When you are Anxious about the Whole World

War. Climate Anxiety. A child with health needs so complex that caring for them feels like it might be your whole life… forever. Sometimes our problems feel unsolvable.

Let’s take a breath. Let’s reframe our thinking.

This is my 3 step process for managing my anxious thoughts when the problem is too big for me to solve on my own

So this is a video for when you are overwhelmed for things that are out of your control.

It's a grounding exercise that I like to go through and walk folks through when they are dealing with the big problems in the world right now, whether that is war, whether that is climate anxiety. This is the three-step process.

So the first thing that is really important to do is to ground your nervous system.

Orient yourself in your reality in this moment. Things like in this moment I am safe. Can be helpful to think about acknowledging that the room that you are and the place that you are and your place of safety and this. Context in this fear is really important as much as you can.

To get your nervous system to be able to start calming down so that you can move through the next steps. The next step that I really encourage people to think of is.

What are my spheres of influence?

Okay. So when a problem is big. When we have anxiety around something that. It feels like we have no control over. It can be really easy to focus on. Where we don't have influence where we wish we were a bigger player where we wish we had someone's ear so that they could do more.

It's unproductive. And it's overwhelming. And sometimes when we're in this state of panic and overwhelm and like, oh no, What am I going to do about this? It can be helpful to come back to here are places. Where I actually do have influence. And I actually keep a list in my, and my head. You know, I've got my family, my work in my business, my school, my church.

So you can think of this for yourself, where. Where are you situated? What areas do you have influence? What year do you have? And then the third piece is,

what am I already doing?

What am I doing for this already in my day-to-day life. Am I spending some time. Am I supporting an organization with my money? Am I doing education work? There are lots of different roles to be involved with. We're looking at a huge problem. And being clear about which ones you were already doing. Is a helpful starting point.

I chose your strengths and is a good way to remind yourself that this is not the first time you have thought about this. If you get to this point and you're like, there's nothing that I'm doing about this right now. Sure. Then that's then. That's fine. That's something to notice if you get to this point and you're like, I'm doing a ton for this already. That's also fine.

That's a good thing to notice. And then the question that I asked after you looked at what you're already doing is how matched does that to my capacity.

There is this drive sometimes an anxious notion to be like, I have to fix this myself. I have to do more and more and more in this world to make it a better place.

This is a good and beautiful way of thinking. And. It can burn people out and it can just feel into this anxiety, this not enough-ness. And so in order to think about whether what you are doing is enough, one way that I would invite you to consider that is to think about your current capacity and see how well matched it is. Our is what you were doing. Within your capacity. To do and give.

And if you have the ability to do more, absolutely do more. If you are feeling overwhelmed and burnt out by what you're doing. Maybe there's something on that list that you can scale back on. This is not about judgment. It's about finding the right match so that we're all contributing and that we're not burning out. And that we're doing this from a place of grounding.

So this is, you know, something that I've, I've talked about it before in the context of other. Other times. And I'll continue to bring it up because this is real life anxiety. Some of these things do not go away. They can be a big, event, like I mentioned at the beginning, but sometimes these draining things are actually personal and small and you can use the same technique to go through whatever this big stressor that feels out of your control.

It's so if you try it, let me know how it works for you and what you think of it.

What does it cost to see a Naturopathic Doctor?

Often times when people are considering naturopathic care for anxiety, they wonder how much this service will cost. In Ontario, much of our health care is covered by our Ontario Public Health Insurance (OHIP) so it can be a new experience for Ontario’s to pay their health care expenses out of pocket.

Whether you are exclusively paying from your own health budget or able to advantage of some private health insurance it’s often helpful to know what the expected costs are to get naturopathic care for anxiety.

The Discovery Phase - Your First Month of Naturopathic Care

In the discovery phase of care, you and your naturopathic doctor collaborate on your individual care plan. This phase takes place over 2-4 weeks and consists of two appointments - your initial naturopathic appointment and your first follow up appointment. In total you can expect to pay $481 in naturopathic appointment fees* for this phase of care. Patients leave this phase of care with a relief plan for their most concerning symptoms, as well as an investigation and treatment plan that takes care of all of their health concerns.

Feed back from our patients has been very positive about how through and detailed the care plan is, and how caring and compassionate their initial experience with the clinic is.

Active Care - The Next 3-6 Months of Naturopathic Care

Active care is where at Tranquil Minds we are doing the work. It’s a time where patients work on their health habits, take targeted supplementations, come in for acupuncture appointments and restore their health and wellbeing. Most patients take 3-6 months to go from feeling depressed and anxious with terrible digestive symptoms, migraines and/or PMS to feeling “like themselves again”

Visits in this phase of care vary depending on both the type and severity of your concerns and the types of treatments we choose. Most people come between 2 and 9 times in this active care phase, investing between $308-$1386 in naturopathic care*.

Ongoing and Maintenance Care - Annual Care from Your naturopathic Doctor

The body has an amazing capacity to heal. After a period of 3-6 months most patients are ready to “graduate” from active care to an ongoing or maintenance care model. During maintenance care, patients come in between once a month to once a year, investing between $154 - $1848* on an annual basis.

Overall Cost of Care

Most individuals seeking naturopathic care spend between $750 and $2000 in their first year of naturopathic care at Tranquil Minds, and between $154 and $1600 for subsequent years of care, with higher costs of care common in chronic and ongoing health concerns such as major depression, PMDD and conditions related to experiences of trauma.

*Costs quoted in this blog are current for Tranquil Mind Naturopath as of April 2023, click here for our most up to date fee schedule.

The Healing Power of Nature: Forest Bathing

For millennia, humans have known how good nature can make us feel; intuitively we know that being immersed in nature has a positive impact on our overall well-being. Be it spending time deep in a forest, or a simple walk through a community park, we seem to feel relaxed, less stressed, and have an improved mood when connected with nature.

Recent research has begun to reveal the scientific basis behind this feeling. Nature can benefit both one's physiological and mental health, and can not only assist in restoring health, but can act in a preventative manner as well. 

What is Forest Bathing?

Forest bathing, known as Shinrin-yoku in Japanese, is a healing and preventative medicine technique that restores both physical and mental health through a “five senses experience” in a forest environment. Forest bathing trips are usually short, leisurely visits to forests and are sometimes regarded as being similar to natural aromatherapy.

The practice of forest bathing can differ in immersion techniques, from merely being in the forest atmosphere while anchoring the mind to the present, to engaging in therapeutic and relaxation activities such as visualization techniques, aromatherapy, acoustic therapy, gong baths, and more. Despite variations in the forest bathing approach, the presence of three critical elements is essential to fulfilling an authentic and legitimate forest bathing experience; movement at a slow pace, a connection with the natural world and a focus on the senses.

The History of Forest Bathing

The term Shinrin-Yoku was coined in 1982 by the Agency of Japanese Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan. Forest bathing began as a national health program with the aim of combining forest visits with health and wellbeing-oriented tourism. The program focused on encouraging people to frequently escape urban centres and ‘bathe’ in the forest air. 

In Japan, the belief that the forest has healing powers is greatly influenced by both official religions; Shinto and Buddhism. Both religions hold the belief that the forest is a divine realm. The Shinto religion asserts that spirits and nature are one and the same, with spirits called kami, living within trees, rocks, water, and the breeze. The religion of Buddhism maintains the belief that scripture is written into the natural landscape with the word of the Gods being seen in all living things.

Beyond Japan, cultures across the globe historically and in the present day practice relationship with the natural world as integral to spiritual practice, health and wellbeing.

Contemporary hypotheses

Various contemporary hypotheses provide support for the healing ability of nature and provide a lens for forest bathing as a practice. These hypotheses, such as Wilson’s Biophilia Hypothesis, the Old Friend’s Hypothesis, the Biodiversity Hypothesis, Ulrich’s Stress Reduction Hypothesis, and Kalpan’s Attention Restorative Hypothesis, may potentially underpin the benefits of immersing oneself in natural environments.

The Biophilia Hypothesis suggests that humans have a biological disposition to seek connections with nature. When this hypothesis was first put forth, there was very little scientific grounding and was more philosophical in nature. Now, researchers are finding that there are health benefits to being surrounded by nature, and the Biophilia Hypothesis continues to be used to support the idea that humans are healthier and happier when connected with nature.

The Old Friends Hypothesis asserts that it is imperative for humans to be exposed to symbiotic microbes during childhood to ensure proper adaptive immunity. Children are primarily exposed to these bacteria through interactions with nature and contact with other humans. The ‘old friends’ that researchers refer to when discussing our evolved immune system are the commensal microbiotas that are transmitted from mother to child and through other familial interactions, organisms from that natural environment, and ‘old’ infections that have persisted for millennia as relatively harmless to mankind.

The Biodiversity Hypothesis states that contact with natural environments enhances the human microbiome, helps to enrich immune balance, and promotes allergy protection. Humans are protected by two layers of biodiversity; the external microbiota that is found in soil, plants, waters and animals, and the inner microbiota found in our gut, skin and airways. The inner layer of microbiota is colonized from the outer layer, and as there is lessened contact with nature, there is a reduction of the composition of human microbiota diversity, and thus increased health problems.

The Stress Reduction Hypothesis claims that being in an unthreatening natural environment reduces stress and improves physiological functioning. It was shown that environmental stress can cause serious stress in urban dwellers while exposure to natural environments favours stress reduction.

The Attention Restoration Hypothesis suggests that mental fatigue and concentration can both be improved by immersing oneself in nature or even by looking at nature scenes.

The physiological benefits of forest bathing

Forest bathing provides a great number of benefits for physiological health, which underpins the potential of forest bathing to enhance the health and well-being of participants

Antioxidant benefits

Researchers have concluded antioxidant benefits can be gained through immersion in forested environments by volatile organic compounds emitted by trees, known as phytoncides.

The research suggests that the inhalation of tree-derived volatile compounds have antioxidative effects on individual’s respiratory tracts. In other words, antioxidant benefits can be gained through the emission and inhalation of volatile organic compounds and essential oils from trees.

Immune benefits

One of the greatest physiological benefits that one can gain from forest bathing is an increase in immune functioning. This increased immune functioning is primarily driven by an increase in natural killer cells. Natural killer cells play a key role in the development of multiple illnesses such as cancer, infections, and autoimmune disorders. The increase in an individual’s natural killer cell count is related to increased immune functioning and decreased disease-related inflammation in the body.

