Recipes: See Ya Later Hunny Punch and Juicy Soda Can Chicken

Being outside in the sun, celebrating life with good food, good drinks and great company is my version of heaven.

Last weekend we had some wonderful friends over for a BBQ and tried some summery recipes that the amazing folks at YEW Restaurant + Bar shared with me [check out my recent post on this fabulous, sustainable restaurant here].

The food and drinks were a hit, I hope you’ll enjoy them too!

Justin Taylor's See Ya Later Hunny Punch

This cocktail recipe (pictured above) comes from YEW’s super talented bartender Justin Taylor, and features See Ya Later Ranch’s 2011 Hunny Late Harvest Riesling, which was named Best Dessert Wine at last year’s BC Wine Awards.

Add some gin, Campari and ruby red grapefruit juice to the mix and you’ve got yourself a seriously refreshing drink!

Serves 10

Ingredients

• 2 cups See Ya Later Hunny
• 2 cups gin
• 1 cup Campari
• 4 cups freshly squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice

Instructions

1. Mix ingredients together in a pitcher or bowl and serve in your favourite patio glassware over ice.

Ned Bell’s Juicy Soda Can Chicken

I’m terrible at multitasking when it comes to preparing food and chatting with my guests, so I’m usually running around in a panic at the last minute trying to get everything ready before they arrive.

In my haste, I forgot a few key ingredients for the following chicken recipe, which is care of YEW’s brilliant and wonderful executive chef Ned Bell. His juicy soda can chicken calls for a can of soda water to set the upright chicken over top of. I forgot to buy that. His accompanying BBQ vinaigrette calls for molasses and malt vinegar. I forgot to buy those too.

Fortunately there were still plenty of ingredients that I did have on hand, and the chicken still turned out juicy and flavourful, with deliciously crunchy skin.

Instead of sitting the birds on a can and baking them, I split them along the frontal plane (so both breasts and wings were on one piece, and the legs, thighs and backbone were on the other – pictured above) and barbecued them for 80 minutes on low, flipping each piece over every 20 minutes (I’m paranoid about undercooking chicken so I err on the side of overdone, especially when feeding guests).

Ingredients

• 1 whole organic chicken
• 1 lemon, cut in half
• 1 can soda water
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed in the skin
• 3 tbsp molasses
• 3 tbsp malt vinegar
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Stuff the chicken cavity with the cut lemon, herbs and garlic, and then with the open can of soda water.
3. Stand the chicken up in a deep casserole dish and bake for 1 hour.
4. Remove from oven, cover with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, to prepare the BBQ vinaigrette, remove the soda can from the chicken cavity and combine the contents with the pan juices, molasses, and vinegar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
6. Simmer for 10 minutes until reduced and syrupy.
7. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and squeeze in the lemon halves from the chicken cavity.

Bell suggests serving the chicken with asparagus, golden spuds and yams tossed in olive oil, sea salt and cracked pepper, grilled on the BBQ – as well as grilled bread to soak up all the juices.

Yum-o!

*For my panicked version of this recipe, I just smeared the birds with a mixture of thyme, rosemary, minced garlic, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, cracked pepper and lemon juice.

Grow Your Own Food with Let’s Patch Self-watering Planters

Let's Patch's self-watering planter folds small enough to fit in your mailbox. Order yours through their Kickstarter campaign by Friday, June 14 to help fund their project.  We just moved to a new home in February and after not even having a patio for a few years, we now have a massive outdoor space with a terrace and our very own garden. It’s so amazing, I have to pinch myself every day.

I’ve been so excited to grow our own food – herbs like basil are crazy delicious but expensive to purchase at the grocer – but hadn’t got around to it until yesterday.

Mostly what was holding me back was the fact that plants don’t seem to stay alive under my care. We bought a bunch of houseplants when we were first married, almost 11 years ago, but they quickly died and I guess we sort of lost our nerve.

So when I heard about Let’s Patch, I jumped at the chance to try their user-friendly, self-watering planter, whose founder, Vancouverite Kent Houston, “was fuelled by the idea that anyone could grow food, anywhere.”

See Houston talking about Let’s Patch in the video below.

Houston says, “Let’s Patch was founded to give people the tools they need to grow healthy herbs and vegetables at home. We believe that if you grow it, you’ll eat it” – a philosophy that’s especially important to today’s children who’ve become dangerously disconnected from the source of their food (as most of us have).

To this end, Let’s Patch has donated 150 planters to 32 BC classrooms participating in the Classroom Gardening Program run by Growing Chefs! Chefs for Children’s Urban Agriculture.

The lightweight planter, made from Tyvek (a durable, water-resistant, recyclable synthetic made from high-density polyethylene fibres), arrived in an envelope in my mailbox, measuring 12 inches by 6 inches by 1 inch.

I took my gardening assistant (my labradoodle Charlie) to GardenWorks to pick up potting mix and a basil starter plant – seeds seemed too challenging for my first real gardening project and apparently I’d already missed the prime time to plant seeds anyway – and then I assembled the planter, without incident, in less than five minutes.

Ta-da! My precious little basil plant soaking up the sun (and the perfect amount of water from its Patch Planter) on my patio. 

The indoor/outdoor planter is sleek enough to sit on your coffee table or windowsill and durable enough to sit on your patio. Mine is now perched on a window ledge outside my office window, so I can gaze out at my food-growing aptitude and, one day soon, clip the fragrant leaves to serve on my adjacent patio table.

Patch Planters can be purchased through Let’s Patch’s Kickstarter campaign, which hopes to raise $50,000 by Friday, June 14, 2013 at 3:00AM. With only 8 days left, 50 percent of their goal has been pledged, so they need another $25,000 for the project to be funded.

“With Kickstarter we can bypass investors, get real metrics about our market and showcase the forward-thinking innovation behind our self-watering Patch Planters,” says Houston. “We need to go from beta to mega to make this game-changing method of growing food a reality and make a positive impact on communities around the world.”

Visit letspatch.com for more information about the Patch Planters, and head to Kickstarter to purchase one planter for $38, two for $69, or three for $98.

Social Entrepreneur Mark Brand Launches A Better Life Foundation

A Better Life Foundation | Mark Brand | The Life Delicious

Being hungry sucks.

“You ever been hungry? You know what that feels like? Unacceptable,” said social entrepreneur Mark Brand, during his incredibly moving TEDxVancouver talk, The Impact of an Unconventional Solution (see below).

It’s hard to focus on anything else when you're hungry. It’s hard to make good decisions, it’s hard to be positive, and it can even be hard to be kind, when you’re absolutely starving.

Now add to that equation the fact that you have no roof over your head, no support system, and it’s cold and rainy. Maybe you’re even struggling with mental health or addiction issues.

The Impact of an Unconventional Solution

If you’re reading this, it’s likely you’ve never experienced this unacceptable scenario, I haven’t either, but the thought of it is heartbreaking and a reality for way too many people – way too many people right here in our community.

Brand is Working to Turn Things Around in His Hood

Brand is working ridiculously, unwaveringly hard to turn this reality around, and he's starting where he lives and works in Vancouver’s downtown eastside (DTES) – his businesses include Save On Meats, Portside Pub, The Diamond, Boneta, Sea Monstr Sushi, Sharks and Hammers, and the newly opened pop-up restaurant No. 1 Noodle House.

I had the honour of attending the launch of his latest venture, A Better Life Foundation, on May 25, 2013 at the Vancouver Art Gallery (who generously donated the space), with partners Vancouver Community College, Donnelly Group and brand.LIVE providing delicious food, drinks, and event production, respectively.

This is Our City to Fix

A Better Life Foundation | Mark Brand | The Life Delicious

Mark Brand, centre, with Preet Banerjee, right, and Elliott Hashimoto, corporate chef for Mark Brand Inc. (Image: Wendy D Photography)

“We need to invest in the people that are our community,” said Brand during the launch party, after being introduced by event host Preet Banerjee, whom he met on the TV show Million Dollar Neighbourhood. “This is our city to fix.”

