Healthy Life Lessons

  I am not an entirely plant-based eater, but one staple I always have in my kitchen is nutritional yeast, a favorite of vegans everywhere for its yummy, cheezy, savoury flavour and high nutrient content. I often use it in place of cheese just because I love how it tastes. If like me, you are a fan of Nooch, than you will also love the line of seasoning products from Parma! They are made from nutritional yeast and a variety of nuts, seeds and flavourings. All the products are also:    The company sent me all 4 of their flavours to try: Original Better Than Bacon Chipotle Cayenne Garlicky Green Now if you are vegan, you can use these seasonings on popcorn, veggies, potatoes, bread, tofu, nuts, really anything savoury! I tried the Original and Garlicky Green on roasted veggies, the Chipotle on roasted salmon, and the Better Than Bacon on an egg white omelet. All are tasty but the Better Than Bacon smoky flavour is definitely my favorite. I also really liked the Chipotle bu...

  I realized when I was planning this post that nut butters are one food that both healthy eaters and junk food eaters can usually agree on. Now healthy eaters may go for unsweetened, organic varieties and junk food eaters the sweetened grocery store kind, but still it is a generally universally appealing food. Often people use nut butters as a source of protein in their diet, but it isn't generally all that high in protein. I typically use it as a source of fat. So I was pretty stoked about the idea of high protein nut butters which were sent to me by Bowmar Nutrition . Two tablespoons has 10g of protein compared to about 6g for regular almond butter.  They sent me 3 flavours to try: 1. Cake Pop Cashew 2. Cinnamon Crunch Cereal 3. Apple Pie Almond Even though my kids are not the biggest nut butter fans (I know I just said everyone loves them but my kids are weird), I thought they would like these flavours. But the teenager blows hot and cold with nut butters and the tween onl...

I live with 3 cereal monsters. Adam eats oatmeal every day and likes to snack on cold cereal. The kids like eating cold cereal any time of day. So when Nature's Path offered us samples of the products, I knew this family would be happy to oblige. If you have ever set food in a health food store than you are probably familiar with Nature's Path cereals. All their products are organic and the company is committed to sustainability. As soon as the kids saw the Sunrise Crunchy Vanilla they were excited, even though I don't recall ever buying them that variety before. They devoured the whole box quickly, eating it mostly as a snack by the handful. The 3rd ingredient is sugar, so it is definitely a treat (6g per serving), but at least it is high in fibre. The Heritage flakes are a more adult cereal, but the kids liked them too (5g sugar per serving and even higher in fibre. Before they could get too far into the box, however, I used the rest to make Covered Katie's Butterfi...

  As a psychotherapist, I spend a lot of time talking to clients about nutrition and exercise. Why? Because overwhelming research shows how critical our lifestyle is to not only our physical health, but also our mental health. Most people, unfortunately, do not eat or move in their daily lives in a way that is conducive to wellbeing. One of the main barriers is motivation. Most of us have become so accustomed to a sedentary lifestyle based on the conveniences of modern life - including prepared foods/fast food/takeout, etc., that we have become very reluctant to devoting time or energy to an exercise program or cooking. If you are looking to improve your diet but unwilling to take a lot of time to prepare meals, than Evive Nutrition may be right up your alley. It is a Canadian Company that offers premade frozen smoothie cubes and meals that can be delivered right to your door. There are over a dozen smoothie varieties that all contain at least 3 grams of fibre and 6 grams of protei...

 As you can tell by the lack of frequency of my posts, I am a bit busy right now. I think I am burning myself out trying to help my counselling clients with burnout 😏 It seems the pandemic has either forced people into extreme boredom or working 24/7 without any separation between work and home (since most of us are working from home!). Anyways, I pushed myself to read these 2 books because they are work-related and I am always trying to learn more as a therapist and I also like having books to recommend to my clients. Fight Back: End Cycles of Anxiety and Depression This book is written by a Hypnotherapy practitioner and life coach, Mike Oglesbee, who himself battled anxiety and depression for years. Though his approach to treating anxiety and depression is really just cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) repackaged, I did like this book. Oglesbee starts by explaining parts of the brain as well as the mind (unconscious vs conscious, critical and primitive). The strategy he employs...

