The odds are that you or someone you know experiences heartburn. Around half of North American adults experience it at least once per month. Somewhere between 10-20% have it at least once per week! Heartburn, also known as reflux, occurs when the strong acid in your stomach creeps up into your esophagus. It[…]
No question that what you eat can affect how you feel, right? Mental health and brain health are complex. So are the foods we eat, and the ways our bodies interact with those foods. While, we don’t know the exact mechanisms how food and nutrition help, we know a few ways food impacts[…]
All fat is NOT created equal! Fat is one of the three critical macronutrients; along with protein and carbohydrates. Some fats are super-health-boosting; and, others are super-health-busting. Health-building fats support your brain, hormones, immune system, heart health, and mood. Health-busting fats pretty much bust all of these (brain, hormones, immune system, heart[…]
Do you ever feel a bit “overextended” in the belly after a meal? Perhaps “gassy?” Have you ever carried a “food baby?” Well, bloating is common. Up to 25-30% of people experience it regularly. It happens when you have trouble digesting. The symptoms come from excess gas, reactions to foods, or food not[…]
It’s official! Organizations and governments are (finally) declaring a maximum amount of daily sugar intake. While this is a step forward, there are still a few problems. One – they don’t all agree with each other. And, two, we don’t necessarily agree with them either. We all know sugar is NOT[…]
Yes, there are lots of different kinds of salt: pink, iodized, kosher, sea, etc. They come from salt mines in the ground, or from evaporating the water out of salt water. What they all have in common is that infamous mineral that we’re going to talk about below: sodium. In food, salt is[…]
Multivitamins are exactly what they sound like: multiple vitamins. They’re supplements that contain several different vitamins in each one. They can also contain several minerals and other ingredients like amino acids or fatty acids. And because there are multiple ingredients, there are low doses of each ingredient. In fact, they are the most[…]
If you often feel hungry, you are not alone! There are many reasons to feel hungry. Of course, the most obvious one is that you are actually physically hungry. Perhaps your stomach is empty, your blood sugar has dropped, and your hunger hormones are having a party. But other times, the hunger may not[…]
When we think of “vitamins,” we know they’re super-important for health. But vitamin D is special. It’s difficult to get enough vitamin D; vitamin D is, therefore, a very common deficiency. So, let’s talk about how much of this critical fat-soluble vitamin we need, and how you can get enough. The[…]
Let me ask you this: Have you looked at the ingredients on a food label lately? How about a “processed” food label; like famous brands of cookies, cereals, or junky snack foods? Do you have those ingredients in your house? Do you even know what all of those ingredients are? There are[…]
Now…if you know me and my cooking skills, give me a chance! lol Honestly, I have never found cooking to be all that fun. Cooking has NEVER been at the top of my priority list! I have used the “I can’t cook” excuse way too many times in order to avoid it entirely. But[…]
Not many things get people as riled up as defending what they eat and why. At ELW, we are diet agnostic. What does that mean? Agnostic healthy eating is a diet in which no food groups are excluded, no nutrients are marginalized, and no special rules are followed, but in which the overall quality is[…]
Glycemic this and glycemic that. Does it matter? You’ll notice that they both begin with “glycemic.” That’s one tip that they have to do with sugars and carbs. Not only how much sugar is in foods, but more importantly, how it affects your blood sugar levels. In general, diets that are high[…]
Let’s finally put an end to the debate of raw vs. cooked. Of course, in the grand scheme of a well-balanced, nutrient-dense, varied, whole foods diet, the cooked vs. raw debate isn’t that critical for most people. Where this can become a consideration is for vitamin and mineral deficiencies (or “insufficiencies”). These[…]
Inflammation. It’s not just for health headlines. It’s a fact. Scientists are measuring levels of inflammation in our bodies and finding that it can be pretty bad for our health; this is especially true when it’s chronic (i.e. lasts a long time). Inflammation has been linked to obesity, heart disease, Alzheimer’s,[…]