When I reviewed Jason Fung, MD’s The Obesity Code (2016), I commented that Dr. Fung taught me how not to eat. Dr. Fung promotes fasting as a cornerstone of weight loss and overcoming obesity. He also promotes a very low carbohydrate diet that is essential for burning off excess body fat. One of my patients,… Read more »
If you are a fan of Desert Health, you’ve probably heard many top docs say that the healthiest way to improve overall wellbeing is to cut sugar and carbs, leading culprits in today’s chronic disease and obesity epidemics. One of the easiest means is to remove processed sugars and grains, key principles behind Paleo and… Read more »
Many use this time of year to make lifestyle changes to look leaner and feel healthier. To help, I thought I’d propose a “planned food experiment” to inspire readers to prioritize meals and snacks around protein. Protein is the most filling macronutrient and, in the right amount, keeps cravings and hunger at bay for hours.… Read more »
Does it seem like the advice on how and what to eat swings from one extreme to another? One perspective says avoid fat, the other says fat won’t hurt you. A headline warns about the dangers of red meat and another says you need more protein. Unfortunately, this confusing barrage is likely to continue, and… Read more »
Discussions around muscle usually revolve around “fitness” level and not health. However, muscle is vital for survival and built and maintained by amino acids from protein, so nutrition and muscle maintenance are worth a discussion. Up until our mid-30s, hormones accelerate our growth. Yet as we age, we rely more on amino acids and require… Read more »
Have you ever stopped to think how much the composition of the human body and planet earth are the same? This realization gives deeper meaning to the phrase “you are what you eat.” Fruits and vegetables grown in earth’s bountiful soil are merely the method of delivering the many elements, minerals and microbes our bodies… Read more »
Most of us take vitamin supplements, but what about minerals? Minerals are natural organic matter created over time and found in the earth’s many elements. Before commercial farming, nutrient-dense minerals were plentiful in our soil and the foods we ate. Today’s fruits and vegetables are often void of these substances due to depleted soils, thus,… Read more »
With the “Food as Medicine” conference in town this September, I thought it fitting to spotlight one of the healthiest spices around, turmeric. Turmeric has climbed the spice ladder and is one of the latest crazes in food stardom. This fame is well deserved, from its sacred color to its long list of health benefits.… Read more »
Mark Hyman, MD is the author of more than 20 books on nutrition. Like me, he trained in family medicine and is now a champion for functional medicine. As a leader in the field, he has served as chairman of the Institute for Functional Medicine and the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine for many… Read more »
Nattokinase is an enzyme derived from the traditional Japanese food, natto, which is made from fermented soybeans and has been enjoyed for centuries. Natto is sticky with an earthy, slightly bitter taste, much like aged cheese and is believed to contribute to the longevity of the Japanese people. Nattokinase’s medicinal benefits were first discovered in… Read more »
Mother Nature’s goal for fall is to fatten us up for the cold winter ahead. So she gave us apples and pumpkins…which usually end up in irresistible pies…topped with ice cream. These nostalgic months tempt us with seasonal tastes we’ve been anticipating all year, and there is no reason to deny ourselves. With a few… Read more »
The date fruit is one of the oldest cultivated tree crops and has been grown for thousands of years, yet they are often misunderstood. When most people think of dates, they think of a sweet, sugary fruit that should be avoided, especially for those with diabetes. However, this is a proven misnomer. While not a… Read more »
Abbie Jaye, aka Chef AJ, is a nationally recognized champion of whole food, plant-based cooking and has been sharing its benefits for nearly four decades. I have had the pleasure of meeting Chef AJ several times and her enthusiasm and positive spirit are infectious. She has received numerous awards for her work and is recommended… Read more »
Mary Ann Martin was unaware of her Cahuilla Indian heritage until after her mother, Roberta Augustine, the last living member of the Augustine Band, died in 1986. In her early 20s at the time, she moved to the Coachella Valley with her three children and larger-than-life dreams to reclaim her history and re-establish the Augustine… Read more »
We are all survivors of food scarcity as our ancestors lived through multiple periods of famine. We survive by storing body fat. Richard J. Johnson, MD, of the University of Colorado, is a leading physician and scientist who studies fat storage as the “survival switch” to protect us from starvation. He shares his findings in… Read more »
For years, we’ve been told to cut back on red meat to improve health and reduce greenhouse emissions, and to eat more plants instead. For those of us who have, the one thing we can still crave is a big, juicy burger. How excited were we when Beyond Beef and Impossible Burgers hit the shelves? … Read more »
Glutathione has long played a crucial role in balancing oxidative stressors in our body which occur from such things as environmental toxicity, immune insults (infections and viruses) and inflammatory injury. Glutathione is one of your body’s most abundant and potent antioxidants. It aids in detoxification as a free-radical scavenger and plays an important role in… Read more »
(As inspiration, we are reposting this article from March/April 2022) Season is here! The sun is shining, swim suits are swimming, hot tubs are heating and cocktails are flowing. As the good times roll, it can take a toll and all too often, you feel it in the morning. The good news is you can… Read more »
A study conducted in 2019 by the Global Council on Brain Health (GCBH), an AARP-sponsored independent collaborative of experts in their fields, concluded that keeping heart and blood vessels healthy reduces the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. The study showed that risks associated with cardiovascular disease like high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol… Read more »
If you’ve ever eaten a rich or greasy meal, then wondered how get rid of that heavy, sluggish feeling, let me introduce you to the perfect after dinner beverage to aid digestion and cut through the fat: pu-erh tea, a fermented drink from Yunnan Province in southern China that alters your gut bacteria and lowers… Read more »
