What is the Right Breakfast?
I don’t believe in the old saying “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”. It may not be the most important meal. But it certainly is an important one. Starting off with the right breakfast raises your blood sugar gradually and keeps you full for hours. It’s like armor protecting you from the tempting, junky foods that surround us all day. The great news is that there isn’t just one perfect breakfast. Many foods can make up the “right” breakfast. Here are the 4 important characteristics of the “right” breakfast (and some food ideas): Produce. I highly doubt that...
Read MoreThe Rules of Fashion
Fashion is all about having fun, and expressing yourself. So why do we place so many limitations on what we should or should not do when dressing ourselves? Clothing is your way of showing the world who you are and what you love, without having to say a word. Holding yourself back from dressing how you want, just because it doesn’t follow convention, is a form of self-censorship. Let me preface this by saying that if you feel self conscious in a certain type of clothing, don’t wear it! The purpose of this article is not to force you outside your comfort zone. The goal is to...
Read MoreWhat Women in BC Should Know
Do you know if you have dense breasts? No worries, if you don’t. When Dense Breasts Canada surveyed 900 women across Canada, women in British Columbia knew less about their breast density than women in other provinces. Why is that? The answer is simple: unlike many other provinces, British Columbia does not share information about a woman’s breast density. When you have your mammogram, a radiologist assesses and records your breast density, but this important piece of your breast health is never told to you or your family doctor. Does it matter? Yes, it really does matter! If you have...
Read MoreThe Briefcase
There was nothing else in the briefcase. I set the gun down on the floor and checked more thoroughly. I ripped the lining out, ruining the briefcase in the process. Why? I wondered. Why had they left me a gun but no instructions? What was I supposed to do with it? I picked the gun up again and checked. It was loaded. I wrapped it in the torn lining and put it back in the briefcase. Before I left the hotel room, I searched the closets and drawers, even the bathroom. Nothing, unless you counted the Gideon Bible in the bedside table. Damn. This wasn’t meant to be a guessing game, was it?...
Read MoreAn ongoing daily challenge
Is mealtime a struggle for you and your loved one with dementia? Anger, frustration, or refusing foods are signs that your loved one may be overwhelmed. There are several reasons your loved one may not enjoy mealtime anymore. The amount of food in front of them, background noises, distracting design patterns on the serving plate, or even the use of utensils may add to the confusion. Here are a few tips to help. Remove distractions. Turn of the TV and phones. Use a plain but colored plate; blue and red work well. The contrast between the plate color and the food makes is easier to see what...
Read MoreGardening in a Changing Climate
Is it just me or has it been looking pretty bleak outdoors? I know every tim I see the sunshine I soak it up like a starved person. This winter has been just plain depressing, colder with more snow and rain and less sun than ‘normal’. It seems to me there is no normal anymore. Once the weather gets messed up you have to take what you get, but it can play havoc on some peoples livelihoods, and it definitely affects the rhythms of food production. That’s what it’s been like for farmers and growers over the years, with climatic conditions changing to longer cooler spring seasons. With...
Read MoreSpirituality Beyond Borders.
Thirsting For Spiritual Nourishment? For those of us who wrestle with feelings of alienation and a sense of disconnect, Spirituality Beyond Borders: Education for Transformation might just offer soul food. I confess that I fall into the category of thirsting for spiritual nourishment. Recently April 6-8th I took the opportunity to participate in Trinity: The Soul of Creation live webcast -in -community from the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was offered at the Bethlehem Center (Nanaimo) in conjunction with Spirituality Beyond Borders ( Parksville )...
Read MoreCarole James, NDP, MLA
Since 2005, Carole has had the honour of working as a BC NDP MLA representing the community of Victoria-Beacon Hill to the provincial Legislature. She is a strong voice in the Legislature as the New Democrat Opposition’s spokesperson for Finance. Carole previously served as Leader of the Official Opposition and Leader of the BC NDP for seven years. Before serving as MLA, Carole was elected to the Greater Victoria School Board from 1990 to 2001. She served as the President of the BC School Trustees Association for an unprecedented five terms, commencing in 1995. As an MLA, Carole...
