• Pregnancy and Your Diet

    When you’re pregnant, you’re “eating for two” (yourself and your unborn baby); and while you should always be sure you’re eating a healthy, well balanced diet regardless of whether you are pregnant or not, pregnancy is a time where you should pay close attention to the things you’re eating and ensure you’re making the healthiest possible choices. For example, when it comes to nutrition, pregnant women need more calcium, iron, and folic acid compared to women who aren’t pregnant. Calcium is important during pregnancy as it helps to build your baby’s bones and teeth. Some great food sources of calcium include dairy products such as milk, yogurt and cheese, in…

  • Strengthening Your Bones

    In total, the human body consists of 206 bones. Our bones are not only important in forming the shape and structure of our bodies, but they are also crucial in providing our bodies with support. Without bones, our bodies would essentially collapse. Every bone that is within our skeletal system also has its own important function. For example, many of our bones surround vital but fragile organs, such as the heart, lungs and brain, as well as protect our central nervous system, working as a protectant to them; while other bones, such as those in our arms and legs, are what allow us to move and provide support to our…

  • Dietary Supplements

    If you’re not consuming a sufficient amount of healthy food, then that also means that your body isn’t getting adequate essential nutrients. In order to maintain optimal health, some of the most important nutrients our bodies need include the following: VITAMINS (to help boost the immune system, strengthen our teeth and bones, aid in the absorption of calcium, help our bodies metabolize proteins and carbohydrates), aid in healthy brain and nervous system functioning, maintain healthy skin, and even prevent certain cancers), MINERALS (to help carry oxygen, maintain healthy skin, hair and nails, improve bone health, balance water levels, prevent tooth decay, aid in blood clotting, support healthy blood pressure, as…

  • Healthy Eating Habits

    Depending on the foods you eat, your health can be impacted in both negative and positive ways. The unhealthier the foods are that you eat, the unhealthier you will feel. Whereas the healthier foods you eat, the healthier you will feel. Eating healthy doesn’t just mean making changes in the foods you buy at the grocery store. In some instances, it also means that you may need to make some changes to your environment. For example, many offices, schools and other public places have vending machines or cafeterias. While this might seem like an easier alternative to making and packing your own lunch, snacks or other meals, the foods that…

  • How the Body Changes as We Age

    Aging isn’t usually something that people like to think about or discuss all that often. It is, however, part of the natural life cycle and something all of us will ultimately experience. As you get older, you will start to notice changes in your body. These changes that occur can be both physical and mental. For example, you might be feeling more fatigued than you used to, you may notice the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, you might have more overall body aches and pains, trouble with your eyesight, or your memory may not be as sharp as it once was. While some of these things may not necessarily…

  • Relieving Back Pain and Preventing Back Injuries

    If you suffer from back pain, you’re not alone. According to the Canadian Chiropractic Association, 5 in 10 Canadians suffer from chronic low back pain, while 85% of working Canadians can expect to experience back pain at some point in their lifetime. Back pain is a common problem, with many different causes – some of which are easy to determine, while, in other cases, may be complex in nature. Our backs play an important role as they help support our body. Things like extra body weight or poor posture can put a hard demand on or spine and joints, ultimately increasing the risk of low back pain and other back-related…

  • Nutrients and Bone Health

    Nutrients play an important role in our overall health. They provide us with energy (via carbs, fats, and proteins), help regulate body functions (i.e. temperature, sweating, thyroid function, blood pressure, and metabolism), and are also essential for body structures – including the maintenance of tissues, organs, teeth, and bones. Many of the nutrients that we need come from the foods we eat, including calcium, which is critical for bone health. As the body does not make calcium on its own, the only way we can get it is from our diets or by taking a calcium supplement. However, in order for our bodies to be able to absorb calcium, we…

  • Popcorn Q&A: “What Supplements Do I Need to Be Taking?”

    When it comes to knowing what vitamins or supplements someone should take, this is a hard question to answer, as not only does everyone have a different opinion on the subject, but also, the types of vitamins and supplements that one individual may need might not be suitable for another. For example, you might need to increase your intake of vitamin C, while someone else may need more B vitamins. The types of vitamins and supplements you need to take will also typically depends on several different factors, such as: • Your age • Your gender • Pre-existing health conditions We all need trace vitamins and minerals, although we get…

  • What Are Legumes?

    Legumes are a versatile class of vegetables that consist of all types of beans and peas from the Fabaceae (or the Leguminosae) botanical family, including chickpeas, black beans, navy beans, edamame beans, lima beans, navy beans, pinto beans, red kidney beans, soybeans, split green peas, black-eyed peas, white peas, yellow lentils, green lentils, red lentils, French/puy lentils, lupin seeds and lupin flowers…just to name a few. Legumes are considered a good addition to a healthy diet as they’re almost all low in fat (with the exception to soybeans, which contain high levels of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids), contain almost 2x the protein content of other grains, are rich in…

  • How What You Eat Affects Your Health

    Having a healthy diet isn’t just about weight loss – it’s also about improving your overall health and wellbeing, and ultimately allowing you to have an improved quality of life – because the more unhealthy foods you eat, the less nutrients your body is getting, and therefore the more unhealthy you will be, which ultimately increases your risk of developing potentially serious illnesses later on in life (such as heart disease and diabetes, for example.) Having a healthy, nutrient-rich diet is important because those nutrients are what enable our cells to perform indispensable functions – including immune function, the formation and repair of tissues, nerve impulses, and metabolism. One of…