First up, let’s undress Aunt Jemima to see if she looks good naked

Ingredients: Glucose, glucose-fructose, water, cellulose gum, natural and artificial flavour, salt, caramel colour, sodium benzoate, sodium hexametaphosphate, sorbic acid, sulphites.

Let’s break these ingredients down:

Glucose and glucose-fructose: These two ingredients make up the majority of this product. Glucose is often derived from corn and is another way of saying corn syrup. Glucose-fructose is actually high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). In Canada we label HFCS as glucose-fructose, which seems like tricky business to me. Why not just call it what it is? HFCS is made from cornstarch and is liquid. To make it they break down the corn into small molecules of glucose. Then they chemically change half of the glucose molecules into fructose. The majority of corn these days is genetically modified. In addition, this is an extremely processed product that lacks nutrition. To put it bluntly, it doesn’t look good naked and it surely won’t help us look good naked either!

Natural and artificial flavour: When I see added flavour like this on an ingredient list I often wonder what the product would taste like without the added flavourings? These flavourings, whether natural or artificial, are made by a “flavourist”. This is a scientist who works in a lab using various chemicals to make flavours that can be added to foods to give it the desired taste. The word natural means that the chemicals have been pulled out of a natural source (e.g. spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products). Artificial flavour means it is made from synthetic chemicals. Personally, I’m not a fan of either. I’d rather consume products that are naturally flavourful rather than those that derive their flavour from a man/woman in a white lab coat.

Caramel colour: This is the most common colouring agent used. It is also what gives cola its brown colour. This is made by an ammonia or ammonia-sulfite process. Animal studies published in 2003 and 2005 by the National Institute of Health’s National Toxicology Program found that carmel colour made with this process contains carcinogens. It caused cancer in some mice and rats. I should also note however, that you would have to consume a lot of it to reach the toxic levels that the animals in the test received. This is a highly processed colouring agent made from corn (in North America). It’s one I try to avoid.

Sodium benzoate, sodium hexametaphosphate, sorbic acid: These are preservatives used to prolong the shelf life and improve stability of the product. A general rule of thumb is that if a product contains ingredients that are difficult to pronounce or look like a chemistry quiz, steer clear.

Sulphites: Added to maintain colour, prolong shelf life and prevent the growth of microorganisms. Many people experience food sensitivity reactions when consuming sulphites.

Now it’s time to see if our good friend Maple Syrup looks good naked:

Ingredients: 100% pure maple syrup.

It shouldn’t take us too long to undress this one!

When buying maple syrup make sure this is the only ingredient on the label. If you see anything else on there it’s not the real deal and you can leave it on the shelf.

Pure maple syrup is made by tapping maple trees and collecting the sap that seeps out of them. This sap is then boiled until much of the water has evaporated and it has turned into delicious syrup. It’s then bottled and ready for eating. This yummy food doesn’t need any added flavourings or colourings. It is the real McCoy! Also, because this product doesn’t contain any of the preservatives, it should be kept in the refrigerator.

It is however, high on the glycemic index, meaning it will raise your blood sugar quite quickly. Therefore it is good to consume it with a high fiber meal and consume it in moderation. Try using it on oatmeal instead of brown sugar, use it in baking instead of sugar (recipe will need to be adjusted slightly since this is a liquid), use it to candy nuts, use it to flavour tempeh, etc. The options are endless!

Nutritional Benefits: Maple syrup is an excellent source of manganese and zinc. These two nutrients have been shown to boost our antioxidant defenses, support heart health, boost our immune system, and support prostate health in men.

Looks like we have a clear winner in the looking sexy naked contest. Pure maple syrup wins by a landslide!

If you are diggin’ this content, please help me spread the word by sharing it with your friends on facebook and twitter. 

Sources:
www.sugar.ca
www.cornallergens.com
www.eatrightontario.ca
www.scientificamerican.com
www.inspection.gc.ca
www.getrealmaple.com
www.whfoods.com

So what is wrong with milk?

The answer to this question becomes clear when we analyze the composition of milk, the processes that it undergoes before it hits the market, and some of the illnesses that have been linked to its consumption.

What happens when a human being drinks the milk of another animal?

