Today not only marks the first day of February, but also the beginning of American Heart Month. I can’t think of a better way to address the important topic of cardiovascular health than to present a recent Q&A session with one of the leading figures in exercise and nutrition: Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS.

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The good news about life expectancy is that both men and women are living longer than ever before. The bad news about longevity is that it is often accompanied by certain diseases. When it comes to older men, prostate cancer tops the list. Fortunately, there is a growing body of evidence that certain dietary and lifestyle choices can minimize the risk of prostatic malignancies.

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The pressing issue of type 2 diabetes recently took on an unexpected spokesman: Paula Deen. Ever since the highly publicized announcement of her illness and related drug endorsement, a hailstorm of negative and positive reactions has made its way to all forms of media. Instead of adding yet another voice to the chorus, I’ve decided to share some breaking information for Ms. Deen and other type-2 diabetics that may improve their health care prospects.

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Avoid sugary foods. Cut back on carbohydrates. Skip dessert. If you’re at all interested in weight management and well being, you’ve probably been advised to follow one or all of these adages. But, how you apply this advice is as important as whether you follow it at all. For instance, if you avoid wholesome fruits such as strawberries you’re missing out on important health benefits that are frequently overlooked.

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Beef is often included on a short list of foods which are purported to increase the risk of various diseases. Among the health concerns expressed about beef is a supposed correlation between red meat consumption and cardiovascular disease. However, a just published study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition begs to differ with this prevalent theory. In the trial, a group of participants with high cholesterol were fed one of four diets for 5 weeks. Those receiving a diet known as BOLD+, comprised of 28% fat, 27% protein and includes 153 grams of beef/day, demonstrated greater improvements in several cardiovascular risk factors than subjects receiving lower beef and protein diets. According to the authors of the study, these findings “provide support for including lean beef in a heart-healthy dietary pattern”.

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I frequently recommend a carbohydrate restricted diet as part of a comprehensive wellness program. However, for many of my clients, the idea of giving up some of their favorite, high carbohydrate foods is too much to bear. A recent presentation given at a prestigious cancer conference offers a practical compromise. Researchers at the Genesis Prevention Center at University Hospital in South Manchester, England report that adopting an intermittent, low carbohydrate diet is a viable alternative to more strict diets in relation to lowering cancer risk and overweight. The most interesting aspect of the trial was that a portion of the participants were asked to combine two of my favorite dietary strategies: carbohydrate restriction and modified, alternate day fasting. In the study, women who consumed a very low calorie/low carbohydrate diet for two days a week demonstrated greater weight loss than those who ate an “ad lib” low carbohydrate diet or a calorie-restricted Mediterranean diet. Also of note is that the twice-weekly diet plan resulted in a 22% reduction in insulin resistance versus only 14% in the daily low carb diet and 4% in the low calorie, Mediterranean diet.

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Seasonal allergies can be quite confounding. The word “seasonal” infers a predictable time frame during which you can expect your eyes to water, your nose to run and probably a fair share of sneezing to boot. But, in reality, allergies are notorious for keeping their own time table. Then there’s the word “allergies”. It suggests that there’s something identifiable and specific that triggers an immune response. However, there’s nothing in the air that the naked eye can perceive. Ironies aside, this leaves countless people with no other option than to keep a steady supply of antihistamines, decongestants and steroid medications on hand.

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A recent study published in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine supports the notion that prenatal nutritional counseling can significantly improve the health of mothers and newborns alike. In the highlighted research, a group of 53 pregnant women took part in a “pragmatic nutrition awareness program”. An equal number of expectant mothers acted as a control group and proceeded without any specific guidance about their unique dietary needs. On average, those receiving nutritional counseling gave birth to babies with a higher birth weight and experienced lower incidence of pregnancy-related complications. But, what exactly constitutes a healthy diet during pregnancy? Of late, several scientific publications have offered specific advice beyond the basic tenants of avoiding “junk food” and taking a prenatal multivitamin.

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Last month I posted a recipe for Healthy Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies (link to recipe). The cookies were such a hit with family, friends and readers that I decided to experiment making other cookies using the same core ingredients. Today, I want to share one of my newest cookie creations as it’s particularly well suited for Thanksgiving.

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I rarely eat salads at home or at restaurants. I have all kinds of excuses as to why this is so. I tell myself that salad dressings are usually loaded with preservatives, sugar and other undesirable ingredients. When dining out, I convince myself that the ubiquitous iceberg lettuce isn’t nutritious enough to merit several minutes of chewing. I even worry about getting tiny pieces of salad stuck in my front teeth and not knowing it until dinner, often with clients, colleagues or friends, is over! But, recently a friend who happens to be a salad fanatic inspired me to take another look at the science behind salads. What I found has, at long last, convinced me that salad lovers may have been right all along.

