Friday's Top 5 Tips and Trends

We’ve got you covered with the latest natural health news in our Tips and Trends blog post!

1. US banning trans fats

Across the border, the US is taking a step that Canada isn’t quite ready to commit to: banning trans fats and calling them unsafe.

To give a little recap, these are fats that have been processed to make more shelf-stable. They occur naturally very rarely, and only in small quantities, but can be found added to processed foods such as baked goods and fried foods. They’re particularly harmful because, not only to do they raise bad (LDL) cholesterol in our bodies, but they also reduce good (HDL) cholesterol. Hopefully Canada will learn from the States and consider banning these good-for-nothing fats too!

2. Feeling sick? Don’t reach for the antibiotics

Here’s a reminder we could all use this time of year: not all bugs need drugs! In fact, chances are, if you’re struggling through a runny nose, cough, or flu symptoms, it’s a virus and antibiotics won’t do a thing to help. They could actually be doing harm in disrupting our healthy bacteria in our guts, and let’s not forget that overuse of antibiotics contributes to global antibiotic resistance. Scary stuff.

Instead, boost your immunity with these healthy superfoods. Already caught a cold or the flu? Try these natural remedies.

3. Solid food and breastfeeding = fewer allergies?

If you’ve got a newborn at home, or you’re expecting, listen up! New research is suggesting that introducing solid foods to baby’s diet after 17 weeks, while still breastfeeding, may help prevent child food allergies. This new study came out of the University of Southampton, and concluded that solid foods may help boost the immune system in little ones.

4. Large dishes mean bigger appetites for youngsters

Some more research to help our children stay healthy: if you’re concerned about your child’s weight, try using smaller dishes. You might even consider investing in separate “kid-sized” plates, bowls, and cups. This advice is spurred by a new study that showed kids request 87 percent more sugary cereal if the bowls supplied are bigger. They then eat a whopping 52 percent more cereal than the kids with the smaller bowls.

5. Make protein part of your morning meal

If you’re hurrying out of the house in the morning, don’t assume grabbing just a piece of fruit or a cup of coffee will cut it. According to new research, eating high protein breakfasts, such as those made with eggs, curbed hunger throughout the day much more effectively than no breakfast, or breakfast that was low on protein but high in carbs (such as pancakes with syrup).

Why not try a delicious, make-ahead-of-time, protein-packed alive breakfast recipe, such as Greek Frittata Slice, Popover Egg Pie, or Bircher Chai Muesli?