A Better Life Foundation is investing in the community by providing more than 500 residents of the DTES with a nutritious meal every day, and plans to offer more help as the charity receives more donations.

A Better Life Foundation Hopes to Feed 1,500 People Every Day

Speaking to The Rush host Fiona Forbes and guest host Grant Lawrence in early May, Brand said, “The charity works specifically to do our barrier employment program – for clarification that’s people with developmental disabilities or coming out of rehab or simply kids who can’t get another shot because they’ve been to jail, etcetera – and then this program [details about the token program here], which can expand, and then our meal program that we’re hoping to expand to 1,500 [per day].”

Building community is an integral part of Brand’s personal philosophy. “You know what it feels like to be part of a community? There is no feeling like it,” said Brand at TEDxVancouver. “There’s nothing like knowing your neighbours and knowing you’re working towards a common goal.”

Building Community One Meal At a Time

http://vimeo.com/67129742

“The simple act of making sure that your belly is full in the morning makes a huge difference,” says Banerjee, sitting next to Brand during a promotional video for the foundation (see above).

“The fact is,” says Brand, “if you have that one meal in your belly, that does get you through the most important part of your day, that you’re more prone to reach out to a social service, or a service that gets you into rehabilitation or into employment or into that next step in your life where you go further forward.”

In the same segment of The Rush as mentioned previously, Forbes asked Brand something I was curious about too: “Why do you do this? You’re a businessman, you don’t have to have to make these tokens and feed people, you don’t have to do what you did with the sign [details about the sign here]. Why do you?”

We Can Be Catalysts For Positive Change, Says Brand

“I love it,” replies Brand. “I truthfully really love our city and our neighbourhood and I think that we can be catalysts for positive change. I know we have been already. And I don’t mind fighting the fights, is the other part. I think people come and they foray into social entrepreneurship, you know, it’s hard, most of the time you’re funded just enough to fail."

"I’m born to have these fights and arguments and discourse, and I think if I can do it and sort of forge some more path, then people will come behind and go, ‘I can do this, I do love this neighbourhood, I do want to help.’”

One Person Can Inspire Change in a Community

A Better Life Foundation | Mark Brand | The Life Delicious

A Better Life Foundation's Mark Brand. (Image: Wendy D Photography)

Driving along East Hastings Street or walking through Gastown and seeing the poverty, pain and suffering can feel very overwhelming, to the point of feeling totally helpless.

But hearing Brand’s story and witnessing his evolution as a social entrepreneur has helped me see that one person can absolutely inspire change in a community, with actions large or small – whether it's giving someone a chance when no one else will, participating in fundraising efforts, giving someone a sandwich token, or just offering them a smile.

Check out A Better Life Foundation’s initiatives, goals, outlook and values, below.

For more information on the foundation or to give a charitable donation, visit abetterlifefoundation.ca.

A Better Life Foundation’s Initiatives and Goals

1. Provide meals to those in need.

2. Facilitate acquisition of relevant skills training and work experience to those with employment barriers.

3. Provide an educational and job readiness programs that equip individuals for success.

4. Provide outreach and referral programs that provide encouragement and support.

5. Provide and maintain a high quality working environment that integrates teaching, learning, and community engagement.

A Better Life Foundation’s Outlook and Values

1. PARTICIPATION – We strive to facilitate programs that increase participation, community involvement, and mutual responsibility.

2. HEALTHY COMMUNITIES – We strive to support the community we serve by being attentive of its needs and values, creating innovative food and employment programs that address these needs and respect these values.

3. INNOVATION – We aim to be a part of a larger discussion around food provision and sustainability in Vancouver by partnering with a diverse group of organizations to find unconventional solutions to prevalent social issues.

4. DIVERSITY – We value diversity and are devoted to equal, dignified treatment of all individuals – respecting diversity through inclusion of all persons in our programs and services.

5. EQUALITY – We incorporate practices in our daily actions that address the issue of equality, by recognizing the power dynamics that are negatively affecting individuals wellbeing.

6. SUSTAINABILITY – We strive to facilitate sustainable change by working in collaboration with a diverse range of organizations, creating innovative self sustaining programs.

7. ACCEPTANCE – We value acceptance – promoting individual’s ability to pursue chosen goals in life by respecting diversity.

8. COLLABORATION – We value collaboration therefore we work collectively with community members and organizations to form long lasting supportive relationships to promote the wellbeing of the DTES.

Fabulous Food: YEW Restaurant + Bar

Clockwise from top left: One of executive chef Ned Bell's mouthwatering BC spot prawn dishes, YEW's seafood charcuterie board,  bartender Justin Taylor's "YEW Shake It" whiskey sour cocktail, and pastry chef Bruno Feldeisen's to-die-for apple pie. (Images: Catherine Roscoe Barr)

791 West Georgia St, Vancouver, BC  |  yewrestaurant.com

Why YEW Rocks:

• Using 100 percent Ocean Wise seafood and ethically sourced, naturally raised, antibiotic- and hormone-free animal products, YEW’s incredible menu is always changing, in tune with the seasons, and inspired by passionate local producers with whom executive chef Ned Bell has cultivated close relationships.
• Sommelier Emily Walker’s seafood-friendly wine list is fabulous on its own (and many of the selections come from organic, biodynamic, sustainable, and family run vineyards), but with 50 percent off each and every bottle on Wine Down Sundays, the by-the-glass wine preservation program featuring 14 carefully selected wines in 2-, 4-, and 6-ounce pours, and her Wine of the Week, it’s super fabulous
• Bartender Justin Taylor’s cocktail menu is just plain awesome, and many of the signature and classic drinks contain barrel aged spirits, made in-house and displayed on shelves behind the bar. His “We make it, Yew Shake it” whiskey sour is particularly lovely, and quite the workout since you’re doing the cocktail shaking yourself.
• Epic weekend brunch. Three courses. Decadent and delicious. Enough said.
• “All dinner guests are given one of Ned’s power cookies to take home at the close of their meal,” says public relations director Kate Colley. “The sentiment being that the guest will eat the cookie for a healthy breakfast and be reminded of the great dinner they had the night before.” How sweet is that? Here’s the recipe.

The YEW Team:

Executive chef Ned Bell

"Our food focus is being seasonally fresh, globally inspired, but locally created and sustainable. Food doesn't need to be complicated, but it is important to know where it comes from."

Pastry chef Bruno Feldeisen

"I always look for local, organic, independent farmers to provide us with the freshest foods at their peak ripeness. For example, we are using Vista D'oro apples for our apple pie, Glasshouse Farms strawberries in the strawberry trifle, and Golden Ears Cheesecrafters provides us a truly unique quark cheese that we use in all our cheesecake recipes.”

Sommelier Emily Walker

"As a Sommelier there is no greater privilege than working in a city where we have access to beautiful local ingredients and benefit from the proximity to such diverse wine growing regions in our own backyard. Our aim is to offer a well-rounded selection of local and international wines designed to enhance the flavours of our seafood concept and elevate your dining experience."

Bartender Justin Taylor

"YEW's cocktail list is simple. It's everyday favourites that are elevated by our passions and playfulness, like our unique barrel-aging program. Our drinks are uncomplicated, approachable and friendly, while keeping true to our seafood concept."

YEW in the News:

• Silver Medal for Best Seafood at the 2013 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards, Vancouver Magazine, May 1, 2013
• Vancouver and Whistler 2013 “Where to Dine” Critic’s Choice winner for Sustainable Seafood, Where Magazine, May 1, 2013
• YEW Restaurant + Bar at Vancouver's Four Seasons Hotel Launches 100 Percent Ocean Wise Menu, BC Living, June 25, 2012
• Four Seasons’ YEW restaurant + bar delivers stellar seafood with a West Coast vibe, The Georgia Straight, May 30, 2012
• Sea change puts Yew in class by itself, The Globe and Mail, January 27 2012

Travel: The Sunshine Coast

Last year I visited the Sunshine Coast for the first – and second – time and wrote about my adventures for BC Living and The Province. It quickly became one of my favourite places on earth, I strongly recommend a visit if you’ve never been!

