Spring cleaning for your body

A message from Edie Shaw-Ewald, Registered Dietitian and Personal Trainer Specialist:

Signs of spring are popping up everywhere!

A naturopath once told me that spring fever actually does exist. Well, I think he is right, because every spring I feel a strong urge to organize, purge and clean!

Perhaps spring means a fresh start for everyone. Have you thought about purging your kitchen and future grocery lists of heavily processed foods that tax your body and cloud your mind?

You may have even considered giving your body a fresh start with a detox or cleanse.

Our bodies are actually well designed to detoxify and cleanse themselves – but processed food products with artificial additives and preservatives, refined sugar, and harmful fats put it under extra strain.

We can do our own detoxing by cleaning up our diet and emphasizing real foods. In other words, foods with just one ingredient.

You have heard people say in many different contexts, “it is what it is” – well…. that is what food we eat should be: WHAT IT IS!

To give your body extra help in cleaning itself, start the day with a half lemon squeezed into warm water . The tart taste will wake you up more than a cup of coffee and will aid in digestion.

Emphasize raw and steamed vegetables and fresh or frozen fruits. Pick high quality protein foods such as fish, eggs, poultry, beans, nuts and seeds, unsweetened dairy products (soy or almond milk) and healthy fats, such as extra virgin olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds.

If you need help with spring cleaning your body, call me for an appointment at 441-6602, or email me at shaw.ewald@ns.sympatico.ca. Many health insurance plans cover the fee for registered dietitian services.

Health and happiness,

Edie

Edie Shaw-Ewald is a Registered Dietitian and Personal Trainer Specialist.

She believes in using real and natural foods to achieve the healthiest body and mind that we were meant to possess.

She will provide you with the tools, support and the plan you need to live a healthier lifestyle!

Edie is a regular contributor to the Bedford Beacon.

For more information on Edie and all that she has to offer visit nutritioncoachedie.com.