Vitamins, additives and nutrition BLOG

April is Women’s Nutrition Month, and most of the media coverage has focused on how women’s nutrition needs differ from men’s. Because of their smaller size, most adult women require fewer calories and less protein, for example. On the other hand, women need more iron (almost twice as much as men), at least until they stop menstruating.

But I found myself curious about what women do eat, as opposed to what they Read the rest of this entry »

Q. I have recently developed macular degeneration. What are the best foods I can eat to inhibit this condition?

A. Macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of blindness in the U.S., has several probable causes, including genetics, smoking, and exposure to UV radiation from the sun. But diet also appears to play a major role in your risk. In particular, people whose diets contain more lutein and other carotenoids have a reduced Read the rest of this entry »

“High intakes of red or processed meat may increase your risk of mortality.” So conclude the authors of a ten-year study involving half a million people, published in this week’s Archives of Internal Medicine.

The authors found that those who ate the most red meat were about 20% more likely to die of cancer than those who ate the least. The risk of cardiovascular disease was also elevated in those who ate more red meat. (Eating more Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Tena Moore

Imagine that you are a doctor. You are committed to making sure your patients have the best care possible and you are committed to upholding your Hippocratic Oath, the oath you took to uphold the ethical practice of medicine. Also imagine that you have seen many studies and read a lot of research showing the effectiveness of many natural remedies and therapies that could be helpful for your Read the rest of this entry »

In a paper published in a Canadian medical journal last week, researchers argue that the benefits of taking fish oil are not well enough substantiated to justify its widespread use. The authors are concerned that the growing demand for fish oil will deplete fish populations.

Not well enough substantiated? That’s pretty hard to fathom. The evidence linking the consumption of oily fish or fish oil supplements with improved cardiovascular Read the rest of this entry »

Did you drop potatoes from your menu back when they became the carbohydrate villains of the low-carb diet fad? That’s really a shame, because when you prepare them properly, they’re very good for you.

Potatoes are good for your health because they contain fiber, vitamins B6 and C, lots of potassium, plus phytonutrients that help keep your blood pressure normal. Potatoes are also low in calories.

Visit Potato Goodness from Read the rest of this entry »

Q. Most of my recipes give the ingredients in cups, teaspoons, and tablespoons, not grams or ounces. But when analyzing recipes on ND, I can’t always find the measurements I need. For example, I wanted to add 1/3 cup of dried egg whites to a recipe but my only options were grams or ounces. How do I convert these measurements ?

A. We have a conversion tool, which you’ll find on the right hand side Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Tena Moore

Vegetarianism is on the rise. Whether people are choosing to forgo eating animals for health reasons or for animal cruelty or environmental reasons, they are certainly choosing to do so in high numbers, including America’s youth.

A recent study tried to capture the amount of children that are vegetarians. The study was done by the government and was their first attempt at a ‘vegetarian Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Tena Moore

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is a Federal agency that funds projects, conducts research, trains researchers, and shares findings and information with the public about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Under this agency CAM is defined as health care that is not regarded as a component of conventional medicine. This can include products such Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Tena Moore

It’s taken quite a long time, but conventional medical doctors are starting to take notice of, and even incorporate, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) into their treatments. They pretty much have to – their patients are using it with or without them. A recent study found that nearly 40 percent of adults and 12 percent of children polled were using some form of CAM. Whether patients Read the rest of this entry »