One study reported that the benefits of forest bathing on increased immune function can last up to 30 days after a singular forest bathing session. This suggests that a forest bathing trip once a month would provide individuals with the benefits of a higher natural killer cell count and subsequently, increased immune function.

neuroendocrine benefits

Researchers have found that forest bathing lowers cortisol levels, which is an indicator of stress, thus suggesting that participants in these various studies benefitted from physiological relaxation due to the forested environments.

Similarly, after forest bathing trips, individuals have increased parasympathetic activity (associated with relaxation) and decreased sympathetic activity (associated with stress).

CARDIOVASCULAR BENEFITS

Forest bathing benefits cardiovascular functioning, as seen by the lowering of heart rate of participants of forest bathing programs.

Likewise, the blood pressure of individuals participating in forest bathing programs has been shown to decrease while taking in the atmosphere of the forest, when compared with controls in a city area.

The psychological benefits of forest bathing

Psychologically, forest bathing provides great benefits to individuals’ mental well-being. Engaging in forest bathing has shown positive impacts on a range of categories including levels of depression and anxiety, emotional states, psychological recovery, and attitudes and feelings toward things. 

levels of anxiety and depression

Forest bathing, in almost all instances, leads to lowered levels of depression and anxiety, and various studies suggest that forest bathing is an effective intervention in decreasing depression levels among adults.

Common treatments for depression are therapy and/or antidepressant medications. These treatments do have their benefits, though also present disadvantages such as negative side effects and a lack of effective short-term results. In contrast, forest bathing programs demonstrate consistent and positive results for alleviating depressive symptoms and as such, could be used as an alternative or supplementary treatment for depression.

In fact, when compared with no intervention or usual care, those who partook in forest bathing or forest therapy programs had a greater reduction of depressive symptoms. Forest bathing therapy also reduced depressive symptoms more than similar activities that were conducted within a hospital or non-forested area.

Forest bathing is effective in reducing anxiety levels, especially in the short term, and was even noted to have greater effects on anxiety than on depression.

Seeing as the most common mental health problems are anxiety and depression, and approximately one-third of the world’s population is or will be, affected by anxiety in their lifetime, the importance of forest bathing in the reduction of anxiety and depression cannot be understated. Even as little as fifteen minutes per day can help to reduce negative mental health symptoms and could benefit in the reduction of anxiety and depression.

emotional states

Forest bathing reduces stress, improves individual mood and emotional status; increasing positive emotions while keeping negative emotions at bay, or alleviating negative emotions.

The improvement of emotional states is not just limited to neutral mood individuals but was extended to participants who had mild depression, anxiety and PTSD.

degree of psychological recovery

Forest bathing leads to greater psychological restoration and mental relaxation, which leads to more efficient and effective psychological recovery. 

Researchers induced mental exhaustion in subjects via demanding brain games. Half the group then took a walk in a natural space while the other half took a walk in an urban environment. The groups then repeated the original cognitively demanding task and upon this retesting, the group that was immersed in nature demonstrated improved accuracy, faster reaction time and a greater number of correct responses when compared with those who were immersed in an urban setting.

Spending time in nature may be associated with a reduction in ADHD symptoms, especially when compared with the same activities conducted in built environments.

Attitudes and feelings toward things

Forest bathing leads to greater levels of awe, and less negative rumination. Forests and nature itself can induce deep relaxation and feelings of awe as seen by an increase in gratitude and selflessness. It was also found that spending time in natural settings decreased negative rumination, which is a hallmark of depression and led to a more positive outlook.

With psychiatric health issues on the rise and the disease burden of mental illness expected by the World Health Organization to increase in the few years, the usefulness of forest bathing on mental well-being is highly beneficial.

As our world grows increasingly disconnected from the natural environment, we need to intentionally re-establish our connection with nature. Individuals do not need to spend extensive amounts of time in forest environments or go deep into natural spaces, but people need to make a conscious effort to incorporate nature into their lives.

Forest bathing and its various benefits can help to create happier, healthier communities and a more health-conscious future that is focused on sustaining health and wellbeing. 

Lily Seedhouse

Lily has completed her undergraduate education in Arts and Science at the University of Guelph with an honours thesis in forest bathing. You can find Lily leading adventure trips and forest bathing around the world. Connect with her over on LinkedIn.

Unlocking the Mystery of Anxiety: The Importance of Blood Tests

Anxiety is a common mental health condition that affects millions of people worldwide. It can manifest as feelings of nervousness, fear, and worry and can interfere with daily life. While many individuals with anxiety turn to therapy or medication for relief, some may be surprised to learn that underlying medical conditions can contribute to anxiety symptoms. This is why it's essential to have a comprehensive evaluation, including blood tests, to help uncover the root cause of anxiety.

In this blog post, we will discuss the blood tests that can be helpful in evaluating individuals with anxiety. Dr. Katie is a naturopathic doctor who can order blood tests, like the ones listed above for her patients in Ontario. To get started or learn more about working with her, book your complimentary naturopathic strategy session today.

Nutritional Bloodwork for Anxiety

Iron test and Anxiety

Blood tests for iron are laboratory tests used to measure the amount of iron in the blood. There are several types of blood tests that can be used to measure iron levels, including serum iron test, total iron binding capacity (TIBC) test, ferritin test, transferrin saturation (TSAT) test, and iron deficiency test. 

Symptoms of iron deficiency can include fatigue, weakness, and shortness of breath, while symptoms of iron overload can include joint pain, fatigue, and abdominal pain. Iron tests are typically ordered by a healthcare provider when a patient is suspected of having an iron deficiency or iron overload.

Vitamins and anxiety

Vitamins and minerals are essential for physical and mental health, and a deficiency in B vitamins and D can lead to symptoms that mimic anxiety and depression such as nervousness, fatigue and irritability. Blood tests can help identify the underlying cause and guide treatment.

vitamin d tests and anxiety

Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with fatigue in some studies, and there is some evidence to suggest that low levels of vitamin D in the blood may contribute to feelings of tiredness and fatigue. Studies have found that individuals with vitamin D deficiency are more likely to experience symptoms of fatigue and weakness than those with higher levels. 

Blood tests for vitamin D are used to measure the level of vitamin D. 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) is the most common test used to measure vitamin D status, measuring the total amount of vitamin D in the body. 

Risk factors for vitamin D deficiency include limited sun exposure, a diet low in vitamin D, medical conditions, and certain medications. If a deficiency or excess is detected, treatment may involve supplementation or dietary changes and may be supervised by a healthcare provider.

Vitamin b12 tests and anxiety

Vitamin B12 plays an important role in energy metabolism and the production of red blood cells, which can lead to fatigue, weakness, and anemia. Vitamin B12 deficiency can also affect the nervous system and cause symptoms such as numbness, tingling, and difficulty with balance and coordination. 

There is some evidence that supplementation with vitamin B12 may help to reduce fatigue in individuals with low levels of this nutrient, and getting your Vitamin B12 levels checked is an important step to manage and overcome depression. 

Blood tests can be used to measure vitamin B12 levels in the body, such as the serum vitamin B12 test. A healthcare provider may order a serum vitamin B12 test if they suspect that a person is deficient in this nutrient or if they have symptoms related to vitamin B12 deficiency. Knowing a patient’s B12 blood test results is important to make a diagnosis and develop an appropriate treatment plan.

Hormonal Bloodwork for Anxiety

Thyroid testing and anxiety

The thyroid gland is one of the most important glands in the body, producing thyroid hormones that regulate metabolism, heart rate, and body temperature. Low thyroid hormones can cause chronic fatigue, brain fog, low mood, forgetfulness, and weakness.  

Blood tests can help determine if a thyroid problem is the underlying cause of anxiety symptoms. The most common thyroid function blood tests include the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) test, which measures the level of TSH, a hormone produced by the pituitary gland that stimulates the thyroid gland to produce thyroid hormones. The most important details are that elevated levels of TSH can indicate an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), while low levels can indicate an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism).

Free T4 (thyroxine) and free T3 (triiodothyronine) tests measure the level of free T4, and free T3 the active forms of thyroid hormones. Thyroid antibody tests measure the levels of antibodies produced by the immune system that can attack the thyroid gland and cause thyroid dysfunction. These tests are typically ordered by a healthcare provider if they suspect that a person may have thyroid dysfunction.

Cortisol testing and anxiety

The adrenal glands are responsible for producing stress hormones, such as cortisol, that help the body respond to stress. Abnormalities in adrenal function can cause feelings of anxiety and panic, as well as physical symptoms, such as fatigue and weight changes. 

Adrenal function tests are blood tests used to measure the level of cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands, and can help determine if adrenal problems are the underlying cause of anxiety symptoms. The most common cortisol blood test is the morning cortisol test, which measures cortisol levels in the morning when they are typically at their highest. A healthcare provider may also order other cortisol blood tests to help diagnose or monitor certain medical conditions. 

Anyone who is concerned about their cortisol levels should consult a health care practitioner to get blood testing.

Looking for a comprehensive anxiety evaluation that includes bloodwork?

I’m currently accepting patients with anxiety symptoms, who live in Ontario and are ready to take back control of their health from anxiety. My signature Tranquil Minds Program involves comprehensive blood work evaluations as part of a naturopathic care plan. Learn more about the program or book your complimentary strategy session today to get started or find out if Tranquil Minds is the right care for you.

Book your Strategy Session

Sex hormone testing and anxiety

Sex hormone blood tests are used to measure the levels of various hormones involved in reproductive function, including testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). 

Estradiol is an estrogen and the primary female sex hormone, responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system. It plays a significant role in the mental health of women. There is a strong link between estradiol, mood and well-being, and research shows that stabilizing or restoring estrogen levels can help women recover from depression. 

Hormonal imbalances, such as those associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), can also affect mood and mental health. Estrogen is produced primarily by the ovaries in females, but small amounts are also produced by the adrenal glands in both sexes. Estrogen levels are important for regulating the menstrual cycle, maintaining bone density, and promoting sexual development in females. 

Progesterone is produced by the ovaries in females and is important for regulating the menstrual cycle and preparing the uterus for pregnancy. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) are also important for regulating the menstrual cycle and stimulating the production of testosterone and estrogen in both sexes. 

In males, testosterone levels have been linked to mood and behaviour, with low testosterone levels sometimes associated with depression and anxiety. Testosterone blood tests are used to measure the levels of various hormones involved in reproductive function. Testosterone levels are typically higher in males than in females and are important for maintaining muscle mass, bone density, and sex drive. 

