Amy Longard | Plant-Based Nutrition, Culinary & Wellness Consulting

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Aloha from Maui!

January 03, 2015 by Amy Longard
                                                                              A shot from our walk home at dusk in Kihei, Maui. 

                                                                              A shot from our walk home at dusk in Kihei, Maui. 

January 03, 2015 /Amy Longard
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What's new on Instagram? Visit @AmyLongard.

Yesterday I posted this photo of my favourite breakfast half-eaten in my Instagram stories. I could barely finish my avocado toast & garlicky greens because I felt nauseous and headachy.  I quit coffee ☕️ the day before and was in the throes of a mega withdrawal and it was no fun at all.

I'm not sure that I’m off coffee forever, but I wanted to nip that dependency. I had been feeling really attached to my morning coffee & I wanted to break the habit. I'm an anxious person and I notice that coffee does trigger anxiety for me. I plan to enjoy other caffeinated drinks like green tea, matcha (which is powdered green tea), black teas, kombucha tea, and so on. I like the idea of adding decaf to my routine because I do like the taste of coffee. There are so many options that can satisfy the craving & the ritual of a hot drink first thing in the morning and I'm excited for this new routine.

I was aware that I might feel terrible for a few days to a week, but I'm happy to say that 3 day out I'm experiencing no lingering symptoms and am back to my normal self.  I received tons of feedback from people in my Instagram stories yesterday and it was really helpful when I was feeling like 💩. A few take-aways if you are trying to wean off coffee, based on my own experience and the advice I received from others.

You can quit overnight like I did, or try weaning off gradually. Slowly reduce your intake over the course of a few weeks to a month, and start swapping in drinks like black tea or green tea that are lower in caffeine. Or start cutting your coffee with decaf and gradually go to fully decaffeinated.

Drink lots of water throughout the process.

Because I quit overnight I did experience withdrawal, so I went to bed early and slept as much as possible (despite some insomnia, a symptom of withdrawal). When I was awake I made sure to get outside and be active (walked in the woods and went skating on the Canal) and I think these things really helped.

If you quit coffee, did you experience any negative effects?  Any tips for us? Please share your story below!

PS. I did eat my breakfast after all, but it took a while 😂
Greetings from San Francisco! I’ll be out of office until mid-February so if you’re looking for info on my upcoming yoga retreat at @yogaattic (happening Feb 16), cooking lessons or interested in learning more about private cooking lessons or corporate team building services please visit my website AmyLongard.com.
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Be sure to follow my insta-stories to join in on my adventures and feel free to share your tips for San Fran below! 👇
This green curry soup is one of my latest creations born out of this extreme cold stretch we’re having here in Ottawa. I shared it on my Instagram stories last weekend and many of you asked for the recipe. Well, I finally got around to typing it up and even had my friend @camillelabchuk recipe test before posting it on my blog.  The link to the recipe is in my profile. Enjoy & stay warm friends! 💚
I've been noticing lots of new faces around here lately and it dawned on me that I've never really introduced myself.

So... 👋🏻 Hi, I'm Amy!  I've actually had this account since the early days of Instagram, but it wasn't until the last few years that it evolved from a personal account with blurry food photos and pictures of dogs, to a public profile with slightly better food photos & hi-res pics of dogs. It's also evolved a bit to include info on plant-based nutrition, recipes, and glimpses into my daily foodie & nutrition adventures (I'm usually better on insta-stories btw).
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A little about me...
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I truly love dilly-dallying through grocery stores (especially in different cities), farmers’ markets, & health food stores (I'm pictured here in my fave local spot @kardishfoods).
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Nothing excites me more than discovering new plant-based foods and products (mostly healthy stuff, but I won't turn down a treat!) and trying out new restaurants!
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I studied nutrition & also went to culinary school. This happened in my 30's after making a career transition following 10+ years of working corporate communications & PR. I'm self-employed now & my current gig is the perfect storm of these experiences, which means I spend a lot of time cooking, teaching people how to cook, facilitating corporate wellness talks, & connecting people with plant-based foods and wellness brands.
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I believe in promoting a healthy lifestyle... BUT I keep it light and I'm not about to kill myself on this elusive quest for "balance". Orthorexia is real and I don't want to feed into that.  I workout because it feels good and makes me happy (these days I do HIIT and yoga a few times per week), I walk as much as possible because I love being outside, and drink lots of water and eat tons of veggies & fruits because it gives me energy,  great 💩, & stamina for this crazy, fun journey that is life.
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I'm from the East Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia to be precise) and a huge extrovert. If you meet me in person, I'll probably try to befriend you. You've been forewarned.
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Tell me about YOU! 👇Where are you from? How you did you land here? ❤️🌱
The new evidence based Canada's food guide is here. For the most part, I'm really impressed! The dairy category is out and now the guide includes an emphasis on plant-based proteins. It also includes healthy habits such as choosing water as a primary beverage, eating with others and spending more time cooking at home. What do you think? Tell me in the comments below! 👇
I was on @cbcottawa radio on Friday morning talking about making the shift towards plant-based foods and how eating this way can have a positive impact on human health and the environment. This interview was in response to the Lancet report #eatlancet that came out last week.

If you are in Ottawa did you catch it? If not, you can hear the recording by clicking on the link in my profile @amylongard .

A fun little fact for you... Going into the CBC building is always a "full circle" moment for me. I actually moved to Ottawa over 10 years ago to work at CBC in the Corporate Communications department.

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The content on this website is intended for your information only. Health concerns should be addressed by a qualified professional. 

Plant-Based Nutrition, Culinary & Wellness Consulting based in Ottawa, Canada.