Konjac is an herb with a tuber-like corm (underground plant stem). It’s also known as elephant yam, devil’s tongue, snake palm, and voodoo lily. Overall, konjac is highly versatile in a number of products and dishes notwithstanding its Japanese cuisine …
Mung beans are showing up on ingredient lists of plant-based foods including the Beyond Burger. I wasn’t familiar with them, and thought what the heck are mung beans? So my team did a bit of research and this is the …
There’s an increase in healthier puffed and crunchy snacks on the market. Traditional popped corn is getting competition from popped chickpeas, sorghum, quinoa and wait, lotus seeds. What the heck are lotus seeds? You know I’m a big fan of …
You are probably asking yourself: “What the heck are tiger nuts?” Tiger nuts, aren’t actually nuts, but instead grow as a wild weed and are classified as tubers (1). They were originally cultivated in Egypt in 4000 B.C.E. and then …
February is heart month. Heart disease affects approximately one in 12 Canadian adults and is the second leading cause of death in Canada (1). The good news is almost 80 per cent of premature heart disease and stroke can be …
Remember as a kid when you got sunburnt and your Mom used the aloe vera gel to sooth it? Fast forward to today and aloe vera is a popular medicinal plant used in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical and food industries. The two …
Collagen continues to be the star ingredient for 2018. From the Natural Products Expo West Show in Anaheim in March to the IFT18 in Chicago in July, collagen is a popular bioactive across all categories including bone health, joint health …
Maca root known by its scientific name, Lepidium meyehil is also referred to in the media as an adaptogen which is a group of plants that are used to ‘help the body cope with stress’. Adaptogens have been used in …
You know I’ve been an advocate of a happy gut = a happy you for years. And my research on fermented foods, digestive health and probiotics goes back to 2004 when I was part of a Scientific Advisory Board and …