relationships. OR, maybe work and your relationships are a source of your stress.

All of those emotions can make us want to sneak into the freezer for another bowl of ice cream or raid the cupboard for just ONE MORE cookie (because it will make you feel better, right?).  In the short term, it just might soothe those stressful emotions. Most often, we will feel guilty about eating all the ice cream or the whole bag of cookies. When this guilt pops up, the whole cycle will start over again.

If you are reading this blog, it is obvious you are ready to start making healthier changes in your life, or you are already well on your way to living a nourished life.

So this is my challenge for you: Be just as mindful about what you are feeling as what you are eating!

Notice what negative thought patterns you ‘feed yourself’ everyday. Do any of these sound familiar?

  • I’ll never be good enough
  • I don’t deserve to be happy
  • I’ll never get through this
  • They’re better than I am
  • This is too hard
  • I’m worthless

I’m going to admit something to you right now. I have my own negative thought patterns I struggle with. There was a time when my lack of belief in myself and my feeling that I was a failure lead me right into a depression. I questioned my new career path, compared myself to others, and believed I’d never be successful. Although I was nourishing my body through nutrition, these thought patterns kept me stuck from being truly healthy in all aspects of my life.

These thoughts can be just as toxic to your system as raiding the McDonnalds drive through 10 times a day. It keeps us from moving forward, from loving who we are, from accomplishing our dreams, and making our health a priority.

Think for a moment…What do you REALLY want out of life? To be HAPPY? To be HEALTHY? To be able to truly LOVE yourself? All these aspects are needed to achieve those big dreams you have (and don’t tell me you don’t have any).

Can you achieve Health, Happiness, Self-Love  or an even bigger dream with those negative thought patterns? Probably not.

So, let’s change them.

  • I am good enough
  • I deserve to be happy
  • I will get through this
  • I’m just as good as them (we all deserve success)
  • This is easy. I love a challenge.
  • I’m worth it

Does it feel strange to say these phrases to yourself? It most likely will, but just as the road to health is a process, the road to conscious, positive thinking is also a journey. It will get easier. It takes 21 days to create a new habit, so start now. Its time to start living a conscious life.

Be brave. Share how your negative thoughts have held you back. Can you think of a way to change your thought into something positive?

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Are YOU an Emotional Eater?

by ashley on February 7, 2013

Lets admit it, we all have moments when we’re not feeling so great. We’re stressed, upset, worried or just plain angry. We are all human, and it happens. How you choose to deal with those emotions is another game entirely. Can you do it consciously or with awareness?

Most often, we use food to suppress those uncomfortable emotions we are feeling.  I love to discover the reason why we run to the fridge 20 times even though we’re not hungry or why we eat an entire carton of ice cream in one sitting.  We’ve all been there! Usually there are all sorts of emotional junk hidden beneath the surface. The most fascinating thing about this is that often, NO ONE IS AWARE OF IT.

As a nutritionist, it’s obvious that I love food (and good, healthy food). I love eating it, growing it, harvesting it, cooking it and taking pictures of it (I think you get the idea). And although I’m fascinated by the emotions associated with cravings and binge eating, I never considered myself an emotional eater.

It can be so hard to:

#1. Recognize it
#2.  Admit to it

Most importantly…

 #3. Do something about it.

So here is where I come clean.

I thought back to my interior design days when I was always stressed out, unhappy with my job, and worked A LOT of hours. Although I considered myself to be fairly healthy, I remember not being able to get through the day without that mid-afternoon coffee and gooey cookie from a cafe in the building. It satisfied me, soothed me and made me feel like I had a glimmer of happiness before getting back to the demands of the office. If that’s not emotional eating, I don’t know what is.

So using me as an example lets break this down:

  • I was completely drained from working at a job that felt meaningless.

 

  • I was intimidated by the demands of high-profile clients.

 

  • I was burnt-out and wanted to hide from my stress and problems.

 

  • I procrastinated (by drinking coffee and eating cookies) instead of taking action.

 

Do any of these statements resonate with any of you?

Do you often feel or experience any of those key underlined words?

