Insect Defend: A Cool New (Nutraceutical) Product!

On the weekend, I attended the Green Living Show here in Toronto. I had an awesome time checking out the vendors, talking to reps, eating the locally prepared grub (mmm vanilla drinking chocolate by ChocoSol), making a few 'green' purchases (a product from Pure Thanks and some amazing blueberry juice), and test driving an electric car, the Nissan Leaf! Fun times for sure.

One company with whom I talked at the expo was Insect Defend. They make this natural and safe alternative to toxic bug sprays: instead of using harmful chemicals to deter bugs, they use vitamins!

Their product is a small, clear patch that adheres to the skin and releases vitamin B1 into the body. You simply stick the patch on your body two hours before you plan on going outside and/or around mosquitos.

How does it work? Well, apparently mosquitos and other pesky bugs hate the scent of vitamin B1! When the vitamin is absorbed into your skin via the patch, the B1 that is now in your skin keeps those bugs away. That's it, that's all: no more bug sprays or nets, just vitamins!

Vitamin B1 to the rescue!

Taking vitamin B1 through the skin is more effective than taking it orally. When you take it orally, the vitamin has to go through the whole digestive tract and is subjected to the first-pass effect of the liver. But if it is absorbed through the skin, it avoids all the degradation that occurs during digestions.

Apparently many people have used and testified to the effectiveness of Insect Defend. Several major clinical trials are also being conducted to test its efficacy. I myself purchased a pack to give them a try; I want to see vitamin B1 in action for myself!

Thanks to a major deal on Dragons' Den, Insect Defend Patches are now available at most major stores, like Loblaws, Superstore, Metro, Walmart, Canadian Tire, and many more. ...if you give them a try, let me know your experience. As a naturopathic medical student who studies vitamins at great length, I am super curious about this new-to-me way of using vitamin B1!

10 Tricks to Eat More Vegetables

Fruit and Vegetable Heart. Source unknown; found this image on Pinterest months ago.

1. Sneaky, Soups and Stews: When vegetables are in chili, soups, and stews, they get really soft and usually undetectable. Think about a pot of chicken noodle soup: there are loads of vegetables in this soup, yet is very loved, even among so called veggie haters. Same goes for chili; very popular, yet is full of tomatoes, onions, peppers, sometimes sweet potatoes, etc. Butternut squash soup is a very yummy (and even a bit sweet) soup that masks several veggies (squash, onions, celery, etc). 

2. Availability: Make sure the veggies are on hand and available. When you're hungry and open the fridge to get a snack and all you see are baby carrots, celery sticks, left over baked root veggies, salsa and guacamole, and salad ingredients, you'll be more tempted to eat veggies for your snack! 

3. Super Sneaky Smoothies: Hide vegetables in smoothies. I promise you that you won't be able to taste a handful of spinach in your smoothie if it is paired with some protein powder, berries, bananas, mylk, etc. I've added all kinds of greens to my smoothies and never taste them. I've also added zucchinis and carrots without any detection. 

4. Crunch, Crunch! Dehydrate or bake veggies so that they are crunchy and chip or french fry-like. Kale chips are awesome, but you also make homemade sweet potato fries, cauliflower "crack", plantain chips, and even green bean fries. 

5. Sauces and Dips Galore: If you don't like the vegetables plain, consider them instead as a vehicle for awesome dips and sauces. Hummus is delish, but rather than eat it with pita or crackers, try baby carrots or red bell peppers. If salads aren't your thing, maybe you need to explore some new salad dressings to jazz up the greens. Same goes with the dinner time vegetables on your plate: before you toss your peas or asparagus, try dousing them in some awesome sauce! 

6. Weekly New Veggie Challenge: Commit to one new vegetable a week. Baby steps, right? One veggie at a time might be a good way to ease yourself into a more vegetable-rich diet. Make this week cauliflower, for example, and commit to giving this vegetable a fair chance all week, aiming to eat it daily. They say that kids need to be exposed to a new food ten times before they really know if they like it or not (and most of the time after ten tries they end up liking it); maybe adults who don't like cauliflower just haven't tried it ten times yet! Well a week of cauliflower can help with that. And after cauliflower week, how about a week of eggplant? 

7. Pureed Power: Kraft came out with a vegetable Kraft Dinner a few years back. It was normal KD with purred vegetables added. When a vegetable is pureed, you can easily "sneak it" into dishes you normally like. Pureed veggies obviously can be added to soups and stews, but also pasta sauces, gravies, salad dressings, casseroles, and even used in baking. Here is a recipe for a chocolate beet torte, sweet potato brownies, and of course, pumpkin pie made with fresh pumpkin is great. 

8. Creative Cooking: If you claim to not like broccoli, for instance, maybe you just haven't prepared it the right way! You could try it raw, steamed, boiled, baked, roasted, stir-fried, or pureed (maybe make a Cream of Broccoli soup). Personally, I don't really like broccoli that is raw or steamed, but roasted or stir-fried broccoli is awesome! I also know people who love fresh green peas, but absolutely despise canned peas. So try prepping your hated vegetable in other ways and see how it differs in taste. 

