Blog - Susan Kingston-Registered Holistic Nutrition Coach

Valentine`sDay--Take Good Care of Your Heart!

2/13/2018

Valentine`s Day--Take Good Care of Your Heart!

Today is a great day to focus on Heart Health, and I`d like to share a few tips with you to help keep this part of you strong and healthy!

1. Food Intake:
Eat heart healthy foods--lots of fresh organic vegetables, foods rich in healthy fats such as salmon, avocado, coconut oil, chia, flax or hemps seeds. The seeds are also rich in fibre, supporting all systems.
Making sure you are hydrated is essential, as is a high level of electrolytes or minerals in the body. Fresh vegetable juices with a variety of dark leafy greens will supply the body with an ample amount of minerals, and a quality sugar free coconut water can work as a wonderful electrolyte.

2. Supportive Supplements:
Omega 3 supports the cardiovascular system by keeping cholesterol levels balanced and by supporting blood flow.
A good quality multi-vitamin is very important to ensure proper mineral and vitamin levels, supporting all functions of the cardivascular system.
Garlic capsules will also support blood pressure and flow, as will hawthorn berry which comes in capsules or tea.

3. Nutrient 'L'
No matter what you do, don`t forget the most potent of all Heart Healthy nutrients--LOVE!
Make sure you share this nutrient with those close to you, and have gratitude for their contribution to your life---studies have shown the impact of love on humans, and the absolute necessity of it!

Happy Valentine`s Day Everyone!

Brain and Body Booster Tip

3/9/2017

Today I want to talk a little bit about upcoming spring cleansing. Most of us just can't wait to get outdoors more, without lugging a heavy coat and bundling up! As with the heavy clothes we get to shed in the spring, we can also shed the extra 5 pounds along with the sluggishness in our systems built up from the long , more sedentary winter months.

I'd like to share a few tips to begin over the next few weeks to lighten the load, raise the energy levels and lift the spirits;

1. Drink 8 glasses of room temperature water per day between meals, starting with a full glass first thing upon wakening. Water aids our bodies with removing toxic build up, and without removing toxins, we simply cannot reduce our weight if that is a goal. Toxins are stored in fat cells--so the more toxins, the more fat cells....
Removing toxins from the system also clears the fog from our brains, lifts our mood, and can even change our perspective from a negative outlook to a positive one, helping us to be more creative and productive. This internal lift will also have a wonderful impact on relationships, as we become more empathetic, co-operative, patient and loving with those around us!
Just water huh?1 Who'da thunk? ;-)

Adding 1-2 drops lemon essential oil to your morning and evening water will boost the effect of detox, supporting the liver in doing it's job. (Please remember, not all oils are created equal, and I do not promote oils which are not Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade. Inquire by email about the brand I use in my practice)

2. Eat your Veggies! Lots and lots of organic veggies! Vegetables are packed with anti-oxidants, enzymes, vitamins, minerals and water; all needed for proper functioning of all systems in the body. If you are sluggish-check your veggie intake. You should be eating a variety of vegetables, cooked and raw; at least 2/3 of your food intake!

3. Lower the carbs, eliminate the processed foods. Starches and sugar slow the body down, and pack on the weight. 'Bad" Bacteria such as Candida and other yeasts and molds thrive on starches and sugars, and the more processed the food, the more sugar it turns to into your system and the more food for bad bacteria! Cut the carbs way back--to less than 10% of your diet. Even fruits should be eaten in small quantities, as, unfortunately, they turn to sugar as well.

4. Eat wild caught fish, seafood, organic poultry and grass fed beef in small amounts, as the body can process these proteins well. They are low in toxins, do not feed bad bacteria, and do not cause blood sugar fluctuations. Keeping blood sugar stable helps with weight loss, and mood control.

5. Eat a healthy dose of good fats, such as coconut oil, avocado, fish, organic eggs, small amounts of seeds and nuts. These fats aid in weight loss, brain function, nervous system regulation, and immune function.

6. Lactic acid fermented vegetables such as sauerkraut and others are excellent food for the good bacteria in your gut. The stronger the good bacteria, the stronger all systems! All gut bacteria matters because all bacteria excretes after it eats....just like us! But here's the catch-bad bacteria excretes toxins, and good bacteria excretes B-Vitamins which are vital to supporting our nervous system and brain!

7. Lastly, supplementation during a cleanse with herbs, essential oils, vitamins, minerals and others can really spur along the process! Next time I will go over some supportive supplements to get you reaching your goals quicker and more efficiently!

