Monthly Insights

By Carrie Dennett, MPH, RDN It’s estimated that 10 million Americans have osteoporosis, and another 44 million have low bone density, according to the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation (BHOF). While 1 in 2 women and up to 1 in 4 men will break a bone due to osteoporosis after age 50, the stage is […]

When I was a child, I watched my father struggle with heart issues and other medical conditions. He was ahead of his time, always striving to meditate and be positive. He would attend yoga and meditation retreats—being the only man on these retreats—and I watched him work on calming down his “inner critic” by learning […]

Carrie Dennett, MPH, RDN What thoughts come to mind when you hear or read the words “body positivity? Maybe, “It’s wonderful! It changed my life!” or “It’s an idea I’m working on incorporating into my life…and some days are better than others” or “Feel positive about THIS body? Yeah, right” or even, “If I feel […]

By Carrie Dennett, MPH, RDN If you want to reduce your risk of cancer — or increase your odds of surviving it—should you avoid sugar? If you go looking for information on the internet, or even in certain books, you might think the answer is a definite “Yes.” However, while there is a connection between […]

As we start 2025, we’re bombarded with the usual messages about New Year’s resolutions—particularly around weight and exercise. The diet and weight loss industries capitalize on New Year’s resolutions, using this annual ritual to perpetuate diet culture messaging. Have you considered pushing back against this by doing something different this year? Could you revisit your […]

—Carrie Dennett, MPH, RDN Do you make your own yogurt or have a sourdough starter you’ve been nurturing for years? Maybe you frequently add kombucha and kimchi to your shopping list? If so, you’re in good company. These and other fermented foods have a long and illustrious history—fermentation was a biological method of food preservation […]

—Carrie  Dennett, MPH, RDN With increasing interest in the gut microbiota and its role in health and disease, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, or SIBO, is also getting more attention. And, like many things related to gut health, there’s both reliable and not-so-reliable information to be found online. Here’s what you need to know. First, SIBO […]

—Carrie Dennett, MPH, RDN Parents want their kids to grow up happy and healthy. A healthy, uncomplicated relationship with food is a gift that will serve them well for decades, possibly even inoculating them against the food myths and misinformation they’ll inevitably encounter from friends, the media, and society at large. So how do you […]

Do you get enough fiber in your diet? If not, you are certainly not alone. It’s estimated that more than 90 percent of women and 97 percent of men don’t get the recommended amounts. But being in good company doesn’t change the fact that getting enough fiber is important for health—and not just for digestive […]

Red yeast rice is a product created by fermenting rice with the yeast Monascus purpureus, or other derivatives of the same fungal family, which turns the rice red. This “traditional” medicine has been used in China for many years to lower cholesterol, improve blood circulation and improve digestion. Fermentation with some Monascus strains produce substances […]