AnnMarie Cobin, author of Food and Healing, makes some interesting comparisons between the nutrient compositions of cow’s milk and mother’s milk. There are some very obvious differences in the two types of milk, for example:

• Cow’s milk has 3 times more protein and almost 4 times more calcium than human milk. This excess of protein and calcium can build up inside our bodies and lead to ailments such as infection, allergies, leaky gut, and pimples. Many of these types of conditions clear when milk is removed from the diet.
• The ratio of calcium to phosphorus in human milk is 2:1 while the ratio is about 1:1 in cow’s milk. Studies show that only foods with a calcium to phosphorus ratio of 2:1 should be consumed by humans because phosphorus can prevent calcium absorption in the digestive system.
• Human milk has about the same amount of fat as cow’s milk, yet we skim the fat from cow’s milk and disturb the foods natural balance. The fat in milk is also necessary because it helps with calcium absorption.
• Human milk has double the carbohydrates of cow’s milk. Perhaps this is why we end up drinking milk with sugary carbohydrates like cereals or cookies, to make up for this deficiency. Therefore, consuming cow’s milk can lead to sugar cravings.
• Cow’s milk has more than 3 times the sodium of human milk. This is a source of excessive sodium intake that we do not need to add to our diets.

A look at pasteurization and homogenization:

The above facts clearly indicate why cow’s milk may not be ideal for human consumption. The pasteurization and homogenization of milk offer even more compelling evidence. While pasteurization is necessary due to the unhygienic management of milk, and to increase its shelf life, it unfortunately destroys very important nutrients in milk such as vitamins C, B, and E, as well as calcium, probiotics and valuable enzymes. The purpose of the homogenization of milk is to keep it from separating into fat and water. This process involves reducing the size of fat globules within the milk, making them tiny so that they are less dense and do not separate from the water. The drawback of this process is that these fat globules become so small that they are more difficult for our enzymes to find and digest. Therefore undigested globules can get into the blood stream and cause milk allergies. Did you know that milk is the number one allergic food? Children and adults alike can react to the primary proteins in milk such as casein and lactalbumin. This reaction can manifest in many ways such as skin rashes, eczema, pimples, diarrhea, nausea, headaches, ear infections, and hyperactivity in children.

What about milk and vitamin D?

Finally, milk has been touted for containing the illusive vitamin D. The addition of synthetic vitamin D in milk was introduced initially to prevent rickets in children. It also encourages calcium absorption in the body. With the assistance of vitamin D, excess calcium, which we can obtain from drinking too much milk, can deposit anywhere in the body. It sometimes ends up in the wrong places leading to problems such as kidney stones, ovarian cysts, and atherosclerosis.

Other problems with milk:

Other issues surrounding milk include a potential cancer risk. Milk contains growth hormones that make baby calves grow very big, very fast. These growth hormones stimulate hormones within our own body, particularly IGF-1 (Insulin-like growth factor – 1). This hormone is a member of a family of proteins involved in mediating human growth and development. Studies show that people who drink 3 glasses of milk per day have about a 10% rise in IGF-1 in their bloodstream. This increase in IGF-1 has been linked to an increase in prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women. Milk is also mucous forming and cancer feeds off of mucous.

A less serious condition than cancer, lactose intolerance, is the inability to digest lactose, a sugar naturally found in milk, due to the lack of the enzyme lactase. People with lactose intolerance will suffer from indigestion when consuming dairy products. About 70% of the world adult population is lactose intolerant. This condition is quite normal; once you no longer need to digest mothers milk the body simply stops producing the enzyme.

The good stuff about milk:

Now that I have thoroughly discussed the downsides, I should also point out that there are some good points about consuming cow’s milk. Good quality unpasteurized (raw) milk can be a healthy choice because it still contains the enzymes needed to make it digestible as a whole food. Yogurt and fermented milks like kefir and buttermilk are more easily assimilated because lactose has been broken down by the fermentation process. Finally, good quality unpasteurized cheeses make for a healthy snack. Still, it may be a wise choice to consider giving up our milk moustaches in favour of other sources of calcium in our diets, such as those listed below:

• Beans and nuts
• Greens like broccoli, kale, parsley, dandelion
• Sea vegetables
• Sesame seeds and tahini

Sources:
– Bateson-Koch, Carolee. Allergies Disease in Disguise. Summertown, TN: Books Alive, 1994.
– Colbin, Annemarie.  Food and Healing. Toronto, ON:  Random House of Canada, 1986.
– Holmes, M. (2002).  Dietary Correlates of Plasma Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 and Insulin-like Binding Protein 3 Concentrations. Retrieved from http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/11/9/852.short

Take Wonder Bread, and its popular Wonder+ White Loaf with Fiber.

