Lifestyle Medicine at Ocean View Family Practice

04/15/2026

NUTRITION
RECIPES
CRISPY LENTILS

😋 This is one of my favorite ways to add lentils to my diet. If you’re looking for something other than lentils in a soup, salad, or stew, you’re in the right place!

😋 This recipe requires opening & draining a can of lentils, adding whatever herbs or spices you like, and putting them in the oven. Simple as that.

😋 The result is a bowl of crispy & flavorful lentils that you can top your salads with, add to wraps, or really, just eat them out of the bowl as a snack. (Which is what tends to happen in my house!)

😋 Keep in mind that the flavors in the recipe are just a suggestion. You can literally make these with any flavor profile you like…. Italian seasoning? Taco spices? Asian twist? Go for it! Try out different flavors and see what you like!

04/15/2026

We are revamping our recipes. The new format will look like these below. Eventually, they will all have this visual. You will be able to find different recipes by searching for color…. For example, all our sauces will be the lovely yellow color you see in the silicon tofu pasta sauce recipe below. Enjoy!

04/14/2026

EXERCISE SNACKS LATE IN THE DAY
Join me for some movement to help fight stiffness, fatigue and decreased focus at the end of the work day.

04/12/2026

STRESS MANAGEMENT
****This Tuesday, April 14, class is FULL****
****Note time change: 7-8pm****

🙏 Our upcoming Monthly Mindful Meditation (MMM) session this Tuesday is a special event featuring certified yoga instructor, Valerie Dolhanty, who will lead us in a Yoga Nidra session.

🙏 Everyone who registered for this event during our March MMM session has been called and attendance confirmed.

🙏 Please bring a yoga mat, blanket & pillow. Ideally, Yoga Nidra is done while lying down, so bring whatever you need to get comfortable.

🙏 The session is free, and all the MMM will continue to be free, however we are now gratefully accepting donations at the door. Any donations will help us continue to offer our programs at no cost.

🙏 For those who are interested but could not register, the session will be recorded and a link will be posted later this week.

🙏 Looking forward to seeing you Tuesday at 7Pm!

04/09/2026

NUTRITION & PLANETARY HEALTH

🌎 We all know that climate change is taking its toll on our planet and its inhabitants. Instead of feeling hopeless, let’s take action!

🤔 Did you know that food production is responsible for 1/4 of all greenhouse gas emissions leading to climate change?

🤔 Did you know that a University of Oxford study found that meat and other animal products are responsible for more than 1/2 of food related greenhouse gas emissions, even though they only provide 1/5 of the calories we eat and drink?

🌎 Decreasing meat and dairy products in our diets can reduce our individual carbon footprints from food by two thirds!

🌎 “What we eat is one of the most powerful drivers behind most of the world’s major environmental issues, whether it’s climate change or biodiversity loss”, says Oxford researcher Joseph Poore.

🌎 Let’s make a difference together. Join the “1 Million Tables for the Planet” initiative! All we need to do is enjoy a single plant-based meal sometime during the month of April. We each register our table on the site, and watch our table appear as a light on their global map!

🌎 As I am posting this, there are 2049 registered tables, but only 1 in Cape Breton- me. 😳

🌎 Will you be having a plant-based meal sometime this month? Do you want to register your table and appear on the map? Let’s put Cape Breton on the map!!

://1milliontables.org/?utm_id=120243888880690734&utm_medium=paid&utm_source=ig&utm_content=120244389767660734&utm_term=120244264796240734&utm_campaign=120243888880690734

Register your table and enjoy one plant-based meal during Earth Month (April). A potluck. A simple dinner. However you gather, it counts.

04/09/2026

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
EXERCISE SNACKS WITH REBECCA

Join me and my fabulous office manager, Rebecca for wall pushups!

04/09/2026

NUTRITION
RECIPES
LENTIL, KALE & APPLE SALAD

😋 This delicious salad came together with leftovers I had in the kitchen. I had cooked lentils waiting to be eaten, but you can use canned lentils.

😋 You can also make this without the kale, or substitute for any other greens you may have.

😋 Likewise, the apple could be switched out for berries, or even craisins

😋 Kale works well with the dressing because it has a hint of sweetness to counteract some of the bitterness from the kale. (If you’ve never tried kale before, I highly recommend it with this dressing! So good!)

😋 I use plant based feta- and included a photo of the one I had on hand (Daiya brand). However, it’s not my favorite. The Spread’em brand works best for me (and is the one we used in our lentil cooking cloth for the Mediterranean salad). Screenshot of the package from The Atlantic superstore website .

😋 Let me know if you try it & what you think!

04/08/2026

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

🏃‍♀️ Check out the class being offered by our very own Freedom To Move instructor, Valerie Dolhanty! These are sure to be great classes with lots of learning (and laughter!)

💪 Join Me for POWER HOUR this May!

Looking to stay strong, steady, and confident? This class is designed especially for aging adults who want to stay active, independent, and feel their best!

