If your child has a true food allergy, such as to strawberries or peanuts, you will know immediately because he or she might break out in hives or have trouble breathing after eating these foods. But if your child has a food sensitivity—which can result in more vague symptoms such as gas, bloating, rashes, joint pain and fatigue—you can have a hard time pinpointing the sensitivity. Lake Health naturopathic provider Jacob Wolf, ND, LAc, Dipl OM, explains how to uncover the culprit and what to do about it:

Constipation is common throughout childhood. Dr. Simone Majetich, a family physician with Lake Health Physician Group SOM Center Primary Care, explains why it happens and how to solve this common issue: 

A common question from people considering weight loss surgery is what foods they can and cannot eat after surgery. Caitlin McCullough, RD, LD, clinical dietitian with the Lake Health Bariatric Surgery Center, describes what a typical diet includes (and excludes) after bariatric surgery. 

We see it every New Year: The mass crowds in the gym come and then slowly fade off throughout the first few months of the year. The excitement of the New Year gives us that energy to begin great lifelong goals, but then the motivation quickly goes away. We need to shift our mindset to recognize that change is a gradual process. We don’t want to overload ourselves with unattainable long-term goals.  Lake Health Integrative Medicine offers these tips on how to set goals you'll actually stick with all year long: 

If you're searching for a unique gift idea this holiday season, consider giving something special that promotes health and wellness. Lake Health's Integrative Medicine team shares their favorite gift ideas to help your loved ones stay well: 

The holiday season is just around the corner and we can’t wait to make holiday cookies, wear crazy holiday sweaters and spend time with friends and family. Holiday stress will develop no matter what because there just isn’t enough time for everything. Lake Health's Integrative Medicine team offers these tips on how to reduce the stress and enjoy the holiday season:

The prescription drugs you have in your medicine cabinet can pose an unintended risk for your family. Lucille Zappitelli-Sason, MSN, CNP, a nurse practitioner with Lake County Family Practice, gives the scoop on the dangers prescription drugs (even expired and unused ones) can pose and shares crucial tips for protecting your family: 

More than 30 million Americans have type 2 diabetes, and 7 million of them don’t know it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Diabetes is serious business. It can lead to heart disease; stroke; kidney failure; vision loss; amputation of toes, feet or legs; and premature death. The good news is that you can often manage diabetes with physical activity, diet, insulin and other medications. Marjorie Lang, diabetes education services manager at Lake Health, knows how important it is to see if you're at risk. 

As we venture through life, we may start to notice that we tend to break bones easier than before. This is due to the loss of bone density. Bone density is the amount of calcium and other minerals found in your bones. We start to lose that density over time.

Melinda Benz, RDN, LD, a registered dietitian with the Lake Health Integrative Medicine team, give tips on foods and other sources that are enriched with calcium and vitamin D to help maintain your bone density.

As a parent, you want your child to eat healthy and nutritious foods that give them the energy they need to play and grow. A plant-based diet is one of these options. Spending a week at camp is a tradition that many children love – it provides new adventures, fun friendships and a chance to enjoy activities independently from their parents. If your child follows a vegetarian or vegan eating style, you may worry he or she will go hungry at sleepaway camp. Melinda Benz, RDN, LD, a registered dietitian with the Lake Health Integrative Medicine team, gives her top tips for sticking to a plant-based eating style away from home: