Let's Eat at Home Tonight

Confession: I love eating out. I love eating in general but eating out has to be one of my favourite things to do with family and friends. A dietitian once told me that it’s ok to eat out as long as we’re not doing it all of the time. She specifically recommended twice a week as a healthy goal, which is what I’ve been trying to follow. However, I treat eating out as just that - a treat. French fries? Yes, please! Bacon? Yes, please. I recently stumbled upon a survey that opened my eyes to the restaurant world.

salt, tipsjessOctober 2, 2011Eating out, Restaurant, Eating Out

Much Ado About Salt

Salt – we need it to survive yet it’s killing us! No wonder why war was recently declared against this little electrolyte. According to Health Canada, the average Canadian consumes about 3,400 milligrams (1½ teaspoons) of sodium per day. This is more than TWICE the recommendation for good health!

saltjessSeptember 24, 2011high blood pressure, salt intake, sodium

Power Couples

Pretend you’re not reading a food blog right now…if I were to ask you to name a ‘power couple,’ what would you say? Brad and Angelina? William and Kate? What about chickpeas and red pepper? Probably not the last one – but I hope after you read this post that the term ‘power couple’ will have a whole new meaning to you.

Heart-Healthy Staple

Out of all your staple items, which one do you think is heart-healthy? Ketchup? Try again…how about olive oil? Olive oil is a great example of one of the main sources of monounsaturated fatty acids, in other words a good heart-healthy fat. For more information regarding heart-healthy fats please see my post The F Word. Now the tricky part is figuring out how to use it.

fat, tipsjessSeptember 11, 2011Olive oil, Heart healthy fats, Monounsaturated fatty acids

Rotten Egg #3 - Sugar & Diabetes

Pop quiz! Which of the following are risks of excess sugar consumption?

1) Nutrient deficiencies due to displacement of other nutritious food from the diet, 2) Development of dental cavities, 3) Development of Type II Diabetes, or 4) Hyperactivity in children.

rotten egg, sugar, weight controljessSeptember 5, 2011ADHD, diabetes, sugar

Probiotics Digest

After extensively researching probiotics I have only one thing to say…poor consumers! Take the 14-day challenge with Activia, orgain immunity with DanActive, or even chew these acidophilus tablets, which guarantees one billion organisms – does this sound like prime time television commercials? Are these products sitting in your fridge? If so, I dedicate this post to you.

tipsjessAugust 28, 2011probiotics, yogurt, gut health

Healthy Switcheroos

In 2007, Jessica Seinfeld (yes, Jerry Seinfeld’s wife) put together a cookbook called “Deceptively Delicious” which enabled parents to give kids what they want and what they need at the same time. In other words, she hid vegetables and fruit in recipes such as chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, and grilled cheese sandwiches. We like to think as adults that we’re smart enough to make the right food choices and eat the recommended amount of vegetables and fruit a day…but sadly we’re not. The principle of substitution is genius so please enjoy the healthy switcheroos that I’ve picked up over the years.

fruits & vegetables, tips, weight controljessAugust 21, 2011recipes, substitutions, Healthy alternatives, Baking

Rotten Egg #2 - Bacon vs. Turkey Bacon

Take a moment to describe your perfect day. When I was asked this question I imagined my perfect day starting with me waking up to the smell of bacon and coffee…Mmmm bacon. Everyone loves bacon and unfortunately this post is not about how it’s secretly healthy for you – I wish. It’s about the notion that turkey bacon is healthier for you then the real thing, is this true? Or is this just another rotten egg?

fat, rotten egg, weight controljessAugust 14, 2011bacon, turkey bacon

Eat the Rainbow

According to the Canadian Food Guide the average adult female should be eating 7-8 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, while the average adult male should be eating 8-10. Even if you’re already hitting this mark, you may still be coming up short in the nutrient department. How could this be possible? Well, it’s probably because you’re getting the majority of your daily phytonutrients from the same few types of produce.