Paola Henderson born in Ecuador came to Trinidad as a child, not speaking a word of English. Now she considers herself a true Trinidadian, with a family of her own. Her inspiration to health came after her first born son, was born with a liver disease. Medically they did not see much improvement, but when she found the alternative and focused on her sons’ diet, his health improved tremendously. Paola felt the need to increase her knowledge and heal her son herself. Paola enrolled in an online program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), out of New York City to become a Health Coach. Not only has she been improving her son’s life, her life and the rest of her family, she is now making this her career as she sees so many Trinidadians battling with chronic disease, poor eating habits, stress, low energy and unhappy day to day lives. Her focus is on busy parents, who struggle with fitting healthier lifestyles into already packed and stressful lives, and on changing the concept of ‘tuck shop’ in schools from processed, packaged foods to healthy and wholesome options for our nation’s children.
‘Listen to your body. It’s smarter than you.’
It’s rare for anyone to get an hour to explore their wellness goals with a trained professional. As a Health Coach, I create a supportive environment that enables you to articulate and achieve your goals. Throughout my education, I have been exposed to the most cutting-edge dietary theories and studied highly effective coaching techniques to help you find the right lifestyle that works best for you.
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Most approaches to healthy eating dwell on calories, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Instead of creating lists of restrictions and good and bad foods, I coach my clients to explore basic improvements and implement gradual changes during our work together. As these pieces come together my clients find that the changes collectively create a much larger impact than they originally expected. We work on what you want to improve within the circumstances of your unique situation.
‘Success doesn't happen overnight. Every day you get a little better and it all adds up!.’
TOP 10 LIST
OF DOS & DON'TS
DOS
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Fuel - Food is Fuel! Always eat breakfast – it’s the most important meal of the day.
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Brighten Your Plate Naturally –Eat 1 serving of fruit and veggies for breakfast. Add veggies/fruit to lunch. Start dinner with a salad. Add a veggie to dinner. Snack on 1 piece of fruit a day.
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Water – Think before you drink - Drink 8 to 10 cups of water a day.
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Cook at Home – Eating home-cooked meals is healthier for the whole family and sets a great example for kids about the importance of food.
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Exercise– Get Moving!!! Make exercise time your playtime. Start slowly, and be active 5 days a week. Step it up! Find your Exercise WHY!!
DON'TS
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Sugar – The ingredient we all love to eat the most of and the one that has sneaked itself into foods that we don’t even think have sugar. Sugar today has over 60 different names so read your ingredient on the labels carefully.
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Artificial Sugars – Our bodies do not know how to process anything that is not natural – these chemicals are linked to illnesses like depression, anxiety, weight gain and more. Artificial sugar is found in foods that read: sugar free, fat free, low fat, diet foods and drinks.
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Artificial Dyes – Our food has become more colourful than crayons! From sweets to cakes, to meats and pickles. These dyes are made out of 3 ingredients: petroleum, acetone and coal tar.
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Junk Food – These foods are high in fat, sodium and sugar. These foods are easy to carry, purchase and consume. They contain little to no nutrition and have preservatives added to enhance flavour, texture, colour and shelf life.
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Judge Food By The Packaging – Always look at the ingredients and the nutritional facts. If it has more than 5 ingredients and words you don’t know and can’t pronounce, forget about it. It just means chemicals and junk.