What To Do With Rhubarb

Rhubarb season is upon us. This vegetable looks delightfully red and robust on grocery store shelves. But most of us don't have any idea what to do with it. If you'll take a chance and pick some rhubarb up during it's short season, I'll show you what to do with it.

5 Signs That You're an Emotional Eater

Food is fuel. It contains the calories you need to work, play and live. It's natural to find some fuel more enjoyable than others. But if your food choices are all about flavor, you may be an emotional eater.

5 Delicious Alternatives to French Fries

We all have a food weakness. French fries are mine. They're salty, crunchy and so good it's hard to think about them without grabbing an order. Unfortunately french fries are just about the worst fast food that you can eat. Quitting them is a hard part of any transition to a healthier diet. But replacement foods can help and I've found a few delicious alternatives..

How to Fast the Right Way

There are many reasons to fast from dietary concerns to spiritual ones. When done the right way, a fast is a great way to regain control of your diet or your spiritual center. My patients often come to me for advice on how to fast the right way. Here are a few guidelines that will help you fast successfully and safely.

Why I Want You to Move On from Milk

When I was a little girl, my grandmother had a glass of milk waiting for me every afternoon when I came home from school. Buttermilk and cornbread were staples in our house. And my children loved to start their day with a bowl of cereal and milk. 

Pick Up: Asparagus

April is the best season to buy fresh asparagus from your local grocery store. If you've never tried asparagus, it is fresh like a green bean but with richer flavor. I love it and I think that you will too if you find the right way to fit it into your weekly meal plan. I'll show you how right after the jump.

Reminders on Michael Jordan's 50th Birthday

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Michael Jordan recently celebrated his 50th birthday. For those who remember him when he was still leading the Bulls to victory wearing #23, it really feels like time has flown. If you've recently joined Michael Jordan in the "second chapter of life" club, you know that this stage of age comes with a few more hiccups and kinks than the first. If you feel yourself winding down, here are a few things that you should keep track of in your fifties.

Fight Alzheimer's with a Brain-Healthy Diet

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The concept of a brain-healthy diet is a relatively new one. But it's one that many physicians -- including those at the Alzheimer's Association -- are recommending to their patients. We may not have a prescription cure for diseases like Alzheimer's. But there is evidence that, like other diseases, Alzheimer's may be preventable with the right diet. 

It makes sense. The brain is one of the body's more mysterious organ. But like the heart and colon, it thrives on the right nutrient balance. Feed it well and it may return the favor. If you have a history of Alzheimer's in your family like I do, you may be able to change your future by featuring these foods prominently in your diet. 

Why Your Diet Isn't Working

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Your body is an amazing machine. While you eat, sleep and carry on with life, it performs thousands of calibrations that most of us are never aware of. But not all of those subcutaneous processes work in our favor all of the time. That is especially true when you're dieting. By cutting your calories in an attempt to lose weight, you may be triggering your body to work against you to hold on to the pounds. 

Foods That Help You Feel Happy

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A few weeks ago on Iglehart Wellness, we talked about using food to help control your anger. But you don't have to be in a bad mood to use food to improve your mood. If you need a pick me up, boost of energy or just a fun snack, try the following foods. With nothing more than a grocery list and a little information, you can use the produce section of your local grocery store to turn your day around.

Cranberry: Power Food and Cure

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My grandmother believed that cranberries could cure most ailments. And now there's scientific evidence that proves that she was right. A recent study in the July 2012 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine discovered that cranberries really do cure urinary tract infections (UTIs). Here's how to use them to start feeling better fast.

How to Grow Kids That Love Vegetables

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I thought it would be great to wrap up our gardening series with a few tips on healthy eating for kids. Did you know that poor nutrition during a child’s early developmental stages can lead to behavioral problems in youth and beyond?

As a child psychiatrist, I try my best to educate my patients about the importance of proper nutrition. And my favorite way to do that is to encourage family gardening. With that in mind, here are some great toddler and garden friendly foods that will help encourage healthy eating habits that last a lifetime.

How to Grow Your Own Vitamins

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Here at Iglehart Wellness, we’ve been discussing gardening. And one of my favorite gardening tips for my patients is how to grow your own vitamins. In my office, we often talk about good nutrition as an integral part of mental health. And these easy-to-grow garden vegetables will help you optimize your nutrition intake without taking too much out of your day.

How to Container Garden: Foolproof Guidelines for Growing Vegetables

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I am a busy physician with two children, several dogs, a husband and a full time schedule. To make home container gardening fit into my schedule, I've had to streamline my process. The result of years of my trial and error is a pretty fool-proof annual planting process. I’ve started sharing it with my health-conscious patients and they’ve been encouraging me to share it with all of you. So here goes!

How to Use Food to Manage Anger

I am an Integrative Practitioner and my medical practice embraces wellness. And many first time patients (and web visitors) wonder just what in the world that means.

The simple answer is that the Iglehart Wellness Institute integrates traditional medical practice with complementary treatments; basically, I look at the whole picture before pulling out a prescription pad to ensure wellness for each and every patient.

We live in a multi-dimensional world, and the problems we experience reflect that: they’re multi-dimensional. Take anger for example. Many of my patients who struggle with anger consider it simply an emotional problem. But in fact, anger comes from many sources within us and throughout our environment. In fact, food and lifestyle can be a regular trigger for anger. And just by changing a few things in your food environment, you can help change or regulate your mood.