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  • How to Eat at Night for Better Sleep: Mindful Tips to Avoid Overeating

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    Do you find yourself mindlessly snacking at night, only to regret it later when your sleep feels restless and your digestion is off?

    You’re not alone—nighttime overeating is one of the most common eating struggles I see in my mindful eating practice.

    The good news? You can improve your sleep and reduce nighttime overeating—without following restrictive rules or eliminating your favorite evening snacks.

    As a registered dietitian, I’ll guide you through:

    • Why evening eating impacts sleep (and how to work with your body)
    • Common mistakes people make with nighttime eating
    • Simple, mindful evening eating habits to help you sleep better and feel satisfied
    • A free guide to help you reset your eating habits with ease

    Let’s explore how to eat at night in a way that supports your body—and your sleep.

    Why Evening Eating Can Disrupt Sleep

    Eating too much—or too little—at night can affect your sleep through several key pathways:

    1. Digestion Interference

    Heavy meals close to bedtime may disrupt digestion, causing discomfort, heartburn, or bloating that makes it harder to fall asleep.

    2. Blood Sugar Imbalances

    Sugary, refined snacks at night can spike your blood sugar, followed by a drop that disrupts deep sleep. A balanced evening meal or snack helps stabilize your blood sugar overnight.

    3. Cortisol and Melatonin Disruption

    Eating irregularly or emotionally at night can increase stress hormones like cortisol, which delays the natural release of melatonin—your sleep hormone.

    4. Mindless Eating & Guilt Cycle

    Many people snack out of habit, boredom, or stress in the evening—leading to guilt, physical discomfort, and trouble falling asleep.

    Common Mistakes That Lead to Nighttime Overeating & Poor Sleep

    It’s easy to fall into these patterns:

    • Skipping meals earlier in the day, leading to extreme hunger at night.
    • Eating large, heavy dinners without mindful portions.
    • Snacking out of boredom while watching TV or scrolling on your phone.
    • Grazing continuously instead of having a set, satisfying snack.
    • Eating quickly and not noticing fullness signals.

    Mindful Evening Eating Habits to Improve Sleep (Without Restriction)

    Here’s how to shift your nighttime eating habits gently, with no diets or food guilt:

    1. Balance Your Dinner for Satisfaction & Sleep Support

    Focus on creating an evening meal that includes:

    • Protein: Helps stabilize blood sugar overnight.
    • Fats: Supports hormone balance and satiety.
    • Starchy Carbohydrates: Supports serotonin (your calming neurotransmitter) production.
    • Non-Starchy Carbohydrates (Vegetables): Aid in digestion and provide key nutrients.

    Some examples:

    • Baked salmon, roasted sweet potato, and sautéed greens.
    • Chickpea curry with brown rice and roasted veggies.
    • Turkey lettuce wraps with avocado and quinoa salad.

    2. Time Your Meals to Support Digestion

    Aim to finish your evening meal at least 2–3 hours before bedtime to allow for digestion. This reduces the likelihood of heartburn or bloating and supports your body’s natural melatonin production.

    If you’re hungry closer to bedtime, opt for a light, mindful snack (more on that below).

    3. Soothe Stress Before Reaching for Snacks

    Evening snacking often stems from stress, not true hunger. Instead of automatically reaching for food, try:

    • Gentle stretching or yoga
    • Reading or journaling
    • Deep breathing or meditation
    • Herbal tea rituals

    If you still feel physically hungry after checking in with yourself, that’s your cue for a mindful snack—not restriction.

    4. Mindfully Choose Sleep-Supportive Snacks

    If you need an evening snack, choose foods that promote relaxation and steady blood sugar:

    • Coconut yogurt with berries and almonds
    • Banana with peanut butter
    • Whole-grain toast with almond butter
    • A handful of walnuts and chamomile tea

    The goal isn’t to avoid snacking altogether—but to snack with intention and choose foods that truly nourish you.

    5. Create a Calming Evening Routine Around Food

    Nighttime habits aren’t just about what you eat—but how you eat.

    Try this simple evening routine:

    1. Dim the lights after dinner to signal your body to wind down.
    2. Eat without distractions—turn off the TV and set down your phone.
    3. Savor your meal or snack slowly, noticing taste, texture, and fullness.
    4. Express gratitude for your meal before moving on to the rest of your evening.

    This slows your nervous system, supports digestion, and naturally reduces the urge to overeat at night.

    Why You Don’t Need to Fear Eating at Night

    Many people fall into the trap of thinking they need to completely avoid eating at night—but this all-or-nothing thinking often backfires.

    Here’s the truth: eating at night isn’t inherently bad.

    Mindful, balanced nighttime eating can:

    • Support healthy blood sugar balance
    • Provide emotional comfort during a calming ritual
    • Help you sleep better, not worse—when done intentionally

    Ready to Reset Your Evening Eating Habits?

    If you’re ready to stop nighttime overeating and feel calm, satisfied, and rested, I created a free resource just for you.

    Inside the Peaceful Eating Guide: Feel-Good Meals & a Free Mind in 3 Days, you’ll discover:

    • A simple daily structure to support mindful eating (including evenings!)
    • Gentle meal suggestions that stabilize energy and hunger
    • Mindset shifts to let go of food guilt and evening snacking struggles

    Download your free guide here →

    You’ll learn how to enjoy meals and snacks in a way that feels nourishing, supportive, and freeing—without restriction.

    Frequently Asked Questions About Evening Eating & Sleep

    Q: Is it bad to eat before bed?
    Not necessarily. A light, balanced snack before bed can actually support sleep for some people. The key is choosing the right foods and eating mindfully.

    Q: What are the best foods to eat at night for sleep?
    Foods rich in magnesium, tryptophan, and complex carbohydrates—like yogurt, nuts, bananas, and whole grains—can support relaxation and better sleep.

    Q: How can I stop overeating at night?
    Focus on balanced meals throughout the day, build mindful evening routines, and address emotional triggers without relying solely on food.

    Final Thoughts

    You don’t need to eliminate nighttime eating to sleep well or feel good in your body.

    By shifting your evening habits with mindful eating practices, balanced meals, and self-compassion, you can sleep more soundly and break free from nighttime overeating—gently and sustainably.

    Ready to take the first step? → [Download the free Peaceful Eating Guide] and start your journey toward more peaceful nights and restful sleep.

    The post How to Eat at Night for Better Sleep: Mindful Tips to Avoid Overeating appeared first on Nutrition Stripped.

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    McKel (Hill) Kooienga

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  • Does Fasting Help Treat Depression?  | NutritionFacts.org

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    Caloric restriction can boost levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is considered to play a critical role in mood disorders.

    For more than a century, fasting has been espoused as a treatment of supposed “great utility in the preservation of health,” especially rejuvenating the body and, above all, the mind. When people fast for even 18 hours, though, they may get hungry and irritable. After one or two days, positive mood goes down and negative mood goes up, and after three days, fasters can increasingly feel sad, self-blame, and suffer a loss of libido. Then, something strange starts to happen: People experience a “fasting-induced mood enhancement…reflected by decreased anxiety, depression, fatigue, and improved vigor.” Studies tend to show this across the board. Once you get over the hump, fasters frequently experience “an increased level of vigilance and a mood improvement, a subjective feeling of well-being, and sometimes of euphoria.” And, no wonder, as, by then, endorphin levels may rise by nearly 50 percent, as seen here and at 1:06 in my video Friday Favorites: Fasting to Treat Depression. 

    This enhancement of mood, alertness, and calm makes a certain amount of evolutionary sense. Our body wants us to feel poorly initially so we continue to eat, day to day, when food is available, but if we go a couple of days without food, our body realizes we can’t just mope in our cave; we need to get motivated to go out and find some calories.

    So, can fasting be used for mood disorders, like depression? It’s great that people can feel better after a few days of fasting, but the critical question revolves around the “persistence of mood improvement over time” once fasting ends and eating resumes. The little published evidence we have comes out of Japan and the former Soviet Union, and some of it is just ridiculous, like this study that included women with a variety of symptoms, which the researchers blame mostly on marital conflict, as you can see below and at 2:08 in my video. Husband not treating you right? How about some “electroshock therapy”? That didn’t seem to help much, so what about “hunger therapy”? Of course, starving the women made them hungry, but that’s what Thorazine is for. If they keep getting injected with an antipsychotic to calm them down, they can sail right through. So, what happened in the study? What would we even do with those results? 

    Another study, however, skipped the Thorazine. The participants fasted for ten days, but they were also kept in bed all day on “absolute bed rest,” completely isolated and “prohibited from seeing other people except the attending doctor and nurse…also denied access to television, radio, newspapers or any other forms of information.” So, if people got better or worse, it would be impossible to tease out the effects of the fasting component on its own. But researchers found that they apparently did get better, with efficacy reportedly demonstrated in 31 out of 36 patients suffering from depression, as seen here and at 2:56 in my video.

    The researchers concluded that fasting therapy may provide an alternative to the use of antidepressant drugs, “thinking the fasting therapy may be a kind of shock therapy.” People are so relieved to be eating again, to get out of solitary confinement, and to even just get out of bed that they report feeling better. That was at the time of discharge, though. How did they feel the next day, the next week, the next month? Fasting is, by definition, unsustainable, so what we want to ideally see are some kind of longer-lasting effects.

    Researchers did a follow-up with a few hundred patients, not just a few months later, but after a few years. Of the 69 who were evidently suffering from depression, 90 percent reported feeling good or excellent results at the end of the ten-day fast, and, remarkably, years later, 87 percent of the 62 individuals who replied claimed that they were still doing well. Now, there was no control group, so we don’t know if they would have done just as well or even better without the fast, and it was all self-reporting, so there may have been a response bias where participants tried to please the researchers. Who knows? Maybe they were afraid they’d get sent back to solitary if they didn’t respond affirmatively. We have no idea, but we do have good evidence for the short-term mood benefits.

    Why would fasting improve feelings of depression? In addition to the endorphins and the surge in serotonin, the so-called happiness hormone, when we fast, there is a bump in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is considered to play a crucial role in mood disorders. Researchers have perked up rodents with it, but we aren’t rats or mice. What about us? Humans with major depression have lower levels of BDNF circulating in their bloodstream. Autopsy studies of suicide victims show only about half the BDNF in certain key brain regions, compared to controls, suggesting it may play an important role in suicidal behavior, as seen here and at 4:38 in my video. 

