Grad Speech: The Importance of Zinc

The Importance of Zinc

Ode to the Students and Teachers of the Grad Class of Twenty Twelve

We showed up Day 1,  

On the day of orientation.

I looked all around me

And saw great anticipation.

As we started the year
it became easy to see
just how much fun
this "nutrition" could be.

Our teachers brought knowledge,
experience too,
and my fellow students...
I'll get to you.

One teacher, a superhero
would tell us her rhymes.
Hollie gave us great notes,
and much of her time.

Next, from Great Britain,
a writer named Jane.
Her teaching and clever "hints"
helped us stay in the game.

Judy ran the school smoothly

Like a good dose of fibre

She would always make time

For us to run ideas by her.

Martin, oh Martin,
you sure know your stuff,
but keeping a straight face
when you say sphincters is tough.

The thought of taking chemistry

Made me feel queasy,

But with Rebecca as teacher

It was actually easy.

Joanne taught us how

to live well through the years

Through activity, community

and avoiding the beers.

With Alyson GMOs were hotly debated
Who knew it would turn out
We are actually related!

Jen came on board late

But she completed her mission

And now we can help athletes

improve their nutrition.

And last but not least
was a free spirit named Lise.
She's a great cook you’ve discovered
and easy to please.

Now, my fellow graduates,
let's talk about you.
Youth before wisdom?
Don't mind if I do.

First, there’s Larissa.

Not enough can be said

About how she remembers

Everything that shes read.

Next up is Meghan
My unique little roomie
She helped me calm down

When my kids made me looney.

Thank you to Laura
my friendly competitor
It is because of you
that we are valedictorians together.

Quiet confidence is Natalie.
Leah dresses the best.
The one with the dreadlocks
that's good ole Janice.

Melanie's always sleepy,

Laura V is the chef,

Crystal juggles so many things,

Did she ever rest?

Amongst this diverse group of women,

I didn’t see the link,

Until our friendship was stimulated

By discussions of zinc.

To the grads of twenty twelve,

I say congratulations.

It is up to us now

To provide nutritional inspiration.

We Don't Choose Who We Love

When you had your first crush, did you wake up one morning and say to yourself, "Today's the day I decide to be attracted to boys (or girls)!" I'm so tired of people trying to convince me that being gay or straight is a choice we as individuals make. We don't choose who we love. If we did, I'm sure many of us would choose differently. Not differently because of our sexual preference, but simply differently because sometimes the people who we love make our lives...complicated.

Why do people get so caught up in who we choose to spend our lives with? What happens behind closed doors is no one elses' business. It doesn't make you more or less of a person if you are in a same sex relationship. It doesn't make you more or less of a person if you're with someone of the opposite sex.

It is so sad to me that people are still teaching their children to hold homophobic views. Often, sadly, it is Christian people who hold these beliefs. What I don't understand is that part of being Christian is being all accepting and forgiving, yet these people who simply have a different sexual preference are treated as though they have a curable ailment. GIVE ME A BREAK!

Why are we, people across the entire world, not campaigning more against violent and abusive relationships? Why aren't we more concerned with things like incest, molestation and things that are actually harmful in relationships? Why do people fixate on something so silly as the gender of a couple? I will never, ever, understand this.

The Consequence of Hiring "Under the table"

We all have been warned and reminded not to hire people "under the table" for various contract work, but lets face it, we've all done it at one point or another. A family member of mine was recently reminded why saving a few dollars by hiring this way can cost us more money in the long run.

She hired a man to re-sod a lawn, the sod never caught and when she tried to contact him to discuss what had happened, she wasn't able to reach him...ever. So she was left with a lawn, no better than before, and now down multiple hundreds of dollars. Years past, and she finally found out, by chance, that he had switched businesses and was attempting to run a seemingly more honest operation, despite claiming to not recognize her when she confronted him. To confirm that he had in fact recognized her, he has called her friend repeatedly, who has coincidently hired him, to ensure she was happy with his work, etc.

Good for this man that he has seemingly turned his practices around, but how many people did he rip off in the process?

I have to ask myself as well if this family member of mine was targeted, both because she is a woman and a senior. I am forever hearing stories of seniors, in our community, who are taken advantage of. For example, a 93 year old female neighbor of mine went shopping for a base model Sedan, and came home in a  $30,000, souped up Sedan with specialty rims and sun roof and didn't know how to operate 90% of the vehicles functions. Was she taken advantage of? Most definitely.

Let this be a warning to you. Have a legitimate contract with those whom you hire, for whatever handyman type jobs you need completed. Hire reputable people with real company names behind them, supporting and guaranteeing their work. Don't just accept a business card as legitimate proof of business. Do a little research before you hire. As much as I would like to support "the little guy", working on the side to top up his income, it's not worth the risk of being left with a mess and then ultimately having to hire someone else to clean it up. Finally, if you know of a senior, living on their own, in your community, consider reaching out and offering them some assistance. I'm sure the little elderly lady next door would appreciate it.

Hospital Food-What a let down!

Over the winter, a close family member of mine had, or what was called at the time, a heart attack. She presented with nausea and radiating pain down her arm. I took her to emergency, where they have her medical history, list of ailments and medications, etc. Typically her troubles are entirely surrounding Type 2 Diabetes...so there is a lot of stuff about diabetes in her files. Anyway, they conducted an array of protocol tests on her and then it was time for supper. What did they serve her you ask? The Cardiac tray, consisting of white bread (converts to sugar), jam (made of sugar) apple juice (loaded with sugar), tea (with a side of sugar), white potatoes (converts to sugar), glazed carrots (MORE SUGAR) and a piece of unidentifiable "meat". Were they trying to make her worse?!

The one place we should be able to count on being "prescribed" appropriate food for our ailments is the hospital! When our bodies are already struggling with whatever ailment we're fighting, we should be able to trust that the hospital will provide us with food to support us and help us heal, not cause us further damage. Whether you're visiting someone in the hospital or a patient of the hospital, healthy food should be readily available. Food that will support our bodies when we need it the most. Next time you're there, check the selection in the cafeteria and tell me what you find. Chips, cookies, brownies, pop, fried foods...so called "comfort" food. Sure the odd piece of fruit is available, but this does not make up for the downfall of everything else.

Many people would argue that this sort of thing happens because of cost and because of the quantities that need to be prepared, but I would disagree with them on both accounts. Beans and lentils are some of the least expensive foods available and provide our bodies with a clean, alternative protein and fibre. When soaked overnight, the cook time is no longer than a batch of rice. 

There are so many things that we can do to improve the food in hospitals. I can't be the only one out there who feels this way.

Good things come to those who make them happen!

I am totally inspired by a Steve Jobs quote today. “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”

I have been in a constant state of settling for about 5 years now, with the exception of 8 months while I was in school this past year. Seven years ago, I was enrolled in the Bachelor of Public Relations Program at Mount Saint Vincent University. I did well in my courses, but had a very poorly matched job placement and everything went downhill from there. I ended up dropping out and working for Bell Aliant for 8 months, before moving to Riverview, NB. There I spent a year on maternity leave with my son and didn’t make any attempt to find work or make new friends. I just settled into a comfortable rut. Nearing the end of my maternity leave, I was offered a position as office assistant at a local golf course. At the time, I needed a job and with the nature of the business, I would have my winters off. I meant to stay 1 season. Six seasons later, I’m still in the same position, even after having gone to school to take Natural Nutrition, which I love and really excel at.

I can easily say that my biggest problem is fear of debt and failure. I have so many big ideas that I can’t decide which to pursue, and without a wealthy supporter in my back pocket, I get very intimidated with the idea of a huge loan to pay back. All this said, none of this gets me to where I want to be.

So, recently, instead of sitting around not pursuing any of my goals and ideas, I started to write. I have this blog and also submit letters regularly to the local newspaper. So far I have submitted 3, and 2 of them were published and printed under “Letter of the Day”. The 3^rd was only submitted recently, so it may still get in as well. I have always loved to write, especially when I feel passionately about something, so I figured that this was a good place to start.

The next step, on my journey out of “the rut” will be to choose one of my many ideas and take a chance on it. Otherwise I’ll never know how it would have turned out.

Some say that “Good things come to those who wait”, but I’m going to try and start living by “Good things come to those who make them happen.”

The Power of Positive Thinking

Ever notice how the more negative your mood the more negative stuff seems to happen? If your day starts out on the wrong foot, it seems to set the tone for your entire day, but this doesn’t have to be the case.

