Category: Recipes

Summer Self-care: Support Liver Detox

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It seems like (almost) everyone loves the summer and many of the people I work with tend to feel better when it’s sunny and warm (although it is really hot, right now!).

 

So you might think – why bother with a Summer Self-care series – everyone already takes it easy in the summer, don’t they?

 

But – ask yourself these questions:

 

Do you generally feel rejuvenated, restored and reinvigorated from your summer vacay?

 

OR

 

Do you tend to feel more tired, drained and like you’ve gained back the 5-10 lbs you worked so hard to lose for the summer from all of the social get-togethers, extra iced coffees, beer, coolers and wine?

 

If you’re like most of the amazing, busy women I treat in clinic, you probably picked the second option.

 

So my goal over the month of July is to share with you some Summer Self-care tips that will help you minimize the negative effects of overindulging  – by helping to keep your hormones balanced. That way you can actually get the rejuvenation your summer vacation is intended to give you.

 

So we’re going to start by balancing out so many people’s favourite way to cool off during the summer: some form of alcoholic beverage or an iced coffee (or cappuccino or americano …you get the picture!).

 

I’m not saying we need to avoid these completely for Self-care. But I am saying we need to be:

  • Responsible when we drink – moderation is key
  • Mindful of our individual health needs. Remember, it’s our liver that needs to detoxify our body to keep our natural hormones levels like estrogen, progesterone, cortisol in balance. And it may have more trouble doing that efficiently if we overindulge in alcohol and caffeine.
  • Aware that both alcohol and caffeine can make you more dehydrated. With the heat warnings we have been getting in Toronto, you’ll want to make sure you replenish with water.

 

The general rule of thumb:

For every cup of caffeinated or alcoholic beverage you have – aim for 1 to 1.5 cups of water!

 

The Problem:

Water is boring. I don’t think it is – because I love water, like literally – I drink it all the time). But I totally get it. When I say drink more water, I’ve been told people don’t like the taste of it. You don’t get excited about it. So let’s make it a bit more exciting, and with more flavour!

 

Let’s get started!

 

https://youtu.be/IJ_sUZGbyEI

 

Here’s how I make these tasty fruit water options:

 

Cucumber water
  1. Peel ¾ cucumber. With the peeler, make long strands of cucumber – about 1/4 of the cucumber or enough to give you about 1/4 or 1/2 cup. Place cucumber strands in a large, clean mason jar.
  2. Fill jar with pure, filtered water. Stick in the fridge for at least an hour – overnight is even better.
  3. Pour into a glass (or just drink out of the mason jar – so on trend still!).
  4. Refill that mason jar with cold water as it empties throughout the day (because you’re drinking so much tasty cucumber water!), right over the existing cucumber. Every time you refill it, let it sit for a little bit and it’ll taste just as good as the first time.
  5. Compost the cucumber at the end of the day. Clean out the jar and add some fresh cucumber to make more for the next day. Or try one of the other fruit waters below!

 

Strawberry water
  1. Wash & de-stem 2 organic strawberries. Slice them thinly. Place in a large, clean mason jar.
  2. Repeat steps #2 – 5 as per cucumber water.

 

Watermelon water
  1. Wash and chop watermelon into triangular wedges. Slice ½ of one wedge thinly. If you like, slice thin slices a few more times like I did to increase the watermelon goodness into the water.
  2. Repeat steps #2 – 5 as per cucumber water.

 

 

Who could benefit from this?

Remember the first week of Everyday Detox series, where I discussed the importance of hydration for healthy bowel movements and detoxification? It’s super important for women with:

  • Hot flashes/permenopause
  • Heavy, painful periods
  • Difficulties trying to conceive that are related to excess weight, estrogen dominance or autoimmunity like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
  • But really anyone – male or female – who needs to hydrate more (but hates the taste of boring water – just kidding water, you’re not boring, you’re amazing!)

 

BONUS:

Don’t forget these liver loving vegetables in salads and on the grill to further help your body detoxify effectively.

 

Let me know which one of these fruit waters you like best. Or if you come up with your own that you wanna share, I’d love to know!

 

Take good care of your Self until then!

 

 

Wanna become a Self-care warrior? 

Click the button below to join Dr. Odette’s FREE Self-care Warrior e-mail list and you’ll receive her Self-care videos, articles, and inspiration right in your inbox! 

 

YES! I’m ready to take care of my Self!

 

 

 

Nutrition for Hormone Balance: Mediterranean Cruciferous Bowl

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It’s the final week – week 4 of our Nutrition for Hormone Balance video series and I’m going to show you why the Mediterranean-style of eating is so great for hormone balance (and P.S. it’s been shown to support fertility as well!)

 

Let’s get started!