Ingredients: Unbleached wheat flour, water, sugar, oat hull fiber, yeast, soybean and/or canola oil, wheat gluten, salt, natural sour flavour (bacterial culture), soy flour, cultured wheat starch solids, vinegar, soy lecithin.

Let’s break down some of those ingredients, shall we?

Unbleached wheat flour = refined white flour. The healthiest parts of the wheat – the bran and the germ – have been removed, and with it, all of the fiber, healthy unsaturated oils, B vitamins, vitamin E (an antioxidant) and other minerals. Why take out all of that goodness? Because it gives the bread a longer shelf life, and that equals increased profits for the manufacturer.

Sugar: Do you really want the second ingredient in your bread to be sugar? To me, refined, processed sugar isn’t what comes to mind when I hear that something is made with “simple, real ingredients.” It robs the body of those essential nutrients that Wonder Bread claims to offer. A dehydrating, acid-producing substance, sugar also inhibits immune function, leads to weight gain, and messes with the healthy bacteria balance in the digestive tract.

Soybean and/or canola oil, soy flour, soy lecithin: This bread is made with not one, not two, but three separate ingredients containing soy. Most soybeans grown in North America (85 per cent of U.S. production) are genetically modified to be more resistant to herbicides, and are then sprayed with massive quantities of these toxic chemicals. Consuming foods made with non-organic, processed soy not only increases our exposure to these toxins, but also to novel, untested and potentially dangerous altered food products. No one knows for sure how eating genetically modified foods affects human health, making their excessive use in the food industry like one big science experiment. This is scary stuff.

Oat Hull Fiber: In order to be able to claim their bread has fiber, the people at Wonder Bread have added in processed insoluble fiber from oat hulls – the outer sheath that surrounds the oat groat. The fiber in Wonder+ White Loaf with Fiber doesn’t include the groat, the part that contains the nutrient-dense layers (bran and germ) with all of the oat’s vitamins, minerals, healthy fats and soluble fiber.

Oats are generally touted for their ability to lower LDL cholesterol and regulate blood sugar levels. However, these health benefits are due to the soluble fiber, the type that absorbs water and binds to toxins as it moves through the digestive tract. Insoluble fiber is not absorbed or digested by the body. It does not aid in regulation of blood sugar or cholesterol; though it does add bulk to stools, preventing constipation.

Instead of simply making their bread with nutrient-dense whole grains, they’ve taken part of the wheat and part of the oat to create their own doughy concoction. There’s a whole lot of unnecessary processing going on.

And exactly how much added fiber are you getting in each slice? A measly 1.5 grams! Compare that to a cup of broccoli, which contains 4.7 grams of fiber. Or a cup of raspberries, which provides over 8 grams of fiber. One cup of cooked lentils gets you a whopping 15.5 grams.

In my opinion, if you’re looking to increase fiber in your diet, do it with whole, fresh fruits, vegetables and legumes, not processed, nutrient-poor slices of Wonder Bread.

Sources:

http://www.gmo-compass.org

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://www.whfoods.com

The good news is that with age I smartened up. Nowadays Brussels sprouts and I have become good friends. I wanted to write an article undressing the health benefits of these little green goddesses and provide a delicious recipe as a way of apologizing to them for all the years I unfairly left them off my plate.

If you already love Brussels sprouts you will enjoy reading about all the great benefits they are providing your sexy bod. If you aren’t crazy about them, keep reading. Later in the article I provide an explanation as to why many people don’t like the taste and how to change that. This trick is so simple!

Undressing the key health benefits of Brussels sprouts

• Helps with detoxification
  • Of all the cruciferous vegetables, Brussels sprouts contain one of the highest amounts of glucosinolate, which can help with the detoxification of cancer causing substances. Also, Brussels sprouts are high in sulfur containing nutrients, which help with detoxification in our liver.
• Helps provide antioxidant support
  • There is a war going on in our bodies with free radicals, and the antioxidants act as peacekeepers. This is why it is so important that we consume a lot of them in our diet. Brussels sprouts are an excellent source as they are high in a whole host of antioxidants such as Vitamin C, E, beta-carotene, manganese, etc.
• Helps with inflammation
  • Excess inflammation in the body can lead to chronic illnesses. It is extremely important that we consume foods that show inflammation whose boss. Luckily, Brussels sprouts can help us get the job done since they contain elements like glucosinolate, antioxidants, and omega 3’s that help reduce the inflammation in the body.
• Helps with cardiovascular health
  • These little green warriors do this by reducing inflammation and helping to lower cholesterol. Bonus!
• Helps with the digestive system
  • Not only are Brussels sprouts an excellent source of fiber, they contain special nutrients that help protect the stomach from the overgrowth of Helicobacter Pylori, an unwanted bacteria.

