Does Meat Cause Cancer?

In the United States there is a fairly common belief based on dubious research and media hype that vegetarian diets are healthier and protective against cancer. I would like to set that myth to rest, because to date, the studies have not been clear on this.

Let’s start with a close look at the popular 2005 book The China Study.

If you have read this book, you know that on the surface it appears to make quite a case against consuming animal protein. It asserts that higher animal protein intakes were clearly associated with increased risk of cancer.

How Now, Brown… Fat?

There are no short cuts to weight loss. In my experience, I still find that the most effective way to help people lose weight is with the combination of a healthier diet and exercise along with addressing underlying metabolic imbalances — such as insulin resistance, thyroid gland function and stress levels (because stress hormones impact both insulin resistance and thyroid hormones).

However, there have been recent discoveries, and much discussion¹ about the role that so-called brown fat may play in weight loss. Brown adipose tissue — brown fat — is common to many mammals.

Mushroom Pâté Almondine

Mushrooms are a good source of B-vitamins and are a wonderful base to this savory pâté. With only 7 net carbs per serving, this is yet another great way to enjoy a flavorful snack while keeping your blood sugar in check. Enjoy it as a dip with assorted vegetables or with low-carb crackers.

Serves: 6

Saturated Fat: What to Do?

One of the biggest areas of dietary confusion today is whether saturated fat is bad for us or not. For the most part, conventional medical thought remains firmly in the “saturated fat is bad for you” corner, while a growing number of people feel that not only is the jury still out on saturated fat intake, it may even have health benefits.

Are You Ready for Bathing Suit Season?

We have only six short weeks left until Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer — and bathing suit season for most people. If your New Year’s resolution to lose weight hasn’t worked as well as you had hoped, don’t despair. There’s still time to look better at the beach. And I can tell you how to do it.

Lose Weight with No Hunger

In traditional approaches to dieting, one of the tools that seems to improve weight loss is food journaling, writing down everything you eat. This method works because it helps control the mindless eating that people do — just popping something in your mouth even if you aren’t hungry. In fact, one study found that food journaling every day led to twice as much weight loss among dieters.¹

While food journaling may help control mindless eating, as a dietitian I have observed that it doesn’t help people who are just flat out hungry. Out of all the dieting side effects, I find there is nothing that will undo a diet faster than hunger!

Falling Off the Diet Bandwagon? Read This

A New York Times article this week confirmed my worst fears – stress is sending Americans to candy stores in droves.¹

While at first glance this little headline, “When Economy Sours, Tootsie Rolls Soothe Souls” seems amusing, from my perspective it unwittingly brings up two important issues in healthcare today:

Inflammation - Cut It Off at the Pass

Internal inflammation is now known to be an underlying factor in almost all chronic disease, for example heart disease. Control it and you should be able to drastically reduce your risk for not just one but several diseases.

Antioxidants – Can You Get Too Many?

As a result of an increased awareness of the damaging effects of free radicals, everywhere you turn someone has a high antioxidant supplement they want you to buy. They range from supplements containing vitamins C and E and the trace mineral selenium (give or take a few nutrients) to supercharged juices made from exotic berries, like acai berries. The prices are anywhere from about $10.00 all the way up to $70.00 for a bottle of juice; or $2.00 for one small square of acai-added chocolate.

One of the features used to market these products is their high ORAC value, and the manufacturers are now trying to outdo one another by getting higher and higher on their ORAC values. So what is ORAC and are these products really worth the high prices?

Spicy Chicken Wings

Here’s a healthier version of a classic appetizer. Traditionally, wings are breaded, deep-fried and then coated with hot sauce. This broiled version saves carbs and calories but is full of that Buffalo-wing flavor. If you like the sauce a little thicker, you can add a little cornstarch or rice flour before brushing it onto the wings.