Bone broth has been used throughout human history. Remember chicken help heals the cold (and the soul).

Amino acids are broken down from proteins in our diet by a properly functioning digestive system. Foods high in proteins are usually sufficient to give us our necessary amount of amino acids.

Part of an integrative approach to wellness is checking for nutritional deficiencies that can contribute to, or even cause, imbalances in blood sugar (glucose). Increased consumption of simple carbohydrates in your diet can increase blood insulin levels, which, in turn, can deplete a number of essential nutrients.

The culprit is gluten, a mixture of proteins including gliadins and glutenins, known for giving wheat dough its elastic texture. Gluten is also found in barley, oats, spelt, kamut and several other foods. A rise in gluten sensitivity and celiac disease, a serious autoimmune disease in which gluten damages the small intestine, has led folks to search out gluten-free options.

Almost immediately as immigrants arrive in the US and their diet changes, their gut bacteria changes. Microbial diversity decreases substantially and measurably. Those bacteria that most effectively metabolize complex carbohydrates reduce substantially.

The flora shifts from Prevotella dominance to Bacteroides dominance (and these changes propagate across generations).

Childhood obesity is increasing across the US. Childhood obesity is associated with lifetime obesity. Obesity is a primary predictor of development of diabetes type II, heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and sleep apnea. So it stands to reason that working to decrease childhood obesity is a valuable investment for the child’s future health.

As more people discover that their allergies, asthma, autoimmune diseases and neurodevelopmental disorders are exacerbated by food allergies and intolerances, these people learn that removing allergenic foods, such as gluten, from their diets makes them feel better.

Sprouts are easy to grow year-round in your kitchen. They are inexpensive and densely nutritious. If you grow sprouts, make sure they get proper air circulation and drainage to avoid mold.

Health isn’t found in a bottle – not a bottle of medications, not a bottle of botanicals, supplements, minerals, or vitamins. Very often, bottled natural products are difficult to digest. The pills are compressed and the components are synthetic. They often do not contain enough of any component for those with significant issues, and may be too much for those who are already nutritionally well-balanced.

I am a 50-year-old man and I feel like I’ve hit a wall. My stamina is gone. I am gaining weight. My enjoyment of life has decreased. I feel like I’m falling apart. Is there something I can do?

Love and your microbiome. Just another reason to wonder who is really running our show: our minds, our hearts/emotions, or our gut and its treasure trove of bacteria? Does a more diverse microbiome help you or your bacteria identify and mate with your best prospective spouse? It is a gut level question.

Buying supplements can be a daunting task for the average consumer. Yet, it is not difficult to buy good quality, effective supplements if you are well informed.

Supplements should never be used as a replacement for the basic tenets of health. No pill, tablet, capsule or liquid, natural or pharmaceutical, can replace a healthy lifestyle combining proper nutrition, exercise and stress management.

If you happen to be one of the millions of Americans who experience gas and bloating, then read on.

Gas and bloating most often happen after eating. That’s the clue. It has to do with how the food you eat is being digested by the bacteria in your stomach.

We’ve known for a long time that what we eat effects our health. We’ve also known that what we eat can change our gut flora (bacteria). This study attempts to discern whether the food we eat is correlated to changes in our gut flora and to how our immune system works.

The New Year and the Spring are prime ’detoxing’ times as folks try to reset their health. Often folks opt for the intense ‘quick’ fix. Beware: Not all detoxes are healthy.

Sugar activates the same pleasure centers in your brain that hard drugs like morphine and heroin do, and you get a dopamine rush from consuming it. No wonder it’s so hard to give up!

Many of the new herbal products that are coming to the market are based on centuries of anecdotal information that has been handed down from generation to generation.

This study was a very short study – only 28 days – that sought to explore a very big question: Are statins better than supplements and placebo.

Most people over 40 are recommended to get an annual cholesterol test that measures total cholesterol, HDL (good cholesterol), LDL (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides. Individuals with known high cholesterol may be tested every 4 to 6 months.

Conversations about healthy nutrition often end with the observation that eating healthy is expensive. This tends to be true and is in itself a disturbing observation on the nature of our food industry and agribusiness. However, the sentiment is better framed, “Would it be too costly if I were to eat healthy food but less of it in general?” The question is not just the cost of food. The question is also how much food do we need to optimize our health.