Hey, It’s Kristen from Not Kale Salad — editor of Mediums’ only evidence-based nutrition publication.

In case you missed it, here are the highlights from this months nutrition articles so far.

A Bite Sized Look into our Gut Microbiome

• Did you know that our gut houses over 100-trillion microbes, and outnumber our human cells 10:1? Scientists often consider our gut microbiome to be so complex that they refer to it as a “microbial organ”.
• Although our gut microbiome plays a role in immune-defence, there is no food which will boost or optimize our immune-system.

Read the full article here.

5 Myths About Plant-Based Diets

• Plant-based diets do not necessarily mean vegan or vegetarian diets. Eating plant-based simply means focusing your meals around plant foods. For example, try filling half your plate with vegetables at each meal. …

Why healthy plant-based diets might not be the best for everyone.

I’ve been a frequent visitor to a popular Reddit forum for discussion about all-things plant-based. It’s extremely useful for learning different ingredient substitutions, yummy recipes and other quick tips and tricks for those following a plant-based diet. For example, I recently learned where to source the cheapest nutritional yeast online (win!).

However, some discussion that crosses these forums is concerning from a nutritional standpoint. For example, one user recommended that a diet comprised of potatoes, legumes and bread would be sufficient to meet protein needs. Another suggested to purchase expensive plant-based protein powders to maximize their “fat-burning” potential. …

Going beyond yogurt — how what we eat everyday may have a greater impact on our gut microbiome.

Who would have thought that 2020 would be the year where a teeny, tiny, invisible microorganism would take the world by storm? While a certain virus is threatening health infrastructure and populations at a global level, other invisible colonies are working hard to keep our environment, health and wellbeing in balance.

Microorganisms exist in a world where there is power in their numbers. For example, microorganisms existing in our own body outweigh our own human cells 10:1, over 100 trillion bacteria reside solely in our gut and make up an estimated 1–3% of our total body mass. …

Translating official recommendations to keep us safe, healthy & sane

A video has recently been circulating on YouTube. It has over 16-million views in only 4 days, and shows a well-meaning doctor provide tips and advice on how to safely unpack groceries during the pandemic using an “aseptic technique”.

Other suggestions circulating on social media have suggested people leave their groceries outside for 3 days, avoid takeout food at all costs and wear masks while grocery shopping — all with the noble intent of reducing the risk of contracting the sweeping respiratory disease, COVID-19, when handling foods and groceries.

One survey conducted at Dalhousie University suggests that 65% of Canadians are concerned about the risks of contracting COVID-19 at the grocery store. In combination with the recent activity on social media — it is crystal clear that people are concerned about how to safely handle their food and groceries. …

From coconut oil & omega-3s, to the ketogenic diet and beyond.

It’s early 2002. You’re strolling through the yogurt aisle at your local grocery store supermarket. Between switching songs on your iPod Nano and chatting on your new Motorola cell-phone, you are haphazardly comparing labels between yogurts. Instantaneously, you toss the one with the “fat-free” label into your cart. Because the fat we eat is that fat we wear, right?

Fast-forward eighteen years later to 2020, and we find people with exact opposite attitude’s when it comes to fat. Fat is everywhere, and is regarded by some as the macronutrient which might finally save us from ourselves. They say “C’mon guys! This time the butter, bacon and coconut oil will finally reverse complex chronic diseases, like diabetes and obesity!” …

From marketing, to food and nutritional science, this popular dairy-free alternative succeeds beyond taste.

The first time I heard about oat milk was back in December 2017. I was walking down a boulevard in Santa Monica, California on a warm December evening when I stepped into a very cali-hipster coffee shop. As per usual, I ordered coffee with soy milk.

“Unfortunately, we don’t carry soy milk” the barista says amongst the whirr of coffee grounds in the espresso machine “but we just started carrying another dairy-free alternative. It’s called oat milk, do you want to try it?”

He didn’t even have to convince me as I eagerly said yes. Oat milk was intriguing, yet comfortingly familiar. Also, don’t baristas always know best? …

Your go-to high-protein vegan and vegetarian meal ideas.

Plant based, or primarily vegan or vegetarian diets are rapidly becoming more mainstream — and righteously so. If you haven’t heard already, a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and plant-proteins is associated with numerous health benefits.

A recent systematic review on plant-based eating showed that these dietary patterns compared to an omnivore diet reduce body weight, regulate blood glucose and HbA1C and lower cholesterol and lipid levels — risk factors for cancer and heart disease. …

Help is the greatest gift you can give yourself, and you deserve to be well.

“24 hours in the day”

I think to myself.

“If I get 8 hours of sleep, that means I’m still left with 16 free hours of the day.”

I scratch “Physics, Calculus — 4 hours” into my packed agenda.

“1 hour — gym” is inked into another cramped corner at 4pm.

With slight hesitation, I scribble “1 hour — meal prep” after gym and before studying.

I take a look at the blurred, tiny lines graffitiing my agenda — satisfied, and thinking of the remaining 10 hours left to my day. …