Do you ever find yourself closing your eyes when watching porn? Or maybe you forgo it altogether because the, err, art direction isn’t really your thing? You wouldn’t be alone. In fact, that’s the reason there’s a new type of erotic entertainment trending right now—audio porn.

Digital platforms are offering everything from videos on sex techniques to podcasts on spicy stories, all tailored specifically to women. But that certainly doesn’t mean they’re tame. The spectrum of explicitness is just as wide as you’d find in the video porn realm, as is the quality, ranging from low-fi recordings to grand productions with celebrity narrators—yes, really. Demi Moore lends her voice to the erotic podcast Dirty Diana, and Grey’s Anatomy’s Jesse Williams narrates the saucy series The Misty Door.

Audio-only erotica has been around for over a decade but has recently grown in popularity thanks in large part to companies finally focusing on women. The female-founded, female-focused erotica platform Dipsea clocked 5.4 million streams in 2022. OMGYes, a platform that offers audio-only teaching techniques focused on female pleasure, currently has over a million users. Even the traditionally male-targeted platform Pornhub is seeing thousands of searches for “audio porn for women.”

It’s about time female customers are considered. The mainstream porn industry has historically neglected the interests of women, despite the fact they make up a significant portion of the viewership—30 percent and steadily increasing—on popular video-focused porn websites like Pornhub and xHamster. Some people just don’t get very aroused by a visual medium, and that’s where audio porn comes in.

With audio porn, people “can use their own imagination to create the visual scene that aligns with what pleases them,” says Lori Brotto, a professor in the UBC Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. And that’s especially important for women. A 2018 study by OMGYes and The Kinsey Institute found that 90 percent of women use “mental framing” as a technique to enhance focus on pleasure by tuning out distracting thoughts. In other words, many women need to harness the power of their imagination to get off. And that’s exactly what audio porn fosters—it’s a form of adult entertainment focused solely on audio stimulation rather than visual imagery.

But it’s not just the imaginative element of audio porn that attracts women—it’s also that the majority of it is made by women, for women. Much of it falls under “feminist porn,” which sexual health and consent educator Samantha Bitty defines as, “erotic materials that share the same values found in feminism, including racial, gender, and labour equity.” Defining porn as feminist has less to do with the actual content than the politics of how it’s made, says Bitty, a key aspect being consent.

This emphasis on consent is prominent in even the most explicit forms of feminist porn. Research by McGill University psychologist Eran Shor shows that more women are turned on by violent porn than men, but only when the female performers actively consented and appeared to be having fun. In fictional audio porn, active consent is clearly depicted in the dialogue—like the sound of a crinkling condom wrapper, followed by an enthusiastic “yes.”

Diving further into semantics, Brotto says that many researchers in the field refer to content that is female-made, female-friendly and female pleasure-focused erotica, not porn since porn tends to be more male-focused and women-objectifying.

While erotica certainly sounds like a safe, mindful, positive approach to porn, other experts bristle at the connection to wellness. It’s often labelled as a mindful form of adult entertainment or has something to do with wellness. Presenting audio erotica or porn as a form of self-care can downplay the importance of shame-free sexual exploration, says Val Webber, a postdoctoral fellow at Dalhousie University’s Sexual Health and Gender (SHaG) lab, who goes by the pronouns they/them. “Saying, ‘It’s okay for you to do horny things because it’s good for you’ reinforces the idea that it’s not okay to just be horny,” they say.

No matter how you label it, feeling sexual desire and engaging in entertainment solely for the purpose of getting off is perfectly healthy and beneficial to your sexual health. “Listening to audio porn equips you with the language to talk about desire,” says Bitty. “Anything that invites curiosity into our sexual relationship with ourselves and others is beneficial.”

Wondering where to find this new age of audio erotica? You have plenty of options to choose from, including websites, podcasts, audiobooks and apps. While you can certainly find some free options, paid content tends to be better produced, and packaged in a more aesthetically-pleasing interface, with no ads. Here are a few places to start:

Dipsea

Dipsea is a subscription-based platform, online and app, with collections of audio stories, wellness sessions, and sleep aids. You can try it for free with a 30-day trial, and then subscribe for $60 USD per year. Dispea also produces the free (with ads) erotic fiction podcast Dirty Diana featuring Demi Moore’s narration.

