I always used to hear this question in my clinic: "Should I be on a high or low protein diet to lose and maintain weight?" For most people, the word...

It is a fact that most people I've seen in my clinic just didn't eat the recommended daily amount of vegetable and fruit servings. Not just some, but most. If...

Here is a page about nutritional medicine myths busted, on this page you will find some of the most common misconceptions in terms of nutrition. Many of these resurface from...

Why dairy for calcium? We live in New Zealand, "the land of the black and white cow". We are fed the idea that "dairy products are great for health" and...

Are you consuming take-away or processed food containing a fat called "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated".  Do you eat any packaged biscuits, muesli bars, margarine (including olive oil margarines) and any foods...

If you decide on becoming a healthy person, breaking the sugar addiction is very important indeed. You need to get rid of sugar out of you life once and for...

Have you followed a weight loss program and lost weight, only to find that you gained all that weight again within a few months? You are not alone, in fact...

Yogurt is a true "superfood" indeed, it is also known as sour milk is the result from the fermentation of milk. Yogurt is very much a a pro-biotic food which...

Creamy, succulent avocados not only contain the best kind of fat, a monounsaturated fat called oleic acid, but also help block the absorption of bad fats (cholesterol). They are high...

You don’t need to be wealthy to eat well, you may be thinking: “Eating a healthy diet is going to cost me a LOT more money”. Well, I can tell...

Healthy food choices are foods which return you the highest nutritional value. You will find that this is a page in progress, and will eventually contain links to many feature...

Systemic enzymes help to regulate inflammation primarily, and are given away from foods or between meals. Systemic enzyme support can be defined as a modality which uses oral administration of...

Digestive enzymes differ from systemic enzymes, in that they are designed to be taken just before, with or during meals. They complement our own digestive enzymes, generally produced by the...

People often think they are doing something healthy for themselves by switching their white bread for whole wheat bread.  Although whole wheat certainly is a better option than white, whole...

The nutritional value of milk is largely undisputed. Colostrum, the first milk produced by mammals after giving birth, has been thoroughly studied on recent years, after confirming its superior nutritional...

Does your diet make you feel sick and you can't work out why? The issue could be that your meal isn't as healthy as it appears, it may contain gluten....

We already have billions of bacteria living in our gut. Some are harmful, but many are beneficial. As clinicians we know that keeping a balance between the good and the...

Why probiotics, why would you want to ensure you have beneficial bacteria in your digestive tract?Let me explain some concepts you may or may not be familiar with. The moment...

While medications, whether natural or pharmaceutical, are an important element of controlling arthritis, home remedies and lifestyle adjustments can also be beneficial in your treatment strategy. You should manage arthritis...

Caffeine is a stimulant, which means it raises brain and nervous system activity. It also boosts the body's circulation of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. What effects does caffeine have...

Caffeine withdrawal can happen to anyone who consumes caffeine frequently and then abruptly stops. Headaches, low energy, weariness, irritability, anxiety, poor focus, depressed mood, nausea, feeling hot and cold and...

Green tea is regarded as one of the healthiest beverages in the entire universe! It is sky high in antioxidants, which have a variety of health benefits, including enhanced mental...

Chocolate helps stimulate the release of the "happy" neurotransmitters like endorphins, serotonin, and other opiates in the brain. These hormones influence how we feel and help elicit specific feelings and...

Protein is an absolutely essential component of a healthy and balanced diet. Amino acids are chemical 'building blocks' that make up proteins. Aminos help your body create and repair muscles...

Scientists once widely believed saturated fat to be "harmful". However, recent research suggests that, in moderation, saturated fats may not be so bad for your heart. Substituting the improper foods...

You may be familiar with the phrase "beverage," but do you know what it means exactly? A beverage or drink is a type of liquid that is consumed for nutrition,...

Vitamins, fish oil, herbs, minerals like magnesium, and a variety of other nutrients are some examples of dietary supplements.  And if you take dietary supplements on a regular basis, you won't be the only person doing so, because roughly half of people in the United States do so.  Should you even bother?   Consuming foods is the most effective method for obtaining the nutrients your body needs. However, it is not always easy to consume  sufficient amounts of fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds ,and other nutritious foods to supply your needs. Taking a multivitamin can be a risk-free method to improve the nutrients in your diet that you may be low in or even...

