Goodbye Food Boutiques

A famous vegan shop closed shop closed late last year. This shop was located in Montreal, Quebec. They only sold vegan foods, but mostly treats like veggie "beef" jerky, a variety egg substitutes, dairy free "milk" chocolate, cheese-less cheese, and other goodies.

When I became vegan in 2007, I really longed for some sort of cheese substitution. After reading about this product called Daiya on food blogs over and over again and hearing about its "amazingness", I really, really wanted to try it. I searched online and came across the recently closed vegan shop who not only sold it in Canada, but shipped it to anywhere in the country. I ordered 5 lbs of the stuff (luckily it can be frozen) and had it shipped with ice packs to Nova Scotia (where I was living at the time); the total delivery cost somewhere between $60 and $80. Yikes.

I now find this story hilarious. That "brand new" cheese-product that I died to try, Daiya, is now sold at my local convenience store. No joke. For about $5. I can't believe I once had to have it shipped from across the country and pay an exorbitant price in order to taste it. And now, even though it is super accessible, I don't even eat it anymore. Funny that.

Now, I was never a vegan "veteran", but apparently I still started my vegan journey at a time when it wasn't all that well-known or popular. I can't imagine how vegans functioned in the eighties or nineties  A time when the only way you could get tofu was to find an Asian grocery store I'm sure. I bet these vegans were a heck of a lot healthier though; they didn't fill up on all the junky "fake" foods that now exist.

While some vegans cried out at the closure of this shop, I think it was a positive development. Does the closure of a large vegan food vendor mean that the diet is fading away? That fewer people are vegan? Not necessarily.

I think that the shop's closing is positive because it means that vegans (and those who can't eat eggs, dairy, certain forms of meat, Celiacs, follow restricted diets, etc) no longer have to order fake foods from thousands of miles away and pay ridiculous fees for said foods. They don't have to search online for special treats because they are now offered at Starbucks, Second Cup, Loblaws, Metro, on airplanes, and in convenience stores.

With the rise of food intolerances and allergies, big box stores and large food chains are taking notice and making non-allergenic foods available to their customers (obviously they are doing it for profit reasons as allergen-friendly food is a growing market, but whatever).

The three-aisle convenience store by my house sells almond milk, tofu dogs, and gluten-free flour (to name only a few special-diet foods, they sell many other awesome products). And this isn't so just because I live in the big city of Toronto. When I visited relatives over Xmas, who live in a very rural town, I still managed to find Daiya, coconut milk yogurt, and even a whole shelf devoted to Udi's gluten-free breads in the bakery section of their small grocery store.

A whole shelf devoted to Udi's gluten-free breads, muffins, and more.

While I am very sad for the owners of the vegan shop and worried for small business owners everywhere who have to compete with big corporations, I still like to think that the closure of niche food boutiques like this vegan one is positive. I think it is a sign that it is becoming easier to be vegan and easier to follow a diet that is dairy-free, egg-free, sugar-free, gluten-free, etc).

Goodbye niche food boutiques, hello more accommodating grocery stores!

...and we're back!

...back to school, that is. 

After 2+ weeks of reading week and midterms, today was the first day back to school. It was busy being back to the grind, but I missed the hustle of bustle of daily school (however, some aspects were extremely stressful, so I hated those parts of today... more on that in another post). Also, now that it is March, things are busy again so I can't guarantee daily posts. I'll pop in as much as I can, but if I don't post, it's because life and school are really hectic!

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Check out this awesome Canadian health news! I've talked about dandelion root in the past as a good liver detoxifier and replacement for coffee, but who knew that it fights cancer? I'm actually having a cup of dandelion tea right now as I type! Here's my favorite brand, but you can also buy this one, or this one. Or, as explained in the news article, you can make your own by grinding dandelion roots!

Image taken from the Traditional Medicinals website. 

Dr. Google: Pros and Cons

Ah yes, Dr. Google. We all know him, use him, and abuse him. 

When should we rely on the Internet to "diagnosis"? How much is too much? Is Dr. Google a curse or a blessing? 

