“Eat less, move more” is a mantra I’ve heard and advice I’ve given many times over the years.  While both calorie intake and physical activity are important factors in weight loss, which one is more important? Physiologically speaking, weight loss and gain revolve around the concept of calories in, calories out. In a nutshell, we lose weight when we eat fewer calories than we expend. Conversely, we gain weight when we eat more calories than we expend. Many of us have been advised to add physical activity to our weight loss plan to increase our calorie burn and improve... Read More

On Mondays I attend my favorite yoga class. Every week, as class disperses and the yogis and yoginis depart, most of them head straight to their phone to see what they’ve missed. The hour they spend unifying their breath and body, finding peace, and practicing mindfulness, is shattered almost immediately after they leave the studio. Why is it so hard to practice mindfulness in our modern society? Here is my take on why practicing mindfulness every day is so hard. In the era of the 24-hour news cycle, portable devices that go everywhere with us, and social media – my apology to the medium that... Read More

Do you get enough sleep?  Most Americans don’t because we have trouble “turning off” our brains.  Sleep is critical for not only recharging your mental and physical batteries, but also healing and even controlling our appetites. How much sleep do adults need? The National Sleep Foundation recommends 7-9 hours for adults. Because each individual has different sleep needs, here is an easy way to determine yours. Note the time you go to bed on a night when you don’t need to set an alarm to wake up.  Ideally, you haven’t had a heavy meal or too much to drink, as that will influence your... Read More

A recent article in the journal The Conversation, asked the question “Is walking enough exercise?”  Four out of five experts said yes. The one expert who said no, qualified his response by saying that walking is better than no exercise at all. He goes on to point out that, ideally, strength training and higher intensity exercise is ideal for good health. While strength training and higher intensity exercise along with moderate exercise is the ideal situation for many, the National Runners’ Health Study found that moderate-intensity walking and vigorous-intensity running resulted in similar... Read More

Did you know that a green (unripe) banana confers its own unique health benefits? Green bananas are a good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and contain resistant starch which cannot be broken down by enzymes in your digestive system and, therefore, acts more like fiber. Including foods high in resistant starch in your diet may reduce your risk of diabetes and heart disease by aiding in blood sugar control and lowering blood cholesterol levels. Bananas have higher levels of antioxidants as they ripen. Fully ripened bananas produce a substance called Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF). TNF regulates... Read More

If you are of a certain age, you remember when computers were huge mainframes in the computer science lab, you took a typewriter to college, and you wrote notes by hand in class. Technology has presented us with many modern opportunities to take notes – laptops, tablets, phones, watches.  While we have many options at our disposal, science is proving that the best way to take notes for retaining knowledge is a good, old-fashioned paper and pen. Studies of memory retention using a variety of different tools for note taking show that note-taking by hand improves retention in almost all circumstances.... Read More

May 31st is World No Tobacco Day.  7 out of 10 smokers say they want to quit. Quitting tobacco, including chewing tobacco, is one of the best things you can do for your health. Smoking in particular harms nearly every organ in your body, and nearly one-third of deaths from heart disease are the result of smoking and secondhand smoke. Some smokers have switched to e-cigarettes to ease the transition to a smoke-free life.  E-cigarettes are devices that vaporize a nicotine-based liquid which is then inhaled, much like a cigarette.  Is the e-cigarette a better alternative to smoking tobacco?  Here... Read More

It’s almost spring and many Americans start to think about dumping the winter plump in preparation for summer.  With that in mind, consider some recent information comparing dieting techniques and their success at helping you lose a few. Some dieters firmly believe in avoiding fat and while others espouse avoiding carbs. Does it matter? In a recent study at Stanford University researchers put more than 600 overweight adults on either a healthy low-fat or low-carb diet. It turns out, participants had similar levels of weight loss success on each plan. That’s right!  Both diets were successful. The... Read More

Did you resolve to eat healthier in 2019?  Eating healthy is one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions, right up there with “spend less money” and “exercise more.” Healthy eating can be expensive if you’re on a tight budget, but it can be done with a little thought and creativity.  Here are some easy tips for eating healthy on a budget: Plan your meals. If you plan your meals, build a shopping list, and only buy what’s on the list, you’ll spend less on stuff you don’t need.  You can save even more if you take a look at what’s on sale at your grocery store... Read More

It’s almost summer, a time for outdoor activities including sleeping in the great outdoors.  Camping helps us refresh our mind and soul. There’s nothing better than seeing the wilderness wake up as the sun lights up the sky! Camping requires some preparation to keep you warm, safe, and healthy. If you are planning a camping trip this year, keep in mind these essential health and safety tips.   Assess your fitness level.  If you are planning a particularly strenuous trip, make sure you are fit enough to withstand the strain of the journey. You may want to consider working with a fitness... Read More

