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It turns out that 10-20% of the U.S. population is now sensitive to gluten. This is causing a rapid rise in people going gluten-free and feeling better as a result. But gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. And it’s also found in any products containing wheat, barely, and rye like bread, crackers, cookies, muffins, pancakes, and beer. And most people aren’t consuming raw wheat, barley, and rye in their whole grain form. They’re consuming these highly processed gluten-containing foods which we know without a doubt, are extremely unhealthy. So, by going gluten-free you’re likely reducing your intake of processed foods which can obviously make you feel better and healthier. But the more time you spend gluten-free, the more you learn that there are gluten-free cookies, gluten-free pancakes, and gluten-free beer. And as you… Read More

I was out with a coworker the other week when she asked me which Jeep rims, I liked better. It just so happens that two identical white Jeeps were parked next to each other with the only difference being their silver or black rims. And my response was, “I guess the black are cooler because the silver ones are stock.” And afterwards I thought about how stupid that answer is. Like, if I knew the black rims were stock and the silver were extra, then I’d think the silver were cooler? Like what even is cool and how am I determining that? And this reminded me of a dilemma I once had when buying my Chevy Malibu. At the time, I spent weeks pondering whether I should pay an extra $3,000 for the upgraded cooler-looking rims. In my head I knew I was going to keep this car for 5-10 years so having ones I liked made sense. But after weeks pondering… Read More

A couple of weeks ago I was looking over a list of the top cryptocurrencies by market capitalization when I saw a coin called Shiba Inu. It had just broken into the top 20 largest cryptocurrencies on earth out of the thousands that exist. And I was so confused because Shiba Inu is the breed of dog that mascots the cryptocurrency Dogecoin. And Dogecoin is a joke cryptocurrency that was made to counter Bitcoin. And if you have no clue what I’m saying, we’re on the same page. Bitcoin is the largest cryptocurrency, or digital currency, on earth. A joke cryptocurrency, or digital currency, was created to rival Bitcoin called Dogecoin. And then another joke cryptocurrency, Shiba Inu, was created to rival the current joke currency Dogecoin. To summarize, we have a joke coin created after a joke coin created after a “real” coin… Read More

What I’m about to say may seem hard to believe but it’s true. A study was recently published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior where they quizzed participants on the meaning of the food labels “BEST If Used By” and “USE By.” Despite the participants feeling confident that they understand the food label meanings, only 46% of participants knew the correct meaning of “BEST If Used By” and just 24% knew the correct meaning of “USE By.” And if that wasn’t enough, the study then educated the participants on the food label meaning and quizzed them again… Only to find that nearly half of participants still didn’t understand the correct meanings. And this got me thinking, if those two labels can be so easily misunderstood then understanding a full nutrition label must seem like rocket science. I mean let’s look at these two food … Read More

We know that those on a whole foods plant-based diet will be deficient in Vitamin B12 without a supplement and therefore need it for optimal health. We also know that most people will be deficient in Vitamin D3 without consistent sun exposure and therefore need a supplement for optimal health. But what about sleep? Are there any deficiencies we commonly see that could hurt our sleep and be improved with supplementation? Could extra doses of melatonin, magnesium, and tryptophan which are important for sleep, improve our sleep quality? And what about some of the new and trendy supplements like CBD, L-Theanine, and Valerian Root? It’s made me wonder… are there any sleep supplements worth taking? Well, I spent hours combing through the findings of sleep and supplement experts Matthew Walker, Andrew Huberman, and Michael Greger and found some… Read More

As work and entertainment increasingly become digital, we’re spending more time sitting than ever before. We’re sitting at work, sitting while in transit, and sitting when we’re home. We’re always sitting! And as our body spends more time in a single position, it’ll adapt to those demands. Just as hockey players’ hips tend to tilt forward and rotate out to meet the demands of skating and handling a puck on the ice, office workers tend to experience the same thing with their hips constantly being flexed while sitting and their shoulders/neck rounded while looking down at a laptop screen or phone. This repeated act often leads to tightening of certain muscles along with weakening of opposing muscles. This then not only makes it hard to maintain good posture in the first place, but can also lead to chronic pain, acute injury, and a lack… Read More

Hello friends. I’m 29½ years old and I’ve never consumed alcohol. I’m assuming my mom didn’t consume alcohol either while I was in the womb for 9 months putting me over 30 years without alcohol. At least I think my mom didn’t drink while she was pregnant with me. Mom? You didn’t drink while you were pregnant with me, right? Mom?! No, I trust her. She wouldn’t do that with her favorite child. Maybe with my sisters but not me. Anyways, I thought it’d be useful to detail why I’ve never consumed alcohol, what is moderate alcohol consumption, how does it affect not only our health but our happiness, and what it’s like living alcohol-free in a world that can revolve around drinking. We have a lot to cover. Let’s get into it! I was raised in an alcohol-free house. I’ve never seen my dad consume alcohol and I’ve only seen my mom consume it about five times… Read More

A few months ago, I outlined The Perfect Breakfast which is a fantastic way to start your day with whole grains, fruits, nuts, seeds, and spices. And not only was the blueberry oatmeal dish I outlined delicious, but in case you didn’t enjoy it, I also put out a recent post on how you can start enjoying these healthy whole foods too. So, this week I’m covering the next meal of the day. Lunch. And there’s a lot I’m going to cover in this post as lunch is a terrific opportunity to load up on veggies, beans, and other food groups to ensure we meet the optimal micro and macro nutrients for the day. And I have some unique tips you won’t want to miss. So, let’s get into it! The main dish at lunch that I recommend is a salad. It’s our best opportunity to load up on raw cruciferous vegetables, greens, alliums, seeds, and sea vegetables. We should think of… Read More

It was May of 2013 when I got my first internship after attending the Rochester Institute of Technology. And it was a significant moment for me. A lot bigger than I ever expected it to be. It was a moment that flipped my perspective entirely. I was no longer spending money to learn and an acquire a degree. I was now working to earn an income and build a life I would enjoy. I was finally taking a step in the life that all my time in college had prepared me for. And what happened was something I had never expected. A mountain of debt welcomed me immediately. For the first time that I can really remember, I looked at my student loans. I know that seems odd, but I just can’t remember ever worrying about finances while I took classes. I knew that everything was being paid for by loans, but I never thought about what they were or when I’d have to… Read More