Here are some pros and cons that come to mind: 

Pros: 

- Allows us to take our own health into our own hands.
- Pictures of a symptom/disease are fairly reliable in terms of diagnosis.
- Readily available and if you have a computer and Internet, free. There are so many people in the world who can not afford to see a doctor. But if they have access to the Internet, then there is hope that it will have the answer to their health concern.
- Cultivates community. There are inspiring health stores give us hope and motivate us to tackle concern X, Y, and Z. There are also forums where strangers discuss their treatment experiences, share similar symptom stories, offer advice, or ask questions, all pertaining to a particular health complaint.
- Great for milder, benign conditions that would go away on their own anyway, such as treating bug bites, soothing sore muscles, and healing minor burns.
- Learn about condition prevention (which is often not discussed in allopathic doctor visits).
- Learn about different ways to treat a condition from different countries and cultures from around the world; learn about treatments that don't exist in your own country.
- Learn about alternative treatment options (also a con, see below).
- Get a variety of opinions, beyond the one-and-only opinion of your family doctor.

Cons: 

- Specific details and nuances are going to be lost if you crowd-source health info.
- The most popular diagnoses will be the only diagnoses featured online. The more posts or Google hits about tuberculosis (TB) causing a cough, the more people will come across TB when the search for the cause of a cough, and thus the more people will think that they have TB!
- Patients come to doctor already "self-diagnosed". Doctor I have this condition and thus I need this treatment. Makes patients more demanding and convinced they know what they have without the doctor's input.
- Scary. As the joke above says, a mere cold can seem deadly!
- People may value the knowledge and extensive training of healthcare workers less.
- Lots of medical websites are wrong info.
- May create hyporcondriacs.
- May delay medical treatment.
- Learn about alternative treatment options (a con because lots of "alternative" treatments have zero evidence to support their use).
- Hard to tell which health websites are good/reliable/trustworthy and which are plain bad.
- Relies heavily on anecdotal evidence.

What do you think? How often do you rely upon Dr. Google? Is he/she helpful?

Have a LOVEly day!

Fruit and vegetable love: how suiting for a naturopathic, health focused blog!

Ah Valentine's Day, the commercialialized day of love. A rip-off in many aspects (overpriced flowers and 3-course meals, false expectations, a whole lot of pink junk on store shelves...you know what I mean). Nonetheless I am a big fan of this holiday. What can I say: red is my favorite color, I love holidays at school (everyone us full of spirit), and I love chocolate...three things that V-Day offers.

Regardless of whether or not you are celebrating today, I hope you have a lovely day! 

Doctor, Heal Thy Self

“Doctors, it seems, are to treat sick people; they are simply not allowed to get sick themselves.”               

           

- Marzuk, PM. When the patient is a physician. N Eng J Med. 1987.

One of the tenants of naturopathic medicine is Doctor, heal thy self but it is often the case that the doctor forgets to apply his or her own knowledge, tools, and skills to the treatment of his or her self. Just last week, I had a professor say that he had become sick and he didn't even think to use any of the wonderful cold remedies naturopathic medicine has to offer; the same remedies that he had recommended to a patient that very day to use to combat  a cold. I can see it being hard at times to step away from all the cases and conditions you are treating, and to simply sit back and think about your own health and what can apply. Personally, I think self-care is of utmost importance, but I am learning more and more that as I progress through my career, that self-care may fall by the wayside. Evidently, it is a problem if naturopathic doctors had to make Heal thy self one of their guiding principals in order to remind them of this very problem!

Beware of Food Marketing

Thanks for sending this to me, Momma M! How appropriate given yesterday's food rant :P

Also on the topic of food, a new nutritional label has been proposed. Read about it here.

Nutritional Label Problems.

Image source here.

Nutritional labels are supposed to be agents of good; spreading knowledge about nutrition and health. Despite these labels being a very helpful tool for those interested in nutrition and for those tracking their diet, they do, however, have some frustrating elements... Here are six of my nutritional label frustrations (in no particular order):

1) Percentages. Oh, wow! This tofu contains 100% of my daily iron requirement! ...well, not so fast, because the percentages listed to the right are for a 150-pound male. Try to not get too caught up in the percentages because they may not apply to your body in particular.

