Hear the Hemp Oil Buzz :: Holistic Healing :: Functional Foods/Nutraceuticals :: M-R

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Hear the Hemp Oil Buzz
by author Mic LeBel

My friends often ask me why I’m high on hemp. I respond by explaining the many nutritional merits of hemp foods. After suffering through their witty jokes about its distant cousin, marijuana, I pour emerald green hemp seed oil on their salad. One taste and they’re hooked.

Because hemp oil contains no measurable tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive chemical in pot, I can assure my worried friends they could consume a barrel of hemp oil and not get stoned.

Hemp food isn’t a weird new culinary concept. It has been a traditional food in China for more than 3,000 years. Most hemp foods consumed in North America are grown in Canada, where hemp agriculture became legal again in 1998.

A Balance of Omega-3 and Omega-6

Hemp seed oil is one of nature’s best sources of polyunsaturated fats (80 percent) known as linoleic acid (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3). It’s also free of unhealthy hydrogenated fats (trans fats), is very low in cholesterol, and contains only 9 percent saturated fat.

Eating hemp seed oil is an easy and delicious way to gain the proper balance of essential fatty acids (EFAs). North Americans typically consume excess omega-6 and inadequate omega-3 in a ratio of between 10 to 1 and 30 to 1. While the average ratio recommended by international experts is 4 to 1, hemp oil offers a 3.75-to-1 ratio, the closest ratio of any natural source.

Hemp seed oil is also one of the few vegetable oils that contain significant quantities of alpha-linolenic acid (20 percent). This omega-3 EFA has consistently been associated with heart health. It is also thought to lower risk of cancers, reduce inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, help prevent diabetes, and prevent or relieve symptoms of depression and hypertension.

Nutritionists generally recommend daily intake of alpha-linolenic acid in the range of 2 to 3.5 g. This can be obtained from 2 Tbsp (30 mL) hemp seed oil used as a salad dressing or added to a smoothie, sauce, or soup. Hemp oil has a low flash point so it should be used only at low cooking temperatures.

A Source of Gamma-Linolenic Acid

Hemp seed oil is a rare plant source of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA)–a super omega-6 that some studies have shown may help reduce heart disease; enhance effectiveness of cancer treatments; treat problem skin conditions; prevent inflammation-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s, arthritis, and asthma; and modify lipids to reduce triglycerides.

GLA is also believed to help bypass enzymatic blocks in sluggish bodies that have metabolisms compromised by stress, environmental toxicity, or aging to allow proper utilization of omega-6 EFAs.

So Many Sources

Many people are unaware that different kinds of hemp foods have different dietary benefits and culinary uses. Hemp seed nuts offer incredible levels of protein, fibre, and antioxidants. Creamy hemp seed nut butter is made from 100 percent hemp seed and offers the same nutritional benefits. Hemp seed oil is produced by cold-pressing the oil from seeds. Hemp seed powder is cold-milled from the seed cake that results from pressing hemp seed oil. Hemp protein powder contains all the essential amino acids, but in more nutritionally significant amounts and at a ratio closer to “complete” sources of protein (like meat, milk, and eggs) than all other sources except soy.

It’s satisfying to know that I’m part of a growing legion of hemp food junkies. Sales of hemp foods grew 66 percent in 2004. Now that the knowledge of hemp’s powerful nutrition and great flavour is spreading like seeds flung into a strong wind, more “hempies” are sure to join the healthy green revolution.

Green Earth Smoothie

2 cups (500 mL) freshly squeezed orange juice
1 Tbsp (15 mL) spirulina or green food powder
2 scoops hemp protein powder
1 Tbsp (15 mL) hemp seed oil
1 banana
1 pear
1 cup (250 mL) ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend on high until creamy and smooth. Serves 4. Enjoy!

Hemp Seed Oil Vinaigrette

Makes enough for 1 salad
1/4 cup (60 mL) hemp seed oil
2 Tbsp (30 mL) balsamic vinegar
1 tsp (5 mL) fresh oregano
1 tsp (5 mL) crushed garlic

Combine all ingredients and stir until blended. Keeps in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days.

Mic LeBel is a natural products consultant and freelance writer in Maine.

Source: alive #276, October 2005

Thai-Style Tofu Salad

Spicy Thai-Style Salad

Glorious Salads
Salads are a cornerstone of the return to raw, living foods. While greens are salad staples, every vegetable can be made into a delicious raw dish. These recipes speak for the variety of exciting living food! Living food is at the heart of any serious health seekers' lifestyle.

Delightful Dinner Bouquets
Summer is the perfect time to enjoy the beauty of your flower garden. But you can also take pleasure in eating the harvest from your back yard. Edible flowers can add color and a touch of the exotic to simple summer meals. Be sure to use only organically-grown flowers.

Hemp
If a team of scientists held a press conference and announced a new superfood--one that is more nutritious than its alternatives, packed full of much needed essential fatty acids, high yielding and easy to grow--it would send the stock and money markets into a feeding frenzy. Media of all kinds would pounce on the story.

Catch of the Day Keeps Heart Failure Away
When women think of their health, they worry about breast cancer and osteoporosis--not heart disease. Heart disease is an issue for their grandfathers, fathers and husbands.

