I was so honored to be part of the first "Mommy Makeover Series" on the Marilyn Denis Show (CTV). I grew very attached to these three beautiful mothers who braved the four month journey to health.

 

Lila is a lovely, creative and affectionate woman, who proved that a person could overcome fear to affect change.

 

Sarah is a dynamic, powerful and savvy woman who proved that a person could overcome a health crisis and still reach their goals.

 

Miranda has been a personal friend of mine for over 15 years. She is the sexy tomboy who has no idea how hot she really is underneath her tough hockey player image. She proved that a person could overcome a devastating loss and like a phoenix, emerge even stronger and more capable than ever before.

 

I had a blast with Marilyn Denis. She has been hosting T.V and radio shows for over 20 years and her ease in front of the camera helps you find your confidence. She is funny, smart and such a good sport.

 

The funniest moment with her was when she tried my Kale Chips for the first time. She took such a big hunk that her whole mouth went dry. I wanted to call out, "Get this woman some WATER!" but in live T.V you just have to carry on.

 

The BEST moment was seeing the ladies walk on stage for the first time. I could not hold back my tears of joy. They all had such moving stories about how they climbed their personal mountains to arrive at this bright sunny day!

 

I enjoyed working with the other experts, Michelle (Life Coach)  and Brent (Personal Trainer).

 

If you missed the action and want to watch our moms go through their personal transformations, click on the links below:

 

Day 1: Introduction to the series.

 

Part 2 - To watch Julie in this episode scroll forward to 3:35 on the timecode.

 

Day 2: Introduction with the Experts.

 

Part 2 - To watch Julie in this episode scroll forward to 4:50 on the timecode

 

Day 3: Julie expains cancer fighting foods.

 

Day 4: Big Finale - The moms revealed!

 

Part 1: http://www.marilyn.ca/Video.aspx#clip466425&vp77802

 

Part 2: http://www.marilyn.ca/Video.aspx#clip466426&vp77802

 

Part 3: http://www.marilyn.ca/Video.aspx#clip466427&vp77802

 

This is a great series to share with your friends and family.

 

Please forward on!

One of the first harvests to be sold at a local farmer's market, aside from maple syrup, is the Allium Tricoccum. More commonly referred to as the 'wild leek', this onion like bulb is native to Eastern Ontario and Quebec. Found under the canopy of a deciduous forest, the long slender green leaves can easily be detected by their pungent smell when the plant has been crushed under foot. But tread carefully! Wild leeks take 7 years before they mature and spread their seed. Once abundant in the wild, these plants have started to become overly harvested by some professional pickers.

When collecting wild leeks, harvest no more than 10% of an area and take mostly leaves. Though the bulbs are edible (and yummy) leaving them in the ground will ensure that the plants return the following year. The leaves are not unlike garlic flavoured spinach and are a wonderful addition to soups and stir-fries or eaten raw in a salad. You can also transplant a few wild leeks into a shady area of your property to have a springtime supply close at hand. Plant them under some maple trees to ensure enough dead leaf coverage to protect the bulbs over winter.

Five facts about Wild Leeks:

1.    Wild Leeks protect your heart. Wild leeks are in the same family as garlic and contain the same sulphur compounds including kaempferol. Kaempferol works to protect the lining of the blood vessels against damage while supporting the liver in elimination of cholesterol.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2220047/pdf/MI2007-45673.pdf


2.    Wild leeks are high in iron. 1 leek contains 10% of your RDA if iron for women for the day. Iron transports oxygen to the cells, supports healthy immune function and increases energy levels. Iron replenishment is especially important for women because they experience loss of iron during the menstrual cycle.
http://www.scielo.br/pdf/rlae/v18n2/16.pdf


3.    Wild leeks help support brain function and development. Wild leeks contain choline which is a used as a chemical messenger in the brain (neurotransmitter). Adequate amounts of choline in the diet have been shown to support proper cognitive function and facilitate learning in adults and children.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3010649/pdf/IJAD2010-954589.pdf


