Author:Vancouver Health Coach

July 26, 2010 In Food and Recipes, Spotlight, Uncategorized By Vancouver Health Coach

Gluten–Free Breakfast Burrito

A burrito, also named taco de harina, is a type of Mexican food. It often consists of a flour tortilla wrapped or folded around a filling. Southwestern cuisine, New Mexican cuisine, and Tex-Mex in particular, has popularized the breakfast burrito, in which elements of an American breakfast are wrapped inside a flour tortilla with green chile. While Tia Sophia's, a Mexican café in Santa Fe, New Mexico, claims to have invented the original breakfast burrito in 1975, Fitness Goop offers this gluten-free mouth watering option. Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Without it your metabolism will slow...

July 5, 2010 In Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Personal Health: How Healthy Do You Think You Are?

More than 45 million Americans now belong to a health club, and $19 billion a year is spent on gym memberships. Unfortunately, some people will join a gym, but never make it through the front door. Still, as one major study - the Minnesota Heart Survey - found, more of us at least say we exercise regularly. The survey ran from 1980, when only 47% of respondents said they engaged in regular exercise, to 2000, when the figure had grown to 57%. And yet obesity figures have risen dramatically in the same period: a third...

July 5, 2010 In Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight, Supplements By Vancouver Health Coach

Turmeric vs. NSAIDs for Knee Osteoarthritis

In 2009, a human trial compared the effects of turmeric (Curcuma domestica) versus a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for osteoarthritis of the knee joint. This randomized controlled study examined the safety profile and clinical efficacy of Curcuma domestica extracts for pain reduction and overall functional improvement in subjects with knee osteoarthritis. Subjects with a pain score of >= 5 were given either 800mg/day of ibuprofen or 2000mg of turmeric extracts for 6 weeks. The end points of the study were reduction in pain upon walking, pain climbing stairs, and knee function assessed by subjects walking up and down stairs. Results of...

June 28, 2010 In Food and Recipes, News By Vancouver Health Coach

Gluten – Free Almond Crisps

These light, crispy almond cookies are perfect for an afternoon snack, but special enough to serve for dessert after dinner with homemade applesauce. Almonds are available year round in grocery stores and specialty shops and they are an excellent source of Vitamin E and B2 (riboflavin), tryptophan (an essential amino acid), dietary fiber, magnesium and potassium. So grab a bag of slivered almonds and make a batch of these scrumptious cookies today. Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter or vegetable shortening 1 cup dark brown sugar 1 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 2 cups brown rice flour mix* 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon...

May 17, 2010 In Food and Recipes, News By Vancouver Health Coach

Gluten-Free Lemon Pound Cake

This is the perfect little cake to serve with coffee and tea. Made with yogurt instead of butter, it has a bright lemon flavor, a tender crumb and a velvety texture. This recipe is a great choice for anyone making healthier food choices, but still craving a treat. Serve it with fresh berries, peaches or plums you find on farm stands all spring and summer and you’ll have a simple, delicious cake that you’ll want make again and again. This recipe makes a 9-inch bundt shaped cake. Ingredients: 3 large eggs 1 cup sugar 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour mix* 2 1/2 teaspoons...

March 29, 2010 In Food and Recipes, News By Vancouver Health Coach

Recipe for Gluten-Free Flat Bread

Rustic flat breads can be found in cultures and cuisines around the globe. This one is more European in style, like the focaccia you find in Italian restaurants, specialty shops, and even grocery stores. We top ours in the classic way, with olive oil, fresh rosemary, and sea salt. But let your imagination go wild: sweet sautéed onion and peppers, fresh tomatoes, olives, a little cheese. Try your old favorites, or create new ones for an Easter dinner. You can also use this bread to make delectable Panini or a sandwich (try grilled chicken with pesto mayonnaise or those Easter...

March 29, 2010 In Fitness, News, Spotlight, Yoga By Vancouver Health Coach

The Cooler Side of Yoga: Yin Yoga

“Yin” yoga classes are popping up all over the place, but the style is often misunderstood by those who have yet to experience a session. The misunderstanding is, well, understandable since while passing by a class one witnesses serene looking people-pods doing seemingly nothing but tugging the tail of the cat for five or 10 minutes at a time. But anyone who has hung out in Sleeping Swan for any duration will be quick to tell you that yin yoga is definitely not going to rock you gently into Shavasana. Quite the contrary – yin yoga is deceptively aggressive in its...

February 1, 2010 In Emotional Health, News By Vancouver Health Coach

Only the Lonely

“Sometimes I feel so lonely, it’s palpable.”  My client, a beautiful young woman with an infectious laugh, interests she’s passionate about, and a circle of friends and family that care for her, doesn’t look like a “lonely” person. And yet loneliness – whether it’s the situational loneliness that comes from too few or too far connections, or an existential loneliness born of awareness of our ultimate and fundamental aloneness in the world - is an experience almost all of us have known, regardless of our circumstances. For some of us, the root of that loneliness is not a lack of appreciation...

February 1, 2010 In Fitness, News By Vancouver Health Coach

Swiss Ball Jackknife: Exercise of the Week

The Swiss Ball Jackknife, also referred to as the Knee Tuck is a great exercise for targeting your lower abdominals. Since the ball is unstable, your abdominals have to work hard to maintain your body position. Goal: Hold your lumbar spine in neutral alignment while flexing your hips and drawing your legs in. Muscles involved: Lower Abdominals, Hip Flexors and Shoulder Girdle. Action: Get into a pushup position with the tops of your feet on a Swiss ball. Place your hands just slightly wider than your shoulders. Keeping your back flat contract your abs and bend your knees and hips and roll the ball...

November 9, 2009 In News, Product Reviews By Vancouver Health Coach

2 Top Choices for Oil of Oregano

Oil of oregano has a wide range of natural compounds with proven healing effects, including carvacrol and thymol. Some of these active ingredients damage the cell membranes of bacteria, causing fluids to leak out of the bacteria and impairing their metabolism and replication. Studies have shown that using oil from the whole herb, rather than just some of its individual chemical compounds, creates a synergy that greatly enhances potency.   Oregano is high on antioxidant activity which is probably the origin of the many health benefits of oregano oil. The most widely known and spread benefit of oregano oil is its ability...