To some, a bathroom scale is just a little electronic box that tells us how much we weigh. To me, it has always been so much more; a symbol of a dark force in my life.

I grew up weighing myself every day. I would remove every ring, every article of clothing, and wait for the number to affirm that I, indeed, did not gain weight and therefore was still an acceptable human being.

As a young woman, I developed an eating disorder and became a slave to the scale. Its powers over me had a magnetic force that would send me running in its direction. Within seconds of entering a room containing a scale, I would find myself suddenly perching on top of it, holding my breath as I waited to see if the number would be low enough to make me worthy of love.

Now, I am recovered from my eating disorder, but the scale still plagues me. I refuse to weigh myself, knowing that it can still have a strong negative effect on me.

My stubborn refusal to succumb to the allure of the scale has made us fierce enemies. Alone in a room with a scale, I don’t see a metal box. I see an opponent that I must battle. If I step on the scale, it wins. I almost always resist its siren song, but I still jones for the self-esteem “fix” it can give me. I crave the feeling of standing on that scale, seeing a low number, and feeling better about myself.

After years of this fight, I realized something important. Whether I stand on the scale or resist it, I still give it way too much power by craving its validation of me. The truth is, the only validation I need is my own. What do I love and value about myself; how much do I believe I am worth? My love for myself is the only place to stand upon, not on top of the scale.

That is why, last week, I decided that it was time for the ultimate act to remind me that it’s just a silly little box, not some magical measurer of my worth. I will always have more power than it does, as long as I step into that power.
Therefore, I resolved to do just that. I decided it was time for The Battle Royale: a fight to the death, Jory vs. The Scale.

I invited my friend Katie over. We went to my backyard with her cute dog Kyla, a bathroom scale, a huge mallet, a camera, and years of my suppressed anger.

Here’s what happened.

Ready to kick some scale butt. (Left: Katie, Right: Jory [author])

This number does NOT matter! (Kyla the cutest dog ever agrees.)

Scale Smashing Time!

My turn.

Broken.

Victory!

Everyone is happy, including Kyla.

What is your relationship with your scale?
Does it have the ability to change how you feel about yourself, depending on whether the number is high or low?
If so, it has power over you, and it’s time to show that little box whose boss. You are worth so much more than any number could ever reflect.

You are strong, valuable, and worthy of love – always. Next time you want to stand on top of a scale, stand on that instead.

Post a picture of you on social media smashing your scale and hashtag it #smashthescale.
OR: Send your pictures of your smashed scale in to jory@letitbehealth.com to be featured on our Facebook page!

Love always,
Jory
and let it be.HEALTH

The post Smashing the Scale appeared first on Let it be. Health.

Author:

Jory Mullard, Writer & Nutritionist at you-matter-nutrition.com

When I was a young girl, I failed at things that I thought every normal kid could do. Catch a ball. Kiss. Dance. Stand up for myself. Tell a joke. Understand math.
To me, everyone else was awesome at life, and I sucked.

The summer of my 16th birthday, I acquired two wonderful attributes that gave me a new found sense of importance: Breasts. I had grown from an A-cup to a D-cup in just four months, and they were huge on my petite high school frame. People stared.

As people started treating me like I was special because of my body, a new belief began to grow in my mind. Despite “sucking at everything”, I did have some value to offer the world. I could look the way I thought others wanted me to look, and they would like me.

4 years later, this very belief had royally messed me up, and led me to a sobering situation.

I ventured, alone, to a cabin in a remote area 300 kilometers from my town. I was hungry. I had no food. I had no money on me. I failed at lighting a fire, and I was freezing cold.
Here, I planned on eating nothing for 7 days, simply because I wanted to be thin. I had spent the past year taking extreme measures to lose weight. Yet, I was only able to deprive myself of food for so long. Eventually I “failed” and ate everything.
Every time I failed, I invented a new, more extreme way to lose weight. This ultimately led me “into the wild”. This time I starved myself, it would be fool-proof, because this time I couldn’t eat even if I wanted to. I was miles and miles away from every hot fudge sundae, every piece of pizza, and every sticky sweet cinnamon bun. When I got home, I would be beautiful and I would be worth something.

