Heart health affects millions of North Americans and heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. A combination of exercise and diet can lead to a heart healthy lifestyle! Here are the top 3 nutrition tips to get you on the right track.

1. Choose the right fats

Contrary to what we have been lead to believe, rather than removing and avoiding fats entirely, replace with good fats:

• Zero tolerance to transfats. These fats raise LDL, (“bad” cholesterol), and lowers HDL (“good” cholesterol) which can put you at increased cardiovascular risk.
  • Trans fats are found in:
    • Commercially-baked goods
    • Fried food
    • Partially hydrogenated oil in the ingredients, even if it claims to be trans fat-free
      
  • Limit saturated fats. Saturated fats = tropical oils (coconut), dairy, and red meat. Enjoy in moderation by choosing a variety of protein sources such as fish, skinless chicken, eggs, and beans/lentils.
    
  • Eat more healthy fats. Eating...

The Best of Beets

The origin of beets dates way back in ancient pre-historic times. Originally, it was only the beet greens that were consumed. Later on the beet root was discovered for its high content of natural sugar, and today are used abundantly for raw sugar extraction.

Now that I know so much about beets and how to cook them properly, I cannot get enough! There are so many people I run into that swear they HATE beets - most not ever trying them. Here is a little more information on how fantastic beets are for your health. 

Beets are highly diverse in their nutrition profile making them extremely beneficial for heart health AND they are a vegetable that is locally available us in February! The following are reasons you should add beets to your daily vegetable intake.

• Lowers blood pressure: the nitrates in beets convert to nitric acid in the body, which helps to relax and dilate blood vessels thus helping to prevent cardiovascular and heart issues
• Fights inflammation:...

Your skin is the largest organ in the body - and it absorbs most everything that it comes in contact with. It is the first indicator of how healthy you are! Smooth, vibrant skin is nourished  and hydrated in the most natural way. 

The skin care is a $170 Billion industry and so many of the products out there are causing more of an issue. This is due to the thousands of the chemicals found in our shampoos, foundation, lipsticks, deodorant etc. 

Here are my 6 tips to naturally promote healthy, vibrant skin:

1. Do not workout or sleep in your makeup! An hour at the gym will more than likely cause perspiration and if you workout with a make-up face the combination will cause a bad bacterial environment. Even if you only wear “natural” organic products it does not belong on the pores for more than a couple hours. ALWAYS wash off all product and chemicals off the face before heading to bed or the make-up will seep through the pours, damaging skin...

What is Ashwagandha?

Ashwagandha is a plant! More specifically, a small evergreen shrub and it grows in India, Africa and parts of the Middle East. It is the root and berries of this incredible shrub that are edible and used medicinally. They contain chemicals that have been shown to calm the brain, reduce inflammation and strengthen the immune system! Predominately, this ancient medicinal herb is used as an adaptogen (a natural product that is used to support the body in adapting to certain stressors and normalize different body processes).

How is it consumed?

Ashwagandha is usually consumed as a fine powder that can be mixed with ghee (clarified butter), honey and water. Alternatively, the powder is placed in a capsule and taken in pill form. Studies have shown that consuming 240 mg of the dose form of Ashwagandha daily over 60 days significantly improves symptoms of stress among other things. When using as a medicinal herb it is best to consume in pill form.

This is Kelly Carter Nutrition's Health Living Cornerstones! All you need to know In 3... 2... 1...

1. Continuous water intake

Your top priority when moving towards a healthy lifestyle should be achieving optimal hydration levels. It is not just about getting a few glasses in a day – you should be focusing on having around 500ml every hour or two, consistently throughout the day. Cutting out other forms of high caloric fluids will come more naturally when you begin to focus on proper hydration. Here are a few benefits that occur when you start hydrating appropriately:

• Increased energy and fatigue relief
• Promotes weight loss
• Flushes out toxins
• Improves immune system
• Helps to maintain regularity

Tip: keep a glass or bottle of water by your bed – as soon as you wake up have a glass or two!

