Harper Health and Wellness

Hi! Why am I smiling? Not because Lewis photo bombed this picture ! Also because a group of kick ass women have decided to join me on ditching diets and finding food freedom through healthy and sustainable behaviours in 2021! I get the pleasure of starting to work with them today for 6 weeks. I am honestly so excited! I hope you are starting your year off by adding things to your life rather than taking them away (unless of course they no longer serve you ). Why not... shift your focus to adding things to your life that are healthy, sustainable and make you happy like: Joyful movement Walks in nature Time with people you love who love you back (even if virtually) More variety on your plate More water Less guilt More self compassion Sleep Less screen time Meditation What will you add to your life this year to make yourself feel good? #intuitiveliving #foodfreedom #dietsdonotwork #ditchrestrictivediets #antidiet #antidietnutritionist #allfoodsfit #healthymindset #mindbodyspirit #abundancemindset #allbodiesaregoodbodies #bodydiversity #bodyrespect #bodyneutrality #bodyacceptance #harperhealthandwellness See more

Woohoo! Anyone else wake up this morning and feel proud of themselves for not starting a diet or cleanse yesterday? I am here to tell you that I am proud of you. I am proud of you if you gave diet culture the finger . I am proud of you that you ate to nourish your body and make you feel your best - physically, mentally and emotionally. Please don’t come back at me and tell me we need to restrict after all the holiday indulgences. That is not the answer. Life will com...e back into balance. Trust me when I tell you that you will not want to eat Peppermint Crackle ice cream all day, every day . Please be compassionate with yourself this year. The last thing we all need is to beat ourselves up for food choices. Do what makes you feel good and be kind to yourself at the same time. What will you do to take care do yourself today? #ditchthediet #dietsdontwork #foodfreedom #intuitiveeating #intutiveliving #bekindtoyourself #selfcompassion #allfoodsfit #antidietnutritionist #holisticnutritionist #allbodiesaregoodbodies #bodyrespect #bodyacceptance #bodyneutrality #harperhealthandwellness See more

Let’s clear up some confusion! PLEASE READ. I get a lot of questions about my approach as a nutritionist. I want to make it clear that I am not suggesting anyone eats donuts and cookies all day long! It would be unprofessional of me to suggest that. However, my approach to living a healthy and sustainable lifestyle is that it is ok to include those foods when you want them and to not feel guilt when you do. Guilt will literally do more harm than a few cookies! It is also ...well proven that restriction leads to bingeing. If these foods are in your life from time to time, you will feel less of a need to binge on them. My role as a nutritionist is to support you with your health and wellness goals. Many of the women I work with come from years of dieting and restriction. As we know, dieting does not work (in the long run). I help these women take control of their lives and make decisions based on their needs and not external messages or cues from others. I provide them with support as they heal their relationship with food and their body. This does not mean I am telling them to eat fun foods all day. We know eventually this would not feel good. I never tell someone to eat foods that don’t make them feel good. However, I am very concerned that you work on healing your mindset around food before worrying about what you eat. I want you to understand that all foods can fit into a healthy lifestyle! My only goal is for women to feel better in their own skin! Don’t you think it is time to take control of our bodies and feel our best? #intuitiveeating #intuitiveliving #selfcompassion #bekindtoyourself #foodfreedom #antidiet #antidietculture #antidietnutritionist #dietsdontwork #allfoodsfit #allbodiesaregoodbodies #bodyrespect #bodyacceptance #harperhealthandwellness See more

Not the picture you expected on Harper Health and Wellness on the last day of 2020, right? Well....in a year that threw us for a loop, why not throw you for a loop with this picture! Some may say this picture is off brand but to that I say nah! My son put a jacket on Lewis and for some reason we thought it was hilarious. I’m not sure Lewis did ! ... I am sharing this with you because if this year has taught me anything, it is to find joy in the little things. We lost many things this year but we never lost the ability to find joy in the little things. I will continue to live my life this way. I will continue to share moments that bring a smile to my face in an effort to also make you smile . As we cross off 2020, I wish you all love, health and happiness. Be compassionate to yourself and others. Please don’t lose the ability to find joy in the everyday #littlethingsthatmakemehappy #bekindalways #bekindtoyourself #intuitiveliving #mindfulliving #laughteristhebestmedicine #findjoyinthelittlethings #harperhealthandwellness See more