In the quiet of nature, without TV or friends or work to distract me, I finally saw the dark truth of my life. I, Jory Mullard, had an eating disorder. At 22 years old, I had made it my sole purpose to try to appear perfect so that people would like me. And it was destroying me.

When I came back from my wake-up call in the forest, I started to get help. My body, mind, and soul were sick, and it took over a year to get to a stable place. I saw doctors and naturopaths to help me heal my ravaged body after I had starved it, binge-ate, and made myself throw up for years. I did acupuncture yoga, reiki, and meditation to mend my soul. I saw a counsellor and dealt with the emotional issues that were at the root of my problem. Today, I live a happy life. Most importantly, I no longer believe I “suck at everything.” I think I’m pretty great.

The part of my story that I think is most important is that up until my rock-bottom moment, I didn’t think I had a problem. I thought my obsession with losing weight and looking “perfect” was fairly normal. The majority of my peers were stressed out about their appearance. Adults that I looked up to calorie counted and weighed themselves on a regular basis. Every magazine at the grocery store checkout was boasting the newest fad diet and get-skinny pill.

The truth is, my behaviour wasn’t that far from the norm. That fact alone is a sign of a huge problem in the world today. The following images show statistics that highlight the prevalence of body image issues today. The images are courtesy of graphic designer Danae Harvalias and are excerpted from her book, “Fat.”

Looking at these statistics, I can see I was never alone in my struggle. There is a lot of emphasis in our society on attaining “the perfect body”, and it doesn’t just affect adults. Studies have shown that children as young as ten are dissatisfied with their bodies and believe they need to lose weight.₁ Eating disorders, as well as a general preoccupation with body image, have become a widespread (although often “kept quiet”) issue in the 20th and 21st centuries.₂

If you, or someone you know, is suffering from an eating disorder: There is hope. You can heal from it. I stand here today, happy and healthy, as living proof that it is possible. However, it’s important to know that recovering from an eating disorder is not a quick fix. I healed, but it wasn’t cheap, fast, or easy. The wait lists in Canada for free treatment are too long and most sufferers must pay out of pocket for help. My family estimates they paid upwards of $15,000 to help me. Many cannot afford this.

That is why I founded a chapter of a non-profit organization called Project HEAL. We fundraise to help people recover from eating disorders. We help by paying for treatment that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford.
To learn more about Project HEAL, GO HERE.
To find treatment and support in your area, GO HERE.

Today I am standing up for a problem that often gets swept under the rug. Many people don’t want to talk about self esteem, body image, or eating disorders. However, more and more people are speaking out about these issues. There is a movement on the rise and I can’t help but be a part of it.

The girl inside me that went “into the wild” to starve herself is gone. In her place is a woman who hopes for a world that celebrates who we are on the inside.
Join me in creating that world by loving who you are, and in helping those who don’t love themselves find the way back.

With love always,
Jory
and let it be.HEALTH

——————————————————————–
An additional note:
HELP US HELP THOSE WITH EATING DISORDERS

What many people don’t know about eating disorders is that getting help is often a matter of life and death. Project HEAL and I are currently running a fundraiser to help those with eating disorders afford life-saving treatment.

Want to help? Here’s how.

1) DONATE
CLICK HERE to learn more about my fundraiser and donate.

2) PURCHASE HEALTH PRODUCTS
Biological Botanicals ™ will donate $1 from every purchased bottle of select supplements* until September 30, 2015 towards my fundraiser.
*Biological Botanicals™ Omega3 Extra Strength, Vitamin B-complex, and Multivitamin with Minerals

3) SHARE
Share this post via social media.

Thank you all for your amazing support!

References:
₁ Danae Harvalias, “FAT”, http://dharvalias.businesscatalyst.com/
₂ The Renfrew Center for Eating Disorders, “Eating Disorders 101 Guide: A Summary of Issues, Statistics, and Resources”published September 2002, revised October 2003, http://www.renfrew.org
 

The post INTO THE WILD: My Story about Body Image appeared first on Let it be. Health.

