The Herbal Pathway Blog

Did you know?

Thu, 13 Oct 2022 16:28:39 GMT

DID YOU KNOW?

The word Antibiotic means "against life"

The word Probiotic means "for life"

Probiotics produce important nutrients that eliminate toxins, balances bad bacteria and enhances the body's immune system

The over consumption of antibiotics is dangerous to our digestive health. They not only kill problematic bad bacteria but also kill the beneficial good bacteria.

What is Keto?

Fri, 22 Oct 2021 20:42:12 GMT

Instead of eating clean forms of protein and fats some people choose hamburgers and processed cheese, bacon and things like pork rinds.

Can you still lose weight on this version of Keto – yes…but at what cost?

This is a repost from August 2019

Keto is all the rage these days yet when you ask someone to describe it, they think it means “you can eat all the bacon and butter you want and lose weight!” This isn’t entirely false however, these foods can also cause other health problems.

Keto Definition:

The classic therapeutic ketogenic diet was developed for treatment of paediatric epilepsy in the 1920s and was widely used into the next decade, but its popularity waned with the introduction of effective anticonvulsant medications. There are other possible therapeutic uses such as Alzheimers, Autism and Parkinson. (1) These days it’s most popular use it to manage weight.

High Fat / Adequate Protein / Low Carb

With the reduction of glucose from carbohydrates, the body is forced to use fat as the main form of energy. With out getting technical, once carbs are not used for energy, the body can use up fat storage for energy – causing weight loss.

There is no doubt this diet, if maintained properly, can make a person lose weight and quickly! The unfortunate part is, there is so much misinformation about exactly how to eat “Keto” it is causing side effects which may not be worth the 20lb weight loss. Before you begin you must understand the difference between Clean Keto and Dirty Keto.

Clean Keto:

The clean keto diet follows fixed macronutrients as mentioned above, while restricting carbohydrates to less than 50 grams (or usually less) per day. These carbs MUST NOT come from rice, fruit, bread, potatoes or any starchy carb. Instead, in Keto they come from vegetables like cucumber, zucchini, asparagus and other low-carb veggies.

The fat comes from CLEAN Fat sources such as olives, olive oil, MCT Oil, nuts, grass fed butter and avocados. You may also have 90% dark chocolate!

Clean Keto means that you are still striving to eat clean food such as Grass Fed, Free Range meat sources, organic vegetables and clean pressed oils.

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Great way to fuel coffee, smoothies and baked goods and active a healthy keto diet! Available at The Herbal Pathway!!

Dirty Keto:

Instead of eating clean forms of protein and fats they choose, hamburgers and processed cheese, bacon and things like pork rinds. Can you still lose weight on this version of Keto – yes…but at what cost?

Dirty Keto also comes with something called “The Keto Flu” . This happens within the first month of the Keto Diet as your body experiences cravings, bloating and…..you smell. Eating a dirty version means your body misses out of proper healthy enzymes and minerals needed for digestion. The dirty foods are usually filled with chemicals, processed, high in trans-fats and sodium which cause inflammation. Your digestion track is a delicate path and harsh chemicals can also cause another condition called “Leaky Gut” which can lead to toxins being released into your blood stream. And anything to do with blood – will affect your heart.

Keto Supplements:

At The Herbal Pathway we carry products to fit everyone’s chosen “path”. When on Keto there is list of supplements you should definitely consider:

Magnesium – Breaking down protein and fat uses more water, so constipation is an issue for a lot of people. Magnesium is not only an essential mineral that the majority of people are deficient in – but it’s great for immunity, sleep and regulates blood sugar levels.
MCT Oil – A great source of healthy fat. This can be added to your black coffee in the morning or smoothies.
Digestive Enzymes – Keto high protein and fat is harder on the digestive track so adding an enzyme really helps “move” things along.
Psyllium Husks – Eating less vegetables on Keto can lead to lower fibre so adding a soluble fibre is important for digestion and elimination.
Probiotics – Something we should all take, but especially important for gut health when you are changing lifestyles. Weight loss causes free radicals and toxins to be released from your fat cells. It’s essential that you have the right amount of good bacteria available to help your system stay healthy and eliminate regularly.
Multivitamin – A restrictive diet is hard to follow and sometimes we might not be getting all the nutrients needed for optimum health. Taking a good multivitamin is important to ensure you stay healthy on your path!

