Coffee preventing breast cancer? More to it than that.

Coffee seems to be a recurring theme in this blog, what with my half-hearted struggle to cut back, and the general fascination that medical researchers seem to have with it. Almost every week, I read something in the news about coffee either being the next best thing for your body, or something to fearfully avoid. Don't drink too much, don't drink too little and on and on.

Recently I read a news article on a Canadian news website, one that was also reported in various papers, that consuming coffee might help women prevent breast cancer. The article begins by strongly stating that coffee consumption can greatly reduce the risk of breast.

Doesn't sound too bad right?

But then the interesting thing happens where the article suggests that lifestyle choices, such as overall health and nutrition, of the women in the study, as well as whether they smoked or consumed alcohol on a regular basis, were not factored in.

Hmm. Then the article states that it's not suggesting women go out and consume massive amounts of coffee, but that worse case, coffee couldn't possibly contribute.

Now, curiously, that's not how the article began. The article began with a gripping premise, that consuming our favourite caffeinated beverage can produce remarkable health benefits, and then ended with a wimper saying it wasn't sure.

In fact all the article is really telling is us that coffee probably does not cause breast cancer. If the researchers who did the study came up with irrelevant conclusions, it makes you wonder why they bothered to publish it at all.

Yoga in the Old Port - Centre Luna

Centre Luna, is a Montreal yoga studio base in the Old Port. Founded in 2003 by Jennifer Maagendans, the studio's main aims are to offer a cozy and hip atmostphere where visitors can discipline their mind as well as their body.

The centre currently staffs five instructors, who each teach numerous and different courses throughout the week. While the most popular classes are in during the lunch hour drop in sessions, classes are also offered in the evenings and on weekends.

Two types of classes are offered, in two separate intensity levels. The first type of class offered is Yoga Flo, which emphasizes movement. Imagine a constant flow, moving fluidly from one posture to the next throughout the class. While, thi type of class should be familiar to people who have done yoga before or on a regular basis, what separates it from other experiences is the general feeling of unity that each and every class offers.

The second type of class is Jivamukti, the only one of it's kind in Montreal. In these classes, the work out is joined by breathing exercises and music to help keep you soothed and meditative, while being active at the same time. This form of yoga might sound intimidating at first, but in reality it is far from that. This yoga is designed to make you feel more at ease with yourself and your surroundings.

Both classes offer intermediate and advanced levels, so beginners and experts will surely be able to find something that is right for them.

Exclusive to clients from 21st Century Food

As a special promotion, any client from 21st Century Food who is interested in the experience offered by Luna Yoga may use the the promotional code "21stcenturyfood" and receive 10% off classes for the rest of the month!

Elizabeth May wants to clean up Parliament as well as the Environment

Elizabeth May made history this past election for having been the first ever Green Party MP elected to the Canadian house of Parliament. Her riding, Saanich-Gulf Islands, had one of the highest voter turnouts in the country with over 75 per cent of the riding going out and voting. Having one by a landslide against a former Conservative cabinet minister, it's safe to say that voters who stayed home in 2008, came out to show their support for the Green Party leader.

What does this mean having a lone Green MP in the house of commons? Well, with a Conservative majority, probably not a whole lot, especially considering that the two parties sit at the opposite ends of the politcal spectrum. There isn't a single specific point where the Green and the Conservative party platforms lines up. May, however, doesn't seem very phased by this.

In a recent interview with CBC (the television stations seem to have remembered she existed all of a sudden) she sounded optimistic that her voice in parliament wouldn't just be a shout from the back row, but possible to make a real difference.

Citing some of the many occasions in which our parliament has recently degenerated in shouting matches, name calling and the pointing of the finger, May hopes to bring a dignified composure, and a calm demeanour to the house that will help her get noticed and her party be taken seriously.

Honestly, I find her outlook, if perhaps a little too optimistic, to be somewhat refreshing. As our larger parties have begun acting like American politicians in recent years, using personal attacks and smear campaigns agaisnt one another, it would be quite nice to see our government start acting like... well, a government again. If the sole MP from our smallest serious political party can actually control herself and show Canadians that it's possible to act responsible on parliament hill, all the better.

In fact May has also announced a few plans for her riding, which seem rather commendable. On the last election campaign, MP absentia from the house as well as their riding was a growing target of attacks, which is something May hopes to avoid. This week she announced that she would be holding a meeting every 6 weeks in her riding where anyone could come and approach her and her staff and discuss issues facing the area, kind of like an open meeting at a small town.

This is certainly something quite a bit different than what some of our other MPs have been doing, such as going on lengthy vacations out of the country.

I honestly hope this works out for her. Just as Canadians vote for many different parties, we need many different voices on parliament hill. As well, our house of commons could use a lesson in etiquette, and if she is the one to do it, then all the better: I hope the other parties learn something about being proper representatives of their ridings.

A bit of a Rant - Montreal Street Cleaners

I usually try to keep optimistic about things, but sometimes you witness something so utterly bizarre and wasteful that it get difficult. So, where to begin?

