Nutrients

Zinc has been getting a lot of publicity lately, thanks to our understandable obsession with immune function. The human immune system is extremely complex, but one thing is clear: immune function depends on several key nutrients, one of which is zinc. When your immune system …

In the 1960s, Dannon was the only the yogurt brand available at my local grocery store. The flavors were: vanilla, lemon, coffee. Yes, coffee flavored yogurt. My mom ate yogurt; I wouldn’t touch it. Now I have some almost every day, for the protein, calcium, …

‘Tis the season: for colds, flu and other respiratory infections. Viruses cause most of those but strep throat — caused by bacteria — is also making the rounds. What can you do? When it comes to immune function, be proactive. Support your immune system by …

Thanks to inflation, the price of lettuce has been creeping up alarmingly over the past few months. At my grocery store, it’s now $3, so I’m done with lettuce for the foreseeable future. It’s a sad situation. I love tossed green salads. What to do? …

Strictly speaking, vitamin D isn’t a vitamin at all. It’s more of a hormone, produced in skin cells exposed to UVB rays of sunlight. The form that’s produced in skin cells is metabolized to an active form by the liver and kidneys. Not just for …

I recently listened to a webinar about nutrition for surgery patients. The speaker — a fellow Registered Dietitian Nutritionist — has years of experience evaluating surgical patients’ nutritional status. This evaluation is important, because several nutrients are essential for wound healing. Successful recovery from surgery …