Commonly known as a natural compound that may help treat diabetes, (see Foodtrients® article“Does Berberine Fight Diabetes” ) that’s not all berberine is known for. A bitter alkaloid compound found in several plants including barberry, goldenseal, and Oregon grape, it can also be important for enhancing the immune system during cold and flu season. Berberine also contains anti-bacterial properties and is often prescribed as a treatment for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). It has a long history of medicinal use in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine. Medicidally, berberine is used for: Heart failure High cholesterol levels High blood pressure Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) […]
A traditional Chinese medicinal root, you may recognize galangal as alpinia or Chinese Ginger.
For several years, the FoodTrients team attended the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) Annual World Congress in Las Vegas. And every year we found ourselves even more excited about the scientific and medical evidence presented there around food, fasting, and nutrients, and how we can live longer, healthier lives. On the opening day of that conference, an entire track of lectures on fasting followed the keynote address from Dr. Valter Longo, director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California (USC) and author of The Longevity Diet, based on his ground-breaking research on a “fasting mimicking” diet. Dr. […]
You may not have heard of Alpha-Lipoic Acid – often shortened to ALA – but you’ve actually consumed it! Foods like spinach, broccoli, potatoes, carrots, beets, yeast and red meat all contain small amounts of this powerful antioxidant. The body also produces it internally because it is such an important scavenger of free radicals which can damage normal cells. It’s so powerful in fact that many people take it as a supplement to get access to more concentrated sources of this compound. With anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and antioxidant effects in addition to lowering oxidative stress in the cardiovascular system and supporting […]
You know that regular water is important for hydration and for the body’s systems to run smoothly. But have you heard of the potential health benefits of hydrogen water? Touted around the world as an incredible cure for many ailments and powerful anti-aging compound, there is some fascinating research to support these claims. However, much of what’s available currently has been done in animal studies and it’s difficult to know if hydrogen water is the answer to your health worries or if it’s just a very expensive way to meet your water needs. Medicinally, hydrogen water is used: As an […]
Everyone has their go-to sauces that add flavor and excitement to their meals. A well-crafted sauce can transform simple foods like chicken, omelets, or pasta into something extraordinary. And with just a few tweaks, you can put a fresh spin on your classic favorites. Let’s start with tomato sauce—an essential in many cuisines, from Italian to Mexican. But did you know that with a few simple changes, you can create unique variations with global influences? Tomatoes are a powerhouse FoodTrient, packed with lycopene, a potent antioxidant in the carotenoid family that also includes beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin—all of which are […]
LOS ANGELES (February 5, 2019)–What if eating two cups of blueberries a day could prevent cancer? If drinking a kale-infused smoothie could counteract missing an hour’s worth of sleep? When is the right time of day to eat that chocolate chip cookie? And would you actually drink that glass of water if it meant skipping the gym? Now, a revolutionary guide reveals how to use food to enhance our personal and professional lives–and increase longevity to boot. What to Eat When: A Strategic Plan to Improve Your Health & Life Through Food is not a diet book. Instead, acclaimed internist […]
Sleeping well is one of the most critical things we can do for our health. Working out and eating right can only take you so far if your body is stressed from lack of sleep. It is needed to calm stress hormones like cortisol, to support the natural immune system, for repair and for cleaning out the brain – yes, that happens each night when you sleep! Foods that contain critical nutrients for sleep (including magnesium, calcium, B3, B6, B12, certain amino acids, antioxidants and melatonin regulators) top the list of 50 foods that support great sleep and should be […]
Despite being largely preventable, heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and other relate conditions caused 2.2 million hospitalizations in 2016, resulting in $32.7 billion in costs and 415,000 deaths, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Many of these events were in adults ages 35-64, with over 775,000 hospitalizations and 75,000 deaths occurring within this group in 2016. If every state reduced these life-changing events by six percent every year, one million cardiac events could be prevented by 2022. But how can we do that? “Heart disease and stroke deaths are hitting middle-aged adults in record numbers,” says Joel Kahn, […]
When I was a teenager, my mom and I would make atchara together. Atchara is a sweet-and-sour pickle made with green, unripe papayas and other vegetables. My mom would make florets out of a few carrots because they added beauty and color to the pickle. Eaten with grilled pork or fried fish, it’s considered a national dish of the Philippines. In America, I eat it with BBQ, grilled meat, and smoked fish. Papayas contain papain, an enzyme that helps break down proteins. This is why I sometimes use green papaya as a meat tenderizer. (There is less papain in ripe […]