I decided to start practicing what I preach (where nutrition is concerned) last October. After having my son a year earlier, I decided that it was time to stop having so many excuses. I wanted more energy, I wanted to sleep better, I wanted clearer thoughts again, and I wanted to be a healthy size.
I started with some simple changes (note that I said simple, not easy). As a general rule, I eat only three meals per day. I've never been comfortable with the 'eat every three hours' thing. If you're eating fibre rich foods, it's not necessary and snacking is where people tend to eat the most packaged foods. This is where blood sugar imbalances occur. I am not willing to go hungry though, so I allow myself one snack per day if necessary and I try to make it a handful of nuts and some fruit.
The other change that I made was that I stopped eating anything that I couldn't stop at one. For me, that means all sweets and some crackers (I can eat a portion of Triscuits but could easily eat the box of wheat thins!). For a friend of mine, it's bacon and chips. It's an evolving list as I go along. I've added a few things back in and taken a few more things out.
Since the end of October I've lost 24lbs, 3 inches off my chest, 4 inches off my waist, 4 inches off my hips, and 3.5 inches off my thighs.
Not bad considering that I've never gone hungry or eaten a bar or drank a shake.
Now, in the past, this weight loss would have been unnacceptable - taking 8 months to lose 24 lbs would have been too slow. I would have given up and decided that it wasn't working. Thank goodness that I had a new attitude this time.
Last week I did my monthly weight and body measurements so that I would have an accurate starting point for the whole food diet that I am embarking on for the summer. I will share with you what kind of changes happen with my body, my sleep, my energy, and my mood.
The first week (last week) of my whole food diet was a little rough. With the long weekend at the cottage and friends over for the week before, I was not prepared at all! No groceries, no meal plan for the week. This is key folks - planning makes healthy eating possible. So, I ate granola (recipe in this month's newsletter!) for breakfast, salad for lunch, and meat, rice and veggies for supper. Not exciting, but it worked.
Friday night we headed to my in-laws for the weekend. I learned another lesson - don't expect your husband to tell anyone about your new diet adventures! We arrived to pizza. Oops. Now they know what I'm not eating. I did eat the pizza since it was already ordered, payed for, and sitting there. Had it not been, I would have made myself something else.
What I will do differently next time is this - I will pack more of my own foods. I did pack my granola for breakfast, fruit and some nuts for snacks. Next time I will bring some salads too.
Already in a week, I have more energy and my bowels are very happy. Can't wait to see what this week brings!
Off to do some meal planning for this week. I've pulled a few recipes off of vegetariantimes.com to try. Stuffed tomatoes for tonight!
Yours in health,
Kerri Fullerton, ND
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
CBC News - Consumer Life - Back pain machine in use after losing licence
CBC News - Consumer Life - Back pain machine in use after losing licence
There are so many products and people out there making these types of claims. I find it very upsetting as it taints the whole profession of Chiropractors. Sadly, it then reflects on all of us who practice complementary and alternative medicine.
Share this story with anyone that you know who may be using this type of machine (decompression machine - used to treat disk herniation). At least they can then make an informed decision about whether or not they would like to continue with the treatments.
There are many treatments, effective treatments, that don't have scientific evidence to support it's use. That doesn't mean that the treatments don't work, just that our current scientific model hasn't been able to prove it. However, claiming that there is evidence when there is not - well, that's just fraudulent.
Yours in Health,
Kerri Fullerton ND
There are so many products and people out there making these types of claims. I find it very upsetting as it taints the whole profession of Chiropractors. Sadly, it then reflects on all of us who practice complementary and alternative medicine.
Share this story with anyone that you know who may be using this type of machine (decompression machine - used to treat disk herniation). At least they can then make an informed decision about whether or not they would like to continue with the treatments.
There are many treatments, effective treatments, that don't have scientific evidence to support it's use. That doesn't mean that the treatments don't work, just that our current scientific model hasn't been able to prove it. However, claiming that there is evidence when there is not - well, that's just fraudulent.
Yours in Health,
Kerri Fullerton ND
Healthy and natural cooking
A very dear patient of mine wrote a wonderful cookbook. It is full of delightful, healthful and (most importantly) tasty recipes.
She is having a book signing this coming Saturday, June 26th, from 11 - 1 at Lotus Natural Living Boutique, 125 Dunlop St. E Barrie ON.
Please go and check it out. Buy a book and say hello to Cathy.
Yours in Health,
Kerri Fullerton
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Organic Gardening
I just wanted to say thank-you to the powers that be for a wonderfully beautiful day instead of thunderstorms.
