Wednesday, August 23, 2006

My Little Angel Has a Twin

Here is my angel, Evianne Brooklyn Heidecker, born May 11, 2005 naturally, beautifully and totally healthy!

I actually met her twin the other day, it was the craziest thing, it was Saturday and I am still stunned! Evi and I were at the park with my sister Marie when this little girl comes running over...her Dad said her name and I was like "What did you say her name is?" - He replied "Evi, short for Evelyn". Ok that's cool, another Evi, not a common name, but this girl looked SO MUCH like my Evi that it was shocking.

I found out she was exactly one month and a day younger than my Evi. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, same as my Evi, she had a birth mark on back of her head, that too, just like my Evi. The mom walks over and says, "I have to warn you, she's a bit of a bully", well it's no secret that my Evi isn't a dainty little girl either.

I watched these two very similar girls happily playing together on the play structure, in the sand, both running around pushing their strollers, trying to put on large shoes that didn't belong to them.

I only wish I had my camera to capture this 'coincidence' or that Joel was there to share in the awe that I was feeling. We will probably never see this couple and their little Evi again since they are from Ottawa and were just in Arnprior visiting for a birthday party but if we do, I'm sure to be ready with my camera because it's just too freaky!

Healthful Tips to Consider

Here is an article I wrote, published in the Equity today:

There is so much information out there that is unknown to the average person. After studying Applied Nutrition I realized that most of what I was doing with my food was wrong. I was not benefiting from what I was eating because of how I was eating or preparing it.

Knowing just these few tips could help you become healthier than you already are. I feel it is important that I share these tidbits with you so you can be a part of the wonderful world of super nourished individuals.

Steam or bake, don’t boil your vegetables, boiling removes most of the nutrients; they all go into the water and down the drain instead of into your precious self.

Eat all day, live the healthy way - Three large meals a day, as I’m sure you’ve all grown up on, is the wrong way to eat. Our bodies need room to digest our food. That full feeling after a meal might make you feel satisfied and comforted but what it’s really doing is causing a traffic jam in your stomach, system overload that results in deadly consequenses. Eat three smaller meals and snack in between.

Never drink water with your meals, water is excellent and necessary; however, it should be consumed about half hour before meals and not for about 1-2 hours following meals. The reason is that there is hydrochloric acid in your stomach that breaks down and takes the nutrients from the food you eat, distributing them to the appropriate cells, organs and glands. If you drink water too close to eating, the water dilutes this acid and most of the nutrients and minerals don’t stop along the way to do their job in keeping you healthy. How do I wash down my food, you ask? Chew chew chew. Fifty percent of digestion occurs in the mouth, don’t skip this crucial step.

Always eat fruit on an empty stomach. Fruit is a fast runner through that complex race track that is your digestive system. If fruit enters the race after heavier foods have already started to creep through, the fruit piles up on top of the other food and ends up acting like glue in your system, keeping waste in when it should be coming out.

Vary the fruits, vegetables, grains, and other products you eat in a day. Whole wheat is great and common, but shake it up and try other grains throughout your day as well, there is a vast array of delicious bread and grains such as kamut, spelt, oat, etc. Too much of something can eventually lead to allergic responses to that food you’ve loved for so long.

Reduce your intake of red meats. More red meat makes a person more aggressive. Meat also takes longer to digest. The longer the food stays in your body, the more work your body has to do to get rid of it. Most disease starts in the digestive system. Get it in, move it out.

Eat organic as much as possible, not just produce, but meats, pastas, legumes (beans, peas, etc). Give your liver a rest; pesticides and hormones are extra toxins for it to battle.

Follow these simple healthful tips, take the time to shop around and try different things. Your body will thank you for that extra ounce of effort.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

My very first blog entry

Hi! This is new to me, I am way behind on the whole blogging craze... I've been at home with my beautiful little girl Evianne (Evi), she's 15 months and the center of my universe...now that I'm working I actually have time to sit at a computer and mess around, you'd think I could do that kind of thing at home but if you believe that it's possible, you are not the mom of a toddler yet :)

Soon to come will be lots of nutrition and other wellness articles, advice, mom stuff, an advertisement for the escape@home business that I have had running for a while now, and who knows what else...you'll get to know the 'flakey' side of me that I usually have to ease people into, I don't think it's weird, I think it's spiritual, passionate and highly misunderstood.

Talk to you soon,

Steph - I mean, yogamama