For years we’ve heard about the health benefits of eating eggs. Eggs are a cheap, versatile source of protein, and we’ve scrambled, poached, baked and whipped them into everything from soups to custards. But what about the eggshell? Studies suggest that we may be missing out on a valuable source of calcium when we toss…
Sometimes, powerful world-changers come in small packages. Believe it or not, this is very true for broccoli sprouts, the precursor to mature broccoli. Until the last couple of decades, vegetable sprouts were given little to no attention from a nutritional standpoint. However, a 1997 piece in the New York Times changed all that, making the…
Ayurveda, considered a natural system of healing wisdom, originated in India more than 5,000 years ago. (1) This Sanskrit word Ayurveda translates as “the knowledge of life" (ayur means life, while veda means science or knowledge). Ayurvedic medicine is still practiced widely today in modern India and now also extends its influence worldwide, including the practice…
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…
Corneal ulcers are a fairly common eye condition that often results from an open sore on the cornea becoming infected. The cornea plays a vital role in eye health and vision. Proper treatment by an ophthalmologist is critical to prevent further damage to the eye and prevent permanent vision changes or blindness. (1) The ulcer…
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,…
Across America, food "scraps" are often trimmings, skins and seeds tossed in the garbage. But as I started investigating these "waste products," I quickly found many of these actually serve as edible food parts with robust nutrition. In fact, many ancient cultures, including Chinese medicine and Native American remedies, tapped the healthy compounds in some of…
Just as its name might imply, brewer's yeast is a tiny, single-celled fungus that is a staple ingredient in the brewing of beer. Surprisingly, it also comes with a host of health benefits and has been used historically as a natural remedy for everything from insomnia to increasing the milk supply for breastfeeding. Recent studies…
For decades, dietary fat has been plagued with a bad reputation as reduced-fat products hit the shelves and low-fat diets took center stage. However, dietary fat as well as essential fatty acids are two critical components of good health. Fat plays a role in just about every aspect of health, right down to the very…
Is a grain-free diet right for you? There are a number of healthy diet options these days. Depending on your goals, convictions, and conditions or disease risk, you should have no problem (with some research legwork) figuring out what is best for your needs. One popular option, particularly for those with celiac disease, gluten intolerance…
