Category Nutrition and Health

A ketogenic diet is a very low carbohydrate pattern of eating designed to force the body into ketosis, a survival mode of fat metabolism. This can produce some favorable changes in metabolic patterns, potentially reversing several forms of early chronic…

As the name implies, this diet reduces dietary carbohydrates, including many common foods that contain sugars and/or starches. To make up for this reduction, the intake of protein and fat can increase. Frequently, however, low-carb dieters do not fully replace…

This diet emphasizes a style of eating once common along the Mediterranean Sea. The main food sources are vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, nuts, fish, poultry, olive oil, and dairy products such as yogurt and feta cheese. The diet generally…

When it comes to food, names matter — according to a new Stanford-led study recently published in Psychological Science.   Do the words “steamed green beans” cause your eyes to keep moving down the menu page? Or do you prefer “sizzling Szechuan green…

Adopting a healthier diet doesn’t always mean drastic, sweeping changes. It can be as easy as opting for some simple food substitutions, which can make a big difference to the health of your heart. “For cardiovascular health, you’re really looking…

It’s not often that you find someone who is as comfortable preparing a five-course meal as they are diagnosing patients in the clinic. Michelle Hauser is one of those people. Her culinary prowess (she trained at the famed Berkeley restaurant Chez Panisse,…

Unconventional Paths: Stories of Stanford Medicine faculty, researchers and physicians whose journeys into medicine followed nontraditional routes     When Christopher Gardner, PhD, graduated from college with a philosophy degree, he had three things on his mind: Skiing in Colorado, surfing in…

A new analysis of data from a yearlong weight-loss study has identified behaviors and biomarkers that contribute to short- and long-term weight loss. Strictly following a diet – either healthy low-carb or healthy low-fat – was what mattered for short-term weight loss…

Cindy Kin, MD, a colorectal surgeon, started viewing food as medicine after lifestyle changes, including a proper diet, helped a patient heal and avoid surgery. Like most medical professionals, Kin had received little nutritional training, so she began studying the…

Soon after eating a kale salad, your stomach churns and you need to run to the nearest bathroom. There must have been something in the salad to make you sick — right? Probably not. While a few gut-unfriendly pathogens make their…