If you’re looking for a way to change up your fitness routine this year, then look no further. The top fitness trends for the new year are in and they look like tons of fun! Keep reading to find out what’s popular and what’s new on the market. These trends won’t just increase physical fitness, but will address your holistic health too, from promoting mind body connection, to recovery, to social engagement.

1. Outdoor Fitness

Outdoor workouts offer a refreshing alternative to traditional gym routines, providing a connection with nature that can enhance overall wellbeing. The increased flexibility and accessibility of outdoor spaces also make working out outdoors an easy activity to engage in, no matter your budget or location.

This fitness trend is propelled by our increasing desired for a holistic approach to health which incorporates both physical and mental well-being. Outdoor workouts are the perfect solution since nature has been shown to have positive effects on mental health. As we continue to prioritize a balanced and active lifestyle, the appeal of outdoor workouts will only grow in popularity throughout the year.

In the summer it’s easy to go running in the park, cycling along the river, or participate in one of many outdoor fitness classes and bootcamps. Although the winter can make outdoor workouts a little more challenging, there are still plenty of opportunities available! Grab a friend and try one of these ideas:

Outdoor Skating
Cross Country Skiing
Snow Shoeing
Walking or Hiking

2. Martial Arts Workouts

These workouts offer a dynamic and engaging alternative to the gym, combining cardiovascular training with strength and mobility exercises. The high-intensity nature of martial arts not only burns calories efficiently but also promotes skill development and cognitive engagement.

There is also a satisfying element of stress relief that comes with punching and kicking in a controlled environment. As more people seek diverse and enjoyable fitness options, the combination of physical challenge, mental focus, and stress reduction gives martial arts workouts an edge in the fitness market.

If you are interested in trying one of these workouts, our partner Rumble Boxing has 4 locations in Calgary and offers your first class for free! Give it a try and we know you’ll be hooked.

3. Integration of Tech into Fitness

The integration of technology with the fitness experience is not a new concept, but a phenomenon that will continue to grow with more advances in the coming year. Expect advances in wearable technology from smart watches, to smart shoes, and even smart socks. Wearable technology will continue to incorporate AI to help provide more personalized data and recommendations to help improve your health and fitness.

The gamification of fitness is also set to become even more popular this year with new apps and platforms popping up that make it possible for you to compete against friends and track your fitness progress in a fun online environment.

These platforms offer rewards, badges and leaderboards to help make fitness fun and often sync with your wearable device to track your heart rate, steps and movement throughout the day. For example, the Playfitt app allows you to track your daily fitness goals in bursts as small as 2 minutes and collect coins which you can cash in for real world gift cards!

4. Mind-Body Connection

Amidst our fast-paced lives, many people are seeking to engage in fitness activities that combine both physical exertion with a mindfulness practice. Yoga and Tai-Chi, for example, integrate breath work, movement, and meditation to provide a unique workout. The combination of strength-based movements along with work on mobility and flexibility also make these activities appealing and help to promote well-rounded fitness.

The benefits of these workouts align with a growing awareness of the interconnectedness of physical and mental health, making yoga and other movement meditations a compelling and enduring fitness trend for the year ahead. This trend has also combined with technology to offer many apps, online courses and videos which allow accessibility of mind-body workouts at home and on the go.

5. Recovery Focus

The past few years have seen many trends and innovations in recovery activities from ice baths to infrared saunas, to massage therapy, and many others. This coming year will likely see this trend continue as more people get interested in fitness, longevity and holistic health.

At-home recovery technologies such as personal massage guns, sauna blankets, and electric muscle stimulators will increase in popularity with new products coming onto the market to drive prices down. The cost of professional services such as massage and physiotherapy can often be prohibitive. Thus, at-home options provide a more budget-friendly approach to recovery that can be used by everyone in the family.

Conclusion

Although the first month of the year has passed, it’s never too late to start a new fitness habit. We hope these trends have inspired you to get moving this year and to explore the emerging technologies and activities that will be taking centre stage. Overall, the trends show an emphasis on whole-body wellness, prioritizing both physical and mental health, with the use of new technologies to help us get there. Outdoor workouts, martial arts and activities that promote mind-body connections will grow in popularity as we seek new ways to stay fit and reduce stress this year.