Athletes and bodybuilders do this to stay healthy, so why can’t we?
Meal prepping is when you spend an afternoon or evening preparing three or more days worth of healthy food for yourself. Having ready-made nutritious meals on hand makes you less likely to reach for convenient fast foods or order a pizza when you’re hungry. Cooked food stays good in the refrigerator for about 3 days, so I grab groceries and meal prep on Sundays and Thursdays. I cook one breakfast recipe, one lunch item, one dinner entree, and one healthy treat or snack. I make three servings per item and eat the same meals for three days in a row. If repeating meals don’t appeal to you, you can cook a wider variety of recipes and just freeze some of them for next week.
For those who are out and about all day, pack a small lunch cooler with an ice pack for safely stowing your pre-made meals. I seal all my meals in individual Tupperware containers and label them for the easiest grab-and-go ever (label example: “Monday breakfast”).

Sample menu
Breakfast:
Omelette Cups (recipe at bottom of post) with a side of fresh fruit.
This recipe tastes fine eaten cold!

Lunch :
Quinoa salad with black beans, avocado, grated carrots and beets, tomatoes, and feta (cheese optional). Serve with homemade balsamic dressing on the side: mix equal parts balsamic and olive oil.

Dinner:
Grilled boneless skinless chicken breast (dress it up with a spice rub), baked sweet potato (bake it in the oven as a healthier alternative to traditional baked white potatoes), and steamed broccoli.
This is best if it’s reheated : place it in a baking dish, cover it with tinfoil and heat it up in the toaster oven or regular oven for 15 minutes. Microwaves aren’t that great for our health so only use one if you feel it is completely necessary.

Healthy Treat:
Peanut Butter Blondies (Flour-less, Gluten Free, and Refined Sugar Free)
These are way healthier than they sound and can be oven ready in 5 minutes– make them with real maple syrup, natural peanut butter, and a surprise ingredient that you can’t taste: chickpeas.
I found the recipe here.

Snacks (optional):
Have nuts, fresh fruit, and unsweetened dried fruit on hand for in between meal nibbles.

RECIPE FEATURE:
Jory’s On-the-Run “Omelette Cups” (Little omelettes baked in a muffin cup for easy eating.)
Recipe makes three servings.

Ingredients:
8 eggs
¼ cup of fresh Italian parsley or cilantro
¼ cup of olives (sliced with pit removed)
¼ cup grape tomatoes (sliced in half)
Pinch of salt and pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder (optional)
9-12 medium sized baking cups (muffin liners)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Whisk Eggs with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
3. Add olives, tomatoes, and parsley / cilantro and stir.
4. Place baking cups in muffin tray .
5. Pour egg mixture into baking cups
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes until fluffy and cooked through.

What are your healthy recipes for busy weekdays?
Send them into jory@letitbehealth.com to be featured in future blog posts!

The post How To Stay Healthy When You’re Busy: MEAL PREPPING appeared first on Let it be. Health.

Author: Jory Mullard Holistic Nutritionist at You-Matter-Nutrition.com Founder of the Vancouver Chapter of Project Heal (projectheal.org)
 

Trying to cook healthy meals at home? Healthy doesn’t have to mean bland – try out these 5 tips to make your nutritious meals satisfying and delicious.

1. Use Fresh, Seasonal Ingredients How far has your food travelled to get to you? Most fruits and vegetables are shipped long distances, packaged in plastic, and then sit at the supermarket until you purchase them. There could be a month between the harvest and the day you eat it! Fresh is always best. The longer it takes for your food to get to you, the more nutrients and flavour it loses. When possible, buy produce that is in season in your area. At the grocery store, look for stickers that say “locally grown.” However, the freshest food is usually found at a farmers market, as it is often picked just yesterday and jammed-packed with flavour. If you are from British Columbia, click here to see what’s in season and find a farmers market near you.