Blueberries are the fruits of a shrub that belong to the heath family whose other members include the cranberry and bilberry as well as the azalea and rhododendron. I'd say...

Here is my down-loadable Hypo-Allergenic Diet Sheet (the Low Allergy Diet) which we use in our clinic as a hand-out. It features a list of the possible offending foods and...

Gluten-free labels appear to be appearing everywhere, including on foods that never had gluten to begin with. Is this a health trend you should get on board with... or avoid?...

Vegans forgo all animal products, including dairy and eggs, while vegetarians just avoid meat. Vegan and vegetarian diets can both be healthy, nutritious, and beneficial to one's health. Without care,...

Did ancient man consume lots of meat? Palaeolithic man was more likely to be a plant, nut, seed and root crop eater (high carb) with only occasional meats such as...

Junk food is defined as foods and beverages that are poor in nutrients (such as vitamins, minerals, and fibre) but high in calories (kilojoules), saturated fat, added sugar, and often...

Optimising our diet with the best vegetables can help us have a better mood, a improved brain function, and reduce inflammation - all of which can assist with neuro-degeneration and...

There are many foods you know you shouldn't eat, but here are 5 foods to avoid you may be eating right now. Some may come as a surprise, others won't.

Vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds can all be found in fruits and vegetables. They also have a lot of fibre, which is good for your gut bacteria. Fruit and vegetables...

Probiotics are delivered effectively to your intestines, where they go to work to give you relief from constipation! Add probiotics to your diet to help reduce diarrhoea, constipation and irritable...

With so many drinks on shop shelves that are high in empty calories, finding healthy drinks that are also high in vitamins and minerals can be difficult. If you're looking...

Carbohydrates — sugar, starches and fibre, — are essential food nutrients that your body turns into glucose to give you the energy to function. Complex carbs in fruits, vegetables and...

What are the sources of refined carbohydrates, especially highly refined carbs? Generally crappy foods in our diet. The stuff you buy at the mall when you go out shopping. These...

Parents were asked about their child's normal diet, whether they had ever been diagnosed with asthma and if they have had wheeze. The results showed high fruit intake was associated...

Are you eating salmon? Is it farmed? Not all farmed salmon is necessarily bad, but nevertheless it is best to do a bit of research yourself.

High value health foods should be high on your list if you are interested in optimal health. On this page you will find some of the healthiest food choices you...

Drinking plenty of water before you go to bed it the top tip. Alcohol is a powerful diuretic, it makes you pee a lot. Read this informative article and discover...

Fruits, vegetables, grains, bark, roots, stems, flowers, tea, and wine all contain flavonoids, a collection of natural compounds with varying phenolic structures. These natural compounds are well-known for their health...

An imbalance between the creation and buildup of oxygen reactive species (ROS) in cells and tissues, as well as the biological system's ability to detoxify these reactive products, causes oxidative...

Are the vitamin supplements you use providing complete nutrition or only a fragment of true nutrition? If you know what to look for, the answer can be found in the...

Are you still believing the skeptics? Some will have you believe that dietary supplements are "linked with cancer". Do you own research and you'll soon find out online that this...

Did you know that there are plenty of non-dairy sources of calcium? There are many foods you can eat that are rich sources of calcium, including many seeds and nuts....

Chromium is a trace mineral that the human body requires in trace levels. It is found in minor amounts in a number of foods and is also available as a...

Potassium is a mineral that is required by all of the body's tissues. Because it carries a modest electrical charge that stimulates numerous cell and neurone activities, it is sometimes...

Iodine is a trace mineral that the body cannot produce, thus it must be received through food or supplements. It can be found in some sea foods naturally, as well...

Iron is a vital component for maintaining healthy blood. Iron deficiency anaemia is a condition that affects roughly 4-5 million Americans each year. It's the most common dietary deficit in...

