St. Jacobs Village, Ontario

Interesting and pretty buildings line the streets in St. Jacobs

Living in Toronto is great!

Torontonians are very fortunate as we can visit many interesting towns and pretty places within a radius of 60 - 100 miles (about an hour to an hour's drive from Toronto).

A small village, St. Jacobs is a popular tourist spot

If we wanted to, we could go and explore a different city or town every weekend!

We did just that last weekend and we could not ask for better weather!

A store that makes and sells corn brooms in St. Jacobs

We went with one of our friends and exlpored a couple of places when we made our monthly visit to Waterloo.








The closest and an interesting town to visit near Waterloo is a little village called St. Jacobs Village.

St. Jacobs may not be a big place  with a population of around two thousand people, but it has a nice business area downtown. 

Enjoying a coffee at the local bakery

It is a popular tourist spot in the summer as it is a very  pretty little town  with beautiful rustic shops selling all sorts of crafts and items made by local craftsmen.

St. James Lutheran Church - downtown St. Jacobs

St. Jacobs is only a stone throw away from the St. Jacobs Farmers' Market - the largest outdoor farmers' market in Ontario.

Interesting architectural house designs in this small village

Betty enjoys window shopping at St. Jacobs

The St. James Lutheran Church, rustic homes and buildings can be found on main street downtown.

It was a pleasure strolling around and peering into these shops stopping for fresh pastries and coffee.

Many modern shops and buildings co exist with the rustic old ones

Lots of handcrafts shops around

St Jacobs Village is a unique community with around seven thousand Mennonites residing and farming in the immediate area.

A Mennonite Museum is housed inside the Visitor Centre

The St. Jacobs Visitor Centre is situated right on the downtown street with the Mennonite Museum located in the basement level of the same building.

St. Jacobs Visitor Centre

For a voluntary donation of $5.00 per adult, we went inside to learn about the story and history of the Mennonite families in the Kitchener/ Waterloo region.

A replica Mennonite church inside the museum

It was a detail display with a short documentary film, picture displays explaining the persecution of the Mennonites in Europe and their immigration to North America.

The most visible members of the Mennonite family are a group called the Old Order. They have chosen not to follow the changes of modern life.






The Old Order group of Canadian Mennonites dress in the old fashion way - men in plain shirts and pants, often with suspenders while the women wear long dresses covering their knees and with bonnets covering their hair.

Mennonites forsake modern means of transportation, instead they travel in horse drawn buggies in St. Jacobs

Traveling by horse and buggy, Mennonite families are often seen driving  in their old fashion buggies in downtown St. Jacobs and on the highways around the Waterloo area.






St Jacobs is a lovely place to visit. I have been to this village many times and I enjoy it every time we are there!  If you are in the Waterloo area, you don't want to miss this place!

R.T.
St. Jacobs Village
Ontario

Improving Liver Function = A Healthy Weight Loss for Me

Salmon - an alternate source of protein

I have never been a chubby woman, nor have been slender all my life. But I noticed, every year I have continuously gained some weight after turning forty.  Trying to lose weight, I experienced great difficulty in shedding the last five - ten pounds.

I read a book recently by an Australian doctor called Dr. Sandra Cabot who penned a booked called the Liver Cleaning Diet in which she talks about how important it is to have a healthy liver which greatly improves the body's immune system. I started following the liver cleansing diet for two months and ended up with the added benefit of losing fifteen pounds!

After shedding these extra pounds, I would like to keep them off for as long as possible.  I have not gained anything back as I have learned  and followed the twelve vital nutritional principles  to improve liver function from Dr. Cabot's book . Many friends have asked me for my secrets as how I have lost weight and able to keep them off. I  follow these principles as suggested in the book:

1. Listen to your body - don't eat if you are not hungry; don't feel guilty if you cannot finish everything on the plate

2. Drink at least 10- 12 glasses of filtered water daily

3 Avoid eating large amount of sugar

4. Don't become obsessed with measuring calories

5. Avoid food that you may be allergic to

Avoid fast or takeout food

6. Be aware of good intestinal hygiene. Only eat food that are fresh.
    Avoid the regular reheating of food as bacteria breed in stored cooked foods, especially meats.
   Avoid fast food and take out food, especially meat, as it may not be fresh.

7. Do not eat if you feel stresses or anxious.

8. Check if organically grown fresh produce free of pesticides is available in your local area.

Choose protein from non meat source

 9.  Obtain dietary protein from diverse sources, and not just from animal products such as meat, dairy and eggs.

Whole grain bread is a healthier choice

 10. Choose your breads and breads wisely

Plenty of raw fruits and vegetables is vital for your health

11. Avoid constipation by eating plenty of raw fruits and vegetables and by drinking water regularly throughout the day.

Avoid excess fats

12. Avoid excess or damaged fats.


 I am glad that I learned about these twelve healthy eating principles during my two month dietary periods.

