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Doug Cook RD > viral

Various spheres representing vitamins and minerals

Various spheres representing vitamins and minerals

Anti Viral Foods And Nutrition

I’m writing this in the middle of the 2020 pandemic where the world has almost...

Anti Viral Foods And Nutrition

dougcookrd

Doug Cook RD, The Gut Brain Guy

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My practice is grounded in science not dogma. I provide evidence to substantiate my views and nutritional advice.

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Phone: 1-416-413-9095

Fax: 416-352-5186

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I'm sure everyone knows we're at war ⁣ ⁣ No, n

I'm sure everyone knows we're at war ⁣ ⁣ No, not with SARS-CoV-2. I'm talking about another war that's being waged. One that I became aware of some 21+ years ago after embarking on my current career ⁣ ⁣ The war that's being fought is between science and pseudoscience ⁣ ⁣ Anti-intellectualism is alive and well. It's almost like we're on the verge of a second wave; could another dark ages be around the corner? ⁣ ⁣ As a science communicator and educator, I do my darnedest to be impeccable with my word. Ensuring I've done everything I can not to spread myths but rather facts ⁣ ⁣ Being aware of what is, and is not, good evidence isn't always obvious. For those in the biz, we learn to check our bias (yes we all have it) and try to look at data objectively ⁣ ⁣ One way to separate the gold from the shite, is to just ask yourself, "do the facts support what's being put forth/proposed?" ⁣ ⁣ If the facts don't fit, you can't force them. Just like a jigsaw puzzle, you can't place the pieces any old way

Happy World Chocolate Day! ⁣ ⁣ Do you love cho

Happy World Chocolate Day! ⁣ ⁣ Do you love chocolate? ⁣ ⁣ I do but not all chocolate. I'm not a huge fan of chocolate cake - shocker - although I ate my fair share of it as a kid thanks to my mom's "Crazy Chocolate Layer Cake" but I think it was really more about eating something (anything) that was really sweet ⁣ ⁣ I detest chocolate ice cream or any variation thereof, and I REALLY hate chocolate popsicles but let's face it, that's just a shite excuse for a chocolate dessert ⁣ ⁣ Don't ask me to make sense of this but I do love chocolate brownies and small amounts of chocolate fudge - ugh, my back teeth are aching at the thought of it ⁣ ⁣ What I really love though, is a good quality dark chocolate (𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 85% or more cocoa content) and I LOVE raw cacao nibs ⁣ ⁣ I love to nibble on a square of dark chocolate with a few nibs, then wash it down with a sip of coffee - hey, don't judge ⁣ ⁣ Did you know that the darker the chocolate, the greater the polyphenol content? Yes, those bitter-tasting compounds that impart dark chocolate's distinctive kick ⁣ ⁣ A 10 g serving of 85% chocolate, the size of 1 square of Lindt bar, has a decent 75 mg of cocoa polyphenols for 60 calories. One tsp of cacao nibs, with 30 calories, has a whopping 135 mg of polyphenols to boot! ⁣ ⁣ Cocoa polyphenols have been shown to help reduce the risk of depression and improve mood. They also have been shown to improve blood flow to the brain and support brain function. The polyphenols also have potent anti-inflammatory properties! ⁣ ⁣ Check out my blog post on all things cocoa for more info on how chocolate does your health good: https://tinyurl.com/yapeaez5

