Dana Lerman, a naturopath practicing in Toronto, explains how she stays healthy, gives her best advice on how you can stay healthy as well as sharing what's in her grocery cart and offering two cold-fighting recipes.

Q: What does your exercise routine look like?

A: My exercise regime looks something like this: Meditation: 20-40 minutes, yoga asana 20-40 minutes, which usually equals about an hour of time. Sometimes I'll do some more yoga or meditation in the evening, often for less time, and I go to a yoga class one or two times per week. I live downtown and walk or bike to get around, and love to get out of the city to hike or swim in one of our stunning woods and lakes.

Q: Do you make an effort to maintain a healthy diet? How? Have you set any nutritional rules for yourself (things you absolutely won't eat, and things you really must eat)?

A: Nutrition is an integral part of my practice as a naturopath in both restoring and maintaining health, and preventing disease. The collecting, preparing and consuming of our food helps reconnect us to the very fabric of life. I am mostly vegetarian these days, although I have explored many different options, both for myself and with my clients. I eat mostly organic, whole foods, filled with the pulse of life and the earth, striving to minimize my impact on the suffering and mistreatment of the animals I consume. There is no 'one way' of eating ideal for everyone. Your needs change as you go through the various phases of life. I work to help people find which nutritional plan is ideal for them.

Q: Which foods are you always certain to include on your shopping list because of their nutritional wallop?

Dear Sarah,

I work at an advertising firm and we are constantly taking out potential clients to "seal the deal." Often these meetings are in the early morning over coffee, but lately they've been in the afternoon and involve a cocktail or two. Is it safe to go to the gym after having a drink?
Thanks,
Mae

Dear Mae,

While alcohol may make you feel more relaxed and happy, especially when sealing a big business deal, it's actually a depressant that suppresses the brain's ability to function. It decreases your reaction time, accuracy, balance, hand-eye coordination and endurance, which are all essential elements of exercise. The question is, do you want to decrease your reaction time when lifting heavy weights over your head, or running on a fast-moving treadmill? Probably not.

Adam Gilbert quit his job in corporate America to launch MyBodyTutor.com, a company he created to help people set and keep their health and fitness goals. He says some of his inspiration comes from his family, but mainly he just wants to help people get the healthy bodies they deserve in a way that works well for them. Health and fitness have been his passion since the fourth grade.

Q: You write on your site that you've been interested in health and fitness from a young age. What piqued your interest so early?

A: Well, my sister always used food as an escape for a lot of stressful situations we encountered. My parents got divorced when she was nine years old (I was 4) and I always used to hear her scream and cry whenever she'd get ready for big events because she hated how she felt and looked, so that definitely made a big impact on me.

Also, my dad had a heart attack that led into a triple bypass surgery. Not long after that (when I was in 7th grade) he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Because of this, I always felt that life was too short to not love the way you feel and look.

Q: What is My Body Tutor and why did you start it?

A: In January of 2007 I had been at Ernst & Young for over two years in their hedge fund and private equity practice and found myself becoming just like all of the people I'd given fitness advice to -- I was constantly rationalizing and justifying my poor choices and ultimately making excuses. I then realized that everyone wants to be healthy and fit, but it's just too easy to make those excuses and procrastinate. It's even easier to lie to ourselves and to rationalize poor eating and lack of exercise (especially, after a long day!). Something had to be done. I set out to create a program that would solve this problem in a big way.

My Body Tutor is a service I created to help people get the body they want. We do this by providing daily and personal accountability to ensure our clients stay consistent with their diet and/or exercise.

Q: Can you tell us the basics of your program? How does it work?

Each week, holistic nutritionist Joy McCarthy tells us about a common health problem she's seen in her practice and how she came to a solution.

This Week's Client: Jessica, university student

The Problem: Jessica suffers from bouts of bulimia and anxiety.

The problem manifested in episodes of what Jessica described as uncontrollable eating followed by either vomiting or the use of laxatives to purge her body of what she had consumed. This is classic bulimia and the actions are usually accompanied by feeling out of control and then ashamed and guilty for the gorging that necessitated the purging. Often women with this condition suffer from anxiety, which is why Jessica originally came to see me and I helped her with both.

