Good Times

1 week ago | goodtimes.ca | Jessica Dostie

By Gary W. Miller, Columbia University Mailman School of Public HealthYour genes play a major role in determining your height, hair and eye color, and skin tone, but they don’t tell the entire story of who you are. Your environment is incredibly important in shaping your personality, your likes and dislikes, and your health. In fact, your diet, social interactions, exposure to pollution, physical activity and education often exceed the influence of genetics on many of the features that define you.

1 week ago | goodtimes.ca | Jessica Dostie

By Frédéric Dimanche, Toronto Metropolitan University and Kelley A. McClinchey, Wilfrid Laurier UniversityRecent reports of European and Canadian tourists being detained at the United States border have many questioning whether travel to the U.S. is safe. As the Trump administration moves forward with plans for mass deportations, immigration officers have reportedly been encouraged to question travellers, putting many travellers on high alert. The parallels to the COVID-19 pandemic are notable.

2 weeks ago | goodtimes.ca | Jessica Dostie

By Isabelle HuotAt this time of year, fresh fruits and vegetables are harder to find and fairly expensive. Is it worth switching to frozen? Definitely—the pluses outweigh the minuses. Economy: Frozen fruits and vegetables are often less expensive than fresh. At the grocery store, compare prices by weight to make the best choices. Another tip: take advantage of sales and stock your freezer. Practicality:  They are already washed, cut up, and ready for cooking.

2 weeks ago | goodtimes.ca | Jessica Dostie

By Zahra Saghafi, University of GuelphThe way you see nutrition labels on food packaging is about to change. By 2025, new front-of-package labels will start appearing on grocery store shelves, and by January 2026, they’ll be mandatory. Over the past two decades, nutrition labelling has evolved into a cornerstone of public health strategies worldwide.

3 weeks ago | goodtimes.ca | Wendy Haaf |Jessica Dostie

By Wendy HaafSimply put, cardiovascular disease threatens women more than it does menIn early 2022, Mafaz Ismail, then 54, began feeling as if her body had been sapped of energy. Her customary long walks with her daughter along the Vancouver shoreline left her feeling short of breath. “It was as if I’d run a mile,” she says. It was a stark contrast to when she was able to work 14-hour days as an assistant to the former UAE health minister in Dubai despite living with type 1 diabetes (T1D).