by Dr. Talia Marcheggiani, ND | Sep 10, 2013 | Diet, Digestion, DIY, Food, Food Sensitivities, Health, Nutrition
The only beauty product you need, really, is a jar of coconut oil and a few ingredients from your kitchen. This delicious-tasting oil is great for cooking because of its high melting point, allowing it to be used in stir-frys or other foods cooked and baked at higher temperatures without oxidizing. It’s also unique in its possession of a healthy saturated fat called lauric acid and its medium chain fatty acids, known for their tendency to be used directly as fuel by the body, rather than being stored as fat. Coconut oil also boasts of antibacterial properties and has a low molecular weight, allowing it to absorb silkily into skin and hair. Here are 10 healthy uses for this oil for the inside and outside of your body.
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by Dr. Talia Marcheggiani, ND | Sep 3, 2013 | Cooking, Education, Food, Gluten Free, Health, Nutrition, Recipes, Student
Welcome back to school, everyone! Thankfully, being a 4th year intern, my days of sitting in lecture are over with for now. For the rest of you tireless scholars, I find that long days in class are made more bearable when I have something yummy and nutritious to nosh on. Just in case you’re bored of the old soup, sandwich, salad lunch rut, here is a new take on portable nutrition. This recipe is low-carb, high in protein and contains a serving of leafy greens. Kale is one of nature’s most perfect foods. Chock full of vitamins and minerals, this versatile leafy green can be added to anything that you used to add spinach or lettuce to: smoothies, salads, soups, sauces, steamed or sauteed on the side, or in this wonderful frittata recipe!
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by Dr. Talia Marcheggiani, ND | Aug 29, 2013 | Colombia, Community, Food, Human Rights, Nutrition, Protests, South America
Globalization has selected its next victim. In July, 2012, Colombia signed a free trade agreement with the United States. Fuelled by the desire to “develop” economically, i.e.: have access to the amenities and material goods of the first world, the initial reaction was quite positive. Citizens flocked to multinational brands like GAP and many excitedly awaited the promise of the arrival of Starbucks. On August 1, of this year, the free trade agreement with the European Union also came into effect.
Since signing the free trade agreement, imports from the US to Colombia have increased by about 70%, according to Counterpunch, “In 2011, Colombia imported 5,000 tons of rice from the US. In the year after the fta came in, 98,000 tons were imported.”
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by Dr. Talia Marcheggiani, ND | Aug 28, 2013 | Acupuncture, Health, Homeopathy, Meditation, Nature, Nature Cure, Naturopathic Philosophy, Naturopathic Principles, Nutrition, Philosophy, Preventive Medicine
First things first: sunshine, fresh air and clean water.
Contrary to common belief naturopathic doctors are not just doctors who prescribe natural remedies to patients. (This means you can not avoid visiting a naturopathic doctor by going to a local health-food store and prescribing yourself a bunch of vitamins and supplements!) After all, as previously “naturopathic” therapies invade scientific literature, more up-to-date medical doctors are prescribing things like fish oil and probiotics to their patients. However, this doesn’t make them naturopathic doctors any more than prescribing rights make us medical doctors! Naturopathic doctors differ from the traditional medical model not so much in what we prescribe or our principles (do no harm, treat the whole person, prevent disease, doctor as teacher, support the body, treat the cause), which medical doctors arguably share with us, but in something called the Therapeutic Order.
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by Dr. Talia Marcheggiani, ND | Jul 23, 2013 | Allergies, Autoimmune, Detoxification, Diet, Digestion, Food, Health, Nutrition, Skin health
There are many types of immune cells in our bodies and various groups that they belong to: leukocytes, lymphocytes, macrophages, natural killer cells, etc. Some of the major contenders, and the ones that are involved in autoimmune disease and allergic conditions, are a type of lymphocyte called the T cells. T cells can be divided into more groups: among them cytotoxic, “killer” T cells and helper T cells.