    We can boost BDNF with antidepressant drugs and electroshock; we can also boost it with caloric restriction. We can get a 70 percent boost in levels after three months of cutting 25 percent of calories out of our daily diet, as shown below and at 4:51.

    Is there anything we can add to our diets to boost BNDF levels so we can get the benefits without the hunger? We’ll find out next.

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    Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

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  • Integrative Medicine with Dr Shami Barathan – Diet and Health Today

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    Zoë chats with Dr Shami Barathan about her journey from traditional medicine to integrative medicine, emphasising the importance of patient-centered care, nutrition, and lifestyle changes. She discusses the impact of stress on health, the significance of hormonal balance, and the role of HRT. The discussion also highlights the need for personal responsibility in health and the joy of living a fulfilling life.

    Video

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    Andy

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  • Eating Well on a Vegetarian Diet: What to Keep in Mind – Body Fusion

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    Been vegetarian for a while? Or just getting started? Either way, it’s worth making sure you’re getting the nutrients your body needs to thrive. Here’s what to keep in mind to help keep your meals balanced and satisfying.

    Protein: Mix It Up

    Protein isn’t just found in animal-based foods. Plant-based diets can absolutely meet your needs, as long as there’s variety. Foods like tofu, tempeh, legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans), eggs and dairy (if included) are great options. Nuts, seeds, and wholegrains like quinoa and oats also contribute valuable protein.

    Remember that many plant proteins, like legumes, come packaged with carbohydrates. While this isn’t a bad thing (they provide fibre and long-lasting energy), it does mean it’s helpful to balance your plate. Try combining a couple of different protein options like tofu, Greek yoghurt, seeds, or legumes to round things out. You might also want to increase the ratio of protein foods to grainy foods on your plate to get enough protein without overdoing the carbohydrates.

    Iron: Boost Absorption

    Iron from plant sources (called non-haem iron) isn’t absorbed as easily as the iron in animal foods. To help with absorption, pair iron-rich foods — like lentils, beans, chickpeas, spinach and fortified cereals — with a source of vitamin C, such as tomatoes, capsicum, oranges or strawberries. This simple pairing can significantly improve iron absorption at mealtimes.

    Don’t Forget B12 and Omega-3s

    Vitamin B12 is one nutrient that’s tricky for vegetarians, as it’s found naturally in animal products. Eggs and dairy can help, but you may also need fortified foods (like plant milks or cereals) or a supplement if intake is low.

    Omega-3 fatty acids, important for heart and brain health, are another one to watch. Plant sources include chia seeds, flaxseeds, walnuts and hemp seeds.

    The Bottom Line

    A vegetarian diet can be both nourishing and enjoyable, it just takes a little thoughtful planning. Aim for a variety of plant-based proteins and keep an eye on those key nutrients like iron, vitamin B12 and omega-3s. If you’re unsure whether you’re ticking all the boxes, a dietitian can help tailor your plate to suit your needs and dietary preferences!

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    Tatiana Bedikian

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  • IBD and Cannabis  | NutritionFacts.org

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    Smoking cannabis may help with symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the short term, but it may make the long-term prognosis worse.

    As this study asks, “Medical Marijuana: A Panacea or Scourge?” For 5,000 years, cannabis “has been used throughout the world medically, recreationally, and spiritually.” It was even prescribed by American physicians “for a plethora of indications” from the mid-19th century to the 1930s, a fact that’s often used by medical marijuana proponents as evidence justifying the modern medical applications.” But the field of old-timey medicine is “fraught with potions and herbal remedies,” not to mention bloodletting and other questionable and harmful remedies.

    Skeptics criticize the medical marijuana movement as the “‘medical excuse marijuana’ movement,” insinuating that children with epilepsy and the terminally ill are being “used as a ‘Trojan horse’ for the legalization of recreational cannabis use” or to peddle “outlandish claims” about “miracle cancer cures,” frustrating researchers in the field who just want to get at the science.

    For example, what about the therapeutic use of cannabis for inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis? Conventional therapies work mainly by suppressing the immune system to try to tamp down inflammation. “Given the limited therapy options and known adverse side effects with chronic use” from these drugs, people suffering from these diseases often need to have inflamed sections of their bowels removed surgically, so it’s clear why there’s so much interest in alternative approaches.

    About one in six IBD patients who use marijuana say it helps with their symptoms, so researchers decided to put it to the test. Thirteen patients with IBD were given a third of a pound of marijuana to smoke at their leisure over a period of three months, and they reported feeling significantly better with “reported improvement in general health perception, social functioning, ability to work, physical pain, and depression.” There wasn’t a control group, so it’s unknown if they would have improved anyway or what role the placebo effect may have played. It’s like some of the studies of cannabis used for pediatric epilepsy that had response rates exceeding 30 percent and a frequency cut in half in a third of the kids. Amazing results until you realize you can sometimes get similarly amazing responses from giving kids nothing but a sugar pill placebo, as seen below and at 2:21 in my video Friday Favorites: Cannabis for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). That’s why it’s critical to do randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, but there weren’t any on cannabis and IBD until 2013. 

    For 21 patients with Crohn’s disease, nothing seemed to help. So researchers randomized them to either smoke two joints a day of marijuana or a look-alike placebo. The results? Ninety percent of those in the cannabis group got better, compared to only 40 percent in the placebo group. Shown below and at 3:11 in my video is a graph of their symptom scores. As you can see, there was no big change in the placebo group over the two-month study, but the cannabis group cut their symptoms by about half. 

    The researchers acknowledge that long-term cannabis use is not without risks, but it may be a cakewalk compared to the potential adverse—and even life-threatening—side effects of some of the more powerful conventional therapies, so the study was heralded in a paper entitled “High Hope for Medical Marijuana in Digestive Disorders.”

    The study was funded by a medical marijuana advocacy organization, the main supplier in the country, in fact. So, expectations may have been placed on the participants about how much better they would feel—in other words, they may have been primed for the placebo effect. But the researchers controlled for that, right? Those getting the real cannabis did significantly better than those randomized to get the placebo. But the point of a placebo is that it is indistinguishable from the real thing, so the participants don’t know which group they’re in—the control group or the treatment group. How can that be accomplished with a psychoactive drug? It can’t, which is the problem. The researchers tried to hide which group participants were in by only recruiting patients who had never tried cannabis before in the hopes that they wouldn’t notice placebo pot, but, unsurprisingly, most of them did. So, we’re basically left with another unblinded study. The researchers asked a bunch of subjective questions, like “How are you feeling?” and those who pretty much knew they were taking the drug said they were feeling better.

    There were no significant changes in objective lab values, like CRP, a sign of inflammation, so perhaps the “cannabis may simply be masking symptoms without affecting intestinal inflammation.” Another indicator that it may not be affecting the course of the disease itself is how quickly the symptoms rebound. Two weeks after the study ended, those in the cannabis group were right back to where they started, as shown here (see week 10) and at 5:05 in my video. 

    So, “there was no difference in objective inflammatory markers to indicate disease modification. Given the rapid rebound…to pretreatment levels after the 2-week washout period, it seems more plausible that cannabis ameliorated the symptoms of Crohn’s disease, rather than actually modulating the disease.” That may be, but the symptoms are terrible. A reduction in pain is a reduction in pain. Indeed, “from the point of view of the patients, a marked symptomatic improvement and ability to resume normal life is not trivial, even if inflammation persists.” Of course, what if cannabis somehow makes the disease worse in the long run?

    A survey study published the following year found that cannabis provided the same immediate symptomatic relief but was associated with a worse disease prognosis over time. Patients with IBD reported that cannabis improved their pain, cramping, and diarrhea, but use for more than six months by Crohn’s patients appeared to be a strong predictor of them ending up in surgery; they had five times the odds of going under the knife. There are two possible explanations for this: It’s quite possible that the increased disease severity led to the cannabis use and not the other way around. The alternative explanation: “Cannabis use may worsen the prognosis of IBD, leading to greater surgeries and hospitalizations.”

    This is why we need prospective clinical trials where people are followed over time to see which came first. Until then, perhaps we should consider cannabis use for IBD as “potentially harmful.” Not just to err on the side of caution, but because there was a study on hepatitis C patients that found that daily cannabis use was associated with nearly seven times the odds of worse liver fibrosis, which is like scar tissue. If cannabis really does make fibrosis worse, that may explain why cannabis users with IBD may be more likely to require surgery. 

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    Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

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  • A New Study Reveals What Actually Happens to Your Body After a 100-Mile Race

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    The most famous joke in music involves a lost tourist in Manhattan who asks a passing musician how to get to Carnegie Hall. The reply: “Practice, practice, practice.” This quip popped to mind when I was reading a new study about the caloric requirements of 100-mile mountain ultramarathons. You’ll burn something like 16,000 calories during one of these races, which is an amazing number—but it takes more than calories to reach the finish line.

    The study, which appears in the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, dissects the performance of two participants in the Wasatch Front Endurance Run, a 100-miler in Utah with a cumulative total of almost 25,000 feet of climbing and descending and a highest point above 10,000 feet. The subjects were both men, 45 and 31 years old, and both had previously completed several 100-milers. A research team led by Andrew Creer of Utah Valley University fed the subjects “doubly labeled” water, which contains isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen that scientists can use to figure out exactly how many calories you’re burning and how much water your body is using.

    This isn’t the first time researchers have used doubly labeled water to study ultrarunners. A previous paper by Brent Ruby of the University of Montana—who is also a co-author on the new paper—pooled data from ten runners at the Western States 100-miler and found that they burned an average of 16,130 calories while running for 26.8 hours. The twist in the new paper is that the researchers continued following the runners for seven days after the race to study how their bodies responded to the enormous physiological stress and caloric deficit they had incurred.

    During the Race

    Both of the Wasatch runners took 32.8 hours to finish the race. Their calorie expenditure was strikingly similar: 15,723 and 15,888 calories, even though one of them weighed 164 pounds and the other weighed 131 pounds. The bigger runner managed to take in an estimated 8,767 calories during the race, while the smaller one took in 7,429. In both cases, that means they managed to replace only about half the calories they burned, leaving an energy deficit of about 8,000 calories.

    Replacing half your calories is fairly typical for ultrarunners. These runners were getting between 40 and 50 grams per hour of carbohydrate, which is lower than sports nutrition recommendations of up to 90 grams per hour—and much lower than the reported fueling rates of 120 grams per hour and beyond that some elite cyclists and ultrarunners have been experimenting with in recent years. But it’s consistent with the upper limits of what most non-pros can tolerate unless they’ve been deliberately training their digestive system to handle more.

