Gut 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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …