So I'm 28 Weeks Pregnant.....

And these are some of the things I've realized so far: 1. Golf is never easy but with a belly and a new center of gravity it is not fun. Chris and I went on Easter weekend and I that's when I realized how much core is involved in golfing and how little I have of it anymore. 2. I thought I'd be one of those pregnant ladies running around in my heels until the very end. I've always loved wearing heels to work but I realized early (around 10 weeks), and with help from my osteopathic doctor, that it wasn't a great idea for me and it actually was making my nausea worse. 3. I may know a lot from a textbook perspective about pregnancy and prenatal care but when you are experiencing it, it takes it to a whole other level. My training as a Naturopathic Doctor has helped not only me but many women in the past 9 years of practice, going through preconception healthcare, prepping the body for pregnancy, and throughout the trimesters. I even did a doula course because I started to become more and more interested in pregnancy and wanted to be able to offer even more to my patients. I don't attend births but the knowledge I've gained has helped countless women throught the barage of information or lack of information about pregnancy and childbirth. I always knew this is truly a miracle of life from a medical perspective but to actually experience the nausea and fatigue (and have no control over it!) and the kicking and stretching (I swear this baby does downward dogs all day) from inside is amazing. 4. One thing has been solidified in my mind: preconception healthcare is the most important thing a woman can do. How many times have I heard from women in their first trimester "But Dr. Carol I just can't eat my dark green veggies", "I just want carbs not fruits", "I'm struggling with protein" and I've gone on to give countless tips on how to incorporate these things in different ways while explaining how important what you eat during pregnancy is and why. You want to set the baby up for nutritional success I say! However full disclosure here: I can't believe how many times I had to run to Tim Horton's for a bagel in my first 16 weeks because that was the only thing that was going to make my nausea settle. Those times of guilt, sitting eating my bagel, all I could think about was thank goodness this baby has so many good reserves to go on and I was thankful that I had been eating so well before and taking my folic acid and prenatal well in advance. The egg takes 120 days to mature so I usually say to women you need at least 4 months of preconception work for good healthy eggs. Sperm maturation takes 90 days so men have to be equally vigilant for good sperm. I've seen women that struggle with nausea and vomiting for longer than the first trimester... heck even all the way until the last few days and this struggle for good nutrition for the developing baby can be really compromised. 5. I miss my moksha hot yoga! Even though I've been doing it for 10 years I still knew the heat could compromise the baby's development and it could increase risk of miscarriage, especially in the first trimester and I knew myself well enough that I wouldn't be able to go and do a 'toned down' routine. I also thought I was going to be one of those pregnant ladies that would be running and not really skip a beat when it comes to my exercise routine. Well I was wrong and my feelings have really changed ... you have to do what feels right for you and baby. There are countless research articles on the benefits of exercise throughout pregnancy and staying active not only for mom-to-be and her labour and delivery but also for the baby! My general rule for patients was if you have been doing a particular exercise for at least 3 months before conceiving you can easily continue into pregnancy with probably some modifications. Nothing new. For the first 18 weeks I didn't do a lick of exercise. Only a little bit of walking on the weekends. I just didn't feel well enough. Then all of a sudden a switch turned and I could function again and surprisingly my body was trained enough that I just slid back into a exercise regime doing a vinyasa yoga at home and power walks outside. Although I've always loved to run it didn't feel right for me so I just went with the flow. 6. I love my midwife. She is wonderful and Chris and I have loved our visits, getting 45 minutes to chat through things and prepare. Each time I go she gives us the scoop on any upcoming testing and why it is necessary or why it's not .... it's all about informed decision making which is so powerful. I always recommended midwives before for normal low risk pregnancies and now it's wonderful to have an experience to base that feeling on. A obstetrician from the UK was telling me that midwives only deliver all low risk babies over there. OBs only come into the picture in high risk pregnancies or when there needs to be a transfer of care or an assisted delivery. When she came to Canada and started practicing in Toronto she was so surprised to see how many normal low risk pregnancies were being delivered by OBs. Also very interesting when you put that into the context of how high our C-section rate is here in Canada (almost double of the World Health Organization's recommended rate of 15%)!! 7. One last thing.... there is an amazing culture of mothers that was foreign to me. It's kind of like a secret club. I have been surrounded by so much love and support by not only my friends and family but people I had never expected. Patients dropping off maternity clothes, random people at make-up counters (yes I've already gotten some breastfeeding tips from the lovely ladies at one of the makeup counters at Holt Renfrew!), friends sharing experiences that I guess I wasn't ready to hear before..... It is truly the lovely feeling of being part of a village. And even before this lovely baby arrives I already feel like I have a better understanding of the saying "It takes a village to raise a child". Stay tuned.......

My Top 6 List for Cholesterol-Busting Foods

If you come to see me about your high cholesterol you are going to get a whole lot of education about food and exercise and of course how your liver breaksdown cholesterol. My top 6 list to lower cholesterol is:
10-15 almonds a day, an apple a day, 2 tbsp ground flaxseed, steel cut oatmeal you make on the stove not in a microwave 3-5x/week, salmon 1x/week, and beans for the great soluble fiber at least 2-3x/week.

Of course there are the foods that you should be avoiding or limiting as well: beef, fried foods, cheese, pork .... AND if you love your artificial sweeteners like your diet pop, crystal light, or splenda in your coffee, STOP! With high cholesterol your risk for heart attack and stroke increases and as recent as last year there has been research to show that artificial sweeteners increase your risk as well! Water and green tea I always say!!