2) Protein. The label shows how much protein is in the food, but we have to remember that not all proteins are created equally.  Some proteins are complete proteins (meaning they contain all essential amino acids) and others are incomplete (meaning they lack some essential amino acids and thus have to be eaten with other proteins). Some foods' protein is excellent (e.g. egg whites) while others' is lacking (e.g. rice protein)... and these differences are not explained on the label.

3) Sugars. Not all sugars are created equal. If you read the nutritional label for an apple, the sugar content would be very high. Some sugars are very good for you and others are terrible. Yes, 30 grams of sugar may seem like a lot, but I would be more concerned if that was 30 grams of corn syrup sugar than 30 grams of cantaloupe sugar.

4) Fat. Just like protein and sugar, not all fats are created equal. Also like the sugars, I wouldn't be as concerned if the slice of cake contained 30 grams of fat derived from almonds, coconut, and cocoa butter, as compared to 30 grams of fat derived from hydrogenated oils, palm oil, and sunflower oil.

5) Serving Size. The serving sizes on these labels can be very confusing. It can cause difficulty when comparing similar products (this box of cereal's label is for 3/4 cup (50 g) of cereal while this one's label is for 1 cup (60 g)). Whether the company decides to count the serving in grams, cups, mililiers, or pieces, it's up to them! In addition, when companies decide to show the nutritional information for a food measured in grams (e.g. 30 g of raisins), how are customers supposed to know how many raisins that represents unless they have a food scale in their kitchen. I

6) The Others. There are way more components to food in addition to the protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamin C, iron, and calcium displayed on the nutritional label. While I completely understand that including all nutrients on the label would be a bit much, I do feel like some foods get snubbed by the limited label. Take lettuce, for instance. It would show barely anything on the nutritional label (it is almost completely void of calories, fat, protein, carbohydrates, etc). At first glance, you may think that this food wasn't that good for your health. But what about its flavinoids and water content (lettuce is full of water; very hydrating!)? Believe me when I say that leafy greens are amazing for your health, even though their nutritional label may seem like it is lacking.

Classes, Part Three.

Yesterday, I had to register for my third-year classes.  (Wait, let's back up a sec: YEAR THREE, PEOPLE! Seriously, how exciting is that?!).

The process was unnecessarily painful (arg, CCNM! why must you be so frustrating?!) but thankfully it's done and done.  Here's the low down:  

Fall Semester - No choice here. Just had to register into all of the third-year courses (because I am a full-time student, I just enrolled myself into anything marked year three). Looks like it's going to be very, very similar to second-year.  Same classroom (the lecture theatre), same hours (roughly 8-4 or 9-5 PM each day, save for Fridays (off a wee bit earlier on this day, wahoo!)), and same amount of practicals (about three (?)).

• Botanical Medicine 3 (going to be the worst.course.ever., or so the upper years have said)
• Men's & Women's Health
• Health Psychology 3
• Primary Care (not sure what this course is about? Sounds serious)
• Radiology & Advanced Imaging (X-rays!)
• Practice Management (business, etc)
• Physical Medicine (not sure what this is about either, but apparently it is hard)
• Clinical Nutrition 3 (my favorite!)
• Asian Medicine 3 (theory)
• Asian Medicine Clinical Applications (acupuncture practicals)
• Homeopathic Medicine 3

Winter Semester - The only choice here was our clinic shift (one day a week) and when we wanted our acupuncture and manipulation practicals. This choice, however, was very stressful and caused a lot of panic amongst the class.  Sheesh we're a high-strung group of students! Haha. 

• Continuation of Primary Care, Asian Medicine, and Homeopathy courses, plus...
• Naturopathic Manipulation 2
• Pediatrics (babies!)
• Maternal and Newborn Care (more babies!)
• Integrated Therapeutics (no idea what this is)
• Clinic 3 (one shift a week in the clinic, shadowing a fourth-year)
• In-Office Procedures
• Emergency Medicine

I am not really worried about the Fall term, but to say that I am nervous for third-year, Winter semester is a huge understatement.  I am pretty sure those four months are going to be some of the most stressful ones in my life.  Third-year, semester two, is known is a "soul crushing" time (real testimony).  There is no mercy during those months: thirteen final exams, ~twenty essays, performing female and male genital exams (on REAL people), OSCE part 3 (the hardest one), performing spinal adjustments (!!!), performing FULL acupuncture treatments, spending real time in the clinic (it'll be scary being in there FOR REAL), etc, etc. *Starts hyperventilating*.

