Wellness Works!

Keep Warm When its Chilly - Great Winter Soup!

Although the weather outside is wonderful for January, it still has a chilly winter wind on days like today. Which made me think about a recent recipe I tried, courtesy of my favourite grocery store, Whole Foods. Its easy to make, loaded with nutrition and most importantly, hits the spot after coming in from the cold! Nothing beats chicken soup - and this is a healthy spin on a traditional favourite!

Chicken & Brown Rice Soup

Ingredients

8 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided 

1 medium onion, chopped 
3 medium carrots, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 
2 cups water 
1 cup long-grain brown rice 
1 small chicken breast (about 6 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch cubes 
1 bay leaf 
1 bunch kale, thick stems removed and leaves thinly sliced

Method

In a large pot over medium-high heat, bring 1/2 cup broth to a simmer. Add onion, carrots and celery and cook about 8 minutes or until onion is translucent, stirring occasionally. Add remaining 7 1/2 cups broth, water, rice, chicken and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook about 35 minutes or until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through. Remove bay leaf and stir in kale. Continue cooking just until kale is wilted and tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

Serves 8

Nutrition

Per serving: 130 calories (20 from fat), 2.5g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 20mg cholesterol, 200mg sodium, 17g total carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber, 3g sugar), 11g protein.

Now how easy is that? Probably one of the best, easiest and tastiest soup recipes you can make this winter!

Hope you try this out! In one bowl, you are getting protein, whole grains and greens! It doesn't get better than that!

 

Here's to soup season!

Dr. Shamira

 

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Resolutions for 2012....not what you think!

With only a few days left of 2011, many people are thinking about how 2012 will be different. Being home and with limited time and lots of family and friends to see, I sure haven't even given a moment's notice to the end of the year. Until I had to blog today! 

Thinking about the new year, its a time to contemplate the year gone - our challenges, triumphs, successes and failures. The beauty of reflection is it gives us an opportunity to resolve to reach new heights and achieve new goals for the year to come.

For many, health resolutions are top of mind - losing weight, quitting smoking, exercising etc. Those are usually things we SHOULD be doing...but what about things we shouldn't be doing - moreover, what are the things we do to ourselves that we should really put an end to?

Well I recently read this wonderful blog about "30 Things You Should Stop Doing to Yourself"  and it really struck me because so many of the items list are things I see us as people in general, doing to ourselves without even realizing.

Here are a few of the points these bloggers so eloquently made:

-Stop Berating Yourself for Old Mistakes

-Stop Trying to Compete with Everyone Else

-Stop Wasting Time Explaining Yourself to Others

...just to name a few. Pretty powerful stuff.

I encourge you to read the entire blog and take even 2-3 of these and make them your resolution to stop doing to yourself!

 

Wishing you a Healthy, Happy 2012!

Dr. Shamira

 

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To Buy or Not to Buy: The Clean & Dirty Guide to Produce!

Organic... do you choose to buy organic when it comes to produce? More and more people do.

Having produce free of toxic pesticides and other chemicals can be reassuring and definitely a healthy choice - but of course some of the price differences can hit hard, compared to conventional produce.

So, if you are like many people who would like to start eating organic but can't do it all, here is a great list - "The Dirty Dozen" & "The Clean Fifteen" provided by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and published in the New York Times some time ago. Although I've blogged about the Dirty Dozen before, I wanted to remind everyone of what to choose to buy organic because of its higher toxic load and which produce is considered 'safer' with lower toxicity.

I hope you find this list helpful - print it out or visit The Environmental Working Group's website for a printable version. 

Wishing you Safe, Healthy Eating,

Dr. Shamira

www.artofwellness.ca

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Spaghetti Squash - Your Winter Pasta!

As part 2 to my post 'Squash 101', I wanted introduce the Wellness Works! readers to the world of Spaghetti Sqaush! Specifically, how to cook and use it as a pasta! Its a wonderful, vitamin-rich alternative to regular pasta and is loaded with beta-carotene and fiber. It can be used not only in italian dishes but also as a substitute for noodles in asian dishes! 

Here is a fast-easy way to cook a spaghetti squash (approx 3lbs):

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Halve the squash lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out and discard seeds from the middle of each half. 

Arrange squash in a 9- x 13-inch casserole dish, cut sides down. Pour 1/2 cup water into the dish and bake until just tender, 30 to 35 minutes. 

Its that easy! Once removed from the oven, use a fork to rake back and forth across the squash to remove its flesh in strands and voila - Pasta!

Let us know if you try it and how it turns out! Leave a comment below!

