Consuming tree nuts has been linked to improved health outcomes for years. Tree nuts include hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, cashews, among others. Peanuts are often counted among tree nuts, but that is inaccurate. Peanuts [despite the second syllable in their name] are actually in the legume category, and like legumes, grow underground…not on trees. While […]

Inspired by epidemiological evidence pointing to the link between diet and longevity, researchers evaluated the diets of nearly 120,000 people using a system called the Alternate Healthy Eating Index [AHEI]. As reported in the Journal of Internal Medicine, this system adds points for vegetables, whole fruits, whole grains, nuts, beans [legumes], and omega 3 and […]

Calcium is a required mineral, used for building bone, nerve conduction, and muscle contraction, among other activities of our bodies. Dairy products are usually thought of as the most obvious source of calcium in our diets. But, many people are allergic to dairy products, suffer from lactose intolerance, or prefer eating a vegan diet [exclusively […]

Men may well have more influence over the anticipated enlargement of their prostate glands, as they age, than they realize. Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy [BPH] is a condition many men expect to face after middle age. An article published in the November 2021 issue of the journal Nutrients, by Italian scientists, challenges this notion. Their research […]

Decades counseling clients, who want to lose weight, have taught me that all weight loss diets work. The problem is they work only when one is on them, and no one wants to stay on a weight loss diet with their predictable restrictions. People may diet to fit into a dress or a pair of […]

Many years ago I became aware of the benefits dietary changes might offer to people with rheumatoid arthritis [RA], an auto-immune disease in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its joints, making them swollen and painful. The suggested dietary change involved removing all animal products from an RA patient’s diet. I made a mental […]

The US. Preventive Services Task Force has issued valuable guidance to overweight or obese individuals, ages 35-70, who want to take the best approach to their health care in managing, or even preventing, pre-diabetes or diabetes. Screening, according to the task force, of American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Blacks, Hispanics/Latinos, and Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders should happen at […]

A lawsuit sponsored by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine defended the right of California’s inmates to consume a plant-based diet without having to claim their choice is based on the teachings of their religion. Lawyers argued their inmate clients should be able to select plant-based meals as a fundamental right to basic human necessities, […]

From 1990-2016, the world-wide incidence of dementia increased by 117%. This alarming statistic has stimulated many scientists to look for possible causes of this life-altering condition- affecting patients, families, and governments. With inflammation being a suspected initiator of many of our chronic, debilitating illnesses, there have been many studies focused on the influence of diet […]

Many years ago, I read an article in the New York Times, written by Karen Le Billon, an American university professor who divided her time between teaching assignments in the US and France…taking her two daughters with her. The subject of this article had a powerful effect on me, influencing the way I approached the […]