Old Orchard Blog

As a registered dietitian, I encourage my clients to check out the nutrition label on the food that they are consuming. Your question makes me think that you have been investigating a few nutrition labels yourself, so…well done! The nutrition label does a good job at breaking down the…

I love this question! I have heard variations of this question many times during my career. Some of my patients ask, “Why doesn’t broccoli taste as good as potato chips?” and others lament, “Please don’t tell me to snack on carrot sticks when I am craving something crunchy. It’s…

Until I read your question, I had never heard of the Military Diet. If you are familiar with my blogs you will know that I am not a fan of fad “diets”. Diets that claim to help you “lose 10 pounds in a week” and to “lose that pesky belly fat” tend to be restrictive and not…

I had a patient ask me this very question! Turmeric is a hot topic and the health benefits are fantastic. For those of you that do not know, turmeric comes from the root of the plant Curcuma longa. Turmeric is used to add color and flavor to prepared mustard, chutneys, relish, and vegetable…

Raising your good cholesterol (high-density lipoproteins or HDL) is a really good way to help lower risk of a heart attack. HDL cholesterol actually carries excess cholesterol back to your liver, preventing it from clogging our arteries. Optimal HDL numbers would be 60 mg/dL or higher.…

This is a great question, and one I frequently get. Many people want to naturally boost their immune system as to avoid getting sick. And I understand your desire to help your daughter continue to be as active as possible. There is no one thing that will specifically “boost” the immune…

This is a question that I am asked almost every day. Many of my patients are convinced that their inability to lose weight is related to a “slow metabolism”, which may be partly true. Metabolism is defined as all the chemical processes that occur within an organism to maintain life. It…

Seeds can be a delicious and healthy addition to the diet. They are becoming more and more popular in today’s cuisine and you can find them in a variety of dishes. Anywhere from chia seed packed smoothie to pumpkin seed oatmeal to hemp seed and fruit muesli. Most people are aware that…

It is great that you are interested in improving your diet. A balanced diet should contain carbohydrate, protein, and fat. Carbohydrates are the main energy source for our body– they are the energy that gets used first (before protein, fat and alcohol). While they are an important…

You have heard me say it time and time again. Fruits and vegetables should be one of the most important parts of our overall diet. They contain a myriad of vitamins and minerals which are important to our overall health. However, they generally do not contain enough of important nutrients…