https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/rss en-us jb@jonnybowden.com In this column, I’d like to take a closer look at three widely shared assumptions that greatly influence how we think about cholesterol and heart disease. Here are the three assumptions. See how many you agree with. There are two kinds of cholesterol, one “good” (HDL) and one “bad” (LDL). http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/3276 Wed, 29 Jun 2022 09:10:52 -0400 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/3276-there-is-no-such-thing-as-good-and-bad-cholesterol cholesterol-LDL-HDL.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com Every March, the natural foods and products industry gets together for one of the biggest trade shows in America, Natural Products Expo West. In its pre-pandemic heyday, as many as 2,500 companies exhibited their wares, which range from every vitamin and supplement product you can imagine, to "plant-based chicken." (Let’s... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/3264 Tue, 29 Mar 2022 15:55:26 -0400 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/3264-best-of-expo-west-2022 ExpoWest.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com Every teacher knows that you don’t really learn a subject until you have to teach it. Which is exactly what happened to me with the subject of fasting. As a nutritionist, I’ve been familiar with all the metabolic benefits of fasting for decades. I just never actually did it. And... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/3263 Mon, 07 Mar 2022 16:14:55 -0500 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/3263-3-top-things-to-learn-from-the-world-of-fasting GettyImages-1129355124.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com The diagnosis “pre-diabetes” doesn’t really sound all that ominous, does it? It’s kind of like getting a warning ticket for going through a yellow light. Your doctor explains that you don’t actually have diabetes—just some early signs of it, nothing to worry about. And many doctors deliver that news with little more than a gentle reminder that it’s important to... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/3262 Tue, 28 Dec 2021 09:23:24 -0500 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/3262-pre-diabetes-is-not-just-pre-diabetes GettyImages-1284166720.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com If you’re reading the first sentence of this article that means the headline message (Don’t Eat Eggs!) got your attention. Unfortunately, those kinds of headlines always get attention, and we see them everywhere whenever a negative study about eggs comes out. Most of those scary headlines lead to click-bait-y blogs... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/3260 Wed, 10 Nov 2021 10:47:31 -0500 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/3260-latest-research-don-t-eat-eggs-oh-really Eggs-May-Lower-Stroke.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com My Jewish father was an old country lawyer who believed deeply in fairness and justice for all living people, so I was curious what he thought about the Nazis. It was spring of 1977, and the American Nazi Party had announced their intention to hold a July 4th rally in... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4684 Fri, 27 Aug 2021 14:52:05 -0400 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4684-we-ve-got-a-way-bigger-problem-than-disinformation GettyImages-1252890105.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com Fish oil is the one supplement I recommend without hesitation to just about anyone. Why? Two reasons: One, the benefits of the two omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil—EPA and DHA—are wide-reaching and well-documented, supported by thousands of studies done over four decades. There’s no longer any controversy over... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4683 Thu, 29 Apr 2021 13:59:24 -0400 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4683-omega-3-revisited-the-most-important-benefit-you-ve-never-heard-of GettyImages-1287390663.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com Nutrition myth-busting is not an easy job. Once a sound bite gets repeated often enough to achieve the status of “accepted “truth,” it’s pretty hard to dislodge. But we myth-busters are a hardy lot, and we don’t give up. Myth-busters in the last decade have given a resounding thumbs-down to... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4682 Wed, 24 Mar 2021 10:32:57 -0400 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4682-a-new-look-at-america-s-most-maligned-cooking-oil Palm-Oil-101.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com In October of this year, cardiologist Steven Sinatra, M.D., and I published the new and revised edition of our book, The Great Cholesterol Myth. I hope you’ll read it—it contains information that could change your life, prevent diabetes, and strengthen your immune system. I’m not kidding. One of the things... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4681 Thu, 22 Oct 2020 08:54:57 -0400 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4681-why-you-should-be-skeptical-of-cholesterol-tests-part-2 Heart-Health.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com About a decade ago, cardiologist Steven Sinatra, M.D., and I came together to write a book to expose what we believed were two of the biggest—and most destructive—medical myths in the world: One, that heart disease is caused by eating too much fat and cholesterol, and two, that statin drugs... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4680 Wed, 23 Sep 2020 09:25:25 -0400 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4680-why-you-should-be-skeptical-of-ldl-cholesterol-as-an-indicator-of-heart-disease-part-one HeartHealth-3.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com Ten years ago, cardiologist Steven Sinatra, M.D., and I came together to write a book called The Great Cholesterol Myth, which, as you can imagine, was a pretty controversial name for a book. It landed us on the Dr. Oz show where I said, “Trying to reduce the risk of... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4679 Mon, 17 Aug 2020 10:54:18 -0400 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4679-has-the-cholesterol-test-outlived-its-usefulness heart-health-plant-based-fatty-foods.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com Imagine this frightening scenario, if you will: It’s New York City in the middle of the COVID pandemic. You’re a 48-year old woman with no serious health issues, and you wake up suddenly finding it hard to breathe. You have a fever and chills. And you lost your sense of... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4678 Thu, 16 Jul 2020 23:30:52 -0400 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4678-antioxidants-and-master-antioxidants-why-they-matter GettyImages-1142841178.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com If you’re reading this article, you’ve got to be wondering: What possible connection could there be between a “fat-burning metabolism” and COVID-19? Fat-burning sounds great when you’re talking weight loss, but immunity? Really? Well, let’s do a little thought exercise together. What are the “underlying conditions” that spell disaster for... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/1392 Mon, 15 Jun 2020 22:42:10 -0400 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/1392-covid-19-immunity-and-fat-burning-what-s-the-connection vegan-keto.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com Right now, as we go to press in mid-April 2020, there is a huge controversy brewing over the use of a malaria drug called hydroxychloroquine, which many claim may successfully prevent or treat COVID-19. Sadly, this controversy has already morphed into a politically charged minefield, with the Reds and the... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4677 Thu, 16 Apr 2020 18:03:31 -0400 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4677-coronavirus-update-the-controversy-over-hydroxychloroquine GettyImages-1200769096.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com Last month we covered the basics of inflammation and the difference between acute inflammation—when you bang your knee hard against a table—and chronic inflammation, which flies beneath the pain radar but can essentially destroy your body. I also covered a list of foods known to be high in anti-inflammatories. (To... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4676 Tue, 03 Mar 2020 17:23:11 -0500 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4676-inflammation-the-silent-killer-and-what-to-do-about-it-part-two turmeric-powder-in-bowl.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com While we’ve all been busy focusing on avoiding cholesterol and fat we’ve mostly ignored what is turning out to be one of the most important health concerns of our time: inflammation. Chronic inflammation is literally a stealth bomber, damaging your body just as deadly and silently as an invisible, odorless... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4675 Thu, 16 Jan 2020 15:30:28 -0500 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4675-inflammation-the-silent-killer-and-what-to-do-about-it-part-one GettyImages-1156927918.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com I get a lot of information about how people think about nutrition from talking to folks on the tennis court. The other day, a player I hadn’t seen in a while showed up at a tennis clinic I take every Saturday looking really good. She had clearly lost the weight... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4674 Wed, 11 Dec 2019 10:44:01 -0500 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4674-so-what-s-up-with-lectins GettyImages-930964300.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com I’ll be honest. When I first set up an interview with Dr. Shawn Baker to discuss his wildly popular Carnivore Diet, I assumed he was a pretty crazy dude. Granted, I had never met him, but I knew that his diet—which can be summed up in 10 words: Eat meat... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4673 Thu, 14 Nov 2019 15:19:01 -0500 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4673-is-the-all-meat-diet-crazy-maybe-not WholeFoodsMeatLabel-7.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com Can you do a keto diet as a vegan? Well, if you ask my friend Dr. Will Cole, he’ll definitely answer “yes,” albeit with a small caveat (more on that in a moment). Keto has a lot of benefits for many people—advantages I’ve written about elsewhere (including in this magazine). http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4642 Fri, 11 Oct 2019 18:43:56 -0400 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4642-is-keto-vegan-an-oxymoron vegan-keto.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com The vaping crisis has caused a lot of people a lot of angst. I’ve even had some ex-smoker friends of mine who are weaning off cigarettes using devices like the Juul say to me—kiddingly, I hope—that they would be better off going back on cigarettes! I can certainly understand the... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4672 Mon, 23 Sep 2019 09:51:22 -0400 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4672-myths-and-truths-about-vaping vape-pen.png jb@jonnybowden.com For most of my career I’ve advocated what’s known as a low-carb diet. I believe a low-carb diet is the best way to prevent or treat what I consider to be the number one risk factor for cardio-metabolic diseases across the board. That risk factor is called insulin resistance and... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4671 Fri, 16 Aug 2019 16:41:52 -0400 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4671-juicing-and-low-carb-diets-can-you-do-both beet-carrot-juice-fresh-squeezed.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com Every year I try to write at least one column answering the question that I get most often when doing personal appearances: What do you take every day, Dr. Jonny? Last month I shared part one of my own personal supplement regimen. (If you missed it, I talked about fish... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4670 Wed, 17 Jul 2019 09:45:18 -0400 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4670-dr-jonny-what-supplements-do-you-personally-take-part-two GettyImages-505820296.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com That’s a question I get asked regularly and once a year I answer it in a column. Which I’m about to do right now—but with a caveat. I never—repeat never—recommend that people do what I do. My mantra for my entire career has been “biochemical individuality.” No two people are... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4669 Fri, 14 Jun 2019 15:37:18 -0400 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4669-dr-jonny-what-supplements-do-you-personally-take-part-one GettyImages-862437562.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com Note: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and contributor(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher and editors of WholeFoods Magazine. Research presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual conference in Boston revealed that being familiar with fast food commercials can increase the likelihood young... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4668 Thu, 16 May 2019 10:39:39 -0400 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4668-are-fast-food-ads-making-your-kid-fat Fast-Food.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com Note: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and contributor(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher and editors of WholeFoods Magazine. Last month we reviewed a few basics on dietary fat. I explained where the conventional wisdom on fat is wrong (“avoid saturated fat and... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4667 Fri, 12 Apr 2019 17:29:42 -0400 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4667-get-healthy-fats-in-your-diet-the-easy-way-part-two healthy-fats.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com Note: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and contributor(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher and editors of WholeFoods Magazine. It’s pretty common for people to ask, “How do I cut the fat from my diet?” It’s far less common to ask, “How do... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4666 Mon, 18 Mar 2019 09:58:10 -0400 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4666-get-healthy-fats-in-your-diet-the-easy-way-part-one Groc-News-Fatty-Fish-2.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and contributor(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher and editors of WholeFoods Magazine. Jason Fung isn’t the first person to talk about intermittent fasting—but he’s become the go-to guru on the subject for many of those in... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4665 Wed, 13 Feb 2019 16:20:16 -0500 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4665-why-do-low-carbers-and-keto-dieters-like-intermittent-fasting-so-much Empty-Plate.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and contributor(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher and editors of WholeFoods Magazine. One of the biggest health fads right now is a morning drink of celery juice. Proponents state that stand-alone celery juice confers a... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4664 Fri, 18 Jan 2019 20:28:17 -0500 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4664-is-the-medical-medium-right-about-celery-juice-in-the-end-it-may-not-matter Celery-Juice.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It’s been almost 50 years since the original edition of the Atkins diet was published, and in recent years the ketogenic diet—which Atkins was the first to popularize—is enjoying an unprecedented amount of attention. (As I write this column, I’m sitting in a stateroom on a cruise ship—I’m presenting two... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4663 Fri, 07 Dec 2018 10:38:42 -0500 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4663-the-keto-diet GettyImages-953686002.jpg jb@jonnybowden.com Expo West and Expo East are the two largest natural products trade shows in the world. Hundreds—and in the case of Expo West, thousands—of exhibitors show their wares in categories ranging from ingredients and packaging to foods, snacks, supplements and skin care. And everything in between. Having just returned from... http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4662 Mon, 08 Oct 2018 01:00:17 -0400 https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/4662-expo-east-what-s-new-in-natural-products-this-year Plants.jpg