The point here is not to feel guilty about feeling any of those emotions. However, its important to realize that food can’t make you happy – only YOU can choose to do that! Food can be the most amazing way to take a deeper look at what needs to be addressed in your life.  I will be sharing more on this matter in my next few blog posts, so stay tuned!

Let me know what you crave! Do you succumb to your cravings or do you tell your cravings where to go? Share with me!

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The Future of Food – Part 2

by ashley on November 23, 2012

In my previous blog, The Future of Food – Part 1, I began discussing some of the statements made in Macleans Magazine, entitled “What You’ll be Eating Soon”. The article begins by taking a jab at ‘idealistic eaters’, such as myself, some nutritionists, urban farmers and homesteaders as a few examples. We believe that the world can feed itself, but in order to do this successfully we have to start taking matters into our own hands, beginning to grow at least some of our own food. Growing your own food and eating a largely plant-based diet is the most inexpensive route to go, but this article states that not everyone can afford to eat veggies. So what is one of the proposed solutions? “Frankenfood” aka Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).

Considering the impact of climate change on what we grow today, Schonwald started to wonder if genetically modified crops—what critics like to call “Frankenfood”—might become more widely accepted. Wondering how GMOs, as they’re commonly known, could change the taste of food we eat in the future, he paid a visit to the Plant Transformation Facility at the University of California at Davis, where molecular biologists mix incompatible species, using tiny gold bullets to fire genes from one to another inside a bombardment chamber. “The Davis lab has given birth to grapes spiked with jellyfish, tomatoes spiked with carp,” and other surprises, he writes.

As hopefully many of you already know, we have genetically modified foods in production in North America, primarily in the form of Canola, Corn and Soy. If that already isn’t enough, soon, the tomato ‘spiked’ with genes from a carp will also enter the market for mass production. The thought is that foods can be altered to become more long-lasting, and more weather and pest resistant or even change the flavour of food.

Once these super-crops go into mass production, we continue to lose our plant diversity which has already been steadily declining since the early 1900s. In fact, we have already lost 93% of our fruit and vegetable diversity since 1903.

However that is not my biggest concern. My concern is what the continuous introduction of GMOs into our food system will do to our health. Once the DNA of a specific food has been changed, it is no longer recognizable by the body. There is little to no research done on these foods before they hit mass production and are generally unregulated by the FDA. However, this is what the article had to say on the safety of GMOs:

…The public is still wary of GMOs, maybe because they seem unnatural, or because of their ties to big corporations—often the only ones who can afford the lengthy and expensive regulatory process to get them approved. According to Nina Fedoroff, who was science and technology adviser to the U.S. secretary of state until 2010, the European Union has spent $425 million studying the safety of genetically modified crops over the last 25 years: “It concludes modification by these techniques is no more dangerous than by conventional techniques.”

Only over time (through experimenting with our lives) are we are finding that there are in fact negative side-effects from these GMO foods. Here are a few samples:

Food Allergies and Sensitivities Increase: Food allergies involve the body’s immune system. In this case the immune system sees the GMO as a threat and responds to the invader by destroying it. If the body is just sensitive to the ingested GMO food, the body has an inability to digest it. However, both allergies and sensitivities can lead to mild to severe digestive issues, or inflammatory responses such as skin rashes, or hives as a few examples. However, unless the allergy is anaphylactic, the response is often delayed and the source goes unidentified.

Negative Effects to the Digestive System: Studies conducted on animals being fed GMO soy or corn showed significant disruption to the digestive system and vital organs. In one study by Environmental Sciences Europe the liver kidneys were largely affected. The liver and kidneys play a vital role in our body’s ability to eliminate toxins from the body. The liver alone orchestrates approximately 500 roles in the body, so without the full functionality of the liver, the body is highly compromised and more susceptible to disease.

Increases Body Toxicity: A new species of corn has been created and introduced to the market, which produces its own toxin with no prior testing on animals or humans.  This ‘Bt-toxin’ containing corn is meant to kill off pests, and the FDA has deemed it safe for human consumption. Even if the toxin is present in minuscule amounts, there is no knowledge as to how it will accumulate, or if it will react negatively with other ingested chemical residues from our food or environment.  If this toxin cannot be detoxified from the body it is not yet known what the long term effects may be.

