Posts in Lifestyle

How Clean is Your Food: 2018’s Dirty Dozen and Why I Choose Organic

How do you know which aisle to shop in the produce section of your local grocery store? How do you decide if paying a little extra for something labelled “organic” is actually worth it?

This week, I delve into the world of organic vs conventional food and let you know why organic wins out in my book.

Progressively more and more people are becoming aware of the connection between food and their personal health. Perhaps you’re like one of my many clients who has decided to take ownership of optimizing their health now.

Indeed, if my practice is any indication, becoming health conscious is no longer the exclusive domain of new or expecting mothers—nor is it the forté of those looking to overcome an ailment, disease or a condition like I was. Increasingly, individuals who are looking for a business edge or students looking to increase their cognitive performance are also realizing, like many athletes have, that what you chose to chomp on has a direct impact on your ability to perform—be it in the boardroom or the classroom.

Other, LifestyleKelly AielloMay 10, 2018GMO, PesticidesComment

How to Brew your own Kombucha in 6 Easy Steps

In your efforts to become whole food optimized, I hope that you have discovered kombucha. The health of your gut and the balance of bacteria within your microbiome depends on both the probiotics and prebiotics that you feed it.

This includes delicious fermented foods that the healthy bacteria in your gut love. And what’s more delicious than kombucha? If you are not sure what exactly kombucha is or if you missed my interview with Taryn, a brewmaster from 05 Tea in Vancouver, BC, be sure to read on!

Other, Lifestyle, Digestive HealthKelly AielloMay 3, 2018Health, Recipe, LifestyleComment

How You Can Improve Your Digestion Naturally

How to Improve Digestion Naturally: Restoring your gut health can be as simple as incorporating the right foods into your diet. Keep reading to learn how to improve digestion naturally.

How often have you finished a meal and felt bloated, been gassy, had cramps or acid reflux, or felt just plain uncomfortable? It happens to everyone from time to time, and it can be a sign that your digestive system isn't working the way it should.

If it happens to you regularly, it may be time to make some lasting changes.

Your digestive system is a delicate balance of chemical reactions. Having one element thrown out of whack can wreak havoc on many aspects of your health, not to mention leaving you feeling very uncomfortable. But taking medicine for these problems all the time may not be right for you - or the approach you want to take.

If you're looking to improve digestion naturally, read on for several tips you may just want to try.

Lifestyle, Conditions, Digestive HealthKelly AielloApril 24, 2018Leaky Gut, Dysbiosis, Candidas, Allergies, Food Sensitivities, LifestyleComment

Eat Healthier With the Kids Using These Family Meal Planning Tips

Trying to get your whole family to be healthy can seem like a difficult task, but if you follow the family meal planning tips offered in this week’s blog post, you can help everyone be healthy!

In spite of the fact that over 75% of us claim that we focus on healthy eating, most of us aren't actually getting the nutrition we need.

When you take a look at the added ingredients, excess sugar, and over-reliance on fast food, it's not hard to see why.

With roughly 36% of American adults and 18% of children classified as obese, the question becomes, what can we do about it?

What concrete steps can you take to protect your own health and the health of your family members?

It all starts with healthy meal planning.

Yes, exercise is important, but it's what you eat that really makes a difference.

How can you ensure that your portions, nutrients, and of course, the actual taste, of the meals you make for your family, is up to snuff?

Read on for family meal planning tips.

Whole Foods, Neuronutrition, Lifestyle, ConditionsKelly AielloApril 19, 2018Meal Plans, Whole Foods, Health, Mental Health, Weight ManagementComment

Benefits of a Ketogenic Diet for Brain Health: Continued

Last week, I introduced you to the ketogenic diet and how it can benefit brain health, especially after a traumatic brain injury.

The benefits offered by the ketogenic diet may have far-reaching effects. It can help a brain injury survivor with cognitive and motor impairments and the metabolic changes that occurred upon injury. It can also help improve cognitive performance and prevent age-related cognitive decline in anyone - from those who have a strong family history of Alzheimer’s who would like to prevent getting the disease to professionals wanting to improve performance to students looking to improve focus.

In a nutshell, the ketogenic diet is a high fat, low carb, moderate protein approach to eating that switches the body’s metabolism to using fat as a main source of fuel.

Discover some important considerations when implementing the ketogenic diet, what foods to eat on keto, and how to achieve a state of ketosis.

Brain Health, Lifestyle, NeuronutritionKelly AielloApril 11, 2018Keto, Lifestyle, Mental Health, TBI, Concussion, NeuronutritionComment

Benefits of a Ketogenic Diet for Brain Health and TBI

Have you or a loved one suffered a traumatic brain injury or perhaps you're experiencing signs of cognitive decline?

Do you wonder if a change in diet may help?

Let’s start at the beginning. When someone experiences a traumatic brain injury (TBI), various biological changes take place within the brain. Among them is increased free radical formation in the mitochondria - cell structures that generate energy. These free radicals damage cell membranes which lead to abnormal neuronal signalling.

Brain Health, Lifestyle, NeuronutritionKelly AielloApril 5, 2018Keto, Lifestyle, TBI, Mental Health Comment

Concussion Protocol 10 Things to Do When You Have a Concussion

Suffering a concussion can be extremely debilitating. However, if you know what to do, the recovery should be much smoother. Read this concussion protocol to learn how. I want to talk to you about something very serious: concussion protocol.

Now, I know movies would have you think that head injuries are this gateway to a new life: something someone gets for a second chance at life.

However, if the current news circulating NFL and brain injuries has taught us anything, it is that head trauma is nothing to be entertained by. And this form of injury affects way more people than the protagonists in films and thirty-two football teams. In fact, nearly 3 million people a year in the US suffer from a TBI (traumatic brain injury).

This is a topic I hold very close to my heart, due to how much just one traumatic brain injury changed my life forever.

Keep reading to learn what to do when you or someone you love has suffered a concussion.

Brain Health, LifestyleKelly AielloMarch 29, 2018Mental Health, Concussion, TBIComment

The Benefits of Neuronutrition: for Brain Health and Longevity

Are you looking to restore cognitive function after sustaining a brain injury? Are you a professional who’d benefit from a better memory or improved productivity?

Would you like to be rid of brain fog or neuro-fatigue?

Are you interested in maintaining or improving cognitive function as you age?

Would you like to protect your most valuable asset and learn what you can do to prevent Alzheimer’s disease?

Read this week’s blog post to find out how.

You’ll also discover what neuronutrition is, what nutrients can fuel the brain, what can devastate it, and who can benefit from neuronutrition. You’ll also find out how you can use neuronutrition to prevent cognitive decline associated with aging, or improve mental focus, cognition, and productivity. Whatever your motivation, feeding your brain can nourish your mind.

I’ve also attached links to some easy new recipes for you to enjoy that can help get your brain in optimal working order.

Coming Soon to HappiHuman.com…

I have an exciting new program in the works for anyone who is looking to improve cognitive performance, prevent Alzheimer’s, or wants to learn more about nutrition for the brain!

Brain Health, Lifestyle, Neuronutrition, Whole FoodsKelly AielloMarch 19, 2018Neuronutrition, Whole Foods, Mental Health, Inflammation, GMO, Lifestyle Comments

Neuro-Fatigue: What it is and What You Can do About it

This week, in my continued quest to honour National Brain Injury Awareness month, I’d like to discuss a topic of great concern to many brain injury survivors - mental fatigue or “neuro-fatigue”.

As fatigue, both mental and physical is a common complaint of people with a brain injury, I’d also like to offer some tips to help you manage it.

So, if you or a loved one suffers low energy from a weakened brain or are showing signs of age-related cognitive decline, please read on:

This blog post is for you as I discuss 12 Tips to Managing Neuro-Fatigue.

Brain Health, Lifestyle, NeuronutritionKelly AielloMarch 14, 2018Mental Health, Brain Fog, Lifestyle Comments

7 Amazing Health Benefits of Kombucha: and an Interview with a Brewer

You’ve probably heard of a doggy mama, or perhaps a fur mama. But have you ever heard of a “SCOBY mama”???

