Healthy Eating Archives - Thrive Carolinas

New Thrive Carolinas spiral-bound healthy recipe cookbook

Give the Gift of Healthy Cooking This Holiday Season

November 3, 2026

Blog, Functional and Integrative Medicine, Health, Health Hints, Healthy Eating, Healthy Life, In The Kitchen, Lifestyle, Lifestyle Medicine, Nutrition, Recipe

Introducing the New Thrive Cookbook Good health begins in the kitchen, and great meals are meant to be shared! Just in time for the holidays, we're excited to introduce our newest Thrive Carolinas Cookbook: Cooking at Home — A Non-Negotiable for Your Health. With about 30 recipes, this compact, easy-to-use cookbook brings our food-as-medicine philosophy into your kitchen, making healthy cooking more approachable and a lot more delicious. Whether you're shopping for a friend, family member, teacher, or treating yourself, it's a thoughtful gift that encourages healthier habits long after the holidays. A Little Inspiration for Your Kitchen Our newest cookbook is a great addition to any kitchen, featuring: Approximately 30 recipes to inspire cooking at home A convenient, spiral-bound format Inspiration for making home cooking part of a healthier lifestyle ...

Fresh rosemary, basil, oregano, garlic, ginger and turmeric used in healthy cooking

Medicinal Benefits of Herbs and Spices

October 27, 2026

Dr NP, Health Hints, Healthy Eating, Healthy Life, In The Kitchen, Lifestyle, Lifestyle Medicine

By Nancy A. Palermo, MD Herbs and spices are staples we should all be using in our kitchens. They add culinary depth to our dishes, bringing out wonderful flavors and aromas. Beyond making our food taste better, these ingredients may also offer important health benefits. Using herbs and spices can help reduce the amount of salt needed in recipes. They also add flavor without significant calories and may help us rely less on added fats and sugars. Research has demonstrated that many herbs and spices contain beneficial plant compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These compounds may support overall health when incorporated into a nutritious diet. Antioxidant Benefits of Herbs and Spices Many herbs and spices contain powerful antioxidants that help combat free radicals and oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can...

Almond flour pumpkin bread with cranberries, toasted walnuts and maple cream cheese glaze

Almond Flour Pumpkin Bread with Cranberries & Walnuts

October 6, 2026

Healthy Eating, In The Kitchen

Pumpkin bread is a fall favorite, and this version gives the classic a more satisfying Thrive twist. Made with almond flour, pumpkin puree, eggs, walnuts, and unsweetened cranberries, it provides 8 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber per slice. A touch of maple syrup adds sweetness, while pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg bring all the fall flavor. Enjoy a slice for breakfast, as an afternoon snack, or alongside your morning coffee before heading into a busy fall day. Finish it with the optional maple cream cheese glaze for a little something extra. Servings: 12 Prep Time: 15 minutes Bake Time: 45–50 minutes Ingredients Pumpkin Bread 2 cups almond flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg ...

Fresh pumpkins and roasted pumpkin seeds arranged on a rustic wooden table, representing healthy fall ingredients.

The Health Benefits of Pumpkin

October 5, 2026

Health, Health Hints, Healthy Eating, Healthy Life, In The Kitchen, Lifestyle

It’s Pumpkin Season Again! The Health Benefits of Pumpkin As fall approaches, the temperatures drop, the leaves start to change, and Starbucks releases its menu of fall favorites like pumpkin spice. Pumpkins have become synonymous with fall, so it makes sense to feature them in autumn recipes and highlight their many health benefits. Pumpkins are a type of squash in the Cucurbita family, which also includes other winter squash, zucchini, and cucumbers. People have cultivated pumpkins for thousands of years, and early varieties were prized in part for their seeds. Over time, cultivation and agricultural changes have given us the sweeter, fleshier pumpkins and winter squash we see in supermarkets today. The Health Benefits of Pumpkin Pumpkins have plenty of nutritional benefits that may motivate you to include them in...

Cooking at Home: The Cure for What Ails Us

September 14, 2026

Dr NP, Health Hints, Healthy Eating, Healthy Life, In The Kitchen, Lifestyle, Lifestyle Medicine

By Nancy A. Palermo, MD Edited by: Thrive Carolinas One of the most powerful tools we have to optimize our health is our diet, and making our own food is one of the best ways to control what we eat. Unfortunately, Americans have not gotten the memo. It is estimated that Americans spend about 5% of their disposable income on food away from home. The good news is that recent trends show 81% of Americans eat most of their meals at home, yet only 17% of those meals are made from scratch. Even when eaten at home, much of the American diet is filled with premade and processed foods that contain higher amounts of sugar, salt, and processed fats. At the same time, rates of obesity, prediabetes, diabetes, and...

