Every few months we like to dedicate a week to answering some of our most frequently asked questions. We received a number of amazing questions from our community in our recent fall survey so we thought we’d share a few of them this week. Read below to learn more!

Happiness and health are highly correlated. Happy people tend to be healthier physically and have a lower risk of developing chronic diseases. A study on individuals with type 2 diabetes found that those who were happier had lower inflammatory markers, which might slow the progression of the disease. Happy people have also been shown to be more productive at work and there is even some research that suggests that happiness can improve mitochondrial health.

Everyone knows that alcohol isn’t exactly healthy. But how much is too much? Is having the occasional drink so bad. This week we’ll dive deeper into the effects of alcohol and how to limit your consumption in a “drinking encouraged” society.

Nuts and seeds are an important part of a healthy diet. Nuts are the hard shelled “fruit” of certain plants and seeds are a small plant enclosed inside a seed coat. Both are a great source of healthy fats, protein, and fibre - the three main things we need to keep our blood sugar stabilized.

It’s no surprise that people’s mental health has been suffering over the past couple of years. When we polled our community last year, the biggest challenge people cited was managing stress, anxiety, and depression during these times. In addition to the direct consequences, mental health challenges can impact other aspects of our health and wellbeing.

Often when people think of carbs they think of pizza, baked goods, and processed foods. But there are many sources of carbohydrates that are healthy and important for disease prevention and optimal performance. Today we’re going to discuss the third and final macronutrient, and how we can incorporate healthy sources of carbohydrates into our diet every day.

One of the most common pieces of feedback we get is that people love Q&A sessions. So this week we thought we’d compile all of the FAQs that we’ve received from our community over the past year - through emails, live events, and coaching sessions. Hopefully you find this information helpful and that there are some key takeaways that you can apply to your daily routine. Of course if you have any questions that we missed don't hesitate to reach out!

Post-workout nutrition is almost as important as the workout itself. Just like sleep, good nutrition is essential for recovery. Prioritizing post-workout nutrition will help you take advantage of the work you just did, help you feel good for the rest of the day, and help you recover faster for your next workout!

Having a good pre-exercise meal or snack will make a huge difference to your exercise performance and will help avoid gastrointestinal discomfort during exercise. But what about fuel during your workout?

A question that comes up a lot is ‘what and when should I eat before my workout?’ The timing and composition of your nutrition can make huge differences to your athletic performance. Understanding how to fuel your body is important for everyone - whether you are an elite athlete or if you just want to be healthy enough to run around with your kids.

Chronic inflammation is associated with almost all chronic diseases, including diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and obesity. Inflammation is also elevated in individuals suffering from mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. However, inflammation in itself isn’t bad. Inflammation is a normal process that, in small amounts, helps the body heal. But chronic inflammation can be damaging and lead to health problems.

In today’s fast paced world of work, family, and other commitments, it can be hard to stick to a healthy meal plan. It’s much easier to grab a chocolate bar on your way out the door or order take out instead of cooking after a busy day at the office. One of the biggest challenges for people is getting enough vegetables and fruits into their diet. But vegetables and fruits - and vegetables in particular - are so important for health.

We’ve given you a lot of new information this year and it can sometimes be a lot to digest. We know many of you don’t get around to reading the emails every week so every few months, we like to do a recap of what we’ve learned to help solidify ideas and let you catch up if you've fallen a bit behind!

Just like healthy fats and carbohydrates, high quality proteins are an important part of a balanced diet. This week we’re going to dive into what proteins are, why they’re so important for health, and how you can incorporate both animal and plant-based proteins into every meal.

These days with all of the fad diets and constant overload of information on the internet, knowing what to eat can be confusing! This week, we’re going to discuss one of the most hotly debated topics: fats.