VCBW 2013

From the category archives:

Food as Medicine

Thumbnail image for The Ayurveda Diet

The Ayurveda Diet

by Todd Caldecott 01.26.2012

According to the Charaka samhita Ayurveda evolved out of a need to address the acute and chronic disease that emerged when humans first began to live together in settled communities. This suggests that the basic structure of Ayurveda could be as old as the Neolithic in India, some 10,000 years ago. By any measure Ayurveda [...]

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Constitution in Ayurveda

by Todd Caldecott 01.12.2012

[Image courtesy of Wikipedia] The Sanskrit meaning of the word dosha is ‘fault’ or ‘taint’, referring to the body’s inherent potential to become unbalanced and diseased. As mediators of the disease process, Ayurveda teaches us that in order to properly prevent and treat disease, we must learn how to identify the doshas and the qualities [...]

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Herbal Treatment for Colds, Flu and Fever

by Todd Caldecott 01.05.2012

In traditional medicine, a cold, flu or fever is viewed as a superficial condition – the invasion of some kind of exogenous agent that challenges the body’s mechanism of non-specific resistance and immunity.  All systems of traditional medicine have unique and yet remarkably similar perspectives on this dynamic, in Ayurveda as the imbalance of the [...]

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Book Review: “Meat: A Benign Extravagance”

by Todd Caldecott 11.28.2011

Recently I was given a review copy of Simon Fairlie’s new book entitled Meat: A Benign Extravagance, published by Chelsea Green (2010), right around the same time I wrote what some might consider a rather controversial blog on the subject of meat here on Urban Diner. The issue of eating meat is a touchy one, especially here in [...]

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The Paleolithic Diet

by Todd Caldecott 10.25.2011

When we consider our 2-3 million year evolution it stands to reason that our bodies are best adapted to the hunter-gatherer diet of our Paleolithic ancestors. Although the assumption is often made that agriculture was in every respect an improvement upon the human condition, anthropological research shows that if our Paleolithic ancestors were able to [...]

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A Short History of the Human Diet

by Todd Caldecott 08.30.2011

(Image by Banksy) Human evolution has been a gradual process over millions of years, from our earliest ancestors that diverged from other primates over four to seven million years ago, to the modern Homo sapiens of today.  We first begin to bear some semblance to the modern human as Homo habilis and H. erectus 2-3 [...]

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In the Summertime

by Todd Caldecott 07.07.2011

It’s been hard won, but summer is finally here in Vancouver. The Farmer’s Almanac says that we will likely have a nice July, but August will be cooler than average. September is supposed to be nice and warm. With weather like this, it’s hard to make any generalizations, but I have a few tips to [...]

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Alcohol

by Todd Caldecott 05.18.2011

At the height of summer when the branches weigh heavy with fruit and the wafting sweetness saturates the air, the wild yeasts have already begun to feed. These ubiquitous fungi found on the skins ferment the fruit sugars to provide them with the energy needed for their growth and reproduction, and in so doing, just [...]

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Tea, Coffee and Chocolate

by Todd Caldecott 04.27.2011

According to Chinese legend tea (Camellia sinensis) was discovered accidentally by the illustrious progenitor of agriculture Shen-nong when some leaves from the plant dropped into a pot of water he was boiling. Shen-nong was so taken with the flavor and benefits of this herb that he introduced the beverage to humanity, and as the legend [...]

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Thumbnail image for Radiation Alert, and What You Can Do…

Radiation Alert, and What You Can Do…

by Todd Caldecott 03.15.2011

There is mounting concern that radiation leaking from nuclear power plants could affect human health.  It is very difficult to get solid information, but reports I have seen indicate that the radioactive isotopes of concern are iodine 131, strontium 90, cesium 137 and plutonium 239.  Iodine 131 is the most immediate concern because iodine forms [...]

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Thumbnail image for Let’s Talk About Fat – Part 2 – Chemistry

Let’s Talk About Fat – Part 2 – Chemistry

by Todd Caldecott 02.10.2011

Also known as lipids, fats refer to a diverse range of chemicals including triglycerides, cholesterol, phospholipids, steroids, carotenoids, vitamins (A, D, E, K) and locally-acting hormones called eicosanoids. Like carbohydrates lipids are comprised of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen, but the amount of oxygen in a lipid is much less, making for fewer polar covalent bonds. [...]

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Thumbnail image for Let’s Talk About Fat – Part 1

Let’s Talk About Fat – Part 1

by Todd Caldecott 02.07.2011

While sweet foods most surely delight the senses, it is fair to say that what the body really craves is fat. Perhaps the reason is that compared to proteins and carbohydrates fats are more abundant sources of energy. With our comparatively huge brains, 60% of which is made entirely from fat, our evolution as a [...]

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