The holiday season can be a time of delicious food and time spent with loved ones, but it can also be stressful as we navigate the abundance of food and our body’s cravings. I think we have all experienced feelings of anxiety or guilt around the food we eat during the holidays, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

Food is a huge part of most holiday celebrations and it plays an important role in our cultural and family traditions. Being overly restrictive with your eating during the festivities can hamper your enjoyment of the season and may take a toll on your mental health. Here at Fit Kitchen, we believe every food can be part of a healthy diet and we encourage you to do the same. Check out some tips below on how to eat more intuitively this year and how to enjoy those holiday treats without the guilt.

Listen to Your Body and Your Senses

Let the signals from your body and your stomach guide you through holiday eating. With the abundance of food that often comes with holidays, it can be easy to overindulge and continue eating even after we feel full. This usually leads to some uncomfortable feelings after the meal, and maybe regret or guilt too.

To prevent over-eating, make sure to eat consistent meals and snacks each day, rather than starving yourself for one big meal. This will help you to pace yourself and to feel more in control. Listening to your body also means you may have to say “no” to seconds or to some of the dishes on offer. Remember that you know yourself best and the amount you eat is in your control. If family pushes back or continues to offer more food, politely decline and offer gratitude, but explain that you’ve had enough.

You can also use your senses to guide you and to help you enjoy each bite of food. Take in the sights and aromas before deciding what looks the most delicious to you. Remember, you don’t have to try everything just because it’s there. Enjoy the foods you choose by eating slowly and savouring the holiday flavours.

Don’t Plan a Diet for January

Planning a restrictive diet to start in January can trigger overindulgence and feeling out of control around holiday foods because your brain knows it’s the last time you can enjoy “unhealthy” foods. If you know you won’t be able to eat your favourite foods in January, it will be very difficult to just have one cookie, or just one drink at a holiday party. This can lead to binging to feeling overly full come the end of the night.

Rather than planning a restrictive diet for the new year, try to adopt a mindset of balance and moderation throughout the holidays and into the coming months. Giving yourself permission to eat what you want can eliminate cravings and prevent binging. This practice might feel new and foreign at the beginning, but we hope it can help you to feel more in control around an abundance of food.

Don’t Get Defeated

One common pitfall of eating around the holidays is the mindset that once you’ve had one treat, you’ve ruined your diet and might as well keep indulging. This can cause over-eating and a “cheat-day” mentality that will likely lead to feelings of guilt or shame the next day. Once again, give yourself permission to enjoy the holiday foods you love and remember that one or two treats won’t ruin the progress you’ve been making. Take each day as it comes and don’t be too hard on yourself.

In Conclusion…

Food is at the centre of most holiday celebrations and it should be enjoyed! Instead of setting unrealistic restrictions on your eating, or planning a cleanse for January, allow yourself to eat what looks most delicious this year. Practice balance by continuing to eat consistently throughout the day and by listening to your body’s cues. Try to be mindful as you eat and to savour the flavours of the season. We hope these tips will help you in gaining a sense of control and reducing any guilt associated with the holiday foods you eat this year.

Adapted from the following sources:

Centre For Discovery: Intuitive Eating Practices During the Holidays

Dietitian Alissa Rumsey: Intuitive Eating During the Holidays

We love the holidays here at Fit Kitchen, but what we love even more is giving the gift of delicious, healthy food. If you’re stuck for a gift idea, why not give a loved one a night off of cooking, or even a whole week! Keep reading to see how you can choose the perfect Fit Kitchen gift for anyone in your life.

Give a Gift, Get a Gift!

If you haven’t already heard, we’re having a huge gift card promotion for the holiday season! It’s not too late to save, but get your gift cards quickly because the promotion ends this Saturday, December 23^rd

For a limited time:

Get a $80 credit when you buy a $500 gift card

Get a $50 credit when you buy a $300 gift card

Get a $20 credit when you buy a $150 gift card

$50 gift cards are also available (but do not result in a credit)

The credit will be added to your account in the next two days following your purchase and will be automatically applied to your next purchase from Fit Kitchen. You will receive an email with the gift card code which can be emailed to the recipient, or printed. Gift cards are valid for any of our delivery locations across Alberta. (Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer).

A gift card makes the perfect gift because it is flexible and can be used on anything on our website from meals, to snacks, to Fit Shop items, to meal plans. We all know someone who wants to eat healthy but runs out of time to plan meals, shop and cook. Give them the gift of healthy meals delivered right to their door!

A gift card is also a great option for anyone with allergies or who follows a special diet. Let them know that they can get in touch with a nutrition consultant to set up a custom meal plan or to go over which menu items fit with their diet.

Stocking Stuffers!

These stocking stuffers and mini gifts are perfect for the athletic, outdoorsy, or health-conscious person in your life. They are all delicious and will add some variety amidst all the chocolate on Christmas morning.