Happy in Herb Heaven
When I was growing up, my mother would send me into our herb garden to gather chives, parsley and lovage. I'll never forget being surrounded by the distinctive aromas and how she used these herbs to enhance the flavour of our soups, salads and more. Herbs are nature's special gift to us.

Are You Overdue For A Brain Lube?
The consumption of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids-the beneficial fat found in fish and fish oil-can reduce the symptoms of, and even prevent, a variety of psychiatric illnesses including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, severa.

Banana Milkshake

Live, Whole Foods
January is a perfect time to discover the cleansing and healing power of fresh, wholesome food full of live nutrients to support your digestion, lift your spirits and make you feel alive.

Living Foods for Vibrant Health
There is a great difference between cooked food and raw food. Though cooked food provides the basic nutrients of starch, protein and fat, as well as minerals and some heat-resistant vitamins, it doesn't provide enzymes. Heat, when it rises above 48 degrees Celcius, kills enzymes.

Soothe Inflammation
Inflammation is associated with a wide range of chronic and acute diseases.

Cancer-Fighting Foods
It's easy to take in the power of cancer-preventing plantfoods at all times of the day, for breakfast, lunch and dinner.The anticancer recipes featured this month will certainly put you on the right path.

Reel in Some Fish Oil
Although best known for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease and arthritis, one of the hottest areas of omega-3 fatty acid research is related to brain health and behaviour.

The Tastes of Summer
Who would ever have thought that barbequing could provide a host of powerful and protective vitamins, flavonoids and carotenes? This is easily achieved through using the grill for sizzling salads that feature colourful ve.

Food Allergies: The EFA Connection
Healthy fats help give your body the natural defence mechanism it need.

Shopska Salad
The name of this salad comes from its main ingredient, feta cheese. Without the feta, there is no "shopska" and you won't experience the incredible taste.

Healthy Holiday Fun
This time of year is often filled with excesses: calories, spending, and parties.

The Importance of Fats for a Healthy Heart
Recent landmark studies have highlighted the important way in which long-chain omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils protect against cell membrane dysfunction and disease.

Cleansing Foods
After spending the cozy days of winter sipping hot chocolate and finishing the holiday cookies, our body systems can feel sluggis.

Cancer-Free Living
In order to make healthful choices we need to understand the latest disease-fighting foods. That's why I included the Top 40 cancer-fighting foods in my new book, Staying Alive! Cookbook for Cancer Free Living - so that you can incorporate them into delicious, satisfying meals.

Beat the Blues
Higher fish consumption is associated with a decreased risk of depression, postpartum depression, and suicidal thought.

Seeing Spots?
Not only are teenagers challenged with peer pressure, hormonal changes, and decisions about college and careers, but approximately 85 percent also deal with acne. In 30 percent of them, the acne will persist into adulthood.

Omega-3s
Most North Americans are familiar with the term "winter blues and some are affected by the decreased daylight hours of winter. This condition is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Mood Boosters
Some people are almost always in a good mood. They're happy, even-tempered, and always see the bright side of situations. They don't take themselves too seriously and they love to laugh. Keeping on the sunny side of life seems to come naturally..

Christel's Breakfast Drink
Yields one large glass of juice-sure to power you through the morning!

Persian Dughe
A cool and refreshing summer beverage to keep you out of a hot kitchen. It's full of friendly bacteria and helps prevent dehydration. Mint can be used as a digestive tonic and makes a fresh, clean addition to any beverage. Makes one liter.

Sparkling Berry Punch
This refreshing punch is easy and fast to make. Place it in the fridge and you can have it throughout a hot summer's day to keep you cool. You can also substitute the mineral water with champagne, for special occasions. Fills one large punch bowl.

Strawberry Milkshake

Spiced Apple Punch
Greet your guests with the wonderful Christmas aroma of cinnamon, cloves and anise. Makes four quarts (four litres).

Bright Beet and Apple Surprise Juice

Wake-Up Drink

Whole-Grain Drink

Baby Colic Tea

Bladder Tea

Bladder-Strengthening Tea

Blood Cleansing Tea I

Blood Cleansing Tea II

Circulation-Enhancing Tea

Circulation-Promoting Tea

Cold Tea

Cold-Prevention Tea I

Cold-Prevention Tea II

Dandelion Tea

Female Tonic Tea

Tea to Reduce Weight and Increase Metabolism

Kidney Tea

Kneipp's Cough Remedy Tea

Laxative Tea I

Laxative Tea II

Liver and Gall-bladder Tea

Liver Tea

Nerve Tea

Rheumatic and Gout Tea

Sensitive Stomach Tea

Stomach Tea

Sweat-Promoting Tea

Tea for Breathing Problems

Tea for Insomnia

Tea for Menopausal Symptoms

Blueberry Smoothie
Katrina, my teenage granddaughter, loves to drink smoothies and helped me come up with this recipe. For the best flavour, use ripe bananas with sugar (brown) spots.

Soy Milk

Mango Cocktail
A treat any time of day!

Banana Shake

Green Drink
Make your own living version of this popular food supplement.

Tomato Tang

Tropical Treat

Apple Juice Plus
A very refreshing juice!

Spring Cleanser
Helps combat sluggish metabolism, activates your vital organs and cleanses your blood.

