Category Archives: Food

5 Unexpected Super foods that Promote Beauty and Health

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Summer is such a special time of year. Flowers are in bloom, the fruit taste 10 times better (or at least in Canada), people are outside more and new energy can be found to make healthier choices in their  diet and lifestyle.

Let’s face it, after that long winter we could all use a little tune-up, including our eating habits. It’s the perfect time of year to add a few new options into your diet and gear your body up for the beach. So seize the opportunity and make some simple dietary changes in your life.
These five simple, unexpected super foods should help gear your body up for spring and promote health and beauty:

1. CABBAGE

I bet you weren’t expecting cabbage to be on this list! Did you know cabbage contains 11% more vitamin C than oranges by weight? Vitamin C is the super anti-aging nutrient that helps heal damaged tissues and minimize deep lines.
Humble and inexpensive, cabbage perfectly exemplifies that Beauty Foods don’t always have to be exotic, rare or even partially beautiful themselves. Cabbage contains the magical skin beauty triumvirate of vitamins A, C and E. Furthermore, the high vitamin A content in is useful for smoothing skin lines. Lastly, the combination of sulfur and vitamin C gives cabbage potent detoxifying qualities.

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2. RAW APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

Did you know raw apple cider vinegar is a natural antidote for acne? This is because of its strong antiviral, antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. Furthermore, it promotes the growth of probiotics, which further helps to get rid of acne.

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Apple cider vinegar can also act as a strong digestive aid, helping to cure constipation and stimulate stomach acid, thus aiding in digestion. Another added bonus is that it helps balance the yeast and bacteria in your body which deed off sugar, consuming it and helping alleviate sugar cravings. Lastly, the vinegar is loaded with nutrients as it contains potassium and many other trace minerals and elements.

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Not sure how to eat it? Apple cider vinegar is great in salads (dilute in a spray bottle and spray over salad), or if your are brave, try diluting one tablespoon in a glass of water and drink it twenty minutes before your meal.

3. Walnuts

Walnuts are something I have recently discovered and are super good for your heart. You really only need a quarter to a half cup to start feeling full. Not only are they high in omega-3s, but new research has suggested that the omega-3 ALA may help heart arrhythmias, and a 2006 Spanish study suggested that walnuts were as effective as olive oil at reducing inflammation and oxidation in the arteries after eating a fatty meal.

4. Celery

Celery is an undervalued vegetable. It is loaded with nutrients and contains almost no calories – one large stalk has maybe 10 calories. Celery is great because it can lower your blood pressure, 100g contains about 8% of your RDI of vitamin A (great for your eye health), it aids in digestion because it’s high in insoluble fiber, and it even lowers your LDL (bad cholesterol). One Chicago University research study showed that just two stalks of celery a day can reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) by up to 7 points.

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5. Matcha

Matcha is a high-end type of “green tea” that has the most incredible health benefits. If you’re not drinking matcha green tea yet, you’re behind the times! You must try this metabolism-enhancing, stress-reducing, immune-boosting, cholesterol-lowering, teenage-mutant-ninja cancer fighter!

What makes matcha more healthy that other types of green tea is the fact that you are actually drinking the “ground up tea leaves” themselves – instead of just the antioxidants etc. from the steeped tea.

How healthy may you ask? Let’s just say Matcha green tea possesses an antioxidant levels 6.2 times that of goji berries, 7 times that of dark chocolate, 17 times that of wild blueberries and 60.5 times that of spinach!

If you’re worried about the slightly bitter taste of Matcha, why not try consuming it in a flavoured form? You can by strawberry flavoured Matcha at the store. Otherwise, we highly recommend Ultra Slender Tea’s Green Detox tea – it’s amazing!

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be complicated. Hopefully these super foods provide you with an extra hop in your step this spring, giving you a boost in energy levels and health.

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Silly Putty Chemical Used In Fountain Soda and McDonalds Food!

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Sometimes we go through life being oblivious to what’s in our food. However, nowadays it REALLY pays off to take an extra look at the label of the food product you are eating! Especially if it’s at a fast food joint.

This week I made a shocking discovery…the chemical “dimethylpolysiloxane” is being used as a food additive in fountain pop and a whole slew of fast food here in North America.  Just today, I found that it is in Filet-O-Fish at McDonalds, Crispy Chicken Strips, the McChicken, the White Meat portion of Chicken McNuggets, Hashbrowns, their Fuitopia Strawberry Passion Awareness,  Fountain Diet Coke, Cinnamon Melts, French Fries, their Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie Fruit Base, and Mango Pineapple Fruit Base..if you don’t believe me check for yourself right here.

