December 5, 2023

Trust Your Gut: The Mind-Gut Connection

The mind-gut connection: What is it and how did it evolve? Chances are, at some point in your life, you’ve noticed the connection between your brain and your gut. If you’ve ever felt queasy as you walked into an uncomfortable situation or based a life decision on a “gut feeling,” then you know that sometime our bodies react faster than our minds. Digestion and emotion have long been treated separately in medicine and science, like dots far apart on a map. Despite the phrase “gut feeling” that implicitly connects the belly and the brain, the reality is that gut physiology, […]
November 17, 2023

Rev Up with the Top 50 Foods for Energy

Whether you want to sleep better, work out more or lose some weight, most people are ultimately after one outcome from making health changes: more energy. Food is the fuel that provides us that get-up-and-go feeling so we can accomplish everything we want to tackle. From a light dose of caffeine to hydrating foods and those naturally packed with B-vitamins, protein, carbohydrates, or fat for fuel here is the ultimate FoodTrients® list of the top 50 foods that help boost your energy to live your best life. 1. ALMONDS Aside from the natural energy in almonds – protein and healthy […]
November 17, 2023

These Are The Top 50 Foods To Prevent Cancer

Here are the Top 50 Foods to prevent cancer. So many whole foods are considered anti-cancer for reasons ranging from fiber content to anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It has been estimated that 30–40 percent of all cancers can be prevented by lifestyle and dietary measures alone so what you eat definitely matters. Here is the ultimate FoodTrients® list of the top 50 foods to prevent cancer. Mix and match these healthy whole foods to include them in your diet daily to reduce your risk today. 1.      Apples An apple a day is great advice when it comes to preventing cancer. […]
November 17, 2023

EWG’s Guide to a Healthy Holiday Season

This year, give thanks with less–fewer pesticides, greenhouse gases and maybe less money. Small turkeys can be tastier.  And when you cook just what you need, you don’t waste. Try an organic, local or heritage turkey or one raised without antibiotics.  Or embrace a seasonal, climate-smart, stuffed winter squash centerpiece instead. Cranberry sauce is super easy, delicious and even more nutritious to make from scratch.  Opt for organic cranberries if you can, because conventional berries are heavily treated. Pumpkin pie is a Thanksgiving tradition, with good reason.  Pumpkin is packed with nutrition, widely available locally and generally low in pesticides.  Baked pears are simple and delightful. White potatoes […]
November 7, 2023

What To Eat At Any Age to Fend Off Alzheimer’s

Put down the fork. Step away from the buffet table. UC Davis nutrition expert Liz Applegate wants us to think about exactly what we’re shoveling down our throats. Not just to lose weight but to protect our brains. “Brain food is real and it really does matter,” said Applegate, an author, professor and director of sports nutrition at UC Davis. She’s an advocate of the MIND diet, a combination of two long-studied diets that have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. We talked with her recently about so-called “brain foods,” their impact on […]
November 6, 2023

Pumpkin Seeds Offer Amazing Health Benefits

While most people only think of pumpkins on Thanksgiving or Halloween, the seeds of this fruit offer an impressive cocktail of health enhancing and disease fighting compounds, vitamins, and minerals that can be consumed year-round. In addition, they are packed with tryptophan and essential fatty acids. Emerging evidence indicates that pumpkin seeds represent a potent functional food in the battle against heart disease, osteoporosis, bladder dysfunction, anxiety, and arthritis. Pumpkin’s History Native to North America, pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo) were first embraced by Native Americans for their multi-purpose properties before the fruit’s seeds were passed along to European explorers and spread throughout Europe. Pumpkins, and […]
November 6, 2023

The Superstar Benefits of Quinoa & Kale

I like to frequently use an ancient Socrates quote to my patients when I try to drive home the importance of eating the right foods to both preserve and heal their health.  The saying, roughly, goes, “Let your food be your medicine” and with these 2 nutritional powerhouses, that I’m going to tell you about here, old Socrates couldn’t be closer to the truth.  These 2 simple foods are quinoa – an ancient super-grain – and the beautiful kale plant.  They not only taste great but I’m going to tell you how they can actually save your life. The Amazing Health Benefits […]
November 6, 2023

Want To Know How NOT To Die? 12 Tips

The simple truth is that most doctors are good at treating acute illnesses but not so good at preventing chronic disease. The fifteen leading causes of premature death—illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Parkinson’s, high blood pressure, and others—claim the lives of 1.6 million Americans annually. This doesn’t have to be the case. In Dr. Michael Greger’s book, How Not to Die, there’s lots of advice, all of it backed up by strong scientific evidence, to help you live better and longer. You will learn which foods to eat and which lifestyle habits to change in order to prevent […]
October 25, 2023

Celebrate Halloween with GF Pumpkin Recipes

Happy Halloween! In the past we’ve written about how careful you need to be on behalf of your little ones to make sure their trick-or-treating ends safely. For example, double check at home to make sure everything is sealed and gluten-free. While you could argue it is safer with better gluten-free labeling in 2014, never rest on your laurels and assume what has always been gluten-free still is: check all labels for any potential changes! But instead of talking about safe trick-or-treating, this year we wanted to celebrate Halloween with a more positive approach and talk about three awesome gluten-free pumpkin recipes that […]
October 23, 2023

How To Get Fit for Fall Eating Season

The fall and winter seasons, combined with the upcoming holidays, mean the re-emergence of those comforting classic dishes: Mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and a plethora of pastries. Many of the typical comfort foods are filled with calories and fat, plus the potential to overeat these dishes during the colder seasons is always tempting; but if you’re smart about it, you don’t have to deprive yourself, said Karen Bright, adult and youth nutrition outreach instructor for the WVU Extension Service. “The biggest thing people have problems with that I’ve noticed is portion size,” she said. “During the holidays and colder […]
October 10, 2023

5 Really GOOD Foods with Really Bad Raps

There are some foods out there deemed ‘bad’ that have gotten this label somewhat unfairly. Calling foods ‘good’ or ‘bad’ is also misleading – food is FOOD but some of it can support our health while others may hurt it if consumed in excess. Check out these 5 foods that have a bad reputation and see the FoodTrients discussion on how to incorporate them into any healthy diet! Eggs Research has undeniably changed on dietary fat and cholesterol in recent years, finding that fat and even cholesterol that we consume may not have the adverse effects once thought. Eggs are […]
October 10, 2023

Mining the Herbal Medicine in Your Kitchen

Did you know there’s a powerful herbal medicine chest in your kitchen? Imagine being prepared for that next cold, scrape, headache, digestive issue, stressful day, or sleepless night with simple ingredients from your cupboard. Instead of pills, reach for: Cinnamon Tea to soothe your throat . . . Garlic Hummus to support your immune system . . . Ginger Lemon Tea for cold and flu symptoms . . . Cayenne Salve to relieve sore muscles . . . Cardamom Chocolate Mousse Cake for heart health . . . A glass of Spiced Cold Brew Coffee as a powerful antioxidant . […]
September 24, 2023

Savory and Satisfying Dishes with Mushrooms

Most people either love or hate mushrooms. But hear me out: the beauty of mushrooms is that they take on the flavor of whatever they’re cooked with. They become Asian cooked in a soy or teriyaki-style sauce. They’re Italian sauteed in olive oil, garlic and fresh basil. Sprinkle middle Eastern spices on them such as zaatar or sumac and they become Moroccan or Lebanese. For those who want to cut down on eating meat, a portobello mushroom grilled and placed in a hamburger bun is very satisfying.  Mushrooms provide that ‘fifth taste’ (joining sweet, salty, sour and bitter), umami, which […]