Next time you wake up and trip over your slippers, brush it off and don’t let it dictate how the rest of your day is going to play out. If you are in a foul mood, as a result of something so silly, you are going to draw negativity towards you all day long. So instead, turn it around, put a smile on your face and draw in the positive instead.

Have you ever heard of a vision board? Some people believe that having a vision board is all about “The Secret”, but what if creating a vision board just plain and simply makes you happy and gives you focus? Does it not then give you extra drive to fulfill these visions you have for yourself? Either way, creating a vision board can be very therapeutic.

There’s nothing hocus pocus about being positive. The fact of the matter is that positive people tend to be healthier, happier and also more content with what they have in their lives. Instead of living in a constant state of unfulfilled expectations, create a vision board, keep a positive attitude and be grateful for all the good in your life. Don’t be negative and don’t let negative people bring you down.

I challenge you to smile and say hello to at least a handful of grumpy strangers each day and help turn their frown upside down! Your smile may be the one thing they needed at that very moment.

Click here to learn more about Vision Boards.

The Power of Stress

Everyone knows that exercise and eating right is an integral part of being healthy, but how many people stop to consider all of the other factors that contribute to our overall health and well-being?

One of the most important things we can ever do for ourselves is have good stress management in our lives. Everyone has a certain amount of chaos in their everyday life, but it's those who choose to manage it well that are much better off. Whether it's through exercise, prayer, walking barefoot on the beach...whatever works for you. Stress management is essential to good health.

Eating while under stress, or in a stressful situation, impedes on the digestive process. So, for example, if you consume the most nutritious meal, while pacing back and forth across your kitchen and stressing about the days events, you will be missing out on much of your meal's nutritional value. Your body is basically in fight or flight mode at this point and simply isn't focused on or committed to good digestion, just quick digestion.

In addition to how stress negatively impacts digestion, it is also a contributing factor to essentially all major disease. Supressing negative emotions alone can cause major upset in the body. There are many stories readily available online to read about success stories of women who stayed positive throughout their battles with cancer, versus women, battling the same illness, who had a very negative outlook and aren't around to share their stories.

Stress management and a positive attitude will take you further in life and in health than the most healthy eating, negative, workaholic will ever get. Remember this next time you eat on the run or during a fight with your spouse. Sit down, take a deep breath, inhale the aroma of your meal, relax and enjoy! Your body will thank you.

Decorating a Nursery

Decorating your baby's nursery can be such a fun project and a great way to bond with your baby before they arrive!

Start off by picking a theme. This can be anything from nautical, modern, princess or simply your favourite colour. For my daughter, due in October, I decided on nautical. The initial challenge was to create a nautical and beachy feel, while still keeping it girly. I found some very inspiring ideas on Pinterest and had a couple of great suggestions from friends and family along the way.

I began by choosing the wall colours, Provence Creme and Old Fashioned pink, painted in stripes as the focal wall and Lively Tune for the remaining 3 walls.  I always use Behr paint in our home, as I find it has the best coverage and the least odour.
The next challenge was to find the perfect oar to mount and suspend her name from. I started off looking at antique shops and my Uncles old cottage barn, but ended up purchasing this one at Walmart for $20 and found the letters, which I'm thrilled with, at Michaels. The letters were a little more than I wanted to spend, at $6.99 each, but after using a 40% off coupon, it was worth it. I hung the oar on 2 simple hooks and used rope to suspend the oar and then hemp string to suspend the name. I have since added a floating corner shelf to the right of the crib for the baby monitor and a toy net in the upper left corner. The net was a great addition to the room. You can either purchase a fishing net or a coordinating toy net and add accents like starfish and sand dollars. Be creative!

Next off, decide what pieces are essential in the room, before adding things that aren't. For Olivia's room, I knew I needed the crib, change table, diaper disposal and dresser for sure, but this left me with little storage space and nowhere for books. After what felt like endless searching, I found the above piece at Wicker Emporium. It came with bright yellow, red and blue drawers. After a suggestion from a friend, I used the "ombre" look and started with the middle drawer, using the Old Fashioned Pink wall paint, and kept aside enough to mix 2 additional colours. One I added white and one I added red to create the above look. I love how this turned out, but it still left me short on book storage..and every child's room needs books.