Surpringly, PDMS has only been allowed in food since 1998! (16 years).  Basically, the FDA’s decision was approved five years after a request by Dow Corning – a manufacturer of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) – had formally sought approval. Ironically, that same December 24th, 1998, the FDA’s decision on allowing use of PDMS in human foods, also allowed the direct use of Formaldehyde (at concentrations not exceeding one percent of the weight of the PDMS) as a “preservative agent in defoaming agent containing dimethylpolysiloxane”.

PDMS is viscoelastic, meaning that at long flow times (or high temperatures), it acts like a viscous liquid, similar to honey. However, at short flow times (or low temperatures), it acts like an elastic solid, similar to rubber. In other words, if some PDMS is left on a surface overnight (long flow time), it will flow to cover the surface and mold to any surface imperfections. One of its more famous uses, is in Silly Putty!

So what is so concerning about PDMS? Well when subjected to higher temperatures – it degrades into compounds that include Formaldehyde, which is a widely recognized cancer-causing substance.

So the next time your at McDonalds, Wendy’s or getting fast food…read the label! Your body will thank you for it.

13 Snack Ideas You Should Always Have At Home

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Healthy snacks can be hard to find! Especially when you come home from work after a long day and just feel like eating junk food for a quick fix. Have no fear! There are more and more healthy snack options today than ever before. This article will shed light on some new products and ideas to help carve those horrible cravings, and instead of leaving you with a sugar crash, you will feel clean and energized.

1. Coconut Chips

Yep, coconut is now in a “chip form”! Why try these? Coconut chips are made from a nutrient dense superfood -coconut, and naturally full of flavour! My favourite kind is by Hippie Snacks, as they take fresh slices of young coconut and roast until they have this perfect crunch. Also, the ingredient list includes just three things: coconut, cane sugar, and salt! I would describe them as not too sweet, slightly savoury, creamy and refreshing, they are super tasty. Lastly, 1/3 cup contains 4% iron!

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2. Walnuts

Walnuts are something I have recently discovered and are super good for your heart. You really only need a 1/4 to 1/2 cup to start feeling full. Not only are they high in omega-3’s but new research has suggested that ALA may help heart arrhythmias, and a 2006 Spanish study suggested that walnuts were as effective as olive oil at reducing inflammation and oxidation in the arteries after eating a fatty meal.

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3. Ginger Chews

Ginger has long been thought of as a power house for your body. Not only will it fire up your digestive juices, improve the absorption of essentioal nutrients in the body, reduce nausea, but it can even help reduce joint pain with its anti-inflammatory properties. Confused about which ginger snack to try? There is a good one by a company called “Chimes” which is tasty and can be bought at Natures Emporium. The mango flavor is decadent.

4. Dried Mango’s

Dried mango’s have limited calories and are super tasty! Just make sure to buy them without “sulphites”. Sulphites are regulated food additives that are used as preservatives to maintain food color and prolong shelf-life, prevent the growth of micro-organisms, and to maintain the potency of certain medications.

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Many people who consume sulphite-products experience unpleasant side-effects (i.e. which is why the government is making a law that states all products with sulphites have to say “may contain sulphites”). For example, do you ever get weazy and experience asthmatic like symptoms when you eat dried fruit? You may not even realize this, but it could be the sulphite preservative!

5. Apple with Almond Butter

Almond butter is very rich and creamy, just like peanut butter and tastes amazing with apples. The sweetness of apples is quite complimenting to the nutty flavor of “almond butter”. Also, with this snack you will be getting some protein and fibre. In fact, did you know that almond butter has more fibre than peanut butter?! Pretty great. Lastly, almond butter has a low-glycemic index, meaning it will help to keep your blood sugar levels stable and keep you full longer. This is crucial because regular blood sugar spikes and drops slow down your metabolism.

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6. Veggie Stix

These are to die for and are definitely one of my new favourite snacks! I can’t believe how tasty and nutritious these chips are! It’s shocking actually how much nutrients they shove into these little chips. Indeed, Veggie Stix are an excellent source of Vitamins A, C, D, and B6 and a good source of Vitamins E &K. Veggie Stix are also made with all natural ingredients; potatoes, tomatoes and spinach, pure sea salt and non-hydrogenated oils. That means 0 grams of trans fat and the chips have 30% less overall fat than regular chips! wahoo!

