Category: Food


The List

Filed under: Cooking, Food, Health, Uncategorized — 1 Comment
December 7, 2010

If there is one item I am reluctant to discard it would have to be my Canadian Living magazines.  From time to time, I enjoy re-reading  the old issues.  One issue featured cancer fighting foods.  As luck would have it, if you don’t have the issue you can find the info online and it is well worth  the read.  Here is my grocery list for today:

  • Oranges and grapefruits they reduce inflammation and inhibit cancer cell growth.
  • Broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussel sprouts decrease risk of lung, bladder, breast, stomach and colon cancers.
  • Berries, they block proteins needed for cancer to grow .
  • Tomatoes they lower the risk of prostate cancer.
  • Green tea  stops the growth of  blood vessels that feed tumors.
  • Oregano and other herbs are antioxidants.
  • Cinnamon stops  the network of blood vessels that feed tumors.
  • Olive oil  may reduce the risk of breast, colorectal and prostate cancers.
  • Parsely has been shown to stop the development of leukemia cells.
  • Flaxseed stops growing cancer cells
  • Turmeric slows cancer cells.
  • Garlic  gets rid  of cancer causing chemicals in the body.
  • Rosemary  may help fight the carcinogenic effects of cooking starchy foods.

I think today, I will enjoy a berry fruit smoothie with a dash of flaxseed.  Green tea instead of coffee, a sprinkle of cinnamon on toast, an orange for a snack, tomato based oregano/garlic focaccia, a herb salad with  a splash of blood orange olive oil.

Tomorrow  I will try out rosemary and turmeric.

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The China Study

Filed under: Food, Health — 1 Comment
December 2, 2010

A while back I watched an interview with the former president, Mr. Bill Clinton. His interview touched a bit upon his health and he mentioned ” The China Study”. The China Study written by T. Collin Campbell, Ph.D and Thomas M. Campbell II is a fascinating read, and one I would highly recommend, if you have an interest in how nutrition and health are related. The book presents convincing evidence that our “diseases of affluence”, heart disease, cancer and others can be prevented or in some cases reversed with nutrition. The research from the study has shown that eating more animal based foods=more chronic illness, while eating more plant based foods=healthier people. Yes I realize, many have said this before, it’s not a shocking revelation. But if you give the book a read I think you will be surprised/shocked at some of the findings from the research. For instance, Dr. Colins was able to show in his research on rats how a low protein diet could inhibit cancer and how protein could turn a cancer growth on or off. This was my “are you serious, diet can do that to cancer”.

Yes I knew diet, exercise, and other factors were important for my health and well being, but diet reversing existing health conditions that is definetly food for thought. What else can diet do you ask?Well, I don’t want to give away the entire book, just let me say this This holiday season why not give yourself the gift of healthy insight. Your body and mind will thank you.

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Are We Lab Rats?

Filed under: Food, Health — 1 Comment
April 28, 2010

Have you ever wondered what it must be like for animals that are used in testing of products?  Well if you enjoy drinking pop, then you too have joined the ranks of the “lab rats” as per the author in the article

How Soft Drinks Could Cause Rapid Aging . In the last 20 years food companies have been adding “significant amounts of phosphate to soda and other processed food”.  So why is this a problem?  Well,  while we do need phosphorus for our bodies, there must be a balance.  Research shows that there was a toxic effect to mice fed a high phosphate diet, which the article states could have the same effect on other mammals including humans. As per Fast Company

“In the 1990s, phosphorous-containing food additives contributed an estimated 470 mg per day to the average daily adult diet. However, phosphates are currently being added much more frequently to a large number of processed foods, including meats, cheeses, beverages, and bakery products. As a result, depending on individual food choices, phosphorous intake could be increased by as much as 1000 mg per day.”

Once again, as per above, yes we need phophorous for healthy living, but as the study indicates perhaps too much of a good thing is not so good after all.  I’m sure further testing will be required to prove or disprove this research. In the meantime, perhaps a call to the dietician is in order to determine what amount is right for you, so that the next time you need to quench your thirst you can make an informed decision for your health.

