A presentation given at last week’s national meeting of the American Chemical Society made headlines that you may have heard or read about. The claim made was that eating two daily servings of potatoes can lower blood pressure so that the “undeserved bad reputation” of potatoes ought to be reassessed. To that I say, not so fast. There are several key details that are important to note when considering this research and topic: 1) The variety of potatoes used in the current trial (purple potatoes) contain antioxidant pigments, similar to those found in blueberries and red wine, which may reduce blood pressure in and of themselves.  2) Some research suggests that purple potatoes contain higher potassium content than more popular varieties such as white Idaho potatoes. 3) Diets rich in foods containing potassium are capable of lowering hypertension whether they contain potatoes or not. 4) There are many other ways of managing high blood pressure naturally, such as switching from common table salt to any number of salt alternatives which feature essential minerals including magnesium and potassium. Finally, it’s vital to understand that many wholesome foods contain significant quantities of potassium. While bananas and potatoes are most frequently singled out, you should know that a 5 oz fillet of halibut contains approximately 817 mg of potassium, a cup of spinach offers up 838 mg, and an 8 ounce serving of unsweetened yogurt will provide upwards of 600 mg of this often deficient mineral.

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There’s nothing like a controversial study to stir up the hornet’s nest that is modern medicine. If you think politics is contentious, just try going up against decades worth of health care policy and theories. That’s exactly what a small group of researchers from the University of Lueven, Belgium and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) did recently.
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In the late 1990′s I was working as a health food store consultant. I would advise the buyers and owners of health food stores about which types of supplements I thought were safest and most effective. On occasion I’d find myself in the middle of “rush hour”, when the health food store staff was outnumbered by patrons. This gave me an opportunity to work with customers in a more direct fashion. In addition, it allowed me to converse with individuals about what worked and didn’t in the personal application of natural remedies. I vividly recall one instance when I approached an older lady who was comparing labels in the protein powder isle of a family owned store. I offered some information and suggestions but also posed a few questions. Out of that exchange, I learned about an interesting ingredient that she always used when making protein shakes – avocado. Instead of using cream or milk in her blends, she used cold water, ice and a whole avocado. This gave her a dairy-free alternative that was rich in potassium and helped manage her borderline-high blood sugar and hypertension. Read more »

Throughout the ages there’s always been a clash between the norms of past and present generations. We see this is in the way people dress, the music they listen to and even the way they talk. And while there are always groups on both sides of the debate, there are also bystanders who watch on and think: “The more things change, the more they stay the same”. That argument can be logically made in the cultural arena. But I don’t think it holds water when it comes to dietary shifts that have largely taken place over the past few centuries. One of the more pronounced differences in the dietary composition of modern man vs. Stone Age dwellers is a shift in the ratio between sodium and potassium. Read more »

What’s good for the individual is good for society. That adage may not always be true, but it often is with regard to health care. But even if you accept this principle, you still have to establish the meaning of the word “good” in the realm of medicine and nutrition. This past week on Twitter I discovered several examples of “good” advice from a varied group of health experts. Some of the recommendations presented may very well surprise you. Read more »

The best way for me to learn is to understand the logic behind a lesson. I need to comprehend not only what is happening, but why. This helps me quite a lot when it comes to the study of natural medicine and nutrition. It’s not enough for someone to tell me that fruits and vegetables protect against cancer or that exercise “does a body good”. I have to be aware of the mechanisms that justify such statements. Very often, these explanations are based on incomplete information and, therefore, need to be modified over time. But even so, at least they provide a reasonable underpinning upon which one can hang a concept. Read more »