Some obese people may be able to remain metabolically healthy despite their size because their bodies produce low levels of a certain molecule. High levels of the molecule, called heme oxygenase-1 or HO-1, are linked to metabolic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease, as well as high blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol...
- By Asgar Ali
Nearly a third of all the food produced in the world is lost or wasted, according to the UN’s World Resources Institute. It is a sad irony that we waste so much food – especially fruit and vegetables – but still fail to feed the world’s ever increasing population. We need to start minimizing the amount of food that is produced and then lost.
A US heart researcher looks set to inflame an argument over saturated fats. But an editorial published in Open Heart suggests that...
Each of us manifests our own energetic makeup, and this determines the balance of foods that promote vitality and health with the foods that detoxify and eliminate cancerous agents. The dynamics of the yin and yang aspects of different foods and how they relate to each person are also significant...
It never ceases to amaze me how many myths we’re bombarded with concerning diet, exercise, and weight. Following are some common myths that I hear frequently from my patients. Have you heard them, too? Have you begun to realize that they’re false?
Although I don’t believe in calorie counting, I do believe it is essential to be wise in our dietary choices. If weight loss is a goal, then choosing low-energy-density foods for the bulk of your diet and using high-energy foods as condiments or...
The principal source of toxins is our diet. If an illness has appeared, it is because the foods we consume supply and produce a greater quantity of toxins than our eliminatory organs can remove. It is therefore...
Gut microbes from lean people helped prevent mice from becoming obese—but only if the animals ate a healthy diet. The research could point the way to new treatments for obesity.
- By Miles Olson
On Vancouver Island, in the temperate northwest of North America, the Coast Salish people were very healthy in the early 20th century. What did they eat? Fish, grease (whale, fish, bear, seal etc.), sea mammals, shellfish, berries, deer and a variety of seasonal plant foods. They prized grease, guts and flesh as their most vital foods...
- By Ellen Kanner
Spring is the season for regeneration, but it is also the season for she who generates. In April, we honor Mother Earth on Earth Day, then come May, we honor our own respective mothers on Mother’s Day. Gotta love ’em both because...
There are so many diets out there -- and everyone suggests that their way is the best! It may be that each diet has something that makes sense, but is one better than the other? And is that "one" the same for everyone? Dr. Vijay Vad presents some common sense information and recommendations that can be applied to all of us.........
We can learn a lot from gorillas. Humans and gorillas share nearly identical DNA and digestive systems. A gorilla's wild diet is much healthier for people than the standard American diet...
Sharing powerful stories from his anti-obesity project in Huntington, W. Va., TED Prize winner Jamie Oliver makes the case for an all-out assault on our ignorance of food.
There are two types of people: Hunters and Farmers. Why are there two types of metabolisms that need two different diets? The idea of being a Hunter or a Farmer shouldn’t be taken literally...
I once had a patient who came in and announced calmly, "I had a brownie yesterday, and then I felt really suicidal." For a moment, my conventional reaction was to think she was losing touch with reality. She was one of my least dramatic, most levelheaded clients and usually she understated rather than overstated everything.
We have over one hundred trillion bacteria living in our digestive system. We need these bacteria to be healthy. People with inflammatory bowel diseases have lower numbers of friendly bacteria. To repair your gut, increase absorption of nutrients, and overcome many health challenges...
- By John Robbins
Chocolate has gotten a bad rap. People say it causes acne, that it's junk food. But these accusations are not only undeserved and inaccurate; they falsely incriminate a delicious food that turns out to have profoundly important healing powers...
When it comes to weight loss, the pen is mightier than the scale. Begin to keep careful track of everything you put into your mouth, including beverages. Being accountable to yourself in this way will be an eye-opening experience, because it will force you to come face-to-face with...
Emotional eaters often have negative thoughts about their bodies, weight, eating behaviors, and themselves. By using creative visualization, you can set goals and use the power of your imagination to create what you want rather than...
Emotional overeating involves eating large quantities of food in a short period of time, feeling out of control during these binges, eating rapidly, eating without physical hunger, choosing to eat alone, grazing (nibbling at food all day), and/or feeling depressed about overeating.
Breast-feeding is thought to help in preventing allergies in babies, particularly a bad reaction to cow's milk. There is a great deal of controversy about how much difference breast-feeding makes, so the advice given here is based on the best evidence available at present.
The more weight our bodies carry the more stress there is on our joints, muscles and spines. Each additional 10 pounds equates 50 pounds of pressure to the knees and 100 pounds of pressure to our backs. There is also...
According to the Mayo Clinic, after some initial weight loss, most of us will hit a plateau unless we change a few behaviors--for instance, by eating less and exercising more. Here are eight changes you can make to your routine so you can reach your long-term goal more quickly.