“Jonah is very knowledgeable in the fields of nutrition and wellness. He really pays attention to his clients and, unlike some nutritionists, is willing to be incredibly flexible to meet their individual needs. His entire goal is to help his clients find a wellness program that not only works, but also fits in with their lifestyle so that they can stay with it long term. He is kind, caring, supportive, and can find something positive in almost any situation. His gentle, cheerful manner makes him a pleasure to work with. It is clear that he is committed to his work both professionally and personally. He is well educated and well informed and is always looking for new ways to deal with health issues. He stays with his clients for as long as they need him; he never gives up!” – 60-year-old female, Lynnfield, MA
“Jonah . . . has the unique ability to create partnerships with his clients that empower them to achieve their goals”
Posted on“Jonah is a gifted RD. The other RDs I have worked with seemed to have one mode – that of ‘expert’ – and communicate by telling you what to do. Not only does Jonah have deep expertise, but he also has the unique ability to create partnerships with his clients that empower them to achieve their goals. It has been a privilege to work with Jonah.” – 64-year-old female, Brookline, MA
Is canola oil genetically modified?
Posted on
Reply
This blog entry is inspired by one of my patients who recently told me she is afraid to eat canola oil because she heard it is genetically modified. Because many rumors are circulating these days regarding canola oil that are not quite true, I want to take a moment to share some facts.
Canola oil was developed from mustard rape, or rapeseed. The developers used a natural process of plant breeding that entails selecting certain plants that display a desired characteristic, breeding them to produce more plants with that trait, and repeating this over many generations in order to increase the percentage of plants with the desired characteristic.
It would be like a rabbit breeder who desires rabbits with really long ears and to that end selects only the bunnies with the longest ears from each generation for reproduction. As the generations go by, the resulting rabbits would tend to have very long ears. Are these bunnies genetically modified? No. Their ancestors were simply selected for reproduction because they naturally contained the genetic predisposition to have the desired trait: huge ears. Because this trait has been passed down over the generations, the offspring also have big ears.
In the case of canola oil, the desired trait was low erucic acid. Rapeseed naturally has an abundance of erucic acid, which in large amounts can be toxic to humans. The canola developers wanted lower erucic acid so they selected the plants with the lowest amount of erucic acid for breeding. After many iterations, the result was the canola plant, which has very low levels of erucic acid.
The development of canola oil preceded the rise of genetic modification techniques by decades. Since that time, some canola plants have been genetically modified for such purposes as making them more resistant to pests. While I was unable to find any credible research showing genetically modified canola oil to be dangerous, I understand that some people are not comfortable using it. For those who wish to avoid genetically modified canola oil, consider buying organic canola oil. By law, organic products have not been genetically modified.
“Jonah has helped me build muscle, lose fat, and improve my exercise routine”
Posted on“I have met with Jonah and he is, in a word, amazing. He has provided me with guidance on how to effectively do an elimination diet (to find the source of some gastrointestinal issues) and how best to fuel my body before and after working out. His combined training as a personal trainer and a Registered Dietitian has equipped him with a knowledge base not commonly found. Plus, he’s not all fluff and really goes the extra distance to help design a complete lifestyle-focused approach to your diet/health. Jonah has helped me build muscle, lose fat, and improve my exercise routine by offering guidance on foods that will fuel and fill me.” – 35-year-old female, Saratoga Springs, NY