All About Food & Nutrition

If you’re looking for a local-source sweetener with some health benefits, try honey. Use honey sparingly, enjoying its antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, and thank the hard-working bees who brought it to you.

Glucomannan, from konjac root, is a form of beneficial soluble fibre that can improve bowel health, blood sugar and lipids, and other health conditions. It can also help you lose fat and stay lean by improving satiety and appetite hormones.

Acne is a multi-factorial disease. While each case is unique, you can greatly improve your chances of clear skin by eating whole foods; lowering inflammation and stress; getting a good fatty acid balance; and cutting down the worst offenders: wheat, sugar, and dairy.

Many behaviours qualify as addictions — things we feel overwhelmingly compelled to do, despite the consequences. What’s food addiction, and how can we treat it?

Resistant starch is a type of starch that isn’t fully broken down and absorbed, but rather turned into short-chain fatty acids by intestinal bacteria. This may lead to some unique health benefits. To get the most from resistant starch, choose whole, unprocessed sources of carbohydrate such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and beans/legumes.

If you think that frozen or canned veggies are a poor nutritional choice, think again. We all benefit from more veggies and fruits in our diet — and preserved plant foods can be a great option for busy people or consuming out-of-season produce.

Ginger is one of the oldest medicinal foods. It can help treat a variety of conditions from nausea to inflammation. And it tastes good, too!

Where do vitamin supplements actually come from? You may be shocked to find out.

The plant-based eating gurus are back for another round! This time they cover supplements, reasons for eating plant-based, why milk does a body bad, tricks for traveling, and how to sneak more veggies into your daily routine.

Many people are confused about plant-based eating. What’s “good”? What’s “healthy”? What really benefits animals, the planet, and your wellbeing? Resident plant-based-eater Ryan Andrews gathers some of the best and brightest to discuss the topic.

Remember when you’d get done with a bowl of Froot Loops and the milk would be blue? Those were the days. But where did that colour come from? And are we all going to regret slurping up that milk?

When Neolithic farmers figured out how to cultivate wheat, millet, oats and other wild grasses some 10,000 years ago – they created the first steady food supply we’d ever known. We could actually grow food and store it! But a supply of barley for the winter is a bit different from the bulk pack of Cupcake Pebbles from Costco.

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.