If you've heard about the opioid epidemic — which is one of the major contributors to the deaths of despair we're seeing today — but haven't had it personally affect you in any way, take a look at this recent study. It found that fentanyl was detected in the toxicology reports of nearly two-thirds of the 196 people…
In our gluten-free diet world, it’s easy to get tripped up by the number of options. What’s actually good for me? Which alternatives are better left on the grocery store shelf? Corn flour is a gluten-free option that you should know about. There are some caveats — it shouldn’t always be your first choice — but…
In 2009, Harvard Researchers found that 62 percent of all 2007 bankruptcies were a direct result of medical debt. (1) While this is already almost a decade ago, not much has changed. Medical costs continue to be a leading reason why even people with health insurance experience debt, deplete their life savings or have to…
Starchy foods often have a bad reputation, but are you aware that there are different kinds of starch in food? One in particular, amylose, can actually help your body to maintain a healthy gut and possibly even address the root biological causes of psychological problems. Amylose is a resistant starch found in a large variety…
Elemental is defined as "primary or basic, related to or embodying the powers of nature." The elemental diet is a medical dietary strategy that uses very simple food solutions to provide essential nutrients, without adding a lot of stress to someone's already-overloaded digestive system. Variations of the elemental diet have been used safely by doctors since…
With the new year comes a host of health-related resolutions: exercise more frequently, perhaps cut out unhealthy ingredients like artificial sweeteners or maybe even reduce screen time and nomophobia. There’s one resolution, however, that’s often overlooked, can have a direct impact on your health and is easy to do: cook more at home! In fact,…
The vast majority of adults have been "on a diet" at some point in their lives, usually with the hopes of losing extra weight. One look into the plethora of diet advice and dietary plans available today, and it's easy to feel instantly overwhelmed by information, much of which is contradictory. From diet pills to…
I had been a professional food writer — as in, it was literally my job to eat my way around the world, reporting on the most delicious foods for magazines — for half a decade, and a bona fide food lover for 25 years before my “iron stomach” began to fail me. It started with…
Proton-pump inhibitors, or PPIs, are some of the most commonly prescribed medications in the world. In fact, one study estimates Americans spend $11 billion on PPIs each year. (1) These popular pills are prescribed for the prevention and treatment of acid-relation conditions like acid reflux. But you may or may not be surprised to learn that…
Diverticulitis is a painful and upsetting disturbance in the digestive tract, a colon disease, which can be effectively treated with the diverticulitis diet. While some individuals experience constant discomfort, others experience diverticulitis symptoms that wane and then flare up. Diet and a variety of risk factors can increase your chances of suffering from diverticulitis, especially…