In Summary:

Those who have a strong will and understand the premise of clean eating, can successfully lose weight and manage other health conditions on the Keto Diet – but it must be the clean version. Using an APP such as “Carb Manager” can help you keep track of your macros (protein/fat/carbs) it will also warn you about which foods aren’t the best choice.

Remember water. It’s very easy to become dehydrated on Keto as your body uses more water for digestion. Without water you will lose energy fast and this can cause some people to get sick and fall off the plan. Your body will pull water from ANYWHERE when it’s needed…that means your muscles (fatigue) your brain (headaches) your colon (constipation).

Like any other “diet” unless you are willing to change your lifestyle the chances of success are less likely. With something as restrictive as Keto – it’s easy to fall off. It’s always recommended that you seek professional advise prior to starting ANY diet. Keto is not for everyone.

Back to School....Back to Germs!

Thu, 14 Oct 2021 16:41:42 GMT

"Ensuring your child has the strongest immune system possible is key to avoiding or getting over illness quickly."

Repost from September 2, 20219.

All products featured in this article are available at The Herbal Pathway!

Another school year has begun which means for most, the beginning of cold season! It doesn’t have to be that way!

Schools are a catch pool for germs, kids wipe boogers and sneeze out loud no matter how you teach them! With windows closed – there is no escape for germs or fresh air for kids. Kindergarten children are coming in with fresh immunizations which can shed the virus for weeks, the stress of new beginnings weakens immunity and that right there is a recipe for illness.

This could all be avoided in most part if parents were able to stay home with their sick kids, but that isn’t always possible. There is always someone who is sick, that can’t be helped, what you can do is stop the spread and protect YOUR child. Ensuring your child has the strongest immune system possible is key to avoiding or getting over illness quickly. Here are some great ways to try this!

Cut the sugar. I know, how? Do a daily check of exactly what your kids eat and you will be shocked to see exactly how much sugar they get. From the morning cereal, to juice, to snacks for school, after school snacks, more juice, dinner, dessert. Sugar decreases the response time of your immune system to attacking viruses. In fact 1 teaspoon=3 hours decrease. This means, if your child has a virus – the “little army of good guys” isn’t going to be quick to defeat the enemy (or at least that’s how I explain it to my kids) Now, coininsiding with back to school is Halloween – and mark my words, right after Halloween is when the flood of sick kids start appearing and sugar is why! It’s not fair to cancel Halloween, but pacing their intake is a good idea. You should also consider Vitamin C and Probiotics to counteract the terrible effects of sugar.
Vitamin C. Vitamin C builds and maintains a strong immune system. Vitamin C is water soluble, so it leaves the body through urination, you should pace the doses through out the day. Don’t be fooled by Juice companies that say there is Vitamin C in their juice – more often than not the juice has been completely stripped of all it’s natural vitamins MONTHS ago in order to make it storable. Once it’s ready to ship to a store vitamins are reintroduced and not shelf stable after some time. Supplementing with Vitamin C also helps keep gums healthy, reduces bruising and helps to heal little cuts and scratches by holding back bacteria.
Probiotics. Probiotics should be taken away from any other medications. Probiotics keep the “Good Army” / bacteria, in your gut healthy and thriving as sugar is the number killer of Good Flora in the gut and all viruses love the gut! Probiotics may also help with colic, constipation, eczema and allergies! Does your child complain of stomach aches, gas and bad dreams at night? Try a Probiotic. These are chewable and tasty, you won’t have any trouble getting your kids to eat these every morning.
If they do get sick avoid mucus foods. Milk is mucus forming, as are bananas, red meat, cereal, yogurt and more. Mucus is good for us, it’s like magnet for viruses and bacteria to help it leave our bodies , but if your child has a bad phlegmy cough or congested head it maybe a good idea to avoid adding more mucus forming foods – just until they are healthy again.
Clean up your home & products. Toxins and chemicals in the environment and in our food play a huge role with our immunity and therefore our body’s ability to fight disease. Changing your laundry soap, shampoos, cleaning products to non-toxic versions will prevent the absorption of toxins in the body. If your body spends 80% of the time fighting toxins, only 20% is used to digest and absorb the nutrients needed from food. Organic, grass fed, no hormone foods are also a great way to reduce your toxic load. Sure, organic CAN be more expensive, but if you follow the idea of eating seasonally you won’t be eating strawberries in January anyway (they are coming from countries far away and need pesticides and hormones for the journey north). Take a look at this list called The Dirty Dozen. This will help you decide which fruits and vegetables should be eaten organically. The Clean 15 is a list that shows food NOT on the pesticide watch list and don’t need to be eaten organically.
Cleansing Routines. The act of Dry Brushing is an ancient technique used to cleanse the body. You brush your skin up towards your heart to help activate the Lymphatic System. Your Lympth system is larger and more complex than your veins – yet unlike your veins the Lymph doesn’t have a “pump” so it doesn’t move unless YOU DO. Keeping the Lymphatic Systems moving because that is the “highway for toxins” and exactly how your body expels them. Bathing in Epsom salts helps draw the toxins out of your body especially service toxins. It doesn’t take long, 20 mins in a warm/hot bath is all you need. Kids love baths so this s an easy go to. Dry brushing your child is also a great way to catch up and bond every night before a bath. Spending time with your kids one on one is a great way to ease any stresses and create a soothing bed time routine.
Sleep & Stress. When you think of stress you don’t usually imagine a 5 year old with world problems – but they do. The smallest things can stress out a child, new school, problems at home and …………… VIDEO GAMES! That’s right, have you ever watched an 11 year old play video games? They yell at the computer, their bodies on edge, their energy is charged!!! AND stressed. Especially before bed, getting rid of video games is a good idea. You want their heart rates to slow and relax not lay down and expect them to sleep pumped full of adrenaline. Ensuring your child is getting enough sleep is paramount to good health. At night is when their bodies detox and grow, if they aren’t sleeping they are allowing their immune system to grow and do it’s job.

