Community News
Family Summer Camp

I Am Events, the not-for-profit organization responsible for the I Am Festival, brings a full weekend experience to families this summer on August 11-13th! I Am Family Camp brings together an impressive group of experts, ranging from family health practitioners, musicians, business leaders, and coaches.  Highlights include Canadian icon Fred Penner, who will open the event with a fireside chat and acoustic performance; Kellie Johnsen, a certified family and youth coach from Hawaii, who will host sessions that include a discovery workshop for family values and an improv workshop on communication; and Winnipeg mindfulness expert, musician, and yoga instructor, Keith Macpherson, who will join the group leading meditation and a youth session on creative expression. If you’re looking for a new way to create connections and memories with your family this summer, register for I Am Family Camp. There is a limit of 50 spots and registration is now open.

I Am Festival, Iamfesitval.net/familycamp

Ride Don’t Hide!

Spring is finally here and it’s the perfect time to get outside after a long, cold winter! Outdoor exercise is a great way to soak up the sun’s vitamin D, get your blood pumping, and reconnect with your community – all proven ways to boost your mental health. Need some motivation? Think about joining the Ride Don’t Hide movement, a Canada-wide community bike ride to build awareness for mental health. This year’s ride will be held at the Vimy Ridge Park, and its 21 km route will take you and our 300 riders through Winnipeg’s beautiful downtown. Ride Don’t Hide is for riders of all skill levels; it is not a race, but, rather, an opportunity to celebrate mental health and honour the recovery journeys of people who live with mental illness. Join the Ride Don’t Hide movement and celebrate mental health!

For details, visit: www.ridedonthide.com/mb/ride/winnipeg. Sean Miller, mbwpg.cmha.ca

Love Keeps You Healthy

Being in love not only gives you a bounce in your step, but it also has several proven health benefits. When you are in love, your brain produces a hormone, which is its own natural form of amphetamine called dopamine that contributes to feelings of elation, pleasure, optimism, energy, and a sense of well-being. Physical touch, such as hugging, handholding, and lovemaking, releases a hormone called oxytocin, which lowers stress hormones. Studies have demonstrated that people releasing these hormones have stronger immune systems, lower blood pressure, greater resistance to colds and flus, and decreased stress and depression. It has been documented that happily coupled people also tend to live longer. We have always known eating healthy foods help maintain a healthy body. Now there is no disputing that healthy relationships foster a long and healthy life. Finding your life partner has more benefits than we once realized.

Lianne Tregobov, Intuitive Matchmaker, CamelotIntroductions.com

Clean Eating: Veggie Burgers

1 lg. red onion

1 lg. bell pepper

3 carrots

1 sm. head cauliflower

1 lg. stalk broccoli

1 C almonds, soaked 12-24 hours.

1 C sunflower seeds, soaked 5-6 hours

1/4 C sesame seeds, soaked 5-6 hours

5 cloves garlic

2 T Braggs or to taste

1 t cumin

2 T dried Cilantro or 1-2 C fresh

Blend all ingredients and seasonings in a food processor. Form and put 1/2” thick patties on a teflex sheet and place trays in dehydrator. Dehydrate at 105º for 8-12 hours. Flip burgers after 4 hours and remove teflex sheets, continue to dehydrate for 4-5 hours.

VeganRawFoodRestaurant.com

Craving or Clue?

How many rice cakes does it take to satisfy a chocolate craving? About 10 followed by a gigantic chocolate bar. What if cravings are clues that you have a need that’s not being met? That instead of chocolate what you really need is rest, pain relief or someone to talk to? A craving that doesn’t come from hunger can’t be satisfied with food. How to know if you’re hungry for a Mars Bar or a nap? 1. Become aware of a sudden and intense craving. 2. Be curious. What’s going on right now? How am I feeling? Am I actually hungry? How hungry am I? What is my real need here? It may very well be a Mars Bar, but you don’t really know until you ask yourself. If it is, savour it without guilt and congratulate yourself on the mindful decision for real self-care.

Lisa Kehler, OffYourPlateNutrition.ca

Allergy Relief with NAET®

NAET® was discovered by Dr. Devi S. Nambudripad in November of 1983. Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques, are non-invasive, drug-free, natural solutions to alleviate allergies of all types using a blend of selective energy balancing, testing, and treatment procedures. The variety of techniques applied includes acupuncture/acupressure, chiropractic, nutritional, and kinesiological disciplines of medicine. We know that many symptoms, such as headaches, backache, joint pain, indigestion, or cough, are often triggered by food and environmental sensitivities. If left untreated, these reactions might eventually cause illness. This therapy often alleviates adverse reactions to eggs, milk, peanuts, penicillin, aspirin, mushrooms, shellfish, latex, grass, ragweed, and flowers. In addition, people who suffer from allergens such as perfume, animal dander, animal epithelial, makeup, chemicals, cigarette smoke, pathogens, heat, cold, and other environmental substances also find relief. Reference: www.naet.com.

