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Caring for your skin, naturally
Caring for your skin, naturally
24 Aug 2012
Protect the skin covering your body as you would the “skin” covering the planet you live on by making decisions to use natural skin-care products that don’t poison you - or the earth. Ingredients in many commercial skin-care treatments contain toxins that, over time, will undermine the elasticity and balance of human skin just as they will corrupt the delicate balance of the ecosystem. The number of potentially harmful chemicals contained in skin-care products is quite high. When they’re applied and rubbed onto the skin they are quickly absorbed into the body.
Read More >>Veggie barbecues to satisfy everyone.
Veggie barbecues to satisfy everyone.
18 Jun 2009
Fred Flintstones everywhere may be shocked by the use of the word “vegetarian” in the same sentence as “barbecue”, but it’s more than semantics for serious meat eaters.
For some the notion that cooking over open fire could be accomplished with anything less than a Bronto Burger is archaic.
Get over it! Such prehistoric thinking is part of the past. There’s an acceptance that vegetables can share the grill with meat — or even take it over! You can enjoy flame-roasted vegetables as much as a grilled rib-eye and yes, vegetables can be more than a side dish.
Read More >>Fighting off the flu
Fighting off the flu
1 Jun 2009
FLU FACT: Germs can live for hours, even weeks, only to be picked up again by the next person who touches the same object.
No one wants to spend two weeks sick in bed this summer with a fever, cough, aches, chills, and headaches, along with diarrhea and vomiting.
Flu prevention can be more important than actual treatment because once you’ve attracted the flu bug, you’ve got to let it run its course.
Read More >>Yogurt putting bacteria into your diet
Yogurt putting bacteria into your diet
1 May 2009
Part of Middle Eastern diets for 4,000 years, yogurt has had a long life – and a historic association with longevity. Yet, despite enduring popularity, there are still those suspicious of adding bacteria to their diets.Yogurt is the end product of the bacterial fermentation of milk, made by adding a starter culture of bacteria to pasteurized milk. The bacteria naturally act on the milk’s sugar to create lactic acid, giving yogurt its thick, creamy texture and tangy flavour.
The bacteria aid digestion while passing through the digestive system within a day or two. It’s also a dairy product that even those with moderate lactose intolerance can enjoy without ill effects because yogurt contains lactase, the enzyme needed to break down lactose (milk sugar) for proper digestion. And yogurt is nutritionally rich in protein, calcium, riboflavin, vitamins B6 and B12, and has the energy fuel of carbs.
Calcium maintains bone and colon health and reduces the risk of colon cancer and osteoporosis.
Studies have shown that yogurt can even help suppress the appetite and boost metabolism. Ana Luque, in her 2008 book “The Yogurt Diet” noted that eating three servings a day promotes weight loss (her tests showed those who ate yogurt had 81 per cent more fat loss than the control subjects).
There are numerous varieties of yogurt on store shelves — in tubs, one-serving cups, and squeezable tubes, or as a sundae with fruit on the bottom. There are even dessert and drinkable offerings, soy-based, heart-friendly, custard, heat-treated, and, of course, frozen.
There are yogurts with fruit and flavour added. Some claim to be fat-free while others are advertised as low calorie or no sugar added. Still others have added vitamins, omega-3s, and even probiotics — enzymes that improve digestion and bolster the immune system.
All these choices can be confusing, so which are the healthiest yogurts? The likely answer is the least purchased kind: plain, nonfat, organic yogurt with active cultures.
In fact, look for any yogurt made without gelatins, sugars or artificial sweeteners. Check the label and ensure that “skim milk” or “yogurt” is listed as the first ingredient. Compare calories carefully. Some yogurts have 180 calories per cup, others only 80.
Versatile yogurt is a sweet treat. Enjoy it in a variety of ways: with honey, in a smoothie, or with granola or fruit. Substitute yogurt in place of sour cream or use it as a great dip or sauce.
Read More >>
A day for the future of the Earth
A day for the future of the Earth
1 Apr 2009
Every April 22, more than six million Canadians join a billion people in nearly 190 countries to honour our planet and all its riches.
Earth Day, the most celebrated environmental event, challenges our notion of sustainability and questions what actions we’re capable of to help protect its myriad ecosystems.
Earth Day is a time to ask about our stewardship of the Earth, a time to ask what habits we can change for the next year — and over a lifetime.
Superfoods: so much more with every mouthful
Superfoods: so much more with every mouthful
27 Feb 2009
There are just some foods that are, well… super.
Super good for you, that is.
They are the “superfoods”, nutrient-dense edibles that doctors and nutritionists tell us help prevent disease and do more for your body than does the average mouthful.
Read More >>Heart health - ensuring the beat goes on
Heart health - ensuring the beat goes on
3 Feb 2009
What you eat and how you keep your body in motion are two relatively simple ways to control your heart health.
A balanced diet can increase heart-healthy nutrients while managing your weight, keeping your blood pressure down, controlling blood sugar levels, and lowering cholesterol.
Read More >>The holiday season doesn’t have to mean overindulgence.
The holiday season doesn’t have to mean overindulgence.
1 Dec 2008
The season’s renown for constant temptation, delectable nibbles, and full-scale feasting need not be equated with weight gain and guilt. The average person may gain weight in just two short weeks of December, yet there are ways to exercise restraint without missing a morsel.
Read More >>Our way of saying “thanks very much”
Our way of saying “thanks very much”
1 Nov 2008
As we celebrate the opening of the 10th Planet Organic Market store (this one in Toronto), it’s a good time to remind ourselves of the special relationship we have with our customers.
Read More >>Go vegetarian… if not for you, then for the planet
Go vegetarian… if not for you, then for the planet
1 Oct 2008
The practice of vegetarianism isn’t new, but the tradition has gained global acceptance in the past century as we’ve searched for better ways to eat — for us and for the planet.
Those who have adopted a strict vegetarian diet have done so for reasons encompassing ethical, religious, cultural, psychological, or economic beliefs. Valid arguments to be made for vegetarianism include our own health, animal cruelty, and the protection of the environment.
Besides, the old saw that eating your vegetables is good for you has more than a morsel of merit.
Read More >>