Note to Adults:

Even as adults, if you don’t sleep how well can you function at work? How many coffees does it take to get you going? Well children aren’t getting coffee they are going to school tired and therefore it’s harder to learn.

Remember, feed your children a healthy low sugar breakfast with good protein and fibre – this will keep their immune systems strong and resistant to viruses.

The true test for any parents is this: YOU eat a bowl of sugar cereal and go to work. Is it enough? No. You will get a coffee, a muffin as you have the option to go to a store and refuel, your child in school doesn’t. They are completely dependent on the foods YOU pack them. So make sure it’s healthy, long lasting food that will get them through the day. It’s the only way you can expect them to learn……

PS, You should take Vitamin C and Probiotics daily too – your kids come home with viruses!

What's The Idea Behind a Cleanse?

Mon, 27 Sep 2021 16:50:32 GMT

Is a Cleanse Right for Me?

We see countless posts within social media about doing a cleanse, whether it’s a Liver Cleanse, Skin Clean, Juice Cleanse and so on. They claim to be extremely beneficial for your health by clearing up your skin and ridding the body of toxins. Trouble is most people who rely on “Dr. Facebook” or “Dr. Google” approach cleanses as a quick fix to either do repair from a weekend of excessive behaviour or to lose weight without understanding fully what a Cleanse does.

Do You Need A Cleanse?

Unexplained tiredness
Severe Menstrual Cramps
Puffy Eyes
Acne/Eczema/Psoriasis
Bloating
Insomnia
Constipation
Brain Fog
Gaining Weight in the mid section

There are so many “cleanses” out there how do you pick? What is the reason your are doing a cleanse? Cleanses are meant to eliminate certain foods and drinks, to rid the body of toxins and give your digestion system a time out to heal.

All too often our Standard North American Diet (SAD) involves consuming foods and drinks that are high in sugar, high acid and full of toxins. Just imagine, the skin in your digestive track is paper thin what are these foods doing to it!

Benefits Of A Cleanse:

Improve Digestion
Lose Weight
Eliminate Toxins
Control Cravings
Improve Mood and Emotional Health
Boost Your Energy
Clear Up Skin Conditions

The basis of good health involves three very important steps:

Digestion
Absorption
Elimination

If one of those steps is suffering, then your body’s natural function is thrown off and you may either get sick, constipated, gain weight or have bad skin. All too often it takes getting sick in order for someone to realize they need to clean up – and they head straight for a cleanse. In theory that’s a good idea depending on which cleanse you choose of course, however, if you aren’t careful you may get even sicker.

