Walking just two hours per week can reduce your risk of stroke by 30% or more.  The lead researcher stated: “We found that increasing physical activity including brisk walking was protective against stroke, especially ischemic stroke, in middle-aged and older women,” Dr. Hu said, “and in our study, the predominant form of physical activity was walking as well.” There was also a “dose-dependent” response between the amount of time spent walking and decrease in stroke risk in the Nurses’ Health Study, and walking pace “was independently associated with a lower stroke risk as well, meaning that women who walked faster had an even lower risk of developing stroke than others,” ...Read more »

A recent article reported that a diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and high-quality meat and fish may help prevent depression and anxiety.  The typical Western diet high in refined an dprocessed foods and lots of saturated fat actually may increase the risk of depression. The study was done at the University of Melbourne in Australia and found that women on the whole food diet were 30% less likely to have major depression, dysthymia and anxiety disorders compared to those on the Western diet which was associated with a 50% increase in risk for depression. Prevention is always the best medicine!

If you have used food to medicate your feelings or if your extra weight helps you feel safe, then you are using food as a metaphor. A metaphor describes one thing as if it were something else. Saying that “food is love” is an example of how we use food as a metaphor. You may think that you love food when in fact food is actually ?lling an unmet need in your life – now or in the past – for love, safety, joy or other basic needs.

I used to believe that we must choose between science and reason on one hand, and spirituality on the other, in how we lead our lives.  Now I consider this a false choice.  We can recover the sense of sacredness, not just in science, but in perhaps every area of life. Larry Dossey, MD The quote above was written by Dr. Dossey who is a pioneer in alternative medicine.  When it comes to eating disorders, it has long been my belief, which I wrote about in “Healing Body, Mind and Spirit” that eating disorders and addictions are about spiritual pain.  When a person with an eating disorder goes through treatment, ...Read more »

A study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry (Nov, 2009) studied middle aged people and their diets.  Their conclusion was:  ”In middle-aged participants, a processed food dietary pattern is a risk factor for depression 5 years later, whereas a whole food pattern is protective.” Many of the chronic diseases that plague us are now being associated with underlying inflammation in the body.  What is inflammation caused by?  The typical Western diet which is high in processed foods, fat and sugar. The message is:  Change your diet, change your mood. Focus on eating more fruits and vegetables, less animal protein and more vegetarian protein (beans, lentils, soy), more fish and ...Read more »

I don’t usually share much about my personal eating plan.  Just like many of you, after menopause,  I struggled with my own weight.  Of more concern t me was my elevated cholesterol and family history of heart disease. On top of that were many stressors in my life including being a single parent, the loss of a loved one and a job loss that created financial challenges.  Sound familiar? In practicing what I preach, I continued to eat healthy to the best of my ability and focused on becoming even more consistent with exercise.  I was up to doing 2 hours of strenuous Pilates and one hour of weight training ...Read more »

As a physician specializing in eating disorders, I see many young women who first learned to dislike their bodies or learned to diet from women in their families, including their mothers.  When I speak with mothers about this, I usually advise a number of things: 1.            Recognize that your daughters learn from watching what you do, not what you say.  If you express body dissatisfaction (“aren’t my thighs huge” or “I wish I was skinny like you”) in front of your children (because boys can develop disordered eating as well) or if they see you dieting or not eating, the message they get will be that dieting is what women ...Read more »

Why is this so important?  The National Institutes of Mental Health estimates that 3.5% of women and 2% of men have BED.  Binge eating disorder is more prevalent than anorexia or bulimia.  Sixty percent of those with BED are female and forty percent are male, which is the largest category of eating disorders that affects men.  Unlike bulimia, those with BED do not have compensatory mechanisms to offset their binging. They do not purge through self-induced vomiting, the use of laxatives, diuretics or through compulsive exercise.  BED sufferers share the common co-occurrence of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and substance use disorders with bulimia sufferers.  Those with BED are usually overweight ...Read more »

In my consultations with individuals who are trying to lose weight, I often ask them, “why now?”  Many people are motivated to lose weight because of health problems that are affecting their quality of life.  One of the more common reasons is that they don’t like the way they look.  They’re not happy with their bodies.  But there are some who feel “I should lose weight” and have a more difficult time really digging deep enough to find clear motivating factors that are strong enough to keep them going through the long journey to a healthy weight. Why is this important?  Many of you have been on diets before.  You ...Read more »

Every year at this time, many people choose to make resolutions to lose weight, go on a diet, start an exercise program, get in better shape, etc.  Most of these resolutions fail.  Perhaps you’re one of these individuals who have good intentions and who literally buy into the diet industries promises that if you just buy this or that new product, you will finally lose weight. Just a reminder….The diet industry which is a multi-billion dollar industry has one purpose and one purpose only – to make money.  If making their purpose accidentally helps you lose weight, then that’s great.  Usually that’s not the case however. This year, make a ...Read more »

A recent article in the Opinion section of the  New York TImes discussed the results from multiple studies about whether the mandatory posting of calories which is in effect in NYC has helped people to make better choices. Knowing more doesn’t always change behavior in the absence of motivation / commitment. See article:

What were your experiences growing up around meal times?  A new study published in Science Direct by Annette S. Kluck from Texas Tech University found that family dysfunction and negative family food-related experiences increased risk for disordered eating. Other studies have reported similar findings.  Individuals who were humiliated, neglected or abused or who were teased at meal times were more likely to have disordered eating.  As well, those who didn’t have at least one family meal together may be at higher risk. Perhaps you grew up in a family where these types of things occurred.  You may have continued to feel stress or distress around meal times.  What can you ...Read more »