by Nilima Desai, MPH, RD Most people who are on a quest for weight loss have all heard, “a calorie is a calorie” and that it doesn’t matter if the calorie is a carbohydrate calorie, a protein calorie, or a fat calorie. In fact, all calories do have the same amount of energy: one kilocalorie contains about 4184 Joules of energy, which is the amount of energy needed to increase the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius.…

It is well known that nutrition plays a major role in the prevention and management of several chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease, as well as cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and overweight and obesity. Chronic disease is very common in the United States and nearly 70% of American adults are overweight or obese. Health conditions triggered by overweight or obesity such as hypertension or hyperlipidemia, among others, are commonly treated with prescription drugs. Indeed, in a study of prescription…

Dietary supplements are used by a majority of Americans on at least an occasional basis. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education (DSHEA) defines dietary supplements as“ vitamins, minerals, herbals and botanicals, amino acids, dietary substances to supplement the diet such as enzymes or tissues, or a concentrate, metabolite, constituent, or extract.” Supplements are popular across demographics in the United States, but use of dietary supplements by American adults over 50 years old has increased by 40% since the 1970’s.[1]The increase…

by Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN Overview Vitamin D research and daily news headlines are ubiquitous. PubMed’s search engine contains over 81,800 articles pertaining to vitamin D.1 Information abounds on vitamin D, but the vetting and translation of that information into pragmatic recommendations is harder to find. Evidence-based takeaways and female-centric recommendations are crucial for healthcare practitioners (HCPs), their female patients and consumers alike. Women are busy, multi-tasking pros, so practical, personalized takeaways are always appreciated. In other words, women…

The gene MTHFR is one of the best-known and most relevant genes in the growing field of nutrigenomics. According to the National Institutes of Health, MTHFR provides instructions for making an enzyme that plays a role in processing amino acids, as well as converting one form of folate to another, a process that is required to convert the amino acid homocysteine into another amino acid, methionine. It’s not this complicated process itself, though that makes MTHFR so noteworthy and relevant to…

by Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN The importance of vitamin D in diverse organ systems and biochemical processes is ever-growing with novel research findings. From calcium absorption to extraskeletal health processes such as immune function- vitamin D is essential. The role of vitamin D in pain management is a newer area of investigation that has not been fully established. It is estimated that 25.3 million American adults experience pain every day, with nearly 40 million experiencing some form of extreme pain.1 Annual…

The mornings are brisk and the sun is setting earlier- it’s definitely fall out there. With the seasonal change also comes a change in the local produce that is available. The markets start to fill with apples, pears, pumpkins, acorn squash, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli and other delightful fall produce. While we will miss the high levels of antioxidants present in fresh berries and cherries that are now not easily available, this season’s produce offerings still have lots of health…

Summer has ended and school is back in session- which means most of us are in the thick of balancing classes, healthy eating on the go, exercise and sleep. Here are some tips and things to consider to keep the year calm, cool, and healthy. Schedules can get pretty stressful between work meetings, deadlines, school obligations, side projects and just plain keeping the house clean. Studies have shown that increased stress can lead to poor quality of sleep, and increased rates…