9. Up the Ante: If you really, really hate most vegetables and you've tried all of my suggestions, then focus on which vegetables you actually do like and increase your consumption of these veggies. Even if your veggie diet isn't varied, you can still benefit from having more vegetables on a regular basis. 

10. Focus on Fruits: And my last suggestion, is that if you can't tolerate vegetables but love fruits, then focus on eating a wide-variety of fruits. Fruits are slightly less healthy than vegetables because of their high sugar content (even though it is 'natural' sugar, sugar is still sugar and acts similarly in the body, wrecking havoc when in excess). But, fruits are still loaded in vitamins, water, and fiber, so if you can't do a lot of vegetables, try to regularly get fruit in your diet.

The Human Hippy

Pictured above are two lattes... but not-at-all in the traditional sense. They are homemade almond milk, dandelion root coffee, and local, raw honey infused lattes. I know, I know: I'm a hippy.

Nevertheless, even though I present mostly uber healthy recipes on my blog and talk about healthy living and eating all.the.time., please understand that I am also human. My diet isn't perfect and sometimes eat food that isn't good for me. Enter my nemesis:

Ah, mini eggs. I never, ever crave candy. But when the Spring season rolls around and these bad boys hit the shelves, I have to buy a pack. Gah they're so good! Thank goodness they leave stores after Easter. Thank goodness they are a once a year treat.

So there you have it. Even naturopaths have junk food cravings. Most of the time we are regarded as hippies, but we're also humans with weaknesses just like everyone else.
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Happy Long Weekend!

The Naturopathic First Aid Kit/Pantry

I've been tallying up (in my head) all of the naturopathic medicines we keep naturally in our household. Products that you probably already have in your cupboard, but maybe didn't know that they could be used medicinally. While seeing a naturopathic doctor isn't cheap (unless you have private health insurance), a lot of the things that an ND will recommend are very inexpensive and are even free if you already keep a well-stocked pantry. It's what I love most about naturopathic medicine: finding natural ways to take care of ourselves. It reminds us that food (and other household goods) is medicine!

Below is my running list* of things that should be kept on hand as part of the Naturopathic First Aid Kit (also known as the Naturopathic Pantry). Most of these items are likely already kept in your the kitchen!

*This list a work in progress. I will continue to update this list as items come to mind. Feel free to add items to the comments of this post if you think of others.

Naturopathic First Aid Kit/Pantry

Coconut oil - great for skin as a moisturizer, use to make deodorant
Oats - for itchy skin add to baths, eat to relieve constipation, use in homemade face masks
Rice - use to make for congee (especially when experiencing gut troubles), part of the BRAT diet
Socks (thick, wool socks and a pair of thin, regular socks) - perform "wet socks" when getting sick
Ginger chews - for nausea, helps digestion after a big meal, carry on plane trips for motion sickness, warming after eating something cold/cooling. I like this brand.
Unsweetened cranberry juice - for urinary tract infections (UTIs)
Peppermint tea - to combat colds, helps digestion (don't forget to cover it)
Chamomile tea - to sooth tummy aches, helps babies teeth
Black tea - stops bleeding
Epsom salts - add to baths to relax muscles, great for injuries
Raw honey - dab onto acne (antimicrobial), make homemade cough syrup, mix with hot water and lemon when sick, soothes sore throats
Sea salt - gargle when sick, use as a natural exfoiliant when mixed with coconut oil (rub the mixture onto the body in the shower then wash off)
Apple sauce - part of the BRAT diet, replacement for eggs
Flax seeds - helps regulate hormones (part of the seed protocol too) good during PMS and menopause, replacement for eggs, 10 ways to eat more flax here.
Cayenne pepper - sprinkle on cold toes, a natural decongestant when eaten or inhaled
Olive oil - use to dilute essential oils, heart protective
Oranges/tangerines - dry the peels, then steep in tea to help digestion (dampness in TCM), eat when getting sick for the vitamin C and flavinoids
Onions - apply to ear during an ear ache, make homemade cough syrup, eat lots when sick in soups
Garlic - eat when sick in soups, lowers blood pressure, is anti-microbial
Lemon - in water it has many uses: acts as digestion stimulant, it helps the liver detox, flavors water, and drink hot when sick with honey
Kettle, bowl, and a towel - use for steam inhalation (place boiling water from the kettle into the bowl, place your face above the bowl, and wrap your head with the towel, trapping yourself into a little tent full of steam), add essential oils to this (~5-10 drops) if you have them

More: check out my post on culinary spices as medicine and one on herbal teas. 

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! 

Potato Chip Hierarchy

With Halloween on the horizon, junk food can be found all around. I had been thinking about doing a post about potato chips for awhile now, and what better time to finally write it with the junkiest of all holidays less than a week away.

Potato chips are without a doubt one of the most popular junk foods in North America. What is it about that crunch, grease, and salt that makes them so appealing to the public? Grocery stores have whole aisles devoted to them, they are always served at parties, and they've wedged their way into being the perfect side dish for otherwise healthy sandwiches and subs.

But as much as society loves chips, they are just no good for the body. They are too high in salt, fried, and contain empty calories. Nevertheless, for so many people, giving up potato chips 'cold turkey' is simply not going to happen. They are a comfort food, a social food, and a commonly craved food.