Good morning all! It is a chilly one here! I hope you are staying warm and cozy! I wanted to share my latest blog post with you. It is all about what I will be cutting out of my diet this month. Any guesses as to what it is? Have a great day and if you want to chat about this or any other related topics, I am always here. ... Happy Thursday! https://www.harperhealthandwellness.com//what-i-will-be-cu

Do you want to start the new year with a smile on your face and less food guilt? Well you have come to the right place! Instead of starting yet another diet on January 1, why not start the year ditching diets and working towards a healthy and sustainable lifestyle! It is a well known fact that diets don’t work, so why do we keep wasting money and feeling crappy about ourselves for something that is proven not to work? Seems pointless, no? I will be running a 6 week gro...up program starting on January 4th. The program will cover topics such as: Intuitive Eating Body Image Ditching Diets Mindful Eating ...and the list goes on. My wish for you is that you will complete this program with: Less food guilt Better body appreciation An understanding of why diets don’t work Tools to create a healthy and sustainable lifestyle More self compassion! For more details on the program, please go to the link in my bio and click on the first tab. If you want to chat, please book a call as I can talk for hours about this topic Happy Friday beautiful people! Enjoy your weekend! Isn’t it time to treat your body with self compassion and lose the food guilt? #foodfreedom #intuitiveeating #ditchtheguilt #dietsdontwork #allbodiesaregoodbodies #allbodiesarebeautiful #bodydiversity #antidietculture #antidietnutritionist #bodyacceptance #bodyappreciation #harperhealthandwellness See more

If you are still wondering what to get someone for Christmas or what to ask for....how about the gift of healthy and sustainable habits? Gift cards are available for purchase on my website www.harperhealthandwellness.com. My programs are listed on the website. Please keep in mind, if there is something else you want to work on with a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, feel free to ask as I might be able to help . Have a great day all, Tracey

I think it’s time to leaf blow my deck . I’ll get to that after I eat this delicious bowl! Once again, meal prep saved me. I knew I wanted a bowl of goodness today. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted, but I knew it had to be in a bowl . Luckily I had prepped roasted white and regular sweet potatoes, tomatoes and peppers. I didn’t want the hard boiled egg I had prepped (intuitive eating 101), so I pan fried halloumi and topped with avocado and La Bomba ! ... It hit the spot and the flavours, textures and taste were on point! Do you pay attention to textures, smell and flavour combinations when eating? Or do you mindlessly inhale your food? #intuitiveeating #foodfreedom #nofoodguilt #mealprep #everythingtastesbetterinabowl #antidiet #antidietculture #nutrionist #ditchthediet #dietsdontwork #bodyacceptance #bodyappreciation #harperhealthandwellness See more

My kids and I laugh about this expression all the time. However, this week it will be so important to block out the haters. By haters, I mean diets and diet culture. This is the loudest week of the year for diet culture. This is the week you will be told you are not good enough in the body you are in. ... This is the week your weight will be compared to your worth. This is the week your exercise routine will be challenged as not being enough. This is the week your body image will be put to the ultimate test. This is the week you will be told to feel guilt and shame for your food choices. This is the week you will be told that a 30 day cleanse/diet will solve all of your health problems. I know this week is hard, very hard. But please, please remember you are the only one who knows what your body needs. A gentle reminder that approximately 95% of intentional weight loss does not last. Why start another year setting yourself up for failure? Please remember your body is not the problem. Our culture is the problem. Isn’t it time to block out the haters and work to find healthy and sustainable behaviors? #blockoutthehaters #listentoyourintuition #ditchthediet #dietsdontwork #antidietculture #antidiet #foodfreedom #allfoodsfit #allbodiesaregoodbodies #bodypositivity #bodyrespect #bodyneutrality #nutritionist #miltonnutritionist #harperhealthandwellness See more

Do you plan your meals according to the weather? I had this delicious smoothie last week when the weather was almost spring like. Today, I could not have beared to have this with winter temperatures upon us. My body is so influenced by the weather as our my food choices. With cooler temps, I am all about warming foods and spices. Yet I am wishing I was back to this smoothie because it was so good.....oh and it was 20 degrees out !... Smoothie was frozen zucchini, frozen cauliflower, frozen assorted berries, @genuinehealth vanilla vegan fermented protein powder, maca and almond milk. Give it a try - you won’t be disappointed! Do you plan your meals according to the weather? Do you listen to your body and your cravings? #honouryourhealth #honouryourcravings #intuitiveeating #foodfreedom #antidiet #antidietculture #listentoyourbody #trustyourgut #trustyourintuition #bodyacceptance #bodyappreciation #bodytrust #genuinehealth #livegenuine #harperhealthandwellness

