SchoolBOX: Supporting Indigenous Children

SchoolBOX: Supporting Indigenous Children

by | Jul 1, 2022 | Koru Nutrition Blog

Detoxifying vegetables and fruits

For those who don’t know me, I’m Kylie James, a Certified Nutritionist and the founder of Koru Nutrition. I was born and raised in New Zealand, and came to call Canada home just a little over 15 years ago. Over the last several years, I began learning more about Canada’s history, the legacy of residential schools, and the challenges still currently facing Indigenous communities all over our country.

As written in the Truth and Reconciliation Report (TRC), reconciliation is about:

 “…establishing and maintaining a mutually respectful relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in this country. In order for that to happen, there has to be awareness of the past, an acknowledgement of the harm that has been inflicted, atonement for the causes, and action to change behaviour.”

At Koru Nutrition, it is important to us to work toward establishing a mutually respectful and beneficial relationship with the Indigenous Peoples of this land. The more I learned, the more I felt compelled to give back in some way. By sponsoring the SchooBOX school lunch program on the reserve in the Wabauskang First Nation, we have taken one small step towards eliminating the gap that exists between the health of Indigenous people in Canada and settler populations. 

What is SchoolBOX?

SchoolBOX is a not-for-profit charity that helps to break down educational barriers for children and youth in Nicaragua and those in the Wabauskang First Nation in Northern Ontario. SchoolBOX helps to build learning centres, curate book collections for local libraries, deliver technology, and provide lunches to give children the opportunity for a solid education and a bright future. 

How did SchoolBOX get started?

SchoolBOX started in 2006 when founder, Tom Affleck, was in Nicaragua. He described the inspiration for SchoolBox as starting with a small gesture and a simple statement: “[Tom] gave two young girls a notebook and a pencil. One of their fathers, seeing this simple gift smiled broadly and said ‘Now that you have a notebook and a pencil you can go to school this year.’” 

In 2007 SchoolBOX registered as a Canadian Charity. From this point they started fundraising and building libraries, providing school supplies, and helped to develop sports programs in Nicaragua. 

SchoolBOX North– First Nations

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Education identified that there was a large gap between the education available on reserves and in settler cities in Canada. They determined that there needed to be steps taken to help bridge that gap. 

SchoolBOX has taken that call to action and believe that Indigenous children should have the right to culturally appropriate books written by Indigenous authors. They also provide nutritious lunches, prepared by Marshall Moore (pictured above), an Anishinaabe chef trained at the Seven Generations Institute in Kenora. By providing school lunches, SchoolBOX is helping to ensure that children on the Wabauskang reserve have access to the nutrition they require to support their learning and health. 

How did SchoolBOX North get its start?

SchoolBOX started bringing Indigenous youth down to Nicaragua as part of the Indigenous Youth and Empowerment Program (IYES). The program was designed to help assist with building Nicaraguan schools while enabling the Indigenous youth to share and learn about each others’ cultures.

During the process, it became apparent that building schools and assisting children to attend school was also lacking on reserves in Canada because some Indigenous children on reserves had to travel hours just to get to school.

The statistics may be shocking to many: half of the Indigenous children living on reserves in Canada, are living in poverty (Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, 2019), and only 1 in 4 graduate high school in 4 years (Auditor General 2018); statistics unparalleled by other disadvantaged groups in Canada.

Terri Meekis (Director of SchoolBOX) began her journey with SchoolBOX in 2012 when she ventured to Nicaragua with the IYES program. After returning to Nicaragua in 2017 with her daughter, they spoke about how their community at home in Ontario did not have a school or library. Since then, she has helped to spearhead the SchoolBOX North program and has been instrumental in establishing a First Nations Public Library in her community, a library and school workspace in Niisaachewan Anishinaabe Nation, and the lunch program in Wabauskang First Nation.

Koru Nutrition Supports the SchoolBOX Lunch Program

Koru Nutrition is passionate about supporting communities where children may not be receiving the necessary and appropriate nutrition to support their growing needs and their ability to learn in the classroom. As a result, Koru Nutrition makes a monthly donation to the SchoolBox North lunch program.

The results of the 2021 lunch program survey in SchoolBOX North found that 100% of kids who responded found the program helped them to attend school more and helped to improve their mental health. 86% found the lunches helped them to better pay attention in class and 71% noticed their grades improved. 100% of respondents want to participate again next year.