    The doubly labeled water method also gives an estimate of “water turnover,” which reflects how much water has been replaced in your body. During the race, the estimated turnover for the two runners was 14.6 and 15.5 liters, respectively, which is roughly 500 fluid ounces. Those numbers aren’t universal, since they depend on environmental conditions (the temperatures during the Wasatch race ranged from about 40 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit) and individual factors, like sweat rate. But they give a rough idea of how much you might expect to drink during a race like this.

    The runners lost 3.3 and 4.8 pounds, respectively, between the start and finish of the race, which suggests only mild dehydration. Some of the weight loss is likely from the carbohydrate and fat stores they burned rather than fluid losses. It’s hard to get a good estimate of exactly how much fluid they drank during the race: one runner estimated 15 liters, which makes sense; the other estimated 21 liters, which seems like an overestimate given the water turnover data. But overall it looks like they managed their hydration pretty well.

    The Aftermath

    There are two main things happening the day after a 100-mile race. One is that you’ve got a massive energy deficit to make up; the other is that you’ve trashed your body and need to repair it. Even marathons induce a lot of muscle damage thanks to the repeated footstrike impacts. Ultramarathons make that worse, and downhill running—25,000 feet of it, in this case—exacts a particularly high toll. You might also end up with some swelling, which increases fluid turnover.

    Over the 24 hours following their race, the Wasatch runners burned 4,953 and 4,276 calories respectively, roughly triple their basal metabolic rates—even though they were presumably moving as little as possible. Fitness magazines sometimes talk about the “afterburn” effect following hard workouts, and it’s clearly a real thing if your workout lasts 33 hours. Still, their weights were back to normal within 24 hours, or in fact slightly higher than their pre-race values, which suggests that another common fitness trope—compensatory eating—was in full force.

    Over the seven days following the race, calorie-burning drifted back down to normal levels, with seven-day averages of 3,245 calories per day for one runner and 2,721 for the other. They did no training during this period. Interestingly, water turnover during the post-race week averaged 6.0 liters per day in one runner and 3.4 liters per day in the other, illustrating the substantial the person-to-person differences that can show up in hydration habits. There was no indication that the second runner was wasting away or suffering from dehydration.

    Case studies like this don’t necessarily tell us what’s optimal. These runners were impressive but not elite: the winning time last year was just over 19 hours. Creer and his colleagues speculate that you’d probably want to take in more calories if you’re targeting elite-level performance. Still, it’s interesting to see detailed numbers about what it takes to cover this kind of distance. And the data on the energy demands of recovery is particularly interesting. It’s reminiscent of a puzzling detail that cropped up in a study I wrote about recently on protein needs for endurance athletes: you apparently need more on rest days than you do on training days. Training is hard work; but from your body’s perspective, recovery is also hard work, so make sure you’re giving it enough fuel for the job.

    For more Sweat Science, join me on Threads and Facebook, sign up for the email newsletter, and check out my new book The Explorer’s Gene: Why We Seek Big Challenges, New Flavors, and the Blank Spots on the Map.

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    awise

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  • How to Stop Grazing and Snacking All Day (Without Feeling Restricted)

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    If you’ve ever wondered, “Why do I keep snacking all day, even when I’m not hungry?”—you’re not alone.

    Many people are stuck in the “grazing” cycle: nibbling throughout the day, feeling out of control around snacks, and never truly satisfied.

    As a registered dietitian specializing in mindful eating, I’ve seen this challenge come up again and again. The good news? You can stop grazing all day—without restricting yourself or following a rigid diet.

    In this article, I’ll walk you through:

    • Why you might be stuck in a grazing pattern
    • How to spot the difference between emotional and physical hunger
    • Simple, mindful strategies to stop grazing and feel calm around food
    • A free resource to help you reset your eating habits with ease

    Let’s dive in!

    Why Do We Graze All Day? (It’s Not Just About Willpower)

    Grazing is often misunderstood as a lack of willpower—but it’s rarely that simple.

    Here are the most common root causes of constant snacking or grazing:

    1. Unbalanced Meals

    If your meals aren’t satisfying enough—whether missing protein, carbohydrates, fats, or fiber—you’re more likely to feel hungry soon after eating. This leads to unconscious grazing to “fill in the gaps.”

    2. Emotional Eating & Stress

    Emotions like boredom, anxiety, or stress can trigger grazing, especially during long workdays or at night when we’re seeking comfort.

    3. Disconnection from Hunger Cues

    Many people lose touch with their body’s natural hunger and fullness cues, especially after years of dieting. This can lead to eating simply out of habit, not physical hunger.

    4. Lack of Structure or Routine

    When there’s no clear rhythm to meals, it’s easy to snack mindlessly throughout the day—particularly in a work-from-home environment.

    5. Food Accessibility & Environment

    If snacks are constantly visible and within easy reach, you’re more likely to graze, often without realizing it.

    How to Stop Grazing All Day (Without Feeling Restricted)

    Now that you understand the why, here’s how to break free from the grazing cycle gently and mindfully:

    1. Focus on Balanced, Satisfying Meals

    Start by ensuring your main meals contain a balance of:

    • Protein (to keep you full)
    • Fats (for satisfaction)
    • Fiber-rich Carbohydrates (for steady energy)
    • Non-starchy Vegetables (for volume + nutrients)
    • Flavor Factor (for enjoyment + pleasure)

    A helpful method is my Foundational Five Meal Formula, which I teach in my programs. It takes the guesswork out of building balanced meals that satisfy both hunger and cravings.

    2. Reconnect to Your Hunger & Fullness Cues

    Before you reach for a snack, pause and ask:

    • Am I physically hungry, or am I feeling something else (stress, boredom)?
    • Where do I feel this sensation in my body?
    • What would feel truly nourishing right now?

    This simple practice helps you build awareness and make more intentional choices—without guilt.

    3. Set Gentle Meal & Snack Rhythms

    Instead of grazing randomly, create soft mealtime “anchors”:

    • Breakfast, lunch, and dinner around the same time daily
    • Intentional snack breaks between meals, if needed

    This isn’t about rigid schedules—it’s about creating a sense of rhythm so your body and mind can relax around food.

    4. Redesign Your Food Environment

    Out of sight, out of mind can be powerful here:

    • Keep meals and snacks in the kitchen or designated eating areas.
    • Store high-trigger snacks out of immediate reach (or portion them mindfully).
    • Avoid eating directly from bags or packages—use a plate or bowl instead.

    5. Soothe Emotional Triggers Without Food

    If emotional eating is driving your grazing, explore non-food ways to soothe:

    • Deep breathing or short meditation
    • Journaling your feelings
    • A quick walk outside
    • Talking to a friend or therapist

    Sometimes, what we truly need isn’t food—it’s connection, rest, or stress relief.

    6. Release Perfectionism Around Eating

    One of the most overlooked grazing triggers? All-or-nothing thinking.

    If you find yourself thinking:

    • “I already blew it today, might as well keep eating.”
    • “I’ll just restart tomorrow.”

    Pause and remind yourself: every moment is a fresh start. No guilt or punishment required.

    Bonus Tip: Don’t Be Afraid of Snacks—Make Them Mindful

    Snacking isn’t “bad.” In fact, mindful, balanced snacks can support your energy and focus throughout the day.

    Here’s the key: snack with intention.

    • Pause and check in before you eat.
    • Portion your snack and enjoy it distraction-free (no phone, no work).
    • Choose snacks with protein, fiber, and fat for longer-lasting satisfaction.

    Your Next Step: A Free 3-Day Plan to Stop Grazing & Feel Peaceful with Food

    If you’re ready to reset your eating habits, I created a free guide just for you.

    Inside the Peaceful Eating Guide: Feel-Good Meals & a Free Mind in 3 Days, you’ll discover:

    • Simple daily actions to reconnect to your body’s natural hunger rhythms
    • Meal ideas to satisfy cravings and nourish your body
    • Mindset shifts to let go of guilt, food rules, and grazing habits

    💌 DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE COPY HERE →

    You don’t have to diet, restrict, or shame yourself to stop grazing. With gentle structure and mindful tools, you can feel calm, satisfied, and at ease with food again.

    Frequently Asked Questions About Grazing & Snacking

    Q: Is it bad to snack throughout the day?
    Not necessarily—but constant grazing without hunger often points to unmet emotional or physical needs. Mindful, balanced snacks can absolutely be part of a healthy routine.

    Q: Why can’t I stop snacking even when I’m full?
    Emotional triggers like stress, boredom, or distraction often drive this pattern. Reconnecting with body cues and practicing mindful awareness can help.

    Q: How long does it take to break the grazing habit?
    This varies, but many people notice a difference within a few days of practicing mindful eating and balanced meals—exactly what we cover in the 3-Day Peaceful Eating Guide.

    Final Thoughts

    You don’t need another strict eating plan or harsh rules to stop grazing. When you approach eating with curiosity, compassion, and mindful structure, you can naturally shift away from constant snacking—and move toward peace with food.

    If you’re ready to take the first step, grab your free guide here:

    Download The Peaceful Eating Guide

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    McKel (Hill) Kooienga

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  • Happy, Healthy, Balanced Hormones – Healthy Nest Nutrition

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    What you eat matters when it comes to hormone health.

    Healthy hormones are directly linked to happiness. Your plate does make a difference in how robust your hormone health is. You can literally feed your hormones to start feeling like yourself again. Here’s what to do for happy, healthy, balanced hormones.

    Quick FYI on Hormones 

    Hormones are chemicals that flow through the body. They’re the silent conductors of your body’s orchestra, influencing everything from energy levels to mood, metabolism, sleep, and yes—your ability to lose or gain weight. 

    When your hormones are balanced, life feels steady and good. When they’re not, you might feel sluggish, moody, distracted, or stuck in a “I don’t know what to do to help myself” frustrating cycle. The good news? You have more control than you think—and it really does start with your plate.

    How to Use Food to Improve Hormones

    Food isn’t just fuel; it’s information to the body. Every bite you take sends a message to your body and to your hormones. The trick is to give the body what it needs so that it can create the hormones that it needs.  

