Dr. Ann

Fiber has a long list of health benefits. Here are the best ways to get more of this special compound in your daily diet. Consume as many fruits and veggies as possible. The superstars for fiber content include berries (raspberries #1), snow peas, apples, canned tomato products, pumpkin, cauliflower, avocado, spinach, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, Brussels […]

In a laboratory evaluation, scientists have preliminary evidence that prebiotics, dietary fibers that feed the good bacteria in our guts, may benefit sleep and stress resiliency. For this lab study scientists fed one group of mice a diet enriched with prebiotics and a control group of mice the same diet without the prebiotics. The researchers […]

The diminutive, yet all-powerful blueberry is a true work horse in terms of fortifying wellness and a new report gives us yet another reason to include them regularly in our diets – maintaining an abundance of healthy bacteria in our colons. There has been a recent explosion of research highlighting that the types and amounts […]

Onions are uniquely high in prebiotics, the special type of fiber that feeds the good bacteria in our guts. (Remember those good bacteria define your health destiny!) Onions are one of the richest sources of quercetin, a powerhouse phytochemical renowned for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory power. Onions are almost calorie free, yet revered for their […]

Low-fat or non-fat PLAIN yogurt is truly the cream of the dairy crop and a superstar, standout food. Here are 6 great reasons to enjoy it daily. Yogurt provides probiotics (beneficial bacteria) that are fundamental to gastrointestinal health as well as metabolic and immune function. Yogurt provides more calcium than any other food. As an added bonus, […]

If you have not already discovered “the magic” of fermented foods, I encourage you to do so. These microbe-enhanced foods offer a slew of unique features that put them in a league of their own for better health. Aside from a pleasingly pronounced and zingy flavor, fermented foods offer the following added benefits: Easier digestibility […]

Fermented foods are rapidly garnering rock star status for a number of reasons, and kefir is one that everyone should know about. This “drinkable yogurt” offers all the goodness in dairy – complete protein, calcium, vitamin D, B-vitamins, zinc and potassium along with a huge dose (up to 200 billion plus per serving – that’s […]

Tis the season for annoying spring allergies. Thanks to a new study, getting some relief may be as easy as popping a probiotic supplement. Scientist enrolled 173 adults who suffer from seasonal allergies in a study to evaluate the effectiveness of a combination of two beneficial species of bacteria – lactobacillus and bifidobacterium (available as […]

Fiber has a long list of health benefits, but fighting fat and protecting metabolic health is arguably where it shines most brilliantly. Here are the best ways to get more of this special compound in your daily diet. Consume as many fruits and veggies as possible. The superstars for fiber content include: berries (raspberries #1), […]

If you enjoy your yogurt like I do, you will be pleased to know that in addition to getting a nice dose of several critical nutrients like calcium, zinc, potassium, B vitamins and those awesome beneficial bacteria (probiotics) – yogurt may help lower your risk of high blood pressure. In a study that followed the […]

If the hamster wheel of unpleasant thoughts, better known as negative rumination, is weighing you down, taking a daily dose of probiotics may lighten the load and brighten your mood. In an intriguing new clinical trial, researchers provided 20 healthy subjects a daily dose of a multispecies probiotic for four weeks and a matched group of 20 […]

In a new report published in the American Heart Association’s journal, Hypertension, consuming probiotics as part of a healthy lifestyle appears to significantly lower blood pressure levels, especially in those with hypertension. The analysis combined the results of nine previously published clinical trials and found that regular consumption of probiotics for eight weeks or longer lowered […]