This cup of ice cream was a big deal for me. I know this sounds strange but hear me out...... I had this ice cream after a lovely dinner with my husband in Florida a few years ago. We were walking back from dinner and I wanted ice cream, he did not. He waited outside and I went in and got a cup. It was delicious and I enjoyed it as we sat and chatted. Why is this a big deal? In the past, I would not have been the one to initiate having ice cream. If someone... wanted it, I likely would have said no as ice cream was definitely on my bad list. More importantly, I never would have enjoyed ice cream if no one else was having it. I would have felt like others would be judging me for having ice cream when they weren’t. If you have never struggled with food guilt or restriction, you may not understand this. However, if you know, you know. I viewed ice cream as bad and therefore I believed I was bad for eating it. Please, please understand you are not bad for eating ice cream! As I type this, I realize how ridiculous it was that I thought that. Yet there are messages all around us to make us believe this, so I no longer feel like this was my fault. If you take one thing away from this story, please know that food has no moral value and you are not bad for eating certain foods. It is time we ditch these thoughts and turn back to ourselves to listen to what we really want to nourish our bodies. Nourishing our bodies isn’t only physical. It is also mental and emotional. This memory of eating ice cream with my husband was so much more than physical. I have so much compassion for anyone who is still stuck in diet culture. I am here to help if you have these feelings of guilt and restriction. Please remember to be compassionate with yourself as you deal with these feelings. Can you relate to these feelings? Do you view food as bad and good? (Zero judgement if you do as we are taught this from a very young age).

I will call this breakfast A Hug in a Bowl Seriously, these gingerbread oats were so warming and delicious - like a hug! Btw, I miss hugs! I mean I am still hugging my family but I miss other people!! We have now entered that weird week between Christmas and New Year’s when no one knows the day ! Well today is Monday - you’re welcome!... This recipe will be included in the 6 week group program I am running. The lucky women participating also get to enjoy a hug in a bowl! Send me a message if interested as there is still time to sign up! What are you doing today to make yourself feel loved? #bekindtoyourself #honouryourhealth #foodfreedom #intuitiveeating #allfoodsfit #ditchthediet #dietculturesucks #antidietnutritionist #treatyourbodywell #allbodiesaregoodbodies #bodyrespect #bodyneutral #bodyappreciation #harperhealthandwellness See more

This is the face of a woman who has worked hard to heal her relationship with food. This photo was taken a few years ago on a girls weekend. We had mussels, fries and crusty French bread for lunch! It was so delicious . I ate all of it and did not make up excuses as to why I wasn’t eating it or try to leave the table because these foods were on my bad list. I share this story with you because a few years prior, this would not have been the case. I would have felt i...mmense guilt for eating fries and bread at lunch with no vegetable in sight! I might have compensated the next day with extra exercise or restricted my food intake. Please believe me when I tell you that this is no way to live! Life is so much more than the food we eat and the way our bodies look. In the next few weeks, I will be hosting a workshop on How to Heal your Relationship with Food. Please sign up for my newsletter if you are interested as I will be announcing more details in there. Click the link in my bio and it takes you to the sign up. Can you relate to the old me? Did you have food rules that made you miss special moments with friends and family? #foodfreedom #intuitiveeating #antidiet #antidietnutritionist #dietsdontwork #dietssuck #nofoodguilt #bodyacceptance #bodyappreciation #bodyneutrality #harperhealthandwellness See more

