Today’s episode focuses on how to get clients to say, yes, with effective marketing strategies for health coaching businesses. Dr. Alan Weinstein is our guest speaker that begins with a brief overview of the need to understand the business side of a health coaching venture to successfully attract and retain clients. The main points emphasized are:
Understanding the Client: The need to understand the needs, aspirations, and fears of potential clients. This means learning to understand the emotional appeal and the main factors which influence decision making.
Making the Invisible Visible: Dr. Weinstein emphasizes the importance of lab results in communicating health issues and progress to clients. This helps in making the ‘invisible’ health issues ‘visible.’ Visualization of issues can enhance trust and inspire commitment in clients.
The Real Competition: Dr. Weinstein highlights that real competition is not other practitioners but the status quo and indecision. He explains that most people naturally tend to resist change (status quo) and avoid making definite decisions (indecision).
Navigating Fear: It is necessary to navigate the fear of clients properly. Do not use fear as a tactic, but understand and address their fear. This can lead to fruitful discussions and encourage decision-making.
Effective Communication: Reinforced throughout the podcast is the importance of communicating empathetically, understanding the individual’s needs, and demonstrating how you can cater to those needs.
People are emotional beings. So, we need to effectively market health coaching services with that in mind. We do that by understanding and catering effectively to these emotional triggers. It’s important to make the invisible visible. For instance, using lab results to demonstrate health issues, and to stop trying to appeal only to the rational side of the brain.
Get Clients: Topics
Dr. Alan’s Background and Expertise
The Role of Lab Testing in Health Coaching
The Importance of Making the Invisible Visible
Understanding Your Real Competition in Health Coaching
Understanding the Fear of Messing Up (FOMU)
The Role of Decision Makers in Health Coaching
Understanding the Emotional and Rational Brain in Decision Making
Understanding Your Client’s Needs
The Importance of Visuals in Communication (Lab Results)
The Importance of First and Last Impressions
Successful Marketing Campaigns and the Six S’s
The Role of Emotion in Decision Making
The Importance of Listening to Your Clients
The Role of Rational Documentation in Decision Making
About Dr. Alan Weinstein
Alan S. Weinstein, D.C. ran a state of the art, waiting list multidisciplinary, multi-physician practice for over twenty five years, combining neurology, radiology, exercise rehabilitation, biochemistry, Chinese medicine, acupuncture and chiropractic. He had so many referrals that he had to refer them to other physicians in his area as he was unable to keep up with the demand for the Wellness care he created.
Dr. Alan was one of the first physicians to achieve three separate certifications in exercise rehabilitation in the United States. He served on the Quality Assurance Committee of the American Chiropractic Association, where he formulated the Rehabilitation Guidelines from which all other chiropractic physicians had to adhere. Dr. Weinstein completed the ACA Neurology Diplomat program and was honored as valedictorian of his class. He has achieved certifications in ADHD and Learning Disabilities, Vertigo, Applied Kinesiology, Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis, Detoxification, Metabolic Typing and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition.
His leadership and entrepreneurial spirit paved the way in the managed care arena, where he was a founder and board member of the Managed Care Network. He was the first chiropractor ever selected to serve as a panel physician for Blue Cross/ Blue Shield Capitol Care. Also, he was chosen as a panel physician for Prudential (Prucare) Insurance, Giant Food Stores, Travelers Insurance, A.I.I.A. / P.P.O., Health Care, Focus, and CorVel. Additionally, he served as an Independent Medical Examiner for Hartford Insurance, Kemper Insurance, and Mediq Claims Review. He was also accepted as a Life Member in the National Registry of Who’s Who in recognition of exemplary service, both to the community and to the profession and served on the board of the International College of Applied Kinesiology.
How many fewer calories do you have to eat every day to lose one pound of body fat?
The first surgical attempt at body sculpting was in 1921 on a dancer “who wanted to improve the shape of her ankles and knees.” The surgeon apparently scraped away too much tissue and tied the stitches too tight, resulting in necrosis, amputation, and the first recorded malpractice suit in the history of plastic surgery. Liposuction is much safer today, killing only about 1 in 5,000 patients, mostly from unknown causes, such as throwing a clot into your lung or perforating your internal organs. You can see a “Cause of Death” chart below and at 0:37 in my video The 3,500 Calorie per Pound Rule Is Wrong.
