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Optimizing Cognition, Sleep, and Stress Through Nutrition: A Holistic Approach
stress, Weight Loss, Sleep, Gut Health Megan Barefoot stress, Weight Loss, Sleep, Gut Health Megan Barefoot

Optimizing Cognition, Sleep, and Stress Through Nutrition: A Holistic Approach

Discover how nutrition plays a critical role in boosting cognitive function, improving sleep quality, and managing stress effectively. This blog explores the science behind the mind-body connection and offers practical, holistic approaches to enhance brain health, support restful sleep, and reduce stress through mindful eating and nutrient-rich foods. Learn how balanced nutrition can positively impact your overall well-being and mental clarity.

Read more on how to nurture your brain and body through conscious food choices.

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Time to Spring Clean! Can you do it Toxin Free?

Time to Spring Clean! Can you do it Toxin Free?

Mindful Spring Cleaning: Refreshing Your Home and Body Naturally: As the days grow longer and the air becomes warmer, spring offers the perfect opportunity to rejuvenate both our living spaces and our bodies. This season, why not embrace a mindful approach to cleaning that honors the environment and your well-being? Say goodbye to harsh chemicals and hello to the power of nature with these tips for a holistic spring refresh.

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Unraveling the Beef: Debunking Meat Myths and Separating Fact from Fiction

Unraveling the Beef: Debunking Meat Myths and Separating Fact from Fiction

There are a lot of strong feelings out there these days about meat! There are documentaries, articles, and lots of news media telling us we need to stop eating meat for ourselves and the planet. So, what’s the deal with all of this?

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Meditate Better with Better Nutrition: How Eating Well Can Enhance Your Mindfulness Practice

Meditate Better with Better Nutrition: How Eating Well Can Enhance Your Mindfulness Practice

Discover how proper nutrition can enhance your meditation practice. Learn how to eat mindfully and which foods can support a calmer, more focused mind. I would like to share with you tips for eating mindfully so that you can take your meditation practice to the next level. There are specific foods that will enhance your meditation experience and ones to avoid!

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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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Eating Fresh and Local: Modern Hunter-Gathering

Eating Fresh and Local: Modern Hunter-Gathering

Eating Fresh and Local: Modern Hunter-Gathering - In the holistic nutrition world we are pretty focused on food as a foundation for health. The 100 mile diet was a fad for a while, and it definitely has its merits and major benefits.

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The Challenge to Staying Healthy

The Challenge to Staying Healthy

What Motivates You? - We live in a world where media and commercials toss images of fast food and junk foods around like it’s no big deal. I have recently made friends with a gentleman very versed in hypnosis and he claims that most of the time when he works with clients, he is un-hypnotizing them from the messaging we receive in our daily lives. Is it any wonder that it is SO mentally hard to get up, get moving, eat healthy and feel good?

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Are You Making Good Choices?

Are You Making Good Choices?

The Choice is Yours! Making good choices can be really challenging. Life gets busy, stress levels rise, and the easiest thing to do is to hit the drive-thru or skip the dishes. The great thing is, the choice is yours!

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The Leaky Gut Solution - Part Two

The Leaky Gut Solution - Part Two

Last week we started with a discussion on what Leaky Gut was and what might be at the root of why it happens. This week we need to look at the solutions.

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Are Your Guts Leaky? Let's Find Out Why!

Are Your Guts Leaky? Let's Find Out Why!

Certain symptoms can be traced back to gut health and possibly leaky gut! The gut, or gastrointestinal system, is truly a gateway to overall health. The gut microbiome is an ecosystem of organisms including bacteria, yeasts, fungi, viruses, and protozoan throughout the digestive tract.

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The Perfect Diet Dilemma - Is there a perfect human diet?

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Ready to Feel Renewed? More Energy For All!!

Ready to Feel Renewed? More Energy For All!!

Today I would like to continue the discussion by introducing adaptogens. Adaptogens are plants which can come in the form of roots, leaves, mushrooms (technically fungi, I know) that can help your body normalize the stress chemicals you produce. This means that if your stress chemicals are high, these plants help lower them back to normal.

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Alleviate Your Allergies

Alleviate Your Allergies

Do you suffer from seasonal allergies?

It’s that time of the year when I see the red eyes, hear the sneezing and can tell there are people truly suffering from the change in seasons with excess mucus and congestion. I know this may surprise you, but did you know that there are specific foods that can help alleviate the symptoms of seasonal allergies?

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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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Do You Work Shifts? Try These Nutrition Tips!

Do You Work Shifts? Try These Nutrition Tips!

Are you burning the midnight oil, working around the clock and not taking proper nutritional breaks? Do you work odd shifts? Maybe you work nights for a few weeks, then switch to afternoons and sometimes days. Do you know the toll these crazy hours are having on your body? It’s not always possible to find a new job so here Penny has put together a few nutritional tips to help keep you as healthy as possible while working long hours and tough shifts.

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An Addition to the No Shoes Team

An Addition to the No Shoes Team

New Addition to No Shoes Nutrition

Today is a special day. I am pleased to be introducing to the world to a new addition here at No Shoes Nutrition. Penny DeJager, a former student of mine at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition, impressed me so much with her knowledge and love of nutrition last year that after her graduation this past September I asked Penny if she would consider joining No Shoes Nutrition to bring her knowledge base and expertise and join the team. I was delighted when her answer was yes!

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Feel your Feelings to End Emotional Eating

Feel your Feelings to End Emotional Eating

Let’s talk about eating our feelings.

Too often we use food as a physical weapon to conjure a happier feeling within ourselves when things aren’t going well. Most of us were never taught to sit and feel our feelings or understand that if you do have a bad day it’s okay to feel bad. We are scared to feel our feelings and being surrounded by social media where everyone only takes pictures of themselves living their most amazing lives, does not help things.

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Phyto whats? In Where? And Why?

Phyto whats? In Where? And Why?

Is there more than vitamins and minerals to think about?

When we think about the nutrients in food, we most often think about vitamins like vitamin C in oranges or minerals like calcium and magnesium to keep our bones healthy. Very rarely have I heard a mother say, “Eat those veggies because they are full of phytonutrients!” So, what are these phytochemicals and how do they contribute to our health?

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The Art of Oil Pulling

The Art of Oil Pulling

Oil Pulling For Better Health

How does swishing oil around in your mouth for five to twenty minutes every morning sound? Cool or Gross? What if you heard that doing so might clear up your skin, improve your oral hygiene, and whiten your teeth, among a slew of other health benefits?

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12 Steps to Better Health - Start TODAY!!

12 Steps to Better Health - Start TODAY!!

Easy Steps to Improve your health TODAY!

Isn’t better health what we all want? We all know what we are supposed to be doing and we all know there are simple steps that can be taken to reach better health. Today I would just like to remind all of us of some simple steps to get us on the right track. I will also share why these steps are important for each of us to work on.

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