Jessica's episodes occurred about three to four times per month and increased during exam time or any stressful situation. Bulimia can lead to many health problems including anemia, electrolyte imbalance, erratic heartbeat, loss of muscle and bone mass, liver and kidney damage and in Jessica's case, worsening of her anxiety and digestive problems.

As a nutritionist, a client like this can be challenging to help because much of the change must come from within. I needed Jessica to put a 100 percent effort into healing her body. Women who develop eating disorders do so in an effort to feel better about themselves and to control something (their body), although the opposite is unfortunately the result. Instead, they develop a distorted image of their figures and feel disgusted with their bodies and constantly compare themselves to celebrities and their friends.

Bulimia, and other eating disorders, are topics worthy of an entire books and so here I will simply show you how I coached Jessica to better health. Every person who suffers from this is unique, so please do your research and work with a qualified practitioner.

Solutions after the jump.

Buckwheat doesn't get enough attention and that's really a shame. First of all, while its name may have you thinking otherwise, it's completely unrelated to wheat. Buckwheat is not even technically a grain even though it's prepared and enjoyed in a similar fashion to grains; ground into flours for baked goods, boiled in water as a side dish or baked in the oven as a pilaf, for example. No, buckwheat is actually a fruit seed related to the rhubarb family and thus it's gluten-free and a great alternative to wheat flour.

In many ways, buckwheat is similar to quinoa. Both have unusual properties that make them particularly nutritious foods. Buckwheat, like quinoa, is a high protein seed (about 16 percent protein). And both are complete proteins, meaning they have all of the essential amino acids, similar to animal foods. Grains like wheat, corn and rice are not complete proteins, however, and require the addition of other plant foods, like seeds, nuts or legumes, to make them complete.

Buckwheat is also a great source of both magnesium and copper, two important minerals that may have an impact on insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease as well as having important roles in the body's enzyme systems. It also contains a good amount of manganese, a necessary trace mineral.

Dear Sarah,

What's the deal with being ravenously hungry after swimming? I've been spending a lot of time in my backyard pool followed by a lot of time in front of the kitchen fridge. I fear I am undoing all the good of my pool workout.
Nada

Dear Nada,

While your post-swimming hunger may be because you put in a good workout, there are two main reasons why hunger strikes upon leaving the water. One, your body's changing temperatures as you move from land to pool and two, dehydration.

How many times a week are you eating salmon? I suggest you aim for at least once because the health benefits are numerous. As you may have heard, salmon contains valuable omega-3 fats (essential fats) that are easily absorbed by your body (vegetable sources of omega-3s, on the other hand, need to be converted by the body to the form naturally found in fish). These omega-3 fats are important for a number of reasons including eliminating inflammation, keeping cell walls flexible and healthy and helping to form the protective coating around nerve cells.

On top of that, salmon is also high in the amino acid tryptophan, the protein component needed for the 'good mood neurotransmitter' serotonin and the sleep hormone melatonin. Salmon is also a great source of vitamin D, which also makes it a good winter food when we're not getting as much vitamin D from the sun. It's also high in protein, the hard-to-come-by mineral selenium, as well as magnesium and phosphorous.

So we've established that salmon is a welcome addition to a healthy diet, but don't stop there because to get the health benefits you need to buy the right kind of salmon and it all comes down to the health of our oceans. In addition to oil spills and other toxins dumped into our seas, there is rightful concern about the sustainability of our seafood as over-fishing also takes a toll on these troubled waters. I recommend checking Seachoice.org as a means of evaluating which fish and seafood, and even which type of salmon, are sustainable and safe (hint: wild Alaskan salmon is your best bet).

Here are five suggestions on preparing this health-promoting fish that are delicious but don't involve sugary sauces or processed foods. The best thing about these tips is that you can mix and match them, incorporating several ideas into one dish.

According to comments on Thatsfit.ca's Facebook page, it seems some of our readers are late-night snackers in need of advice on the healthy way to nibble at night. And, interestingly, it seems more than a few of our fans work the nightshift, which is a subject I've addressed in the past. The overall topic of eating later in the evening is a good one and there are a few different scenarios that I'd like to talk about here. Some of them aren't great for your health and I have suggestions on how to improve that.