Liposuction currently reigns as the most popular cosmetic surgery in the world, and its effects are indeed only cosmetic. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine assessed obese women before and after having about 20 pounds of fat sucked out of their bodies, resulting in a nearly 20 percent drop in their total body fat. Normally, if you lose even just 5 to 10 percent of your body weight in fat, you get significant improvements in blood pressure, blood sugars, inflammation, cholesterol, and triglycerides. But liposuction sucks. None of those benefits materialized even after massive liposuction, which suggests that the problem is not subcutaneous fat, the fat under our skin. The metabolic insults of obesity arise from the visceral fat, the fat surrounding or even infiltrating our internal organs, like the fat marbling our muscles and liver. The way you lose that fat, the dangerous fat, is to take in fewer calories than you burn.
Anyone who’s seen The Biggest Loser television programs knows that with enough caloric restriction and exercise, hundreds of pounds can be lost. Similarly, there are cases in the medical literature of what some refer to as “super obesity.” In one case, a man lost a massive amount of weight “largely without professional help and without surgery” and kept it off for years. He dropped 374 pounds, losing about 20 pounds a month by cycling two hours a day and reducing his daily intake to 800 calories, which is down around what some prisoners got at concentration camps in World War II.
Perhaps “America’s most celebrated weight loss” seen on television was Oprah’s. She pulled out a wagon full of fat, representing the 67 pounds she had lost on a very-low-calorie diet. How many calories did she have to cut to achieve that weight loss within four months? If you consult with leading nutrition textbooks or refer to trusted authorities like the Mayo Clinic, you’ll learn the simple weight loss rule: 1 pound of fat equals 3,500 calories. Quoting from the Journal of the American Medical Association, “A total of 3500 calories equals 1 pound of body weight. This means if you decrease (or increase) your intake by 500 calories daily, you will lose (or gain) 1 pound per week. (500 calories per day × 7 days = 3500 calories.)”
It’s the simple weight-loss rule that is simply not true.
The 3,500-calorie rule can be traced back to a paper published in 1958. The author noted that since fatty tissue in the human body is 87 percent fat, a pound of body fat would have about 395 grams of pure fat. Multiplying that by nine calories per gram of fat gives you that “3,500 calories per pound” approximation. The fatal flaw that leads to “dramatically exaggerated” weight-loss predictions is that the 3,500-calorie rule fails to take into account the fact that changes in the Calories-In side of the energy-balance equation automatically lead to changes in the Calories-Out side—for example, metabolic adaption, the slowing of metabolic rate that accompanies weight loss. That’s one reason weight loss plateaus.
Imagine a sedentary, 30-year-old woman of average height who weighs 150 pounds. According to the 3,500-calorie rule, if she cuts 500 calories out of her daily diet, she’d lose a pound a week or 52 pounds a year. In three years, she would vanish. She’d go from 150 pounds to -6. Obviously, that doesn’t happen. Instead, as you can see in the graph below and at 4:33 in my video, in the first year, she’d likely lose 32 pounds, not 52. Then, after a total of three years, she’d probably stabilize at about 100 pounds. This is because it takes fewer calories to exist as a thin person.
Part of it is “simple mechanics”: More energy is required to move a heavier mass, in the same way a Hummer requires more fuel than a compact car. Think how much more effort it would take to just get up from a chair, walk across the room, or climb a few stairs if you were carrying a 50-pound backpack. Even when you’re at rest, sound asleep, there’s simply less of your body to maintain as you lose weight. Every pound of fat tissue lost may mean one less mile of blood vessels through which your body has to pump blood every minute. So, the basic upkeep and movement of thinner bodies take fewer calories. As you lose weight by eating less, you end up needing less. That’s what the 3,500-calorie rule doesn’t take into account.
