Now that we’re heading into the summer months, a wide array of summer fruits will be available. This may not seem appealing if you’ve cut back on, or even eliminated, fruit from your diet because of the sugar content. However, some fruits are low in sugar and/or have little effect on your blood sugar level. They also provide valuable nutrients and have anti-inflammatory properties that can help lower your risk for chronic conditions. Here are a few examples. Add them to your grocery list.

Are you always hungry or snacking, sometimes even after a meal? You can experience unexplained hunger if you have conditions such as anxiety, type 2 diabetes or thyroid disorders, or take certain medications such as corticosteroids, tricyclic antidepressants, or cyproheptadine. But sometimes, hunger is related to food noise.  

I was recently interviewed on FOX Carolina to discuss Kidney Awareness Month. Kidney disease kills more people each year than breast cancer or prostate cancer.

Throughout the world, daylight has been associated with productivity for centuries. It was even the basis of this well-known proverb published by Benjamin Franklin: “Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”  

You’ve heard it many times: Your diet should include more plant-based foods.  

If you’re committed to your outdoor run, walk, hike or ride, it can be disappointing when the conditions are too extreme, roads are too icy or slippery, the air quality is too poor, or the heat is too high. If you want to stay on track with your workouts, you’ll need to pivot quickly to an indoor activity, which can be frustrating for an outdoor fitness enthusiast.  

Vitamin D is essential for our well-being. For years, vitamin D has been credited with playing a significant role in bone health, immune system support, muscle function, cognitive function and nervous system health.

Protein is the macro-nutrient of the decade, judging by the growing trend. But is that your clue that you should be eating more?

Here’s just how popular protein has become: In 2025, 70 percent of Americans said they were trying to eat more protein, up from 59 percent just three years earlier, according to a survey from the International Food Information Council.

We often think of the systems in our body as acting independently from one another. Our brain does its thing, our gut does its thing. But our systems are more connected than we think. Our brain and gut are connected through our central nervous system, which is why doctors occasionally refer to our gut as the “second brain.”  

One of these connections is between our heart and our endocrine system, an overlooked link that means aging-related processes such as menopause and lower testosterone levels may also affect your heart health. 

Is stress killing you? Really, is it killing you? Because stress can.  

Stress is a necessary part of everyday life. When it’s short-term, it can motivate us, focus our energy and even improve performance. But it can also raise our risk for conditions like heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.