Archive | DIET RSS feed for this section

How Breastfeeding Benefits your Baby

By on February 17, 2010 in Breastfeeding Information, DIET

I recently attended a breastfeeding class with expectant mothers as part of my doula training. My role is not only to support the mother and her partner during labor, but to assist with breastfeeding after the delivery if necessary. More and more modern women are choosing to breastfeed not only to bond with their babies [...]

Read full story • Comments { 7 }

The Lovely Health Benefits of Caraway Seeds

By on February 9, 2010 in Caraway, DIET

Since Valentine’s Day is this Sunday, it is only fitting to talk about the caraway fruit or seeds and its essential oil. Once used as an ingredient in love potions, it was supposed to prevent one’s lover from straying and blush the cheeks of young maidens. Strangely enough, it was also used to prevent pigeons [...]

Read full story • Comments { 1 }

Simply Seaweed for your Health

By on January 20, 2010 in DIET, Kelp

In my Chinese herbal class this week, we discussed Kun Bu and Hai Zao, commonly known as Kelp and brown Seaweed (genus Sargassum). These cold and salty underwater plants are classified in the Materia Medica by Bensky, the go-to-source for Chinese herbs, as “Herbs that Cool and Transform Phlegm.” It sounds a little strange in [...]

Read full story • Comments { 0 }

Coconut Oil: for the Inside and Outside

By on November 13, 2009 in Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is a controversial fat: is it good for you, or isn’t it? A main staple of some Asian and Pacific diets, coconut oil comes from coconuts themselves and, like olive oil, has several “grades” of purity, with the purest being virgin. Unlike olive oils, which each have their purpose, you should always select [...]

Read full story • Comments { 1 }

Oatmeal: Tasty, Convenient, and Very Healthy

By on October 5, 2009 in Oatmeal

Oatmeal is one of those foods that everyone probably grew up on. I know my parents made me eat it (or some variation of it) every day throughout my entire childhood. I abandoned oatmeal for about five years when I grew up and moved out, but I went back and now it’s a regular part [...]

Read full story • Comments { 1 }

The Many Health Benefits of Cherries

By on October 1, 2009 in Antioxidants, Arthritis, Cherries, Diabetes, obesity, overweight

Cherries health benefits are remarkable. Cherries are good for many things – say, for eating, then competitively spitting out the pits, while you’re walking down the boulevard on a nice summer day. At least that’s what I used to do with them as a kid. But did you know that aside from the powerful doses [...]

Read full story • Comments { 0 }
nuts

Are Nuts Good For You?

By on September 28, 2009 in Nuts

It’s common knowledge nowadays that nuts have a high fat content. But shouldn’t you steer clear of high-fat foods? In the case of nuts like almonds, cashews, walnuts, as well as legumes like peanuts, the answer is don’t avoid them — embrace them. Nuts are nutrition bombs that offer a panoply of wonderful health benefits, [...]

Read full story • Comments { 1 }

Herbal Halitosis Remedies: Curing Bad Breath Naturally

By on September 14, 2009 in Bad breath, cinnamon, fennel

It’s dreadful to suffer from bad breath – you feel like your very words are offensive to those around you, and it lowers your self-confidence when you think that people don’t want to hear you because of it. Humans are social creatures, and if something is keeping us from communicating with those around us in [...]

Read full story • Comments { 0 }

Heart Health: Natural Ways to Avoid Coronary Artery Disease, Part 1

By on September 4, 2009 in CHD, DIET, DISEASE, HEALTH, high blood pressure

Did you know that some 7 million Americans suffer from coronary heart disease (CHD), the most common form of heart disease? This type of heart disease is caused by a narrowing of the coronary arteries that feed the heart. CHD is the number one killer of both men and women in the U.S. Each year, [...]

Read full story • Comments { 1 }

Amaranth: The Carb for Weight-Loss and Complete Nutrition

By on August 31, 2009 in amaranth, DIET

Amaranth is a nutrient-rich ancient grain from Mexico that has three times the calcium of milk. Interested yet? You should be. But that’s not all. Amaranth is also gluten-free and an excellent food of choice for those who are on a diet and want to feel full and satisfied. Because of its great calorie-to-nutrient ratio, [...]

Read full story • Comments { 0 }

Konnyaku – Add a Little Texture to Your Diet!

By on August 28, 2009 in high blood pressure, Konnyaku

Konnyaku (cone-yah-ku) hails from Japan and is a wonderfully buoyant and gelatin-like food made from a tropical potato. It is nearly 97% water and the rest of the 3% constituents are fiber and minerals. Because it has very little calories and actually expands in your stomach, it has been touted as a wonder diet food. [...]

Read full story • Comments { 0 }

Is Soy Good or Bad for You ?

By on August 27, 2009 in Cancer, CONDITIONS, DIET, HEALTH, soy

From 1992 to 2008, soy food sales have increased from $300 million to $4 billion. This dramatic increase can be attributed to new soy food categories being introduced, soy foods being repositioned in the marketplace, and new customers selecting soy for health and philosophical reasons. Read on to find out about what this increase in [...]

Read full story • Comments { 2 }