If you have been reading my work and following my posts over the years you will know that I have been in search of the perfect veggie burger for a long, long  time. 

Guess what - I have found it!

Here it is, folks.

Unlike products such as Beyond Burger, for example, (which, I'm sorry to say, is no better for us than any other ultra processed food), these patties are packed with real, whole, natural food and nutrition   (The perils of the "plant-based" food industry is  a whole other conversation for another time.)

What I love about this recipe -- besides its taste and "meaty" texture" -- is that it is pretty versatile and forgiving.  When I made them today, I even added about a third of a cup of ground walnuts, which I had kicking around my fridge. These burgers hold up very well when cooking, even without the egg to bind them.   And the amount and type of seasonings used are up to you.   The woman I got this recipe from said she tripled...

You've heard the expression, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away".  If this is true, one reason may be because of its quercetin content.

So what is quercetin?   It is polyphenol, flavonoid, and antioxidant all rolled into one, making this plant compound very health-beneficial and deserving of the attention it is receiving these days.

BENEFITS

1. Anti-cancer - As a powerful antioxidant, quercetin cleans up free radicals by pairing with their single electrons and in so doing, protects from damage to DNA.  It inhibits proliferation of cancer cells by causing cell death and stopping cells from growing. 

In addition, quercetin shows particular promise in breast cancer treatment. It inhibits the expression of mutant P53 genes and can bind to estrogen receptors to inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells. 

2. Anti-inflammatory - Quercetin inhibits various enzymes that cause inflammation.  By inhibiting histamine release and decreasing pro-inflammatory...

 There are 3 things I love about this stew:

1.  It is truly a meal-in-one, covering all the nutritional basics - vegetables, protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, healing herbs and spices, and rich in vitamins and minerals.

2. It is easy to prepare and doesn't make a big mess in the kitchen while being prepared.

3.  It is -- and I can't stress this enough -- very flavourful and delicious.  I was hoping there would be enough leftovers to last the entire week but, alas, it only kept my husband and me going for two consecutive meals.  (Serves 6 'normal-sized' servings. Probably.)

It's the perfect combination really.  I just had to share.

Savory Vegetarian Stew

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, diced

2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 to 3 medium sized carrots, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

6 cups low-salt vegetable broth

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in...

Do you struggle with dry skin, hair, and nails?  Many people do at this time of the year.  It is the unfortunate result of a combination of cold outdoor air and dry furnace heat.  Fortunately, there are solutions as you wait for spring.

Adequate water consumption could be beneficial.  So could a trip to the tropics.

Still a third strategy - and one of the best - is ensuring adequate healthy oils in our diet. 

The reason for this is because the outer layer of our cells is made up of fatty acids that help hold water in the cells, preventing them from drying out.  Hence the grape-raisin analogy.  We want plump juicy cells for optimal health and beauty!

Enter omega-3 and omega-6.

Omega-3 and omega-6 are what we call essential fatty acids.  This means that our bodies cannot produce them on their own so it is essential that we obtain them through our diet. 

The typical North American diet tends to contain significantly more omega-6 fatty acids...

This week I discovered that my book has a soul mate:  Brain Wash.

Brain Wash is to brain health what 21^st-Century Guide to Living Cancer-Free Naturally is to immune health. While each book addresses their own primary concern, they both present similar solutions to a larger objective: health of the total body and mind, and a happy spirit.  And, happily, this is not an unattainable goal.

Father and son authors David Perlmutter, MD and Austin Perlmutter, MD get it.  They get how contemporary life, despite the endless opportunities it affords us, is messing with us nonetheless.  Big time.

Worrisome data confirms this:

• Rising suicide rates (56% increase between 2007 and 2016 among adolescents in the U.S.)
• Depression (400% increase in antidepressant prescriptions in the U.S. since the 1990s)
• 25% insomnia rate among adults. 

That's just a small taste of the serious 21^st-century issues.

The authors call it “disconnection syndrome”, defined as a state...

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and chocolate (in heart-shaped boxes or otherwise) can be found in every corner of the grocery store. 