A healthcare provider may order sex hormone blood tests if they suspect that a person has a hormonal imbalance or a condition that affects reproductive function. 

Metabolic Bloodwork for Anxiety

Blood sugar testing and anxiety

Blood sugar levels are important for mental health, as they can affect brain function and lead to symptoms that affect mental health.  High blood sugar levels can cause cognitive impairment, mood swings, and even depression. Low blood sugar levels, which can occur in conditions such as hypoglycemia, can cause symptoms such as confusion, irritability, and anxiety. 

People with diabetes or other conditions that affect blood sugar should work closely with their healthcare team to manage their condition and prevent potential impacts on their mental health. 

Blood sugar blood tests are used to measure the levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood, such as fasting blood glucose, random blood glucose, oral glucose tolerance, and hemoglobin A1c.

These tests can help diagnose diabetes and monitor blood glucose levels. High blood glucose levels over a long period of time can lead to complications such as heart disease, kidney disease, and nerve damage. By monitoring blood glucose levels and working with a healthcare team to manage diabetes, people with diabetes can reduce their risk of developing these complications and improve their mental health.

Bloodwork for Celiac Disease and Anxiety

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that affects the small intestine and is triggered by consuming gluten. Research suggests that people with celiac disease may have a higher risk of developing anxiety and depression compared to the general population. The exact mechanisms behind the association between celiac disease and mental health are not fully understood, but it is believed that inflammation in the body caused by the autoimmune response to gluten may play a role. 

Blood tests can be used to diagnose celiac disease, monitor the condition, and check for complications. These tests include tissue transglutaminase (tTG) antibodies, endomysial antibodies (EMA), total serum IgA, deamidated gliadin peptide (DGP) antibodies, and a biopsy of the small intestine. 

It is important to be aware of the potential impact on mental health and to seek support and treatment if needed.

Ready for your next Steps?

If you are experiencing symptoms of anxiety, it's essential to have a comprehensive evaluation that includes blood tests. By identifying underlying medical conditions, your healthcare provider can provide the appropriate treatment to help relieve your anxiety symptoms and improve your quality of life.

Remember, it's always best to consult with a licensed healthcare professional for personalized medical advice and treatment.

Dr. Katie is a naturopathic doctor who can order blood tests, like the ones listed above for her patients in Ontario. To get started or learn more about working with her, book your complimentary naturopathic strategy session today.

What is My Anxiety Type?

Anxiety can be a complex subject to navigate and you may not know where to begin. An Anxiety Type is how your anxiety presents. There are three different Anxiety Types that your anxiety may fall under: decision anxiety, fatigue anxiety and defensive anxiety. Knowing your anxiety type can significantly help with prevention and treatment! 

Everyone has an anxiety type and you can find out what your’s is by taking this quiz

Do you want to get to know the woman who coined the Anxiety Types?!

Dr. Katies Thomson Aitken is a Naturopathic Doctor practicing in Guelph Ontario. Dr. Katie has a passion for mental health and loves helping people find their calm and live life with less stress! 

Why is it so Hard to Make Choices When I’m Anxious?

Sometimes the overwhelm of anxiety makes it hard to know what to do next. People who experience this may have something known as Decision Anxiety.

What is Decision Anxiety?

Decision Type Anxiety is when anxiety makes your daily life overwhelming. This type of anxiety can feel paralyzing as people with Decision Type Anxiety struggle to make decisions regarding their daily life. In its most basic form, this type of anxiety can present as procrastination. Decision Type Anxiety can create challenges that range from mild to severe. Mild challenges that someone may face could be about what to make for dinner whereas severe challenges affect tasks regarding hygiene and cleanliness. 

What is This Type of Anxiety Associated With?

Decision Type Anxiety most commonly presents during times of routine shift. Individuals dealing with challenges to executive functioning, such as ADHD or post-concussion syndrome, may also be more vulnerable to this anxiety type. 

Major life changes can be challenging to navigate, and someone with Decision Type Anxiety may reflect this struggle in their day-to-day life. Times of great change such as a new job, retirement, a change in living situation or family structure (e.g., a new baby) can impose great stress on an individual with Decision Type Anxiety. Decision Type Anxiety is also often associated with challenges regulating blood sugar, ADHD, feelings of shame and negative self-talk. 

What are Key Actions I Could Take to Help?

If you believe that you struggle with Decision Type Anxiety there are some key actions that you can take in order to alleviate stress. The biggest tip is to have a routine - even for simple things like sleeping and eating. Making decisions in advance in order to create uniform routines for the day (e.g., morning routine and before-bed ritual) can assist in resolving some of that paralyzing pressure caused by anxiety. Finally, cultivating self-compassion to replace negative self-talk can help you accept yourself and overcome the feeling of being overburdened in your day!

Is My ADHD Making Me Anxious?

ADHD is often associated with Decision Type Anxiety and can even make one more vulnerable to this type of anxiety presentation. This is because people with ADHD struggle with executive dysfunction and get distracted easily. ADHD can make daily tasks seem impossible to complete as individuals can feel overwhelmed by not knowing what order to complete tasks. Those with ADHD may also forget to eat, which can cause issues with regulating blood sugar. Individuals with ADHD may also struggle with regulating time as they may accidentally stay up too late or even be late to events due to time blindness. 

Kids with ADHD get corrected more often than neurotypical children as they may be told to sit still and to pay attention. This can erode the self-esteem of young people which can, in turn, lead to feelings of shame and negative self-talk, especially as kids grow and develop! Adults with ADHD may second-guess themselves more than their neurotypical peers which can cause great anxiety and lead to struggles when making decisions. 

Find out more about the link between ADHD and anxiety HERE 

Why Does Anxiety Make Me so Tired?

Sometimes anxiety can make it hard to keep up with yourself. People who experience this may have something known as Fatigue Anxiety.

What is Fatigue Anxiety?

Do you feel exhausted by your anxiety? If so, you may have Fatigue Type Anxiety. In its mild form, Fatigue Type Anxiety can make you feel like you can’t keep up with your life - you are too sleepy! As Fatigue Type Anxiety becomes more severe, individuals with Fatigue Type can struggle to leave the house or even get out of bed. 

What is This Type of Anxiety Associated With?

Fatigue Type Anxiety most commonly presents during times of physical, mental or social depletion. The depletion of one’s energy stores is reflected in the exhaustion that Fatigue Types feel in their daily lives. 

Those with a history of illness, disordered eating or postpartum are more vulnerable to this type of anxiety. This type of anxiety is often associated with a lack of adequate nutrition, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, a lack of sleep and feelings of guilt. A lack of adequate nutrition, deficiencies and a lack of sleep can perpetuate the fatigue that those with this anxiety type feel! Feelings of guilt can arise when an individual begins to blame themselves for the lack of ability to keep up with their lives. 

What are Key Actions I Could Take to Help?

If you believe that you struggle with Fatigue Type Anxiety there are some key actions that you can take in order to feel more energized! Prioritizing rest in all forms is incredibly important to help with Fatigue Type Anxiety. Getting adequate sleep, naps, meditation and performing gentle movements are all ways to restore your energy. It is also essential to consume nourishing foods regularly, as well as, to assess and correct for nutritional insufficiencies. Through proper nutrition and rest, you can overcome the exhaustion of your anxiety!

Can a Poor Diet Give Me Anxiety?

When we don’t properly nourish our bodies, and do so regularly, we can put ourselves at higher risk of all kinds of health concerns including anxiety! Anxiety can show up from nutritional deficiencies, irregular eating and not eating enough nutrient-dense foods. A magnesium deficiency can contribute to feelings of anxiety and is commonly caused by not eating enough vegetables and whole grains. Low blood sugar can also contribute to anxiety and is caused by skipping meals or irregular eating patterns. 

Find out more about Magnesium deficiencies and anxiety HERE

Find out more about how low blood sugar can cause anxiety HERE

Why Do I Feel So Defensive?

Sometimes anxiety can make you feel like you are being attacked. People who experience this may have something known as Defensive Anxiety.

What is Defensive Anxiety?

Defensive Type Anxiety presents because you feel backed into a corner. Those with Defensive Type Anxiety experience their anxiety as a type of defence mechanism that presents in potentially unsafe situations. With a normal functioning anxiety response, this is exactly what we want - protection in response to a threat. Though when one’s anxiety response becomes dysregulated, the response is more active and responds to more situations when danger is low or not even present. 

What is This Type of Anxiety Associated With?

Defensive Type Anxiety can be present at any phase of life. Vulnerability to this type of anxiety encompasses those with a history of trauma and/or people who experience a lack of safety in the world due to their identity. A history of trauma and feelings of fear are closely associated with Defensive Types because of having to be on edge in unpredictable environments and hypervigilance of surroundings/sensations for protection. 

Defensive Type Anxiety is often associated with high levels of stress from a variety of situations such as overworking or interpersonal relationships, dysregulated cortisol levels and healthy anxiety experiences. 

What are Key Actions I Could Take to Help?

If you believe that you struggle with Defensive Type Anxiety there are some key actions that you can take in order to feel more at ease in your daily life! Establishing a regular breathwork or meditation practice can be extremely beneficial in regulating your nervous system. Another key action to take is to focus on boundaries to maintain safety. Having boundaries in place can assist help to ensure personal safety which can, in turn, assist in calming down your anxiety response. The last key action to take is to get an assessment of cortisol and stress response. Knowing about cortisol dysregulation is the first step you must take in order to regulate your cortisol levels! 

Is My Nervous System Stuck in Fight or Flight?

When you get scared your nervous system fires up to protect you! But what happens when the stressor goes away? In a healthy anxiety response, the physical symptoms like increased heart rate, sweating and shortness of breath and the mental symptoms of worry or racing thoughts pass. In an anxiety disorder, some people get “stuck” in this elevated nervous system state and feel anxious even though the stressor is over. 

Find out more about a “stuck” nervous system HERE

What to do From Here… 

Did any of this information resonate with you? If so, you may suffer from one of the three described anxiety types; Decision Type Anxiety, Fatigue Type Anxiety and Defensive Type Anxiety. Though this can all seem daunting, no need to fear - Dr. Katie is here! 

Do you have Anxiety? 

Check out the Tranquil Minds Anxiety Program! This program is a personalized plan of action that is best suited for you and your specific needs. 

https://www.tranquilmindnaturopath.com/anxiety-program 

Take the Anxiety Types Quiz to determine what type of anxiety you may have!

Are you ready to lead a calmer life? Do you have questions about naturopathic medicine? Book an Appointment with Dr. Katie today!

Best Books for Healing Anxiety

I’ve been there. Staring at the self-help section of the bookshelf at Indigo, scrolling on Amazon, hoping for something to catch my eye and wondering, OK but are any of these useful? In my work supporting people with anxiety I have read a lot of books on anxiety. Some of them have been incredibly helpful. Some have been useless, or even worse - potentially harmful. Some of the most help on my personal and professional journey to help turn the tide on the rising rates of anxiety were books not specifically written about anxiety at all!

So this is my Tranquil Minds Booklist; a round up of some of the best books I’ve read (and one book I wrote) for managing anxiety. I hope you find what you are looking for.

Best Self Help Books For Anxiety

I thought I’d start with the obvious ones, self help books written for managing anxiety.

Best for Healing Anxiety Through Lifestyle Medicine

Create Calm: The Professionals Guide to Overcoming Anxiety From the Inside Out by Dr. Katie Thomson Aitken ND

When I started researching books written about lifestyle medicine for anxiety, I couldn’t find what I was looking for. Many of the books out there were either too restrictive, encouraging extreme diets for example, and using fear tactics to suggest that this is THE ONLY WAY or books were very focused on a specific lifestyle piece, such as a meditation program, but had little or nothing to offer in the way of holistic lifestyle support. Seeing this gap I wrote and published Create Calm. This is an overview of the lifestyle medicine techniques that can be done from home to better manage anxiety. In my opinion, this is what everyone needs to know if they are feeling overwhelmed by anxiety to help them get back on track, and back on their own to do list.

Best Anxiety Book For Helping Children (and kids at heart)

The Anxiety Workbook for Kids: Take Charge of Fears and Worries Using the Gift of Imagination by Robin Alter and Crystal Clarke

This anxiety workbook is amazing for kids (and kids at heart) as it taps into the gift of imagination to redirect it from creating fears and worries towards solutions and resiliency. With lots of practical tips for managing all kinds of worries, including an excellent section on “managing real worries” this book is an excellent choice for children and creative adults who know their creativity is a superpower and who want to learn to control their power, rather than have it control them!

Best Fiction Book for Healing Anxiety

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist is one of my go to answers to “What book really changed your life?” I beautiful story about learning how to listen to and then choosing to follow your heart, the fact this book has been translated into so many languages really speaks to the universality of the messages inside it. It is both easy to read and contains deep wisdom. When anxiety comes from a place of “Is this what I’m meant to be doing with my life” The Alchemist is a great place to start.

How does Acupuncture Help Anxiety?

I walked out of the Robert Schad Naturopathic Clinic and into the bright warm sunlight. I started walking home, basking in the beautiful day, stopping to stare at a plant growing up through the cracks of the pavement by the GO Station. “Isn’t it beautiful” I thought. I felt so good, so peaceful, almost like I was floating.

I had just walked out of my first acupuncture treatment for anxiety.

Can Naturopathic Doctors do acupuncture?

When I first bring up acupuncture to many patients, they are sometimes surprised to learn that it’s part of my practice. Yes, where I practice (Ontario), acupuncture is part of the scope of practice of Naturopathic Doctors under the Ministry of Health’s Naturopathy Act. In fact acupuncture is one of my favourite tools for treating pain, hormonal concerns, digestion and - my most favourite condition to treat - anxiety.

Does acupuncture work for anxiety?

In my personal experience, and clinical opinion, acupuncture can be highly effective at reducing anxiety. Moving beyond my opinion, while there are many studies looking at acupuncture for a variety of anxiety provoking situations, Earlier in 2021, a meta-analysis was published looking at acupuncture studies for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). The authors looked at 20 studies and concluded that, while we can always use more research, acupuncture was more effective than the controls at reducing anxiety symptoms.

How does acupuncture work to reduce anxiety?

I love when anyone asks me “how does acupuncture work” because the answer can be so complicated. We can look both at how the system of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) traditionally thinks of and treats the condition we call anxiety, as well as investigating modern scientific evidence for treating anxiety.

What how does acupuncture treat anxiety in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)?

In the broadest sense, acupuncture works by helping to bring balance to the body by directing someones Qi, or energy, through the insertion of acupuncture needles into specific points on the body. When I treat “anxiety” with acupuncture, I first determine what a patients diagnosis or pattern would be in TCM. In TCM each organ system, represented by points and meridians on the body, has its own functions both physically and emotionally. So while I am always working to “calm the mind” and choosing points with those actions; my supplementary points are based on each person’s unique physical symptoms and emotional experience driving their anxiety.

What research is there for the mechanism of action for acupuncture and anxiety?

When we look into the research into mechanisms of action for acupuncture and anxiety, the conclusions so far are that we don’t yet understand how it works. Much of the current investigation is focused on anxiety related to chronic pain, exploring mechanisms around brain circuitry, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and increased activity in specific brain regions.

How many acupuncture sessions will I need?

While many studies show benefits of reducing anxiety from a single treatment for a procedure, the research in Generalized (GAD) ranges from 4-10 weeks. Because of this, I typically recommend a starting protocol 6 sessions of weekly acupuncture treatment to reduce anxiety, and always with space to individualize the number and spacing of sessions for what works best for my patient.

“I typically reccomend a starting protocol of 6 weekly acupuncture sessions”

— Dr. Katie Thomson Aitken ND

What are the side effects of getting acupuncture?

In general acupuncture is well tolerated, with few side effects. In the meta-analysis of acupuncture and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) the acupuncture groups had less side effects reported than the control groups. The most common reported side effects were needle pain, hematoma, faintness during acupuncture treatment, and bleeding. A full table of reported common and rare side effects have been researched.

Ready to try acupuncture for your anxiety?

Book your naturopathic appointment with Dr. Katie Thomson Aitken ND to get started living with less anxiety.

I’m anxious about getting acupuncture.

Working with patients who are anxious about getting an acupuncture treatment is a lot of the clinical work that I do. Here are some Tranquil Minds best practices for reducing anxiety in acupuncture.

1. You always know what to expect.

   Informed Consent is my number one priority. Before inserting needles, I discuss the expected risks and benefits of a treatment with my patients. I frequently ask for feedback as to how my patients are feeling about the procedure and let them know we can stop at any time, for any reason. Even if we were planning an acupuncture treatment for your appointment, you never have to have acupuncture.

2. You won’t be left alone.

   Laying on a treatment table with needles in can feel very vulnerable. For this reason, I typically stay in the treatment room with my patients for the duration of their appointment. That way, if a needle becomes uncomfortable I can remove it, and if you have a question, I can answer it. As a bonus, we often get to do other naturopathic work, such as lifestyle counselling, while the needles are inserted.

3. I use techniques to help distract your mind and body.

   Often my patients find it most comfortable when they don’t have to think about, or feel, their acupuncture needles being inserted. There are many techniques I use to help make the acupuncture experience as enjoyable and pain free as possible. From the careful selection of my needles themselves, to the techniques I use to insert the needles, to coaching my patients through breath work or just asking about their day, everything is designed to make your experience of acupuncture as pleasant as possible.

How can I get acupuncture for my anxiety disorder?

New and existing patients within driving distance to Guelph, Ontario can book consultations online or by calling Norfolk Wellness Centre at 519-827-0040.

How to Handle Uncertainty: 5 Things I Learned Sitting Outside the Critical Intensive Care Unit

It’s been a scary couple of weeks. We are waiting right now, staying home, hoping that by staying home, less people will get COVID-19, that the hospital will be able to take care of everyone who gets critically ill. We are listening to the news, hearing about how things are in other places, hoping its different here. Hoping we acted fast enough, that we are staying home enough, that our family will be safe, that this virus won’t claim the lives of people we love.

And we don’t know. We don’t know if we’ve done enough. We don’t know what or who we may loose. It is uncertain and it is scary.

Through this week I have been reminding myself of the last time I felt this much uncertainty. It was November 2007. And I had a family member in the critical care unit of Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto.

I have been thinking about this time because it reminds me of how strong I am, of how I’ve survived times of great uncertainty before. I’ve been thinking about what was helpful in that time and using the skills I learned over a decade ago to get me through my days right now.

These are the life changing moments. They tell us so much about who we are and who we want to be. The things I learned outside the Critical Care Unit I have brought with me, expanded and relearned many times in the years since that time.

I think of my life as “before” and “after” that moment because I am not the person I was before this happened.

The same is true for this corona virus pandemic. I am not going to leave this the person I walked into it. In the two weeks since I started this, it is obvious that I am already not that person anymore. The same is true for you. You will be different. This world will be different.

As I’ve been revisiting the lessons from the biggest uncertainty in my life, I wanted to take some time to share with you the lessons I’m bring with me through this COVID-19 pandemic. My wish is that they help you, like they are helping me.

Sleep in a Bed

Preferably your bed, at night time, wearing your PJs. I say this in all seriousness. I know that what that first wave of uncertainty feels like and there is no reason to do anything. Eat. Sleep. Shower. Those first moments of uncertainty exist in this time of suspended animation. You are just shocked.

But you can’t stay there forever. At some point you need to start doing regular things again. A good place to start is by going to bed. At night. In your pyjamas and trying your best to sleep and then getting out of your bed in the morning, and getting some light on your face so you have a better chance of sleeping the next night.

“Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff”

I remember there was a book called “don’t sweat the small stuff” and I thought that idea was so dumb. Like if something is bothering me, how can I manage to just “not care” if I care about it! But the reality of sitting outside the critical care unit is very sobering and small things just cease to matter.

I didn’t care if people didn’t like what I asked for in my emails. I didn’t care how a person on this earth was dressed. Really, I spent a lot of time being someone who was impossible to annoy, maybe I was a little disconnected from my anger at that time. But honestly, it felt more like grace. Grace that came from showing up as I was, asking for what I needed, doing my best and having compassion for others assuming their own good intent. We were all doing the best we could.

I wore camo pants to church that weekend, because I was in a different city, I hadn’t really packed and I wanted to go to worship and I remember thinking “what someone wears to church is so irrelevant” So much of what we can get uppity about is also irrelevant. It’s good to remember that.

But take joy in small moments

Sometimes this seems like it’s contrary to not sweating the small stuff, but I have found this to be life blood in times of stress and uncertainty. It is, for me, the same somber sobriety of these uncertain times that makes clear both “what I’m wearing right now has no real meaning” and “Sunlight is incredibly warm and beautiful”

When you are locked into the moment you are in, there is an abundance of beauty and peace.