Ferly

Aimed to help women with “sexual difficulties,” Ferly is an audio guide to mindful sex with science-backed programs and a selection of erotic stories. It offers a free seven-day trial, and then is $17 CAD per month.

Girl On The Net 

An audio porn pioneer, the pseudo-named “Girl on the Net” is a sex blogger and creator of audio porn in the form of BDSM stories, true sex stories and erotic fiction. The browser-based platform is free with ads, or you can subscribe on Patreon for an ad-free experience

Scribd

If you like long-form stories, Scribd is an audiobook platform with options for erotica. It offers a 30-day trial, and after that, it’s just $13 per month.

Voxxx

Vous parlez français? Voxxx offers hundreds of French language-guided masturbation sessions via podcast and online platforms for 10€ per month.

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Because yoga pants are everyone’s favourite piece to slip on (whether going to the gym or otherwise), we’ve come up with a checklist to make shopping for them a little easier.

Here, what to look for to find the perfect pair of leggings.

Waistband

A drawstring waistband can help customize your fit.

Fabric

Look for fabric that is smooth and cool to the touch for running and training. If you’re doing yoga or Pilates, look for a soft, stretchy fabric that won’t restrict movement.

Fit

Find a fit that is snug enough to make you feel secure but leaves enough wiggle room for you to move comfortably. A high waist is our pick for a supportive, flattering fit.

Pockets

Pockets on the legs are perfect for stashing your credit card or phone. Look for a zippered pocket on the inside to stow nutrient packs or your keys.

Reflectors

Check for reflectors for added visibility on early-morning runs and bike rides.

Temperature Control

Sweat-wicking and quick-drying are your BFFs, especially if you handwash your tights between sweat sessions. If you’re running, stylish mesh cutouts make for great ventilation.

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1. You might not feel as sharp

If your brain feels a bit fuzzy as the cold weather rolls in, you could have the lack of sunlight to blame. One survey of 16,800 participants found an association between decreased exposure to sunlight and increased cognitive impairment. If you arrive at work before the sun rises and leave after it’s gone down, schedule time in your day to take a walk: Even just 15 minutes of midday sun could stimulate the neural pathways necessary to get you back in prime thinking mode.

2. You might go to bed earlier

Because of the human body’s finely tuned circadian rhythm, earlier sunsets typically lend themselves to earlier bedtimes. And because wake-up times are often fixed by school and work timetables, this tends to mean we tend to sleep more in the months with less daylight. So what’s a night owl to do? Let it go: Researchers behind the study that found this correlation saw earlier bedtimes as a good thing, and even suggested manipulating lighting schemes during spring and summer to reduce evening light in order to produce a similar effect as what naturally occurs in fall and winter.

3. You could feel less inspired to exercise

It’s dark, there’s a chill in the air, and you still haven’t gone to the gym. Think daylight has an influence on your motivation? Science says it does. One study of over 23,000 children showed that longer evening daylight was associated with a small increase in daily physical activity. That means when it’s light out longer, we’re more likely to hit the gym. And when it’s not—well, we’re more likely to hit the hay. Counteract your natural inclinations by signing up for an exercise class in advance. That way, you’ll be able to get into the habit before the sun starts setting earlier, and once it does, you’ll feel more inclined to get your money’s worth of a prepaid package.

4. You’re more susceptible to feeling blue

Perhaps the underlying factor behind other symptoms related to the change in daylight is our susceptibility toward depressive behavior due to minimal exposure to daylight. One University of Pennsylvania study on rats found that feeling blue in winter isn’t only in our heads. After they experienced darkness for six weeks, neurotransmitters involved in transporting dopamine and serotonin (hormones involved in emotion) actually died. This could be an underlying mechanism involved in seasonal blues. If you notice yourself feeling down in the dumps as soon as it begins to get darker earlier, look into purchasing a natural-spectrum energy lamp.

5. You’re more likely to have a heart attack

In 2008 a team of researchers in Sweden found that the rate of heart attacks following the first three weekdays after daylight savings time increased by about 5 percent. This is most likely due to people changing their sleeping patterns. Lack of sleep releases stress hormones which cause inflammation. Inflammation can cause severe complications in people already at risk of having a heart attack.

