Would you like some sardines with your orange juice?

OFF the coast of Peru swim billions of sardines and anchovies: oily, smelly little fish, rich in nutritious omega-3 fatty acids. Their spot on the food chain is low; many will be caught, ground up, and fed as fishmeal to bigger animals.

But a few have a more exalted destiny: to be transported, purified and served at North American breakfast tables in the form of Tropicana Healthy Heart orange juice and Wonder Headstart bread. These new products promise to deliver the health benefits of fish oil without the smell and the taste — without, in fact, the fish.

read about the proliferation of functional foods and nutraceuticals here

The Power of Positive Eating

After decades of obsessing about fat, calories and carbs, many dieters have made the unorthodox decision to simply enjoy food again.
That doesn’t mean they’re giving up on health or even weight loss. Instead, consumers and nutritionists say they are seeing a shift toward “positive eating” — shunning deprivation diets and instead focusing on adding seasonal vegetables, nuts, berries and other healthful foods to their plates.

read the complete article here

Food for Thought

Words of wisdom from The Meals that Heal blog

I would be lying if I told you I am a perfect eater. I still fight urges to binge on foods that cause me harm… and a few times a year I still indulge in peanut butter fudge or double buttered popcorn because I know that even though it may cause me to have a headache or a sinus problem for a few days, it is nourishing my soul somehow. It is reminding me I am human and that I am free to make choices. That there are not evil foods and angel foods, just ones that build up the part of us we want to nourish.

When I let myself out of food prison (a life on a rigid diet) I discovered that I preferred to feel great the other 363 days of the year because that is where I could feel the most. I can be present, without brain fog and pain in my sinuses. When my blood sugar is balanced, I can feel more joy and be compassionate to the ones I love. My desire to fully engage in life started to outweigh the few moments of pleasure I get from tasting something I was really allergic too. I figured out that I could make treats that did not cause any negative allergy reactions so now I live every day “having my cake and eating it too”.

Ecotherapy

What is Ecotherapy?

Ecotherapy is about getting out of doors and becoming active in a natural environment as a way of boosting mental health.

There are 4 reasons researchers believe our moods change when we are in nature.
1. We make nature and social connections with animals, trees, clouds and our surroundings.
2. We experience Sensory Stimulation; colors, sounds, fresh air, wind, all stimulate our senses.
3. We get active. And by walking and being in motion, we produce endorphins and serotonin - a great natural calm to reduce stress and lower blood pressure.
4. We can escape from our busy lives. By reflecting, thinking and coming home to our self, it de-stresses and nourishes us.

How to incorporate "Ecotherapy" into your life:
+ Take a walk in nature during your lunch.
+ Listen to nature sounds on a nature sound disk or machine a couple of times a week at work.
+ Keep photos of you in nature around your office to remind you of how you love to connect with nature.
+ Keep a plant in your office
+ Keep a small aquarium in your office with a few fish.

Whatever it is you decide to do, get outside. And if you can't, bring the outdoors to you

How to Nurture a Healthy Appetite in Children

If you have kids you need to read this. This is some of the best advice I've seen in a while; the following is just one example of how common sense can trump a parents' best efforts to control what their children eat.

Serving boring vegetables: Calorie-counting parents often serve plain steamed vegetables, so it’s no wonder children are reluctant to eat them. Nutritionists say parents shouldn’t be afraid to dress up the vegetables. Adding a little butter, ranch dressing, cheese sauce or brown sugar to a vegetable dish can significantly improve its kid appeal. And adding a little fat to vegetables helps unlock their fat-soluble nutrients. The few extra calories you’re adding are a worthwhile tradeoff for the nutritional boost and the chance to introduce a child to a vegetable.

read article here and from there you can explore the complete childhood health guide.

Food for Thought

There’s a scientific explanation for why people love donuts at the office. A study recently published in Psychosomatic Medicine reveals that “knowledge-based work” causes people to eat much more than normal, even though their brains are technically performing at the same level of activity as if they were just sitting around. The researchers behind the study offer two possible explanations: One is that eating stabilizes blood glucose levels, which the brain relies on heavily. As evidence, the researchers show that glucose levels change when performing knowledge-based work. The other explanation is that knowledge-based work increases stress, and it’s well-documented that stress leads to increased appetite. Either way, it’s probably a good idea to keep the Snickers out of reach as deadlines approach.

Utne Reader

...BTW. Taking a short walk can substitute for the snack.