I have, and I’d like you to meet her. Her name is Taryn and I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with her to ask some questions about how to brew your own kombucha

Other, Conditions, Lifestyle, Digestive HealthKelly AielloFebruary 28, 2018Weight Management, Lifestyle, Detox, Mental HealthComment

A Complete Guide to Understanding Calories

When people talk about dieting, they often talk about cutting calories. But what are calories exactly? Read my complete guide to understanding calories to find out. Who knows, you may not be consuming enough!

You've probably seen various diet plans that promise success as long as you follow their suggested calorie limit.

Calorie-based diets are founded on a simple transfer of energy. You measure how much energy goes into your body, then compare that to how much energy you burn.

While this seems like a sensible plan to get in better shape, many people still struggle when counting calories. Read my complete guide to understanding what calories are and how they affect your health to stay informed about the characteristics of calories so that you can utilize them properly.

Other, LifestyleKelly AielloFebruary 13, 2018Lifestyle, Calories, Nutritionist, Weight Management Comment

5 Actionable Steps to Balancing Your Blood Sugar Levels Naturally

Do you get tired and have no energy after a meal?

Do you experience a mid-afternoon energy slump?

Do you have difficulty focusing, get irritable or cranky for no reason?

Have you been diagnosed with pre-diabetes or diabetes?

Do you want to prevent such a diagnosis in the future?

If so, read on to discover what a blood sugar imbalance looks and feels like, the problems associated with blood sugar imbalances, and why you should care.

I will also provide practical steps you can begin today, to help control your blood sugar levels naturally.

Brain Health, Conditions, Lifestyle, Neuronutrition, Digestive HealthKelly AielloFebruary 7, 2018Blood Sugar, Diabetes, Alzheimer's, Fatigue, Cravings, Brain Fog, Sugar, Insulin Comment

The Application of Mindfulness in Daily Eating

Present-day life has stressful demands, and so to keep up we multitask, aided by ubiquitous technology, we're always ready to tweet, text and email. While our devices have encouraged people to do more tasks simultaneously research paints a different picture and it's that multitasking is actually less productive, reduces performance and devastates the brain and body. If you consider multitasking a buzzword for a state of constant interruption then this shouldn’t land as a surprise.

Brain Health, Lifestyle, OtherKelly AielloJanuary 31, 2018Meditation, Mindfulness, LifestyleComment

The Gluten-Free Controversy PART 2 - Why is Everyone Suddenly Allergic to Gluten?

Have you noticed increasingly more people are trying to avoid gluten? Have you ever wondered why?

Does it seem like everyone around you is suddenly allergic to gluten?
Do you wonder if you should give up gluten?
How do you know if going gluten-free is right for you?

Brain Health, Lifestyle, Conditions, Digestive HealthKelly AielloJanuary 25, 2018Gluten, Wheat, Celiac, Alzheimer's, InflammationComment

The Gluten-Free Controversy: Does Gluten-Free Mean “Healthy”?

Have you noticed that increasingly more and more people are trying to avoid gluten?

Have you wondered if gluten-free products are healthy?

Have you given up gluten or been wondering if you should?

Read this week’s blog post to discover the real truth behind gluten-free products and what you should look for when shopping gluten-free.

If you are trying to live a life without gluten, it may be exciting to see more gluten-free options available to you every day. But be aware that not all gluten-free products are created equal. Please be mindful that many of them are still processed and contain unhealthy ingredients, making them not such a “healthy” alternative. Read on to find out more!

Conditions, Lifestyle, Brain Health, Digestive HealthKelly AielloJanuary 17, 2018Health, Gluten, Diabetes, Alzheimer's, Celiac, Neuronutrition, Food Sensitivities, InflammationComment

THE BLOG

A thriving nutrition and lifestyle blog with our tips & advice.

This blog post is for you as I discuss 12 Tips to Managing Neuro-Fatigue.

Do you get tired and have no energy after a meal?