The Upside: Invested in Wellness with Jessie Sarafian – March 4, 2026

Join us for part 2 of our resilient living and wellness series. Today we are joined by April Cockshutt, clinical herbalist and certified nutritional practitioner for an engaging discussion on building immune strength and sustaining long-term resilience as we move from the challenges of winter into spring renewal. Participants will learn how to use food, movement and emotional wellbeing strategies to keep energy high, stress low and immunity strong.

Transcript

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Hello, and welcome to Invested in Wellness.

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I'm Jessi Serafian, and today is part two of our Resilient Living

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and Wellness series. We're joined by April Kokshut.

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She is a clinical herbalist, certified nutritional practitioner, and

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registered psychotherapist qualifying.

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And we're going to discuss building sustainable resilience through immune

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support, emotional wellbeing, and practical daily habits.

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April will teach us how to use food.

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Self-care, and emotional wellness strategies to support energy levels,

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manage stress, and strengthen immunity, which creates a foundation for

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resilience that lasts. So April, thank you so much for joining us again.

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It's always a pleasure to be back.

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Yes, looking forward to our conversation.

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So before we dive into the discussion, can we give our viewers a little recap

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of part one and what were some of the key takeaways?

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Yes, of course. I thought it was such a great discussion as always.

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It goes by so quickly when we have these chats and I think a really big,

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you know, key takeaway from last session was really talking

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about resilience, the pauses and the negatives, right?

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Resilience comes with adaptability, being open to change and

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understanding what our environment, the stressors it's putting onto us

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and how can we adapt to support.

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And a big part of that adaptation is to take a

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step back and sometimes to pause, to be kind to ourselves and not to

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put too much pressure on ourselves and constantly push and push and punch.

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Let's do less doing and more being, being present, being intentional

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and being kinder to ourselves.

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I think that was a really big key takeaway.

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And in turn, that's really gonna support our conversation today on how to

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support our immune system, support our overall wellbeing.

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And that's through.

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Being and being present and reducing that stress so that our community can

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really thrive.

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Totally, I completely agree.

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And I love the part about like asking ourselves like what are we ready to

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release from last year? What, you know, supportive habits we want to take

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forward and that's huge. Cause I know for myself, last year was a big learning,

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you know working super late.

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So now it's like transitioning into the new year.

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It's like focus more on like the me and like focus on

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like my wellbeing and taking those breaks.

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And I think yours was around, was it around sleep at night?

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Yes. I think a big thing too and a big takeaway from last, you know,

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session was also the fact that there's nothing too small.

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Be kind to yourself. It's not about this huge, big thing.

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It's about, you now, reaching and striving for perfection.

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It's acknowledging that those little tiny baby steps are oftentimes the best

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steps to acknowledge like, hey, I can do this.

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This is motivating. I think we had to get a discussion around New Year's

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resolutions, and oftentimes they fail so quickly.

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We don't even get to the end of January, and those New Year resolutions are

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forgotten about because we put such a high expectation and such a big ask

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on ourselves, and really it's like, let's start small.

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And then that way doesn't have to be a New Year resolution.

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It can just be a habit change.

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It can support that adaptability, that overall resilience.

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Yes, I completely agree.

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So April, as we transition from winter to spring, so what shifts

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physically or energetically do you see happening in the body that influence

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our immunity?

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Yeah, I mean, let's face it, it's dark and cold.

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And I think, you know, those in Ontario have really felt it this year.

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It's been such a cold winter and those dark days, long days in

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winter time or exposure to the sun and you know that key nutrient for

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mental health, for energy, for stability, for hormonal health,

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vitamin D, right? So there's a huge shift in our overall moods and

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energy levels because of the lack of vitamin D.

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And those dark day really change our circadian rhythm.

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So, our amount of energy that we have, talking about circadian

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rhythm, that's the amount of energy output.

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So, when the sun rises, our energy levels rise.

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We have an output of cortisol, which is our energy hormone, also our stress

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hormone. In the wintertime, that time is completely

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different. The sun rises later and it goes to bed earlier,

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which changes our amount actual energy we have throughout the day.

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So it makes sense that we're tired, that we are feeling.

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A bit more rundown. We're also inside a lot more, especially with how cold

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it's been, right? I have so many clients that they're like healthy coping

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mechanisms. You know, we get them to go for walks and get outside, but

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it's too cold. So we're not doing those healthy grounding exercises

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that are supporting our mental physical health.

