You are doing your best to stay healthy and for many of you that means avoiding cow’s milk. Maybe you have replaced it with a nut or plant milk. Are you really doing yourself any favors?

Let’s take a look first at the objections that people have about drinking dairy milk. 

First, dairy cattle are treated with bovine growth hormone to increase milk production. Some folks are concerned that this hormone will sneak into the cow’s milk that we humans consume. Bovine growth hormone is broken down by enzymes in the GI tract and the peptides that it is broken down to are not biologically active in humans. 

Second, there is a concern that dairy cattle are treated with hormones that can seep into the milk that we humans consume. If dairy cattle are being treated with antibiotics, their milk is discarded and not saved for consumption by humans. In addition, milk is routinely tested for antibiotics and if any are found, that milk is discarded (even by the...

Avoid saturated fat.

How many times have heard or read that over the last 50 years? It’s probably the single most repeated piece of nutrition advice that you get from doctors, nurses, dieticians, your know it all aunt, and the internet.

That’s too bad - because it’s the wrong advice.

Let’s take a look at what maladies have been attributed to our consumption of saturated fat over the years. 

1. Heart disease 
2. High cholesterol 
3. Weight gain

Now let me break these down for you. 

Heart disease became an “epidemic” in the US in the 1950’s. In the early 1900’s, it was very uncommon to die of heart disease. Infectious diseases were the most common cause of death since antibiotics had not been developed yet, and very little was understood about sanitary practices. Heart disease, in particular heart attacks, increased in prevalence from the turn of the century to about the 1960’s. Since the 1960’s, heart attacks as...

Bug Juice is natural??

I recall a television commercial a few years ago that was promoting high fructose corn syrup, and the internet being what it is, I was able to find it. It was paid for by the Corn Refiners Association. The spot centered on a mom to mom conversation about high fructose corn syrup and a gallon jug of a red beverage that looked eerily similar to the “bug juice” I had at summer camp.

It begins with one mom accusing the other of not caring what she feeds her kids because she’s giving them high fructose corn syrup - “You know what they say about high fructose corn syrup...” The bug juice pouring mom comes back with, “It’s made from corn, it’s natural, and, like sugar, it’s fine in moderation.” You are then encouraged to “get the facts” from a website created by the Corn Refiners. The commercial did not have a very long life - sometimes consumers are smart.

But, it’s made from corn…

Here's how you can eat, think, and move this week in order to live your healthiest life.

How to Eat

What’s the scoop on noncaloric artificial or natural sweeteners (also called nonnutritive sweeteners)? Many people realize that they need to steer away from sugar wherever they can and in doing so, substitute these sweeteners instead. The upside is that you get the sweetness without the sugar. The downside is that these sweeteners can raise your blood sugar, cause an insulin release, and continue your brain’s reliance on sweets to stimulate pleasure centers. In short, the powder forms of these sweeteners often contain a hidden sugar called maltodextrin. If you are going to use these sweeteners, go with the liquid forms (which usually don’t contain maltodextrin), but be sure to check ingredient labels for hidden sugars.

How to Think

Want to feel happy in less than 5 minutes? That’s the power of visualization. Set a timer for 5 minutes, sit in a quiet spot, close...

Did you ever think you would have to pay so much attention to numbers? Your numbers.

 A1C. BS.

 Maybe they have gotten a little better since you were diagnosed, but not enough to say you are actually beating diabetes or even doing a good job controlling it.

 You’ve been watching what you eat and taking the meds religiously. Why aren’t they working?

Maybe because the medications given for type 2 diabetes don’t treat the cause of type 2 diabetes.

 Surprise!

 Let’s break this down and see if that’s really true.

 What causes type 2 diabetes?

What causes type 2 diabetes? Insulin resistance.

 What is insulin resistance? I’m so glad you asked.

 Here’s the short version. Insulin resistance occurs when your body’s cells no longer respond to insulin the way that they are supposed to. Insulin’s job is to take sugar from the blood and put it into cells where it can be used for energy. Insulin will...

You’ve done everything they’ve asked you to.

Eat fewer calories.

Avoid saturated fats.

Load up on fruits and vegetables.

Get out and exercise more.

Why isn’t the weight coming off?

If you are a diabetic, weight loss is not as simple for you as it is for others - not that it’s easy for anyone. But as a diabetic, you have a particular metabolic situation that you are dealing with.

Your body is burning fuel and storing energy differently than people who don’t have diabetes.

Over the last several decades that we have been struggling to lose weight, the medical community has accumulated enough evidence to know that low calorie diets do not work. Not for diabetics, not for anyone.

The Experiment

Let me tell you a story about an experiment done in 1944 by physiologist, Ancel Keys and psychologist, Josef Brozek. It was called the Minnesota Starvation Experiment. Let’s set aside for the moment the fact that Keys and Brozek owe an apology to all...

What exactly is a “diabetic diet” anyway? 

Was your advice just to “eat healthy”? 

Maybe you met with a nutritionist. If so, that nutritionist may have given you the latest recommendation available on the American Diabetes Association’s website:

“Everyone's body responds differently to different types of foods and diets, so there is no single "magic" diet for diabetes.“(1) 

Well, now...that’s helpful.

Actually, a consensus report was published by the ADA in May of 2019, and that really was their conclusion. 

“Though it might simplify messaging, a 'one-size-fits-all' eating plan is not evident for the prevention or management of diabetes, and it is an unrealistic expectation given the broad spectrum of people affected by diabetes and prediabetes, their cultural backgrounds, personal preferences, co-occurring conditions (often referred to as comorbidities), and socioeconomic settings in which they live.” (...

How was dinner last night?

Did you slave over a hot stove for hours putting together a masterpiece that a Michelin starred chef would be proud of?

Or, did you get home from work or soccer practice, open the refrigerator and think, “What would be quick and easy?”

It’s okay if it’s the second one. We can’t all be Wolfgang Puck - oh wait, he does frozen pizza and take out, too.

I mean it could be okay if you did something frozen or take out (probably not pizza, even with the veggies), but it just depends. 

We are a world of very busy people. Decades of innovation have made life so much easier, but in some respects, not better - at all.

Yes, I know - running water, indoor toilets, refrigerators with ice makers, vacuum cleaners, a car in every driveway, cable TV, computers in every home, (heck, computers in every pocket)...all good.

But innovations to the food we eat - not so good. I’m talking about processed food. It’s convenient,...

As a child they were what you had to finish before you could leave the table. Or get dessert - which was, of course, much more motivating.

Those last few broccoli florets or brussel sprouts staring up at you.

Your mom insisting that they are just what you need to make you big and strong.

via GIPHY https://giphy.com/gifs/54Y38YdCPe58XA0FpJ/html5

But are all veggies healthy? 

I’m not talking about organic vs. non-organic because that’s a whole other conversation. But are some veggies inherently less healthy than others?

It depends. On you.

You see, our metabolisms don’t all work the same as we age. That’s fairly evident by the different metabolic diseases we contract including obesity and diabetes.

Vegetables can be categorized in a variety of ways, but for our purposes an easy and useful one is as follows: 

• Leafy greens - iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, endive, spinach, collards
• Cruciferous vegetables - brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale,...