2. When In Doubt, Add Hot Sauce Many pre-made sauces and condiments contain trans fats, sugar, and additives. This is not the case when it comes to hot sauce! The majority of hot sauce brands, including Tabasco, just use three ingredients that pack a whole lot of flavour: peppers, vinegar, and a tiny amount of salt. To make it even healthier, buy an organic or all-natural hot sauce from your local health food store. Note: Those with arthritis or inflamed injuries should avoid excessive use of hot sauce, as it may worsen inflammation.

3. Spice it Up Many pre-packaged spice mixes contain sugar, gluten, msg, or other additives. Try making your own culturally inspired spice combinations to add depth to your dishes while keeping them healthy. Mix equal parts of each dried spice and then add a pinch of sea salt. Greek : oregano, garlic powder, mint, thyme, basil, marjoram, onion flakes. Jamaican Jerk: onion powder, thyme, allspice, cinnamon, sprinkle of cayenne. Italian : garlic powder, oregano, parsley, pepper, thyme, celery flakes. Asian 5 spice: anise powder, pepper, fennel, cinnamon, cloves.

4. Up the Umami Factor Are you cutting out meat and processed foods, but feel like your meals are missing a crucial flavour? Our tongue can taste five different sensations – sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami (meaning “beautiful taste” in Japanese.) Umami is a savoury or meaty taste that is found in high concentrations in meat. Our umami taste bud receptors are why people LOVE the flavour of MSG (monosodium glutamate), a popular food additive that may have unhealthful properties. Want to get the umami taste without the meat or MSG? The flavour is also found in many other foods and its presence creates a satisfying savoury sensation. Try adding one of these items to your dishes: Soya sauce or coconut aminos (coconut-derived soya sauce alternative), miso, aged cheese, mushrooms, or nutritional yeast flakes (add to sauces such as pesto for a dairy-free, cheesy flavour). For omnivores, the umami taste can also be found in smoked fish, anchovies, and shellfish.

5. Pass Me the Salt! Salt has a bad rap, but some salt can actually be good for you. In the standard North American diet, excessive table salt is added to poorly made foods to give them flavour, pushing us over the amount our body can handle and causing negative health effects. However, our bodies need some salt to function – it is an electrolyte and is involved in many bodily functions. Limit your consumption of high sodium processed foods, but don’t forgo all salt (unless recommended by your doctor.) At home, flavour your food with a pinch of healthy, nutritious salts such as sea salt or Himalayan salt (the pink colored salt). These contain a bounty of minerals that standard table salt does not – and they can make a huge difference in how yummy your meal tastes.

Enjoy adding some extra kick to your healthy meals – your body and taste buds deserve it.

The post How To Make Healthy Meals Taste Better appeared first on Let it be. Health.

  Image Source , Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition 2013

Supermodel Kate Upton’s self-confidence and love for her body actually helped change my perspective on my own body.

I grew up with a great body. It was never chiselled or “model-thin” but I was tall, of average weight, and blessed with above average breast size and soft curves.

Somehow, I didn’t think it was enough. I desperately wanted to be thinner, fitter, more “cut.” Everything that made me a woman I wanted gone; the way my bra cut into the flesh of my back, the soft little bump at the bottom of my otherwise flat stomach, the slight jiggle of my thighs.

Maybe I picked up the idea I needed to be thinner from the endless images of super-skinny models I had been exposed to over my life. Maybe it was learned from my parents and my peers. Either way, I had decided that there needed to be less of me (physically) so that I could be more accepted and loved. One thing is for sure: I became less of myself. I stopped being the innocent, radiant, happy youth that I once was and became obsessed with changing my body. I didn’t shine anymore. I wasn’t me anymore.

After hitting rock bottom through years of insecurity-fueled, self destructive behaviour, I decided it was time to change the way I thought about myself and my body. On my path to self love, I looked up to Kate Upton. Many revolutionary models had come before her, but most were categorized as “plus size.” They were separated from traditional models, who generally are 5’10” and up, and wear dress size 0-2. These measurements have been held to an ideal, but they are actually considered very underweight in the body mass index that doctors use. Amazingly, despite being a size 8-10, not a size 0-2, Upton did not get put into a separate category. She got to retain her status as a “regular” model.

