Cooking For Health

When the Going Gets Teff…. Discovering an Ancient, Gluten-Free Grain

By Sally Lamont, ND, LAc

Many Americans had their first “taste” of teff—Ethiopia’s ancient cereal staple– through the writing of Abraham Verghese, MD, the beloved Stanford surgeon who authored the 2009 novel, Cutting for Stone. The story begins in Verghese’s childhood homeland of Ethiopia, and in it, the author describes his love of injera, the traditional sourdough flatbread made from […]

Tasty Recipes for a Late-Winter Immune Boost

By Janet Gulland, Contributing Writer

Looking for easy—and tasty—ways to help your patient raise their folate, potassium and Vitamin C levels, elevate their Vitamin D, and increase their intake of immune-boosting phytochemicals? The Institute for Natural Medicine’s colorful new e-book, Winter Weather Foods for Immune Support, is an excellent place to start. Packed with simple and mouth-watering mostly vegan recipes […]

Culinary Mushrooms Offer a Wealth Of Immune-Boosting Nutrients

By Sally LaMont, ND, LAc

As practitioners, we encourage our patients to eat more brightly colored, phytonutrient-rich fruits and vegetables, and there’s no question that color is strongly correlated with nutrient content. But we should not overlook nature’s white, tan, and brown-pigmented delights. And by that, I mean mushrooms! Edible mushrooms contain diverse immunoregulatory compounds, like chitin, β-glucans, sterols, terpenes […]

What “Food is Medicine” Really Means

By Robert Graham, MD

“Food is medicine.” It’s an idea that goes all the way back to Hippocrates, if not before him. In one form or another, this notion is found in many cultures all around the world. It is easy to say, and it has been getting a lot of lip service in recent years. But what does […]

Diet for a Large Pandemic

By Ellen Kanner, Contributing Writer

For medical professionals on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, good nutrition is as much a part of “PPE” as N95 masks, and can be just as difficult to obtain. Fortunately, many healthy foods are available in convenient grab & go packages, and many restaurants around the country are stepping up to bring healthy, nutrient-dense Mediterranean style meals to clinics and hospitals. 

Cinnamon Induces Apoptosis in Cancer Cells

By Kristen Schepker, Assistant Editor

Outside the kitchen, cinnamon stacks up as a powerful anti-cancer ingredient in a recent European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry paper. Research shows that the beloved culinary spice possesses multiple cancer-fighting properties, including an impressive ability to induce apoptosis.

Why the Mediterranean Diet is the Best Diet on the Planet

By Steven Masley, MD, Contributing Writer

Mediterranean countries have some of the longest life spans on the planet. Despite their high rates of tobacco use, and they have lower rates of heart disease, memory loss, cancer, and obesity. Physician-Author Steven Masley set out on a 7-month journey to discover how cuisine and culture converge to engender health across this diverse region. 

The Plantrician Will See You Now: Vegan Living Meets Clinical Practice

By Ellen Kanner, Contributing Writer

For a growing number of other doctors, plants–and specifically plant-based nutrition–hold the solution to preventing burnout and re-discovering professional satisfaction. The plant-based lifestyle is not just a hot consumer trend, it is a force thats transforming the lives of physicians nationwide.

Don’t Worry, Be Hemp-y: Discovering The Culinary Value of Hemp Seeds

By Ellen Kanner, Contributing Writer

Hemp is definitely the “It” plant these days. Thanks largely to the public’s interest in cannabidiol (CBD), hemp and cannabis-derived products are poised to hit $2.6 billion in sales by 2022. But in the midst of this Cannapalooza, one vital part of the plant is being overlooked and underloved: hemp seeds. No, they do not […]