    4 Balanced Hormone Food Principles:

    1. Eat More Healthy Fats

    Sex and stress hormones need healthy dietary fats, to be used as the backbone for the hormones—(estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, cortisol). Omega-3s (found in fatty fish, chia seeds, walnuts) and monounsaturated fats (like olive oil, avocados, and almonds) support sex and stress hormone production.

    Food Suggestion: A piece of wild salmon with avocado salsa for lunch, or a spoonful of almond butter with an apple. 

    2. Prioritize Protein

    Protein helps balance blood sugar and triggers the release of hormones like insulin and glucagon that help regulate appetite and metabolism. It also supports the production of dopamine, the “feel-good” neurotransmitter.

    We’ve talked all about protein many times. Note that along with build, repair, strength, metabolism, etc., protein impacts production of hormones which make us feel balanced and happy, which makes a good working machine.

    Food Suggestion: Eggs with sautéed spinach, a protein smoothie with greens and flaxseed, or sauteed lentils with veggies and an olive oil drizzle.

    3. Eat for Your Gut

    Over 70 percent of your immune system and a large portion of your serotonin (your “happy” hormone) is made in your gut. Feed it well with fermented foods (like kimchi or kefir), prebiotics (like garlic, onions, and bananas), and fiber from vegetables and whole grains.

    Food Suggestion: Eat a variety of colorful vegetables for fiber that feeds microbiome. Also, add sauerkraut to your salad or toss roasted veggies with quinoa and tahini. Add a dollop of plain greek yogurt to your dish for creamy goodness, if tolerated.

    4. Manage Stress

    Chronic stress results in too much cortisol hormone. It’s not just about feeling overwhelmed—it’s biochemical. When you’re constantly stressed, your body pumps out cortisol, your primary stress hormone. And when cortisol is always high, it throws off your sex hormones, thyroid hormones and insulin sensitivity. For that reason, cortisol is a fat promoter and tends to allow fat to accumulate. You can’t eliminate stress completely, but you can give your body tools to recover from it.

    Suggestions:

    • Step outside and walk for 10 minutes without your phone. This is my favorite. I try to take a walk everyday. It’s very centering.
    • Finish drinking caffeine by 10 a.m. or switch one cup of coffee to green tea, golden milk or matcha.
    • Lean on healthy fats when you get those common stress sugar cravings. 

    Hormones + Food: Digging Deeper 

    Since everyone needs something a little different, key into eating to support whichever grouping is most important for you. Here’s a rundown of big-hitter hormones and the foods that actually feed them.

    Sex Hormones: Estrogen, Progesterone & Testosterone

    Unbalanced sex hormones cause PMS, perimenopause + menopause symptoms.

    Foods That Support: 

    • Healthy fats provide the raw material for hormone production. Eat avocados, olive oil, wild salmon, pastured eggs, nuts, seeds.
    • Zinc supports testosterone and ovulation. Eat pumpkin seeds, oysters, chickpeas, beef.
    • Vitamin B6 & magnesium help metabolize estrogen and support progesterone. Eat bananas, sunflower seeds, spinach, turkey, lentils.
    • Cruciferous veggies help detox excess estrogen. Eat broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts.

    Thyroid Hormones: T3 & T4

    Your thyroid governs your metabolism, which often goes sideways during stressful times and during perimenopause and menopause. Good thyroid health requires specific nutrients—especially iodine, selenium, and zinc.

    Foods That Support:

    • Iodine is required to produce thyroid hormones. Eat seaweed (nori, kelp), cod, eggs, iodized salt.
    • Selenium converts T4 to active T3. Eat Brazil nuts, sardines, sunflower seeds, mushrooms.
    • Zinc supports thyroid hormone synthesis. Eat shellfish, beef, legumes, tahini.
    • Tyrosine is an amino acid building block for thyroid hormones. Eat chicken, turkey, almonds, avocados.

    Stress Hormones: Cortisol & Adrenal Support

    Chronic stress depletes your body of key nutrients and keeps your cortisol chronically elevated—which can lead to weight gain, sleep disruption, PMS, and inflammation (and lots more).

    Foods That Support: 

    • Vitamin C is needed for adrenal function. Eat bell peppers, citrus, strawberries, kiwi.
    • B Vitamins are crucial for smooth energy and nervous system health. Eat whole grains, leafy greens, eggs, legumes.
    • Magnesium helps calm the nervous system. Eat dark chocolate, avocado, pumpkin seeds, spinach.

    GLP-1: Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (Satiety + Insulin Support Hormone)

    GLP-1 helps you feel full, regulates blood sugar, and slows gastric emptying. It’s one of the key players behind the effectiveness of medications like Ozempic—but it can also be naturally boosted by food.

    Foods That Support: 

    • Fermented foods support gut microbiome (key for GLP-1 production). Eat kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, yogurt, miso.
    • Prebiotic fibers feed gut bacteria that produce GLP-1. Garlic, leeks, onions, asparagus, green bananas.
    • Protein-rich foods increase GLP-1 release. Eat eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, lentils, fish.
    • Polyphenols help enhance gut hormone response. Eat berries, dark chocolate, green tea, olive oil.

    One Big, Messy Potential Reason for Stubborn Weight Loss: Your Hormones are Out of Whack

    If you’ve been trying, but your weight won’t budge, you’re not broken—you’re likely hormonally blocked. Hormone imbalance is a BIG reason for stubborn weight loss. Remember, with hormones, it’s about creating a body environment where your systems want to cooperate. 

    Take a good look at your current situation. Ask yourself which hormone might be out of whack. Eat for replenishment of THAT hormone. See if it makes a difference.

    Start with one or two small shifts today: Add healthy fats, build your plate around protein and fiber, eat lots of veggies, take a mindful breath in the afternoon, or swap a stress-inducing workout for a walk in nature. The happier your hormones, the happier (and healthier) you’ll feel—physically, mentally, emotionally. This isn’t easy, it’s actually really hard, but we believe small changes add up. 

    Let us help you. Reach out today to connect with a holistic nutritionist. Book a complimentary consultation to see if Healthy Nest programs are right for you.

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    Healthy Nest Nutrition

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  • Easy Summer Salads That Include Fruit – Healthy Nest Nutrition

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    Brighten up your salad game with these fruit-forward recipes.

    Incorporate a little summertime sweetness and fresh, in-season color with these delicious side and dinner salad recipes. Some new, some old, but all of these are easy + delicious. 

    Corn, Strawberry + Avocado Salad 

    Quick, easy, naturally gluten-free and vegetarian.

    This summer salad is delicious and it’s loaded with fresh fruits and veggies. Corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries and herbs! The ingredients are seasonal (and hopefully locally grown), so everything bursts with flavor.

    Ingredients

    1 ear of corn, husk removed

    1 English cucumber, chopped

    2 cups cherry tomatoes (vine-ripened if possible)

    1/2 avocado, cubed

    2 cups fresh strawberries, quartered

    1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

    1/3 cup crumbled feta (optional, only if tolerated)

    1/2 lemon, juice only

    2 Tbsp olive oil

    salt + pepper to taste

    ADD: Grilled chicken, shrimp or quinoa for a protein-packed one-dish meal. 

    Make it vegan and leave out the feta (it’s so flavorful, you won’t miss it).

    Directions

    Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the corn and cook for 5 minutes. Slice the kernels off the corn cob into the bowl. Chop all other ingredients into the bowl. Crumble the feta. Chop the fresh basil. Toss everything to combine. Top with lemon juice, olive oil and salt + pepper. Enjoy this salad immediately.

    Peach, Tomato, Basil, Mint + Feta Salad

    Modified from betterfoodguru.com

    Beautiful, gluten-free and vegetarian, this salad tastes like summer in a bowl. It’s sweet and juicy and the peaches and tomatoes pair SO well with the salty feta and fragrant herbs. The crunch and kick of shallots is an added bonus.

    Salad

    3 large peaches, pits removed + cut into 6-8 wedges per fruit (or nectarines, make sure they’re ripe!)

    1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

    Half a small shallot, peeled + sliced thinly

    1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

    10 large leaves fresh basil, chopped

    10 large leaves fresh mint, chopped

    ADD: Chicken, salmon or quinoa for more protein and a one-dish dinner.

    Dressing

    2 Tbsp olive oil

    1 Tbsp red wine vinegar (can sub white wine vinegar)

    1/2 lemon, juice only

    1 tsp honey (or maple syrup for vegan)

    1 garlic clove, minced

    salt + pepper, to taste

    Directions

    Add all salad dressing ingredients to a small bowl. Whisk or shake together until well combined. Set aside. Add sliced peaches, cherry tomatoes, shallots, feta, basil, and mint to a large bowl. Toss with dressing. Season with salt + pepper.

    Four-Ingredient Watermelon Salad

    A simple, fast throw together that’s gluten free, dairy free and vegan.

    I love how juicy watermelon is. It’s delicious with herby basil, the tartness of lime and acidity of balsamic. So simple, so good. A great summer classic.

    Ingredients

    1⁄2 medium-sized watermelon (roughly 7-8 cups cubed)

    1⁄4 cup fresh lime juice

    1 cup fresh basil, chopped

    Balsamic glaze

    Optional add-ins: cucumber, strawberries, feta

    Directions

    Cut the watermelon into roughly 1″ cubes. Chop the basil. Add lime juice. Drizzle on the balsamic. I recommend adding the balsamic glaze right before serving. The glaze will eventually soak into the watermelon and dampen its freshness. Drizzle on as much or as little as you like.

    ADD: This is a very light dish, so serve it as a side with a green salad and grilled chicken, or egg or tuna salad for an al fresco dinner. Adding feta cheese will give the salad a salty creaminess. Use only if dairy is tolerated.

    easy summer strawberry salsa

    Strawberry Salsa

    Modified from cookieandkate.com

    The flavors in this salsa are so unexpected. It’s sweet, savory and spicy in every bite. It’s perfect.

    Ingredients

    Juice and zest from 1 medium lime

    1 ½ teaspoons honey or maple syrup

    1 pint of strawberries, hulled and diced

    1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped (use a smaller jalapeño for less heat, or leave in some seeds for more heat)

    ½ small red onion, chopped

    ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

    freshly ground black pepper, to taste

    pinch of fine sea salt

    Directions

    Mix the lime juice and zest, honey and salt. Combine the chopped strawberries, jalapeño, onion and cilantro. Add pepper, to taste, and mix well. Adjust seasonings as needed.

