Dr. Ann

Indeed, I consider high quality dark chocolate (60% or greater cocoa content) an excellent desert choice and recommend it as a truly healthy way to satisfy one’s sweet tooth.  Dark chocolate continues to score one scientific triumph after another, including studies that show it can boost brain power, elevate mood and improve cardiovascular health. We […]

~ ~ ~ Like their nut cousins, sesame seeds are concentrated nuggets of nutritional excellence. They are exceptionally rich in a host of key minerals, and provide two very special and unique phytochemicals, sesamin and sesamolin. Both are super-potent antioxidants from the lignan family that have been shown to lower cholesterol, prevent high blood pressure, and boost the […]

Unfortunately the standard American diet (SAD for short) is woefully deficient in fiber – an undigestible form of plant-carbohydrate that we now know plays a huge role in broad spectrum disease protection including promoting gastrointestinal health, aiding in maintenance of a healthy body weight along with reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, many cancers and […]

Inflammation is a key driver of most chronic diseases and the anti-inflammatory power in ginger is off-the-charts.The potent inflammation busters in ginger are called xanthines. These valuable agents are also work horses for boosting immunity and fighting viral infections. For optimal results, include ginger, powdered or fresh, in your diet regularly – daily is best. […]

Dark leafy greens are one of the healthiest foods (arguably THE healthiest food) on the planet and thanks to this study, their disease-busting credentials are bigger than ever. Based on a review of six studies including over 220,000 people, eating more leafy green vegetables can significantly reduce the risk of getting type 2 diabetes (British Medical […]

  Here are the superstar foods that are always available in my pantry: Almond butter  Organic quinoa  A variety of canned and dried beans  Canned red sockeye salmon  A variety of bagged teas   Steel cut oats or old fashioned oats  Cocoa powder  Brown rice  Honey or molasses  Organic vegetable broth  Food Should Taste Good multigrain tortilla chips   […]

Knowing that herbs and spices are teeming with potent antioxidant compounds, researchers from Penn State set out to determine if adding a blend of herbs and spices to a high fat meal could mitigate its adverse effects. For this study, they fed 6 overweight, but healthy men two separate test meals on two separate days. […]

Make sure you move.  As little as 20 minutes of aerobic activity, like a brisk walk, has been shown to improve mood and reduce stress for up to 12 full hours. Go for the right carbs – carbohydrate foods can boost one of our bodies’ feel good neurotransmitters, serotonin.  Steer clear of nutritionally defunct sugar and refined carb foods, […]

Although no one likes to be fooled, researchers from Penn State University have done that. For this clever evaluation, researchers offered 41 unsuspecting young men and women breakfast, lunch and dinner once a week for three weeks.  At each meal, a single dish was altered to substitute pureed “hidden” steamed vegetables in place of other ingredients.  […]

When it comes to diet and health, it is the full spectrum of foods you consume that matters the most. In an evaluation from Sweden’s Lund University, scientists documented the awesome, collective health-boosting power multiple great-for-you foods can provide vs. individual ones. For this evaluation, 44 healthy, but overweight study subjects were put on a dietary regime […]

If you “expect” a food or meal to satisfy you – chances are it will.  Fascinating new research just presented at a scientific meeting on eating behavior found our minds can indeed convince our stomachs that a food or meal will fill us up. Appetite control is the Holy Grail for achieving a healthy body […]

Including a bowl of cereal for breakfast is one of the easiest and most convenient ways to tap into the health-boosting power of whole grains. Eating whole grain cereal may be especially valuable for reducing the risk of high blood pressure. After following over 13,000 male physicians for 16 plus years, scientists found that men […]