It was in this time that I started my mindfulness practice (even though I didn’t know it at the time) I was forced to surrender to the present moment; enjoying small things like the smell of my shampoo, sunlight streaming through a window, how deliciously chocolate melts in your mouth. These were the moments that gave me peace and strength, and carried me through moments that were much harder.

Focus on what you CAN do

There is a certain air of helplessness when there is a crisis you cannot actively participate in. When someone is sick and there is nothing you can do to make them better. In these moments it is helpful not to focus on your lack of skills and abilities, but to find a sense of purpose from what YOU can contribute.

Now is the time to ask yourself, what are my skills and abilities? What are my gifts and talents? What work do I do that still needs to be done. Then do it; offer it into the world. Maybe its keeping everyone in the loop. Maybe it’s preparing food. Maybe there are mundane emails that need to be sent that you can do and check off your list. Maybe there is something you can create. Focus on what you CAN do. and execute on that.

Give up what you have no control of

The other half of focusing on what you can do, is letting go of what you cannot control. I’m not sure it even matters where you give it up to. In times of uncertainty some of us feel strong faith, others of us feel completely abandoned, most of us feel both and all the places in between.

Whether I was giving up my fear, worry and desire to control to God, or giving up to the care of the medical professionals, the practice of acknowledging what was out of my care and letting someone or something else have that piece is incredibly healing.

Herbs for Anxiety: Turmeric

By: Andrea Moreau

Turmeric is an ancient herb for modern problem. In some studies, it has been shown to be as effective as an SSRI for treating Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder. Turmeric acts on many different pathways in the brain and body to support mental health and wellbeing.

Is turmeric the right choice for you?

Tumeric Image by Seksak Kerdkanno from Pixabay 

Turmeric is a traditional herbal medicine

Turmeric is a spice that is instantly recognizable by its vivid, yellow colour. It has a rich history of use in cooking, as well as in traditional herbal medicine. It’s potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties make it an immensely promising option for the treatment of a myriad of health concerns, ranging from skin conditions to diabetes (Hewlings & Kalman 2017) . It owes these capabilities to its active constituent, the phenolic compound curcumin.

Turmeric is effective in treating mental health concerns

In addition to the treatment of physical ailments, curcumin is also effective in the treatment of mental health disorders, namely anxiety and depression (Lopresti 2017). Circumin acts to regulate a number of pathways involved in the neurophysiology of anxiety disorders, and recent randomized controlled studies have concluded that curcumin extracts may offer an option for the treatment of mental illnesses that is as effective as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), without the side effects (Sanmukhani, Satodia & Trivedi 2014).

Turmeric works on many systems in the brain and body

Circumin’s anxiolytic effects can be attributed to a number of modes of action. For example, circumin subdues anxiety and improves overall mental wellbeing by acting as a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, increasing levels of the neurotransmitters serotonin, and norepinephrine (Lopresti 2017). As well, it decreases levels of the stress hormone, cortisol (Yu, Pei & Zhang 2015). Additionally, it significantly increases the synthesis of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), an omega-3 fatty acid that is often scarce in Western diets. DHA deficiency is associated with the pathology of anxiety disorders, combatting oxidative stress and improving neural plasticity (Wu et al. 2015). As previously mentioned, oxidative stress and dysregulated inflammation are two very common causal factors of anxiety (Lopresti 2017). Circumin prevents oxidative stress via modulating antioxidant enzymes, and fights inflammation by regulating cytokine gene expression (Lopresti 2017).

HPA (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal)-axis imbalances are another factor with a causal role in anxiety. This system controls mood, emotions, and stress response through hormonal output. Thus, HPA dysregulation results in an overactive sympathetic nervous system, and a constant state of stress and anxiety (Faravelli et al. 2012). Circumin is able to regulate the HPA-axis by influencing a number of genes, hormones, and receptors that play a role in the process in communication between the central nervous system and endocrine system (Lopresti 2017).

Turmeric Extracts have been shown to be as effective as taking an SSRI

In a randomized, controlled trial performed in 2013, taking curcumin was shown to be as effective as taking the SSRI, fluoxetine (Sanmukhani, Satodia & Trivedi 2014).  Circumin has also been shown to enhance the actions of other antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications when taken in addition to these drugs (Yu, Pei & Zhang 2015). While further research is needed regarding doses and conjunctive treatments, curcumin is proving to be a very effective anxiolytic, and a potential natural alternative to SSRIs.

Need a Natural Anxiety Solution

Book a Free Meeting with Dr. Katie

Prescribing Food

Did anyone else see the recent barrage of articles on prescribing food? This is because I recent study has shown that it’s more cost effective to help people consume more fruits and vegetables than it is to treat the downstream effects of lack of access to fruits and vegetables like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Fruits and Vegetables Decrease Risks of Heart Disease, Diabetes and Cancer and are essential for good physical and mental health

As a naturopathic doctor I look at this and try and hold myself back from unhelpful comments like “obvious” and “of course it is” When you start from a model of preventative care and working to keep people well, the idea of prescribing food is an obvious one. It’s something I do daily in my practice.

Never the less, it’s exciting to see it talked about more and even more exciting to hear conversations around making healthy eating more affordable to those who need it. We all need access to healthy fruits and vegetables, especially as it is now recommended to be the basis of your diet.

Luckily, many places have programs that help offer subsidized access to fruits and vegetables. I want to take a minute to highlight 2 options available in the city of Guelph.

The Seed

One of the groups of people doing amazing work to help people access and eat more vegetables are the folks at the seed. They have many amazing programs but I want to highlight their garden fresh box and community food market.

The Garden Fresh Box is an affordable food box that goes out to 17 locations in the city every month. It costs $15 or $20 (depending on the size of box you pick) and you receive $22-$30 worth of produce! It’s incredible value. When I picked up my box I was not only overwhelmed by the quantity of food I was getting, but also the quality. The produce was very fresh and was absolutely the quality of food I would pick for myself at the grocery store. I was really impressed.

The other program that I wanted to highlight is the Community Food Markets currently with 2 locations in Guelph. These sliding scale market allows you to purchase food at or below retail value (whatever feels right for you).

Using these services is great no matter what you can pay for your food. It’s actually important that we all use these services for a couple of reasons. One, it reduces stigma when everyone uses a service like this. Two, by paying mid to full price it directly subsidizes food for friends in our community.

Community Shared Agriculture (CSA)

Community Shared Agriculture (or CSA) is a model of supporting farmers where you pay for a season of produce at the beginning of the year, and then collect your produce each week based on what the farmers produce. There are many great CSA programs in Guelph but I wanted to share where I get my vegetables from because I think they are going above and beyond to make organic vegetables accessible to everyone.

Zocalo Organics is the only local CSA I know of that offers sliding scale prices for their CSA boxes. This means that at each size of food box, you can select a price option that best fits your budget. The produce Zocalo grows is some of the highest quality food I’ve ever eaten! And it’s so delicious.

If you want to know more about diet prescriptions…

Eating more vegetables is good for everyone! But maybe you want to know more about what specifically is best for you! When I prescribe I diet, it’s not just about eating more vegetables, it’s about helping you make food choices that are right for YOU.

In this video I explain the 3R’s of a Prescription Diet

Want to learn more? Come in and meet me for a complimentary meet and greet appointment! Naturopathic Medicine might be just the breath of fresh air you are looking for in healthcare ;)

What’s the opposite of a Disclaimer?

Also, I just want to clarify that these are NOT affiliate links, I’m not getting paid to share and no one gave me free food, I just really believe in what these organizations are doing. These are food programs I personally support with my own money and I wanted you to know about them so you could also access their awesome produce :)

What's up with the New Food Guide?

Did you see that we have a new food guide in Canada? Wondering what to make of it?

Watch this to learn about the changes to the food guide, what to do about them, and what’s missing from the new changes!

Find Your Inner Peace

This time of year can be so chaotic. The business, the preparation, the lists, the presents, the parties, the obligations. I know some of you have found your groove, put up your boundaries and are riding this through with peace and joy. And I know at least some of you laughed so hard at that thought that you almost spat onto your screen.

This is for you..

This is the transcript, for those of you who would rather read than watch :)

Hey! It’s Dr. Katie here, and I just wanted to talk to you about finding a moment of peace in what can be a really busy holiday season.

So I know right now you are probably scrolling through your phone, and I just wanted to invite you to learn a technique that can bring you just a few minutes of peace this busy holiday season.

And so, I’m going to explain that to you now. So If you have a minute to grab a nice deep breath. Yes I’m going to do it too. And a second one.

And that’s it!

Just taking a few moments to take a few deep breaths is a lovely way to help you connect with that inner sense of peace and find a moment of peace this holiday season. It’s wonderful because you have this with you no matter where you go. You can always just take a minute to take two deep breaths and reconnect with yourself.

When you feel that peace in your heart, it doesn’t matter what’s going on around you or how busy things are. You can bring that tranquility with you and access it at any time.

The other thing about this is that when you bring calm and are calm in yourself other people will feel that in being around you and they will also experience peace.

Cannabis and Anxiety

For as long as I’ve been treating anxiety, I’ve had patients using cannabis. Some recreationally, some because they find that it helps them with sleep, social situations, anxiety or just to calm down. Sometimes their health goals involve using less cannabis, sometimes not. With recreational cannabis legal in Canada - I’ve noticed more of my patients disclosing their cannabis use, and asking for my thoughts.

It’s a complicated topic, one I’ve thought about a lot and done a lot of research on. Seriously, it took me almost 6 months to write this article. What I’m going to share is based the research on recreational cannabis use and anxiety.

I’m hoping that it’s obvious, but just to be clear, reading something on the internet does not constitute medical advice. If you are interested in medical use of cannabis you should speak to a medical doctor who prescribes medical cannabis.

So with that out of the way here is what I’ve learned:

People Suffering from Anxiety Disorders Use More Cannabis

A survey on recreational cannabis use showed higher levels of use in people with pre-existing anxiety conditions(1). First, individuals with anxiety used more cannabis at a time, and because of this had higher levels of “acute anxiety responses” to cannabis (so they were more likely to get anxiety from using cannabis(1)).

Also, individuals with anxiety who identified as self-medicating with cannabis were using it more frequently (1).

Looking for a natural solution for anxiety? Check out my Tranquil Minds anxiety program.

CBD Is A Potential Treatment For Anxiety Disorders

With all these people with anxiety using cannabis, a natural question is does it work to treat anxiety?

