Enlightened Eater

Pulses, tomatoes, allium vegetables and herbs all combine for a simple delicious and nutritious  offering – a combo that’s perfect for International Mediterranean Diet Month.  Enjoy it for  lunch or as a side dish alongside your barbecue fare. Chick Pea, Roasted Red Pepper, Tomato and Mint Salad Makes 6 servings 1 19-oz./540-mL can chick peas, […]

Nowadays in our multi-cultural society, our culinary horizons   are being  broadened, and  ethnic dishes are no longer foreign offerings. Consequently the pleasure of pulses are yet again being discovered as star chefs incorporate them into their repertoires. Pulses partner wonderfully with seasonings from every cuisine and can be part of any course of any meal. […]

In my last post, I talked about 2016 being the International Year of Pulses and why, for health’s sake,  you should take the Pulse Pledge. The pledge is to put pulses on your menu at least once a week for ten weeks. But putting pulses on the menu also benefits planetary health and one of […]

May is Love Your Lentils month, when homegrown lentils are celebrated across the country. Canada is the world’s largest producers of lentils. To celebrate the popular pulse, Canadian Lentils has launched “Lentil Hunter with Chef Michael Smith” a new five-part web series. In the series, Chef Michael Smith, Food Network host, cookbook author, nutrition activist, […]

Just using your beans once a day offers a significant pay off  in terms of heart disease risk.  It’s something we certainly don’t do nearly enough. Research published in the in Canadian Medical Association Journal  reviewed 26 randomized controlled trials  (the gold standard of research) which were  conducted in  centres in Canada and the United […]

Maintaining insulin sensitivity is key to promoting good health. In my last post,  I pointed to elevated insulin levels being a major culprit in disease development. Lifestyle – both enlightened eating and active living – can  play a major role in keeping insulin readings in check. In addition,  accumulating research  shows that low blood  levels […]

With school holidays on next week’s calendar for many families, it’s another ideal time to get the picky eaters into the kitchen. There’s nothing like getting them involved in food preparation to help them expand their food horizons. Hands-on experiences not only teach kids about how to fend for themselves in the kitchen  when they’re […]