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Healthy Holidays, Happy You: Simple Strategies to Stay on Track During the Festive Season
Gut Health, Nutritionalist, Holidays Megan Barefoot Gut Health, Nutritionalist, Holidays Megan Barefoot

Healthy Holidays, Happy You: Simple Strategies to Stay on Track During the Festive Season

The holiday season can be a challenging time to maintain your health and wellness goals, but it doesn’t have to derail your progress. In this blog, we explore five practical tips to help you enjoy the festivities while staying mindful of your nutrition and well-being. From smarter indulgences to stress management techniques, discover how to navigate the season with balance and joy. Don’t let the holidays throw you off track—start the New Year feeling your best!

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How to Stick to Healthy Nutrition While on Summer Vacation

How to Stick to Healthy Nutrition While on Summer Vacation

Savour the Season: How to Enjoy a Healthy Summer Vacation Without Sacrificing Flavor. Summer vacation is a time to relax, explore new places, and, of course, indulge in delicious foods. However, it doesn't mean you have to compromise your healthy eating habits. Believe it or not, with a little planning and mindfulness, you can maintain a balanced diet and enjoy your vacation to the fullest.

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A Nutrition Consultant's Guide to Navigating the Holidays!

A Nutrition Consultant's Guide to Navigating the Holidays!

Let’s start 2024 healthy and happy! - As the holiday season approaches, the temptation of indulgent treats and hearty feasts can pose a challenge to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. In today’s blog, I'm going to share some valuable tips and tricks to help you navigate the holiday season while prioritizing your gut health, keeping inflammation down, and not putting on any extra weight!

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Hosting the Perfect Healthy Summer BBQ

Hosting the Perfect Healthy Summer BBQ

Here in Calgary, the summers are short! We need to make the most of the time we have, and we love a good backyard BBQ. Summer is the perfect time to gather with friends and family for a delightful get-together, but it’s sometimes hard to find healthy choices. As a holistic nutrition consultant, I believe that good food can be both delicious and nourishing. With a little planning and mindful choices, you can host a healthy and satisfying barbecue that everyone will enjoy.

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Fueling Your Summer Road Trip

Fueling Your Summer Road Trip

Summer is the perfect time to hit the road and get out to make memorable adventures with friends and family. However, road trips often involve fast food stops and unhealthy snacking, which can derail your healthy eating habits. But fear not! With a little planning and creativity, you can stay on track with your nutrition goals while enjoying your summer road trip. Here are five tips to help you eat healthy and nourish your body along the way.

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Camp Food Conundrum - Can I Eat Healthy While Camping?

Camp Food Conundrum - Can I Eat Healthy While Camping?

Staying Healthy While Camping - My family gets out in the great outdoors camping almost every weekend from April till October. We are lucky to live close to the Rocky Mountains and love the freedom of the great outdoors! Let’s be perfectly honest though, eating healthy at the campsite is not always easy.

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How to Beat the Winter Blues - Recipe Included!

How to Beat the Winter Blues - Recipe Included!

Winter Blues Busting - Fudge Recipe Included! It’s been a tough couple of years. We have been socially separated and some of us isolated. Now as we enter the depths of the winter when the sun doesn’t shine as much and there are still some who fear social gatherings and socialization, I think the Scandinavian countries have some pretty great cultural philosophies that we could all benefit from.

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Dry January – Yea or Nay??

Dry January – Yea or Nay??

Dry January is a movement that encourages people to abstain from drinking alcohol for the month of January. It is often seen as a way to reset one's relationship with alcohol after the excesses of the holiday season and to improve one's health and well-being.

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Thriving In Our Winter of Discontent

Thriving In Our Winter of Discontent

Thriving In Our Winter of Discontent - As social distancing protocols continue after the weirdest holiday season of the century so far, many people are struggling with not being able to celebrate with their loved ones around the table. We crave the familiar and nostalgia becomes particularly strong when the twinkle lights go up.