Rviita Energy Tea – We just restocked these energy teas so you can add a different flavoured tea to each stocking. This is a great pick-me-up drink for the stress and craziness of the holidays.

Allo Protein for Coffee – Give the gift of protein to that person in your life who is always trying to get more. Even better, they can add it to their coffee on Christmas morning.

Biosteel Sport Greens – Greens powders are more popular than ever. If you know someone who hasn’t tried them yet, show them what they’ve been missing by popping a Biosteel box in their stocking.

MRE, Hornby or RX Bars – For the person who is always on the go, give them some protein bars to keep them fueled on their adventures. We have lots of fun flavours from German Chocolate Cake, to Snickerdoodle, to Chocolate Espresso.

Better Bears – Instead of traditional candy, try adding Better Bears to stockings this year. Avoid the sugar crash with this vegan and high fibre gummy bear alternative.

We hope these gift ideas help bring joy to your family and friends this holiday season. After all, who doesn’t love getting meals and snacks delivered to their door?

From our Fit Kitchen Fam to yours, we wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy New year!

Nutrition and health information has become so easily accessible that it can be hard to know which sources you can trust. There are millions of blogs, videos, posts and articles published each day telling you what to eat, what not to eat, and everything in between. It can all be quite overwhelming and we want to give you the tools to find the most accurate information. Keep reading to find out which signs to look for and which to avoid when choosing your sources.

Signs That Information May NOT Be Credible

Information is presented as a “Quick Fix”, a “Hack”, or something that is too good to be true

Anything on the internet or social media that sounds too good to be true, probably is. Most solutions and health improvements take time and effort to achieve. Simple fixes like miracle supplements can drain your bank account and cause more damage than they cure. You should also watch out for claims of things that “doctors don’t want you to know”. If there was a newly discovered trick for weight loss, or a cure for a chronic disease, it would be front page news that your doctor would definitely bring up. Doctors aren’t trying to hide things from you, and having that attitude can lead you to follow unsound health advice.

The information is being used to sell something

Nowadays it seems that everyone is selling something, whether that be a supplement, an online course, a diet plan, or anything that promises to make your life easier. You have to look at the context of the information presented to decide if the author’s motives are genuine or not. If a product is being sold as the solution to a problem that the author/influencer is talking about, then the information is likely misleading. If it is clear that the author has no financial stake in the information, then it may be more trustworthy.

The information is based on non-scientific sources, or on a single study

If an author cites new articles, blog posts or social media content as part of their argument for a nutrition or health claim, then you should be on alert for some misinformation. This means that the info has already come from a secondary source and has likely been misinterpreted multiple times before it reaches you. Sources based around a single scientific study are also not the most credible. Each study has its own strengths and limitations which is why it’s important to evaluate a variety of studies on different groups of people before coming to a conclusion. Look for articles with the words “Systematic Review” or “Meta Analysis” in their title to read a summary of multiple studies on a single topic.

The information is presented in a short form, with little detail

Health information shown through a reel, tiktok, story or post is rarely the most credible due to its short format. Health and nutrition topics are very complex and require detail and nuance to communicate. You can’t learn about all the risks and benefits of the keto diet in a single Instagram video. However, you might be able to read about many of them in a 10 paragraph article written by a registered dietitian. Be sure to invest adequate time and attention into learning about the health topics that you’re interested in.

Signs That Information Is LIKELY to Be Credible

The author is a registered health professional and is honest about their background

Look for nutrition articles written by Registered Dietitians (RD/RDN) and medical articles written by doctors (MD). Authors may also be credible if they have extensive education and training such as an MSc or PhD in the topic they are writing or talking about. Content from a government or university website is usually trustworthy too. An author’s background should be easy to find on their website or social media account. If someone is trying to hide their background then it probably means they don’t know enough to be giving other people advice. If there is no author or creator listed, then you should also be concerned.

Sources are cited at the end of the content

Looking for sources at the end of an article, post or video is one key way to decipher credible claims from misinformation. It is especially important to look for sources if any specific data points or numbers are cited by the author. Try clicking on a few of the links to make sure the sources generally agree with the info presented in the original piece of content. Some deceptive authors may cherry pick from sources and cite only the phrases or data points which back up their own views, while disregarding the main conclusions that may be contradictory.

The author acknowledges their gaps in knowledge

Just because someone is a doctor or a dietitian doesn’t mean they are an expert in everything health related. Each individual tends to specialize their training and education in a few areas of their field, meaning they might lack up to date knowledge in other areas. Look for authors or speakers who acknowledge the things they don’t know and point you in the direction of more detailed advice.

