Christina Najjar: Acupuncture and Nutrition
2122B Montreal Road K1J 6M7 Ottawa, ON, Canada

I'm accepting acupuncture patients in Ottawa! Acupuncture remains open during lockdown, and is a helpful tool to manage those lockdown blues. Do you have questions? Don't hesitate to get in contact or book a 15-Minute Discovery Session at no charge to you. To book: https://livewellmfr.janeapp.com/

As far as I’ve encountered in my practice, there are two types of people, when it comes to mushrooms: the mushroom lovers, and the ones who can’t handle the texture. I totally get it. I had a strong dislike for mushrooms for a long time because of the texture. But at some point, my enjoyment of the mushroom umami taste started to outweigh the texture concerns. Recipe link: ... https://bitesofwellness.com/best-ever-mushroom-soup/ See more

I know you could hear the crickets chirping in here over the last few months. The closer I got to my board exams for acupuncture, the more I started to develop tunnel vision, focusing only on studying. I really started feeling the pressure. I told myself I would start posting in here again once my board exams were over. But then my exams came and went. As I took some time to rest and recuperate, my brain started to feel less and less like scrambled eggs. But I walked out of m...y exams feeling like the odds of having passed were low. And so, the stress continued on. I found myself unable to fully immerse myself in my work for long periods of time because it forced me to do some planning while I felt like I was in limbo while waiting for the results of the board exams. But finally, last week, I received the good news. I passed my board exams and promptly submitted my application for registration with the governing body for acupuncturists in Ontario. Acupuncture services will be available hopefully starting in January, once my application is approved. If you would like to be added to the waitlist to be notified as soon as bookings open, send an email to [email protected] and include your first and last name, your phone number, and the email you would like to have on file.

*Why I got into working with periods and hormones* I had always struggled with my own never-ending, heavy, and painful periods. As far as I knew in my teens, my only option was to go on the pill. It was a good bandaid while it lasted. As soon as I went off the pill, all my symptoms came back. But I was busy trying to get a handle on all of my food sensitivities. I studied nutrition with a mission to make food sensitivities more manageable for others going through what I had b...een going through. But I started to notice a connection between food sensitivities and problematic periods in a lot of my clients. And it became clear to me just how many people were suffering with a lot of the issues I had gone through. I've heard this story countless times from clients, and I know it all too well because it was my story too. They spend years trying to get answers as to why their periods are as bad as they are. They get dismissed for many, many years. And when, finally, someone decides to do further testing, all kinds of issues are found. Except that now, it's about 10 years after the problem first started, and addressing something chronic like that is much, much more difficult than if it had been addressed right off the bat. Treatment options provided in these cases usually involve some sort of medication that will either synthetically supplement hormones or stop their cycles altogether. And while that may seem like an attractive option at first, many people are turned off by the overwhelming side effects. I got tired of hearing this story over and over. I felt very frustrated with the options our system provides. But I'm the kind of person who tries to turn their frustration into something productive. For me, frustration usually quickly turns into motivation. So I took more courses to get a better understanding of hormones and how food can help. But I wanted to do more. Nutrition is so helpful in this case, but it's also a slower, longer process. I knew that acupuncture could, in many cases, get the ball rolling faster. So I went back to school for acupuncture. And if you could all cross your fingers that I pass my licensing exams in October, I would be able to provide these extra tools to those who are suffering. If you can relate to this story, please don't allow yourself to keep suffering. Join the Nutrition for PMS, PCOS, & Endometriosis group and get the tools you need to start turning things around. This week, we're coming up with period-friendly recipes to favourite meals.

You know things are getting serious around here when the DSLR comes out. If everything works out well, there may be some videos coming out in the near future

Haaaave you met teff (any HIMYM fans here?)? If you've never heard of teff before, your life is about to change. You're welcome Teff is a gluten free grain which tastes fantastic both as a whole grain and ground into a flour. It has a nutty flavour that adds more depth to a dish, whether savoury or sweet. And the best part is that if you're on a budget, this grain kicks ass. It may seem expensive on the shelf at the grocery store because it costs ~$1.50-2.25 (CAD) per cup. ...But this grain absorbs so much water while cooking that 1 cup can easily make 7-8 portions of cooked teff. Make it a complete savoury meal on a budget by sautéing cooked teff with carrots, onions, zucchini, and some peas or chickpeas for a vegan meal, or toss in some sliced chicken. It also works well as a sweeter porridge. Top the cooked teff with some berries, hemp hearts, and some sliced or chopped almonds. Finish it off with a bit of oat milk (or your preference of milk-type beverage) for that extra pleasant experience. It also works well as a flour in gluten free baking. If you've ever eaten Ethiopian food, teff flour is the main ingredient in injera, that flatbread you receive with your meal. It weighs roughly the same as an equal amount of brown rice flour, so if brown rice flour is a no no for you, swap it out in gluten free recipes in favour of teff flour (you may slightly need to increase the liquid in the recipe). Bear in mind that teff is a darker grain, so it may not be ideal for your vanilla cake, but it's so flipping delicious in bread. Have you tried it before? What are your favourite ways to make it?

Some days I feel like an impostor. I'm out there telling people to take care of their health, and to put their well-being first. In the meantime, I seem to forget to follow that advice for myself. For a long time, I've been on a mission to help others gain control over their health. It's my life's purpose. I feel really passionate about this because I see how much it changes a person's life, and the type of positive ripple effect it can have. The beautiful thing about Nutriti...Continue reading

Since I can't really eat any kind of spices or fat at the moment, it's easy to get stuck in a porridge and soup loop. It takes a bit of creativity to change it up when the list of things I can eat is short. Can you relate? Over the weekend I made some "quiche". The crust is made of butternut squash mixed with a bit of salt. The "egg" filling consists of skinned chickpeas (because my gut can't handle the skin right now) mixed with salt and nutritional yeast. I used red peppers, carrots, and green onions as the vegetable filling. These were tasty the day of, but they're even better reheated!

I've wanted to try making gluten free pierogies for a while but never really had the time. It turned out to be incredibly challenging, but so tasty!

Cream soups are easy to make dairy free if you have access to full fat coconut milk. For this cream of pumpkin soup, I used canned pumpkin puree, I cooked up carrots and onions that I already had on hand, and added a bit of thyme. Really easy and quite delicious!