All the best on this blustery windy Thursday!

Brain and Body Booster Tip for Christmas

12/20/2016

Hi Everyone!

It's been quite some time since I wrote, so I thought I should drop a big hello, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year as we wrap up 2016!

Today I will share a little about two wonderful essential oils that come to mind as we celebrate this time of year:

Frankincense and Myrrh.
As we all know the story of Jesus' birth; these were the two essential oils that were brought to the Christ child as gifts from the three wise men. Even thousands of years ago essential oils were used for their therapeutic and healing properties, and these were two very valuable oils, and still are. So here is a little information for you to find out why these oils were so valuable, and what they can do for us now in our daily lives.

Frankincense
Renowned as one of the most prized and precious essential oils, Frankincense has extraordinary health benefits. In addition to its notoriety in the New Testament, the Babylonians and Assyrians would burn Frankincense in religious ceremonies and the ancient Egyptians used Frankincense resin for everything from perfume to salves for soothing skin. This centuries-old knowledge contributes to the modern uses of Frankincense today. It’s soothing and beautifying properties are used to rejuvenate skin and help reduce the appearance of imperfections. As the king of oils, Frankincense is known to support healthy cellular function*. When inhaled or diffused, Frankincense promotes feelings of peace, relaxation, satisfaction, and overall wellness.

Frankincense can be wonderful when used topically (1-2 drops in a carrier oil rubbed on bottom of feet or on heart chakra) or diffused during stressful events to ease tension and for a grounding effect.

Myrhh
Ancient records show that Myrrh was deemed so valuable that at times it was valued at its weight in gold. Myrrh essential oil is derived from the gummy resin of the small, thorny Myrrh tree and has been used for centuries for its internal and external health benefits. Myrrh has been used throughout history as a perfume, incense, and health aid. It was also employed in embalming and religious ceremonies. Myrrh has powerful cleansing properties, especially for the mouth and throat. It is also soothing to the skin—promoting a smooth, youthful-looking complexion—and promotes emotional balance and well-being.*

For more information on how to use Frankincense and Myrrh go to;
doterra.com/US/en/blog/spotlight-myrrh-oil
doterra.com/US/en/blog/spotlight-frankincense-oil

Information from doTERRA international. *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Body Booster Tip

6/16/2016

Today I would just love to share an article from Dr. Axe, who is a wonderful blogger and essential oil Expert!!

Click the link and read below;

https://draxe.com/fennel-essential-oil/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

Essential Oils--Brain and Body Booster Tip

5/18/2016

As many of you know,I have recently added a certain brand of supplements and essential oils to my practice and am blown away by the results and research behind them. I am specifically impressed with the quality of these natural alternatives to medicine and the power it gives people to take their health into their own hands, not to mention the vitamins, omega 3, non-toxic body products, and cleaning products. The versatility of these particular essential oils has made it a valuable addition to my practice and my own life.
My hopes are that, over time, many of you can take the power of your health in your own hands!
I would like to share a few links on some information about the power of essential oils. There are 2 talks specifically that I feel are really worth listening to, whether you are one of my clients, or as an individual, a parent, a caregiver or even a practitioner.
These 2 Doctors are talking about oils used therapeutically and I was astounded at the research behind it all. They do not advocate any one company but stress the importance of making sure you are choosing quality products tested properly and therapeutic grade. (which points to only one company in North America)
Dr. Josh Axe talks about oils and leaky gut, thyroid and adrenal failure which are classic issues I see in my clients all the time, along with the use of oils for the nervous system. Go to the interviews and click on the image to listen.
Dr. Sayer talks about oils used for cancer and research behind oils.
Both doctors talk about the importance of Certified Therapeutic Grade oils and 3rd party testing which is incredibly important and not something I was aware of before even as a practitioner.
I have seen excellent results with these oils in my practice and in my own family. Many of my clients and colleagues are already successfully using the products.
Take the time to listen---as you cook, clean, drive, whatever---it's worth it--not to mention how much you learn about taking your own health into your own hands;
http://drericz.com/eor-vip

Also on a webinar series called The Truth About Cancer a few weeks ago, there was some great and credible information. Here is the link for this;
https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/cancer-benefits-lavender-essential-oil/
https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/frankincense-and-cancer/

One last thing--The results I have seen for stress, anxiety and depression and energy surpass anything I have used so far with my clients, and the effect is almost immediate when the oils are inhaled by diffusion or by rubbing on the body in a carrier oil! Happy to share!
If you would like to know more,or how to get these products, feel free to contact me, and I will share more with you. This company actually makes being healthy affordable which I know is often an issue ;-).
I'm very happy to be able to share quality, credible plant based medicine to help everyone I am connected to with their health goals--body and mind.
All the best!
Susan

Brain and Body Booster Tip

5/14/2016

Seasonal Allergies!

