Dr. Catherine Wilbert is thrilled to be the Nutritional Consultant for this years Franco’s Lose Dat Competition. Helping each participant reach their fitness goals and find new quality of life through health and nutrition is an exciting prospect for Catherine and she is hoping that it will be the first step in a long relationship in helping each and every one of you continue your journey to Vitality.

Catherine is a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine, Nutrition Consultant, Culinary Nutritionist & nationally recognized wellness expert.  She is the owner of The Nutrition Company and Vitality Juice, Java and Smoothie Bar, Catherine prides herself on the fact that there is finally a place where healthy really does taste good.

As owner, president, and product developer for PhytoCeutical Formulations, Dr. Wilbert has also combined her nutritional and pharmaceutical knowledge with her experience as an athlete to formulate a unique line of nutritional products to provide specific nutritional results and broad ranging, multiple health benefits. PhytoCeutical Formulations products are sold in hundreds of stores across the United States and are in distribution nationally and internationally. Dr. Wilbert is the creator of Swerve™, all natural sugar alternative. Swerve™ is a revolutionary and truly unique sugar alternative that is unlike anything in the marketplace. Swerve™ is a all-natural sweetener that looks, tastes, measures, cooks and bakes just like sugar. It has zero calories, zero glycemic index, and is appropriate for diabetics along with any and everyone wishing to reduce their sugar intake for better weight management and better overall health.

• FREE Admission
• Live Music
• Pet Adoptions
• Great Food
• Low Cost Vet Clinic
• and much more

In addition to the great music, food, fun, & festivities, be sure to visit the low-cost vet clinic where annual K-9 vaccinations are only $60, microchip IDs are only $10, & you’ll find deeply-discounted flea, tick, & heartworm preventative

For those finding it difficult to stick to last month’s New Year’s resolution to lose weight and be healthier, a new book has hit shelves to help overcome those hurdles. Local weight loss and wellness expert Dr. Catherine Wilbert recently authored the no-nonsense approach to weight loss Mending your Metabolism. Wilbert is a doctor of naturopathic medicine as well as a nutritional expert, and she stresses this book is not a diet book; rather, it’s a guide to improving quality of life through better nutrition and health. “Mending Your Metabolism focuses on more than weight management; it gives the reader a better understanding of what you eat and what it does to your body so you can always make good food choices,” says Wilbert. “You’ll have better energy, better focus, better sleep, and better overall quality of life, without the deprived, hungry, tired or miserable feeling one gets from a typical ‘diet’.” The book can be purchased directly through her Web site, www.catherinewilbert.com, or through www.amazon.com as well as at The Nutrition Company.

Cost: $25 (includes Healthy Lunch)

100% of proceeds to benefit Esteban & Dorothy Garcia to cover expenses incurred though Esteban’s heart surgeries

Place: Our Place Studio

338 North Vermont Covington, La 70433
Time: 12:30pm – 2:00pm
call Kristi at 985-875-1182 for more info

Fairway Medical Surgical Hospital by Lakeview
6:00pm – 7:00pm
67252 Industry Lane, (second floor)
Mandeville, LA

Contact: Lynn Springman
Fairway Medical Surgical Hospital
985.801.6297

Over time, toxins build up in the body as a result of the pollutants in the air we breathe, the chemicals in the food and water we consume, or even in the medications we take. Learn how you can rid your body and home of these pollutants at our Detox and Cleanse seminar. With an effective detox and cleanse, you can allow the body to better absorb vitamins and nutrients, while increasing energy, and pave a more successful path to wellness. You’ll even learn how making small changes in your lifestyle will help the environment and prevent your body from getting so toxic!

Intimate group, Limited Space Available, Register today call 985.727.3482

When: Thursday, February 25, 2010

Time:  6:30 pm – 7:30pm

Where: 4350 Hwy 22 Suite H, Mandeville, LA 70471

$15 Registration Fee (includes Detox booklet) with 10% OFF all Supplements Purchased that night.

Call 985.727.3482 to reserve your spot today.

BY KANDACE POWER GRAVES

To many people, the challenge of eating right is discovering ways to make healthy foods taste delicious. It’s especially difficult to find desserts that sate your sweet tooth without packing on calories laden with fat and sugar. Wellness expert Catherine Wilbert, owner of Vitality Juice, Java and Smoothie Bar and The Nutrition Company (4350 Hwy. 22, Suite H, Mandeville, 985-727-3482; www.thenutritioncompany.com), focuses on helping people make sure everything they put in their bodies is nutritionally rich — and delicious.

“We have a whole section of pastry and baked goods, (and) sugar-free king cake,” says Wilbert, who is a doctor of naturopathic medicine, a nutrition consultant and has won three national body building championships and numerous other titles. She also is author of the new book Mending Your Metabolism

One of her tools is Swerve® sugar substitute, which she created as the founder and product developer of PhytoCeutical Formulations and Wellness Innovations. It is available at her store as well as grocery stores including Whole Foods Market and Rouses. “It’s allowed us to make over everything,” she says. “It’s the only no-sugar product that tastes, cooks and everything like sugar. It has no calories and no glycemic index — and it’s 100 percent natural. Now, instead of making things over to be just a little less bad, we’re making them over to be healthy.”

Here she shares a revamped recipe for a New Orleans classic dessert: bread pudding. “It’s diabetic friendly, it’s made with whole-grain bread, soy milk, walnuts, cranberries. Everything about it is good for you.”

Plus, it tastes as decadent as versions with twice the calories and fat and lots of sugar. “You can teach people all day long to make good food choices, but they don’t want to give up their indulgences,” Wilbert says. “Now we can make over indulgences so they taste good but aren’t bad for you.”

Traditional New Orleans bread pudding has about 415 calories and 20 grams of fat, she says, compared to the following recipe, which has 207 calories and 11 grams of fat per serving, and no sugar.

Q: I really am committed to getting healthy this year, but before I even get a good start, here comes the temptation of Mardi Gras. How can I not blow it?

A: Uh oh… Just when you thought you were sticking to your resolution to be healthier, along comes Mardi Gras! How quickly visions of sugarplums get replaced with cravings for king cakes. Well here are a few strategies to keep you on course through the carnival season:

The party isn’t all day long.

Maybe it is, but more than likely not. And just because you will be attending a parade or party, doesn’t mean you’ll have to blow the entire day. Pace yourself at breakfast and through lunch with smaller, protein-based meals, reserving your fat and carb count for later at the event.

Eat before you go.

Eat a small, healthy, high protein meal before you head to the festivities. This will keep your blood sugar more stabilized, preventing you from being ravenous and less likely to over indulge.

Exercise.

Don’t quit the program just because it’s party time. Sticking with your exercise program will keep you feeling good about yourself, and you will be less inclined to go way overboard when choosing festive delicacies.

Dress to eat less.

Wear a tight-fitting outfit or a pair of jeans that you look great and feel good about yourself in, AND that won’t allow you to eat too much.

Make the calories count.

Scout out the spread and choose small, taste-size portions of interesting looking dishes you would like to try. Don’t waste calories on familiar foods to try. Don’t waste calories on familiar foods and remember portion control-little nibbles add up to large savings.

Drink, drink, drink Water.

Make sure to drink plenty of water before (and during) the party. This will not only help fill your belly, but hydrate you when you are drinking alcohol. And remember, alcohol is festive, but with little redeeming nutritional value – just lots of empty calories and often hidden fat and sugar.

Keep  it in perspective.

If you eat more than you had planned at a particular function, that doesn’t mean that you’ve blown it for the entire season, try to return to your normal healthy eating habits the next day. Your attitude about reaching your goal is just as important as the foods you choose.