When we eat foods full of toxins and drink alcohol and coffee our body becomes used to it, BUT medically speaking you are in a constant state of “SHOCK”. This is because these toxins are foreign and your body doesn’t recognize them, so your system is in a constant “fight” mode trying to deal with them. Instantly adding herbs or only doing a juice cleanse can shock your body even more. Anytime you start to rid your body of toxins, everything still must be filtered through your Liver and Kidneys. If your entire LARGE toxic load is trying to leave all at once, your organs become over burdened and will recycle the toxins back into your blood stream. This is why some people who jump into cleanses get sick.

The best plan is to visit us at The Herbal Pathway! Speak to our Registered Nutritionists and let them know the state of your current lifestyle. Things like how much coffee do you drink, are you eating lots of sugar, drinking alcohol or stressed out! They will be able recommend a cleanse best suited for you at the time.

Cleanses are timed for the reason mentioned above (SHOCK) so you may be given a cleanse that takes anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months. Before you begin ask yourself, are you ready to give up the foods and drinks for an extended period of time? Do you have a function to attend? Are you going away? It’s always best to plan a period of time where you don’t have to interrupt your cleanse.

There are so many versions of a cleanse.

Tea
Herbs
Supplements
Tinctures
Entire Protocols

These are all versions you should discuss with a professional.

As always, if you are seeking medical attention for any conditions you should tell your MD or ND your plans to do a cleanse prior to beginning.

Make the most of the season by following these simple guidelines

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 14:38:05 GMT

The new season is a great reason to make and keep resolutions. Whether it’s eating right or cleaning out the garage, here are some tips for making and keeping resolutions.

Make a list

Lists are great ways to stay on track. Write down some big things you want to accomplish and some smaller things, too.

Check the list regularly

Don’t forget to check in and see how you’re doing. Just because you don’t achieve the big goals right away doesn’t mean you’re not making progress.

Reward yourself

When you succeed in achieving a goal, be it a big one or a small one, make sure to pat yourself on the back.

Think positively

Positive thinking is a major factor in success. So instead of mulling over things that didn’t go quite right, remind yourself of things that did.

Keep in touch with site visitors and boost loyalty

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 14:38:05 GMT

There are so many good reasons to communicate with site visitors. Tell them about sales and new products or update them with tips and information.

Here are some reasons to make blogging part of your regular routine.

Blogging is an easy way to engage with site visitors

Writing a blog post is easy once you get the hang of it. Posts don’t need to be long or complicated. Just write about what you know, and do your best to write well.

Show customers your personality

When you write a blog post, you can really let your personality shine through. This can be a great tool for showing your distinct personality.

Blogging is a terrific form of communication

Blogs are a great communication tool. They tend to be longer than social media posts, which gives you plenty of space for sharing insights, handy tips and more.

It’s a great way to support and boost SEO

Search engines like sites that regularly post fresh content, and a blog is a great way of doing this. With relevant metadata for every post so search engines can find your content.

Drive traffic to your site

Every time you add a new post, people who have subscribed to it will have a reason to come back to your site. If the post is a good read, they’ll share it with others, bringing even more traffic!

Blogging is free

Maintaining a blog on your site is absolutely free. You can hire bloggers if you like or assign regularly blogging tasks to everyone in your company.

A natural way to build your brand

A blog is a wonderful way to build your brand’s distinct voice. Write about issues that are related to your industry and your customers.

Tips for writing great posts that increase your site traffic

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 14:38:04 GMT

Write about something you know. If you don’t know much about a specific topic that will interest your readers, invite an expert to write about it.

Speak to your audience

You know your audience better than anyone else, so keep them in mind as you write your blog posts. Write about things they care about. If you have a company Facebook page, look here to find topics to write about

Take a few moments to plan your post

Once you have a great idea for a post, write the first draft. Some people like to start with the title and then work on the paragraphs. Other people like to start with subtitles and go from there. Choose the method that works for you.

Don’t forget to add images

Be sure to include a few high-quality images in your blog. Images break up the text and make it more readable. They can also convey emotions or ideas that are hard to put into words.

Edit carefully before posting

Once you’re happy with the text, put it aside for a day or two, and then re-read it. You’ll probably find a few things you want to add, and a couple more that you want to remove. Have a friend or colleague look it over to make sure there are no mistakes. When your post is error-free, set it up in your blog and publish.