Fermented foods for gut health including yogurt, kefir, kimchi and sauerkraut

Fermented Foods: A Simple Way to Support Your Gut and Your Overall Health

September 2, 2026

Healthy Eating, Healthy Life, In The Kitchen, Lifestyle, Lifestyle Medicine, Nutrition

By: Harlee Palmer Edited by: Thrive Carolinas You may have heard that fermented foods are good for your gut. But what does that actually mean, and why should you care about the bacteria in your digestive tract? The answer starts with your gut microbiome: the trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms that live primarily in your digestive tract. These microbes do much more than help you digest food. They interact with your immune system, influence metabolism, help produce important compounds, and communicate with other parts of your body—including the brain. One of the simplest ways to support this community is to regularly include fermented foods in your diet. What exactly is a fermented food? Fermentation is an ancient process in which microorganisms such as bacteria and yeast transform food. Think about what...

Whole-food protein sources including eggs, fish, yogurt, beans and nuts compared with packaged high-protein foods.

Protein: Whole Foods vs. the “Added Protein” Trend

August 18, 2026

Dr TL, Health Hints, Healthy Eating, Healthy Life, Lifestyle, Lifestyle Medicine, Vitamins, Weight Management

Are foods with added protein as healthy as whole-food protein sources? Foods with added protein can help increase daily protein intake, but they are not necessarily as nutrient-dense as whole foods. Eggs, fish, poultry, dairy, beans, lentils, tofu, and other whole-food protein sources provide protein along with vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, fiber, and other beneficial nutrients. By Tracy Larson, MD Protein intake has been a major focus over the past few years, driven largely by the surge in GLP-1 weight-loss medications and shifts in how we think about aging and metabolic health. The goals of preventing muscle loss during significant weight loss and preserving muscle as we age have made protein a higher priority. Proteins are large, complex molecules that play critical roles in almost every process within the...

Healthy Grilling in 2026: How to Savor the Season Safely and Deliciously

August 17, 2026

Health Hints, Healthy Eating, Healthy Life, In The Kitchen, Lifestyle, Lifestyle Medicine

Grilling is one of the simplest pleasures of summer. It brings people together, keeps the heat out of the kitchen, and adds flavor to everything from chicken and seafood to peaches, zucchini, and corn. As we pay closer attention to where our food comes from and how it supports our health, it is also worth considering how we prepare it. Grilling can absolutely be part of a healthy lifestyle, but a few simple choices can help reduce exposure to potentially harmful compounds while also protecting your family from foodborne illness. The goal is not to give up the grill. It is to grill more thoughtfully. Key Takeaways Choose lean, minimally processed proteins and make vegetables the foundation of the meal. Use moderate heat and avoid heavily blackened, burned,...

Colorful plate of fruits and vegetables illustrating the 3-color rule and eating the rainbow

The 3-Color Rule: A Simple Way to Eat the Rainbow

August 11, 2026

Dr NP, Health Hints, Healthy Eating, Healthy Life, Lifestyle, Lifestyle Medicine

What is the 3-color rule for eating? The 3-color rule encourages you to include at least three different colors of plant foods in a meal. Different colors often provide different vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytonutrients, helping increase plant diversity and support gut health, heart health, immunity, and overall nutrition. It seems many people now look to social media for health information and recommendations. We have heard everything from Proteinmaxxing to Fibermaxxing, and now one of the newest trends is the 3-color rule. Many of these trends begin with science-backed ideas, but social media has a way of pushing recommendations to the extreme. Some of the people sharing this advice have no medical background and are simply trying to attract followers. Overdoing protein or fiber, for example, can lead...

A serene natural setting or wellness graphic illustrating mindfulness, clinical hypnosis, and Qi Gong practices at Thrive Carolinas

The Mind-Body Approach to Health: Hypnosis, Mindfulness, Qi Gong, and the Gut Brain Connection:

May 20, 2026

Dr SG, Health, Health Hints, Healthy Eating, Healthy Life, Lifestyle, Lifestyle Medicine

By: Dr. Scott Greenapple We are consciously aware of only a small portion of what the mind-body system is processing. Much of our behavior is shaped by automatic, subconscious patterns. This is one of the key ideas behind mind-body healing. The body is constantly responding to signals beneath the surface: stress, breath patterns, emotional memory, muscle tension, digestive reactivity, and whether the nervous system feels safe or threatened. That is why practices such as hypnosis, mindfulness, and Qi Gong can be so helpful. They do not simply ask us to “think positive.” They help the nervous system experience calm, safety, and regulation. The Gut-Brain Connection The gut and brain are in constant communication. This is especially important with conditions such as IBS, where the digestive system can become highly...

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Give the Gift of Healthy Cooking This Holiday Season

Medicinal Benefits of Herbs and Spices

Almond Flour Pumpkin Bread with Cranberries & Walnuts

The Health Benefits of Pumpkin

Cooking at Home: The Cure for What Ails Us

Fermented Foods: A Simple Way to Support Your Gut and Your Overall Health

Protein: Whole Foods vs. the “Added Protein” Trend

Healthy Grilling in 2026: How to Savor the Season Safely and Deliciously

The 3-Color Rule: A Simple Way to Eat the Rainbow

The Mind-Body Approach to Health: Hypnosis, Mindfulness, Qi Gong, and the Gut Brain Connection:

Where is a Patient to Go? Planning Unplanned Medical Care

Grilled Mediterranean Chicken Kebobs

Monday Motivation: Garlic & Gut Health

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