Susan Burke March

By Susan Burke March Has it been too long since you’ve visited your dentist? Do you even have a dentist? If you don’t, or if it’s been more than a year since your last checkup, don’t put it off any longer. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation that absence of regular preventative dental care can...

By Susan Burke March As obesity takes its toll on health globally, researchers are working on defining how we eat today compared to the eating habits of our grandparents and great grandparents. Predictably, we know we are eating much more processed and refined foods than they did — they ate almost none — and that we’re...

By Susan Burke March, MS, RDN, LDN, CDE Before starting to work with a new client, whether it is for weight loss, or to help manage a health condition such as high blood pressure or diabetes, I ask them to complete a fairly comprehensive medical and lifestyle (diet and activity) survey. Jean (not her real...

By Susan Burke March, MS, RDN, LDN, CDE This week’s column is devoted to the top two myths about alcohol. In upcoming weeks I’ll cover a few others. Alcohol turns to sugar in your body and that’s why it makes you fat. This is a common myth since over-consumption of calories from alcohol can quickly...

By Susan Burke March, MS, RDN, LDN, CDE Weight is just a number on the scale, but for most people, it can indicate a risk for diseases associated with obesity. Most people have heard about that awkward equation that determines your Body Mass Index, or BMI. Some health experts have maintained that the BMI has...

By Susan March Burke #1: Does everyone really need eight glasses of water a day? This myth has been dismissed repeatedly over the years, most recently in the New York Times where Dr. Aaron E. Carroll (a pediatrician and a researcher) explained the origin. He noted that the original 1945 Food and Nutrition Board recommendation...

By Susan Burke March, MS, RDN, LDN, CDE Last January, when this article first appeared, I reported that when I typed the words “detox diet” into my web browser search box I was astounded to see more than six million “hits” for all types of “detox” diet programs and products promising weight loss, energy, immunity…...

By Susan Burke March, MS, RDN, LDN, CDE As evidence accumulates that sugary beverages are linked to obesity, soda consumption is headed down. In a a new Gallup poll, 60% of Americans say they are trying to avoid drinking soda. Mexico has enacted a sugary beverage tax, and in Ecuador, Peru and Chile public health...

By Susan Burke March, MS, RDN, LDN, CD A low-functioning thyroid is often blamed for weight gain and/or the inability to lose or maintain a healthy weight. Take this quiz to see how much you know about your thyroid and health. Answer True or False, then check your answers below: Your thyroid gland is located...

By Susan Burke March, MS, RDN, LDN, CDE I love my work! I get to research and write about my passion – how food and health are intimately and deliciously entwined – how what you eat can keep you healthy and happy too. This week’s topic is especially fun – it’s about chocolate – and...

By Susan Burke March, MS, RDN, LDN, CDE CrossFit: What it is, and what it is not? Unless you’re totally out of the loop, you’ve heard of CrossFit training – after all, some of the most popular celebrities grace magazine covers, showing off their phenomenal abs. But, is CrossFit training for the average Juan or...

By Susan Burke March, MS, RDN, LDN, CDE Recent news reports have touted coconut oil as having a bunch of “surprising” health benefits. It seems that some “experts” are claiming that it can boost immunity, influence hormonal health, control blood sugar, help with weight control, slow aging, and reduce your need for antioxidants, and even...