Enlightened Eater

There is bad news to report:  On May 8th, Canada’s Members of Parliament defeated a bill  that would have had a major impact in promoting the health of Canadians. Bill C-460 – Sodium Reduction Strategy for Canada  incorporated the recommendations of Health Canada’s own expert committee on methods to reduce the sodium intakes of Canadians. […]

In honour of International Mediterranean Diet Month, here’s a flavor packed Mediterranean  salad,  inspired by Israeli chef Avi Steinitz. This herb salad, from my book, The Enlightened Eater’s Whole Foods Guide,   is also  wonderful as a bed for grilled fish. Za’atar, a  blend of dried hyssop, sumac and sesame seeds, is available at Middle […]

It’s the time of year to celebrate the Mediterranean Diet. While the diet may be centuries old,  it was the Boston-based think tank  Oldways who  reclaimed it and put it back on the map and onto the dinner plates of North Americans. As a dietitian, I was familiar with the research of  Ancel Keys, the […]

While it may be smart for us to follow safe sun practices and use sunscreen, we can still reap the vitamin D benefits of sun exposure. Just eat vitamin D mushrooms. Mushrooms, like humans, produce vitamin D when they are exposed to ultraviolet light of a certain intensity. They are the only naturally occurring plant-based […]

For mushrooms lovers, this soup is as intense in mushroom flavour as it gets. And it’s packed with a variety so you get an assortment of mushroom’s phytochemicals. The recipe is from my book, The Enlightened Eater’s Whole Foods Guide. l l Mushroom Soup l Makes 4 -6 servings or 6 cups/ 1.5 L 2 […]

At one time, nutritionally speaking, mushrooms and their exceptionally low caloric content was their only claim to fame. They were a dieter’s best friend as they could fill you up with minimal caloric damage – provided, though, that they weren’t sautéed in a sea of butter or paired with cream in a soup. But mushrooms […]

Do you know what a fundamental difference between the food and produce industries is? For the most part, it seems that many in the food industry  want to maintain the status quo in offering consumers all kinds of products with not much in the way of real nutrition. True there is a segment trying to […]

Roasting or steaming folate-rich vegetables, such as asparagus,  is preferred over boiling as the vitamin is water soluble and can be leached into the cooking water. The shallots and sesame seeds not only add flavour but antioxidants as well. Roasted Asparagus with Sesame Seeds Serves 4 1 pound (500 g) asparagus spears, tough ends trimmed […]