In an attempt to personalize HealthyFellow.com, I’m going to invite you all into a part of my world that only my wife and select family and friends ever venture into: our bathroom. Don’t be scared! There’s a perfectly logical reason for this. If you’re anything like me, you probably stare at the seemingly endless wall of natural hair and skin care items at your local health food store with a perplexed look on your face. The good news is that this very expression often attracts the cosmetics attendant on staff to try to rescue you from your daze. The bad news is that I rarely feel like I end up walking out of the store with exactly the type of product I was looking for. But through much trial and error, I’ve found a group of products by a single manufacturer with which I’ve experienced some success. I’m not trying to sell you anything, but rather hope that this information will assist you in finding cleaner products at a fraction of the cost and time. Read more »

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you know my general philosophy is to steer you toward antioxidant and nutrient dense whole foods that are low in sugar. This is the basic tenet of most low carbohydrate diets. But there is a common misconception about carb reduced menu plans and that is that they can’t include plenty of vegetables and even some fruit. This is simply not the case. Today I’ll focus on several exceptional fruits and vegetables that can be deliciously incorporated into almost any diet. These are the exact types of foods that have enjoyed a favorable scientific spotlight for years now. In addition, I’ll provide some very simple ways in which you can prepare these nutritional gems to enhance flavor while keeping prep time in check. Read more »

A heartfelt smile doesn’t just convey contentment and warmth, it’s also an external sign of health. Like most other measures of wellness, genetics do play a roll in the shape, size and the whiteness of our teeth. We’re all aware of the commonly prescribed oral care basics. But there are also some emerging trends that are sprouting up in medical literature that I think you should know about. Besides regular brushing and flossing, there are a few additional steps that you can take to improve the status of your breath, gums and smile. Read more »

I believe there are several core principles to eating a healthy diet. One of the easiest guidelines to remember is “eat like the rainbow”. The naturally occurring pigments that produce the emerald greens in kale and spinach, the deep blues and purple in berries and the vibrant reds in cherries and tomatoes all possess a broad spectrum of health benefits. Now is the perfect time of year to enjoy the wealth of colors that nature provides. Another reason to include more of these foods in your diet is that science is continuing to find additional reasons to do so. Read more »

When selecting nutritional supplements we all strive to use the most effective products available. But what should we base that determination on? One option is to ask others about their personal experiences. This is commonly referred to as anecdotal evidence. Another source of data can be found in the scientific literature. Here we’re trusting that researchers are performing well designed and impartial research in a more controlled manner. Since these types of studies typically involve larger groups of people, the results may apply to broad segments of the population. But there’s another very prevalent manner of learning about dietary supplements and that is information provided by the manufacturers themselves. My contention is that we ought to examine all three sources of input. Ask questions of your colleagues, family and friends. Read the product literature provided by nutraceutical companies and pose any inquires that you might have. Finally, investigate whether modern science has produced any evidence to back up the other two sources. I’ll apply this model to examine an area of debate that’s currently active in the natural health community: Is krill oil superior to fish oil? Read more »

If you want to stick to a healthy diet over the long term, it helps to find ways to keep it interesting. Eating the same old things over and over again isn’t just boring to your taste buds, but it also severely limits the types of nutrients that your body has to work with. Fortunately, the variety of food available in the 21st century is greater than at any other time in human history. No matter what kind of diet you’ve adopted, you can hunt down exotic and rare menu items that were previously unavailable. Today, I’d like to introduce you to two “new” snack items from South America. Read more »

I have a simple and completely immodest goal for today’s column: to help drastically reduce the number of breast cancer diagnoses in the years to come. It may not be realistic to expect that kind of impact from a health blog such as this. But I’m confident that implementing the research presented on this site and other scientifically based sources, you can influence the risk of developing this all too common disease. By taking proactive steps to protect yourself, you’ll then likely influence others in a positive way, including your doctors. This is how true health revolutions take foot. Inform yourself, lead by example, spread the word and defy the odds. Read more »