09Apr 2021 by Leah Higl
6 Tests You Should Get if You Are Vegan

6 Tests You Should Get if You Are Vegan

Health
Blood and urine tests can tell you a lot about your general health, including if you are getting adequate micronutrients through your diet. This is particularly useful as a vegan since many vitamins and minerals are more difficult to consume in sufficient amounts. However, these types of test can be done for every single nutrient. For example, testing calcium concentration in your blood does not tell you anything about how much calcium is provided through your diet. This is because calcium in the blood is tightly controlled. If your dietary intake is inadequate, additional calcium is simply taken from your bones. Zinc is another good example. Dietary intake for zinc is an issue for some vegans, particularly men who have very high requirements. But zinc levels from blood tests do…
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09Apr 2021 by Leah Higl
Mindful Eating: A Dietitian’s Guide

Mindful Eating: A Dietitian’s Guide

Health
In a world that is always going 100 miles an hour, it can be easy to get caught up in it all and forget to stop and smell the roses. Or in this case, stop to enjoy that delicious homemade stir-fry or the ice-cream sandwich for dessert. Research shows that those who take up mindful eating practices are less likely to binge eat or eat for emotional satisfaction. They are also more in tune with their body's internal hunger and satiety signals. Mindless eating on the other hand has been linked to over eating and increased stress and anxiety. The Difference Between Mindful Eating & Intuitive Eating Mindful eating and intuitive eating get confused all of the time. This is likely because the essence of these two ideologies is very…
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06Apr 2021 by Leah Higl
10 Facts People Don’t Know About Nutrition

10 Facts People Don’t Know About Nutrition

Health
Nutrition as well as the health and fitness industry in general, can be a very confusing space. This confusion relates to the sheer volume of information available to us at any one time. No matter the social media platform, there is a sea of voices all chiming in on different topics of food and nutrition. Doctors, dietitians, nutritionists, personal trainers, fitness influencers, health coaches and naturopaths all have something to say about nutrition and often there are many conflicting points of view. It’s hard to know who to trust. Anyone can publish information about nutrition and many people do without adequate knowledge. To help to clear up some misinformation, here are the top 10 facts that most people don’t know about nutrition: 1. Nutrition is a science. You’ve eaten all…
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31Mar 2021 by Leah Higl
Fat Burning VS Fat Loss

Fat Burning VS Fat Loss

Body Composition
Fasted cardio and very low carb diets have both been consistently touted as the special ingredient for fat loss due to their ability to increase fat burning. You don’t have to be a veteran of Bodybuilding.com to have heard that skipping breakfast before some morning cardio or eating chicken and broccoli, hold the rice, is the secret to getting ripped.  Both fasted cardio and very low carb diets have gained popularity based on the assumption that if your body does not have carbs to burn for energy, it will burn fat instead. From a superficial level, it would make sense to assume that burning fat for energy would equal fat loss. But does this claim really check out? What is fat burning? ‘Fat burning’ or fat oxidation refers to the…
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26Mar 2021 by Leah Higl
The Vegan Athlete Diet Guide

The Vegan Athlete Diet Guide

Sports
Veganism can be a tough journey to navigate generally. You add in being an athlete of any kind and the complexity definitely goes up. Whether you are a weekend warrior or an elite athlete, most people want to get the most out of their diet for both body composition and performance.  The Netflix documentary, Game Changers did a pretty good job at convincing people that by simply being vegan, your athletic performance and body composition will magically improve beyond your wildest dreams.  But alas, veganism won't inherently make you a better athlete. To some extent, depending on your previous diet, the increase in plant-based foods that comes with transitioning to a vegan diet may improve your recovery. However, a vegan diet should be strategically designed for each individual person to ensure…
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12Mar 2021 by Leah Higl
9 Things You Should Be Doing On a Vegan Diet: A Dietitian’s Guide

9 Things You Should Be Doing On a Vegan Diet: A Dietitian’s Guide

Health
People adopt veganism for a variety of reasons – for animal welfare, to improve their health, or even due to the environmental concerns surrounding animal agriculture. In any case, a vegan diet can be a difficult thing to navigate without knowing some basics. So, if you are vegan, or have ever thought about going vegan, read on! From a dietary perspective, veganism is the complete avoidance of animal products such as meat, dairy, and eggs. However, veganism as a philosophy, which places animal rights at the forefront, extends to all aspects of living far beyond what is on the end of your fork.  Vegans will also avoid: Products tested on animals such as household cleaning productsAnything made of animal-sourced materials such as wool and leatherAttractions or events that utilize any…
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03Dec 2016 by Leah Higl
Are Artificial Sweeteners Bad for Us?

Are Artificial Sweeteners Bad for Us?

Health
Artificial sweeteners have been used in the food industry for decades. The demand for them comes down to their sweet, satisfying taste minus the calories. It is a bit like having your cake and eating it too. But there has been a lot of debate over the safety and efficacy of using artifcial sweeterners. Studies have suggested an association between artificial or non-nutritive sweeteners and a range of health outcomes including diabetes, cancer, gut health as well as changes to body weight.  However, the current pool of evidence is conflicting for the most part and we don’t really have a clear answer for any of these potential associations.  We would all probably like to think that nothing would be put in our food that was not 100% safe to eat,…
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