Nicole Di Nardo Nutrition
8460 Jane St. #201 L4K 0E8 Woodbridge, ON, Canada

Baby Isla Rose Taylor is here! All 7lbs and 12oz of her. Myself and @jctaylor7 are just in a perpetual state of bliss and awe.

Optimize your kids immunity with this nutritionist designed supplement plan and cookbook for ages 4+. Preparing for school in this time May be one of the most difficult and scariest tasks of parenting. But it doesn’t have to be. Your best defence is a good offence. What you’ll receive: 15% off professional grade children’s immune supplements delivered to your door. Digital cookbook including 20+ immune boosting recipes Dietary recommendations Lifestyle recommendations.... link in bio to get the whole package for $20 . . . . #backtoschool2020 #woodbridgemoms #covid19schoolyear

Me and my darling with Queen Anne’s Lace. These gorgeous wild and medicinal flowers were on the tables at our wedding. Not only do they look like delicate lace, but they are related to the carrot family aka wild carrot ! Being part of the umbellifer family, it can be hard to distinguish if it wasn’t for those carrot looking leaves, carrot smelling roots and teensy red flower in the middle. Their medicinal properties are mainly for the urinary system: lowering inflammation from cystitis as a powerful diuretic and carminative meaning it’s soothing. All parts of the plant are edible. PLEASE BE SURE TO PROPERLY IDENTIFY before using, as there are some poisonous umbellifers that looks similar. #queenanneslace #herbalmedicine

6 dates a day in the last month of pregnancy has been shown to cut labour time in half! These oat date bars are a delicious way to get my daily fix. Here’s the recipe a INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 cup oats (divided) 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut 5-6 Medjool dates (4 ounces of pitted dates)*... 1/2 cup walnuts 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 egg 2 tablespoons ground flax 1/4 cup coconut oil Date Layer 18 Medjool dates (12 ounces of pitted dates)* 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I like 1/2, but begin with 1/4 and add to taste) INSTRUCTIONS 1Preheat oven to 325 F. 2Add 1 cup oatmeal to a food processor bowl, and process until a flour forms. 3Add coconut, dates, sea salt and baking soda, and process until the dates are fully broken up. I find it easiest to process if I break the dates into quarters (if using large medjools) as I am tossing them into the processor. 4Last, add the remaining 1/2 cup of oatmeal and the walnuts, and pulse 8-10 times until the walnuts are chopped but still a bit chunky. 5To the dry ingredients in the food processor, add the egg, flax and coconut oil, and pulse until combined. This mixture is the base and the top layer of the bars. 6Reserve 1/2 cup of oatmeal mixture to use as a topping. 7Line an 8 x 8 pan with baking paper. Add the oatmeal mixture to the pan, and press down into an even layer. I use a pastry roller to pack down the bottom layer. 8Rinse out the food processor, and add date layer ingredients. Pulse 10-15 times, until the dates are broken up. Then, process for another 3-4 minutes, until the dates take on a light, whipped caramel color. If you soaked the dates, this process should be very easy. If your dates were soft, so you opted not to soak them, and they are not whipping up nicely, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of hot water to help them process smoother. 9Add the date layer on top of the cookie layer, and press down into an even layer. Using wet hands will keep the layer from sticking and pulling up the cookie layer. Crumble the reserved 1/2 cup of oatmeal mixture over the top. 11Bake for 18 minutes.

Thanks @dr.emilyrotella for this great post! I was just sharing the half life effects of coffee with a client yesterday. . Caffeine can make you more awake or wake you up but 1/2 life for the average person is 5-6 hours, meaning 50% of the caffeine that you had is still circulating after this time. Let’s say that you have a cup of coffee at 2pm, 1/4 of that could still be affecting your brain at midnight making it harder to fall asleep or stay asleep. Caffeine can also chan...ge the quality of your sleep. It can actually decrease the amount of deep non-REM sleep (the restorative deep sleep) which means you can wake the next morning feeling unrefreshed and unrestored. Which can then lead us to reach for 2 cups the next day. Alcohol is one of the most misunderstood sleep aids. Because it is a sedative many of us assume that it can help us fall asleep but alcohol can fragment your sleep, can block your REM (dream sleep), can trigger the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight response) and wake you more frequently during the night. . . . . . . . Sleeping with Science How Caffeine and Alcohol affect your sleep by Matt Walker . . . . . . #coffeeaddict #effectsofalcohol #insomniaproblems #insomnia #sleep #sleepfacts #naturopathicdoctor #westendnaturopath #torontonaturopathicdoctor #yyz #zzz #mondaymorning #mondaythoughts

