Food and Recipes

June 25, 2013 In Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Rich Ralph

Is Canola Oil Making You Sick?

I’ve become so familiar with my local grocery stores that I’ve reached a point where I almost don’t even notice the unhealthy products staring at me from the shelf. It has almost become habitual for me to stroll down the aisles and quickly grab the products I know and love. The other day I paused for a moment and took at glance over my shoulder towards the shelves of various cooking oils. I had almost forgotten how overwhelming this section can be! Olive oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, coconut oil, canola oil, unrefined, first pressed, cold pressed, virgin, extra...

May 8, 2013 In Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Learn how to lower your triglycerides

Do you want to lower your triglycerides naturally with food? Eat cashews because they supply the same heart-healthy monounsaturated fat found in olive oil which lowers triglycerides reducing the risk for heart disease and type-2 diabetes. Cashews are actually seeds that adhere to the bottom of the cashew apple, the fruit of the cashew tree, which is native to South America. They have a lower fat content than most other nuts and approximately 75% of their fat is oleic acid, the same heart-healthy monounsaturated fat found in olive oil. Studies show that oleic acid promotes good cardiovascular health by lowering triglycerides, even...

April 25, 2013 In Food and Recipes, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Is High Fructose Corn Syrup Unhealthier than Table Sugar?

You have heard the rumour: High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is unhealthier than regular table sugar and a major contributor to America's obesity epidemic. Is it really? Shockingly, the USDA reports that we consume on average 600 calories per day from sugar, mostly in the form of HFCS. This statistic is not hard to believe. A 12-ounce soda contains the equivalent of nine teaspoons of sugar, and we are drinking on average 2½ servings per day for every man, woman, and child. No matter what the form, we are eating far too much sugar on a daily basis. What is HFCS,...

April 15, 2013 In Food and Recipes, News By Crystal Di Domizio

Gluten-Free Coconut Brown Rice Pudding

Breakfast, snack, or dessert? You decide! This delicious gluten-free, dairy-free rice pudding is a healthier alternative to the traditional white rice, milk and sugar. Sweetened with almond amasake and raw honey it’s packed with flavour and nutrients. Amasake is a fermented brown rice beverage that can be used as a natural sweetener and raw honey contains live enzymes that aid in the digestion of carbohydrates. Cinnamon is added, not only for it’s flavour, but also for it’s ability to slow the rate at which the stomach empties after meals, reducing the rise in blood sugar after eating. Coconut milk provides a...

April 12, 2013 In Editor's Picks: Must Haves for Staying Healthy, Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Grocery Shopping Sense with Global TV’s Melody Yong

As a health blogger, foodie and nutrition lover, I celebrated Nutrition Month in March by attending a food bloggers grocery store tour with Global TV’s dietician, Melody Yong. I am delighted to share with you a few highlights of the tour and some health tips that will make grocery shopping for healthy living easier for you and your family. In agreeance with Melody, the foundation of healthy eating begins with what you put in your grocery cart. However, grocery shopping is not always a simple task. If you have children and a busy schedule, it’s likely that you’re on a time crunch. And depending on the...

April 4, 2013 In Food and Recipes, News, Weight Loss By Crystal Di Domizio

Coconut Oil: An Essential Fat for Weight Loss

Have you attempted to follow a low-fat diet in hopes of losing or maintaining weight, only to be experiencing low levels of energy and intense food cravings leading you to overeat? Contrary to popular belief quality saturated fat such as virgin coconut oil is essential for weight loss and health. When you eat sufficient quantities of the right combinations of fats you’ll notice that you can go for hours without eating and without experiencing cravings, because your body is satisfied and your blood sugar is stable. When you consistently use coconut oil (along with other healthy fats) you provide essential...

March 29, 2013 In Editor's Picks: Must Haves for Staying Healthy, Food and Recipes, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Natural, Organic & Non-GMO Foods: Why it Matters to You!

Are natural foods free of toxins? Do some organic foods contain GMO's? You have a right to know what is in the food you are feeding your family but, food labels are confusing and often misleading.  Read this article by Claudia Pillow, PhD, about the  the difference between "natural", "organic" and Non-GMO? Many people think the term “natural” is fairly similar to “organic, and in fact many think “natural” labels are more meaningful than “organic”.  This thinking is not correct. What does the label “NATURAL” mean to you? The term "natural" applies broadly to foods that are minimally processed and free of synthetic...

February 1, 2013 In Editor's Picks: Must Haves for Staying Healthy, Eliminating Toxins, Food, Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, Holistic Health, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Vegan Noodle Soup for Cold and Flu Season

I love this soup for cold and flu season because it’s simple to make and packed full of immune supportive veggies and spices! I'll give you a quick lowdown before the recipe. Leafy green vegetables such as kale and swiss chard, along with broccoli and celery have a high amount of vitamin C, Mama Nature’s version of antibiotics. Vitamin A assists the liver with flushing toxins from the body to be safely eliminated and a healthy dose can be found in carrots. When you have a cold or flu, inflammation is part of your body’s immune response to fight off bacteria. (This is...

October 22, 2012 In Food and Recipes, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

The Ultimate Social Network: Our Bodies, Bacteria and Kombucha

In your body, bacteria cells out number your own cells by a factor of 10 to 1.  Some of these 100+ trillion bacteria possess genes that encode for beneficial compounds that the body cannot make on it’s own. Beneficial bacteria help with digestion, help our bodies make and absorb vitamins, and also help support a strong immune system. Other bacteria train the immune system not to overreact to outside threats and play a crucial role in the development and operation of your digestive tract. They also aid in the production of antibodies, proteins produced by the immune system to detect...

October 15, 2012 In Food and Recipes, Holistic Health, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Building Your Blood Ayurvedic Style: Blood Building Syrup

All systems of traditional medicine make extensive use of the medicinal properties of both fresh and dried fruit, cooked with water to make a compote, or prepared as medicinal jams and syrups, such as blood building syrup. Ayurveda maintains a large class of medicinal jams called lehyas, which means ‘to lick’, referring to the method of administration. While they aren’t exactly like deserts, compotes, jams and syrups are a very pleasant to get the medicine down, and are particularly suited to both vata and pitta conditions. The following Blood Building Syrup is an excellent preparation to help build up the...