Get Healthier » Buying healthy food

Unhealthy Yogurt

Brenda — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 20:03:56 +0000

Yogurt is thought of as a healthy food. It provides healthy bacteria, protein and calcium. Unfortunately most yogurt available in the grocery stores is not what I would consider healthy. When my older daughter was young I bought her yogurt tubes. I don’t buy them any more because of the food colouring and sugar in them. I believe that yogurt is no longer a healthy food when you add sugar and colour. Then you might as well be eating candy or cookies.

The bacteria in the yogurt helps keep our system in balance and helps us avoid sinus, ear and candida infections. The bacteria also decreases the amount of lactose in yogurt, which means that yogurt is easier to digest than milk. In my opinion, to buy the best yogurt:

Avoid:

artificial food colouring (“colour” as the last ingredient, Yellow #5, Red #40, Tartrazine)
sugar (on the ingredient list, not the nutritional panel that shows “sugars”)
aspartame, Splenda and other artificial sugars
additives or extra ingredients like cornstarch

Choose:

plain yogurt
yogurt sweetened with fruit juice
yogurt sweetened with organic sugar
yogurt without colour, or coloured with beet juice or annatto

I buy plain yogurt and add flavour to it myself. My kids like yogurt that is ready to go, so for them I buy:

Dairyland’s Nature’s Treat (sweetened with fruit juice)
Dairyland’s Cool Ones with DHA (sweetened with fruit juice)
Western Family Classics (sweetened with fruit juice and honey); does have “modified” starches and skim milk powder

More reading on the health benefits of yogurt:

Reasons Why Yogurt is a Top Health Food by Dr. Sears
Sugars in Yogurt

In this blog post I have been writing about dairy yogurt, but the same information applies to goat yogurt, soy yogurt and coconut milk yogurt.

New Health Food store in South Surrey

Brenda — Wed, 11 May 2011 01:45:11 +0000

After visiting my naturopath Dr. Briana Sinatra, I stopped in at a new health food store that has not yet officially opened. Almost everything in their store is organic and some is unique to the area. It is called Antony & Sons, and is located in Elgin Corners – the corner of 32nd & 140th in South Surrey. I recommend that you stop by if you live in the area or if you are heading out to Crescent Beach. They have excellent prices on fresh organic produce (98c/lb for organic oranges!) and great prices on the food on the shelf. In addition to the oranges and some basics, I bought some dried tart cherries, which I have only seen in health food stores south of the border. They also have unpasteurized raw almonds, which are hard to find. It is a family-run store with very knowledgeable and friendly owners.

Healthier Holiday Baking

Brenda — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 01:43:50 +0000

In the grocery store I see specials on white flour, sugar and walnuts, just in time for baking season. Consider modifying some of your holiday recipes. What about using half whole wheat flour? I recommend Camino sugar (at Save-on and health food stores) as a substitute for white sugar. It is less refined and easier for your body to digest. Be careful with walnuts – because they are so high in Omega 3 oils they go rancid quickly. The process starts as soon as the nut is broken. Rancid nuts are toxic in your body. I suggest you buy them in the shell, somewhere they are purchased frequently (I like Grecos Mediterannean store near King George Hwy in Surrey), or try them before adding them to your baking. Store all shelled nuts in the fridge or freezer for longer life.

Quality of Berries in Juice

Brenda — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:27:08 +0000

Bremner's blueberry, bluepom and cherry juices

On Saturday I went to the Westcoast Women’s Show in Abbotsford. Bremner’s juice was in the food aisle and we sampled a few of their juices. Yum! They use blueberries from Delta to make their blueberry juice and cranberries from Fort Langley to make their cranberry juice. I like that the fruit is local. The fellow pouring the juice said that some juice companies use juice-grade berries that are not suitable for selling (bruised, not ripe, overly-ripe), whereas Bremner’s uses the highest quality berries. He also mentioned a couple of anecdotes about people whose health conditions had improved by drinking a glass of their juice daily. The health value of whatever you drink or eat will depend on the quality of ingredients and the life energy of the food. My favourite was the blueberry pomegranate juice and my daughter’s favourite was the blackberry juice. Bremner’s juice is available at Save-On-Foods, London Drugs, Choices and IGA.

