Geri's blog

Hats off to San Franciso, New York City, Yelp and CfA (Code for America) for collaborating and launching: foodinspectiondata.org.

There are many people that remain under the impression that dietary fat is bad for you. It can be confusing to know how much fat to eat and what kinds are healthy. Our bodies need fat for a number of fundamental health reasons and a century ago, relied on fat during seasonal times of leaner intake as a primary fuel source. That is not the way it goes today in the land of plenty.

Many clients ask me about protecting their gut health while traveling to various destinations throughout the world, especially as vacations abound this time of year. Below are a few important considerations for your travel bag.

• Saccharomyces boulardii, a beneficial yeast which has been demonstrated to reduce travelers' diarrhea.
• A natural broad spectrum antimicrobial to help support the gut's own defenses in tackling foreign organisms. These can include: olive leaf extract, oil of oregano, and wormwood.

Most of you know that one of my areas of clinical expertise and interest is pediatrics and pediatric developmental disabilities. It is very difficult to provide nutritional care services to a child without extending support to the parents and families as a whole. While I am honored and humbled to be considered a part of your village and guide you in your nutritional care, I have longed for the day when I would see the flood of chronic nutritionally related illness quell.

Nearly 10 years ago when my mother passed at the age of 76, my father, then 77, said,

About a month ago I was listening to the radio and heard a news story about a 17 year old British girl who was rushed to the hospital after collapsing from breathing problems. While at the hospital, doctors learned that this girl had been eating a daily dose of Chicken McNuggets since she was two years old.

I'm sure some of you added weight loss to last month's resolution list. Since the initial gusto tends to wane a bit the farther we get from the New Year toast, I thought I'd give you a couple tips to help re-invigorate your weight loss momentum. The following tips will help you reach your weight loss goal in a healthy way.

There was an interesting story on 60 Minutes a couple Sunday’s ago on the food flavoring industry. You may remember the episode. It was the one with Angelina Jolie. Ok, now you are  probably nodding your head saying oh yeah, I saw that one. Anyway....what interested me about this episode was the segment where Morley Safer interviewed Givaudan, a Swiss corporation that creates designer flavors for the processed food industry. They aim to replicate the greatest flavorist out there, Mother Nature, by chemically re-engeneering her molecules in a lab so your frozen entree tastes like chicken and your soda tastes like orange - even when there is no chicken or orange in there.

sup·ple·ment
noun
1. something added to complete a thing, supply a deficiency, or reinforce or extend a whole.

I've been meaning to write a note about the sensationalized story that made the rounds recently about the dangers of supplements for women.  As if war, revolution, economic malaise, debt crises and the like weren’t enough...the popular media decided to provide more of what we don’t need: fear. A few recent articles were based on a study that examined vitamin and mineral supplements in relation to total mortality in a group of postmenopausal women.

This Thanksgiving, I offer you a few meal planning tips and my one-pan turkey & stuffing recipe.  We all need to reduce calories, carbs and fats, without sacrificing too much, if anything, in the taste department.  Here are a few tips to assist in meal planning: