2085 results found for: GUT HEALTH

This Spice Blend Can Help Your Heart Health

More than just flavor enhancers, many common spices do a lot more for your health than you probably think . In fact, a recent study showed a specific spice blend actually lowered triglycerides — a risk factor for heart disease. The results were published in the journal Nutrition Today. Below, we’ll explore the study and its potential implications. Spice Blend Lowers Triglyceride Levels by 31% Researchers from Penn State wanted to investigate the role of spices on heart health. They also reviewed previous studies showing the cardiac benefits of garlic and cinnamon. For the study, they recruited six overweight men between the ages of 30 to […]

Your Body Needs Many Different Antioxidants for Optimum Health

I see patients all the time who are confused about antioxidants. Often they think if they take vitamin C, they’ve got their bases covered. This just isn’t the case. To understand why, let’s take a deeper look at how your body works. When you eat food, the process your body uses to convert it to energy creates byproducts called free radicals. These free radicals are reactive molecules. When they encounter a healthy cell, they damage it and also create more free radicals. This process happens all through your body both in water-based tissues and in fat-based tissues. Your body uses antioxidants to clean up […]

Can Supplements Help Certain Health Conditions?

There are many supplements on the market that promise to help improve health, but do they really work? And are they worth the money? In this, the fourth and final piece of the FoodTrients supplements series, we will take a look at some of the most common supplements and their purported benefits. We will also discuss whether getting nutrients from food or supplements is more beneficial for your body so that you get all the answers to whether or not supplements can support you for certain common health conditions. Keep in mind that supplements are not regulated by the FDA […]

Mediterranean Superfoods Are Health Heroes

You have probably heard of the Mediterranean Diet. Besides conjuring visions of sipping chilled prosecco overlooking a sparkling sea, this way of cooking and eating is a heavily plant-based diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, herbs, fish, lean meats (in moderation) and monounsaturated oils, such as olive oil. It’s a true farm-to-table diet that relies on locally produced/caught/raised foods. In a number of studies, people who live around the Mediterranean in Southern Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, and Greece, as well as countries such as Croatia, Israel and Morocco, and live a mostly agrarian life tend to have lower incidences […]

Successful Aging: Health Span Is What Matters

Neuroscientist and author Daniel J. Levitin emphasizes “that it is the interactions of genes, culture, and opportunity that are the biggest determinants of the trajectory our lives take; how our brains will change; and whether or not we’ll be healthy, engaged, and happy throughout the lifespan.” Recent studies show that our decision-making skills improve as we age and that our happiness levels peak at age eighty-two. In the ground-breaking book, Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives, Levitin turns his keen insights to what happens in our brains as we age. He looks at the […]

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Dukka Spice Blend for Heart Health

This blend of nuts, seeds and spices originated in Egypt as a spread for flat bread or as a dip. Benefits: Nuts and sesame seeds have unsaturated omega-6 fatty acids which are considered heart-healthy. Focusing on unsaturated fatty acids rather than saturated fats can improve cardiovascular health. Coriander seeds contain magnesium (which helps lower blood pressure) and selenium (which protects the heart and regulates blood clotting). Sumac also can help to decrease blood pressure. Cumin has iron which transports oxygen around the body, and manganese which is part of an enzyme that fights free radicals. Yields about 1¾ cups   […]

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Natural Steps To Liver Health

When I suspected liver malfunction in one of my patients recently, he protested. He assumed that his liver was fine since he didn’t drink large amounts of alcohol. His assumption was a common one. Whenever I mention liver problems, most of my patients think of cirrhosis (associated with excessive alcohol consumption) or hepatitis, a viral disease with particular risk factors. They assume there’s not much else to worry about when it comes to liver health. Perhaps it’s an assumption you’ve made yourself. But just because you are not at risk for cirrhosis or hepatitis, that doesn’t mean you’re doing all […]

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Going Green: Eat Green To Improve Your Health

There are dozens of diets that promise better nutrition and rapid weight loss. But the simplest way to improve your health is to make like Kermit & go green. Pistachios They take a little effort to crack open, but pistachios are worth it, as they contain the important brain nutrient vitamin B6 and 18 percent of your daily requirement of thiamine (vitamin B1). Try adding chopped pistachios to chocolate desserts—brownies, ice cream or tarts for color, crunch, flavor and nutrients. Use in a recipe: Warm Pistachio, Chicken, and Hearts of Palm Salad Pumpkin seeds Full of zinc, antioxidant phytonutrients and protein, […]

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Let’s Talk About Mental Health

Let’s say you twisted your ankle and it’s causing unbearable pain. You’ll likely go to a doctor, who will examine you and probably order an X-ray. If it’s just a sprain, you’ll be advised to apply ice, elevate and stay off it, and you’ll need crutches to get around for a while. If it’s a break, you might get a cast or a brace, or possibly an appointment with a surgeon, and some time off to heal. But what happens when your unbearable pain isn’t visible, can’t easily be explained or diagnosed, and doesn’t have a commonly accepted medical treatment? […]