When my kids were little, I always braced myself for the ‘back-to-school cold’ that swept through the house during their first week back in the classroom.  With the new school year upon us, kids are going to be bringing home more than just homework and new friends – they’re sure to bring home plenty of germs, too.  And even if you don’t have kids at home, you’re still more likely to get sick as the weather turns colder – so now is a good time to look at all you can do nutritionally to help keep your immune system running in tip-top shape. Read more »

For all the time we spend thinking about how to get rid of it, body fat is probably one of the most misunderstood tissues in the human body.  We pinch and pull at it, wishing it would just go away, as if it were just some extra unnecessary ‘stuff’ that serves little purpose -other than to act as a reminder that we’re out of shape or eating too much. With so few people having a clear understanding of what body fat actually is, why they even have it in the first place, and what they can (and can’t) do to get rid of it – it’s time to bust a few myths about body fat.  Read more »

One of the most common complaints that I hear from my weight-loss clients is that they’re “hungry all the time.”  Often when I hear this, I first have to help them sort what it actually means to be hungry.  True hunger is usually felt first in the stomach – as blood sugar drops, the body releases hormones that stimulate the stomach to contract, and you get hunger pangs.  But some people confuse hunger with wanting to eat – which is actually appetite, not hunger.  To help them learn the difference, I ask them to let a moderate amount of hunger to set in – to really recognize the body’s signals that say “time to eat” – and to put the fork down when they feel comfortable – not stuffed.  Read more »

When you’re looking for something to sweeten your cereal or yogurt, you probably reach for the sugar bowl. Certain foods may call for a dab of added sweetness, and at 15 calories or so per teaspoon, a little extra sugar isn’t a huge deal – as long you use it sparingly. But maybe you’ve seen other forms of sugar on the grocery shelf – like agave syrup or barley malt – and wondered if there are any advantages to one over the other. From a nutritional standpoint, there’s no real ‘winner’. For one thing, the calories in sugar, syrups, honey and the like and comparable. Read more »