WHAT’S WRONG WITH PROCESSED FOOD?

  There is overwhelming evidence that the Western diet is responsible for myriad health problems including heart disease, hypertension, cancer, osteoporosis, obesity, celiac disease, diabetes, and some autoimmune disorders. The correlation is pretty clear – as our diet has included more processed and refined foods, the incidence of these health problems has increased. As we have increased harmful things in our diets,...

JUNK FOOD, DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY

  America’s love of junk food and fast food and the high incidence of mental illness compared to other countries may be more than coincidence. America’s 26% of the population currently diagnosed with mental illness is in stark contrast to the worldwide prevalence of 4.3%. This could, in part, be attributed to a difference in diagnostic criteria but could also be due to a lack of nutrients in processed food compared to...

RAW vs COOKED FOOD

  There is considerable debate about the pros and cons of various popular diets including diets that lean heavily towards meat consumption, like the Paleo Diet, versus vegetarian plant-based diets. Some vegetarians will eat eggs and dairy products with the rationale that animals are not killed in the harvesting of eggs and milk. “Vegan” vegetarians do not eat any animal products, including eggs and milk or other dairy...

VITAMIN D, DEPRESSION AND WINTER

Numerous studies have linked vitamin D to depression. When we don’t get enough vitamin D, we are at greater risk of depression.

Easy autumn cooking

      I love the combination of healthy and easy! This is where gardening really pays off – when you can walk outside and gather a variety of healthy, organic vegetables, throw them in a crockpot with a chicken (organic, free-range of course!) and a few hours later, enjoy a nutrition packed meal that money really can’t buy in most restaurants. For this meal I put a chicken in the crockpot and added...

Simply Nutritious

Eating for mental health does not need to be complicated or difficult. During the summer I do a lot of grilling outside. Here I just rubbed a little bit of olive oil on a piece of salmon and placed it on top of a couple of sprigs of dill I snagged out of the garden. I piled some more dill on top then put the pan on a hot grill and cooked the fish for about 2-3 minutes on each side. The blackened, crispy dill adds a wonderful flavor to the fish. If you don’t have fresh dill, you can just sprinkle both sides with dried dill and it will work just as well.