Vitamin C is a potent water soluble vitamin and antioxidant that can neutralise damaging free radicals and helps to manage infections and repair wounds. Collagen is a fibrous protein found...

Maybe snake oil does have a real therapeutic use after all. It may even be beneficial for heart disease, depression and more. This could be a good one for the...

Krill is in the crustacean order, they are in the same class of animal as crabs, lobsters and crayfish, as well as shrimp and woodlice. 82 species of krill have...

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, as well as a hormone, and controlling gene transcription that allows for the normal proliferation and differentiation of epithelial cells.

B vitamins help a variety of enzymes do their jobs, ranging from releasing energy from carbohydrates and fat to breaking down amino acids and transporting oxygen and energy-containing nutrients around...

Thiamin (thiamine), often known as vitamin B1, is a water-soluble vitamin that can be found naturally in some foods, as well as added to them and sold as a supplement....

Vitamin B2, often known as riboflavin, is found naturally in foods, as well as in supplements. Small amounts of riboflavin can be produced by gut bacteria, but not enough to...

Niacin, often known as vitamin B3, is a water-soluble B vitamin that can be found in some foods, added to foods, and purchased as a supplement. Nicotinic acid and nicotinamide...

Vitamin B5, also known as pantothenic acid, is found naturally in foods, as well as in supplements. It's utilised to generate coenzyme A (CoA), a chemical substance that aids enzymes...

Vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, is a water-soluble vitamin that can be found in many foods naturally as well as in food and supplements. The active coenzyme form, pyridoxal...

Vitamin B₁₂, also known as cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin involved in metabolism. It is one of eight B vitamins. It is required by animals, which use it as a...

Modern science is discovering something we have known about for decades, that Vitamin C can fight cancer. It is quite interesting that Cochrane Collaboration found no convincing evidence that Vitamin...

Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble chemicals that increases calcium, magnesium, and phosphate absorption in the intestine, among other biological effects. Vitamin D3 and vitamin D2 are the most...

Researchers have been surprised to find that 30% of children in many developed countries like New Zealand have insufficient levels of vitamin D which is provided mostly by sunlight. Studies...

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked not only to an increased risk of developing pneumonia, it has also been linked with a higher Covid-19 death rate in many countries.

Folic acid is also known as folate. It is the natural form of vitamin B9 that can be found in a variety of meals. It's also added to foods and offered...

Folate is found naturally in leafy green vegetables, citrus fruits, wholemeal bread, yeast, liver and legumes (peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc.)

The NZ government has made it mandatory for bread makers to add folic acid to bread making. It makes you wonder why they aren't promoting the consumption of leafy greens,...

Vitamin E is a family of eight fat-soluble vitamins that protect the body's cellular components and other fat-soluble tissues against oxidative stress. Vitamin E in sufficient doses can reduce the...

There are so many different kinds of magnesium, it's amazing. Let's talk more about magnesium, some good information here. Here are the 5 forms of magnesium I would recommend the...

Hormones, enzymes, and other active components required for normal biological functions are concentrated in glands. Natural health practitioners use glandular products to supplement nutrients, enzymes, and other active factors that...

Magnesium is a cofactor in more than 300 enzyme systems that control different biochemical reactions in the body, such as protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, and...

Calcium is an important major mineral that all living things, including people, need. It is the mineral that the body has the most of, and it is very important for...

Minerals are pure inorganic elements (containing atoms of the same element), meaning they are much simpler in chemical form than vitamins. Minerals are constituents of your bones, teeth, soft tissue,...

Manganese is considered an essential trace element, of which the average adult needs 2-5mg per day. Manganese is an essential component of carbohydrate metabolism, reproductive function, skeletal and cartilage development.

Molybdenum plays an important role primarily in several enzymatic reactions, and is required for proper growth and development, the metabolism of fats and nucleic acids, metabolism of nitrogen, copper, and...

Even if you've never heard of selenium, it's an essential component for your health. Selenium is an important mineral, which means you must get it through your food. It's only...

Zinc is a nutrient that plays many vital roles in your body. Because your body doesn’t naturally produce zinc, you must obtain it through food or supplements. This article explains...