Whole Foods Square One Seminar Tomorrow!

On February 11, Whole Foods Mississauga will be hosting a 3 part seminar to rejuvenate every aspect of your life. Join the ladies of Zawada Health for an educational afternoon of exciting health information to start the New Year off right. 2:00-4:30 pm. Admission is $15, and you will receive a $10 whole foods gift certificate.

From breakfast to side dishes to desserts, Naturopathic Doctor, Carol Morley will show you how to experience a new zest for life by gaining a better feeling of wellbeing - all by detoxing through diet. Through a cooking demo you will sample a dish from her cookbook, Delicious Detox and learn how detoxing can be easy and delicious.

Naturopathic Doctor, Tiffany Heikkila will then discuss how to help you overcome the winter blahs this year. Tiffany will explain the specific reasons as to why you are fatigued and overwhelmed and the best ways to boost your energy and mood. From easy dietary changes, to supplements and herbal remedies, Tiffany will leave you feeling motivated and ready to take on the rest of the winter months.

To cap off the afternoon, Osteopathic Manual Practitioner, Catherine Cabral-Marotta will help you move like you’re 20 again! There’s no need to wake up in the morning feeling stiff, or grumble at your sore low back as you lean over to brush your teeth or tie your shoe. Catherine will teach you simple and easy techniques that can be done to help your body regain its mobility, improve digestion, facilitate good posture, and feel young again.

Craving Mashed Potatoes?

I'm in heaven right now. I was totally craving my mom's mashed potatoes today. Maybe it was the snow outside but instead of going out and buying potatoes I steamed a head a cauliflower (15 minutes) and then put it in the food processor with some sea salt and pepper, 2 garlic cloves and a touch of butter. Pureed until smooth and oh my it tastes like potatoes. Maybe I'll be able to fool Chris tonight :)

Beating Colds and Flus Naturally

We’ve all been there…waking up in the morning with a stuffy nose, sore throat, hacking cough and body aches. What would you normally do? Before reaching for your over-the-counter medication, why not try something different this time? Try something that is effective and NATURAL!

Join Naturopathic Doctor Tiffany Sahakian Heikkila and Registered Massage Therapist Erin Chaisson, both of Zawada Health clinic, as they discuss the best ways to boost your immune system and fight off colds and flus. Learn about specific supplements, herbal concoctions and even sinus and lymphatic massages to help get you through it.

Admission is free!!!

When: Saturday, January 14, 2012
Where: Mississauga Central Library
301 Burnhamthorpe Rd W
CL2, 2nd Floor
Time: 2 pm - 3:30 pm
To register: 905–615–3500 x 3589

Cleaning Out the Fridge Soup

This afternoon I truly became my mother in the kitchen! No recipes, random ingredients, no mixing, soup on the stove, beets in the oven, hummus in food processor on counter ..... I guess that is what cool fall days are for!

I had leftover pumpkin puree from a loaf I made last week and it was starting to annoy me everytime I opened the fridge. You know those ingredients that you buy for one dish but have no clue what to do with the rest of it?!?!

So I was making my typical hummus and decided to throw in 1/2 cup of the pumpkin puree to see what the flavour would be. Yum.... something different and good way to bump up the nutritional content of hummus. The orange colour was perfect for fall too :) So I still had 1 cup of the pumpkin AND I had half a jar of unsweetened applesauce left from the gluten-free brownies I just baked as well. I had one parsnip so I decided I'd make a soup (and try out my new dutch oven my parents got me for my birthday 2 weeks ago!) Apple and parsnip and pumpkin should go well together I thought....

A little olive oil, chopped onion, 2 celery ribs, 2 carrots, 1 parsnip and threw in some red chili flakes, and garlic. Then the pumpkin and applesauce went in with a bay leaf. I remembered I still had some chicken stock in the freezer so defrosted it and put it in and let it simmer for an hour. I had some strange looking oregano in the fridge that was on the verge of garbage so I put that in with some sea salt and pepper and ended up pureeing half of it.... So we'll have this tonight with a roast chicken that's in the oven and some leftover green beans. Random but healthy and delish!

Gluten-free Brownies...... Chickpea Flour!

Friday night Chris and I were going to friends for dinner so I decided to bake a couple of goodies for the crew. We got to dessert and I said a disclaimer that the treats were all gluten-free and I was using all 7 of them as guinea pigs. I love playing this game .... especially with non-gluten-free friends aka Chris' friends!

I had baked them for other friends last year but I wanted to change things around a bit as I don't love using xanthum gum in gluten-free baking. Xanthan gum derives its name from the strain of bacteria used during the fermentation process, Xanthomonas campestris. X. campestris is the same bacterium responsible for causing black rot to form on broccoli, cauliflower and other leafy vegetables. The bacteria form a slimy substance which acts as a natural stabilizer or thickener. So it's a fermented sugar with alcohol basically.....

Here's the recipe if you feel like something chocolately without gluten. If you don't do a lot of baking you can go to a bulk store and just get enough to keep the cost down.

1 cup chickpea flour
1/4 cup potato starch
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar (I've tried substituting with honey and maple syrup and it didn't work out!)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract (buy pure instead of artificial as it makes the chocolate really pop!)
1/2 cup hot water
1 cup chocolate chips (don't skip these as they really 'make' the brownie)

Preheat oven to 325. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl and wet in another and then combine until smooth. Scoop batter into greased (use a bit of coconut oil) muffin tins. Bake for 5 minutes then rotate and bake another 5 minutes. Let them sit for 10 minutes and then eat away!