 

 

Mediterranean Cruciferous Bowl

 

The Hormone-Balancing Ingredients

 

Dressing:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil – a staple in the Mediterranean diet because of its healthy monounsaturated omega-9 fats. So great for heart health. A variety of healthy fats help support hormone balance and decrease inflammation in the body.

 

¼ freshly squeezed lime juice

 

¼ teaspoon dried parsley

 

Freshly ground pepper & salt to taste

 

The Goods:

2 organic eggs – A complete protein source and also provides cholesterol. Don’t be afraid women! Cholesterol is an important part of the structure of many of your hormones including estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol. If you want more animal protein, you can replace the eggs with a palm-sized portion of good quality chicken, fish or lean beef.

 

1/2 – 1 cup shredded purple/red cabbage – Cruciferous family veggie – so great for estrogen balance. Also packed with fibre for additional estrogen and insulin balance (fibre helps balance blood sugars!). Its beautiful deep pigmented colour is a sign that it contains a good amount of antioxidants. Remember, antioxidants are crucial to decrease inflammation and protect the body from oxidative stress – both important to overall hormone balance, health & longevity.

 

1.5 – 2 cups baby kale (or other leafy greens) – another of my favourite Cruciferous family vegetables. BUT if you have a thyroid condition due in part to low iodine, definitely be careful with too many raw Cruciferous family vegetables as they can prevent the thyroid gland from using iodine to make thyroid hormones. If this applies to you, talk to your healthcare professional about how much you can have raw and then enjoy the rest of this family of vegetables cooked.

 

½ cup spiced chickpeas – provides some plant protein as well as more fibre to stabilize blood sugars (and insulin & cortisol), and estrogen levels. You can definitely add in plain chick peas, but for a bit more flavour you can lightly sauté some chickpeas in some of your favourite spices. I used cumin, paprika, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder – and can’t believe I forgot turmeric, but I would definitely add turmeric!

 

1 radish chopped – the bright red colour is a hint there are lots of antioxidants in this little guy – go back and read purple cabbage if you forgot about why antioxidants are so great!

 

How this Mediterranean Cruciferous Bowl comes to life:
  1. Bring eggs and water to a boil. Set timer for 10 minutes – adjust as desired to get softer or harder-boiled eggs. Meanwhile, prep the rest of the ingredients (seriously, this whole thing will be done in 10 minutes!)
  2. Add the dressing ingredients to a bowl and whisk (with the same fork you will eat it with – BONUS!)
  3. Arrange each of the rest of the ingredients around the bowl to make it look pretty if you plan to Instagram it or share it on Facebook. But if not – just toss it all into the bowl, resting the eggs on top. Give it a good toss to get all of the dressing mixed in.
  4. If you have any remaining ingredients (because you chopped too many like I always do), throw the rest into mason jars for lunch tomorrow, or if you have a lot of leftover ingredients, put into separate mason jars for easy assembly throughout the week.
  5. Enjoy!

 

 

Thank you!

 

That concludes are Nutrition for Hormone Balance video series. Thank you for watching, commenting and sharing these videos. I hope you learned something that will help you take charge of your health. I will see you next week for a brand new video series.

 

Take good care of your Self until then!

 

 

Nutrition for Hormone Balance: Satisfy Your 3 PM Snack Craving!

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It’s week 3 of our Nutrition for Hormone Balance video series and one area that I know a lot of my patients struggle with is snacking. I know many of us (yes, even me sometimes!) find ourselves crashing around 3-4pm during the workday.

 

And what do we typically crave?

 

Carbs of course!

 

The carbs most of us crave can be sugary quick-fixes like donuts and cookies or the salty, crunchy carbs like chips. Either way, they may satisfy you in the short-term (like for 10 minutes), but then you’ll feel hungry right after!

 

So I’m going to walk you through how to make one of my fave snacks to beat those sugar cravings AND stabilize your blood sugar levels, insulin, cortisol and estrogen.

 

And YES – they taste good and really satisfy that sweet and salty craving!

 

I give you….

 

My “Beat the 3 PM Crash Energy Bites”!

 

Let’s get started!

 

 

Beat the 3 PM Crash Energy Bites

 

The Hormone-Balancing Ingredients

 

1 cup gluten-free oats – Oats add some good fibre to help stabilize blood sugar (which means more balanced insulin and cortisol release) and it also supports healthy bowel movements for optimal detoxification of estrogen. Why gluten-free oats? Oats will have some gluten due to cross-contamination unless they’re grown in specific environments to prevent this. Assume all oats have gluten unless labeled gluten-free. Gluten is a protein found in many grains and while not everyone has a true gluten allergy (known as Celiac disease), many people have a sensitivity to gluten which can range from mild to severe symptoms. The more you consume foods you have a sensitivity to, the more inflammation you’ll have and this adds additional stress to the body signaling the release of cortisol.