Yours in Wellness,

Dr. Shamira

 

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"My Life's Just Fine"

Hello readers! Today I was going to continue my blog from last day but instead, I'm going to make this blog post a little more personal. Sure I love to blog about great healthy recipes, new information on health & wellness and things of that nature, but every so often, I get inspired when something happens to me that shifts the way I am thinking - and I immediately think of sharing it with my readers! Because like I've said before, wellness and health is not just physical - not at all. Its emotional. Mental. Much more than just being 'disease-free'. That's my definition (and the World Health Organization's definition too!). 

That being said, today I was fortunate enough to attend my favourite spin class here in NYC - TranscendCycle with Darryl Gaines at Equinox. I've taken his class once before and it was so uplifting and motivating - I had to do it again! So here I am, doing my thing when he starts playing Mary J. Blige's song, "Just Fine". And as the lyrics were playing and we were cycling to the beat, I felt almost trance-like. Everything slowed down and became clear. As if the lyrics were speaking to ME. And in that moment, I had an 'A-ha!'.

When she says in her lyrics 'So I like what I see when I’m looking at me when I’m walking past the mirror...', I looked at myself in the mirror and, though this may sound completely silly, I agreed. I really believed and agreed.

While I'm not the skinniest, fittest, prettiest or most 'put-together' woman (especially in NYC let me tell you!), I realized - that's just fine. And that sent such a peace through me. Because as women, we can't help but judge ourselves. We often will, often unconsciously, pin ourselves up and compare ourselves to the woman walking down the street, the girl next to you in yoga class or your colleague down the hall. But here's the rub: someone will ALWAYS be better at a. b. or c. than you. And for me, in that moment (and going forward), I realized in my core, that that's just fine. I don't have to be 'perfect' (please someone tell me if they have figured out what that even means!). 

Liking yourself - who you are, what you look like is beyond any nutrition, fitness or health-promoting lifestyle practice because if you don't like what you see in the mirror, the benefits of those practices are futile. Feeling whole, centered and at peace is where health begins. Where wellness begins. And for me, though I can't say I ever 'disliked' what I see in the mirror - I am a critic just like everyone else. 

So I hope that you'll take a moment here and listen to the song (yes, I am posting a music video in a wellness blog!) and really think about the lyrics and what it means to be happy with WHO you are and moreover, realize that no matter what troubles you may have, if we are grateful for all things - small and big - then Life really is Just Fine. 

 

Wishing you grace, gratitude & peace,

Dr. Shamira

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Squash 101

Hello Healthy Readers!

Since fall is definitely upon us, I thought I'd take this opportunity on my blog to get you familiar with an often intimidating family of produce - Squash! Now I have to admit, I too don't know much about squash varieties but I found this great info and wanted to share it with you. Next blog, I will talk about prepping and cooking it! Here are the common types of Squash found right now in your local grocery store:

Acorn

Yellow, tender flesh can be steamed, baked, roasted and stuffed. Tasty with butter, syrup or brown sugar and spices.

 

Blue Hubbard

Brilliant orange, nutty tasting, these can be boiled, baked, mashed or pureed.

 

Butternut Squash

Sweet, orange flesh is buttery smooth when steamed, boiled or baked. Delicious in soups, stews and curries.

 

Delicata

Succulent yellow flesh tastes similar to sweet potatoes and butternut squash. Great for steaming, baking or stuffing.

 

Red Kuri

Small, pumpkin-like squash with nutty, sweet flesh. Add to soups, casseroles or gratins.

 

Spaghetti Squash

Creamy, spaghetti-like flesh can be baked in the skin, scooped out, then tossed with pasta or served cold in a salad.

 

Turban

Yellow-red tender flesh can be baked, steamed or simmered.

 

Pumpkin

Small pie pumpkins tend to yield the tender, succulent flesh desired for cooking.

 

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The most profound classroom: Lifeclass. Are you attending?

Hello folks! During my short hiatus from blogging, I have been busy caring for my mother who recently underwent double knee replacement surgery. The road to recovery has been long and difficult, and the task of caregiving has been one of the hardest but most rewarding things I have ever done. However, I am back on the blog scene and am happy to bring you some exciting news, if you haven't heard already. 

Oprah has started a world-wide classroom called, Lifeclass. It begins with an hour show on her network OWN followed by a live streaming webcast that features an interactive discussion on the topic of the day with her, an expert and the viewers - both audience and via skype, facebook and oprah.com

Tonight was Day 3 of class and today's topic was 'You become what you Believe'. I couldn't agree more. Yesterday's topic was 'Letting go of Anger' and Day 1 began with author Eckart Tolle and was about how the Ego holds us back. Truly all three days were profound and I had many 'A-ha!' moments, as Oprah calls them.

