Coconut water matches sports drinks?

If you’re thinking about grabbing a bottle of Powerade or Gatorade after a workout, try drinking coconut water instead. According to a study that involved rehydrating men after a 60-minue workout, pure coconut water was just as effective as coconut water from concentrate and a sport drink containing carbohydrates and electrolytes. With sales above $450 million worldwide, coconut water is one of the fastest growing new categories in sports beverages according to New Nutrition Business. The popularity of coconut water can be attributed to having the same isotonic benefits as sports drinks, but they are a natural product with no additives of any kind, including sweeteners. They are also a great source of calcium, magnesium, and potassium. However, it should be noted that this study was funded by VitaCoco Company who sells 100% pure coconut water. Remember to always see who’s funding the study before you make your own conclusions!

Check out this article at:

http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Research/Coconut-water-matches-carb-electrolyte-sports-beverage-for-rehydration-Study

From Jessica P

Feeling blue? Try these mood-boosting foods!

Even though we haven’t had the typical Canadian season filled with short, cold and snowy days, the winter months still seem to come with a change in our mood to more of an anxious, agitated, sluggish or sad state. To combat this, maybe try a natural alternative like some of these delicious food items that will make you feel better and boost your brain activity!

Mussels: Loaded with the brain protecting vitamin B12, which can keep your mind sharp as you age. Mussels also contain trace nutrients like zinc, iodine and selenium that affect your thyroid, the master mood regulator.

Swiss Chard: This green vegetable is filled with magnesium, which is essential for biochemical reactions that occur in the brain to boost energy levels and could potentially aid in depression.

Blue Potatoes: Not a common vegetable, but the blue colour is due to the amount of anthocyanins (antioxidants that are in blueberries too!) that have neuro-protective benefits including improving short-term memory and enhancing your mood.  The potato skin also contains iodine, which again, helps to regulate the thyroid.

Asparagus: Contains loads of tryptophan, which is the basis for serotonin, the primary mood-regulating neurotransmitter. Asparagus also contains folate which can help combat against depression. And for those who enjoy drinking alcohol, the enzymes found in asparagus can also act as a hangover aid and effectively break down alcohol in your system.

Check out this website for the full list of foods! 

http://todayhealth.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/06/10312402-happiness-may-be-a-bite-away-with-11-mood-boosting-foods

- Kendra!

No more need for low-carb diets?!

New research suggets that when trying to lose weight, as long as the calories are reduced, it doesn't matter where they come from! So many people cut back on fat and especially carbs but this study says you can have both, as long as you cut back on amounts. 


Researchers put people on either: 


1)average protein, low fat, and higher carbs;


2)high protein, low fat, and higher carbs; 


3)average protein, high fat and lower carbs; or 


4)high protein, high fat and lower carbs.

The reults may surprise you. There was no difference in weight loss or fat reduction across all 4 groups.

Check out the link for more info!


http://www.healthzone.ca/health/dietfitness/article/1123698--calories-count-but-not-where-they-come-from-study

Strokes in Canada!

The occurrence of strokes in Canada is astonishing - one stroke in every 10 minutes. Ischemic strokes being the most common cause of Canadian strokes are caused by blood clots restricting blood flow to the brain. Risk factors include the usual causes of many chronic diseases like obesity, heart disease and diabetes that most of us are familiar with: smoking, high weight, high cholesterol, excess alcohol, stress, and high blood pressure. 

However, Canadians may be able to drastically reduce their risk of getting an ischemic stroke by adjusting their diets to include more magnesium. This mineral helps maintain healthy blood pressure, and regulate blood sugar. Great sources of magnesium include beans, tofu, dark leafy greens, almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds and yogurt. Eat up!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/new-health/health-nutrition/leslie-beck/to-lower-your-stroke-risk-pay-attention-to-this-mineral/article2305379/


- Maggie

Multivitamins may boost our memory

Its exam time again! According to a randomized controlled trial data, multivitamins may boost your memory. A daily multivitamin and mineral supplement with herbal ingredients added to it was found to boost the memory of older women. However, there were no effects seen for other mental processes in this study conducted from Australia. Older women were given supplements for sixteen weeks and they had significant improvement in spatial working memory. This is great because our cognitive performance naturally declines with age. The supplements also had no adverse effects (so it can be taken daily), levels of vitamin B6 and B12 increased, and there was a decrease in the amino acid homocysteine (associated with dementia). Even though this study involved older women, I think it can apply to us and improve our spatial working memory. So I’ll keep taking my multivitamins to boost my memory and help me study during exam time

Check out this article at:

http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Research/Multivitamins-may-boost-memory-RCT-data

From Jessica P

5 ways Green Tea is good for your oral health!

1. It fights cavities! Who knew? Green tea helps control bacteria and therefore tooth decay and can help prevent cavities
2.Healthy gums! Green tea's antioxidant effects can help prevent gum disease
3.Keep your teeth! Green tea helps prevent tooth loss because of numbers 1 and 2. Healthy teeth (i.e. no cavities and healthy gums) are not likely to fall out. 
4.Cancer! Green tea helps control oral cancers by slowing the progression
5. Better breath! Unlike coffee, green tea can improve your breath because of the anti-microbial properties

Check out this link for further informtion and tips on drinking green tea to reap these benefits. 

http://www.besthealthmag.ca/get-healthy/oral-health/5-ways-green-tea-is-good-for-your-oral-health


Alex

Yogurt: Health Food or Dessert?

I’ve recently read a few chapters out of “What to Eat” by Marion Nestle, and one chapter in particular kept my attention simply because I can admit to falling victim to the assumption that all yogurts make a healthy snack.  The author makes her opinion clear, saying “Yogurt, it seems, has performed a marketing miracle; it is a fast-selling dairy dessert with the aura of a health food”.

When you see all kinds of yogurts lined up in the grocery store, it’s hard not to be overwhelmed by the choices of flavours that lay before you.  There seems to be a common theme between all the different flavours – that being sweetness.  Some fruit flavoured yogurts may very well have real fruit in them, but there are plenty that simply add concentrated fruit juices and added colours just to contribute to the visual of the “fruitiness”.  The sweeter the flavour of your yogurt, the more sweeteners your yogurt is bound to contain – fructose, fruit concentrates, corn syrup, and other artificial sweeteners.  To contribute to the health food aura yogurt tries to maintain, fruit flavours are what you’ll find most of when you visit the grocery store.

                   Since most of these fruit-flavoured yogurts will contain more sugar than fruit, your best bet is to buy a plain yogurt and add fresh fruit to it – you’ll know exactly what you’re getting into!  A great way to consume this is to make it into a smoothie – that way you still feel as if you’re getting a treat. One cup of non-fat or low-fat milk, ¾ cup of plain yogurt and around ¾ cup of your favourite frozen fruit blended together are good proportions to start off with (if you’re using fresh fruit, add a couple ice cubes as needed to thicken it up).  I find using a mixture of strawberries and pineapples helps avoid the temptation to add refined sugar – they sweeten your smoothie naturally! Enjoy J