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Health

The fight of my life

It all started when I was 35. I went for a run and mid-way through my foot started killing me, with pain right in the toe and metatarsals. I stretched it, rubbed in some pain lotion and moved on, or so I thought. Question: What was causing my foot so much pain? I went to my doctor and he gave me a cortisone injection directly into my foot. It did feel much better for the short term and thought that I was on my way, but I was wrong. My foot continued to be in so much pain that I had to go back to the doctor; he sent me for blood tests to test for arthritis. It was great news to find out that I didn’t have arthritis at all when my blood test came back negative -- but what was causing all the pain? I still hadn’t been
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Health

How to understand proteins

Protein is an integral part of any healthy diet. Every time we exercise, our muscles are damaged. In order to repair them and make them stronger for our next workout, we need protein! Not to mention, protein is one of the most satiating macronutrients, and helps keep us full between meals and snacks. WHAT IS IT? AND WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT? Protein is made of amino acids, and there are 22 of them. Your body is able to make 13 of them on its own, and are called “non- essential” amino acids. The other nine are “essential” amino acids, meaning you can get them from food, and food only. These amino acids are broken down and literally make you, you! They are rearranged in order to build and maintain your muscles, bones, blood and other organs. Protein makes up roughly 20% of our body weight, and is considered the second

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Longevity

Ube: The new superfood?

If you think the picture for this article is blackberry ice cream, it’s not! It’s a very old and extremely popular dessert made in the Philippines from Ube, called Ube Halaya. Ube is in the sweet potato family and it’s naturally purple. Ube is sweeter than it’s orange companion and has a more nutty and vanilla like taste. Sometimes it is confused with Taro, another root vegetable. Ube is often used for sweets and doesn’t hit your glycemic index so it won’t spike your sugars badly. “Ube is the Tagalog [Filipino dialect] word for tuber that comes for the Dioscorea alata L. plant. The tuber is bright lavender in color,” Richelle Rada, RD, LD, a nutrition coach, says. “In my culture, it is commonly made into a jam called ube halaya, then added to foods like Halo-Halo…

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Healthy Recipes

Nutty Tofu Crisp Over Asian Noodles

This is one of my family’s favorite recipes. Serve with a heaping portion of steamed greens (e.g., chard, bok choy, Chinese cabbage) and sparkling water or a glass of white wine. This recipe is an excellent source of calcium with or without the calcium-rich greens. –Enette Instructions Mix the first eight ingredients with a fork to create marinade. Cut pressed tofu halves a second time, diagonally. Place tofu quarters in marinade for at least 15 minutes on each side. Cook noodles according to package directions. Dip the marinated tofu into the chopped peanuts to fully coat one side. Heat 1 tsp of peanut oil in a nonstick skillet. Cook tofu, with the peanut side down, until golden brown (~ 1-1/2 min) and repeat on the other side. Heat remaining marinade over the stove or in the microwave and pour over the hot noodles. Divide noodles into four equal servings, place

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Health

Switching to a plant-based diet over 65

From plant-based burgers to plant-based sausages we keep hearing more and more about the benefits of a plant-based diet and eating this way is becoming increasingly popular amon all age groups. If you’re over 65, you’ll want to consider the following. As we age, our nutritional requirements also change. It’s a reason that taking supplements when we turn 50 is important as part of our overall health. Here’s what to think about moving to plant based. It’s also important to note that you don’t have to suddenly switch over to pure plant based. Most people have greater success when they take their time. Ease into more plant-based meals by cutting down on the number of meat meals you have per week. You don’t need meat in three meals a day. The concept of meat with every meal is because of the mass marketing of processed foods over the past 50

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Healthy Recipes

Mac and Queso Dinner

This recipe uses our favourite Plant Powered Queso recipe mixed with cooked macaroni. It’s a delicious accompaniment to any dish. Spicy, creamy and totally cheesy, you won’t believe this queso is vegan and veggie based! Plant Powered Queso Inspired by: Clean Food Dirty Girl’s 5- Minute Instant Pot Cheesy Sauce Ingredients: 2 cups peeled and chopped potatoes (or about 3 medium-sized potatoes) 1 cup chopped carrots (1 large carrot) 1 small onion, chopped 3-4 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and roughly chopped 1 Teaspoon ground turmeric, or 1 Tablespoon chopped turmeric root if available 2 cups vegetable stock or water 1/2 cup soaked and drained raw cashews (or substitute 1/4 cup sunflower seeds or and 1/4 cup ground flax seed) 1/2 cup nutritional yeast 1-2 teaspoons hot sauce or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder 1 teaspoon salt Directions: 1. Soak cashews in hot water for 15-20 minutes, drain, rinse and set aside.

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Healthy Recipes

Big Crunch Black Bean Burgers

Get ready for a taste explosion! These Big Crunch Black Bean burgers taste amazing and hold up to the challenge. We have developed and refined this recipe after years of experimenting for making whole food plant-based burgers without oil. The challenge: to create a great tasting burger that holds together as most veggie burgers are soft like toothpaste and squeeze out the other side of the bun when you take a bite. Dig in and enjoy a satisfying crunchy burger experience that is healthy and most importantly, tastes great! MAKES: 6-8 BURGERS PREP TIME: 1⁄2 HOUR / COOKING TIME: 1 HOUR INGREDIENTS 16oz/454 grams whole mushrooms 1 cup old fashioned oats 1⁄4 cup chickpea flour 1 can of black beans 1 can of green lentils or chickpeas 1 cup grated raw red beets 1 cup cooked brown rice or quinoa 1⁄4 cup walnuts, finely chopped2 cups kale, tightly packed 3 Tbsp

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Health

Treating arthritis with diet and exercise

Seeking options to treat her painful psoriatic arthritis, Johanna Legge, 57, says she found something “by mistake.” Her find was the Paddison Program, which she claims is the sole reason she has returned to good health. Rewind Johanna’s story to early 2013 when she lived in Vancouver. “I would have swollen ankles, which appeared like sprained ankles, and the medical community couldn’t figure out how I could sprain my ankles so badly, and not know when and where I did it,” she recalls. “I had no answer.” The pain was excruciating. “It felt like you put a vice-grip on my ankle. I also didn’t sleep when I had the worst flare-ups.” Legge was an environmental enforcement officer, which required her to do a lot of ladder climbing. Saw mills and pulp mills were among her many industry job sites. “I would go to work and shove ice packs in my

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