 

2/3 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut – Adds good texture and additional fat to help slow the release of sugar into the blood. Try to buy sulphite-free options like I used, if you want to avoid possible sulphite sensitivity (yes, it’s a thing!).

 

½ cup organic ground flax seeds or ½ cup hemp seeds – The store was out of the flax seeds I usually get so instead I used hemp seeds. I prefer ground flax seeds for their texture, fibre and healthy fats, especially the omega-3s – both of which help support healthy estrogen levels in the body. And of course the fibre and fat also help stabilize blood sugar so that’s great for balanced insulin and cortisol levels…do I sound like a broken record yet?!). But hemp seed are a good substitute because they also have omega-3 fats, a bit more protein (but do provide a bit more omega 6 fats as well).

 

BONUS TIP: If you are not going to be grinding the whole flax seeds yourself (which I know you probably don’t have time for!), make sure you purchase the ground flax seeds in freeze-dried bags and transfer to freezer after opening package to prevent the omega 3 fats from going rancid for as long as possible.

 

½ cup dark chocolate chips – Gives that hit of chocolate to satisfy your cravings plus magnesium to help your cells make energy more efficiently. And if it’s over 72% dark chocolate bonus points for more antioxidants. If you are very sensitive to sugar or don’t like chocolate (What?! Who are you?! Just kidding!!), feel free to omit this!

 

1 tablespoon chia seeds – More healthy fat, protein to regulate blood sugar, insulin and cortisol

 

½ cup raw natural nut butter – I used cashew nut butter, but feel free to use almond or peanut butter – just be sure to use natural (no added sugar, salt and definitely no hydrogenated oils or shortening!). The healthy fat from the nuts plus some protein both help to stabilize the sugar in this recipe

 

½ cup organic honey – I just finished a 2-week detox which included eliminating added sugars (including honey), and I found these bites just a bit too sweet with this much honey so I’ll be experimenting with cutting it back to 1/3 cup next time I make it. Will definitely let you know how it goes!

 

How to bring these bites to life!

 

  1. Add all of the dry ingredients into a bowl. Give it a quick mix to combine.
  2. Add the wet ingredients (nut butter & honey). Mix well by hand until thoroughly combined.
  3. Cover and stick in the fridge for 30 minutes to make the mixture less sticky and easier to mold.
  4. Remove from fridge and spoon out enough mixture to make about a 1-inch ball. I find a combination of pressing the mixture into the palm of my hand then giving it a quick roll works the best. Place in a glass container. Repeat for the rest of the mixture and definitely make sure to taste test it when you’re done to make sure they’re edible 😉
  5. Cover and stick in the fridge for a few hours or overnight so the shape sets and they’re not super sticky to handle and pack for work!
  6. Enjoy 2-3 at 3 pm to energize the rest of your work day!

 

This recipe was adapted from Ali’s recipe over at Gimme Some Oven’s No Bake Energy Bites – she’s got lot of other awesome recipes, that I’ve tried and will be sharing in the near future!

 

If you make this, I’d love to know what you think about it! Post a picture & tag me on Instagram @odettebulaongnd or Facebook Odette Bulaong ND because I’d love to know if you love it as much as I do!

 

See you here next week for our final hormone balancing recipe of the month!

 

Take care until then!

 

 

 

Nutrition for Hormone Balance: Quinoa & Kale

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It’s week 2 of our Nutrition for Hormone Balance video series and I’m going to share with you my 10-minute dinner bowl that I threw together after a busy day in clinic. And of course, I’ll share with you how all the nutritious & delicious ingredients help balance our insulin, cortisol & estrogen – how it came together so quickly…because I totally know you understand when I say I’m hungry (soon to be hangry) when I get home from work and need to eat stat!

 

So let’s get started!

 

 

10-Minute Quinoa Kale Stir-fry Bowl

The Hormone-Balancing Ingredients

 

1 tablespoon avocado oil

 

½ chopped onion – Contains sulphur compounds that help support liver detoxification

 

1-2 cups chopped kale – A proud member of the cruciferous family vegetables that are awesome for estrogen detoxification – great for heavy/painful periods, fertility concerns and perimenopause.

 

½ cup cooked quinoa – This is actually a seed that works like a side-dish grain in place of rice. The higher protein content than most grains helps keep blood sugars more stable which means your insulin and cortisol can stay balanced too

 

Cooking tip: Cook a cup of quinoa on the weekend so you can throw it in quick dinners or pack lunches all week. I cooked 1 cup quinoa (to 2 cups water) earlier in the week and this is probably the 4th or 5th meal I’ve used it in…it makes so much!

Hormone balance BONUS tip #1: Store your big batch of quinoa in glass containers to reduce hormonal exposure to plastic which can contribute xenoestrogens that disrupt our estrogen balance.