These incredible green nutrition machines sure do help deliver a powerful punch to our dinner plate!  I can’t believe I avoided them for so many years.

Now for the fun stuff, eating them!

How to cook Brussels sprouts in a way that makes them nutritious and delicious!

One of the most nutritious ways of preparing Brussels sprouts is to steam them for no more than 5-10 minutes. If you cook them for too long you risk losing a lot of the beneficial nutrients they contain. In addition, if you cook them for too long they will start to have a pungent sulfurous odour, which isn’t very nice.  In fact, often times when people don’t like Brussels sprouts it is because they have only consumed them when they were overcooked!

Here is a recipe that I think will keep you coming back for more.

Steamed Brussels Sprouts with Tahini Dressing

Serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients
1 lb Brussels sprouts
2 tbsp slivered almonds

Dressing Ingredients
¼ cup tahini
¼ cup water
1/8 cup lemon juice
1 small clove of garlic crushed
1 tbsp honey
2 pinches of salt

Directions

1. Put 2 inches of water in the bottom of a steamer and bring to a boil.
2. Peel off any yellowing leaves from the Brussels sprouts and cut into quarters.
3. Put the Brussels sprouts into the steamer and steam for 5 minutes.
4. Put the dressing ingredients into a jar and shake well.
5. Put the Brussels sprouts in a bowl and toss with dressing.
6. Transfer to a bowl and toss with dressing and slivered almonds.

Enjoy!

If you have any other Brussels sprouts recipes or childhood stories about Brussels sprouts, please share them with us below.

Also, help us help the Brussels sprouts by spreading the good word about these green nutrition powerhouses on facebook and twitter. They are in season right now and are just waiting for you to stop by for a visit at your local grocery store.

Click to share our article tweetable!

Sources:
http://www.whfoods.com/ 

Undressing why it’s important to have our bedroom in a retreat of darkness

Sleeping in darkness helps produce the naturally occurring hormone, melatonin, in our body.  Melatonin is a powerful antioxidant hormone that is useful in preventing cancer and other conditions in the body.  Any light exposure such as a small amount of light that filters in through the curtains and hits your skin can interrupt the hormone production, causing a decrease in melatonin levels.  This in turn can affect sleep and interfere with the body’s normal process in a good quality sleep.

Undressing what melatonin is and why it’s beneficial

Melatonin is a hormone produced in the pineal gland located in the brain.  It is normally produced at night and decreases in production during the day, which is why sleeping effectively at night is crucial in increasing melatonin levels.  It plays a significant role in the circadian rhythm, which is an internal rhythm that helps to regulate our sleep, wake cycle and other functions in the body.  Melatonin is recognized in preventing diseases, such as breast cancer, Alzheimer’s, and fibromyalgia, as well as sleep disorders such as insomnia, and chronic fatigue.

Tips and practical ways to enhance the quality of your sleep:

• Your bedroom should be completely dark. A great trick to find out if your room is dark enough is to put your hand in front of your face when you turn the lights off. You don’t want to be able to see your hand.
• I hightly recommend blackout drapes which completely block out all light from the windows
• Sleep naked or with loose fitting sleep wear, since tight clothes will increase your body temperature and can intervene with the release of melatonin while sleeping
• Be aware of electronic devices that may be turned off, such as a cell phone which can still emit light from the LED screen
• Be careful of electromagnetic fields (EMF’s) in your room- EMF’s are emitted from your digital radio/alarm clock and other electrical devices
• Both the electronic and electrical devices can be harmful to your sleep by disturbing sleep patterns due to the electromagnetic fields they produce, as well as disrupting the production of melatonin and causing stress in the body. Therefore it is ideal to keep them at least 3 feet away and turned away from you.
• Keep lights off when using the bathroom at night. Try to avoid turning on the bright overhead lights and instead have a flashlight or night light available to prevent stopping the production of melatonin.