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And also our immune system. When we go outside, that's going to engage, that's

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gonna wake up our immune systems and get us involved in different environments

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and test our immune systemic. We don't have that anymore.

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So oftentimes our immune becomes weakened and kind of lazy, realistically.

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Now, I can't wait for the sun to set later.

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Those brighter days, you know, when it's like eight, nine p.m.

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And the sun's still out. We're past six, that's a good one.

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Yes, exactly. So April, what are some top nutrient-dense foods

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that you recommend for strengthening the immunity, you know during these

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seasonal transitions?

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Yes, I think we touched upon a little bit about those whole foods, you know,

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last, last taping. And that was about, you know, the importance of those

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nutrients, right? Those vitamins, those minerals that really support the immune

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system. I find a lot of times when we're working into winter months, I don't

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know if you feel it, but we're having more packaged foods, more prepared foods

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because they're warm, they're hearty, they are easy.

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Right. And we really forget about everything that's, you know, in.

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You know, that's important to support our immune system.

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So the B vitamins, the zinc, the vitamin C, those are all in,

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you know those foods like dark leafy greens.

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That is such an important part of our nutrition

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are those dark, rich colours. So I want you guys to focus on colours and

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focus on protein, okay? So focus on colour is have that plate look like a

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rainbow. Have those dark leaf green, the spinach, the kale,

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you know the Swiss chard, the darker the better.

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Okay, think of the citrus, the berries, those bright oranges, those bright

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yellows, those right reds and blues.

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Those are full of vitamin C and antioxidants that are again, really going

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to support that immune system. Give us energy, give us vibrance, give us life,

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um, touching upon kind of those herbs that I brought up last, last time, you

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know, the garlic and onions, the alluminiums, they're anti-microbial

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powerhouses. They're so good for supporting our immune system

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and having those kind of anti-microbial, natural immune

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fighting properties to them.

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Garlic is great. If it's too much garlicky and you find you have too much bad

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breath in the garlic, add some parsley. It'll neutralise it.

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Don't be scared of that garlic.

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The raw are the better, right?

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So using those fresh cloves that you're gonna peel yourselves are much better.

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And onions, add a bit more onions than usual.

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They're great too. I love it. I can barbecue a full onion and eat it.

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I think it's absolutely delicious.

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And again, so great for our immune system.

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Love onions, love garlic.

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You know, the supplements out there could be so overwhelming.

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What do you recommend as like the base for someone to start?

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You know if they don't have access to, you know the kale and those leafy

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greens, where should one start when it comes to supplements?

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Yeah, supplements, you know, I can understand, especially in the winter time.

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That's a lot of times when I'm cycling in supplements with clients because it

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is harder to get all those fresh nutrients in or for example, when we're

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travelling, we don't know if we'll be getting, you don't access those

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nutrients. I find some core ones really, um, going back to kind

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of the melt and mental health and resilience is the magnesium, right?

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Magnesium, especially over the winter months when stress seems to increase,

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especially the holiday season, getting into the new year and putting this much

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pressure onto ourselves. Magnesia is also known as our stress mineral.

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And I just find it is so, so important.

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I find a lot of clients and the general public, we're really

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struggling with sleep. And that's a big thing, going into the new year with

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stress, sleep is the number one thing to be affected.

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So taking magnesium before bed allows us to get a restful sleep.

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When we sleep properly, we actually can recharge and that's when our immune

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system is actually strengthening. So that's so,so important.

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So I do find magnesium is a really good base supplement that I take every

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single day and I think is so important especially in this day and age when

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stress is running rampant.

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Another one, big one, is vitamin C.

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So taking in an ascorbic acid.

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Vitamin C is water soluble. So if we're feeling like we're about to get sick or

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we need to strengthen our immune system, it's not about taking three capsules

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all at once. Because vitamin C is waterproof soluble,

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we're gonna release it through our urine, right?

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We're gonna pee it out. So it's important if we are feeling sick or we wanna

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abuse our immune systems. Taking vitamin C throughout the day.

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So taking one 1,000 milligramme capsule, for example, three times during

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the day to actually make sure that we're absorbing it and we're strengthening

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our immune system. So that's another really important one.

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And I think another one is that omega-3 fatty

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acid or that fish oil.

