Eating healthy food is usually considered a good thing, but sometimes so-called healthy behavior can take a dangerous and compulsive turn. There’s a word for this phenomenon: orthorexia. The term was coined by Steven Bratman, M.D., and it refers to an obsessive fixation with righteous eating. While orthorexia is not an official clinical term—unlike anorexia […]
Evidence linking our love of sugar to the obesity epidemic is growing, while our obsession with low-fat food is proving futile. We are a nation raised on sugar, starting with infant formula and progressing to juice, chocolate milk, Gatorade and soda. While sugar-sweetened beverages are only part of the problem, they account for a large […]
If you’re anything like me, the only time you encountered soy growing up in the ‘60s and ‘70s was while consuming Chinese take-out. Even though soy has been integral to Asian cuisine for centuries, it was virtually nonexistent in the typical American diet until about 15 years ago. In fact, for a long time the […]
There was a time when smoking was touted as a healthy endeavor. The marketing machine behind the tobacco industry took years to topple. Today, drinking soda—especially diet soda—can be viewed as good for you. It’s also a myth. Lots of healthy people drink soda on a daily basis. However, in clinical practice, I’ve seen a […]
Whole Foods Market Northbrook is taking on a new cause: clean and healthy eating for all local consumers, regardless of income.
Energy bars are everywhere: front and center at Jewel, Whole Foods, Target, Walgreens and in school cafeterias and vending machines. Viewed—often erroneously—as “healthy,” energy-bar consumption has risen dramatically in the past 10 years. The Packaged Facts reports a U.S. market for energy and cereal bars of $6 billion and growing. While energy bars aren’t usually […]
Looks like mom was right: Breakfast does matter. According to the “Wellness Impact Report*,” kids who eat breakfast tend to have better memory and attention spans, score higher on tests and have less behavioral problems. The flipside of this report is not so rosy: 62 percent of teens say they don’t eat breakfast every day. […]
We get it. Everyone splurges on Thanksgiving, and you should! But now you have a fridge full of leftovers tempting you to indulge in your turkey day feast all over again, so we’ve found a few solutions so you can have your turkey and eat it too. Eat: Turkey wrap with cranberries Skip: Turkey […]
Post-workout or as a mid-afternoon energy boost, this smoothie has tons of goodies—protein, leafy greens and berries—all in a yummy vanilla base. Superfood Smoothie Recipe Prep Time: Less than 15 minutes Serves 1 Ingredients: 1 cup of water or coconut water 2 scoops vanilla protein powder 1 tablespoon flaxseed 1/2 raw beet, cut up 1/2 […]
When Northfield’s Jill Manchester asked for a nutrition makeover, her reason stood out not for being special or different. It simply described the situation so many of us find ourselves in. “As a working mom, my time is my most valuable asset,” she wrote. “Looking back, when my three kids were young, I traded […]