The helper T cells have a role in presenting inside invaders to B cells and other cells of the immune system, while the killer T cells kill the bad guys directly. The helper T cells can be divided into two more groups: Th1 and Th2 (the h stands for “helper”). Th1 cells are involved in the first part of the immune system, showing the invaders to macrophages, which eat the invading pathogens, Pacman style, while also sounding the call that the body has been invaded and recruiting more immune cells to the scene. The Th2 cells show the invaders to other lymphocytes, the B cells, which make antibodies, providing the body with memory of what to do when the same invader strikes again.
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by Dr. Talia Marcheggiani, ND | Jul 15, 2013 | Dessert, Diet, Elimination Diet, Food, Gluten Free, Health, Nutrition, Paleo, Recipes, Summer
I never thought I’d enjoy ice cream again. During the 4 months I spent volunteering in Costa Rica, I became obsessed with ice cream. It wasn’t my fault; it seemed that the whole population was obsessed. At the end of a long work day, one could spot businessmen nursing a McDonald’s soft-serve cone, leaning their bodies back from the drips that threatened to send their suits to the dry cleaners early.
This obsession with ice cream, which is damp and cold, is probably not the best thing for people of Kapha constituion, but I knew very little about ayurvedic medicine back then. I also had no idea that one could be intolerant to dairy, which I now know that I am. My almost-daily ice cream treat contributed to a 40-pound weight gain in those 4 short months.
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by Dr. Talia Marcheggiani, ND | Jul 6, 2013 | Diet, Food, Health, Nutrition
For some weekend inspiration I compiled a simple poster on how to eat. What has become very complicated by popular diet books, Dr. Oz and billions of dollars of weight loss fads is really quite simple: eat real food. Follow these simple principles, one day at a time, in moderation, and I know you’ll do great things for your health and general well-being.
And finally, remember, “it’s not always what you eat, but what might be eating you.” Diet and exercise have their place but dealing with the mental and emotional stuff is just as important too.
by Dr. Talia Marcheggiani, ND | Jul 2, 2013 | Cooking, Detoxification, Diet, Elimination Diet, Food, Food Sensitivities, Gluten Free, Health, Nutrition, Recipes
Brussel sprouts with morning coffee? Why not?
Its seems that, for most people, the hardest part of starting a new diet is figuring out what to eat for breakfast. To help some of my RSNC patients on the road to hypoallergenic, healthier living, I compiled this handout to give them some inspiration for the most important meal of the day. These breakfasts might be appropriate for some on the elimination diet, but since each diet is different, make sure you review the ingredients first to verify that the recipe fits your dietary needs.
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by Dr. Talia Marcheggiani, ND | Jun 28, 2013 | Detoxification, Digestion, Food, Food Sensitivities, Gluten Free, Health, Nutrition, Recipes, Salad
Arugula is in season right now; everyone’s gardens are blossoming with it and that’s fantastic news. Its pretty, delicately shaped leaves and interesting, spicy bite combines well with any summer salad recipe. It provides flavour and punch to a nutrient-rich profile of fat soluble vitamins, calcium and carotenoids. Plus, there’s something about it that just makes me feel fancy.
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by Dr. Talia Marcheggiani, ND | Jun 19, 2013 | Cooking, Dessert, Diet, Digestion, Food, Food Sensitivities, Gluten Free, Healthy Baking, Nutrition
“Great cookies!” Someone exclaimed as I passed around the tupperware container. And, as is custom at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, home of the famous elimination diet, they added, “Are they gluten-free?”
Little did this particular colleague know, these cookies aren’t just gluten-free, they’re grain-free, dairy-free and egg-free. What’s the secret ingredient? It’s not almond flour, as most grain-free recipe experts might suspect, but chickpeas. Yeah. So, before you stop reading, just try them, they’re easy to make and you’ll be able to fool your friends (and maybe even yourself) too.
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