Janet's 5 Surprising Tips for a Successful September

Most of us are reluctant to see summer’s end and, with it, the seemingly carefree, long, warm days. Yet we know that the demands of fall schedules also bring the structure and routine that we need to plan ahead, re-establish a solid nutritional foundation, renew out healthy habits, and get serious about taking care of ourselves. Now is the time to take action so that we can harvest a healthy fall, and I'm going to show you how!    

Whether you’re a student heading back to school, a parent ready to get your family back into routine, or someone who has worked through the summer and are simply craving a fresh start now that fall is here, September is the perfect time to reinvigorate your healthy habits. It’s like the second “new year” of the calendar year—and with it comes the opportunity to create resolutions—or rather, solutions to your resolutions.  

Step 1: Establish a Solid Foundation.
In order to harvest a good crop, we must plant wholesome seeds. Likewise, whole-food nutrition sows the foundation for a healthy season ahead. We must stock our cupboards with the best raw materials, so that we can produce real, nourishing meals and enjoy a harvest of energy, vitality, and wellbeing.  

Wondering what makes a stocked cupboard “healthy”? Here is a sneak peak into my pantry to help you stock yours!  

Refrigerator: well-stocked with a variety of organic vegetables, a key place to begin your meal plan. Organic kale, beets, cabbage, and carrots are mainstays. Kale is easy to use: add it to your salad, or quickly sauté with some onions, and season with lots of garlic, olive oil, Herbamare, and pepper. Also in the fridge you’ll find full-fat Pinehedge kefir. It’s delicious and has many beneficial properties. One of my favourite ways to use kefir is to add 1 tablespoon of chia seeds, 2 tablespoons of hemp seeds, and a bit of Udo’s Oil or melted extra-virgin coconut oil. Yummy! And it keeps me feeling steady and energized all morning long.  

Other things you will see include sheep feta (try topping your sautéed kale with it!), Vita eggs, Karthein’s sauerkraut, occasional organic chicken liver, and of course organic or naturally raised meats and fish.  

Cupboards: In the cupboards are a variety of healthy foods from our bulk department: almonds, pecans, organic flax, quinoa, amaranth, and steel cut oats, among others. You can also find all of these online or on our shelves. 

I also have a variety of teas, including green tea, ginger tea, Matcha and dandelion root tea. Herbal teas are a pleasant alternative to coffee and tea, and they are powerhouses of antioxidants and have healing benefits for so many conditions – indigestion, insomnia, and anxiety, to name a few.  

Next to the teas, you’ll find Mineral Matrix (my favourite hot beverage), sprouted mineral crisp seed crackers, extra virgin olive oil and coconut oils, wood-aged apple cider vinegar, coconut flour, and many more health-giving foods, each uniquely beneficial.  

Here’s a quick checklist to stock your kitchen:

• Organic whole grains such as quinoa, amaranth, or pot barley
• Plentiful vegetables grown on mineral-rich soil, especially greens
• Clean and healthy protein sources such as organic legumes and lentils; quality fish such as Raincoast tuna and salmon; naturally-raised and organic meats and chicken; fresh, raw nuts and seeds, including hemp seeds (the little powerhouse); organic, raw milk cheeses and organic, mostly-grass-fed yogurt or kefir
• Fresh, pure herbs and spices
• Whole mineral sea salt
• Unprocessed, healthy fats, such as extra virgin olive oil, organic butter, fish or fish oil, Udo’s oil, extra virgin coconut oil

Step 2: Building the Perfect Meal
Once you have the raw materials in place, you can combine them in a multitude of ways to prepare easy, delicious meals that appease not only the palate and the appetite, but also the body’s nutritional requirements. Need ideas or motivation to get you started? Goodness Me!’s celebrated Lifewatchers program is a ten-week program that will get you educated, nourished, and motivated about the power that is in our food. My best-selling book, Discover the Power of Food, is also a great place to start. With over 100 delicious gluten free recipes, you’ll find something new and exciting on every page—plus the education and information to help you understand why you’re doing what you’re doing.   Whenever you’re making a meal, just remember three components: protein, healthy fat, and fibre. With those three things, you can’t go wrong. Miss one, and you will start to feel the effects.  

Step 3: Nutritional Support.
Once you’ve established a solid foundation, let us help you plan a supplementation program that will help make up for the gaps in even the healthiest diet. We’ve lost our mineral-rich soils (though some forward-working farmers are working hard to remedy that), our hard water, and our traditional farming practices, so it is essential to supplement to obtain all the nutrients required by our bodies. A good place to begin is with essential fatty acids, a quality multiple vitamin and mineral (or try Bio-Strath tonic… powerful and effective), probiotics, and Mineral Matrix (a great source of 25 important minerals). You wouldn’t try to repair your car by leaving out even one or two necessary parts, would you? Nor should you try to run your body while missing any of the key nutrients it needs to operate smoothly.  

Step 4: Good Mood Food
Feeling irritable? Edgy? Moody? Perhaps stress has got the better of you. The right foods can enhance your emotional wellbeing, as well, population studies show that there is an inverse relationship between fish consumption and depression. The important EFA’s found in fish – EPA especially – can lift mood, so maximize your intake of this fatty acid through fish or fish oil. Ensure you eat moderate amounts of protein throughout the day to balance blood sugar levels and provide raw materials for making your “happy hormone”, serotonin. Sugar is bad-mood food; eliminate it and you will enjoy the pleasant benefits. So will those around you!  

Step 5: Continue Learning
Even if you’re not going back to school this year, that doesn’t mean your learning path has come to an end! There is always more to know, and the more you know, the more you will do with that information. If you know how to eat and live better, you will eat and live better. Luckily, Goodness Me! is there to help you.