Our muscles are capable of amazing, precise and coordinated force; from lifting a teacup to explosive movements such as sprinting and power lifting. Muscles allow for tremendous function so that we can explore our full physical potential. Approximately 40% of our body is composed of skeletal muscle but there are several other types of muscles including smooth and cardiac muscle (Guyton and Hall 2006). There are almost 700 individual muscles in your body and they come in all shapes and sizes (Tortora and Grabowski 2003). The smallest skeletal muscle in your body is located in your middle ear and is

Athletes have special needs when it comes to fuelling for optimized performance.  Nutrition requirements are continuously shifting depending on the desired activity as well personal goals such as weight loss or improvements to lean muscle mass. There are a growing number of vegetarian athletes at the amateur and professional levels which raises discussions on whether or not an athlete is put at a disadvantage when choosing to eliminate some or a majority of animal derived foods.  While there are several types of different vegetarian diets, including but not limited to lacto-, ovo- and macro-, we are going to discuss the

by Dr. Aaron Zadek ND, CISSN Dietary fiber plays an important role in maintaining gut health and function.  Fiber is useful in helping feel full after meals, ensuring our bowel movements are regular as well as stimulating the growth of healthy bacteria to allow the gut microbiome to thrive. It is important that fiber, both soluble and insoluble, is included in everyday consumption to ensure optimal gut health (1). These fibers are found in a variety of different foods as well as prebiotic and full fiber supplements that can be used in times of bowel irregularity or for general health

The role that vitamin B plays, from the time we are in the womb right through the ageing process, cannot be underestimated. Let’s explore the importance of this family of vitamins throughout our life cycle. The Importance of Vitamin B during Pregnancy Nutritional deficiencies can lead to adverse outcomes in reproduction such as infertility and miscarriage. In pregnancy, a B12 deficiency can lead to complications in neonatal development, increasing the risk of preterm birth and lower birth weight1 Low levels of maternal red blood cell folate and high homocysteine values mid-pregnancy have also been found to be associated with reduced