Martina Bouchard

11/19/2024

🌈 The rainbow pitfall🌈

What’s really hiding behind those bright, eye-catching colours in your food? 🧐
Did you know that the use of synthetic dyes in food has increased by 500% in just 50 years?

Ces colorants, souvent dérivés du pétrole, ne sont pas les bienvenus! Les études démontrent des risques augmentés pour les cancers, des perturbations hormonales, des impacts sur les systèmes nerveux et immunitaire et bien plus encore!

Découvrez dans notre article :
🍭 Les aliments où se cachent ces colorants
🍭 Leurs impacts sur la santé
🍭 Des solutions naturelles pour un quotidien plus sain

Are you ready for a dye-free challenge?

Lisez l'excellent article de Martina Bouchard ND.A:
https://anaq.ca/alimentation-et-recettes/the-rainbow-pitfall-le-piege-de-larc-en-ciel/

07/02/2024

🇨🇦 Rehydrate After Canada Day Celebrations! 🇨🇦

I hope you had a fantastic Canada Day filled with fun, food, and festivities! Now, it’s time to give your body some love and rehydrate after all the excitement!

✨ Why Rehydration Matters ✨
After celebrating, especially if you’ve been enjoying the summer sun and perhaps indulging in a few treats, rehydrating is crucial for your body to recover and function optimally.

•Drink Plenty of Water
•Replenish lost electrolytes with coconut water, or an electrolyte supplement.
•Incorporate water-rich fruits and vegetables like cucumbers, watermelon, and oranges into your diet.
•Enjoy herbal teas like nettle, raspberry leaf, peppermint, or dandelion to support hydration and digestion.
•Limit Alcohol and caffeine intake.

Cheers to good health and happy memories! 🇨🇦

06/18/2024

Whether you love them or hate them, dandelions are among the most familiar plants in the world.

Before the invention of lawns, people praised the golden blossoms and lion-toothed leaves as a bounty of food, medicine and magic.

Dandelions are a green and growing first aid kit. They are a gentle diuretic that provides nutrients and helps the digestive system function at peak efficiency.

Dandelions are also more nutritious than most of the vegetables in your garden. They have more vitamin A than spinach, more vitamin C than tomatoes, and are a powerhouse of iron, calcium and potassium.

You can eat the whole plant, including the roots, leaves and flowers!

A few of the benefits are:
• Can help reduce high blood pressure, high blood sugar and cholesterol
• Supports the immune system
• Rich in antioxidants
• Supports liver and kidney health
• Strengthens bones
• Promotes skin health

If you're foraging from your own yard, make sure they have not been sprayed with pesticides and to wash them thoroughly!

Let me know in the comments how you eat yours!

*While dandelion is known for its many health benefits, it is essential to consult with a healthcare professional before incorporating it into your routine. Dandelion can interact with medications and may not be suitable for everyone. Always seek professional advice to ensure it is safe for you.

06/11/2024

Looking for a way to incorporate some colour to your plate?

Eating the rainbow ensures that you are getting a variety of nutrients to fuel your body.

Chives belong to the Liliaceae family, like garlic, shallot, leek, scallion, and are native to Canada.

Chives are a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, Riboflavin, vitamin B6, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, copper and manganese.

They are easy to grow, even in the smallest of places, and can be grown both indoors and outdoors.

If you’re having a hard time finding some new plants or herbs to incorporate into your daily routine, contact me so we can add a little colour to your plate!

06/04/2024

In naturopathy, we believe that understanding the underlying cause of illness is crucial in order to achieve optimal health.

Your discomforts may often just be the tip of the iceberg; it’s often the hidden factors beneath that we need to look into.

Instead of reaching for a quick fix, try asking yourself:
•Why do I feel this way?
•What lead to these discomforts?
•What toxins may I be exposed to?
•Am I deficient in anything?
•What would my quality of life be like without these discomforts?

Contact me for a consultation if you're having a hard time answering these questions, or if you may need some guidance on where to begin!

05/21/2024

"Getting back to the basics"

What does that mean?

Martina Bouchard , membre Candidat à l'ANAQ, reminds us, in a new article on our blog, that adopting healthy lifestyle habits should always be the first step before adding all the supports that we have at our disposal (herbs, supplements, etc.)

Alors quels sont les piliers de notre santé?

Lisez l'article pour le découvrir.
Follow the link : https://anaq.ca/habitudes-de-vie/getting-back-to-the-basics/

05/21/2024

With the seasonal window only lasting a few weeks, make sure you stop by your local farmers market for some fiddleheads!

Fiddleheads are very nutritious, and are high in potassium, vitamin A, C, E & K, folate, iron, manganese and omega-3's.