Hungry Before Bed: If this is you, chances are you ate your last meal too long ago or that your meal wasn't substantial enough. And often the need for snacking a couple of hours after dinner means you didn't get enough protein or that you're not digesting the protein properly.

Eating right before bed is not generally a good idea -- it can interfere with your sleep, which means you won't be well-rested upon waking. If you need to snack at night, try to do so at least 2 hours before retiring for the evening.

Night-Eating Syndrome is a very real disorder wherein people eat little during the day and then binge in the evening. This study found that the disorder is hormonal in nature and is specifically related to the hunger hormone leptin and the stress hormone cortisol. See a natural practitioner if these symptoms sound like they describe you.

Quinoa is a bit of a perplexing grain, especially since it's not actually not a grain -- it's a fruit! Yes, it both looks and cooks like like a grain but it has a distinct taste and texture. It's also nutritionally similar to grain, but it's high in protein and calcium. In fact, it has more calcium than milk, by volume.

It's really easy to prepare, too -- if you can cook rice, you can cook quinoa (pronounced keen-wah). Just rinse the grains well in a fine mesh strainer, then put one part quinoa to two parts water in a pot with some unrefined sea salt. Bring this to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

In vegetarian circles, quinoa is held in high regard because it contains all eight essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. It's particularly high in lysine, an amino acid in short supply in the plant kingdom. In short, quinoa is a fantastic food choice that deserves a regular place in your diet.

There are more than a few ways to enjoy quinoa -- the simple recipe I gave above is, quite frankly, a little boring. Here are my top five favourite methods of enjoying this grain-like fruit that are guaranteed to excite your tastebuds:

Natasha Turner, N.D. is a Toronto-based naturopathic doctor. She is the founder of the Clear Medicine wellness boutique and author of the bestselling book The Hormone Diet. Each week in her column for That's Fit.ca, Dr. Turner advises readers on how to remedy common health issues as well as improve their overall health.

Trying to lose weight? Start by looking at the foods you're regularly eating -- especially those that you buy regularly and stock your kitchen with. Variations in the amount of protein, carbs and fats in your favourite products might surprise you, and understanding nutrition labels will help you be carb-smart when you shop, cook and eat. Just follow these guidelines for optimal health both in and out of the kitchen:

1. Read the ingredients: If the product contains any hormone-upsetting ingredients such as aspartame, hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, vegetable oil, soy oil, shortening or margarine, or if it has too much added sugar, put it back on the shelf.

2. Move on to the nutrition label information and check the serving size allocated for the nutrition info: A serving size of five potato chips may only have 50 calories, but who stops after just five? Sometimes foods look as though they're a good choice, but in reality it's only because the serving size used to report the nutrition values is completely unrealistic.

The advertisements are mesmerizing: young fit athletes push themselves to the limit in slow motion, straining for that extra inch, extra meter or extra second shaved off their time. The sweat drips from their brow, a sign of how hard they've worked and what it takes to be fit. The goal is scored, the race is won or the weight is pushed -- it's success in all its glory! The athlete reaches for the beverage or snack, which is obviously responsible for their triumph and we're left with the product shot as the screen fades to black.

We're all pulled in by these commercials. They sell us an image of what we want to be and show us how their products will get us there. These commercials work -- sports nutrition products, including sports drinks, protein bars and energy supplements, are all clocking record sales. But maybe these commercials are working a little too well.

Recent market research studies have found that the largest consumers of sports nutrition products are non-athletes. The industry has begun calling this segment "lifestyle users" and believes that they need to be marketed to more specifically.

Natasha Turner, N.D. is a Toronto-based naturopathic doctor. She is the founder of the Clear Medicine wellness boutique and author of the bestselling book The Hormone Diet. Each week in her column for That's Fit.ca, Dr. Turner advises readers on how to remedy common health issues as well as improve their overall health.


Don't let stress get the best of you. Use these simple tips for taming tension and increasing weight loss success.

Researchers have known for years that physical stress is detrimental to our health and well-being. However, it is only recently that psychological stress has become linked to a number of health complaints. In fact, a study conducted by researcher Paula Rhode, PhD and her colleagues revealed that higher stress and depression were linked with weight regain, typically due to seeking comfort from food, especially calories from fat.