If you are interested in learning more about yourself, human consciousness and finding stillness, peace and letting go of beliefs, emotions and thoughts that don't serve you to live your best life, I strongly encourage you to watch the show at 8pm and the webcast at 9pm every night. Here is the link to watch the webcast:

http://www.livestream.com/oprahslifeclass

For me, its all about learning, evolving, transforming and growing. That is what I truly believe our work is. And this Lifeclass has created the perfect opportunity to do just that. I hope you'll watch and if so, write a comment on your thoughts!

And if you want to catch up, you can watch the previous webcasts as well:

Day 1:

http://www.livestream.com/oprahslifeclass/video?clipId=pla_689e3708-7bcc-4322-bc52-3a4dae6b2803&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb 

Day 2:

http://www.livestream.com/oprahslifeclass/video?clipId=flv_f034f54a-29c0-4a9f-9f5a-12d29b7d59a3&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb

Day 3:

http://www.livestream.com/oprahslifeclass/video?clipId=pla_878a41d8-e5c1-43ae-8f3c-b756e63b56f7&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb

Wishing you continued learning & growing,

Dr. Shamira

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Arsenic in Apple Juice... A Dr. Oz Exclusive!

Remember growing up on apple juice? I do... and of course still today, kids drink apple juice all the time. In fact, its a very common go-to. But did you know that apple juice has been found to contain arsenic?! Yes, apparently so - we are poisoning our children and don't even know it. I learned this today watching the Doctor Oz Show. I couldn't believe it. He was outraged as well. I wanted to share this important info with you and strongly recommend that you check out his website for all the info. 

They did an independent lab test with a diverse assortment of samples across the U.S. and overall, Minute Maid had the lowest average arsenic levels, compared to the others tested. Guess which was the worst? Gerber. Yeah the one that is specifically marketed to children! Unbelievable. 

Here is a quick tip sheet, courtesy of Doctor Oz to help you buy the right kind of apple juice:

Please check out this link for more info:

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/arsenic-apple-juice

 

Yours in Safety & Wellness,

Dr. Shamira

www.artofwellness.ca

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Gandhi's Top 10 to Change

One of the world's greatest hero's and a figure of compassion and non-violence, Gandhi's wisdom and insight is timeless and suitable for everyone. Here is a recent blog from famous author of The Alchemist, Paul Coelho. Each tenet is so true and was such a wonderful reminder about how to live right - and I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy and please take a moment and really let these words penetrate your consciousness. These are his Top 10 to Change the World but I believe its first use should be on ourselves.

Gandhi’s Top 10

1. Change

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
“As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world – that is the myth of the atomic age – as in being able to remake ourselves.”

2. Control.
“Nobody can hurt me without my permission.”

3. Forgiveness
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
“An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

4. Action.
“An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.”

5. The present moment.
“I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following.”

6. Everyone is human.
“I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps.”
“It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.”

7. Persist.
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

8. Goodness.
“I look only to the good qualities of men. Not being faultless myself, I won’t presume to probe into the faults of others.”
“I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.”

9. Truth
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
“Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.”

10. Development.
“Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.”

Words to Live By.

 

Yours in Wellness,

Dr. Shamira

www.artofwellness.ca

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Newest healthy recipe!

Hello folks! I apologize for my haitus from blogging - but I have a great recipe, courtesy of Whole Foods that I wanted to share. Its tried, tested and definitely yum! A great side with a summer twist! 

Whole-wheat Couscous with Nectarines & Pistachios

Serves 4

Whole-wheat couscous is super easy and quick to prepare. Tossed with cider vinaigrette, juicy nectarines (ideally organic in season!), watercress and pistachios, this dish is full of flavor and texture.

Ingredients

1 cup whole-wheat couscous 
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 
1/4 teaspoon sea salt 
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
2 organic nectarines, diced 
1 bunch watercress, stems removed and leaves sliced (about 1 1/2 cups packed leaves) 
1/2 cup pistachios, chopped 
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallot 

Method

Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in couscous, cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Whisk in olive oil in a thin steady stream until dressing thickens. Add couscous, nectarines, watercress, pistachios and shallots to bowl and toss to combine. Serve warm or chilled.

Nutrition

Per serving: 360 calories (130 from fat), 15g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 160mg sodium, 51g total carbohydrate (9g dietary fiber, 8g sugar), 12g protein

 

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