An interesting article was just published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association suggesting that farm raised tilapia may have more detrimental effects than health promoting effects in terms of cardiovascular health.   The study out of Wake Forest looked at 30 samples of farm raised fish from supermarkets and wholesalers.  The fish they examined were catfish, Atlantic salmon, trout and tilapia.   (more…)

Shiitake and Reishi mushrooms are two of the more common mushrooms known to support the immune system, but there have been a couple of publications recently that show you don’t have to spend $20/lb to get benefit.   (In fact at Whole Foods the other day I saw a $59.99/lb mushroom.  Can it be that good…15 times as good as a $3.99/lb mushroom? ) (more…)

A recent review study looked at fish oil supplementation as a primary prevention method of age related macular degeneration. Age-related macular degeneration : An eye disease with its onset usually after age 60 that progressively destroys the macula , the central portion of the retina , impairing central vision . (more…)

A recent studyshowed that swimmers given sodium bicarbonate had better athletic performance over a control group. It is long been believed (and proven by coaches) that there is less lactic acid induced fatigue during exercise when a bicarbonate is used as a supplement. But bicarbonates aren’t only for athletes as many practitioners often give certain ‘acidic’ patients bicarbonates (more…)

Yet another study showing that low levels of Vitamin D are detrimental to health. Amazingly though this research was published in a major psychiatric journal and suggesting that depression may not be caused because of a Paxil deficiency. (OK so I’m being cynical here, but suggesting that nutrition may play a role in depression is fabulous, because so often it is the cause.). (more…)

A couple of years ago a study came out concluding that Aspartame is safe for consumption. Many had a hard time believing their conclusion. Now a new review study concludes that consuming a lot of aspartame may inhibit the ability of enzymes in your brain to function normally. The question is what is “a lot”? (more…)

Omega 3 fatty acids have been in the news quite a bit over the past few years so I’m sure most people know that an adequate amount are necessary during pregnancy. However I’m always surprised when I suggest to women that are trying to get pregnant or are newly pregnant that they need to eat good sources of Omega-3 such as flax (best to use ground seeds rather than oil), walnuts, or brazil nuts. One of the best sources of Omega-3 are the fish oils which are very beneficial during pregnancy. (more…)

A recently published study out of U of Minnesota have found further evidence to support the importance of encouraging teens to eat breakfast regularly. Researchers examined the association between breakfast frequency and five-year body weight change in over 2,000 teens, and the results indicate that daily breakfast eaters consumed a healthier diet and were more physically active than breakfast skippers during adolescence. This shouldn’t be a surprise as eating a healthy meal provides us with energy to be active both physically and mentally. (more…)

There have been many studies showing that the phytochemicals lutein and zeaxanthin are beneficial for they eyes. There is little doubt that an adequate supply of these phytochemicals can reduce the risk of cataracts. So here is another study showing that these important phytochemicals prevent ocular diseases. (more…)

For my most challenging cases I use blood work to determine a patient’s food sensitivities and then give the patient a 6 phase diet of using the least reactive foods then adding the more reactive foods as we go on. The patients that benefit the most are the ones that have some digestive issues with either non-hormonal migraines, fibromyalgia or IBD/IBS. I have little doubt that many physical symptoms people present with are caused by digestive distress. So many times I’ve seen that when the digestive distress is cleared then the energy improves, skin improves, muscle aches disappear, arthritis is reduced, depression disappears, memory improves etc. (more…)