Spotlight

September 7, 2014 In Editor's Picks: Must Haves for Staying Healthy, Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight, Uncategorized By Vancouver Health Coach

Get Healthy This Fall. Introducing the Vega One Starter Kit

Are you looking to get healthy this fall season? Kickstart your health with 5 days of Vega One. Made from natural, plant-based, whole food ingredients, Vega One is packed with the complete foundational nutrition your body needs to build your day on. Each packet in your starter kit contains: 50% daily intake of vitamins and mineral 15 g protein 6 g fiber 1.5 g Omega-3 3 servings of greens Antioxidants Probiotics And all with less than 150 calories! Vega One is dairy, gluten and soy free, and contains no added sugar, artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners. Use as a delicious,...

September 7, 2014 In Green & Healthy Living, Holistic Health, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Gut bacteria could be key indicator of colon cancer risk

In a paper published by the University of North Carolina the authors suggest that the balance of healthy versus pathogenic bacteria in our gut is an important element in the development of colon cancer. This is only the latest in a continual stream of research over the past decade showing the importance of a healthy gut flora. But the benefit doesn't extend to just the bowel. A quick survey on the database of the National Institute of Medicine will quickly show that these probiotic organisms are not only good for the gut, but are equally important in the proper health...

September 6, 2014 In Editor's Picks: Must Haves for Staying Healthy, Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Spud Delivers Affordable, Organic Food Right To Your Door

Combine a modern day on-the-go lifestyle with the task of grocery shopping for a healthy, well balanced diet and you have what most would consider a stressful situation. This is why it’s no surprise that organic grocery delivery services have become increasingly popular in cities such as Vancouver. With organic grocery delivery services such as SPUD (a delivery service offered in the lower mainland, Vancouver Island, Calgary and parts of the U.S.) your shopping worries can be put at ease with this service that allows you to choose your items online in a virtual grocery store. Once you have chosen your items, you...

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September 6, 2014 In News, Spotlight, Weight Loss By Vancouver Health Coach

The Trouble with Low Glycemic Diets

Low glycemic diets are very much in vogue these days. Most claim that diets high in carbohydrates lead to high insulin levels which prevents the burning of fat which results in obesity. Insulin is the hormone secreted by the pancreas to help glucose gain entry into our cells where it is turned into energy. Glucose is a simple sugar found in all dietary carbohydrates that is used by our cells as the key source of energy for the body and brain. Insulin stores excess glucose as fat. Too much insulin affects the body's ability to use calories efficiently thereby causing...

September 5, 2014 In Food and Recipes, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Fermented Quinoa Chocolate Cake

Although I generally don’t eat desert, with a family of three kids and a wife, my mostly dessert-less perspective on the issue is seldom shared. So, yielding to the demands of the masses, I included an alternative to regular cake, made from quinoa, in my book Food As Medicine.  Many people with celiac disease and sensitivities to gluten find that they can tolerate quinoa much better, but even still, quinoa may contain the same prolamins as wheat, and in sensitive people like celiacs, can cause a negative reaction. One way to avoid this issue is to ferment the quinoa, by soaking it...

September 5, 2014 In Fitness, News, Spotlight, Workouts By Vancouver Health Coach

The Importance of Rest Between Sets

In general, we all know that we need some rest between workouts to allow for recovery and to achieve the best results. What a lot of us don't know is that rest between sets during a workout is just as important (if not more important) and can greatly affect your results. So why is rest between sets so crucial and how much is enough? Intensity Gauge How much rest you need is an important gauge of how hard you are working. If you don't need to rest between sets, then chances are you're not working hard enough. When performing a set of a weighted exercise,...

September 4, 2014 In Food and Recipes, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Vegan Diet: Benefits for Inflammatory Conditions

The vegan diet is a subset of the vegetarian diet whereby any animal byproducts are avoided completely. Strict vegans extend this ideology to a philosophy and lifestyle which excludes the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose. Recently, investigators from Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm found that a gluten free vegan diet was beneficial for not only the joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, but also their hearts. The study reflected other research which indicates that healthy nutrition plays an important role for those with rheumatoid arthritis; these individuals are often known to be more prone to heart...

September 4, 2014 In Family Fitness, Green & Healthy Living, Holistic Health, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Asthma, Allergies and Th-2 Dominance

Asthma and allergies are caused by dysregulation and hyperactivity of the immune system. The part of the immune system that becomes overactive is a subset of T cells known as thymus helper 2 lymphocytes, or Th-2 cells. What are T cells? T cells are a type of white blood cell that carry out the functions of the immune system. T helper 1 cells identify pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi) and stimulate the activity of macrophages, another type of white blood cell, to digest the pathogenic material and cellular debris. In this way, Th-1 cells, when functioning optimally, help us from contracting infections and getting...

September 3, 2014 In Fitness, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

3 Fitness Myths BUSTED!

They are all around us. As seen on TV, as read in magazines and as heard in gyms across North America are fitness myths. Among the common fitness myths are: A person needs to specifically perform ab exercises especially crunches in order to get a 6 pack. It’s impossible to get a great workout in less than 1 hour You need big fancy exercise equipment to get a good workout It is now time to BUST these fitness myths! A person needs to specifically perform ab exercises especially crunches in order to get a 6 pack? Firstly, no matter how many crunches you get on the...

September 3, 2014 In Fitness, News, Spotlight, Weight Loss By Vancouver Health Coach

Men and women versus weight loss: Why is it harder for women to lose the extra pounds?

You may have heard and realized that it’s more difficult for women to lose fat than men. Immediately most people think it must be estrogen or some hormonal issues. But perhaps the biggest factor is not hormones, but the simple fact that women are usually smaller and lighter than men. When you have a smaller body, you have lower calorie needs. When you have lower calorie needs, your relative deficit whether it’s 20%, 30% or higher gives you a smaller absolute deficit and therefore you lose fat more slowly than someone who is larger and can create a large deficit more...