In Conclusion …

We hope you learned some tricks to detect credible sources and that you’ll be able to weed out the misinformation next time you’re looking for answers. In general, find content with a knowledgeable author who cites their sources and who isn’t trying to sell you a product or a quick fix. Finding the right information takes time and it’s worth it to invest time into your health!

We know that our Fit Kitchen blogs may break a few of these rules from time to time, but we never promised to provide medical advice. We are honest about our products and always invite you to ask us questions.

There are lots of ways to get moving this winter in and around Edmonton. If you’re tired of the gym being packed and you don’t feel like running inside on a treadmill, then these ideas are for you! Learn a new sport from parkour, to gymnastics, surfing, to ninja, and everything in between. Keep reading to find a fun new sport to help you stay fit this winter.

Fly Free Movement

Fly Free Movement is a parkour and calisthenics community and academy located in Edmonton. If you’ve ever watched videos of people jumping and flipping their way across rooftops, buildings and parks, then you’ve heard of the exciting sport of parkour! It’s never too late to learn new skills and this parkour gym offers beginner parkour classes, as well as calisthenics classes, for adults. Although you won’t hit the rooftops in these classes, you’ll learn the basics with a coach in a controlled environment. You could also try dropping in to see what the sport is all about.

Location: 8303 Argyll Road NW Edmonton

Price: $15 to drop in, $240 for 10-weeks of beginner classes

Website: http://www.flyfreemovement.com/

Instagram: @flyfree.movement

World Waterpark Surf Club

Although we don’t have any natural surfing beaches in Alberta, that doesn’t mean you can’t learn to surf here! The World Waterpark at West Edmonton Mall has its very own surf club that offers lessons and dedicated times to surf in the wave pool. This is an incredible opportunity to learn from the pros and develop a new skill. Not to mention, it’s a killer core workout. One benefit to surfing at the water park is that the water is warm, no wetsuit required!

Locations: WEM World Waterpark – 8882 170 St NW, Edmonton

Price: $79 for 90 min lesson, $30 for surf club drop in (after taking a lesson)

Website: Surf Club Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wemsurf/

Edmonton Sport and Social Club

The Edmonton Sport and Social Club is the biggest organizer of co-ed adult sports in Edmonton. They offer adult, recreational leagues for over 23 different sports like basketball, dodgeball, badminton and darts. Do you ever wish you could go back to gym class or those days playing sports with your friends? You don’t have to wish anymore, because this club has a team for you! Check out their website to see all the different sports and leagues they offer. Winter league registration closes on December 13^th.

Location: All over Edmonton, depends on sport

Price: Depends on sport, about $130 per person for a 9-week league

Website: https://www.edmontonsportsclub.com/home Instagram: @edmontonssc

Fitset Ninja

I think we’ve all seen American Ninja Warrior and wished we could give those obstacles a try. Now’s your chance to try it yourself and put your fitness to the test at Fitset Ninja! This ninja gym has a wide variety of obstacles like warped walls, the salmon ladder, flying squirrel and wingnuts. If you don’t know what these are then it’s time to find out by booking your visit. You can take a class to learn about each obstacle or you can try them at your own pace in an open gym session.

Location: 11511 120 ST, Edmonton

Price: $20 for open gym, Free trial for 1 class, then $110 for 4 classes

Website: https://fitsetninja.com/ Instagram: @fitsetninja

Phoenix Gymnastics Centre

Do you ever miss the feeling of freedom you had doing somersaults and cartwheels as a child? If so, then it might be time to give gymnastics another try! Phoenix Gymnastics offers classes once a week for adults as well as drop in times each week. Gymnastics is truly a full body workout that can’t be replicated. Swing on the bars, balance across the beam and jump on the trampoline. Sounds like a fun workout to us!

Location: 9704 12 Ave SW, Edmonton

Price: $12 for drop in, $222 for 8 classes

Website: Phoenix Gymnastics Centre Instagram: @thephoenixgym

Trailhead Climbing and Fitness – Red Deer

Trailhead Climbing features a variety of walls, obstacles and training opportunities for both the beginner and experienced climber. They have a space for bouldering (climbing without a rope), tope rope and lead climbing (with a rope), as well as auto belays which are perfect if you don’t know how to belay. Their modern facility also has a “Fun Zone” with 15 auto belays on unique challenges like a net wall, pole walk and a speed wall. This is a great activity for team building with colleagues or friends! You can also drop in any day and get climbing after a quick orientation. The gym offers all the equipment rentals you might need, so there’s no excuse not to get climbing!