7.Chocolate covered Sacha Inchi Roasted Seeds

Heard of Inchi seeds? You have now! According to Vega Sport, a health company, their sacha inchi seed snack has 17 more omega-3’s per ounce than wild sockeye salmon -that’s insane! Indeed, they are the richest plant-based source of omega-3 on the planet.

So how can these Amazonian seeds have such a high antioxidant level? It’s all in the roasting process. Inchi seeds are roasted at a low temperature to preserve their high omega-3 content. There the unmatched combination of taste and nutrition, that’s gluten-free and packed with complete protein, makes them the perfect healthy indulgence. This healthy snack is also available in three delicious flavours, my favourite is the Cocoa Kissed.

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8. Sliced Tomatoes With Sprinkled Feta and Olive Oil

This snack will definitely make your taste buds happy. If you don’t like feta or olive oil, you can always sprinkle another type of cheese on top, or a light-salad dressing. Tomatoes are loaded with nutrients and have been known for centuries by Japanese women as the powerhouse fruit for trimming your waist.

Professor Teruo Kawada and his team of researchers at the Laboratory of Molecular Function of Food in Kyoto have backed up the Tomato Diet with sound research. In particular, they found a substance in the tomatoes called 13-oxo-ODA,  which is a special type of unsaturated fatty acid. This chemical was found to help decrease the amount of neutral fat in your body and prevent metabolic syndrome from setting in.

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9. Dark Chocolate (70-90% Cocoa)

I know, I know, most of you think dark chocolate is gross BUT I have discovered a way to mask the bitter flavour while still getting all the health benefits! Buy a brand that has “coconut flakes” mixed in. The taste difference was literally like night.

Dark chocolate is really good for your health because it has a low glycemic index, lots of antioxidants (antioxidants fight free radicals and damaged cells, preventing cancer), and can even improve your mood. Dark chocolate also contains several chemical compounds that have a positive effect on your mood and cognitive health. This is because chocolate contains phenylethylamine (PEA), the same chemical your brain creates when you feel like you’re falling in love. PEA encourages your brain to release endorphins, so eating dark chocolate will make you feel happier.

Dark chocolate also contains caffeine, a mild stimulant. However, dark chocolate contains much less caffeine than coffee. A 1.5 ounce bar of dark chocolate contains 27 mg of caffeine, compared to the 200 mg found in an eight ounce cup of coffee.

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10. Hummus Dip with Vegetables

I used to think hummus was gross, but there has been many advancements in the past five years. The kind’s flavored with garlic honestly taste no different than a regular dip. All you need is some vegetables to dip in and voila – a filling, healthy snack for you to help get through the day!

If you are unsure what hummus is, it can contain many different ingredients but the base is always “chickpeas”. Chickpeas are nutritious because they do not contain any cholesterol or saturated fat, and are rich in protein. Furthermore, they are also known to be quite effective in preventing build up of cholesterol in your blood vessels. Apart from that, chickpeas also help to maintain the correct blood sugar levels. By preventing that blood sugar spike, you will actually feel full longer!

11. Celery and Peanut Butter

Celery is an undervalued vegetable. It is loaded with nutrients and contains almost no calories! One large stalk has maybe 10 calories. Celery is great because it can lower your blood pressure, has 10% vitamin A (in one large stock) – great for your eye health, aids in digestion (high in insoluble fiber) and even lowers one’s LDL (bad cholesterol). One Chicago University research study showed that just two stalks of celery a day can reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) by up to 7 points.

12. Tea

Yes, tea can be considered a healthy snack! Green tea is quite good for your heart and can even increase your metabolism and promote weight loss. Studies have even found that drinking two to three glasses a day can reduce body weight and waist circumference by 5% in three months, as well as increase metabolism. My favorite green tea is by Ultra Slender Tea– their “green detox” especially. Lastly, it is important to mention that green tea is great for detoxifying the liver and thus making you feel “cleaner” and more energized.

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Tea is also a lot less caloric than soda or juice! Often it has zero calories!

13. Strawberries Dipped In Yogurt

Just dip some strawberries in yogurt, then put them in the freezer for 20 minutes and voila! Easiest snack ever! If you want to go even more “healthy”, try using “greek yogurt”. Not only does greek yogurt have half the sodium compared to regular yogurt, but it also has more protein!

