Ask the Nutritionist

by Melissa Diane Smith

Give dairy a pass and focus on lesser-known food strategies for bone health

Q: I eat and drink a lot of milk products mostly because I want to be sure I get enough calcium for healthy bones. Unfortunately, I have asthma and a lot of digestive distress, and I’ve been wondering whether dairy is part of the problem. If I find I’m reacting to dairy products and feel better not eating them, how can I get enough calcium to protect my bone health? —Janet K., Toledo, Ohio

A: The idea that we have to consume a lot of cow’s milk for strong bones is deeply ingrained in our society, but it’s based mostly on a successful PR strategy by the dairy industry rather than scientific fact. Believe it or not, anthropologists know that people in hunter-gatherer societies who didn’t consume milk had much stronger, healthier bones than people from agrarian societies who did.

It’s true that milk is high in calcium, and 99 percent of the calcium found in the average adult body resides in our bones. But the long-held belief that we need plenty of calcium to prevent osteoporosis—a disease characterized by porous and fragile bones—isn’t as accurate as you’d think. Numerous studies have found no association between high calcium intake and lower fracture risk.

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This statement was read before the premiere showing of the GMO-related suspenseful thriller Consumed at The Loft Cinema in Tucson on April 12, 2016.

Thank you for holding this important event to bring to light some very disturbing realities around Genetically Modified Organisms.

Genetically Modified Organisms raise significant concerns right here in Arizona and around the United States.  An escalating reliance on GMOs has coincided with increased use of toxic chemicals in farming, threatening the integrity of our environment and our food, and posing growing risks to farm workers.

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The Chalkboard Mag just named my Going Against the Grain book to its list of its 12 favorite holistic nutrition books to include in your wellness library of reliable resources. “These are your classics, your forever reference bibles and tried-and-tested holistic essentials,” the magazine writes.

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by Melissa Diane Smith, author of Going Against GMOs

Of the many issues we need to consider when choosing the presidential candidate we want to vote for in both primary and general elections, an issue that gets no play in the mainstream media but one that is of increasing concern to the American public is where candidates stand on the issue of genetically modified foods, also known as genetically modified organisms or GMOs.

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Ask the Nutritionist

by Melissa Diane Smith

Q: I get frequent bad unexplained headaches. Some of them are debilitating migraines. I’m also often depressed and have other baffling symptoms such as problems with balance, and tingling in my feet and toes (my physicians told me this is peripheral neuropathy). I have seen many doctors and they say they can’t find any reason for my chronic headaches or other symptoms. Is there any kind of nutritional treatment that might help?

– Monica S., Atlanta, GA

A range of dietary factors—from regular consumption of aspartame artificial sweetener to eating foods that contain monosodium glutamate—can trigger headaches. However, one of the most common yet least-known ones is sensitivity to gluten, the problematic protein found in wheat, rye, and barley.

The other maladies you list also have been associated with gluten sensitivity. Unfortunately, many doctors—including neurologists—aren’t up-to-date on research in this area, and thus aren’t aware that neurological symptoms are often linked to adverse reactions to gluten.

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by Melissa Diane Smith

Whether you are aware of it or not, powerful multinational corporations have been exerting undue influence over government and elected officials, and gradually hijacking and taking control of our food system in ways that profit the corporations and sabotage our and our planet’s health. Increasing numbers of people are learning this, getting angry, and taking action against it, and an unprecedented food fight is currently taking place in this country that literally will decide the future of our food.

I wrote about this several years ago, but it’s a message that some people weren’t ready to focus in on then so it bears repeating. What follows is a slightly updated reprint of an article, “An Independence Day Message: Fight for the Right for Real Food,” that I wrote in 2010.

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I recently learned that my books Going Against the Grain and Going Against GMOs are frequently bought together on Amazon.com. That’s great to learn! If you read Going Against the Grain first, then Going Against GMOs, you’ll get a crash course on the biggest food issues of our time that are rarely covered by mainstream media but are vital to know about to dramatically improve and protect our health.

Want to join others who are reading both books in succession so you know how to change the foods you eat to revitalize your health? I’m offering a deal during the summer that gives you incentive to do that: Purchase both Going Against the Grain and Going Against GMOs (in either paperback or e-book form), email or mail your receipt to me, and get $30.00 off the price of any nutrition coaching program or $25.00 off my Get Started Combo nutrition counseling services. (Trust me when I say that my Get Started Combo will never go any lower than that!)

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