What Is the Gut Microbiome? And Why Should We Care About It?
The gut is a biological niche, home to a diverse array of microbes that influence nearly all aspects of human biology through their interactions with our bodies. The term gut …
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Supporting our gut microbiome and gut barrier health is one of the most fundamental aspects of good health.
The gut is a biological niche, home to a diverse array of microbes that influence nearly all aspects of human biology through their interactions with our bodies. The term gut …
Bone broth is definitely a healing food, but there’s also lots of myths about broth, so let’s review all the what’s, why’s, and how’s! The reason why …
Spices are used to flavor or color foods and come from the seeds, roots, buds, bark, resin, or fruits of a plant. They’re usually used in their dried form—with a few notable …
Herbs and spices are any savory, aromatic, edible plant used to flavor or garnish food (or in some cases, for their medicinal properties!). Although herbs and spices are often …
Who doesn’t want some good news about chocolate?! Luckily, this food really is as healthy as it is delicious—at least when we choose our chocolate wisely. Chocolate is made from …
The parsley family (also known as the Apiaceae family or umbellifers, due to forming umbrella-like stem structures called umbels) is a huge plant group with over 3,700 species, …
Amid all the talk of berries as superfoods, bananas as gut-health boosters, and citrus as vitamin C powerhouses, one fruit group tends to get sadly little attention: stone fruits! …
ALL fruit have distinct health benefits (see Why Fruit is a Good Source of Carbohydrates, The Health Benefits of Apples, The Health Benefits of Melons, The Health Benefits of …
Bananas and plantains are both members of the genus Musa, growing on plants that are technically giant herbs rather than trees (due to having a “pseudostem” made of tightly packed …
The onion family, also known as alliums, includes hundreds of different species belonging to the genus Allium, although the ones we’re most likely to see on a dinner plate are …
Melons are the sweet, juicy fruits produced by members of the plant family Cucurbitaceae, and are related to squash and cucumbers (botanically, they’re also technically berries!). …
Winter squash is a generic term for members of the genus Cucurbita that grow through the summer and are harvested in the fall, when they’ve reached full maturation (unlike summer …
I recently released my new gut microbiome e-books, The Gut Health Guidebook and The Gut Health Cookbook (released this week!), the culmination of nearly six years of intense …
It is well-established that eating a diet abundant in fresh vegetables and fruits is good for our health. In fact, every serving of vegetables or fruit reduces risk of all-cause …
Berries are an extremely ancient food in the human diet, with evidence of being a seasonal staple for prehistoric hunter-gatherers. And, science has given us plenty of reasons to …
Cruciferous vegetables are members of the Brassicaceae family, many of which are actually cultivars of a single species (Brassica oleracea): cabbage, Savoy cabbage, cauliflower, …
Eating 8+ servings of fresh vegetables and fruits daily lowers risk of chronic disease more than any other dietary factor (see The Importance of Vegetables), but is it better to …
Although there’s still plenty we don’t know about preventing and treating covid-19, one topic that we should be paying close attention to is the gut microbiome. Research is …
Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in our body, and it also plays a major role in the health and function of the gut. In fact, ample research shows that glutamine influences …
The aphorism “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” was coined in 1913, but was based on a much older rhyme, “eat an apple on going to bed and you’ll keep …
When we think about the benefits of consuming fermented foods, we tend to focus on fermented vegetables (like sauerkraut, kimchee, and pickles), kombucha and kefir (see The Health …
A juicy orange, a flavorful grapefruit, a sweet tangerine… the citrus family provides us with some of our most well-loved fruits! And along with being delicious, their impressive …
Tea is one of the most versatile and well-loved beverages out there! It can help us kickstart a sleepy morning, or it can keep us company on a cold winter day. In the 4000-plus …
Health is impacted by much more than what you eat. Health is also influenced by how you live. How active you are, how much you sleep, how much stress you’re under, how much …
Nutrient sufficiency is arguably the most important quality of any dietary approach, meaning we choose whole foods with the goal of consuming adequate quantities of all essential …
Staying hydrated is essential for kidney health and helps optimize digestion, neurological function, circulation, body temperature regulation, and muscle contraction (see The Paleo …
I’m sure you’ve heard the buzz about intermittent fasting, or “IFing”. It’s purported to stimulate healing, increase longevity, balance hormones, …
One of the fundamental principles of the Paleo diet is avoiding foods that damage the lining of the gut, contributing to “leaky gut”. Is this just the latest …
Whenever a new Paleo study comes out, it’s sure to stir up controversy—no matter what the findings are. “Good” findings are met with cheers from the Paleo community, while “bad” …
Nearly everyone has heard of (and tasted!) honey, but did you know that a number of other bee products also have proven health benefits? It’s true! While honey definitely deserves …
Just because a diet is popular does not mean that it lives up to its claims nor does it mean that it’s safe! Case in point: ketogenic diets. I have been a loud voice of …
Mushrooms are an incredibly valuable nutrient-dense food that offers our gut bacteria unique fiber types that we can’t get from any other food (see Elevating Mushrooms to Food …
Honey is one of humankind’s oldest sweeteners, having been used by the ancient Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, and Indian Ayurvedic practitioners as both medicine and an …
When it comes to nutrient-dense carbs, root veggies are hard to beat: foods like sweet potatoes, carrots, and cassava are not only delicious, they’re also great sources of …
By now, fish’s status as a superfood is hard to deny! Numerous studies have confirmed that regular seafood consumption (and the omega-3 boost it delivers) can lower our risk of …
Celery juice is the latest trending health craze, being called a “savior when it comes to chronic illness”. It’s claimed that in just one week of drinking 16 ounces of celery juice …
After Harvard professor Karin Michels’ presentation called “Coconut Oil and Other Nutritional Errors” went viral on YouTube last week, dozens of media outlets have taken up the …
One of the core principles of a Paleo diet is avoiding foods that contain compounds called toxic lectins. The term toxic lectin originates from the fact that lectins are a class of …
In a previous post, we looked at the development of immune tolerance (the body’s lack of reaction to antigens that could potentially trigger an immune response) in the context of …
Immune tolerance (sometimes called immunotolerance or immunological tolerance) is a situation in which the immune system “tolerates” an antigen—meaning that it doesn’t mount an …
With mounting research showing the negative impact gluten can have on the human body, awareness about gluten-related health problems is on the rise! Along with the upwards of 30% …
Leaky gut is gaining more and more acceptance as something that not only coexists alongside a huge number of health conditions (including autoimmune diseases, food allergies, joint …
The Paleo template is an educational foundation, based on scientific evidence, that informs our food choices. As such, it’s a flexible way of eating, and while there are …
Fiber is an underappreciated nutrient. While not technically essential (meaning we won’t die without it), scientific studies confirm that high fiber intake may be one of the …
Growing up, my mom used to say, “You’ve got to eat a peck of dirt in your life.” And while this phrase is oftentimes said to mean that everyone has to endure a certain amount of …
With digestive disorders and microbiome issues making the headlines left and right, many of us are wondering just how healthy our guts are. After all, the state of our gut can …
Scientific research consistently supports the health benefits of a diet rich in vegetables and fruits. This is in part due to the high vitamin and mineral content of these whole …
When going Paleo, one of the hardest things for many people to give up are noodles (who doesn’t love pasta, fettuccini alfredo, or un ultra-comforting bowl of mac and cheese?!). …