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Any symptom the body presents is a form of communication. When it comes to hemorrhoids, the message being sent is typically two fold. First and foremost, anyone with hemorrhoids or at risk for them, ought to address the prevalent issue of constipation. If you strain during bowel movements, you’re encouraging the veins in the anus and rectum to swell. Do this frequently enough and hemorrhoids will most likely form. A lesser known contributor to hemorrhoids is poor circulation and vascular tone. All of these concerns can be addressed naturally.

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The next time you put together your grocery list, remind yourself that the foods you include and omit can have a profound affect on your well being. Here are several, recent examples of how you can use food to improve you and your family’s health. If you’re obese and on a hypocaloric diet, make sure to consume optimal levels of dietary calcium (1,600 mg/day) and protein (30% of calories/day). A study appearing in the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism reports that higher protein diets rich in dairy products may reduce the risk of dieting-induced bone loss in overweight women. The importance of dietary protein was further bolstered in the October 12th edition of the journal PLoS One. In that research, lowering protein intake by as little as 5% was found to increase overall caloric intake by 12% due to increased appetite.

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In the Fall of 2008 I adopted a gluten free, low carbohydrate diet in the hope of losing weight and achieving better overall health. The good news is that I’m currently 90 lbs. lighter than I was just three years ago. The hard part is that my journey has involved certain sacrifices. For instance, I haven’t even thought about eating a plate of lasagna since changing my diet and lifestyle. This is no easy feat for a foodie whose parents were both born and raised in Italy. A few months ago, that all changed. Mrs. Healthy Fellow decided to surprise me with lasagna for dinner. But, this wasn’t just any lasagna. My wife’s healthy version transformed traditional, pasta-layered lasagna into a wheat free, vegetable enriched feast for the senses.

It’s estimated that more than 10% of men and women over the age of 50 have a chronic skin condition known as senile purpura. Even if the name isn’t familiar, the characteristic purplish bruises or lesions are easily recognizable. In many instances, physicians aren’t terribly concerned about senile purpura provided that potentially serious causes such as medication side effects and platelet abnormalities are ruled out. In general, it is believed that age related capillary fragility and thinning of the skin are the primary culprits of easy bruising. Fortunately, there are a number of dietary, supplemental and topical approaches one can take to address both of these risk factors.

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Eating a varied diet is one of the best ways to ensure nutritional adequacy. I periodically examine my own menus and look for practical ways to broaden my nutrient intake and keep things interesting. This past week, I decided to try an unorthodox dip to have alongside vegetables. Most of the dips I’m accustomed to are dairy or egg-based and rather rich. However, the alternative I recently discovered doesn’t contain any cheese, mayonnaise or milk. Instead, it uses pureed chickpeas or garbanzo beans as a “creamy” base. The product itself consists of a short list of health promoting ingredients: raw chickpeas, tahini or sesame seed butter, lemon juice, citric acid, garlic, non-GMO olive oil, fresh red pepper paste and salt. Each one ounce serving contains only 45 calories and a fairly strong macronutrient composition: 2 grams of protein, 3 grams of fat, 2 grams of dietary fiber and 1 gram of naturally occurring sugar.

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Albert Einstein once famously quipped, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” The topic of sugar aptly illustrates his point. Some would have you believe that all calorically equivalent, naturally sourced sweeteners are basically the same. Just eat them in moderation and there’s really little danger. However, a careful examination of the medical literature suggests otherwise. In particular, fructose stands out as a sweetener that ought to be limited in one’s diet. In recent months, fructose has been implicated as: a) reducing the calorie and fat “burning” (net fat oxidation and resting energy expenditure) potential of overweight men and women; b) contributing to abdominal pain, digestive symptoms and sleep disturbance in children; c) elevating various risk markers for cardiovascular disease including LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and triglycerides; d) a primary contributor to the development of abdominal obesity, hypertension and metabolic syndrome in a population study consisting of over 2,500 adults. Many of the pitfalls associated with fructose can be avoided by simply steering clear of products containing agave nectar or syrup, crystalline fructose and high fructose corn syrup. Excessive fruit and fruit juice consumption can likewise present issues for some individuals. Another strategy to consider is the regular inclusion of sulfur rich foods in your diet such as garlic, onions and shallots. Several experiments in animal models have determined that these aromatic bulbs can mitigate some of the blood sugar, cardiovascular and inflammatory activity initiated by fructose intake.

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