Recipe: Faux Soy Sauce

Soy Sauce, or liquid salt (street name) is a popular, heavily used condiment with a long and ugly rap sheet. To focus on the negative aspects of soy sauce, would negate the purpose of this recipe. Instead, let’s take the main reasons people use it:

-flavour enhancer
-colour enhancer
-as a marinade
-balance flavours
-dipping sauce
-base for salad dressings

And the list goes on…

What is not so good about soy sauce:

-high in sodium
-possible traces of msg despite labelling otherwise
– high levels of 3-MCPD, a chemical which has the potential to cause cancer
-hidden wheat source
-soy itself which is not without its own controversies

After much tweaking and testing, we feel we have come up with a delicious and easy to make alternative to soy sauce. It is extremely popular with our performance nutrition patients, who always keep some on hand, even when they are travelling.Continue reading→

Superfood: Magic Mushrooms

Mushrooms have long been a “love it” or “hate it” food. Their culinary history is steeped in both truth and fiction, but one thing is for certain, they are definitely magical. Here is a brief overview of why they should be a part of your diet. As with all fruits and veggies, please source local and organic where possible.

What mushrooms do:

• Support immune function
• Promote cellular growth
• Protect against environmental stressors
• Help the body’s detoxification process
• Preserve cellular structure
• Support healthy gut flora
• Aid digestion

Other Miracles of Mushrooms

Help in the Fight Against Cancer
Current research shows that a diet that includes plenty of mushrooms can help slow down the development of certain cancers, including breast cancer, which is 70% hormone dependent. Mushrooms are one of the very few non-meat sources of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which has been shown to block aromatase, a protein necessary for producing estrogen in women. CLA is also found in dairy products, beef, and lamb.

A Great Source of Key Hard-to-get Nutrients
An average Portobello mushroom has 21% of the daily required intake of selenium and 33% of copper; it has as much potassium as a medium-size banana. Other varieties are just as rich in minerals and mushrooms retain their nutrients when stir-fried, oven baked or grilled.Continue reading→

Superfoods: Quinoa

Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah) is one of the most bland looking, yet most talked about superfoods of the past 2 years. This is due to both its versatility in cooking and the fact that it is a gluten-free grain. It you suffer from celiac disease, consider adding this to your nutrition regime.

Other interesting facts about Quinoa:

High Protein – Quinoa is a great protein alternative for those looking to eat more vegetarian or simply those just wanting to eat more whole foods. Quinoa can promote weight loss, build muscle, alleviate migraine headaches, help diabetes, promote cardiovascular health and prevent hardening of the arteries. It does all this and more while it fulfills its role as a super antioxidant.

Unique – Quinoa is considered a balanced protein, as it contains most of the key life supporting nutrients, along with all eight essential amino acids. This balance makes it highly digestible and completely unique in the plant kingdom.

Rich in Vitamins – Aside from its high protein content, quinoa is high in fibre, and vitamins: potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, copper, folate, and manganese. It is also abundant in linoleic acid, the essential fatty acid for the immune system.

Now for the best part.

It is very easy to cook!

An easy recipe that serves as a main or side dish, and leftover for lunch on its own or in a multigrain wrap:Continue reading→