Imagine it another way: A 200-pound man starts consuming 500 more calories a day, maybe by drinking a large soda or eating two donuts. According to the 3,500-calorie rule, in ten years, he’d weigh more than 700 pounds. That doesn’t happen because, the heavier he is, the more calories he burns just by existing. If you’re 100 pounds overweight, it’s as if there’s a skinny person inside you trying to walk around balancing 13 gallons of oil or lugging around a sack filled with 400 sticks of butter. As you can see in the graph below and at 6:13 in my video, it takes about two donuts’ worth of extra energy just to live at 250 pounds, so that’s where you’d plateau if you kept it up. Given a certain calorie excess or deficit, weight gain or weight loss is a curve that flattens out over time, rather than a straight line up or down.
Nevertheless, the 3,500-calorie rule continues to crop up, even in obesity journals. Public health researchers used it to calculate how many pounds children might lose every year if, for example, fast-food kids’ meals swapped in apple slices for french fries. You can see the “Counting Calories in Kids’ Meals” graphic below and at 6:39 in my video.
They figured that two meals a week could add up to about four pounds a year. The actual difference, National Restaurant Association–funded researchers were no doubt delighted to point out, would probably add less than half a pound—ten times less than the 3,500-calorie rule would predict, as you can see below and at 7:06 in my video. That original article was subsequently retracted.
This time of year can be challenging for those of us who maintain a healthful, whole foods diet throughout the year. It’s not that we are necessarily tempted by chocolates pumped full of refined sugar, but sometimes it can be difficult to find something to eat at holiday gatherings or politely refuse the fruitcake pressed upon us by well-intentioned relatives. With a few tips and tricks at the ready, it’s doable to celebrate healthy holidays and feel vibrant throughout.
Here in Canada (where you’ll find the HQ of the Academy of Culinary Nutrition), we kick the holiday season off the second week of October during Canadian Thanksgiving – and the intensity only increases after Halloween.
Unless you decide to forgo the holidays altogether, the reality is you might be confronted with some awkward or less than ideal food situations. Here are some of our best suggestions about how to celebrate healthy holidays this year.
how to celebrate healthy holidays
Host Gatherings at Your Home for Healthy Holidays
The obvious way to avoid foods that you know don’t support your health is to offer to host the meal at your home. Of course, we realize this is not always the easiest option, especially since whole food cooking involves making many things from scratch. However, if you’re accustomed to healthy cooking and love doing so, hosting the meal on your own turf is a beautiful way to share delicious, nourishing food with the people you care about.
If you’re cooking for those who are wary of healthy food, no fear – their taste buds won’t be able to tell the difference if you:
Offer An Honest, but Diplomatic Explanation for Your Food Choices at Gatherings
Photo: Gabriel Gurrola via Unsplash
Sharing food is one of the ways we all like to express love and appreciation. When others perceive that you are rejecting their food, or judging the way that they eat, it can feel difficult or hurtful.
It’s helpful to explain that you are working on your health and that means there are certain foods that disagree with you. If you’re attending a meal with close family and friends, it’s likely that they already know a lot about you and the way that you eat, so this news won’t come as a surprise.
When you’re with people you don’t know very well, explain your situation clearly and diplomatically, but never criticize or preach to them. Just as you’d like people to respect your eating style, you can’t force kale on people unless they are ready to receive it.
If you are with family or friends who refuse to accept your lifestyle and criticize you for your ‘health nut’ ways, remember that their behaviour isn’t about you – it’s about them so try not to take their judgement or teasing personally. Don’t eat anything you don’t want to in order to diffuse a situation or make someone else feel better. If you feel awful or have to run to the toilet with diarrhea, that’s not actually helping anyone at all!
Call Ahead
Don’t show up at an aunt’s house and demand special treatment without warning. Call ahead and explain any dietary restrictions you have to your host and propose solutions you have to handle them. For example, you could offer to bring an entrée or dessert, or ask if elements such as dressings or sauces could be left on the side for guests to add to their own plates.
Bring a Delicious Dish to Share
Don’t isolate yourself with a specially prepared meal. Bring a huge casserole dish to share the healthy goodness with everyone else. For example, this shepherd’s pie is always a crowd-pleaser, and it’s hearty enough to serve as your entrée and a side for everyone else. It’s also difficult to turn down mashed sweet potatoes, or a plate of cookies.
While it may seem like the holiday season is rolling 24/7, there are plenty of opportunities aside from festivities where you can focus on fueling yourself with foods you know support your health.