How we handle stress is up to us, but it could make a difference in weight loss success. "Incorporating stress, and mood-management techniques into future weight-loss programs may help to prevent or delay weight regain that occurs as a result of poor coping and/or increased high-risk or unhealthy behaviours," Rhode revealed in the study.

How Stress Affects Us
Most of us are all too familiar with the feeling of being stressed: Your heart races, your breathing becomes rapid and shallow, your blood pressure rises and your hands become cold or clammy as blood flow is directed to your arm and leg muscles in preparation for escape. This is our initial response to stress, otherwise known as an adrenalin rush. The relaxation response is just the opposite: Breathing rate slows and deepens, muscles relax, blood pressure lowers, pulse rate slows down and more blood flow is directed to the organs of digestion. It is this state that is best for our mind and body.

Three Tips on How to Handle Stress Effectively after the jump

Natasha Turner, N.D. is a Toronto-based naturopathic doctor. She is the founder of the Clear Medicine wellness boutique and author of the bestselling book The Hormone Diet. Each week in her column for That's Fit.ca, Dr. Turner advises readers on how to remedy common health issues as well as improve their overall health.


With all my patients I always stress that it is not knowledge that ensures good health, but action. Think about it-how many diet or self-help books have you read but never applied the principles to your daily life? Or worse, how many have you purchased and never opened?

There are myriad theories, guidelines and information sources surrounding the nutrition and wellness industry. Sometimes it seems as though the more you read, the more confused you become. But the basic principles of healthy living are not rocket science. The baby steps taken today may result in giant leaps in your wellness in the future.

We all want a quick fix for better health, weight loss and more energy. The Hormone Diet provides you with a road map to wellness, but if you are not yet on the road to health, you can begin with this sample of a healthy day to get you moving. You can tweak the hours if you need to, just use this as a guide. Remember the old adage that definitely rings true when it comes to nutrition, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

6:30 – 7:00 am: Drink two cups of warm water with lemon each morning. This simple habit increases the flow of digestive juices, helps to cleanse the body and resets our pH balance, making us less acidic, which helps reduce the risk of disease. If you have sugar or carbohydrate cravings, add 1 tsp. of glutamine powder into the water.

Natasha Turner, N.D. is a Toronto-based naturopathic doctor. She is the founder of the Clear Medicine wellness boutique and author of the bestselling book The Hormone Diet. Each week in her column for That's Fit.ca, Dr. Turner advises readers on how to remedy common health issues as well as improve their overall health.


If you ask a women if she has PMS, she might reply by saying, "No, but I'm sure my husband would say I do." Similarly, if you ask her if she experiences breast tenderness, irritability, cravings, water retention, weight gain, headaches, sleep disruption, acne breakouts, fatigue or other symptoms prior to her period, she might say, "Yes, I do, but isn't that normal?"

Countless women have no idea that their period should come and go, without symptoms, except the obvious - blood loss, each month. Some women even believe that PMS refers only to mood changes prior to their period, while others think the symptoms of water retention, sore breasts and irritability are normal.

These symptoms are not normal! Chronic symptoms prior to your period are not only troublesome, they're also detrimental and a clear indication of hormonal imbalance. This common misconception identifies two issues: Not only have we become so accustomed to hormonal imbalance that we are perhaps no longer able to identify balanced wellness, we are also out of touch with our bodies. This causes subtle messages conveyed by our symptoms to be missed and as a consequence, we also miss the opportunity to achieve better health.

What is PMS?
PMS (premenstrual syndrome) involves many different symptoms lasting a few days to weeks prior to the onset of menses. The symptoms, along with their intensity, can vary from month to month, but usually end after the first or second day of bleeding when the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle begins. The time before the menstrual flow, coinciding with PMS, is called the luteal phase. It begins at ovulation and continues until the first day of bleeding.

We know about 75 percent of women have PMS and that it's most likely to affect those between their late 20s and early 40s. Out of these sufferers, about eight to 10 percent require medical intervention to manage their mood and behavioral changes. Some women with premenstrual syndrome experience premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). PMDD is a form of premenstrual syndrome associated with severe depression, hopelessness, anger, anxiety and low self-esteem.

Recognizing PMS
The symptoms of PMS are both mental and physical.