2. Count colours...

Calcium has always seemed to be a hot topic especially when it comes to bone health. What exactly is Calcium? Calcium is a mineral in our body that is essential in the formation of bones, prevention of osteoporosis, nerve transmission and helps prevent blood clotting. Calcium is also very important in maintaining healthy blood pressure.

Society and the dairy industry has told us that dairy products must absolutely be a part of our diet in order to get enough calcium daily. While it is true that milk products do contain a lot of calcium, they are often poorly absorbed by the human body.

Recent studies have shown a very large increase in lactose intolerance and sensitivity in the American population over the last few years. Did you know by the age of 4, 90% of lactase (the enzyme that breaks down lactose or the sugars in milk) is naturally depleted from the...

There are not too many things that you can control in the world, but for women the general health of your baby is one of them. What you consume on a daily basis while pregnant will determine the development and health of your baby for years to come.

Common sense would show that a diet full of nutrients and lack of chemicals/processed foods would support a healthy pregnancy. And this could not be more right. The following foods to avoid are those that are more susceptible to toxins and chemicals that can pass through to the baby in the uterus.

Raw eggs and poultry: no more runny eggs (must be cooked all the way through) and internal temperature of chicken should be 180F and reheated to 172F

Pate, soft and blue cheeses: commonly unpasteurized. Avoid blue, brie, camembert, stilton, Roquefort, soft goat/sheep cheese and feta

Raw shellfish ash sushi: may contain parasites. Can always opt for vegetarian sushi Deli meats: contain nitrates and possibly Listeria as well. This includes...

Did you know that a healthy human can consume up to 48 glasses of water in a single day (1)?! Water is necessary for human life! It makes up around 70% of our body weight and is responsible for many functions in the body. From weight loss to increased energy levels, disease prevention or increased athletic performance water truly is the elixir of life. Hydration levels will ultimately affect the balance of our body fluids, which in turn affects how our organ systems run.

When we do not consume enough water on a daily basis it can affect:

• Digestion
• Absorption
• Circulation
• Transportation of nutrition around the body
• Maintaining body temperature

How much water do you need to consume on a daily basis? It really depends on your age, body type and your lifestyle. The older we get our sense of thirst lessens and body water content decreases by up to 15% (2). This can put elderly people at higher risk for severe dehydration. Therefore the intake of water becomes much more necessary the...

Whether its the first 20lbs or the last 10lbs in order to achieve sustainable fat loss you must develop a healthy lifestyle routine! Here are my 10 Tips to Sustainable Fat Loss. 

Do not drink your calories!

Here we are referring to fruit juices, pops, alcohol, and caffeinated beverages. There has been a lot of evidence to support that the brain processes liquid calories differently in the body than consuming solid foods. The act of chewing triggers satiety signals in the brain. Apple juice is high in sugar containing calories and lacks fiber (which mostly comes from its peel). When you drink apple juice you most likely will not feel full after an 8oz glass. This will lead to the consumption of either more liquid or solid foods. Studies show that people consuming sugary beverages don’t compensate this high caloric intake by eating less food.

Follow the 1 in 10 rule

If you are one to purchase packaged foods, focus on being a smart label reader – it may save you...

Energy Bites (with a few variations)

What a simple and delicious snack! Energy bites come in all different ingredients and health benefits. These are what I like to call healthy donut holes – because they are shaped just like one (ball-shaped) and only contain whole foods and always refined sugar free! There are thousands of different variations but the most classic one that never fails to satisfy is:

PB and Chocolate Chip Energy Bites

Ingredients

• 1 cup oats
• ½ cup natural peanut butter
• ½ cup ground flax seeds
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup unpasteurized honey
• 3 tablespoons hemp hearts
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

You can switch out the peanut butter for any other nut butter or a seed butter/ WOW butter if you would like this to be an allergy free snack. As well, raisins, Craisins or coconut flakes instead of the chocolate chips. And if you do not like honey try agave!

Here is another variation:

Goji Berry Energy Bites

Ingredients:

• 1...