Welcome!

Thank you for visiting! Walking the Walk is meant to be a source to assist you in your quest for a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Through my own lifestyle, I hope to give you creative ideas that make adopting a healthier, more holistic lifestyle as enjoyable and easy for you as possible!

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Lost in Leslieville

One of Leslieville's best kept secrets is the weekly Leslieville Farmer's Market.  Every Sunday, the most adorable babies and puppies show up with their friendly parents to shop for organic, locally grown produce, dairy and meats as well as catch up with one another about the previous week.  This all takes place in the inconspicuous Jonathan Ashbridges Park, just off of Queen Street East.

A few weeks ago it was Baconfest at the market, which meant that a number of different vendors were offering their most delicious bacon-laden creations.  On offer was a bacon waffle and pulled pork sandwich, bacon and fruit crepes, bacon chocolate chip cookies, bacon bruschetta and even some vegetarian 'bacon' skewers.  Since bacon always seems to be a huge hit in any quadrant of the city, needless to say the Leslieville locals were delighted.

As M and I were making the rounds, buying up all the succulent peaches and apples in sight, M got a hankering for something sweet.  After much perusing, she finally decided on a double chocolate brownie that was made with spelt flour, in lieu of the traditional wheat flour.  After sitting down under an enormous tree to enjoy her treat, M turned to me and asked "What is spelt flour, anyways?".  It occurred to me that if M (who is vastly knowledgeable in nearly everything) was asking me, chances are a number of you would also like to ask me the same question.



The facts:
Spelt is basically the ancient ancestor of wheat, kind of the 'pure and untainted' version.  Usually spelt has a lot less gluten and a lot more fiber, so you may find that many gluten intolerant people are able to ingest spelt on occasion (but again, not all. Spelt is a no-no for the Celiacs out there).  In terms of taste, spelt has a much nuttier, fuller flavour than regular wheat and I find it gives a nice weight to desserts/breads that benefit from being a bit denser.  So, if you do decide to experiment with spelt you may just end up adding an entirely new dimension to your cooking (not to mention the added health benefits)!

My challenge to you is: try something new, with someone new.  It may just end up being exceptional.

Have a wondrous day!



Surrounding The Dragon

...and other tales from my third year at Naturopathic school.

I'm back in school and already we've jumped right into things.  I love all my classes this semester, but I've always reserved a special place in my heart for Asian Medicine.  I believe my huge respect for energetic medicine was cemented in my very first acupuncture practical and it has been my favorite class ever since.

Just recently we learned a fascinating technique called "Surrounding The Dragon".  This technique helps fade scar tissue by surrounding the scar with needles and thus redirecting the Qi (or body's energy) underneath the damaged tissue and ultimately outwards to "lift" the scar.  Obviously, this can be great from both a cosmetic and functional perspective.  This technique is most effective on fresh scars but, because we needed the practice, future NDs in my class were seeking out all their old scars to be needled.   Check out the photos below.  You have to admit; it looks kind of pretty, doesn't it?

 Redness indicates lots of Qi movement

Halfway there!

Have an uplifting day!