Nutrition Diva listener Holly wants to know whether mushrooms are a vegetable. And the short answer is: No. But I think we should grant them honorary vegetable status. Technically, mushrooms are not vegetables because mushrooms are not plants. They are a type of fungi–a biological kingdom that also includes molds and yeasts. In some ways, fungi are actually more similar to animals than plants. While plants are able to produce their own food through the process of photosynthesis–which, as you should remember from 6th grade science, involves converting sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates, or energy.  It’s really quite…

This article, and episode 731 of the podcast (listen in the player above), was prompted by an email from Sandi, who wanted to know if I’d ever done a podcast on creatine. Sandi is 75 years old and apparently something of a “super senior.” She says that her personal trainer has recommended creatine for both its muscle-building benefits as well as for cognitive function. Creatine is one of the few topics I haven’t covered over the course of the last 15 years. To be honest, I thought of it primarily as a supplement for bodybuilders—so I left it for my…

I have gotten a ton of questions recently on a compound called berberine. Is it safe and/or beneficial? So, let’s talk about berberine, a natural compound that has been gaining a lot of attention lately. This molecule is found in a variety of different plants that are used in herbal medicine, including goldenseal, Oregon grape (which, despite the name, is unrelated to the grapes we eat or make into wine), and an herb known as Chinese goldthread. Berberine benefits There are a lot of different health benefits popularly attributed to berberine, including cardiovascular, neuroprotective, and immune-boosting properties. Most of these…

Fiber may seem like a somewhat frumpy nutrient, but it is actually one of the hottest nutrition topics right now. That’s partly because fiber plays such a big role in the health and function of the gut microbiota. And anything to do with the microbiome is trending—for good reason! Fiber 411 The way we define and categorize fiber has also gotten a complete overhaul in recent years. We used to think of fiber simply as “roughage;” the parts of plants that our digestive system could not break down and convert into energy. The list of benefits attributed to fiber now include reduced…

Today we’re going to talk about how to lower high triglycerides. But first, a quick listener Q & A. Ken writes: “Strolling through the farmers market last weekend, we came across a merchant selling blue-shelled eggs, who claimed that their eggs were lower cholesterol than typical tan or white-shelled eggs. Is there any evidence supporting their claim?” Cholesterol in Eggs The cholesterol content of eggs does vary somewhat, according to the breed of chicken, its age, and the type of feed and housing conditions. And there is a rumor that the lovely, pale blue-green eggs, produced by a South American…

I recently had an episode about the difference between powdered cacao and cocoa powder. But the day AFTER that episode was released, Consumer Reports published their findings that many popular brands of dark chocolate contained concerning amounts of lead and cadmium.  You can also listen to that episode by clicking this player while you keep reading.  My inbox filled up with emails from listeners asking how to evaluate or avoid this threat. So today, in light of the inbox and the upcoming Valentine’s holiday, I have part two of my unplanned series on the benefits and risks of chocolate. Specifically,…

In the final Nutrition Diva podcast episode of 2022, I reflect on how we in the health media communicate about the topics, trends, and research that we cover—and why it matters.  One of the challenges that I face in covering nutrition science is putting “breaking news” into a larger context so that you can put it in perspective. Despite the tendency to position every new development as a breakthrough or game-changer, the truth is that nutrition science (and, really, most science) moves incrementally. New findings may add more data points that confirm a prevailing hypothesis. Or, just as often, the…

A History of Science-Based Tips Over the last many years, the Nutrition Diva podcast has discussed the effect of cholesterol on overall health many times. Today, we bring you some of the most impactful, data-based and diva-delivered information on the subject. We’ll touch on foods like coconut oil, oats, and eggs before wrapping things up with a lesson on how to raise your good cholesterol. We kick things off with the Nutrition Diva discussing the impact – if any – that coconut oil has on cholesterol.  How does coconut oil affect cholesterol?  I have a good listener question for you…

Thanksgiving is not a day to diet, but with a few tricks up your sleeve, you can avoid ending up as stuffed as the turkey. Nutrition Diva explains. Thanksgiving is a time to gather with friends and family, be grateful for all we have, and stuff ourselves silly. I’m not that concerned about the long term consequences of this. As I’ve said before, a single day of excess isn’t going to make you gain weight any more than a one-day juice fast is going to make you lose weight. Nonetheless, it’s no fun to push yourself away from the table…

I got an email this week from a listener who wanted to know if I’d ever done an episode on the blood type diet.   “I recently ran across a quick mention of the blood type diet and wanted to hear your take on the legitimacy of it. If you’ve previously talked about it, I would greatly appreciate it if you could point me to that episode.” In fact, I talked about the blood type diet way back in 2009, toward the end of my very first year doing the podcast. You can listen to that here. After I sent this…