Sweet and Spicy

Tea to Calm Nervous Condition

Delicious Oat Drink
This drink boosts energy-any time of day. Soaking makes oats more easily digestible for children and the elderly. For adults you may add a little ginger.

Instant Sauerkraut with Black Bean and Pineapple
Don't insult a cabbage or it will turn sour! There's a more civil way of making instant sauerkraut and when combined with black beans and pineapple it makes a refreshing, tangy salad.

Potato Salad

Fibre-Rich Pasta Salad
More than an excellent source of fibre, this dish is also plentiful in carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and enzymes. Serves four.

Mediterranean Kamut Salad
For this salad, the kamut may be cooked one day in advance. The prepared salad may be refrigerated up to two days.

Farfalle with Orange
This is a great summer dish that can also be served cold.

Watercress Salad with Tomato Bocconcini
The peppery-tasting watercress belongs to the cabbage family and is an excellent source of minerals. It contains as twice as much calcium as broccoli and equal amounts of vitamin A as carrots. Watercress energizes the organs and helps in the treatment of edema.

Potato and Romaine Salad with Roasted Garlic
Garlic is used in almost every culture as a home remedy to treat parasites, infections and even high blood pressure. You can find many varieties of garlic. The green garlic is the most flavorful and I recommend it for salad and vegetable dishes.

Sunflower Salad
Sunflower petals are mild and sweet, adding color and texture, while the dill and fennel flowers add their own distinctive aromas. Dill is also rich in sulfur.

Arugula-Apple Salad with Warm Lentil Dressing
Arugula has a sharp, earthy flavour and is known to stimulate the lungs and liver. Apples are easy to digest and rich in fibre and minerals. Leeks add a gentle sweet taste and are a source of iron, calcium, magnesium and vitamins A, B-complex and C. Serves two.

Colourful Vegetable Potato Salad
This vegetable potato salad recalls my childhood days in Germany and also makes a very healthy meal. Serves four to six.

Quinoa Salad
If you don't want leftovers of this salad, cut the amount of the ingredients in half.

Sauerkraut Salad
Simply delicious and refreshing, this salad is perfect for cleansing after your holiday food excesses and for replacing lost potassium and sodium after a workout.

Carrot Slaw

Coleslaw

Red Beet Salad

Endive Salad
Rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre, the tangy endive is said to be medicinal for the heart as well as the liver. Serves four.

Colourful Cabbage Salad
Just about any fresh kitchen herb will complement a salad. Enjoy this vitamin-rich cabbage salad in summer or winter. Serves two to four.

Orange and Julienne Carrot Salad
This makes two pretty, tasty, salad cups.

Salad Shirazi

Wild Greens Salad

Mixed Herb Salad

Broccoli with Pineapple Salad
Pineapple is high in carbohydrates and fibre. Fresh pineapple contains the enzyme bromelain, which aids digestion.

Greens with Dried Fruit and Coconut
The oil in coconut is a healthy fat. You need healthy fats to produce energy for the entire body to function.

Peppery Tomato-Feta Salad
Nasturtium flowers have a spicy, peppery taste and are high in vitamin C and sulfur. Dandelion flowers can be collected in summer and add a mild bitter flavor to this salad. The whole dandelion plant (including flowers) is used as a diuretic and liver stimulant in China.

Rose Petal-Snow Pea Salad
Rose petals add sweetness and a hint of summer to this colorful salad. You should only use organic rose petals as others, including the ones grown in your garden, may contain pesticide residues.

Garlic and Brie with Mixed Greens
Rosemary leaves are pungent and flavorful, mixing well with roasted garlic. They are high in antioxidants and also have anticancer properties. Serves two.

Chayote Salad
Add something new to your table! Chayotes are a light green, pear-shaped squash from Mexico. Look for firm, unblemished chayotes and store them in the fridge until ready to use. These flavors and textures complement each other, at times tangy, sweet, fruity, juicy and crunchy. Serves two.

Avocado and Pear Salad
The irresistible aroma of roasted chestnuts will draw your friends in from the cold. Chestnuts are high in protein, low in fat and easier to digest than other nuts.

Braised Caesar Endive
Sweet delicate Belgian endive makes a gourmet treat when paired with rich caesar dressing. The croutons fill you up with carbohydrates and extra protein from the cheese. Serves two.

Sauerkraut Salad with Parsley Potatoes
The delicacy of this meal lies in its simplicity.

Waldorf Salad with Kefir Dressing

Mixed Greens with Guava Dressing
Guavas are round fruit that look like small yellow peaches. This dish stimulates both the taste buds and the digestion. It's sure to become your mom's favourite! Serves four.

Spinach and Strawberry Salad
This salad is bursting with nutrition! Raw spinach provides strength through its many valuable nutrients and high iron content and strawberries provide lots of vitamin C.

Tomato-Herb Salad
This amazing yet simple salad is a tasty way to cool you down on a hot summer day.

Crunchy Layered Salad
Iceberg lettuce gives crunchiness to this salad, but you can use a mixture of iceberg and romaine (chopped small) for more nutritive value.

Broccoli-Orange Salad

Waldorf Salad
A zingy raw delight with a light mayonnaise.

