Kristen N. Smith, PhD, RDN, LD
If you’ve ever suffered from headaches, you’re well aware how disruptive they can be. When they strike, they might inconvenience an hour, wipe out an entire day, or in cases of migraine, especially vestibular migraine, they can negatively impact quality of life. More than 17 percent of women and nearly … Read More
We all know that calcium is good for our bones and milk is a great source of calcium. But what happens to our bones if we don’t drink milk due to dairy allergies or diets, such as a vegan diet? Vegans may be at risk for developing calcium deficiency, but … Read More
It would be great if there was an over-the-counter supplement that would boost your immune system enough to prevent a cold or the flu. Unfortunately, according to Harvard Medical School’s Harvard Health, there are no proven benefits to supplements for the immune system. In fact, the whole idea of boosting … Read More
Inflammation is a hot topic these days. With so many people suffering from chronic diseases, we are all looking for ways to reduce our risk. It turns out that diet is a major risk factor for inflammation and chronic disease. This fact has many people asking, “What anti-inflammatory foods should … Read More
Kidney stones can form when you have too much dissolved minerals and salts in your urine. [1] They can be tiny grains of stone that pass through your urine painlessly, but larger stones can get stuck, block the flow of urine, and be extremely painful. [2] About 50 percent of … Read More
In the world of ever-increasing numbers of sophisticated, expensive cholesterol-lowering treatments, there’s one highly effective, “old-school” therapy that tends to get ignored: fiber. By now, it’s a well-established fact that you can cheaply and easily lower LDL naturally by increasing your fiber intake, either through foods or supplements. And yet, … Read More
Almonds are one of my favorite snacks, but they’ve gotten a bad rap as a high-fat food over the years. The truth is that you can forget their high fat and calorie content, the data on nuts are now indisputable. If you’re still asking, “Are nuts good for you?” you … Read More
Instead of reaching for an unhealthy energy drink or soda, try one of the following eight energy-boosting foods. 1. Green Tea Caffeine (coffee, tea, chocolate, cola, energy drinks) is a drug, a strong stimulant that actually generates a stress reaction in the body. Try going for three weeks without caffeine. … Read More
Following the Mediterranean diet meal plan can protect your health in a number of ways: reducing the risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, obesity, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, and more. But getting started on this program can seem overwhelming, especially if you’re used to a … Read More
Vitamin E is one of the main antioxidants in the body, which helps protect cells from damage caused by free radicals (such as pollution, UV rays, or compounds formed by our bodies from the food we eat). It is essential for the nervous, cardiovascular, reproductive, musculoskeletal, and other systems to … Read More
