/oss/taxonomy/term/2398/all en /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/food-thought-literally <p>What exactly should we eat? You would think that after literally thousands and thousands of studies that have been published on every aspect of nutrition, we would have an answer to that question. Actually, we do. Maybe not “exactly,” given that there is such a diversity of nutritional studies, some of which can be classified as good, some as bad, and most as mediocre. Nevertheless, with a bit of scientific sleuthing the chaff can be separated from the wheat.</p> Wed, 02 Mar 2022 22:39:30 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9041 at /oss /oss/article/health-nutrition/will-game-changers-change-your-game <p>The documentary <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSpglxHTJVM">“The Game Changers”</a> has been picking up steam on Netflix. This is basically a two-hour promo for a vegan lifestyle focusing on a few athletes who attribute their high-level performance to a vegan diet. Before going further, let me say that I favour a diet that has lots of fruits, vegetables and nuts, but I think that some meat, mostly poultry and fish can be accommodated.</p> Wed, 11 Dec 2019 20:59:33 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8048 at /oss /oss/article/nutrition/quorn-thats-not-cob <hr /> <p><em>Shira Cohen is studying Nutrition at the School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition at ���ϲ����� University, specializing in Global Nutrition. </em></p> <hr /> <p>Meat alternatives are hot. You have probably heard of the Beyond Meat burger or the Impossible burger but have you heard of “Quorn?” Could be coming your way soon! </p><p></p> Fri, 09 Aug 2019 14:30:00 +0000 Shira Cohen, Student Contributor 7848 at /oss /oss/article/videos/right-chemistry-plant-based-meat-alternatives <p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-0rvd4j-eiso" width="640" height="390" title="Dr. Joe Schwarcz on plant-based meat alternatives" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/0RVD4J-eIso?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-0rvd4j-eiso&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Dr. Joe Schwarcz on plant-based meat alternatives" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>Video of Dr. Joe Schwarcz on plant-based meat alternatives</iframe> </div> </p> Wed, 26 Jun 2019 15:14:39 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7807 at /oss /oss/article/health-nutrition/feeding-dogs-theyre-human-raw-grain-free-and-vegan-diets-dogs <p>Given the breadth of commercially available dog foods it can be tricky for dog owners to make informed decisions on how to feed their pets. Add into the mix the wealth of websites and books advocating for specialized dog diets and feeding your dog well can seem like a monumental task.</p> <p>In <a href="/oss/article/nutrition/what-should-i-be">a previous article</a> I addressed what owners are able to know about a type of food, and what they aren’t, based on the package.</p> Wed, 20 Mar 2019 18:19:25 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7657 at /oss /oss/article/nutrition-you-asked/what-aquafaba <p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquafaba">Aquafaba</a> (literally the amalgamation of the Latin words for water and bean) is the liquid that remains after boiling legumes. In 2014 a French musician <a href="http://www.revolutionvegetale.com/non-classe/meringue-de-chaville/">discovered</a> this liquid’s ability to create a foam similar to egg whites, and started a vegan revolution of sorts.</p> Thu, 01 Nov 2018 16:41:13 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7425 at /oss /oss/article/nutrition-environment-general-science/impossible-burger-vegetarian-breakthrough-brought-you-science <p>I’ve been eating veggie burgers for a long time. If it’s sold in Canadian grocery stores or fast food restaurants, there’s a good chance I’ve tried it. There are some I <a href="https://www.compliments.ca/en/product/soy-burger-00055742523188/">like more</a>, and some I <a href="http://yvesveggiecanada.com/en/products/burgers/the-good-veggie-burger/">like less</a>, but they all fall into one of two categories: fake meat and veggie.</p> Tue, 28 Aug 2018 15:21:25 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7323 at /oss /oss/article/health-nutrition/should-you-be-worried-about-vitamin-b12-deficiency <p>Without B12 the brain and nervous system cannot function properly, cells cannot produce adequate energy or synthesize DNA. We also need B12 to make red blood cells. Without adequate numbers of properly functioning red blood cells oxygen cannot be supplied to all the cells in the body that need it and we have a condition known as anemia, which basically means oxygen deficiency. The type of anemia associated with B12 deficiency is known as “pernicious anemia” and occurs when the vitamin cannot be absorbed from the digestive tract into the bloodstream in adequate amounts.</p> Fri, 20 Apr 2018 16:29:23 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7029 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-quackery/science-and-pseudoscience-vegetarian-culture <p>Hi! I’m Ada and I’m a vegetarian.</p> <p>Forgive me if I sound like I’m confessing to being an alcoholic or naturopath, but with all the misinformation, pseudoscience and nonsense that plague the vegetarian and vegan worlds, being a vegetarian scientist can sometimes feel like being a walking oxymoron.</p> <p>In my experience there are 3 main reasons one becomes a vegetarian (not including a distaste or allergy for meat, in which case their vegetarianism is less of a choice and more of a mandate):</p> Tue, 23 Jan 2018 03:10:35 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 6898 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/battle-milks-are-plant-based-milks-appropriate-children <p>A <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/plant-based-milks-for-kids-pediatricians-dietitians-1.4392857">recent CBC article</a> reports on a new joint statement from the Dietitians of Canada and the Canadian Paediatric Society that says plant based milks are “inappropriate alternatives to cow milk in the first two years”, citing their lack of protein, lack of fortification (most cow’s milk is fortified with a subset or all of vitamin A, D and C), sugar content and potential to “displace hunger”. So let’s take a look at the nutrition of plant based milks.</p> Thu, 16 Nov 2017 17:22:02 +0000 Ada McVean, OSS Intern & Cassandra Lee, OSS Intern 6820 at /oss /oss/article/food-health/diet-lower-cholesterol <p>Ask someone what is the best way to reduce the risk of heart disease and chances are they’ll say “reduce your cholesterol.” That message has been ingrained in our psyche. So it isn’t surprising that any study that shows a cholesterol lowering effect by some dietary intervention, be it oat bran, soy protein or plant sterols, gets a great deal of publicity. And imagine the publicity that can be garnered if all these interventions are used simultaneously to achieve a cumulative cholesterol lowering effect. Well, no need to imagine.</p> Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:37:31 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1677 at /oss /oss/article/science-science-everywhere/environmental-cost-meat <p>We know what we should be doing if we want to be environmentally conscious. Recycle, compost, use public transport more, insulate better, shop with reusable bags. But here is something that is probably even more effective. Eat more vegetables and less meat. How can that have anything to do with the environment? Easy. Eating meat is a very inefficient way of consuming plant food. That of course is what it amounts to; animals eat plants and we eat them.</p> Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:42:07 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1610 at /oss