Winter Coleslaw
Filled with phytochemicals, this coleslaw will help cleanse your liver and protect you from cancer. Dillweed can be purchased in the produce section and freezes well for future use.

Potato Salad With Flax Seed Oil
There are probably as many different recipes for potato salad as there are chefs in the world. This Gursche classic features healthful essential fatty acids from the flax seed, pumpkin seed and walnut oils as well as beneficial acids from naturally fermented pickles and apple cider vinegar that support digestion and fight toxins and unfriendly bacteria.

Tabouleh
Kids enjoy picking a few of Mom's fresh herbs for this classic salad from the Middle East. The parsley is high in calcium, iron and chlorophyll, and the grains give you extended energy and B vitamins to help with stress. Bulgur, also called kibbled wheat, is whole wheat that's been partially boiled then dried to decrease cooking time. It can be purchased at most supermarkets or health food stores. Serves four.

Greek Salad
This traditional salad is an easy and refreshing way to get a healthy dose of antioxidants. The vegetables are packed with vitamins A and C, while the olive oil gives you plenty of vitamin E.

Celery Hearts with Herb Spinach
You may serve this flavourful dish with a side of brown rice or potatoes, even though the celery hearts make a satisfying meal by themselves. Serves four.

Asparagus and Belgian Endive Salad
Boost the flavor of the asparagus with sweet bell pepper and tart rhubarb. Rhubarb gives a salad the spirit of the spring garden and makes a delectable salad.

Tomato-Chive Salad
The benefits of garlic are widely known. Garlic and chive flowers also add a strong savory aroma, while the pansy blossoms add a touch of blue.

Radicchio Cup

Longevi-Tea
What if there was a magic potion that could lower the risk of a heart attack and stroke, reduce the rate of your arteries becoming clogged, lower your cholesterol, protect against several cancers, and potentially increase bone density? Well, there is! Tea f.

Tex-Mex Barbecue
Do you love hearty steaks, burgers, fries, chicken wings, and lots of beer? By making a few simple substitutions, you can enjoy all the great flavour of your favourite foods yet reduce the risk of disease.

Nutrient-Rich Recipes
With hormones fluctuating monthly and additional changes happening over a lifetime, women can succumb to all kinds of food cravings in an effort to get required nutrients.

Boost Your Brain Power
Memory loss can happen to anyone. Children with attention deficit disorder, parents under stress, students cramming for exams, and aging seniors all experience a degree of forgetfulness and lack of concentration.

Your Vegetable Garden May be Your Best Nutrient Source
It's easy to forget - in a world of food processing, quick fixes, and pill popping - that natural foods are good sources of nutrients. In fact, our best supplies of vitamin C, zinc, beta carotene, and B vitamins are found in their original food sources..

Spinach and Pear Salad with Curried Cashews and Honey-Sesame Vinaigrette
This salad provides more than just a delicious flavour combination. Each one of the three parts - from the nuts to the dressing - adds vital nutrients to help form a well-balanced meal.

Dandelion Salad with Citrus Dressing

Lemon and Oil Dressing
Vary the taste of this simple dressing by replacing the garlic and onions with dill or chives. Add mustard and a drop of honey and it will taste completely different again. There is no limit to your imagination.

Mustard Dressing
This dressing is suitable for hardy lettuce and raw vegetables. It also makes a great-tasting party dip if you add agar agar, a type of seaweed (just follow the directions on the package).

Wild Mushroom Salad

Fantastic Flaxseed
The first time I tasted flax seed oil, I was young and working for Siegfried in his bookstore. We were "going together and he invited me home to meet his family over breakfast.

Carrot Salad
This refreshingly tangy salad is ideal as a main course for a light luncheon or as a starter for your evening meal. It's always a hit at family gatherings and parties.

Summertime Is Tomato Time
Can you think of anything more delicious than biting into a juicy, sun-ripened tomato picked from the vine in your garden or on your balcony?

Thirst-Quenching Tomato Drink
Tomatoes are a cooling food with a reputation for quenching thirst. Perfect for the summer heat!

Tomato Salad With Feta

Go Nuts For The Holidays
During the festive season, it can be a challenge to put together a meal that satisfies all the guests and their many different dietary choices. Adding nuts to the menu can solve a number of challenges.

Raw Waldorf Salad
This raw treat contains easily found winter ingredients and uses a blended almond "yogurt for added enzymes and nutrients. Walnuts are usually used in Waldorf salads, but pecans also work well. To brighten up the festive table, use apples with red skins or a little shredded red cabbage or sauerkraut.

Grass Wonder Juice

Raw Energy Drink
Your body requires vitamins, minerals, enzymes and calories to get you through the day. Fresh fruits and vegetables are an easy and delicious way to meet your body's needs.

CBC Juice
Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable, related to broccoli, cauliflower, kale and brussels sprouts. Members of this family contain components known as sulforaphanes, which have gained a lot of attention lately as potential cancer fighters.

Walnut and Four Greens Sauté
These greens pack powerful antioxidants and liver-cleansing potential. All the greens are interchangeable, so don't worry if you don't have them all.

Dandelion Salad With Navy Beans

Grilled Tomato Salad with Artichokes and Olives
This easy salad has a wonderful smoked flavour, and looks gorgeous with the shiny tomatoes and rich colour of the olives. Artichokes are helpful in cleansing the liver and the tomatoes are a rich source of lycopene. The chickpeas add protein, minerals and fibre for a fully satisfying salad.

