Dump the Vegetable Oil!

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For the past four decades, the U.S. government has warned that eating cholesterol-rich foods and saturated fat would promote heart disease. In that time, low-fat and fat-free foods have become more prominent on the grocery shelves. But have these changes made a difference in our overall health?

Dr Christopher Ramsden, of the National Institute of Health, unearthed raw data from Keys’ largest, most rigorous trial of its kind. Analysis of the data clearly showed that lowering cholesterol by consuming vegetable oils instead of saturated fat actually raised the risk of death from cardio vascular events. Read more

Is The Tissue Box Nearby?

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Spring is a beautiful time of year with trees bursting forth in fresh, green growth and flowers blooming in a rainbow of colors. For many of us, though, spring means excess mucus, itchy eyes and skin, and frustrating symptoms related to allergies.

As a child, I had plenty of challenges with allergies, including frequent breakouts in hives, swollen lips, and the more common runny nose and itchy eyes. No fun! Read more

Get a Move On!

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Do you shudder when you hear the word “exercise”? You aren’t alone if you do. What is behind your response – a dislike of sweat, an injury, a busy schedule?

There are many reasons why we may avoid exercise, yet it is critical for improving our overall health. What happens when you leave a tool with moving parts unused for a long time? It doesn’t move as well. And it’s the same for your body. Read more

Dealing With Stones?

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CitrusDo you know someone – friend, family member, or yourself – who has had their gallbladder removed? This procedure is increasingly common, and gallbladder disease is unfortunately on the rise among younger people, even teens.

The gallbladder is not a extra organ that you can easily do without. It is an important part of your digestive system, storing bile that is made by your liver until it is needed in your small intestine to emulsify fats. While you can survive without it, there are some important considerations to keep in mind. Read more

Stoke the Fire and Fuel Your Cells

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stomach-acidThere are several avenues by which the outside world enters your body, including breathing, consuming liquids or solids through your mouth, and absorption through your skin. Digestion is involved when you eat or drink.

Digestion – like breathing – is a process we tend to take for granted, unless you notice signs that something’s amiss.

Have you felt the burn of acid reflux or GERD? Read more

Loves Me, Loves Me Not

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choc-cover-strawberriesDo you love food? For many of us certain foods bring back memories of special events, people with whom we connect those foods, or something as simple as the taste in our mouths.

Would you ever imagine that some of the foods you really like to eat may not be working well for your body? Hippocrates said centuries ago, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” But just as food can be medicine, for some of us, there are foods to which your body reacts. Read more

Discover the Components of Sustainable Weight Loss

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Butt in Jeans
Two weeks into 2017 … how are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions? Did your resolutions – like so many others’ – include an intention to lose weight? I’m going to go out on a limb and guessing that you aren’t having a great deal of success.

Now, I don’t doubt your intention or your efforts. Yet I do know something about how our bodies work. We women tend to focus on body size, or more specifically, on the number on our scale.

How long have you been fighting the battle? How many different plans have you followed – counting calories, skipping meals, depriving yourself, feeling hungry, and counting more calories? Yes, calories matter. But hormones matter more. Read more

Simple Truths for Wellness

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Keep It SimpleAs January comes to a close, how would you evaluate this first month of 2017? Were you, like so many others, working to improve your health by losing weight and changing your food habits? How is that going? Don’t beat yourself up. Let’s regroup and simplify.

I have written frequently about food choices and I’m not going to rehash that subject here. What I do want to emphasize is what I call eating hygiene – as simple as HOW you eat. Read more

Get A Positive Start Daily

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Good ThingsA new year has begun and 2016 is behind us. If you are like me, you have a new calendar and turning to January you see a fresh page before you … full of possibilities and potential.

Do you view each New Year’s Day as an opportunity to begin again? Why not consider each day that way? Each morning that you awake lays before you the opportunity to shift and grow.

You aren’t bound by your past. It doesn’t define your potential. You are a living being who has the potential to grow each and every day. Ask any parent with a baby who is just learning to walk. They will tell you their baby stumbles, plops down or rolls onto the floor, but they get right back up and try again. You did, too, when you were little! Read more

Spice Up Your Holidays – and Your Health!

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whole-spicesYou may consider this week as the home stretch for the holidays, or are you may just be getting warmed up with Christmas, New Years and then the buildup for Mardi Gras? How are you faring thus far? Remembering to care for yourself?

One way that you can care for yourself is to incorporate spices into your food, or even a cup of tea, to support your body with the benefits they offer. My list of possibilities is pretty long, but let me offer a few options to get you started. Read more