The answer, at this point, is that the Cannabidoil, also called CBD, might. There is a lot of what’s called “preclinical evidence” that CBD may be helpful in a variety of anxiety disorders and disorders related to anxiety such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (2).

This means that when you look at how CBD acts in the brain, how anxiety effects the brain and how mice respond to CBD and stress, it seems like CBD might be helpful.

The problem is that people are not mice and while there has been some research in Social Anxiety (3) and PTSD(4) and there has not yet been a lot of research in humans.

But it’s not all benefits when it comes to Cannabis and Anxiety in fact…

Anxiety is a Side Effect of Cannabis(5)

Yes, you read that right. While there is evidence that CBD might help with anxiety, there is also evidence of cannabis causing anxiety. Particularly in higher amounts, cannabis has been shown to cause episodes of aggravated anxiety and panic attacks(6,7). Not Fun.

The long term effects of cannabis and anxiety are a bit harder to tease out because it’s all based on reporting but we do know that individuals who use cannabis over the long term have higher rates of anxiety disorders, affective disorders and psychosis(6,7), particularly younger people(8).

Cannabis and Psychosis

There is a lot of research linking cannabis as a risk factor for psychosis (9,10). Unfortunately this strong association is a little challenging to understand. There has not yet been a strong biological link identified (11) and some researchers are concluding that cannabis does not cause psychosis but that early and heavy use of cannabis are more likely in people who are vulnerable to developing psychosis (12). Whether this is also true for the link in developing anxiety disorders remains to be seen (5).

While this was thought to be related to the TCH and not the CBD portion of cannabis, there is a report of a patient using CBD strains prior to the onset of their psychosis (13). Whether or not the strains were adulterated or mislabeled is not known.

At the end of the day there are lots of great herbs for treating anxiety

There are lots of great plants in this world that are wonderful for treating anxiety. Many with more evidence of benefit and less risk. You can watch or read about my favourites here.

If you are planning to use recreational cannabis you can read about best practices for safer consumption here.

Looking for a natural solution to your anxiety?

Book Your Complimentary Consultation

References

1. Cannabis Use and Anxiety: Is Stress the Missing Piece of the Puzzle?

2. Cannabidiol as a Potential Treatment for Anxiety Disorders

3. Cannabidiol reduces the anxiety induced by simulated public speaking in treatment-naïve social phobia patients.

4. Cannabidiol as a Therapeutic Alternative for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: From Bench Research to Confirmation in Human Trials

5. Cannabis and anxiety: a critical review of the evidence.

6. Risks associated with the non-medicinal use of cannabis.

7. Acute and long-term effects of cannabis use: a review.

8. Changes in cannabis use among young people: impact on mental health.

9. Cannabis and psychosis: Neurobiology.

10. Adolescent Initiation of Cannabis Use and Early-Onset Psychosis.

11. Pathways to psychosis in cannabis abuse.

12. Cannabis and Psychosis: a Critical Overview of the Relationship.

13. Dispensary cannabidiol marijuana and first-episode mania
    
    
    

Herbs for Anxiety

Plant Medicine is one of the many tools I use in my naturopathic practice to treat anxiety. Watch or read below for some of my favourite anxiety herbs!

Looking for Expert Advice on natural Anxiety Treatments?

Hi everyone. Good evening and thanks for coming and joining me for tonight's Tranquil Tuesday. I'm really excited tonight. We're going to talk about a topic that I know a lot of you have been asking me about and are really curious about, which is herbal medicine for anxiety. I know it's one of those things there's a lot of different plants out there and you might hear different things about what's effective. So what I'm going to let you know about tonight are the top five herbs that I use in my clinical practice when treating anxiety.

I love plant medicine for like a lot of different reasons but whenever I'm making like a botanical prescription for someone, there's a lot of different factors that go into deciding what herbs to use, and that has to do with what their concerns are. So when we're talking about anxiety, each plant is not just used for anxiety as a symptom. But plants are dynamic and they have all kinds of different compounds in them. A lot of times we're choosing a plant remedy, we're choosing it not just for its use in calming the nervous system, but also for what else it does and for how that matches up with what else is happening in my patients life. So that's one factor that goes into choosing that.

Other factors are of course the patient's age, any medication that they might be on. It's really important if you are going to use herbal medicines, and you are on any kind of prescription drug that you have an expert helping you out and making sure that's safe to go together. Just because you can buy something over the counter doesn't mean that you can take it with your prescription drugs. That's something that I just encourage everybody to get some expert help with whether that's through their doctor, whether that's through a naturopathic doctor. Naturopathic doctors are trained in drug herb interactions and so they're able to help you safely figure out really what herb goes along with which concern and which condition. So with that being said, I'm going to get into my top five herbs.

5. Lemon balm

My number five verb for treating anxiety is lemon balm. Lemon balm is what we call unnerving, meaning it's really tonifying and calming for the nervous system. It's a beautiful nourishing herb. I love it because you can drink it in a tea and that's kind of nice throughout the day. Some people know grows in their garden, they can pick it and they make this tea and it's really healing and calming. The other thing I really love about lemon balm is great for the digestive system. So for someone who's anxiety manifests with digestive discomfort, lemon balm is something that I sort of turned to for that and look at for that reason.

4. Bacopa

My fourth herb that I want to talk about for anxiety tonight is the Bacopa. I was kind of like, do I put this in there? Do I not? Because it's not really an anxiety herb it's actually an herb for focus and concentration. But this actually can be really helpful for anxiety particularly for people who find that their anxiety, the way that that impacts their life is that they can't focus. I find this is a really big problem a lot people have with anxiety is that it impairs their focus and they feel like they can't do their job well. That's such a hit on your self-confidence when you feel like I'm not bringing my best self to this. So Bacopa can really help with that. It can help with coping, anxiety and focus. I use it a lot in students who just need that extra cognitive support, and Bacopa is definitely an herb that I think of when that focus is impaired.

3. Lavender

Herb number three that I'm going to talk about today is lavender. Lavender might be my personal favorite herb, but it's number three for use in anxiety. Lavender is really great. There's lots of different ways you can use lavender. It's really effective actually as aromatherapy. So the essential oil when you smell it or you put it in a carrier, oil on the skin, that's been shown to decrease blood pressure, decrease the stress response. It's just a really great calming scent that can really impact like blood pressure and there's like physiologic. Like things are happening in the body about stress, that is impacted by just smelling lavender. So that's kind of a cool thing. There's lots of teas that have lavender in it.

Lavender is one of those herbs that people use for sleep because it's calming in a way that's kind of sedative. So that's definitely something that I look at, is whether there's some sleep concerns as well and whether lavender makes the best sense is sometimes indicated by sleep issues. Then there's also just some really cool research out there on lavender essential oil actually given in a capsule. You want to make sure that you've got a proper quality product for this, but the research has been shown that it's equivalent to a benzodiazepine, which is the type of medication that a lot of people take in the moment to help them sleep. Benzodiazepine are really addictive and they have their own concerns with them, but the lavender essential oil has similar efficacy without the side effects. So it's non-addictive which is really awesome. So that's definitely something you'll use with sleep and anxiety.

2. Rhodiola

Number two on my list to talk about tonight is rhodiola. Rhodiola is really great for anxiety and stress. Rhodiola is actually not unnerving, it's not something you usually think of as more of something that calms the nervous system. But what it is, is from a class of herbs called adaptogens. What it's really great at is helping the body cope with stress. By doing that, rhodiola in particular of all the different adaptogens really seems to help calm people down. So it's a beautiful choice and one of my top choices for when anxiety is really because of stress and because of the stress response. It can be really calming for a lot of people. It's good for physical stress and also mental and emotional stress. Yeah, it's just it's a beautiful herb and I use it quite a lot.

1. Kava

The number one herb that I want to talk to you guys about tonight is kava. Kava kava is this herb from the Pacific Islands and it's traditionally consumed as a tea and it's very calming. Of all of the herbs out there, this is the one that has the most research for anxiety and it's definitely for that reason is my number one herb. People that really have a generalized anxiety disorder and need something on a daily basis, it's going to make a real big difference in their life and their calm, and how calm they feel.

If you start googling kava, which I find most people that are anxious start googling, you find a few things about it. I'm just going to address some of those right now because there was a time in Canada where we didn't have access to kava as an herb due to some safety concerns. So there were some people that took kava and had an increase in their liver enzymes and some problems with their liver. So this attributed to kava and it was taken off the market. Now, every herb, every pharmaceutical, anytime you take something there's always a chance that someone's liver enzymes are going to go up. That's just a response in a certain number of people.

Now, the kava extracts that were being used were extracted through alcohol. This is really like boring chemistry. But it's important because the way that you extract elements from a plant, that influences the type of compounds that are in there. When this solvent was being used rather than water to extract the kava, it was extracting compounds that weren't as safe. So kava is back on the market now and they realized that in those cases, kava was not the only thing to blame.

I am very picky about the kava sources that I recommend and I do like a water extract of kava because that actually extracts ... If you remember, I was just saying that the traditional way to consume this herb is actually in a tea. So historically, that's the appropriate way to extract it. But also when you get into like the boring chemistry again, the appropriate compounds are easily the things that are responsible for helping people be calm are more easily extracted with water and not so much with some of the solvents. Some of the more toxic compounds come out more in those other types of extraction methods. So long boring story short, kava water extract is something that I always look for. With any herb but particularly with kava. You want to be really careful with your sourcing from there.

Then the other thing that kava is really good at is pain and tension. I know for some people with anxiety, they get a lot of muscle pain. It's like tension headaches or like your body's up here, kava really helps with relaxing. But in a way, that's like so you can still drive your car. It doesn't impair your ability to operate heavy machinery. So that's a really awesome feature of kavas, that calming. That's really my number one herb as I get to the bottom of this list. I mean, there's so many other herbs that I could have included that I use all the time. I'm looking at this just wondering, why passion flower isn't on there? I played around with putting chamomile. I mean, there's just so many beautiful herbs for anxiety, it's just a matter of finding the right one for each person.

It's really about knowing what you're trying to achieve. Any time we're trying to add a plant remedy into someone's treatment protocol, what is that trying to do? What are you hoping to get from that? I think it's really important ... I mean, one of the things that I look at in my practice is lifestyle medicine. I think that what we do every day for ourselves and for health is way more important than what we take. But sometimes it can be hard to do things and that's why I love plant remedies. Is because when you're at a point where you should be eating better or you want to be doing this exercise program, but you can't get there because you're so anxious, you just can't even do it.