Quark Mayonnaise

Children's Punch Bowl

Roasted Red Pepper Dressing

Asian Shiitake Slaw

Hot-Spiced Apple Juice
This fragrant holiday favourite contributes a delightfully welcoming aroma for when guests arrive. I like to use my crock-pot to slowly heat the juice, and then people can just help themselves with a ladle. This drink is a refreshing change from alcoholic beverages and pop at parties.

Miami Winter Salad

Beet and Barley Salad with Toasted Walnuts

Breakfast Energy Shake

French Salad with Egg and Olives

Lentil and Potato Salad
The legume family is a staple around the world and is often referred to as the "peasant's protein." No wonder those peasants often have better longevity rates than their meat-rich western counterparts.

Spinach Salad with Pine Nuts
Spinach is a precious vegetable, available abundantly in spring and early summer. It is rich in essential nutrients and low in carbohydrates, protein, and fat. In other words, spinach is low in calories.

Honey Lemonade

Grilled Summer Salad with Asparagus
Croutons made with country-style bread add to the rustic nature of this hearty salad. Be sure to choose an extra-virgin olive oil, which comes from the first pressing of the olive, because the fruity flavour is an important element in this recipe. If you oil the grill well and press the vegetables down on the hot grill, you'll produce beautiful grill marks.

Pita and Feta Salad
This recipe calls for pita croutons, which is an excellent way to use pita bread that may have gone a little stale. Any crouton will do; however, I once made this recipe with raisin bagel croutons and the result was delicious.

Rootey-Tootey Salad

Japanese Spinach Salad with Sesame Dressing

Pear and Grape Salad with Sweet Basil Dressing

Spiced Apple Cider

Colourful Green Bean Salad

Festive Pomegranate, Barley, and Wild Rice Salad

Green Power Breakfast Drink

Best-Part-of-the-Day Power Juice
The ginger in this juice helps put a little pep in your step! Ginger is high in antioxidants and has been shown to be more potent than vitamin E. It helps fight cancer and is also a remedy for nausea. The garlic is also a potent ingredient, but you may want to reduce the amount used. Even half a clove will help boost immunity.

Cholesterol-Lowering Cinnamon Chai Tea
Chai tea drinks are increasingly popular, so it's no surprise that more and more people are starting to enjoy tea infused with spices. This recipe is based on Ayurvedic recommendations for heart health. Drink it morning and night.

Lemon Rooibos Detox Tea

Liver Cleansing Coleslaw
Red cabbage adds gorgeous colour and beneficial plant pigments that help fight disease. For cleansing, the less fat the better, so I like to make a fruit juice dressing rather than the traditional mayonnaise.

Shredded Beet Salad with Creamy Avocado and Strawberries

Quick Calcium Smoothie
This recipe is quick and easy and can be used as a meal replacement or as an additional drink to help gain weight. The molasses, soymilk, and sesame seeds all add valuable calcium, which is vital for those consuming fewer dairy products.

Ginger Beer Green Tea
Green tea is the unfermented leaf of the Camellia sinensis plant. The leaves are dried right after picking and researchers believe that it has more powerful antioxidant activity because it is less processed (fermented) than black tea.

Punchy Potato Salad

Strawberry Pecan Salad with Sweet Red Wine Vinaigrette
What better way to welcome summer than with this simple salad that is dressed with a delicious vinaigrette. Strawberries - the perfect food for women, - are low in calories and high in iron and vitamin C.

Pineapple and Mango Rooibos Bliss
We often forget that the benefits of beta carotenes aren't just in carrots, but are found in many orange and yellow fruits as well. Take mango and pineapple, for example, which are high in vitamin C, bioflavonoids, beta carotene, and minerals.

Indonesian Garden Salad with Peanut Satay Sauce
This dish can be served as a meal, an appetizer, or as a side salad. It's an easy way to get children to eat their vegetables as they love to dip and they love peanut butter!

Vanilla-Ice Power Shake

Omega-3 Fats
Although the trend over the last 20 years has been toward a more "fat-free diet, we now understand that the body needs essential fatty acids to control a large number of cellular processes.

Immune-Boosting Pomegranate Cocktail

Cleansing Juice Recipes

Suppers for Savvy Seniors
This month's recipes are especially designed for seniors. Each one is easy to make and is just enough to serve one or two people. They provide lots of fundamental nutrition, which is important if these are the only meals a senior makes in a day.

Baby Spinach and Navy Bean Salad with Classic Balsamic Dressing
The greens provide folate and vitamin C, the beans provide protein and fibre, and the walnuts provide essential fats. Topped with a delicious dressing that can be used for all kinds of salads, this dish will become a nutritious regular in your cooking repertoire.

Chickpea and Basil Salad

All Aglow
From sunburn to psoriasis, acne to eczema, inflammation is often the common thread in most skin conditions. As nutritional medicine advances, it is becoming increasingly clear that a diet that includes omega-3 fatty acids from fish can influence inflammation and promote healthy skin.

Wine Klutz Recovery
You've invited friends and family to a special "do" at your place. The menu is planned, the table is set.

