If you didn't already know, yesterday marked the end of another World Breastfeeding Week. Breastfeeding is something that is extremely close to my heart. I know, I know, shocking, an ND who loves breastfeeding, who would have thought! To be completely honest, I didn't even realize it was Breastfeeding Week until all these beautiful images of nursing moms and babes started popping up on my social media feeds! What I am still a little shocked by is all the negative comments, but what's worse the misconceptions surrounding breastfeeding.

​I have been breastfeeding now almost continuously since August 23, 2011 (5 years!) when my daughter was born. Admittedly, I had a relatively easy transition to breastfeeding. Don't get me wrong...there were a lot of tears at first and it was definitely an adjustment, but, I was lucky to have an amazing team behind me- including a very supportive husband, an incredible midwife, wonderful ND friends/doula, a great letdown and more than adequate supply. Coupled with my ND training and knowledge surrounding breastfeeding- including having had the opportunity to shadow in Dr Jack Newman's Breastfeeding Clinic in Toronto, I got into the swing of things pretty quickly. It was definitely a challenge at first since it took about 3 days for my milk to come in and by that time I had a lot of nipple pain and was feeling frustrated. The morning of the third day my midwife came to our house to check on us (one of the MANY perks of having a midwife) and I just sat on the bed and burst into tears. I laugh about it now and even at the time my midwife kind of chuckled and said my hormones would be a bit of a rollercoaster, that it would be fine and it was completely normal. That afternoon my milk came in and it was like a 180. Not quite all rainbows and butterflies but closer. I nursed my daughter until she was a few months past 2 years old. The only reason I stopped then was because I was pregnant with my son and I have less than stellar pregnancies, ie. severe nausea and vomiting, and I just couldn't be pregnant and nursing a toddler at the same time. About 6 months later my son was born and I picked up nursing where I had left off, though my son did have a severe tongue tie that needed to be clipped. My son is now 2 years and 4 mos and we are still nursing but, now only 3 times a day- mornings, before nap and bedtime. 

Yes, you read that correctly. Yes, my son is over 2. Yes, he is still nursing. And yes, I've heard it all, especially since my in laws are Irish and Ireland has not only the worst breastfeeding rates in Europe but according to a recent Lancet article, the world. Though my in laws don't usually give me their advice on parenting- partly because I think they are slightly frightened by me and my strong beliefs- but they will make the offside comment. Like when we talk about visiting them at a later date and the possibility of my husband and I leaving the kids with them in Ireland and the two of us going on a mini vacay to Italy. Last time I respond that it probably won't work on our next visit because my son may still be nursing. My MIL responded with shock, "He'll be 3!!!" My response, "So? If he wants to nurse until he's 9, I don't care."

​The look of horror on her face....priceless.

Everyone's heard it "Breast is best!" but that implies that the standard is artificial feeding and breastfeeding has benefits. In reality, the standard is breastfeeding, which actually means, artificial feeding carries risks. What risks you might ask? Good question- let's talk about them! 

• Infant formula (like any product made on an assembly line) carries the risk of contamination with both bacteria (here), additives, deficiencies and improper nutrient levels.
• Formula doesn't match babies needs. Breastmilk constantly changes from day to week to month to year and even throughout one feed to meet baby's needs. Breastmilk is 100% tailored to your baby based on feedback from baby as they nurse. When a baby is ill, antigens in the baby's saliva are transferred and recognized by immune cells in a mother's breasts and in response antibodies are produced by mom and added to the breastmilk to help fight infection. (Seriously, I am constantly in complete awe of the female body!)
• Formula feeding has negative effects on intelligence and cognitive development. Breastfed babies score higher on tests of intelligence and development; scores are also higher for babies who breast feed longer (here). 
• Formula increases the incidence of developing diabetes- both for baby- Type 1 Diabetes for the infant, Type 2 Diabetes later in life and an increase in risk of mother developing Type 2 Diabetes.
• Infants fed formula have double the risk of SIDS.
• Formula feeding increases the risk of obesity later in life (here, here, here).
• Formula feeding increases the risk of respiratory illnesses- including asthma, RSV, pneumonia (this study actually shows increased risk for infants breastfed less than 2 years!), had longer recovery times and more than TRIPLE the severe incidences.     
• Formula feeding increases the risk of atopic diseases.
• Formula feeding increases risk of meningitis.
• Formula feeding increases risk of ear infections.
• Formula feeding increases risk of childhood cancer (Lymphoma) and (here).
• Formula feeding increases risk of gastrointestinal infections and diseases (here).
• Formula feeding decreases the effectiveness of vaccinations (here, here, here).
• Formula fed infants may have inadequate jaw and facial muscle development (here).
• Formula fed infants have a higher risk of death
• Formula fed infants have a higher risk of mental health issues (here) including ADHD and ASD (here). 
• Formula feeding increases the risk of postpartum depression.
• Formula fed infants have an increased risk of necrotizing enterocolitis.

And there are also benefits to the mother including: reduced blood loss during labor and delivery due to increased contractions of uterus; reduced risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer- and the more months of breastfeeding the lower the risk; reduced risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes (link above); improves weight loss after pregnancy; and reduces risk of metabolic syndrome, abnormal lipid profile, high blood pressure and coronary artery disease (here, here, here, here).

 I do want to say this information isn't to make anyone feel badly. There are women who despite everything are still unable to breastfeed. It's the reason 'wet nurses' have been around for generations and why there is a need to have formula as an option. However, this is often devastating for women who have their heart set on breastfeeding their child. I also know women who aren't able to breastfeed, though they can produce milk, and continue to pump and give their babies breastmilk from a bottle. And I have to say, hats off to you! That is serious dedication and literally double the work!

I do however, belief in true informed consent. Marketing is great now a days, and it's why there have been motions to limit and control marketing of infant formula to the public (even by the CDC). I have heard more than once the comment that, "Formula now is just as good as breast milk." It's not. It never will be. It never can be. That is a simple truth. They will never be able to recreate the intricacies of breastmilk on an assembly line.
But there are many factors to having a good and successful breastfeeding experience and a big part of that is having the right support team behind you. Start preparing to breastfeed before baby even arrives. Know the lactation consultants and health professionals around you and breastfeeding support groups like La Leche League. Make sure your partner understands and supports you. Remember every baby/birth/latch is different. A poor experience with one child doesn't automatically mean you will have a poor experience with a subsequent child. See if what went 'wrong' the first time can be changed for the second time. If breastfeeding is not possible, there are things that can help mediate some of the risks (such as certain supplements), though not all of them (such as lack of immune factors) can be avoided.

Breastfeeding can be one of the most amazing experiences for a new mom but it's not easy and having your team can make all the difference!

​​Disclaimer: Naturopathic Doctors strive to provide individualized health care. The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing an ND for individualized health recommendations.

