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Going Gluten-Free
There are three main sources of gluten: Wheat (which is commonly found in breads, baked goods, pasta, cereals, soups, sauces and salad dressings), barley (which is commonly found in malt – including malted barley flour, malt extract, malt syrup, and malt vinegar, brewer’s yeast, beer, and food colouring), and rye (commonly found in rye breads like pumpernickel, cereals, and rye beer.) Additionally, triticale and oats are also two other sources of gluten. While these foods can pose no problem to some, they can be problematic for others, which is why going gluten-free is considered much more than just a fad diet. Of course, when it comes to going gluten-free, you…
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Pregnancy and Nutrition
It’s important that we all strive to have healthy, well-balanced diets no matter what – because the healthier you eat, the better your quality of life will be (i.e. you reduce the risk of things like obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.) Healthy eating is even more important when you are pregnant, as the foods you eat are what provide your baby with the nutrients it needs, which will affect its health as well as ensure you have the healthiest pregnancy possible. During pregnancy you have increased nutritional needs and will require more macronutrients (such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats) and micronutrients (such as vitamins and minerals.) When it comes to…
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How to Fight Bad Breath
Bad breath (also known as halitosis or fetor oris) is something that a lot of people fear. Knowing you have bad breath can cause significant anxiety and embarrassment, but it’s actually more common than you might realize as it affects an estimated 1 in 4 people worldwide. While there are many reasons why someone might develop bad breath, the biggest cause is due to poor oral hygiene – such as lack of brushing and flossing the teeth. Aside from oral hygiene, you can also develop bad breath as a result of the foods you eat. Poor lifestyle habits, such as smoking or chewing tobacco, can also contribute to your breath…
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Raw vs. Cooked Foods
A lot of your favourite foods (including fruits and vegetables) can be eaten raw without any kind of preparation whatsoever. However, there are certain foods that should always be cooked before consumption, as you run the risk of developing serious illness if you don’t. Furthermore, cooking certain foods can also help to release (and ultimately help the body absorb) more of their disease-fighting nutrients. Meat and poultry: The biggest problem people have when it comes to food poisoning is often the result of undercooked meat and/or poultry. For example, chicken or beef. They’re also atop the list of foods that are often recalled due to things like salmonella. When preparing…
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Kidney Disease
The number of Canadians living with kidney disease has been steadily increasing over the years. Currently, an estimated 1 in every 10 Canadians have kidney disease, while it affects as many as 850 million people worldwide. The kidneys are responsible for filtering excess water and waste from your blood and converting it to urine. They’re also responsible for balancing salt and minerals in your body, including calcium, sodium, potassium, and phosphorus, in addition to creating red blood cells, controlling blood pressure, and strengthening bones. However, when you have kidney disease, this means that your kidneys cannot properly filter blood in the way it should be. Over time, this can lead…
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Common Causes of Diarrhea and Constipation
There are many reasons why someone may develop constipation or diarrhea. Diarrhea, which is characterized by loose, watery stools and the urge to have a bowel movement, is typically acute and only lasts for one or two days. If your diarrhea lasts for at least four weeks or more, then it is considered acute and could be due to an underlying health condition. Constipation, which is the opposite of diarrhea, is characterized by the stool that is hard, as well as the inability to have a bowel movement or having bowel movements less than three times per week. Diarrhea Causes, Treatment What causes diarrhea will differ from person to person.…
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Study Finds New Benefits of Vitamin D, Fish Oil Supplements
A new study conducted by and published in the New England Journal of Medicine has discovered some new benefits associated with Vitamin D and fish oil supplements. Vitamin D is a naturally occurring substance found in the body that is primarily provided to us through exposure to sunlight (hence why it’s often called “the sunshine vitamin.”) However, in cooler seasons (such as fall and winter), there is less sunlight, and therefore our intake of vitamin D tends to decrease and be at lower than average levels. Unlike Vitamin D, fish oil (omega-3) is something that doesn’t occur naturally in our bodies and is instead something we have to get from…
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What to Expect During Pregnancy
Finding out you’re pregnant can be an exhilarating time. However, it’s not at all uncommon for first-time mothers-to-be to also experience overwhelming feelings of fear, uncertainty, as well as anxiousness and nervousness. Whether it’s from at-home kit or done through a urinalysis administered by your family doctor’s office or OBGYN, your pregnancy test came back positive. The question is, what happens next? In this article, Dr. Ghahary shares a list of common questions and answers on what to expect during pregnancy, including how you’ll feel in each trimester up until it’s time to give birth. First, it’s important to let the news sink in as much as possible. Allow yourself…
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What Makes Eggs Healthy?
If you’re looking to make a quick, easy and healthy breakfast, eggs are all of the above. Not to mention cost-effective if you’re not wanting to spend too much money on meals, and they can be easily incorporated into other foods such as baked goods and breakfast omelettes. They can also be made in a variety of ways: Hard boiled or soft boiled, scrambled, sunny side up, over easy. It’s all about personal preference. Eggs are considered one of the healthiest foods due to their high nutritional value. They contain Vitamin A, Vitamin B12 (cobalamin), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), as well as selenium. Vitamin A helps promote…
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Health Benefits of Herbs, Spices and Extracts
Herbs, spices and extracts are things we often use to season our foods and give it more flavour both before, during and after the cooking process. But giving food a more flavourful taste isn’t all they’re good for, as some of them can actually be beneficial to your health in a lot of different ways. First, we’ll begin with salt – also known as sodium. While salt is a mineral that is essential for our bodies, it’s also something that we get far too much of. The body only requires approximately 2 to 3 grams of salt per day. Anything in excess of that can cause certain mineral imbalances, such…