Have you ever eaten chia seeds?

I was wandering through a Mall Food Court the other day when I noticed that Booster Juice now carries Chia Seed Pudding on their menu -- YAY!!!  I always get excited when I find food that is:

1. Dairy-free
2. Wheat-free
3. High in fiber and healthy omega-3 fats

AND... (last but not least)

4. Tasty!

This Chia Seed Pudding met all four criteria.  In fact, it inspired me to go home and make some myself.  Guess what I had for breakfast this morning.  ;-)

If you've never made this delightful, tapioca-like pudding for yourself, why not give it a try?

Known as "the running food", chia's use as a high energy endurance food has been recorded as far back as the ancient Aztecs.  And it is the perfect food for when you, too, are "on the run".  This pudding takes but a minute to whisk together. 

If you google "Chia Pudding", you'll find that there are a gazillion recipes out there.  So, let me make things simpler for you...

The...

Are you eating enough protein?

Even more importantly, are you eating enough good quality fats and oils with your protein?

 If you're struggling with cancer or other degenerative disease....or even if you're healthy and want to stay that way, you'll want to make sure that you are getting enough!

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED FROM STARVING DOGS

Get this:  A researcher by the name of Lebedow showed that if starving dogs are given either protein or fat alone, they die even faster than if they received no food at all!  However, if they received good protein and good fat together, they recovered quickly from starvation.

This research took place way back in 1880.  But numerous scientists over the last 138 years have confirmed that this tidbit of information is just as relevant to us humans today as it was to those starving dogs, way back then.

Good protein + Good oils =

• Liver detoxification
• Increased cellular oxygen
• Inactivation of toxic estrogen metabolites
• Decreased tumor...

Happy New Year!

If you're anything like me - and a lot of other people I know - you're probably ready for some serious Post-Holiday Detoxing!

Hey, I hear ya.  This Christmas, my nemesis was the sauerkraut and onion perogies.  Well, the sauerkraut and onion filling was not the problem.  But their white flour dough wrappings were...

Whether you've celebrated Hanukkah... Christmas,... New Year's... or the generic, nondescript "holidays", you may be feeling the effects of having eaten foods you don't normally eat and having drank beverages you don't normally drink - in quantities not normally consumed!  Add to this, stress and shortened sleep - and it is possible you may be starting the New Year in less than optimal form.

Thankfully, our bodies really do have a tremendous capacity for recovery - when given what it needs.  So, let's give it what it needs, shall we?

Even if you haven't been "misbehaving" for the last month, you'll find that "The Plan" (revealed...

Team these two recipes together, whip up a salad, and you've pretty much got yourself a substantial meal.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cups chopped leeks (white part) or onions

2 -3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 head cauliflower, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt (or to taste)

4 -6 cups water or stock, depending on size of cauliflower (enough to cover vegetables)

1/4 cup unsweetened nut milk

Sprinkle of freshly ground pepper

Chopped chives, dill, and/or pepitas

1.  Bring water or stock to boil.  Set aside.

2. In large saucepan, saute onions in olive oil on medium heat until tender.  (You may add a tablespoon of water to keep the oil temperature from rising too high.)

3.  Add garlic and salt and cook for another minute.

4.  Add chopped cauliflower, cover and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.

5.  Add nut milk.

5.  Using an immersion blender, process until smooth and creamy. Or pour into a regular blender, in batches.

...

Have you ever lain awake at night wondering why oh why sleep eludes you?  Have you ever spent the night, wide eyed, tossing and turning,  your mind replaying every last moment of the day which has just passed. . .  or racing with every ridiculous detail of the day to come? 

Arrrggh! 

If  you're no stranger to insomnia, chances are you may be lacking in melatonin, a hormone produced by your pineal gland, which is located in the centre of your brain.   Increasing melatonin production is the #1 strategy for ensuring a good night's sleep. Most melatonin production occurs at night, between 1:00 - 3:00 a.m. There are things which interfere with this production.  Fortunately, though, there are things which enhance it, too.  We'll get to both in a moment, but first...

Why do You Need Melatonin?

Optimal levels of melatonin can convert Arrrggh to Zzzzzzz!  However, it does more for you than assure you a sound and peaceful night's...