Today, my sweet boy turns two. TWO!!! I can't believe it has been two years since his birth. And even though it has been two whole years since my labor and delivery, it still feels like yesterday. When he turned one, I told myself I would sit down and write out his birth story and my home birth experience. And now he is two. It is definitely time. The whole experience is still so vivid to me, it likely helped that I have had the opportunity to tell it so many times- I was even a guest speaker at two home birth info nights for St Jacob's Midwives. If I had to describe my home birth experience in one word, it would have to be Magical.

My pregnancies, however, not so magical. I am one of the unlucky women who suffers from extreme nausea and vomiting. I am pretty sure it's partly karma (since I used to be a 'why would someone go on meds? It's just some nausea') and partly nature's personalized form of birth control for me. Seriously, I love being a mom so much I could be like 19 kids and counting. But 19 pregnancies and counting, no way.
During my first pregnancy, I thought, 'how long could this last? It will be better next week'. At 38 weeks, I was still vomiting. And I lost a lot of weight in the first and start of second trimester. And yes, as an ND, I tried it all. ALL. And nothing helped. So this time around, as soon as the nausea started, right on cue, I called my midwife and went on Diclectin. The first day I was on, it was like magic, and a good thing as I was standing up in my best friend's wedding. I actually said to my husband that if this was how the rest of my pregnancy was, we'd be having more than 2 children. Then day 2 on Diclectin came and the nausea was back full force. I will say it did allow me to control the urge to vomit, though there were still weeks where I could barely get out of bed. So, not shockingly, I felt the shorter my pregnancy, the better. I also knew that I was determined to have a home birth. My first attempt did not go as planned- you can read about that here, but this time, it was happening.

I started labor induction acupuncture on myself around 37.5/38 weeks. I had my first stretch and sweep at 38 weeks. Nothing happened. I continued acupuncture and at my midwife visit at 39 weeks, I had my second stretch and sweep. That got things going. I had to run errands after my visit but by the time I got home, I knew I was going into labor. It's funny, the first time, one of my biggest concerns was whether I would know I was in labor or not. This time, I knew. I spent the afternoon doing lunges and rolling on my exercise ball with my 2 year old daughter copying everything I did. Even getting her bouncy ball so she could roll on it like Mommy. All the signs of labor were there. When my husband called on his way home from work at 6pm to tell me there was a breakdown and that they wanted him to go to another plant and fix it, I told him he could do whatever he wanted but I was going to have a baby and was just waiting for him to get home before doing acupuncture just in case it pushed me into full active labor. His response, "Oh, uh, well maybe I should come straight home then..."
After putting my daughter to bed, I did more labor induction acupuncture. Things seemed to be moving along nicely, however, I knew it was still early, so I went to bed and slept. Around 3am, the contractions were strong enough to wake me so I got up and did a bit more acupuncture and lunges/pelvic rocks to just help make sure baby was dropping into place. I went back to bed but started to time contractions, dozing in between. I learned the hard way how important getting as much rest as possible is in my first labor. By 6am contractions were quite regular and consistent so I called my midwife and messaged my one ND doula friend, Corinne, who had attended my first birth.
The midwife came over to assess my progress and also brought all of the home birth equipment. It literally covered our dining room table and we have an 8 person table. I originally planned to labor in our spare room (which is quite small), but we ended up just moving the mattress into our living room/dining room because there wasn't enough space for all the equipment. I wish I had taken a photo!
By this time it was around 7:30am and I was about 70% effaced and 1-2 cm dilated. Which was great. Gaby left and said to call when labor progressed, it was still very comfortable labouring. Corinne also woke up and saw her message around this time and called to say she would head straight over (she lives in Stoney Creek, about an hour or so away). I told her not to worry, there was no rush. She said I should have called and woke her up but I knew we had time so there was no panic. I continued to labor, do some squat/lunges while my husband straightened up the house. Corinne arrived around 9:30am and by this time my daughter, Lily, was awake as well. I also called my other ND friend who had just taken the doula course and wanted to attend, so she headed over as well though she is local and only a few minutes away. Joseph ran out for Tim Horton's for every one.
We spent the morning chatting, they ate Tim's and played with Lily. It was a very easy, relaxed labor- completely different than my first! We did acupuncture when we found things seemed to be slowing down a bit. Timed contractions here and there. When contractions got closer and more consistent, we called Gaby and she headed back over to assess again. This time I was fully effaced, about 3-4 cm dilated and she said she could feel the bag of water. At this point she stay and told me we could break my water and get things moving, she would just have to call in the secondary midwife first. I told her, since labor was still so easy, I wanted to wait and dilate a bit more so I would have less to go when it did get bad. It was around 1:30/2pm now. Joseph went out for Chinese take out, though I didn't eat during labor. So we sat around, chatted and ate Chinese food. Gaby said the head still seemed a bit high so we did some acupuncture/acupressure during contractions which dropped the head- you could actually see the head dropping, amazing. And then around 3:30pm/4pm I decided I was getting bored and ready to be done so I asked to break the waters. Steph, my secondary midwife was called to come over and she asked if she could bring a student midwife with her. I said sure. Honestly, after having your first baby, your modesty goes out the window- the more the merrier!
Everyone arrived and I was reassessed- a good 4.5 cm. I was warned that if there was any meconium in the amniotic fluid I would be transferred via ambulance to the hospital- my worst nightmare, mainly because every neighbour on the block would be out on their driveway watching. Pass.
So at around 5:30/6pm, they broke my water.
It was clear! Yay.
Then all hell broke loose.
It was like the water provided a cushion between my cervix and baby's head. When the cushion was gone, it was direct pressure and almost constant, incredibly intense contractions. I was able to have Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas), but it did not get rid of the pain. I did find though, that it allowed me to relax almost instantly between contractions, which was good, since there was only seconds between them. I snapped at Joseph more than once. And then 45 min later I was 10 cm and ready to push.
With my daughter, I pushed for 30 min. I was actually told to stop pushing because the OB hadn't gotten there yet to catch. No such luck with my son.
I pushed for an hour. We did multiple position changes including using a birthing stool. I said multiple times "I don't want to do this any more." Like I had a choice. It was painful. They told me to reach down to feel my baby's head. I did not care. I just wanted him out. And then with a final, "I'm done" push at 7:42pm on April 18th, 2014, Good Friday, Caden was born. The midwifes said, "Oh, we weren't expecting that!", as he came out whole head and a shoulder in one push. Just lying waiting to be picked up. He weighed almost exactly what was estimated- 8 lbs 11oz.

Lily was there for the entire labor and birth, and still talks about it sometimes. It was extremely helpful to have our doulas to help keep her entertained and calm while Joseph was able to give me all of his attention. I cuddled Caden and delivered the placenta. Then the midwives took him to weigh and measure him. Lily was only slightly excited. We joked about how he had Joseph's ginormous head and I should have considered that before deciding to procreate with him- seriously, Joseph was 2 weeks early and they still needed forceps to get his head out. Caden's head was in the 90th+ percentile- the reason for the hour long pushing. Then Gaby gave him back and he rooted and started to nurse. Gaby did my stitches, while the adrenaline rush was in full force. Your entire body feels like it's vibrating. Then after a while, Steph took Caden to do his newborn exam while Gaby helped me into the shower, towelled me off and helped me into bed. Steph brought Caden in for me. It was about 9:30pm. they said if I didn't have any more questions they were going to head out, but someone would be back tomorrow to check on us, of course if anything came up to just page them. I told them it wasn't my first time at the rodeo and we would be fine. We said goodbye, while I cuddled Caden on one side and Lily on the other. After they had left, I got Joseph to bring me a big plate of Chinese food and ate it in bed, with my newborn and 2 year old, completely nausea free.

