Posts Tagged ‘Antioxidants’

Prescription 2018: Natural Heart Health for Men

December 7, 2018 Written by JP

The latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that men and women share the same leading cause of death: heart disease. That said, how one goes about addressing this shared risk is affected by the distinct biochemistry of females and males. Today, I’ll discuss three steps men can take to protect their cardiovascular system. In my next blog, I’ll do same with regard to women.

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Posted in Food and Drink, Heart Health, Men's Health | 3 Comments & Updates

Is Black Rice Healthier?

February 3, 2014 Written by JP

Most of us are familiar with brown, white and “wild” rice. But, how about black-purple rice? Have you tried it yet? Are you interested in it because of the positive media coverage from the likes of Dr. Oz? By the end of today’s column, you’ll likely know more about it and you can decide for yourself if it’s something you ought to add to your diet.

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Posted in Alternative Therapies, Food and Drink, Nutrition | 11 Comments & Updates

Red Palm Oil

May 20, 2013 Written by JP

Red palm oil (RPO) has been in the news lately because of a positive expose on The Dr. Oz Show. In the segment entitled, The 13 Miracle Solutions of 2013, RPO was touted as a veritable “miracle oil” primarily because it’s a rich source of antioxidants, such as carotenoids and tocotrienols, which are a potent and rare form of Vitamin E. How might this benefit your health? According to Dr. Oz and his guest, Bryce Wylde, just two tablespoons of RPO daily reduces the risk of heart attacks and stroke by clearing away arterial plaque. They go on to claim that RPO also slows the aging process by protecting the brain from neurodegeneration and skin from damage caused UV radiation. As if that wasn’t enough, apparently RPO can also increase your calorie burning potential or metabolic rate. All this for around “$14 per jar”. What a bargain!

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Posted in Food and Drink, Heart Health, Nutrition | 8 Comments & Updates

Healthy Optimism

January 22, 2013 Written by JP

In recent years, scientists from esteemed institutes of learning have identified an apparent link between an optimistic mindset and physical wellness. The latest entry into this topic comes from the Harvard School of Public Health. An analysis of nearly 1,000 middle-aged men and women determined that higher levels of self-reported optimism were associated with greater concentrations of serum antioxidants (carotenoids). The reason is likely due to a bidirectional effect in which “optimists are likely to engage in health behaviors associated with more serum antioxidants, and more serum antioxidants are likely associated with better physical health that enhances optimism”. This newly observed antioxidant effect may also, in part, explain why greater optimism has been continually linked to a lower risk of cardiac events and strokes.

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Posted in Alternative Therapies, Exercise, Mental Health | 1 Comment

Healthy Gazpacho

December 24, 2012 Written by JP

The start of winter may not seem like the ideal time to recommend eating cold soup. But, in the case of gazpacho, a traditional Spanish soup, I simply can’t wait for the warmer days of spring or summer to sing its praises. My urgency is, in part, due to a recently published study appearing in Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases, the prestigious medical journal. A secondary reason is that current and prior research on gazpacho helps to prove a theory that I’ve long held: Drinking raw, blended vegetables is a wonderfully healthful practice, especially if you add some good fat to the mix.

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Posted in Food and Drink, Heart Health, Nutrition | 1 Comment

Organic Food Debate

September 7, 2012 Written by JP

On a daily basis, headlines appear on your computer screen, radio and television that may lead you to question almost everything you think you know about how to stay well. The latest and most provocative example is a news item that puts into question the value of consuming organic foods. Conventional media outlets, including Reuters, have posted pieces with definitive sounding titles such as, “Organic Food No More Nutritious Than Non-Organic”. However, a closer look at the source data and current studies appearing in the scientific literature suggest that there’s more to the story than just this sort of headline.

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Posted in Food and Drink, General Health, Nutrition | 4 Comments & Updates

Pomegranate Juice Controversy

June 20, 2012 Written by JP

Pomegranate juice has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons. In September 2010, the Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint against POM Wonderful LLC, a leading manufacturer of pomegranate extract and juice. In May 2012, an initial decision was announced which stated that some of the claims made in POM advertisements were deceptive in nature and/or overreaching. The order, put forth by Chief Administrative Law Judge D. Michael Chappell, specifically took note of representations that pomegranate extract and juice were capable of preventing, reducing or treating erectile dysfunction, heart disease and prostate cancer.