4.    Wild leeks help prevent high blood pressure and stroke. Wild leeks contain folate which is an essential B vitamin that keeps our bodies levels of homocysteine in check. Homocysteine is a protein found in the blood that contributes to atherosclerosis when it is in high amounts.
http://www.actabp.pl/pdf/4_2010/467.pdf


5.    Wild leeks are high in antioxidants. Wild leeks have a high Total Polyphenol Content (TPC) which is the way foods are graded on their antioxidant content. Wild leeks are higher than tomatoes and red bell peppers. These powerful polyphenols are active cancer fighting agents.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2974632/pdf/nihms247205.pdf

When cooked, wild leeks have a much sweeter taste than onions. If you cannot obtain wild leeks, you can use commercially grown organic leeks in this recipe.

Lemony Lentil Wild Leek Soup

 

2 cups (450 g)          organic dry red lentil
8 cups (2 L)              water
1 tbsp (15 mL)          sea salt
2                               bay leaf
3 cups (750 mL)       chopped, wild leeks
3 tbsp (45 mL)          organic olive oil
2 tbsp (30 mL)          cumin seed
1/2 cup (125 mL)      freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

1)    Rinse and drain lentils in cold water 4 to 5 times to remove residue.
2)    In a large pot, place lentils, salt and bay leaf into the 8 cups of water and bring to a boil. Watch carefully as lentils can boil over quickly.
3)    Reduce heat to low, simmering for 40 minutes. Stir occasionally.
4)    While the lentils are cooking, warm olive oil in a pan on medium heat.
5)    Freshly grind cumin seeds and add them to the oil, cooking for 1 minute.
6)    Add cooked cumin seeds to lentils.
7)    After 40 minutes, add chopped leeks and let simmer for 5 minutes.
8)    Add freshly squeezed lemon juice just before serving to preserve the nutrient content and flavour.

Makes 12 cups.

 

Want more wild leek recipes? Check out my article on Chatelaine.com.

 

Kale chips make a perfect replacement for potato or corn chips when you are having a craving. One serving (2 cups/500 mL) of these crispy delights and you are consuming 300 mg of calcium, or the equivalent of a full cup (250 mL) of milk. Kale has lower levels of oxalic acid, allowing its calcium to be more bioavailable than spinach.

 

I made these on The Marilyn Denis Show on May 10, 2011. To watch the episode, click over the Marilyn's website and scroll forward to 4:50 on the timecode.

.

Ingredients:

2 heads (10 cups/2.5 L) green curly kale, washed, large stems removed, torn into bite size pieces

Directions:

4. Place kale onto parchment paper and dehydrate for 6 hours at 115 degrees F. You’ll need to use two trays. If you don't own a dehydrator, set your oven to 150 °F (65 °C) and dehydrate for 2.5 to 3 hours.

Makes about 6 cups (1.5 L).

 

Eating for Comfort vs. Eating to Heal, what are you doing?

 

You may have to address the fact that you’re eating extra food for comfort or out of boredom. Some foods may have seemingly addictive qualities. For example, when you eat tempting foods like chocolate, your body releases trace amounts of mood- and satisfaction-elevating hormones. This may reinforce a preference for foods that are closely associated with specific feelings. The pleasure of eating also briefly allows us to escape feelings of negativity.

 

 

According to Carl C. Pfeiffer, M.D., a huge part of mental wellness is bal­anced brain chemistry. You might be surprised to learn that the expression eat more foods that grow on plants, and eat fewer foods that are manufactured in plants holds a lot of truth—refined food lacks the hundreds of nutrients your brain needs to function correctly. Some people who suffer from anxiety, atten­tion deficit disorder, and depression produce high levels of substances called pyrroles. Pyrroles are naturally formed in the body as a by-product of red blood cell formation. If these pyrroles are not eliminated properly, they bind to vitamin B6 and zinc. This binding renders these nutrients unavailable to cells and creates an apparent deficiency. As a result, supplementation is needed. If you do suffer from any emotional conditions, I encourage you to read Pfeiffer’s book Nutrition and Mental Illness, especially regarding supplement programs for various mental-health issues.