To read more about one of BC’s best getaways, check out:

• Exploring the North End of the Sunshine Coast, my story for BC Living

• Hiking the province’s unknown other trail, my story for The Province

Below are some highlights from my visits. Click the titles to visit their respective websites.

VISIT: Sunshine Coast Trail

VISIT: TerraCentric Coastal Adventures

VISIT: Footprint Nature Explorations

VISIT: Townsite Brewing

VISIT: Skookumchuck Narrows Provincial Park

VISIT: Breakwater Books and Coffee

EAT: The Boardwalk Restaurant

EAT: Nancy’s Bakery

EAT: The Savoury Bight

STAY: West Coast Wilderness Lodge

STAY: Desolation Resort

STAY: Beach Gardens Resort and Marina

STAY: Herondell Bed and Breakfast

STAY: The Historic Lund Hotel

10 Books on Brain Chemistry

It’s no secret, I love talking about brain chemistry! Have you heard about my “Winning Trifecta of Wellness”? The trifecta includes stress management, exercise and nutrition, which are actions that produce optimal brain chemistry.

When you cultivate optimal brain chemistry, you feel good.

When you commit to consistently cultivate optimal brain chemistry, you look good.

“If you strive for optimal brain chemistry, everything else will fall into place.”

Isn’t it incredible how your thoughts and actions directly affect your health and happiness? Isn’t it empowering to know that you’re in control of what you think and how you act?

The following ten books have given me tangible new insight into improving my health and happiness.

They’ve helped me become more aware of the effects of my thoughts and actions – and more empowered to improve my health and happiness.

I hope you’ll find them interesting and insightful too!

1. Molecules of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-body Medicine by Candace B. Pert

2. Must Have Been Something I Ate by Peggy Kotsopoulos

3. Your Brain on Nature: The Science of Natures Influence on Your Health, Happiness and Vitality by Alan C. Logan and Eva M. Selhub

4. The Mars and Venus Diet and Exercise Solution: Create the Brain Chemistry of Health, Happiness, and Lasting Romance by John Gray

5. Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom by Rick Hanson

6. The First 20 Minutes: Surprising Science Reveals How We Can: Exercise Better, Train Smarter, Live Longer by Gretchen Reynolds

7. The Happiness Diet: A Nutritional Prescription for a Sharp Brain, Balanced Mood, and Lean, Energized Body by Drew Ramsey and Tyler G. Graham

8. Love 2.0: How our Supreme Emotion Affects Everything We Feel, Think, Do, and Become by Barbara Fredrickson

9. Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey

10. Super Brain by Deepak Chopra & Rudolph Tanzi

A Few of my Favourite Things: International Chicken Recipes

I get so excited reading about new recipes, shopping for ingredients, and preparing meals for the people I love. I especially enjoy trying new flavour combinations and using herbs and spices to add flavour without adding calories. After learning about the about the inhumane conditions that many poultry products you buy at the grocery store are raised in, I've solely purchased free-range or organic birds.

A local company raising free-range, medication and antibiotic free chickens is Maple Hill Farms in Abbotsford, found at numerous grocery stores and butchers in and around Vancouver. They offer whole birds, a range of cuts, and eggs.

Here are three of my favourite international chicken recipes, which you can see in their entirety, along with dozens of other recipes I've tested at home, at BC Living.

Chicken, Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

Visit BCLiving.ca for the Chicken, Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas recipe.

Pineapple Cashew Chicken Fried Rice

Visit BCLiving.ca for the Pineapple Cashew Chicken Fried Rice recipe.

Jerk Chicken with Rice and Beans

Visit BCLiving.ca for the Jerk Chicken with Rice and Beans recipe.

The Energy Project

(Image: The Energy Project)

I’ve had a few aha moments over at The Energy Project, so I thought I’d share some of my favourite tips from them about performance and productivity.

They offer a curriculum called peoplefuel, which “teaches people at all levels in companies to more efficiently manage their four sources of energy.” Those four sources of energy are:

1. Physical
2. Emotional
3. Mental
4. Spiritual

This concept, of taking an inventory of your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual energy, applies to everyone, including self-employed individuals like myself, and serves to make you aware of areas where your energy is needlessly being zapped.

I love the idea of regular self-inventories!

Energy Rituals

One of my favourite Energy Project concepts is energy rituals, which are “highly specific behaviours done at precise times.”

The idea is that if you develop rituals for your daily routine – setting your alarm for the same time every day, always working out first thing in the morning – you’ll have more energy leftover for the important stuff like productivity at work and being present with friends and family.

I cook a nice meal most nights of the week, which would take far too much time and energy if I didn't prepare for it, but every weekend I make a menu for the week ahead and from that I make a grocery list for all of the items I'll need. Then I pick up everything except for the produce needed for the end of the week, which I'll pick up mid-week so it's fresh when I go to use it.

That way, during the course of my day I never have to distract myself from work, thinking about what's for dinner and whether or not I have everything necessary on hand.

All I have to do is turn on some music, pour myself a drink (whether that's sparkling water or wine), and whip up a healthy meal.

Also take a look at The Energy Project’s CEO Tony Schwartz’s article about energy rituals for the Harvard Business Review.

Energy Quadrants

Another concept that struck me as useful is the idea of energy quadrants, which is defining your current energy as one of the following:

1. Performance
2. Recovery
3. Burnout
4. Survival

Schwartz says, “Human beings are actually designed to pulse. We’re most productive when we move between expending energy and intermittently renewing our four energy needs: sustainability (physical), security (emotional); self-expression (mental) and significance (spiritual).”

So, in terms of energy quadrants, alternating between performance and recovery is ideal. If you’re hanging out in the burnout or survival quadrant, it’s time to survey your energy sources, address which areas need improvement, and follow through with step-by-step actions.

Be Excellent at Anything

Lastly, Schwartz has a new book, which is on my to-read list, called Be Excellent at Anything: The Four Keys To Transforming the Way We Work and Live. You can have a peak at it on Google Books.

Health and Fitness Roundup: In the News

Reluctant to stick to your gym routine? Exercising outdoors can increase your motivation, says New York Times columnist Gretchen Reynolds. (Image: Catherine Roscoe Barr)

When Exercise Stresses You Out

New York Times, March 13, 2013

For most people, exercise elevates mood. Repeated studies with humans and animals have shown that regular workouts can increase stress resistance, decrease anxiety, lessen symptoms of depression and generally leave people cheerful. But what if someone sincerely dislikes exercise and works out only under a kind of emotional duress, deeming that he or she must do so, perhaps because a doctor or worried spouse has ordered it?

Read the full article here.

The Six Best-Kept Secrets About Stress

Psychology Today, March 12, 2013

If you’re like most people living in our fast-paced world, you wish you could be less stressed. You are constantly on the lookout for ways to reduce your stress and that’s most likely why you clicked on this blog link. Perhaps you’ll learn something new to help you manage the many demands you feel on your time and energy. Or perhaps this will another one of those pop psych articles that tell you what you already knew or have read about many times before. I don’t want to promise what I can’t deliver, but I think you’ll be honestly surprised by the six secrets to stress that I’ll reveal in this blog. Even if you just learn from one of them, you’ll be on your way to better managing those worries, anxieties, and preoccupations that, though perhaps minor on their own, can add up to erode your mental and physical health.

Read the full article here.

Physical Activity Boosts Brain Power

Psychology Today, February 28, 2013

Healthy children come in all shapes and sizes. Being physically fit is more important than Body Mass Index (BMI) when it comes to getting good grades. A new study by Dr. Robert R. Rauner and colleagues from Lincoln Public Schools and Creighton University in Nebraska found that aerobic fitness has a greater effect on academic performance than weight. The study published in the Journal of Pediatrics found that although BMI is an important indicator for overall health, it did not have a significant effect on test scores. “Although obesity is a concern for children, this study shows that aerobic fitness can have a greater effect on academic performance than weight,” the Journal said.