Upton has said that she loves her body₁ and she is not going to starve just to be thin. “I want to enjoy life and I can’t if I’m not eating and miserable.”₂ She went on to say, “I’m proud of my size. That’s an important message to young girls: Love who you are. It’s so easy to feel negative about yourself and it is totally self-destructive. If you can only love and accept who you are, you will be a lot happier.”₃

Yes, Kate is conventionally beautiful and still very thin, and yes… there is a large emphasis on her breasts in all of her modelling. However, I believe she represents a stepping stone in media images that we, the general public, are exposed to. She points in a direction of a future containing more models that aren’t underweight. What this will mean is that every time a young girl flips through a beauty magazine, she isn’t comparing herself to body types that only belong to less than 5% of the population. ₄

I think the main reason why Kate inspires me is the contrast between my life and hers. Previously, I had let my insecurities hold me back, while she let her confidence carry her forward. I just had a handful of people judging me on my physical appearance, but she has thousands every day. Everyone has an opinion on her. Some are glowing and some are scathing. In reaction to judgment from others, I cried in my room and hated myself while she was walking down a runway like it was the best day of her life. (It probably was!)

In comparing myself with Kate, I’m not saying I ever wanted to be a supermodel like her. What I wanted was a happy life where I felt confident and empowered to go after my dreams. I suspect that the difference between Upton and I, mentally, is that she loves herself and I didn’t. When you love yourself, it doesn’t matter what other people think of you; whether there is thousands of people critiquing you or just one. The only thing that matters is what YOU think of you.

This year, armed with the knowledge that the only opinion on my appearance that matters is my own, I resolve to unconditionally love my body.

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. So – look in the mirror. Behold : that’s you. Now… stop focusing on flaws for just a moment (I know it seems impossible sometimes, but you can do it!) and you will see your beauty. It’s there. No matter what. Despite acne or love handles or body hair or cellulite, you are beautiful. Everyone is. Whether I’m having a day where I feel like a supermodel or a day where I feel like the kid picked last in gym class, I will see my true beauty. That’s my resolution. It may not be an easy bar I’ve set for myself, but it’s one worth jumping for.

Kate Upton is my inspiration, but there are many other body-confident models out there that don’t fit the typical mold:

Image Source

  Image Source

Elle Mayday, a plus size model who continues to work despite cancer treatment that caused her to lose her hair.

Image Source

Crystal Renn, a size zero model who recovered from anorexia and went on to become a very famous plus size model.

Image Source

Casey Legler, a woman who exclusively models menswear.

Image Source

Chantelle Young (Winnie) who appeared on America’s Next Top Model. She has a rare skin disease called vitiligo.

Image Source

Moffy, the stunning cross-eyed model.

Who do you look up to? Comment below!

Citations: ₁ Upton, “I love my body” : ABC News, 2013/05 ₂ Upton, “I’m not going to starve just to be thin. I want to enjoy life and I can’t if I’m not eating and miserable.” : Fox News, 2012/07/16 ₃ Upton, “I’m proud of my size. That’s an important message to young girls: Love who you are. It’s so easy to feel negative about yourself and it is totally self-destructive. If you can only love and accept who you are, you will be a lot happier.” : US Magazine, 2014/14/04 ₄ Media portrayed body types belong to 5% of population: Do Something.org
 

The post Love My Body appeared first on Let it be. Health.

1. Drink lots of water 

• The more salt and alcohol and rich foods you consume, the more water you need. Water also helps flush all those holiday toxins from your body!

2. Take a walk with family

• Holidays are about spending time with your family. If you can convince them to put down the box of Turtles, go for a nice crisp walk outdoors. If it’s way too cold for that, try walking inside the mall. Braving the crazy malls during holiday season sound terrifying? Don Santa hats and just watch how many people smile at you.

3. Eat less sugar

• Sugary sweet things are amazing with the first bite, and even better with the second. The problem is that too much sugar gives us a rush of energy and then we crash – leaving us fatigued, irritable, and craving more sugar. Next thing you know, you’re on your third gingerbread-man of the day, and you’re not even sure why. You don’t have to avoid the sweet stuff completely (that’s no fun!) but don’t let sugar boss you around either. Just have small amounts of your favourite treats and really, really savour them.