Dr. Maria Sabrina DiBernardo, D.C., Village Chiropractic Centre

Calm the Mind & the Body Will Follow

When was the last time you did something for the first time? Have you ever let your own apprehension stop you from trying something new? Some of the most amazing things wait for us on the other side of our comfort zone. As we get older, our comfort zones tend to get in the way and start to stunt our growth. With age comes wisdom and our belief is that these walls we build are movable. Expanding them to include new experiences adds long lasting value to our lives. Floating is one such experience for many people. Any trepidation of stepping into a floatation tank soon passes when you find yourself in a very comfortable warm environment, weightless with nothing but peace and quiet surrounding you. The mental and physical relief this environment provides allows for a full system reset and those once-tall-walls begin to crumble under their own weight. Calm the mind, and the body will follow.

Brad Dauk, FloatCalm.com

Do the Twist

This spring, be sure to consider the mobility and strength required to do yard work and play sports like baseball or golf. The mid-back, or thoracic spine, is designed to twist, allowing for smooth motion while doing these activities. If your thoracic spine lacks the ability to twist, or has strength deficits, other areas may compensate for this, potentially resulting in injury to the low back, or lumbar spine. If you find these spring twisting activities are irritating your low back, consider addressing the strength and mobility of your thoracic spine. A strong and healthy thoracic spine can help take the load off of the already stressed lumbar spine. As physiotherapists, we can fully assess your movement and strength to determine the underlying cause of your low back pain. Treatment options, including manual therapy and exercise, have proven to be effective in relieving pain and increasing function.

Dan Girardin, MPT, BESS, Prairie Trail Physiotherapy, PrairieTrailPhysio.ca

Grilled Corn and Avocado Succotash Recipe

2tbsp veg oil

kosher salt

Pepper, 2 tbsp

fresh lime juice

4 ears fresh corn

½ pint cherry tomatoes

halved

1 bell pepper

¼ inch diced

½ medium Red Onion

finely chopped

1 avocado chopped into ½ inch cubes, ¼ c

torn fresh basil leaves

While your steaks are cooking, shuck the corn, toss it in the veg oil and let it cook on another side of your grill. Once you’ve got some nice grill marks on the corn, take it off and slice the kernels off with a sharp knife. Mix with the rest of your ingredients, and serve with the steak. Prairie Box, PrairieBox.com

Business Spotlight: Prairie Box

Prairie Box is Winnipeg’s first meal prep subscription company aimed at families, and busy professionals who want to get a healthy meal, but don’t have the time or inclination to cook fresh every day. Each week chefs Lewis Glassey and Brandon Schofield create a fresh and healthy menu delivered right to your door. Customers sign up for 6, 8, 10 or 12 meals a week, and can choose between a different meat or vegetarian options. Each meal costs $9.99 and is designed to be hearty, healthy and delicious. Most of the ingredients are sourced from local farmers. An example menu; Pork loin with roasted carrots and Yukon gold mash; sautéed chicken fillet with creamed leeks, mushrooms, and brown rice; beef lasagna or spaghetti squash “pasta” with basil pesto. The meals keep well in the fridge until you’re ready to eat them, or can be frozen for longer-term storage. Prairie Box, PrairieBox.com

Nutrition from the Sea

The vegetables we consume today are vastly different from those grown 50 years ago. With the use of fertilizers, the exhaustion of most minerals from the soil cannot be prevented. However, minerals are still quite abundant in the ocean. Seaweed is a highly nutritious vegetable that’s often overlooked as a meal option. As dark, leafy veggies go, seaweed is about as nutrient-dense as it gets. Eat about a gram of seaweed and your daily iodine needs are taken care of. Seaweed packs high amounts of calcium and protein, as well as a good amount of vitamins B12 and A, and it’s a great source of fibre. But not just any old fibre. Seaweed is mostly soluble fibre; the kind that turns into a gel, slowing down the digestive process, thus inhibiting the absorption of sugars and cholesterol. Still don’t like the taste? Taking a seaweed pill can help with that!

ReVitamins of Charleswood, Twitter.com/ReVitamins