Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Nutrition
A Fast for the Holidays
As 2022 comes to a close, grave existential questions loom. Is the doomsday clock ticking louder? Have we harmed our planetary home beyond repair? Is the global economy headed for collapse, or will a reckless war end all things? These are some of the debates that friends and families will have when they gather in groups around the dinner table. This year, those holiday meals themselves may be the source of despair. The higher costs for food make entertaining large groups an expensive proposition. It may not be practical to suggest fasting as an alternative. But it’s good food for thought. And research findings suggest ample benefits. As a new year’s resolution, fasting could have personal health and economic benefits. A global...Read More
Cardiovascular, Nutrition
The Right Omega-3 Reduces Risk of Heart Disease
How many readers still neglect to reduce their risk of heart attack? Can’t cut the sugar and salt? Still addicted to tobacco? Must have those harmful fatty foods, and moderate exercise is just too tough? This column has been like a broken record repeating the same song for years. “If you keep going to hell, you will eventually get there.” Despite clear evidence that fish oil significantly lowers risk of coronary heart disease, why is this still a niche market, as compared to, say, ubiquitous potato chips? Some readers, though, are listening. In a previous column, we reported on the benefits of MaxSimil, a high-absorption form of omega-3 containing the two main nutrients in fish oil, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Our bodies...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Cancer, Diabetes, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Obesity, Vitamins
A Windfall of Science on Apples
We write about natural remedies we believe are good for human health. Why this focus? It’s not to encourage avoidance of pharmaceutical drugs when medical care is an imperative. To the contrary, Canadians and Americans have the luxury of the world’s best doctors, medicinal drugs, and healthcare facilities. But health systems are overwhelmed. To ease the crush, people who are not yet ill should take up responsibility to stay healthy. Good health is not achieved through inaction. Live a poor lifestyle and illness will come as sure as night follows day. But the talents of doctors and the cure of drugs are best reserved for the unlucky who lose the health lottery. For young people and the healthy aging population, a proactive,...Read More
Nutrition
The Seedy Story Beneath Healthy Cranberries
Cranberries are a superfood. They are known to fight urinary tract infections. They have anti-inflammatory properties. Cranberries promote heart health. Researchers are even exploring a potential role in reducing cancer risk. But a myopic view that sees only the nutritional value of cranberries misses the larger not-so-pretty picture. It's a cruel irony that so healthy a berry has endured the unhealthy violations brought on by industry’s unthinking push for production and humankind’s fixation with sugar. Cranberries have been a staple of Thanksgiving celebrations for centuries. Harvard University served them at commencement dinner as early as 1703. A recipe for cranberry sauce appeared in a 1796 cookbook. General Ulysses S. Grant ordered his Union Army be served cranberries with the holiday meal in...Read More
Diabetes, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Obesity
Online Grocery Shopping a Cause for Concern
Food products in stores are changing. Shoppers easily find more processed, attractively packaged, and conveniently prepared meals. With online shopping, the way these products are now selected and put in the cart has changed too. For that, consumers may be paying more than just the price of inflation. Online food shopping has become the norm for many people. Home delivery of groceries may be a convenience, but consumers are losing their moment of discernment. Even if online customers take the time to click through product pages checking nutritional information, in-store shopping assistants frequently turn to substitute products and don’t take notice when ingredients in products have changed. Food deliveries arrive with frequent surprises. “That’s not what I ordered,” must be among the...Read More
Nutrition
Is Cholesterol the Enemy?
The headline of a prestigious health and nutrition publication reads, “Do we need to limit dietary cholesterol?” For decades, the answer was yes. We were told to limit our intake of cholesterol to 300 milligrams (mg) or less daily to decrease the risk of heart attack. Was it just a catchy headline? Cholesterol is not the devil incarnate. We would die without it. Cholesterol is a part of all cell membranes, needed to make vitamin D, bile acids and some hormones. Some medical specialists have long cautioned that cholesterol is not the culprit in cardiovascular disease. One of the world’s most famous cardiac surgeons remarked that many of his heart attack patients had normal blood cholesterol levels. We know that if we consume...Read More
Nutrition, Orthopedics, Pediatrics
Building Up Bones for a Lifetime
What’s one of the worst errors that young people make early in life? It’s the failure to practice preventive medicine. So, let’s have a talk with young people about how to protect their bones for a lifetime. We know that kids of all ages break bones playing sports. It’s annoying when this happens, leaving them sidelined from sports and play with friends for a few weeks. But breaking a bone becomes more than an inconvenience for adults, as full recovery becomes less likely. The older one is, the more breaking a bone may have life-changing consequences, including being forever consigned to a wheelchair. But why do bones become brittle with age, and can it be avoided? Many people think bones are hard and...Read More
Cardiovascular, Lifestyle, Nutrition
Do You Have an Inflammatory Lifestyle?
