The National Institute of Mental Health reports that 40 million adults—18% of the population—struggle with anxiety. Anxiety is normal; job interviews, public speaking and other everyday occurrences can cause anxiety.  It only becomes a problem when it extends beyond worry in an unreasonable, uncontrollable way. Anxiety can be a symptom of another mental illness, such as panic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, phobias, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).  Anxiety and anxiety disorders are the most common behavioral health issues in the U.S. There are some important health habits... Read More

It’s no secret that our children are not the healthiest in the U.S.  One in three children in America are overweight or obese. Today’s toddlers can expect good health until about age 65 and live about 76 years. By contrast, Japanese children have the highest healthy life expectancy in the world, with Japanese boys and girls expected to live to 73 without any major illness or disability and overall life expectancy in the 80s. Why is this the case?  The Japanese eat fewer calories per day including more fish, more vegetable products, less meat and dairy and consume more reasonable... Read More

It’s 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

We are busy! Competing for our time is a constant stream of notifications, emails, and texts, endless errands, work and family. Matching the hectic pace of living means that we might have bad eating habits. A growing body of research suggests that our bodies function optimally when we align our eating patterns with our circadian rhythms, the internal 24-hour cycles that tell our bodies when to wake up, when to eat, when to fall asleep. Studies show that chronically disrupting this rhythm — by eating late meals or nibbling on midnight snacks, for example — could be a recipe for weight gain and... 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

Recently, an article in Forbes magazine highlighted a study in Australia that claimed, when it came to weight loss, there was no significant difference in people assigned to skip breakfast and those assigned to eat it. Some in the intermittent fasting community say you should not eat anything before 11AM, so your eating cycle can go on later in the day and make you less likely to break the fast before bedtime. While these assertions may be true, there are some good reasons to eat breakfast. There are studies that show those who eat earlier in the day lose more weight than those who eat later in... Read More

Humans have been fasting throughout our existence, sometimes because food was not available, or as a part of major religions, including Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism. As hunter-gatherers humans went for stretches when food was not available, our bodies evolved to be able to function without food for extended periods of time. Intermittent fasting is a term for an eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating. It is not a “diet” in the conventional sense. It is more accurately described as an “eating pattern.” Intermittent fasting methods may involve... Read More

  “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

Low- and no- carb eating is all the rage these days.  Ditching carbs is tough to do-over the long haul. For starters, adults in the U.S. get about 50 percent of their daily calories from carbohydrates. If you cut out all carbs, you’ll have to give up fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans — which are the building blocks of a healthy diet. If you’re a woman, you may be doing yourself a disservice giving up carbs.  For women, particularly peri-menopausal or menopausal women, carbs stimulate serotonin production in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that governs our mood.  Some... Read More

Today, about three million Americans are gluten free, 72 per cent of whom are classified as PWAGs: people without celiac disease avoiding gluten. Aside from celiac disease, there are other conditions impacted by gluten in the diet–rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and other autoimmune disorders. Gluten is a mixture of two different proteins present in cereal grains, especially wheat, rye, and barley. For those with sensitivities, gluten causes inflammation and damage in the intestinal tracts and other parts of the body. One in 133 people have celiac disease, an autoimmune disease... Read More

Sugar is both a delightful treat and the bane of our existence because, while it is delicious, it also seems to be addictive. Scientific evidence is mounting to suggest that too much added sugar in our diets could lead to true addiction. Sugar is linked to addiction because when we eat it, dopamine and opioids are released into the bloodstream. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that creates a reward associated with addictive behavior. Once dopamine is released into the system, it gives us a pleasurable “high.” Why do we crave sugar? The main natural source of sugar is fruit. Thousands of years... Read More

Have you heard of a Pegan Diet?  It is a blend of paleo and vegan. I know that may sound crazy, since paleo is very meat focused and vegan is no animal products at all! Pegan is the middle ground between the two. The term was coined by Dr. Mark Hyman who recommends dietary guidelines that combine the best of both “paleo” and “vegan” ways of eating. Dr. Hyman is a physician and best-selling author of books such as Eat Fat, Get Thin: Why the Fat We Eat Is the Key to Sustained Weight Loss and Vibrant Health.  He is also the founder and medical director of The UltraWellness Center in Massachusetts. Here... Read More

Why is hemp protein so good for you? Well, there are many health benefits of hemp, and below you’ll find the top 5 organic hemp protein powders. You can easily add any of these to your diet for a healthy boost of protein, dietary fiber, minerals, and antioxidants. All of these brands offer a pure organic hemp protein powder, which has a mild taste and nutty like flavor. You can drink it with your favorite plant milk, add it to smoothies, homemade protein or granola bars, and baked goods. Hemp protein powder is made from the seeds of the hemp plant. Hemp seeds have the ideal 3:1 balance of omega... Read More

The spring equinox (also called the March equinox or vernal equinox) falls on Wednesday, March 20, 2019, at 5:58 P.M. EST. This event marks the astronomical first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.  Fun fact: the word equinox comes from the Latin meaning “equal night,” referring to the fact that the length of the day and night are nearly equal in most parts of the world. Since spring is almost here for most of us, it’s a great time to think about ways to spruce up our eating habits a bit.  Here are three ways to refine your diet this spring. Make small edits to your diet.  We all... Read More

Cannabis can be consumed in several forms. You can smoke it, vape it, eat it, and apply it topically to your skin to be absorbed into the blood stream. One way to take advantage of the health benefits of cannabis is to add the plant to your diet. A lot of people think about eating hemp foods, or hemp protein powder when they think about consuming cannabis for nutrition. Another way, growing in popularity, is to juice raw cannabis leaves like you would any other fruit or vegetable. Health and Wellness The health benefits of juicing raw cannabis come in many forms. First, you have similar nutritional... Read More

On Sunday, the New England Patriots pulled off an incredible come-from-behind victory over the Atlanta Falcons.  Much has been made of quarterback Tom Brady and his amazing performance as an athlete at what, for most athletes, would be the twilight of their careers.  Love him or hate him at 39, Brady’s performance does not seem to be waning. Tom Brady has great genes.  He is not yet showing signs of decreased muscle mass and other natural signs of aging. The Boston Globe recently did a story about Tom Brady’s remarkable  biology, citing “maniacal workouts to maintain his VO2 max (the... Read More

We’ve come a long way in our understanding of how the body works and how food influences the body’s performance.  Back in the 80s and 90s, we were obsessed with the low-fat lifestyle, eschewing foods with fat like cheese, butter and yogurt, for their low-fat, and usually less satisfying, siblings. Recently, a trend called Carb Cycling has evolved from bodybuilding “get cut” strategy to a mainstream fat loss plan.  Carb cycling, also known as a cyclic ketogenic diet, is a low-carbohydrate diet with intermittent periods of high or moderate carbohydrate consumption. The... Read More

Alzheimer’s disease plagues an estimated 5.4 million people in the U.S.  There is no conventional cure, however lifestyle choices are your best bet for prevention.  Recent evidence shows dietary choices are the main determining factor.  Overconsumption of sugar and processed foods, primarily carbohydrates, are the main culprits.  Contrary to what many people think, eating a low fat diet is also a big contributing factor. People who have type 2 diabetes double their risk for developing dementia.  Alzheimer’s is also known as type 3 diabetes, because the disease involves a severe lack of... Read More