Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks, celebrate fall, and enjoy the bounty of nature and the company of family and friends.
I love this holiday because it’s so important to take a break from focusing on all the problems in our world and in our lives, and spend time reflecting on
the good in the world. There’s much to be grateful for, even in hard times.
As a vegetarian cook I follow the traditional Thanksgiving meal quite loosely. The palette of my presentation will definitely abide…
Continue
Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on November 23, 2009 at 6:00am —
No Comments
It has been a little over a year not eating red meat or pork. My entire life, I grew up on eating and loving to eat these meat products. Some of my favorite foods included Italian combos, steak drizzled with gorgonzola and rueben sandwiches. Anytime I ate red meat, I always felt tired and as if some brick was just sitting in my stomach. Red meat never settled well for me. After conducting some research on how industrial cows were treated, and the impact of raising and then eating it has on the e…
Continue
Added by Sharon Porter on November 18, 2009 at 11:45am —
4 Comments
There are many compelling reasons to exercise. Regular physical activity has been shown to reduce the incidence of heart disease, diabetes and hypertension. It improves mental health, fosters strong muscles and strong bones. It also makes most participants happier and improves our looks.
Physical activity also burns calories. In the past few decades exercise has therefore become one arm of the two pronged approach to combat overweight and obesity. Exercise is the calories expended in the equati…
Continue
Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on November 9, 2009 at 6:00am —
No Comments

If the photo of this golden, brown delicacy wasn’t enough to whet your appetite, let me describe the smell: It’s the essence of childhood dreams, the aroma of pleasure itself. At least for me.
Clearly I’m digressing this week from veggie and whole grain recipes and the science of healthy living to the aroma of…
Continue
Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on November 2, 2009 at 6:00am —
4 Comments
Do you live in a healthy neighborhood?
Is there such a thing as an unhealthy neighborhood?
Personal choice has a big impact on many aspects of our health, but do we really have the wherewithal to choose our lifestyle, or do most of us fall into a pattern determined by what’s easy to do and what everyone else is doing? Sure, there are a few motivated individuals who swim against the stream and set their own trend. Most of us don’t. Whether we realize it or not, we follow the lead of our parents…
Continue
Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on October 26, 2009 at 6:00am —
No Comments
Yes, how you prepare vegetables and how long there are exposed to heat affect nutrient content of fruits and vegetables. The main nutrients “lost” during cooking include water soluble B vitamins and
vitamin C. Many of these water-soluble vitamins are leached into water when cooked. You can preserve the nutrient losses by using the cooking liquid in soups or sauces. Steaming o…
Continue
Added by Lisa Nelson on October 22, 2009 at 9:00pm —
No Comments

Last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Bob Harper. If you live in a box a…
Continue
Added by GetFitJenn on October 20, 2009 at 3:07pm —
No Comments
Coca-Cola’s CEO Muhtar Kent recently wrote a much viewed
op-ed in the
Wall Street Journal titled “Coke Didn't Make America Fat,” in which he claims Americans need more exercise, not another tax, and should “enjoy the simple pleasures of a Coca-Cola.”
While it’s perfectly understandable that Mr. Kent would fight the soda tax idea—not because it threaten…
Continue
Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on October 19, 2009 at 6:00am —
1 Comment
Medical science has no
cure for the common cold;
symptomatic relief is the best we can offer as we wait for our body to overcome the viral illness.
Although the common cold is generally a mild di…
Continue
Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on October 12, 2009 at 6:00am —
No Comments
Despite it’s tiny size, flax seed (also known as linseed) has been shown to prevent everything from heart disease to breast cancer. Flax seed is not a “grain” per say but it does have a similar mineral and vitamin profile as a grain. In my opinion, flax seed is necessary in everyone’s diet. Flax seed is so important that the USDA updated the food pyramid to include flax seed oil to the “healthy fats” section which already includes fish.
I am not going to list the abundant reasons why flax seed…
Continue
Added by Sharon Porter on October 7, 2009 at 8:26am —
2 Comments

I’ve always wondered why banana bread is called banana
bread and not banana
cake.
Is it because it’s baked in a bread pan, and not in a round pan? Is the name designed to make us feel be…
Continue
Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on October 5, 2009 at 5:30am —
3 Comments
I’m very skeptical of promises that sound too good to be true.
No field is as rife with these as the diet industry, where new dream diets are invented daily and claim to have found a magic trick allowing us to eat as much as we want yet lose weight.
But here’s one worth checking out: Can eating more fruit help you shed weight?
This diet is worth a second look because we have many
other good reasons to increase our fruit consumption—fruit and vegetables are an important component of a…
Continue
Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on September 28, 2009 at 6:30am —
No Comments
A
recent New York Times article says the debate over a tax on sugary soft drinks is starting to fizz over.
The story quotes President Obama as saying taxing sugary drinks is an idea worth exploring, and that “every study that’s been done about obesity shows that there is as high a correlation between increased soda consumption and obesity.”
A…
Continue
Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on September 21, 2009 at 6:00am —
No Comments
The American Heart Association’s (AHA) new
guidelines published in late August were a refreshing point of clarity contrasting with the vagueness typical of nutrition advice designed not to offend any major food lobby.
The new statement, published in
Circulation, replaces AHA’s hazier 2006 one to “minimize the intake of beverages and foods with added sugars,” and provides detailed guidance by recommending an…
Continue
Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on September 14, 2009 at 6:11am —
1 Comment
The health benefits of Mint include....
more...
Continue
Added by Shirley on September 13, 2009 at 9:50pm —
No Comments
I can’t believe the summer vacation is over and kids will be going back to school this week. This summer went by way too fast!
I was happy to get a letter from my daughter’s elementary school announcing new snack policies—the school will not be giving out
any more snacks, will not give food as incentives, prizes or rewards, and birthday celebrations at school will become "food free." Parents are being encouraged to send healthy snacks from home, including fresh fruit, cut-up vegetables…
Continue
Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on September 7, 2009 at 6:39am —
No Comments
A recent study in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, found that a high intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains and low intake of sodium, sweetened beverages, and red and processed meats was associated with reduced ri…
Continue
Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on August 31, 2009 at 6:00am —
No Comments
Cancer is projected to become the leading cause of death worldwide in 2010. The rate of cancer doubled from 1975 to 2000 and is projected to double again by 2020. It is a disease that affects far to many people and in many instances can be prevented. Here are a few great reads to help you learn more strategies to prevent cancer or to help in treating cancers naturally.
The Number One Way…
Continue
Added by TC on August 30, 2009 at 12:46pm —
No Comments
I was disturbed by a short exchange I had with my ten-year old-daughter today. I told her we would be cooking a cholesterol-free dinner tonight, because one of our guests is trying to lower her cholesterol without medication, to which my dear daughter replied, “She should eat Cheerios.”
Apparently General Mills’ health claims—prominently displayed on every box—have reached my daughter, and she accepts them as fact.
Skimming through the New York Times later in the day, I read an Associated Pres…
Continue
Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on August 24, 2009 at 6:30am —
4 Comments
One of the best things to enjoy on a warm summer day is a cold watermelon. What could be better? Sweet, crisp, refreshing, red and nutritiously healthy.
My husband sees it as a personal failure when we open a watermelon and find a pinkish disappointment that tastes like a cucumber. He feels there must be a fool-proof way to pick the perfect fruit.
Alas, there’s no secret method, but I can offer a few tips for choosing a good watermelon:
Tapping: Tap the watermelon with the pa…
Continue
Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on August 10, 2009 at 6:00am —
1 Comment