Food Sustainability

Food sustainability is being conscious of how our everyday choices can influence the future of our planet. I'm sharing green-eating tips, the benefits of plant-based eating, the importance of ethical eating, and the impact industrial agriculture has on our planet.

Some of my top articles include 5 Sustainable Seafood Foodie Tips, Top 5 Sustainable and Iconically Canadian Foods, and For the Flexitarian- The Environmental Sustainability of Eating Meat.

Vitamin D Foods For Vegetarians

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Knowing the best vitamin D foods for vegetarians and how to get enough vitamin D on a plant-based diet is important for bone health, a healthy immune system, and may help to protect against some cancers. If you live in northern latitudes, we can’t rely solely on vitamin D from the sun. This post will help breakdown the importance of vitamin D, which foods contain vitamin D and how we can supplement.

Northern winters can result in a lack of vitamin D.

By now, most of us have heard of the importance of Vitamin D. Vitamin D plays an important role in the absorption of calcium (see post Getting Enough Calcium On A Dairy-Free Diet), and has the ability to decrease inflammation in the body (1). Vitamin D comes primarily from the sun, but in northern latitudes (37 degrees north) during the winter months, we just can’t get enough (2).

While there are some food sources of vitamin D, in the winter we actually can’t get enough vitamin D from food alone. The best food source of Vitamin D is oily fish, and while vitamin D foods for vegetarians can be limited there are some steps we can take to ensure we are getting enough.
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Bone Health and Calcium for Vegans

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There was a time when we didn’t expect to get our calcium from cows. Bone health and calcium for vegans is a topic that we should all be aware of as there are plenty of non-dairy calcium-rich foods out there, and you may be consuming more of them then you think. I’ve compiled a list of some of the top non-dairy calcium-rich foods to include in your diet and tips on how to maximize absorption for bone health.

What foods are high in calcium? Contrary to popular belief, calcium doesn’t only come from cows! Crazy huh? A lot of marketing money stemming from the Dairy Industry has led us to believe that dairy is the one and only superstar in the battle against osteoporosis. Whether you are a vegan, environmentalist, lactose intolerant or just love your green leafy vegetables, there are other dietary options for healthy bones. Here are my top tips for bone health and calcium for vegans.
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The Health Benefits of Eggs AND Why I Eat Eggs

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Why do I eat eggs? After years of repression, the health benefits of eggs are again being brought out on the table for discussion. Eggs offer a variety of nutrients that are harder to access in other foods. Here I will discuss the ethics of eating eggs, what type of eggs to choose, and the health benefits associated with eating eggs.

Over recent years eggs have gotten a bad rap. Unfortunately, when eggs at breakfast are replaced with overly processed breakfast cereals, our health suffers the consequences. Clarification on the effects of dietary cholesterol, the ethics of eating eggs, as well as the health benefits of eggs is necessary, and below I will shed some light on these topics.
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Dandelion Root Latte with Turmeric and Ginger

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This Dandelion Root Latte with Turmeric and Ginger offers a nourishing drink, filled with seasonal ‘medicines’. Dandelion Root is prized for its role in women’s health, as well as being recognized as an important prebiotic food.

I’ve shared some of my favourite features of dandelions spring-time nourishment in my previous post Dandelion Root Benefits – How To Harvest and Women’s Health. Why I am so passionate about this common weed is that it is one of the first greens to make an appearance after the cold winter, and it is freely available to anyone who wants to make use of this wild foraged medicine. The roots are also highly regarded in herbal medicine and can easily be transformed into a nourishing alternative to your morning coffee.

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How To Get Your Omega-3s For Vegetarians and Vegans

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Want to make sure you are getting enough omega-3 fatty acids on a plant-based diet? Omega-3s for vegetarians and vegans are harder to come by, but there are some dietary factors that we can control to help improve our access and the availability of this important nutrient.

Long dispelled are the myths of inadequate protein intake in vegetarian diets. We now know that a balanced and varied vegetarian diet, containing nuts, seeds, organic tofu, eggs, legumes, and quinoa will provide us with all our body needs. One uncertainty that continues to linger is whether or not a vegetarian diet can provide sufficient omega-3 fatty acids. I’ve outlined the recommended intake of plant-based omega-3s for vegetarians and vegans, and have included tips on how to maximize the availability of this important nutrient by the body.
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Dandelion Root Benefits, How To Harvest and Womens Health

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As I start to explore the world of wild edibles, our common dandelion is the perfect place to start. Spring has come upon us quickly and dandelions are starting to make their appearance – in yards, fields and sidewalk cracks – whether welcomed or not. They are plentiful and familiar and these ‘weeds’ likely made an appearance in many childhood memories. Dandelion root has many benefits, and this nutritious food is referred to by herbalists as a powerful medicine with an especially important role in women’s health.
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Prebiotics Probiotics & Fermented Foods – Five Healthy Gut Tips

