Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes

Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes


While 2020 has been a challenging year to say the least, as Thanksgiving approaches, I hope that you're all able to celebrate the harvest and other blessings this past year. With a full heart and grateful spirit, I would like to share some healthful recipes with all of you that I hope you enjoy.

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

So, why would we want to mash cauliflower? For one, it's a cruciferous vegetable rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, such as glucosinolates that have a favorable effect on hormone metabolism and offer anti-cancer activity. Additionally, if you're trying to limit carbohydrates, hence limiting your consumption of mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower may be a great alternative or merely something different and a new way to include more vegetables into your diet.

Intermittent Fasting & Potential Health Benefits

Intermittent Fasting & Potential Health Benefits

Fasting is voluntarily refraining from eating for a set period of time and has been used for many years for therapeutic and spiritual purposes. Intermittent fasting (IF) is defined as a variety of eating patterns where no or few calories are consumed for periods of time than can span 12 hours to several days, on a recurring basis, and can result in a number of different physiological responses. Time restricted fasting (TRF) is a specific type of IF in which food intake is restricted to specific time periods of the day, typically between 13 and 18 hours. TRF has been shown to improve glycemic control, increase fat oxidation, and has the potential to improve insulin signaling. This is all due in part to the increased levels of ketone bodies produced when fasting.

It's October and you know what that means - Breast Cancer Awareness Month

It's October and you know what that means - Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Over twenty-two years ago, I was involved in working with the Women's Healthy Eating & Living (WHEL) Study coordinated by the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Cancer Center. The WHEL study, a multi-site controlled clinical trial, investigated the effect of diet on the recurrence of breast cancer in women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. This study is dear to my heart - who knew it would be the gateway to my career? Early on at UCSD, night after night (grad school during the day), I would sit in my cubicle and talk with women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer strategizing as to how best to adhere to particular dietary goals. Years later, I worked directly with these women at UCSF and Stanford completing their periodic assessments and teaching monthly cooking classes. Through this work, I learned about their lives, their families, their eating habits, and so much more. It was these women, WHEL study participants, who guided me in developing my passion for helping those with cancer. I will always be grateful for the WHEL study - my co-workers and the participants, who led me to fight for the cause.

Dare I say pumpkin? Orange Vegetables - Health Benefits and Recipes

Dare I say pumpkin? Orange Vegetables - Health Benefits and Recipes

Among the most nutritious are carrots, orange peppers, sweet potatoes, and winter squashes, including pumpkin

These vegetables, exemplified by their vibrant color, are good sources of vitamin C, folic acid and other B vitamins, potassium, fiber, vitamin A, and carotenoids. Due to their fiber content, these vegetables are quite satiating. And the vitamin A is important for healthy skin, nails, and hair.

Orange vegetables are excellent sources of alpha-carotenoids, lutein, and most notably, beta-carotene. Beta-carotene and its family of carotenoids have anticancer functions and strengthen the immune system. Beta-carotene is associated with a reduced risk of breast, ovarian, uterine, cervical, lung, colorectal, and prostate cancer.

Simple and delicious – these vegetables are great oven roasted. Eat these vegetables regularly – if not daily, several times a week. Foods rich in beta-carotene are more easily absorbed when cooked, juiced, or blended. Cooking and processing helps break down their tough cellular walls and make the beta-carotene more available to the body's tissues. To discuss a few...

Cancer Awareness Month for Gynecological & Prostate Cancers

Cancer Awareness Month for Gynecological & Prostate Cancers

Please join me in celebrating the courageous women and men who are living with gynecological cancer or prostate cancer.

Gynecological Cancers
Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month is recognized each year in September and is a perfect time to encourage women to learn more about cancers of the cervix, vagina, vulva, ovaries, and uterus. Every year in the United States, about 89,000 women are diagnosed with and more than 33,000 die from a gynecologic cancer

Avocados - Healthy & Delicious

Avocados - Healthy & Delicious

Technically a fruit, avocados are in their own unique category when it comes to their nutritional properties. These fruits are a great source of dietary fiber, folate, vitamin B6, potassium, iron, niacin, vitamin E, and monounsaturated fats. Yet, it is true that they are high in fat – one medium avocado contains 30 grams of fat. Fortunately, it’s healthy fat rich in omega-9 fatty acids, or monounsaturated fats, which appear to have neutral if not protective effects against cancer. Nonetheless, given that you’re likely consuming other fats in the diet, consider keeping your portion to 1/4-1/2 avocado at a sitting.

Sleep - Getting your ZZZZZ's

Sleep - Getting your ZZZZZ's

Medical and treatment factors, pain, menopausal symptoms, age, mental health, and more all contribute to challenges with sleep. Sleep disturbances and fatigue are beyond commonplace. The quality and quantity of our sleep can significantly affect our health - physical, mental, and emotional. Learn more and get tips for better sleep!

Prebiotics & Probiotics

Prebiotics & Probiotics

Not a day goes by that I don't read an article on the microbiome and its significant implications on our health. Why? Because every food and supplement you consume interacts with the lining of your gut, and your gut lining is home to a jungle of microflora. Prebiotics and probiotics help to improve the diversity and overall health of our microbiome. That said, telling you to take just any prebiotic and/or probiotic supplement is virtually as vague as telling you to take a pill; it provides you no guidance at all.

Organic Foods - Are they worth it?

Organic Foods - Are they worth it?

Let's discuss. While we each may have our own (possibly strong) opinion on this topic, my goal is to present what we know from the scientific literature. And I'll be honest, we need more research. That said, independent studies have reported that various pesticides are linked with a host of health problems, including brain and nervous system toxicity, cancer, and hormone disruption.

Summer Grilling & Genotoxins: How to Make your Food Safer

Summer Grilling & Genotoxins: How to Make your Food Safer

Longer days and warmer weather have arrived – a time when we see outdoor grilling and BBQs as a summertime staple for preparing meals. This transition does, however, present some potential health challenges. Open flames of gas and charcoal can induce polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in cooked meat. PAHs, a group of highly hydrophobic and organic compounds are ubiquitous in the environment. PAHs are harmful to human health, and a number of them are carcinogenic, mutagenic, and genotoxic.

Vitamin D - could it really help lower our risk of COVID-19? Lessen the likelihood that we find ourselves in the ICU?

Vitamin D - could it really help lower our risk of COVID-19? Lessen the likelihood that we find ourselves in the ICU?

Nearly four months into sheltering-in-place and the risk of COVID-19 remains of high concern. I mentioned vitamin D in my February email and I find that it continues to be discussed and now researched as to how it may influence COVID-19. I thought it would be prudent to share more on this topic.