Furthermore…waking up to light or sunlight is just as important as sleeping in darkness.  Turning on the lights or letting sun filter in is a great way to reset your internal clock so that your melatonin levels are returned back to “awake mode”.  The simple morning light exposure has been proven to align your daily rhythm and increase your energy for the day.

You may also want to consider getting a Sun Alarm which uses natural lighting that imitates a sunrise to awaken your body more naturally, rather than a regular alarm that can be loud and stressful to hear. If you would like to learn more about this innovative concept, here is the website: http://www.soleilsunalarm.com/.

Moreover, an even better way to benefit from the morning light is to get outside for 10-20 minutes.

In conclusion, your sleep is precious and I want you to feel optimally refreshed when you start your morning. By incorporating these simple steps into your lifestyle, you can feel rest assured that you are leading the way to enhancing your health and well being!

Also, my boyfriend and I just recently bought blackout drapes in a dark chocolate colour at Umbra and we are loving them!  Let me know what you do to have a good night sleep and where you get your blackout drapes from, by leaving a comment below.  And don’t forget to share this with your friends and family on facebook and twitter. Sweet dreams.

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Guest Writer: Irene Liu, CNP
Irene Liu is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist with a passion for nutritional education. She is a health and wellness writer as well as a personal nutrition coach. Her goal is to inspire others to live a happy and healthy life filled with delicious food.

Ingredient list for All-Bran Bars (Chocolate Chip)

Wheat flour, sugar/glucose-fructose, cereal (wheat bran, sugar/glucose-fructose, malt [corn flour, malted barley], salt, vitamins [thiamine hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, d-calcium pantothenate], iron), vegetable shortening (contains palm and palm kernel oils, TBHQ), chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla extract), oat hull fibre, dried whole egg, milk ingredients, natural and artificial flavours, salt, baking powder, soy lecithin.

Now that we’ve seen what is in this product, I’m going to share with you the 5 main reasons why they wouldn’t find their way into my grocery cart.

Reason Number 5 – Processed Wheat

The first ingredient is “Wheat Flour”. This is not whole-wheat flour, the type that actually contains fiber. This is the processed wheat flour that has the fiber removed.

This may lead to the question, “if they removed the fiber from the wheat, how do these bars contain fiber?” Great question! What they have done is they have processed the wheat and removed the bran (which is the fiber) and the germ (which contains a lot of nutrients). Then they went and added back in some of the bran so that the bar would have fiber and they could advertise it as such.

The problem is that the wheat is not in its whole form and is not as nutritious. I would prefer to stick to the whole grain as nature intended.

Reason Number 4 – High-fructose Corn Syrup

The second ingredient is sugar/glucose-fructose. In Canada glucose-fructose is another name for high-fructose corn syrup. Eating a lot of processed sugars that are nutrient-depleted can lead to problems like high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, etc. These should be avoided at all cost.

I do want to mention here that just because processed and refined sweeteners (the ones that mess up our sexy bodies) should be avoided, doesn’t mean that we can’t have some sweetness in our lives. Honey and maple syrup when used in moderation are great additions to a healthy diet. They not only provide us with important nutritional benefits, they taste great too!

Reason Number 3 – Chemical Preservatives made from Petroleum 

These bars contain TBHQ (Tertiary Butylhydroquinone). This is a chemical preservative, a form of butane, and is used to extend the shelf life of the bar and delay rancidness. The American and Canadian governments have allowed companies to put this preservative in foods but have strict restrictions on how much they are allowed to add.

I find it ironic that something could be deemed safe for human consumption and then strictly regulated to ensure we don’t consume too much. What would happen if we did eat too much?

The problem as I see it is that when these limits are determined, they are determined for a ‘standard’ adult. What if you are a baby and are consuming these preservatives? What if you are consuming a large number of products that contain this preservative and are getting more than the amount found in one All-Bran bar? Or what if you are already full of toxins in your body and consuming this puts your body toxicity levels over the top? The truth is we don’t actually know the answers to these questions.

Everyone is different. We are different sizes, we eat differently, and we have different tolerability levels for toxins. What might be an okay level for one person is different for the next. Therefore, I have a hard time trusting the safety limits that are set for a ‘standard’ adult, especially when it comes to feeding these products to children or people who are ill/toxic (which unfortunately is a large portion of the population).

Personally, I try to stick to foods that are fresh and don’t contain chemical preservatives, especially those that are derived from petroleum.

Reason Number 2  – Artificial Flavours

When we heavily process foods, they lose their flavour. This is why processed foods contain added flavouring. If they didn’t, the food wouldn’t taste very good. These flavours are made in chemistry labs and often contain a whole host of various chemicals. For the most part they are considered safe until there is some concrete evidence that they are harmful. Personally, I think this method is flawed. I think they should be deemed unsafe until proven safe. (Note: Some studies may have been done on a number of these added ingredients but not enough to determine that they are safe when used cumulatively, long term and on various individuals)

The other issue with the term “artificial flavours”, is that we actually don’t know what this means and what chemicals are involved. They lump a whole bunch of chemicals into that one term and don’t have to list them separately.

An example of a chemical that hides under this name is by a company called Senomyx. They work with Kraft, Nestle, Coca Cola, and Campbell Soup. When this chemical is put in the food it helps to mask the bitter flavour of the food. It does this by turning off the bitter flavour receptor on our tongue. This allows the companies to reduce the amount of sugar and sodium in the product without actually affecting the flavour. It seems like these companies then grab their megaphones and proudly tell the world that they have low-sodium and low-sugar products. This all sounds fine and dandy, but is this new chemical that is being added to my food safe? Apparently there was a 3-month safety study done on rats that resulted in this being safe for long-term human consumption (including children). Seems odd to me.

Personally, I would rather stick to the true natural flavours of foods instead of having my taste buds tricked by chemists in a white lab coat.

Reason Number 1 – There isn’t even that much fiber!!

The amount of fiber you get in one of these bars is 4 grams. This is the same amount of fiber you would get in 1 medium apple.

Conclusion

The next time you reach for an All-Bran cereal bar, keep in mind that you are actually getting processed, refined, and nutrient-poor wheat, high-fructose corn syrup, petroleum preservatives, artificial chemical flavouring agents, and the equivalent amount of fiber to a medium sized apple.

What will you have for your next snack? Let me know in the comments below and/or on The Naked Label facebook page.

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Let’s face it. It’s that time of year again for holiday festivities. Often times these festivities involve some yummy sugary foods, decadent chocolates, cakes, pies, baked cookies, you name it! Although I do recommend that you stay away from refined and processed white sugar and flour, that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy desserts made with healthy whole food ingredients. After all, a little treat here and there can be good for the soul.

Let’s undress the joy of water:

Water has an amazing ability to support our body in metabolizing fat, which is why approximately 8 glasses of water per day never gets old!

How this works is water teams up with our kidneys and liver to make this happen. So, let me break it down:  Kidneys rely on water to function properly because some of their work is to keep our blood clean from toxins, and help regulate water and electrolyte balance in our body. This prevents water retention.  One of the main functions of our liver is to digest stored fat. When the body is not receiving enough water, it becomes dehydrated, and then the kidneys cannot work at their full capacity.  As a result, the kidneys will pass on some of their workload to the liver.  However, if the liver is doing some of the kidneys job of cleaning our blood and preventing water retention, then it is unable to focus on metabolizing fat. Bummer! For this reason, an average of 8 glasses (or more for extra pounds, since it comes with a larger metabolic load) of water is valuable to our health and helps ensure our kidneys and liver are happy and running smoothly.

Let’s also not forget the other significant health benefits of H2O. Water acts as an appetite suppressant by distending the stomach and creating satiety, which is the feeling of fullness. This can help maintain a healthy weight.  Furthermore, it helps detoxify waste from the body, protects and moisturizes our joints, helps with constipation, transports nutrients and oxygen to our cells, helps with headaches and fatigue, and helps with metabolism and body temperature.

Impressive!  Simple, refreshing and joyous water can do all that!  The best part is, it’s the easiest beverage for us to get our hands on.  Therefore, there is no reason why we can’t include more water into our diet.  Also, a great way to enjoy water is by adding lemon. Not only does it add zest to our water, it has many beneficial nutrients like antioxidants.  For more information on why lemon is so wonderful, check out the article on this site called ‘Waking up to Mr. Lemon’.

Finally, although water is one contributing factor in helping with fat loss and maintenance of our body, let me remind you that eating a healthy colourful diet and regular exercise is needed to ensure your optimal wellness. So drink away this holiday season with plenty of H2O.

Have a happy happy holiday and don’t forget to leave a comment below, I would love to hear your thoughts.  Also, help me spread this message by sharing it on facebook and twitter.

