Foods you think are healthy BUT AREN'T! #7: FRUIT COCKTAIL
WHY WE THINK IT’S HEALTHY: It’s fruit, so it’s good for you. WHY IT’S NOT: The syrup ruins everything. Fruit canned in syrup holds its shape, colour and flavour, but it also adds extra calories and boosts its glycemic index. The most common syrup used in commercial fruit cocktails is corn syrup, made from the starch…
Can skipping breakfast cause heart attacks?
Can skipping breakfast cause heart attacks? A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests that U.S. adults who regularly skip breakfast are at an increased risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. With the increased popularity of intermittent fasting and supporting research…
Foods you think are healthy BUT AREN'T! #6: GRANOLA
WHY WE THINK IT'S HEALTHY: It’s considered the “healthy person’s cereal,” made with rolled oats, nuts and dried fruits. The term granola has become so synonymous with health that it’s used to describe hippie-esque people who are socially and environmental aware, left-wing, usually vegetarian, and who buy only fair-trade…
Foods you think are healthy BUT AREN'T! #5: DRIED FRUIT
WHY WE THINK IT'S HEALTHY: It’s fruit, a food group recommended by all nutrition experts for its vitamin, mineral and antioxidant content. Compared to fresh fruit, they’re more convenient to transport, preserve well and are a nutritious, delicious snack. WHY IT'S NOT: It’s not that dried fruit is unhealthy -- it is a much…
Foods you think are healthy BUT AREN'T! #4: BAKED BEANS
BAKED BEANS WHY WE THINK IT'S HEALTHY: Beans are a good source of lean protein, they're virtually fat free, and they're high in soluble fiber. Consequently, they have a low glycemic index, which means that they don’t elicit a rapid rise in blood sugar levels. This is good news for those on weight-loss diets or suffering…
Foods you think are healthy BUT AREN'T! #3: HAZELNUT SPREADS
WHY WE THINK IT'S HEALTHY: Ads for the most popular hazelnut spread, Nutella, claim that it's “an example of a tasty yet balanced breakfast.” Commercials show a mom feeding it to her healthy kids while the label includes a picture of Nutella surrounded by "healthy" items such as fresh fruit, whole wheat bread and orange…
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…
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…