My entire home birth experience was spectacular. Having had an epidural/pitocin birth and a natural home birth, without question, if we were to have a third (which we are not), I would have another home birth. The next morning I told Joseph to just toss all the sheets and not bother washing them, they were only Ikea any way, but they were already all washed, dried and put away- the midwives had done it all. There was zero mess left behind. Gaby came to check on us, as promised, the next day and every 2 days after that for the first week. Caden and I didn't leave the house for the first week. Being able to be in your own home, in your own bed, with your own things was incredible. The care and support midwives provide is indispensable. It really was the perfect birth and I wouldn't change anything about it.

Disclaimer: Naturopathic Doctors strive to provide individualized health care. The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing an ND for individualized health recommendations.

Happy New Year! It's been a week now since getting back in the swing of things including lunch box packing! I have to admit, I, like probably many of you, was noticing a serious decline in my lunch box packing for the few weeks leading up to the holidays. I thoroughly enjoyed two weeks off of packing lunches and am now ready to get the ball rolling again. And spice it up with some new ideas. Here are a few of our latest lunch boxes to give you some added inspiration! All are public school friendly!
​

Lunch Box 1
Scrambled eggs
Cucumbers, Red and Orange peppers with Veggie Dip
Carrots
Mixed Berries- Grapes, Raspberries, Blueberries
​Raisins

Lunch box 2
(This is an actual school lunch)
Carrots, Cucumbers and Hummus
Red Peppers
Apple Slices
​Grapes and Kiwi

Lunch box 3
(This is an actual school lunch)
Carrots, Cucumber and Hummus
Rice cakes (broken up)
Strawberries and Blackberries
Homemade (nut-free) Trail Mix: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, unsweetened coconut, raisins

Lunch box 4
Left over Roasted Chicken with mustard
Oven Roasted Sweet Potato "Fries"
Mini Cucumber
Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries

Lunch Box 5
Mini Cucumber, Carrot, Broccoli
Orange slices
Strawberries
Blackberries, Raspberries
Lentil Vegetable Soup

Lunch box 6
(This is an actual school lunch- not nut free)
Carrots, Cucumbers
Almond Butter and Jelly Gluten Free Pancake Sandwich
Kiwi and Blueberries
Clementine
Roasted Salted Chickpeas

Happy Lunch Box Packing!!!

Disclaimer: Naturopathic Doctors strive to provide individualized health care. The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing an ND for individualized health recommendations.

Here it is, my latest edition of Lily's Lunchbox. In this post, I am including both vegetarian/vegan lunch boxes which my daughter actually took to her Montessori school, as well as nut-free, non-vegetarian lunches that she had at home! Enjoy!

Lunchbox 1
This is an actual lunch my daughter took to school.
Sundried tomato basil hummus (recipe)
Olives and Multigrain Pita Break Mini Pita
Cucumbers, Cherry Tomatoes, Peppers
Watermelon
​Apple slices

Lunchbox 2
Chicken Burrito Bowl with Avocado (Leftovers- Recipe minus the cheese)
Peppers and Cucumbers
Apple Slices
Red and Green Grapes

Lunchbox 4
Thermos: Vegetable Beef Soup (Recipe)
Apples
Pears
Strawberries
Cucumber, Peppers, Olives and Hummus​

Lunchbox 5
Apple Onion Chicken Breakfast Sausage (Recipe)
Carrots, Celery, Cucumber
Apple Slices
Grapes, Raspberries, Blueberries
Raisins
​
And just a few more of her actual school lunches.....

(Clockwise from top left):
Lunch box 1: Peaches, Strawberries, Watermelon, Cauliflower, Cucumber, Dried Cherries
Lunch box 2: Peppers, Watermelon, Apple/Almond butter rings, Cucumber, Olives
Lunch box 3: Watermelon, Apples, Cucumber, Peppers, Olives, Sun dried Tomato Basil Hummus
Lunch box 4: Watermelon, Green and Red Grapes, Cucumber, Classic Hummus, Almonds, Dates

​Happy Lunch Box Packing!!!

Disclaimer: Naturopathic Doctors strive to provide individualized health care. The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing an ND for individualized health recommendations.

It's that time of year again, my absolute favourite season, Fall is here! Part of me can't believe there are only 4 months left in 2015 but the other part is thrilled that the cooler weather is setting in and pumpkin spice everything is back! 

This is also the time of year that is the perfect opportunity to revamp your health with a nutritional detox. I have talked about why I prefer to do detoxes with a focus on diet many, many times before. For myself, and in my practice, I like to use a 'detox' as a way to get healthy practices and diet back on track as I find life generally derails them a bit.

After many basic gluten/dairy free detoxes, I upped the game a bit this past Spring by doing a Whole 30 as my Spring detox. I really liked it. You can read more about my experience with it here (mid way point) and here (at the end). 

What I liked most about it was the focus on removing sugar. Sugar has a huge impact on our health and as a society, we consume far too much, much of the time without even realizing it. So, for this detox, I will again be focusing on the basics- gluten/dairy AND removing sugar. 

Interested in following along with me? Here are the details:

• I will be cleansing for 2 weeks (14 days).
• I will share my 2 week meal plan including recipes for what I will be eating.
• It will focus on whole, real foods. I will provided the list of foods that I will be eating and those I will be avoiding.
• The kick off will be after Thanksgiving weekend in October..
• I will also give an online talk/webinar on why my detox/diet plan focuses on what it does, why foods are included/excluded, how to read food labels, sneaky non 'health' foods, and more.
• And the best part...it's FREE! Just sign up below and watch your inbox!

This cleanse can also be customizable depending on your specific health goals. If you would like to add supplementation to support certain organ systems or have specific health goals/concerns, you are of course welcome to book in to discuss them further so we can create a tailored plan just for you!

The fine print:
This cleanse and recipes provided are what I will be personally using, this may not be best for everyone and it does NOT replace individualized care from your health care provider. Like any diet changes, it's important to check with your health care professional if you have any health conditions such as 

• Pregnancy or lactation women
• Gallstones or obstructed bile passages
• Hepatitis or obstructed liver function
• Obstructed bowels
• Kidney dysfunction
• Heart disease or diabetes
• Cancer
• Recovering from surgery
• Are on any prescription medications
• etc.

Though these conditions may not be absolute contraindications, it is important to discuss it with your health care professional. At no point should this be a substitute for professional medical advice. And of course, if you would like to participate but aren't sure, you are welcome to book an appointment to discuss it further.

Disclaimer: Naturopathic Doctors strive to provide individualized health care. The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing an ND for individualized health recommendations.