They also:
- Lower inflammation
- Are helpful in weight loss
- Fight infections (they contain 44% of the daily vitamin c requirements per 100 grams)
- Maintain healthy blood pressure
- Support eye health
- Enhance bone health
- Are rich in antioxidants

Not to mention fiddleheads are a beautiful addition to any dish!

*Make sure you fully cook your fiddlehead's (10-15 minutes), as they may cause significant gastrointestinal distress if consumed raw. Don't worry this compound gets destroyed once cooked.

05/14/2024

Embrace the power of nature! 🌿

Did you know certain plants can naturally keep pesky mosquitoes at bay? 🦟

Discover the magic of mosquito-repelling plants and create your own oasis!

Remember to crush or bruise the leaves of these plants to release their natural oils, which enhance their mosquito-repelling properties.

Enjoy the beauty and benefits of these plants while keeping mosquitoes away naturally! 🌿🦟

05/07/2024

Lilacs are almost in bloom!

These fragrant flowers not only captivate our senses but can also be transformed into a unique and refreshing beverage: Lilac Lemonade.

Note: Ensure that the lilac flowers you use are harvested from areas that are free of pesticides and chemicals.

Ingredients:
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (approximately 6-8 lemons)
- 1/3 cup of honey
- 1 cup lilac flowers (petals only)
- Ice cubes
- Fresh lilac blossoms for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

1. Prepare the lilac infusion:
- In a large pitcher, combine the water, lemon juice, and honey.
- Add the lilac flowers (petals only) to the pitcher, gently pressing them down to submerge them in the liquid.
- Cover the pitcher and refrigerate overnight to allow the lilac flavors to infuse into the lemonade.

2. Strain the lilac flowers:
- The next morning, remove the pitcher from the refrigerator.
- Place a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth over another container or pitcher.
- Pour the infused lemonade through the sieve or cheesecloth to strain out the lilac flowers, capturing the floral essence in the liquid.

3. Chill and serve:
- Return the strained lilac lemonade to the refrigerator to chill.
- Before serving, fill glasses with ice cubes and pour the chilled lilac lemonade over the ice.
- Optionally, garnish each glass with a fresh lilac blossom for an extra touch of beauty and aroma.

4. Enjoy the taste of spring!

04/30/2024

In an earlier post I talked about how each organ affected by specific emotions.

In traditional Chinese medicine, waking like clockwork at a certain time means the organ governed by that time is imbalanced.

If you’re waking up between:
•11PM-12AM: the gall bladder is affected (courage, judgment and decision making)
•1-3 AM: the liver, it's also a time when you process the emotions of your day. Walking up here might suggest unresolved anger and frustration, or an overworked liver due to an unhealthy diet or lifestyle. Considering journaling before bed to help put your mind at ease with what your thoughts are telling you.
•3-5 AM: the lungs. During this time of night, you need to have a quiet, light sleep, breathe easily, and oxygenate your lungs. The lungs are associated with the emotions of grief and sadness. Waking up during these hours might be linked to respiratory issues or emotional imbalances like unresolved grief and sadness.
•5-7: associated with the large intestine. This is the best time to wake up and start your morning routine! Choosing to exercise, practice Yoga or some gentle stretching, and take time to move your bowels.

Sleeping properly is a two fold process: consider how you can help the organ involved and the emotions attached to it.

Contact me if you’re interested in taking a deeper dive into your sleep!

04/28/2024

04/16/2024

When a child spends too much time on screens being constantly rewarded, it can become hard to exercise directed attention doing the tasks that aren’t as fun but are necessary in life.

Research has shown negative associations between screen time, particularly television viewing, and the development of physical and cognitive abilities. It has also been linked to obesity, sleep problems, depression, and anxiety.

📺Set healthy screen time limits. Make a predictable schedule and stick to it. “We watch one show after nap time.”

📺 Encourage screen free activities: board games, puzzles, reading together, crafts, getting outside, going to the library, etc.

📺 Practice waiting together and build up their tolerance. Instead of using screens at a restaurant, talk together or enjoy sticker books and coloring. Instead of using screens while grocery shopping, play “I spy”

📺 Consider using a visual timer.

📺 Avoid using screen-time as a reward or to numb big emotions.

📺 Arrange screen time after more naturally difficult or under-stimulating experiences.

📺 Consider slower paced shows.

📺 Give yourself grace for tricky seasons.

📺 Save pads for traveling. In our family, my kids get extra screen time when traveling (guilt free!)

So what is considered “safe” time limits?

0-2 years old: NO screen time
2-5 years old: no more than one hour
5-17 years old: no more than 2 hours (homework not included)

What do you do to reduce your child's screen time?