Spring Into Optimal Nutrition
Updated: Mar 16, 2024
Written by: Helena Smolock, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
The winter months have ended with them the plethora of celebrations which include the festivities of food lead us into Spring.
Halloween is not only for youth who enjoy going door to door but as well adults who enjoy dressing up and heading out to a great party where drinks and sweets of all sorts are served. Then comes Canada’s Thanksgiving celebration in October. In Gratitude, we include a full Turkey dinner which consists of very comforting foods to compliment the Turkey – Mash potatoes, mixed veggies, stuffing, various wines, cheese, crackers and we cannot exclude the pies! The following month in November the United States celebrates Thanksgiving. In December comes the celebration of Christmas which includes the very same dinner but with much more variations! Then finally, to end the year with New Year’s Celebration, where the entire world is heading into a New Year with various resolutions being made.
“We are driven by things implanted in our brain a long, long time ago,” says Ira Ockene, a cardiologist at the University of Massachusetts Medical School who has long been interested in how seasonal variations influence our health. (npr.org)
We feel guilty for overindulging over the winter months forcing ourselves to make conditional resolutions which most of the time, as a Personal Trainer and Registered Nutritional Consultant, I witness clients who are frustrated and do not understand how they cannot sustain a healthy lifestyle all year long.
Springtime brings in newness, heading into this season and well into summer we are not celebrating major festivities which entice us to overeat compared to the winter months. Our body adapts to the new spring and summer temperatures as they rise, we crave foods which will cool our body temperature and keep our energy levels sustained.
Springtime is the opportune time for most faiths to begin a fast. The fast is a representation of a spiritual cleanse, becoming closer to God. In other modalities such as Natural Medicine, Springtime is an opportune time to cleanse the body of all toxins accumulated through the winter months of overeating, drinking, the consumption of sugars and fats.
Spring into Optimal Nutrition by doing just that – A cleanse. We have all heard the phrase “Spring cleaning our home” “Getting rid of what we do not need any more” The same applies to our bodies.
Here are 7 tips to Wellness
Practice a daily cleanse of your Liver. The Liver is a powerful and important organ. It produces bile which helps in detoxifying waste, and assists in breaking down and metabolizing fats. Herbal suggestions – Dandelion and Milk Thistle are the two most common and most popular.
Invest in a Juicer! Juicing is one of the tastiest means of clearing your body of toxins as well as meeting some of your vitamin and mineral requirements. My favourite recipe which I do for a week in April – Two green apples, one carrot, 1/4 of an onion, 2 cloves garlic, spinach, 2 beets and two oranges. I drink one glass of this cleanse every morning with 8 litres of water throughout the day.
Clear out your cupboard and refrigerator of any packaged goods with the wrong ingredients. Ingredients include – Glucose, Corn Syrup, Fructose, Yellows, Reds, Blues, Soy, GMO, Sugar, Lard. If you do not know what the ingredient is, research it. You will be surprised what is allowed to be put in packaged food which is contributing to ill health.
We simply cannot get our daily requirements of Vitamins and Minerals throughout the day. Supplementing with a Multi-Vitamin and Mineral product from a reputable company will meet your requirements. Be sure that all the B vitamins are included in the formula as the B vitamins work in synchronicity with each other.
Include in your daily eating habits fresh fruit and vegetables to compliment your meals. Create balance on your plate, have equal parts of vegetables and fruit with protein. Avoid combining rice and potatoes (which is popular in some cultures). Use complex carbohydrates (long chain) rather than simple carbohydrates (short chain). Long-chain carbohydrates include oatmeal, beans, sweet potatoes, barley, and couscous. Simple carbohydrates include refined sugars as listed above glucose, corn syrup, and fructose. Fruits have naturally occurring sugars which are not considered processed sugars. So, it is safe to say to have an apple a day, or any fruit for that matter.
Who does not enjoy a summer barbeque? Choose lean red meat and if budget allows choose only Organic meats. Cycle the amount of red meat you do indulgence in. For instance, choose to barbeque red meat one weekend and cycle it on a second or third weekend. Replace with Chicken.
Live. Life. Well. By enjoying your meals in moderation year-round.
Helena Smolock, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Helena Smolock, is an award-winning CPT-RNC, a Master Athlete, and Founder and President of Velocity Athletic Training. She received the Business Excellence Award from the Langley Chamber of Commerce 2003, was voted by clients and business associates across Canada and the USA as Business Person of the Year (2020-2022), seated at 4 in the top ten businesses in the USA, and most recently in 2023 seated at 1 (Blaine, WA). Voted in the top ten Business Person of the Year 2023, seated at 6 in the USA. Her company, Velocity Athletic Training has most recently been voted by LUXLife 2023 as the 1 Personal Training Company in Washington State. She has been a Fitness Columnist for Canadian Healthstyle Magazine, The Langley Times and has been featured on radio and television. Helena is also WBENC ‒ Certified as a Woman Owned Business. The Gold Standard in business Certification.
From athletes and corporate professionals, to those seeking post-rehab, Helena has provided an environment where a trusted bond is developed between client and coach. Together we design your 1:1 Functional Conditioning to boost your Fitness with an Athletic Twist to enhance Performance and Mindset to WIN!!
