New Year's Resolutions Everyone Should Consider
With the new year rolling in, the holidays ending, our thoughts begin to turn to our resolutions and what goals we would like to set for ourselves for our ‘new start’ It's become a bit of a running joke that many of our New Year’s resolutions peter out by about March, lost in the dust of unrealistic expectations, being too hard on ourselves, or a lack of motivation.If you’re sick of the hubbub and the let down and want to create a real and lasting change in your health in 2025– I’ve got a few New Year’s resolution ideas for you!
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A Gluten Free Christmas: Recipe Roundup
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.
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Dr. Marita’s Top 6 Supplements for Surviving the Holidays
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.
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PCOS and Holiday Sugar: How to Navigate Festive Treats
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).
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Why A Lot of What You Think You Know About Weight Loss is Actually Wrong
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.
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Preparing for Pregnancy: What Your Body Needs BEFORE You Conceive
Everyone’s conception journey looks different. Some women conceive unexpectedly, some just have a loose goal of having a baby and stop trying not to, others find themselves on a journey of diligently tracking their ovulations and trying for many cycles, and others still need to seek extra support with fertility doctors to make their dreams of motherhood a reality. No matter what your fertility and conception journey looks like, or even if you just know that someday you would like to have a baby, there are some steps you can take to help prepare your body for conception.
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Starchy Vegetables: Your Winter BFF (Benefits and Recipes)
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.
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Boosting Energy Levels Naturally as Days Shorten
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.
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Halloween Health Horrors: The Worst (And Yet Common!) Things You Can Do For Your Health
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.
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Practical Magic: 7 Herbal Remedies to Brew Up This Fall
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.
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Nutritious Fall Dessert Ideas to Try Out For Your Thanksgiving Dinner
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!
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Dr. Marita Weighs In On Trends in Health for 2024
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.
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Arthritis Awareness: Natural Remedies for Joint Pain as the Weather Cools
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.
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The Benefits of Seasonal Eating: Fall Edition
Last month we looked into the amazing benefits of local seasonal eating, and covered some delicious recipes for the bountiful August abundance. With the season of harvest upon us, I thought we’d look ahead at what’s in season this Fall and discover some more delicious recipes!
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Understanding Glycemic Load (Plus Recipe Round Up)
What is a glycemic load, you ask? And why should you consider it when selecting the foods you eat? Understanding this can be helpful when you are trying to manage blood sugar levels, like in diabetes or if you’re aiming for steady energy throughout the day, wanting to balance hormones, help with weight loss, and prevent insulin resistance.
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World Alzheimer's Month: Eating and Lifestyle for Alzheimer’s Prevention
September is World Alzheimer’s Month. With Canada’s aging population, this is a tragic walk that many families are taking. It’s estimated that around 750,000 Canadians are currently living with the disease. While the cause of this disease is still yet to be uncovered, there are links to genetics, environment, and lifestyle. This is good news because it means there are many lifestyle habits that can help prevent it.
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The Back to School Packed Lunch Roster
With back to school nigh, many parents or students might be finding their summer brain can’t wrap around the concept of packed lunches again. Stress not, I’ve gathered 10 (thats two weeks worth!) of packed lunch ideas for you.
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Fun and Healthy Ideas to Beat the Dog Days of Summer
With August, comes the dog days of Summer. You know, after what seems like endless hot days laying about. Cold drinks and popsicles by the pool starts to feel kind of ho hum, maybe the laziness and lack of motivation the summer heat can bring has set in. Time for some fresh infusions of ideas, whether you try these on your own, with a partner, a friend, or use these to make the last bit of Summer active and fun with the kids before they head back to school!
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Natural Sunburn Relief
We’ve all been there… Despite your best efforts to be sun safe, you feel that flush that turns into a searing burn at the end of a day out in the sun’s rays. While prevention trumps all else when it comes to the sun and our skin, there are some natural ways to relieve sunburn when it does sneak up on us
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The Benefits of Seasonal Eating: August Edition and Recipe Roundup
Summer here on Vancouver Island could not be a more blissful experience… especially when it comes to the abundance of local fare! The benefits of eating local are many, with positives for the environment, our bodies, and the community. Let’s have a look at some of the benefits, tips, as well as round up some inspired recipes for a few ingredients in season here in August!
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