In Northern Ontario since 2017 SchoolBOX North has provided:

  • 6,225 school lunches to kids
  • 1,874 books to build 3 Indigenous library collections
  • 2 on reserve learning centres with major renovations

We are so happy to be a part of the SchoolBOX community and to support their important efforts. We hope that other Canadians take time to reflect on the recommendations in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report and make an ongoing effort to take the necessary steps toward reconciliation.

If you want to provide your support to SchoolBox North, you can donate here: https://schoolbox.ca/donate/  

You can also check out their website for volunteer opportunities: https://schoolbox.ca/  

 

The Best Nutrition Tips To Manage Depression After Brain Injury

The Best Nutrition Tips To Manage Depression After Brain Injury

by | Jun 29, 2022 | Koru Nutrition Blog

Detoxifying vegetables and fruits

After sustaining a brain injury there is a variety of symptoms and issues a person must face – not only the challenges of headaches, dizziness, mental fatigue and cognitive problems, but also mental health issues as well.

In fact, sustaining a brain injury increases a person’s risk of developing depression by 59% (1). Research also shows that sustaining even a mild traumatic brain injury can increase an individual’s risk of developing a mental health issue such as depression by 20% in the six months after their injury (2).

The mechanisms of action for the correlation between brain injury and mental health challenges are not clearly understood. That said, one significant factor is the life adjustment, which includes not being able to do the same things as they did before, taking extra-ordinary time and effort to complete tasks that were easy to do before their injury, and changes to relationships and roles in their life. In addition, there are changes in brain chemistry following a brain injury that can also predispose someone to depression.

So, what can we do to help avoid or manage depression after someone has sustained a brain injury?

Nutrition can play an important role. Research has shown that poor mental health is linked to poor diet quality. People who ate more unhealthy food were more likely to report psychological distress compared with people who ate a healthy diet. In fact, research by Jim E. Banta, Ph.D., et. al (2019) showed that eating fried foods or foods containing too much sugar and processed grains is linked to depression. Unfortunately, following a brain injury it is these quick and easy processed foods that often people gravitate to.

Below we’ll share our best nutrition tips to help avoid or manage depression after brain injury:

10 Best Foods to Combat Depression

The World Journal of Psychiatry in 2018 completed a comprehensive analysis of foods and their impact on mood and depression. They assigned a score to the food based on the nutrients that they contain that help play a role in preventing and promoting the recovery of depression.

Their results showed that the best animal food sources for depression were:

  1. Oysters
  2. Liver and other organ meats
  3. Clams and mussels
  4. Octopus
  5. Crab

They identified that the top 5 plant foods for fighting depression were:

  1. Watercress
  2. Spinach
  3. Mustard, turnip and beet greens
  4. Swiss Chard
  5. Fresh herbs (cilantro, basil and parsley)

The Best Food to Avoid

Although this seems like a no brainer (no pun intended), sugar is extremely detrimental to brain health and mood.

Sugar is inflammatory to the body and brain and can be toxic to brain cells in large doses, which can negatively impact neurological health. This, in turn, can impact our mood causing depression, anxiety and unrest. So, avoiding sugar is advised.

However, this can be tough for a lot of people because the brain requires higher amounts of glucose (energy) following a brain injury, and because sugar is hidden in so many foods. With cognitive and physical fatigue following an injury, we can’t help but gravitate to sugar and sugar-laden products.

There is a whole host of issues and problems that sugar contributes to in the body but one of them (if consumed in high amounts) is the increase in a process called glycation. Glycation is the process when sugars attach to proteins creating advanced glycation end products otherwise called AGE’s. The problem with AGE’s is that they interfere with nerve cell communication and disrupt the mitochondria in the cell (battery/energy). In the Brain Research Review 2003, it reported that glycation is a slow process that advances over time, but it catches up with us as we age and especially if we have genetic susceptibilities.

Glycation also contributes to production of free radicals or oxidative stress, inflammation, and nerve toxins. These are all issues that an injured brain is already dealing with so adding AGE’s to the mix with increased sugar intake only compounds this even more. This will contribute to not only depression, but mood swings, anxiety, and irritability. It is best to avoid foods such as cookies, candy, ice cream, pop, and baked goods.

The Best Cooking Methods for Brain Injury

AGE’s is not just formed by increase sugar intake but also by the way we cook the food. So, we can reduce our AGE’s and subsequent inflammation and free radicals by incorporating better cooking methods when preparing our meals.

