For many years, the prevailing wisdom has been that vegetarian and vegan diets offer superior health benefits compared to diets that include animal products. This perspective is usually coupled with unfounded concerns over the health impacts of consuming meat, eggs, and animal fats and legitimate ethical considerations about animal welfare. When I inform people that I am on the carnivore diet and choose not to eat many fruits, nuts, and vegetables, the question I get asked most often is, " How do you get all of your nutrients, then?" The reality is that question should be posed to those who choose vegan and vegetarian diets because, as we will see, plant-based foods don't contain all of our required nutrients. However, animal-based diets do. This post will cover the misguided belief that plants provide complete nutrition and cover which nutrients are the most likely to be missing or deficient.
Read MoreThe Lancet is considered one of the premier medical journals in the world. However, you may have yet to hear of the Eat Lancet Diet if you live outside of the UK. Their dietary recommendations should be spot on. However, adherents to the diet were examined and found to have deficiencies in several nutrients, including protein, selenium, zinc, iron, and folate. The subjects also reported a poorer mood. 1 Therefore, the people eating the Eat Lancet Diet may experience some diseases or symptoms caused by nutrient deficiencies. The problem is that they will more than likely think their problems come from disease rather than their diet. After all, why would The Lancet be recommending a diet that causes numerous nutrient deficiencies? Shouldn’t they know better? This post will cover why diet is overlooked by many healthcare practitioners, leading to misdiagnosis, erroneous medication prescriptions, and unnecessary medical treatments.
Read MoreThere are specific nutrients required to make melanin. Lacking them could lead to difficulty tanning. I had a period in my life when I lost the ability to tan, that I attributed to a poor diet. Once I added the nutrients I needed, I could tan again. This post covers the key ingredients needed to produce melanin, the pigment that causes us to look darker.
Read MoreI grew up on the shore, fishing on the bay and ocean, so I have always loved to eat seafood and spend time on the beach. I spent the Memorial Day weekend on a local barrier island and was surprised to see an oyster vending machine outside a market. We purchased a box, ate half of them raw, and cooked the other half on the grill. I had never seen anything like it and was very impressed with the concept. I eat oysters every chance I get, Oysters are one of the most nutrient-dense foods, and in this post, I will talk about the incredible oyster and why you should include them in your diet.
Read MoreMicronutrients are the smaller building blocks, such as minerals and vitamins, we need to sustain life and have optimal function. Micronutrient deficiencies (MNDs) are quite common worldwide. Iron, iodine, folate, vitamin A, and zinc deficiencies are the most common MNDs. They are responsible for perinatal complications, poor growth in children, and increased mortality and morbidity. 1 They can be just as devastating to adults. This post will describe the deficiencies, their symptoms, and how to correct them.
Read MoreJared Diamond wrote a famous essay in 1999 called The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race. He was referring to the mistake of our transition to agriculture and the production of grain flour. By 1941, the Committee on Food and Nutrition recommended that flour be fortified with nutrients to help combat widespread malnutrition in areas where the American population relied on flour-rich foods. This led to white bread and flour, pasta, and rice being enriched with thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and iron. Then, in the 1970s, the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs made grains the basis of our diets. This post tells the story about our tragic switch to grains when agriculture was invented, the health costs, the realization of their poor quality in the 1930s, and, strangely, their illogical placement in the food pyramid as the basis of most of the calories in the American diet.
Read MoreCoenzyme Q10 has two main functions. Most importantly, it helps us make ATP, our energy source for life. Since it is critical for energy production, it is most abundant in heart muscle, pancreas tissue, the brain, and the liver. The other function is to increase some of our essential antioxidants and act as one. Many factors can contribute to CoQ10 deficiency. These are aging, disease, dietary deficiency, statin drugs, and increasing tissue demands. Although our bodies make it, it is easy to get from foods, it is one of the more popular supplements available today because evidence shows it is beneficial for our health. This post will cover what it is, what it does for us, and how you can maintain adequate levels.
Read MoreWe should all understand that Protein is essential for good health, and numerous studies tell us that the quality AND quantity both matter. I am going to highlight two new studies that looked at animal versus plant protein consumption and their effects on our health. I will cover some quick and easy tips on how to maximize your protein intake for better health. Lastly, I will introduce Private Tim Hall.
Read MoreIt has been about one year since we started to hear about Covid-19. In that time, we have amassed tons of data on the disease. One thing is clear: the average person who dies from it has 2.6 underlying illnesses. Since most of our modern ailments are rooted in inflammation, I want to suggest six things you can do starting today to decrease it.
Read MoreIron is most often associated with anemia when it is low, but it is one of the most critical elements necessary for all life on the plane. Fully one-third of the world's population suffers from iron deficiency. The rate jumps to 2/3 in developing areas. Iron overload (too much iron in the body), which is also called hemochromatosis, is also quite common and is associated with a long list of pathologies and diseases, including early death. The problem with detecting undesirable iron levels lies in the fact that most doctors don't order the correct tests. The tests that they do order have lab value ranges that allow problematic levels to go undetected. The post will address the correct tests your doctor should order to correctly identify problems with your iron levels.
Read MoreMy last post on the covid 19 outbreak covered some self-improvement things we can do with our spare time due to business closures, working from home, and layoffs. Today I want to talk specifically about donating blood. Not only does it benefit others, but it is also amazingly healthy for the donors as well.
Read MoreYeast infections of the mouth are somewhat common. They are usually caused by illness, corticosteroid use, and antibiotics; however, there are numerous additional causes. In today’s post, I discuss the types, causes, treatment, and prevention.
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