6. You’re more likely to “cyberloaf”

Cyberloafing is the slang word for surfing the web for entertainment purposes at work. This is at an all-time high the first Monday after daylight savings time. Many people don’t have as high motivation to work due to lack of sleep so they waste time by surfing the web instead.

7. Cluster headaches might strike

During daylight savings time your circadian rhythm gets out of whack. These changes often present themselves in the form of pain. A common way people are affected is by getting cluster headaches, or a headache that is on one side of a person’s head and lasts a long time.

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While you might be used to seeing Brussels sprouts boiled, roasted, or fried, they make the perfect salad base when they are raw and finely shredded. They’re crunchy, take on the flavor of any dressing, and they’re one of the most protein-rich veggies out there. We still throw in almonds and hemp hearts for additional protein and texture, and the dates add the perfect amount of sweetness.

This salad features a zesty orange vinaigrette that has a simple yet effective combination of sweetness (orange and maple syrup) and tang (mustard and vinegar) to brighten up any salad. I always have a jar of this vinaigrette on hand in the fridge.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad

Serves 4

 Ingredients

Orange Vinaigrette (makes ¾ cup dressing)

• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt, plus additional as needed
• Freshly ground black pepper

Salad

• 1 pound Brussels sprouts
• 1 apple (I like Honeycrisp), cored and chopped into small cubes
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup pitted Deglet Noor dates, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup hemp hearts

Directions

Orange Vinaigrette

1. Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Season to taste with more salt and pepper as needed.

• Note: This dressing can be served chilled or at room temperature. Store in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 1 week. Shake well before serving.

Salad

1. Rinse the Brussels sprouts. Trim the bottoms (the stems can be hard and dry) and remove the outer leaves.
2. Slice them finely, either using a very sharp knife or the slicing blade on a food processor.
3. Add the shredded sprouts to a large salad bowl along with the apple, almonds, dates, and hemp hearts.
4. Serve with a drizzle of our Orange Vinaigrette. Add just enough to coat everything and toss well before serving.

Excerpted from Girls Gone Veg: Plant-Based Recipes by Athletes, for Everyone, by Toni Pressley and Ali Riley. Copyright 2023, published by Andrews McMeel Universal. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

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Some people baked bread in response to the toll COVID took on their mental health. Others tamed their tedium by turning to TikTok—and the spontaneous shopping hauls the app encouraged. Omar Khan and Humeyra Nur Celebi developed the Ruh app.

Ruh (pronounced ‘rooh’) aims to improve the mental and spiritual health of Muslim users. The app, which launched in the summer of 2022, offers guided contemplation exercises—Khan prefers this term over meditation—that incorporate Islamic elements and practices, like du’a (prayer), dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and Qur’an verses. For example, one exercise invites listeners to reflect on Surah Al-Fatihah, the first chapter of the Qur’an, which is a reminder of the mercy, compassion and omnipresence of Allah.

The app was inspired by Khan’s experience seeking mental health care during the pandemic. Lockdown-induced isolation gave Khan, Ruh’s CEO, “a lot of mental health challenges.” He turned to existing mindfulness apps—like Calm and Headspace—but they didn’t resonate with him. “All the apps on the App Store and Google Play were primarily secular or Buddhist in nature,” says Khan. So he, Celebi and product advisor Uzayr Siddiqui began working on an alternative. Khan found that there were a lot of Muslim people who were seeking mental health care that was sensitive to their faith and culture. “There’s a whole group of people that excluded themselves from the benefits of mindfulness,” he says, “because they associated being mindful with their faith and they couldn’t find something that connects the two.”

The word “ruh” means “spirit” or “soul” and originates from Arabic. “A lot of times in the Western context, we talk about the mind, we talk about the body. The soul element is sometimes missing, and spirituality is sometimes missing,” says Khan. “We wanted to bring that back into the picture.”

The Mindful Prayer exercise, for example, encourages the listener to approach prayer as a blessed opportunity to disconnect from the world and its worries, instead of a burdensome task to check off their to-do lists. It’s led by Imam Yasin Dwyer, the lead chaplain and executive director of the Muslim Chaplaincy of Toronto, who’s an advisor at Ruh and narrates many of the app’s contemplations.
The feedback to Ruh has been phenomenal, says Khan. “People try the app and they say that just a couple of sessions makes them feel a renewed sense of purpose. We recently had a session geared toward mothers experiencing burnout; some of the moms listened to it and they said that they teared up.”