Warm Whole Grain Pesto Salad with Toasted Walnuts
Most people don't know that whole grain pasta takes longer to digest and doesn't put blood sugars out of balance. For more fibre, add a bean of your choice.

Colourful Two Bean Salad with Tomatoes and Parsley
Traditional bean salads, especially those from the can or from the deli, are very low on colourful fresh ingredients and seasonings. It's well worth the effort to chop up some vegetables to add to this dish.

Cranberry Pecan Salad
The health benefits of eating fresh nuts are widely recognized. Nuts are a rich source of nutrients and contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats as well as proteins and carbohydrates. Fresh nuts also provide a wide selection of vitamins and the minerals iron and zinc.

Salad of Belgian Endives with Roquefort Dressing
A sturdy tower of leafy power packs a Roquefort kick.

Omega-3s for Good Health
A daily balance of omega-3 essential fats is necessary for good health. Thanks to the news media and health advisors, fat-consciousness has become a part of daily life. In contrast to popular opinion that all fat is bad, there is such a thing as good fat.

Bruschetta Salad
A taste of spring freshness with a toasted and roasted tip of the hat to the winter past.

Pure Medicine Salad
This recipe was contributed to Staying Alive! by a cancer survivor and includes many cancer-preventing ingredients, all in the one bowl. Fresh cilantro, basil, and oregano may be substituted for healing herbs.

Curried Caesar Salad with Mandarin Oranges and Cilantro Chickpea Croutons
The warm wonder of curry adds a delicious flavour twist to this tangy salad.

Mixed Greens with Grapefruit Vinaigrette, Blue Cheese, and Grilled Apple
The Hawaiian red sea salt used to garnish this salad can be found at most gourmet markets. Substitute a quality fleur de sel.

Organic Mixed Green Salad with Strawberries, Goat Cheese, and Hazelnuts
Tart, tender, crunchy, and sweet, this simple salad captures Aurora Bistro's edible artistry.

Ahi Tuna and Arugula Salad
This recipe is for an appe-tempting small bite. Quantities can be doubled to create the ideal summertime lunch. Albacore tuna is an affordable substitute to make this a regular favourite.

We're Pregnant! Now What?
"How do I ensure a healthy pregnancy? You can have a healthy pregnancy by eating a healthy, well-balanced diet augmented with the right supplements for baby and maternal health, making sure exercise is part of your weekly routine, and maintaining a healthy weight.

Baby Greens with Anise-Poached Oranges, Vanilla Balsamic Vinaigrette, and Champagne Froth
To serve, mix greens with vinaigrette and divide among 4 plates. Remove orange segments from poaching liquid and distribute evenly atop and around greens. Top with champagne froth, chill, and serve.

Evergreen Green Bean Salad
This recipe is a delight for kids to make and eat using beans and herbs that are easy to grow in the garden.

Learning to Respect Our Food
One thing I'm passionate about is helping everyone understand where our food comes from. This is especially important information for children, some of whom prefer processed foods from vending machines when they are looking to feed their hunger or quench their thirst.

Healthy Fats for Healthy Children
Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are required for good health by everyone, and they are especially important during infancy and childhood. This is because the omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and, to some extent, the omega-6 arachidonic acid (AA) are critical for nervous system, brain, and retinal development.

Food and Mood
The relationship between food and mood is mediated by both psychological and physiological factors. It is clear that food can influence mood while mood can influence food choices. It is a complex relationship and based on taste, experience, expectations, culture, stressors, and nutritional status.

Rucola Balsamica
This salad has it all, and at a lesser gathering could provide a meal in itself. Duck makes for a refreshing departure, but feel free to work in chicken or the poultry of your preference.

Mango Rooibos Fruit Punch
Chill the tea, juice, and soda water before combining them in this delicious fruit punch.

Moving on Up!
Just about everyone goes through an occasional bout of feeling down. Along with a better diet and daily exercise, adding a few tried and true mood boosters to your nutritional and herbal supplement program often makes a noticeable difference in a short period of time.

Spinach Salad with Orange Sesame Dressing
Toasted sesame seeds add wonderful flavour to this salad.

Blue Cheese and Apple Coleslaw
This recipe is a play of soft and crunchy textures and tangy and sweet flavours that work perfectly together. It's a great appetizer or light meal on a warm evening.

Sweet Ginger Tea
This hot and sweet ginger tea will get your "chi life force energy flowing more freely.

Lentil and Feta Salad
Combine dressing ingredients in a sealed container and shake well. Put aside.

Smoked Albacore Tuna with Organic Winter Salad Greens and Wasabi Aioli
With a hit of heat from the wasabi, this salad reminds us that winter too has its greens to offer, with a world of healthy benefits unrivalled by iceberg.

Legumes Lower Heart Disease Risk

Fish Oils for Heart Health

Insomniacs: Stop the Sheep!

Breakfast Energizers

Stressful skin reflections

Smoking isn't pretty

Ironing out wrinkles of EFAs

Improve Your Memory

More Than Just Brain Food

Organic Greens with Basil and Blackberry Salad Dressing
This salad dressing is the most popular on the Rocky Mountain Flatbread's menu and looks amazing on fresh organic lettuce leaves.

