Nutrition Category
Natural OptionsReducing Food Cravings Naturally
Which one of the following is your favorite food? 1) pizza, 2) chocolate desserts, 3) chips, 4) cookies, 5) fries or 6) ice cream. Did you have trouble picking just one? If so, it’s no surprise. These are the most addictive foods, according to the Yale Food Addiction Survey. It’s Read more…
Natural OptionsMoving Beyond PPIs
Heartburn medication is the fifth most purchased over-the-counter medication. Dyspepsia or indigestion affects 21 percent of people, commonly women and smokers. The most common symptoms include abdominal discomfort, burning pain, bloating, nausea, or getting full as soon as you start to eat. There are a variety of reasons one may Read more…
Integrative MedicineThe Case for a Low-Carb, Healthy-Fat Diet
To my knowledge, no one knows nutrition history better than Gary Taubes. As a science writer, he has been studying the subject matter full time for over 25 years. Taubes helped launch the modern low-carbohydrate healthy fat understanding with his 2002 cover article in the New York Times Magazine entitled Read more…
Fresh CuisineGotta Love Garlic
Home sweet home. We’ve all gotten well acquainted with our digs over the last year, more so than ever before. How about your kitchen? Gotten to know every nook and cranny, I’m sure, as cooking is on a path to becoming the new normal post COVID. In fact, according to Read more…
Integrative MedicineAre You Eating Your Healthy Fats?
The controversy over dietary fats began in the 1940s when research started to link high cholesterol with heart disease. High dietary fat was blamed for high cholesterol, and many people avoided all fatty foods – even those that are health-promoting – for decades. We now understand the relationship between dietary Read more…
Eat, Drink & Be HealthySalty Solutions
Making healthier choices doesn’t mean giving up everything you love and crave; it’s about finding satisfying, convenient alternatives and getting creative! In this new column, I’ll share ideas and favorites. Today’s topic: SALTY SOLUTIONS Who doesn’t love salt? We know it’s something to be consumed in moderation, but we all Read more…
Natural OptionsAn Important Year to Prevent the Flu
The upcoming flu season is causing concern for many people, compounding their worries about contracting coronavirus. Fortunately, the same behaviors that prevent transmission of COVID-19 – avoiding in-person gatherings, physical distancing when in public and wearing face masks – also protect you from the flu. Flu statistics and projections. The Read more…
Integrative MedicineWorking in Harmony with Your Microbiome
The devastating loss of human life from COVID-19 has recently highlighted the immense power of tiny, invisible microbes to shape our human experience. Microbes are microscopic organisms, including a variety of widely diverse species of bacteria and viruses. Bacterial species are highly adaptable to surviving almost any habitat, be it Read more…
Natural OptionsThe Many Benefits of Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is a revered herb in India, and it’s a workhorse of traditional Indian medicine known as Ayurveda. Indeed, its name means “smell of horse,” both for its aroma and its ability to make one as strong as a stallion. Ashwagandha can be given to emaciated children to restart growth Read more…
Natural OptionsMad About Medicinal Mushrooms
The medicinal mushroom craze has arrived. Long used in traditional Chinese medicine for their potent health benefits, these superfoods can now be found, not only in health food stores, but also in coffee shops serving up chaga chais, cordyceps lattes, and lion’s mane matcha teas. There is even the “Shroom Read more…
Fresh CuisineMighty Microgreens
In our vastly expanding world of information, it is no secret that what we choose to eat can directly affect our overall health. Chronic diseases continue to be a critical health concern across America. In 2018, the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) conducted a study estimating that 85 Read more…
Natural OptionsDo We Need Electrolyte Drinks?
Electrolyte hydration drinks are big business. The market is valued at $1.5 billion per year and growing due to increased awareness about health and fitness, along with a desire to avoid carbonated beverages. But before you gulp down a Gatorade or Emergen-C, let’s discuss what electrolytes are, whether you need Read more…
Natural OptionsSupporting Our Warrior White Blood Cells
While white blood cells (WBC) account for only one percent of our blood, they have an enormous impact on our entire system and protect the body from illness and disease. Moving within our bloodstream, they work with our immune system as little warriors constantly doing battle to fight infections, bacteria Read more…
Natural OptionsCustomizing Your Carb Count on Keto
The ketogenic, or keto, diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet growing in popularity due to the many health benefits it can offer. The concept is to drastically reduce carbohydrate intake and increase healthy fat intake which puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis. When this happens, your body Read more…
Fresh CuisineThe Miraculous Mushroom
For a while there, it seemed that kale was at the top of the superfood kingdom…on nearly every menu and making its way into practically everything. Even fast food eatery Chick-fil-A rolled out a superfood kale salad. The ubiquitous McDonald’s also incorporated the healthy green, offering a kale breakfast bowl. Read more…
Fresh CuisineWhy Keto is Taking the World by Storm
Who’s heard of Keto? At this point almost everyone, even if they aren’t completely sure what it is and how it works. Celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Halle Berry, Tim Tebow and Lebron James didn’t start the ketogenic, or keto diet trend, but they’ve certainly added fuel to the already-hot fire. Read more…
Fresh CuisineRaw Vegan in The Valley
What is a raw vegan diet and why the heck would anyone follow it? I’ve been doing so for over 12 years now and can’t imagine eating any other way. A raw vegan diet includes fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds not heated over 115 degrees. There is an elegant simplicity Read more…
Fresh CuisineThese Are a Few of My Favorite Things
If you’ve decided to cut down or eliminate sugar, I salute you. It isn’t easy. It’s in almost everything which you quickly learn when you give it up. And with the holidays here, temptations are sure to grow. Sticking with Mother Nature’s bounty and reading labels is the only way Read more…
Natural Options5 Natural Habits of Healthy People
Modern conveniences developed over the decades have made it hard for us to know what “healthy” means or looks like anymore. Here are a few instinctual habits of healthy people that are more in line with our human design. 1. Eat real food. When we eat food that comes from Read more…
Integrative MedicineDopamine Driven Sugar Addiction
In my practice as a nutrition consultant, I am continually trying to support people in their struggle with foods that sabotage their health goals. In my own life I am constantly battling my own “sugar addiction.” Eating and the desire to eat stimulate different mechanisms in the brain. Dopamine, the Read more…