The app is completely free. It includes 15 guided contemplations—with more on the way—and has grown to reach more than 15,000 users across more than 30 countries, mostly through word of mouth. The app also includes Ruh Care, a global directory of Muslim mental health professionals, and a newly launched online therapy platform. Both users and therapists have shared how useful the app is for connecting with each other, which is key considering the well-documented difficulties Muslims across North America often face addressing their mental health needs. Barriers such as cultural attitudes, financial and physical accessibility and a dearth of cultural and faith-sensitive care can make seeking out mental health care daunting. But things are changing, Khan says, and he is excited about the role Ruh can play.

“I feel a lot more fulfilled [creating Ruh] than just doing a regular corporate job,” he says—though it did not come without challenges. Somewhat ironically, Khan experienced a lot of self-doubt and stress while working on the mindfulness app. “But when I hear people benefiting from the app and sharing their experiences with us…it keeps me driven to do even more and give back even more.”

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These crispy crackers are made from seeds only, which means they are rich in nutrients and give you long-lasting energy. It’s amazing how the chia seeds just soak up all the water and bind everything together while providing calcium and iron. We love using these crackers as a healthy vessel to dunk into dips.

Homemade Seed Crackers

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup whole flax seeds
• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup boiling water
• Flaky sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, extra-virgin olive oil, and water into a large bowl. Stir to combine. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes. You should be left with a thick seed gel.
2. Pour the seed gel mixture onto the baking sheet. Place a second piece of parchment paper on top of the mixture and then use your hands or a rolling pin to spread the mixture as thin and evenly as possible. Remove the top parchment paper and sprinkle sea salt
   over the mixture.
3. Bake for 50 minutes or until the cracker sheet is dry and turning golden brown.
4. Let it come to room temperature before breaking it into pieces of your desired cracker shape and size. Serve with sweet potato hummus or edamame hummus.

Note: Store your seed crackers in an airtight container in a cool, dry, and dark place for up to one week.

Excerpted from Girls Gone Veg: Plant-Based Recipes by Athletes, for Everyone, by Toni Pressley and Ali Riley. Copyright 2023, published by Andrews McMeel Universal. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

Next: Love Hummus? You Need to Try This Sweet Potato Hummus Recipe

This vibrant dip gives you fibre, vitamins, and minerals from sweet potato plus a nice punch of protein from cannellini beans. Cannellini beans have a nutty flavor similar to that of chickpeas but are slightly richer in protein, making them a great substitute in a hummus recipe.

Sweet Potato Hummus

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 cloves garlic
• Freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• Tortilla chips or sourdough bread slices, for serving

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. There should be enough water in the pot to cover the sweet potato by at least 1 inch. Carefully add the sweet potato cubes. Decrease the heat to medium-high and slowly boil the sweet potato until cooked through, or about 15 minutes.
2. Drain the sweet potato in a colander. Transfer the sweet potato to a food processor. Add the beans, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and salt. Blend until smooth.
3. Before serving, drizzle with some olive oil. Note: Store the leftover sweet potato hummus in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.

Excerpted from Girls Gone Veg: Plant-Based Recipes by Athletes, for Everyone, by Toni Pressley and Ali Riley. Copyright 2023, published by Andrews McMeel Universal. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

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Edamame beans are a whole protein source that work perfectly in a hummus recipe. If you’re a cilantro lover like us, you will love this delicious green dip. Make this hummus a day before serving it since it becomes even more flavorful after a night in the fridge.

Edamame Hummus Recipe

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups frozen shelled edamame
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt, plus additional as needed
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for drizzling
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
• Crackers or veggie sticks, for serving

Directions

1. Cook the edamame by dropping them into lightly salted boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain the edamame before placing them in a food processor along with the tahini, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt, cumin, and water. Blend until smooth.
2. With the motor running, slowly add the 4 Tbsp of olive oil and continue to blend until combined. Scoop into a sealed container and refrigerate for at least one hour, and ideally overnight.
3. Just before serving, remove from the fridge, stir in the cilantro, and add salt to taste. Drizzle some additional extra-virgin olive oil over the top. Serve with your favourite crackers or veggie sticks.

