Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I am sorry it has been a long while since I posted a blog article. I have been very busy working with patients and also working to complete my Doctor of Clinical Nutrition (DCN) and other certifications in Functional Medicine and Genomics. I plan to write more in the coming year about a lot of the really interesting changes that are occurring in the health field and lots of new and exciting discoveries. Please stay tuned!

I would like to highlight for you the connection our memories have on our food cravings. You might not realize it, but our food choices have a lot to do with our past memories and experiences. For example, I remember last summer, I had a very strong craving for spaghetti with meat sauce. Not just any spaghetti - but my Mom’s! It was a craving that came out of the blue as I rarely ever eat spaghetti. I had been swimming in the pool and it took me back to a time when I was a child and would swim for hours and then eat my Mom's food that she lovingly made for me such as her delicious spaghetti. This is one of the reasons why some people have a very difficult time trying to make dietary changes alone. There can be so many deep emotional connections and ties to food. Do memories influence your food choices?

Recently the media was all a buzz over new research which concluded that “The Biggest Loser” contestants not only gained their weight back but now had slower resting body metabolism.¹ This of course is not the reality which those struggling to lose weight would like to achieve, especially after all of the grueling hours spent exercising and dieting. The weight-loss and dieting problems experienced by “The Biggest Loser” contestants bring attention to the need for new approaches to weight-loss and control.

Kevin Hall, a federal research scientist, decided to follow the contestants of the reality TV show for six years to discover their fate.¹ He found that not only did they have slower resting body metabolism, but they also had lower levels of leptin, an appetite suppressing hormone. The change in body chemistry caused the former contestants to be constantly hungry. However, now with slower resting body metabolism, they also required far fewer calories to maintain their goal weight than a typical person their size. Additionally, Hall discovered that the body works very hard to get back to its original weight before the weight was lost. This is not that surprising since the body has many mechanisms to maintain homeostasis. Unfortunately, maintaining weight ultimately proved to be a losing battle for the contestants. Not only did they gain the weight back, but some now weigh even more.

Prior to Hall’s study, it had actually been known that “The Biggest Loser” contestants where not able to maintain the weight they had lost during the show. This is a prime example of what happens when people diet. The fact is, diets ultimately don’t work. The majority of people eventually go back to their same negative diet and lifestyle behaviors.

Obesity and weight-loss is very complex, and even after many years of scientific research we still don’t have all of the answers. The pathogenesis of obesity is considered to be overeating (greater energy input than output).²⁽³⁶⁴⁾ It seems to be this simple, but it isn’t. Often for weight-loss, the emphasis is placed on the amount of calories a person consumes. But, this is not

Practically everyone takes some type of natural supplement including myself, but do they contain the ingredients that they claim? Recently PBS aired a Frontline story on the hidden dangers of vitamins and supplements.¹ I would like to bring this story to your attention because quality of supplements and regulation is a very important subject that America needs to consider. This is a very controversial issue because many people fear that regulation will prevent them from being able to purchase their supplements. But is it safe or right that companies can sell supplements in the United States without any regulation which guarantees that what is stated on the bottle is actually in the supplement?

As a clinical nutritionist, I am very particular about the quality of supplements that I recommend and use. Like many of you reading this article, I also have had fears that regulation would affect my ability to acquire the supplements that I need to maintain good health. But since taking a Botanical Medicine course, I have become even more aware of quality issues with supplements. The supplements that I want to use for myself and recommend to my patients must be high quality and effective. I want to know that a product contains very specific levels of nutrients and phytochemicals and was produced with quality ingredients. Wouldn’t you want the same in a health product?

In European countries like Germany, supplements are more

Breast milk is the ideal food for babies.¹ It not only provides nourishment but it is also designed to provide immune system support and protection.^{1(121), 2} The interesting thing about breast milk is that its composition is always transforming and changing because the mother’s food intake is always changing. This not only provides optimal nutrition for the needs of the infant, but it also introduces the infant to many different flavors which helps to mold their future eating habits.¹⁽¹²¹⁾

The first initial form of breast milk is a fluid that is called colostrum.²⁽¹⁶⁴⁾ It is thick and sometimes yellow, and is produced in the first several days of birth. Colostrum is higher in protein and lower in carbohydrate and fat than mature breast milk which is produced a couple of weeks after the birth. Colostrum is very important as it inoculates the infant with secretory immunoglobulin A and lactoferrin proteins as well as other proteins that are found in breast milk. Infants only need a small amount of approximately 1.5-2 tsp per feeding for several days of this special first milk. What is noticeable about the composite of colostrum is that it has 151 mcg of Vitamin A as retinol versus only 75 mcg found in mature milk. It is also higher in the electrolytes -sodium, potassium and chloride. A mother’s breast milk is designed to provide immunological protection to the infant via mononuclear cells. These mononuclear cells are highest in colostrum but they are also present in mature milk.²⁽¹⁶⁵⁾

Hundreds of nutrient components consisting of

Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) and Advanced Lipoxidation End Products (ALEs) are pathogenic glycotoxins and lipotoxins which can cause oxidative damage and inflammation leading to the progression of chronic diseases such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, Alzheimer’s Disease, cancer, heart disease and kidney disease.