That is where I love to use herbs and plant medicine as a tool to help the body get into a place where they're calm enough or you're calm enough to actually tackle some of those bigger, bigger challenges. That is the role that I see of herbs in anxiety and I would love to answer any of the questions that you have about herbs for anxiety and like either in general or any specific herbs. So feel free to throw them up in the comments and I will do my best to answer them. If anybody's got one now, I can answer it now. Otherwise, if you're watching the replay, for sure add that in the comments. I'll come back and answer. Then next week on Tranquil Tuesdays, we're talking about panic attacks and what to do when you're having anxiety or a panic attack. I really hope you'll join me for this one, I think it's going to be really great and we'll see you next week.

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Boosting Your Immune System

Fall. Warm Days. Crisp Mornings. One minute you need a jacket and the next you can’t find it because it’s on a park bench or at the office, because it’s so warm walking home you can’t imagine you needed your coat this morning. It’s a great time of year, especially if you are a virus!

Fall means the viruses are out and the immune system is often down, delayed by the cold weather. So what can we do to boost our own immune systems?

Watch this short video for one of my methods (and my current favourite shortcut!) and let me know in the comments what you do for your immune system!

Looking for some personal support finding natural solutions to boost your immune system? Book your complimentary consult with me and find out how naturopathic medicine can help you optimize your health!

Good afternoon, everyone. It is just afternoon, and I am sorry if you caught my previous video tech failure, but we are back up and running. What I just wanted to talk about today was these crazy temperatures that we have going on here.

I know in Guelph we're having a beautiful day of 26, and if you're catching this in a couple of days, it's supposed to be a lot cooler. That's been the case for the month of October, really.

It's been warm and cool, but it's really challenging for the immune system. I know my daughter's been sick. Getting lots of viruses from daycare. That's no fun for anyone. It's not fun for me. It's not fun for her.

What I really wanted to talk about is how we can do a little protection of ourselves through this time of year. In traditional Chinese medicine, this season of transition is really the Earth time, and this is when it's really important to nourish your immune system to keep yourself from getting sick.

One of the traditional ways to do this is to make a change of season soup. There's a bunch of herbs in there. Codonopsis, Astragalus, Dioscorea, and Chinese lychee berries. These are all decocted, or cooked in ... which just means boiled in water for a really long time. You imagine, in your kitchen, you've got a pot of water, and you're adding all these herbs, and then boiling them for a couple of hours to really pull all of the essences out of them.

I would love to sit here and tell you that I did this for my daughter, but I didn't, because I don't really ... I shouldn't say I don't have time, but I have not made the time to sit and decoct this out for her. What I did do was I went to the health food store next door to my office, the Stone Store, and I bought this: Deep Immune Kids.

This is something that I sometimes use in practice to help immune systems. Of those four herbs that I talked about, two of them, the ones that are most appropriate for children, are in this formula. They also have a Deep Immune Adults that has the adult versions of it, along with a couple of other immune herbs.

While decocting herbs in your kitchen is great if you can do it, and I totally think that if that's something you want to give a try, talk to your doctor, talk to your naturopath, make sure that those herbs are good for you, and not going to interact with any of your medications or medical conditions. Give that a try. But this is another option that I use. A little more convenient. A little better for me and my life right now.

Yeah. It's really is a time of a lot of temperature fluctuations, and there are options out there, from do-it-yourself options, to tinctures that someone else has made and you just administer to yourself or to your child. I guess I just want to know what you do to keep your and your family well this time of year. If you've got anything that you do at home that you feel like protects yourself and your family from these crazy temperature swings, I'd love to hear. Leave that in the comments, and I'll see you again next week.

Concussion Prevention

Can what we eat really impact how our bodies heal from a concussion? Watch for my thoughts on using nutrition as a preventative therapy for concussion / mild traumatic brain injury.

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Good afternoon. Hello, everybody. I just wanted to pop on this afternoon and chat about a topic that I'm seeing pop up a lot in my Facebook news feed right now, which is hockey season starting. A lot of people getting their kids ready for that with skates and helmets and concussions clinics, where they're getting cognitive testing before the hockey season to make sure that if there's an accident, there's a baseline to compare to. I just see these parents doing everything that they can for their kids and to keep kids playing sports, whether that's hockey, whether that's another sport, to really minimize the impact of concussion.

One of the things that I don't see a lot of information out there on is nutrition and concussion prevention. This is a really, I mean to me, a really interesting field where there is this idea that we could prevent ... there's this idea that we could prevent concussion before it even happens. I mean we can't prevent an injury from happening. You can't prevent the trauma. That's why the protective gear is there for and there's lots of things that are addressing that, but what about when that happens?

What can we do beforehand to help the brain be in a place where it's going to be able to respond faster and can we minimize that impact? I think that the answer to this question is that we likely can and should definitely try. This is really debated in the literature because obviously we don't have randomized controlled trials where we give children injuries. That would be very inappropriate. What we're doing is looking at mouse models and looking at different situations. One of the things that comes up is omega-3 supplementation or having enough fatty acids for the brain, particularly really long-chain fatty acids.

This has been shown in most models of head trauma to improve recovery time and to really see less impact of the concussion. A lot of times when you're looking at something like a mouse study, you say, "Can we really apply this to humans?" There's a really great debate happening in the literature, which means strongly worded letters to the editor. But what I think is really the go-to for me, this takeaway, is that it's so safe. Fish oil is a very safe therapy and with very little risks of implementing. Something like a nutritional program to optimize brain health to prevent concussion. There's very little risk to this and the potential for so much benefit in terms of reduced harm.

Most of the research out there is on omega-3 fish oils and so definitely recommend as part of your hockey prep season to get a naturopathic doctor on your team and get an appropriate dose of fish oil for your child so that you know that you're doing that part to protect them. Then there's also some other research looking at prebiotic fibers to support what's going on in the gut because a lot of information moves back and forth from our gut to our brain and we want to be protecting that as well. There's also some research looking at antioxidant status. I mean in the research they're giving Resveratrol supplements, but I mean I look at that as they're giving antioxidants.

Is your child eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables? Are they getting lots of antioxidants from their diet, or is that something that you maybe want to look at improving or adding a supplement that's going to be high in antioxidants to help protect that way? There's lots of different pieces to this. I wanted to pop on today so that you know that this is something that can happen and this is something that you can take steps. Just like you might take steps with what you wear on the outside of your head, you can take steps on what happens on the inside of your head.

I hope that this video is helpful. If you did find it helpful, please share it with any other parents that are prepping for hockey season this year. Talk soon.

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For Days When It's Hard...

Hi there. I'm going to be honest here for a minute, I'm not having a great week. I know I'm not the only one and I know that there are many other people out there that are having a week that's much worse. I know because I've had worse weeks and even on those weeks, I knew that for someone else it was worse.

Assuming you consume any kind of media or social media outside this blog you know about the Humbolt hockey team's bus accident. You've probably seen some #sticksoutforhumbolt. While it seems everyone feels sad about this terrible accident, there are always people who react to news stories more strongly because it triggers in them memories of their own past trauma. While this is pervasive in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, even individuals who do not meet the criteria for PTSD can experience upsetting memories, flashbacks, or emotional distress after being reminded of the trauma. 

I'm explaining this because while I saw many posts on self care when the #metoo hashtag was spreading like wildfire, I have not seen anything yet on coping with being triggered by the Humbolt bus accident; and this accident is triggering. It's triggering for me personally, because of my experience waiting for news while a loved one was in critical care, but I'm sure for many others as well. For people who have lost or came close to loosing loved ones, particularly if elements of this tragedy are similar to their own experience.

So it's out there. We've all had experiences in our lives that have been difficult, and we are all going to be reminded of them sometimes. So whether you landed on this page because the Humbolt's bus accident is affecting you, or you are feeling like today is just a bit much for another reason, here are my top tips for self care this week.

1. Name your emotions.

It's OK to be sad. I picked sad because it's how I'm feeling but really it's ok to feel whatever emotion is coming up for you. Anger. Regret. Shame. Fear. Despair. Whatever it is you are feeling, you are allowed to feel it. Acknowledge how you are feeling - without judgement -  and give yourself permission to express it. 

It's also important to remember that feelings aren't a competition and there is no "wrong" way to feel. If you are mad, don't feel like you can't be mad because someone else has more reason to be, or is even more upset. Everyone is entitled to their emotions, regardless of what other people are going through.

2. Enjoy the small things

When things are difficult it can be hard to feel like things are going well. Rather than hinge your happiness on the big moments, let yourself enjoy whatever you can - however small. Perhaps you've got a great tasting cup of coffee, a song you really like came on the radio, or you noticed the sun pouring in through a window. However fleeting - looking for - and enjoying these small moments help to keep you in the present and can be a small light moment in a dark day.

3. Eat / Sleep / Walk

Emotions effect us in ways that can make even the most basic tasks of living life seem enormous, impossible, or inconsequential. You may have little or no appetite, not be tired or be tired and unable to sleep, or feel lethargic. Even if you are not hungry your body needs food. Preferably some kind of fruit or vegetable every 4-6 hours. If it's been longer than that and you aren't hungry try and eat something anyway. Same goes for sleep and getting outside. It may be the last thing you feel like doing but your mind and body will feel better if you give it an opportunity to move and stretch and to rest.  

4. Unplug

This one seems obvious but it can be the hardest. If stories on social media are triggering you - maybe you need to take a day or two off? If you feel like you've been on your phone all day, maybe put it down in another room? This is a great time to replace the technology distraction with something that you love to do and feel like you never have time for whether thats woodworking, knitting, or meeting a friend. 

None of these things are magical. They don't change what has happened or what's happening right now but what they do is help you move through the present, because sometimes, that's the only goal.

Elimination Diet Dinners - Week Three Recipe Links

Week Three! It's the final stretch. Whether or not you've followed the diet 100% I hope you are feeling proud of your accomplishments so far and are feeling well in your body! While this is the last set of recipes I'm posting this time around I hope it's given you some guidance around making gluten and diary a less integral part of your diet. 

I find that as I reintroduce foods, I may find some that I don't do as well with than others. With the knowledge of what works for my body I can then make more informed choices about what I'm eating. Doing an elimination diet reminds me about foods I have forgotten about, and helps me remember healthy patterns (like snacking on rice cakes with avocado instead of chips) even when I've reintroduced other foods. 

Here they are - the final week's dinner recipes!

