You may have heard of gluten — and the dietary concerns it causes — but have you heard of lectin? Known as an "antinutrient," lectin is a type of plant-based protein commonly found in seeds, grains, legumes, and tubers, like potatoes. As an antinutrient, lectins may prevent your body from absorbing essential vitamins and minerals — but that's not all. (more…)
Everyone talks about aging gracefully but let's get serious. When your ears suddenly sprout hair, you leak a little every time you laugh, and you habitually adjust your television's volume control to a very, very loud setting, “grace" is not the first word that enters your mind. How many of us actually age like Harrison Ford or Jane Fonda? (They even named Fonda's character Grace on the show, “Grace and Frankie"!) In our less starry-eyed "real lives," we can nevertheless achieve a reality where our intellectual, emotional, and physical lives […]
If you're pregnant and exhausted, you're not alone. Research shows that 90 percent of women experience pregnancy fatigue, particularly in the first trimester, though it often returns in the third trimester.[1] Some women experience it in all three! While most parents expect they will feel tired once the baby arrives, the intense and persistent fatigue many women experience during pregnancy can come as a surprise. Although it can feel frustrating and, at times, debilitating, pregnancy fatigue is a good sign. It indicates that your body is producing the hormones needed […]
Propelled to fame from a multitude of studies on the phytochemical properties of plants, resveratrol more than lives up to its reputation. Experts have called this unique antioxidant a fountain of youth for its effectiveness against a variety of age-related conditions. Researchers first became interested in resveratrol when studying the “French paradox" in the late 1980s: French diets were high in fatty foods, yet overall, French people experience low rates of heart disease. Scientists set out to discover why. Soon, they found a compound in red wine, which was then […]
We all feel tired, even exhausted, some of the time. But for some people, the exhaustion never lets up, and it comes along with physical discomfort, sleep issues, and trouble with memory and concentration. Anywhere from about 800,000 to 2.5 million Americans may have myalgic encephalomyelitis — more commonly called chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).[1] Medical experts once told people these symptoms were “all in their head" — but they have come to accept that the suffering is real. As one patient put it, having ME/CFS feels “like permanently having the […]