Only on Day 2 of school lunches and already starting to struggle for ideas? A few months ago I posted about my daughter's lunches....with a great response! However, there was a common thread- "Do you have any ideas that are nut free?" haha I hear ya! Because my daughter is in a home based Montessori which also happens to be a vegetarian home, it has no restrictions on nuts but animal proteins are a no go. At home, however, we are not vegetarian and once my daughter transitions to public school her lunches won't be vegetarian based either. So, I started to document some of the lunches she has had in the last few weeks (and even put them in the Planet Box!) to help with public school lunch ideas. I don't have a tonne of pictures...yet. But because this has had such a great response, my goal is to start a monthly series to keep you going with 5 new lunchboxes a month, because, let's face it, by Thanksgiving creativity is usually dwindling...
So, here is my first (technically second) instalment of Lily's Lunchbox! 

Lunchbox 1
Mini Cucumber
Apple slices and grapes
Left over Bacon Braised Brussels Sprouts (I wasn't lying about her loving Brussels Sprouts..) Recipe (just leave the Pecans off for nut free)
Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs with Teriyaki Dip Recipe
Jelly Bean Treat

Lunchbox 2
Cucumber and Peppers
Grapes
Watermelon
Pasta Salad- Brown Rice Pasta, Grilled Greek Marinated Chicken, Cucumber, Peppers, Tomatoes, Goat's Feta with Olive Oil and Vinegar

Lunchbox 3
Cauliflower
Field Green Salad with Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Olive Oil and Vinegar
Left over St Jacob's Market Schnitzel
Nectarines
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie

Lunchbox 4
Peppers, Cucumber, Tomatoes
Greek Lemon Potatoes (potatoes, chicken stock, water, garlic, lemon, salt, pepper)- left over
Greek marinated Chicken (Red wine vinegar, olive oil, oregano, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes)- left over
Grapes, Kiwi, Watermelon
Dried Cranberries and Cherries

Lunchbox 5
Egg Muffins (Red peppers, Mushrooms, Broccoli, Egg)
Romaine and veggie salad with cucumber
Peaches
Watermelon and Strawberries
Dried fruit

A few notes:

• Yes, all these lunches require cooking, however, all of cooking part can be done in bulk ahead of time. Even the chicken is actually just left overs and I actually packed that lunch as I put left over supper away! Doesn't get much easier than that...
• All of these can be customizable- mix up the fruits and veggies based on availability/season and what your child likes!
• Generally we are dairy and gluten free, however, none of us are extremely sensitive so we do consume some in small amounts. Some of these lunches contain dairy (Goat's feta) and gluten (Schnitzel breading) but can be easily left out if there is a sensitivity.
• Need some more ideas? You can find my original Lily's Lunchbox post here. Most of these contain nuts, however, the nuts can easily be substituted for a non-nut protein whether it is animal based or not. 

Happy Lunch Box Packing!!!

Disclaimer: Naturopathic Doctors strive to provide individualized health care. The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing an ND for individualized health recommendations.

My daughter, 3 years old, started pre-school at the beginning of this year. This was also the kick off of making kid lunches for the next decade and a half. As a Naturopath, I have to say, I am not an extremist. I really do try to keep it realistic- I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old, I am far from perfect. However, I will admit I am most neurotic about what my kids eat. I think about the stuff that I ate as a kid, and even what I ate while I was in undergrad, and it gives me palpitations. I run a pretty tight ship but also have a 3 year old who, when asked what she would like for dinner, requests Brussels Sprouts. No joke. This is not to say she hasn't eaten McDonald's before (she has) but on the whole we keep it pretty clean. So, when it came time for lunches, I obviously wanted to continue this trend. I know many parents struggle with what to send for lunches, so I have been documenting a selection of my daughter's lunches since January. 

A few notes:

• All of these lunches are prepared the morning of within about 10 minutes.
  
• I say 'lunches', but my daughter only goes to school for a half day (8:45-11:45) so it's really supposed to be her snack. However, I tend to pack a lot of food- some days it's all gone, some days it's barely touched. If she hasn't finished it, she will usually finish it when she gets home and some more food as well.
• Her Montessori school is home based, so there is no restriction on nuts. However, it is a vegetarian home so animal proteins (even eggs other than in baked goods) are restricted, so you will see a lot of nuts in her lunches. This is because I want her to get protein sources. When she does transition to the public setting, the nuts will be substituted for animal proteins- grilled chicken pieces, eggs, meatballs, etc.
• Like I've said before, I am a creature of habit. I do not pack completely different lunches every day. I do not have time for that. So, she tends to have variations of similar lunches and she will usually have the same lunch selection for a few days at a time before it is switched up based on groceries in the house. 
• I generally fill her lunch with fruits and veggies, add some nuts, limit grains and add in a 'treat'. A treat could be anything from raisins, to the "Granola Bars" or, on a more rare occasion, a baked good like a bit of cake.
• We avoid dairy for the most part. However, my daughter loves yogurt, probably because she never gets it, but the odd time I let her have it as a treat. 

(Left to Right/Top to Bottom)
1. Watermelon, Apples, Raisins, Cucumber, Rice Cake with Hummus (Sunflower Kitchens).
2. Apples, Cucumber, Raisins, Hazelnut crackers with almond butter and raspberry jam, oatmeal with unsweetened applesauce and cinnamon (unfinished from breakfast).
3. Carrots, Cucumber, Raisins, Almonds, 1/2 GF/DF Morning Glory muffin, Greek Yogurt.
4. Peppers, Rice Cake with Hummus, Blackberries, Grapes, Almonds, Chocolate Chips and Raisins.
5. Blackberries, Strawberries, Blueberries, Grapes, Almonds, Cucumber, Rice Cake with Hummus.
6. Strawberries, Cucumber, Cauliflower, Ranch Dip, Dark Chocolate Almond Butter "Granola Bar" (Against All Grain), Brownie.
7. Watermelon, Strawberries, Blueberries, Cucumber, Apples with Almond Butter, Raisins and Cinnamon.
8. Cauliflower, Cucumber, Hummus, Apples, Raisins, "Granola Bar", GF Cake.
9. Peppers, Strawberries, Cucumber, "Granola Bar".

(Left to Right/Top to Bottom)
1. Strawberries, Apples, Grapes, Almonds, Dried Fruit, Peppers, Cucumbers, Carrots.
2. Carrots, Cucumber, Almonds, Grapes, Strawberries, Oatmeal.
3. Blackberries, Strawberries, Peppers, Carrots, Cucumber, Raisins, "Granola Bar".
4. Apples, Strawberries, Blackberries, Grapes, Cucumber, Almonds and Dried Fruit.
5. Strawberries, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Peppers, Veggie Dip, "Granola Bar".
6. Almond Butter and Raspberry Jam Rice Cake Sandwich, Bananas, Strawberries, Cucumber, Almonds and Blackberries.
7. Hazelnut Crackers with Almond Butter and Raspberry Jam, Apples, Cucumber, Raisins.
8. Bananas, Strawberries, Grapes, Almonds, Cucumber, Avocado, Rice Cake.
9. Strawberries, Blackberries, Mango, Grapes, Apples, Cucumber, Almonds and Dried Fruit.

