Summer is a great time for gardening and boosting anti-inflammatory foods that you grow on your own. Get strategic about which plants you want in your garden this year by including some beautiful aromatic culinary herbs. The top 10 medicinal herbs below can help you add more flavor to your cooking and also offer many health benefits. Some of the top health benefits you can gain by using more herbs include: reduce salt in your cooking while still including lots of flavor blood pressure control benefits (herbs are often high in potassium) boost potent antioxidants that can help calm inflammation […]
This massive region is home to a large variety of unique cuisines, but there are a few common themes seen throughout. One focus of Chinese culture is living a balanced life, which means foods
Korean cuisine features rice, soup or stew, and vegetables as culinary staples. Foods are commonly steamed, braised, and stir-fried. Korean
Okinawa is an island, south of Japan and northeast of Taiwan. It is known as a “blue zone” because it is home to the oldest living population of women in the world. The number of
This area of the world covers a large geographical area and many unique cultures that have some commonality of herbs and spices in their cuisine style. Southeast Asia actually includes 11 countries: Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Though there are important differences between all of these countries, and cultures within each as well, common culinary threads can be found in the food. This is a hot and humid part of the world and so lightly prepared dishes made of vegetables, rice and broth are staples. Flavors like citrus, mint, and other herbs offer […]
They arrive in a corner of the produce section each fall. Or maybe they adorn your neighbor’s tree like small, orange lanterns. Beautiful, smooth, flame-skinned persimmons. I have 10 persimmon trees on my farm near San Diego and look forward to harvesting and eating them every year. What to do with them? Actually, persimmons are quite versatile in every course and meal occasion. Sometimes you’ll see them on the menus of high-end restaurants paired with poultry, chutneys, desserts and salads for seasonal specialties. Their vibrant color and nutritional benefits are a festive kick-off to the holiday season. Persimmons were […]
Liver disease is more common than you may realize and has many negative health effects to be aware of. In the United States, about 4.5 million adults live with chronic liver disease including hepatitis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), alcoholic liver disease, liver cancer, cirrhosis, and liver failure. Having high blood pressure, uncontrolled blood sugar, a high body mass index (BMI), and excessive alcohol intake can all increase your risk but the good news is — there’s a lot you can do to support your liver, too. Herbs and foods that support or protect the liver do so mainly by […]
Over the past year, FoodTrients has been exploring foods and flavors from around the globe. This week, we take a look at the flavors of Spain as part of our new series on the world of foods, herbs and spices that help create some of the distinctive dishes we have featured, and the age-defying benefits they deliver. Due to its location, Spain has a variety of cultural influences from Greece, Northern Europe, Italy, and Northern Africa, which are responsible for introducing foods such as olives, wine, meat pie, stews, and honey to Spain’s cuisine. Fish and other seafood are considered […]
In the past few years, many of my patients have begun adding a variety of teas to their daily routine and I couldn’t be happier. As I tell my patients, various teas have been used in Eastern medicine for the treatment of many illnesses and conditions as well as to just stay healthy! There are a number of health benefits associated with drinking teas of all types that I would like to share that with you as well. A Tea For All Reasons As I mentioned above, tea has been used in Eastern medicine for centuries. For the last several […]
You may have noticed nettles growing alongside your hiking trails and avoided them because of their notorious stinging bite. But next time you’re out, think about bringing some gloves to collect them – nettles are a nutrition powerhouse! Stinging nettles are one of nature’s many superfoods so read on to learn about the nutritional and healing benefits of this medicinal plant. Growing naturally in many areas of the world, there is good reason that nettles have been used medicinally in Africa, Asia, Europe and America for centuries. Chemical compounds have been identified in the roots, leaves and hairs of the […]