As most of you undoubtedly knowing, living here in the city, that Montreal, at times, seems like it's being rather poorly managed and run. Those of us who live out in the suburbs and rely on public transportation have surely felt the sting from faulty, and late, trains every winter, while the rest of us who live downtown have had the wondrous joy of having to deal with constant construction with closed roads and sidewalks that seem to last months at a time. Over in the Plateau this has especially been the case (anyone remember the days before St-Laurent was torn up, and rebuilt at an agonizingly slow pace?).

Well, while poor construction planning, and a shaky public transit system can be cause enough for some pulled hairs, recently some other oddities have started to catch our attention over here at 21st Century Food, namely with the public servants who clean our streets.

Have you ever been out on the sidewalk when the streets cleaners and are doing their rounds? These wonderfully ugly, noisy red phone booth like cabs that sometimes drive by at high speeds (without warning!) and clean up our streets with vacuum like trunks? As weird as they are, those aren't so bad. Normally I would have no problem with our city getting a little bit of a shine, but this spring we've noticed something a little odd with the other vehicles and crew that sometimes follow them.

What I'm talking about here are those other vehicles, the ones that drive by really slowly, with a massive container of water and simply spray the sidewalks. A few feet behind them is usually another vehicle, which then not so much scrubs, but pushes the water around.

Now, in case there is one person living out there that hasn't noticed it yet, it's been raining the past five days, so why do we need a vehicle to go down the streets and spray untold gallons of water on concrete that is already wet? They've been out there all week, just dumping more water on the already drenched sidewalks, half the time while it is currently raining.

I suppose the cleaners are probably scheduled to go out and hit the streets on certain days, but isn't there someone who has the authority to look out the window, and decide "hmm maybe we don't need to spray more water on the ground today"?

I find this so aggravating. Not only are our tax dollars being spent to have our city workers perform a sometimes useless task, when there are so many other pressing matters in the spring (pot holes anyone?), but it is such an incredible waste of water as well.  These vehicles use up hundreds of liters of water on every section of our streets and sidewalks. We have hundreds of kilometers of roads, and times this by the water used in this way and its starting to get pretty crazy. We always hear how clean water is one of the most valuable resource, and yet we can afford to waste it.

I have an idea, why not just send out the guys who scrub the streets when it rains? Let nature do her part, and cut back on costs, and not recklessly waste such a useful resource.

Dogs help keep owners active

A recent study at the University of Calgary concluded what many of us have probably suspected for a long time: that dogs can help keep us active.

Valerie Berenyi of the Calgary herald wryly remarks that we should "think of Fido as a home-based personal trainer who drags you out for a workout, even in winter, when it's cold, dark and icy".

Well, while owning a pet doesn't necessarily rule out the need to hit the gym, or do some yoga once in a while, you have to admit that dogs are rather persistent motivators when it comes to getting us up off the couch when we'd rather just vege out. At the very least having to go out and walk the dog, rain or shine, guarantees that we spend a little more time on our feet every day than we might normally do.

Though realistically, our pets can provide us with a little more than just a push to get up and walk around. Our pets need exercise just as much as we do, so why not take advantage of this?

Go for a jog with your dog, I'm sure they'll appreciate it so much more than just a walk around the block. As well, with a running partner you will be sure to push yourself that extra bit. In fact, Summer's just around the corner, and even though the weather has been less than great meteorologists predict (provided they get it right for once) that we will be in for nice weather in the coming months, which means going out to walk the dog can be something we all look forward to.

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Dogs+keep+owners+active+researchers+find/4729762/story.html#ixzz1LTunOm9L

Good News: Raising Money for A Good Cause

At a recent fundraiser for the Montreal Jewish General hospital, famed Hollywood actor Michael Douglas gave a special appearance as the spokesperson for the event.

Douglas, who recently recovered from his battle with throat cancer, was first diagnosed with the disease here in Montreal at the Jewish General. To show his gratitude, he felt that perhaps his stardom would help out at the fundraiser, where it is estimated that he helped raise over $1 million dollars over the course of the gala, to help fund the hospital and as a way to increase awareness for some of the less common and lesser known forms of cancer which, when left untreated, are just as dangerous as any other form of the disease.

The fundraiser will hopefully make quite a difference, being that our hospital system can use all the help it cane get. Perhaps some of us will find it amusing then, that the actor praised the efficiency of our health care system, despite the fact that the wait times can be atrocious.

Sleep Deprivation Speeds Up Ageing

Back in March I wrote a blog about the unpleasant side effects of sleep deprivation, such as how we are subject to mood swings and general grumpiness.

While being in a bad mood is certainly unpleasant, and a just cause to argue for sleeping in, it turns out that scientists have once again put forward evidence that sleep deprivation can cause less than pleasant side effects.

In a recent article, scientists have found than sleep deprivation can speed up aging (or ageing, silly spelling differences) by a significant amount.

For women, regularly receiving less than 7-8 hours of sleep, and 6-7 for most men, can cause, over the cause of your life, your body to "age' an up to an additional 7 years. That might not sound like much, but imagine being 55, in great shape, just hitting retirement, and already feeling like your 62.

In fact, where exercise and eating healthy can help keep you young, a poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle can speed up aging as well. Couple this with a lack of sleep, and you might start feeling the years well before you want to.

So, while I'm not encouraging you to sleep in past noon every day, make sure you give your body what it wants. Sleep well, and long enough. Don't forget about nutrition and exercise though!