healthy eating | Silver Magazine

Health

COVID and Gut Health

From long-haulers to nearly symptomless and everything in between, COVID-19 is proving to be a complex and nasty virus. New research is showing there are some symptoms you shouldn’t ignore when it comes to your gut. And gut health plays a vital role in your overall body health and even your brain health. Early on during the pandemic, Chinese medical researchers found that stomach and intestines (gastrointestinal) and some fecal-oral transmission was one clear source for the spread of the virus. While it was known that oral and nasal transmission were a factor, this added to the complexity of how the virus moved amongst humans. “…

Alex Hurst March 31, 2021

Korean vegetable stir fry featuring chopsticks

Healthy Recipes

Korean Sweet Potato Noodles

This sweet dish is sure to travel your family’s tastebuds to Korea! Travel may be limited right now but we can still experience it’s flavours through the foods we bring to the table. INGREDIENTS 2 zucchinis, ribbons or julienned 2 carrots, julienned 1 large yellow onion, sliced 1 package of cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced 1⁄4 cup of chopped green onions 1 package of sweet potato starch noodles 3 Tbsp of soya sauce 1⁄4 cup of vegetable broth 2 Tbsp of sesame oil For Serving (optional): Chopped romaine Sliced avocado Chopped cucumber Kimchi Sesame Seeds DIRECTIONS Heat a large pot of water for the sweet potato noodles and follow instructions on the package. In a wok or large frying pan, heat the vegetable broth until it’s bubbling. Add sliced onions and cook until translucent. Add the carrots and mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes, then toss in zucchini ribbons and

Max Brennan January 10, 2021

Health

Healthy Holiday Habits

Recognizing that it will take extra effort to keep your cholesterol and sugars normal and keep your weight under control is the first step in achieving your goal of maintaining healthy habits through the holidays. There are a few more things you can do to make sure you get your wish of keeping the extra pounds at bay. These steps will seem basic, but what’s important to keep in mind is that holiday weight gain is usually a result of losing sight of the healthy habits you keep throughout the rest of the year. Being extra vigilant about maintaining your current habits can make all the difference in the world. First, remember to sleep and exercise. Both things are very important for de-stressing and allowing your body’s metabolism to continue to hum at an efficient rate. Lack of sleep and lack of activity may lead to increased appetite. Keeping both factors

Dr. Julie T. Chen December 21, 2020

Health

8 foods you shouldn’t eat

“ EVERYTHING in moderation” is usually pretty sound advice, but some things you should just not put in your mouth. From artificial flavours and colours to words you’d need an advanced degree in chemistry to pronounce, there are thousands of ingredients that are simply not, strictly speaking, food. Top 8 foods your should never eat ONE: Cheese that isn’t cheese. Cheese faking is an art nearly as popular as cheesemaking.The ingredients are so un-cheeselike that lobbyists tried to force companies to call cheese products “embalmed cheese”—but the government settled on “processed cheese.” TWO: Maple syrup that’s not maple syrup. Check out the syrup in your pantry What goes best with fake maple syrup? Fraudulent pancakes, of course. Chances are good you won’t find anything close to maple syrup, but you’ll find plenty of corn syrup and artificial flavourings. Be a proud Canadian and invest in the real stuff! THREE: Vanilla that’s not

Alex Hurst September 22, 2020

Longevity

The health benefits of Indian spices

Home-cooked Indian food proves a great go-to dinner option—and is an excellent way to burn fat! YOU are too tired to cook after work and find yourself turning again to high-calorie take-out or fast food. You’d love to find the time and energy to prepare healthy meals at home, but cooking—espe- cially trying out new cuisines like Indian—seems too time consuming. On the plus side, Indian spices like tur- meric and cardamom are proven to put the body’s fat-burning machinery in high gear, while home-cooked Indian food is one of the most healthful (and surprisingly easy) dining options for a host of other reasons: Vitamin- and fibre-rich vegetables, legumes (peas, beans and lentils), rice, lean proteins, and spices are the staples of Indian cooking. Indian home cooking is done with canola oil, olive oil or virgin coconut oil—not butter or heavy cream. The flavour-enhancing spices of Indian cuisine reduce the need

Alamelu Viaravan June 26, 2020

Health

The menopause diet guide

This natural biological change leads to several issues in many women. Good health habits, including the right foods, can make a big difference. Some women seem to navigate menopause better than others, and it’s often linked to diet and lifestyle. For the small subset of women who do everything right—from eating a healthy diet and exercising daily to sleeping soundly and gracefully managing stress —their life rolls on with few disruptions. But, this is not how the majority of women roll… especially through menopause. Weight gain, hot flashes, irritability, loss of concentration and memory, night sweats, low libido, and vaginal dryness are a few things that occur during menopause. And if you’ve tried to self-educate and manage menopause naturally, undoubtedly you’ve found bits and pieces of wisdom—some worked, others didn’t. One of the more challenging aspects of menopause is weight gain, and it seems to happen almost overnight. There are

Mary Savage June 21, 2020

Health

Are organic foods better? It’s complicated

Industrial agriculture has been depleting our soils for decades. Do “organic” products truly contain more nutrients? There are many factors behind the quality of the foods we eat. OVERFED and undernourished doesn’t apply just to people any- more. It is occurring in the animals we raise for food, and even in the plants and crops we grow. Plants require a variety of nutrients in diverse quantities to grow, just as we do. We take in nutrients from our diets, with plants as the base of the food chain. And without the nutrients in the soil, the plants will be lacking as well. After all, soil is not just dirt underneath your feet. It includes a potpourri of decayed plant matter and manure from animal droppings. Worms and beetles also turn up in the soil, leaving behind their own organic matter in these biological processes. Everything lives and dies in this cycle,

Hannah-Mae Gorman June 16, 2020

Healthy Recipes

Comforting meatless meatloaf

Growing up, my mom always served meatloaf for our family dinners. When I asked her today why that is, she replied “It was easy, fast and the only way I could sneak vegetables into your diets.” Classic! I find myself doing that today as a mother myself and meatloaf is a great way to do this. The combinations are endless, if you don’t want to use veggie ground, you could swap for lentils, or meat if you are not a vegan or vegetarian! MAKES 8 | TAKES 50 MINS INGREDIENTS 1lb veggie ground (or protein of your choice) 1 cup cooked quinoa 1⁄2 white onion, chopped 1 large carrot, peeled and minced 2 celery stalks, minced 1 egg, or vegan flax egg 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, or vegan option 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp Italian seasoning 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp dried oregano 1⁄2 can organic tomato sauce

Andrea Saliba June 4, 2020

Health

Okra; The Power Veg

Okra, also known as “lady’s fingers,” is a green flowering plant, which belongs to the same plant family as hibiscus and cotton. Originating from Ethiopia, okra contains a heap of vitamins and minerals including potassium, folic acid, calcium, and vitamins A, B, C, and K. Okra’s rich vitamin C content and strong antioxidant presence also acts as an immune booster against unsafe free radicals. Vitamin C also stimulates the immune system to create more white blood cells, which can help battle other infections or viruses in the body. The unique vegetable is mucilaginous when cooked, which means it produces a slime-like substance. The mucilage is common in most plants and actually contains soluble fibre. In fact, eight medium-sized okra pods are estimated to contain about three grams of fibre. The bulk fibre has several benefits including helping digestion, cutting hunger cravings, and increasing satiety. Okra has been suggested to help manage

Alex Hurst May 30, 2020