Nutrition

Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat, Nutrition

Protecting Eyesight with the Right Food

March 16, 2024

It was 200 years ago that Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, a French lawyer and culinary writer, first wrote “Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.”  It’s a simple and enduring message. But people are not being watchful of what they eat, and it is having far-reaching consequences, not just around the middle. Like other organs, the eyes are affected by diet. Many research teams have shown that a poor diet increases the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) of the eye. Today AMD is the leading cause of severe vision loss for those over the age of 65. By 75 one in three North Americans have early signs of AMD. A command given to American soldiers at the...Read More

Alternate Treatments, Gastroenterology, Infection, Nutrition, Vitamins

In the Lab with Natural Immune Formulas

January 27, 2024

This week let’s look behind the scenes, in the labs where doctors and scientists are designing health supplements that address specific goals. What’s motivating them? What are they trying to do? And how successful are they? There are thousands of natural health supplements on the market – from vitamins and minerals to botanicals and proteins, plus all kinds of things falling into categories like enzymes and fatty acids. Then on top of this, there all the natural therapies offered by physical therapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and so on. Collectively, it’s a mega-billion set of industries. Complicating the scene are corporations, like Proctor & Gamble, Bayer, and Abbott. Going toe to toe in the marketplace with these giants are small businesses, whom we can...Read More

Alternate Treatments, Gastroenterology, Neurology, Nutrition

Postbiotics for the Gut, Body, and Brain

January 20, 2024

Last week’s column suggested we are minnows in the grand life adventure. This week we’ll look at little beings in our bellies that seem to have outsized influence. What is it about these microscopic components of the gut-brain connection that leads us to thinking that a postbiotic supplement might be a very good investment. The gut microbiome is like a neighbourhood of friends you carry around in and on your body for your entire life. Just as the environment outside your body and the way you live your life have consequences for your well-being, this gooey world in your gut has enormous impact on your health, from head to toe and cradle to grave. What exactly is it? The gut-brain microbiome refers...Read More

Diabetes, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Obesity

Why Some People Die Early and Others Live On

December 9, 2023

What’s the most depressing part of a newspaper? It’s the obituary section where you see many people dying too early in life. What causes these untimely deaths? A Gifford-Jones Law states that one bad health problem inevitably leads to another and another, causing people to die early. One of the cardinal sins is not having a healthy and sensible breakfast. Where to lay blame? It’s the neglectful practices of food companies, governments, schools, and parents, all of whom are commonly ignoring the hazard. The breakfast sin is found everywhere. Nearly every restaurant serving breakfast is guilty of pushing the wrong foods. We recently found sinful breakfasts in a high-end retirement residence in Toronto. Even upon request for a high fibre cereal,...Read More

Diabetes, Gastroenterology, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Obesity, Philosophy

An Excess of Stupidity Is Still the Problem

October 7, 2023

At a breakneck pace, today’s world threatens to leave us gasping for breath. You name it – climate change and pollution, the global demographic explosion, autocratic rulers trampling civil society, or the threat of AI’s unintended consequences. But for all the things where meaningful influence is out of the hands of most of us, why are these still so many things well within our control that we do so little to change? Consumers have a lot of power, for example, but too infrequently use it. If you don’t like the microplastics in the ocean, stop buying food sold in excessive packaging. When affordable public transportation is available, we spend far more to drive our own vehicles. We buy enough clothing to...Read More

Alternate Treatments, Cardiovascular, Lifestyle, Neurology, Nutrition, Obesity, Philosophy

Starving the Gut Feeds the Brain

August 19, 2023

If our bodies could speak to our brains, many would hear this: “Dear brain, please know the difference between being hungry and bored. Sincerely, I’m getting fat!” Who doesn’t turn to food when the doldrums set in? The smart brains would offer their hosts three pieces of advice. One, eat nutritional food. Two, limit portion sizes. And three, now and again, engage in fasting. Why fasting? Because studies show that for obese and skinny people alike, after prolonged reduction of food intake, the body’s defences improve against stresses. Cardiovascular risks decline. And the brain functions better. Temporary cessation of eating provokes chemical changes throughout the body. Ketones are a type of chemical the liver produces when it breaks down fats. The body...Read More