Location: #108 33 Mckenzie Cres, Red Deer

Price: $18 to drop in, $65 for recurring monthly membership

Website: https://trailheadclimbing.ca/ Instagram: @trailheadclimbingandfitness

As the days get colder and busier it always helps to have some delicious snacks on hand. Be sure to check out the latest blog post on our new retail snacks if you haven’t already. However, if you’ve run out Fit Kitchen snacks and are turning to your pantry, we have some ideas for you!

In this post we’ve included three “Mix and Match” snack ideas that are sure to keep you satisfied while keeping things interesting. The “Mix and Match” idea is that you can use whatever ingredients you have at home, or whichever are your favourites, to create the perfect snack. Keep reading to check out our ideas for customized Trail Mix, Snack Plates and Homemade Granola Bars.

Mix and Match Trail Mix

Trail mix is an old standard that is an essential part of any lunch bag for good reason. It’s sweet, salty, crunchy and satisfying. It’s also incredibly easy to adapt and customize with your favourite ingredients. Don’t like raisins? Replace with a different dried fruit. Allergic to nuts? Add seeds or roasted chickpeas instead. The combinations are endless. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Nuts – Peanuts, Cashews, Almonds, Pistachios, Macadamia Nuts, Walnuts, Pecans

Seeds – Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Sesame Seeds, Hemp Hearts

Dried Fruit – Cranberries, Raisins, Cherries, Blueberries, Coconut, Apricots, Banana Chips, Pineapple, Mango

Chocolate – Chocolate Chips, M&Ms, Cocoa Nibs, Chocolate covered nuts or dried fruit, chocolate covered puffed quinoa

Other Mix-Ins – Roasted Chickpeas, Roasted Lentils, Popcorn, pretzels, cereal, yogurt covered nuts or dried fruit, mini marshmallows

Combination Ideas:

Tropical Trail Mix – Cashews, Macadamia Nuts, Dried Coconut, Dried Pineapple, Banana Chips

Movie Theatre Mix – Peanuts, Almonds, M&Ms, Popcorn, Yogurt covered raisins

Greens & Seeds Mix – Pistachios, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Dried Blueberries, Cocoa Nibs

Nut Free Trail Mix – Roasted Chickpeas, Pumpkin Seeds, Dried Cranberries, Dark Chocolate Chips

Mix and Match Snack Plates

If you haven’t heard about snack plates, then we’re here to convince you why you need to try them! Like the Girl Dinner trend, but better. Think about a charcuterie board but with more variety and different food groups. Snacks plates can include elements like meat, cheese, vegetables, crackers, dips and nuts, but the possibilities really don’t stop. A snack plate can be a great meal after a long day, a fun appetizer for a gathering of friends, or an easy snack for kids in between school and sports. See below for some ideas on how to craft your perfect plate:

Protein – Cheese, Salami, Chicken Salad, Tuna Salad, Hard Boiled Eggs, Smoked Salmon, Tofu

Vegetables – Carrots, Cucumber, Bell Pepper, Cherry Tomatoes, Snack Peas, Broccoli, Cauliflower

Fruit – Grapes, Strawberries, Apple, Pear, Peach or Melon Slices, Mandarin Orange Segments

Grains – Crackers, Tortilla Chips, Crostini, Pita Bread, Pretzels

Dip – Hummus, Tzatziki, Baba Ghanoush, Salsa, Guacamole, Olive Spread

Other Add-Ons – Pickles, Olives, Nuts, Dates, Edamame, Roasted Chickpeas

Mix and Match Granola Bars

Granola bars are a staple that we all keep handy to throw in our gym bag or backpack. Did you know that they’re super easy and healthy to make at home! Making them yourself means you can customize the flavour to your liking and skip out on all the sugar and artificial ingredients in the store-bought ones. Find a link to one of my favourite recipes HERE along with lots of ideas for variations. If you want the short version, keep reading.

This master recipe combines the following ingredients to make a no-bake and gluten free bar:

1/2 cup Honey
1/3 cup Coconut Oil
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 pinch Salt
3 cups GF Rolled Oats
Up to 1 cup of Mix-Ins*
1/3 cup Nut Butter (Optional)
1 tsp Cinnamon (Optional)
2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder (Optional)

*Mix-in Ideas – Dried Fruit, Mini Chocolate Chips, Nuts, Seeds, Shredded Coconut, Toffee Bits

Directions:

Bring the coconut oil, honey and nut butter if using, to a simmer on the stove and cook for just 1 minute.
Stir in the vanilla and salt, and let mixture cool for about 15 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients to the mixture and then press into a 9×9 inch baking pan lined with parchment or foil.
Press mixture into pan hard to make sure the bars bind together well. Then refrigerate for about 4 hours before cutting into bars.
Store bars in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.