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In the Toolbox–Eat Right

Filed under: Food, Health, The Toolbox — 2 Comments
April 22, 2010

This week while riding the subway, I was pleasantly surprised at how many health and wellness ads were posted.  One ad in particular caught my attention, Eat Right Ontario.  So I thought I’d check it out,  and share with you  what I discovered.

First let me start  by saying this site is a gem.  It is full of good info and covers  topics like diabetes prevention, disease prevention, healthy eating, menu planning, workplace health, to name a few. This venture between The Dietitians of Canada and The Ministry of Health Promotion  not only provides a useful website but they also offer  Ontarians an opportunity to connect with a dietician via email or telephone call (1-877-510-5102) for healthy eating advice .

Wow,  now that’s what I would call  a great service right at your fingertips and in the comfort of your own home. And the best part of all, this service is FREE.

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Seeds of Diversity

Filed under: Food, gardening, Health — Leave a comment
April 6, 2010

I recently watched a very interesting movie called Food Inc. that has taken me into an interesting area of research.  Before telling you about that, let me say, you should rent/buy Food Inc. as it will really open your eyes as to how our food goes from “seed to supermarket” in today’s industrial-factory-farming society.

In the movie, they talked about companies like Monsanto who have genetically modified seeds, like soy, and have acquired a patent.  This means that you cannot plant those seeds without purchasing them from Monsanto.  Farmers cannot save their seeds as has been done for decades upon decades.  Farmers who’s crop don’t use the patented seeds but become inadvertently cross-bred (through things like the wind!) find themselves being sued by the seed patent holders.

While I think it is strange that you can patent a seed, more concerning, was the very idea that so much of food is being genetically modified.  So I started to look into “public domain” seeds that are natural and not genetically modified.  In my search I found Seeds of Diversity and thought I’d share this info with you because of its importance.

What is Seeds of Diversity?  From their website that explain that their organization:

is a Canadian volunteer organization that conserves the biodiversity and traditional knowledge of food crops and garden plants.

and I think that this type of grass-roots movement is what is needed for individuals to protect this type of gardening/farming.

If you know of other similar initiatives, I’d love to hear from you on it.

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Getting Ready to Container Garden

Filed under: Food, gardening — 2 Comments
April 5, 2010

If you recall from a previous post, I was looking into container gardening.  With the spring weather that we’ve had this weekend, I’ve taken some time to start the planning for this exciting project of mine.  I came across a good video that I thought I’d share with my readers.  See below for the full video, which outlines these key points in terms of what you need:

  • Container
  • Good drainage
  • Good soil (miracle grow)
  • Line container with diapers (soil moist)
  • seeds or plants

Give the video a watch and stay tuned as I’ll be posting more on what I’m doing in this area of gardening.

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What Was Old is New Again

Filed under: Fitness, Food, Health — 1 Comment
March 30, 2010

Recently my mother returned from Florida and brought back an old  used book , titled “Nine Magic Secrets of Long Life” by Howard E. Hill. I thought I’d give it a read to see what people were doing almost 30 years ago with respect to health.  In his book, Mr. Hill  discusses how he  proactively searched out how to achieve good health and longevity and discovered nine secrets that worked for him.  I decided to summarize / abbreviate the contents here to see if his themes might still be around today.

THE SECRETS  for a healthy and long life according to Mr. Hill

  1. Eating lots of fruits and veggies (minimally cooked) for nutrients
  2. The use of chlorophyll, found in green plants for healing
  3. The use of leictin, from soybeans for its nutrients
  4. The use of comfrey  as a healing agent
  5. The use of Vitamin E, for it’s healing properites
  6. The use of Ginseng  for its nutrients
  7. Deep breathing exercises to cleanse the body
  8. Gentle stretching and strengthening exercises
  9. The use of light, color, sound and mechanical vibration for health and longevity

As I look at the list above, I see today the raw food movement, the shot of wheatgrass at health juice stores, the numerous soybean products at the grocery store, the naturopath and herbalist, the yoga and exercise class, light and music therapy.

So it seems that ideas from the early 80′s,  that were once novel and then passed into oblivion, have indeed returned.  What was old is new again.

