Antioxidant Foods vs. Supplements Antioxidants are just that: they fight (anti) oxidation. The chemical process of oxidation is like rusting metal. A molecule loses electrons and creates the infamous free radicals. Oxidation is also the reason why apples, bananas, and avocados go brown when the skin is broken, and they're exposed to air - they're getting oxidized. Free radicals in the body cause inflammation and can contribute to diseases like cancers, diabetes, and heart di

Mediterranean Diet 101 The Mediterranean diet is one of the most studied diets out there. It's based on the traditional foods that people who lived around the Mediterranean Sea ate about 50 years ago. Back then, in the mid 20th century, researchers noted that people in Spain, Greece, and Italy lived longer and healthier than Americans. And they had lower levels of heart disease, the #1 killer. So, they set out to find what was so healthy in this part of the world. And the res

Need a Mood Boost? Eat This. No question that what you eat can affect how you feel, right? Mental health and brain health are complex. So are the foods we eat, and the ways our bodies interact with those foods. While, we don't know the exact mechanisms how food and nutrition help, we know a few ways food impacts our moods. First, what we eat becomes the raw materials for our neurotransmitters. “Neurotransmitters” are biochemical messengers that allow our nerve cells to comm

Paleo Diet 101 You may have heard of the "paleo" diet. It was the world's most popular diet in 2013. But what is it? Is it a fad? Is it right for you? Scientist and "Paleo Mom" Sarah Ballentyne, Ph.D. defines it as: “The Paleo diet is a nutrient-dense whole foods diet based on eating a variety of quality meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. It improves health by providing balanced and complete nutrition while avoiding most processed and refined foods and

Is My Poop Normal? Yes, I'm serious! (And don't you sometimes wonder anyway?) You already know that your poop can reflect your physical, and sometimes even emotional, health. You may get constipation or have diarrhea when you eat something that "doesn't agree with you," or when you're super-nervous about something. And what about fiber and water? If you’re not getting enough, it’ll probably show in your poop. What about the all-important gut microbes? If they're not happy, it

Five Weight-Loss Friendly Snacks You Will Love The words “weight-loss” and “snacks” often appear in the same sentence. But that might also bring thoughts of "tasteless," "cardboard," and "completely unsatisfying." Right? Let me give you my best weight-loss friendly snacks that aren't just nutritious but also delicious! What’s my criteria you ask? They have to be nutrient-dense whole foods where a little goes a long way; foods that contain protein and/or fibre. 1 - Nuts It’s

The Truth Behind Artificial Sweeteners You probably know the negative health effects of eating too much sugar, especially "added sugars" like in soda pop, candy, baked goods, and many commercially-available cereals, just to name a few. Added sugar is hiding just about everywhere in the grocery store. Yes, ingesting refined sugar spikes your blood sugar and insulin, and increases your risk for a whole host of issues. A while ago, one of the food industry’s responses to the de