We hope these recipes and ideas help introduce some new snacks into your weekly repertoire. The beauty of these recipes is their adaptability, and the endless ways you can customize them to fit your diet and taste preferences. So, the next time you’re faced with that mid-afternoon slump or late-night craving, remember these snack ideas for a last minute bite!

Greens powders and greens supplements are everywhere these days. They’re on your podcasts, on your social media, in the news and in your water bottles. But what are these magic powders made of and are they really so magic after all? In this blog post we will try to answer the biggest questions about greens powders and about Biosteel sport greens. What ingredients do they contain? What health benefits or risks do they pose? Keep reading to learn more and to find out whether or not a greens powder should be added to your supplement regimen.

What are Greens Powders?

Greens powders can contain a wide range of ingredients but often include vegetables, fruits, antioxidants, probiotics and other health promoting ingredients. Instead of having to eat a handful of spinach or broccoli, these supplements make it easy for you by dehydrating the plants and then grinding them into a fine powder. These supplements are easy to mix into a glass of water, juice, or a smoothie.

What Sets Biosteel Sport Greens Apart?

Biosteel Sport Greens are a product we recently added to our Fit Shop on the Fit Kitchen website. This product contains 22 ingredients which are all derived from plants with no fillers or artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners. These tasty greens come in single serving packets available in two fresh flavours of Pineapple Coconut and Pomegranate Berry. The greens are sweetened with stevia and are completely non-GMO as well!

This supplement contains both land and sea greens, an antioxidant blend, a performance recovery complex and a digestion blend. Below are some of the key ingredients that set Biosteel Greens apart:

Spirulina (1.9 g present per serving) – Spirulina comes from an algae found in both salt and fresh water. It is known for its antioxidant effects, and other potential positive health effects on blood pressure, blood sugar control and cholesterol levels.
Turmeric (300 mg present per serving) – Turmeric is a spice which contains the powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound called curcumin. Its absorption can be increased when combined with black pepper which is also included in Biosteel sport greens!
Inulin (50 mg present per serving) – Inulin is a soluble fibre and a type of prebiotic which helps to feed the good bacteria in your gut. Inulin is often used to improve gut health and blood sugar regulation.
Leucine (1 g present per serving) – Leucine is a branched chain amino acid that plays a significant role in muscle protein synthesis and helps increase growth hormone.

The best news about Biosteel sport greens is that they’re NSF Certified for Sport! This is important because supplements and herbal health products are not as tightly regulated as food or drugs are in Canada. Supplements can often contain ingredients not listed on the label and this can be dangerous both for your health and for your performance if you take part in a competitive sport. You don’t have to worry about that with these greens because they have been tested by NSF to make sure they don’t contain any substances banned by sports organizations.

Benefits and Risks of Greens Powders

Benefits:

Greens powders create an easy and convenient way to incorporate some extra nutrients, vitamins and minerals into your diet. They contain a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and antioxidant agents that you might not normally consume from your diet alone.
Starting your morning with a green drink can help boost your mood and establish your health routine for the day.
Some small studies have found that taking a greens supplement each day can reduce your blood pressure over time. Although these were small studies and more research is still needed, but this is promising news for the benefits of greens on our health!
Greens powders contain antioxidants, such as Vitamin C and E, which can help prevent chronic disease and inflammation when taken in large enough doses. Biosteel Sport Greens contains 16% of your daily Vitamin C needs.

Risks:

Replacing fruit and vegetables in your diet with a greens powder instead. The whole forms of fruit and veg contain essential nutrients, such as fibre and water, that are stripped out when you consume a vegetable in powdered form. Fibre is essential for gut health and it helps us feel full, while the water in produce helps our hydration status. It is important to continue eating plenty of fruit and veg every day, even if you take a greens supplement.
Limited research is available on both the health benefits and risks of greens powders. It seems that most of these supplements are safe but there could be interactions with drugs or with individual conditions that are still unclear. This also depends on the ingredients and amounts present in each greens product.
Heavy metals, such as lead, and other contaminating ingredients could be present in some greens powders. It is important to look for the NSF Certified for Sport logo on your product or another indicator of third-party testing which indicates that the product is safe and free from contaminants. Since Biosteel Sport Greens are tested by NSF, you don’t have to worry about any heavy metals!
Depending on your individual health, starting any new supplement could be a risk for you. Be sure to consult your doctor before starting a new supplement, including a greens powder.