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Those healthy fats are so important to

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our immune system and is a key building block.

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And In our society today, we're eating a lot of saturated fat from processed

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foods, and we need the unsaturated fat.

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The fats from those fatty fish, oh my gosh, yum, the salmon, the mackerel,

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right? The sardines, I know they're so fishy, but they're good for you.

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The raw nuts and seeds, or walnuts, or almonds, your pumpkin seeds,

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if you can't have nuts.

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Those are so important, and the recipe we'll end with.

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We'll have some good, healthy fats in there that I'll show the viewers.

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Great, I love that. So I want to touch upon gut health and immunity and

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how those are two connected. How can we support the two through our

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diet?

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Oh my goodness, what a great question.

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The gut is so intertwined with all of our systems.

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It really plays an important role in our immune system because that

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is where our immune systems starts, our microbiome.

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We need to have a strong microbiome to create our immunity and ward off

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pathogens.

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Now, to have a healthy microbiome, we need a couple of things.

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And one of the most important things, I believe, is fibre.

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Fibre feeds those healthy microbes in our gut and

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supports our immune system.

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Fibre's so underrated, and it's so important to consume fibre in our

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diet. Fibre combines to all that garbage and

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toxins that we eat and consume and get from our environments, those pollutants,

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binds to them and rids them, gets them out of our system.

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Fibre is so important for lowering cholesterol.

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For those on the line who are struggling with high cholesterol, fibre, fibre is

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the key. And it's not about the supplements of fibre, it's about incorporating

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fibre into your diet through soluble and insoluble

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sources. So that comes from things like oatmeal, which we'll show at the end,

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and seeds and nuts, but also the roughage from those dark leafy

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greens and those fibrous vegetables, which I spoke to.

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So as much as the previous question, you're like, what simple supplements can

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we get? I really want to preface it that supplements aren't enough.

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So understanding how can we incorporate fibre and those healthy nutrients and

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vitamins and minerals into your diet, not only through supplements,

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but through other sources that are financially sound or available to you.

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I love that. Hopefully that answered your question.

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Yes, no, it did. No, that's so, so important for sure.

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And now speaking about, you know, in the winter, a lot of people experience

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fatigue, obviously because the sun sets a lot earlier.

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So what lifestyle shifts do you recommend to help restore that energy

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naturally?

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I love that. And, you know, again, let's go back to being present and

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intentional, lowering that stress and being kinder, taking the

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pressure off yourself.

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That's actually a key point in your last question that, you know, I also need

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to add is we need to be kinder for ourselves because that's going to help the

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immune system. If we're in a state of high stress, we're not fight

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or flight. I've talked about this in previous shows when we're a state of high,

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stress is kind of like we have a tiger chasing us.

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Right. And if we have tiger chasing us.

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Our gut, our microbiome, isn't gonna be like, oh, one second, tiger, let

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me go and digest the salad or the steak.

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It's gonna be, like, absolutely not.

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We can't digest, we can't support immune system health.

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We're focused on fighting that tiger. So that's gonna completely disrupt our

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digestion and also completely disrupt and weaken our immune

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system. So when we're talking about immunity,

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when we are talking about digestive health, when we were talking about energy,

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and so much more, stress is such a key component that's going

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to degrade and weaken all three of those functions, if not more,

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in our system.

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So a big thing this winter, as we set goals for the new year, as try

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to create a strong foundation moving forward, a really

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important step is taking a pause and acknowledging,

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what stressors do I have in my life?

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And let me tell you, there's a lot.

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And I love doing that exercise with clients when we sit down and acknowledge

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all the stress in their lives. We're not talking just about big stressors like

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finances and work.

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I'm talking about everything. That's the commute to work.

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That's doing your hair in the morning. That can be a stressful task.

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That's family, kids, as much as they can bring joy.

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That's also a stress.

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So let's sit down and acknowledge all of the stress that we have in our life

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and how are we managing it?

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Because if we're not managing it and supporting it, that's gonna really beat us

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down. And if we are not supporting it through sleep or through a supportive

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diet, that's going to beat us even more and exhaust us.

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I wish there was a quick answer.

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Yeah, no, I completely agree.

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And we chatted about this before, you know, sleep, yes, but also establishing

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that great morning routine.

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Like it starts first thing in the morning and shifting your energy,

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shifting your mindset. If you wake up and you're like, I'm stressed, I am

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stressed, and you know that carries you throughout the day.