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Posted in Diabetes, Food and Drink, Heart Health | 19 Comments & Updates

Is Grape Juice Healthy?

April 16, 2012 Written by JP

Fruit juice isn’t something that I normally recommend. Most bottled and fresh juices simply contain too much sugar – a dietary component that is already too plentiful in many diets. Then, there’s the issue of dietary fiber. The process of making juice removes the fibrous portion of fruits and vegetables, and concentrates the sweet liquid contained therein. This yields both negative and positive effects. On the one hand, the antioxidants, nutrients and phytochemicals that naturally occur in juice are often better absorbed when fiber is absent from the equation. But, without fiber, fruits and vegetable juices become more concentrated reservoirs of high glycemic carbohydrates which generally result in large fluctuations in blood sugar and insulin.

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Posted in Food and Drink, Heart Health, Memory | 11 Comments & Updates

Chocolate Talk with Dr. Eric Ding

March 14, 2012 Written by JP

The integration of natural medicine and rigorous science is becoming increasingly evident in the current medical landscape. Dr. Eric Ding exemplifies the philosophical shift that is presently underway. For starters, he has allopathic credentials that are beyond reproach: graduating Johns Hopkins University with Honors in Public Health and Phi Beta Kappa, then going on to become the youngest student at Harvard to complete a dual doctoral program in epidemiology and nutrition. Dr. Ding is now a faculty member at Harvard Medical School and Women’s Hospital, and is also the director and founder of the non-profit Campaign for Cancer Prevention.

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Posted in Food and Drink, Heart Health, Interviews | 12 Comments & Updates

Sweet Potato Greens

September 2, 2011 Written by JP

I’m always on the lookout for “new” foods that I can add to my diet to keep things interesting. If these culinary additions happen to be delicious and nutrient dense, all the better. Sweet potato leaves are an excellent candidate that I’m planning to experiment with for two reasons. First and foremost, they bring robust nutrition to the table. A publication appearing in the October 2010 issue of the journal Nutrition Reviews proclaims that eating sweet potato leaves may “play a role in health promotion by improving immune function, reducing oxidative stress and free radical damage, reducing cardiovascular disease risk, and suppressing cancer cell growth”. All of these assertions and more are backed up by scientific studies in prestigious medical journals.

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Posted in Food and Drink, Heart Health, Nutrition | 5 Comments & Updates

The Secret Lives of Dates

August 26, 2011 Written by JP

In the field of nutrition, concepts are often sold in black and white terms, such as: “Sugar is bad for you” and “Vegetables are good for you”. On the face of it, this may seem reasonable enough. But, upon closer inspection it becomes evident that most foods are much more complex than that. For instance, let’s consider date fruits. They’re obviously very sweet and high in naturally occurring sugar. And yet, they possess some medicinal properties that defy expectations.

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Posted in Food and Drink, Nutrition, Women's Health | 7 Comments & Updates

Black Chokeberry

August 24, 2011 Written by JP

Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) isn’t exactly a household name. A select group of researchers in Poland are trying to change that and with good reason. At least five studies conducted over the past decade suggest that A. melanocarpa extracts may be the medicine of the future for patients living with metabolic syndrome. Anthocyanins, a class of antioxidants found in black chokeberries, appear to counter various pre-diabetic and pre-heart disease related risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome. A daily dosage of 300 mg of black chokeberry anthocyanins (100 mg / thrice daily) has been shown to: improve circulation, increase antioxidant enzyme levels and reduce numerous cardiovascular and diabetic threats including high blood pressure, fasting glucose, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.

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Posted in Diabetes, Heart Health, Nutritional Supplements | 5 Comments & Updates

Roasted Tomato Bisque Recipe

August 1, 2011 Written by JP

When I was a kid, being served tomato soup was one of the worst forms of punishment. It wasn’t intentional, but that’s how my psyche and taste buds interpreted it. The stranger thing is that I actually enjoyed many other foods made from tomatoes, especially ketchup and marinara sauce. Perhaps my taste buds have matured, but I now enjoy tomato soup when it’s prepared to my liking, which is code for “when cream is added”. And while it’s true that most people enjoy foods with added cream, not everyone chooses to eat them. It could be that they’re sensitive to lactose, trying to lose weight or vegan. Whatever the reason, cream can be problematic for certain individuals and when entertaining a crowd. Read more »


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Posted in Diet and Weight Loss, Food and Drink, Recipes | 10 Comments & Updates