Why is change so hard? Especially when you truly desire it? Because you need to rewire your brain, which is a lot like trying to grow grass on packed down dirt. Let me explain. Imagine taking a short-cut across a lawn: the first time there’s no clear path, you’re making…

Have you ever had the experience of wanting to change a behavior, and, starting with the best of intentions, you only go so long before you start to slide back into old habits? Well, you wouldn’t be alone. …

In the course of freeing myself of a sugar addiction — which long hid behind the veil of “I’ll just work it off” — I discovered that there are (at least) five different ways that our bodies become dependent on sugar and simple carbs. With five different mechanisms at work…

How technologies in agriculture and food processing solved some problems and created others. With the advent of agricultural and food processing technologies over the past 100 years, we have been able to feed and grow the population. …

Did you know that there’s power in your pleasure? Or rather, you hold the power to direct your pleasure, which can be a mighty tool as you improve your health. It starts with understanding your biology. But you might ask: How can pleasure be used to improve my health, when…

Or, How has the American media culture machine contributed to our woes? Every day we swim through a sea of cultures: Among them are family culture, religious culture, regional culture, and organizational culture. But the pervasive culture that dominates and permeates them all is the American culture. Culture in this…

Yes, but it will take political will. Let’s support our legislators to get it done. — Imagine that a research expedition from another planet visited Earth. The aliens were studying what humans ate, how they got their food, and the health outcomes they experienced. When they touched down in the more primitive societies, our imaginary aliens found simple methods of gathering, growing and preparing food. …

One of the biggest barriers to starting a weight-loss plan is that people don’t want to feel deprived — something they anticipate when they think about not being able to eat their favorite foods. Totally understandable! …

While it is true that to lose weight or get healthier you need to change what you are eating, many of us hold beliefs about food that inadvertently keep us from our goals. Underlying the way we eat, our attitudes about it and our resistance to changing our habits are…