Simple ways to help reduce blood pressure

 The 17th of May marked World Hypertension Day, which most of us know as high blood pressure. So, this week I will be looking at what is hypertension and the various lifestyle and nutritional changes that can be easily made to help reduce the numbers. High blood pressure refers to

Simple nutritional tips to help manage your allergies

 The weather is not as warm as we might like but the pollen is in the air and this causes a lot of discomfort for those who suffer from seasonal allergies. So, this week, I will be looking at what is an allergic response and the lifestyle and nutritional changes

Sweet things that taste great can be good for you!

 There is the perception that anything sweet is not good for us. However, sweetness in itself is not bad. Giulia Enders, author of “Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ”, sums it up nicely: “It just depends where it comes from”. Using this as a basis, any natural

Why including sprouted grains can be good for your digestive health

 ABOVE: Sprouted grain bread, like Ezekiel bread, is an option for people who are gluten sensitive. Like many other foods sprouted grains appear to be making their presence more noticed in the grocery stores. So, this week I will be looking at what exactly are sprouted grains and the digestive benefits you might gain

The health benefits of keeping your body well hydrated

 With spring well and truly here, we are spending more time outdoors and for most people the warming temperatures encourage us to be more active. We are largely made up of water (about 70 per cent) therefore it stands to reason that for our bodies require good hydration to function properly. However, it

Sleep, sugar, and general good health

 Sleep is a precious commodity and far too often relegated to the bottom of the heap when looking at lifestyle. I often hear “I manage or get by on 6 hours” as if this were a badge of honour, when in fact we know that good sleep plays an important

Quinoa: a complete protein and an important source of fibre

 PHOTO: NICK BRATANE, UNSPLASH Quinoa is native to South America, where it is considered a staple food. It was thought to first be cultivated near Lake Titicaca—between Bolivia and Peru in the Andes Mountains—about 5000 years ago. Due to its many health benefits which we will look at this week,

Heart health: eat well, move more, and live long

 February was Healthy Heart Month, so here are a few fun facts regarding our heart. Did you know that your heart is roughly the size of your fist; it pumps about 115,000 litres of blood a day and weighs less than a pound? Its most important role is to pump

Meal planning: the key to reducing stress and eating healthy

 One question I use to dread was ‘what am I going to make for dinner tonight?' It was an awful feeling not knowing what are we were going to eat. Then, I would think of various options only to realize that for each one I was missing a certain ingredient. By this time, everyone in the family put in

Simple satisfying soups

 The fourth of February was Homemade National Soup Day. To celebrate this, I will be looking at the value of adding homemade soups to your meal planning, how you can easily increase your vegetable intake, as well as lifestyle and health benefits of soup. I firmly believe that good food does

Versatile oats are good for your heart and so much more!

 Above: Gluten free, vegan, banana-oat smoothie!  (PHOTO: Dmitrii Ivanov, istock) January is oat month and although February is just around the corner, I feel there is still time to celebrate the importance of oats. So, this week we are be looking at the various ways to integrate oats into our diets, the health benefits

Make life simple and healthier — pull out that slow cooker!

 This week we will look at the practical and health advantages of using a slow cooker. For those of who don't already own one, the ease of preparing a meal in the morning in a one-step preparation — doing all the chopping, cutting, and measuring, setting the timer — and then

A good place to start 2021— goals not resolutions

 It is thought that New Year’s resolutions date back to Babylonian times when people would plant crops, pledge loyalty to their king and pay back any debts they might have. New year has come and gone and people’s resolutions and their good intentions are slowly fading into the distance. Do

Tips and tricks for eating healthy during the holiday season

 Although this holiday season will be like no other we have ever had there is still a strong sense of wanting to celebrate. We are looking forward to the holidays with its festive foods and taking time to connect with friends and family, even though we will be forced to do our

The wonders of winter vegetables

 The outdoor markets with their colourful vegetables might be gone until next summer but that doesn't mean you should be at a loss as to what vegetables to cook. There are several reasons to continue eating local and in season during the winter months. Winter vegetables are highly underrated; not only are

The health benefits of spelt — a forgotten grain

 When we think of grains with regards to our health and well-being, we tend to focus on the same ones, so this week I wanted to discuss the health benefits of using an alternative grain such as spelt in your diet and how this can support your health and the

Millet – not just for the birds!

 Above: A little-known grain, millet is a healthy alternative to rice.  In North America millet is mainly used for bird food and is not something people eat very often, if at all. But, there are many health benefits that can be gained by including this amazing little grain in your diet. It's

The history and health benefits of our most loved morning fix

 Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages on the planet, averaging about 2.25 billion cups of coffee a day, that is a lot of coffee! This week I will be looking at a brief history of coffee, its components and how this affects our health and well-being. As research

The beauty of nutritious sweet potatoes

 Above: Chicken and sweet potato stew with cumin, turmeric and coriander. With the fall well and truly with us, we are looking for soups and stews that have a soothing and warming effect on the body. This week, I will be looking at sweet potatoes as not only do they add a

Mushrooms: An amazing source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants

 With the fall well and truly with us, there are many foods that nature provides us with before the cold of winter. One of these foods, which is not often talked about, is mushrooms. Although you will find mushrooms amongst the fresh produce in the grocery store, they are not

3 simple ways to improving your blood sugar levels

 Our bodies are constantly requiring energy to function, our main of energy coming from carbohydrates (sugars). We often hear people talking about needing a sugar ‘boost’ or ‘rush’ when they might be tired or about to tackle a difficult and long project. However, what if instead of having that burst of energy followed by

The health benefits of baking with coconut flour

 Coconut flour I find is one of those ingredients that people know of but do not know what to cook with it. There are so many advantages and health benefits of cooking with coconut flour that I am surprised that it is not more popular, although it appears to be

Fabulous fibre is good for your gut and your overall health

 Previously, before we were able to refine foods and process them, fibre was found in nearly everything we ate, from fruits and vegetables to whole grains, and legumes. However, today these foods are often refined and processed with the fibre being removed and if we eat too much of these foods, we often

The beauty of seasonal and fresh raw vegetables

 Above: Locally grown vegetables are available from farmer's markets across Ottawa. (PHOTO: ROCHON GARDENS) As we make our way through the summer heat, no one really what to spend time in a hot kitchen, so this is a time of year when our family eats more and more salads and

Summer fasting — a natural way to control your weight

 The word fasting often conjures up ideas and feelings of constantly being hungry, feeling deprived or even worse starved. However, this could not be further from the truth, as there is a difference between fasting and starvation. Fasting is a choice of voluntary abstinence of eating food for a certain amount of