Read the full article here.

Calm Down: Why Stress and Your Health Don’t Match

Chalkboard, February 22, 2013

In her book The Slim Calm Sexy Diet, author Keri Glasman walks readers through the all-important rules of getting stronger, calmer, healthier, more balanced and yes, thinner – all goals that have likely made it across your New Year’s to-do list… but, calmer? How does getting calmer fit in to all this hubbub about our health?

Read the full article here.

The Benefits of Exercising Outdoors

New York Times, February 21, 2013

While the allure of the gym — climate-controlled, convenient and predictable — is obvious, especially in winter, emerging science suggests there are benefits to exercising outdoors that can’t be replicated on a treadmill, a recumbent bicycle or a track. You stride differently when running outdoors, for one thing. Generally, studies find, people flex their ankles more when they run outside. They also, at least occasionally, run downhill, a movement that isn’t easily done on a treadmill and that stresses muscles differently than running on flat or uphill terrain. Outdoor exercise tends, too, to be more strenuous than the indoor version. In studies comparing the exertion of running on a treadmill and the exertion of running outside, treadmill runners expended less energy to cover the same distance as those striding across the ground outside, primarily because indoor exercisers face no wind resistance or changes in terrain, no matter how subtle.

Read the full article here.

Relax! You’ll Be More Productive

New York Times, February 9, 2013

Think for a moment about your typical workday. Do you wake up tired? Check your e-mail before you get out of bed? Skip breakfast or grab something on the run that’s not particularly nutritious? Rarely get away from your desk for lunch? Run from meeting to meeting with no time in between? Find it nearly impossible to keep up with the volume of e-mail you receive? Leave work later than you’d like, and still feel compelled to check e-mail in the evenings?

Read the full article here.

Fitness Center in a Hotel Room

New York Times, January 17, 2013

A frequent traveler, Soozan Baxter never bothers with the hotel gym. Instead, she checks with the front desk to make sure there is a tub in the bathroom, an iron in the closet and a sturdy bench or ottoman in the room. Ms. Baxter’s solution for staying in shape while on the road: a 30-minute routine designed by her Manhattan-based personal trainer, Nicole Glor, that lets her exercise without having to pack hand weights or exercise mats. “I don’t want to carry a lot of stuff with me,” said Ms. Baxter, 37, a commercial real estate consultant who travels from one to three days a week throughout the year.

Read the full article here.

Do the Brain Benefits of Exercise Last?

New York Times, January 9, 2013

It is well established that exercise bolsters the structure and function of the brain. Multiple animal and human studies have shown that a few months of moderate exercise can create new neurons, lift mood and hone memory and thinking.

But few studies have gone on to examine what happens next. Are these desirable brain changes permanent? Or, if someone begins exercising but then stops, does the brain revert to its former state, much like unused muscles slacken?

Read the full article here.

Superfoods, weight loss strategies and the boring truth about better health

Vancouver Sun, December 31, 2012

My favourite thought of the year came from CIHR researcher Antony Karelis at the University of Quebec, who told me that long-term studies on the effects of various weight loss programs are impossible to do because nearly everyone who loses weight puts it right back on again, usually within a few months. My second favourite thought on weight loss strategies came from Sheila Innis, the director of UBC’s nutrition and metabolism research program, who rather irritably pointed out that starving and stuffing lab mice is not a reliable means for designing a sensible diet for humans (though it is a fine way to learn about things like the effects of insulin on fat cells).

Read the full article here.

Communing with nature can recharge your creativity, study finds

Los Angeles Times, December 12, 2012

Go take a hike – it’s good for your brain. So says a new study that supports something called Attention Restoration Theory, which holds that exposure to nature can replenish our cognitive reserves when they are worn out by overuse. And if you live a modern urban or suburban life, your cognitive reserves are surely depleted: A typical teenager spends more than 7.5 hours per day juggling a computer, cellphone, TV and other media, and the number is surely higher for a typical adult, according to the study: “Our modern society is filled with sudden events (sirens, horns, ringing phones, alarms, televisions, etc.) that hijack attention. By contrast, natural environments are associated with a gentle, soft fascination, allowing the executive attentional system to replenish.”

Read the full article here.

BC Blueberries: Part of Dr Marwan Sabbagh’s Healthy Brain Diet

(Image: BC Blueberry Council)

Last week I had the pleasure of attending a breakfast lecture, hosted by the BC Blueberry Council at the Edible Canada Bistro, with author, speaker, geriatric neurologist and dementia specialist, and director of the Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Dr Marwan Sabbagh.

Sabbagh’s talk focused on how dietary habits influence the risk of neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s, and how blueberries fit into that equation.

We also received a copy of his awesome new book, The Alzheimer’s Prevention Cookbook: Recipes to Boost Brain Health, which covers the science of Alzheimer’s disease, highlights of which we learned in his talk, and contains brain-boosting recipes that he teamed up with celebrity chef Beau MacMillan to create.

Dr Marwan Sabbagh, left, and I with his new book, The Alzheimer’s Prevention Cookbook: Recipes to Boost Brain Health, at the Edible Canada Bistro. (Image: Catherine Roscoe Barr)

The lecture was one of those instances where I was so engaged with what I was hearing that space and time fell away.

You may or may not know that I have a neuroscience degree and that I am passionate about learning and sharing ways to cultivate optimal brain health, so what he had to say really got me excited.

Sabbagh shared a number of things that I already knew but were great to be reminded of and I also took away a handful of exciting and practical new tips for following a healthy brain diet.

Neurodegeneration Begins 25 Years Before Symptoms Appear

One thing he said really struck me. It’s compelled me to put even more thought and care into what I eat. Changes in the brain – negative changes associated with neurodegeneration – begin to occur 25 years before a clinical diagnosis is possible.

In other words, the disease starts 25 years before the first symptoms are detected.

That means there’s plenty you can do right now, through nutrition, exercise and stress management, to increase your chances of having a sharp mind till the day you drop! That, in addition to keeping a long list of nasties like heart disease, osteoporosis, and rheumatoid arthritis at bay.

The Mediterranean Diet is the Convergence of All Good Things

The quickest and most efficient way to influence change, says Sabbagh, is through diet, and he strongly suggests adopting the Mediterranean Diet, calling it “the convergence of all good things.”

The diet includes very little foods high in saturated fats and cholesterol, with a focus on consuming dark vegetables (like alfalfa, beets, bell peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, corn, eggplant, kale and spinach), high-antioxidant fruits (like blackberries, blueberries, cherries, oranges, plums, prunes, raspberries, strawberries and red grapes), and fish high in Omega-3 fatty acids (like halibut, mackerel, salmon, trout and tuna). It even allows for a moderate amount of red wine!

Hooray, Red Wine is Good for You!

Red wine contains Resveratrol, a compound that’s “been shown to have anti-cancer, antiviral, neuroprotective, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, and life-prolonging effects.”

So, is more better? Unfortunately, says Sabbagh, you’d need to drink about six bottles of red wine per day to get the optimal recommended amount of Resveratrol. Your liver would not approve.

Sabbagh’s recommendation: stick to a maximum of two glasses of red wine per day and take a Resveratrol supplement.

Herbs and Spices are Antioxidant Powerhouses

Sabbagh also suggests eating foods with high ORAC, or Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, scores. He says, “USDA researchers estimate that you can derive great benefits from consuming 3,000 to 5,000 ORAC units of antioxidants a day.”

I’d never heard of ORAC scores before. Exciting! Following is a list of high-antioxidant herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables, and their ORAC scores, recommended by Sabbagh.