Has the Covid-19 Pandemic made you worry about your immune system and wondering what you can do to bolster it? Well don't search for the answer in an expensive bottles of supplements. To some extent, immune systems vary from person-to-person because of genetics, and, of course, some people are immuno-compromised due to underlying health issues or medications. The best things you can do for your immune system are: 1. Do not smoke or drink 2. Get enough sleep/manage stress 3. Exercise 4. Eat a nutritious diet that includes lots of fruits and veggies Unfortunately, the pandemic has created the perfect opportunity for companies to exploit people's fears and convince them to spend large sums of money on unnecessary products. A good example of this is the immune shot package from BodyBio . For $69.99USD you get: 1. Vitamin C crystals 2. Liquid zinc 3. Liposomal (a gel like substance that is the same material as your cells which increases 'bioavailability' of the vitamin C and...

Did you notice that since the Covid-19 pandemic started, there are stories about how to boost immunity all over the media plus ads for supplements that are supposed to increase immunity everywhere? So far, only Vitamin D seems to show any lick of connection with Covid-19 infections, and the very preliminary findings are that there seems to be a link between those who get the most severe cases of Covid and Vitamin D deficiency. Aside from that, the best way to keep your immune system in good shape is focusing on the macro-level lifestyle variables: don't smoke, limit alcohol, get enough sleep, exercise, and eat lots of plants. All of this also helps with stress management and yes, excess stress can strain your immune system. Differences in immunity, according to researchers, is, in large part, determined by genetics, so not much we can do about that. As I always tell my counselling clients, focus on what you can control, which is, lifestyle. In any case, there are other r...

Food has become a popular topic of conversation during this pandemic. Panic buying, changing habits (everyone is now baking their own bread?), food delivery, grocery store line-ups, shuttered restaurants, restaurants transitioning to delivery and take out only...and then you have all the memes poking fun at people suddenly becoming gourmet chefs for a few days until their resolve crumbles and they start eating cereal for every meal and everyone complaining they are gaining weight due to less activity and closer proximity to the fridge. Unfortunately, the situation has been tough for a lot of my counselling clients struggling with disordered eating, whether its restriction and dieting or binging. As I have stated many times, I am not a fan of diets and restrictive eating. That being said if you love being keto or whatever, you are healthy and not oscillating between restriction and binging - which is what happens to most people who try restrictive diets - than knock yourself out....

If you do not know how to cook and would like to learn how to simple, health meals, thank look no further. The Clean & Simple Diabetes Cookbook  may be intended to help people cook diabetic-friendly meals, but really the book is good for anyone with little cooking experience who wants a step-by-step guide for creating nutritious recipes. Published by the American Diabetes Association, and written by Dietitian, Jackie Newgent, the book is chock-full, not only of easy-to-prepare, tasty recipes, but also everything you need to know to get you started in the kitchen if you do not already have the basic knowledge and skills. The chapter on a diabetes-friendly lifestyle provides advice some specific advice for diabetes but also some that really applies to everyone: exercise, choose whole grains, eat healthy fats, reduce sodium, and avoid sugary beverages. There is a step-by-step guide on diabetic-friendly cooking, which, again, can really be utilized by anyone looking for ...

Most people I know hate protein bars. Adam and I love them. They are convenient and satisfying for us weight lifting folks. Some are truly terrible taste-wise, and many are far from healthy. For the most part, I stick with Quest Bars or Costco's protein bars and I probably eat 3-5 a week max (except when we travel I tend to eat them more so I don't ever get hangry). Recently I tried 2 new (to me) Quest bar flavours because I found them on major sale (they are bloody expensive!). First, was Mint Chocolate Chunk. The base of the bar is chocolate and then there are crumbly chocolate cookie pieces and green mint chunks. The base is okay and I like the mint chunks but I could do without the cookie pieces. They are kind of tasteless. Overall, I did like this bar a lot, but after I finished the first box I bought, I had enough and gave the whole second box to Adam. Next I had to try Pumpkin Pie. I have a cinnamon/spice addiction so I was very curious how these would ...

