What foods can you eat to help you look younger and promote healthy smooth skin, strong nails, and shiny hair? Fruits, vegetables, melons, peppers, grains, nuts, mushrooms, and fish containing the FoodTrients anthocyanins, carotenoids, omega-3 fatty acids, selenium, and vitamins C and E, as well as copper, silica, and Superoxide Dismutase (SOD). Let’s explore these one at a time and see why they’re so good for our complexion, nails, and hair. Anthocyanins improve capillary function. Your capillaries bring blood to your skin and are therefore very important for optimum skin health. You can get anthocyanins in your diet by eating […]
I vividly remember the first grocery shop I did after being diagnosed with celiac disease. I was in utter amazement at my options and at the fact that there seemed to be replacements for everything that I thought I would really miss. Now that I’ve gone through this a few years, though, I’ve found a few ways to have fun and keep eating tasty, nutritious, gluten-free meals while holding on to my hard-earned cash. Look for foods that are naturally gluten-free. Shopping the gluten-free section is not the budget way to avoid gluten. There are plenty of foods that are gluten-free […]
I don’t know about you, but I am wild about saffron. Saffron is a golden red spice from the stigmas of a small purple crocus native to the Mediterranean, Asia Minor and Iran where it was first cultivated during the Bronze Age. Each flower produces just three stigmas (or threads) and must be harvested by hand then dried. It takes 14,000 of the tiny stigmas to yield one ounce of the spice which retails for $500. Saffron has not only been used to flavor and tint foods, but it’s been used to dye fabrics and as a perfume. The flavor […]
Do you know where Malta is? Many people probably don’t. You’ve heard of The Maltese Falcon with Humphrey Bogart and there’s a good chance you’ve met a fluffy, white Maltese dog. But one of the best things I discovered in my visit to Malta is the cuisine. Malta consists of a small archipelago of islands in the Mediterranean about 50 miles south of Sicily, approximately 200 miles north of Libya, and 175 miles east of Tunisia. It’s been inhabited for thousands of years by various conquerors passing through including Phoenicians, Carthaginians (both from the eastern Mediterranean), Romans, Greeks, Arabs, Normans, […]
It’s a New Year, and many of my patients are coming in for their annual check-ups. Maybe you’re scheduled to visit your doctor for your annual physical as well. I always like to remind my patients of the old Ben Franklin adage – “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Nothing could be truer where your health is concerned. Prevention, however, comes in many forms, from making sure you get the optimal nutrition, rest, and exercise to being proactive and getting the right medical tests to screen for any possible issues. If you’re over the age of […]
This is the last of our 5-part series on life in the “Blue Zones,” where people live longer, healthy lives. Each part looks into the diets and lifestyles of the areas where longevity is a normal part of aging better. Who doesn’t want to know their secrets? Nicoya is an 80-mile peninsula located in the northeastern part of Costa Rica. This isolated area has a high population of centenarians and has been classified as a “Blue Zone” — a geographical region that has a significantly higher proportion of long-lived individuals compared to averages around the world. Nutrition plays a significant […]
I love the trick of infusing rice or noodles with tea. It really amps up the nutrient value of any dish while adding a nice bit of flavor. Pu-erh tea is fermented, making it even healthier than regular green tea. Traditionally this dish is made with glutinous rice, but I changed it to brown rice for the health benefits. Feel free to use turkey or chicken breast in place of the duck breast. You can find Thai basil at Asian markets and some supermarkets. This comfort food meal pairs well with my California Hempseed Salad with Strawberries and Kale. Benefits: […]
I love to cook and entertain, especially during the holidays, but this holiday season challenged us all to celebrate differently with Zoom parties, staying at home, and social distancing. For me, baking is a great way to de-stress, and because I believe in indulging friends and family with delicious food, drink and desserts, this year I made my mother’s recipe for fruitcake and my own recipe for biscotti and had them delivered. After a couple of months of holiday meals and baking up a storm, I am ready to start 2022 with a “clean” slate. That calls for some detoxing. […]
Try these Yoga Poses to Relieve Stress and Tension While “feeling stressed” holds a negative connotation, some stress is actually good stress. If your neighbor’s mean dog starts chasing you, for example, your body releases hormones like adrenaline to help you run away. This type of brief, acute stress helps you manage potentially dangerous situations. It’s the long-term, chronic stress that is linked to dangerous diseases like high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes. The following simple yoga poses, suitable for novice yogis, aid in targeted stress relief. “These are amazing poses for calming the mind and helping reboot the immune […]
The versatility of pesto can help us all do our very besto when it comes to adding great flavor and big benefits to dishes. Use your imagination and check out the pesto chart along with two of my out-of-the-box pestos that deliver great taste along with powerful nutrients. You can serve these and any favorite pesto over vegetables; pasta; flatbread … whatever you choose! Nettle Pesto At the height of allergy season, incorporating nettles into your meals can be a soothing practice offering relief. With research supporting the use of nettles for seasonal allergies and hay fever, this plant contains […]