Note: Store the edamame hummus in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Excerpted from Girls Gone Veg: Plant-Based Recipes by Athletes, for Everyone, by Toni Pressley and Ali Riley. Copyright 2023, published by Andrews McMeel Universal. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

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Primary care, Tara Kiran likes to say, is the front door to the health-care system. It’s the first place we turn to when there’s an issue, and it helps coordinate our entry into other parts of the system, whether that’s organizing diagnostic tests or surgical procedures or specialized care. Family doctors like Kiran, who is a physician at St. Michael’s Hospital and Unity Health and the Fidani Chair of Improvement and Innovation at the University of Toronto, can see patients over decades, leaning on this long relationship to manage their physical and mental health and keep them well.

But for an alarming number of Canadians, health care’s front door has slammed shut. A large national survey conducted by Kiran and her research team found that 22 percent of us don’t have access to a family doctor or nurse practitioner, which works out to more than 6.5 million adults. Some provinces are in particularly bad shape right now: 27 percent of people in B.C. and 31 percent of those in Quebec and Atlantic Canada go without primary care. Other provinces will soon see the doctor shortage worsen: A recent study in Ontario found that 65 percent of family physicians plan to reduce their hours or leave the profession altogether in the next five years.

So far, there’s been a lot of hand-wringing and not a lot of action. But, last year, Kiran launched OurCare, a national public initiative to shape the blueprint for stronger, more equitable primary care. “All too often, whenever clinicians, professional organizations and policymakers talk about reform, the people missing from the table are the patients,” she says. “Patients should co-design the future of primary care.” Kiran is holding community roundtables and panels in five provinces, and their recommendations will anchor reports presented to health ministers and policymakers across the country. Here, she discusses how we got into this mess, which approaches can lead us out of it and why family doctors don’t get the respect they deserve.

What happens when you can’t find a family doctor?

“It has a huge impact. It means you’re often not getting the care you should to keep you well. You might be missing out on screening or immunizations, and you may struggle to minimize the impact of chronic conditions, whether that’s pain or diabetes or hypertension. You also have difficulty accessing care when you’re really sick, and you turn to places that I would say are poor substitutes. Walk-in clinics don’t do preventative care. Emergency departments are made for emergencies, not chronic conditions. But also, those systems are already struggling, and when there aren’t family doctors who can take care of people in the community, hospitals become even more overwhelmed.

Who’s less likely to have a primary care provider?

Additionally, certain groups are less likely to have a family doctor or nurse practitioner, and those include people who are new to Canada, people who are racialized and people who live in low-income neighbourhoods. There are rural and remote areas that have specific challenges as well, and barriers to access aren’t the same across the provinces. We have an Indigenous population that faces continued discrimination and racism within the system, and all sorts of barriers to care. So that’s all to say that the crisis really is a crisis.”

How did we get here?

“We’ve under-invested in primary care for decades, and we have an archaic system designed for the way medicine was practiced and the kind of health issues we had maybe 50 years ago. But people are living longer, there are far more medications, more people have many more diagnoses—you’re no longer coming into the doctor’s office with one issue that can be treated with an antibiotic. We’re stuck in a system where family doctors are paid by the visit, and often working on their own. And we have human resource challenges in primary care. More and more doctors are retiring. In the first six months of the pandemic, for example, twice as many family doctors stopped working as we expected, given the trends from the previous decade. And there are fewer and fewer people who’ve graduated medical school wanting to become family doctors.”

Why don’t med students go into primary care?

“One of the major reasons is respect. People still hear the narrative of: “Oh, you just want to be a family doctor?” Just. Respect can manifest through the amount we are paid, and family medicine is certainly not among the highest remunerative specialties. Also, family doctors run their own small business. So if you want to go on vacation, or go on parental leave, you have to find your own replacement and figure out how you’re going to pay your employees and pay the rent while you’re away. You can’t leave that to someone else.”

The pandemic couldn’t have helped, either.

“It was a challenging time for family doctors. They didn’t get priority access to personal protective equipment and actually often had to buy it themselves. They also had to arrange for infection protection control practices and stay up to date on what those practices should be. At the same time, that they were losing money, because they’re paid by the visit and people weren’t meant to come in unless their cases were really acute. Then, in addition to COVID, we saw a rise in mental health issues and addictions, a backlog of deferred care, long wait times to get surgery or diagnostic tests and difficulty in accessing specialists. In my own primary care practice, it’s not uncommon for me to open my inbox and see a whole slew of declined referrals. Patients are definitely suffering, and family doctors are struggling to support them. That can feel really hard and bad every day.”