Another post about genetics! You are likely aware that direct-to-consumer DNA tests are all the rage right now. There are companies like 23andme, Ancestry.com, Ancestry,ca, etc. These ones focus primarily on ancestry (obviously!). A few years ago I did 23andme for that reason. I was pretty sure I wouldn't find any surprises in my ancestry but was curious anyways. The results were, well, unsurprising. It told me I was 99.6% Ashkenazi Jewish and 0.4 percent 'other' European. But through the database, I connected with cousins through my mom's side of the family that we weren't aware of, living in California and Wisconsin. That was fun! Also, discovered a cousin right here in Toronto and briefly made contact with her. 23andme also sends health info, but it's pretty top line. There was nothing at all alarming in it, basically telling me I am not a carrier of any diseases at all. Some of it was funny too, like it said I probably like cilantro (true!), and my pee s...

I have another book review for you today and I am really excited about this one! You Are What Your Grandparents Ate: What You Need to Know About Nutrition, Experience, Epigenetics & the Origins of Chronic Disease is written by author, and fellow Toronto resident, Judith Finlayson and it is absolutely fascinating. Finlayson has previously written many cookbooks and has a long standing interest in nutrition, but she is not a scientist or researcher, nevertheless, she does a great job of using published data to back up her claims. Perhaps because she is not a scientist, she is able to present the information in a very accessible way to readers. Finlayson provides definitions to many of the scientific terms within chapters and also in a comprehensive glossary at the back. The topic of this book is of great interest to me, not just because I too have a long standing interest in health and nutrition, but because genetics and epigenetics are things that are critical in my profes...

Today its back to work after a Canadian long weekend. For some, its an opportunity to get outside in summer, go to a cottage or take part in the many festivals and activities around Toronto. But I hate that shit. Cottages are full of bugs, and summer is too hot and Toronto is too crowded and difficult to get around to make going to any festivals or attractions worth it (or remotely enjoyable). And no, my name is not the Grinch. So on the day off yesterday, I went to the office in the morning and stayed at home, inside, in the air conditioning all afternoon. But I was sort of productive. I convinced Big A to do the Tracy Anderson fitness video I have with me. We had a lot of fun making fun of it (her boobs don't move even though it doesn't even look like she is wearing a bra...silicone perhaps?). I also agreed to bake with Little A. She had been pestering me to make "Crunchy Top Blueberry Muffins", which are essentially cake-like blueberry muffins with sugar on to...

Even if you are not trying to be a competitive body builder or athlete, muscle is something most of us need more of. It's not just a matter of aesthetics. Sedentary lifestyles lead to tight, weak muscles and atrophy. This leads to lowered metabolisms, chronic pain, increased risks of falls, and injuries. Exercise, particularly strength training, is critical for the maintenance and building of muscle mass. In terms of nutrition, protein is a critical building block for muscle particularly when trying to increase muscle size and/or density. According to MYOS RENS Technology Inc., there is another key to enhancing the body's ability to build muscle: Fortetropin, made from fertilized egg yolk. Obviously this is not a product for vegans! Yolked is a powder supplement combined with dextrose (sugar) and vanilla. It is supposed to be particularly helpful for adults over age 60 to combat sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss). We talk a lot about osteoporosis but sarcopenia is al...

You have likely heard about the new 'plant-based' burgers that have cropped up on the market. Though its not like veggie burgers are a new thing, these ones are supposed to mimic the real look, taste and texture of meat like nothing before. Not only are they available in grocery stores but big fast food chains are now offering them as a vegan alternative. Now I am totally fine with non-meaty veggie burgers as long as they taste good, but I was curious to try the new products, so I picked up a package of the Lightlife brand. My first impression? Frickin' expensive! Um, $8 for 2 burgers??? Also, very high in calories (260) and fat (17g) for a small burger. In comparison, the Yves brand I usually buy is usually available for $7 for 8 burgers and each has 110 calories and 3.5g fat! They do look like meat and when they cook they release redish 'juices' and have a delicious, meaty aroma. I fried them up in a frying pan and plopped it on a whole grain bun with ...