I was able to go outside and pick my first batch of strawberries from our patch. Aren't they beautiful?
Patrick had given up on strawberries - after a few flavourless batches from the store, who could blame him? Last weekend we were able to sample our first berry from our patch - he's hooked again.
I can't wait until he's up from his nap so that we can share these lovely berries. I doubt that any will be left over after snack time!
Growing your own food is so rewarding. Knowing that there isn't a trace of chemical makes it even better. Picking when it's perfectly ripe and enjoying it the same day is such a treat. There is no better berry anywhere. I love knowing that Patrick will be connected to his food from the start. He takes so much pleasure in helping out - pulling weeds, taking them to the compost pile, and of course, picking the food. I hope that we are cultivating more than just good berries! An appreciation of where food comes from and how it's grown is such a gift.
If you don't have the space in your yard, plant in pots. It is just as delicious and just as it is rewarding.
Happy planting - and eating!!
Yours in Health,
Kerri Fullerton ND
I was able to go outside and pick my first batch of strawberries from our patch. Aren't they beautiful?
Patrick had given up on strawberries - after a few flavourless batches from the store, who could blame him? Last weekend we were able to sample our first berry from our patch - he's hooked again.
I can't wait until he's up from his nap so that we can share these lovely berries. I doubt that any will be left over after snack time!
Growing your own food is so rewarding. Knowing that there isn't a trace of chemical makes it even better. Picking when it's perfectly ripe and enjoying it the same day is such a treat. There is no better berry anywhere. I love knowing that Patrick will be connected to his food from the start. He takes so much pleasure in helping out - pulling weeds, taking them to the compost pile, and of course, picking the food. I hope that we are cultivating more than just good berries! An appreciation of where food comes from and how it's grown is such a gift.
If you don't have the space in your yard, plant in pots. It is just as delicious and just as it is rewarding.
Happy planting - and eating!!
Yours in Health,
Kerri Fullerton ND
Friday, June 18, 2010
Whole Foods Diet - how realistic is it anyway?
Food engineering is a bit of a funny term. It does not refer to Farmers or to Chefs', but to scientists who try to find ways to make fake food taste good and make you think that you're getting the same nutrition as what real food has. They have been working hard, and been very successful.
When I started my practice over 6 years ago, I used to say 'eat more whole grains', and people knew what I meant. Now - that's not the case. When I say 'eat more whole grains', some people think that I mean buy Wonder Invisibles for their sandwich bread. I also used to be able to tell people to eat 35 grams of fibre each day and they could just read labels to know if the food had it. Now, there are all kinds of isolated fibres (like inulin) that do not have the same effects as intact fibres (like bran). But without a distinction on the label, people are lost.
So really, the safest and best diet to follow would be a whole food diet - one that does not include processed foods at all. But how realistic is it to eat only whole foods in today's world? With family obligations and work it does seem a little daunting.
Well, I'm going to give it a go. For the month's of July and August, I will eat only whole foods - fruits, veggies, legumes, meat, dairy, nuts and seeds, and whole grains. That means, no breads, pastas, crackers, cereals, baked goods - just whole food. I gave up sugar about eight months ago so at least I have that step down already.
I asked my husband if he would do it with me ... he laughed pretty hard. 'Not eat bread? Are you kidding?'. For the purposes of this experiment, his refusal actually works to my advantage. Most of my patients are faced with families that are not interested in changing their diets this much. So I will be able to tell you about what it's like to be the only one in the family eating a whole food diet. I will be able to share how I've been able to have family meals without cooking three meals!
I will blog about my experience and well as any body changes that may occur.
I will post here every Friday with a thorough update of how things are going, what recipes that I have discovered, and I will tweet more regularly about the day-to-day challenges and insights.
I hope that you will join me (or at least follow me) on this adventure and share your thoughts and questions as I go along.
Yours in Health,
Kerri Fullerton, ND
When I started my practice over 6 years ago, I used to say 'eat more whole grains', and people knew what I meant. Now - that's not the case. When I say 'eat more whole grains', some people think that I mean buy Wonder Invisibles for their sandwich bread. I also used to be able to tell people to eat 35 grams of fibre each day and they could just read labels to know if the food had it. Now, there are all kinds of isolated fibres (like inulin) that do not have the same effects as intact fibres (like bran). But without a distinction on the label, people are lost.
So really, the safest and best diet to follow would be a whole food diet - one that does not include processed foods at all. But how realistic is it to eat only whole foods in today's world? With family obligations and work it does seem a little daunting.