Can we agree that in the new year, we will focus more on what we add to our lives rather than take away? Apparently I will be adding A LOT of berries ! In all seriousness, can we agree that it’s time to focus on what makes us feel best emotionally, mentally and physically? Let’s add those things to our lives and eliminate the things that make us feel like ! ... We all know what makes us feel our best. It might require some work and focus but isn’t it worth it in the end? My wish for all of you is to end this year (see ya 2020) and start the new year focusing on what makes feel your best. Don’t worry about what anyone else is doing. It’s time to tune into ! What will you be adding to your life in 2021? P.S. Big bowl of oats inspired by all the yummy bowls @drtarasunshine has been posting lately #abundancemindset #honouryourself #bekindtoyourself #intuitiveliving #intuitiveeating #intuitivemovement #ditchthediet #antidiet #honouryourbody #allbodiesaregoodbodies #bodyrespect #bodyacceptance #harperhealthandwellness See more

A message to parents - please be mindful of the messages you are telling your children - directly or indirectly. I was saddened to hear a friend tell her small children that carbs are not good for you and you need to watch your intake . Carbs are essential for our bodies and our brains. Carbs are our most efficient source of energy. Why have we let diet culture convince us otherwise . ... I understand that this Mom might have thought she was protecting her children and sharing sound advice. However, what she might have been doing was setting them up to fear carbs and see them as bad. If your intention is to bring up healthy children, please tell them . Restriction is not the answer. This only promotes disordered thoughts around food, sneaking food and shame for eating the bad food. Please be mindful of your words. If you ever need help with dismantling diet culture, I am here to help. Now tell me.....what is your favourite carb? #carbsarenottheenemy #foodfreedom #antidiet #antidietnutritionist #intuitiveeating #mindfuleating #allfoodsfit #dietssuck #dietsarenotsustainable #bodyappreciation #bodyacceptance #harperhealthandwellness See more

The combination of the holidays and increased Covid restrictions have people freaked out about weight gain. Trust me, I get it. However, I am here to remind you that dieting is not the answer. It may help in the short term but in the long run, it’s not healthy or sustainable. When I tell people I am anti diet, I get strange looks and lots of questions. People question my commitment to helping people feel better. People question why a nutritionist would be against diet...s. Again let me remind you diets don’t work (and no I’m not talking about diets for medical purposes). Just because I am anti diet, doesn’t mean I am anti health. I want you to feel amazing in your body, have more energy, sleep better, run longer, get stronger and the list goes on. I am all for your health. What I am against is you beating yourself up for every morsel you eat and feeling guilt and shame where food and your body are concerned. Do you see the difference? Do you understand that I am all for your health? I’m just not for diets that make you feel like ! #antidietnutritionist #ditchthediet #dietsdontwork #honouryourhealth #intuitiveeating #intuitiveliving #respectyourbody #listentoyourbody #allbodiesaregoodbodies #bodyrespect #bodyacceptance #harperhealthandwellness

‘Tis the season to beat ourselves up! Many of us feel immense guilt for our food choices over the holidays. I get it. I have been there. However, I ask you this year to please pause and make sure you include self compassion into meal time. We have been through enough this year. Many of us are feeling sad for how this season will look. Many of us are dealing with loss for different reasons. This is no time to feel guilt for food choices. ... Acknowledge your choices. Become curious with your emotions if you eat too much and please, please be kind to you. I am so tired of the messages saying just get back on track! How about we accept this is a difficult time and be gentle with ourselves. Our bodies are very intuitive - if we let them be! We will get back to where we feel our best but don’t be too hard on yourselves as you find that place. Will you join me in making sure self-compassion is included at meal time? #intuitiveeating #selfcompassion #bekindtoyourself #foodfreedom #allfoodsfit #guiltisnotaningredient #antidiet #antidietnutritionist #ditchthediet #ditchdietculture #allbodiesaregoodbodies #bodypositivity #bodyrespect #harperhealthandwellness See more

Sunshine and muffins! What else do we need? Over the past 6 months, I have worked really hard to focus on the things I can control. The world is uncertain and so much is out of our control. In order to do this, I focus on little things that make me happy and fill my cup. Honestly, it might sound silly but sunshine and the smell of freshly baked muffins did the trick this morning. ... My simple message to you today is to find the little things that bring you joy and start adding them to your life. Maybe it’s muffins, a walk with a friend (even virtually), a bath, a book/podcast etc. We can control what makes us feel good, so please start focusing on that rather than the many things we have no control over. What will you do today to make you smile? #selfcare #selflove #bekindtoyourself #bekindalways #honouryourhealth #focusonwhatyoucancontrol #intuitiveeating #intuitiveliving #bodyacceptance #bodyappreciation #harperhealthandwellness See more