Berkson’s Blogs

Yesterday I really needed some energy. So when I need energy, I EAT it. This was my breakfast yesterday. It gave me more energy than any other breakfast I have ever ate. For hours. I made a salad of sprouted black and green lentils, sprouted arugula, (both very LIVE foods and LIVE foods make us more alive) mixed with artichoke paste (blood sugar stabilizing and liver boosting), tomato paste (high in cancer protective lycopene) with granulated garlic (gut boosting), sea salt and olive oil. It was delicious. But most of all, I had an amazing work out and faced my day [...]

The people in a remote Italian village (Acciaroli, Italy) live to be a healthy 100 years old. Without Alzheimer's, cancer and other diseases. They consume lots of rosemary (very liver protective), eat a Mediterranean diet, and walk and move many hours daily. How do we be successful in life but sit less and move more? Eat smarter but eat less? And relax with the moment rather than keep hustling deep inside even though our body has stopped moving? It’s a challenge. But throughout the day you may ponder… is what I am doing contributing to my health? Vitamin A = awareness! [...]

Your GUT is the deal. It drives your health. All of it. Even your brain. A healthy gut protects your brain from suffering a stroke, which is the 2nd leading cause of death. Or if you have a stroke, a healthier gut minimizes the adverse possible outcomes. It now turns out that bacteria inside your gut modify the behavior of immune cells that live in your gut wall. These immune cells from the gut make their way to the outer coverings of the brain, called the meninges. Here your good gut bugs affect whether you stroke or not. And how much [...]

Diet drives the microbiome. And the more diverse your diet, the healthier and happier your gut bugs. But current agricultural practices as well as climate changes have contributed to a loss of diversity in what we eat. About 75 percent of the world's population consumes on the average, only five animal species and 12 plant species. Of those 12 plant types, rice, maize and wheat contribute 60 percent to all of those calories. In the US, people’s menus are variations on a theme of the same old foods—wheat, eggs, dairy, beef, chicken, salmon and sugar. Even a raw foodie might hang [...]

The sins of modern society have been: 1. Obesity 2. Inactivity 3. Smoking But now comes another one. 4. Inadequate sun exposure! (And too much sunscreen!) We are not talking about excessive sunning, or using reflectors and iodine in mineral oil from the days of my youth. But, I am referring to sensible time outside moving about in good ole Mother Nature. What, you say? You just got used to being fearful of the sun! This info comes from a large study. From the Karolinska Institute, the Harvard of Sweden. It was run on 30,000 Swedish women. They tracked time outdoors, [...]

I am very interested in what she says. In the last several years I have had to let go of a lot of people I truly love who, over time, were acting in very hurtful and harmful ways and would not own up or intend to change. They were not interested in building bridges. My best dearest anchor of a friend, my therapist best friend Janet that lives in Carmel, you have seen our pics, applauds and mirrors (to me) when she sees I am now drawing healthy boundaries. I'm a heart-oriented person, but no longer a doormat. I wish for [...]

Your microbiome—the good to bad bacterial organ of about 4 to 6 pounds deep inside your gut—rules your health. It craves diversity. You sustain a DIVERSE microbiome with a DIVERSE diet. Farming practices today raise less diverse foods. We are a country of monotone eaters. You remember Seinfeld. There were the tonsil people and the non-tonsil people. There were the sponge worthy people and the non-sponge worthy people. Well there are the monotone eaters and the non-monotone eaters. Be a diverse muncher, not a monotone muncher, to achieve more energy. I used to struggle with my health. But now I have [...]

No matter what professional is sitting in front of you, you cannot give ALL your power away thinking they know everything about what they are recommending to you. Or always have your highest and best interests in mind. And you should just take their advice as gospel and do what they say. Experts, even medical doctors, are human. Thus… imperfect. It’s hard to sit across someone in a white jacket who holds your file and prescriptive rights in their hands, and not feel intimidated by often dismissive and discounting advice. Especially, if you have just been diagnosed with a serious issue. [...]