Did you know that not all the nutrients you eat can be absorbed?  Even if they are absorbed, they still might not be used by your body. Really?  Yes! Just because a food is high in nutrients, it doesn’t mean your body can use those nutrients.  Nutritious food means nothing if nutrients aren’t bioavailable. Bioavailability refers to the proportion of nutrients that are absorbed and utilized in the body.  If you looked up a food in a nutrition database, and it says it has a certain amount of a vitamin, that number tells you what is in that food. It’s not what you can get from ..read more

Here are some tasty summer drinks that will not only help you cool down on sweltering summer days, but will also nourish you. To keep it simple, here is one simple recipe that is extremely versatile and has multiple variations. The common ingredients of lime and mint are what make these drinks so refreshing on a hot summer’s day. Whatever dietary protocol you are on, there is something here for you. Watermelon Lime Mint Juice Serves 3 Watermelon is a great source of electrolytes, especially potassium. It also contains vitamin C and lycopene. To make this juice low histamine, remove the lime. U ..read more

It has been months since my last blog post. After double jaw surgery I needed to take some time to recover, and then I was immersed in self-publishing a book, which will be released by the end of the summer (fingers crossed). The book provides the inspiration for today’s topic Finding Foods That Love You, so let me start by telling you about it. The book is unlike any other dietary book on the market. While there are many books that focus on specific dietary protocols, my co-author (the amazing Luka Symons) and I wanted to create a book that anyone with a complex health condition can pick up ..read more

Every time I post an image of one of the birthday cakes I make for my kids, I always get requests for the recipe. I’ve been promising that I would post it. This is a recipe for the Ganache Frosting. The nuts in this recipe replace the cream traditionally used in ganache, and provide a good source of minerals and healthy fats. Sometimes the cake is chocolate and sometimes it’s vanilla, but this recipe is the frosting that I like to use. It’s paleo and gut healthy — of course! Chocolate layer cake One of the best things about this recipe is how versatile it is. Around this time of year, with al ..read more

Do you add the same foods to your shopping cart every week? Carrots, cucumber, apples, ground beef … shouldn’t there be more variety? You’ve got a good framework for meals, but it’s always the same meals week after week. Maybe you keep thinking your should add more variety, but don’t know where to start. Have you ever gone to the grocery store intending to do better but don’t know what to choose? Here are some ideas to choose from. These are 9 categories you should be including when you shop. Scroll down for some tips on how to use this chart. Tips: Choose foods from each category to add to ..read more

Your gut microbes are important for many of your bodily functions.  They make vitamins, they help you digest, the regulate your immune system and they impact brain function and mood. Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are well researched and have been linked to better health.  If you take a probiotic supplement or eat fermented foods, then you’ve likely seen these names on package labels. There is another beneficial microbe that has been getting a lot of attention over the last few years called Akkermansia muciniphilia.   The Benefits of Akkermansia Akkermansia fee ..read more

The Keto Diet has been trending for a while now. What’s the hype? There’s a lot of hype, but how do you navigate through it all to figure out if this could be the right approach for you. Anyone who has ever heard me speak about the Keto Diet has heard me say that it can be profound for certain health conditions, but it’s not right for everyone. This is not a dietary approach that you should jump into until you’ve done some research, or consulted with your wellness team. You need to make sure it is safe to use with your own body’s biochemistry and health conditions. I’m excited to feature a gu ..read more

After my son came home from school announcing that his class was going out for milkshakes, I needed to come up with a version that he could take to school so that he could share the experience with his friends. He is hooked now. We’ve been trying out different variations, and thought we’d share this version with you. With hot summer weather, adding a cool milkshake to a meal can be a healthy treat. Instead of ice cream, this milkshake uses full-fat coconut milk to make it thick and creamy. Have it with a burger in a lettuce wrap, or enjoy it on its own. Go ahead and indulge with this thick del ..read more

Obesity is a health condition that continues to grow.  In Canada 26.8% of the adult population was considered obese in 2018.  An additional 36.3% were considered overweight.  Together those numbers mean that over half of all adults (63.1%) are overweight in Canada (1). Numbers are even higher in countries like the US (2).  Obesity continues to rise and is associated with many health risks including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, depression, sexual dysfunction, respiratory problems, memory and cognition, and more (3).  Along with the health ris ..read more

Soy is one of our biggest mistakes as a food source. In North America it is used by many vegetarians as a complete source of protein. Soy has traditionally been a part of Japanese and other Asian countries’ cuisine. So what went so wrong when it made its way into Western diets? First we need to understand how soy is consumed in Asian countries. If we use Japanese cuisine as an example, it can be seen that much of the soy consumed is in fermented form such as soy sauce, natto, tempeh or miso. It is consumed as a condiment in small amounts, and is eaten together with iodine-rich foods such as fi ..read more