 

Beyond deficiencies, it’s critical for you to avoid foods that you are allergic or intolerant to, such as wheat, sugar, or dairy. You have to remember that the brain uses 30 percent of your food energy. Pfeiffer writes, “Since the [brain] is perhaps the most delicate organ of the body, it should be no surprise that allergies to food can upset levels of hormones and other key chemicals in the brain, resulting in [mental and emotional] symptoms.” These symptoms include anxiety, confusion, loss of memory, and depression. Eating the foods recommended in MTHI can help restore balance to the mind as well as the body.

 

Emotional eating is an acquired habit. If you’re angry, sad, happy, bored, or anxious, then food is not the answer. It brings you temporary comfort and pleasure because this is how you’ve trained your brain to feel rewarded and soothed. With many other addictions, recovery programs focus on helping you eliminate the substance or behaviour from your life. With food, you have no choice but to keep eating, so it becomes a difficult challenge to strike a balance.

 

If you eat when you’re feeling stressed, your body will be in a state of “fight-or-flight.” It is not getting ready to digest food; it is getting ready to possi­bly flee from danger or to protect itself from a physical attack. The food you eat will remain in your gut, largely ignored by your body, until the stress has passed. In the meantime, your gut flora starts to have a feast on whatever you’ve eaten. If you’re like most people who eat for comfort, chances are you reach for sweet and fatty refined foods, which is a perfect buffet for the not-so-friendly yeasts (such as candida) and bacteria that reside in your gut. These unfriendly yeasts and bacteria start to multiply as a result, and if you repeat this way of eating and of dealing with your problems, their numbers will in­crease exponentially. They will also damage your gut tissue.

 

How do you avoid this vicious circle?

 

As I mentioned earlier, you must be able to distinguish between true physical hunger and a need for comfort. One way to do this is to keep track of how often you eat. If you ate a full meal a few hours ago and your stomach isn’t rumbling, you are probably not hungry. Give the craving a few minutes to pass. This also means you need to know your triggers. Using the food journal, record what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you’re feeling before, during, and after you eat, as well as how hungry you are. Over time, you’ll learn about your eating patterns, which will help you to avoid triggers. If you feel blue and hungry, then munch on a protein-rich, healthy treat, such as a cup of edamame (young soybeans) or a trail mix combining 1 ounce each of hemp seeds, hazelnuts, and some apple-juice-infused cranberries to sweet­en the mix. Eating healthy treats such as this will help discourage you from making poor food-shopping decisions.

 

Don’t be shy about what you’re doing. Get a friend to try this program with you or ask your family or roommates to avoid keeping unhealthy foods around in order to support your brave move toward health. When stress nudges you towards the refrigerator, call up someone—anyone—to help you tune in to what you really need.

Once a week, make a cooking date with a friend, relative, or yourself. When­ever I hear people say they have no time to cook, I dig into their schedules and often find that they watch four to eight hours of TV a week. As you prepare soups, stews, and snacks on your cooking date, try listening to a recording of your favorite author reading his or her latest book. You’ll be surprised to find just how relaxing this is.

 

Quick Tip

 

The fastest way to derail this program is to let yourself go hungry for a long period of time. The minute your brain is starving, it will start craving sugar (a quick fix). It tells your body to raise blood sugar levels by eating. When this hap­pens, make sure to snack on healthy choices. If you feel the urge to eat between meals, choose fresh fruit, vegetables with bean dip, or a natural nut and seed bar. Also keep in mind that every meal should contain unrefined proteins, fats, and carbohydrates to ensure you maintain a balance in your body chemistry. If you’re not getting enough calories to meet your energy needs, you may be more likely to give in to emotional eating. Try to eat at fairly regular times, and never skip breakfast.

 

Check out my book,  Meals That Heal Inflammation, my “how to” guide on healing yourself with food. Following the meal and snack suggestions in the MTHI plan will help you learn what you can eat to feel physically and mentally satisfied in a healthy way.