Lifestyle, Nutrition, Vitamins

Potassium by the Doctrine of the Golden Mean

August 5, 2023

Aristotle’s doctrine of the golden mean lauds the middle ground of two extremes: excess and deficiency. But not everyone follows this sage advice. And not all vitamins and minerals send clear signals of absence or excess. This week, a look at potassium, the third most abundant mineral in the body. People, animals, and plants all depend on potassium for essential functions. Depleted soil requires potassium to be replaced with fertilizer. Young animals lacking potassium will quickly die. In people, there’s danger in either too much or too little potassium. But a healthy diet, including healthy drinks, is the best approach. The American Heart Association recommends 3,400 milligrams (mg) of potassium per day for men and 2,600 mg per day for women. A...Read More

Alternate Treatments, Lifestyle, Medicine, Nutrition, Philosophy, Vitamins

Government’s Good Intentions Gone Bad

July 15, 2023

Everyone wants a safe, effective, and accessible supply of the products that keep us healthy. Doctors and patients need proven drugs. People seeking to prevent illness with natural remedies also need good products. But governments trying to ensure quality are putting measures in place that will limit the variety of supplements, make them more expensive, and make it harder for smaller companies with innovative products to compete. Natural products like vitamin C, fish oil, magnesium, calcium, and many other supplements are ingredients to good health. For the cost of a cup or coffee, daily supplementation can address deficiencies in the diet, add antioxidants, reduce inflammation, support the immune system, build bone, etc. For example, vitamin C and lysine in high doses help...Read More

Cardiovascular, Gastroenterology, Nutrition

Fish Oil: Superhero of Supplements

April 15, 2023

You may be forgiven if you are unfamiliar with Aquaman, a superhero who breathes underwater, communicates with sea creatures, and possesses superhuman strength and agility. But revisit past columns if you haven’t learned that fish are the real superheroes. Why? Because when mere mortals consume fish, their bodies gain extraordinary powers to fight the arch-nemesis of illness. Studies have repeatedly shown that the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil have remarkable health benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease, improving cognitive function, and reducing inflammation throughout the body. To gain these benefits, eating enough fatty fish, like salmon and mackerel, isn’t easy, especially with high food prices. For a fraction of the cost, fish oil supplements are a no-brainer. What’s preventing...Read More

Cholesterol, Gastroenterology, Nutrition, Obesity

What Is the Best Nutritional Advice Ever Given?

April 8, 2023

How long has this column recommended a high-fiber diet? Since March 1978 when readers were informed that processed foods create a “slow assembly line” in the bowels. Now some of the world’s most highly regarded nutritional scientists at Imperial College London say dietary fiber is “the best health advice of all time”! What is it about fiber that is so important? Soluble fiber dissolves in the stomach and can help lower blood cholesterol and glucose levels. Insoluble fiber passes through the digestive system, supporting a faster assembly line that moves waste out, reducing the risks for hemorrhoids and colon disease that creep up when hard stools loiter the bowels. Experts agree that women need about 25-30 grams of fiber daily, and men...Read More

Nutrition

Ecosystem Biodiversity Important to Human Health and Nutrition

April 1, 2023

The routine of modern-day life for most of us involves regular trips to the grocery store and three meals a day. The regular patterns of our diet can be a source of comfort or a rushed necessity. But is eating the same familiar foods – often the same recipes, products, brands, over and over, day by day – good for us? As nutritious as a “well-balanced” diet may be, there are good reasons to strive for a more diverse diet. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the acclaimed Nigerian writer, was not referring to plant and animal ecosystems when she wrote, "Diversity is not about feeling included, it's about feeling valued." Yet, she’d surely agree. Unless biodiversity is valued, it will lose ground, quite literally. Now,...Read More

Gastroenterology, Lifestyle, Nutrition

Don’t Let Food Safety in the Kitchen Lapse

March 18, 2023

It’s an age-old problem, but not one that should come with age. Yet, compared to younger culinary novices, elderly people may be more prone to making mistakes in food preparation that can lead to food poisoning. Kitchens can be a dangerous place. So no harm in having a refresher to make sure food safety in the kitchen doesn’t lapse. You know why. Recall that occasion when it seemed like a good meal – until later, when cramps, nausea and diarrhea had you vowing never to eat again.  Unless you’ve been visiting uncared for places or you are victim to an outbreak of foodborne illness, there’s no excuse for food poisoning other than an unfortunate mistake. Unfortunately, mistakes happen, and with some frequency...Read More

Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Nutrition

A Fast for the Holidays

December 27, 2022

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

October 29, 2022

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

September 10, 2022

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

August 27, 2022

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

July 16, 2022

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?

April 16, 2022

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

March 19, 2022

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?

February 12, 2022

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

October 9, 2021

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

July 31, 2021

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

June 26, 2021

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

May 22, 2021

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?

May 8, 2021

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