Herbs and Spices (roughly 2 to 4 grams per tsp)

• Cloves, ground – 290,283 ORAC units per 100 grams
• Oregano, dried – 175,295 ORAC units 100 grams
• Rosemary, dried – 165,280 ORAC units per 100 grams
• Thyme, dried – 157,380 ORAC units per 100 grams
• Cinnamon, ground – 131,420 ORAC units per 100 grams
• Turmeric, ground – 127,068 ORAC units per 100 grams

Fruits

• Prunes – 5,770 ORAC units per 100 grams
• Raisins – 2,830 ORAC units per 100 grams
• Blueberries – 2,400 ORAC units per 100 grams
• Blackberries – 2,036 ORAC units per 100 grams
• Strawberries – 1,540 ORAC units per 100 grams
• Raspberries – 1,220 ORAC units per 100 grams

Vegetables

• Kale – 1,770 ORAC units per 100 grams
• Spinach – 1,260 ORAC units per 100 grams
• Brussels sprouts – 980 ORAC units per 100 grams
• Alfalfa sprouts – 930 ORAC units per 100 grams
• Broccoli florets – 890 ORAC units per 100 grams
• Beets – 840 ORAC units per 100 grams

Fun fact: Sabbagh says that since learning about cinnamon’s high ORAC score, and a study “revealing that cinnamon has direct anti-Alzheimer’s properties," he has a teaspoon in his coffee every day.

Blueberries’ Brain-Boosting Power

Zeroing in on blueberries, Sabbagh says that the science behind the brain-boosting power of blueberries – not just berries with high a ORAC score – is “quite compelling.”

Part of his excitement about blueberries stems from animal studies of blueberry extract which show that it can reverse age-related cognitive and motor deficit, prevent free radical damage in red blood cells, and enhance memory-associated neuronal signaling.

He also calls blueberries a “medical-type food” due to another animal-based study showing their ability to “cross the blood-brain barrier and localize in various brain regions important for learning and memory.”

Many drugs are unable to cross the blood-brain barrier, so this was a particularly noteworthy discovery.

Essentially, the antioxidant-rich blueberry extract was able to not just prevent memory loss, but reverse neurodegeneration.

Suddenly craving blueberries? Just wait till you see the delicious recipes below!

Actions Steps for a Healthy Brain Diet

But first, I want to share some actions steps for a healthy brain that Sabbagh left us with:

1. Adhere to the Mediterranean Diet
2. Decrease intake of saturated fat
3. Increase intake of anti-oxidant spices
4. Eat BC blueberries
5. Increase exercise

As well as his favourite brain-boosting supplements:

1. Resveratrol
2. Vitamins B-9 (folic acid) and B-12
3. DHA Omega-3 fatty acids

Smoothie and a Salad: Two Tasty Recipes for a Healthy Brain

The first recipe – which I just whipped up in my blender and am drinking while I write this – was developed by the wonderful staff at the Edible Canada Bistro and served at Sabbagh’s breakfast lecture, while the second one comes from The Alzheimer’s Prevention Cookbook, which is full of fantastic recipes.

Green Zinger Smoothie

(Image: Catherine Roscoe Barr)

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups spinach
• 5 stalks kale
• 1 cup beets
• 2 tsp fresh ginger
• 2 1/2 cups blueberries
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 1/2 cups green tea
• 1/2 cup water

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth.

Kale, Blueberry and Pomegranate Salad

(Image: Ten Speed Press)

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3 bunches kale, stemmed and chopped
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/3 cup almonds, sliced and toasted
• 1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 1/2 cup soy-sesame vinaigrette (recipe below)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Combine the kale, blueberries, carrots, pomegranate seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, and mint in a medium bowl and toss well.
2. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and toss again.
3. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve right away.

Soy-Sesame Vinaigrette

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 2 tbsp garlic, chopped
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 cup peanut oil
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup mirin
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp water

Instructions

1. Combine the ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, sesame oil, and peanut oil in a blender and puree until creamy.
2. Pour the mixture into a medium sauté pan and cook, stirring, over low heat until aromatic and golden in colour, about 6 minutes.
3. Add the vinegar, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar to the sauté pan.
4. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water, and then stir the cornstarch slurry into the content of the pan.
5. Set the pan over low heat and bring the mixture to a boil to thicken, stirring to dissolve the sugar, about 2 minutes.
6. Transfer the dressing to a bowl and let cool.
7. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Relationship Roundup: In the News

(Image: Nissa Miller)

The Health Benefits of Kissing

Chatelaine, January 16, 2013

Just because the mistletoe is tucked away for another year, doesn’t mean you should neglect the importance of kissing. A recent Polysporin study revealed that while 75 percent of Canadians believe kissing fosters deeper connections, half say they don’t kiss as often as they’d like. We asked relationships expert Dr. Karyn Gordon to address the importance of kissing and tips on how to do it more often.

Read the full article here.

That Loving Feeling Takes a Lot of Work

New York Times, January 14, 2013

When people fall in love and decide to marry, the expectation is nearly always that love and marriage and the happiness they bring will last; as the vows say, till death do us part. Only the most cynical among us would think, walking down the aisle, that if things don’t work out, “We can always split.” But the divorce rate in the United States is exactly half the marriage rate, and that does not bode well for this cherished institution. While some divorces are clearly justified by physical or emotional abuse, intolerable infidelity, addictive behavior or irreconcilable incompatibility, experts say many severed marriages seem to have just withered and died from a lack of effort to keep the embers of love alive.

Read the full article here.

16 Ways I Blew My Marriage

Single Dad Laughing, October 2012

The other night I was sitting with my family, most of whom are very successfully married. We were going in a circle giving our best marriage advice to my little sister on the eve of her wedding. It’s somewhat of a family tradition. But that’s not what blows. What really blows is that I realized I don’t have any good marriage advice to give. After all, I’ve never had a successful marriage out of the two marriages I did have. And so, when it was my turn, I just made a joke about divorce and how you should always remember why you loved your spouse when you first met her so that when times get tough, you can find someone new that is just like she was. There were a couple courtesy giggles, but overall my humor wasn’t welcome in such a beautifully building ring of profundity. They finished round one, and for some reason started into another round. And that’s when I realized. Hey. I don’t have marriage advice to give, but I have plenty of “keep your marriage from ending” advice (two equivocally different things), and that might be almost as good.

Read the full article here.

Six Tips to Keep Long-Term Relationships Exciting

Psychology Today, October 22, 2012

The truth is, over time, our feelings in our relationships do change. The sparkly and exhilarating rush of falling in love is not permanent. But that does not mean that this feeling disappears; it simply evolves. The idea that the excitement of a relationship is sentenced to only the first months or even years a couple is together is completely false. When it comes to a long-term relationship with a partner we ourselves chose, we can maintain the thrill of being in love, and deepen our feelings of passion and intimacy. However, to do this means avoiding certain behaviors, habits, and traps that couples commonly fall into the longer they stay together. Staying in love means taking the hard road and differentiating from negative past influences. It means challenging our own defenses and facing our, often subconscious, fears about intimacy. Fighting for a relationship means being stubborn about not getting in our own way of staying close to someone else. Here are six tips that I have found to help couples stand the test of time.

Read the full article here.

Love, Sex, Relationships and the Brain: Does neuroscience hold the key to a lifetime of passionate love?

Psychology Today, October 18, 2012

The qualities of true, romantic love have inspired playwrights, poets, and philosophers throughout the ages. Love is an ideal; an inspiration — a feeling of passion and commitment that adds richness and joy to life. A loving relationship provides a secure base from which to grow, expand and explore the world. Yet, until recently, we did not know for sure whether romantic love could last, or whether it inevitable transformed into companionate love — enduring friendship characterized more by shared interests, commitments and values than passion and excitement. Or, even more disappointing, perhaps love inevitably fades and couples stay together in miserable or passionless relationships because of social convention, convenience, and duty.

Read the full article here.

The Winning Trifecta of Wellness

Catherine Roscoe Barr, left, and Mana Mansour talk about multi-muscle exercises at Steve Nash Fitness World and Sports Club.

