Ramps: ‘What the @$#! are they?’
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Why you should love chives, and what to do with them
Even before the crocuses and bluebells in my garden, the chives started pushing through the yet to be removed dead leaves of last fall. The great part about chives is that they can be trimmed at this early stage and … Continue Reading
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Morels – the magnificent mushroom you’ve been missing out on
Which letter in the alphabet should there be more of? Morels! Sorry. Spring marks the big thaw and the sprouting of luscious things from the earth. Morels come from spores that are carried on the roots of trees and they … Continue Reading
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Watercress: A cancer-fighting superfood often overlooked
Do you think of the Queen or Downton Abbey when you think of watercress? Of course, it is ubiquitous in tea sandwiches but did you know that it is an incredibly healthy salad green? Watercress is a cancer and age … Continue Reading
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The ultimate Easter leftovers solution: Pea soup
Easter leftovers Easter is over and you are left with a few scraps of ham and a ham bone. Well, now, that sounds like pea soup. Dried peas or legumes are delicious, nutritional powerhouses containing high amounts of fibre, protein … Continue Reading
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Start dating again: Dates and other dried fruits are the perfect snack
Once the manna of hikers and hippies, dried fruits are showing up everywhere. They are the perfect glucose nuggets for pre-workout or quick energy during a long run, but they are also a portable simple snack and a little goes … Continue Reading
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Some healthier alternatives to caviar
Caviar is an exclusive delicacy of fish eggs from sturgeon fish, but there are other fish roes equally high in taste, vitamin B12, fat soluble vitamins including the nutrient du moment, vitamin D. Culinary cultures from all over the world … Continue Reading
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Nutri-Bites
The truth about Vitamin D
This month, anyone who lives north of sunny Atlanta is sunshine starved and therefore Vitamin D deficient. So, unless you have plans to fly south soon, you had better have a backup plan. Milk (and some brands of milk products, … Continue Reading
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How to use old coffee grounds and tea bags as a skin treatment
Don’t you dare throw out those coffee grounds and tea bags! You are going to use them to replenish your tired, winter skin. The anti-oxidants in both, along with the anti-inflammatory properties that they have, are just as potent when … Continue Reading
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Casserole total recall – spicing up an old favourite
Call it a casserole and it’s relegated to the ’50s, but call it a “strata” or a “bake” or a “pie” and suddenly it’s new again. The traditional formula is simple: ingredients in a glass dish heated in the oven. … Continue Reading
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Getting thinner with turkey dinner – your holiday calorie cheat sheet
Oh, come on, it’s the holidays! We both know you are going to eat more than you should, so let’s just embrace it. I encourage my private clients to switch to a “nutrient per calorie” model when they are going … Continue Reading
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The top 10 veggies sold in Canada (can you say boring?)
According to the Canadian Produce Marketing Association, the top 10 vegetables sold in Canada are: 1. Tomatoes 2. Potatoes 3. Peppers 4. Bagged salad 5. Carrots 6. Onions 7. Mushrooms 8. Cucumbers 9. Lettuce 10. Broad leaf (such as broccoli … Continue Reading
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Asparagus: Sure it makes your pee smell weird, but it’s healthy
Let’s just get that asparagus pee myth off the table. Ewww. It was once thought that the strong, ubiquitous urine scent was only produced by some. In fact, it is produced by all of us but about 22 per cent … Continue Reading
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A crash course in rhubarb, and how to eat it
Rosy red is the colour of spring; pick rhubarb while the cardinals sing. Rhubarb is a wild vegetable that we treat culinarily as a fruit. Not only is it loaded with B vitamins, if you go for the redder the … Continue Reading
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Forget onions, this spring, dive into some leeks
Any day now we are going to start seeing a spring crop of leeks. And, like the middle child, they do require some effort (sorry middle kids) but pay dividends in the end. Clean them up, treat them properly and … Continue Reading
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Cabbage: Cheap, nutritious, and sadly under-used
Gather round bunnies, Mr. McGregor is going to hate you more now that you will be nibbling on his cabbage patch. Cabbage is a cheap, long storing, plentiful and simple-to-prepare vegetable that is sadly under-used. It contains plenty of cancer … Continue Reading
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Three comfort foods you (and your waistline) can live with
It is the end of February. Your resolution is long gone and you just want some comfort food — soft, starchy, warmness on a spoon that cradles your grey-day weariness. What if you could have it both ways? Here are … Continue Reading
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Five bitter greens to help your liver, and get that bile flowing (that’s a good thing)
Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine have always suggested bitter greens to “cleanse the liver” and mainstream North American natural health practices are catching on. But, do they really? The empirical evidence is mixed and technically, according to the Canadian Liver … Continue Reading
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Five healthy Mexican foods for those taco Tuesdays
The taco trend is huge and, contrary to popular belief, Mexican food in its authentic form is quite healthy. It isn’t all corn chips and cheese sauce. The other traditional ingredients are top-shelf anti-aging, anti-cancer, anti-obesity deliciousness. Here are some … Continue Reading
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Food with high water content for those dry Canadian winters
Canadian winters are parching because the heated indoor air is as dry as the desert. The double downside is that when you catch a bug, your need for liquids goes even higher. Your hair, skin and lips show it on … Continue Reading
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How to protect your liver during party season
I’m guessing that by now you’ve been to at least three more parties than during any other month of the year. And more parties means more drinks. It’s a good time to think about how to protect your liver (year-round, … Continue Reading