Honeydew and Grape Rooibos Spritzer
If blended drinks such as margaritas are your thing, why not try this colourful, nutrient-rich, tasty alternative? It's great for Sunday brunches or after-work drinks with friends.

Chilled Ginger Rooibos Delight
This delightful drink can be pre-prepared in batches and stored in the freezer or fridge. Add a dash of sparkling water for a refreshing pre-dinner drink, or serve it hot in winter.

Apple Red Cabbage Slaw
Ginger gives this slaw its kick, so for maximum flavour find a young ginger with a pale skin.

Ancient Grain Salad
This salad is a consistent hit for potlucks and parties, or enjoy it all by yourself for a fully satisfying lunch. I love it because it's perfect for using up any vegetables left in the fridge at the end of the week. The mushrooms add protein and a meaty texture.

Everything Old is New Again:
As the owner of the busy Bymark Restaurant in Toronto's financial centre, as well as of the North 44 Restaurant across the downtown core, Chef/owner Mark McKewan has achieved considerable success-after nearly four decades in the trenches.

Octopus and Squid Salad with Chili Citrus Dressing
This is a seafood salad without comparison and could easily serve as a main lunch dish. If this is your introduction to cooking octopus, make sure you use sufficient force to tenderize (a rolling pin is crude, but effective) before adding it to the bouillon. This is the secret to tender tubes.

Butter Me Up
Remember when peanut butter was innocent? It used to be a kid's lunch staple and a favourite comfort food, but lately it's taken a bad rap because some people may have serious allergic reactions to it.

Staving Off Cravings
We eat healthy, balanced meals when we're watching our weight, but we often sabotage our best efforts by snacking on junk food. We can avoid this weight-gain trap by eating nutritious snacks.

Mild Moroccan Spiced Dressing
These ingredients provide so much more nutrition than a commercial dressing. Cumin, ginger, and cinnamon have a multitude of healing properties, including aiding digestion and helping to reduce blood pressure.

Snacking Salad with Apricots and Roasted Almonds
Make this salad once a week and store in small containers to eat as an afternoon snack, or at any time, to tide you over until the next main meal.

Pomegranate Punch
Try serving this punch in a martini glass at Father's Day breakfast. Let your dad know you love him by telling him about the health benefits of this colourful juice.

Sliced Prosciutto with Preserved Lemon, Shaved Pear, and Arugula
If you live in the Niagara region, you can source out Pinques of Niagara for locally produced prosciutto and Persall for a cold-pressed canola that is rapidly winning over nutritionists and gourmands alike.

Couscous a la Grecque with Red Pepper Coulis
This naturally tangy salad balances nicely with a touch of the sweeter red pepper coulis. Ideal for mid-meal, it makes a superbly healthy lunch all on its own.

Green Lavender Mint Tea
This recipe offers a new way to enjoy green tea, infusing it with fresh flavour. Also try this recipe with a fine Earl Grey or other black tea.

Pineapple and Mango Rooibos Bliss
Get a powerful polyphenol punch by using tea in your smoothies. Prepare the rooibos ice cubes for this drink the day before you intend to serve it.

Watermelon Rooibos Frappe
Frozen gelato or fresh fruit sorbet adds sweetness to this delicious drink, but try freezing the yogourt as well to make a thicker, even creamier frappe.

Chai
Chai is a spicy milk tea originating in India. Combining the health benefits of cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and black tea, it packs an antioxidant wallop

Vij's Chai
In Hindi, "chai means simply a cup of tea with milk and sugar. There are so many variations that an entire book could be written on ways to make chai.

Hot Yucca Salad
Both the flowers and the fruit of the yucca are edible. Only eat the flower petals, however, as the flower centres are extremely bitter.

Roasted Beet Salad
This salad is tough to "beet and is as naturally sweet as they come. When beets are in season check locally for different varieties for added colour and taste.

Perk Up Your Palate
A splash of vinegar perks up soups, stews, and salads, reduces the oiliness of fish and French fries, and is the central ingredient in salad dressings. Vinegar comes in many varieties, each with its own distinct characteristics.

Asparagus with Miso Vinaigrette
"This is probably the most requested recipe from our kitchens; says Morrison. "It signals the start of the growing season and goes great with all seasonal vegetables. For this recipe we use the yellow or red miso paste when preparing the vinaigrette.

Aai Smoothie
Rich in both fibres, this smoothie is a great way to get ground flaxseed into your diet. The probiotic yogourt also contributes to the health of your gastrointestinal tract.

Rhubarb Lemonade
alive Readers' Recipes Contest Winner

Roasted Heirloom Beet and Butter Lettuce Salad
Various types of beets and honey can take this dish in plenty of delicious directions. Honey takes its flavour from the fields that surround the apiary and there are many varieties to explore, ranging from fireweed to blueberry to wildflower.

Strawberry and Spinach Salad
Strawberries rank in the top 10 most antioxidant-rich fruits. They're also packed with flavonoids, two of which-quercetin and kaempferol-when present together (as they are naturally in strawberries) seem to act synergistically in reducing rapid cell growth of cancer cells. Reason enough to pig out come strawberry season.

