Individualized and personalized nutrition for your health and/or performance goals
04/24/2025
Great sports nutrition talk tonight.
Got a chance to discuss the importance of nutrition for basketball with the U15 Oxford Attack team! We reviewed energy systems, carbohydrates, protein, and hydration. This group was incredibly receptive and asked many great questions.
Thanks again Oxford Attack for having me.
It was truly a pleasure.
Best of luck in your upcoming games and competitions đđź
***Do you see the size of these lads?! Good thing Iâm not guarding any of them đ
04/13/2025
Chocolate Milk
Looking for a great and inexpensive recovery drink? Do we need expensive protein powders or supplements?
Try chocolate milk. With a carbohydrate to protein ratio of 3:1 to 4:1 (CHO:PRO) it is perfect for replenishing glycogen stores and repairing muscle damage. This makes it similar to many commercial recovery supplements.
In addition, it contains some electrolytes (like sodium) to assist rehydration. It is best to drink within 60 minutes after completing exercise.
Take Home~
Great tasting. Good for recovery. Cost effective.
Eat well. Be well.
PMID: 23075563
03/12/2025
High-protein snack bars
I am not a chef. My wife is the chef. Although I enjoy cooking I do not make fancy dishes. I select foods that are simple and easy to meet my nutritional needs. This applies to all meals and snacks.
One area that used to be problematic for me was snacking. Maybe you can relate? My snacks were always carbohydrate and/or fat-heavy, with minimal protein content. This lead to mid-morning or mid-afternoon energy crashes. Increasing my protein at snack time has helped me with my own health goals.
When searching for simple recipes, I came across high-protein snack bars. These bars keep me full and help recovery. Whatâs even better is that they are easy to make and delicious.
High-protein snack bars
(One batch)
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup (c) rolled oats
- 3/4 c peanut butter or favourite nut butter
- 1/3 c honey
- 1 cup protein powder (of choice)
- 1 large banana, mashed
- 1/2 c ground flax
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Punch of salt
1. Mix rolled oats, peanut/nut butter, honey in large mixing bowl
2. Add in protein powder, mix
3. Add flax, protein powder, vanilla extract and salt, mix
4. *If needed, add a splash of milk of choice to make mixing easier and to prevent dryness
Prep time is ~15 mins. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours, but preferably overnight.
Easy. Itâs a delicious and nutritious snack that is perfect for busy schedules and recovery-based goals.
Eat well. Be well.
03/01/2025
Post-exercise Carbohydrate
Sometimes carbohydrates (CHO) are needed immediately post-exercise. This would be applicable if a hard training session or competition took place or if undertaking 2 workouts per day.
The recommendation for rapid refuelling is 1.0-1.2 g CHO/kg/h for the first 4 hours and then continuation of daily fuel needs.
Is this applicable to everyone? No, but if your subsequent workouts or recovery are suffering then this may be a reason why. Trying eating shortly after your training and monitor to see if it makes a difference.
Although the topic of CHO is complex (no pun intended), this is but a very brief review of the importance of CHO for activity.
Always practice nutritional strategies well in advance before competitions.
Eat well. Be well.
PMID: 26891166, 26920240
02/20/2025
Pre-exercise Carbohydrate Fuelling
How much carbohydrate (CHO) should be consumed BEFORE exercise?
It depends on the duration and intensity of the exercise.
Assuming a longer and vigorous activity session, the general recommendation is 1-4 g CHO/kg in the 1-4 hours before exercise. For example, aim for 1 g CHO/kg in the 1 hour before start.
What about the other macronutrients?
Reduced intakes of protein, fat, and fibre should occur the closer we get to exercise. These nutrients can cause gastrointestinal distress or digestive upset. Therefore, be mindful of food selection.
The amount, timing, and type (of CHO) all matter. Trial CHO-based foods that are well-tolerated and easily digested.
Again - practice, practice, practice.
Eat well. Be well.
PMID: 26891166, 26920240, 21660383
02/16/2025
Do We Need Carbohydrate (CHO) During Exercise?
It depends on the duration and intensity of exercise. Short periods of training may not require CHO intake. These can be skill-based training or high-quality training of lower volumes or intensity. However, longer and more vigorous sessions/competitions/games may require CHO intake.
Here is a brief summary of when and how much CHO is needed.