This was Monday's lunch- Carrots, Strawberries, Apples, Grapes, Mango, Blackberries, Gluten Free Pancake 'Sandwich' with Almond butter and Raspberry Jam. Her class spent the day at the Community Garden getting the soil ready for planting, so I wanted to pack extra fruit to help keep her hydrated! She ate everything, except for the pancake sandwich. She started the morning with Oatmeal (with unsweetened apple sauce, cinnamon, coconut almond milk, raisins and a few chocolate chips- her favourite), this for school lunch and then she came home and had eggs and more veggies and dip to finish her lunch! That would be a pretty typical day for her meal/food wise. And then of course dinner is whatever we are having!

The recipe for the Dark Chocolate Almond Butter "Granola Bars" can be found here at the Against All Grain Blog. Though the original recipe calls for peanut butter, I substitute almond butter and use semi sweet chocolate chips. These bars are amazing and work great because you can make a tray of them and just keep them in the freezer, cutting off pieces as needed. My daughter loves these! I also like to keep things like no bake cookie balls and other no bakes bars in the freezer for more treat options! I will usually add a scoop of Vegan protein (Sunwarrior Warrior Blend is my preference) to increase the protein in her lunch and make even her treats a bit healthier. Overall, I find my daughter loves her lunches and I do tend to ask her every morning what she would like or give her options of what she could have so she feels like she has a say in what she is eating. It is not uncommon for her to get home with a lunch box that looks like this...

...and I'm not complaining!!

Disclaimer: Naturopathic Doctors strive to provide individualized health care. The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing an ND for individualized health recommendations.

30 Days. 30 days of no sugar, grains, legumes, dairy, alcohol, processed foods or additives.
I completed my Whole 30 just over two weeks ago now. Throughout the 30 days, I got asked a lot of questions, I think the most popular being, "What do you eat!?" which I covered in my halfway mark post. This post is going to be my wrap up- what I learned, how I felt, how I feel now that I'm done, etc and the answers to the questions that have come up over the last 30 days.

How did you feel?
Honestly, I can't say I felt a whole lot different while I was on it. The original challenge says you will likely feel pretty junky the first week or so, however, I never really experienced this. I didn't notice much of a difference when I started, but this is likely because our diet is pretty clean to begin with- we don't really consume much gluten or bread, I have very minimal amount of dairy and I avoid all processed foods for the most part.

Was it hard?
Yes and no. It was hardest starting out because there was a lot more planning that had to go into it and a lot of 'staples' needed to be figured out- like mayo, ketchup, marinades, etc. There was a lot of label reading and a lot of realization just how many products contain sugar. (The answer= A LOT).  This was probably the most challenging part because we use marinades and spices for a lot of our cooking- even our favourite Jerk marinade which we have almost weekly contained sugar, so a lot of recipes/meals needed to be adjusted. However, once the ball started rolling on these it became a lot easier and a lot of the recipes we found we loved and will go into our regular rotation.

What did you miss the most?
Chocolate. Hands down, for me, chocolate. I craved it at the beginning, in the middle, at the end. I could do without the rest but the chocolate I missed. I also think this may be because I might be Magnesium deficient since I did notice more leg/calf cramping over the 30 days. I think this is probably because I am nursing and could benefit from a nutrient boost in general. Magnesium deficiency can present with chocolate cravings. However, I really love chocolate so it may just be that too...

Did you have 'tiger blood' in Week 3?
If you read the full Whole 30, they claim you will have a huge boost of energy by week 3- you will feel as though you have tiger blood. I also did not notice this just like I didn't notice the run down feeling at the beginning. I think this is again because I didn't feel badly before starting this and my energy has always been pretty good. Well it's as good as can be expected for having a 3 year old and 1 year old who still doesn't consistently sleep through the night. And my diet wasn't horrible to start with.

What I did notice
Though it was not my goal or the reason for doing this, I did lose weight and my pre-pregnancy clothes fit well again which is a great bonus. I also found that my skin was fantastic. Disclaimer: I do have pretty good skin to begin with but do tend to have the odd blemish here and there, however, while doing the Whole 30 I had no issues at all and I found my complexion improved as well. I also learned I can not tolerate a lot of eggs, at least not the amount I was eating on this diet. I ended up with a slight rash on my abdomen, I cut back on the eggs and it improved. 

Now that I'm finished
Since finishing, my diet has definitely gone a bit crazy- my last day was a Wednesday (though I broke and ate chocolate after dinner on Day 30), Thursday was our anniversary and my daughter's preschool Mother's Day celebration, Friday we took the in-laws to the ROM for the day, Saturday was my son's first birthday party and Sunday finished off with Mother's day. It was a sugar/gluten/dairy filled weekend!

Thursday kicked off with a Mother's Day celebration with my daughter's preschool at Rumbletum Cafe in Conestogo. We had the most incredible Lemon Blueberry Scones. Seriously, I am still thinking about them. However, within about 20 min, I felt terrible- nauseous, fatigued, bloating- just overall not great. Totally worth the amazing scones which I will have again, but still terrible. The rest of the weekend went similarly, however, nothing shocking. This is where I noticed the difference the most, when I added things back into my diet. Because I have done gluten/dairy free and hypoallergenic diets before, I did know what to expect. For myself, I know that I can tolerate dairy quite well- it's only if I gorge on it that it really affects me. My diet is very low in diary in general so I don't worry about this too much. When it comes to gluten, I can tolerate small amounts, but the less the better. Generally, I find if I have maybe one serving of gluten in a day, I'm fine, but if I was to have it more than that in a day, not so good and likely if I was doing this daily it would be worse. I also find my gluten sensitivity is worse if it's combined with sugar- think amazing scone. I find just the shear amount of sugar/starch is too much and I feel awful. Even now, about 2 weeks after finishing, my diet isn't back to where I want it to be as we've had my husband's parents staying with us from Ireland so our routine has been a bit thrown off and I can definitely feel it. We are slowly getting back on track and I do want to adopt a majority paleo/no sugar diet for our 'normal'.

Will I do this again?
Absolutely! I think it was a great experience and really not as hard as you might think. Again, once you have a bit of a game plan and get into it, it's actually pretty easy. I found this was a good time of year to do it (Spring) since a lot of fruits/veggies are coming in to season and bbq season is kicking off as well. I could live on grilled chicken and vegetables. I think this will become my 'detox' of choice as I still find sugar (chocolate) my greatest challenge. I am already planning my next round for September (Fall). However, I don't think I will do the full 30 days again, as I found it a bit long. Because I am going to make this a routine detox, I will probably do 14-21 days (2-3 weeks) instead to make it a bit more feasible, though I would recommend doing it for the full 30 days at least once. I will also add some liver support supplements as well once I am no longer nursing to really up the benefits. Overall, it was a great experience!