My incredibly inspiring friend, reporter Mana Mansour, recently spoke to me on an episode of go! Vancouver about wellness resolutions for 2013.

I was so happy to share a little of what I’ve learned along the way through my work as a fitness professional and wellness writer, as well as my voracious appetite for new books and information on how to live your best life.

Everyone talks about fat loss and dieting and this pill and that exercise. But being well is simple.

I shared with Mana what I call The Winning Trifecta of Wellness: actions that produce optimal brain chemistry.

If you strive for optimal brain chemistry, everything else will fall into place.

The Winning Trifecta of Wellness includes stress management, exercise and nutrition.

The effects of stress management, exercise and nutrition on the mind are more powerful than their effects on the body – think of fat loss, muscle tone, flexibility, strength and endurance as pleasant side effects.

The effects on the mind are immediate. You feel happy, alert, positive, creative, vibrant, energetic and confident when you take time to rejuvenate your mind, move your body and provide it with the right fuel.

Once you discover the immediate effects of the Trifecta on your brain chemistry – how you feel – you’ll be more motivated to regularly take time for stress management, exercise and nutrition, much more motivated than working towards long term goals like losing 6 inches or dropping 15 pounds.

See the go! Vancouver segment below. 

Stress Management

You can’t control what’s going on in the world around you but you can control how you react to it. Thoughts and feelings are chemical communication in your mind and body so do as much as you can to create a healthy environment, not a toxic stew.

1. Take 10 deep breaths
2. Smile
3. Meditate
4. Start a gratitude journal
5. Get out in nature
6. Take time to pursue a hobby
7. Build community – get together with friends and family, perform random acts of kindness, volunteer your time or money to help others

Exercise

1. Move. Period. Look at housework in a whole new light. Be thankful you have to walk your dog. Dance more. Take a quick stretch break. Do 20 jumping jacks. Walk to as many errands and meetings as possible. Have sex! Anything is better than nothing – just 10 minutes a day will produce positive changes.
2. Move as many muscles as possible in as many different ways as possible. Choosing multi-muscle exercises will give you the most bang for your buck, by revving up your metabolism and moving oxygen and nutrients throughout your body.
3. Have a contingency plan. Listen to your body and be flexible with your schedule. Some days a vigorous workout, where you break a sweat and get your heart pumping, will feel great. Some days you need gentle movements like a bike ride along the seawall or a restorative yoga class. Sometimes, if I can’t be bothered to drag myself to the gym, I workout in my living room. If I’m too tired or running too late for a morning workout, I’ll workout right before I eat lunch, and if that fails, I’ll workout right before I eat dinner.

Nutrition

1. Choose fresh and un-processed products – if you do this, you can’t go wrong
   • Shopping local, sustainable and seasonal may cost you a little more in the short term but the long term benefits to your health and wellbeing are priceless, not to mention the deposits into your karmic bank account by supporting your planet and community.
   • Every time you make a purchase, you’re voting with your money. When you purchase local, sustainable, seasonal, free-range, organic, un-processed foods, you're voting for the humane treatment of animals and products that aren’t pumped full of hormones or sprayed with chemicals.
   • Also, by knowing where your ingredients come from and preparing most meals from scratch you can control what you’re putting in your body and eliminate as many chemicals, fillers and junk as possible.
2. Hydrate with water! Drink a glass when you first wake up because you’re likely dehydrated and keep drinking throughout the day. If you’re not keen, try making it more fun by adding citrus, cucumber or frozen berries or have a mug of hot water with a squeeze of lemon.
3. Fuel your body throughout the day, especially after a workout and after fasting overnight – going to bed on an empty stomach improves sleep quality because your body is able to focus on repair and rejuvenation, not digestion.
   • Ideal day of eating: 7AM, 10AM, 1PM, 4PM, 7PM = 12 hour fast
   • Eating every 3 hours ensures that your blood sugar levels stay steady
   • Spreading calorie intake throughout the day increases metabolism and also helps you to avoid binge eating and poor choices because you’re starving

Mana Mansour, left, and Catherine Roscoe Barr check out the fresh produce, sustainable seafood and animal products that meet the 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating Standards at Whole Foods Market.

So, forget about the long-term goals and focus on the now. Focus on how you feel. Don’t make weight loss your new year’s resolution – resolve to feel good by creating optimal brain chemistry through stress management, exercise and nutrition.

By making optimal brain chemistry your new year’s resolution, you can immediately feel energized, positive, creative, happy and vibrant – and fat loss, muscle tone, flexibility, strength and endurance will be icing on the cake of health and happiness!

Workout Wednesday: Ugi

Last January, the lovely Dawn Chubai told me about a new workout called Ugi. I went to investigate for myself and co-founder Sara Shears led me through a workout at her former studio in South Granville, which I wrote about for BCLiving.ca. Read the full story here.

The Ugi at home system – currently on sale for$169, regularly $189 – has quickly become my go-to workout. I love how challenging it is (I call it hysterically hard), varied it is (the DVD and workout book have 5 different workouts), it only takes 30 minutes, and I can do it in my living room or anywhere I can carry the Ugi ball to.

Here are some highlights from the BCLiving.ca story:

• Developed by Vancouver celebrity trainer Sara Shears
• 30 exercises, 30 minutes, and just one piece of equipment – the Ugi ball
• Barefoot training is encouraged to challenge the underused muscles in the ankles and feet
• Ugi stands for “you’ve got it!” You’ve got the tools, you’ve got the power, and now you’ve got it, so show it off!
• The at home system includes a Ugi ball (which comes in six fun colours and 6-, 8-, 10- or 12-pound weights), a DVD with five total body workouts (drawing from 140 exercises), a Ugi workout flipbook with pictures of the exercises, a healthy eating guide, access to Ugi’s online exercise library, and a smartphone app that provides an interval timer for the workouts
• The initial intention was solely an at-home workout but the concept proved so popular that Ugi has taken off and landed in studios, gyms, bootcamps, schools, and even seniors’ centres around the world

Visit the Ugi Fit website or the Ugi Studio website for more information. 

Lunch Recipe: Leftover Turkey Pita Pizza

It was just my husband and I for the holidays this year and I miraculously made the perfect amount of everything for Christmas dinner.

I bought a 4.3 kg local, antibiotic-free, grain-fed turkey from JD Farms Specialty Turkey, and for four days we ate turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

All that was left today was a large handful of leftover turkey, which I planned on doing something with for lunch.

I felt like staying in my pajamas – not going to the grocery store – so I endeavoured to make lunch with what we had on hand: whole wheat pitas, BBQ sauce, a tin of pizza sauce, a red onion, and cheese.

I cut the turkey into the teeniest, tiniest pieces and mixed it with BBQ sauce, and there was the perfect amount for four pita pizzas. Four super delicious pita pizzas!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups turkey, chopped
• 2 tbsp BBQ sauce
• 1 small tin pizza sauce
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups grated cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Pick through turkey to make sure there are no bones or cartilage, and chop into small pieces.
3. In small bowl, combine turkey and BBQ sauce.
4. Place two pitas each on two baking trays.
5. Spread 1/4 of pizza sauce on each pita and top with 1/4 of turkey, 1/4 of red onion and 1/4 of cheese.
6. Place baking sheets side by side on middle shelf of oven and cook pizzas for 10 minutes.
7. Turn broiler on high and cook for 3 more minutes, until cheese begins to brown and bubble.
8. Remove pizza from oven and let cool for at least 3 minutes before cutting into quarters and serving.

5 Things I Learned From Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz

The cover image of Dearie, pictured above, was taken by Paul Child. Used here with permission from Bob Spitz.

Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child, by Bob Spitz, was an enormous (576 pages) yet wonderful and captivating book. I didn’t know much about Julia Child going in – I know, I know, it’s crazy – but was absolutely fascinated to learn about her life, and Bob Spitz told her story with such respect and spunk.