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Hibiscus – Not Just A Beautiful Flower

Hibiscus – Not Just A Beautiful Flower

Ever Thought You Might Drink Your Garden?

Ever heard of the hibiscus flower? Have you ever thought about eating it or drinking it as a tea? I have been able to travel south where these flowers bloom daily and man do they smell beautiful! I hadn’t heard of eating or drinking them to improve my health until I was in Mexico a few years ago and had hibiscus tea.

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Ginger - The Root That Can Do It All

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 Are You Ready For The Holiday Food?

Are You Ready For The Holiday Food?

One Month and Counting…

It happened. In fact, it happens every year on this weekend. I turn one year older and the next day, the Christmas decorations appear, and the holiday season begins.

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Is Your Tongue Telling You Something?

Is Your Tongue Telling You Something?

Cracks or Red or Pink or White

Have you ever looked at your tongue? I mean really looked and inspected it? I have discovered over the past few years that your tongue can tell you a lot about your health. The mouth is the entrance point for many things; the air you breathe, the food you eat and lots of little bacteria and microbes. These are all important for our health and by looking in your mouth and inspecting your tongue you can learn some important things your body might be trying to tell you.

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A Thanksgiving Tribute

A Thanksgiving Tribute

What should I eat?

As I sit here and write this blog, I am reflecting on all that I have to be thankful for. Today is Canada’s Thanksgiving. A day we spend with family and friends and give thanks for all that we have, all the opportunity, all our possessions, and all our blessings. Along with all, we have let’s give thanks for our food. Most days we take food for granted. It just seems to show up in the grocery store for us to purchase. Have you ever given thought to how incredible it is that we can walk into a grocery store at any time of the year, almost any time of the day and find fresh produce? Baked bread? A cornucopia of deliciousness?

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Does anyone eat together as a family anymore??

Does anyone eat together as a family anymore??

Come And Get It!!

When was the last time you and your family sat down to eat a meal together? Is it only for special occasions like Thanksgiving and Christmas that more effort is made to get everyone to sit together and eat as a family? Today’s society has families running from activity to activity making it hard to round up the troops for a meal, especially dinnertime.  Even the family TV sitcoms from the past had families sitting around the table sharing a meal. It was expected that each family member make it a priority to reserve that time for family.

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New Year - New Food

New Year - New Food

When Did You Last Try a New Food?

It’s the new year, we’re all resolving to get healthy and try to make this the year that we change our ways and hit our goals. So, my question to you is this, when’s the last time you tried a new food? I know, I know, you have your routine, you have your way of doing things, you are doing what works for you but, how’s that working out? I believe the definition of insanity goes some thing like doing the same thing and expecting different results.

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Did You Resolve to the Same Resolution Again this Year?

Did You Resolve to the Same Resolution Again this Year?

New Years Accountability

by Penny DeJager and Megan Barefoot

It’s two weeks into 2019 and it’s time to check in and see if you are still following your resolution. I had one friend resolve to a “dry January” and has slipped up already. This friend didn’t just slip up, they have given up! Another friend was going cold turkey on sugar. They lasted ten days and gave in to half a chocolate bar to deal with the withdrawal headaches. Big goals can mean Big results but they might also need Big support!

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Thank You - From No Shoes Nutrition

Thank You - From No Shoes Nutrition

Anyone who has tried it knows that starting a business is no easy feat. There are SO many more things to think about than I was ever aware of starting No Shoes Nutrition. I have lucked into meeting some very knowledgeable people who have mentored me along the way and I have had the support of my amazing husband who has been there to help me figure things out. My little pet project of starting my own nutrition business has been one of the most life changing endeavors in my career and in my adult life.

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Holiday Stress - Is it Adrenal Fatigue?

Holiday Stress - Is it Adrenal Fatigue?

Are you stressed, tired and feeling like you just can’t get out of bed in the morning? Do you have an afternoon energy low that can stop you in your tracks? Well, there could be a reason for these symptoms if you are not sleeping well and experiencing high levels of stress in your life.

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