- Are you feeling irritable or impatient? ⁣ - Ha

- Are you feeling irritable or impatient? ⁣ - Have you been feeling less focused? ⁣ - Do you feel fuzzy, as if you have 'brain fog?' ⁣ - Are you keen to preserve your brain health and function today, and in the decades to come? ⁣ - Are you dealing with depression, anxiety, or are in addiction recovery? ⁣ ⁣ If you answer 'yes' to any of these questions, then this program is for you! ⁣ ⁣ 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗞𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 is a 4-module, self-directed program for participants to progress through over 4 weeks (30 days) so that they can understand the role that food⁣ and nutrition plays on brain and mental health and mood ⁣ ⁣ 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝟭 - 𝘽𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙉𝙪𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 - all things brain health nutrition. Learn the foundation of nourishing your brain, mind and mood ⁣ 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝟮 - 𝘽𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨 - identify those habits that are leaving you less than focused abd sharp ⁣ 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝟯 - 𝙂𝙪𝙩-𝘽𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙞𝙤𝙩𝙖 𝘼𝙭𝙞𝙨 - explore the connection between your gut &amp; mind and how the two must be in synch for well-being ⁣ 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝟰 - 𝙎𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝘽𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝 - leverage the nutrients needed for optimal brain and mental health ⁣ ⁣ 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀: For a limited time, it's available for half price (a $125 savings). All I ask in return is for some valuable feedback so that I can continue to improve it and help others ⁣ ⁣ Register: https://tinyurl.com/y7285wqg ⁣ You can also use the link in my bio to register ⁣ ⁣ To your good mental health!

Who here has heard that fermented foods and prebio

Who here has heard that fermented foods and prebiotic fiber are good for gut health? ⁣ ⁣ You've likely read or been told that fermented foods are good sources of probiotics too - am I right? ⁣ ⁣ But what if I told you that wasn't true? Shocker I know - let me explain ⁣ ⁣ The Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have defined probiotics as “𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗺𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁” ⁣ ⁣ In other words, you have to consume enough of a probiotic, whether that's a food source or supplement, for it to be therapeutically effective. The therapeutic amounts depend on the type of bacteria (genus, species, and strain) and the intended health outcome ⁣ ⁣ So, just because a food is full of bacteria (e.g. fermented) doesn't necessarily mean it's a probiotic - BUT that also doesn't mean they're useless ⁣ ⁣ Many fermented foods that haven't been pasteurized post-production are still gut-healthy, so continue to eat them up, their bacterial content are a cure-all ⁣ ⁣ Maintaining a healthy and diverse gut bacteria population also relies on dietary fiber; indigestible carbohydrates that your bugs eat as fuel allowing them to go forth and multiply ⁣ ⁣ Good mental health relies on good gut health too; the two are inseparable. If you'd like to learn more, or are looking for ways to use food and nutrition to support your brain and mental health, I provide brain health coaching - check out the link to my website in my bio

Growing up there were 'health food' stores where y

Growing up there were 'health food' stores where you'd find things that weren't part of the so-called mainstream grocery store experience ⁣ ⁣ I remember heaps of supplements (this was waaaaaay before regulation came into effect in 2004), and other curious items like soy grits, lecithin, wheat germ, various whole grain flours, nuts, seeds, natural self-care products, and the hippy food yogurt!! ⁣ ⁣ At that time it was more about access to various, less available products but then later they became seen as places to go for somewhat 'healthier' items which seemed odd when you think of it ⁣ ⁣ Remember, I'm talking about a time when processed foods were really taking off and all the rage. To eat them was, in a way, cool ⁣ ⁣ Like many, my family was trying all the latest stuff such as Cheez Whiz, Wagon Wheels, Marshmallow Fluff, and let's not forget the mountain slide of processed cereals. I can't believe how much Alphabits, Count Chocula, Trix, Lucky Charms, etc that I ate ⁣ ⁣ Health food stores were a way for people to get healthier items to improve what they saw was a declining diet/nutritional landscape. Before long, all the big-name stores had their own 'wellness' aisles which were essentially 'health food' stores within a store ⁣ ⁣ But the notion is still curious when it doesn't address much of the root cause of our problems ⁣ ⁣ Any health food memories you'd like to share? One of my first health food store items was plain soy protein powder - I'd stir it into plain milk and gulp it down - yuck.

