Dangerous diet trends in teens are spreading faster than ever through social media. It is no secret that adolescents and teens are influenced by social media. Many influencers have no expertise in the subject matter they endorse. This is vastly true when it comes to dieting and eating habits promoted by individuals with no medical or dietary background, many of whom are thin young women, promoting potentially harmful eating habits with no scientific basis. Teen girls on soci

Children eating a plant-based meal. There are many variations of eating: Vegetarian: excludes animals Vegan: excludes animals, dairy, and eggs Lacto-vegetarian: excludes meat, poultry, and fish but includes milk and milk products Ovo-vegetarian: excludes meat, poultry, and fish but includes eggs Lacto-ovo-vegetarian: excludes meat, poultry, and fish but includes milk, milk products, and eggs Pescatarian: excludes meat and poultry but includes fish, milk, milk products, and e

Planning nutritious meals on the go is easier than most parents think. Now that we discussed improving the nutrient density of meals, let's use that information to create meals and snacks for home and on the go. School and activities are back in swing! Just because you are eating in the car while rushing from one activity to the next does not mean the drive-thru is your only option. With some planning and preparation, you can feel good about serving your kids nutritious meal

Increasing the nutrient density of meals is easier and more affordable than most people think. Making meals that are nutrient dense rather than energy dense is easy and affordable. Nutrient dense refers to foods high in nutrients such as vitamins and minerals and relatively low in calories — think vegetables, fruits, and grains. Energy dense foods are high in calories and low in nutrients, usually from fats or sugars. There are numerous ways to improve the nutrient density o

One wouldn’t think in this land of plenty that children would be deficient in crucial vitamins and minerals. Deficiencies are found not only in those who lack sufficient food, but also in those who eat abundantly, yet poorly. Many children consume a diet full of fast and ultra-processed foods, and lack adequate fruit, vegetables, dairy, and whole grains. A variety of fruits pouring out of a clear capsule symbolizing vitamins we get from food. Research has identified 6 nutriti

What is Fiber? Fiber is a carbohydrate found only in plant-based foods - fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Fiber does not come from animal products. When eaten, it stays in the intestines, since it cannot be digested by the body, but this is where it does its work! Fiber-rich foods including fruit, beans and legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and whole wheat products, with the word fiber written on a chalkboard. What Does Fiber Do? Fiber serves mu

If you or your kids are considering a juice cleanse or liver detox diet, think again. This article presents food for thought to outline the adverse effects of juicing. Social media has much inaccurate advice and information. Juices made from whole fruit and vegetables Reasons Why Juicing is Not as Beneficial as It Seems. Liquifying fruit and vegetables into a juice may be healthier than the juice you buy at the store, since it lacks added sugar, dyes, or additives. However, j

Many parents ask whether energy drinks safe for kids is even a possibility and the short answer is no. These drinks are loaded with caffeine, sugar, and other stimulants that are unsafe for children and teens. They also have addictive potential. The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics), among others, is against children and adolescents consuming these drinks. The reason is clear high levels of caffeine, sugar, and other stimulants make energy drinks safe for kids an absolu

I recently read an interesting medical research article on a study done in Denmark on children with central (abdominal) obesity. The findings were presented this year at the European Congress on Obesity. Young child in a white coat with a stethoscope holding a paper heart. The Study This longitudinal study, done over ten years, followed hundreds of children from birth to age 10. The children were seen and measured 14 times. The children’s height and waist circumference were m

Why is Stable Blood Sugar Important? Eating for stable blood sugar is one of the most powerful steps you can take to improve your overall health. You may be familiar with how certain foods affect your blood sugar. Blood sugar or glucose gives us energy and causes insulin levels to rise or lower. Insulin is the hormone that stabilizes blood sugar to maintain glucose levels within a specific range. High blood sugar increases insulin levels lowering blood sugar, while low bloo

Understanding food borne illness and safety is more important than ever in today's food environment. I previously wrote about food contamination following an outbreak caused by raw onions on burgers. This was another interesting presentation at the Culinary Medicine conference with valuable information worth sharing about food borne illness and safety and how to protect yourself and your family. The statistics: 48 million people are sickened yearly from food-borne illnesses

Group of young multi-cultural women. I recently returned from a Culinary Medicine conference in New Orleans, the birthplace of the program. Dr. Timothy Harlan, both a chef and internal medicine doctor, first helped develop this program at Tulane Medical School. He recognized the importance of food in preventing and treating disease, initiating a movement that many medical schools have now adopted. One of the more interesting topics, and relevant to what I write about, is the

"Many new parents ask when can babies drink water and it is one of the most common questions pediatricians hear. Can babies have water? That question is common for pediatricians. The answer is yes or no depending on the age. Babies should not be given plain water until 6 months of age. Until then only breast milk or formula provides all the fluid and nutrition they need, making the question of when can babies drink water one every new parent needs to understand." Once an i

The link between processed food and brain health is becoming impossible to ignore. Research is making it very clear that ultra processed foods consumed frequently can lead to a significant decrease in mental function over time. Understanding the connection between processed food and brain health is one of the most important steps you can take to protect your mind and your family's cognitive wellbeing for life. Ultra-processed foods are those that contain large amounts of fa

Have you ever observed your child’s behavior change after eating certain foods? I had a child who was very sensitive to small blood sugar changes. He would bounce off the walls after a soda, then crash and fall apart when that sugar in his system plummeted. In practice, I had many parents state similar observations, with behavior changes noted after a sugar load, food dyes, fried foods, etc. Young child jumping on the couch between her parents who appear frazzled. Children wi

Understanding alimentals for anxiety is a powerful and natural approach to managing one of the most common illnesses in this country. Anxiety disorders affect more people than any other mental health condition and about half of those with anxiety also experience depression. These symptoms are unnerving and give one a sense of impending doom and loss of control. Working with a therapist to regain control and learn coping mechanisms is extremely helpful — and combining that w

Most drugs used to treat mental health disorders act on the chemicals in the brain to alter these and return the brain to a healthy state: some increase these chemicals, and some decrease them. For example, serotonin is one of the most commonly targeted. Selective serotonin uptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, boost serotonin levels to treat depression. Did you know that you can also boost serotonin levels with specific foods? This article will delve into what is known regarding nutr

Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, I devote every article this month to a different mental health topic and links to nutrition. I will be recycling articles I published two years ago with any updates. I will preface this by saying that not all mental health diagnoses can be treated or prevented with nutrition. However, research shows that nutrition plays a vital role. My main focus looks at nutrition as a preventative factor, especially in children and adolescents. I

Understanding the difference between omega 3 versus omega 6 fatty acids is essential for making smarter dietary choices. You hear a lot these days about PUFAs, polyunsaturated fatty acids, specifically omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. These two PUFAs are essential fatty acids, meaning our bodies do not make these and we have to get them through our diet. How do we do this? What are the differences? Is one better than the other? All of these questions are answered when you tr

Many parents are asking about probiotics and prebiotics for kids and whether their children truly need them. What are probiotics and prebiotics? Are they different? Do we need to take them as supplements or can we get them through diet? Are they beneficial for children? Should they be taken all the time or only sometimes? All of these important questions about probiotics and prebiotics for kids are answered in today's blog. Let's start with definitions. Probiotics : a food