    If your strawberries aren’t sweet enough, add a touch more honey. If you need more tart, add a little more lime juice. Bring out the flavors and add a bit more salt. If the combined salsa sits for a time, the flavors will marry and the dish becomes juicier. Letting the ingredients mingle for 30 minutes makes a big difference.

    ADD: Grilled chicken breast, shrimp or other fish and use the strawberry salsa as a topper. Serve with a simple green salad. Vegetarian? Put the salsa on a simple bed of quinoa. Yummy! This is also a great appetizer served with almond crackers.

    For more healthy, easy dinner ideas, visit our blog at healthynestnutrition.com/blog. Reach out for a complimentary consult with a holistic nutritionist to see if Healthy Nest Nutrition is right for you.

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    Healthy Nest Nutrition

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  • Prioritizing Sleep for Better Health – Healthy Nest Nutrition

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    How to handle menopause, hormones and sleep.

    Sleep has become a big health priority for me these past few months. Prioritizing sleep has improved my energy, daily outlook, and overall feelings of wellbeing.

    It all started when I began feeling increasingly sluggish. Without 7 to 9 hours of nightly sleep, I would feel tired, have brain fog, see more sugar cravings, and was just a little pissy. I’m thinking it’s partly because of menopause.

    So, I dug in and did a little research. Below are some recent insights that have helped. I’m hoping this info can improve your sleep as well.

    Here’s what we know about prioritzing sleep for better health:

    Menopause and Sleep Research

    When it comes to menopause and sleep, women in perimenopause (often early to mid-40s) start to notice sleep disturbances, having trouble falling asleep or waking up frequently during the night. One study of post-menopausal women found that up to 64 percent struggled to get a good night’s rest. Ugh!

    Hormonal shifts during menopause affect natural sleep rhythms. Fluctuating estrogen and progesterone levels significantly disrupt sleep, leading to insomnia, hot flashes, night sweats and mood swings. Also, it triggers increased middle-of-the-night anxiety.

    Recent research in women over 40 indicates a link between higher estrogen levels and longer sleep duration in perimenopausal women. One study found that women who slept 6 to 9 hours per night had significantly higher levels of estrone 3-glucuronide (E3G), an estrogen metabolite, compared to those sleeping 3 to 6 hours. This could be due to estrogen’s influence on cortisol levels, where lower estrogen is linked to higher cortisol—the stress hormone that definitely can interfere with sleep.

    A Word About Hot Flashes and Night Sweats: Research shows that more than 80 percent of women experience hot flashes during menopause years. Hormonal changes commonly contribute to the notorious menopausal hot flashes. These intense waves of internal heat disrupt sleep in the form of night sweats, a.k.a. waking up in a pool of sweat and drenched bedsheets. No fun.

    Estrogen affects the body’s ability to regulate temperature. As levels drop, it can lead to night sweats. Estrogen also supports serotonin production, which influences mood and sleep.

    Progesterone has natural sedative effects, so its decline will make it harder to fall or stay asleep.

    Why You Need Better Sleep

    Sleep is vital for memory, focus, creativity and problem-solving skills. There is increasing research pointing to brain health and getting quality sleep. We need quality sleep to maintain a healthy weight and immune system and to lower our risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke. 

    Poor sleep in midlife has also been shown to increase women’s risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. Sleep affects the production and regulation of other hormones crucial for overall health, such as human growth hormone, melatonin, cortisol, leptin and ghrelin.

    So, what can you do to improve your sleep and stop the restless nights into daytime fatigue loop?

    Food for Better Sleep 

    There are a few foods that promote sleep. I have been intentional about seeds and greens in my diet every damn day, and I do think it’s helping improve my sleep. 

    • Nuts: Almonds + Walnuts are a good source of melatonin and magnesium, which can help regulate sleep. 
    • Bananas are a good source of magnesium, potassium, and tryptophan, all of which can contribute to better sleep.
    • Kiwis contain serotonin, which can help regulate the sleep cycle.
    • Pumpkin seeds are a good source of magnesium, which can help with relaxation and sleep.
    • Spinach, Kale + Swiss Chard and Legumes (beans and lentils) are all high in magnesium which helps with body calm and sleep.
    • Avocado contains great fiber and magnesium.

    Lifestyle Tips for Better Sleep

    • Timed Eating: Finish up your last meal 2-3 hours before bedtime. That way, your body can digest your food well before you sleep, and it will store less.
    • Avoid caffeine and alcohol late in the day. I try to avoid caffeine after 10am.
    • Limiting alcohol has really helped smooth over the night time wake up problems. It seems like this is bio-individual: some people are fine and some people can not tolerate any alcohol after menopause. Less is more for me.
    • Get regular exercise (not close to bedtime). A daily walk, especially 2 to 3 miles, really helps with my sleep. It’s a small output with big reward.
    • Maintain a cool, dark, quiet bedroom. Establish a consistent sleep schedule, limiting screen time before bed.

    Need a hand? We’re here to help you navigate hormones, menopause, nutrition and your midlife wellbeing. Reach out for a complimentary consultation with holistic nutritionist and Healthy Nest Nutrition founder Robin Hutchinson.

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    Healthy Nest Nutrition

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  • Eating to Downregulate a Gene for Metastatic Cancer  | NutritionFacts.org

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    Women with breast cancer should include the “liberal culinary use of cruciferous vegetables.”

    Both the Women’s Intervention Nutrition Study and the Women’s Health Initiative study showed that women randomized to a lower-fat diet enjoyed improved breast cancer survival. However, in the Women’s Healthy Eating and Living Study, women with breast cancer were also randomized to drop their fat intake down to 15 to 20 percent of calories, yet there was no difference in breast cancer relapse or death after seven years.

    Any time there’s an unexpected result, you must question whether the participants actually followed through with study instructions. For instance, if you randomized people to stop smoking and they ended up with the same lung cancer rates as those in the group who weren’t instructed to quit, one likely explanation is that the group told to stop smoking didn’t actually stop. In the Women’s Healthy Eating and Living Study, both the dietary intervention group and the control group started out at about 30 percent of calories from fat. Then, the diet group was told to lower their fat intake to 15 to 20 percent of calories. By the end of the study, they had in fact gone from 28.5 percent fat to 28.9 percent fat, as you can see below and at 1:16 in my video The Food That Can Downregulate a Metastatic Cancer Gene. They didn’t even reduce their fat intake. No wonder they didn’t experience any breast cancer benefit. 

    When you put together all the trials on the effect of lower-fat diets on breast cancer survival, even including that flawed study, you see a reduced risk of breast cancer relapse and a reduced risk of death. In conclusion, going on a low-fat diet after a breast cancer diagnosis “can improve breast cancer survival by reducing the risk of recurrence.” We may now know why: by targeting metastasis-initiating cancer cells through the fat receptor CD36.

    We know that the cancer-spreading receptor is upregulated by saturated fat. Is there anything in our diet that can downregulate it? Broccoli.

    Broccoli appears to decrease CD36 expression by as much as 35 percent (in mice). Of all fruits and vegetables, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli were the only ones associated with significantly less total risk of cancer and not just getting cancer in the first place, as you can see here and at 2:19 in my video.

    Those with bladder cancer who eat broccoli also appear to live longer than those who don’t, and those with lung cancer who eat more cruciferous veggies appear to survive longer, too.

    For example, as you can see below and at 2:45 in my video, one year out, about 75 percent of lung cancer patients eating more than one serving of cruciferous vegetables a day were still alive (the top line in red), whereas, by then, most who had been getting less than half a serving a day had already died from their cancer (the bottom line in green).

    Ovarian cancer, too. Intake of cruciferous vegetables “significantly favored survival,” whereas “a survival disadvantage was shown for meats.” Milk also appeared to double the risk of dying. Below and at 3:21 in my video are the survival graphs. Eight years out, about 40 percent of ovarian cancer patients who averaged meat or milk every day were deceased (the boldest line, on the bottom), compared to only about 20 percent who had meat or milk only a few times a week at most (the faintest line, on the top). 

    Now, it could be that the fat and cholesterol in meat increased circulating estrogen levels, or it could be because of meat’s growth hormones or all its carcinogens. And galactose, the sugar naturally found in milk, may be directly toxic to the ovary. Dairy has all its hormones, too. However, the lowering of risk with broccoli and the increasing of risk with meat and dairy are also consistent with the CD36 mechanism of cancer spread.

    Researchers put it to the test in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who were given pulverized broccoli sprouts or a placebo. The average death rate was lower in the broccoli sprout group compared to the placebo group. After a month, 18 percent of the placebo group had died, but none in the broccoli group. By three months, another 25 percent of the placebo group had died, but still not a single death in the broccoli group. And by six months, 43 percent of the remaining patients in the placebo group were deceased, along with the first 25 percent of the broccoli group. Unfortunately, even though the capsules for both groups looked the same, “true blinding was not possible,” and the patients knew which group they were in “because the pulverized broccoli sprouts could be easily distinguished from the methylcellulose [placebo] through their characteristic smell and taste.” So, we can’t discount the placebo effect. What’s more, the study participants weren’t properly randomized “because many of the patients refused to participate unless they were placed into the [active] treatment group.” That’s understandable, but it makes for a less rigorous result. A little broccoli can’t hurt, though, and it may help. It’s the lack of downsides of broccoli consumption that leads to “Advising Women Undergoing Treatment for Breast Cancer” to include the “liberal culinary use of cruciferous vegetables,” for example.

    It’s the same for reducing saturated fat. The title of an editorial in a journal of the National Cancer Institute asked: “Is It Time to Give Breast Cancer Patients a Prescription for a Low-Fat Diet?” “Although counseling women to consume a healthy diet after breast cancer diagnosis is certainly warranted for general health, the existing data still fall a bit short of proving this will help reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence and mortality.” But what do we have to lose? After all, it’s still certainly warranted for general health.

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    Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

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  • Episode 007: The Power of Critical Thinking: Why Success Requires Brave Choices with Sean Croxton

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    What if the biggest obstacle to your success isn’t external circumstances, but the mental barriers you’ve inherited without question? In this provocative conversation, Sean Croxton reveals how challenging tribal thinking and limiting beliefs transformed him from a broke personal trainer to a multi-millionaire entrepreneur—and why he walked away from it all to rebuild on his own terms. From deleting millions of YouTube views in a moment of self-doubt to losing friendships over refusing to stay silent, Sean shares the real cost of independent thinking and why most people choose comfort (even when it’s miserable) over uncertain possibility.

