In my private practice, I get to solve food, diet and lifestyle problems all the time. It is very gratifying for me and the client.

Amplifying that in a group setting with a lunch and learn session helps me stay in touch with what people are hearing, interpreting and...

Will there ever be any consensus on food addiction? Some people believe that overeating is just a lack of personal willpower and others think there is a biological source. We tend to perceive people who overeat as slothful and weak, but new evidence shows that it may not be that...

Do Calories or Burn Rate Matter more?

If knowing the calories contained in a food works a little to dissuade you from ordering fatty foods, knowing the work you have to do to burn it of dissuades a lot. Here's...

Beach vacations are probably the most unhealthy way to recharge your battery. Most people sit in the sun for too long risking burns, aging skin and skin cancer. Then add the impulse to snack too often, drink too much and move very little. Any exercise that is taken is often...

Health News Recap of week of April 7-13, 2013

1. Salmonella in nuts

Trophy Brand Nut Mix was recalled this week for containing salmonella. The brand was mostly sold in the western provinces and no illnesses have been reported.

Once upon a time salmonella was only found in fish...

It comes as a shock to people that most liver disease in Canada (and likely the U.S.) is caused by food abuse causing obesity and not by alcohol abuse. The liver of a 10-year-old overweight child who is fed junk all his years can be just as damaged as that...

My health digest news recap touches on some of the key foods that were popular on Easter weekend.

Watch CTVnewchannel clip here

Health Topics in the news this week:

Chocolate and Eyesight

We know that chocolate is generally good for you but now there is evidence that it...

There are a few things that you are probably doing that are making you look older than you are. Some of them affect the outside, some of them affect the inside, and all of them are easy to change. Here are the four steps you need to take to look...

Every person I know has said to me at one time or another "I wish I had more energy." It isn't all that hard when you know what "energy" means and where it comes from.

Energy comes from the conversion of food into fuel in your body. It is...

Fresh and local doesn't get any better than what I experienced last week in Marseille, France. By now we all know that we need to eat more fish, less meat and lots of veg but our Canadian culture and climate doesn't really support that process easily. And, even...

I ran my first 10 K, slightly reluctantly and ever so slowly but, you know what? I got hooked. It was a girls' weekend away and I really had no intention of doing anything more than walking a beautiful course in Bermuda while dreaming about the spa visit at

As if the disgusting North American amusement of eating contests isn't bad enough, we now have a whole new TV program to show the world how abhorrently out of touch with food we are. Get Stuffed takes our sickness to a whole new level by pitting competitors...

I know I am going to get it for saying so, but I think this new gastric gadget aspireassist is ridiculous. It appears that the gadget inserts a port that allows for some of the food that is consumed to be siphoned out before it is digested....

It's common knowledge that French women don't get fat, but what about French men? And what are they doing that allows them to stay slender while drinking twice as much wine as North Americans and eating way more fatty foods. More importantly...can you get away with it too?

The...

This New Year your only resolution will be to change one habit. That's it. And, if you do it well many, many other habits will follow and you won't even have to think about it. Want to know the secret?

All habits are created for the same reason and...

For the love of life, drop that New Year's resolution to lose weight. Come on, you made the same commitment last year too and look where it got you. By all means, clean it up a bit and shave off those holiday pounds right away. The sooner you do, the...

At the speed of this life, it is hard to get all of the nutrients you need. Every modern human needs a few tricks up their sleeve to boost or better the food they choose. In nutrition circles "nutrient density" is the name of the game which means making every...

New reports of superbugs like MRSA and C. Difficile being rife in hotel rooms could scare you away from travelling altogether. What a shame! Should you be worried? Or are there ways you can protect yourself?

The truth is that these super bugs are ubiquitous. They are on...

Come on sunshine, what can you show me?!

You know you want to turn that steering wheel into the line up at the drive through. A quickie breakfast sandwich ought to wake you up, right? A new study says that this is the route to artery disaster, its...

You have heard of the metabolic syndrome or "pre-diabetes" but what if that is also happening in your brain, making it slower, each time you (or worse, your kids) drink pop, eat candy or suck back sugar in your latte? Recent evidence from studies conducted at the University of California...