Opinion

The Risks of the Detox Diet

The Master Cleanse (aka lemonade diet) requires limiting our food intake to water with lemons, laxative tea and salt water in order to “cleanse” the body. Weight loss may occur from this diet but it is mainly from loss of water, not from fat loss.

It is clear that we were not meant to live on lemons and laxatives!

Evidenced Based Diet: Cinnamon Controls Blood Sugar

While cinnamon is not a cure-all and is no substitute for controlling carbohydrates and calories in your diet, it is a spice worth adding to your diet, especially if you have diabetes.

When to Buy Organic

According to the Environmental Working Group, the most contaminated foods are peaches, strawberries, apples, domestic blueberries, nectarines, cherries and imported grapes; buy these fruits organic!

Should the Parents of Supermorbidly Obese Children go to Jail?

It is possible that genetic defects are responsible for more cases of child obesity than we realize because we haven’t yet discovered the responsible genes. I would hate to put a mother in jail or separate a family only to find out a few years later that the child suffers from a previously unheard of genetic defect. There is simply no way to know for sure whether a child is obese because of a parent’s neglect or some genetic predisposition.

How to Have a Nutritionally Healthy Playdate

Play dates are a great way for your child to interact with other children, learn to share, build social skills, and most of all, have fun! But what happens when your overweight child comes home to tell you about the fried Oreos or fast food snack he consumed at his friend’s house?

Dr. Dolgoff gives tips on how to make playdates healthier.

Is Your Child a "Carbetarian"?

It is commonly believed that a vegetarian diet is a healthy diet. And that is usually true, but not always. Consider the "carbetarian", who eats only plant-based foods, but mostly in the form of starches. Relying solely on carbohydrates for nourishment is not healthy. Dietary protein is important for maintaining your immune system and for building and repairing your body tissues. Vegetarians need to eat the proper amount of plant-based protein each day.

The Misguided Quest for a Thin Baby: It's Shocking How Far Some Parents Will Go

Consider the case pending against Brittainy and Samuel Labberton for attempting to starve their newborn daughter to the point of clinical emaciation. They were much more concerned about the child’s looks than the child’s health! When the baby gained some (much-needed) weight during a hospitalization, Brittainy complained “’Oh my God, she’s fat’ and ‘I have a fat baby,’”

The Evidence Based Diet: Scallop Chowder with Tomatoes and Sage

I developed this recipe for a tomato-based scallop chowder with sage to satisfy my hankering for a dairy-free seafood chowder made with my new favorite herb! It was a hit!

The Best Foods to Eat to Beat The Winter Blues

In the winter when the cold weather blows in, you might find it hard to motivate yourself to get out of bed or even leave the house. Shorter winter days also mean less sunlight every day and sunlight helps us feel wide-awake. You might be experiencing a winter slump and a drop-off in energy levels like many other people.

New Years Resolutions for Healthy Choices About Food

Do you snack before going shopping? You should! This simple habit could prevent you from making poor food choices at the market. Dr. Joanna Dolgoff gives this and other tips for the new year about how to make healthy choices about food.

Is Your Child Sneaking Food?

At times the desire to eat certain foods becomes overpowering and in an attempt to avoid disappointing Mom and Dad, kids start to sneak food. Often, parents do not see the amount of unhealthy foods their children are consuming. Have you noticed any erratic eating patterns, hidden candy wrappers, disappearing foods

Lactose Intolerance: A Pumpkin Pie for the Rest of Us

This Thanksgiving, instead of being a “party pooper” (pun intended) and making pumpkin pies with dairy, give your lactose intolerant guests a chance to enjoy the bounty, and make this recipe for a dark chocolate butternut squash pie that is dairy-free.

The Evidence Based Diet: The Benefits of Cranberry Juice

My mother always told me to drink cranberry juice so that I wouldn’t get urinary tract infections. Since I never got a urinary tract infection she may have been on to something. However, now that I have been out of the house for two decades, I have stopped drinking cranberry juice, and I still never get urinary tract infections. Is this a myth?

The Evidence Based Diet: Black-Eyed Peas Bean Dip May Help Lower Cholesterol

Black-eyed peas ain't just Fergilicious, they're also good for you. They have anti-fungal and anti-viral properties and eating them can help lower your cholesterol--maybe faster than shakin' your booty will.

The Evidence Based Diet: Chicken Soup for Colds and Flu

Chicken soup improves nasal mucous velocity more so than hot or cold water alone. Throw in some star anise, garlic and tumeric and you have one healthy meal.

The Evidence Based Diet: Cooking Tomatoes for Salsa Releases Lycopene

Have you ever eaten at a restaurant and wished you could skip the entrée and just eat the salsa and chips? Well maybe your taste buds and body were trying to tell you something. Most salsa is made with tomatoes, and tomatoes are fantastic sources of lycopene.

Lycopene, which appears to be protective against many types of cancer, is more bioavailable in tomatoes when they are cooked with a little bit of oil.

The Evidence Based Diet: Fresh Oregano Pesto Might Keep Colon Cancer Away

Many of us know oregano mostly as a key ingredient in pasta sauces or pizza. But it doesn’t just taste great; it may also help keep your colon safe from cancer. To channel oregano's many health-giving properties, I created an original recipe for oregano pesto.

The Evidence Based Diet: Try Hummagus Made With White Asparagus But Stay Calm, Please

You never know where the inspiration for a great recipe will come from. Last week my mother told me about a recent incident in Germany where a physical altercation erupted over the price of white asparagus at an open air market. Asparagus has one of the highest antioxidant profiles of commonly consumed vegetables. This new hummus recipe blends white asparagus with chickpeas and tahini. Vegetarian and yummy!