1. Extra virgin olive oil: 
Get in one to two tablespoons daily of cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil. (Why olive oil? Here are my reasons.)

If you pay attention to nutrition news, you’ve probably heard just about everything about eggs. The good, the bad and the half-boiled! Here’s the latest: Eggs aren’t the pariah they once were. 

In January 2020, the journal Circulation published a science advisory from American Heart Association Nutrition Committee that states eggs may be included as part of a healthy eating pattern. 

I encourage my patients to increase healthy fat intake. Along with fish, certain nuts and seeds, avocado, and even a few saturated fats like coconut oil, I strongly advocate for daily intake of extra virgin olive oil. Most patients know that olive oil is healthy, but are confused about how to incorporate this oil into their everyday diet. More on that shortly.

If you have type 2 diabetes, you know just how annoying — and invasive — testing your blood sugar levels are. Every time you test, you have to prick your finger and bleed on an expensive blood glucose meter strip.

Diabetes is not a rare condition – in fact, it’s an epidemic in the U.S. More than 30 million Americans have type 2 diabetes and another 84 million have prediabetes, a condition of elevated blood sugar levels that often leads to type 2.

Why do so many Americans have type 2 diabetes? Experts say this major public health problem is due to an aging population, increasing obesity rates and rising sedentary lifestyles.

Sudden cardiac arrest is scary: Someone collapses. They have no pulse, they’re not breathing, and they have a complete loss of consciousness. Their heart has suddenly and unexpectedly stopped beating. Usually, they die. In fact, about 350,000 Americans will suffer a sudden cardiac arrest this year, and only 10 percent will survive.

And what’s really frightening about sudden cardiac arrest is more than 50 percent of men and 70 percent of women who experience one do not have a prior history of heart disease or even warning signs of an impending problem.

The average American gets about 10 percent of their calories from added sugars. Added sugars — from high fructose corn syrup to honey — are sugars and syrups that manufacturers add to processed foods. Ten percent may not seem like very much, but added sugars are empty calories that can lead to weight gain. Some Americans get a lot more than 10 percent of their calories from added sugars. Diets comprising 25 percent or more added sugar are linked to dental problems, obesity and insulin resistance.

Coffee. It’s probably the healthiest beverage on earth. Yes, you read correctly.

Why? Studies suggest that coffee helps protect us from Parkinson’s disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and even some cancers. But most importantly, two large-scale meta-analyses (statistical procedure for combining data from multiple studies) found that drinking coffee can lower your risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

A recent article in JAMA— "

High fat foods and oils have been vilified as potential causes of obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease for decades. It’s only been within the last few years that nutrition experts began pushing the benefits of healthy fats, particularly olive oil, to Americans.

The Health Benefits of Olive Oil