Expert Interview

The Heart and Brain Supportive Effects of Cocoa, Part 1
March 16, 2023
Chocolate joins the pantheon of functional foods like tea, berries, and coffee. Alan Frost, founder of Flava Naturals performance dark chocolate, details cocoa flavanols' cognitive, cardiovascular, and exercise performance benefits. He discusses the new FDA-qualified claim on cocoa flavanols and the prevention of cardiovascular disease, and recent food guidelines from the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for 500mg of flavanols daily for improved cardiovascular outcomes. He also addresses ConsumerLab.com data on cadmium and lead in common chocolate brands and how Flava Naturals' manufacturing mitigates those risks. It’s all about bean selection and proper processing. Flava Naturals delivers 5-9 times the flavanols of an average dark chocolate bar, with minimal sugar content. Learn about the science behind this remarkable functional food. Click HERE for part 2.

The Heart and Brain Supportive Effects of Cocoa, Part 2

Dr. Hoffman continues his conversation with Alan Frost, founder of Flava Naturals. Click HERE for part 1.

How to Reap the Cognitive Benefits of Exercise, Part 1
March 14, 2023
Sabrena Jo, Ph.D. in Exercise Psychology and ACE-certified Personal Trainer, explains how exercise benefits the brain, and how to undertake an exercise program. Is it ever too late to start? What forms of exercise are best? How to begin an exercise program economically even if you’re at home; Home equipment basics; Pros and cons of online workout apps; What advantages do personal trainers offer? The downsides of overzealous workouts; Overcoming psychological barriers to fitness; What is the American Council on Exercise? Why your trainer should be professionally certified; How to turn your exercise passion into a career; More resources available at ACE Fitness & Healthy Lifestyle Blog. Click HERE for part 2.

How to Reap the Cognitive Benefits of Exercise, Part 2

Dr. Hoffman continues his conversation with Sabrena Jo, Ph.D. in Exercise Psychology and ACE-certified Personal Trainer. She explains how exercise benefits the brain. Click HERE for part 1.

ENCORE: Achieving Age-Defying Athletic Performance, Part 1
March 9, 2023
Dr. David Minkoff is an integrative physician, and at 72, a champion amateur athlete, training this season for his 44th full Ironman Triathlon. He relates the story of his career transformation from conventional medicine to the founding of Lifeworks Wellness Center in 1997 after his wife developed a debilitating illness that eluded medical diagnosis. It turned out she had mercury toxicity, and detoxification alleviated her symptoms. That decisive event launched Dr. Minkoff’s investigation of alternative methodologies. He attributes his age-defying athletic performance to careful nutrition—he follows a very low carb diet and monitors his blood sugar with a continuous glucose monitor. He uses an Oura ring too monitor his physiologic state, and budgets time for adequate sleep and recovery. He’s also a proponent of amino acid supplementation and has formulated his own performance-enhancing formula, PerfectAmino. Dr. Minkoff also takes an array of nutritional supplements. Click HERE for part 2.

ENCORE: Achieving Age-Defying Athletic Performance, Part 2

Dr. Hoffman continues his conversation with Dr. David Minkoff, integrative physician and champion amateur athlete, Click HERE for part 1.

The “Kyo-Life” Heart Health Strategy, Part 1
March 7, 2023
In Japanese “kyo” means strong or powerful. The” Kyo-Life” is one that is strong in body, mind, and attitude. To stay strong, we need to maintain our best health in all the traditional ways with proper diet, exercise, and sleep. Jim LaValle, Clinical Pharmacist, Author, Board Certified Clinical Nutritionist, and Heart Health Expert provides advice and useful solutions to empower all of us to achieve our health goals and live our best life. When we think about overall wellness, your heart should be the centerpiece of your health focus. LaValle details a family of supplements, including one of Dr. Hoffman's top recommendations for heart health, aged garlic extract. Click HERE for part 2.

The “Kyo-Life” Heart Health Strategy, Part 2

Dr. Hoffman continues his conversation with Jim LaValle, Clinical Pharmacist, Author, Board Certified Clinical Nutritionist, and Heart Health Expert. Click HERE for part 1.

The Dire Consequences of Our Depleted Microbiomes, Part 1
March 2, 2023
Is the human microbiome an endangered species? Dr. Martin Blaser, author of "Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues," has now been featured in a new documentary, "The Invisible Extinction," that explores the dire consequences of our depleted microbiomes. Antibiotic overuse, C-sections, lack of breastfeeding, ultra-processed food, lack of exposure to nature, and chlorinated water conspire to deplete our bodies of beneficial bacteria; these imbalances in intestinal flora have profound far-reaching effects, not just on digestive disorders, but on immunity, metabolism, and brain function. Conditions like insulin resistance, obesity, Parkinson’s Disease, depression and anxiety and many more have been linked to microbiome deficits. What lessons do stool samples from indigenous peoples offer us? There may be a trans-generational effect of microbiome depletion. Dr. Blaser has gone so far as to advocate a Microbiome Vault to preserve our bacterial heritage. Are fecal transplants and poop pills the answer? “Vaginal seeding”? What role do high-fiber diets play? Are fermented foods beneficial? What about probiotics? Dr. Blaser describes measures we need to take now to recover our microbial diversity. Click HERE for part 2.

The Dire Consequences of Our Depleted Microbiomes, Part 2

Dr. Hoffman continues his conversation with Dr. Martin Blaser, author of "Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues." Click HERE for part 1.