When people tell me “I don’t eat meat, I’m plant-based,” the implication is that plant-based diets can’t include meat, poultry, or fish. They can! “Plant-based” means only that a majority of the diet comes from plants. Period. That said, being “plant-based” tells nothing about the QUALITY of someone’s diet. You can eat nothing but candy […]
Even “BC” (before COVID), much of the world was pretty sedentary, and our new “pandemic lifestyles” haven’t helped. Now a new WHO report says worldwide levels of physical activity have been flat for nearly 20 years. This varies by country, but globally about 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men, are not meeting […]
I’ve worked with so many overweight and obese adults and children whose weight was seriously impacting their health: diabetes, hypertension, back and joint pain, the works. But not all overweight people experience these problems. Some overweight patients have told me they’re happy with their weight and don’t feel hindered by it. As a health […]
Whether COVID-19 has you sheltering-in-place, quarantining, or just frustrated by not being able to have your usual life, lots of people seem a little down in the dumps, grumpy, and yes, even “depressed”. The “life sucks now” feelings are real, but different from true clinical depression, which can happen for no observable reason. Could “Bacteria” […]
Did Hippocrates really say, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”? Probably not, but he often gets the credit for it. At any rate, using food for medicinal purposes has been done for years, by your doctor or registered dietitian-nutritionist (RDN), or maybe grandma. It’s also been the stuff of quackery and […]
This post is a collaboration with Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner, on behalf of the Beef Checkoff, as part of my role as a member of the Beef Expert Bureau. This post was reviewed for accuracy by USDA. Staying home has made us all a little grumpy and impatient. I love banana bread, but if […]
Dr. Jessica Nouhavandi, PharmD, co-founder and co-CEO of Culver City-based Honeybee Health, asked me recently what it’s like to think like a registered dietitian/nutritionist, and a little about my approach to nutrition, food, and eating. When did you first start working as a registered dietician (RD)? I have been an RD since 1980, so I’m […]
During “This Challenging Time” may people’s usual food concerns gave way to more immediate priorities: stocking up on staples like proteins, milk, canned goods and the like. (Count me in – I bake our bread and I’m one of those who found it hard to find yeast and flour.) Right after sheltering-in-place (SIP) began, our […]
In a very short time period, COVID-19 turned how we live upside down. We’re suddenly living, eating, and shopping differently than perhaps ever before. Has all this impact been negative? I spoke with 8 nationally-known registered dietitian-nutritionists to get their take on what they think are the POSITIVES that might come out of the current […]
When I hit the supermarket these days, I’m seeing canned and frozen vegetables and fruits flying off the shelves. All good, because they’re shelf-stable and many folks are minimizing trips anywhere, including to the supermarket. Yet the fresh produce section, loaded with colorful, delicious fresh fruits and vegetables, isn’t feeling the love. That’s a problem. […]