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Guest Writer: Irene Liu, CNP
Irene Liu is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist with a passion for nutritional education. She is a health and wellness writer as well as a personal nutrition coach. Her goal is to inspire others to live a happy and healthy life filled with delicious food.

Do it with walnuts! They are the real brain food and with their two-lobed appearance resembling a brain, it’s no wonder they support our cognitive function and can help in sharpening our memory. Adding them to our diet can be an important step in optimizing nutrition, as well as improving our brain and heart health.

Let’s undress walnuts health promoting benefits.

The biggest benefit of walnuts is that they are rich in omega 3 fatty acids, which are not produced in the human body. Therefore, including foods like walnuts in our diet on a daily basis is necessary. Three cheers for walnuts!

So why do we need Omega 3’s anyway? Omega 3 fatty acids play a significant role in our brain function. They are highly concentrated in the brain and therefore appear to be important in brain memory and performance. Since our brain is made up mostly of fat, we need to ensure this fat is healthy. Eating walnuts helps to do this.

Omega 3 fats provide protection for the cardiovascular system, which is made up of the heart and blood vessels.  These helpful fatty acids may help to reduce triglycerides, high blood pressure, cholesterol, and inflammation, which are all dangerous for cardiovascular health. We want to have a healthy heart because it helps pump blood through the blood vessel channel and delivers blood and oxygen throughout the body. This helps to ensure a healthy sexy body!

Therefore, by reducing consumption of saturated fat foods (e.g. meat and dairy) as well as eliminating trans fats (e.g. hydrogenated oils) and replacing them with polyunsaturated fatty acids like the Omega 3 in walnuts, you help improve your brain and cardiovascular health. Amazing!

Also, walnuts contain omega 6 fatty acids and together with omega 3 fats they do other wondrous things to the body such as energy production, recovery from fatigue, maintenance of healthy skin, healing and recovery from illness, and reduction of premenstrual symptoms.

How to eat these health-promoting warriors

Here’s some more good news about walnuts; they are perfect for snacking. If you have the munchies, just have a handful and if you like, throw in an apple to boost nutrition even further! You can also add walnuts to your salads for some extra crunch or use them for baking by adding them to your favourite cookies for some added nutrients. Furthermore, you will be happy to know that walnuts are available all year round.  So… have you had your walnuts today?

Let me know how you eat your walnuts by leaving a comment below. Also, help me spread this heart healthy snack by sharing this post on facebook and twitter.

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Guest Writer: Irene Liu, CNP
Irene Liu is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist with a passion for nutritional education. She is a health and wellness writer as well as a personal nutrition coach. Her goal is to inspire others to live a happy and healthy life filled with delicious food.

I love kale!

Let’s undress this leading nutritious vegetable to uncover some of its health benefits:

Vitamin K: This important vitamin is needed for blood clotting in our body. For example if you got a paper cut, this nutrient will help stop the bleeding so your cut can heal. Wicked!

Vitamin A: This is an excellent antioxidant that protects the cell membranes and lining of tissues from any free-radical damage.  Vitamin A is important for eyesight since it is the primary source in the process of forming rhodopsin (the visual purple found in the retina).  Rhodopsin is needed to prevent night blindness and to help the eyes adjust to any rapid environmental light changes.  This vitamin also lowers risk of cancer by maintaining the structural integrity of the cells and helps stimulate immunity cells, which protects the body from diseases.

Vitamin C: This essential vitamin and antioxidant is not produced in the body therefore would need to be obtained through food.  Like vitamin A it also stimulates immune function.  It is needed to heal wounds and illness.  Great in metabolizing cholesterol and helps with elimination of cholesterol as well.  It helps protect the health of blood vessels, body tissues and muscles.   If that isn’t enough, vitamin C is especially valuable in opening up pathways for liver detoxification, which is vital for mental and physical health.

Cardiovascular disease: Kale provides support in cardiovascular disease by lowering cholesterol.  The liver uses cholesterol as a building block to produce bile acids.  The nutrient fiber in kale binds to bile acids instead of being absorbed along with the fat it has emulsified.  Therefore the liver needs to replace the lost bile acids and in return the cholesterol level decreases.

Antioxidant & Cancer: You can count on kale for its antioxidant health benefits just like vitamin A and C.  Sufficient antioxidant intake is important for preventing oxidative stress in the body.  Oxidative stress is a risk factor for developing cancer including breast cancer, bladder cancer, ovarian cancer, colon cancer and prostate cancer. Kale provides supreme maintenance in our body’s detoxification processes.  It can give our body the extra support in dealing with toxic exposure whether through food or environment.