Chronic inflammation is unlike what happens with a cut or an invading germ when the immune system mounts a fight and then stands down. In such cases, inflammation is part of the healing response. But when lifestyle issues have the immune system active all the time, there may be no symptoms, but plenty of costs. Dr. Erin Michos, Director of Women’s Cardiovascular Health at Johns Hopkins Medicine, explains, “Sustained low levels of inflammation irritate your blood vessels. Inflammation may promote the growth of plaques, loosen plaque in your arteries and trigger blood clots — the primary cause of heart attacks and strokes.” Rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes involve chronic inflammation. Immune cells and the antibodies they produce create swelling to help isolate the...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Diabetes, Nutrition, Obesity
Reversing Pre-Diabetes with Glycemic Control
The most important thing readers should have learned from last week’s column is that pre-diabetes is reversible. And fancy pharmaceuticals aren’t to thank. Rather, it’s glycemic control, achieved naturally, by managing blood sugar with the help of concentrated brown seaweed. But what’s glycemic control? And what’s so special about brown seaweed? For decades, this column has advocated for a change in lifestyle as a strategy for reversing the steady societal march towards higher and higher rates of type 2 diabetes – the consequence of complacency about obesity and other risk factors. But either people aren’t listening, or they are being overwhelmed by negative socioeconomic factors, such as the costs of healthy food choices, lack of time for the preparation of healthy...Read More
Cardiovascular, Neurology, Nutrition, Orthopedics, Pain, Vitamins
Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency
Magnesium is involved in roughly 80 percent of metabolic functions in the body. It is critical in delivering energy to cells and for the production of glutathione, an important antioxidant inside cells. Today, due to depletion of magnesium in the soil and modern food processing, about 60 percent of North Americans are deficient in this vital mineral. This hidden depletion could be causing diverse symptoms. Suffering Migraine Attacks? About 15 percent of the population experience one or more migraine attacks due to constricted blood vessels. Studies show that blood levels of magnesium in migraine patients are low compared to healthy patients. But they are even lower during a migraine attack. An intravenous injection of magnesium relaxes constricted vessels and relieves migraine pain. Feeling...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Nutrition
Eat Healthy Without Breaking the Bank
How would you like to have a cart full of healthy foods and still save money? Anyone who does the grocery shopping will tell you, it is more expensive to buy the ingredients for a healthy diet like vegetables, nuts, fruit and fish than the refined grains, processed prepared foods and meats of an unhealthy diet. Is there a way to buy healthy and keep costs down? Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, Professor of Nutrition at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, emphasizes that it is worth spending the time to spend your grocery dollars wisely. “We have seen again and again that people who eat more fruits and vegetables have a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancers and...Read More
Lifestyle, Nutrition
How to Make Takeout Meals Healthy
Eating takeout meals can be a way of life, often driven by the necessity for fast, convenient food. During the pandemic, enthusiasts for restaurant dining have created a surge in demand for takeout meals. Unfortunately, fast food outlets have never been beacons of nutritional value. But have times changed? With the plethora of new home meal delivery services and more conscious consumers, is it possible to eat healthy delivery or pickup meals? Here are three tips. First, watch out for sugar and salt. Today, most sodium consumed is from added salt during commercial food processing. Fast food outlets often use high levels of salt. Restaurants also tend to use excess salt. One study by Tufts University found that a single full-service meal...Read More
Nutrition
Is Your Lack of Energy Due to Anemia?