I adored this book and am both looking forward to reading more by Spitz and more about Child. What a firecracker of a woman she was!

Here are five rules to live by that I gleaned from her life through the book.

1. Be confident in who you are. She seemed to have incredible self-confidence and a capacity to quickly charm people into her corner by being authentic, friendly and open.

2. Follow your heart, gut and stomach. She sought pleasure and passion at every turn – through the incredible love of her husband Paul, the conviction that she could learn to cook and teach others to do the same, and food, glorious food.

3. Seek out friendship and companionship. The Childs always seemed to have either friends over for dinner or dinner dates with friends. Even after her husband was moved into a long-term care facility and after his passing she regularly sought out social engagements with a very wide circle of friends.

4. Stay positive and uplift others even in the face of tragedy or discord. Nothing seemed to get this woman down! She seemed to keep her eye on the desire to live a life highlighted by happiness.

5. It’s never too late to discover your life’s purpose. Her journey to becoming The French Chef really struck a chord with me, as I struggled with finding a fulfilling career throughout my 20s. She didn’t even learn to cook until she was in her 30s and was 50 when she made her first TV appearance.

Health and Fitness Roundup: In the News

In Good news about good news, writer Misty Harris shares "that happiness craves an audience" and quotes researcher Nathaniel Lambert: “When you show others that you’re a safe person to share their good news with, you make a huge deposit in their emotional bank account,” says Lambert. “Being an active, constructive listener is one of the least utilized, least-taught skills there is.” Pictured above, my husband is always willing to lend an ear and make a deposit in my emotional bank account.

Working out is good for the brain as well as the heart

Globe and Mail, October 29, 2012

Can a little bit of exercise make you smarter? Or, stated more precisely, can regular activity help slow the cognitive declines associated with aging? A small but intriguing study suggests that the answer to those two questions is Yes. “The message from this research is that exercise is not just good for your heart, it’s good for your brain,” Dr. Martin Juneau, director of prevention at the Montreal Heart Institute, said in an interview. “If you’re looking for a little bit more motivation to exercise, hopefully this is it.”

Read the full article here.

Exercise May Protect Against Brain Shrinkage

New York Times, October 26, 2012

Remaining physically active as you age, a new study shows, may help protect parts of your brain from shrinking, a process that has been linked to declines in thinking and memory skills. Physical exercise not only protected against such age-related brain changes, but also had more of an effect than mentally and socially stimulating activities. In the new report, published in the journal Neurology, a team at the University of Edinburgh followed more than 600 people, starting at age 70. The subjects provided details on their daily physical, mental and social activities.

Read the full article here.

E-cookbook 'Mindfull' aims to boost brain health with tips and recipes

Vancouver Sun, October 25, 2012

A team of experts has cooked up a new book that interweaves scientific facts about brain health with some tips on lifestyle choices in an effort to reduce users' likelihood of developing dementia. The e-book, called "Mindfull," was inspired by a belief that scientific information about brain health hasn't been presented in a way that people can incorporate into their daily lives, said co-author Carol Greenwood, a scientist and professor of nutrition and brain health.

Read the full article here.

Good news about good news: study finds happiness multiplies when we share glad tidings

Vancouver Sun, October 25, 2012

Everyone knows misery loves company, but a new study shows that happiness craves an audience as well. And in this case, there are rewards. Researchers find that sharing good news amplifies its positive benefits, above and beyond the pleasure that comes from reliving the event and the social interaction itself. The boost is so powerful, in fact, that individuals who impart uplifting news to another person at least twice a week report greater life satisfaction than those who simply journal their good news with the same frequency. The hitch, however, is that not just any company will do: the listener must be someone who responds in an enthusiastic and supportive way.

Read the full article here.

Laughter as a Form of Exercise

New York Times, October 24, 2012

Is laughter a kind of exercise? That offbeat question is at the heart of a new study of laughing and pain that emphasizes how unexpectedly entwined our bodies and emotions can be. For the study, which was published this year in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, researchers at Oxford University recruited a large group of undergraduate men and women. They then set out to make their volunteers laugh. Most of us probably think of laughter, if we think of it at all, as a response to something funny — as, in effect, an emotion. But laughter is fundamentally a physical action.

Read the full article here.

Get Up. Get Out. Don’t Sit.

New York Times, October 17, 2012

Just as we were all settling in front of the television to watch the baseball playoffs, two new studies about the perils of sitting have spoiled our viewing pleasure. The research, published in separate medical journals this month, adds to a growing scientific consensus that the more time someone spends sitting, especially in front of the television, the shorter and less robust his or her life may be. To reach that conclusion, the authors of one of the studies, published in the October issue of The British Journal of Sports Medicine, turned to data from the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study, a large, continuing survey of the health habits of almost 12,000 Australian adults.

Read the full article here.

Cocktail and Appetizer Recipes: Girls’ Night In

Clockwise, from bottom left: fig and olive tapenade, blue cheese and caramelized onion dip, oat and seed Raincoast Oat Crisps, and oat and rosemary raisin Raincoast Oat Crisps

I am so blessed to have the most beautiful, brilliant girlfriends, and many of them live in the same city as I do. Once a month, one group of gals I lovingly refer to as the GNOs (for Girls Night Out) gets together somewhere around town or at one of our residences for some good-old-girl-talk over food and drinks.

October’s event was at my place and I made a signature cocktail and two fabulous appetizers.

For the cocktail, I tried to replicate one I had at an event at Reflections in the Rosewood Hotel Georgia. It was amazing, a revelation – Disaronno amaretto, pear nectar, lemon juice and cardamom. The cardamom was surprising and totally delicious.

Since then, the hotel has kindly shared the real recipe (I used ground cardamom, which I don’t recommend because although still very tasty, it’s a bit gritty), which you’ll find below.

For the appetizers, I made two dips from The Lesley Stowe Fine Foods Cookbook, an awesome cookbook and one of my favourites (her black bean linguine with prawns has become a staple of my kitchen repertoire).

I served both dips with Stowe’s new Raincoast Oat Crisps, the gluten-free version of her famous Raincoast Crisps, which currently come in two flavours: oat and seed, and oat and rosemary raisin.

This was the first time I made Stowe’s blue cheese and caramelized onion dip and it turned out incredibly good. The stinky cheese and sweet onions were a lovely match.

I love Bleu Bénédictin Cheese, which is made by Benedictine monks at the Fromagerie de L’Abbaye Saint-Benoît in Quebec, Farmhouse Natural Cheeses’ Castle Blue Cheese, made in Agassiz, and Moonstruck Organic Cheese’s Beddis Blue, made on Salt Spring Island.

The olive and fig tapenade is one of my go-tos for entertaining, it’s always a hit with its combination of sweet and salty.

Hope you enjoy!

Pear and Cardamom Coupe Cocktail

The cocktail menu at the Disaronno Contemporary Terrace event at Reflections Lounge (left), and my homemade version of the Pear and Cardamom Coupe cocktail. 

Ingredients

• 2 oz Disaronno amaretto
• 2 oz pear nectar (I used Triple Jim's Organic Pear Juice, made in Chilliwack, purchased at Urban Fare)
• 3 cardamom pods, muddled
• 1/2 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a pitcher, stirring well.
2. Strain into an old fashioned glass, over ice, and garnish with a slice of pear.

Olive and Fig Tapenade

Ingredients

• 1 cup Mission figs, quartered
• 1 cup pitted nicoise olives or other brined black olives
• 1 tbsp capers, drained
• 1 large clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. In food processor, roughly chop figs.
2. Add olives, capers, garlic, and thyme, pulsing until combined and slightly coarse.
3. Add oil and lemon juice, pulsing to combine.
4. Season with salt and pepper.

