Why it’s so important to look for evidence that refutes your beliefs — My recent piece on fortified foods triggered an usual amount of feedback, and not all of it positive. Dear Tony the Tiger, I mean, Nutrition Diva, began one email. “I was surprised to hear you advocating for frosted flakes on your podcast. You said nothing about the human body’s ability…

Our expectations actually change our physiological response to diet, exercise and stress — Our expectations powerfully impact what happens to us. If we believe something is going to help, hurt, suck, or be fun — our experience will probably fulfill that belief. Let’s take a closer look at why this is — and why it matters This article is also available as a…

How to spend less and get more from your self-care routines — We’re told that self-care is essential to our well-being; it’s practically a duty! But it’s easy to confuse self-care with self-indulgence–and while indulgences can be fun, they don’t necessarily improve our well-being. …

Why frustration may be a sign that you’re actually getting somewhere — Trying to do something new or difficult can be frustrating, because you’re constantly rubbing up against the boundaries of what you already know and understand, what feels comfortable. But this very frustration can be a sign that you are on your way to something much more valuable. This article…

The answer depends on whether you are more interested in changing your body weight or your body composition — Nutrition Diva podcast listener Joseph recently emailed me with a very common dilemma: “We’re told that we need to reduce calories if we want to lose fat, and to eat more if we want to gain muscle. …

If you’ve had trouble making sense of the news coverage around the class action suit against Beyond Meat, you’re not alone. — You may have heard about a pair of lawsuits that have been filed against Beyond Meat, a popular brand of plant-based meat alternatives. The suits claim that the company has misrepresented the amount of protein provided by their products. I’ve highlighted some of the main points below, but for the…

Carbonated drinks may increase the “hunger hormone” ghrelin, but there’s more to this story — First, they took away our soda. Too much sugar! Then, it turned out that diet soda might be just as bad. Despite being sugar- and calorie-free, the artificial sweeteners may affect our intestinal bacteria in ways that promote weight gain. And now they’re coming for our plain sparkling water, too…

A lot of us have a vision for what we’d like our lives to look like in 10 or 20 years. But what we don’t realize is that future is (or isn’t) being created right now. Every day. We think we’re going to get started on our healthy habits, or…

US consumers are spending 3 billion dollars a year on probiotic supplements. Are they getting a good return on investment? — Q. I started taking probiotic supplements after having a few rounds of antibiotics (and the negative digestive effects they come with). I feel like they have been very beneficial for me over the past month. Should I continue taking them? …