Though I finished my special liver cleansing diet, I still follow these eating principles as I know that " You are What Your Eat" and that healthy eating will help to keep me healthy in the years to come!

R.T.
Toronto

Eating Like a Vegan for a Month - the Second Stage of My Diet

 I found the second Stage of  my diet was most challenging as I was supposed to go without meat or dairy products for a month.

Going without meat was not too difficult for me, but eliminating all dairy products from my meals - no cheese, milk, yogurt and eggs was a challenge. How was I supposed to get my protein?
From beans, nuts and lentils - the book said.  I am not a vegan, never intended to be one, therefore I have no idea how to cook nutritious vegan food that would meet my daily dietary requirements.

It was a good thing that I was following Dr. Sandra  Cabot's book which provided a number of tasty recipes containing meatless dishes.

Flax Seeds

I particularly like her suggestion of  including LSA in my meals.

LSA - a mixture of ground seeds.
L - Linseed/ Flax seeds
S - Sunflower seeds
A - Almonds

Sunflower seeds

I grounded up these three different kinds of seeds and stored them in a jar. Whenever I ate my meals, I put a few tablespoons in my food. In fact, the LSA tasted so delicious that I put it in all my food to increase my protein intake.

Almonds

Yes, the second stage of my diet was challenging as I must bring with me my own food when attending my friends' parties or eating out with friends and families. But it was rewarding!

Going to the gym 2-3x a week was important

During my dieting period, I kept going to the gym 2-3 times a week to take part in dance exercise classes. |Every time I weighed myself, I got lighter!



This continuous weight loss really motivated me and kept me stuck to my dieting and exercise program.  When my weight dropped below 120 lbs, I started to get a little nervous. I have never been this light for a long long time.  I was at this weight almost twenty years ago!

The continuous wt. loss kept me going

   By the end of the Second Stage of my diet, ( 6 weeks later )  I learned a lot about eating healthy and starting to develop a healthier cooking, eating and life style.

The Third Stage was almost like the first stage and it was much easier as I could have some meat.






After two months of the detox and dieting program, I lost a total of fifteen pounds!
I have never been on a diet before and I was glad that I have achieved my goal!

R.T.
Toronto

Enjoying a Delicious Middle Eastern Buffet in Toronto While on a Diet !

E. T. only comes home a couple of times a year.  This time he came home during one of our busiest weekend when both my husband and I were heavily involved in helping out in a community outreach event.

Middle Eastern decor inside the Jerusalem Restaurant

We signed up to volunteer for the weekend and we did not spend a  lot of time together.

But one thing we did manage to do as a family was to have a meal together.

Lots of sunlight streaming through the restaurant's skylight

 One advantage of living in Toronto is the opportunity to sample delicious food from around the globe right in the city without travelling anywhere.

Since we don't see our son too often, we were looking for a restaurant with nice ambiance and comfortable space so that we could spend some time talking and catching up with each other.

My favorite spot -A sunny, spacious and comfortable place to dine and talk with friends and family at the restaurant

 We went to try  Middle Eastern food at a Mediterranean buffet restaurant called Jerusalem Restaurant, located  on Leslie Street, just north of Sheppard Ave. and south of Finch.

Lots of healthy dips and vegetarian dishes on the buffet menu

This restaurant offered a variety of  vegetarian and meaty dishes catering to the diverse tastes of the residents in the area.

Though I could be on a diet, I could still dine out!

I find that Middle Eastern food is quite healthy with all the salads,, brightly coloured vegetables and  dips made from various kinds of beans.

By the time I stuffed myself with the delicious food from the salad bar, I ate very small amount of meat and pasta. This was important to me as I would like to keep to my diet plan as much as possible!

Always good to welcome our son home!

E.. told us about his new job and his life in the states. We were glad to hear all the updates and were able to catch up with him on the latest news.
It was a very enjoyable meal and great family time for us! We always treasure these moments when the family can be together!

R.T.
Jerusalem Restaurant/  Mediterranean Buffet Toronto

How to Lose Weight Successfully - An Effective Weight Loss Diet Plan for Me

" You look so good! How did you lose all those pounds? "  exclaimed my friends who I have not seen for a little while.

" What did you do?  Did you follow a special diet? Can you please give me your recipes and your diet plan?"    Since I have successfully lost fifteen pounds in the past two months, these are the questions I am bombarded with frequently these days.

