Life is busy. You get up early to work, to get the kids off to school, or to hit the gym (or for many in midlie… all three!). Your days run long, dinner is often later than you intended and before you know it, it’s well into the night.  The blurring of the lines between work and home life with more people working remotely, alongside our constantly connected society, has more people eating later in the evening. Today more than 40% of all the calories we consume come after 6 pm.(1) Why does this matter? A growing body of research shows eating over a prolonged period each day or ea ..read more

Dry January seems to be a rapidly growing new trend. After indulging over the holidays with too much beer, mulled wine, cocktails, and the like, a ‘dry’ January offers a complete 180-degree u-turn into the New Year to help you hit the reset button. Is committing to going entirely ‘alcohol-free’ to start the year a good strategy? Can it help if you have a weight loss goal? What about the effects on your behaviors in the long-term? Let’s explore a few of the nuances. Why Go ‘Dry’ In January? How much alcohol do you typically consume in a week? A recent digital survey investigating the wee ..read more

Today, there is a growing trend toward drinking plant-based beverages. In a recent survey, almost half of the people cited ‘nutritional value’ as the primary reason for making the switch, particularly amongst parents feeding their children.(1)  Are plant-based beverages really more nutritious than milk? Are they even equally as nutritious? The most common plant-based beverages available include almond, rice, oat, soy and coconut (amongst a few others). Let’s review the available evidence on the macro- and micronutrient status for milk and plant-based beverages.   #1 Macronutrients ..read more

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer worldwide.(1) Over the last half century, numerous diets have been trialled with the aim of reducing CVD risk and the common themes amongst the most successful are a high intake of fruits and vegetables.(1-7) Naturally, it’s assumed the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants found within fruits and vegetables are largely responsible for improving blood pressure and reducing risk of CVD mortality, however it’s not so straight forward. Large-scale clinical trials have failed to fully support this idea.(8,9) A high intake of fruits and vegetables are i ..read more

Are you an emotional person? You may not think so, but the reality is you are. You’re emotional because you’re human. Have you ever felt butterflies in your stomach before a big game or presentation? Has your heart rate ever picked up in anticipation of an important moment? Have you ever experienced anxiety or irritability when confronted with a difficult new task? These are physiological effects of your emotions. Emotions drive your behavior, your decision-making, and your relationships (whether you realize it or not). Fail to channel them in the right direction and not only will your perform ..read more

Milk is one of most nutrient-dense foods found in nature, providing you with a wealth of essential vitamins and minerals. Milk is also considered the ‘gold standard’ protein in scientific circles, the highest quality protein source from foods and thus a key tool for supporting your health, weight loss and longevity. Nutrition is incredibly complex, but what you eat everyday doesn’t have to be. Our food environment today is loaded with calorie-dense, nutrient-poor foods, contributing to our current crisis of weight gain, poor health and chronic disease. Develop the right nutrition habits – such ..read more

We didn’t always have the option to eat all day long. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors would go days, even weeks, with no food yet managed to cope and survive under these conditions. Before the advent of agriculture 10,000 years ago food availability was highly unpredictable, in abundance in the summer and scarce in winter. Fasting has been a natural part of our evolution and practiced for millennia by all faiths as a means of “cleansing” the body and mind, yet today medical authorities warn us of the dangers of missing a meal (or even a snack).Hippocrates, the godfather of modern medicine, over ..read more

One of the most common reasons athletes, Crossfitters and "skinny guys" come to see me in clinic is to add more lean muscle mass to their frame. They'll often complain that “no matter how much I eat, I just can’t gain any weight!” Naturally taller and leaner body types who find it easy to stay slim often struggle with adding more size. There are number of factors that can make it more difficult for you to add 10-15 lb. of additional muscle so you can raise your performance in the gym or on the playing field (or just look good naked).  Let’s take a closer look at five common roadblocks that pre ..read more