BBQ season is about to officially hit here in Canada as we count down the days to the summer kick-off that is the May long weekend. The following is the list of ingredients from a package of commercially popular hot dogs which claim to have an "authentic ball-park taste": modified milk ingredients, modified wheat flour, dextrose, sodium erythorbate, hydrolyzed soy protein, onion powder, smoke flavour, sodium nitrite...and on and on.

Winter is finally over and at long last spring is here! What better way to celebrate the change in seasons than by spring cleaning our lives, not just our closets. We can use this time to make over our meal plans, dust out our thought patterns, and shed new light on our routines.

Why is it so tough to remember to floss? I rarely run into a patient who can't remember to brush their teeth twice a day, but even the most conscientious among us come to their hygiene appointment anxious and awaiting the hygienist's lecture about flossing.

This cake wasn't dry at all. It was super moist, just sweet enough and way too good to have around the house. What was my secret weapon? Apple sauce. I love using apple sauce in my gluten free baked treats because it works in three magical ways to make for baking success.

I was both delighted and surprised when I was contacted by a casting agency for a President's Choice TV campaign around their healthier choices Blue Menu products. But "healthier" is not the same as "healthy." I was not the only nutritionist called in for an interview. I was also not the only nutritionist who wasn't willing to put their name or professional reputation behind these products.

This year I resolved to get my family more healthy and active, by employing 10 simply strategies. I had taken inventory of my family's daily nutrition, and realized that there was room for improvement in both the quality and quantity of food that my family consumed. So here are the 10 simple strategies.

I am not actually an advocate of the "New Year's Resolution." Alternatively, I think it wise to keep various purposeful projects going all year long, and to me the New Year merely represents yet another checkpoint. So today, I would like to offer up a few of my ideas about how anyone can start making 2013 a year full of love, happy life, and laughter, and some small and manageable, yet very impact-full changes for better health.

Egg nog is gross. Really gross. It is made of cream, sugar, spices and traditionally, raw eggs. For many of you, this might still sound like an amazing holiday treat. For me, it sounds like the makings of a massive hork-worthy-throat-phlegm-wad. Now, my recipe uses Irish Moss (also known as Sea Moss), to give it that creamyness and this super sea veggie actually has the absolute opposite effect.

In addition to its physical benefits, dancing also promotes psychological and mental well-being. The benefits of dancing are most evident in studies investigating its impact on various conditions including Type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's and dementia, all prominent diseases in the senior population.

Vaccinations are a hot, hot, and very heated topic. We all want to be healthy and we all want to do our best for ourselves and our family to maintain great health throughout the winter season. My best approach is to do all I can to keep the terrain, my body strong and healthy, and focus on prevention strategies.

Family events can be tough and you don't have to be a vegetarian or a vegan to recognize that the typical Thanksgiving meal is heavy. My best advice, therefore, is to stick with the side dishes. Choose carefully and load up on the lighter options, taking small portions of the heavier, more decadent delights. Here are some of my favourite Thanksgiving Feast creations -- season appropriate, taste-bud delighting and wonderfully health promoting.

Going into a health food store is daunting -- even for me. There is just so much stuff, so many labels, so many claims. Multiply that by a hundred and that is what the annual Canadian Health Food Association's Trade Show is like. Out of the loads of products I taste tested, reps that I chatted with, and packaging I scrutinized, a few products stood out.

Many of us find it hard to take time out for yoga, even though the health benefits are proven. Try these tips, and make it easier to commit to a regular practice. Be good to yourself by consistently bringing a little yoga into your life!

Every single year we know that this is cold and flu season and instead of doing what we need to do, we just sit and wait for it plough us over. It's the germ that gets us but our own terrain that sets the stage to welcome in the germ. There are some crazy simple things we can start doing now to help ward off the autumn cold so that instead of calling in sick, we can call in healthy and go out and play.

Wellness is all about maintaining that proper balance in our lives, and there are infinite ways to go about doing just that. One of my favourite ways to get more in tune with where I am is through yoga. It's a tried-and-true activity that after a few mindful moments always seems to help me find my centre, even on the hairiest of days. Nothing beats a slew of sun salutations followed by Savasana, and then a snack! So here, I present my very yogi treat: Sun Salute -- Sun & Sun Patties

Trying out any new activity can be intimidating, especially one where advanced students are twisting their bodies into pretzel-like poses. Don't let fear of the unknown keep you from discovering yoga, and radically improving your health. Use these six tips to help demystify your first yoga experience and get yourself to class!

"Orthorexia nervosa - obsessed with eating to improve your health" defined "orthorexia" as "a new type of eating disorder [...] where people are becoming obsessed with eating to improve their health." Uh... where does that leave you and I? I have often said that we could only be so lucky to be named "the healthy one" by those around us.

It's barbecue and picnic season! It's a great time to enjoy delicious food and the outdoors with your family. However, you may also be in the company of some unwanted guests -- bacteria and bacterial toxins that grow on your food can cause food poisoning, something that often gets passed off as the stomach flu. Here are some tips to fight back!

The smell factor, also known as aromatherapy, is so powerful. It can uplift you on gloomy days, it can pick you up and it can even bring you back to an early childhood memory. If you're like me, not wanting to depend on medicinal results, aromatherapy is an excellent option. The following are some examples of how aromatherapy could improve your life...