Roast Lamb

The last roast recipe I'm going to use is the roast lamb. If you don't eat red meat you can go back to the first week and roast another chicken but if you do I encourage you to give it a try. Like the previous "mothership" roast recipes, they are designed to give you leftovers, which I use up in the lamb curry recipe. Leave the bacon out of the cabbage for this one, or use your own favourite veggies.

Fish Tikka Curry

I know, there are a lot of curries in this menu plan. The reason is that they are super easy to make delicious curries that are OK on the elimination diet! This one is, again, from Save with Jamie. Just looking at the pictures has me excited to cook this one again. 

Leftover Lamb Curry

Jamie Oliver's "Save with Jamie" book one of my favourites right now. Especially over the winter, the idea of making a weekend roast and then having great recipes to transform the leftovers throughout the week really appeals to me. The lamb curry recipe in this cookbook is a biryani that involves making your own stock, cooking beautiful rice, and layering the yummy flavours into a dish that then gets baked for 40 minutes. The whole process takes 2.5 hours and I imagine that you - like me - do not have 2.5 hours to transform leftovers. So I've adapted it to a crock pot stew. Will it be "Incredible Lamb Biryani"? No. Will it be on plates 20-25 minutes after I've walked in door? Yes. And that is what I need on weeknights. 

Ingredients

• 8 oz leftover lamb

• 2 thumb size pieces of ginger

• 4 cloves of garlic

• 2 red onions

• 2 TBSP olive oil

• 2 tsp curry powder

• 1/2 chopped mango

• 1 fresh chile, finely chopped

• 1 pkg frozen spinnach (16oz)

• 1 tsp red wine vinegar

• 2 cups stock

• 1 cup basmati rice

Instructions

Finely chop the ginger, garlic and onion. Put everything except the rice in the crock pot. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. When ready to eat steam 1 cup rice in 2 cups of water for 25 minutes. 

Cabbage Salad with Duck

This cabbage salad is so yummy. It's adapted from Donna Hay's "The New Easy". You're going to want to make this all the time, elimination diet or not!

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup lime juice

• 1/4 cup fish sauce

• 2 Tbsp honey

• 2 Tbsp shredded ginger

• 6 kaffir lime leaves

• 2 duck breast

• 1 Tbsp Chinese 5 spice powder

• 3 cups cabbage (shredded)

• 2 chillies, finely sliced

• 3 green onion, finely sliced

• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves

• 1/2 cup mint leaves

• 1/2 basil leaves

• 1/3 cup cashews

Instructions

Make sure all of your veggies are prepped before you start. Score the fat on duck breasts. Sprinkle with the 5 spice powder. Heat a pan on medium high heat. Cook the duck breast skin side down for 5 minutes, until skin is crispy and then flip and finish cooking (about 3 more minutes). Set the duck breasts aside to rest and turn down heat. Add lime juice, fish sauces, honey, ginger and lime leaves and stir. Remove from heat and set aside. Combine the cabbage, chilli, onion, cilantro, mint, and basil and divide between plates. Slice duck breast and toss in pan sauce. Top plates with duck and pan sauce. Sprinkle with the cashews and serve. 

Squash Pasta

I always think of this for "leftover" squash but that is a rare commodity in my house so I often roast a squash just for this pasta. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 butternut squash (roasted)
• 1/4 tsp chilli flakes
• olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• pasta (I like the chick pea pasta with this sauce)

Instructions

Cook you pasta as per package directions. While it's boiling slice the garlic. Get a heavy bottomed sauce pan on medium high heat with a few lugs of olive oil. Add the garlic and chilli to the hot oil and cook for about 1 minute to flavour the oil. Add the roasted squash and mash and stir. Add pasta water as needed to create a thick sauce texture. Drain pasta and mix with squash sauce. Enjoy!

Lime Fish Taco Salad

Donna Hay does some lovely and quick fish taco recipes like this one. To make it Elimination Diet friendly, leave out the taco shell and yoghurt and place fish on a bed of lettuce or cabbage with all the toppings!

Turkey Burgers

I know it's not the obvious choice but Gwyneth Paltrow is my go-to girl for out of the box burger recipes (which I need because I could eat burgers every week in the summer!) These turkey burger patties are great alongside some salad or roasted vegetables. Everywhere I found the recipe online they included a yoghurt sauce (which you want to leave out until you've reintroduced dairy) and a bun! Which was not in the original recipe and you probably want to leave it out until you reintroduce gluten! With that caveat here is the burger link. 

Well that's it for Elimination Diet Dinners this time around.

If you are thinking of doing an elimination-style diet and are looking for guidance and support - come chat with me! I'd be happy to help you! 

Book a Complimentary Meet and Greet Consultation with me here

Elimination Diet Dinners - Week Two Recipe Links

Hope your first week is going well! Mine is well.. going. I miss coffee and while I thought I had mastered the art of not being hungry on an Elimination Diet, the extra calories I'm loosing through breastfeeding have been a little harder to pick up, making me realize I was topping up with some empty calories. Time to pick up the smoothies I guess! On the plus side my skin is feeling great! 

Here are the links and/or recipes for this weeks dinners! Enjoy!

Roast Salmon

Again, this week starts out with a roast dinner from Jamie Oliver. I love doing this because it's simple, it looks nice on the table, and you get great leftovers for meals later in the week. This week's roast is for a Roast Side of Salmon. The recipe has some veggies along side it but feel free to use your own family favourites.

Veggie Korma with Mock Cauliflower Pilau

I'm so excited about this curry because it's such a hit at my house. It's something I pull out when I feel like my daughter hasn't been eating enough vegetables because, since it's all vegetables, she's bound to get some in. I usually cook it out of "Save with Jamie" but I found this really cool PDF that even has pictures! 

I wanted to let you know that I usually change a couple of things. First, if you are on the elimination diet you do want to leave out the optional feta cheese (and the yoghurt). Second, I don't like to use the liquid from canned beans (or the cooking liquid from beans) because it reduces the gas-causing carbohydrate raffinose in the final dish. Lastly - and this one is 100% optional - but my family is not 100% on board that cauliflower is a replacement for rice. In order to convince them (that sounds better than trick them right?!?!) I make "fancy rice". This means melting some oil / butter / ghee in a large pan, adding some flavours (such as lemon zest and juice, ginger root and turmeric) and then stirring the cooked rice through the yummy flavours. 

Chicken Curry

This is another one of my fav's from Donna Hay's cookbook The New Easy. As much as I like cooking it's nice to have a curry recipe you throw in the oven and forget about! This is that one.

Lamb Tagine

This is another recipe from Gwyneth Paltrow's "It's All Good." Lamb is an allowed red meat on the Elimination Diet as it is generally still raised grazing on pasture and is therefore less inflammatory a red meat choice. While some individuals do well on no red meat, many people require meat in their diet (and occasional red meat) to feel their best. I'm one of those people so there's a bit of lamb in my menu plan. This recipe has some preserved lemon on top; I generally don't have preserved lemon on had so I just leave them out (it's still good). 

Fish Burgers

I love these salmon burgers. The pickled ginger and cilantro go so well with salmon! They do have a bit of a challenge with them which is that they fall apart if you ignore the part where they are supposed to rest in the fridge. Now - normally something like that is enough for me to ignore a recipe forever but these are really yummy and on an elimination diet - I need healthy food that is really yummy. So it's best to suck it up and prep these the day before, then when you get home from work its really easy to just cook up the burgers and steam or sauté the vegetables. Make sure to make enough for lunch the next day - you are going to want to eat them again. 

Chinese Chicken Salad

I hate to say this, but if you hate salads you are probably making them wrong. This one is a prime example of how to do one well - so you'll actually want to eat it. It has a soft and a crunchy lettuce, extra veggies for sweetness and texture, lots of herbs, a seed, some protein and a killer homemade dressing you'll want to use over and over again. This version has poached chicken breast - just for the salad, but it also works well with leftover roast chicken (or one of those grocery store rotisserie chickens. Shhh.) 

Chicken Burgers

Making your own burgers is a sure fire way to avoid additives like gluten and soy as well as preservatives. It's also a great way to add in fun flavours and make the burgers you want to eat. I really love these chicken burgers. Keep them elimination diet friendly by pairing them with steamed our sautéed bok choy and some brown rice. Finished your elimination diet? Try them at your next BBQ on a bun with mayo.

Check back next week for new recipes! 

Elimination Diet Dinners - Week One Recipe Links

Happy Elimination Diet! These foods are things I love to eat ALL the time (whether I'm on an elimination diet or not!) I hope you LOVE these recipes as much as my family does!

Roast Chicken

My default for all roast dinners is the fabulous Jamie Oliver. He really gets family cooking and his recipes are often easy to learn and nutritionally sound. This roast chicken dinner is something I've been cooking forever and I'm sure it will become a regular at your house.

Vegan Shepherd's Pie

Is it a shepherd's pie if it's vegan? I'm not sure it is but this lentil dish is too good to leave out.

Kale and Cashew Pesto Pasta

This is one of my fav's from Donna Hay's cookbook The New Easy. True to it's name this cookbook is full of modern flavours in recipes that are incredibly easy.  In this version I'm swapping out spaghetti for this really cool pea pasta I found at Costco. It's gluten free and has way more protein than wheat pasta! Plus it has the best texture of any gluten free pasta I've tried to date.

Ingredients

• 4 servings pea pasta

• 1/2 bunch of kale 

• 1/3 cup parsley

• 1 clove garlic

• 2/3 cup cashews

• 1 lemon

• 1/2 cup olive oil

Instructions

Cook the pea pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking prepare pesto. Chop kale and parsley in a food processor. Add garlic, lemon zest, cashews, and olive oil and pulse until finely chopped and combined. Toss the pesto on the pasta and serve with lemon wedges. 

Chicken Tray Bake

I love this dinner because it's easy to prepare and it's so yummy - it seems like it should be more complicated but the oven really does all the work. What I like about this tray bake is that it's free of pre-made condiments but it still tastes really great.  

Roasted Trout

Trout is one of my favourite fish to eat. It's full of the long chain omega-3 fatty acids we all need more of, it's local to Ontario lakes, and it's usually quite affordable! One of my first blogs was a trout recipe, I hope you like this simple recipe for weeknight trout!

Cashew Chicken Satay

This is the kind of fun food I want to eat on a Friday night. Tasty, fun and it doesn't take too much brain power to put together. I often serve it as part of "dip-able dinner" with some chopped raw veggies. Check it out.

Check back next week for new recipes!