Whew! This green vegetable is like a superstar in the making.  What more can we ask for when trying to eat healthy.  Now that you have learned some of the awesome benefits of Kale, nourish your body with the following simple recipe that only takes 2-3 minutes to cook.  How awesome is that!

Steamed Kale

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of kale, coarsely chopped, with stems removed
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• Sea salt for taste
• 1 tsp of olive oil
• 1/2 cup of water or vegetable stock

Directions:

1. In a large non-stick skillet, heat olive oil (on medium heat) and add garlic; stir for 30 seconds and do not allow it to burn.
2. Add water or vegetable stock, kale and sea salt; toss and cover with a lid. Reduce heat to medium-low.
3.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, until kale turns bright green. Add these healthy greens to any of your favourite dishes. 

Note: For more added flavour, you can drizzle with Avocado oil (optional).

Enjoy!

Try it out and let me know how you like it by leaving a comment below. Also, make sure your friends and family know the inside scoop on this wonder-veg by sharing it on facebook and twitter.

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Guest Writer: Irene Liu, CNP
Irene Liu is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist with a passion for nutritional education. She is a health and wellness writer as well as a personal nutrition coach. Her goal is to inspire others to live a happy and healthy life filled with delicious food.

Are the canned beans in your cupboard transporting BPA into your bod?
The short answer is that if they don’t say EDEN on them (which is a company name) then they are polluting your body. BPA leaches out of the lining of all commercial canned beans. The reason that the ones by EDEN do not is because they pay a 14% premium on the cans they buy from their supplier to have them lined with an enamel made from vegetable resins. They are the only company to use BPA-free linings. Click here to learn more about their cans.

Why is BPA so bad?
There was a lot of press a few years back about BPA and its harmful effects. The main culprits at the time were water bottles and baby bottles. However, canned foods are one of the nastiest culprits. The concern is that BPA can act as an endocrine disruptor which basically means it funks up our hormones. Here is a list of some of the harmful effects BPA may cause to your sexy self:

• Interfere with production or activity of hormones in endocrine system
• Cause reduced fertility
• Increase risk of endometriosis
• Increase risk of many cancers
• Affect sperm levels in men
• Affect developing reproductive and nervous systems, and organs of infants and fetuses
• Lead to early puberty
• Affect the immune and nervous system

Holy tamole! Those seem like risks I’m not a fan of taking.

Other important tid-bits about canned beans:
In addition to using problematic BPA cans, many companies also put other things in their products like processed salt and preservatives. These are things you are going to want to stay away from. Chances are they are not using a high quality Celtic sea salt or a Himalayan crystal salt. Therefore, it should be avoided. Although the whole BPA-free cans was enough to convince me, here are some other benefits of the EDEN product for those of you that have your cute butts perched on the fence and aren’t yet sold on switching:

• They are organic. Yahoo! This means there is an even greater reduction in toxicity and chemical exposure in comparison to non-organic products.
• They are cooked with Kombu Seaweed. This helps to soften the bean and enhance its flavour. And you know how ga-ga I get over good flavour!!
• Their canned beans are salt free which helps people better manage their sodium intake
• None of their foods are genetically modified
• They maintain a zero tolerance policy for irradiation. Way to go!!

A little insight into how often I eat canned beans:
I’ll start by saying that my most preferable way of preparing beans is to buy them dried, soak them overnight in some kelp seaweed powder and cook them myself or sprout them. I believe this is healthiest way and it helps to maintain the most nutrition. However, let’s face it, sometimes time is of the essence and soaking them isn’t an option. I wish I could say that I always plan my meals ahead of time and therefore have no problem soaking beans overnight in preparation for the next day. Haha, but that would be a bold faced lie. The truth is, I soak and cook/sprout my beans about 75% of the time and the rest of the time I am in a mad rush and therefore use beans from a can. Always EDEN

Let’s face it, you are way too fabulous to allow BPA and other harmful ingredients into that hot bod of yours. Do yourself a favour and stay away from canned beans that contain these harmful substances. Yes, you will have to pay a little bit more. BUT YOU’RE WORTH IT!!

I would love love love to hear from you so make sure to leave a comment below. Also, I am on a mission to rid people’s houses of harmful canned beans one cupboard at a time. Help me spread the word by sharing this post on facebook and tweeting about it on twitter.

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