What's Organic About "Organic"?

FYI......WHAT’S ORGANIC ABOUT “ORGANIC?” is a character-based mosaic. It delves into the debates that arise when a grassroots agricultural movement evolves into a booming international market. The film’s six characters each personify different facets of the dilemmas facing the organic community.

As the film moves from farm fields to government meetings to industry trade shows, we meet six individuals who are each involved in different aspects of the organic world. In the course of getting to know these characters, we are introduced to the complex world of organic farming, the challenges that family farmers face in the global organic marketplace, and the often-confusing U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations that govern it all.

This is an inside-out film, in which individual stories connect the audience to a multi-faceted issue. The film seeks to spark thought-provoking questions, but does not provide easy answers. Indeed, it tries to show that there are no easy answers to such questions as:

• • What is the true cost of our food?
• • Which is better—local or organic?
• • What are the environmental and economic cost-benefit analyses of the items in my grocery basket?
• • What institutional compromises must be made when an industry grows so fast and its government regulation office is so new?
• • What does “organic” really mean in a world of agribusiness and mass marketing? And what doesn’t it mean?
  

Watch the trailer here

Using the Mind to Tame Irritable Bowel

If you’ve ever had butterflies in your stomach or an attack of nerves that sent you racing for the bathroom, you already know that the intestinal tract has a mind of its own. The millions who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome or I.B.S., perhaps know it best.

Read article here

New Directions Course at Sault College

Course Overview

The core focus of classes will be the exploration of new textures, flavours and varieties of health -promoting foods and their benefits. We will explore the importance of resilience, commitment and knowledge as a means of creating transformation in our lives.

October 01, 2008 - November 05, 2008

Wednesdays 7pm-9pm

Instructor: Birgit Kroll

A Great Time to be Hungry in the Sault

Dish Cafe
740 Queen St East
Monday to Friday 10 am until 4 pm

Cafe Natura
Elgin Integral Health Centre
75 Elgin Street

Arcadia House/Earthward Eatery
823 Queen Street East
Tuesday to Saturday, 11am to 10pm
Eatery: Wednesday to Friday 11:30-2pm

Must Reads

This article explores the relationship between our thoughts and our feelings and our physical health; how there is really a single mind/feeling/body. This is so often forgotten and yet it can have such a profound affect on our well-being.
How to move in and out of stress


It's not the magic pill just good advice for getting back to school or university.
7 ways to learn more without more studying


And finally...How to develop a habit.

• Do a 30-day challenge, focusing on just ONE habit.
• Write it out on paper, along with your motivations, obstacles, and strategies for overcoming them.
• Commit fully, in a public way.
• Log your progress.
• Remain publicly accountable — report on your progress each day.
• Have support for when you falter — either in real life or online.
• Reward every little success.
• If you fail, figure out what went wrong, plan for it, and try again.
  

Basically, the process begins with a commitment and a great deal of your attention. Once you realize and actually experience how to do it other habits will become much easier to adopt.

"The chains of habit are generally too small to be felt until they are too strong to be broken". Samuel Johnson

Good Luck

Ten Thousand Villages Fundraiser Supports Student Refugee Program

The World University Service of Canada (WUSC) committee of Algoma University in conjunction with Fair Trade Algoma will be holding a Ten Thousand Villages Open Market Sale on Sunday September 7th. The sale will take place from 10am until 4pm at the George Leach Centre on the campus of Algoma University. Ten Thousand Villages is a non-profit organization that facilitates ethical trade between consumers in the Global North and artisans and farmers in developing countries.

"We're going to be offering hundreds of unique and beautiful items including crafts, home decor items, food, music, toys and more," says Rebecca Stuebing, a WUSC committee member and Algoma University student. "There will also be fair trade and organic coffee, tea and bake sale items available all day for purchase."

Interested shoppers will also be able to receive information on local farmer co-operatives and community supported agriculture projects.

The proceeds from the fundraiser will go to support WUSC's Student Refugee Program. Each year Algoma University's WUSC committee provides financial support for a refugee student to become a permanent resident of Canada and attend Algoma University. This year's student is Noel Wakana, a refugee from the African nation of Malawi.

"Most of us can't even begin to imagine the hardships and suffering refugees endure," says Stuebing. "We're very proud to be a part of WUSC's Student Refugee Program and we hope that the community will join with us in supporting this worthwhile cause through fundraisers like the Ten Thousand Villages Open Market event."