Oct 1, 2013

NUTRISPEAK by Vesanto Melina MS, RD • Bonnie was thinking about going vegan. Of all the dietary choices she had considered over the years, this made perfect sense and fit her values. Yet she wanted to be certain her new way of eating would provide every essential nutrient. The women in her family were blessed with slim figures, but cursed with frail bones...

Sep 1, 2013

NUTRISPEAK by Vesanto Melina MS, RD • After his partner Sue adopted a plant-based diet, Pete decided to give it a try. He thoroughly enjoyed the hearty, nourishing meals that Sue prepared on weekends and the environmental and ethical reasons behind this diet made sense to him. Yet on weekdays he found that his own vegetarian meals or the ones he ate in...

Aug 1, 2013

NUTRISPEAK by Vesanto Melina MS, RD, and Nancy Callan • Vancouver is the first Canadian city to embrace “Meatless Monday,” an initiative encouraging residents to forego meat one day a week for the sake of the planet and their health. In terms of restaurants and cafes, whether you choose all-vegetarian or a mix, our fair city offers many options for...

Jul 1, 2013

NUTRISPEAK by Vesanto Melina MS, RD • When people talk about hospital food, they don’t often use the adjective “good.” In fact, I don’t recall ever hearing those three words in combination. However, I recently had a stay at UBC hospital for hip replacement surgery and I had a change of mind. Overall, I was blown away by my thoroughly positive...

Jun 1, 2013

NUTRISPEAK by Vesanto Melina MS, RD • We’re into barbecue season and while we may have fond memories of summer events with meat sizzling over the coals, there are good reasons to cook up something else for summer get-togethers. Recent information from the Harvard-based Health Professionals Follow-up Study, which observed 37,698 men for more than a dozen...

May 1, 2013

NUTRISPEAK by Vesanto Melina MS, RD • When people consider going green, their focus is often on buying a vehicle that guzzles less gas, riding their bike more or eating local. Yet we hear from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN that livestock are responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions – more than all forms of...

Apr 1, 2013

NUTRISPEAK by Vesanto Melina MS, RD • I recently attended the 6th International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition, which is held in California roughly every five years. The 2nd Congress in 1992 was so inspiring that afterward I co-wrote the first edition of our classic Becoming Vegetarian (now in 15 countries in five languages) with Brenda Davis and...

Mar 1, 2013

NUTRISPEAK by Vesanto Melina MS, RD • Many of us wonder if microwave ovens are sending us to the cancer ward or creating weird molecules in food that our bodies can’t handle. Most Canadian homes have microwaves so they obviously have wide appeal. But what do we know of their health implications? How does microwaving affect nutrients in food? This cooking...

Feb 1, 2013

NUTRISPEAK by Vesanto Melina MS, RD • While paleolithic diets are the subject of many websites and books, I have yet to meet or hear of anyone who follows anything even close to a real paleo diet. The paleo wannabes who buy grass-fed beef actually buy a product with five times the fat content of the wild game of eons ago. Today’s pseudo paleos buy select...

Dec 1, 2012

NUTRISPEAK by Vesanto Melina MS, RD • What comes to mind when you think of holiday meals? Gravy? The aroma of sage and other herbs? Being so stuffed you require a forklift to get up from the chair after dinner? It is appealing to know we can celebrate with those we love and have healthful fare and not overindulge to the point of discomfort. In last...