Eating Healthy

I'm hearing a lot about junk food lately. No one has given a definition of what foods are junk. Can you give me a list of junk foods? Junk food is a slang word for foods with limited nutritional value. Every person has their own list of foods that they call junk foods. I would...

Hi. My question is: What is it that causes one's urine to smell after eating asparagus? What's asparagus noted for nutritionally? Thanks! Asparagus contains methyl mercaptan a sulfur compound derived from an amino acid called methionine which is an essential amino acid. Asparagus is a good source of folacin, vitamin A, and vitamin K.

When I eat asparagus, I find that my urine has a peculiar odor. Why is that? I understand this vegetable has cleansing abilities, if so, how does it do it and what is it exactly cleansing or detoxifying? What's asparagus noted for nutritionally? Thanks! Please let me know. Some people, notice a strong odor after eating...

I want to ask you about avocados. How bad are they? Aren't vegetables in general good for you? Avocados are a great food and one of my favorites! One-half an avocado contains about 15 grams of fat (10 grams monounsaturated, 1.8 poly and 2.2 saturated fat). This size serving contains more than 10% vitamin A,...

Can stress cause a person to gain weight? I have maintained a 50-pound weight loss for 20 years, but it's a continual battle. I have hypoglycemia--am a vegetarian (for 26 years) and exercise regularly. I am 43 years old, recently changed job to one that is very stressful. I eat about 750 to 1000...

What kind of a diet is good for your hair? What vitamins? I have heard about a high blood pressure drug that stimulated hair growth. Does too much washing take vitamins out of your hair? The high blood pressure drug you are probably referring to is minoxidil, which is applied to the skin on your...

My 11-year-old son has lots of white spots on his nails. I seem to remember learning that a vitamin deficiency causes this. Can you tell me which vitamin and if there are any other problems that occur with this deficiency? Thank you. White spots or lines that appear on nails are caused by trauma to...

I purchased your book "Edmund's Food Ratings for Dieters" from the UCLA bookstore on a recent visit. Could you please tell me what kind of rating various waters would have? I really enjoy your book and find it very readable and well researched. How can I find out about other foods that are not covered...

There are many nutrition quack so called professionals who have titles that do not know beyond their nose anything that resembles nutrition for the human body. Hopefully you are not one of these. What credentials do you have and not just capitalized initials? MS = Masters of Science RD = Registered Dietitian LD =...

Is there any harm in eating microwave foods daily? Do you have any information on the effects of a microwave? Microwave cooking of food is not harmful, based on current research. In fact, microwaves preserve more of the vitamins and minerals in food because the food's exposure to heat and water is shorter than with...