A story about running

Today I ran for 4 minutes. That actually sounds more impressive than it is, because I ran for 30 seconds, 8 times. So why the heck am I bragging about it? If you've been following me for any length of time, you may have picked up on the fact that almost since I started my …

Your doctor should be telling you this

Sometimes I wonder what the heck I’m doing, preaching about whole food, plant-based diets for preventing and reversing chronic disease. I’m not a medical professional, I’ve never studied nutrition in a post-secondary institution, I’m not a scientist of any kind, and I’ve only been eating this way myself for 2 years. I am a former …

Eating for health, not size

I’m not impressed by vegan athletes. All those breathless headlines about how this or that highly successful athlete does all this on a plant based diet. Guess what? Those guys and gals eat so much they can’t help but meet all their nutritional requirements. They don’t have to think about it. You know what’s hard? …

Why you always have room for dessert

When I was a kid and was having trouble finishing my plate, I’d often feel like I was full. But as soon as dessert was served, I’d miraculously have room for the largest portion on offer. I’m sure I wasn’t the only kid to claim my dessert stomach had room when my regular one didn’t. …

How to keep your inner caveman happy (without going paleo)

If you’ve read The Pleasure Trap by Doug Lisle and Alan Goldhamer, you will be aware of the motivational triad that drives all sentient creatures. All of us are wired to seek pleasure, avoid pain and conserve energy while doing so. This is the wiring that has developed over the last billion years and is …

Why you might not love a plant-based diet, and why it might not matter

Have you noticed that food is getting more delicious and appealing all the time? Food blogs and cookbooks are works of art compared to even a few years ago, and every recipe promises a mouthgasm. I unfollowed a very popular whole food, plant-based (wfpb) meal plan provider because I actually got sick of hearing about …

Six reasons your mental health improves when you eat whole plant foods

One of the many positive side effects of eating only whole plant foods is a noticeable improvement in mental wellbeing. It is common to hear people referring to a “lifting” or “lightness” when they describe their experience with switching to a wfpb diet. But it isn’t just anecdotal reports. Science, psychology and culture all play …

Do I have to be a vegan?

I sometimes worry that some folks may be put off the idea of switching to a wfpb diet because they fear having to become a vegan. In fact, being vegan may not improve their health.

How I Figured Out my Ideal Weight

At my last doctor's appointment before my daughter was born in 1996, my doctor commented that he was happy that my husband was not present because he hated to say a patient's weight out loud in front of her husband when it got too close to 200 pounds. He wasn't giving me heck for gaining …

The care and feeding of your microbiome – a quick guide

If you follow me on Facebook (you really should, I post lots of interesting things there) you'll know that I post a lot of articles that tout the connection between a healthy gut microbiome and our health. Often, there's an explanation of how we came to have the particular microbial makeup that we do. Whether …