Negative Reproductive Effects:  GMO foods are bred to tolerate higher quantities of pesticides or weed-killer, such as Roundup. Recent research indicates that since GMOs were introduced, farmers applied 318 million more pounds of pesticides than compared to the amount of pesticide likely to have been applied in the absence of GM seeds.  These pesticides such as Roundup have shown to be toxic for human placental, embryonic, and umbilical cord cells. This puts children at risk of developmental issues at conception.

Threatens Biodiversity: We do not yet fully understand what the increased use of pesticides, weedkiller and toxin producing plants will have on our eco-system. If these GMO plants are created to destroy pests, what will it do to our bees, our birds, water-systems and air quality? For instance, BT-toxin containing corn is powerful enough to kill pests, so what kind of effect will it have on other small insects like bees, which are necessary for our food system and survival. There have been documented links between colony collapse disorder and the increase of GMOs, as the production of GMOs means greater use of pesticides.

What are your thoughts? I say hell-no GMO! 

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The Future of Food – Part 1

by ashley on November 12, 2012

So the other day I read an article in Macleans magazine titled, “What You’ll Be Eating Soon”. It discusses the future of our food from a scientific point of view. It explains how meat will be grown in a petri-dish, and ‘junk-food’ will be made ‘healthier’. From my perspective as a nutritionist, and someone who cares deeply about the state of environment, this was a sad and scary article to read.

Idealistic eaters might hope that, by 2035, more people will be growing their own vegetables, shopping at farmers’ markets and hatching eggs in backyard chicken coops, but the methods popular with urban foodies won’t feed everyone. The world population of seven billion is expected to be more than nine billion by 2050; with climate change, limited resources like land and water, and growing wealth in developing countries—where more people are clamouring for a better diet, including more red meat—food prices are bound to go through the roof. “It’s already extremely expensive to eat well,” says Alejandro Marangoni, Canada Research Chair in food, health and aging at the University of Guelph. “When people get on a soapbox and say we have to go back to eating more veggies, I don’t know if everyone can afford it.”

I suppose I would classify myself as one of those ‘idealistic eaters’. I believe that we are already in a food crisis, and the best way to truly nourish ourselves is to take our health into our own hands.

That means, eating real food. In the words of Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, “Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants.” Pollan suggests we shouldn’t eat anything with more than five ingredients, or that our grandparents wouldn’t recognize. How do we do this?

Three words: Education, Awareness, Action.

Education: Do your best to educate yourself about food and their nutritional properties. There are plenty of books, information online, nutritionists sharing information on foods and workshops offered to learn more about food and its preparation. That is what nutritionists like myself do! We are here to share information and bring peoples health back into balance through foods! When you can take the initiative to learn how to incorporate fresh and healthy foods into your life and what they can do for your health you can truly learn to appreciate what nature provides.

Awareness: Be aware of where your food comes from. Notice if your produce comes from half-way around the world, or if it is pre-packaged with an ingredient list 20 miles long. Do your part and choose to buy organic and locally as much as possible which is not only more nutritious, but also helps keep these smaller independent farms financially afloat. Food that is grown organically and close to home offers a greater supply of available nutrients as food is picked when it is ripe and has reached its full nutrient potential. Organic soil is far richer in minerals and nutrient value than conventional farms. Conventionally grown food contains a limited amount of nutrients due to chemical fertilizers and contains harmful residue from herbicides and pesticides.

Action: Lastly, take action. Growing at least some of our own herbs and vegetables is a step in the right direction and is the most inexpensive option. From front-lawn, to rooftop and vertical gardens, it is possible to make use of the land we do have  - it just takes a bit of time and the desire to get your hands dirty. Seeds are inexpensive to purchase and vegetables are meant to reproduce its own seeds to ensure their life-cycle.  In fact, teaching low income families, for example, can greatly improve their health and access to inexpensive and nutritious food. Whether vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore, creating a foundation to your diet which is largely plant-based will serve your health, pocketbook and the environment.

The real question here is society ready to learn a cultivation process which we’ve become so disconnected from?

Or will the general public put their trust in scientists to artificially engineer “frankenfood” in a lab?

What will your choice be?

Check back as I will be discussing other parts of this article from the nutritionists point of view!

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