What is intriguing about this book is it is written by Ariane Resnick, P!NK's personal chef. Yes, that P!NK, the singer (AKA Alecia Beth Moore). How to Be Well When You're Not is actually geared towards a very specialized population: individuals struggling with serious illness. It is not a diet book. It is a guide book for people feeling sick and hopeless, "Practices and Recipes to Maximize Health in Illness". This book was borne out of the author's own experience suffering from Lyme Disease and then soon after, chemical poisoning. In both cases, Resnick struggled to get an accurate diagnosis for a long time and was told she had little hope for recovery. She was basically left to her own devices to either find a solution or accept her suffering as a permanent state of affairs. She opted to stay hopeful and find a solution and successfully recovered from both. The book provides a framework for others to do the same. Now as a therapist, this book interests...

If you are sick of hearing about, or experimenting with Keto and/or Paleo diets, how about the Essential Oils Diet  by Eric and Sabrina Ann Zielinski? Sounds different huh? I will admit when I was offered the chance to review it, I thought this book was going to make my skin crawl. First off, I don't believe in diets, second, a bit of research led me to discover that the authors, a married couple, promote 'biblical health'. Typically any promotion of a lifestyle involving religion and quoting the bible makes me very uncomfortable. One thing I will say though, is that there is evidence that if people believe aspects of their lifestyle should be synchronous with their values, they are more inclined to stick with them. So if you are a Christian looking for something to motivate you to live a healthier lifestyle, a program like this may actually be effective for you. Despite the bible quotes, I will start by saying I was much more impressed with this book than I ever...

I don't know what it is about puddings and jelly desserts, but kids usually love them. And mine are no exception. I have made them Simply Delish vanilla and chocolate pudding before, and they have been a big hit, so I was more than happy to have the company send their other products for us to review. They generously sent all of their pudding and jelly flavours and the girls were very excited. I have always been a big fan of these products because of what they do not contain. No sugar. No artificial colours or flavours. Bam! They are also gluten-free, nut-free, fat-free, and vegan. The girls asked for the peach jelly first because they had never had jelly dessert in that flavour before. Big A thought it was okay, but decided peach is not her favorite. Little A loved it and was more than happy to inhale most of the entire recipe herself. The orange flavour they both equally loved. They are saving the strawberry and raspberry as they are anticipating these will be their abs...

Happy Easter Monday to those who celebrate! If you are one of millions of North Americans who wants to improve your lifestyle and/or health but do not know where to start, this book will be of interest to you. What struck me several times while reading Your Fittest Future Self by Kathleen Trotter, is that it is the book (one of about 20) that I planned to write! I write books in my head on a regular basis and fantasize about actually writing them, but then decide it's way too much work. But ultimately, this means that Trotter , a personal trainer, motivational speaker and author, is totally on the same page I am when it comes to perspectives on fitness and nutrition. But that's no surprise as she graduated from my alma mater (Department of Exercise Sciences at the University of Toronto) and also wrote a fitness column for the Globe and Mail that I used to enjoy. The book has sections on nutrition, fitness and mindset (i.e. motivation and ways to avoid self-sabotag...

One of the biggest frustrations I have with the wellness industry (aside from all the bullshit people sell with zero evidence of its efficacy) is its elitism. Eat all organic! Grow your own food! Buy everything from independently owned small local shops! Its not that I do not see the value in all of this, the problem is, few people can really do these things. Its not a coincidence that there is a strong correlation between health and socioeconomic status. Most North Americans cannot afford to live on a big property where they can grow their food, they cannot afford to buy organic food, and they cannot afford to replace their daily cup of joe for a turmeric latte. There are certainly many ways to eat healthfully on a budget as I have outlined in past posts. Buying organic food on a budget can be tough. Does washing conventionally grown fruits and veggies remove pesticides? Apparently it can definitely reduce the amount of residue (See link ). What about special fruit and veggie...