The best cooking methods for brain and overall health is to cook with water. For example:

  • Boiling
  • Steaming
  • Poaching
  • Stewing

The reason why these are the best methods is that presence of moisture helps keep AGE’s formed in cooking to a minimum. The worst cooking methods is cooking without water so using the BBQ, oven, and deep frying foods will help to generate a lot more AGE’s.

To give you an example, below we examine the AGE’s formed in chicken breast cooked using four different methods. It is important to know that the amount of AGE’s are expressed as kilo units – so cooking a chicken breast in different ways can significantly impact the amount of AGE’s being formed.

  • Deep fried chicken breast is 9,000 ku
  • Broiled chicken breast is 5,250 ku
  • Roasted chicken breast is 4,300 ku
  • Boiled (soup) chicken breast is 1,000 ku

Best Diet for Depression and Brain Injury

There are so many diets out in the world today, commercial-based diets like weightwatchers, cultural diets, the latest fad weight loss diets such as keto, and so on. It is overwhelming and confusing. But, one diet that has truly stood the test of time, can easily be incorporated into a person’s life, and has a ton of research to back it up – is the Mediterranean diet.

In the Journal of BMC Medicine 2017 a study was completed with individuals that were diagnosed with mild to severe depression. It found those that who were coached and followed the Mediterranean diet for 12 weeks experienced significant improvements in mood compared to those who received social support but not dietary advice. At the end of the study 30% of the participants no longer experienced depression compared to only 8% that just received the social support.

The reason why the Mediterranean diet has been rated the #1 diet multiple years in a row is due to a number of factors. The Mediterranean diet is based on whole foods and contains a high fat content due to the inclusion of fish, olives and olive oil, Greek yoghurt, and feta cheese.  Our brain loves and needs fats so this is crucial for healthy brain function and mood. It also contains tons of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; but none of the sugar, refined grains, and processed foods. It is an easy diet to stick to, in part because you likely won’t feel hungry (because of the high fat content which supports satiety) and because you are getting a full spectrum of nutrients.

Summary

Depression is a common problem among individuals that have sustained a brain injury. By avoiding sugar, implementing the Mediterranean diet, cooking your food in the presence of water, and consuming a variety of dark leafy greens, organ meats and seafood you will be well on your way to supporting a happier and healthier brain.

References

  1. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/head-injury-may-cause-mental-illness/
  2. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/mental-health-disorders-common-following-mild-head-injury

 

The Impact of Psychological Stress on Cancer Growth

The Impact of Psychological Stress on Cancer Growth

by | Jun 23, 2022 | Koru Nutrition Blog

Detoxifying vegetables and fruits

Cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada and is responsible for 28.2% of all deaths in Canada. The statistics show that more than 2 in 5 Canadians (44% of men and 43% of women) are expected to develop cancer during their lifetime with lung, prostate, breast and colorectal cancer making up of 40% of all new cancers.

There are many contributing factors to cancer development – including genetics, environmental exposure, dietary choices, and lifestyle – but one factor that often gets overlooked is psychological stress, also known as emotional stress.

It has been well-documented that psychological stress can be a major contributing factor for many major illnesses and diseases, and unfortunately this can include the “big C” – cancer.

Stress & Cancer

When you look at the relationship between stress and cancer, the research is somewhat varied. Some experts suggest that stress can cause cancer, while others believe it may only contribute to the condition.

Stress is inevitable, and we actually need some stress in our lives. In short doses, stress can actually be healthy for us! However, research has shown that chronic, long-term stress (which in the last couple years has been something that many of us have experienced) has been found to promote and facilitate the development of cancer. This is because stress can weaken the body’s necessary functioning including immune response, and our immune system is largely responsible for keeping cancer at bay (2).

Research has also found that stress may have a greater impact on people who have already been successfully treated for cancer. In one study, researchers found that stress may reactivate dormant tumor cells, causing cancer to return in those in remission (3).

Therefore, managing stress by reducing exposure to stressors and having healthy coping mechanisms might not only help prevent cancer development but also help to reduce the risk of coming out of remission!

Coping with Stress

If you do have a lot of stress, it is important to consider one’s reaction to stress, as this may also make a difference in the susceptibility to disease. When individuals have better stress management strategies and healthy coping mechanisms in place, then their susceptibility to disease is lessened. In short, in most instances it is our reaction to a stressor that is more meaningful to our health outcomes than the details of the stressor itself.