4. Get Your Portion Ratios Right

• An ideal plate of food has a little bit of protein and fat, a moderate amount of carbs, and a ton of fruits and veggies. What does this actually look like?
  Fat (butter, nuts, hollandaise sauce, oil-based dressings):
  The size of your thumb (or less)
  Protein (fish, turkey, meat, eggs):
  The size of your fist
  Carbs (stuffing, bread, sweet potatoes, yams, mashed potatoes, turnips):
  The size of your hand
  Vegetables and Fruits (all veg & salads except for the high-carb veggies listed above):
  The size of both of your hands side-by-side  

5. Avoid Overeating

• Overeating is usually caused by eating too fast. Our stomach signals our brain to tell us when we are full, but if we shovel food in too quickly, we get the signal too late! No one wants to be uncomfortably full, even if Mom’s home cooked turkey dinner is that good. Give your body time to tell you when it’s full by putting your fork down on your plate during each bite. Take a bite, put the fork down, chew your food thoroughly, swallow, and then pick the fork back up again. Repeat. Make conversation with your family or friends between bites. The more you talk, the slower you eat. Many cultures, such as the French, traditionally eat in this social & leisurely manner and it shows in their health.

6. Drink Smart

• Holiday parties are fun, but the hangover is not. Here’s how to prevent it:
  · Have a glass of water between every alcoholic beverage – this keeps you from getting dehydrated, one of the main causes of hangovers.
  · Don’t mix and match: pick your poison, and try to stick with it all night. (Beer followed by more beer, not followed by rum and coke.)
  · When drinking hard alcohol, avoid mixing it with sugary soda or cocktail mixes. Instead, try mixing with soda water and a splash of lemon, lime, or fruit juice. TIP: Skip the tonic water and have soda water instead: they taste pretty similar except tonic water has just as much sugar in it as a can of coke!

Wishing you and yours a Happy and Healthy Holidays!

The post 6 Tips for a Healthier Holidays appeared first on Let it be. Health.

Welcome to the official blog of let it be.HEALTH! For those of you who are new to our company, we are a distributor of high quality health products. We are the parent company of Biological Botanicals, a professional line of nutraceuticals that believes that the nutritional power of plants can help heal your body. We are a business-to-business health solutions provider, helping other companies reach their full health potential by formulating, marketing and private labeling new and existing products. Creating and branding unique lines of supplements and vitamins for companies that span across different industries takes an open mind to accept and understand all interpretations of health. The objective of this blog will be to explore the many views and encourage you to share your own or inspire you to find it. We are not here to judge, define or confine health. Our philosophy is to simply, let it be HEALTH!

So what’s our story?

Founded in 2011, let it be.HEALTH is not just about creating high-quality, personalized supplement brands. It’s about standing up for a world where everyone can express who they truly are as an individual. We’ve grown up being told a million different nutrition facts by a million different voices – TV show hosts, health professionals, media, even our parents. We’ve been told that fruit has too much sugar, and running is too hard on the joints. Paradoxically, we’ve also been told that fruit is the world’s healthiest food and everyone should run daily. The reality is, there are so many different opinions that we’ve all gotten a little confused about health – not to mention a little disempowered. It’s a lot easier to just reach for a basket of french fries than try to figure out what’s actually good for you. At let it be.HEALTH, we present a unique perspective: We believe that each person is biochemically unique and what is healthy for one person may not be healthy for others. For some, health is having a protein shake and going to the gym. For others, it’s battling chronic mental and physical illness with everything they’ve got. For many, it’s having one less bag of chips per week. We embrace what health is to you, and we celebrate it. Life isn’t about everyone marching to the beat of the same drum. Life is about discovering your identity, listening to your body, and harnessing your power to make positive changes in your life.

How do you let it be?

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Come check out our latest event at the Natural Product Expo between Mar 7 – 9!

– Let it be Team

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