News

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 6, 2014 In Eliminating Toxins, Food and Recipes, News By Crystal Di Domizio

Pesticide Guide: The Dirty Dozen and The Clean Fifteen

Are you interested in lowering pesticide exposure in your diet but you aren’t sure where to start? The Environmental Working Group, a non-profit organization that advocates for policies that protect global and individual health has produced a guide that can help you get started. Based on the analysis of 87,000 tests for pesticides on the 47 most popular fruits and vegetables, the EWG has found that people can lower their pesticide exposure by almost 80 percent by avoiding the top twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated instead. The Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides contains the latest and...

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 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 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...

October 4, 2014 In News, Yoga By Vancouver Health Coach

Changing with the Seasons: Connect to your Sadness with Yoga

And then the rains came. Somehow we jumped from sweltering Summer days to Fall colours on trees and grey skies. The change in weather brings new smells, temperatures and overall mood. And while many are already grieving the Sun’s demise, darker times offer a great opportunity within a yoga practice to address your innate human sadness. Zen Buddhists honour the pure and tender heart within each of us which, they believe, is the part of the mass consciousness that became separate upon having this human experience. Simply, however, this tender heart is the part of us which is able to empathize...

October 4, 2014 In Editor's Picks: Must Haves for Staying Healthy, Eliminating Toxins, Emotional Health, Green & Healthy Living, Holistic Health, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

8 Tips For Better Digestion

Digestive disturbances can be irritating and uninvited, like your in-laws. Symptoms like  bloating, flatulence, constipation and acid reflux can be your body’s intelligent way of trying to to let you know when something isn’t peachy. Proper digestive function is essential to optimal health and vitality, energy and prevention of disease. It is intimately connected to weight loss (or weight gain), your mood and how you feel overall on a regular basis- which should be fantastic for the most part. Here are 8 simple and effective tips to help promote digestion. ** If you do experience these symptoms frequently on a regular basis, it’s...

October 3, 2014 In Food and Recipes, News, Supplements By Vancouver Health Coach

Seasonal Affective Disorder – Natural Alternatives

SAD is a condition affects about 2-3% of the general population and describes those who have clinical depression only during the autumn and winter months. Symptoms include depression, difficulty sleeping, poor appetite, difficulty concentrating and functioning at work, extreme fatigue and even suicidal thoughts. Reduced exposure to sunlight has prompted the recommendation of phototherapy as a means to treat SAD. Phototherapy provides broad-spectrum light that includes wavelengths between 280-320 nm which allow the skin to produce vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency is known to be very common in North America and recent media attention has highlighted the need to supplement with...

October 3, 2014 In Emotional Health, Family Fitness, News, Spotlight, Weight Loss By Vancouver Health Coach

Stress and Weight Gain – What’s the Connection?

Ongoing stress results in the production of cortisol, a steroid hormone produced from the adrenal glands. Cortisol mainly functions to regulate energy production and mobilization; it does so by selecting the right type and amount of macronutrients (carbohydrate, fat or protein) that is needed by the body to meet the physiological demands (eg. stress) that is placed upon it. This hormone mobilizes energy by moving the body’s fat stores from one location to another to provide fuel for muscle tissues. Under stressful conditions, cortisol can provide the body with protein for energy by converting amino acids in muscle into useable carbohydrate (glucose) in the...