Healthier Meats for Carnivores

Brenda — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:43:17 +0000

During the summer we often use our barbecue to grill meat for dinner. There are many places to buy organic meat and meat without antibiotics in BC and the Vancouver area. In addition to purchasing it in some health food stores, you can also find it in these stores:

In Surrey/Langley/White Rock:

JD Turkey Farms – free range turkeys, turkey sausages, meatballs, soup and more. Other healthier products such as honey and spelt flour are available in their store. 10% discount for bulk sausage purchases.
Farmer Ken’s Meats
Heritage Meats – organic beef, chicken, and more
Thomas Reid Farms – Langley; organic chicken in bulk by appointment only
Hazelmere Organics – Surrey

In Vancouver:

Big Sky Natural Meats – beef and lamb from Lumby, BC
The Butcher
Tango’s Gourmet Meats – the West End
Nature’s Prime

In Port Coquitlam/Coquitlam/Port Moody/Pitt Meadows/Maple Ridge:

Country Meadow Meats – Pitt Meadows
Hopcott Premium Meats - Pitt Meadows
Bruce’s Country Market – Maple Ridge
Newport Village Meats – Port Moody

In Burnaby/New Westminster/Richmond/Ladner:

Superior Fish Market – Ladner; fish, organic chicken and beef, bison, other organic products
Queens Park Meat Market – New Westminster

In Abbotsford/Chilliwack/Mission:

Sumas Mountain Farms – Abbotsford; grass-fed organic beef, free-range chicken
Little Farmhouse Country Market – Yarrow
Organa Farms – organic turkey and hogs

In North Vancouver/West Vancouver:

3P Natural & Exotic Meats
British Butcher Shoppe
Westlynn Meats and Seafoods
Windsor Meats
Queensdale Market

For other locations across Canada:

www.eatwild.com
www.certifiedorganic.bc.ca

Natural Health Food Stores in BC

Brenda — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:16:18 +0000

Updated May 2011:

Health food stores are a good place to find less common foods (quinoa, spelt, tapioca flour) so that you can add variety to your diet and avoid foods you are intolerant to. They are also a great place to buy healthier versions of some packaged foods. Keep in mind that even though they are selling it in a health food or natural food store, it may not be healthy for you or anyone else. Read the ingredients and ask questions if you’d like to learn more.

In Surrey/Langley/White Rock:

Choices – in South Surrey on King George Hwy just north of 32nd Ave
Antony & Sons – in South Surrey at the corner of 32 Ave and 140th
Natural Focus – near Scott Road and 64th, in Willoughby (Langley), and South Surrey
Organic Grocer - near King George Hwy and 73rd Ave
Nature’s Fare – across from Willowbrook Mall, on the southwest corner of 200th & Langley Bypass
Country Life Health Food – in Brookswood, Langley
Country Sun Natural Foods – Johnston Rd, White Rock

In Vancouver:

Whole Foods/Capers (my favourite healthier deli)
Choices (has a rice bakery for celiacs and those with wheat sensitivities)
Greens Organic & Natural Market - Broadway & Maple
Drive Organics – Commercial Drive
Stong’s Market

In Port Coquitlam/Coquitlam/Pitt Meadows/Maple Ridge:

Planet Organic – Coquitlam – good deli
Sunfruit Organics – Coquitlam
Roots Natural - Maple Ridge
Uptown Health Foods - Maple Ridge

In Burnaby/New Westminster/Richmond/Ladner:

Choices – in Burnaby near the Queensborough bridge
Natural Focus – in North Burnaby on Hastings
Donald’s Market - in New Westminster, in the River Market (formerly the Quay)
Nirvana Organics - in Richmond, Steveston area
Parsley, Sage & Thyme in Ladner

In Abbotsford/Chilliwack/Mission:

Sardis Health Foods in Chilliwack
Anita’s Organic Mill in Chilliwack (flour, lentils)
The Pantry Natural Foods on 1st in Mission

In the Okanagan:

Nature’s Fare – Kelowna, Westbank, Penticton, Kamloops, Vernon
Whole Foods Market - Penticton
Lifestyles Natural Foods – Vernon
Summerland Food Emporium – Summerland

Vancouver Island:

Edible Island Whole Foods in Courtenay (I love this store!)
Naked Natural Whole Foods - Parksville
Planet Organic
Island Natural Market - Nanaimo
Capers – Victoria
Grass Roots Health & Natural Foods – Brentwood Bay
Lifestyle Markets – Victoria

Elsewhere:

Kootenay Co-op - Nelson

Sources of more:

HANS directory

Please let me know – what stores haven’t I included? Which have opened up recently or closed down?

Farmer’s Markets

Brenda — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:01:07 +0000

One of the best places to buy healthy food is at farmer’s markets. If you also consider the entertainment value of the music, interesting booths and people watching, it is well worth the drive to get there. My favourite is the White Rock Farmer’s Market, which is on Sundays from 9am-1pm. I have bought organic cherries, spelt bread, cookies sweetened with agave syrup, unsprayed apples, honeysticks, spicy olives, and much more there. Almost all of it has been delicious and fresh. I’ve also bought my daughters angel clings for the window and sparkly hairbands. There are farmer’s markets in just about every city of BC. You can find produce, crafts, jewelery… They usually open in May or June and continue until September or October.