Many foods and cooking methods can increase your exposure to AGEs and ALEs. They are formed through a non-enzymatic reaction that occurs between reducing sugars and proteins, fats or nucleic acids.

Your diet and the methods which you prepare your foods can increase your exposure to AGEs and ALEs. Here are some diet and cooking tips which can

Researchers have identified a trend in declining male reproductive health.¹ This includes an increased incidence of cryptorchidism (undescended testicles), hypospadias (opening of the urethra located on the underside of the penis), testicular cancer and a reduction in the quality of sperm. Exposure to environmental chemicals, which can disrupt the endocrine system, are thought to be the cause. In fact, there are large population research studies which note a higher incidence of hypospadias and cryptorchidism in association with parental exposure to pesticides and environmental chemicals that disrupt the endocrine system. Cryptorchidism and hypospadias are the most common urogenital congenital birth defects. Research also correlates lower penile length in boys with cryptorchidism and hypospadias.

Xenobiotics are chemicals which are man-made.² They can enter the body through the skin, gastrointestinal tract and lungs. These exogenous man-made environmental chemical toxins are linked to disease when the body can’t adequately detoxify them. Each person has a unique

Dreaming of growing your family but having difficulty conceiving? Reproduction is complex and involves the interrelationship of genetic, biological, environmental and behavioral processes. Infertility is diagnosed as the inability to become pregnant after one year of unprotected sex.

If you are struggling to conceive, there can be many causes some of which are diet and lifestyle related. Nutrition is an important treatment intervention for infertility because it can address proper body fat, help incorporate necessary antioxidants which protect egg and sperm from damage, and provide necessary vitamins and minerals which are needed for proper metabolic and hormone function.

A clinical nutritionist can provide patients with preconception and fertility counseling based on a

Anorexia of aging is a geriatric wasting disorder which involves the ability to compensate energy needs and satiation. A person with this disorder experiences a decrease in energy expenditure, metabolism and also muscle mass.¹ Other aging issues play a role in this disorder such as declines in vision caused by cataracts, macular degeneration or other vision issues, as well as a decline in their sense of smell and also taste that can cause a decrease in the desire to eat food. Medications can also alter the taste of food and make eating less enjoyable. Some elderly people experience a decline in mucus secretions which can affect swallowing. Over a long period of time, the lowered food intake can lead to weight-loss and malnourishment. Around adult middle-age or in the 40’s, people can acquire body fat but beginning in the older adult years or 70’s, a decline in both lean body mass and also fat can occur.²

The primary physiological and pathological factors include

The female athlete triad involves three conditions:¹
1) disordered eating
2) amenorrhea
3) osteoporosis

This combination of conditions can occur among females who are trying to stay lean and slim for various reasons such as sports or ballet dancing. However, in their efforts to stay very lean, not enough calories are consumed to make up for the physical activity, as well as enough protein, healthy fats and nutrients such as calcium.^1,2 This in turn causes a cascade of health problems that are very serious and which can be life threatening.²

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
Common symptoms which occur in those with female athlete triad include:²
1) Disordered Eating (This is a temporary or mild change in an eating behavior.)²⁽⁵¹⁴⁾
2) Amenorrhea (Occurs with a 30% deficit in energy intake and is the most prominent red flag for this condition.)
3) Osteoporosis (The more severe the amenorrhea, the greater the negative impact on skeletal bones.)
4) Multiple Stress Fractures (Just a 5% loss of bone mass can increase stress fractures by 40%.)
5) Lean and Low Body Mass
6) Compulsive Behavior
7) Highly Competitive
8) Low Self-Esteem
9) Perfectionist
10) Self-Critical
11) Depression

WHO IS MOST AT RISK?
Young female competitive athletes are particularly at risk but female triad can also occur in young women who are very physically active but not necessarily a competitive athlete.² There is a 25-75%

I want to wish YOU a Happy Valentine's Day!

Did you know that love is essential for people to experience good physical health? Please check out my blog Love is as Essential as Food and Water which explains why love is so important.