You only have one more week to grab your local Choices Market February Newsletter and when you do check out page 9! In case you don't have time (since who does) I'll post the image here:

fruits & vegetables, Holidays, Personal JourneyJessica PirnakFebruary 23, 2014Choice's Market, Heart, Comfort Food

Would you like Yam or Sweet Potato Fries with that?

Answer: sweet potato fries only because yam fries don’t exist! I know I know you had some last night with your burger but the restaurant tricked you since ‘yams’ are seldom seen in mainstream North American markets. That sugary, moist, orange tuber found in grocery stores is actually a sweet potato. So why the confusion? In the 1930’s a marketing campaign in the States started labeling sweet potatoes as yams – was this by accident or on purpose? I guess only those mad men will know!

3 Ways to Eat Well in 2014

Happy New Year! Now that your taste buds are satisfied with all sorts of food from the holidays, have you promised yourself once again that this year you will eat better? No need to be overwhelmed! Here are three sensible eating goals that can make this year your healthiest one yet.

fruits & vegetables, Holidays, protein, tipsJessica PirnakDecember 29, 2013Canadian Food Guide, fish, full, New Year's resolutions

Muscle Food

So, you’ve read Vegetarianism 101 and are trying to eat meat only from farms who put their animals first – awesome! But this new way of living is lot of work (tell me about it). Eating out is a pain in the butt, and time, which no one seems to have, is going into planning meals weeks in advance. So, what’s my secret solution? Well, I’m not eating meat. Now you might be wondering…how am I getting enough protein? Well, here’s everything you need to know about protein. Also, just wanted to say thank you to a couple of readers who’ve asked me this question and gave me the idea to write about it today – thanks!

fruits & vegetables, protein, soy, tips, UncategorizedJessica PirnakDecember 1, 2013Canadian Food Guide, protein, Soy, yogurt

Rotten Egg #9 - The Halloween Syndrome

It was a dark and stormy weekend and it wasn’t just any weekend it was the weekend following Halloween mwaahaahaa. I wonder how many little vampires and goblins still have some Halloween candy left? And the ones that don’t I wonder how mom and dad are doing? Sugar is widely believed to cause hyperactivity in children and to exacerbate aggressive behavior in hyperactive children. Is this belief true or is this just another rotten egg?

fruits & vegetables, Holidays, milk, rotten egg, sugarJessica PirnakNovember 2, 2013ADHD, myth, sugar, teeth, Halloween

Vegetarianism 101

First of all, I AM NOT A VEGETARIAN. I want to clarify this right off the bat - this post is not about me converting you to something or selling you on a diet. I just want to share with you some information I’m discovered while investigating this topic for myself.

fruits & vegetables, organic food, Personal JourneyJessica PirnakOctober 6, 2013diets, Local, vegetarian, animal welfare

Get 'em While They're Ho

For foodies who love to buy fresh, local produce, summer is our month! If only the season just lasted longer than it does. Oh well! We still have two full weeks to stockpile our favourite fruit for winter. Check out the table below to find out what’s still available for August.

fruits & vegetables, tipsJessica PirnakAugust 17, 2013Local, shopping, summer, seasonal foods

Nature's Sports Drink

Thanks to celebrities and professional athletes I probably don’t have to reveal what beverage I’m referring to when I say nature’s sports drink…that’s right; you guessed it – coconut water! To give you some background information, coconut water is the liquid found in immature coconuts. The nutritional information varies depending on the maturity of the plant but in general coconut water, compared to a man-made sports drink, contains less sodium, more potassium and slightly less carbohydrates. So, is it for you?

Dairy, exercise, fruits & vegetablesJessica PirnakJuly 22, 2013sports drinks, water, coconut water, sodium, potassium

Frappuccino Anyone?

Happy (belated) Canada Day! Well, it’s official, summer is finally here – the kiddies are out of school, the sun is shining and as a bonus it’s actually hot outside. But before you start complaining that it’s too hot and abandon your outdoor adventures I thought I would break down the nutritional information on your favourite refresher. Lucky for you there are now three fast food chains that pretty much make the same delicious iced coffee – we have Starbucks’ Frappuccino, Tim Hortons’ Iced Capp and now McDonald’s Frappe. So, if you had to pick one based on nutritional information alone, which one would you choose? Before you check out the table below please note that I tried to make the sizes as equal as possible and used the regular/whole milk option with no whip cream.

drinks, fat, sugar, tipsJessica PirnakJuly 2, 2013Coke, light, sugar, iced coffee