Kathy Smart is an author, nutritionist, and fitness instructor as well as the organizer of the Live the Smart Way Expo. FILE PHOTO

Kathy Smart is thrilled this year’s “Live the Smart Way Expo” is happening on Mother’s Day Weekend.

“The entire weekend will be a Mother’s Day VIP experience,” she says, of the May 11 and 12 expo. “It is the destination to go on Mother’s Day weekend.”

This is the fourth year the award-winning nutritionist, author, chef and entrepreneur has organized this health and wellness event. For the first time, it is being held at the RA Centre on Riverside Drive, which Smart says is a more convenient location, with free parking. Tickets are $5 and available at the door.

This year’s title presenter is tasteU.S., an alliance of more than 40 American grower organizations that connects American producers with Canadian buyers.

“It brings safe, high-quality, nutritious and innovative U.S. products to Canada year-round,” explains Smart.

The expo, with hundreds of exhibits, a speakers’ series, seminars and demon-strations will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the first 1,000 attendees each day will receive a giveaway bag containing more than $200 in samples, treats, coupons and swag from event sponsors, partners and exhibitors. It will feature the newest trends in health, fitness and yoga, as well as current food innovations, such as gluten-free, vegan and keto.

Self-described as “a small town Canadian gal just wanting to make this world a little healthier, happier and kinder,” Smart now lives in Orléans and has worked in the health and wellness sectors for more than 20 years.

Diagnosed with celiac disease as a child, Smart learned firsthand that “if you change what you eat, you can change your life.” For her, the key is natural foods. “Diets don’t work. Eating real food does,” she maintains. She doesn’t believe in counting calories, but urges people to “learn how to eat based on your metabolic needs.”

Smart will be giving a 12:30 p.m. presentation both days on the meaning of food cravings and how to prepare “a smarter and equally decadent alternative to those food cravings by just eating real food.” She will demonstrate her 30-second Oprah Peanut Butter Fudge, a 10-second protein dip to eat with fresh Washington Apples, and a new recipe from her revised Canadian Comfort Foods cookbook.

Another highlight of the speakers’ series will be Kathie Donovon’s 30-minute presentation, “The Fine Art of Aging Gratefully,” on Sunday at 11:45 a.m.

Extremely efficient, energetic and focussed, Smart attributes these traits to the self-discipline she learned at an early age. Born in Cornwall, her upbringing was strict and sheltered. “I wasn’t allowed to watch television or listen to music; instead, I listened to character-building tapes.” Her schooling included 10 years at an extremely strict American private academy and several challenging years at the now-discredited Grenville Christian College boarding school near Brockville.

After a personal battle with bulimia as a teen, Smart is a long-time advocate for mental health and a portion of the event’s proceeds will go to the Royal Ottawa Mental Health and Research Centre.

She says she understands mental illness at a very deep level because she’s seen what mental illness can do. In particular, she has great empathy for “the shrapnel” that impacts the families of those suffering from mental health issues.

Smart stays focused on her mission to give Canadians the tools to be “the healthiest nation on earth,” by remembering the example of one of her personal heroes, Mother Teresa, from whom she learned: “You begin to change the world by helping the person in front of you.”

For the latest information, a list of exhibitors and the speakers’ schedule, visit www.livethesmartway.com.

(This story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local business partners.)