Recently we looked at 3 food additives that we all need to avoid: high fructose corn syrup, trans fats, and monosodium glutamate or MSG. While high fructose corn syrup and trans fats are easy to spot if you read the ingredient list on your food label (not the marketing hype), MSG is a lot tougher to spot because it can be appear as yeast extract, autolyzed yeast or something prefaced with the word hydrolyzed. In fact there are dozens of ingredients that contain MSG hidden within the foods you regularly eat and consuming them can lead to headaches, migraines, mood [Read More]

This is the last of four articles in the fruits and vegetables series. Previously, I looked at picking the right fruits and vegetables, examined how pesticides affect produce, and why frozen fruits and vegetables are better than canned. One reason why frozen comes out the winner is that canned food contains Bisphenol A or BPA, which is a major concern when eating canned fruits and vegetables. BPA is an industrial compound that has been shown to be toxic even at low doses. It is an endocrine disruptor, which means that it acts as a hormone in the body, taking up [Read More]

After the article I wrote on aspartame came out, many people asked me about sucralose, found in the little yellow packets and also known as Splenda. Even if you are one who says “I never use artificial sweeteners,” sucralose is found in some surprising places you might not suspect. Like aspartame, sucralose is found in all kinds of low-fat, low-sugar, fat-free, no-sugar added, or reduced calorie foods from diet soda to gum, to juice and applesauce, to hot chocolate, ice cream and candy. But sucralose is also a common ingredient in protein and fitness shakes such as Visalus and Andrew [Read More]

We all want to look and feel our best and stay healthy, vibrant and full of energy but it can be hard when our days are packed full and we are under stress trying to get everything done. There may be little time to work out or we may be thrown off of our daily eating habits by changes in routine. Then when we are not at our best, we are confronted with temptations at gatherings, given food gifts by family and friends, or find ourselves eating out more than we normally do. As we count down to 2014, there [Read More]

You can’t pick up the paper or scan the online headlines without seeing something about cholesterol and heart health. Recent headlines challenged the guidelines and argued more people need statins. If you read my previous article on cholesterol, you’ll know why that’s not the answer. In this article, I’d like to share with you why why LDL cholesterol is not ‘bad’ and why having your good LDL numbers doesn’t mean you are safe from a heart attack or stroke. Cholesterol levels are not a good predictor of your heart health and in this article, you will begin to see why [Read More]