If we find ourselves in stressful situations or environments, and feel that we have little or no control over them, this can result in feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, despair, and depression. These are the types of negative feelings can impact our bodies and predispose us to illness.

So, let’s take a deeper dive into how stress manifests into cancer…

How Stress Contributes To Cancer Growth

When we are under stress, we illicit the “fight or flight” reaction. When this occurs our limbic system (the part of our brain above our brainstem, and the area of the brain responsible for emotions) records stress, depression, and despair; and its effects on the body experienced by an individual. This leads to a response with the hypothalamus (a small region of the brain that acts as our endocrine system’s switchboard).

The messages the hypothalamus receives from the limbic system are translated to two areas of the body – the immune system and the endocrine system. The area that is most responsive to emotional stress is the immune system and regulating the pituitary gland that in turn regulates the remainder of the endocrine system (hormonal system). This is significant because an imbalance of the adrenal hormones will create a greater susceptibility to carcinogenic substances.

The result of such a hormonal imbalance can be an increased production of abnormal cells in the body and a weakened ability of the immune system to combat these cells. Our immune system is the body’s natural defense system, and it is designed to contain or destroy cancerous cells – which are normally present in the body on occasion. If the immune system is suppressed and can no longer perform the duties of containing or destroying cancer cells, it can result in the growth and proliferation of cancer cells. With this sequence of events related to stress and psychological changes, an optimal environment is now created for cancer growth.

It’s clear, emotional stress plays a huge role in suppression of the immune response, leaving the body susceptible to the development of cancer.

So, what do we do about it?

How To Better Manage Our Stress and Emotions To Help Prevent Cancer Growth

There are many strategies you can implement to support the reduction of your stress responses:

Additional Resources

Stress management and cancer prevention are topics that are relevant to nearly all of us. As a result, we’ve written many more resources to help you navigate and apply diet and lifestyle choices that support your health.

  • As identified in this article negative thought patterns and emotions impact our hormones and immune system, so developing positive mindset can be helpful. You, too, can learn how to develop some health positive mindset strategies.
  • Managing stress is key to health, so we’ve outlined some more stress management strategies.
  • Dietary changes that better manage stress hormones is also of vital importance to health. When blood sugars fluctuate too widely our bodies naturally produce the stress hormone cortisol. You can read more about the best foods to manage stress.
  • Maintaining a diet that supports blood sugar balance is another factor in preventing disease. We’ve shared the 4 easy steps to achieving a balanced diet.
  • For more on dietary strategies research shows are cancer preventative, check out 5 Nutrition Strategies for Cancer Prevention.
  • We’ve also listed our favourite foods to help prevent cancer in our article Top 6 Cancer-Preventative Foods.

We hope some of this information encourages you to do what you can to manage stress, prevent cancer, and live as many health-filled years as possible!

 

References

  1. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354519586_Stress_and_cancer_mechanisms_significance_and_future_directions
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7466429/
  3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8085740/ 

 

 

Lentil Tahini Burgers

Lentil Tahini Burgers

by | Jun 22, 2022 | Recipes

Two Glasses with Detox Green Smoothie

Who doesn’t love a good burger? Now you can have a nutrient-dense, plant-based burger that everyone in the family is sure to enjoy!

This recipe is very easy to pull together, and the burgers themselves are sturdy and hold up well to your favourite fixings!

Lentils make up the base of this recipe. Not only are lentils a source of high-quality plant-based protein, but they are also a rich source of fibre. Lentils also contain phytonutrients called flavonoids, a type of antioxidant, that have been shown to reduce inflammation. Additionally, lentils contain lignans and saponins, which are plant-compounds that may have anti-cancer potential.

Tahini is the real star of this recipe! Tahini, also known as sesame paste, is made of ground sesame seeds. Sesame seeds contain proteins, healthy fats, fibre, and loads of vitamins and minerals. Sesame seeds are high in both calcium and magnesium, which supports strong bones. Sesame seeds also contain two unique lignans called sesamin and sesamolin. These compounds have protective antioxidant properties and may reduce cardiovascular disease and cancer risk.

Whether you regularly eat a vegan diet or not, these Lentil Tahini Burgers are an excellent way to include more health-promoting plant foods in your diet. In fact, we even included this recipe in our 7-day Cancer-Preventative Menu Plan!

