This season’s Biggest Loser featured an episode where the contestants were invited to the White House to visit First Lady Michelle Obama’s vegetable garden. They plucked and harvested lush and supple items that were brought back into the White House kitchen, where everyone was put to work to learn and prepare a presidential salad, which they could easily recreate and incorporate into their everyday meal. What a fun idea!

And this is no wimpy vegetable garden that Mrs. Obama cultivated with her own two hands, nope - it’s a garden Martha would be proud of, showcasing 55 varieties of organic vegetables, from arugula to spinach, chard, collards, kale, and a colourful array of lettuces including red romaine, butterhead, galactic, and red leaf. There are also berries and herbs and two hives of honey to boot. She had some super helpers, too. In fact, 23 grade 5 students from Bancroft Elementary School, along with her own family, helped her build this healthful garden.

But good things are not only growing in Washington - it is a healthy movement that is gaining remarkable steam all over North America. [Read more →]

Yep, we’re headed into the depths of the cold and flu season. And with the addition of the new flu - H1N1 - we’re also headed into some unknown territory. Now more than ever, it’s important to understand what it takes to avoid being infected, care for ourselves if we do get sick, and prevent the further spread of whatever virus we’ve picked up.

> A guide to good hand-washing hygiene

> Should I get a seasonal flu shot? What about an H1N1 shot?

> Find an H1N1 vaccination clinic in your area

> Know when to call in sick

> Watch: How the influenza virus takes hold vs. the onset of a cold

> Get a look at how immunizations and vaccinations work

> Considering a humidifier? 8 things to think about before you buy

> Tips for caring for someone with H1N1

> 8 must-have items for DIY cold relief

> Are you sure you blow your nose the right way?

> Get up-to-date news and information about the H1N1 swine flu virus

Have you been tuning in along with the rest of North America? The Dr. Oz Show is all the hype since its launch this September, and I must tell you, I wish I had TiVo!

It’s such a breath of fresh air to have an informative health show on everyday well-being, as oppose to all the soap operas and shopping channels that make up daytime TV these days. [Read more →]

What’s really going on with people? It can be hard to know. One thing I learned in counselling training has been very helpful to me.

It’s about how we – women and men - deal with anger and sadness. It seems that our affect does not often truly match what is going on inside us. [Read more →]

Recently I heard a man speaking about a time when his preschool daughter acted up to the point that her mother couldn’t give their new baby enough attention. The man’s wife called him, asking him to come home to help deal with their daughter.

When he got home, the little girl was crying and raising a real fuss. He tried to calm her down, without much effect. Finally she calmed enough to speak. He was floored by what she said … [Read more →]

Every weekday morning, I pour myself a hearty, grainy bowl of granola and top it off with berries, bananas, or almonds. (On the weekend, I indulge my egg love).

Recently, I switched from my long-time favourite honey-and-oat-based cereal to one filled with pumpkin seeds and flaxseed - these teeny-tiny brown seeds that, I hesitate to admit this, I first thought resembled legless bedbugs. Eww, unappetizing, I know. Don’t get me wrong, they tasted great - slightly nutty and added just a bit more texture to the mix.

But once I read up on those little nutritional powerhouses, I realized what a good breakfast choice I’d made.

Why flaxseeds are fabulous:

- Just a tablespoon of flaxseed provides a hefty helping of the kind of omega-3 fatty acids that can help to protect us from heart disease, high blood pressure, and bone loss.

- Flaxseeds are one of the best sources for omega-3s for those who don’t eat fish or want to take fish oils.

- The little seeds pack lots of soluble and insoluble fibre to aid digestion and help to lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar.

A helpful flax fact: Flaxseeds are so small that it’s easy to just swallow them whole. What you’ll come to find out is that a flaxseed swallowed whole will, ahem, stay that way once it’s digested. Be sure to chew them up to get the full benefit of the seeds!

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Keep reading for more information about flaxseeds’ nutritional benefits as well as what they taste like and how to store them and sprinkle them into a healthy diet.