You may be familiar with the “superfood” known as mangosteen. Read along as EN examines this ancient fruit and determines if the health hype meets the evidence. Overview. Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) is a tropical plant native to Southeast Asian countries including Malaysia, Thailand, and India. However, it wasn’t until 2007 … Read More
Natural diuretic foods and drinks stimulate your kidneys to produce more urine, unloading excessive fluid and salt. Although they vary greatly in effectiveness, these foods and drinks allow you to take in healthy nutrients rather than prescription medications (“water pills”). You may be retaining too much fluid if there is … Read More
The Folklore. Sweet potato or yam? Most likely, it’s a sweet potato. The most common varieties of sweet potato in the U.S. have smooth orange or red skin, orange flesh, and a sweet flavor. Yams, which are rare in American grocery stores, have rough brown skin, starchy white flesh, and … Read More
Kristen N. Smith, PhD, RDN, LD
Beet, or beetroot, supplements are gaining quite a following for a number of apparent health benefits, including increased energy, improved physical performance, and reductions in blood pressure. Because they’re made from beets, the colorful root vegetables rich in nutrients and powerful health-promoting plant compounds, beet supplements may be a desirable … Read More
When looking for at home migraine relief, a quick online search will pull up several options for ice caps or ice hats for migraines. Some of these cover your head and your eyes and they cost about 40 dollars. If you are one of the 12 percent of Americans that … Read More
As cold season gets into full swing, conversations over how to avoid becoming sick are a dime a dozen. Those dimes are adding up to big profit for vitamin and dietary supplement manufacturers. The National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements estimates that Americans spent approximately $55.7 billion dollars … Read More
If you search the internet for prostate health supplements, you will find dozens of options that claim to shrink your prostate, improve urine flow, or reduce your risk of prostate cancer. They have names like Ultra Prostate Formula, Prostate Complete, and Prostate Support. Most supplements range from twenty to fifty … Read More
TV dinners, frozen meals, whatever you want to call them, they can be a life saver when you only have mere minutes to prepare and eat dinner. They are also quite convenient to bring to work as a lunch option for those in offices with mini kitchens. Historically, TV dinners … Read More
I was quite sick with COVID-19 earlier this year, despite having been vaccinated. I have read that it is possible to be reinfected with Omicron more than once, but that a new antiviral medication can help. Can you tell me more about it? Research suggests that the antiviral medication you … Read More
Kristen N. Smith, PhD, RDN, LD
Greens powders have long been a fixture on supplement shelves. With a little help from social media, their popularity has exploded. The market for greens powders is estimated to reach nearly $400 million in the US—that’s double its value since 2018! A lot of us are giving them a try, … Read More
