Healthy Snacks for Winter: Christmas Treats!  Winter Snacking  Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the food is so delightful! There’s a chill in the air as Christmas draws nearer. Mince pies and mulled wine are starting to make an appearance and the time for stuffing your face with festive goodies has arrived! The cold weather is a prerequisite for snacking, which can help us acquire the energy and nutrients we need to get us through these winter months.  Unfortunately, the temptation is often to fill ourselves with sugar-filled and starchy foods, but this needn’t be the case. It is...

What is a Healthy Gut?  Bowel problems: a taboo topic for many, but one that is gaining much traction in modern society. Cramping, bloating, vomiting, hemorrhoids, diarrhea and even exhaustion, anxiety and depression. These are the symptoms we can look forward to if we have an unhealthy gut. Fortunately, we can ease the discomforts or avoid them altogether by maintaining a healthy gut. But what exactly does a healthy gut look like? One that is colonized by trillions of bacteria, of course! Wait...what? It sounds a bit bizarre, but these tiny microbes work intrinsically with your gut to regulate its...

Does Coffee Make Anxiety Worse? Caffeine and Anxiety Many of us wake up in the morning and the first thing we will do is head for the kettle and prepare a hot cup of coffee. They call us coffee drinkers, and there is nothing quite like a warm cup of coffee to sip over the morning news and the din of screaming kids. The question, however, is How do you feel after you consume caffeine? As fulfilling as a hot cup of coffee is every morning, for those with feelings of anxiety, caffeine can make it even worse. Coffee, tea,...

Are Healthy Protein Snacks The Secret to Happiness? Can the secret to happiness be as simple as a healthy protein snack? Well if we are talking in terms of serotonin then it may just well be! But what is serotonin? Serotonin and Your Brain Health Serotonin is a chemical that relays signals in your body, influencing almost every one of the 40 million cells in your brain. It is commonly known as “the happy molecule”, impacting mood, sexual desire, appetite, sleep, memory, learning, and social behavior. Low brain cell production of serotonin is said to trigger depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety,...

There’s no doubt you’ve seen the health-claimed headlines about one of our planet's healthiest seed. Chia seeds, tiny black seeds from the Salvia Hispanica plant, are a member of the mint family. Originally grown in Central and South America, chia seeds have gained the world’s attention and dominated North America’s health industry thanks to a powerful nutrient profile. In ancient times, legend has it that Aztecs and Mayans used chia seeds as a source of energy, and thousands of years later, chia has become a staple in cupboards internationally. Here are four health benefits of chia seeds that everyone needs...