doctor as teacher Archives - Quinte Naturopathic Centre

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How I review my year & the jar of awesome experiment

Christmas is almost here and the new year is coming. I like to take a step back during this busy time and really reflect on the year that has just gone by. I want to be grateful for what I have instead of getting sucked into the mass marketing machine of Christmas. For me the […]

My yearly cookie recipe…just in time for Christmas

The Christmas season tends to be the most common time of year that people stray away from their healthy eating goals. I find it interesting how the indulgences of Christmas Day have evolved over time to span the entire month of December. Now don't get me wrong, I love the Christmas cookies that my mom makes […]

Are your hormones causing you to gain weight? Take this quiz!

Are you worried about gaining weight over the holidays? I know that it was always on my radar in the past because, believe it or not, I genetically have a propensity for blood sugar imbalances that lead to weight gain and cardiovascular disease. But once I knew which hormones I had out of balance, and […]

The new Canada Food Guide is coming…what do I think?

The Canada Food Guide is finally getting a healthy revision and I for one am happy about it. Although it’s not exactly what I will be recommending, it’s a step in the right direction. In my 13 years of practice I have never once recommended the Canada Food Guide as a reference for patients to […]

Want to know what I’ve been learning recently?

About a week ago I attended the Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors annual convention. This is an opportunity to see several lectures over 3 days on topics that contribute to our continuing education, but more importantly, help our patients get better. This year's topic was "Exploring Clinical Innovations in Naturopathic Medicine". I thought I would […]

My favourite thai recipe

One of my favourite take-out meals used to be pad thai but I stopped eating it because of all the pasta. Even though it is gluten-free (rice pasta) there are still too many carbs in it to be healthy for my blood sugar (in a previous post, I discussed how my thyroid is so much […]

The anti-inflammatory food pyramid

Did you know that you can decrease inflammation by changing the food you eat? Food is not just a source of calories. Think of the food you eat as messages that go directly to your genes. Research shows that almost every chronic disease, at it's root, is caused by unregulated inflammation. Think heart disease, cancer, […]

What do I do about sugar on Halloween?

Welcome to the holiday that all naturopaths, dentists, nutritionists, and the like dread...Halloween. All sorts of opinions and questions start to come up as to "what the rules should be" on this day. On the one hand there are the sugar police who say not participating is best and we should be making healthy versions […]

Blood tests you should do on yourself once a year

One of my favourite quotes is, "It's easier to stay out of trouble than to get out of trouble." Another more visual way of putting it, courtesy of a patient who was a high level accountant, is it's easier to avoid stepping in s#*t than trying to remove it once you've done so. This could not […]

What should be in your medicine cabinet this flu season

We’ve made it to that time of year again…what most people to refer to as flu season. But I like to think of it a little differently - “The flu is not a season. It is an inability to adapt due to decreased sun exposure and water intake, combined with increased sugar intake and stress." […]

5 reasons why you can’t lose weight

No you are not crazy. No you are not alone. Yes, you are probably making some common mistakes that everyone makes when they've tried to "lose some weight" and weren't successful. Check out these 5 reasons that I frequently see in patients and tips on what you can do to overcome them. […]

Find out my secret Thanksgiving recipe

Long gone are the Thanksgiving meals that leave me feeling bloated, tired, and wanting to put on my comfy pants an hour after eating. It only took making a few changes to our traditional meal and no one even noticed a difference. So what's my secret? I followed one simple rule - real food only. […]

5 simple habits to reduce technology stress

Just because technology makes our lives easier it doesn’t mean that it makes our lives less stressful. In fact, it can be quite the opposite. We are digitally connected to work and each other like we have never been before. Technology has created the expectation that we should be responded to immediately and tasks should […]

What I learned about life by climbing Gros Morne Mountain

As many of you already know, I decided to take a month off this summer. If you missed this article you can still read it here: Why I’m taking a month off Part of this break from my workaholic tendencies was a trip to NewFoundland. It was a province I have never been to and […]

Put this in your lunch box for afternoon sugar cravings

Are you trying to get off sugar? Still craving that sweet snack in the afternoon? Here's what I use as a healthy alternative when I'm looking for a sweet treat. They are great to pack in kid's lunch boxes as well. The serving size for this recipe is two poppers so try not to […]

Video episode – What can you pack for a healthy kid’s lunch?

Have you been missing your Doctor as Teacher Tuesday episodes? Well no need to worry...school is just around the corner so I'm baaaaack! One concern that comes up for parents at this time of year is what to pack in their kid's lunch. You want it to be healthy but convenience tends to be the […]

Video episode – If an eight year old can make this recipe, so can you!

One of the things that really trips people up about healthy eating is that they think for it to be healthy, it's going to be complicated. And once that thought creeps in, they don't even try. Has this ever happened to you? I know it's happened to me (refer to the homemade salad dressing episode!). […]

Summer hours at Quinte Naturopathic Centre

Just a friendly reminder about our summer office hours for the month of August. We will be closed Monday August 7th - Friday August 11th. Our summer office hours for the month of August will be as follows: Monday 10am - 7 pm Tuesday 9 am - 6 pm Wednesday 9 am - 6 pm […]