Vanadium is a trace element needed for cellular metabolism and in the formation of bones, cartilage, and teeth and required for normal growth and development. Vanadium is absorbed in the...

Boron is a dietary trace element found primarily in plants. Boron supplementation can markedly reduce urinary excretion of calcium and magnesium, and is a particularly important trace element for postmenopausal...

Copper is a vital mineral for the human body. It helps the body create red blood cells when combined with iron. It aids in the maintenance of healthy bones, blood...

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that can be found in citrous fruits and vegetables as well as in dietary supplements. Vitamin C is a necessary for tissue repair, collagen...

Garlic contains antioxidants that help the body fight oxidative damage. Garlic has been demonstrated to enhance antioxidant enzymes and lower oxidative stress in those with high blood pressure. Are you...

Oregano is a familiar herb that many will know from dishes such as pizza and pasta sauce. One of the most widely-used herbs worldwide, it is found in Mediterranean foods...

The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae (palm family). This amazing “tree of life” as it is called is found throughout the tropic and subtropics...

Grapefruit seed extract (GSE) is made by converting grapefruit seeds and their pulp into a highly acidic liquid. After processing, filtering and distillation a yellow, viscous and quite bitter liquid...

I first started to recommend the vitamin called biotin with yeast infection about three years ago after I read some interesting studies into its use, and especially after reading about...

This herb is also known as LaPacho or Taheebo. Pau D’arco (Tabebuia avellanedae) tea is an herbal tea prepared from the inner bark of a rainforest tree from South American....

One of my personal favourite herbal medicines when it comes to any acute infections (any) in my clinic is called berberine. Plants that share similar indications when it comes to...

Quinoa (pronounced "keen-wah") is a kind of edible seed available in a variety of colours, including black, red, yellow, white, and other shades of brown. Plants from the Andean area...

Have you tried to regularly eat foods which have been cultured, other than yogurt? There are many different types of foods from many different culture which are preserved in these...

There are lots of people who are talk to me regularly about their food allergies and intolerances, and a lot of people kind of get confused and think that all...

When you use a juicer, you will be able to extract the juice from fruits and vegetables by crushing, grinding, or pressing the liquid out of them, leaving behind only...

Dr Jensen: ” The body is an organisation. It digests food, processes oxygen, and undertakes numerous other activities. Every organ contributes something to the body and its activities. As human...

A home remedy for arthritis. Now here’s an interesting one to try at home, I received this recipe from an elderly gentleman who was a Catholic priest but who passed...

What were your treatment options for your most recent UTI? Taking an antibiotic is the gold standard treatment for a urinary tract infection (UTI), but it isn't the only approach...

We have all had a cold, cough, sore throat or the flu on occasion and know how it feels. You ache, have stuffiness, a scratchy throat, you cough and may...

Many patients have asked my over the years for a home remedy for acne. Some people experience the occasional pimple, whereas others experience frequent and ongoing bouts of pimples, blackheads...

Don’t you just hate toothaches? They come at the worst time and can really drive you crazy. All you want to do is switch that pain off because it can...

This page explains the benefits and advantages of consuming real salt - Hand Harvested Celtic Sea Salt, sourced from Brittany in France. This ensures a pure, unrefined, fully mineralised, balanced...

Kefir has been a staple diet in many civilizations around the world for generations. Because of the internet, it has become extremely popular, much like all cultured and fermented foods....

I first started to make Kombucha when I was a naturopathic student in the 1980’s. Kombucha certainly is no health fad, it has been used for thousands of years in...

Kimchi is sometimes spelled "kimchee", but I prefer the "chi" spelling because that is the spelling of the oriental word chi (gi, ki) that means "natural energy" or "vital force"....

Have you ever tried sauerkraut? If you have only ever tried store-bought (canned) sauerkraut, then you definitely owe it to yourself to try some homemade sauerkraut. Most all of the...

Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) is a tree native to Indonesia. Its dried flower buds are utilised in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. Medicine is made from dried flower buds, leaves, and stems....

I've made this delicious creamy yoghurt recipe I have made for over twenty years. It was given to me by an elderly patient who had been making yoghurt for over...