Well, there is no looking back now... 'cause as of yesterday, I'm all registered :D.  Just got to motor-on-through and GET 'ER DONE!

Saturday Morning Reading & Eating.

I've got some Saturday morning reading for you. Both of the articles make me so mad. I hope you'll take the time to read them. 

http://meghantelpnerblog.com/2012/07/03/cook-for-a-cure-how-about-eat-for-prevention/

http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Record+settlement+GlaxoSmithKline+plead+guilty+illicit/6876390/story.html 

Now, how about a breakfast recipe to go with your morning reading?

 Basic Buckwheat Bake

Inspired by the Edible Perspective. My recipe makes just a plain bake, perfect for toppings. Tastes sort of like a giant muffin. Find what-seems-like millions of other mouth-watering buckwheat bake recipes on the EP blog.  The following recipe is gluten-free and makes enough for ONE bake.

1/4 cup buckwheat flour (or flour of choice)
1 tbsp whole buckwheat groats (or chopped nuts)
1 tbsp ground flax or chia seeds (completely optional)
Pinch of salt, cinnamon, and baking powder

1/4 cup milk (or water)
1/4 cup apple sauce (or half a mashed banana)
1 egg, whisked/beat

Mix dry.  Mix wet (including the egg).  Pour wet into dry.  Grease or line an oven-safe dish (like a ramekin or onion-soup bowl), or pour the batter into muffin tins (this will likely fill three muffin tin-spots). Place dish(es) onto a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes at 350F.  Leave the bake in the bowl or plop onto a plate. Top with toppings and eat with a spoon!

Left picture: warm bakes, fresh out of the oven.  Right picture: topped with pumpkin seed butter and rhubarb jam. 

 

Preceptoring Woes.

Yesterday, I had the wonderful opportunity to preceptor with a lovely Naturopathic Doctor in her equally lovely clinic.

What is preceptoring? It's basically job-shadowing; a student sits in the corner of the clinic/treatment room, acting as a fly-on-the-wall, not saying a word, just observing the doctor-patient interaction.

While I absolutely love hanging out in clinics, taking mental notes of treatment options, and watching the 'magic' of my profession unfold, I hate preceptoring! 

Now why on Earth would I hate preceptoring? Given the sentence written above, it sounds like I enjoy most aspects of the experience. But what I don't like---and thus makes me dislike preceptoring all together---is burdening Naturopathic Doctors and their patients.

First, the office of an ND is a very therapeutic space.  A space in which confidential information may be shared, uncomfortable physical exams may be preformed, needles may be inserted, and one in which deep emotional healing may finally occur. Every appointment is an opportunity for healing and growth, and thus I hate, hate, hate that I have to intrude!  Treat the individual is a naturopathic principle, yet I feel like patients are not given the space they need when there is a student lurking in the room.

Second, naturopathic doctors are busy, busy people. Their days are packed and there is little room to entertain a student for a day (or more!).

What's more? CCNM students need 100 hours of preceptoring hours before convocation! That's a lot of days spent stalking naturopathic doctors (and other health professionals) and their willing patients :P  One-hundred hours is over two weeks of full-time (8 hours per day) days spent in clinics.  As since most NDs accept students to come in for a day (or two), that means that it is possible to shadow over ten different practitioners to get the hours logged. Yes, it would be wonderful to see the clinics and techniques of ten different practitioners, but in city of Toronto, good luck finding ten willing healthcare providers to take you on (even for one day).

Thankfully, CCNM is looking into this steep requirement and (hopefully) based on student input, is going to change the policy.  Unfortunately, if the policy is changed, it will likely not affect me, but future CCNM students. Nonetheless, I definitely think that there is a problem with current preceptoring requirements and will be happy when some changes are made.

Alright, enough ranting.  See you tomorrow with something more up-beat :)