 

½ cup chickpeas – Adds additional protein and fibre. The fibre helps feed healthy gut bacteria and keep bowel movements regular (yup, I said that!) – both of which help eliminate estrogen in the body, especially helpful for those with estrogen dominance

 

Avocado – Healthy monounsaturated fats further stabilize blood sugars, keeping insulin and cortisol in check…and the healthy fat increases the satiety factor of the meal (meaning it helps you feel fuller longer, as in it satiates you!)…and who doesn’t love avocado?

 

Hormone Balance BONUS Tip #2: if you saw my Instagram post yesterday, you saw I shared the EWG Guide. Remember, pesticides add to the work your liver has to do to help detoxify your body from well, everything – including our own hormones. So it makes total sense to avoid as many pesticides as you can, and the EWG Guide totally helps you do that. Why do I mention this here? Avocados are #1 on the Clean 15 list (onions are on there too!).

 

Garlic powder & sea salt to taste (I would have added freshly ground black pepper but my pepper grinder broke & I am literally heartbroken and don’t know how we’re surviving without it!

 

How to bring this bowl to life!
  1. Heat avocado oil on low-medium heat. Add onions and saute for a few minutes.
  2. Add kale and saute for 2 minutes max.
  3. Add quinoa and stir for 1 minute.
  4. Add chickpeas and stir for 1 minute.
  5. Turn off the burner and add garlic powder & sea salt to suit your taste.
  6. Serve in a bowl with half a small avocado, decompress & enjoy!

 

 

If you made this, make sure you let me know – I’d love to see how yours turned out! And of course – modify the recipe to suit your need and make it your own! Post a picture & tag me on Instagram @odettebulaongnd or Facebook Odette Bulaong ND because I’d love to see how it worked out for you and know if you like it as much as I do (it’s totally ok if you don’t!).

 

Make sure you check back right here for next week’s hormone-balancing recipe!

 

Take care until then!

Nutrition for Hormone Balance: Protein Shakes On-The-Go!

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It’s the first Thursday in June, so I’m kicking off our new video series: Nutrition for Hormone Balance with a breakfast recipe, a prep tip & a demo (sort of!) all rolled into one.

 

Last month we talked about the importance of knowing about your own hormone balance and I stressed how important it was to ensure insulin and cortisol balance. For most of us, one of the best opportunities to do this is first thing in the morning with breakfast.

 

However…

 

I know that breakfast is one of the toughest meals for us to fit in because we’re so darn busy in the morning, or we’re not hungry or we’re not morning people (ahem). So I’m gonna share a little secret that you may not have thought about for a quick way to make sure breakfast is ready the next day.

 

 

The Recipe

 

Here’s what’s in tomorrow morning’s protein shake & how it’ll help balance my hormones all morning:

 

  1. To the blending container (if you’re using an immersion container like I did), the blender cup, the blender itself, if it’s removable from the base, or a mason jar if it’s not removable add:

 

300 mL organic unsweetened cashew nut milk: non-dairy means decreased hormone exposure (and easier to digest for those of us who have some lactose-intolerance)

 

1 scoop vegan protein powder (providing 20 g protein):  vegan protein powder means less hormone exposure, less risk of allergenicity and an anti-inflammatory protein source. Be sure to choose a brand with no added sugars or artificial colourings or preservatives. A good amount of protein to start the morning keeps the blood sugars stable and as a result, ensures insulin and cortisol remain balanced so you stay energized all morning.

 

Optional: Give it a quick stir (with chopsticks like I do, if you like!) – or don’t, the blender will do the work for you!

 

1 tablespoon chia seeds: provide healthy and anti-inflammatory omega-3 fat & protein to stabilize blood sugar and insulin plus the fibre it provides helps support healthy detoxification of estrogen from the body. Remember, estrogen dominance can be a factor in infertility, painful, heavy periods.

 

1.5 cup (generous handful) organic spinach: provides inflammation-quenching antioxidants and fibre to support optimal detoxification of estrogen

 

½ cup frozen organic wild blueberries: more antioxidant support to provide protection against any free radicals

 

1-2 dates – provide natural sweetness with some fibre – so blood sugars don’t go too crazy

 

Optional: For a thicker protein shake, add ½ – 1 cup ice and half a banana!

 

  1. Cover container (or blender) and stick in the fridge. Make sure your blender and to-go cup are ready on the counter so you don’t have to waste a second in the morning!
  2. Have a good night’s sleep, knowing you’ll wake up to a 95% done ready-to-go breakfast!
  3. The next morning, take out your ingredients, blend away and pour into to-go cup. Enjoy & have a hormone-balanced morning 🙂

 

So excited to talk more nutrition for hormone balance next week.

 

Take care until then!