Natalie Elia, P.Dt - Référence Nutrition

11/11/2021

Happy to be part of a wonderful team of specialized dietitians :)

Nutrition Reference is super proud to announce that it has welcomed a new dietitian on the team : Natalie Elia, RD!!
Having worked in a family medicine clinic, Natalie brings a wide spectrum of expertise and her services are available in English, French, Arabic & Greek.

To read her full bio : https://www.referencenutrition.ca/fr/a-propos

To book an appointment with her : 450-918-4898 or [email protected]

02/04/2020

What I eat in a day inspo - dietitian edition 😋
Although not pictured, I ALWAYS start my day off with a cup of warm coffee ☕️ and a generous splash of almond milk which I usually sip on while driving to work.
🕘 Recently, breakfast has been some some Greek yogurt paired with seasonal fruit - pictured here is a persimmon 🍅.
🕙 Between clients, I typically snack on a granola bar with a high protein content to keep me satiated until lunch.
🕜 Salmon, sweet potatoes 🍠 broccoli 🥦 and butternut squash were all thrown into my air fryer during my weekend meal prep session.
🕠 Cantaloupe and cheese cubes 🧀 to fuel my afternoon Zumba class.
🕣 Everything in my fridge salad for supper featuring crab sticks 🦀cranberries and pumpkin seeds.
🕤 And of course, the day must end with a little something sweet. In this case- a vegan turmeric cake also known as “sfouf”, paired with a warm mug of chamomile tea ☕️.
And voilà, a day full of nourishing, delicious and non-restrictive food choices 🙃.

01/24/2020

Ever looked at a nutrition label and felt confused about what exactly you should be searching for🧐? You’re not alone! I’ve got some expert decoding skills ⌨️to help you out.. so let’s get straight to it ⤵️
💚1️⃣First thing you want to look at is the serving size. This is what the rest of the values on the label are based on.
💜2️⃣% daily value. This number reflects what percentage of a nutrient is found in a single serving of the food and should help you get an idea of how nutritious it is. As a rule of thumb, % DV less than ◀️ 5% is considered low in nutrients and above ▶️15% is high in nutrients. For the healthiest choice, I advise my clients to choose foods that are LOW in the nutrients highlighted in orange 🧡 and HIGH in the nutrients highlighted in blue💙.
3️⃣ You’ll notice sugar does not have a % DV (yet...), but what you need to know Is that it consists of natural as well as added sugars. ➡️ Added sugars are what you want to keep to a minimum and the best way to assess that is by reading the ingredient list. Ingredients are listed in descending order ⬇️ by weight. The closer added sugars are to the top ⬆️ of the list, the less beneficial (health wise) the food product becomes ✖️.
4️⃣Finally, protein! Another nutrient that is not accompanied by a % DV. Protein has multiple properties; not only is it a building block for muscles 💪🏻, it also provides a component of satiety😋. With that information, I’ll leave it up to you to decide on the amount of protein you want to be looking for when purchasing a food product 😉.
Happy informed shopping 🛒to you all!

01/19/2020

This snowy weather calls for some warm and hearty lemon lentil soup 🍋🍲... also known as “3adas bhamod” for my fellow Lebanese followers 😉
Watch the video for a step by step tutorial for a vitamin, fiber and plant-based protein rich bowl of yumminess 😋

01/16/2020

Ever snacked on apple 🍏 to curb your afternoon hunger only to feel just as hungry 30 minutes later 🕜? You’re not alone... biochemistry is to blame🤯.
Fruit 🍌🍉🍇is made up of monosaccharides; carbohydrates which are rapidly digested by our bodies. This causes a sharp peak ⬆️⬇️in our blood sugar levels (normal physiological response), and as a consequence leaves us feeling hungry 😋 shortly afterwards.
Pairing fruit with a source of healthy fat 🥜or protein 🥚will slow down digestion and prolong satiety for a good while longer than a piece of fruit on its own!
So, next time you’re feeling hungry and rummaging through the pantry 🛒for a snack, try to pair a fiber-filled carb with a healthy fat or protein 👍🏻.
Granny Smith apples with a drizzle of sea salt peanut butter is one of my “go-to” afternoon pick me ups but the options are truly endless. Check out other examples down below ⤵️

❣️Whole-wheat crackers + cheese.
❣️Pretzels or vegetable sticks + hummus.
❣️Dried fruit + nuts.
❣️Fresh fruit + Greek yogurt.
Happy snacking to you all 🥰

01/10/2020

Oh Canada, why you gotta be so cold 🥶?
Vitamin D, the “sunshine vitamin 🌞” is produced when the sun’s rays interact with our skin. In icy ❄️ Canada, we don’t get as much sun as we need to produce enough Vitamin D. More, importantly there are very few food sources of Vitamin D making it nearly impossible for us to meet our needs for this essential vitamin during our (far too long 👎🏻) winter months.
Why essential you may ask 🧐? Well, Vitamin D has been shown to have numerous health benefits. It has been shown to help build stronger bones 🦷 by increasing the absorption of calcium and therefore prevents diseases such as osteoporosis or osteomalacia. It also improves the function of muscles 💪🏻 , which can improve your balance and decrease the likelihood of falling and suffering a fracture. It can lower your chances of developing some forms of cancer 🏨- specifically colon, breast, ovarian and prostate cancer. Early stage research has even shown that it can reduce your risk of and help manage type 2 diabetes 🍭, regulate mood 😁 and ward off depression especially seasonal affective disorder, prevent neurocognitive disorder also known as Dementia 👨🏽‍🦳and enhance immune function to help keep the flu away ❌
That 👆🏻is why I typically recommend a Vitamin D supplement to almost all my clients living in countries with minimal sun exposure!

01/06/2020

Happy New Year Amigos 🥳
Tomorrow is the first Monday of 2020 and we all know what that means... DIETZILLAAA 😳
You probably know by now that in my books dieting is not the answer because food deprivation will only result in one thing...food cravings ➡️ excessive eating of deprived food ➡️food guilt and repeat 🔁 which not only creates a negative relationship with food but also leaves you feeling like a failure 😩
Friends, please let 2020 be the year you set yourself free of all the food rules and instead learn to eat ALL foods in moderation while feeling happy and confident in your body!
If you want to reach your health goals with a non-diet approach in 2020 📩email me at [email protected] to book an appointment.

12/29/2019

Melomakarona ➡️ traditional Greek Christmas cookies 🇨🇾🇬🇷
Growing up in Cyprus, our house was always filled with Melomakarona around this time of year. Since I wasn’t able to fly back ✈️ to Cyprus and spend the holidays with my family this year, I decided to bring a taste of Cyprus to icy ❄️ Montreal this weekend by baking some of these delicious cookies 🍪.
Greek/Cypriot or not, give this recipe a try! I promise it won’t disappoint!
https://www.olivetomato.com/melomakarona-greek-christmas-honey-cookies/
Note 📝: Traditionally, these cookies are quite sweet (a little too sweet for me) so for the syrup, I omitted the sugar and increased the water volume by 1.5!
Enjoy 😋

12/24/2019

👜 Just packed myself overnight oats, some of this hearty Mexican salad (on the right) and an apple with a peanut butter drizzle to eat at work before Christmas Eve dinner tomorrow night 🎄.
I’m keeping my body energized and nourished 💪🏻 throughout the day in order to avoid eating until I’m uncomfortably full once at the dinner and dessert 😋😍table.
Happy Holidays and happy eating to you all 🥰.

12/22/2019