Since I know that late-night snacks aren't going anywhere (society loves them too much), I have created this list to highlight some of the best and worst chip options.  Next time you are buying chips, please consider my hierarchy when selecting a variety.  Where are you on this list?  Is there a chance you would consider moving down a level?

In order of worst to best:

Party mixes --> seasoned chips --> plain chips (+ 'baked' chips) --> organic tortilla chips --> organic plain --> root veggie chips --> lentil or bean chips --> salted nuts or seeds --> rice crackers --> organic popcorn --> kale chips

In order of worst to best (plus the reasons behind their rankings): 

10. Party mixes - the worst snack food because of the gluten in the pretzels  the fake 'cheeses', the heavy seasonings full of monosodium glutamate (MSG), and all sorts of other mystery ingredients.
9. Seasoned chips - BBQ, All-Dressed, Ketchup, etc are big no-nos because of their artificial flavorings, food dyes, and especially their chemicals like MSG.
8. Plain chips - If you want chips, plain or salt & vinegar are the cleanest varieties. They usually contain only three ingredients: salt, oil, and potatoes (and vinegar). Plain and simple, no hidden chemicals. Also clumped into spot #8 are any sort of 'baked' potato chip because even they often don't even contain potatoes (instead are made of potato 'flour' and a bunch of other fillers).
7. Organic tortilla chips - corn chips/tortillas are slightly worse than potato chips because corn is a common allergen. Lots of people are sensitive to corn without even knowing it. Since the majority of corn today is genetically modified, be sure to buy organic because that ensures that it is GMO-free (in Canada, organic means GMO-free).
6. Organic chips - potatoes are on the dirty dozen list, so technically any time you buy potatoes, they should be organic; same goes when buying potato chips.
5. Root veggie chips - you can buy all kinds of nifty root veggie chips like beet, sweet potato, and taro root chips. These will give you slightly more vitamins, but remember  they are still junk food and don't count towards your five-to-ten fruits and vegetable servings a day!
4. Lentil or bean chips - you can buy chips made out of lentil and bean flours which give you a bit of protein during your munching. Some chips pack in a lot of seeds too, like flax and sesame, which is an added plus.
3. Nuts or seeds - how about snacking on (lightly) salted nuts or seeds instead? This snack will give you some protein and a good dose of healthy oils. However, portion control is super important when snacking on nuts and seeds. Aim for no more than a 1/4 cup when snacking.
2. Plan rice crackers - now while rice crackers are nutritionally empty (they just contain rice...), the reason why I placed them so high on the list is because rarely do people eat rice crackers alone. They are usually paired with either hummus, cheese, salsa, or guacamole... making this snack a source of protein and/or vegetables!
1. Organic popcorn - popcorn is awesome because it satisfies the salty craving and the crunch, but it won't break your caloric bank, which is important to consider because most times snacking is out of boredom or sociallness and not hunger. Organic is important to keep it GMO-free.
0. Kale chips - and the ultimate winner of the chip countdown is the kale chip. Kale chips are tasty, chip-like, and super nutritious (kale is one of the healthiest foods ever). I would eat kale chips everyday if I had access to them. Unfortunately, they are expense to buy...but thankfully they are extremely easy to make. Recipe coming soon!

The Gluten-Free Bread Guide: Part One.

Since going gluten-free has become almost trendy these days (apparently due to several popular books on gluten, everyone is trying out this new "diet" to lose weight), companies have been quick to respond to the need for gluten-free breads. Yet, the majority of these breads are bad. Yep, there are a lot of bad gluten-free breads out there these days and I've unfortunately wasted money on many of them. While you are welcome to experiment with these breads yourself, you can save some money by taking my advice.  I've done the dirty work for you and present part one of the five gluten-free bread solutions. However, buyer beware, because a bread sans gluten will never taste as fluffy and doughy as a regular, gluten-loaded bread.  Gluten, my friends, is the protein responsible for the squishy-fluffy-softness that so many love about regular 'ol bread.  In the coming days (or weeks), I'll present the following five solutions:

Part One: Store-bought

Two: Local is best

Three: Outside the loaf

Four: Do it yourself

Five: Let's go alternative 

Part One: Store-bought. I've rounded up the top four store-bought (commercially produced) gluten-free breads I've tasted. Here they are a couple of snippets about them all.  I really wanted to give my top five breads, but I honestly can't recommend any other store bought bread because they are either too pricey, have crappy ingredients, or just aren't that tasty. Sad, I know!

1) Chia Bread Soft, chewy, toastable, doesn't crumble or fall apart, super simple ingredients, awesome chia seeds, Canadian, and organic! 
2) Flax Bread Chia's sister bread. Same goodness, only with the addition of flax!    
3) Udi's bagels Whole grain, satisfies the bagel craving, not quite the cleanest ingredient list, but pretty tasty!  
4) Brown Rice Bread Chewy, chewy, chewy!  Toasts well.  Perhaps a bit too gummy for some, but I don't mind the texture.  Simple ingredients.  Small bread slices, however.