Dr. Ben Kim's blog

Monday, January 7th, 2008 marked the beginning of an era of healthy eating for high school students in Quebec, Canada. The provincial government in Quebec implemented new food regulations that prohibit high school students from having access to soft drinks, diet products, sugary beverages, and deep-fried foods on school grounds.

Quebec's strict junk food policy for high schools also requires that lunches include at least one vegetable; French fries don't count, of course. Read more

According to a report in the January 19 issue of BMJ, pharmaceutical companies exaggerate the benefits of osteoporosis drugs, and downplay the risks of prescribing osteoporosis drugs for women whose bones appear to be slightly weakened (a condition called osteopenia). Read more

Chickpeas are one of the least expensive, nutrient-rich foods that you can eat. Chickpeas are rich in a number of nutrients, most notably folate (folic acid), manganese, tryptophan, copper, iron, and of course, healthy protein.

Due to their high folate and tryptophan content, chickpeas are an excellent food choice for women of child-bearing age and people who have trouble getting restful sleep.

Enjoy the many health benefits of chickpeas through our two favorite hummus recipes, found below. Read more

The World Wide Web has made it easier than ever to learn about health and what you can do to address specific health challenges. Unfortunately, the accuracy of a lot of health information on the web is questionable, since anyone with access to the internet can publish health-related material. So how do you find reliable health information? How do you know who to trust? Read more

Naturally produced miso, also known as fermented soy bean paste, is an excellent source of healthy protein and friendly bacteria.

You can find Korean miso - called den jang - at your local Korean grocery store. If you don't have a Korean market in your area, you can use a Japanese version of miso, found at any Asian food market or your local health food store. Read more

If you want to build and maintain healthy bones and teeth, you have to supply your body with a variety of nutrients. The vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients that you need most to promote healthy teeth and bones are:

Vitamin D - Needed to help you absorb calcium from the foods that you eat. Read more

Since some of our regular visitors rely on news feeds rather than our newsletter to receive updates, I thought it might be useful to post my latest newsletter here; it's a look back at the most useful articles that were published on this site in 2007. Enjoy! Read more

To embrace the idea that the best health care system that is available anywhere involves self health care, it is helpful to understand that conventional health care systems throughout the world are not designed to do their best for each individual. Yes, there are exceptions to this rule, exceptions that are created by people who are deeply committed to actually following the Hippocratic oath and have done the work needed to understand the simplicity of healing. But mostly, conventional health care is driven by the profit motive. Read more

Helping others learn to help themselves is a theme that I have long supported and striven to live by. Earlier this year, I learned about an organization in Sonoma County, California that beautifully epitomizes this way of living. They're called COTS - short for Committee on the Shelterless - and for the past two decades, they have made it their mission to provide hope and help to homeless persons in Sonoma County. Read more

I'm constantly on the lookout for recipes that call for raw red beets, as these root vegetables contain a variety of nutrients that can help prevent heart disease and certain types of cancer, especially colon cancer. Red beets are also rich in B vitamins, including folate, which makes them useful for preventing birth defects. Read more