Brief exercise:
150 mins (2.5 hours); up to 90 g CHO/hr (maybe more?)
As we can see, CHO intake during exercise depends on the aforementioned factors - duration and intensity. If the exercise is prolonged and âpretty hardâ, then yes, likely some CHO is warranted to maintain energy levels and performance.
Common forms are liquids/sports drinks, gels, chews, and other confectionary (within reason).
The best (and safest) way to include CHO is to trial them in advance before competition. This will give you a chance to see how well they are tolerated (if any gastrointestinal symptoms or upset occurs) and if any further adjustments/changes need to be made. So practice, practice, practice.
Eat well. Be well.
PMID: 21660838, 11145214
02/14/2025
Daily Carbohydrate Needs for Fuel and Recovery
This is a topic I always review with my clients.
Carbohydrates (CHO) are our main fuel at high-intensity efforts. Anyone doing intermittent-based and/or endurance-based sports will require (at least some) CHO to meet energy demands.
But arenât CHO unhealthy?
Unprocessed CHOs ARE healthy and needed by those who undertake high-intensity training or competition. They should be prioritized. However, they need to be tailored to the individualâs needs and goals and many factors need to be considered before providing a recommendation (e.g. how long is the training session, when is the next training session, specific training needs, etc.).
The general guidelines for daily CHO intakes:
Light activity: 3-5 g CHO/kg/day (d); low-intensity or skill development training activities
Moderate activity: 5-7 g CHO/kg/d; moderate-intensity lasting ~1 hour
High activity: 6-10 g CHO/kg/d; intense activity or endurance-based activity lasting 1-3 hours
Very high activity: 8-12 g CHO/kg/d; intense activity (usually endurance-based) lasting > 4 hours/d
These recommendations need to be adjusted to the individualâs training and goals because âfailure to plan is planning to failâ.
Eat well. Be well.
PMID: 21660838
01/21/2025
ATP
Did you knowâŚ
That ATP stores in human muscle are very small and approximate 5 mmol/kg/wet muscle. If ATP was the sole source of energy provided, it would sustain exercise for short periods of time - being seconds.
If this concept was applied to a highly trained athlete, ATP would sustain someone engaged in maximal exercise-intensity (i.e. sprinting) at a power output of ~900 watts (W) (or ~300% of VO2max) with an ATP utilization of ~4 mmol ATP/kg/second for < ~2 seconds.
That same athlete could maintain ~200 W (submaximal exercise; ~75% of VO2max) with an ATP utilization of ~0.5 mmol ATP/kg/s and sustain activity for ~15 seconds.
Since we do not have enough stored ATP, we rely on energy systems to generate energy needed to perform tasks.
PMID: 28533314, 32747792
Photo: Getty Images
11/01/2024
In the spirit of Halloween đ
Pumpkins.
Pumpkins have many health benefits, including:
Eye health:â¨They are rich in beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A, an antioxidant that supports eye health. â¨
Heart health:â¨Their potassium can help lower blood pressure and fibre can help lower cholesterol. â¨
Digestive health:â¨Can help with digestion and weight management because of their fibre.â¨
Immune system:â¨Vitamins A, C, and E are strong antioxidants that help keep us healthy. Minerals such as zinc, selenium, and iron also support the immune system. â¨
Bone health:â¨The potassium content of pumpkin can help improve bone health.â¨
Macular degeneration:â¨Contains lutein and zeaxanthin which may help reduce the risk of developing macular degeneration (AMD).â¨
Try pumpkin by roasting, grilling, steaming, and baking.
Eat well. Be well.
Happy Halloween đ
10/22/2024
How are nutrients used?
There are several key processes that includes:
* ingestion; eating and drinking
* digestion; breakdown of food components (macronutrients into smaller components)
* absorption; movement of nutrients from gut to circulation
* metabolism; further breakdown and utilization of nutrients for numerous processes
* this can include cellular, tissue and organ-based processes
Where do the best nutrients come from? Whole, natural foods.
This is why choosing unprocessed foods benefits your health. They provide the carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and (at least some) water that we need for energy, growth, recovery, and development.
Eat well. Be well.
02/29/2024
Cardiorespiratory Fitness
How do we improve our cardiorespiratory fitness?
Easy. Move. More and more often.