The Takeaway

All in all, greens powders can be a great addition to your supplement routine and can have many positive effects on your health. They are made from dehydrated vegetables, fruits, and other plant compounds that can add unique nutrients to your diet. There are many products out there but we love Biosteel Sports Greens because it comes in delicious fruit flavours, is high in both land and sea greens, and is NSF Certified for Sport. Check it out in our Fit Shop HERE and let us know if you have any questions!

New Meal Prep Service Tells Edmonton to Get the Fork Out!
Fit Kitchen is ready to help Edmontonians Eat Fit, and Feel Great.

EDMONTON September 26
Calgary based, premium meal prep company Fit Kitchen launches its healthy meal delivery service in Edmonton this week. Featuring portion controlled, macro-nutrient balanced meals that are not only good for you but taste amazing as well, Fit Kitchen is ready to win over Edmontonians with its brand “experience” of premium meal prep and meal planning.

Fit Kitchen focuses on a wide variety of great tasting meals, high level customer service, and convenient delivery options, Its position “as your ““all in meal prep partner” is a promise it takes very seriously, to be there for every step of its customers’ healthy eating journey.
Founder Jason Zaran explains, “We’ve always seen ourselves as a partner in our customers lives, taking the time, work and worry out of eating, and leaving them only with the pleasure of eating!” Zaran feels Fit Kitchen fills a sizeable gap for Edmontonians searching for that all-in one meal prep solution. “Our meals are heat and eat, portion controlled, macro-nutrient balanced and most importantly – chef designed and prepared, so they are awesome-tasting!” With commitments to healthier eating often in peril before they even begin, Zaran feels Fit Kitchen provides a new solution. “Keeping good food habits is challenging because it either takes too much time, or misses the taste bud test. We solve both of those problems”.

Fit Kitchen’s first day delivering will be September 29th. A special launch offer of a free Fit Meal plus free delivery on orders $100+ will be available for the month of September/October. Orders can be placed directly online by visiting www.fitkitchen.ca

About Fit Kitchen:

Started in Calgary in 2015, Fit Kitchen is an online healthy meal prep company featuring Chef prepared and dietitian approved meals and meal plans. The full menu includes over 50+ items including gluten free, dairy free, keto, and vegetarian options. Fit Kitchen will be delivering in the greater Edmonton area on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. www.fitkitchen.ca

Media Contact: Carissa Lazette carissa@fitkitchen.ca

Inflammation: A Companion to Both Immunity and Disease

Our immune systems’ cells recruit the most essential molecules to trigger a process called inflammation which helps our bodies identify and remove pathogens. Inflammation is good when it works; if a bee stings me, I expect my immune system to heal the wound. But sometimes inflammation happens unnoticeably and unexpectedly, and all our energy is used by our cells owing to an erratic inflammatory response.

Debilitating diseases like Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Diabetes, and neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s and Autism, are all paradoxically precipitated by inflammation — a process naturally evolved to help us fight infection — because DNA damage and problems with hormones and other cellular chemical messengers can potentially cause irreversible cellular dysfunction (1)(2).

Unfortunately, identifying the triggers of runaway inflammation is difficult because they are potentially many, with some triggers either being unidentified in our environments, or lacking sufficient correlative ties to inflammation. Even then, the processes involved in inflammation are complicated, and they might not be solely responsible for an illness.

But chances are if we have an autoimmune disease, we have inflammation. Luckily, decisions and measures can be taken to curb or reduce inflammation, like eating better, exercising and quitting smoking. With that said, we should keep trying to identify the causes of chronic inflammation so we can avoid debilitating, uncurable diseases that disrupts our quality of life. Even if inflammation is unavoidable as we age, it is certainly manageable.

The Science Behind Inflammation

Unfortunately, inflammation can occur anywhere, and our bodies don’t always recognize it. White blood cells called macrophages instigate the inflammatory response by recruiting a host of other cells to help create antibodies that neutralize threats from pathogens (3). Dilated blood vessels help specialized cells and molecules gain access to damaged tissues, which produces physical symptoms of inflammation like swelling and redness. Inflammation run amok is called chronic inflammation, which is a leading cause of death for people (3).