Challenge accepted! @gioalonzi

Preggo summer sipper: nettle and red raspberry leaf infusion and a splash of pure cranberry, which keeps the uti’s at bay and increases iron absorption with the vit c content. Red raspberry leaf tea has been associated with shorter labour time as it’s a powerful and safe uterine tonic. I love how much a raspberry looks like a uterus when you think about it . The important thing is to make a proper herbal INFUSION. You can’t just get raspberry tea in a tea bag. You need about 2oz herbs to 2-4 cups boiling water steeped for 8 hours min. That’s a herbal infusion #prenatalnutrition #uterinetonic #labouranddelivery

I’ve been putting salt In my smoothie every morning. Today I forgot and I got light headed, tired and felt all the feels associated with low blood pressure. Low blood pressure is super common, and it’s often associated with times of high stress or adrenal fatigue. Mineralcorticoids are the hormones that regulate salt and water balance in the body. Guess who secretes those? Your hard working adrenal glands ! Salt is an ESSENTIAL mineral. If you’re eating a diet free or processed foods, it’s imperative to add natural salt to your diet, even if you have high blood pressure. My favourite is Celtic grey salt, but anything with a wide variety of minerals beyond the sodium chloride found in table salt.

Ways to support your mental health during these anxious times. 1Limit the news. Once is more than enough. Stay connected, but remember that fear and click-bait sells. This can impact your perspective and result in a negative outlook throughout the whole day. 2Practice gratitude. Write down or stare out loud 5 things you’re grateful for everyday. The perspective shift is often immediate. 3Journal. Get your frustrations out on paper, or even better a word document. Do...n’t judge, just let your thoughts and fears flow. Then close it up. We need to express our fears otherwise that ruminate, affecting sleep and peace of mind. 4Give Permission to pause. Think about it, if your mind is racing all day, and then you have highly active dreams, when does you mind get a break ? Meditation is the best for this, but you can also take 5 minutes a day to notice your physical sensations. Pay attention to sounds, your body against the chair, your breath, smells around you. When you eat, pay attention to the texture, tastes and sensations in your body. 5Take a nature break. Immersing yourself in nature is proven to reduce stress hormones like cortisol. Take a nature hike, this is the best time for summer florals! Download an app like ‘picture this’ to identify the different wild flowers. 6Lavender essential oil. You can diffuse it, and drops to water spray bottle and make a room spray or mix with a carrier oil and inhale, using it on your face too. Proven to reduce acute anxiety. 7Safely socialize. We are social beings. Call a good friend and talk about something POSITIVE! Go on a date. Be with your people. 8Adaptogens. These are natural medicinal plants that limit the negative physical affects stress can have on your body. My favourite right now is ashwaghanda because it’s relatively safe for most people and very effective. I also love medicinal mushrooms like reishi and cordyceps that not only improve my immune system, but also help me to adapt to stress better. 9Don’t forget to check in with your people. Anxiety, depression and isolation is rampant right now. Sleep hygiene. 1 hour tech free before bed. See more

I will pause all personal content in all social media formats to amplify the voices that need to be heard. I take this opportunity to listen, learn and support. #blackouttuesday

Lattes? Cheese? Ice cream? Chocolate? Chips? Think about the one food you CAN’T give up. What is that food giving you? Why does it have a hold on you? Can you be happy without chocolate or coffee ? Eliminate that food from your diet for two weeks. You’ll feel a new sense of empowerment about how you view food. Break up with your food addiction and see how your food choices change.

Last nice I was craving spiced meat Kofta: here’s the result 1 lbs ground beef 1 lbs ground pork ... 1 celery stalk 1 red onion 4 cloves garlic 1/2 bunch fresh parsley (or whatever herbs you have) 1 handful fresh basil 1 handful fresh mint 4 tbsp Pepita seeds 1 tsp sea salt 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper 1 1/2 tsp ground allspice 1/2 tsp ground cayenne 1/2 tsp ground cardamom 1/2 tsp sumac 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 1/2 tsp paprika 1In a good processor, add chopped red onion, celery, garlic, all fresh herbs, pepita seeds, salt, pepper and all the dry spices. 2Pulse until well combined and onion is in small pieces, about 30sec 3Empty mix into a medium sized mixing bowl. Add ground meat and combine using your hands. Make sure it’s well incorporated. 4Take about a tennis sized ball of meat and wrap Around the top end of a wooden skewer, rounding in your hand until it looks like a chubby sausage on a stick. Do this until you’ve used up the meat mix. 5On a cast iron grill pan set to medium heat, lightly brush with olive oil. Working in batches, place skewers on grill until underside begins to take colour. Then rotate, about 2 min per side. You can also bake at 350 F for 25-30min 6serve with rice, yogurt and a bunch of fresh herbs like parsley and basil

Happy international women’s day ! This cookbook club we focused on fellow Torontonian and food stylin master @thelemonapron. I was the winner this time with her panettone cardamom French toast with bourbon caramel and spiced peaches #internatitionalwomensday #womensday #cookbookclub #thelemonapron