MY BLOG

The holidays can be hard for those who are celiac, or simply gluten free. You might feel like you have to miss out on all of the ‘good stuff’ that everyone else gets to enjoy, but that doesn’t have to be true!! I’ve scoured around for some great gluten free Christmas treat ideas to satisfy all of your holiday desires. If you have family members who are gluten free, consider making a couple of these options for your holiday festivities.

Ahh the holidays… while we may love or hate this time of year, it never is all sugarplums and cozy socks like we wished it would be. Stresses like travel, your inlaws, and a million to do’s to make the magic happen can really take a toll, and we can find ourselves starting the new year exhausted, depleted, and coming down off of a big sugar crash. Never fear, Dr. Marita is here. I’ve hand picked my top 6 supplements for surviving the holiday season.

There’s nothing quite like the holidays to highlight how rampant sugar excess runs in our culture. While I'm all for a sweet treat, and enjoying the holiday magic, it can be really detrimental to our health goals to over indulge in the sweet treats. This is especially hard for women who are struggling with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome).

Our collective relationship with our bodies is in an era of healing. We are remembering that health is not something that is determined by our waist size exclusively, we are focusing on nourishment, and prioritizing our mental health and our happiness.  But I see all the time in my practice how the myths of how to lose weight linger amongst my patients. In fact, a lot of what we’ve been taught about weight loss is actually ineffective for long term, sustainable weight loss and weight management, and can even lead to weight gain due to hormonal disruption.

There is a biological reason your body is craving more food, especially more carbs this time of year. Once upon a time, we relied on hearty foods like plenty of fats and carbs to keep us warm and sustained through the winter when food was scarce. While we may have an unending supply of food available to us now, our bodies are still operating on this program. Which brings me to today’s focus: starchy vegetables.

The dark days really seem to creep up on us.. Especially as we hit daylight savings time. Suddenly you might find yourself driving to work in the dark, and driving home in the dark, wondering if you can even remember what the sun felt like on your face. It’s no secret that shorter days are linked with seasonal depression, lower energy, and that sluggish winter feeling we all seem to get. While a bit of seasonal slowing down is definitely part of our natural rhythms, for many of us, we don’t have the luxury of slowing down, or we want to be able to do so without feeling so BLAH.

In light of spooky season, I thought it was a good time to dive into the truly scary ways we commonly and routinely wreak havoc on our body’s health. The good news is, a few simple habit changes can go a long way in reversing the effects of these and laying the foundation for years of good health to come. 

Bubble bubble toil and trouble. As the chill of Fall begins to set in, a host of seasonal illnesses seem to come with it. Especially if you’ve got kids bringing everything home. Before you reach for the cough syrup or the ibuprofen why not embrace the age old traditions of healing herbs? These brews not only offer medicinal qualities, but they also are quite yummy, soothing, and it can be fun to play with your inner witch during the Halloween season.

While I’m a firm believer in treating oneself every now and again being an integral part of a healthy and balanced lifestyle, wouldn’t it be great if you knew your sweet treat was also supplying your body with essential nutrients and wasn’t going to wreak total havoc on your healthy eating momentum?  That’s why I’ve rounded up some nutritious fall dessert ideas to try out for your thanksgiving holiday, or anytime you want to give yourself a little treat!

With the world at our fingertips, trends seem to rise and fall  like a kid on a pogostick. One minute everyone’s saying skinny jeans are out, and the next minute they’re back. This can be especially confusing when it comes to health trends. The rise of ‘health influencers’ and the sparkling carrot of viral fame has led to claims circling around that promise to be the ultimate secret to perfect health… but what is the truth?  Let’s sift through some of the top health trends we’ve seen so far in 2024 and I’ll weigh in on whether they’re worth your time, or just another passing trend.

As we begin the daydreaming of leaves starting to fall and the air getting that crisp, cool bite, we might look forward to cozy sweaters, pumpkin spice everything, and the upcoming holiday season. But if you’re one of the millions of Canadians who deal with arthritis, you might also be bracing yourself for the not-so-fun part of the season: increased joint pain.