Yes, I promised my friends that I would send them the diet plan I followed.
 Here it is:

This is not a quick fix, not those 7 days or 1 week plan. As we know that weight loss in such a short time is just loss of water from your body and it would not last long. You need to consult a doctor before you start on any diet plan.

Mine was an eight week plan, divided into three stages.

Stage A. First 2 weeks
Stage  B.  4 weeks
Stage  C.  Last 2 weeks

2 glasses of water in the morning

Stage A. First 2 weeks

Breakfast

• Start the day with 2 glasses of filtered water mixed with juice of a fresh lemon or lime.
  
   

•    This gets my body rehydrated and start the day.

• After 15 minutes - drink a big glass of raw vegetable juice/smoothie - I used any of the combinations of  fresh raw carrots, celery, beets, spinach, kale. 
•  To make it taste better, I added either and combinations of apples/ bananas, berries, oranges and small amount of  oranges juice to make a tasty smoothie out of it.
• This smoothie is enough to keep me full and energized.  ( My husband bought me a Ninja blender which is the best! We tried different brands and had to take them back and got the Ninja blender which also came with a personal size. This is the one I used, very easy to use and clean. We use it almost everyday now. )
• For protein, I boiled an egg, or sliced avocado, and put it on top of a piece of toasted whole wheat bread.



Veggie smoothies can be very delicious!

•  I also added a mixture of ground flax seeds, almonds and sunflower seeds for extra protein in my smoothie.

Lunch  

• A big serving of salad made of - dark green vegetables such as spinach, mixed greens, carrots etc. For convenience sake, I just bought a box of organic mixed green from the supermarket.  
• having taken the portion I wanted, I sprinkled my salad with currants, cranberries, raw sunflower/ pumpkin seeds, walnuts/ almonds, pecans etc. 
• For protein, I added goat cheese or other cheese cubes, cooked beans or lentils to it.

• Homemade dressing - It's important to eat a salad without smothering it with high caloric dressing loaded with chemicals. I make my own. It's easy and cheap!

Home made dressing with apple/balsamic vinegar

One of the home made dressing - olive oil

•  Take a small wide mouth bottle - Measure 2 tablespoon of  olive oil, 1 tablespoon of balsamic/ wine/ apple cider vinegar into the bottle; add little bit of freshly ground black pepper and sea salt.
•  
•  Close lid of bottle, shake it hard for 10 seconds. Viola! I've got myself a tasty healthy dressing!   
• After I eat a big salad with all the greens, nuts,  cheese and beans, I am usually quite full.
• I could also have fish or sliced of cooked chicken.

Snack

• Any fresh fruits, vegetable slices, uncandied nuts and seeds mixture

Dinner

I learned about healthy eating!

I went by the portion control principle recommended by the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation:

The 50-25-25 Rule

I put all the food I was going to eat on a dinner plate -  half of the plate filled with salad/ cooked vegetables - 50% of the meal.


The other half of the plate, I divided into 2 halves = 25% each

25% of the plate - filled with carbohydrates such as  rice/ pasta, potatoes, etc.

25% of the plate - filled with protein rich food such as turkey, chicken, fish, tofu, beans etc.

The 50-25-25 Portion Control Rule - Canadian Heart & Stroke Foundation

This helped me to know how much carbohydrate and protein food items I was consuming.

 I am never a big meat eater, but I learned that eating a lot of pasta and rice also put weight on me making weight loss difficult.






Food to Avoid

- Anything that is deep fried - french fries, deep fried chicken, shrimps  etc.
- Red meat,  processed food such as luncheon meats, convenient packaged food, TV dinners etc.
- Any food with high sugar contents
- According to Dr. Ox, one should not consume more than 25 grams of sugar per day. Read the label when grocery shopping. Some beverage and juice drinks are very high in sugar. I used to down 2-3 glasses of pure orange juice. I avoided drinking any juice with high sugar content during my diet.


Do not eat anything after 8 P.M.. If possible, I had my biggest meal at lunch and a lighter dinner.

The first two weeks of my diet was not too bad as I was allowed to eat some meat. However, it was not easy saying no to all the sweets, treats at work and at parties. But telling my friends and myself that I was on a diet helped me to be more disciplined and prevented me from binging on high calorie food such as donuts, pastries, and sweet desserts.

It was the second stage of my diet that was more challenging and also very rewarding as I saw my extra pounds melting away right in front of my eyes!

R.T.
Toronto
Recalling the first two weeks of my diet

How to Lose fifteen Pounfs in Two Months!