Eight ounces of Greek yogurt has about 20 grams of protein, whereas regular yogurt provides around 11-13 grams. Greek yogurt’s high protein content makes it a favourite among people trying to manage their weight as it helps ward off hunger.

So there you have it, 13 fantastic healthy snacks you should always have at home. Snacking should be fun and never boring. Hopefully these snack options make you realize how simple and tasty eating healthy really can be.

When To Drink Detox Tea?

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Teatox

“When to drink detox tea?” is a question commonly asked to our health experts. Some people are scared detox tea will cause them to have to go to the bathroom during work hours and negatively affect their daily routine. However, this is just not the case with most detox tea’s. Why is that? Well, many detox tea’s focus on clearing out your kidneys and increasing metabolism over time (not your colon…in that case, you would have to be more cautious). If you want to avoid a colon cleansing detox, don’t buy a tea with “senna leafs” in it! Indeed, some detox tea JUST uses “senna leaf’s” – which in our opinion is quite cheap and ill tasting. The only tea we know of that uses these leaves is Skinny Tea.

Detox tea is just a fancy word for helping cleanse your body, increase your metabolism and just assist the body’s natural forms of elimination  through the digestive tract, the kidneys, liver, lungs and blood. It is important to know that our bodies are fully equipped to handle cleansing and elimination of toxins daily, there are just a number of times when assistance is needed. If too many toxins are present, for example, our traditional system of cleansing can become overwhelmed. When this happens, to your body often experiences symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, indigestion, acne,  bloating, jaundice, decreased energy, sluggish digestion, immune deficiency, etc.

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Times of the Day to Drink Detox Tea?

The best time of the day to drink detox tea is first thing in the morning, after working out, and before dinner.

Why drink detox tea prior to bed?

Often detox tea’s are “herbal based”, meaning they don’t contain a lot/if any caffeine. Therefore, drinking detox tea at night will allow the herbs to take effect in your body while you sleep. Therefore when you awake, you can properly eliminate the waste through normal means of disposal.

Why not drink detox tea in the middle of the day?

Often detox tea’s are centered around helping your kidney and liver filter out a lot of the toxins in your body. The kidney also plays a role in If you drink the tea throughout the day you will spend more time going to the bathroom (maybe one more time than normal).

Detox Tea For Athletes

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There are a few detox teas that can also be highly effective for athletes. Why are they good for athletes? Well, detox tea is loaded with the best herbs that can are high in key electrolytes such as magnesium, potassium, sodium and chloride…all the the stuff found in your common gatorade, but in much higher quantities. For example, Ultra Slender Tea contains coriander, turmeric, fennel seed, ginger and cardamom (in small quantities of course that have been proportioned accordingly to taste the best) which are high in potassium. Potassium regulates the heartbeat and muscles. To learn the exact amounts of potassium, magnesium and chloride in Ultra Slender Tea, the herbs responsible and a comparison to Gatorade, refer to THIS ARTICLE.

When should athletes drink detox tea?

Athletes should drink a detox tea (i.e. Ultra Slender Tea or Ultra Skinny tea) anytime after exercise. Ultra Slender Tea is high in all key electrolytes, including magnesium, which will prevent muscle cramping after a workout and regulate the levels of other minerals in your body such as calcium, potassium, zinc and copper. Increasing zinc absorption is imperative for optimizing athletic performance and strength development as it plays a primary role in anabolic hormone production. Indeed, research shows having ample zinc available in the body allows for a more robust release of the three most important anabolic hormones, testosterone, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). Without these, you’ll miss out on muscle and strength development from your hard work in the gym. Note, zinc also increases your immune system, improves cardiovascular health, detoxifies the brain of heavy metals, prevents Alzheimer’s disease and clears acne.

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How long to drink detox tea?

Drinking detox tea over a period of one to two weeks allows for the toxins that are stored in fat cells and other cellular structures to be removed, in addition it allows for the body to adjust to the removal of substances that should not be present in the body in the first place. As the body eliminates debris from the lungs, liver, stomach, kidneys, and blood, there may be some side effects such as headache or fatigue. This is the body’s reaction to the removal of toxins, the stimulation of the cleansing process and the strengthening of the immune system. Symptoms should subside within a day or two. Once finished you should feel refreshed with a renewed energy and ability to function and concentrate. Your mood will be calm and more positive and digestion should return to normal.