I had seen book sling, free standing units at Toys R Us, but wasn't thrilled by the colours or quality. After a little searching on Etsy and Pinterest, I discovered wall mount book slings. Greatest idea and takes up very little space! Click here for a free tutorial on how to make a book sling. All you need is 2 double curtain rod braces, 2 wooden dowels, fabric, thread and a sewing machine. (I will post the picture when mine is finished)

Finally, every baby room should have a comfortable place to sit. Since I was working with only a small remaining space to incorporate a chair, I thought small and found a club chair and will be having it recovered to coordinate with the book sling. As an accent on the chair, I will be making Olivia a name pillow. If you have the space, you may want to consider a glider or rocking chair to help soothe the baby in the wee hours of the morning.

When I picked out the crib, I didn't notice that a typical mobile wouldn't attach to the wide design...so I had to think outside the box. I am currently making seahorses and startfish (from stencils I found for free online)out of felt and will hang them from the ceiling on a pulley and rope. Using the pulley will make it adjustable for when Olivia is able to sit/stand in her crib. Mobiles can come in all shapes and sizes. There are a ton of great ideas out there. Check out Pinterest for some inspiration or Etsy for someone to custom design one especially for your baby's room.

For random accent pieces, I have made a life ring, using an inflatable ring, paper mache, a little paint, rope and ribbon. I ordered, from Etsy, a 24" in diameter ships wheel wall decal. I purchased, on clearance from Wicker Emporium, a nautical picture frame and model ship. From Michaels, for only $1.50 each, I picked up 2 wall mount anchor shaped hooks and a little "Ahoy!" sign. From Pottery Barn, in Toronto, my brother picked up a seahorse nightlight, fish crib sheet (100% organic cotton), angel fish pillow and 2 paintings (starfish and seahorse) done on wood. Finally, I found a set of decorative 12" wooden oars on kijiji for $2, which I painted white with pink stripes.

The room is really coming together and has been a ton of fun to create! I'd love to hear your ideas and see the picture of the nurseries you've created!

*More pictures to come as the room develops.

Public School is becoming a luxury

How can people afford to send their kid, or kids, to public school in New Brunswick? The school supplies lists are up now for most schools in the area. For my son to attend grade 1, he is required to purchase markers, pencils, coloured pencils, highlighter, erasers, a bottle of glue, 4 glue sticks, safety scissors, dry erase markers, a white board, lined paper,2 boxes of ziplock baggies, 2 box of tissues, unscented baby wipes and headphones. In addition, he must bring $35 on the first day of school for the remaining "necessities" that the school will provide, have non-marking soled sneakers, a change of clothes and of course, a backpack. To add to the expense, the supplies list is brand-specific (ie Crayola markers, etc), with few exceptions that may be purchased at the Dollarstore.

$43 to complete the classroom supply list, $50 for the backpack, $25 for sneakers and the $35 set aside to bring on day one. This is before factoring in any clothing he will need for the fall, which I'm sure will add up quickly. You cannot tell me that every family can afford this expense. Next year I will have 2 children in school and therefore will be buying duplicates of the previously mentioned items. How does the average household afford this great expense?

 If the government continues to make cut backs in the schools, it will get to a point where people can't even afford to send their kids to so called "free" public school. Education in this country is a right to all of its' citizens but it's starting to seem more like a luxury.  If a teacher is only given a classroom budget of $50 for the entire school year, they can't very well be expected to pay out of pocket for the children whose families couldn't afford these expenses. Who is buying the school supplies for the children who show up empty handed?

Yet another major issue to add to my topics of discussion for the Home and School Association this year. Won't you join me in this debate and help ensure that every family can afford to send their children to public school?

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies

2 cups peanut butter (I use unsweetened organic)

2 cups white sugar

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup chopped pecans (optional, but delicious!)

1/4 cup ground flaxseed (for fibre and omega 3!)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease cookie sheet (optional-I find the peanut butter has a high enough oil content that this step is not necessary)
2. Combine peanut butter, eggs, and sugar and mix until smooth. Stir in chopped pecans and ground flaxseed.
3. Bake for 10 -12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cookies cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!

*Note: For an extra sweet treat, add a gluten-free chocolate molding wafer to the top of each cookie when they are fresh out of the oven.

