Jamie Yermus, Registered Dietitian, MPH

Helping people foster a healthy relationship with food is key for encouraging positive health behaviors and overall well-being. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Labeling food as good or bad isn’t helpful and can lead to moralization of food. When food becomes moralized, people can internalize the message assigned to certain foods and think of themselves as being good or bad based on the food choices that they make. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Some f...oods are eaten for nourishment of our body and others for nourishment of our soul. Food is much more than nutrients we eat to survive. We also eat for enjoyment. Food has cultural, social and personal significance. If we really want to eat for health, we can't forget that food choices also impact our mental health. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ALL foods fit! Ditch the shame and the guilt. Happy hump day! See more

Tis the season for two of my favourite starchy vegetables: squash and pumpkin ! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Beyond their delicious taste, squash and pumpkin offer many great health benefits. However, for sake of time I would like to just talk about the fact that these starchy vegetables are particularly high in vitamin A, which is great for our health. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin that is stored in our liver. It contribu...tes to normal growth and development, helps maintain healthy vision, healthy skin and helps to keep our immune system healthy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Remember, too much of anything is not healthy. High doses of vitamin A are toxic. We can store vitamin A in our liver for long periods of time, therefore making it more difficult to become deficient. Therefore, it is important to enjoy a variety of different types and colours of fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy diet. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Beware: Your skin can turn yellow if you eat too many pumpkin/carrots/squash. This has happened to me!. This happens because we store beta-carotene (a yellow-orange pigment) in cells that are under our skin. This is not harmful to your health, however unless you don’t mind being orange, it can be harmful to your physical appearance. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Be sure to check out my blog on tips to having a delicious, satisfying, and not overly stuffed thanksgiving! (link in bio) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Have a happy and healthy thanksgiving weekend! See more

Have you heard of the @luckyironfish ?! The lucky iron fish is an innovative idea that started in Cambodia. It is shaped like a kantrop fish because that’s the symbol of luck in Cambodia. It was created in an effort to reduce iron deficiency anemia, since many people in Cambodia suffer from iron deficiency anemia. The lucky iron fish was accepted by villagers in Cambodia and led to immediate increases in blood iron levels and the elimination of anemia. The fish is made fro...m iron that is released from the Fish into food when it is boiled for 10 minutes in slightly acidified water or broth. When used properly, it releases 4-7 mg of absorbable iron into food without the side effects associated with iron pills. Using the Lucky Iron Fish 3 times a week for 3-12 months increases levels of circulating and stored iron. Iron is essential for your health. Your body needs iron to function. Athletes, women, vegetarians and vegans are at risk of iron deficiency anemia and have an increased need for iron. The lucky iron fish is a natural and effective way to add healthy iron to your diet! Watch this awesome inspiring video about the development of the lucky iron fish: https://youtu.be/KJM7Nj1DCwk

In the spirit of Canada day long weekend let’s talk about something red... lycopene! Lycopene is a bright red carotenoid, a natural antioxidant found in many red fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, watermelon and papaya. Lycopene has been looked at in prostate cancer prevention. Current research suggests that there are benefits to the red group of fruits and vegetables. Likely this is due to more than lycopene alone, It is one of many phytochemicals that work together to ...reduce the risk of cancer. For prostate health, it is beneficial to have one serving of cooked tomato product each day for men. This could be something like tomato sauce with no added sugar, or a small can of low sodium V8. This is because cooked tomato products contain the most lycopene - since it takes approximately 6 tomatoes to make 1 cup of tomato sauce. This doesn’t mean that you should only eat cooked tomatoes though. Tomatoes are one of the top 5 food sources of fiber, potassium, vitamin C, viitamin A and vitamin E ! See more

Hi everyone My name is Jamie Yermus and I am a Registered Dietitian and Certified Personal Trainer I created this account to share my passion for food and nutrition and to educate the public on all things nutrition, fitness and the relationship with disease prevention and treatment. Ultimately, my goal as a dietitian is to educate, motivate, support, and empower others to achieve their nutrition goals and attain optimal health. I am here to provide you with evidence based information that will enhance your nutrition knowledge and help you optimize your nutritional status!