To eat - or not to eat - meat?  THAT is the question I'm often asked, by cancer clients and prevention-seekers alike. 

It's a GOOD question, too.  My answer?  "It depends."

First, it depends on your answers to 3 other questions:

1.  Is your digestive system equipped with sufficient hydrochloric acid and enzymes to break down and assimilate the health-building proteins and minerals found in meat?  (Most people, especially after a "certain age", are sorely lacking in stomach acid...)

2.  Are you free of food allergies or sensitivities to the meat in question?  If you've got sensitivities, you may be setting yourself up for inflammation... and, therefore, disease (no matter how much you love yourself a good steak!)

3.  Are  you eating a fiber-rich diet?  All animal products (meat, dairy, eggs, fish) are completely devoid of fiber.  (Yeah, I know, shocking!) That's why vegetables, fruits, legumes,  and seeds, in addition...

The rain has stopped.   The sun has poked its smiling face through the parting clouds revealing its splendor, and inviting me to bask in its comforting warmth.

Should I accept its invitation?  

The sun - FRIEND or FOE?  What's your take?

I know Robert Nuttall's take.

 “Nobody is safe from the sun," says Nuttall,  Assistant Director of Health Policy with the Canadian Cancer Society.  "Canadians need to know how to protect their skin by checking the UV index daily, covering up, wearing sunscreen and using safer sources of vitamin D such as supplements and diet."

In other words, avoid sunlight exposure.  Sheesh.

He does have a point though.  We DO need to avoid overexposure and to protect our skin from damage caused by sunburn.  

But we also need to expose our skin - and, in fact, our entire bodies - to the sun.  Sunlight is our friend... with benefits.

 Many benefits!

 So, before we run for cover, let's chat...

Super-Antioxidant Chocolate Beet Cake with Raspberry Cashew Cream Frosting

I never would have believed it, if I hadn't tried it for myself.

A cake that looks this delicious, and is raw, gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, AND anti-oxidant rich!  How is this possible?

This cake is the answer to my prayers.  Seriously.  I love desserts, but most desserts don't love me.   I love this one, and this one loves me back!

I really did have a piece of this cake for breakfast this morning.  And why not?  Aside from being free of all the bad stuff, this cake is made from ingredients which contain several health-promoting actions:

BEETS -

Beet roots are a source of a unique mix of antioxidants.  They contain valuable nutrients that may help lower your blood pressure, fight cancer and inflammation, boost your stamina, and support detoxification.  Beets boost your body's production of nitric oxide, the master regulator of your cardiovascular...

Has this happened to you, too?

You add a new food to your diet or begin taking a certain supplement because, you have learned, it can boost your health.

You take it for a week… maybe two… faithfully.  Not because you enjoy it.  But because “it’s good for you”.

Then, anytime between the two week and two month mark, your enthusiasm begins to wane.  Sigh.  You still take it, only now reluctantly… intermittently.

Eventually, your best intentions hit the gutter. That food item no longer makes the cut on your grocery list.  The supplement bottle disappears  into the back of your cupboard.  Forever.

Haven’t we all been there?  But we can recover. . .

When I was in my mid-twenties, at a time when my digestive system was a bit out of whack, my health practitioner advised me to take a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar mixed in a glass of water before every meal. 

It was helpful advice.  But, it...

Have you ever done a fast?

Have you ever wondered if you should do a fast?

Have you ever longed for the weight loss-health gain results of a fast?

This week I completed a 3-day fast of my own.  Ahem… Notice the word “completed”.

Now, I realize that in certain religious traditions, Great Fast – or Lent, as it is more commonly called – doesn’t commence until next week.  But, what can I say?  The time was right. . .

WHAT WAS MY MOTIVATION?

1.  I was curious.

Miessence, a certified organic health, home and beauty products company, had recently come up with a new product -- a weight loss superfood, appropriately named… FAST.   As a representative (full disclosure), I thought it only fair to my customers that I should have first-hand experience with this product. Besides, what was all the hype about?  I wanted to know.

2.  I was detox-ready.

Don’t get me wrong.  I hadn’t been...