    If you’ve ever felt trapped by others’ expectations or wondered why you keep sabotaging your own progress, this episode will challenge everything you think you know about success, wealth, and what it really takes to live authentically and follow the whispers of your heart.

    Essential listening for anyone ready to break free from a self-made mental prison and build your life on your own terms.

    Covered In This Episode

    In this episode, you’ll discover:

    • Success requires thinking critically, even when it’s unpopular.
    • Comfort often keeps us stuck more than fear does.
    • Beliefs don’t just live in the mind—they shape your entire reality.
    • Challenging your programming is the first step to personal freedom.
    • Growth demands brave choices, not just positive thinking.
    • Staying true to yourself might mean leaving your “tribe.”
    • You can’t create change by following the crowd.
    • Victimhood feels safe, but it keeps you small.
    • Real transformation starts with asking better questions.
    • Your greatest power lies in choosing what to believe next.

    Subscribe and listen to The Courageous Pivot Podcast on:

    If you’re loving the show, please be sure to leave a review!

    YouTube video

    Chapters

    00:00 Introduction to The Courageous Pivot Podcast
    00:31 Meet Sean Croxton: A Pioneer in Health Podcasting
    03:23 The Challenges of Being a Public Figure
    11:13 Handling Criticism and Negative Feedback
    18:18 Sean’s Entrepreneurial Journey and Work Ethic
    21:13 From Health to Personal Development: A Major Pivot
    38:55 The Birth of The Quote of the Day Show
    42:57 Challenging Limiting Beliefs About Money
    46:18 The Importance of Values in Wealth Building
    01:06:38 The Impact of Self-Image on Success

    Sean’s Podcasts and Media Platforms

    Books/Authors Referenced

    More About Sean Croxton

    Sean Croxton Headshot Sean Croxton Headshot

    Sean Croxton is the host of The Quote of The Day Show as well as Black Excellence Daily. He is also the creator of Money Mind Academy, an online course that helps students transform their relationship with money.

    A Perfect Pairing With This Episode

    Money Mastery

    After I made one my own courageous pivots into entrepreneurship, I realized something big: if I was going to lead my life—and my work—from a place of confidence and peace, I needed to have clarity around my finances. Not just what I was earning, but what I truly needed, how I was spending, and how to build something sustainable. And not in a “spreadsheet and sacrifice” kind of way—but in a values-aligned, heart-centered way that actually made sense for the life I wanted.

    So I created Money Mastery. A course to help you get clear, grounded, and empowered with your money.

    We start with your core values, so your financial choices actually reflect the life you want. From there, we walk through what you really need to live well: your spending, your income, your goals—and how to align it all with intention.

    You’ll learn how to earn more, spend consciously, and invest smartly, even if you’ve never done any of this before. We also cover simple systems to organize your accounts and build a future with ease.

    This isn’t about deprivation—it’s about clarity. Once you understand your money, you can stop worrying and start living.

    ✨ Click here to get 30% off and get started (or click here if you’re in Canada 🇨🇦).

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    Meghan Telpner

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  • Metformin vs sulfonylureas for longevity – Diet and Health Today

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    Summary

    * A paper published in May 2025 used the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) population data in a novel way. It aimed to examine the impact of metformin vs sulfonylureas on exceptional longevity, which the researchers defined as survival to at least the age of 90.

    * The study only involved women over the age of 60 with type 2 diabetes and thus it is not generally applicable to other people.

    * The researchers designed a hypothetical trial and then used the WHI population data to try to emulate this trial. Using a matching technique, they were able to match 219 women taking metformin and 219 taking sulfonylureas.

    * They claimed that death before age 90 was 30% lower in the metformin group.

    * This note reviews the methods, results, plausible mechanisms, author conflicts, drug adherence, strengths and limitations, as my notes usually do. However, there was one overriding issue, which I wrote to the lead author about. The reply did not overcome my concerns.

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    Zoe

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  • Eating to Help Control Cancer Metastasis  | NutritionFacts.org

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    Randomized controlled trials show that lowering saturated fat intake can lead to improved breast cancer survival.

    The leading cause of cancer-related death is metastasis. Cancer kills because cancer spreads. The five-year survival rate for women with localized breast cancer is nearly 99 percent, for example, but that falls to only 27 percent in women with metastasized cancer. Yet, “our ability to effectively treat metastatic disease has not changed significantly in the past few decades…” The desperation is evident when there are such papers as “Targeting Metastasis with Snake Toxins: Molecular Mechanisms.”

    We have built-in defenses, natural killer cells that roam the body, killing off budding tumors. But, as I’ve discussed, there’s a fat receptor called CD36 that appears to be essential for cancer cells to spread, and these cancer cells respond to dietary fat intake, but not all fat.

    CD36 is upregulated by palmitic acid, as much as a 50-fold increase within 12 hours of consumption, as shown below and at 1:13 in my video How to Help Control Cancer Metastasis with Diet.

    Palmitic acid is a saturated fat made from palm oil that can be found in junk food, but it is most concentrated in meat and dairy. This may explain why, when looking at breast cancer mortality and dietary fat, “there was no difference in risk of breast-cancer-specific death…for women in the highest versus the lowest category of total fat intake,” but there’s about a 50 percent greater likelihood of dying of breast cancer with higher intake of saturated fat. Researchers conclude: “These meta-analyses have shown that saturated fat intake negatively impacts breast cancer survival.”

    This may also explain why “intake of high-fat dairy, but not low-fat dairy, was related to a higher risk of mortality after breast cancer diagnosis.” If a protein in dairy, like casein, was the problem, skim milk might be even worse, but that wasn’t the case. It’s the saturated butterfat, perhaps because it triggered that cancer-spreading mechanism induced by CD36. Women who consumed one or more daily servings of high-fat dairy had about a 50 percent higher risk of dying from breast cancer.

    We see the same with dairy and its relationship to prostate cancer survival. Researchers found that “drinking high-fat milk increased the risk of dying from prostate cancer by as much as 600% in patients with localized prostate cancer. Low-fat milk was not associated with such an increase in risk.” So, it seems to be the animal fat, rather than the animal protein, and these findings are consistent with analyses from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) and the Physicians’ Health Study (PHS), conducted by Harvard researchers.

    There is even more evidence that the fat receptor CD36 is involved. The “risk of colorectal cancer for meat consumption” increased from a doubling to an octupling—that is, the odds of getting cancer multiplied eightfold for those who carry a specific type of CD36 gene. So, “Is It Time to Give Breast Cancer Patients a Prescription for a Low-Fat Diet?” A cancer diagnosis is often referred to as a ‘teachable moment’ when patients are motivated to make changes to their lifestyle, and so provision of evidence-based guidelines is essential.”

    In a randomized, prospective, multicenter clinical trial, researchers set out “to test the effect of a dietary intervention designed to reduce fat intake in women with resected, early-stage breast cancer,” meaning the women had had their breast cancer surgically removed. As shown below and at 4:02 in my video, the study participants in the dietary intervention group dropped their fat intake from about 30 percent of calories down to 20 percent, reduced their saturated fat intake by about 40 percent, and maintained it for five years. “After approximately 5 years of follow-up, women in the dietary intervention group had a 24% lower risk of relapse”—a 24-percent lower risk of the cancer coming back—“than those in the control group.” 

    That was the WINS study, the Women’s Intervention Nutrition Study. Then there was the Women’s Health Initiative study, where, again, women were randomized to lower their fat intake down to 20 percent of calories, and, again, “those randomized to a low-fat dietary pattern had increased breast cancer overall survival. Meaning: A dietary change may be able to influence breast cancer outcome.” What’s more, not only was their breast cancer survival significantly greater, but the women also experienced a reduction in heart disease and a reduction in diabetes.

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    Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

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  • Dietary Components That May Cause Cancer to Metastasize  | NutritionFacts.org

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    Palmitic acid, a saturated fat concentrated in meat and dairy, can boost the metastatic potential of cancer cells through the fat receptor CD36.

    The leading cause of death in cancer patients is metastasis formation. That’s how most people die of cancer—not from the primary tumor, but the cancer spreading through the body. “It is estimated that metastasis is responsible for ~90% of cancer deaths,” and little progress has been made in stopping the spread, despite our modern medical armamentarium. In fact, we can sometimes make matters worse. In an editorial entitled “Therapy-Induced Metastasis,” its authors “provide evidence that all the common therapies, including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, fine needle biopsies, surgical procedures and anaesthesia, have the potential to contribute to tumour progression.” You can imagine how cutting around a tumor and severing blood vessels might lead to the “migration of residual tumour cells,” but why chemotherapy? How might chemo exacerbate metastases? “Despite reducing the size of primary tumors, chemotherapy changes the tumor microenvironment”—its surrounding tissues—“resulting in an increased escape of cancer cells into the blood stream.” Sometimes, chemo, surgery, and radiation are entirely justified, but, again, other times, these treatments can make matters worse. If only we had a way to treat the cause of the cancer’s spreading.

    The development of antimetastatic therapies has been hampered by the fact that the cells that initiate metastasis remain unidentified. Then, a landmark study was published: “Targeting Metastasis-Initiating Cells Through the Fatty Acid Receptor CD36.” Researchers found a subpopulation of human cancer cells “unique in their ability to initiate metastasis”; they all express high levels of a fat receptor known as CD36, dubbed “the fat controller.” It turns out that palmitic acid or a high-fat diet specifically boosts the metastatic potential of these cancer cells. Where is palmitic acid found? Although it was originally discovered in palm oil, palmitic acid is most concentrated in meat and dairy. “Emerging evidence shows that palmitic acid (PA), a common fatty acid in the human diet, serves as a signaling molecule regulating the progression and development of many diseases at the molecular level.” It is the saturated fat that is recognized by CD36 receptors on cancer cells, and we know it is to blame, because if the CD36 receptor is blocked, so are metastases.

    The study was of a human cancer, but it was a human cancer implanted into mice. However, clinically (meaning in cancer patients themselves), the presence of these CD36-studded metastasis-initiating cells does indeed correlate with a poor prognosis. CD36 appears to drive the progression of brain tumors, for example. As seen in the survival curves shown below and at 3:21 in my video What Causes Cancer to Metastasize?, those with tumors with less CD36 expression lived significantly longer. It is the same with breast cancer mortality: “In this study, we correlated the mortality of breast cancer patients to tumor CD36 expression levels.” That isn’t a surprise, since “CD36 plays a critical role in proliferation, migration and…growth of…breast cancer cells.” If we inhibit CD36, we can inhibit “the migration and invasion of the breast cancer cells.” 