Tis the season....for some people!

On this beautiful sunny spring day I would like to share some tips on controlling symptoms of allergies, and also on beginning to get to root of why they are there. Spring is a tough season for many people and they suffer through many unnecessary aggravations such as itchy eyes, runny nose and sneezing, blocked nose, respiratory issues, exema, hives, foggy thinking and more. Most people think it is due to the new growth of grass, trees, weeds and flowers with their pollen, but truly, it is caused by our system's reaction to these harmless events because of a compromised and hyperactive immune system. We have the ability to control and even reverse this epidemic!

Our immune system starts in our gut and has everything to do with what we are experiencing. Many people are exposed to processed food and sugar daily, antibiotics in their food, as well as prescribed excessively by their MD.

Antibiotics alter and kill the good bacteria in our intestinal system as well as killing the bad bacteria. When we alter or kill our good bacteria, it effects many important processes, such as digestion, absorption, and neuro-transmitter production. It also lays the foundation for bad bacteria to have an easier time multiplying, creating a vicious cycle. Also, many people eat foods that stress our digestive systems, and feed the wrong kind of bacteria, exacerbating the problem immensely. In short, when our digestion is effected it compromises our immune system as well as when our friendly bacteria is weak. This happens by something called leaky gut. When our gut is compromised it can cause a permeability of the intestinal lining which allows large proteins to get into the bloodstream. The immune system sees these proteins as invaders and goes on attack. The serious problems arises when this continues repeatedly. After constantly having to attack these large proteins, the immune system starts to get fatigued and hyperactive, and begins to be on constant attack, losing its deciphering abilities. It begins to see harmless proteins as invaders as well, and attacks those. It can even begin to see its own tissues as invaders, and that is where autoimmune disease can set in.

Flowers, grass, weeds, trees and pollen (as well as pet hair) are harmless and we can literally stop reacting to them when we heal our gut and balance our immune system.

A few remedies you can start with, (as you clean up your diet and heal your gut that is) are these;
Avoid high histamine foods which exacerbate symptoms (foods such as cured meats, vinegar, fermented foods)
A really good multi-vitamin, non-GMO, and made from whole foods with a proper balance and the right sources of vitamins and minerals
Omega 3
Essential oils from a company that has therapeutic grade tested oils that can be taken internally to lower histamine such as lemon, peppermint and lavender.
Nettle tea which also supports histamine balance.

So my friends, this is actually the short version on allergies, and I do highly suggest that you get personal guidence from a Naturopath or Nutritionist to guide you, as there are many individualized causes and therefore not one treatment works for everyone!

For the best multi-vitamin and essential oils that I have researched and had success with, please feel free to comment, or email/call directly and I will give you details.

Happy weekend!

Brain and Body Booster Tip

4/20/2016

The other day I sat with a group of new mothers at Harmony Health Centre and had a chat about some great home remedies for babies and Moms. One of the home remedies we talked about was lavender essential oil.

Recently, I was introduced by a friend to a company providing pure quality therapeutic grade essential oils, and I was very impressed with the results I had by just trying them myself. I had not ever had success with lavender before although I had tried it many times with brands I bought over the counter at health food stores. I had not added essential oils to my practice because of this, other than tea tree oil recommendations for fungus, and peppermint for recipes and what have you. But when I tried the lavender from this particular company I was seeing results, and immediate results at that! I dove into why this may be and learned more about why these oils were so different. The main factor being that these oils are grown in their indigenous environment, meaning that they are grown where they originated which increases their potency. Along with this fact was the distillation process and the strict guidelines around it enforced by the company.

I began to experiment with an array of the oils and found that across the board I was getting excellent results. I also found that, for clients, this was much more cost effective as you only need a drop--which goes a long way!

So back to lavender, a wonderful life giving essential oil;

For babies lavender can be used to help relax and calm, and promote sleep. The best way to use it would be to put a drop or 2 in a tsp of carrier oil such as almond, fractionated coconut oil or even olive oil, and rub it on their feet. The body absorbs the lavender through the skin and does its magic!