I can see why it would be tempting to move to a walk-in clinic or take a different job—or just leave the public system entirely, which is what’s happening in Quebec, right?

“Unfortunately, more and more doctors in Quebec are gravitating toward the private pay system. So they’re leaving the public system, where they would get paid through billing the government, and instead are billing patients directly for care that should be covered by Medicare. That’s making the family doctor shortage even worse, and patients are so desperate that they end up paying, because it’s the only option they see.”

How do we reverse these trends in primary care?

“We know that there are not enough doctors and nurse practitioners to serve everyone. Even with increases in medical school and nursing enrolments, we’re not going to square the circle. So the only way we can offer everybody access to primary care is by changing the way we work. A single doctor can’t do everything. But if we take a team-based approach, it can expand the capacity of doctors to support a large roster of patients. Ideally a family doctor will work with nurse practitioners, social workers, pharmacists, physiotherapists or psychologists. Maybe they’re integrating virtual care into their team as well, as a way of extending care for folks who are marginalized, rural or have other barriers to access. Not everything falls to a doctor, and if a doctor leaves, patients still have a place of care. And we know that when everyone has access to primary care, mortality rates go down and life expectancy goes up.”

What have patients been telling you during the OurCare panels?

“Despite the diversity of voices, there are a lot of common values: equity, accessibility, having transparency in the system, having it people-centred and preventative-focused. Peopled also talked about having the team responsible for a geographic catchment, similar to how a public school is meant to serve all the kids in the neighbourhood. Every kid has guaranteed access to education. Similarly, we want every person in the neighbourhood to have guaranteed access to primary care. Team-based care sounds like what a lot of us do out of necessity—cobbling together a number of different providers on our own—only more formalized and far less stressful. I think so. And it’s not just about doctor care. We’ve heard from people around the country who have recommended that dental care and eye care and medications and mental-health treatment could all be included as well. There’s a real consensus that we need to scale up team-based care.”

Well, I’m sold —and so is the Canadian Medical Association, which cited expanding team-based care as a top solution to the health-care crisis. So how does that happen?

“Governments need to commit the money. On average, Canada spends a lot less on primary care than comparative OECD countries do—5.3 percent of our total health budget, as opposed to 8.1 percent across the OECD countries. We need the investment and the political will to make it happen. But we also need the professional groups to be fully on board. Working in a team will involve some trade offs for doctors. This might mean a bit less autonomy, or more accountability, in exchange for more support. But medicine is harder and harder to practice, and it’s really helpful to have people around you to share the load.”

And there’s no chance of sharing the load with an AI doctor anytime soon?

“Oh, no, our information system is not very smart at all. I feel that every day when I’m printing out pages from medical records to then fax them so they can be scanned in. It’s nuts. Just having electronic medical records that patients and doctors all can access would be a start.”

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Pizza beans are a nutritious way to enjoy all the flavours of traditional pizza, but with the additional benefits of an extra serving of protein.

Garlicky Pizza Beans

Makes 6 servings 

• 1 lb (454 g) large lima, butter or gigantes beans soaked in cold water for 4-8 hours, or overnight in fridge
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• ½ tsp fennel seed
• ½ tsp chili flakes, plusmore for topping
• 4 cups water
• 1½ tsp kosher salt
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1 sprig fresh oregano
• 1 can whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes, liquid drained
• A handful of cheese for topping (optional)

Directions 

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook until translucent and beginning to brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Then, add the garlic, fennel and chili flakes and cook two to three minutes more. Add drained beans, 4 cups of water, salt and bay leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook, keeping at a gentle simmer until beans are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Add tomatoes, breaking up with your hands, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until liquid is thickened, tomatoes begin to break down and beans are very tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Season with more salt, if needed.
3. Serve beans topped with your favourite cheese, fresh oregano or basil leaves, some crusty bread and a drizzle of olive oil.

Note: You can substitute two 15-ounce cans of lima or cannellini beans for dried. After you cook the garlic, fennel and chili flakes in step one, add the canned beans and move directly to step two.

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