May 23, 2017

Chefs Urge Congress to Create Smarter Food Policy

WASHINGTON – Plate of the Union, a campaign to shift federal food policy to better serve all Americans, kicked off this week with more than 30 top U.S. chefs convening on Capitol Hill to promote nutrition programs, clean drinking water and other environmental protections, consumer transparency, and standards that improve food safety and accessibility. Food Policy Action Education Fund and the Environmental Working Group sponsored the kickoff of the campaign. Chef and food advocate Tom Colicchio, co-founder of FPA-EF, hosted the top chefs for a Plate of the Union farm bill summit and advocacy day on Capitol Hill. The campaign […]
May 16, 2017

Vitamin B Helps Protect The Heart From Pollution

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 […]
May 9, 2017

Six Foods To Eat For A Mood Boost

Evidence shows that the Mediterranean diet can help reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes. It is also associated with improved mood and a reduced risk of depression and cognitive decline. The eating plan emphasises vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, wholegrains, olive oil and lean protein. An offshoot is the Mind Diet (Mediterranean-Dash Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay), based on the same foods but adds berries, leafy greens and nuts. Researchers found it improved cognitive ability and lowered their risk of Alzheimer’s. Foods to consider : Salmon People who eat omega-3-rich fish tend to have a lower risk of depression. […]
May 2, 2017

Nontoxic Solutions for Healthy Nails

Massage, file, moisturize, paint. Who doesn’t love a good pedi? But today, even mainstream media is calling attention to the potential dangers of conventional nail products and treatments; a May 2015 New York Times article, Perfect Nails, Poisoned Workers, reported on the health issues manicurists and other salon workers had experienced, including everything from allergies to miscarriages to cancer. As a result, more people are waking up to the risks of caustic treatments and conventional products. While the chemical-based nail salon biz is still big (and many of these treatments and products that line the shelves of conventional retailers are […]
April 25, 2017

Want To Improve Insulin Response? Eat This, Not That

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 […]
April 18, 2017

A Healthy Thyroid Is Important

You probably don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the butterfly-shaped gland in your neck that helps regulate metabolism, heart rate, energy levels and body temperature. But thyroid disorders are very common. It’s estimated that 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease, and as many as 60 percent of those with thyroid disease are unaware of their condition. Thyroid disorders can mimic several other health conditions, making them more difficult to diagnose. If you even suspect you might have a thyroid problem, consult with your primary care physician or endocrinologist as soon as possible. The most common […]
April 17, 2017

Nibbling Our Way Though the Natural Products Expo

If it’s March, it must be time for Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, CA. Billed rightfully as, “the the world’s largest natural, organic and healthy products event.” Along with the FoodTrients team, I once again took to the miles of aisles and the more than a million square feet of exhibit space at the Anaheim Convention Center to find the most significant trends. This year’s show was the biggest in the 37-year history of the Natural Products Expo—estimates of 82,000 to 85,000 attendees (vs. 77,000 last year) and 3,100 exhibitors, including 500 newcomers. As overwhelming as these numbers can […]