Monthly Insights
What to know about SIBO (November 2024)
—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 […]
Walk it off! (January 2010)
You can reduce the effect of a post-meal blood glucose spike by taking a after walk. In a small study, researchers at Old Dominion University in Virginia found that participants’ post meal blood glucose reading was lower when they took a 20-minute stroll after than when they walked before eating. Source: Journal of the […]
Help! The gingerbread man is calling my name…(December 2009)
You make it through Thanksgiving and now arrive at work and we are in the midst of December. Your clients and colleagues are sending thank you goodie baskets to the office as well as bringing the leftovers from their home that they do not want. How do you manage during this difficult time? Contrary […]
Are you having a Snack Attack? (November 2009)
Commercials do sell products, which is bad news when so many TV ads are for unhealthy foods. Researchers found that kids ages 7 to 11 ate 45 percent more while watching a half-hour cartoon interspersed with ads for food than those who watched the same cartoon with ads featuring non-food items. Another experiment showed […]
What is Agave Nectar? (October 2009)
I hear clients share with me how they add Agave Nectar to their tea, cereal, and fruit or use it in baking, but is it any better than sugar? Agave Nectar is somewhat sweeter than sugar, so use between a quarter and an eighth less agave nectar than if you were cooking with regular […]
Facts on Sugar (September 2009)
Did you know there are 142 pounds of added sugar and sweeteners that the average American eats per year? Did you know that there are 16 calories in a teaspoon of sugar? Did you know there are 26 numbers of different sweeteners on the market, including artificial ones? Did you know there are 30 […]
Clarifying Myths about Sugar (August 2009)
In my private practice about 40% of my clients have diabetes. It seems to be a misconception that eating sugar or having a craving for sweet foods is what has caused their blood sugar problem. One of the hallmarks of the disease is elevated blood sugar, so many people assume what they are eating […]
What is the Best Produce to Buy Organic? (July 2009)
To buy or not buy organic, that is the question. Produce are the foods that can contain trace levels of pesticides. According to the FDA’s pesticide Residue Monitoring Program, which collects and tests random samples of domestic and imported foods, fruits and vegetables it is known that they have 54.9 percent of fruit and […]
Eating to Burn Fat (June 2009)
Research has shown that bodies of overweight people don’t burn fat as efficiently as those of thin people, but a new study found that eating high-protein breakfast and lunch may level the playing field. Protein-packed meals seemed to boost the fat-burning capacity in obese individuals. The opposite effect was seen in lean people, in whom […]
The Truth about Probiotics (May 2009)
You have probably seen the word on containers of yogurt, but what exactly are probiotics? They are “good” bacteria that aid digestion and help us aid fight off “bad” bacteria that cause illness. A few probiotic enhanced food products may settle the occasional stomachache. A reputable website which tells the consumer which supplements are […]
What is the difference between “Sugar Free” and “Sugar Alcohols”? Are there better choices than food sweetened with sugar? (April 2009)
Sugar alcohols (also called polyols) such as sorbitol, polydextrose, isomalt, and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates are not technically sugar, but they provide sweetness in foods just as sugars do. Sugar alcohols are only partially absorbed in the small intestine, so they supply only about half the calories as equal amounts of regular sugar while sometimes […]