Chronic pain has several potential causes, including autoimmune diseases, genetics, and continuous exposure to toxins in our environment. Ultimately, unrelenting inflammation tells us that cells in our bodies aren’t working correctly. If left untreated, chronic inflammation might permanently destroy the replenishing mechanisms of the body, damage our DNA, and negatively impact the adaptive replication of our cells (4).

Inflammation and Chronic Illness

Chronic disease has a domino-like, negative overall effect on human health, even if inflammation is both a necessary function of the immune system and a leading precursor to serious diseases. Inflammation that lasts too long might indicate a chronic condition, which isn’t always easy to diagnose. Ultimately, inflammation can cause many symptoms, some of which might be mistakenly attributed to other illnesses or disregarded as anomalous. For example, the human immune system and mental health affect one another (5).

Recent research shows an indisputable connection between depression and autoimmune disease. But we don’t traditionally associate inflammation with depression, because inflammation is an immune response and depression is a mood disorder. However, depression and inflammation are outcomes of the same fundamental physiological processes — chemical dysregulation and cell dysfunction — that contribute to many physical ailments.

Moreover, telling indicators of chronic inflammation are usually fatigue, and a variety of mood and gastrointestinal problems, because the runaway immune response depletes our bodies’ energy and resources, therefore limiting our capacity to mediate other essential physiological functions (3). So, we can see how inflammation gradually contributes to the impairment of critical bodily functions, leading to a variety of chronic ailments.

Interactions Between the Immune and Digestive Systems

The human gut is the most varied symbiotic bacterial environment in the body with over seventy percent of our immune cells (5). This is no surprise considering the number of potential pathogens our gut is exposed to when we eat. Our digestive system breaks down usable molecules in food for both immune cells and bacteria, and ideally discards dead bacteria in our stool. But an unhealthy diet provides our cells with insufficient nutrition and energy to effectively combat pathogens, leading to potential increases in bad bacteria in our guts that makes us vulnerable to inflammation (6). For example, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is characterized by inflammation in the intestines.

While many IBD patients are genetically predisposed to the illness, they can take health measures to avoid aggravating the disease like drinking lots of water, eating fruits and vegetables and not smoking (7).

Relatively recent research about the human gut suggests that most people have certain central gut microbes in common. Thankfully, many studies suggest that the differences in peoples’ microbiomes can be attributed to dietary choices more than genetics, which means we have some agency over our gut health. Furthermore, one such study asserts that 20 per cent of microbiome differences in a genetically variable test group living in the same environment are attributable to agency-oriented factors like diet and drugs (8).

Furthermore, Vitamins C and D, and Zinc, along with the Mediterranean Diet, are repeatedly touted as immunity promoters in our bodies. In any case, the story about the relationship between our immune and digestive systems is incomplete, but the sheer preponderance of cellular and bacterial activity in our guts supports the hunch that our immune system is maximally affected by our digestive system and, ultimately, the nutrients derived from the foods we eat.

Treating Inflammation

Thankfully, inflammation can be treated. But inflammation has many prospective, and even unpredictable, causes and side-effects that makes identifying remedies for inflammation difficult. We should be mindful that inflammation is influenced by an array of factors, including diet, drugs and environmental stimuli that can start a chain reaction in our bodies. For example, stress makes our bodies release extra hormones that can potentially frustrate our body equilibrium, therefore causing inflammation, which can be accompanied by a host of maladaptive behavioural symptoms like fatigue and excessive hunger.

Chronic and autoimmune diseases can be treated with specific medicines, but be weary of side-effects in drugs. Ultimately though, establishing healthy diets and exercising regularly helps our bodies achieve homeostasis, meaning we nourish our cells so they can communicate effectively to keep us healthy. Arming ourselves against harmful microbes by eating foods like nuts, greens and fish is easier than avoiding bacteria, especially since most bacteria on earth has not been discovered.

Realistically, we exist because of microbes, meaning we have evolved to live with it. Even then, some bacteria can adapt to harm us, or overtake our immune system. Considering that, we can safely assume bacteria plays a substantial role in the prevalence of inflammation and autoimmune diseases. But our bodies are well-adjusted to squelch parasitic invaders, and even more so when we have the knowledge and resources to help our immune system do its job.

References

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7147972/
https://www.moleculeralabs.com/autism-caused-by-brain-inflammation/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493173/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6801086/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8001875/
https://nutrium.com/blog/improve-gut-health-and-reduce-inflammation-how-nutrition-professionals-can-help/
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/inflammatory-bowel-disease