Curry Chicken ⁣ ⁣ Pretty fail-safe dish ⁣ ⁣ I never follow recipes; just throw together basic things like onions, garlic, bell peppers or celery ⁣ ⁣ I'll throw in anything green and load it up with garlic and onion powder, curry powder, stock and yes, it does need the creaminess of coconut milk ⁣ ⁣ Coconut does pack a lot of calories so you can use light versions but I'm not a fan of them because I find that the coconut flavour is lacking ⁣ ⁣ This is a go-to recipe for me because it's easy, I get great leftovers and it's so damned delicious

Can't sleep? ⁣ ⁣ Everyone knows good sleep is

Can't sleep? ⁣ ⁣ Everyone knows good sleep is crucial for good health whether that's lowering your risk for metabolic disease (insulin resistance, diabetes), depression, anxiety, heart disease or dementia ⁣ ⁣ But there's more to sleep that 'lights out' - quality counts and many things can prevent you from getting good quality sleep ⁣ ⁣ The 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 describes aspects of good quality sleep including ⁣ - at least 85% of total intended sleep time in bed is spent sleeping ⁣ - falling asleep within 30 minutes or less ⁣ - walking up no more than once per night - being awake for 20 minutes or less after initially falling asleep (e.g. if you wake up, not being awake for longer than 20 mins) ⁣ ⁣ Many struggle with getting good quality, restorative sleep and so they turn to sleep aids. These can be things like OTC 'sleeping pills' which are typically Benadryl (the anti-allergy medication that if you take, know can make you drowsy). Many will use Gravol or even alcohol ⁣ ⁣ Some will boast that alcohol doesn't affect their sleep but objective studies show otherwise. Alcohol's impact varies from person to person but it's something to consider if good sleep seems like a fleeting reality for you ⁣ ⁣ Many will seek out prescription sleeping pills too which really don't do much in terms of ensuring good quality sleep. They typically reduce 'sleep latency' or the time it takes to fall asleep but sleep studies show that they don't necessarily allow people to sleep longer or better AND long term use is associated with increased risk of cognitive decline ⁣ ⁣ It's even suggestion that they induce mild amnesia so the person doesn't remember waking up throughout the night ⁣ ⁣ There are better possible solutions out there such as glycine, magnesium and of course melatonin which I'll review in a future post ⁣ ⁣ In the meantime, consider your use of any of these strategies if you're relying on them too much

Lordy lordy, it's that time again ⁣ ⁣ Highligh

Lordy lordy, it's that time again ⁣ ⁣ Highlighting some awesome baking from @thevikingmom. I don't think there's anyone who doesn't love some kind of freshly baked bread product (even if gluten can't be tolerated, the love for it is still there 😀) ⁣ ⁣ These oatmeal dinner rolls are baked golden brown to perfection ⁣ ⁣ For me, baked goods are really just a vehicle or means of getting my daily dose of butter ⁣ 😜 ⁣ ⁣ Nothing wrong with a little comfort food for a little mood lift⁣. I'm not a sweet person but rather savoury/salt kinda guy so I'd rather have some pepperoni over chocolate cake or a butter tart but then bake bread or similar is a world unto itself right? ⁣ ⁣ Are you a bread baker?

#photos Takes a village as they say ⁣ ⁣ This w

#photos Takes a village as they say ⁣ ⁣ This was the last day of our little two-day photo shoot (just 5 days before the state of emergency was declared) with the irrepressible @trinaphoto and @family.meals.nutritionist. A well-deserved toast was in order ⁣ ⁣ For those of us (me especially) who can get caught up in what we see as others' successes and slide into a state of "I'm no good/can't do anything right", I'm reminded of the quote credited to former US president Theodore Roosevelt ⁣ ⁣ Comparison is the thief of joy ⁣ ⁣ Whether or not he really said that, it's so true and it seems more relevant today than ever before with instant everything and the constant barrage of digital 'stuff' ⁣ ⁣ A big lesson for me was to accept that most of what we see with others' successes, doesn't occur in a vacuum. Most have some kind of help, and that's OK. Going it alone is inefficient, overwhelming, and doesn't tap into the resources and talent that's all around us ⁣ ⁣ Not only that but when you work with others, especially if it's a solid crew, the process is easy, productive, high quality and most importantly, FUN ⁣ ⁣ This was my village over a two-day adventure back in March that helped me with some awesome content for this social media experiment ⁣ ⁣ Thanks, Nish, Trina, Angela and Chantelle!

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