Planned (structured) and unplanned (unstructured) movement can improve our heart health and aerobic fitness. However, we do see greater benefits from prolonged moderate-to-vigorous intensities that are planned for heart health and all-cause mortality.
PMID: 36281324
Can we just do a workout and then sit for the rest of the day? Although this still helps, it is more advantageous to move throughout the entire day.
Recommendations (from previous post) suggest > 150-300 mins of moderate-intensity activity, and >75-150 mins of vigorous-intensity activity per day.
Should this be accomplished in one effort? No. Moving throughout the day can contribute to these goals and improve cardiovascular health (CVH), along with other health measures (e.g. management of diabetes, weight maintenance, etc.).
How do we measure activity effort(s)?
There are typically three training methods, or rather intensities, that improve cardiorespiratory fitness:
(1) slow to moderate-intensity distance training
(2) moderate to high-intensity interval training
(3) high-intensity continuous exercise.
Engaging in any of the above, will help improve cardiovascular, respiratory, and overall health. We can measure our daily activities with METs (metabolic equivalents; the amount of oxygen consumed while sitting at rest, being = 3.5 mL O2/kg/min). The greater the physical effort, the higher the MET. For example, jogging at a high sustained pace will use more energy than sitting in chair over the same period of time. Doing these types of activities (e.g. jogging, cycling, etc.) improves cardiorespiratory fitness and decreases risk of illness.
Most benefit comes from > 3-6 METs or moderate-to-vigorous-intensity activities.
PMID: 2204507
PMID: 29229271
So what now?
Easy......
Go. Move!
02/16/2024
Exercise for Cardiovascular Health
Physical activity guidelines recommend 150 mins of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic-based exercise and >2 days of strengthening-based exercises per week. We usually look at one form being the best compared to the other. However, both have their benefits and are needed for good overall health.
Studies have found a 15-35% reduction in all-cause mortality when following endurance-based guidelines only, a 10-25% reduction of all-cause mortality when following strengthening-based guidelines only, AND a 30-45% reduction of mortality when meeting BOTH guidelines. When both guidelines were met, the risk reduction for cardiovascular disease was 45-60%.
PMID: 35946846
Take home message:
Doing exercise that gets your heart rate up is important (*note to self - do more cardio). This is required for developing or maintaining cardiorespiratory fitness. Doing some weight-bearing exercise is also important for mobility and functionality.
Doing exercise in general is ALWAYS a good thing đđź
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I am a Nutritionist that specializes in general health and wellbeing, disease mitigation, and sport and performance enhancement through nutrition. I, therefore, am able to individualize and personalize nutritional plans to best suit your unique needs and maximize your goals whether it be weight loss, overall improvement of health, or improving sport and/or exercise performance.
My interest in food and nutrition was developed back in my days as a âfarm kidâ. While growing up, I always wanted to know what types of foods promote good health and which ones could improve performance. I came to find out that there was a lot of research and knowledge in this area, which directed my path of study in university.
My education includes a 4-year undergraduate degree in Foods and Nutrition from the University of Western Ontario, and a Masterâs of Science in Sports Nutrition from the University of Guelph. Now, I am currently completing my International Olympic Committee (IOC) Diploma in Sports Nutrition so that I can keep up with the research in this area and continuously learn a topic that I am very passionate about.
I have been working in this field for several years communicating and sharing my passion for health to others. Some of my work-related experiences include: working as a nutritionist to provide nutritional counselling; sports and performance nutritionist to athletes to create dietary plans to help them achieve their goals of performance, recovery, or physique changes; hydration scientist with Gatorade and testing numerous professional NHL teams including the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburg Penguins, and Detroit Red Wings amongst many other semi-professional, junior-based, and varsity hockey teams; and, working with individuals to improve their overall health so that they could live healthier lives.
My goal is to educate and empower each client so that they can obtain their optimal health and wellbeing through foods and nutrition. There is so much to learn about what we eat, drink and expose our bodies to, and how this impacts things we see such as weight loss and/or gain, optimizing athletic performance. However, there are lots of things we donât see such as internal inflammation, leaky gut and gastrointestinal issues, immune function and response, as well as fatigue, lethargy and depression that needs to be addressed also.
To simply say that your health is important is an understatement. Now, more than ever, is the time to focus on your health and wellbeing.
I hope I get the chance to meet you. Letâs find the strategy that will help you meet your health goals.
