You have likely heard of probiotic foods and supplements. Maybe you’ve taken a high dose probiotic supplement after being on antibiotics, or maybe you include yogurt, sauerkraut or kombucha in your diet, because you have heard about the health benefits of these foods. The beneficial microbes in these foods and supplements support the health of your digestive system, and have effects on every aspect of your biology.
But what about pre and post biotics, and do you need them?
When your doctor has you do blood work and tells you that you have high cholesterol, what does that actually mean? There are several different lipid biomarkers that are commonly used including total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Taken together, your family doctor uses these biomarkers to determine if you are at risk of cardiovascular disease. HDL and LDL aren’t actually cholesterol, but rather are lipoproteins that act as transporter molecules that carry cholesterol through the bloodstream. While these biomarkers are important numbers to look at for cardiovascular health, they can also be useful screening tools for other health conditions.
Last month the Government of Canada came out with a new Canada’s Food Guide that is radically different from the old one. This new guide was formed with a lot of public input, whereas previous versions were influenced heavily by industry input, which was evident in the strong focus on dairy, meat and grains. In this blog I’d like to summarize some of the good and bad in the new guide (in case you haven’t perused it yet), and give you some tips on how the guide can be easily modified for gut-health.
I’m squeezing in one more blog article before the holiday season, in case you are like me, and love to give food as HOLIDAY GIFTS. Chocolate is always a holiday favourite, and it’s possible for it to be healthy too! So here is a recipe that is easy to make, that you can package up to give away, or that you can finish off a special meal with. You can feel great about gifting this healthy version!
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