Nutrition FAQs

The benefits of flaxseed consumption are many, including: Reducing inflammation Weight loss Reducing hypertension Preventing and improving survival of breast cancer Improving prostate cancer survival Lowering blood sugar Improving ovarian function Looking for ways to incorporate ground flaxseeds into your menu? Check...

Flax has such fantastic benefits that it’s in my Daily Dozen. I recommend at least one tablespoon every day of ground flaxseed, but ask you not to exceed 15 daily tablespoons, given concerns about the naturally occurring cyanide content that have recently...

No. Ground flaxseed added to baked goods has been shown to keep lignan stability up to 350°F. Flaxseed has such fantastic benefits that it’s in my Daily Dozen, but concerns about the naturally occurring cyanide content have recently surfaced, which is why...

An analysis of more than a hundred clinical trials of anti-obesity medications lasting up to 47 weeks found that drug-induced weight loss never exceeded more than nine pounds. Considering the cost and side effects, that’s a lot of money and risk for...

Drinking two cups of water increases the metabolic rate of men and women by 30 percent. The metabolic boost starts within ten minutes of drinking water and reaches a maximum within an hour. In the 90 minutes after drinking a single, tall...

Yes. A regular, reliable source of vitamin B12, which is critical for anyone eating a plant-based diet, can be taken in the form of a supplement or B12-fortified foods. Vitamin B12 is not made by plants or animals, but by microbes that...

Your doctor may want you to get vitamin B12 shots, but did you know that oral B12—even for those who can’t absorb it well—has long been considered one of medicine’s best kept secrets? In fact, it's been found that B12 supplements taken...

The best diet for weight loss is a whole food, plant-based diet. In a randomized, controlled, community-based trial, participants were instructed to eat a whole food, plant-based diet without any calorie counting or portion control. They could eat as much as they...

I recommend two teaspoons of vinegar, including apple cider vinegar, with each meal. Never drink vinegar straight, though. Instead, flavor meals or dress a side salad with any of the sweet and savory vinegars out there. If you want to drink it,...

Three primary factors may be frustrating your attempts at weight loss even while on a whole foods, plant-based diet: evolutionary hard-wiring, metabolic adaptations, and calorie density. Let me break them down for you. First, evolutionary hard-wiring. We evolved over millions of years...

Yes, indeed, and I cover the best ones in my book, How Not to Diet, including these broadly available and safe to consume foods that have been identified as weight-loss accelerators: Black cumin Cumin Garlic powder Green tea Ground ginger Nutritional yeast...

Vitamin B12 Supplements vs B12-Enriched Foods A regular, reliable source of vitamin B12, whether from supplements or fortified foods, is critical for anyone eating a plant-based diet. If you want to get your B12 from fortified foods rather than take supplements, you’d...