Foods you think are healthy BUT AREN'T #2: SPINACH PASTA
WHY WE THINK IT'S HEALTHY: It’s a sneaky way to add a vegetable to an otherwise carb-heavy meal. It’s green and, thus, healthy. WHY IT'S NOT: The amount of freeze-dried spinach that is added to the noodles is enough to make it green, but that’s about it. There isn’t enough to provide any nutritional benefits compared to…
Foods you think are healthy BUT AREN'T #1: WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
Foods you think are healthy BUT AREN'T #1: WHOLE WHEAT BREAD WHY WE THINK IT'S HEALTHY: Whole grains are far superior to refined white bread because of the added bran and vitamins. American nutritional guidelines recommend that half or more of your grains be whole. WHY IT'S NOT: Sure, the extra bran adds a tiny bit more…
The 2019 Canada's Food Guide
The Canada's new food guide has been released this week and I have to admit, we're definitely going in the right direction. We know that genetics plays a huge role in how we metabolize foods and that nutritional approaches are highly individualized. But if I were tasked to build a meal plan for the general population, it…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T! PART 50: SEA URCHIN
WHY WE AVOID IT: They’re small, globular and completely covered with “touch me and die” spikes. In many parts of the world, sea urchin is a delicacy, and the part that is eaten is the gonads. Not everyone “gets” why we eat raw sea urchin gonads in the first place. It has a rich, salty and creamy taste and a strong ocean…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T! PART 49: SEA CUCUMBER.
WHY WE AVOID IT: It breathes through its anus, can liquefy its body and acts as the vacuum cleaner of the ocean. These sausage-shaped animals with leathery skin are a delicacy in many parts of Asia. As a food, it has a slippery texture and a bland taste. Kind of like phlegm. WHY WE SHOULD EAT IT: Sea cucumbers may taste…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T! PART 48: BRUSSELS SPROUTS.
WHY WE AVOID IT: A 2008 survey by Heinz revealed that Brussels sprouts were the most-hated vegetable in America. They always make it to the top five in surveys of the most-hated vegetables around the world. According to Andy Griffith in his book Just Disgusting: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Who wouldn’t hate them? They’re green. They’re…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T. PART 47: KIMCHI
WHY WE AVOID IT: This fermented cabbage dish is Korea’s national dish. If you don’t like the smell of cabbage, then you’ll certainly hate the smell of it fermented. It’s a rather strong smell that haters equate to burning rotting garbage. WHY WE SHOULD EAT IT: Kimchi tastes so great that Koreans eat 40 pounds of it per…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T. PART 46: SHRIMP
WHY WE AVOID IT: Shrimp is high in cholesterol, so it was added to the “foods to avoid” list to prevent high cholesterol levels and decrease the risk of heart disease. WHY WE SHOULD EAT IT: At the risk of sounding like a broken record, dietary cholesterol has little effect on blood cholesterol levels. Shrimp is actually low…
Do calories count? Part 2
Do calories count? Yeah, but.... The inability to lose weight is not a matter of commitment or willpower. Leptin is able to manipulate thyroid function and sex hormones, basically taking control of your biology. It gives us that feeling of satiety when we're full. Our hunger can become excessive and relentless, especially…
Do calories count? Part 1
Do calories count? Yeah, but.... Calories are nothing but an approximation of potential energy until our metabolism gets involved.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The hormonal control of our metabolism involves thyroid function, cortisol, and a range of other hormones, tissues and organs. But the most important orchestrators are insulin and leptin.…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T. Part 45: SARDINES
WHY WE AVOID IT: They smell fishy and they come in a can. Chances are you turned your nose up at it and walked away. No way will you pop anything in your mouth that still has eyes. WHY WE SHOULD EAT IT: Bad move. Sardines are one of the most concentrated sources of DHA and EPA, both omega-3 fatty acids. That may not be…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T. Part 44: EGG YOLK
WHY WE AVOID IT: Eggs took the hardest hit when researchers blamed cholesterol as enemy of the state for heart disease. It’s true that egg yolks have the most cholesterol of any food, with about 212mg per yolk. More recently, a study from the University of Western Ontario claimed that egg yolks were almost as bad as…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T. Part 43: FERMENTED FISH
WHY WE AVOID IT: There’s a fine line between fermented fish and rotting fish: one is gaggingly putrid, and the other is retchingly foul. In Sweden, surströmming -- fermented herring -- is fermented in barrels for a few months, then put into cans for another year. Some airlines ban surströmming cans because they consider…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T. Part 42: COD LIVER OIL
WHY WE AVOID IT: A spoonful of this stuff results in the classic comical face of disgust. It stinks of fish, gives you bad breath, causes upset stomachs and might make you gag and vomit. No one wants medicine that’s worse than the cure. Besides, there’s so much vitamin A in cod-liver oil that there’s a concern of potential…
FOODS with TRANS FATS
Canada 🇨🇦 FINALLY bans artificial trans-fats! This comes almost 15 YEARS after the ban was proposed. "Partially hydrogenated oils" will now be added to the list of "Contaminants and Other Adulterating Substances". ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Artificial trans fats are created by pumping hydrogen molecules into liquid vegetable oil…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T. Part 41: TRIPE
WHY WE AVOID IT: Tripe is the stomach lining of sheep🐑, goats🐐, pig🐖 or deer🦌. In the case of beef🐂, it’s the first three portions of the cow’s stomach. The thought of eating another being’s stomach is enough to turn your stomach. WHY WE SHOULD EAT IT: Like other organ meats, tripe is…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T. Part 40: BEETS
WHY WE AVOID IT: It’s an acquired taste. Some think they taste like dirt and get annoyed that they turn all the other food on their plate red. President Barack Obama admitted that he always avoided eating them, which explains why Lady Michelle excluded them from the White House vegetable garden. Most children grimace at…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T. Part 39: COCONUT OIL
WHY WE AVOID IT: Coconut is one of the rare plant sources of saturated fat. Primarily found in animals, saturated fats were found to increase bad LDL cholesterol, the leading risk factor for heart disease. If you believed the doctors who told you to stay away from red meat and butter, then you probably stayed away from…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T. Part 38: RAW CATFISH NUGGETS
WHY WE AVOID IT: Catfish are ugly bottom-feeders that suck on pond muck. Many people consider them a “junk” fish. Many avid fishermen will admit that the best thing to do when you realize you’ve got a catfish on the line is to just cut the line. Besides, nuggets are the leftover flesh chunks after the beautiful filets have…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T. Part 37: CHOCOLATE
WHY WE AVOID IT: The elixir of the Mayans has had its fair share of controversies since science started looking at it. Accused of causing acne outbreaks, migraines, heartburn, insomnia, obesity and high cholesterol, chocolate is the love affair we are ashamed to indulge in. WHY WE SHOULD EAT IT: The modern chocolate bar…