✨ POWER HOUR: Strong • Steady • Confident
Through safe and effective exercises, you’ll:
✔ Improve strength
✔ Boost balance
✔ Support heart health
✔ Move with confidence

This welcoming and supportive class is perfect for all fitness levels—come as you are!

📍 Location: North Sydney Legion (16 Archibald Ave, North Sydney)
📅 When: Tuesdays in May (starting May 5th)
🕠 Time: 5:30 PM
💲 Cost: $5 per class

👉 Register: Please email Valerie.dolhanty@icloud.com

Instructor: Valerie Dolhanty

Strong. Steady. Confident.
Because feeling strong isn’t about age — it’s about confidence 💛

04/07/2026

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
EXERCISE SNACKS- Want to join me?

🤔Did you know that sitting for long periods of time can increase our risk of many chronic diseases and all cause mortality?

😳Did you know that this is true EVEN IF someone meets the recommendations for physical activity? (Until I learned this, I used to think that if I went for a run in the morning, I had done my exercise for the day so I could lie on the couch all day-sadly this is not the case🙁)

🏃‍♀️ The good news is it doesn’t take much to offset the negative effects! Breaking up prolonged sitting with short EXERCISE SNACKS throughout the day can provide significant health benefits:

🏋️ Even 1-3 minutes of light activity every 20 to 30 minutes can significantly decrease postmeal blood sugar spikes. (In some studies, these short exercise snacks work better than a single 20 to 30 minute walk per day!)

💛Interrupting prolonged sitting can lead to improvements in:
-blood pressure control
-circulation
-vascular health

🧠 Adding short periods of physical activity throughout the day can:
-increase focus and attention
-decrease mental fatigue & boost alertness
-increase memory & executive function

💪 Getting up and off the chair frequently can:
-decrease stiffness & joint discomfort
-increase mobility
-activate underused muscles like glutes and postural muscle muscles

🧘 Interrupting sitting for long periods can:
-improve mood
-decrease stress

💡 The point is to keep moving, telling your body “I have things to do- stay strong!”

🤔 So now that we know it helps, what can we do? I like to do “exercise snacks”  throughout the day. 1-3 minutes of movement every 30 to 60 minutes. Sometimes, when I’m feeling courageous, I will do these exercise snacks in the hallway and ask patients to join me. As you can imagine, that is met with variable success, soooo I often do them in my office.

💡 Examples of movements that make great snacks include: sit-stand, wall push-ups, walking up stairs, calf raises, knee touches, step ups… to name a few. I will demonstrate many of them (with some assistants!) in hopes that you might join me… or, it may serve as a reminder for you to do your own version on your own.

🏃‍♀️Here is one of my snacks for the day: chair sit-stand, or squats if you prefer.  If you are new to this movement, start slow to build strength and endurance. Maybe you start with 1, or 3, and work your way up to being able to do it for 30 seconds, or one minute.

💪 Let’s get moving folks! No amount is too little- everything counts!

04/07/2026

*** CORRECTION*** Yoga Nidra will be at 7PM next week. Not at our usual 6PM!

STRESS MANAGEMENT
YOGA NIDRA with Valerie Dolhanty

😳 It was brought to my attention that there was an error in the post regarding the upcoming yoga Nidra session with Valerie. The post erroneously stated this was taking place tonight, April 7 at 6 PM. THE CORRECT DATE IS TUESDAY, APRIL 14 at 7PM. I apologize for the confusion.

🙏 The class  is currently full. Those who signed up at our last meditation session are registered to attend & we will be receiving a phone call from my office later this week to confirm participation.

🙏 If any spots become available, I will post it on this page this weekend

🙁 Apologies again for the miscommunication.

04/06/2026

NUTRITION
RECIPES
HOW TO COOK GREEN LENTILS

🤔 There seems to be a lot of confusion with regards to how to use green lentils. We can either buy dry green lentils, and cook them ourselves (the cheapest option), or we can buy canned green lentils and use them straight out of the can (the quickest option BUT may contain added salt).

😋 No matter which option we choose, the end result is interchangeable. Any recipe that calls for green lentils can be made with the ones cooked from dry, or the ones from a can.

🤯 Despite popular belief, we DO NOT HAVE TO SOAK DRY LENTILS BEFORE COOKING!

😋 For an easy resource, I’ve included a simple Instruction Card below, with photos of the steps.

🤔 Note that we can use broth instead of water, or even add an onion, a bay leaf and some garlic cloves to the cooking water to flavor the lentils while they cook.

🤔 The last photo is the nutrition label from the back of the bag of green lentils. Notice that for one serving (1/5 cup dry = 1/2 cup cooked) we get 9g fiber!! (That is more than 1/3 of the daily requirement for women (25/day) and almost 1/4 of the requirement for men (38g/day).

🤔 This small amount of lentils also gives us 8g of protein & costs 17 cents. ($4.29 for 900g)

🤔 If we were to get the same amount of protein from a chicken breast, we would get 0 g of fiber and have to pay 68 cents. (4 times more!) ($1.91 for 100g)

💃 I think we all are starting to understand that getting our protein from plant sources is better for our health. I am hoping to spread the word that plant proteins are also better for our bank accounts!