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Yes, that is such a great reminder, Jessie, the key for bringing that up.

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If you wake up feeling stressed, if you wake feeling overwhelmed and you're set

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in that kind of like from sleep to the sense of urgency,

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that's gonna set precedent for the rest of the day that your cortisol

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levels, your stress levels are gonna be much higher of the baseline than they

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need to be. Whereas if you woke up and like you said, start with a morning

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routine and you have some me time, some calm, your body acknowledges.

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Okay, I know what this feels like.

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I know this almost feels like and throughout the day, if you come up to the

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state of overwhelm or too much urgency, you know what this

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feels and how to come down to it. So that is a really beautiful

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thing. What's one thing you do in the morning for yourself that helps?

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My first, my morning setting an intention, I think is important.

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You know, having the morning coffee, you know, what am I grateful for?

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You know the five minute journal. We talked about this in previous episodes.

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It's like, okay, what I'm I grateful for what am going to be working on today?

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And then then in the evening is going back and be like, what did I learn today?

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So just going back to the mindset and energy shift for

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sure.

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I love that grounding, doing something for you, that's beautiful.

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So I know I want to get into the demo, so I'm going to pass it

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off to you. I know you wanted to share an easy recipe that our viewers can

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make at home.

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Yes, thank you. And the reason why we're showing this is because one of the key

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ways to support your immune system and support resilience

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is really starting the morning with a routine.

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And a big part of that routine needs to be a healthy,

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supportive, energy-packed breakfast.

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A lot of people do fast and fasting can be healthy.

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However, if we're in a position of stress or overwhelm or burnout, having

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a breakfast in the morning really is gonna fuel our body.

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And really support us in providing the nutrients that our

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stress systems need to stay regulated and to stay strong and same with

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our immune system. Okay, so what we're gonna make is we're going to make a chia

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seed pudding. It's gonna be really simple, really easy and it's something that

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we can prep ahead during the week. So this is great for all you people who are

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busy, but you also want to fuel yourselves, okay?

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So what we gonna do is usually I'm just gonna start with four to five glass

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jars. Um, I find glass are really easy to store and you can kind of bring

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them anywhere. So you can either eat these at home.

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I'll grab mine from my fridge and I'll eat it, or I can pack it and I can take

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it. If I'm on the go or if I'm going into the work.

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Okay. So we're going to make a chia seed pudding.

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I have one that's already kind of prepared. That's mixed, but I'll show you how

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we're gonna make it. So what you're going start with is the empty jar and

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we're going to start with that fibre.

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What's really, really helpful for the gut biome and what's good for

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immune system is fibre. Okay.

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Oatmeal is one of the best things also for cholesterol and for stabilising

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blood sugars because it is so high in fibre.

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So we're gonna add a third of a cup of oats.

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Again, this is for the average person.

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Depending on your activity level, you might wanna make your portion size bigger

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or smaller. This is probably a healthy portion size to keep you going for the

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day. So we gonna add one third of oats to the container.

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Usually I use large flake oats, but for overnight oats, because we're not

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cooking them, we're going to kind of cook them in the fridge.

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I like to use instant oats.

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Um, they're gluten-free, which is awesome.

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They're high in fibre. Um, and they're just going to provide a better

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consistency than a large leg oats.

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We're then going to add in another source of fibre and proteins, little magical

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seeds, which are also really high in those unsaturated fats, which I was

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talking about to really, again, stabilise those energy levels, add some protein

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and add some healthy fat for that stress, either chia seeds.

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Chia seeds are so lovely. You can add them into most recipes.

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You can also hide them into baking when you're baking for your kids, if you

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want to. And that's just a really great way of adding fibre.

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So I'm gonna add two teaspoons of chia seeds to this.

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I'm then going to take hot water.

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Okay, so this is three quarters of a cup.

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And I'm going to add it to my mason jar.

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And what that's gonna do is it's going to cook up and gel up the

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chia seeds and the oats. We're just gonna stir those around.

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And what's gonna happen is the chia seed and the oat, they're gonna absorb that

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water and they're going to plump up to this nice, rich plump consistency.

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Okay, so you're going to see that it gets quite larger and it turns into a

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really nice kind of like pudding-like consistency.

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It's absolutely delicious.

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Now, a really great thing to support your immune system

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and overall resilience through nutrition is protein, okay?