Blue Cheese and Caramelized Onion Dip

Ingredients

• 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 3 oz blue cheese
• 6 oz cream cheese
• 4 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in small frying pan over medium-low heat.
2. Add onion, cover and cook until deep golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Let cool.
3. Whisk together mayonnaise and sour cream in a medium bowl.
4. Add blue cheese and cream cheese and mash with rubber spatula until smooth.
5. Stir in caramelized onion.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

New Movie Trailers

Chasing Mavericks

Starring Jonny Weston, Gerard Butler and Elisabeth Shue

Opens October 26, 2012

Flight

Starring Denzel Washington, John Goodman and Don Cheadle

Opens November 2, 2012

Silver Linings Playbook

Starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro

Opens November 21, 2012

A Late Quartet

Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken and Catherine Keener

Opens November 23, 2012

Playing for Keeps

Starring Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel and Dennis Quaid

Opens December 7, 2012

The Impossible

Starring Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor and Tom Holland

Opens December 21

Identity Thief

Starring Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy and Jon Favreau

Opens February 8, 2013

Safe Haven

Starring Josh Duhamel, Julianne Hough and Cobie Smulders

Opens February 8, 2013

Health and Fitness Roundup: In the News

No need to exercise "like a maniac" says the Globe and Mail's Andrew Picard in Why the sedentary life is killing us. "Activity really matters – to your heart, to your brain, to your bones and to your sexual health." In the picture above, taken at a Semperviva Yoga retreat, I'm celebrating hiking to the top of Mount Galiano on Galiano Island, BC.

Not enough sleep? Why you may be getting fatter and sicker

Globe and Mail, October 15, 2012

“You may think you can get by on four or five hours of sleep, but your fat cells beg to differ. Lack of shut-eye reduces fat cells’ ability to respond to insulin, a hormone that regulates energy, researchers have found. In a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, participants were limited to 4-and-a-half hours in bed each night. After four nights of reduced sleep, their fat cells behaved like those of obese people and patients with Type 2 diabetes.”

Read the full article here.

Why the sedentary life is killing us

Globe and Mail, October 15, 2012

“Sitting is the new smoking. Get used to that expression because you’re going to be hearing it a lot. Inactivity has become public enemy No. 1. The reason sedentary behaviour is so worrisome is well-illustrated by a new study, published on Monday. The research, led by Dr. Emma Wilmot of the diabetes research group at the University of Leicester in Britain, analyzed 18 existing studies involving almost 800,000 people. The paper, published in the medical journal Diabetologia, compared disease rates between the most active and least active among a broad cross-section of adults.”

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Even a short walk can boost ‘executive control’

Globe and Mail, August 28, 2012

“Jamie Burr is not one to sit around – not even when he’s meeting with colleagues at the University of Prince Edward Island, where he’s a kinesiology professor in the faculty of applied human sciences. An expert in the health effects of inactivity and a proponent of “walk-and-talk” meetings, Dr. Burr maintains that moving around makes your brain work better. “Research shows that it’s not just fitness that’s important for overall health but that sedentary time can have negative health consequences,” he adds. “People shouldn’t be sitting for more than 30 minutes at a time. Doing so affects everything from mental health to the musculo-skeletal system to cardiovascular health and brain health.”

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Finding Your Ideal Running Form

New York Times, August 29, 2012

“Can people become better, more efficient runners on their own, merely by running? That question, seemingly so innocuous, is remarkably divisive at the moment, with running experts on one side suggesting that runners should be taught a specific, idealized running form, while opponents counter that the best way to run is whatever way feels right to you. Little published science, however, has been available on the subject of whether runners need technical instruction or naturally intuit the skill. Now a timely new study suggests that new runners eventually settle into better running form — just by running more.”

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Changing Our Tune on Exercise

New York Times, August 27, 2012

“What would it take to persuade you to exercise? A desire to lose weight or improve your figure? To keep heart disease, cancer or diabetes at bay? To lower your blood pressure or cholesterol? To protect your bones? To live to a healthy old age? You’d think any of those reasons would be sufficient to get Americans exercising, but scores of studies have shown otherwise. It seems that public health experts, doctors and exercise devotees in the media — like me — have been using ineffective tactics to entice sedentary people to become, and remain, physically active.”

Read the full article here.

Sleep: The New Gatorade

Huffington Post, October 15, 2012

“Both professional athletes and weekend warriors alike hydrate themselves silly with any number of sport drinks, electrolyte-enhanced waters, gels, blocks, or jelly beans. Gatorade and similar products can be purchased at any grocery store, gas station, hardware store, or vending machine. Beyond athletes, these specialized hydration drinks are used by other laborers as well as the public in general. We have fully embraced the ideas of hydration and proper nutrition. The revolution has come, and what was once radical is now mainstream. What was the advantage of a few is now in the hands of many. Sure, there will be variants and nuance when it comes how we achieve our proper nutrition and hydration balance, but this is largely academic (and clever marketing). So what will be the next big performance revolution?”

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The Soft American by John F. Kennedy

Sports Illustrated, December 26, 1960

“Beginning more than 2,500 years ago, from all quarters of the Greek world men thronged every four years to the sacred grove of Olympia, under the shadow of Mount Cronus, to compete in the most famous athletic contests of history—the Olympian games. During the contest a sacred truce was observed among all the states of Greece as the best athletes of the Western world competed in boxing and foot races, wrestling and chariot races for the wreath of wild olive which was the prize of victory. When the winners returned to their home cities to lay the Olympian crowns in the chief temples they were greeted as heroes and received rich rewards. For the Greeks prized physical excellence and athletic skills among man's great goals and among the prime foundations of a vigorous state.”

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A Few of My Favourite Things: Cookbook Roundup

I read cookbooks in bed like they were fiction. I also love trying new recipes (and eating them) and regularly contribute to BCLiving.ca’s What I made for dinner blog. Here’s a list of some of the cookbooks I’ve enjoyed nibbling my way through:

1. American Grown: the story of the White House kitchen garden and gardens across America by Michelle Obama

2. Araxi: seasonal recipes from the celebrated Whistler restaurant by James Walt

3. Blue Water Cafe Cookbook by Frank Pabst

4. C Food by Robert Clark and Harry Kambolis

5. Cindy's Supper Club: meals from around the world to share with family and friends by Cindy Pawlcyn

6. Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr

7. Edible: a celebration of local foods by Tracey Ryder and Carole Topali

8. Fabbrica: great Italian recipes made easy for home by Mark McEwan

9. Fresh: seasonal recipes made with local ingredients by John Bishop

10. How It All Vegan: irresistible recipes for an animal-free diet by Sarah Kramer and Tanya Barnard

11. Memphis Blues Barbecue House: bringin' southern BBQ home by George Siu and Park Heffelfinger

12. Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights: recipes for every season, mood and appetite by Sophie Dahl

13. My Father's Daughter: delicious, easy recipes celebrating family and togetherness by Gwyneth Paltrow

14. New World Provence: modern French cooking for friends and family by Alessandra Quaglia and Jean-Francis Quaglia

15. Rebar Modern Food Cookbook by Audrey Alsterberg

16. Rob Feenie's Casual Classics by Rob Feenie

17. That’s Amore: from Ricardo Scebba's Mediterranean Kitchen by Ricardo Scebba

18. The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook: great-tasting recipes that keep you lean by Tosca Reno

19. The 5-factor World Diet: weight-loss secrets from the healthiest nations on the planet by Harley Pasternak

20. The Hip Chick's Guide to Macrobiotics: a philosophy for achieving a radiant mind and a fabulous body by Jessica Porter

21. The Kind Diet: a simple guide to feeling great, losing weight, and saving the planet by Alicia Silverstone

22. The Lesley Stowe Fine Foods Cookbook by Lesley Stowe

23. The Ocean Wise Cookbook: seafood recipes that are good for the planet by Jane Mundy

24. The Thrive Diet: the whole food way to losing weight, reducing stress, and staying healthy for life by Brendan Brazier

25. Vancouver Cooks 2 by Andrew Morrison, Joan Cross and Jamie Maw

26. Whitewater Cooks by Shelley Adams