The important lesson here, is not the specifics in what either Howard E. Hill said 30 years ago, or what is being said today.  The lesson is the importance of exploring what works for you!  That is why ideas from 30 years ago do indeed continue to be in use even today, because they work for certain people.  You have to be an active participant in your wellness and find the “old” and the “new” that work for you.

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Food Education for Kids

Filed under: Cooking, Food — 7 Comments
March 22, 2010

During the March break my children and their friends participated in a cooking class at the Cooking School in Loblaws.  The class was very participatory and the children enjoyed themselves thoroughly. This got me thinking about what I’d written before regarding  educating kids about healthy food and cooking.  In my opinion, local grocery stores have a huge opportunity to create a win-win situation.  By offering programs, like the one my children just participated in, directly to the school system they will achieve three things:

  1. We educate and excite children about food and cooking. Doing this will cause children to think about what they eat and  may lead them to a healthier lifestyle.
  2. In the short-term children who are educated and excited about food, may apply that “child-like” pressure on their parents and in turn drive an increased amount of cooking in the home.  Increased cooking at home is good for our health, AND, it is good for grocery store sales.
  3. In the long-term, these children of today, become the market for the grocery stores of tomorrow.  If we don’t educate our kids on food and cooking, they will continue to embrace the trend of eating out and eating processed foods – and that will force grocery stores to change their business model.

Based on the our experience, I am definitely going to involve my children in similar programs.   Hopefully, the grocery industry here in Toronto, will reach out to the school system, and see how providers of food and providers of education, can come together to give our kids an education on food.

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“Garden in the City”

Filed under: Food — 3 Comments
March 19, 2010

It’s almost that time of year again; the snow has melted, the birds are chirping, Canada Blooms is in full swing. Gardening season is about to begin.  Today’s paper featured an  article outlining the benefits of gardening with the whole family.  Gardening provides fresh air, vitamin D,  a good physical and mental workout,  can boost  mood and add nutrition to your diet.

This year I have a bit of a dilemma. I’m going to have to rethink how I go about gardening since I no longer have a “backyard”.  This is what I’ve found in preparation for the gardening season, for those of us who either have limited space or the know how to garden with limited space.

1. George Brown College offers a container gardening class to get you started, looks good sign me up.

2.  If you are a do it yourself kind of person Canadian Living has an article on successful container  gardening to get you started.

3. If you perfer to garden in bigger spaces, check out  The Toronto Community  Garden Network where you can find a community garden near you.

4. If you perfer to garden in a backyard “Yes in my Backyard” is an initiative that pairs people with backyards with those who do not have a backyard but  wish to garden.

There are many options to “Garden in the City”. And if you do decide this is for you check out for  some helpful tips and techniques from the physiotherapy association, to help keep both you and your garden healthy.

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The NEW YOU Resolution

Filed under: Fitness, Food, General, Health — Leave a comment
March 18, 2010

I really enjoyed the recent blog from countdowntoforty. It brought me back to something I had said to my husband many “New Years” ago.  As far as I am concerned  everyday is a “New Year’s day”, and by that I mean,  why wait to celebrate on that specific day and make resolutions only then?  Typically the New years resolution ends up being like a stretch goal, a goal that requires substantial effort to make happen.   These types of resolutions often fail though.  In reality you really need a strategy to achieve these goals.  To do otherwise makes it completely unrealistic and unachievable.

Why not call it the NEW YOU resolution, that way you don’t need to wait till the next year to get started.  In doing so, pick small wins, small changes, that you can introduce each day!  Keep it simple!  Below, I’ve listed a few types of examples to spark some thought on daily resolutions!

  • Day 0:  Pick a SMART goal, where SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-based.
  • Day 1.  I will drink 8 glasses of water today.
  • Day 2. I will eat an apple today
  • Day 3. I will set an apponitment for my yearly physical with my health care practioner.
  • Day 4. I will eat a green vegetable today.
  • Day 5. I will give my children/ significant other / friend  a kind word today.
  • Day 6. I will walk for 10 minutes today.
  • Day 7.I will donate an hour of my time to _________today.

Again, the above “day-ideas” are just that.  Ideas!  I would love to hear what your daily NEW YOU resolutions are going to be.

Try it for 365  days and let me know how The NEW You resolution worked out.

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