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So when we're talking about what key steps can you do moving forward to support

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your resilience, your immune systems as we move forward, think one

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protein source per meal or per snack.

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Okay, that's really gonna support you in stabilising your blood sugars,

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keeping you full and keeping you energised.

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So I love to just add half a scoop of protein powder.

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There's already gonna be protein from the chia seeds and the oats.

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I find not enough, so let's add a bit more, okay?

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So I'm gonna add in half a scope of protein right there, which is right there

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00:19:22,427 --> 00:19:25,697

an extra 10 grammes of protein, which so easy.

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00:19:25,697 --> 00:19:28,867

And so supportive. I often use a plant-based protein.

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00:19:28,867 --> 00:19:32,504

I just find it's easier on the gut. Sometimes whey protein can be quite hard on

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the guy. Okay. So we're just going to give that a good stir.

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We're going to mix it in. And again, that's going to, it's going to take away

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00:19:37,743 --> 00:19:41,180

some of the liquid and it's just going make it that much fluffier.

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00:19:41,180 --> 00:19:44,383

Okay? April.

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00:19:44,383 --> 00:19:48,387

Do you add the protein powder after it sits overnight so

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the next day you don't let it cook with the chia and the oats?

350

00:19:52,224 --> 00:19:54,426

The day before? That's a great question.

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00:19:54,426 --> 00:19:58,397

I find often if I add it with a protein powder, because there are

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00:19:58,397 --> 00:20:01,033

proteins in the protein powder sometimes it clumps up.

353

00:20:01,033 --> 00:20:04,303

So I do find it's better sometimes to add it after and then to add a bit more

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water or you can add like almond milk or wherever you want to like start

355

00:20:07,239 --> 00:20:11,410

getting better. But I do you find just for like consistency purposes in my

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00:20:11,410 --> 00:20:13,345

palette, I like to add in after.

357

00:20:13,345 --> 00:20:16,682

But again, if you're prepping it ahead, you can just stir it right in.

358

00:20:16,682 --> 00:20:18,584

Just give it a bit better of a stir.

359

00:20:18,584 --> 00:20:20,586

Okay. Got it. So actually that's a good question.

360

00:20:20,586 --> 00:20:21,086

And you probably added it.

361

00:20:21,086 --> 00:20:25,023

I think when I was doing my

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chia seed mix ahead of time, I think I put too much.

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00:20:28,227 --> 00:20:32,331

I think I did half a cup. So I was like, it's not cooking properly.

364

00:20:32,331 --> 00:20:34,299

It's too much, so now two teaspoons.

365

00:20:34,299 --> 00:20:35,500

I'll make note of that for next time.

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00:20:35,500 --> 00:20:38,637

Yeah, and have fun with it. Honestly, everyone has a different palette.

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Some people like a watery, some people like it, you know, a bit drier.

368

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So have fun and mix it around.

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00:20:44,309 --> 00:20:47,613

Some people more chia seeds than oats. I like a bit more oats than chia seeds,

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but some people that kind of chia seed pudding.

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00:20:49,615 --> 00:20:53,785

So again, have fun, choose your own adventure, right?

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Do you, that's what we're really supporting in these conversations is to do

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you. Okay, so have some fun with it.

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00:21:00,292 --> 00:21:02,728

So yeah, we're gonna start in really well. Then we're going to pick whatever

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fruit you want. I love dark cherries.

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Dark cherries are also great for muscles.

377

00:21:06,531 --> 00:21:10,035

You'll see a lot of people drinking like tart cherry juice before bed.

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So I really like cherries, they're great.

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00:21:12,137 --> 00:21:14,606

Feel free to pick any other berry that you would like.

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00:21:14,606 --> 00:21:18,644

Again, really full of antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, the

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00:21:18,644 --> 00:21:21,146

dark red. Get that colouring, okay?

382

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So we're just gonna add that on top.

383

00:21:22,981 --> 00:21:25,917

And for the fruit, again, you can add in beforehand.

384

00:21:25,917 --> 00:21:29,855

I like to add it on top, so it's kind of fun to pick through.

385

00:21:29,855 --> 00:21:34,559

So add your fruit sauce. And then last but not least, I like some crunch.