Disclaimer: Naturopathic Doctors strive to provide individualized health care. The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing an ND for individualized health recommendations.

As promised, since my first instalment of my favourite baby products was such a hit, I am going to follow it up with some more of the things we found amazing as our daughter grew! She is now 3.5 years old, in preschool and completely potty trained- so we've gone through a lot more stuff!

Potty Training

Potty: Is it just me or is the benefit of potty training that you don't have to deal with poo anymore? I don't really get the mini toilet potty's- you still have to dump them. Pass. For our 'potty' I knew what I wanted- the same toilet seat I remember having as a kid. We went with the Kiddyloo by Thermobaby. I love this thing! My daughter can go and do her business all by herself- she is even at the point where she can put it on the toilet herself. Again, the benefit of potty training is to get a little freedom- this gives both you and little this. I actually had a friend visit with a daughter the same age and she was amazed that her daughter went and used the washroom all on her own. Completely independent. She pretty much decided then that she needed one- we got ours at Snugglebugz again, but when she went to grab it, they didn't have them. However, it shows on their website that they are back in stock. But a quick google search shows there are other stores as well. It's amazing how much kids will step up when you give them the freedom to be independent. My daughter is able to go to the washroom whenever she needs to without assistance, and she does! I will note, when she first started really using it (around 2/2.5), I did obviously have to help her get up and down and pull down pants, etc. but again, because it just sits right on the real toilet, all you have to do is a flush- no emptying!

Portable Toilet Seat: This is definitely one of the best investments I have made! My daughter was completely potty trained by 2.5 years old. I became pregnant with my second right around her 3rd birthday. Trying to hold my 30 lbs 3 year old over an adult toilet so she wouldn't fall in was hard enough, add being hugely pregnant and nauseous to boot makes for not exactly an enjoyable washroom trip. This little seat I found at a local baby store is by Mommy's Helper called the Cushie Traveller, it's portable, folds right up and comes in a little carrying bag and just needs to be placed on top of a regular toilet and Voila! Toddler toilet! And for under $20! I have used this at restaurants, grocery stores, movie theatres, even while visiting friends'- because unless they have a toddler as well, there isn't a seat for them. It's small enough that I just leave it in my diaper bag and my daughter will even remind me to bring it when she needs to go to the washroom.


Training Pants: After 2+ years of cloth diapering, I wasn't about to start buying disposable training pants when we were so close to the end. I ended up getting a pair of Bummis Potty Training Pants. However, my daughter only wore that one pair a handful of times. When she did they worked. But for us, potty training was a bit all or nothing (which is totally my daughter's personality with everything). We went from lots of 'accidents' to one day her just deciding she was ready and boom, both day and night potty trained. I had her wear the pants maybe a few times to be sure but she didn't need them. To be honest, I kept putting a diaper on her overnight even after it had been dry in the morning until one night my husband and I went out and we didn't specify to the babysitter that she was to be put in a diaper before bed, so she wasn't. She woke up without an accident and never wore diapers again. However, I do feel like with my son, I will get more use out of that one pair and will probably invest in a few more- he's not so all or nothing- more like barrel ahead bull in a china shop kind of personality. But I would suggest holding off and seeing if you even need any kind of training pants at all or start with one like I did.

Eating

Glasslock: I love glass containers! I have an entire blog post on why we are anti-plastic here. We have switched out all of our plastic for Glasslock containers- which we get by the set at Costco. However, I also got a few wean green cube containers specifically for my daughter- in pink of course. I like these little containers a lot- they are small, easily portable and can be tossed and left in my diaper bag with some snacks. I also like that I have separate containers just for my kids stuff since it is easy to use up all the small Glasslock containers in the house- these I only use for kid stuff. I use these daily even now.

The main container is not sealed so 'juicier' things like watermelon will leak. The small round containers do have a silicone ring to make them leak proof so you can use them, I just don't bother, the little bit of liquid that might leak out is caught by the insulated bag anyways. I do however, use the leak proof containers for things like oatmeal or yogurt and they work perfectly. I figure my kids are going to be having school lunches for the next decade and a half so in the long run the cost was worth it. You can also buy the magnet sets separately so if they change interests, outgrow, just want a change or even lose them it's only a few dollars for a new set.

Water Bottles: I really don't know how it happened but we have accumulated a serious stash of water bottles! We have a mix of stainless steel Klean Kanteens, our glass Life Factor Bottles and even a stainless steel Thermos with a flip top and straw. All of them have strengths.

High Chair/Booster Seat: I prefer the look of wooden high chairs but I didn't want to shell out for one so I found a used one on kijiji which is perfect! Ours is an Eddie Bauer, it came pretty scratched but since we got it, it has definitely gotten more beaten up and caked with baby food on a regular basis. They are necessary evils because you obviously need one but they are bulky, take up space, heavy to move/not very portable, etc. Around a year or so, we switched from the full high chair to a Fischer Price booster seat we picked up at Toys R Us on sale. I like the booster seat more because it can be put on a regular chair so it doesn't take up extra space and there is no tripping over it. The child can also sit right at the table for meals which I really like and it's portable. However, I don't think it is nearly supportive enough to use with a 6 mos old, so I don't think it could replace the high chair, the main benefit is that you can get rid of the bulky high chair faster and the booster is way more convenient. Being able to have your child sit right at the table with you for meals is also great for establishing healthy meal time routines!

Washing

Tub: We bought our home as a fixer upper. Pretty much everything was original from 1975. It was like entering a time warp. When we renovated our bathroom we ripped out the bath fitter bath and shower stall and replaced it with just a shower and glass doors. We no longer had/have a bathtub. We registered for a little whale tub at our shower which we received and had used it until our daughter had well outgrown it. We had tried to just use the shower however, that was not as convenient at all. Between the too small whale tub and shower, we made due though. After a friend's son received a bunch of bath toys for his birthday, I decided I wanted a tub that I could bathe my daughter in and that she could actually play a bit in. The water in the whale barely covered her legs at that point. I was also pregnant and showering her became much harder and less of an option, so a tub made sense. I did a bit of research and found a foldable tub by Prince Lionheart. I love this tub. 

I have gotten a tonne of use out of it and now with my son I use it regularly. If we had a real bathtub this would be of zero use but since we don't it's a great replacement. The best part is that it folds flat and can be stored MUCH more conveniently than the whale tub. Because we had this tub, my son only used the whale tub for a short amount of time (maybe 4-5 months), as soon as he was able to sit up a bit we moved on. Even compared to a regular bath tub it has the benefit of being able to use WAY less water than is necessary to fill a full sized tub, which I also love. When they were really little/newborns I actually preferred just taking them in the bath with us and letting them float a bit (my midwife suggestion) but when that wasn't feesible/convenient I did find the whale tub very useful and since moving and having no full bath tub, a replacement option became more important. Though the foldable tub is on the small side, both my children can fit in- my daughter pretty much insists on bathing with her brother (see photographic proof above)! I wouldn't use the foldable tub for a newborn though, as I feel it would be a bit too challenging to wash and support them at the same time.