It may help to do some meal prep and menu planning so you have nutritious foods at the ready during those non-holiday meals.
Get your FREE Anti-Inflammatory Shopping List plus 35 more free resource guides!
Fill out the form below for instant access.
Free Resource Library
Enjoy more than 40 downloadable guides, recipes, and resources.
Add Movement to Your Day
Sure, it’s cozy to hunker down wrapped in blankets in front of a fire, yet we still want to keep that circulation flowing. Movement during our healthy holidays doesn’t need to be excessive or rigorous – a short walk, light stretching, or even some seated exercises can be a big help.
Don’t Forget to Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated is key to health throughout the year and sometimes we don’t think about this as much during the cooler months or holiday season. Drink water throughout the day, setting a timer on your phone or whatever else you need as a reminder. Other hydrating drinks to help you have healthy holidays include:
Try Not to Stress Too Much
Try not to agonize about healthy holidays – stress inhibits digestion and isn’t helpful to our overall health. Do the best that you can, and maintain a positive attitude throughout your holiday meals. The point of this time of year is to relax with your family so don’t make it all about the food, and focus on other ways to enjoy the company of your loved ones.
Tell us what you think! How do you handle the holidays around your house?
Free Resource Library
Enjoy more than 40 downloadable guides, recipes, and resources.
This time of year can be challenging for those of us who maintain a healthful, whole foods diet throughout the year. It’s not that we are necessarily tempted by chocolates pumped full of refined sugar, but sometimes it can be difficult to find something to eat at holiday gatherings or politely refuse the fruitcake pressed upon us by well-intentioned relatives. With a few tips and tricks at the ready, it’s doable to celebrate healthy holidays and feel vibrant throughout.
Here in Canada (where you’ll find the HQ of the Academy of Culinary Nutrition), we kick the holiday season off the second week of October during Canadian Thanksgiving – and the intensity only increases after Halloween.
Unless you decide to forgo the holidays altogether, the reality is you might be confronted with some awkward or less than ideal food situations. Here are some of our best suggestions about how to celebrate healthy holidays this year.
how to celebrate healthy holidays
Host Gatherings at Your Home for Healthy Holidays
The obvious way to avoid foods that you know don’t support your health is to offer to host the meal at your home. Of course, we realize this is not always the easiest option, especially since whole food cooking involves making many things from scratch. However, if you’re accustomed to healthy cooking and love doing so, hosting the meal on your own turf is a beautiful way to share delicious, nourishing food with the people you care about.
If you’re cooking for those who are wary of healthy food, no fear – their taste buds won’t be able to tell the difference if you:
Offer An Honest, but Diplomatic Explanation for Your Food Choices at Gatherings
Photo: Gabriel Gurrola via Unsplash
Sharing food is one of the ways we all like to express love and appreciation. When others perceive that you are rejecting their food, or judging the way that they eat, it can feel difficult or hurtful.
It’s helpful to explain that you are working on your health and that means there are certain foods that disagree with you. If you’re attending a meal with close family and friends, it’s likely that they already know a lot about you and the way that you eat, so this news won’t come as a surprise.
When you’re with people you don’t know very well, explain your situation clearly and diplomatically, but never criticize or preach to them. Just as you’d like people to respect your eating style, you can’t force kale on people unless they are ready to receive it.
If you are with family or friends who refuse to accept your lifestyle and criticize you for your ‘health nut’ ways, remember that their behaviour isn’t about you – it’s about them so try not to take their judgement or teasing personally. Don’t eat anything you don’t want to in order to diffuse a situation or make someone else feel better. If you feel awful or have to run to the toilet with diarrhea, that’s not actually helping anyone at all!
Call Ahead
Don’t show up at an aunt’s house and demand special treatment without warning. Call ahead and explain any dietary restrictions you have to your host and propose solutions you have to handle them. For example, you could offer to bring an entrée or dessert, or ask if elements such as dressings or sauces could be left on the side for guests to add to their own plates.
Bring a Delicious Dish to Share
Don’t isolate yourself with a specially prepared meal. Bring a huge casserole dish to share the healthy goodness with everyone else. For example, this shepherd’s pie is always a crowd-pleaser, and it’s hearty enough to serve as your entrée and a side for everyone else. It’s also difficult to turn down mashed sweet potatoes, or a plate of cookies.