386

00:21:34,559 --> 00:21:38,563

I like, you know, to have something that has that different texture to

387

00:21:38,563 --> 00:21:42,601

it. So I find that I'll prep this ahead of time, and I'll put those in

388

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the fridge. And the day of what I'll do is I'll take my one serving out.

389

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And then I make my own homemade granola at home because then you have less

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sugar and you can really control what's in it.

391

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You can put nuts and seeds and what I'll do is I'll just go ahead and I'll

392

00:21:54,179 --> 00:21:58,283

scoop out half a cup of fresh granola and I'll add that on

393

00:21:58,283 --> 00:22:02,154

top for some crunch. I find that crunch allows you to feel a bit more satisfied

394

00:22:02,154 --> 00:22:06,258

and it's kind of this like kind of mental connection to a bit of enjoyment.

395

00:22:06,258 --> 00:22:08,860

So that's how I have my breakfast.

396

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It's something really simple and easy.

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You put the lid on there, you bring a spoon to work with you and you have a

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wonderful nutrient packed supportive breakfast.

399

00:22:18,403 --> 00:22:21,473

So that's something I definitely recommend to do, something easy.

400

00:22:21,473 --> 00:22:23,775

And again, feel free to choose your own adventure.

401

00:22:23,775 --> 00:22:26,144

You don't have to follow this exact recipe.

402

00:22:26,144 --> 00:22:28,580

Figure out what you like, what mix and matches.

403

00:22:28,580 --> 00:22:32,050

You can add cinnamon. You can try different flavours of protein powder.

404

00:22:32,050 --> 00:22:34,786

You can do, you know, cocoa and banana.

405

00:22:34,786 --> 00:22:38,290

You can peanut butter and banana, you can add all these different things and

406

00:22:38,290 --> 00:22:40,926

then have fun with it. Also really great option for kids.

407

00:22:40,926 --> 00:22:42,861

Get them involved, have some fun.

408

00:22:42,861 --> 00:22:46,865

Yes, I love that. I had one question regarding nuts, because I know

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00:22:46,865 --> 00:22:49,067

nuts can be, you know, high in fat.

410

00:22:49,067 --> 00:22:51,370

How much nuts do you recommend?

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00:22:51,370 --> 00:22:55,807

You know, a handful of almonds or, you no cashews.

412

00:22:55,807 --> 00:22:58,176

That's a great question. Again, everything in moderation, right?

413

00:22:58,176 --> 00:23:00,278

Just because they're healthy, doesn't mean you want to go and have two cups of

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00:23:00,278 --> 00:23:03,782

them. I generally say, again, that handful rule, right.

415

00:23:03,782 --> 00:23:07,853

And making sure with nuts, and if you're a nut-free household, for example, use

416

00:23:07,853 --> 00:23:11,056

seeds instead. Seeds are actually cheaper, more economical.

417

00:23:11,056 --> 00:23:14,126

They have just as much great properties. But if you are doing nuts or seeds,

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00:23:14,126 --> 00:23:16,795

making sure that they're raw, that's how you're going to get the most amount of

419

00:23:16,828 --> 00:23:21,967

that healthy fat to support that immune system and that hormonal belt.

420

00:23:21,967 --> 00:23:26,071

Great, well thank you so much. That flew by for our viewers

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00:23:26,071 --> 00:23:27,806

that want more information.

422

00:23:27,806 --> 00:23:29,841

How can they reach you, April?

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00:23:29,841 --> 00:23:33,845

Yes, of course. For more information, you can reach me at the

424

00:23:33,845 --> 00:23:37,416

Centre for Interpersonal Relationships. So I am taking on individual clients

425

00:23:37,416 --> 00:23:39,651

and also a couple clients.

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00:23:39,651 --> 00:23:43,388

So, I'd love to support viewers if they're looking for that mental health

427

00:23:43,388 --> 00:23:48,059

support, physical health. I do more of a holistic support system there.

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00:23:48,059 --> 00:23:50,796

I'm here to help the community and hopefully we can do some more shows together

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00:23:50,796 --> 00:23:52,364

and they can see me again here.

430

00:23:52,364 --> 00:23:54,466

Yes, I love that. Thank you so much, April.

431

00:23:54,466 --> 00:23:56,334

And thanks everyone for watching. See you next time.

432

00:24:15,387 --> 00:24:19,691

Thanks for listening to, or watching,

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The Upside: Invested in Wellness with Jessie Sarafian – March 4, 2026

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