A few weeks ago my wife and I watched a really inspiring documentary with a depressing title: “Fat Sick and Nearly Dead.” The documentary tells the story of Joe Cross, a man from Australia who was overweight, in his forties, unhealthy, and on steroidal medication to treat an auto-immune disease related to his diet and weight. Joe was a fun-loving guy who loved to eat, and it showed – unfortunately he had gotten to a point in life where he was in constant discomfort and facing the prospect of long-term damage to his health (and long-term reduction in his life expectancy).

Read the full post on Wellness lessons from “Fat Sick and Nearly Dead”.

A few years ago I read a really great book that helped change my perspective on food. It’s called “In Defense of Food,” by Michael Pollan, and it takes a new look at the fundamental assumptions that many Americans make (without even realizing it) about our diets.

According to Pollan’s book, many Americans are suffering from health problems (ranging from high blood pressure to diabetes to heart disease, cancer and stroke) that are caused or made worse by the “Western diet” – full of fat, meat, salt, sugar and processed foods.

Read the full post on Health lessons from Michael Pollan’s “In Defense of Food”.

Do you want to improve your health? Do you want to lose weight, get physically fit, or help counteract the effects of various health conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes? What if we told you that there was an easy treatment already available to you that could help reduce your health risks and improve quality of life at almost any age, with almost any health condition?

Dr. Mike Evans, a specialist in preventive medicine, made an amazing YouTube video discussing what is the #1 thing you can do to improve your health (the video is below).
He discussed an amazing, simple treatment that has been proven to have the following beneficial effects on people’s health:

Read the full post on What’s the #1 thing you can do to improve your health?.

By Real Age
Seems like a pretty tall order. A breakfast choice that can make you love yourself more? But a new study suggests it may be so.

The breakfast item in question? Cereal. In a study, the women who had it for breakfast every morning experienced greater self-esteem than the women who started their days with a muffin — even though both breakfasts had the same number of calories.

Read the full post on Eat This for Breakfast to Experience Self-Love.

By Real Age

Sure, weight loss boils down to a matter of calories in and calories out. But a few subtle and surprising diet changes could greatly increase your pound-shedding potential.

Heather K. Jones, nutrition expert and author of Good Housekeeping’s Drop 5 lbs: The Small Changes, Big Results Diet, recommends these three unusual waist-slimming tactics: Tempt your taste buds with vegetable juice, have a vegetarian lunch once a week, and get a regular seafood fix.

The Fat-Fighting Fare
Here’s how these small adjustments can offer big boosts in your overall weight loss results, according to Jones:

Read the full post on 3 New Tips to Help You Lose Weight This Year.

By Dr. Spencer Baron

It’s so easy to eat poorly . . .
Why do we make it such a challenge to eat right?
So many health problems have come about from the way we eat. It’s fascinating that we simply haven’t modified our diets.

To name a few:

• Arthritis
• Digestive complaints
• Headaches
• Fatigue – low energy
• Skin rashes
• Depression

Two reasons come to mind:

Too Lazy – It’s easier to grab a “to-go meal” or take a pill
or
Don’t know any better - We’ve been so brainwashed by commercials that we tend to believe all food is created equally or that the answer is in a pill.

Read the full post on 7 Reasons Why Today’s Foods Cause Problems – 7 Methods to Easily Reverse Them.

By Stacy Goldberg

Full of flavanoids and phenolic compounds, antioxidants which protect your brain and reduce inflammation, eggplant is a great way to vary your vegetables. Joined by walnuts and raisins, two more antioxidant-packed power-foods, this dip packs a nutritious punch!

Ingredients:
1 pound eggplant
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup golden raisins, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
salt and pepper to taste
5 (6-inch) fat- free, whole- wheat pita breads (such as Tumaros Low Carb Tortillas or Flatout Light Tortillas)
5 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Read the full post on Eggplant Walnut Dip with Toasted Whole Wheat Pita Chips.

By Stacy Goldberg

Crave the crunch but not the calories of deep fat frying? Look no further—these tasty vegetables are full of phytochemicals, compounds found in plants which serve as antioxidants, while minimizing the mess and fat of deep fat frying.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup fine dry whole wheat bread crumbs or Bob’s Red Mill Almond meal
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon paprika
2/3 cup of 1/4″ sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons Italian salad dressing
2/3 cup 1/4″ thick sliced onion rings
2/3 cup 1/4″ thick sliced cauliflower

Serves: 4

Cook Time: Under 30 Minutes

Read the full post on Crispy Oven Fried Vegetables.

By Dr. Joe

Easter Sunday is the day when everyone can indulge his or her love of chocolate without feeling guilty-and rightly so.  Chocolate is universal.  It is said that nine out of ten people say they like chocolate and the tenth is lying.

So why is there guilt about chocolate, and do we need to feel guilty?  Simple answer -NO Chocolate is not intrinsically bad for us.  At levels of cocoa of 70% it is actually good for us.  What applies to you will depend on how much you eat and the quality of the chocolate.

Read the full post on Chocolate Is Good For You.

By Dr. Andrew Weil

If you are trying to reduce your intake of refined sugar, honey is one alternative – but not necessarily a healthier one. However, honey does have some health benefits over sugar, as it:

Read the full post on Is Honey Healthy?.

• Is sweeter than refined sugar, so you can use less.
• Has a higher proportion of fructose, which doesn’t stress the pancreas as much as sucrose.
• Has a slightly lower glycemic load than table sugar.
• Contains trace enzymes; minerals, including calcium, magnesium and potassium; amino acids; and vitamins, including a wide range of B vitamins such as riboflavin, pantothenic acid, niacin, thiamin and pyridoxine.