Products: This topic could be it's own blog post, and probably will, so I will keep this short and sweet. A lot of people will turn to the classic 'Baby Soap', you know the one(s) I am talking about. The down side of these is that they are usually loaded with chemicals including formaldehyde(!!!). They are pretty much the worst thing you can slather on you child. For my adult patients, I encourage removing all the chemicals from personal care products (phthalates, parabens, fragrance, etc.), for newborns/infants/children (even pregnancy) this is even more important since their detoxification pathways aren't matured yet. I favoured Pretty Cosmetics at the beginning- they are local (Toronto), completely chemical free, a good mom/baby line and reasonably priced. However, they can be a bit tricky to find, though online ordering is an option. Since my second child however, I have switched my skin care to Cocoon Apothecary they are VERY local (located in Kitchener), exceptionally clean and organic, very reasonably priced and work amazingly well! I love them so much I started stocking them in my practice so that patients would have access!

They don't do a separate baby line because all their products are so clean they can be used on any age without concern. My daughter loves to be my shadow and insists on putting on special 'see-mum' (serum) with me at night, and I let her, because it is simply organic Rosehip oil. Cocoon also does bar soap (my preference as it is much less likely to contain 'extra stuff') however, it is only available at their retail outlet. There are some other great Mom/Baby companies such as Earth Mama, Angel Baby or Dr Bronner's Castile Soap which are much more accessible and have amazingly clean products as well. And, you can always check your products toxicity rating at Skin Deep by EWG. This is an area where you do not want to skimp!

Sleep

Nightlight: I never volunteered a nightlight. However, around 2.5 years old, my daughter started to dislike the dark and wanted a light. My hesitation with standard nightlights is that they plug in and are on all night which is not good for melatonin production and sleep. Whether it's an adult or a child, sleep should happen in as dark a room as possible. We ended up getting her a Cloud B Lady Bug Nightlight. I went with this one because it can double as a comfort toy, it projects the constellations on the ceiling and the best part, it automatically shuts off after 45 min. It does NOT play sound, it simply lights up and has exactly 4 buttons- on/off and 3 buttons for the different colours- pink, green and purple. It does it's job perfectly- it is on long enough for my daughter to fall asleep and then she is still sleeping the entire night in darkness. I also find it really handy when she wakes in the night and needs to use the bathroom or if she isn't feeling well because you can easily just press a button and there is enough light to see but not enough to really stimulate and wake you or her up. Hers sits on her night stand so it's always accessible. It's portability is also a huge plus and I have found it has helped with being comfortable sleeping in a 'new' place, like visiting grandparents. I like to use gift giving holidays to give things that I wanted to get anyways- she got hers as her Easter present last year (this year she got a suit case, lol).

Things We Passed On

Feeding: Again, aside from our stainless steel plate/bowl/mug set and silicone covered spoons, we don't have any different items. Both kids use regular plates, cups and silverware just fine, though I do have ikea stuff for them just incase it breaks. We also started letting our daughter use a dull butter knife around 2.5 years of age and now she will prepare snacks/chop fruit all by herself!

Toddler Bed: I don't see the point in a toddler bed, so we didn't bother- we got her a twin bed frame (second hand) but spent the money again on an organic mattress. We simply use a bed rail to make sure she doesn't roll out.

Double Stroller: My husband has pretty much completely veto-d this idea, since we have barely used our single stroller. I feel like it may come in handy as my kids get bigger and heavier and eventually uncomfortable to carry but then again, anywhere we go where there will be a lot of walking (like a zoo) you can usually rent some kind of wagon for the day. I am leaning more towards getting the 'skateboard' attachment for the stroller we already have which will probably do the trick when needed. We'll see...

Disclaimer: Naturopathic Doctors strive to provide individualized health care. The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing an ND for individualized health recommendations.

Today is Day 15 of my Whole 30. The halfway mark. Fifteen days of no dairy, no grains, no legumes, no preservatives and no sugar (even natural maple syrup, honey, etc). I decided I wanted to do the Whole 30 since having my second child. He turned one this past Saturday and for the last year, I have been eating too much sugar and craving sugar after meals. I didn't want to feel like that anymore and I really wanted to cut down on the sugar so, The Whole 30 seemed perfect. I have to admit our diet is pretty clean to begin with- limited gluten and dairy and aside from my sweet tooth, not much sugar, so I haven't actually found this diet too hard to do. I miss chocolate, sure, but I was very motivated to make the change so I find every time I want sugar, it almost reinforces my desire to break the habit and increases my willpower. There is however, a lot I have learned in the last 15 days both with recipes and things I plan to continue indefinitely and things I know I won't. I have also gotten the comments, "Why are you doing that to yourself" or "So what are you eating"- well I answered the why above, but I will also share the what I've been eating as well. Here is my half way mark insights:

What I Have Been Eating

I have actually been loving what I am eating! And pretty much all the new recipes we have tried, we have been super happy with and plan on keeping them in our regular rotation. Here's a little photo recap of most of our meals (I tend to be a creature of habit and can eat the same left overs for days without complaint so I don't have photos of every meal since there would be a lot of overlap and some days I just forgot to photo!).

This is a good array of the meals we have been eating- from left to right and top to bottom:

1. Veggie Scramble with homemade ketchup, 2. Spinach salad with chicken and apples with cinnamon and almond butter, 3. Lemon Pepper Salmon with hollandaise and steamed broccoli, 4. Chicken Fajitas with salsa and homemade guac and coleslaw, 5. Mixed greens salad with sunflower seeds and chicken, 6. Bun-less burgers with baked sweet potato 'fries' and coleslaw, 7. Egg Salad with Almond rosemary crackers and field green salad with sunflower and pumpkin seeds, 8. Chicken Korma with cauliflower rice, 9. Coconut ginger chicken 'stew' with broccoli, cauliflower and green beans, 10. Marinated grilled chicken with grilled peppers and coleslaw, 11. Left Over Coconut ginger chicken stew with raw veggies and apple slices; 12. Grilled marinated chicken with grilled peppers and mushrooms and field green salad, 13. Sun dried Tomato Meatballs with steamed broccoli, 14. L/O Meatballs with mixed green salad, 15. Turkey Burgers with grilled pineapple, baked sweet potato 'fries and coleslaw, 16. Scrambled eggs with sautéed peppers and onion, bacon and apple slices with almond butter, 17. Apple Slices with cinnamon and almond butter (a dessert), 18. L/O Turkey burger with pineapple, mixed green salad and raw veggie slices, 19. Marinated grilled chicken with grilled peppers and baked kale 'chips', 20. Scrambled eggs, field green salad, sautéed mushrooms and onions and bacon.

I dare anyone to say that those meals look boring. Some are breakfast, some are lunch and some are dinner but all have been delicious!