When I was growing up, our household always had 2% milk in the house.  I never knew why but that’s what I consumed as a kid.  Fast forward to my 20s, when the low fat craze was in high gear.  I had switched to skim milk to reduce saturated fat.  I also used plenty of other low fat/no fat food items.  It wasn’t until I discovered that there was no such thing as a low fat salad dressing that tasted good, that I started the journey to fat freedom. Food manufacturers replace fat with sugar, so the low fat dressing tasted too sweet for me and I switched to full fat dressing. It was years later... Read More

Life is full of hardships – grief, break ups, addiction – all times we might think about therapy.  You may be surprised to know the best time to get therapy is when your life is going well. There’s a stigma that therapy is only for people suffering a mental illness or going through a massive interpersonal issue. Therapy’s benefits extend far beyond periods of crisis.  Most people want to be more than ‘not depressed.’ They want to be  happy, productive, loving; they want to be well, not just free of dis-ease. Achieving your full potential requires a heck of a lot of self-knowledge,... Read More

Over the years, researchers have tried to determine the cause of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.  Previously, researchers believed that amyloid was one of the proteins thought to cause the disease.  With new discoveries about the mysteries of dementia, there is a new culprit in the debate about what may cause dementia. Amyloid protein is thought to build up in the brain normally throughout life, but, at night, when we’re sleeping, particularly when we get into deep sleep, the protein gets cleared from the brain. Researchers are investigating the possible link between obstructive... Read More

Maybe you’ve had JuJubes at the movies? The precursor to gummy bears, JuJubes are faux fruit flavored chewy candies that keep your dentist in business. The hot JuJube right now is actually Ziziphus jujuba, commonly called jujube, red date, Chinese date, Korean date, or Indian date. Mounting evidence shows the red date can protect us from inflammation, obesity, cancer, gastrointestinal maladies and, like any good superfood, has antioxidant properties. It grows mostly in South and East Asia, as well as in Australia and Europe, but is making an appearance in the American diet. Jujubes are also adaptogens,... Read More

There is no perfect diet for everyone, in spite of what you might have heard.  It seems the human body can adapt to almost any diet and survive, even thrive!  Consider the diet of the Inuit, the people indigenous to polar locations such as Siberia, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. Theirs is a mostly meat diet, and yet they are a hardy population who consume few to no vegetables in their diet. In the US, experts recommend a diet largely focused on healthy grains, fruits and vegetables.  Most Americans don’t get the recommended 5 servings per day, and even fewer eat the 5-9 servings that is considered... Read More

Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Not only does it give you energy to start a new day, but breakfast is linked to many health benefits, including weight control and improved performance. Studies show that eating a healthy breakfast can give you: A more nutritionally complete diet, higher in nutrients, vitamins, and minerals Improved concentration and performance in the classroom or the boardroom More strength and endurance to engage in physical activity Lower cholesterol In general, breakfast eaters are leaner, more energetic and have a better memory than non-breakfast... Read More

If you haven’t heard that omega- 3 fatty acids are good for you, you’ve not been paying attention.  Two crucial omega- 3s are primarily found in certain fish. ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), another omega-3 fatty acid, is found in plant sources such as nuts, seeds and even leafy greens like cabbage. Not only does your body need these fatty acids to function, but also they might deliver some big health benefits like improving heart and brain health and curbing the pain and stiffness of arthritis. If you don’t get enough omega-3-rich foods in your diet, you may be thinking about a dietary supplement. ... Read More

Scientists have talked for years about the impact global climate will have on our planet.  Some are even speculating that, at this point, there are some things that have happened as a result of the changing climate that are already irreversible. For example, mountain glaciers are in alarming retreat and the downstream effects of reduced water supply in the driest months may already be a foregone conclusion. Did you know that global climate change is having an impact on your health now? Some scientists say that impact may also be irreversible. Catastrophic weather such as floods, hurricanes, tornadoes,... Read More

Last fall, the FDA approved a ‘digital pill’ that will tell your doctor if you’ve been taking your medicine.  The pill, which was approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration on November 13, sends a signal to a wearable sensor when a patient has taken the medication, and that information is then sent to a doctor’s office. While this may seem reminiscent of the book 1984, the technology could help many who have trouble tracking their medications. Embedded in the pill is a sensor that consists of a silicon chip with the logic circuit, along with two pieces of metal. When the sensor... Read More

For me, summer is the time when I drink iced tea. I like all kinds of tea on a hot day – iced black tea, half and half (aka Arnold Palmer), and those great shaken teas at coffee shops. Tea is awesome and can be healthy. In fact, I’ve found green tea particularly appealing because it is so good for you. Green tea is made from Camellia sinensis leaves and buds that have not undergone the same withering and oxidation process used to make oolong and black teas. For those interested in managing their caffeine intake, eight ounces of green tea contain about 35 mg of caffeine, about half the amount... Read More