MisterPete's Blog

Research demonstrates music therapy provides a wide range of benefits. We’ve all heard the idiom, “Music is good for the soul.” But according to the evidence, it’s good for your health as well. Study after study has found that music therapy has a positive effect on a broad range of physical and psychological conditions including dementia, anxiety, depression, and cancer. Music therapy is a…

Daily practices can literally rewire your brain to feel more joy. A behavioral psychiatrist tells us how. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  Key Takeaways Small daily actions—like showing kindness, finding humor, and stepping outside—can activate your brain’s reward system and help build a lasting sense of joy. Reflecting on your values, embracing gratitude, and…

Some foods simply radiate star power. Apples and bananas? They’ve got their own song. Peanuts, potatoes, and pepperjack cheese? They’re in your pantry—and the cooking hall of fame. But the obvious choices aren’t the only ones—and they’re not even necessarily the best. “People tend to fall into certain patterns—we’re creatures of habit,” says registered dietitian nutritionist Mindy Haar,…

Cilantro is a polarizing herb. People either love it or hate it. For many, a sprig of cilantro can add much-needed flavor to a salad or in homemade guacamole. For others with a certain gene, it just tastes like soap. “It is estimated that four to 14 percent of the U.S. population has this genetic variation, making cilantro taste like soap,” Brooke Baevsky, a private chef and CEO of In the…

Information overload directly undermines your ability to make healthy choices by draining your brain’s limited cognitive energy. When you are constantly bombarded with conflicting wellness advice, marketing claims, and digital notifications, your brain experiences “analysis paralysis”. This mental fatigue defaults your decision-making to the path of least resistance, which usually means opting…

I am a regular coffee drinker. I have also been interested in stories about beneficial health effects of coffee, such as recent articles documenting a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and of dementia. Another recent paper highlights beneficial effects of coffee on gut health and mood. Researchers at University College Cork, Ireland, found that regular moderate coffee consumption (defined…

Has a healthcare professional, friend, or even your own curiosity inspired you to start taking probiotics? Have you visited the probiotic section of your local drugstore and have no clue which product to select? If your answer to both these questions was a resounding yes – worry not!  Like you, many Canadians find that selecting the right probiotic can be a very confusing process, and are…

In our fast-paced world, finding time to get active can often feel challenging. But making movement a part of your daily routine doesn’t always mean going to the gym or doing intense workouts. Enter somatic exercises: gentle, mindful movements you can easily fit into your day, whether you’re at home, at work or on the go. Read on to learn more about these exercises, including their benefits and…

Tech to reduce chronic disease is just as important It’s exciting to think of bionic humans who have cracked the code to stop aging. But perhaps less glamorous and much more important to the longevity game is tackling chronic disease. About 6 in 10 young adults in the United States report having one or more chronic conditions, but by older adulthood, that number grows to 9 in 10, according to a…

Experts have revealed the cheap dietary supplement that can boost mood, strengthen muscles and calm aggression.  Omega-3 fatty acids are ‘healthy’ fats that help form protective layers on the body’s cells called membranes, which help cells communicate and give them structural support.  Though vital for lowering cholesterol, improving joint health and boosting immune function, the body cannot…

Depending on the type of cutting board you use, your home-cooked meals could be contaminated with an unlikely ingredient – microplastics – according to a recent study.  For the research, published in the peer-reviewed journal Ecotoxicology and Public Health, scientists tested contamination by cutting carrots on two types of plastic cutting boards, one made with polypropylene and the other with…

Researchers call it a ‘very exciting finding’ A chemical found in dark chocolate could potentially help to decelerate the ageing process, new research suggests. The study focused on levels of theobromine – a compound naturally present in cacao plants – in the blood, comparing them against markers of biological ageing. These markers indicate the body’s health and functional age, rather than its…

Published in Nature Medicine, the paper noted that these effects were stronger in people whose biological age (which relates to the health of their cells and tissues) was already older than their chronological age (how many years old they are).  On average, older people who took a multivitamin supplement daily had a biological age four months younger than those who didn’t.  What else did the…

The Environmental Working Group complies a helpful Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce every year. Here is this list for 2026: EWG’s shopper’s guide The Clean Fifteen These 15 items had the lowest amounts of pesticide residues, according to EWG’s analysis of the most recent USDA data. 01 Pineapples 02 Sweet Corn (fresh and frozen) 03 Avocados 04 Papaya 05 Onion 06 Sweet Peas…

Not all sugars are the same and understanding the difference could make a significant impact on overall health, according to one registered dietitian. In an interview with CTV Your Morning on Wednesday, Nishta Saxena said sugars broadly fall into two categories: those that occur naturally in whole foods, and those that are added during processing. While both provide energy, their effects on the…

Experts reveal the behaviors that help them flourish and feel happier on a daily basis. Taking care of your mental health is important, and you can do so by following an exercise regimen, spending time with friends, meditating and more. Between doomscrolling social media, replacing breakfast with coffee and not getting any fresh air, we are certainly aware of the behaviors that are harmful to…

As more Canadians use cannabis, the number of people reporting anxiety and depressions symptoms is also increasing, according to a new study. Led by researchers from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., the study was based on Statistics Canada survey data from nearly 35,000 Canadians ages 15 and older. Researchers found that between 2012 and 2022, the number of people who reported using…