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By Wise Bites

There’s a difference between going technically vegan and truly embracing a healthy, plant-based diet.

For instance, each of us has known a few teens or preteens who have taken forays into veganism or vegetarianism, only to wind up on an all-pasta diet. (Our favourite kid interpretation of this was the preteen who was “vegetarian except for bacon.”)

In fact, it was concern about the low nutritional value of a lot of convenient snack foods, particularly the kinds we feed our kids, that prompted us to found Wise Bites, making our products with superfood ingredients that pack a big energy-and-nutrition punch.  

Here are a few tips to improve your vegan diet and make sure you’re getting all the benefits of plant-based eating. 

1. Check the nutritional value of packaged products. Take a closer look at the snack items you buy to see if they are as healthy as their packaging may lead you to believe. Many of the most popular snack products...

By RYP Naturals

The Process

The creation of RYP Naturals, or Reach Your Peak Naturals, is to provide consumers with nutritious, convenient, plant-based products while minimizing the amount of waste for the environment in the process. Ever wonder where the unwanted or imperfect fruits and vegetables end up when they aren’t “the perfect shape or pretty” enough to be sold at a grocery store? Our family manufacturing team works closely to support North American farmers and processors by sourcing those unwanted yet perfectly nutritious fruits and vegetables, dehydrating them and creating a shelf-stable product.

Our family manufacturing company North of 49 Naturals, uses a proprietary low-thermal drying and blending process that optimizes the nutritional value and effectiveness of our dehydrated products. Ensuring that the temperature during the drying process is based on the actual product temperate, so the food is never overheated.

We work with various...

By Komo Comfort Foods

Hi there! We are Fred and Jeffrey from Komo Comfort Foods! We are both vegan and believe plant-based eating is better for the people, planet, and animals.

Fred has been plant-based for over five years whereas Jeffrey is approaching one year. We think everyone can incorporate more plant-based meals into their diet and aim to do so through our foods at Komo. We’ve compiled a snapshot of our experience and things we’ve noticed after going plant-based.

1.  You may get many questions

 It is estimated that currently 3% of consumers follow a vegan diet, 5% vegetarian, 53% omnivores and 36% flexitarian. Therefore, plant-based eating is relatively new to many. Adopting a full plant-based/vegan diet can raise questions from others that see it as a major change. Being interrogated by family, friends or strangers is never enjoyable, but sometimes it comes from a place of genuine curiosity.

“I’m asked all the time – why plant-based?...

By Jusu Bar

At Jusu Bar, our founding mission is to help our customers take control of their health and wellness by making better food choices. That’s why we choose to make cold-pressed juices that function in any lifestyle. Whether you’re trying a juice cleanse or just adding a juice to your meal, it will awaken your cells and energize your life.

Here’s why we choose to cold-press:

1. At Jusu, we focus on maximizing the nutrient content and flavour of our cold-pressed juices. Our hydraulic press uses thousands of pounds of pressure to extract every last drop of goodness from fresh fruits and vegetables. 
2. Unlike traditional pasteurization, no heat or oxygen is used in the process, preserving all of the amazing nutrients that are typically lost.
3. Our juices are put through HPP (High Pressure Processing) as a final step after manufacturing to safely extend their shelf life without the use of heat or preservatives. High Pressure Processing is an environmentally...

By The Very Good Butchers

Fresh fruits and veggies are of course the foundation of a wholesome plant-based diet. But finding other essentials that taste good and align with your values can often be frustrating and confusing when trying to read ingredient labels in the grocery store. 

Find out what vegan staples The Very Good Butchers’ co-founders, James and Mitchell, always have stocked in their kitchens to make plant-based eating a (delicious) breeze.

James

Smoked Tofu: I'm addicted to this stuff. Smoked tofu has a delicious, smokey flavour and firmer texture, making it great right out of the package on a Banh Mi, salads, sandwiches and tacos.

French Lentils: Lentils go in everything at my house from soups to vegan variations of bolognese sauce. They're really easy to make a meal with - simply braise with onions and serve alongside our British Bangers. 

Almond Yogurt: This topped with trail mix is my go to snack or quick breakfast. Almond yogurt...

Event Health & Safety

Updated February 26, 2021

Planted Expo Vancouver has moved to November 20-21, 2021!

Like most of the world, Planted Expo is following the COVID-19 developments very closely. We are in regular communication with Vancouver Convention Centre and the Health Authorities as we monitor the latest advice and directives.

Planted Expo has deeply held values around health, well-being, and compassion. As you might expect, with the current global reality, our number one priority is the health and well-being of our world, country, and city. 

Every effort is being made to ensure everyone involved with Planted Expo’s show receives the best service. This includes considering a variety of contingency plans for all possible outcomes. That being said, we've moved our expo date to November 20-21, 2021!! 

We will continue to closely monitor the situation and will update this page as needed. Please feel free to reach out to...

The New Year offers the start of something new and an opportunity to set intentions or resolutions for the future. 

Are you one of the 50% of people who make New Year’s resolutions? What will they be?

As you are deciding on what your goals and intentions are for 2021, keep these success strategies in mind.

1: Find your purpose, but avoid focusing on a specific outcome: ask yourself “WHY” you want to meet this particular goal and keep that in mind, which will improve your motivation. For example, if you want to lose weight, instead of setting a specific goal weight, think about having more energy to play with your kids, or being able to enjoy things like hiking or going for walks more easily.

2: Break down your goal into steps and set realistic milestones along the way: Create a specific list of what you need to change and how to make it happen. You need a plan to meet these smaller milestones on the way to your bigger goal. 

“I will move my...

Plant-based Nutritionist, Jordan Bruce, shares why it's so important to listen to your body's cues and why you can't ignore your body's hormonal needs. 

By Jordan Bruce, RHN

brucesroots.com

CAN YOU AFFORD TO IGNORE YOUR HORMONAL NEEDS?

Well, it’s going to take a big toll on your body.

• 5 million suffer from PCOS
• 70 to 80% of women will develop fibroids by age 50!
• 1/10 will suffer with endometriosis during reproductive years
• 9 to 14% have heavy periods
• 12% have difficulty getting pregnant or carrying to term
• Women are 5 to 8x more likely to have thyroid problems
• 75% of those diagnosed with autoimmune diseases are women
• Chronic fatigue syndrome is 2x as likely among women
• 85% of chronic migraine suffers are women
• Anxiety is more common than among men (2x in childbearing years)
• 1/8 experience depression, 2x the rate of men

Your menstruated cycle and hormone health is IMPORTANT! The way be are living is taking a toll on our body, mind and mood.

So many women...

I’ve never forgotten that day in 1997 when Jonathan slapped my rear and with a snide smile said, “Get back in the kitchen and get me my dinner, woman!” 

Jonathan was just five years old at the time and I was his full-time nanny. His parents later explained, to my shock, that he was simply trying out a line he had picked up from an episode of some animated, adult TV show. I was 22 years old, taking Women’s and Environmental Studies at SFU, and I couldn’t have been more outraged. 

Twenty years later however, I often think back on that moment and laugh at the irony. As a health educator, I usually start my sessions by telling clients they need to do exactly what Jonathan wisely said 20 years ago – “get back in the kitchen.” I leave out the second half of his sentence of course, (and the ass slapping). 

Research shows that, with cancer and chronic disease, as many as 98 per cent of cases are triggered by lifestyle factors,...