 My weight was up every time I stepped onto the scale

A few friends whom I have not seen for a few months complimented me on how well I look recently.  They said that I have lost quite few pounds, looking healthy and slim.  I was delighted at their observations and told them about the diet I have been on recently.

Portion control and what to eat was an important lesson

I am in my late fifty's and my bathroom scale has been going up every time I stepped onto it. for the past ten years. Recently, after the scale has gone over a certain weight which I never reached before, I became alarmed.

 Retired, with time and ability to travel and enjoy life, I want to be healthy, mobile and look as good as long as I could, therefore I decided to do soemthng about it.

I  went on an eight week eating program, following the plans as outlined from a book written by
Dr. Cabot, an Australian medical doctor. I also included in my diet plan  the portion control principle I learned from the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation.

I learned to make raw juice from fresh vegetables during my dieting period

 Before I started on the diet plan, I was not an overweight person nor was I a slender woman. Therefore, my initial intention was not to lose weight but to do a detoxification program for my body and keep my weight steady at what it was.

As I was following the detox program and eating more healthy food, my weight started to drop off!

 Including much more salads in my diet helped me a lot

By the time I was on the diet plan for about a month, I lost more than eight pounds. As a person with a major in nutrition science at university, I knew that my slow weight loss would be more effective and longer lasting than a sudden weight drop.

Though not the easiest thing to do,  I stuck to my detox program and finished the two months regiment. I felt much better and as a side benefit, lost a total of fifteen pounds at the end!

Eating for my health and for my body!

 My husband and I are involved in a lot of community and charitable organizations therefore there are a lot of dinners to attend.

The new me!

It was not easy for me to take part in these functions while I was on this special diet plan.

I am so proud of myself! I am happy that I have achieved my diet goals and lost those extra pounds.

Fitting into all those beautiful clothes hanging in my closet and admiring my slender younger look in the mirror, I am immensely proud of myself, for my discipline and best of all - for learning a new eating and life style that will keep me feeling and looking good in the years to come!

R.T.
Toronto
Feeling Great and Proud of Myself!
Will share my diet plan in future blog entries.

Celebrating a Friends's 90th Year Old Birthday

 We attended Henry's 90th birthday celebration recently

How many people do you know who are healthy, happy, independent and are living in their 90's?

A birthday invitation card in Chinese

We were delighted when we received an invitation requesting us to be at a birthday celebration on July 1, 2014  - Canada Day !

Canada celebrated its 147th birthday on the same day!

Henry with his son and daughter

It is a big deal for anybody but in the Chinese culture, they really would like to spend and have a good time together with friends and families.

Friends and family celebrated with Henry

Henry Fok, a gentleman I have the pleasure of knowing since1995 has reached a milestone many of us would be envious - 90th years old and going strong!










 
After attending a Canada day celebration with my mom in the afternoon and rested a little while, we went to our first 90th year old birthday bash in Richmond Hill.

Henry - the birthday boy!

 We have not seen Henry for a little while and the birthday boy looked healthy,  happy, better and appeared younger than we saw him last time.

 His daughters informed us that Henry was so excited about this party he could not sleep for the past few days! 


Healthy in body and mind, contented and happy,  Henry was surrounded by many friends and family members and celebrated his 90th birthday with a bang.

Henry surrounded by his family at the party

The best part of the celebration was the video presentation capturing the highlights of Henry's life for the past ninety years.

It helped us to understand and know him better.

Henry shared his testimony about his healing

My favourite part was Henry giving a testimony about his brain tumor a few years ago. He told us that his decision of refusing a serious surgery.

Instead, he depended on medical care, caring family members, prayers and God's mercy.

Miraculously, the tumor in his brain disappeared a few  years later! ( No wonder he looked so good and younger than we saw him last time!) He gave thanks and praise to God in front of everybody about his recovery! Glory to God!

We celebrated! The celebration banquet was a ten course dinner held at a nice restaurant that served fusion dishes.

A traditional Chinese birthday dessert

To show his appreciation to his guests for attending the birthday party, the host placed a set of little gifts at each setting.

The host's thank you gifts to the guests at the banquet

The gifts consisted of a little pouch with a read traditional Chinese birthday medallion, a pair of chopsticks with the Chinese character birthday on it and a red lucky pocket.

 I just love the pair of chopsticks commemorating this special birthday event.

What a thoughtful and welcoming gesture for the guests!

   
 It was an uplifting and enjoyable evening ! In a world where we hear tragic and violent news everyday, it was a refreshing change to hear Henry's wonderful  life story and about his miraculous healing!

Thank you God for listening to our prayers and caring for our needs!

R.T.
Toronto
p.s. milestone 20,000 views