I’m just returning home after having the opportunity to attend one of the most well-known natural health conferences in the country.  The Nutrition and Health Conference is tailored to the conventional medical community and acts as a source for health professionals to hear where research is trending in the natural health and nutrition space.  With approximately 700 attendees (that’s big) this year, it’s a sign that natural health and nutrition is gaining the recognition and credibility it so rightly deserves in our health care system.  The primary organizer, Dr. Andrew Weil, is one of the most-recognized natural health leaders in our country and certainly within the conventional medical community.

I’ve attended the conference for the past few years and use the content as a way to get a sense of what natural health information is hitting the radar of the conventional medical community.  As a specialist in natural health, my visibility to research in this area tends to trend ahead of conventional health providers, so I use the conference as a way to gauge where to meet MDs and conventional RDs in the natural health spectrum for the purposes of information sharing and educating their patients and broader public.

I always walk away from medical conferences feeling like my head is overflowing with information and this conference was no exception.  Some of the information in my notes stood out as relatively simple yet profound in its ability to promote healthy behaviors or expand awareness about nutrition, health and our connection to nature and the planet.  As a result, I’ve created a “top 10” list of sorts.  Hope you find something interesting from the below as I did…

• A compound unique to olive oil, oleocanthal, has anti-inflammatory activity in the body.  Just one more reason why olive oil is a great option for cooking.  Liberal use (up to ¼ cup per serving) is correlated to improved overall health in some European communities.
• The enzyme that activates a powerful compound called allicin in garlic is heat-sensitive.  An established body of research suggests allicin may improve cardiovascular health and also demonstrates anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial/viral activity.  To get around the heat-sensitivity issue, chop fresh garlic and let it sit away from heat for ten minutes before adding it to your stir-fry or other dish.
• Maybe you’ve heard of combining foods to create a complete vegetarian protein (e.g. beans and rice)?  Well, research now suggests that creating a complete protein at every meal isn’t necessary.  Our bodies have the ability to collect amino acids (the building blocks of protein) from foods throughout the day, so as long as you’re eating a diverse mix of plants, the body can put them together to make sure you’re getting sufficient levels of protein.
• As a society we tend to get focused on a single nutrient or quality in a food.  Keep in mind that eating a wide range of fruits and vegetables is the most important thing so don’t let yourself get paralyzed by the details.
• Numerous reasons to consider the benefits of using a high-quality probiotic as a way to influence the type and level of bacteria in the digestive tract:
  • Studies show that antibiotics not only eliminate the presence of healthy bacteria in the digestive tract in the short-term but that repeated use of antibiotics may block the ability of healthy bacteria to return to previous levels, increasing the risk for bad bacteria (e.g. clostridium difficile and others) to take hold.
  • The type of bacteria populating our digestive tracts impacts our bodies’ response to everything from vaccines, allergies and risk for autoimmune disease.
  • The development of obesity and the ability to reverse obesity also seems to be correlated to the type of bacteria populating the digestive tract.

• Bibliotherapy – A term I heard for the first time at this conference, referring to prescribing books as a treatment for patients.  I love this as it sounds like a naturopathic principle I am very passionate about; doctor as teacher.
• A book, The China Study.  I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but had it recommended to me multiple times during the conference and was told that it will open your eyes in a whole new way to links between consumption of animal products and the presence of chronic disease.
• And finally, a statistic to share how much further we need to come before the role of food as medicine is truly acknowledged.  In 2009, the average medical student in our country received only 19 hours of nutrition education throughout their entire medical training.  Naturopathic medical students easily receive over 100 hours.

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Image from Nutrition & Health Conference