Marinated Sardines with Cucumber and Heirloom Tomatoes
At the restaurant, Munn marinates his own sardines by combining 1/2 cup (125 mL) of white wine, 1 cup (250 mL) each of water and vinegar, and 1 Tbsp (15 mL) each of sugar and salt before bringing this mix to a boil, chilling it down, and pouring it over fresh sardines. Two days of pickling makes for perfection!

Fava Bean Salad with Prosciutto and Warm Mozzarella Crostini
Buffalo mozzarella is an artisan gem, but do not be discouraged working this recipe through with other high-quality mozzarella. Just avoid cheaper versions with higher moisture contents.

Chilled Lobster Salad with Pink Grapefruit, Avocado, and Citrus Dressing
Sweet Atlantic lobster is always a treat. It vies for attention when offset with a touch of tartness and dressed with fresh greens. Local farmers' markets offer a great selection of greens at this time of year; don't shy away from adding small doses of edible florals.

Salad of Wild Burdock Root with Hemp Oil Vinaigrette
The taproot of the young burdock plant is more commonly consumed in European and Asian diets, where it is known as the gobo root. Try it as a nice addition to any regional plate.

Summer Drinks
The hot and lazy days of summer just beg for icy cold drinks. But many traditional recipes for summer drinks are made with simple syrup, a sugar and water mixture that is boiled, cooled, and then refrigerated until needed.

Blueberry Smoothie
For outstanding performance in taste and nutrition the Oscar goes to-blueberries! These sweet, blue treats are rightfully occupying preferred status on the nutritional red carpet. For getting health-enhancing antioxidant protection in your bowl, you can't do better than eating blueberries.

Acne's Oily Secret
From sunburn to psoriasis, acne to eczema, inflammation is often the common thread in unwanted skin conditions. Now, as nutritional medicine advances, it is becoming increasingly clear that dietary choices can influence inflammation in all parts of the human body, including the skin.

Baby Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese Trio and Sherry Vinaigrette
This salad is as flexible as your taste in cheese and can be varied accordingly. However, goat cheese is richly flavourful, more easily digested than traditional dairy, and widely available.

Thai Beef Salad in Cucumber Cup
Kecap manis, a key ingredient in this recipe's marinade, is an Indonesian soy sauce that usually contains star anise, garlic, and palm sugar, giving it a slightly sweet flavour and a syrupy texture.

Marrakech (Land of God) Martini
Combine all ingredients, shake (no ice), and strain into chilled martini glass.

Kedros (Citrus) Cocktail
Simple syrup is a breeze to prepare. Dissolve two parts sugar in one part water for a sweetener in any cocktail.

Chocolate chocolate everywhere
Chocolate has been catapulted from a little treat you buy at the corner store to an antioxidant superstar with health claims.

Squeeze some sunshine
Have you ever wondered why an apple turns brown after you cut it in half? But cut any citrus fruit in half and it remains virtually unchanged. The difference is the high level of ascorbic acid and other antioxidants in the citrus; they protect it from oxidation-like natural rustproofing.

Stress Less
Many Canadians suffer from stress. It’s the root cause of numerous health challenges we experience. Finding ways to reduce stress is essential to improve our health and our quality of life.

Wheat Berry and Navy Bean Salad
Wheat berries are sold dry in most health food stores. The colourful and nutty berries are whole kernels of wheat that have been hulled but left with their bran and germ intact. They must be soaked overnight before cooking. When mixed with legumes, wheat berries make a complete meatless protein.

Curried Couscous Salad
Couscous is a popular North African dish made from wheat. It is quick to prepare and easy to flavour. This salad brings the bright taste of cranberries together with the slight spice of curry.

Tabbouleh
Tabbouleh is a traditional Arabic salad made with bulgur and a selection of finely chopped vegetables. If cutting all the vegetables seems daunting, pull out the food processor and make use of its chopping blade.

Awesome Lentil and Rice Salad
This salad is a one bowler; throw all ingredients into one bowl, toss, and go. You do need 2 cups (500 mL) cooked leftover rice, so make some extra the night before. Store the leftovers in the fridge for the salad.

Avocado and Grapefruit Salad
Combining nutrient-dense watercress with heart-healthy avocados and lycopene-rich ruby red grapefruit make this salad a winner in more than just the taste department.

Caesar Salad
Here’s a lighter, more flavourful Caesar salad. Tahini and walnuts, instead of mayonnaise and nutritionally corrupt croutons, add a healthy dose of beneficial fats.

Tuna and Bean Salad
No time or energy to cook? This simple but flavourful dish is comfort food, Italian-style.

Spelt Salad
Use the best olive oil you can get your hands on for maximum flavour, says David Rocco. This whole grain salad works well warm or cold.

Ploughman’s Salad
Apples, cheese, and leafy greens are the mainstay here—but feel free to add olive oil croutons, pickled onions or beets, or slivers of cooked chicken or turkey. Use Pink Lady, Empire, or Gala apples for their fresh, explosive flavours.

Autumn Salad
An upscale salad that is simple to make and always gets raves from company. The dressing alone is so wonderful you’ll want to double it and serve it over baby greens just for you.

Warm Farro and Wild Mushroom Salad
This is a rich, hearty dinner salad. A mix of cremini, field, and shiitake mushrooms adds a buttery tasting depth of flavour that goes well with nutty farro.