If you give this recipe a try, let us know what your favourite topping combination is!

Lentil Tahini Burgers

Who doesn’t love a good burger? Now you can have a nutrient-dense, plant-based burger that everyone in the family is sure to enjoy!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 burgers

Ingredients
  

  • 2⅔ cups Green Lentils cooked, drained and rinsed
  • ¼ cup Tahini
  • 1 Carrot small, shredded
  • ½ tsp Sea Salt
  • 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • ½ tsp Onion Powder

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 375ºF
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In the bowl of a food processor with an S-blade, process all ingredients until a well-blended, but not perfectly smooth.
  • Split the mixture into four even parts and shape into patties. Place on the parchment lined baking sheet with a minimum 1” between patties.
  • Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until firm and golden on top.
  • Remove the burgers from the oven. Serve on a bed of lettuce with your favourite toppings such as pickles, sauerkraut, slides avocado, fresh tomato, or grilled pineapple.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

Nutritional information per serving:
Calories - 254
Sugar - 3g
Carbs - 31g
Fat - 9g
Protein - 15g
Fibre - 13g

How Much Does a Nutritionist Cost?

How Much Does a Nutritionist Cost?

by | Apr 2, 2022 | Koru Nutrition Blog

Detoxifying vegetables and fruits

It can be tough to know if you are getting value for your money when seeking out a nutritionist to help you with your health goals. We wanted to help you understand if you are being overcharged or paying the appropriate amount for a quality service.

What Nutrition Associations Report

While conducting this research, we reached out to various nutrition associations. Below we’ve outlined what each organization indicated was the market rate for nutritionists in Ontario.

The Institute of Holistic Nutrition (IHN) was asked to provide their professional opinion as to market average rates for nutritionists in Ontario. They have campuses in Vancouver, Mississauga, Toronto and Ottawa. They indicated that, the base market average rate per hour rate for nutritionists working in clinical or private practice in Ontario, is $90.00. It is important to note, that the market average rate range per hour for a nutritionist working in clinical or private practice in Ontario with a specified knowledge base and experience can be up to $120.00 – $170.00.

The International Organization of Nutrition Consultants (IONC) indicated the average hourly rate for a Registered Orthomolecular Health Practitioner (ROHP) or Registered Nutritional Consulting Practitioner (RNCP) in Ontario is between $75.00 – $125.00 per hour and correlates with experience and skillset.

The Canadian Association of Natural Nutrition Practitioners (CANNP) reported the average range is $85.00 – $150.00 for a first visit which may be one hour or more. They also indicated that many clinicians package out their nutrition sessions over 4–12 sessions to help with client compliance and follow-through, and that the higher the number of sessions often the lower the hourly rate. Packages or programs can be an excellent option for clients to receive a greater value for their investment.

The Edison Institute of Holistic Nutrition recommended the hourly rate of $90.00 – $120.00 an hour.

Based on the above, the range for the hourly rate for a nutritionist is anywhere between $75 and $170 with the average being approximately between $110 – $122.50 an hour.

Factors That Impact The Cost Of A Nutritionist

There are a number of factors that affect the cost of nutrition services, including education level, the pricing structure and packages they offer, and their reputation. Geographic location is another factor, as often in larger more metropolitan cities rates are higher as compared to more rural areas. Of course, additional training or expertise in a specific health concern or area of focus will likely also impact the cost of services as well.

Insurance Coverage For Nutritionists

Nutritionist’s services are insurable in Ontario. More and more organizations, such as school boards and large banks, are recognizing the advantage of covering nutrition services in their extended health benefit programs That said, each individual employer can opt in or out of coverage for nutritionists, so please check your plan coverage for more details. It’s important to note, a dietitian is different from a nutritionist, so when checking your coverage make sure to clarify your options.

Auto-insurance companies can also cover nutritionists’ services for individuals who have been involved in a motor vehicle accident (MVA). Koru Nutrition is set up on HCAI and can submit OCF-18s for nutrition services for individuals injured in an MVA.

Summary

It’s important to take into account a nutritionist’s education, level of experience, market rates, and insurance coverage options when considering the value of the service they are offering. We hope the above helps you make an informed decision about your health care!

If you would like to explore nutrition services with Koru Nutrition we would love to help you on your health journey book now with Koru Nutrition.