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 […]
The inspiration for my empowering FoodTrients program—this website, the cookbook, my board of advisors—really came from my father. He was a physician and he had a way of looking at food as though it could heal us. He understood the value of the vitamins and minerals found in fresh foods and how those elements could influence our health. Foods like organic fruits and vegetables, wild fish, and humanely raised animals have so many good things in it: antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, anti-inflammatory agents, fiber, and anti-bacterial compounds. I needed to come up with a term to encompass the […]
I love classic American oatmeal cookies, and Moroccan elements like dates and cardamom make them more interesting and healthier. These treats require less butter and sugar than regular recipes because of the natural sweetness dates provide. This recipe, found in my latest cookbook Anti-Aging Dishes from Around the World, uses whole-wheat flour in addition to all-purpose for a boost of fiber and nutrients while maintaining a soft texture. Benefits: Dates are full of detoxifying fiber and also offer B vitamins for building blood cells, potassium for strong bones, and iron for healthy red blood cells. Adding oats to your cookies […]
If you’re familiar with governmental dietary recommendations, you’ve probably heard the phrase rainbow on your plate. This means that different color groupings of foods generally represent different health benefits, meaning a colorful whole foods diet is a nutritious way to eat. This is great advice for anyone following a gluten-free diet because it demonstrates a very easy method for balanced nutrition through daily diet. Right? Well, right. But, it’s a little bit more complicated on a gluten-free diet because there are common nutrients missing as a result of not eating certain foods. These missing nutrients can actually be helpful because they give […]
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 […]
Many of my older patients have told me that if they had to pick a condition to get as they got older, it would be something other than one that affected their brain and mental performance. After all, who you are now, who you were in your past, your life’s memories are all stored in your brain. If you started to develop impairment of your cognitive function, who you are may be decreased, or completely lost, to you. That’s why I tell my patients to do everything possible to keep their brain function healthy and optimize their mental performance. These […]
You almost always find this simple spice blend in Indian homes where they add it to fruit salads or sprinkled onto melon. It’s also good when added to grilled chicken or fish. You can find amchur (dried mango powder) on Amazon.com and even in Wal-Mart. Benefits: Mangos have vitamin C which aids tissue regeneration because it’s a precursor to collagen; folate which promotes healthy red blood cell production and supports natural cell growth and replication; and cancer-fighting and immune-boosting carotenoid antioxidants. Yields about ¼ cup Ingredients 2 Tbs. cumin seeds, roasted for a minute over medium heat, then ground 1 […]
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 […]
As I’ve been telling my story these past few years about how I developed an anti-aging cookbook based on the food-is-medicine principle called FoodTrients, I’ve expanded my method for creating delicious, comforting recipes designed to keep you young, healthy and beautiful. It’s a lot easier than I imagined, and it’s the focus of The AGE BEAUTIFULLY COOKBOOK: Easy and Exotic Longevity Secrets from Around the World. The recipes are mainly quick and easy to make, and will introduce readers to age-defying foods and flavors from around the world, with a focus on beauty that emanates from the inside. As I […]
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, […]








