Maria Sykes

Maria Sykes

The Hearty Soul Team

Marie Sykes is an Ontario based writer with a background in research and a love for holistic wellness. She's especially interested in boosting awareness for women's health issues. Once a shunner of gyms, Marie has found an appreciation for weight training and HIIT circuits. She enjoys trying cuisine from all over the world, and she also enjoys not caring two cents what other people think her body should look like.

On January 20, 2025, moments after taking the oath of office, President Donald Trump pushed forward his bold and controversial immigration agenda. In a series of sweeping executive orders, the newly inaugurated president set the stage for significant changes to U.S. immigration policy. Among the most headline-grabbing measures were: Ending Birthright Citizenship Perhaps the most...

Dark chocolate “sunbutter” cups, 2-ingredient chocolate mousse, dark chocolate avocado blueberry muffins. So many recipes, so little time! But the good news for you fellow chocolate-fiends is that your cocoa obsession could have some positive health effects on your brain. Chocolate Makes You Smart? A study published in the journal Appetite found a link between...

A UK mother recently shared her unsettling close-call with sepsis. The condition accounts for over 1 million hospitalizations in the USA and remains one of the top 10 killing diseases in America. (1) Make sure you can recognize the early warning signs, including this mom’s important example. What is Sepsis? Sepsis is an inappropriate immune...

Over the past few years, more and more research has been published revealing just how fundamental our gut microbiome is to our health. It can affect everything from our response to fear and negative stimuli, to our weight and mental health, to whether or not we develop autoimmune diseases such as lupus and type 1 diabetes. Now, a new study published in The Journal of Immunology has found...

It seems that everywhere you turn these days, someone is taking ordinary everyday items and bringing them into the future. This is the case of the smart window blinds that double as solar panels and slash your energy bill by more than half. Finally, proof that the word ‘smart’ can be attached to anything to...