William 1 of Germany remarked on his death bed, “I have no time to be tired.” But often people suffer from being tired and having low energy years before they leave this planet. For some with fatigue, a prescription for 8-hours daily use of a pillow is the best treatment. But over three million Americans and one million Canadians have undiagnosed anemia, a condition due to low levels of red blood cells that carry oxygenated blood to the body’s tissues. Is it possible that anemia may lead to misdiagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease? What should you do if you are feeling fatigued and weak for no obvious reason? A methodical approach is warranted. First, if the problem is anemia, then it is...Read More
Cardiovascular, Diabetes, Nutrition
Natural Magnesium from the Sea
Isak Dinesen, author of the great book “Out of Africa”, wrote, “The cure for anything is sea water.” Human physiological and environmental circumstances today suggest merit in Dinesen’s advice to look to the sea for replenishment of key minerals. Magnesium is one of the most important minerals that too many people are neglecting, and a good place to source it – whether in diet or supplement – is from the sea. Mineral deficiencies can sometimes cause minor problems. But they can also become lethal. Studies show that magnesium deficiency can range from 33% in young people to 60% in adults. This is the result of depletion in the amount of magnesium in the soil, as well as an increase in consumption...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Cardiovascular, Cholesterol, Diabetes, Nutrition, Pain
“Beeting” Yourself to Increase Good Health
Would you like to improve your physical endurance? An exercise routine is the answer. Being physically and mentally active leads to a longer life. But diet can help too. You can start “beeting” yourself to improved health simply by adding beets to your menu. You should also know that nitrates in beets can treat more than one medical problem. Atherosclerosis, thickening of the inside lining of arteries, decreases the flow of oxygenated blood to coronary arteries. This results in anginal pain or heart attack. For years researchers have known that nitroglycerine eases angina. But they had no idea why it dilated coronary arteries and increased blood flow to the heart. Then, three U.S researchers received the Nobel Prize for proving it was nitric...Read More
Cardiovascular, Nutrition
Changez votre santé cardiaque en trois mois ou moins
On dit souvent qu’il est acceptable de commettre une erreur, mais qu’il est inacceptable de répéter cette erreur. Pensez-y donc à deux fois si vous croyez qu’une alimentation riche en poissons suffit à elle seule pour vous apporter suffisamment d’acides gras essentiels (EPA et DHA) pour réduire votre risque de crise cardiaque. Quelle ne fut pas notre surprise lorsque nous avons constaté, en étudiant les tests sanguins, que malgré une alimentation très saine, notre apport en huiles de poisson ne faisait pas le poids! Mais qu’est-ce qu’on n’a pas compris? Et comment faire pour rectifier la situation? C'est connu, la plupart des huiles traversent notre organisme, qui est à base d’eau, jusqu’à ce qu’elles soient décomposées par les enzymes dans l’intestin...Read More
Cardiovascular, Nutrition
Change Your Heart Health in Three Months or Less
It’s said, “Being wrong is acceptable, but staying wrong is unacceptable.” So think twice if you believe a high fish diet alone is providing you with enough essential fatty acids (EPA and DHA) to decrease your risk of heart attack. We were shocked when blood tests showed, despite our healthy diets, that our absorption of fish oils was not making the grade. What are people getting wrong? And how can you get it right? Oil and water do not easily mix, and most oils pass through your water-based body until enzymes in the small intestine break down fats. But it’s a mistake to believe this process is perfect. We wrote previously about a supplement called Omega3X which uses digestive enzymes to facilitate...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Nutrition, Sports, Vitamins
Can Athletes Escape Covid Virus?
