Fish and shellfish are great immune-boosting foods, so be sure to include lots of them during flu season and throughout the year when they are in season. Oysters, lobsters, crabs, and clams contain significant amounts of the trace element, selenium, which is protective against cancer and helps white blood cells produce cytokines, proteins that help clear the body of flu viruses. Wild salmon, mackerel, and herring are rich in omega-3 fats, which reduce inflammation, increasing airflow and protecting the lungs from respiratory infections. Crab provides the selenium in this dish while garlic brings a host of impressive health benefits to […]
Destination Yantai, China – Gourmand Cookbook Awards! The FoodTrients team is heading to Yantai, China on May 25 for the Gourmand Cookbook Awards and a tour of the foods and sites in China. Grace O’s The Age Beautifully Cookbook and The Age GRACEfully Cookbook will be presented to publishers from Asia and around the world to help spread the word of wellness and longevity with FoodTrients. The Age Beautifully cookbook won the U.S. award for Innovation, and now goes on to compete for Best in the World. The beautiful seaside city of Yantai is one of the most popular tourist […]
On April 3, 2017, Scientific Reports published the findings of researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health of an association between B vitamin supplementation and protection against the effects of fine particulate matter pollution on the cardiovascular and immune systems. “Ambient PM2.5 pollution is one of the most common air pollutants and has a negative effect on cardiac function and the immune system,” explained lead investigator Jia Zhong, PhD, who is a postdoctoral research officer in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia’s Mailman School. “For the first time, our trial provides evidence that B vitamin supplementation might […]
It seems as if we’re hearing more and more about inflammation and how it causes disease. What is inflammation
Many doctors, like myself, take a more holistic approach and are far more aware of the link between their patient’s diets and the type of diseases they are at risk for. As I tell my patients, a healthy diet can greatly reduce their risk for the 3 biggest health concerns that face Americans today, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. With that in mind, I’d like to share with you some specific diet information that I give my patients to reduce their risk for cancer. Change Your Plate, Boost Your Health First, you need to re-think the distribution of the amount […]
By Jill Weisenberger, RDN, CDE Insulin resistance, which often has no outward symptoms, is a hallmark of both prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. When muscle, fat and liver cells ignore insulin’s signals, blood sugar levels rise. Diabetes doesn’t develop overnight: Insulin resistance with normal blood sugar levels is usually the first step. Without lifestyle changes, that often proceeds to prediabetes. That means you have higher-than-normal blood sugar levels, but not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes. If blood sugar continues to rise, though, you likely will develop diabetes within 10 years. Eat this: Avocado Not this: Cheese Both […]
After understanding the health benefits of a cup of tea, a study finds that drinking tea can prevent diabetes.
In a good week, let’s say you spend seven hours working out. That might sound like a lot of gym time, but it still
A study reported on March 13, 2017 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found a lower risk of early postpartum blues among women who received the amino acids tyrosine and tryptophan, and an extract of blueberries. The condition peaks on the fifth day after giving birth and is a risk factor for long term postpartum depression. Levels of a compound known as monoamine oxidase A become elevated in the brain during postpartum blues, resulting in increased breakdown of norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine, which can be deficient in depressed states. While tyrosine is a precursor to norepinephrine and dopamine, […]
Aspirin’s association with a lower risk of numerous types of cancer has been attributed to its anti-inflammatory effect; however, research reported in the February 2017 issue of Cancer Prevention Research suggests another potential mechanism. In experiments utilizing colon cancer cells and a mouse model of colon cancer, Houston researchers observed that aspirin prevented the cancer-promoting interaction between cancer cells and platelets by inhibiting cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1)-mediated platelet activation. Platelets are involved in the formation of new blood vessels which, although beneficial in most cases, enhances tumor growth. While common aspirin was used in some of the experiments, other experiments utilized a complex […]