To maintain your health you should consider doing a detox cleanse every 3-6 months, depending upon your exposure to toxins and if symptoms of liver stagnation or deficiency reoccur. Detox teas are readily available at natural grocery stores, and online (we recommend Ultra Slender Tea). They are inexpensive and you should never use an entire box in one sitting. Therefore it is easy to keep a detox tea on hand. Always read the directions before use because some detox teas are more potent than others and may require different steps.

If you want to learn more about detox tea and how to utilize tea for weight loss, we highly recommend this ebook! It’s really affordable and can be downloaded right onto your ipad (using the kindle app of course) or kindle.

What Is the Best Natural Alternative Sports Drink To Gatorade?

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Muscle Building Drinks That Work

Gatorade seems to be the drink of choice for athletes to replenish electrolytes. However, when you consider all the sugar and dye in the product, many often wonder if it is more harmful than “good for you”? This article will explore the benefits of electrolyte boosting sports drinks and offer light as to natural amazing alternatives like Ultra Slender Tea.

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Ingredients in Gatorade

The main reason consumers buy Gatorade is because of the electrolyte boost it provides to athletes. However, the term “electrolytes” can be quite vague and many people don’t really understand what specific electrolytes are being depleted in their body during exercise. The main electrolytes in Gatorade are sodium, potassium and chloride. These are the key minerals that are lost through sweat when the body exercises. So as a general rule of thumb; when the body is losing lots of water (i.e. during exercise), it only makes sense to replace these electrolytes.

What most people don’t realize is that when you put all the marketing hype aside, there are some great alternatives which provide just as much nutrients and electrolytes, if not MORE! For example, a 20-ounce bottle of Gatorade has 75mg of potassium, versus a small Clementine which has 131mg. Or you could eat a simple banana, which has ~422mg of potassium and 8% of the daily requirement of magnesium. There’s even a gram or two of protein in a banana, and added vitamins in Clementine’s such as calcium, vitamin C and folate.

Muscle Building Drinks That Work

So what are some great alternative sports drinks to Gatorade? The main product which we highly recommend is “Ultra Slender Tea”. Don’t let the name throw you off- it’s a great product to compliment a workout. It contains key ingredients that will replenish your electrolytes …even more so than Gatorade!

For example, Ultra Slender Tea contains the highest quality organic herbs that are rich in the key minerals (1) magnesium (2) sodium and (3) potassium. Below is a chart to help you compare Gatorade to Ultra Slender Tea, and just basically show you how mineral and nutrient rich tea can be. Who would have thought? So much goodness could be in “TEA” …and it just so happens to be great tasting and contain a LOT LESS SUGAR! -woo!

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Sports drinks also contain carbohydrates (i.e. from the sweetener) which are supposed to provide energy to help delay fatigue. The Gatorade Co. says lab tests have shown that 6% carbohydrate (14 grams of carbohydrate per 8 ounces of water) is the optimal percentage of carbohydrates for speeding fluid and energy back into the body. However, most of the carbohydrates come from sugar!

With so much sugar in a sports drink (up to 34g in the average bottle), the sugar tends to flow into the blood stream to quickly! This will often result in a sugar-crash and more fat storage afterwards.  What do we mean by an increase of fat storage? Well, the rush of glucose/sugar in the body from a sports drink will raise your insulin levels so high that this elevated insulin will trigger you body to store fat and hold onto existing fat stores (for a good resource on this process, check

out Mark Hyman’s book “The Blood Sugar Solution”). When the sugars hit the liver, they can be deposited there. So even if a person is not “fat” on the outside, there is unnecessary fat storage happening on the inside, which , along with confused insulin responses, predisposes you to all kinds of diseases.

Better to go with a more natural alternative that can provide, less sugar, more soluble-fiber and more minerals/electrolytes (i.e. Ultra Slender Tea).  Why soluble fiber you may ask? Well, soluble fiber will prevent the rush of glucose in the body and excel fat storage in the liver.

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Bad Ingredients In Gatorade

The most harmful ingredient that has raised a lot of controversy is “brominated vegetable oil”. Brominated Vegetable oil is added to Gatorade to keep the drink from getting cloudy and the artificial flavor suspended in the drink. This controversial substance is linked to serious health consequences like skin rashes, severe acne and thyroid disease and is banned in Europe and Japan! (Update: Gatorade recently decided to phase out this ingredient due to a recent successful petition, but Powerade still contains it).

SOFT DRINK SHOCKER