Author:Vancouver Health Coach

October 9, 2014 In Food, Food and Recipes, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

A Diet for Balancing Pitta

The diet to balance pitta corresponds to the many of the so-called “balanced” diets out there, such as the Mediterranean or Indo-Mediterranean diet, that display a mostly balanced ratio of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. In Ayurveda this diet is good for people that have an average metabolism, neither very fast nor slow, providing a balanced source of energy. In particular, this diet is good for people that have a hot temperament, and tend to get warm easily. Some of the recommendations of this diet are contraindicated for people suffering from excessive coldness. Pitta-reducing diet A pitta-reducing diet is predominant in sweet,...

October 9, 2014 In Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

The Impossible Dream: Overcoming Insomnia

Current studies report up to 30 percent of North Americans are currently suffering from insomnia. Insomnia can be a difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Some people lie in bed for hours before properly falling asleep; others fall asleep only to wake up a short while later, unable to fall back to sleep. This is a chronic and severe problem in our society. One quarter of the population takes prescription and/or over-the-counter drugs to help them sleep. Insomnia drugs have many serious side effects including cognitive impairment, falls, tolerance and dependency, withdrawal, plus they tend to leave people drowsy and lethargic...

October 8, 2014 In News, Spotlight, Yoga By Vancouver Health Coach

Yoga: Practice How You Feel

Compare your most prevalent underlying state of being with the yoga routines you find most comfortable, and chances are there will be some parallels. Passive personalities tend to feel at home with gentle flows, while those who tackle life's issues head on gravitate towards power yoga. And the similarities can be looked at even closer when analyzing your level of comfort during specific postures. Child's Pose, for instance, is a restorative posture in which one feels safe and supported. This is so because your heart is protected, and your face is hidden from the world. It's natural to enjoy being in...

October 8, 2014 In Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Spring Cleaning Means Clean Eating

As you may know, our diet should rotate with the season.  Summer is the the time for light, refreshing food, while Autumn is the time for nourishing root vegetables.  Winter becomes the best time for hearty stews, meats and breads.  We are now in full swing of Spring, the best time for  cleaning and clean eating.  How can we clean up our diet?  What are some foods we should be consuming more often during these warming months?  I will discuss in detail a few important changes that are necessary for this time of year. Hydration:  We should always be drinking enough...

October 7, 2014 In Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, News By Vancouver Health Coach

Food Bars and Shakes vs. Regular Wholesome Lunch: Video Interview with Keri Gans, Registered Dietitian

Here is a video interview with Registered Dietitian and author of The Small Change Diet, Keri Gans on how a busy person can eat healthy. The video interview was broken into 3 parts. Here is part 1 on food bars and shakes versus a "regular wholesome lunch". About Keri: Keri M. Gans, MS, RD, CDN - Keri Gans is a Registered Dietitian and has had a private practice in Manhattan for over ten years. She is a Spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association Spokesperson (ADA), an ADA Delegate for New York State Dietetic Association (NYSDA) and a Past President of NYSDA. Keri...

October 7, 2014 In Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Trying the Raw Food Diet? Raw versus Cooked Food

A few months back I addressed the issue of veganism in my blog, and provided a series of snippets and references from my book, suggesting that a long term vegan diet – especially in women and children – can be dangerous. This post generated a fair amount of reaction by vegans, but it also opened up the possibility of a more nuanced, well-reasoned approach to this issue. Today I want to continue this debate, by addressing the issue of raw foodism and the raw food diet. The following is taken from my book, Food As Medicine, and is a compilation...

October 6, 2014 In Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Celiac symptoms in children

Are there common childhood symptoms in undiagnosed children with celiac disease? Do boys and girls present with different signs and experience a different set of symptoms? The answer to all three of these questions is YES. If you think your child is at risk for celiac disease read on. Celiac disease is the most under diagnosed, chronic pediatric disease in the U.S. affecting one in 100 children and one in 22 for those associated with risk factors. Amazingly, 95% of all cases are undiagnosed. The disease is a genetic intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. When...

October 5, 2014 In Food, Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

A Question About Pea Protein…

I recently posted an article to the urbandiner.ca website on the subject of the legumes ("Beans, beans, the magical fruit?"), in part taken from a chapter of my upcoming book "Food As Medicine" The Theory and Practice of Food". In the last part of my blog I discuss the issue of the vegan protein powders that seem all the rage these days. I have spent some time on medline researching these ingredients, chief among them being pea protein isolate. If you do a google search on it, most of the "information" is marketing, about how it's well-tolerated, well-digested and hypoallergenic....

October 5, 2014 In Fitness, News, Yoga By Vancouver Health Coach

Hot Yoga Tips: Preparing for Your First Class

If you have ever taken an Ashtanga, Bikram or Vinyasa class you know that the room is heated to temperatures between 90 and 104°F. Because of this heat, there are a few precautions that you should follow. Here are some things to keep in mind before your first class. Drink water and lots of it. Heat in the room acts as a detoxifier for your body and promotes increased flexibility. In turn, the heat promotes sweating, which leads to dehydration. Make sure to drink plenty of water before class and this will help prevent dehydration. Speaking of water, try not to eat...

October 5, 2014 In Green & Healthy Living, Holistic Health, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

4 Easy Steps to Eternal Youth

The hippocampus is the area of the brain responsible for memory and certain types of learning. Beginning in our twenties, this area starts losing an average 1% of volume each year. As the years go on, our immune systems weaken, our muscles lose mass, our joints feel sore, and our brains shrink by the day. These, among other potential declines make aging a frightful thought. Contrary to popular belief however, aging is not the inevitable downward spiral that we once thought it was. Research in a vast array of complementary fields shows that lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, learning, and...