Professional sporting events have never been entirely about the game. Team owners, player sponsorships, media contracts, ticket sales, and merchandising licenses are the playgrounds of big business. But the tiniest of offensive players, the novel coronavirus, has upended the sporting world. It has become a matter of great debate whether your grandmother or your favourite sports star should have priority for a vaccine. Take NHL hockey as an example. A delayed season has started. Only a handful of arenas are allowing limited spectators to attend the games. The league is working hard to keep players safe from COVID-19, but games have been delayed and postponed due to positive tests among players, coaches and staff. As one wise sage remarked, “It’s hard...Read More
Nutrition
Depleted Soil at the Root of Poor Health
We recently wrote about the gut microbiome – the remarkable digestive ecosystem that influences how nutrients and bacteria contribute to weight management, organ function, and even our mental health. But did you know there is a soil microbiome, and that this too affects your health? It turns out, we’ve not taken good care of it. Perhaps you already worry about the air you breathe and the water you drink. You are, at least, choosing healthy foods that deliver the nutrition you need. You don’t buy processed products, don’t drink soda, and limit salt intake. Maybe you are even vegan, feeling good about both your health and your carbon footprint. But you may need to consult with a farmer, not a doctor,...Read More
Nutrition, Obesity
Questions About the Ketogenic Diet
What is a ketogenic diet? How does it differ and is it more effective than other diets? Apart from the hype surrounding this diet, what are the medical concerns about it? Recent marketing of the ketogenic diet suggests it’s a new one. But a report from the University of California says it’s been used for years to treat medical problems such as epilepsy in children. But what is it about the ketogenic diet that causes weight loss? A major factor is that it’s low in carbohydrates and high in fats. Blood sugar (glucose) is normally the body’s main source of energy. But when blood sugar is diminished by eating less carbohydrates, the body is unable to maintain needed levels. To compensate, the body...Read More
Gastroenterology, Nutrition, Obesity
It takes guts to have good health
Why is it that some people eat to their heart’s content and never gain a pound, while others gain weight with a glance at the plate? As Bill Gates said, “Life is not fair. Get used to it.” But fair or unfair, is there a complex, unseen system that plays a role in weight management for each of us? Your ability to maintain a healthy weight involves factors beyond diet and exercise. Some people’s metabolism, or operating system, is faster than others, requiring more energy to run. But there’s more than speed and efficiency. The gut microbiome contains microbial cells, including bacteria, that outnumber the cells in the body. Having evolved with us for millions of years, they all serve important functions,...Read More
Cardiovascular, Nutrition
Measure Your Coronary Risk with the Omega-3 Index
Heart disease is a leading cause of death in North America. Almost half of all U.S. adults have some type of cardiovascular disease, and in Canada, a woman dies of heart disease every 20 minutes. Heart disease is not often a disease of chance or bad luck. For the most part, it is a lifestyle disease. There are things we can do to prevent it. We write columns every week to help readers avoid becoming a statistic. The fact that omega-3 fatty acids can help make the difference between life and death has been a frequent topic. But don’t take our word for it. Take a test and find out for yourself. That’s exactly what we are doing. The Omega-3 Index is...Read More
Nutrition
What steak lovers should know about plant-based meats
We live at a time of growing choices regarding food substitutes. But how good are these new products when compared with the old staples? Think of margarine versus butter. Or more recently plant-based meats versus the real McCoy? Was William Shakespeare right when he wrote, “A substitute shines brightly as a King, until a King be by”? A report from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University provides plenty to chew on. Deciding what to do isn’t just a personal decision. It also involved implications for our planet. According to researchers at Tufts, sales of meat alternatives increased 30% in 2018. This increase is expected to continue since plant-based, meatless “meat” has become available at several fast-food outlets....Read More
Nutrition
How Safe and Nutritious Are Stored Canned Goods?
Are you sufficiently prepared for another crisis? What might possibly be the next disaster? You might argue, we are not yet out of the mess of the current one. And this should have us all thinking about keeping stock of essential supplies. Have you got the things you need? Hopefully not guns to protect your toilet paper! More importantly, what about canned foods? How nutritious are they compared to fresh produce? How long do they last stored under the bed? And when can they kill you? Even without a pandemic it’s prudent to have a supply of canned goods. Remember the last snowstorm, flood, or natural disaster, when it was too dangerous to get to a store or no power to...Read More
Lifestyle, Nutrition
Will Saying No to Meat Save Us?
As governments, workers, and health authorities debate reopening meat packing plants hit by outbreaks of the coronavirus, maybe now is the time to rethink how much meat we eat. In 1989 Margaret Thatcher, former U.K. Prime Minister, gave an impassioned speech before the United Nations General Assembly. The greatest threat to the world community, she said, “is more and more people, and their activities: The land they cultivate ever more intensively; The forests they cut down and burn; The mountain sides they lay bare; The fossil fuels they burn; The rivers and seas they pollute.” Some would now add, people are eating too much meat. Dr. Walter Willet, Harvard University’s renowned advocate for healthy diets, has argued for years that health consequences...Read More