Flops and Learning Curves

Mayonnaise: I never really liked mayonnaise growing up but then I met my Irish husband. The Irish put mayonnaise on everything. Mashed potatoes and mayo is potato salad, mayo based coleslaw, baked potatoes get mayo not sour cream, they will even slather bread with mayonnaise and have a mayo sandwich. You can also find turkey/stuffing/mayo mixed and put on bread to form a pretty much bread/mayo sandwich at any gas station, grocery store or airport in Ireland! Needless to say I have come around and it is probably my guiltiest pleasure. However, the processed conventional stuff is filled with not great ingredients- from junk canola oil to preservatives to sugar. It's not exactly a health food. However, by making it yourself, you can skip all the added junk and make a spread that isn't all that bad- it's really only eggs and oil, and on this Whole 30 it's pretty non-negotiable since you will be hard pressed to find a pre-made version that is compliant. I did my research and decided the immersion blender method looked the best- and most difficult to screw up. My first 2 attempts were disasters. They were egg/oil soup. The problem was the mixing jar. Our immersion blender was my husbands before we even met and it did not come with a blending jar (or so I am told). So I first tried using a magic bullet cup- it was too small so it didn't let the oil down into the blade and when I lifted the blade to get the oil- disaster. Next I tried a jar we had from honey- it was too wide and allowed too much to mix, too fast without creating the emulsion. Apparently, you can't just buy the mixing jar and I did not want to buy a second immersion blender just to get the jar. Then I found this blog with instructions. She used a wide mouthed 500mL mason jar. Perfect. I popped out to Canadian Tire and bought the mason jar (actually 12 of them since they are only sold by the case of course but glass mason jars are my storage of choice so c'est la vie). This time, nailed it! And I have done multiple batches since without fail. And it's already in the storage container, soooo convenient. My first few I just used egg, lemon juice, salt and pepper. They were good but not like the standard Hellman's. So I found a copycat recipe and have tweaked it a bit to get what I think is almost identical. I use:

• 1 egg
• 3 tsp white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 cup light olive oil

You can mix all the ingredients into the mason jar in that order preferably. Give it a minute to settle. Place your immersion blender over the egg yolk and press it all the way to the bottom of the jar. Switch it on and just hold it there. I am extra paranoid about it turning to soup so I go painfully slow. I hold the blender down for a good 30 seconds and will ever so slowly then start to raise the edges of the blender to try and encourage more of the oil down. Once I am getting no more oil movement, I will slowly start to raise it slightly to encourage more down. When I'm finally left with only a few tbsp of oil on top I'll try to start mixing it a bit. The whole process probably takes me a good 1-1.5 minutes and I NEVER stop the blender until it's done. A few notes: the light olive oil is VERY important as apparently the extra-virgin version makes a very bitter terrible mayonnaise. I did not try this, I took everyone's word for it and stuck with light. Do the same. Yes, this uses raw egg. I am fine with that since we get our eggs local from St Jacobs and the risk of salmonella is extremely low (1 in 20,000 eggs). However, you can apparently find pasteurized eggs (in the shell) but I haven't looked for them. Honestly, I don't think I will ever purchase mayonnaise again. It's so easy to make and I find more convenient to just make more than to go out and buy more and I get to control the ingredients!

Turkey Burger Mush: You may notice in the photos above that the turkey 'burgers' look more like cooked ground beef than burgers. That's because they were. They turned pretty mushy and wouldn't hold their shape at all. I went back to the original recipe, and read that if you use fresh pineapple juice then you can not let them marinade longer than 30 min or they turn to mush. The author's hypothesis is it may be the enzymes in fresh pineapple juice that is to blame. Well, I didn't buy juice at all, I simply pureed some of the pineapple I had bought for the rings in the bullet and added that. And after reading that and thinking about it, it makes perfect sense. Pineapple is a source of bromelain which is often used as a digestive enzyme. All pineapple juice you would get in the grocery stores would be pasteurized which would destroy enzymatic activity. But fresh pineapple would have all it's enzymes intact, hence turning my turkey meat to mush. Though the texture wasn't great, the flavour was and I will definitely try this recipe again but this time just leave out the pineapple juice in the patty completely.

Compliant Bacon: A lot of people are surprised to hear that bacon contains sugar. It does. We usually get our bacon from Dar's at St Jacob's Farmers Market. When I started this I went in and asked if it contained sugar. The man who makes the bacon said no but dextrose (a simple sugar) is used. I passed and went to Goodness Me where I had seen a brand that had no sugar, Mark's Mennonite Meats. I actually ended up meeting Mark as he had a little sample booth set up at Goodness Me, and was able to speak with him. His bacon also contained dextrose, however, it wasn't on the label because it was undetectable. It is added because the meat is cured with live culture/bacteria and dextrose is added to feed the bacteria. However, it's consumed by the bacteria so it won't actually be in the final product. So, moral of the story, added dextrose is fine and we have been using both Dar's and Mark's.

Thing's I'll Maintain and Things I Won't

• I miss chocolate. It's probably the thing I miss the most. I love chocolate. I will not be sugar free forever. It's not realistic. However, I will be a lot more mindful about where I am getting sugar and making choices to decrease that amount. I will also make a larger effort to find 'treats' that are healthier- like chocolate protein balls made with dates- that I can have throughout the week so I don't feel deprived but I am not overloading my body with sugar either.
• I will continue to make my own mayonnaise but I won't keep making my own ketchup. It's a lot more work and for the amount we consume, there is no point- a batch only lasts 2-3 weeks and we only use it for a few things that we don't eat often.
• I will continue to drink my coffee with only coconut milk and/or cream and skip the cream and sugar unless out or as a 'treat.'
• I am glad to have gotten back into having healthier snacks like raw nuts and dried fruit instead of grabbing sweets. I will continue that. (I also love that my 3 year old LOVES these types of 'treats').
• I will go back to having the majority of my breakfasts be protein smoothies. I love them and miss them. Especially with summer coming and both my 3 year old and 1 year old love them as well which makes breakfast fast and easy for us!
• I will continue to try to use cauliflower rice instead of regular rice. The one day I was too lazy to put it in the food processor (and I didn't want to have to wash it after) so I just chopped it finely and sautéed and done- actually faster than making rice and delicious!
• I will continue to highly limit dairy. Though this is something that I do generally so not a huge revelation.

Overall, my husband and I agree that we will strive to continue to be grain and sugar free throughout the week and be less strict/indulge a bit on the weekends. We want to get to a point where being grain/sugar free is second nature. And yes, both my husband and my children are doing this 'diet' as well for the most part. My children still have oatmeal with unsweetened apple sauce and cinnamon for breakfast and will have rice cakes and hummus for snacks. However, because we all eat the same dinner and usually lunches, the majority of their meals are Whole 30. And no, I am not concerned about this not being healthy for them- increasing vegetables will never be unhealthy. I feel great eating this way and I know the weekend I end (actually my last day is a Wednesday, Thursday is our wedding anniversary, Saturday my son's first birthday party and Sunday Mother's Day) I will be indulging...a lot...and I'll probably feel like garbage. So by Monday I will be more than ready to get back on the train.

The big question though, will I do this again? Absolutely. I think this will actually be my 'detox' of choice.

Disclaimer: Naturopathic Doctors strive to provide individualized health care. The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing an ND for individualized health recommendations.