We make over 200 food decisions daily. No one wants to feel consumed by the thoughts surrounding food choices, especially when you can be enjoying quality time with friends and family instead.  Holiday season can bring a special type of stress around navigating eating and staying on track with your health goals. Instead of over-thinking what you are putting on your plate, who is going to comment about it and what, and how “guilty” you are going to feel afterwards, let’s make a holiday game plan to ease your mind! 1. Focus on Protein Protein helps to promote stable blood sugar, curbs your ..read more

As the air starts to become crisp, leaves will change to orange, yellow and red and that can only mean one thing, fall flavors are BACK! Fall is a great time to add some variety into your routine and enjoy some comforting sweet and savory dishes. One of the hardest parts can be finding healthy options that not only bring back that cozy, warm feeling but also provide your body with the nutrients it needs to function optimally. Below are a few warm your soul, guilt-free recipes that just might become new staple items in your house. Pumpkin Spice Latte Servings: 1 Ingredients for Stovetop: ½ cup ..read more

We are living through a difficult time, trying to survive the COVID-19 pandemic. Staying isolated inside our homes, limiting contact with the outside world to “virtual communications” via our computers and phones. But we need to go outside and enjoy the Sun. A daily dose of sunshine can help to fight against a wide range of illnesses.  Some of us think that taking a pill or vitamin D can solve the problem of sunshine deficiency. In reality the answer is “NO!”. On the bright side, a little fun in the sun can be a free, stress-relieving way to help defend against multiple common conditions ..read more

Life has changed in the last several months. Most of us are staying in isolation, working from home. One of the few positive factors is the extra time we have on our hands. Let’s not waste this opportunity and try to better ourselves. Let’s look at what can be done to positively impact our free time. Let’s start at the top. As people get older and wiser, they realize the need to prevent memory loss that comes with aging.  It is not inevitable. Memory is a precious resource on which we rely to navigate our careers, relationships, and day-to-day life. Preserving your brain matter is someth ..read more

There are multiple tests available to help with diagnosis of the COVID-19 infection. I’d like to separate them into 2 categories: Diagnostic Tests: Diagnose an acute infection Antibody Tests (Serological Assays): Confirm a previous infection Diagnostic tests detect the genetic material of the Coronavirus that causes COVID-19, so called real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) assay, which allows detection of the virus during acute infection. The specimen could be collected using nasal swabs, or saliva samples. These tests are used in patients, who have symptoms sus ..read more

We are living thru a new reality of life: social distancing. Isolation is slowing the spread of COVID-19, but it will undoubtedly have negative consequences on our mental health and well-being for both the short- and long-term. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about substantial increases in anxiety and depression, substance use, loneliness, and domestic violence. A recent national survey showed that COVID-19 is seriously affecting Americans’ mental health, with 50% of U.S. adults reporting high levels of anxiety. What can we do to minimize this problem? It is very important not to catastrop ..read more

Most of us are facing the reality of social isolation and a new problem of being confined in a house all day and every day. Many people are not used to working from home and may not feel as efficient as when they sit at their desk at work. So what could be done? Establish a dedicated workplace It’s important to create some sort of physical boundary at home, find a room or a part of a room you can temporarily use as an office space to help you develop an isolation between your work and your home life. Ideally, it should be a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted by family members ..read more

With the whole country shutdown and the majority of the population quarantined at home, we need to find ways to stay healthy physically and mentally. Our favorite restaurants are closed, no access to parks or gyms, limited interaction with your friends and family, confinement in the house 24/7, overwhelming news on TV – all of this can take a toll on anybody. The key to surviving this period and any other isolation is to have a plan! This includes a well-stocked healthy kitchen and pantry, scheduled regular exercise, telephone or videoconferencing with your family, friends and colleagu ..read more

Ensure the foods you eat are going to energize your body Avoid sugars and processed foods – these will spike blood sugar and can cause mood swings and inflammation. These foods can pull minerals from the body in order to digest properly. If you are eating this: Replace with this: cereal, bagel, muffin protein smoothie, eggs, steel cut oatmeal with ground flax seeds and nuts, flax muffin chips, pretzels vegetables and hummus, guacamole, handful of nuts, nut butter on a rice cake cookies, tasty cakes, ice ..read more

We are all trying to protect ourselves from the novel Coronavirus. To improve your chances of remaining healthy, you need to practice an immune-boosting lifestyle by eating healthy, exercising regularly and managing stress. I’ve discussed these topics in recent blogs. It is also very important is to limit exposure to COVID-19 by practicing social distancing and using different barriers to minimize contact with possible sources of the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended wearing face coverings in certain settings. How much benefit do we get from wearing gloves ..read more