I wanted to post a few words on how great I felt that the Food Revolution Summit was this past year.  John and Ocean Robbins hosted the event as a docuseries this year and it was fantastic. As usual they had expert speakers on every day live and then they left the recordings up for 24 hours. This past weekend I relistened to most of the lectures again. They are promoting a plant based whole foods diet and the experts speak of all the evidence for it and how it can help you feel better and get rid of chronic disease in your life. I feel much better eating more whole plant foods in my diet. I am mostly vegan; I occasionally eat seafood which is promoted by the OMS plan. They posted fantastic recipes from the summit as well. I made the lentil patties tonight for dinner. It is so exciting for me to be inspired by these events. Let me tell you! I have had MS since I was 21 and I manage it with diet and lifestyle. I am grateful to consider myself to be a good cook with a lot of recipes in my repertoire. Eating plant based diets are not just good for us but they are good for our environment as well. 

I loved the talk by Kristi Funk, MD on Kicking Cancer to the Curb. She talked about telling her patients to avoid soy for years until she did a deep dive into the research and discovered that it is good food for people that have breast cancer and is important to help prevent cancer. Be sure and eat the organic non-gmo sources of soy, edemame, tofu. Flax seeds are important sources of anticancer lignans. Aim to have 2 tbsp ground flaxseed daily in your diet. Eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables- start with at least one serving daily like kale or broccoli. Eating one serving of cruciferous vegetables daily can reduce cancer risk by 42%. White button mushrooms are a great anti-cancer food. Combine cooked mushrooms with green tea to up your anti-cancer quotient in your diet. Drinking 3 cups of green tea daily is what she recommends for its anti-cancer power.  Kristi wrote Breasts, The Owner’s Manual if you are interested in reading a great resource promoting optimal women’s health.

There was a great talk by Brenda Davis, RD on eating a vegan diet and what nutrients you need to be aware of. She talks about the importance of taking a B12 supplement daily if you are strictly eating plants. The importance of eating 1/4 tsp of iodized salt daily to get iodine when you are eating a plant based diet. Seaweed sources are not consistent enough to be sure you are getting enough iodine. That being said nori sheets (2 sheets daily) equals about 150mcg iodine if you do not want to take iodized salt. Brenda Davis has written many best selling books on plant based diets. One I want to read is Becoming Vegan. Be sure and check out all her resources on plant based living. 

There was a  great talk by Dean Sherzai, MD and Ayesha Sherzai, MD on brain health. They emphasized good sleep, the importance of fostering community, exercising daily, reducing your stress, eating a whole foods, plant based diet with plenty of polyphenols, herbs, spices like rosemary, ginger, turmeric. They spoke about the gut brain axis and the importance of the microbiome for optimal brain health and how important fiber is to maintain optimal physiology-at least 30 grams of fiber daily. It is important to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables daily to optimize your mood- very important! Staying away from a diet high in saturated fat to avoid insulin resistance and brain fog, avoiding refined carbohydrates, sugar, table salt and artificial sweeteners. These are just a few of the tips I took home from listening to the Food Revolution Summit this year. Please go to their website if you want to purchase an empowerment package or be sure and tune in next year when they hold the summit again. Until next time, be sure and book in with me if you want to talk more about eating a plant based diet.  Call Parallel Wellness at 4032321283. Dr. Robin Vinge, ND

 

So, this morning I thought, it is a beautiful day. I will walk down to the library and pick up a book that is ready for me. After I will go to Superstore and pick up some groceries, then walk home. I pride myself on being industrious despite living with MS since I was 21. I push myself regularly and typically exhaustively so! I was waiting for the library to open. It is Sunday so it opens at 12 pm. I got there at 11:30. It took me 20 minutes to walk there from my condo! Standing in front of me at the library entrance was a girl with leggings on. On the back of her leggings read. ‘Get Your Shit Done Run’ complete with a poo emoji. I was laughing at this reflection in front of me. But at the same time, there was a message to me in the mirror. I always feel that I do not work hard enough yet I work non stop and exhaustively so! I have to laugh at the stain on my soul from this industriousness. Literally I am really burned out right now and I am an empath so I absorb all the collective messages. This message on the leggings is no different. I always tell my patients that you have to set boundaries around the amount of work you do and it has to be personal to you. Calgary is a work heavy town. I do not do this enough in my life. There has to be play time as well as just chill time built into my life. There is a room for it all for me to stay in balance! God as my inner guide can help clarify those parameters for me. I just have to listen in and I will know what to do. No offense but I will not sign up for the Get Your Shit Done run this year. I am fine with just walking thank you! Until next time, be well. To book an appointment with me at Parallel Wellness, phone 4032321283. Love and Blessings, Robin

On Wednesday this week, I had a lab seminar to attend at Rouge Restaurant in Calgary. The Seminar was put on by Rocky Mountain Analytical Labs. The title was Conventional Serum Testing Case Review presented by Jeanette Queen, NP. The seminar was a great review of conventional testing in practice. What was interesting to me is what happened when I was walking home. I know it is important to pay attention to what shows up in your environment to see how the universe might be guiding you. Your environment around you is always talking to you. If you pay attention to it, you may start feeling more connected which is important at this time. I try to pay attention to my environment and what it might be telling me. I decided to walk to Rouge for my exercise. It took me much longer than I thought it would 45 minute walk each way. When I was walking home I was tired but what showed up was a huge beaver walking on the upper trail back. It was beautiful. It almost looked pregnant to me. Because I was more focused on walking back before it got dark I did not take a picture of it. I knew that was a sign to me because that is not something that happens. When  I got home, I looked up a beaver and what it means to see one. It talks about your goals and if you have been putting them off or seeing more obstacles in your way. I think the pandemic certainly has interfered with my speaking business. That is a goal I need to recommit to. Beaver energy can be difficult to sustain so asking yourself if you need to rest and reprioritize some things is important as well. Beavers are determined and purposeful, resourceful and committed to their family. Making time for your loved ones is just as important as working all the time. I need to create balance in my life. I tend to overwork and push myself beyond my limits all the time. I am grateful to see a beaver this week to help me reestablish what I feel are important goals without overtaxing myself in the process. Can you pay more attention to your environment so you feel more connected in your life. Hope you are enjoying the warmer weather. If you want to book in with me, please call Parallel Wellness at 403-232-1283. I have a special on Emotional Freedom Technique sessions and counseling right now. 1 hour sessions are $80 if you book 4 sessions.