So, which is it?  A health food?  Or a junk food?

Largely, it depends on which version of chocolate we're referring to -- KitKat or cacao.

Most of us are familiar with the KitKat of which an astonishing 650 bars are consumed each second globally, according to Nestle.¹  Its ingredient list is a telltale sign of its rank on the nutritional ladder.

• Milk chocolate (sugar, milk ingredients, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, whey powder, lactose, soya lecithin, polyglycerol polyricinoleate, natural flavour)
• Wheat flour
• (More) sugar
• Modified palm oil
• Cocoa
• Sodium bicarbonate
• Soya lecithin
• Yeast
• Natural flavour
  

As you can see, a "chocolate" bar can consist of more than just chocolate.  And in this case, it is mostly sugar -- 21 grams, in fact.  That's more than 5 teaspoons in a 43 gram serving. That fact alone...

Since this is my first blog of 2022, I would like to extend to you my very warmest wishes for a bright and beautiful year!  May you be blessed with genuine health and a happy heart—all year long!

To this end, I have assembled for you (and for myself too) a 22-point check list of simple yet profoundly effective steps and strategies that we know, from science (and common sense), are found to lead us toward a well life.  

In the last couple of years, I fear, we have started to slide away from this intention.  Is this not true? I mean, sure, never before in my own lifetime has humankind become so obsessed with the fear of becoming ill. 

But avoiding sickness and death is not the same thing as embracing wellness and life.

 In fact, some of the very practices enforced by, let’s just say, those ‘in positions of power’ are contrary to the practices that facilitate health.   However, it is not too late to reclaim our personal...

“What?  No cheese!”   This is one of the most frequent laments I hear from my clients embarking on a cancer-free diet.  Believe me.  I feel your pain.  I don’t eat it very often either. 

Here’s why:

Most cheese made in Canada is made from cow’s milk that has been pasteurized, a process that destroys enzymes, beneficial probiotic bacteria, and most B vitamins. This makes it is essentially a “dead food” and hard to digest, increasing risk of food sensitivity and stressed immune systems in those who eat it.

A large case-control study conducted in France found that women who ate cheese regularly had 50% more risk of breast cancer than women who didn’t eat cheese.

So, yes, I love cheese.  But I love having healthy body parts even more.

That was why I was thrilled to try this non-dairy recipe, adapted from Paulette Millis’ “Jack Cheese”, published in Cook Your Way to Health.  

I...

Okay.  I’ll admit it.  I’ve been on a bit of a “cauliflower kick” lately.  This recipe is too good to keep to myself though.  (That would be selfish.)  So I’ll share.

If you google “Cauliflower Popcorn” you will get a lot of hits. A lot a lot a lot.   I can’t speak for the other 8,400,000 versions of this recipe , but this vegan version is good.  Really good. OMG, my husband and I effortlessly polished off an entire head of cauliflower by ourselves in one sitting—popcorn style!

I can’t exactly remember where this recipe originated from, which is too bad because I really would like to thank the contributor.  Whoever you are out there— thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!

First, a word about nutritional yeast:

It is a great source of B vitamins.  It’s got trace minerals needed for gene regulation, metabolism, growth, and immunity.  One tablespoon contains 2...

As the Christian world immerses itself, or soon will, into the sacred season of Lent or Great Fast, I am fascinated by how science is suddenly catching up to this age-old tradition.  

Even if religion is not your thing—but caring for yourself is— you may wish to grab a page or two from this 40-day period of preparation leading up to the celebration of Easter, and some of the spiritual disciplines that rest at its foundation: silence and solitude, prayer and meditation, and fasting.  

SINKING INTO SILENCE AND SOLITUDE

It was customary, in the early Christian church, for the holy monks to retreat into the desert for the duration of Lent for some serious “alone time”.   

Maybe going forty days without seeing or talking to even one other person is “not your thing” either, but carving out some time each day for solitude and silence is a practice worth pursuing for the purpose of one’s physical  and mental health.

...