    Below and at 3:46 in my video, you can see breast cancer cell migration and invasion, before and after CD36 inhibition. (The top lines with circles are before CD36 inhibition, and the bottom lines with squares are after.)

    This isn’t only in “human melanoma- and breast cancer–derived tumours” either. Now we suspect that “CD36 expression drives ovarian cancer progression and metastasis,” too, since we can inhibit ovarian cancer cell invasion and migration, as well as block both lymph node and blood-borne metastasis, by blocking CD36. We also see the same kind of effect with prostate cancer; suppress the uptake of fat by prostate cancer cells and suppress the tumor. This was all studied with receptor-blocking drugs and antibodies in a laboratory setting, though. If these “metastasis-initiating cancer cells particularly rely on dietary lipids [fat] to promote metastasis,” the spread of cancer, why not just block the dietary fat in the first place?

    “Lipid metabolism fuels cancer’s spread.” Cancer cells love fat and cholesterol. The reason is that so much energy is stored in fat. “Hence, CD36+ metastatic cells might take advantage of this feature to obtain the high amount of energy that is likely to be required for them to anchor and survive at sites distant from the primary tumour”—to set up shop throughout the body.

    “The time when glucose [sugar] was considered as the major, if not only, fuel to support cancer cell proliferation is over.” There appears to be “a fatter way to metastasize.” No wonder high-fat diets (HFD) may “play a crucial role in increasing the risk of different cancer types, and a number of clinical studies have linked HFD with several advanced cancers.”

    If dietary fat may be “greasing the wheels of the cancer machine,” might there be “specific dietary regimens” we could use to starve cancers of dietary fat? You don’t know until you put it to the test, which we’ll look at next.

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    Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

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  • Episode 006: Why Not Knowing Is Exactly Where You Need to Be

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    What if the most productive thing you could do right now is absolutely nothing?

    In this essential episode, I explore the sacred space between hearing your heart’s whisper and knowing your next move—that uncomfortable liminal zone where transformation actually happens.

    Drawing from my own two-year journey in the “fertile void” after scaling down my successful business, I reveal why rushing to fill uncertainty might be robbing you of your most profound pivot.

    I share practical wisdom on creating intentional space, grieving old identities, and trusting life’s timeline over your own agenda.

    If you’re caught between what was and what could be, feeling pressure to have it all figured out, or struggling with the discomfort of not knowing, this episode offers a radical reframe: the unknown isn’t empty—it’s full of potential.

    Essential listening for anyone in transition who needs permission to trust the process and stop forcing clarity before it’s ready.

    Covered In This Episode

    In this episode, you’ll discover:

    • Not knowing is a necessary part of any creative cycle.
    • The “fertile void” is where hidden growth begins to stir.
    • Slowing down creates space for true clarity to emerge.
    • Overfilling your calendar is often a way to avoid deeper work.
    • Your worth isn’t defined by constant productivity.
    • Sitting in uncertainty can feel uncomfortable—and transformational.
    • When you rush clarity, you risk planting seeds in the wrong soil.
    • Letting go of who you were can open the door to who you’re becoming.
    • Trusting the unknown is the first step toward aligned action.

    Subscribe and listen to The Courageous Pivot Podcast on:

    If you’re loving the show, please be sure to leave a review!

    Chapters

    00:00 Introduction and Course Offerings
    01:07 Welcome to the Courageous Pivot Podcast
    02:16 Exploring the Concept of Uncertainty
    04:43 Meghan’s Personal Pivot Journey
    09:03 Embracing the Unknown
    11:52 Practical Tips for Navigating the In-Between
    15:51 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

    A Perfect Pairing With This Episode

    The Culinary One Pass

    If you’ve been feeling the nudge to take ownership of your health and nourish yourself and your family more intentionally—but aren’t quite sure where to start—the CulinaryOne Pass was created with you in mind. This all-access membership brings together all of my most-loved courses from the Academy of Culinary Nutrition, including my flagship program, the Culinary Nutrition Expert Program, offering a practical, inspiring way to build your skills and confidence in the kitchen.

    It’s not about following rigid rules—it’s about empowering yourself with knowledge, creativity, and the joy of preparing food that supports your well-being. From everyday culinary nutrition and fermentation to herbal remedies, each course is designed to meet you where you are and help you grow from there. You can learn at your own pace, with video lessons, recipes, and resources you can revisit anytime. Whether you’re cooking dinner, packing lunches, or dreaming up your next courageous pivot, the CulinaryOne Pass is here to guide you every step of the way.

    Click here to explore everything included and get 25% off your enrollment with code THANKYOU25 (and if you live in Canada, click here).

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    Meghan Telpner

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  • 12 Questions about Fibre – Diet and Health Today

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    Summary

    I recently did a webinar on fibre with Dr Peter Brukner for the “Defeat Diabetes” organisation. I was asked 12 questions by Peter (before moving on to questions from the audience). This note contains a video of the webinar and a summary answer to each question. The questions were:

    1) What is fibre?

    2) We’ve been told for years – Denis Burkitt etc – that fibre is essential. Is there any evidence for that?

    3) Fibre is supposed to prevent constipation, what’s the evidence for that?

    4) We hear that grains, especially whole grains are an essential part of a healthy diet. Tell us about whole grains and fibre.

    5) As low carb eaters, we get criticised for not getting enough fibre. What’s your response to that criticism?

    6) What about fibre and its impact on blood sugar?

    7) Can you have too much fibre?

    8) If the evidence isn’t there for fibre, how come they are in all the dietary guidelines?

    9) Surely these guidelines are supposed to be based on scientific evidence.

    10) How do we reverse these guidelines? Surely this can’t continue.

    11) Don’t we need fibre for the gut microbiome?

    12) If you had 30 seconds to tell the public the truth about fibre, what would you say?

    Introduction

    On 25th June 2025, I did a webinar with Dr Peter Brukner for the organisation that he founded, which is called “Defeat Diabetes” (Ref 1). Defeat Diabetes is an evidence-based program, led by doctors and dietitians, to improve blood glucose levels and management. We chatted about this organisation and Peter’s work in Australia when Peter came on my podcast (published December 2024) (Ref 2).

    There were a number of topics that we could have tackled but Peter suggested that fibre would be popular. You can see the hour’s webinar at the end of this note.

    I was asked 12 questions. This note gives you a succinct answer to each one. (The webinar answer is longer in most cases). Answers may differ to those on the webinar – sometimes better thoughts come as I write.

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    Zoe

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  • Athletes and Nutritionists on TikTok Convinced Me to Try Pickle Lemonade

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    </div></div>”],”filter”:{“nextExceptions”:”img, blockquote, div”,”nextContainsExceptions”:”img, blockquote, a.btn, a.o-button”},”renderIntial”:true,”wordCount”:350}”>

    Once again, TikTok has convinced me to try something that seems unappetizing. This time, that thing is: pickle lemonade.

    It’s not just influencers hyping up the lemonade; big brands like Popeyes added the briny beverage to their menu. Athletes are fans, too, as pickle juice helps replenish electrolytes and reduce cramping during long periods of physical activity.

    I still wasn’t entirely sure if it was worth the hype, so I consulted with a few experts and made a batch myself. I brought it along with me on a 10K incline hike on a day that ended up being a scorching 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

    My Trail Runner Friend Swears By Pickle Juice

    The first person I reached out to was my friend Rochelle Bilow, who is not only a trail runner but also a food editor and knows a thing or two about viral culinary trends. She told me that while running the Black Canyon 50K this past February, she accidentally forgot to pack electrolytes. Normally, she would have pushed through, but it was an extremely hot day in Arizona, which meant she was losing a lot of salt through her sweat.

    “By mile 20, my legs were cramping and feeling completely fatigued. I knew it was because my body was losing too much salt,” Bilow shared with me.” So at the next aid station, I crammed like four pickles into my mouth to get as much salt as possible.”

    Unfortunately, she was nearly at the finish line, so she didn’t experience that much of an energy boost.  But she believes that if she had loaded up on pickles or pickle juice earlier, it could have made a big difference.

    Pickles Are Electrolyte Powerhouses

    Just half a cup of pickle juice has 720 milligrams of sodium. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, endurance athletes should aim to get about 300 to 600 milligrams of sodium per hour during long workouts.

    For physically active people, consuming electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium is especially important because exercise causes them to be lost through sweat, says Alyssa Pacheco, a registered dietitian based in Boston, Massachusetts.

    “Without enough electrolytes, you may underperform, recovery can slow, and the risk of cramps and fatigue can increase,” says Claire Rifkin, a registered dietitian based in New York City.

    @nytcooking

    Pickle lemonade summer? Here’s how to make it: • 7 large organic lemons, at room temperature • ⅔ cup granulated sugar • 3 cups chilled, filtered water • 1 to 1¼ cups dill pickle juice (see Tip), plus pickle spears for garnish • Ice, for serving Thinly slice 1 lemon, discard the seeds, and set aside for garnish. Roll the remaining lemons firmly against your counter top before juicing them in order to extract as much juice as possible. Quarter the lemons, then squeeze enough of the lemons into a measuring cup to get 1 cup of lemon juice. (A citrus juicer may be helpful here, if you’ve got one.) Add the squeezed lemon peels and any unsqueezed lemon quarterspieces to a large jar, such as an 8-cup Mason jar, a wide pitcher or even a large bowl. Add the sugar to the lemon peel pieces in the jar and, using a wooden spoon or a muddler, muddle together until the sugar has mostly dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice to the jar, cover and shake vigorously (or stir, if your vessel doesn’t have a lid) to ensure the sugar has fully dissolved. Add the water, then add pickle juice to taste. Shake or stir to mix; then strain using a fine-mesh strainer. (To store, refrigerate up to 3 days.) To serve, pour into glasses over plenty of ice. Garnish with a lemon slice and a pickle spear. Tip: When choosing pickles for this recipe, look for refrigerated dill-flavored ones like Grillo’s, for brighter flavors. Sweet bread and butter pickles, or other pickles that use too much garlic or other seasonings, might overpower the balance of acidity (lemon), sweetness (sugar) and saltiness (pickle brine). Depending on your pickle choice, you may need to adjust the sugar and lemon ratios.