For adults, a wonderful way to reduce anxiety is to place 1 drop on your heart chakra a few times a day and feel a sense of easiness come over you. Adding a drop of frankincense along with it helps the feeling of a grounding experience where one can put worries to the side and focus on the task at hand easier. Of course, rubbing on the feet in a carrier oil will also help Mom and Dad sleep as well! :-)
Lastly, bathing in a bath before bed with epsom salts and lavender oil is most relaxing, pampering and will promote a lovely night's sleep.

All the best and stay tuned for my next tip on allergies and remedies to help get through the season!

Brain and Body Booster Tip

4/1/2016

DEPRESSION!

Hi Everyone!
It has been such a long time since I wrote anything, and I apologize for that! I will try to connect more often :-)

Today I will give some Brain and Body Booster Tips on how to ease some of the symptoms that go along with circumstantial depression.

Sometimes life can get pretty hard and often we struggle and struggle against what seems like an endless array of challenges, be it money (a big one for many!), time and overwhelm, children, jobs, businesses, family, etc.....

At times many of us feel defeated and things can take such a toll that we lose our optomism and hope and energy to keep working at it. Bleak as it may be, I want you to know there are things you can do to move through this, and ways to make the hard times easier, decreasing the time spent in depression and increasing your chances to come out the other side quicker, regaining creativity and your j'oi de vive.

First of all, be aware: be aware of all of the good things in your life and try to feel as much gratitude as you can. Be aware of the fact that EVERYONE is up against really tough things for periods in their lives, and No One gets out unscathed. Sometimes simply looking around at everyone's struggles and having compassion for others can bring some balance to our own sad or negative thoughts and perceptions.

Secondly, love yourself and support yourself as much as you can. Nice warm baths in epsom salts with some beautiful essential oils such as lavender and frankincense can often reduce stress and lift mood, paving the way for a good night's rest. Getting out in nature and going for walks in the woods can be super refreshing and renewing, especially if you have a great dog to share it with ;-)--their happiness is often contagious! Or small children also can make our day; watching them play and putter around splashing in puddles and marvelling at pretty stones on the ground, appreciating the simple things. Talking to friends , or actually just listening to friends who may be upbeat and excited about life can give us a healthier outlook on our own lives as well.

And thirdly, never to be discounted is the power of nutrition. Remember to feed yourself at regular intervals throughout the day with nutrient dense foods such as grass fed beef, organic eggs, fish, seafood, poultry, organic organ meats, a large variety of fresh organic vegetables, nuts and seeds, and small quantities of fruits. Avoid quick fixes such as processed foods, sugary snacks and coffee. These tend to feel good in the moment, but cause a blood sugar crash thereafter and exacerbate depression and anxiety.
Certain supplements can be a god send at times such as these; magnesium can calm the mind and relax the body, B-Vitamins can aid with stress and overwhelm, and lift energy and spirits, and omega 3 can clear the mind and calm the nerves. I suggest at the very least a good base multi-vitamin and omega 3 during these times be implemented into your daily regime. (Of course, always ask your natural health consultant for advice on the best choice for you).

Now remember--This too shall pass, and it's ok not to be ok sometimes!

All the best! Happy Weekend!

Brain and Body Booster Tip Recipe!

2/19/2016

A recipe to share today!

Happy Weekend!

I would love to share this delicious vegetable dish today for those looking for a new and dynamic taste this weekend!

1 Fennel bulb chopped in large chunks
6 large purple carrots sliced
1 lb mushroom halved
2 inches garlic chopped small
SAN-J gluten free Orange Sauce

Instructions:

It's so easy! Place all vegetables in a wok, stir fry 7 minutes or until tender, and add a few tablespoons of SAN-J gluten free Orange Sauce, stir in and serve!
Serving with salmon sautéed with ginger and tamari makes a wonderful combo!

Brain and Body Booster Tip

2/5/2016

Gratitude and Affirmations!

Hi Everyone!
I hope you are all enjoying the spring like weather! I, personally, am hoping for more snow, as I am getting out downhill skiing as much as humanly possibly this winter now that my knee is whole and healed! This brings me great joy and something to feel grateful for all winter, even on the coldest of days!

Today I would like to share a feeling with you that can be derived by pure and simple gratitude and affirmations, and the power of such. This feeling is the key to bringing happiness and abundance into our lives by the vibration we put out to the Universe. The Secret, as you will, is matching our vibration with the high vibration of abundance, love and happiness--and the trick is to truly feel it in our soul, no matter what outer appearances are in our lives.

This video is my gift to you today as a wonderful Brain and Body Booster Tip because the happier we are, the healthier we are--body and mind!

Enjoy!!

https://vimeo.com/126467196?from=outro-embed