THE SWEET SPOT CHALLENGE! Did you know that Health Canada is making changes to our nutrition labels? All food and beverage products will display the new labels by December 2021, but you may see some products with the new labels sooner! In the picture below is a comparison of the old and new labels… Do you notice anything different?  Health Canada has put calories in a larger font for ease of reading, and added a footnote at the bottom to explain the % Daily Values and what those numbers really mean. The really big changes however are related to sugar.  The labels will now in ..read more

Athletes and coaches during this time have a constant underlying feeling of anxiousness and stress due to COVID-19. Things that we once thought were stable are now unstable. There is uneasiness about paychecks, unpredictable time frames when they will be able to train again and see their teammates, food shortages in grocery shelves, and spending days on end at home, can compound mentally on athletes and coaches. There is no surprise that stress eating can be a real challenge!It’s not YOUR fault, stress eating is a real thing!   In acute times of stress, we release cortisol … and prolonge ..read more

        Current Scientific Evidence on COVID-19 Research states that COVID-19 is not a food born illness and nor has there been any documented cases that were infected with COVID-19 through food. Nevertheless, a research article from New England Journal of medicine concluded that COVID-19 can stay active on high risk surfaces.  Some of the high risk surfaces they suggest are:  plastic and steel: virus lasts 3 days cardboard: virus lasts 24 hours copper: virus lasts 4 hours  Based off this information there still is a risk of catching COVID-19 by touching ..read more

            Interest in plant-based foods and more plant based ways of eating is at an all-time high and is increasing worldwide.1 Canada’s new 2019 food guide states: “Choose protein foods that come from plants more often. Plant-based protein foods can provide more fibre and less saturated fat than other types of protein foods. This can be beneficial for your heart health”.2   What foods count as plant based proteins? Plant proteins include: nuts and seeds (e.g. almonds, cashew butter, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds), soy (e.g. tofu, soybeans, fortifi ..read more

With the upcoming Scotiabank Bluenose Marathon around the corner, whether you’re running your first 5k, 10k, or you are going for the full marathon, proper nutrition before, during, and after can make you feel like you’ve come FIRST no matter where you place!   It’s all about the right types of nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and fat) combinations, in the right amounts and timing to keep you mentally focused and fueled while keeping that nervous gut at bay. Lets review some of my quick tips on how to best fuel like a champion pre, during and post-race! PRE-RACE NUTRITION– How t ..read more

The Short Answer is YES!   Did you know that only 1 in 10 Canadians are getting their recommended intake for fruits and vegetables per day?100% Florida Orange Juice can help reach your daily intake of fruit and vegetables.  While it is true that whole fruits (and vegetables) will contribute more fiber than the juice itself, within a recommended portion controlled serving of 8 oz for adults and 4-6 oz for children each day, 100% juice can contribute an abundance of nutrients and aid in hydration, as we will discuss below.    Recently, as I am sure many Canadians ..read more

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