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Why do we need to make sure our gut is happy? Our gut is filled with about 100 trillion bacteria, in fact, we have more bacteria cells in our body than human cells! We are only starting to understand all the functions this community of bacteria has– they crack open indigestible food for us, supply our gut with energy, manufacture vitamins, breaks down toxins and medications, and train our immune system. We also know that having a good supply of friendly bacteria can help prevent type 2 diabetes, obesity, anxiety and depression, and we can maintain these bacteria through a healthy diet and fermented foods. Here are my top five ways to a healthy gut to help you be your healthiest self.
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Chia vs Flax vs Hemp – Which One Is Healthier & More Sustainable?

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Hemp Vegan Pate with Dill on White Plate

Hemp and Sunflower Seed Vegan Pate

Superfoods are big money. Promises of everlasting youth and renewed vitality, consumers happily spend the big bucks without further question. Some really are super, some are flops. Chia seeds, flaxseeds and hemp seeds have all made their mainstream supermarket debut over the last few years and as super as they all are, each of them has individual health properties that are as unique as their consumers are. Some are better suited to certain individuals, and some consumers like to factor in the environmental standpoint. Chia vs Flax vs Hemp – which one better for you?
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Fermented Foods Health Benefits & 9 Gut Health Foods In Your Home

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Fermenting was first used as a means of food preservation, before times of refrigeration and grocery stores. Most of us now associate eating fermented foods with improved gut health, and evidence shows that gut health can play an important role in metabolism, immunity, inflammation, mood, allergies, as well as autoimmune disorders.

Unfortunately, fermented foods have all but disappeared in our newly sterile, overly-processed world of food, and what our current Western-style diet lacks, traditional diets thrive on. In Asia, they consume tempeh and miso, both from fermented soy. In the Caucasus Mountains, it is kefir from fermented milk. In Africa, they enjoy fermented porridge and cassava. In Korea it is Kimchi and in Germany it is Sauerkraut. Does our health suffer when our modern day diet lacks fermented foods? What are the health benefits of fermented foods? Here are my top 9 common gut health foods you have at home.
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For The Flexitarian – The Environmental Sustainability of Eating Meat

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The new Canadian Food Guide is set to be released early this year. It has spiked a lot of interest, especially with the presumed removal of the Dairy Food Group, and the focus on Plant-Based Proteins over meat. The benefits of a plant-based diet for general health and environmental sustainability have been discussed in previous posts, and if you have landed on my blog you are likely interested in eating for a healthy planet (see What Your Health Care Professional Should Tell You About Food Sustainability). For those who wish to consume meat sustainably and consciously, and follow more of a ‘Flexitarian” approach, here are some tips on how to make the right choice for environmental sustainability, and your health.
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Medicinal Dark Chocolate Bark Three Ways [Vegan, GF]

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This post for Dark Vegan Chocolate Bark Made Three Ways is sponsored by iHerb. As always the opinons are absolutly my own.

For me, nothing compares to the dedication and ingenuity of a homemade DIY Christmas Gift. The reducing, reusing and repurposing helps lessen our environmental footprint during this season of excess. Some take advantage of their handy nature, while others zone in on their crafty skills, but for me, I often gift edible Christmas presents which has included Peanut Butter Energy Balls or Toasted Muesli In a Jar in the past. This Medicinal Dark Vegan Chocolate Bark Made Three Ways is made using maple syrup and real cocoa butter for the authentic chocolate taste. Some of my favourite flavour combinations for this Chocolate Bark include Peppermint and Toasted Coconut, Cherries and Toasted Almonds, and Coffee and Cacao Nibs. This Christmas I’ve also added a little medicine (or some may say magic) to this bark for a truly healthy start to the New Year.

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Hemp Milk Nutrition & A Hemp Milk Recipe

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My favourite milk-alternative, and definitely one of the easiest to make at home! This homemade hemp milk recipe is as simple as adding hemp hearts to water, blending, and then done! I have compiled a few of my top hemp milk nutrition facts, and tips and tricks to make the perfect glass of homemade hemp milk at home.

If you haven’t already heard, the new Canadian Food Guide draft is out and it’s down one food group – dairy. With more and more people becoming environmentally conscious, dairy has taken a back seat. There is a growing number of milk alternatives available – rice, almond, buckwheat, quinoa, pea, soy – though each pre-packaged milk alternative comes with its pros and cons. We have seen hemp hearts back on the Canadian market since 1998 and if you haven’t considered hemp milk yet now is the time! This homemade Hemp Milk Recipe is packed full of protein and essential omega-3 fatty acids. Bonus points for simplicity – no straining required.
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Food Sustainability

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