I just finished enjoying my morning fiber-rich snack that I made myself with buckwheat, chia, hemp seeds, goji berries and cinnamon. As I was sitting here feeling my bowels thank me, I got to thinking, “what is it that many other people eat for a snack if they want to increase the fiber in their diet?” I asked around the office and a common response was All-Bran bars or Fiber1 bars. The names themselves scream, “You need to eat me! I’m healthy and full of fiber!” Being the skeptic that I am when it comes to product packaging and marketing, I decided to look into what these products contain to see if they lived up to all their claims. Let’s have a look at what I found out about the All-Bran bars when I started to undress their dirty little secrets. Read full post

Have you noticed lately how many products on the grocery store shelf are products I would classify as “unhealthy”, yet their packaging is screaming at you “I’m Healthy, Eat Me!” These are the products that clutter the front of their package with claims about “Trans Fat Free”, “Low Sodium”, “Fortified with Vitamin D”, “Omega-3”, “High in fiber”, etc. etc. These are all food marketing buzzwords but what do they actually mean? Are they a good indication of whether a food is healthy or not? People often ask me how I read food labels and how I determine which foods make it into my cart and which ones I gladly abandon on the grocery store shelf. Read full post

The one thing I have noticed about being in the nutrition industry, is the increased number of “poo” chats I have with people. I remember saying to Steve last Christmas time that at 100% of the holiday parties we attended, at some point the topic of bowel movements would creep into the conversation. From people informing me of their one bowel movement a week to their fecal matter resembling Maltesers, I heard it all. Read full post

It’s time to break out the fresh tomato sauce and Italian vino because this pasta is healthy and delicious… so delicious in fact, it will impress even the Italian in your life. I know because I live with one. My boyfriend is Italian and he loves his pasta. For the longest time we ate the regular store bought white flour pasta. Truth be told, on more than one occasion I even opted for the no name brand. Read full post