Healing And Health Through Food

Oct 16, 2018

The Canadian Centre for Agri-Food Research in Health and Medicine in Winnipeg is doing work to learn more about harnessing the health benefits of the food we eat.

Researchers and their work on foods, ranging from flaxseed to beans to berries and grapes, were on display at a donor event held last week at the St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre.

Heart failure research laboratory principal investigator Dr. Thomas Netticaban says he's been looking at the heart-health benefits of berries and grapes for many years now.

"We are looking at whether grapes or berries, and the components within them, are able to protect the heart against hypertension or against diabetes or against obesity, which are the risk factors for heart disease," said Dr. Netticaban.

University of Manitoba Human Nutritional Sciences PhD student Jaime Clark was another researcher on hand Wednesday. She was giving a snapshot of her PhD thesis; Clark is exploring how beans with different seed coat colours affect our blood vessels right after eating them.

According to CCARM cell biology lab principal investigator and executive director of research at St. Boniface Hospital Dr. Grant Pierce, flaxseed is an extremely healthy crop that they believe will have economic implications for farmers once the public is aware of flaxseed's health benefits, and starts to use it more.

"The decrease in blood pressure is at least as good as any other dietary intervention that is available out there. So flaxseed appeared to reduce blood pressure in patients with high blood pressure more than any other food that we know," said Dr. Pierce.

Dr. Pierce says CCARM is currently conducting a clinical trial to see if flaxseed can work independently of and replace drugs when it comes to people with high blood pressure.

CCARM team leader Dr. Carla Taylor says CCARM now has about 100 people, including researchers, students, and technical staff.

Source : Steinbachonline

Video: A Farm Song (Busy) | Parody of A Bar Song (Tipsy) by Shaboozey

Lyrics:

My days begin with workin’, Alarm’s at 5 o’clock,
I Fill 5 gallon buckets, The feeders and the troughs,
This five to nine ain’t workin’, why the heck do I work so hard?,
I can’t worry ‘bout health problems, I can sleep in when I’m gone,

One, here comes the two to the three to the four,
Tell em’ ‘buy another cow, we need plenty more’,
Blue jeans are gettin’ dirty, what else could I ask for,
Oh my, more chores

Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history,
There’s another flock of sheep that still needs feed,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

I’ve been working pretty stressed but,
I ain’t changing for some cash,
Lord knows that I’m very blessed (More chores),
But I gotta say it’s hard,
Workin’ outside gettin’ charred,
Living out here on the farm, (more chores)

One, here comes the two to the three to the four,
Tell em’ ‘buy another cow, we need plenty more’,
Blue jeans are gettin’ dirty, what else could I ask for,
Oh my, more chores

Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history
There’s another 20 chickens that still need feed,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

Everybody on the farm getting’ busy,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

Fun, here on ranch that’s what you can’t ignore,
Might be pretty hard but I love it to its core,
Flannel’s gettin’ dirty, what else could I ask for,
Oh my, more chores (Tell ‘em sing with me)

Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history,
There’s another flock of sheep that still needs feed,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history,
Watching cattle in the dark, don’t miss me,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
(Yeeeeeehaw)
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
It’s the best bro, go get yourself a farm