Photos From Japan

Last week I wrote about my trip to Japan, the Japanese diet, and 3 things that should be part of every diet. This week I'll share a few more photos.

4 Things I Learned in Japan

KIYOMIZU TEMPLE, KYOTO

I have so many memories from my recent trip to Japan. Cherry trees bursting with blossoms. Traditional wooden buildings and hanging lanterns. Peaceful temples and tranquil gardens. The stillness of a bamboo forest. The striking contrast between old and new. Futuristic cities with glittering nightscapes. The blur of the countryside from the window of a bullet train. Warm seats on high-tech toilets. The brilliant design of everyday items like bicycle kickstands. And the diverse sights, textures, and flavors of the foods I ate.

7 Reasons to Go Biking

Last weekend I participated in New York City's 40-mile Five Boro Bike Tour. We started in lower Manhattan, cycled up through midtown, Central Park, and Harlem, into the Bronx, south along the East River, over the Queensboro Bridge into Queens, through Brooklyn, and over the Verrazano Bridge into Staten Island. It was a great opportunity to see my city from a new perspective and connect with other people who love biking as much as I do.

What do I love about it?

Making Matcha

GLUTEN-FREE | DAIRY-FREE | DETOX-FRIENDLY

Green tea is good for detoxification, and matcha is especially good.

Detox Facts and Fiction

Environmental toxins are chemicals in the environment that are harmful to our health. They begin to accumulate before we’re even born and the older we get, the more toxins our bodies contain. So far, scientists have detected 232 different chemicals in the cord blood of newborn infants and 493 different chemicals in people of all ages.

As our awareness of environmental toxins and their impact on our health continues to grow, detox products and protocols are becoming increasingly popular, from fasting and raw food diets to foot baths and body wraps. But do these things really work? And what is detox anyway? A basic understanding of detoxification can clear up the misconceptions.

Hippocrates’ Shadow

In his book, Hippocrates’ Shadow: Secrets from the House of Medicine, David H. Newman, MD discusses how our health care system has become broken and how we can begin to repair it. He discloses how doctors have failed patients and explains why the doctor-patient relationship is critical to good care. He also addresses the NNT (number of patients that need to be treated for one patient to benefit) of various medical interventions and concludes that many common and costly screening tools are of no benefit when it comes to saving lives. This is an insightful and thought-provoking book for doctors and patients alike.

5 Powerful Spring Resolutions

New Year’s Day isn't the only time for resolutions. We should always be striving to improve ourselves. If you aren’t already, start now. Spring is a season of new beginnings and it's the perfect time to tune-up your diet and lifestyle.

Whether you want to feel better, look better, or set a better example to inspire loved ones to make much-needed changes themselves, these five resolutions will help you kick-start a commitment to revitalize your physical, mental, and emotional health.