Read MoreWorth Fighting For.
The 3 pillars of a caring society should be that everyone has access to the services needed to maintain good health, education and safe, affordable housing. The needs of the individual person must be recognise as a basic human Canadian right. We must stop trying to hide the basic needs of society by fragmenting Canadians with convenient political jargon; the homeless, the unemployed, the working poor, the middle class and the wealthy. Enough, we are Canadians. We are a wealthy country and we should be ashamed of ourselves for not being able to maintain the basic needs to ensure that we...
Read MoreA Healer’s Oath.
May I always hold your story sacred, without judgement or reproach. May I always hold space for your Journey to wellness and acknowledge that your path is uniquely yours. May I always hold your wisdom in equal validity to mine, empowering you to know yourself better than anyone else. May I always come from the Heart, in total compassion for my Journey as it relates to yours, knowing when to step in and to step out of your story. May I understand and accept that Spirit moves through me for you and that, ultimately, you heal yourself. May I remain always humble in the work I do. Megan...
Read MoreBuilding A Resilient Brain
In 2017, we are no longer passive on-lookers as aging impacts our cognitive functioning. Thanks to exciting and revolutionary new knowledge from brain science, we can now take proactive steps in building up our brain’s defences against dementia. In a local workshop in Victoria BC, we all learned ways to make our brains more resilient to the impacts of aging. An initiative of the Eldercare Foundation, March is “Embracing Aging Month” on Vancouver Island, with many interesting workshops to enlighten and educate. I was fascinated by “Heads Up, An Introduction to Brain Health”...
Read MoreCheat Days
“Cheat days” are everywhere in the health and nutrition information world. However, I’m completely against cheat days. Let me repeat that because I feel so strongly about it. Completely. Against. Cheat days. Cheat days set us up to have a negative relationship with food. I’ve found that the secret to achieving, and keeping, your happy weight is to first create a healthy relationship with food. Then the weight loss will follow. Cheat days take you further away from your goal of a healthy weight and feeling happy about your body. First, let’s look at the term ‘cheat days’....
Read More“We Serve”
Gabriola Lions Club is planning an Open House on Monday, May 8th at the Agi Hall. You’re invited! 6:30 – 8:30pm as is our usual meeting times. Refreshments provided. “We Serve” our Lions motto internationally, and to Gabriola, it is ingrained in everything we do. We have over 40 members, all ages, men and women. Our club has history: in 1975, over 40 years ago, Eric Boulton was approached by the Nanaimo Lions Club and they helped form our own club which has grown, and enveloped the almost 5,000 residents living on Gabriola. The Lions number more than 1.4 million...
Read MoreFinding Your Personal Style
With trends coming in and out of style year after year, it can be easy to fall into a pattern of buying a new set of clothes for every season, which you won’t wear again. But with a good base wardrobe, it becomes easier to incorporate trend pieces without having to do a complete wardrobe overhaul every few months. Not only is it friendlier for the environment (and your wallet!), but it will also help you develop a stronger sense of personal style, above and beyond whatever the current trend a la mode is. I’ll use my own wardrobe as an example. I’m not someone who regularly...
Read MoreIncome Tax Alternatives
If you are filing a personal tax return for 2016, you should know by now, or shortly, if you owe Canada Revenue Agency money or if they will be sending you a cheque. You are probably pleased if you are receiving a refund instead of having to pay, but the less you receive as a refund from CRA, the better. You don’t want CRA to use your money all year and then pay you back your money without interest. If you make regular RRSP contributions throughout the year, you can complete a form with your payroll department at work to reduce the amount of tax that is deducted from each of your...
Read MoreSalish Sea, World Heritage Site.
She sells seashells down by the seashore. The shells she sells are surely seashells. So if she sells shells on the seashore, I’m sure she sells seashore shells. — Terry Sullivan As some of you will be aware, I have had my head down for six months or so, trying to get the Salish Sea recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Just the Canadian waters that is, so it’s only 60 per cent as difficult as getting the whole inland sea on the drawing board. Though some might say it’s going to be a herculean task to get the U.S. waters onboard in the foreseeable future, so long...
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