Healthy Snacks-Kid Approved

Without fail, everyday I'm getting supper ready, my kids are pulling at my pant leg saying, "Mommy, I'm hungry. Mommy, I want a snack. Mommy, what's for dinner?" Instead of  relating "snack" to something full of sugar or highly refined, why not try one of these ideas?

-Fruit Kabobs (Wash and cut up fruit. Hand it over to the kids with a few skewers and let the creating begin!)
-Homemade trail mix (Feel free to be creative! We use sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, cranberries, raisins and whatever else we have for nuts/seeds/dry fruit at the time)
-Hummus and veggies
-Homemade date bars (This can be as easy as pitted dates, seeds, nuts and ground flax-Healthy and delicious! I often serve them as dessert to company and add a tablespoon of organic cocoa-delicious!)
-Unsweetened peanut butter on celery with raisins (aka "Ants on a log")
-Unsweetened peanut butter on celery and a couple of pretzels (Stick the pretzels in the peanut butter and use them like wings. Makes a cute butterfly/dragonfly snack!)
-Smoothy pops (Blend together your favourite smoothy ingredients and freeze in a popsicle tray)
-Cucumber/Carrot bites (Use an apple corer to punch out a hole in your cucumber slice and insert a slice of carrot. Dip in a little homemade dressing or hummus-so good-and looks great!)
-Apple slices and unsweetened peanut butter
-Grapes (Wash grapes, grab some toothpicks and pass them over to your future architect to create a masterpiece! They'll love the activity and it'll keep them busy while you make supper!)

The possibilities are endless. Have fun inventing healthy snacks with your family and help start your kids off on the road to nutritional success!

For recipes or more complete directions, feel free to contact me!

Instead of Popsicles...

This summer has been a scorcher! I don't know about your kids, but mine have been asking constantly for popsicles and ice cream to help cool off. Instead of always turning to store bought popsicles, made of sugar, water and food colouring, why not try something a little more nutritious?!

Pick out your favourite smoothy ingredients, blend them together, pour them into a popsicle tray and a few hours later you have smoothy pops! So tasty and a much healthier option. Do your kids prefer ice cream over popsicles? Follow the same instructions, but instead of using a popsicle try, freeze single size servings in small tupperware containers and voila!

For our smoothy pops, we use orange juice (not from concentrate), mixed berries, plain Greek yogurt (for protein) and a banana. I also tend to sneak in a little ground flaxseed for an omega boost.

Have fun with this! The possibilities are endless!

Listen to your kids! What they say matters!

Where did all the good customer service go?

The customer service in the Moncton area, generally speaking, is an embarrassment.

Recently I attempted to shop at a big box hardware store and waited 15 minutes for assistance before leaving for the competition, only 2 minutes away. Not only did they lose that particular sale, but they lost any future business from me and potentially those who I inform of this lack of service.

Yet another shining example is a coffee chain I frequent to order a Strawberry Banana smoothy. Without fail, every single employee there roll their eyes when I place this order because no one likes to make them. The product is there, it is your job to make it, so put  a smile on your face and fulfill the request. I didn't decide what your employer chooses to serve.

The one big box store, located in Moncton, that takes the cake, offers a wide variety of items...a "one-stop-shop" if you will. On one particular occasion, I visited this store to purchase a junior size sleeping bag. I asked one sales associate if they carried such a thing, they simply stated "No". Just to be sure, I asked another staff member and was given another quick "No". Just for the fun of it, I decided to take on the challenge of proving them wrong. Six styles of junior sleeping bags later, I politely took them to customer service to discuss my experience. My story was greeted with a shocked face and a tiny voice saying, "Sorry", but nothing further became of it.

Finally, most recently, and what put me over the edge, was at yet another hardware store, located in Riverview. I went in looking for a wooden dowel and was told they were "Over that way, by the plastic" and was directed with a lazy hand gesture and not so much as a look up from the counter.

Everyday, I experience some low level of customer service. Whether it's from a person who doesn't make eye contact or someone completely lacking manners and general customer skills, I am constantly let down with my shopping experiences. I am willing to pay a modicum more to receive good service elsewhere, or shop online for that matter...but I am left wanting. 

When I worked in customer service, during my university years, I would have never gotten away with this type of behaviour. Are staff members not receiving training anymore? Someone would be smart to start a business around here teaching manners and common courtesy, like holding the door for the person behind you and saying "please and thank you". Am I alone in thinking this would benefit the Greater Moncton Area?