Well, I'm going to give it a go. For the month's of July and August, I will eat only whole foods - fruits, veggies, legumes, meat, dairy, nuts and seeds, and whole grains. That means, no breads, pastas, crackers, cereals, baked goods - just whole food. I gave up sugar about eight months ago so at least I have that step down already.
I asked my husband if he would do it with me ... he laughed pretty hard. 'Not eat bread? Are you kidding?'. For the purposes of this experiment, his refusal actually works to my advantage. Most of my patients are faced with families that are not interested in changing their diets this much. So I will be able to tell you about what it's like to be the only one in the family eating a whole food diet. I will be able to share how I've been able to have family meals without cooking three meals!
I will blog about my experience and well as any body changes that may occur.
I will post here every Friday with a thorough update of how things are going, what recipes that I have discovered, and I will tweet more regularly about the day-to-day challenges and insights.
I hope that you will join me (or at least follow me) on this adventure and share your thoughts and questions as I go along.
Yours in Health,
Kerri Fullerton, ND
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Alternative cancer treatments - not a 'one or the other' choice.
According to Statistics Canada, the cancer rate is on the rise. To be fair, we are better able to diagnose many forms of cancer now, and we are living longer than ever before, so more people are living with cancer.
The article that I read in the Montreal gazette quoted Heather Logan, spokesperson for the Canadian Cancer Society, as saying "that although the research is valuable, healthy living — such as not smoking and maintaining a healthy body weight" and that "about 50 per cent of cancers could be prevented if we applied what we already know and made as many of those healthy choices as easy as possible to implement".
This is where Naturopathic Doctors using Naturopathic Medicine fit it brilliantly. We provide our patients with the time needed to implement these healthy choices. We take a holistic approach and work with our patients to reach their goals. It's one thing to tell your patients to eat more fibre, it's an entirely different thing to sit with them and educate them about how to do that.
More than half of all cancer cases were in the form of breast, prostate and colorectal cancer. We know that these forms of cancer are hugely related to how we live and eat.
Naturopathic Doctors can not only help on the prevention side of cancer (that is where we shine though), but also on the treatment side of cancer. If a diagnosis of breast cancer, colorectal cancer, or prostate cancer has already been given out, that does not mean that it's too late to see an ND. We are well versed with what natural treatments are safe and effective to use with chemotherapy and radiation. In fact, there are many natural remedies that actually augment the response to specific chemo's and reduce the likelihood of side effects.
A common misconception about Naturopathic Medicine is that it is not based in science. This is especially untrue with respect to natural cancer treatments. There is a growing body of evidence to support the use of natural medicine while undergoing more conventional treatments.
Educate yourself, and find an ND that is right for you. While I respect Oncologists and Radiologists for their body of knowledge, I also respect that natural medicine is my specialty. It's what I know, it's what I do, and I do it well.
Yours in health,
Kerri Fullerton ND
The article that I read in the Montreal gazette quoted Heather Logan, spokesperson for the Canadian Cancer Society, as saying "that although the research is valuable, healthy living — such as not smoking and maintaining a healthy body weight" and that "about 50 per cent of cancers could be prevented if we applied what we already know and made as many of those healthy choices as easy as possible to implement".
This is where Naturopathic Doctors using Naturopathic Medicine fit it brilliantly. We provide our patients with the time needed to implement these healthy choices. We take a holistic approach and work with our patients to reach their goals. It's one thing to tell your patients to eat more fibre, it's an entirely different thing to sit with them and educate them about how to do that.
More than half of all cancer cases were in the form of breast, prostate and colorectal cancer. We know that these forms of cancer are hugely related to how we live and eat.
Naturopathic Doctors can not only help on the prevention side of cancer (that is where we shine though), but also on the treatment side of cancer. If a diagnosis of breast cancer, colorectal cancer, or prostate cancer has already been given out, that does not mean that it's too late to see an ND. We are well versed with what natural treatments are safe and effective to use with chemotherapy and radiation. In fact, there are many natural remedies that actually augment the response to specific chemo's and reduce the likelihood of side effects.
A common misconception about Naturopathic Medicine is that it is not based in science. This is especially untrue with respect to natural cancer treatments. There is a growing body of evidence to support the use of natural medicine while undergoing more conventional treatments.
Educate yourself, and find an ND that is right for you. While I respect Oncologists and Radiologists for their body of knowledge, I also respect that natural medicine is my specialty. It's what I know, it's what I do, and I do it well.
Yours in health,
Kerri Fullerton ND
Natural Insect repellent
It's that lovely time of year when the bugs are a humming! How do you protect yourself when you don't want to use the heavy chemical sprays? This is especially important to me now that I have Patrick. We don't want him inhaling all that stuff off of our clothes and hair.
Our first step to protecting ourselves is our dinning tent in the backyard. I bought one big enough to put his sandbox and water table in there with plenty of room for a couple of chairs as well.
Next step - we try to stay inside during the peak times (dusk and dawn).
But what about when you can't (or just don't want) to stay indoors? Or when you want to go hiking through the woods? What products are good?
I like to shop Canadian whenever I can. This year, we will try out Druide's Citronella insect repellent. Sadly, it is not recommended for kids under 2 - but nothing ever is. He will face another summer under a mosquito net - poor kid!
I will keep you posted as to whether or not it works for us.
And of course, we will all take (Patrick included) the homeopathic Ledum. I have had wonderful success, both personally and with patients, with ledum. Although it won't stop the bugs from biting, it greatly reduces the swelling and itching that goes with them.
Happy bug season!
Kerri Fullerton ND
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
My weight loss journey
I thought that I would share some of journey with you as the start date for the weight loss program Learn to eat, not to diet approaches.
I have struggled with food and weight most of my life. As I look back, my weight problems were really only perceived problems - meaning that what I had was a body image issue, not a weight issue. Nevertheless, my body image issue changed into a weight issue in my late 20's. It blossomed (along with my waist line) after my son was born a year and a half ago. I was horrified to realize that I had crossed the line into 'obesity'. My BMI was over 30.
It goes to show, that it doesn't matter what you know. I didn't have any 'new' information when I decided that I was tired of being overweight and over-consumed with food thoughts and body thoughts. I'm a Naturopathic Doctor for heaven's sake - I have more information about nutrition and healthy living than most people. So what changed?
My attitude. I finally decided that it was time to stop dieting and start living a lifestyle that would take me to my goal. I also gave up the notion of a timeline - I'm in this for the long haul, no matter how long it takes. This is forever. Abandoning a healthy lifestyle because it's not happening at the rate I'd like or because I've achieved my goal weight just won't do anymore. These lifestyle changes have to happen to keep me small, energetic, and authetic. I have lost 25 lbs so far and am still losing. I have the delightful problem right now that my pants keep falling down.
This is what has inspired the weight loss program at Rooted. I would like to inspire and coach people who are also tired of being overweight and are ready to make permenant changes in their lives.
If you can relate to my story, then you are someone who could benefit from this program. I will teach you how to live, how to eat, and how to think so that you can enjoy life again and stop the madness around diets, and deadlines.
Imagine if you hadn't given up all those times before - you'd be at your goal weight and feeling good by now.
Summer program begins on June 16th.
Fall program begins on September 8th.
See you there!
Kerri Fullerton ND
I have struggled with food and weight most of my life. As I look back, my weight problems were really only perceived problems - meaning that what I had was a body image issue, not a weight issue. Nevertheless, my body image issue changed into a weight issue in my late 20's. It blossomed (along with my waist line) after my son was born a year and a half ago. I was horrified to realize that I had crossed the line into 'obesity'. My BMI was over 30.
It goes to show, that it doesn't matter what you know. I didn't have any 'new' information when I decided that I was tired of being overweight and over-consumed with food thoughts and body thoughts. I'm a Naturopathic Doctor for heaven's sake - I have more information about nutrition and healthy living than most people. So what changed?
My attitude. I finally decided that it was time to stop dieting and start living a lifestyle that would take me to my goal. I also gave up the notion of a timeline - I'm in this for the long haul, no matter how long it takes. This is forever. Abandoning a healthy lifestyle because it's not happening at the rate I'd like or because I've achieved my goal weight just won't do anymore. These lifestyle changes have to happen to keep me small, energetic, and authetic. I have lost 25 lbs so far and am still losing. I have the delightful problem right now that my pants keep falling down.
This is what has inspired the weight loss program at Rooted. I would like to inspire and coach people who are also tired of being overweight and are ready to make permenant changes in their lives.
If you can relate to my story, then you are someone who could benefit from this program. I will teach you how to live, how to eat, and how to think so that you can enjoy life again and stop the madness around diets, and deadlines.
Imagine if you hadn't given up all those times before - you'd be at your goal weight and feeling good by now.
Summer program begins on June 16th.
Fall program begins on September 8th.
See you there!
Kerri Fullerton ND
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