All About Food & Nutrition

Since humans invented fire, we’ve enjoyed the benefits of cooking food. However, cooking food has its drawbacks, including the development of carcinogens. Here’s how to prevent harmful chemicals while still enjoying that summer cookout.

It’s been said that gluttony is overcome only when someone has a “full soul” and derives pleasure from passions that come from simple pursuits in life. What are you missing by over-indulging?

Gluttony has traditionally been defined as a “sin of immoderation” linked to earthly excess. Here’s why “going medieval” may actually be relevant to modern eaters seeking leanness, health, and a better relationship with food.

Including more plants in your diet can make you healthier, provide important nutrients, and possibly help conserve environmental resources.

Fish oil is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which can keep you healthy, smart, and lean.

If you’re eating a standard Western diet, you’re probably getting less than half of the dietary fibre you need to stay healthy (and despite this, you probably think you eat enough). Yet dietary fibre is crucial for GI health, staying lean, and preventing chronic diseases. Live longer and leaner via lentils!

Greens supplements can function as a serving of fruits and vegetables, and contain vitamins, minerals, fibre, and phytonutrients. With supplements, it’s actually pretty easy being green!

Whether it’s prebiotic or probiotic, learn how to care for all your zillions of biotics, aka friendly bacteria.

In Part 1 of this series, we looked at the physiological part of appetite. We learned that many hormones, neurotransmitters, glands and organs regulate appetite. Now we’re going to look at the interactions between biology and environment, and how you can become a better, more aware eater.

Ever wonder what makes you hungry? Why some foods look more appealing than others? Why you’re always hungry for dessert? Or why you might open the fridge full of food, then stand there and say, “We have nothing good to eat!”? We’re driven by a complex play of chemicals that orchestrate food intake, desire, and food associations.

There are dozens of varieties of plant oils available. Which ones are healthier, and why?

Why are fruits and veggies so darn good for you? Lots of reasons.

If honey, maple syrup, and agave nectar are “natural”, are they “healthy”? Learn about “naturally” derived sweeteners and their effects in your body. You may want to pass on that date sugar if a lean body is your goal.

Go to the grocery store and pick up 5 bags of groceries. Then go ahead and take one bag directly to the dumpster. Umm… what? Yep, we waste about 20-25% of all food purchased for the home. Wasting so much food has major consequences for our own and others’ health — including the health of the planet.

Insulin is an important anabolic hormone. However, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing.

If you remember elementary school, you probably remember some kind of experiment involving sprouting seeds. Perhaps you stuck a few bean kernels in a jar, kept them moist, and were rewarded in a few days with green shoots. Well, the same process works for making grains, nuts, and beans/legumes more digestible now that you’re a grownup. Hey — science works!

We all know that vitamins and minerals are important, but why? Here’s what you need to know about what’s in your food… or your Flintstones chewables.

Some speculate that if it weren’t for seafood, we wouldn’t even be human, since our brains began to increase in size when we incorporated seafood and other meats into our diet. Without fish we might still be apes swinging around in trees. Find out why fish is good for us… and why we should be concerned about it.

What you eat is important. However, when you eat it can be just as critical.

Get over the Cheech and Chong humour — hemp is an important and valuable source of nutrients that might help you gain muscle, lose fat, and stay healthy.

Protein powders can be helpful if you aren’t getting enough protein from whole food, or if you want the convenience and portability of a protein source that won’t spoil easily. How are protein powders made? What’s the difference between types?

From Old McDonald’s farm to McDonald’s, meat’s come a long way, and not always for the better. All about meat, how it affects your health, and how to choose a more ethical steak.

You’ve learned about what to eat to meet your health and body composition goals. But what about when you eat it?

Feel like slamming back 5 cups of coffee and 81 grams of sugar? Woowee!! It’s energy drink time! Yeah!! Once you get over the nausea, heart palpitations, insulin whiplash, and chemical toxicity, you’re gonna feel great!

Research suggests that whole grains are good for you. But before you feel smug about downing those “whole wheat” pretzels, organic corn chips, or “enriched” Wonder Bread slices, find out the facts about whole grains.

Our body needs sodium for nearly every function. But most of us have too much of a good thing. Why your ketchup may be more dangerous than your salt shaker.

All fats are not created equal. Why fat is important for optimal health and functioning. Believe it or not, eating fat can keep you lean.

If you’re looking for a caffeine-free alternative to tea that still offers a phytochemical punch, consider this traditional South African medicinal plant.

We know by now that we should eat fish oil to get beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. But think… where did the fish get it from? Hint: Check the sides of your fishtank or the sand on the beach.

“Organic”. That means “healthy”, right? Well, kind of. You might avoid a lot of chemicals, which is great… but think twice before you use the “organic” label to justify that organic toaster pastry.

Early anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss proposed that the difference beween “nature” and “culture” was akin to “raw” and “cooked” — cooked food symbolizes human creation, civilization, and technology. But is cooked food always ‘progress’? Is ‘raw’ food, in fact, what we were meant to eat?

Vague digestive complaints? Headaches and skin rashes? You may want to avoid that sandwich or plate of pasta. Why and how your daily bread may be making you ill.

Hey guys, you know what I could totally go for right now? A cloudy liquid with an unattractive, brown and squishy mushroom floating in it. Mmmmm. Let me introduce you to kombucha. Proponents of this fermented tea drink claim it does everything but wax your floor. But the clinical evidence suggests otherwise.

“Energy balance” is the relationship between “energy in” (food calories taken into the body through food and drink) and “energy out” (calories being used in the body for our daily energy requirements). This relationship, which is defined by the laws of thermodynamics, dictates whether weight is lost, gained, or remains the same. Control your energy balance, and you control your body composition.

Humans have starved themselves, over-eaten, and purged for thousands of years. Yet it was not until the 20th century that extreme slenderness became a widespread cultural ideal. Now we know that disordered eating in the 21st century is a complex phenomenon with many causes and consequences.

It’s often made out to be the bad guy in today’s medical world. But cholesterol is an important molecule in the body. With the right diet and exercise program, you can put the power of cholesterol to work for you. No appointments to see your doc required.

If you’re like 60% of Americans, you probably don’t think you’ve ever eaten a genetically modified (GM) food. Think again. GM foods are everywhere in our food supply. Here’s what they are, and why you should care.

If you often grumble about not being full or always being hungry, you may have beachfront property in the world of negative dietary displacement. Are you relying on fake foods to meet your nutrient and satiety needs?

Bean sprouts aren’t just for hippies. There’s method in that madness — reducing the harmful effects of lectins, substances found in many foods. If you’re experiencing GI distress, lectins may be the culprit. Read more about these ubiquitous substances, and how to control their effects.

If you have a set of directions for constructing a desk and you only follow 50% of the instructions, what happens? Well, the same is true when you have a set of directions for getting lean and healthy, and you only follow half of them. To succeed in any endeavour — whether furniture or body recomposition — you must be able to measure your progress and the outcome of your efforts.