    ♬ There She Goes – CYRIL & MOONLGHT & The La’s

    Beyond electrolytes, this sour drink offers other perks, too. “Lemons are a rich source of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that may improve your immune system,” says Pacheco. Plus, if you grab a jar of fermented pickles from the refrigerated section, you’ll also get a dose of probiotics, which support overall gut health, she says.

    How to Get the Most Out of This Pickle Lemonade, According to Nutritionists

    One easy way to boost the electrolytes in this drink even more is by swapping the water for coconut water, says Rifkin. Depending on the brand you purchase, coconut water contains varying amounts of sodium, manganese, and potassium.

    Kelly Jones, a registered dietitian based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, suggests reducing the sugar in this recipe, especially if you’re prediabetic or diabetic or if you aren’t engaging in high-intensity physical activities. “For an average active adult doing moderate activity for less than an hour, you can consider reducing the sugar to half or even a quarter of what’s in this recipe,” she says.

    At this point, I felt like I had a pretty clear game plan for how to turn this pickle lemonade into a drink that would fuel me through my hike. I used this recipe as a base and swapped in coconut water for regular water, used fermented pickles instead of regular ones, and opted for agave syrup over sugar.

    How to Make Pickle Lemonade

    Servings: 5 cups

    Prep Time: 10 minutes

    Total Duration: 10 minutes

    Pickle Lemonade Ingredients

    Recipe

    1. Squeeze the juice from the lemons and pour it into a 32-ounce mason jar or a large pitcher.
    2. Add the agave and use a whisk to combine everything.
    3. Pour both the dill pickle juice and coconut water into the same mason jar or pitcher.
    4. If you’re using a mason jar, seal it with a lid and give everything a good shake. If you’re using a pitcher, use a long wooden spoon to stir everything together.
    5. Give it a quick taste and adjust the sweetener to your preference.
    6. Serve over ice and garnish with a lemon or pickle slice. If you plan to take it on the go, chill it first. Then, pour it into an insulated water bottle to keep it cold during your adventure.

    (Watch me make it in the video below!)

    The Verdict: Refreshing, Tangy, and Surprisingly Fueling

    After opening the weather app on my phone and seeing the temperatures climb to nearly one hundred degrees, I almost considered skipping my two-hour hike. But I was determined to see if this pickle lemonade would actually work, especially on a day when I knew I would be sweating profusely.

    I loaded up two insulated water bottles: one with plain water and the other with ice-cold pickle lemonade. During the first 30 minutes of my hike, I consumed about one cup of pickle lemonade and saved the rest for after my hike. (FYI: I did sip water and ate a few snacks along the way.) Beads of sweat were falling from almost every crevice, but I refused to be deterred. While I was definitely sore when I got home, by the next morning, I was back to normal and ready to join my friends for a day at the lake.

    As for the taste, let me preface by saying I absolutely love pickles, so I knew those flavors wouldn’t be an issue. The refreshing coconut water balanced out the sourness of the pickle and lemon juice, and the agave added just the right touch of sweetness to round it all out.

    As someone who has a love-hate relationship with TikTok food trends, I was actually thankful this wonky pickle lemonade landed in front of me. It’s a fun, DIY route to load up on electrolytes without relying on a sugary sports drink.

    While it’s definitely on the quirkier side, the recipe works—not only in terms of flavor but also as a nourishing way to keep you fueled during summer adventures.

    Also, pickle lemonade is a lot more delicious than throwing back plain pickle juice or munching on whole pickles.

    Want more Outside health stories? Sign up for the Bodywork newsletter.

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    aunderwood

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  • Does Black Cumin Seed (Nigella Sativa) Help with Weight Loss?  | NutritionFacts.org

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    For three cents a day, black cumin may improve our cholesterol and triglyceride levels, blood pressure, and blood sugar control, as well as accelerate the loss of body fat.

    Black cumin, also known as Nigella sativa or simply “black seed,” is not related to cumin; it’s a member of the buttercup family rather than the carrot family. Black cumin, with its peppery flavor, is a spice commonly used in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines, but it’s also been prized for its purported medicinal benefits. Described as “a miracle herb,” with mentions going back to the Old Testament, it was found cached in King Tut’s tomb, and it’s been reported that the “Islamic prophet Muhammad once stated that the black seed can heal every disease except death.” Only in the last 50 years or so has it been put to the test, though, culminating in more than a thousand papers published in the medical literature.

    Typical doses used in studies are one or two grams a day, which is only about a quarter teaspoon. This enables researchers to perform randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials by putting the whole-food spice powder into capsules rather than studying a component or extract.

    A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized, placebo-controlled trials found that daily black cumin consumption significantly improves cholesterol and triglycerides. Researchers also found that it not only improves blood pressure, but it also improves blood sugar control. Some of the results are quite extraordinary. For example, one study found that postmenopausal women randomized to a gram a day (less than a quarter teaspoon) of black cumin powder reduced their LDL cholesterol by 27 percent within two months, significantly better than placebo. Those are the kinds of results we’d expect from a statin drug, yet it was achieved with just a sprinkle’s worth of a simple spice. Black cumin may also help with menopausal symptoms.

    Now, it doesn’t appear to cure anything—a month after stopping the spice, cholesterol levels began to creep back up, for instance, as you can see below and at 2:00 in my video Benefits of Black Cumin Seed (Nigella Sativa) for Weight Loss—but it does appear to be a cheap, safe, effective, and delicious (if you like spice) treatment for some of our deadliest risk factors. And its side effects include loss of appetite and weight loss! 

    The latest systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled weight-loss trials found that about a quarter teaspoon of black cumin powder a day does appear to cause weight loss within a span of a few months. If it really can benefit so many facets of health, why don’t we hear more about it? Why wasn’t I taught about it in medical school? Maybe because there’s little profit motive. Black cumin is just a common, natural spice. The daily dose used in most of these studies would cost about three cents a day. Stockholders won’t be thrilled to sell something that can’t be patented and costs only three pennies a day. Black cumin has become a staple in my family’s daily diet. I keep a pepper mill filled with it right on the kitchen table and grind it onto foods just as I would black pepper—easy and delicious.

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    Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

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  • Should We Drink Kombucha  | NutritionFacts.org

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    What are the risks versus benefits of drinking kombucha?

    Is Kombucha Tea Good for You? is one of my first videos. It was featured in a blog entry entitled “NutritionFacts.org: the first month,” where I marveled the video had reached nearly 100,000 people. You can see it below and at 0:20 in my video Kombucha’s Side Effects: Is It Bad for You?. I’m honored to say that we now reach more than 100,000 people a day.

    In that first kombucha video, I profiled a report published in the Journal of Intensive Care Medicine of “a case of kombucha tea toxicity” in which a young man ended up in an acidotic coma. The authors concluded, “While Kombucha tea is considered a healthy elixir, the limited evidence currently available raises considerable concern that it may pose serious health risks. Consumption of this tea should be discouraged, as it may be associated with life-threatening lactic acidosis.” And this was just one of several case reports of “serious, and sometimes fatal, hepatic [liver] dysfunction and lactic acidosis within close proximity of ingestion.”

    For example, there were two cases in Iowa of severe metabolic acidosis, including one death. There was also a triggering of a life-threatening autoimmune muscle disease that required emergency surgery and was “probably related to the consumption of a fermented Kombucha beverage.” Another patient presented with shortness of breath, shaking, and a movement disorder “after consumption of tea and no other medications,” and a middle-aged woman complained of xerostomia, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, headache, and neck pain,” and her symptoms recurred on reingestion of the tea. There was another case of severe metabolic lactic acidosis, as well as a case of hepatotoxicity (liver toxicity) that resolved after stopping kombucha.

    Why these sporadic cases? Maybe some unusual toxins developed in a particular batch. I mean, it is a fermented product, so it’s possible there was just some contamination by a bad bug, like the time people smeared kombucha on their skin because they were told it had “magical healing power.” What it had instead was anthrax. So, even though such reports were rare, I concluded ten years ago that we should probably stick to foods that haven’t put people in a coma. But what about its risks versus benefits? Maybe kombucha is worth it. After all, it’s “reputed to cure cancer,” “eliminate wrinkles,” “and even restore gray hair to its original color”—as “marketed by alternative and naturopathic healers throughout the United States.”

    “Currently, kombucha is alternately praised as ‘the ultimate health drink’ or damned as ‘unsafe medicinal tea.’” It’s been “claimed to be a universal wonderful drug…a potion which improves awareness and concentration, slimming, also purifying, regenerating and life extending.” Which is it? Is it “potion or poison?

    Back in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, there were several medical studies conducted by recognized physicians confirming all sorts of beneficial effects, as you can see below and at 2:55 in my video. 

    I couldn’t wait to read them. Dufrense and Farnworth were cited, and when I went to that paper, I saw the same claim, citing Allen 1998. When I went to that source, I saw the citation is for a random kombucha website, as shown below, and at 3:10 in my video. And guess what? That website’s been defunct since 2001, and “much of the Kombucha information” posted came from comments on some mailing list.

    Finally, in 2003, a systematic review of the clinical evidence that had been published was conducted. “The main result of this systematic review, it seems, is the total lack of efficacy data…No clinical studies were found relating to the efficacy of this remedy.” We just have these cautionary tales, these case reports. So, based on these data, it was concluded that the largely undetermined benefits do not outweigh the documented risks of kombucha. It can therefore not be recommended for therapeutic use.” That was back in 2003, though. How about a 2019 systematic review of the empirical evidence of human health benefit?

    “The nonhuman subjects literature claims numerous health benefits of kombucha,” with “nonhuman” meaning mice and rats. We need human clinical trials, yet there is still not a single controlled human study. (I did find one uncontrolled study purporting to show a significant reduction in fasting and after-meal blood sugars among individuals with type 2 diabetes, though, as seen below and at 4:19 in my video.)

    “Nonetheless,” despite no controlled trials, “significant commercial shelf space is now dedicated to kombucha products, and there is widespread belief that the products promote health.” So, we are left with this extreme disparity between science and belief: “There is no convincingly positive clinical evidence at all; the [health] claims for it are as far-reaching as they are implausible; the potential for harm seems considerable. In such extreme cases, healthcare professionals should discourage consumers from using (and paying for) remedies that only seem to benefit those who sell them.”

    Doctor’s Note:

    Friday Favorites: What Are the Best Beverages? Watch the video to find out. 

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    Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

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