Latest Evidence in Foods

I was in a Pilates class a couple of weeks ago, when one of the women complained that Whole Foods was out of the organic celery she needed to juice. Another woman suggested that she try Wegman’s as she usually buys multiple bunches at a time there. After giving them...

What Is Arugula? Arugula is an edible plant in the Brassicaceae family used as a leaf vegetable for its fresh peppery flavor. Its formal name is Eruca sativa, but it is also known as rocket (especially in British Commonwealth countries). Some additional names are...

Introduction Apricot seeds are surrounded by major controversy. Essentially, there are two diametrically opposed camps. People who passionately believe that apricot seeds have health benefits and should be freely available and especially to help people with cancer....

Introduction The issue of Essiac tea previously came up in one of our other articles on slippery elm. In that article, we limited our discussion on Essiac tea to its putative effects on cancer. While most interest in Essiac tea relates to cancer, it is has also been...

Introduction I was reading an article last week when I realized that there was a gross basic error (GBE)  in my knowledge base. Maybe, it would be more accurate to say ‘another’ GBE in my knowledge of how the world works. I had thought that the terms ‘citron’ and...

Introduction I get to attend great medical conferences on health and wellness and have noticed that there is mushrooming interest in mushrooms (if you can excuse the pun). In particular, I notice that mushrooms are really popular in the over 50 year old...

Introduction As a doctor (or foodie), it is best to avoid being dogmatic. Partly, because we need to respect the views of our patients (or friends) but largely because the ‘dogma’ tends to change as new science emerges. Take saturated fat as an example. My grandmother...

What Is Apple Cider Vinegar? Apple cider vinegar has been used by many cultures for thousands of years- as a folk remedy, as a food ingredient and preservative, and for various household cleaning purposes. Reports of the healing properties of apple cider vinegar...

Introduction There are over one million websites out there on frankincense. So says a 2008 review on frankincense in the British Journal of Medicine (1). Reader beware. This review points out that the majority of these websites on frankincense ‘fail to offer reliable...

Introduction Humankind has enjoyed fermented dairy drinks like kefir for centuries. A 2011 review entitled ‘Kefir and Health: a contemporary perspective' promotes kefir for 'antimicrobial activity, better gut health, anticarcinogenic activity, control on serum glucose...