Upcoming Seminar on Immune Health

Do you think that getting the cold or flu every season is inevitable? Think again!

You won’t want to miss this upcoming FREE seminar on immune health. You will learn valuable information on how to boost your immune system so you don’t have to suffer this cold and flu season. I guarantee there will be information that you haven’t heard before. Bonus- we will be discussing popular cold remedies and you are invited to bring your own!

Don’t get sick this year!

• Did you know that some foods actually decrease your immune system function?
• Do products like Cold-Fx and Echinacea actually work?
• Does the flu shot benefits outweigh the risks?

Location:
The Wellness Group
9-420 Hazeldean Rd
Kanata, ON

As always, space is limited so either call 271-8555 or e-mail us at info@mykanatachiropractor.com to reserve your spot today!

Ensure “Nutrition” Shake

I was recently speaking with someone who needed to gain weight. Of course, her doctor recommended Ensure meal replacement shakes. At first glance, Ensure sounds like a great option.

According to Ensure’s website:

“Each bottle of #1 doctor recommended Ensure is a source of complete, balanced nutrition. Every shake is packed with 24 essential vitamins and minerals, including antioxidants. Enjoy Ensure for breakfast, lunch, or a delicious between-meal snack.” It also contains “Omega-3s to support heart health”.

Sounds great doesn’t it? Well, until you look at the ingredients list:

WATER, CORN MALTODEXTRIN, SUGAR (SUCROSE), CORN SYRUP, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, COCOA POWDER (PROCESSED WITH ALKALI), SOY OIL, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, CANOLA OIL;LESS THAN 0.5% OF: CORN OIL, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, POTASSIUM CITRATE, SOY LECITHIN, MAGNESIUM PHOSPHATE, MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, SALT (SODIUM CHLORIDE), SODIUM CITRATE, CARRAGEENAN, CHOLINE CHLORIDE, ASCORBIC ACID, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, DL-ALPHA-TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, ZINC SULFATE, NIACINAMIDE, FERROUS SULFATE, CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, COPPER SULFATE, MANGANESE SULFATE, CHROMIUM CHLORIDE, FD&C RED #3, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, THIAMINE CHLORIDE HYDROCHLORIDE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID, BIOTIN, SODIUM SELENATE, POTASSIUM IODIDE, SODIUM MOLYBDATE, PHYLLOQUINONE, CYANOCOBALAMIN, AND VITAMIN D3.

Sugar is the third ingredient, followed by corn syrup! Then of course there are all the genetically modified, pro-inflammatory oils like soy, canola, and corn oil. And you can’t forget the artificial flavours and colours. Yum!

And when you read the fine print, you find out that the antioxidants it contains vitamins C, E and Selenium which are all made in a lab and present in quantities lower than the RDA (which are vastly underestimated as is). The Omega-3s Ensure brags about is a small amount of plant based ALA, hardly enough to have any effect on heart health, especially when you take into consideration all of the other unhealthy oils you are consuming when you drink Ensure.

So if you are looking for a healthy, easy snack or meal replacement, the best option is……to eat food. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, healthy protein bars are all better options than drinking a bottle of Ensure (and they will have WAY more natural antioxidants and healthy oils). You can also make your own healthy shake at home or at work, it just takes a little planning ahead. If you are in pinch, go to Booster Juice.

Easy Recipe for homemade smoothie:

Ingredients:
• ½ cup fruit (frozen berries, banana, pineapple, whatever you have on hand)
• 1 cup liquid (water, almond milk, rice milk, etc.)
• 1 scoop good quality protein powder (I like SunWarrior)
• 1 TBS good fat (flax, chia, hemp seeds or the oils of these)
• Ice cubes (optional)

Directions:
Blend and enjoy!

Note: If you need to gain weight it’s best to consult with a Nutritionist. There are usually other factors involved other than simply the number of calories consumed.

Booster Juice Review

Being a Nutritionist, I get asked all the time what my opinion is of Booster Juice. To tell you the truth, I have never been there (well until a few days ago). I always just assumed that Booster Juice just made super sugary drinks, filled with way too much fruit (yes, it is possible to eat too much fruit), fruit juice and poor quality whey protein, but that most people thought they were “healthy” because they were called “smoothies”.

So the other day I had some time to kill, and I decided it was my nutritional duty to go and do my research. Luckily, the store wasn’t busy and the girls working there were more than happy to answer all of my bizarre questions and show me the labels of all of their products.

There is a lot of variety in smoothies that you can purchase. Booster Juice starts their smoothies with some fruit juice as a base, and then they add fruit, a protein powder, frozen yogurt or sorbet, and if desired a “booster” such as rosehip, Echinacea, goldenseal, matcha, etc.

In general, Booster Juice’s smoothies are very high in sugar. Although fruit is a healthy option, it still has a lot of sugar, and too much sugar is always a bad thing.

The whey protein they use is a mixture of concentrate and isolate which can be potentially allergenic. Unfortunately, their vanilla soy milk is not organic meaning it is most likely genetically modified, however, the chocolate soy milk is organic so it’s a better option.

Smoothies aren’t the only thing that Booster Juice serves. I didn’t know this but they also have fresh juices and wheat grass shots, which made me sooooo excited!!

I decided to get the Tru-Green juice which is a mixture of spinach, parsley, celery and carrots. The verdict: it was alright. I make fresh juices at home using organic produce so I can definitely tell the difference between organic and non-organic. Next time I’ll get the wheat grass!
Overall, I was actually impressed with Booster Juice. It is a lot healthier than I thought it would be (the fresh juices and wheat grass shots definitely helped me make that decision). I would recommend Booster Juice over pretty much every other fast food restaurant out there, if you are in need of something quick.

Some ways to make your Booster Juice smoothie healthier:
• Ask for water instead of juice to cut down on sugar
• Get the frozen yogurt instead of the sorbet
• Bring your own protein powder if you have an allergy or sensitivity to dairy or soy, they are very good at customizing your beverage.