While it may seem like the holiday season is rolling 24/7, there are plenty of opportunities aside from festivities where you can focus on fueling yourself with foods you know support your health.
It may help to do some meal prep and menu planning so you have nutritious foods at the ready during those non-holiday meals.
Get your FREE Anti-Inflammatory Shopping List plus 35 more free resource guides!
Fill out the form below for instant access.
Free Resource Library
Enjoy more than 40 downloadable guides, recipes, and resources.
Add Movement to Your Day
Sure, it’s cozy to hunker down wrapped in blankets in front of a fire, yet we still want to keep that circulation flowing. Movement during our healthy holidays doesn’t need to be excessive or rigorous – a short walk, light stretching, or even some seated exercises can be a big help.
Don’t Forget to Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated is key to health throughout the year and sometimes we don’t think about this as much during the cooler months or holiday season. Drink water throughout the day, setting a timer on your phone or whatever else you need as a reminder. Other hydrating drinks to help you have healthy holidays include:
Try Not to Stress Too Much
Try not to agonize about healthy holidays – stress inhibits digestion and isn’t helpful to our overall health. Do the best that you can, and maintain a positive attitude throughout your holiday meals. The point of this time of year is to relax with your family so don’t make it all about the food, and focus on other ways to enjoy the company of your loved ones.
Tell us what you think! How do you handle the holidays around your house?
Free Resource Library
Enjoy more than 40 downloadable guides, recipes, and resources.
What are the effects of the female sex hormones in cow’s milk on men, women, and children?
All foods of animal origin contain hormones, but most of our dietary exposure to hormones comes from dairy products. By quantity, as you can see below and at 0:16 in my video The Effects of Hormones in Dairy Milk on Cancer, it is mostly prolactin, corticosteroids, and progesterone, but there are also a bunch of estrogens, which concentrate even further when other dairy products are made. For instance, hormones are five times more concentrated in cream and cheese, and ten times more in butter.
When it comes to steroid hormones in the food supply, about three-quarters of our exposure to ingested female sex steroids come from dairy, and the rest is split evenly between eggs and meat (including fish). Indeed, eggs contribute about as much as all meat combined, which makes a certain amount of sense since an egg comes straight from a hen’s ovary. Among the various types of meat, you get as much from white meat (fish and poultry) as you do from pork and beef, and this is just from natural hormones—not added hormone injections, like bovine growth hormone. So, it doesn’t matter if the meat is organic. Animals produce hormones because they’re animals, and their hormones understandably end up in animal products.
About half of the people surveyed “did not know that milk naturally contains hormones,” and many “lacked basic knowledge (22% did not know that cows only give milk after calving)”—that is, they didn’t realize what milk is for—feeding baby calves. Researchers suggested we ought to inform the public about dairy production practices. In response, one Journal of Dairy Science respondent wrote that telling the public about the industry’s new technologies, like transgenic animals (meaning genetically engineered farm animals), “or contentious husbandry practices” (such as taking away that newly born calf so we can have more of the milk or “zero-grazing for dairy cows”—i.e., not letting cows out on grass), “does not result in high rates of public approval,” so ixnay on the educationay.
The public may not know the extent to which they are exposed to estrogen through the intake of commercial milk produced from pregnant cows, which has potential public health implications. “Modern genetically improved dairy cows, such as the Holstein,” the stereotypical black and white cow, can get reimpregnated after giving birth and lactate throughout almost their entire next pregnancy, which means that, these days, commercial cow’s milk contains large amounts of pregnancy hormones, like estrogens and progesterone.
As you can see in the graph below and at 2:42 in my video, during the first eight months of a pregnant cow’s nine-month gestation, hormone levels in her milk shoot up more than 20-fold. Even so, we’re only talking about a millionth of a gram per quart, easily 10 to 20 times less estrogen hormones than you’d find in a birth control pill. In that case, would drinking it really have an effect on human hormone levels?
Researchers analyzed three different estrogens and one progesterone metabolite flowing through the bodies of seven men before and after they drank about a liter of milk. Within hours of drinking the milk, their hormone levels shot up, as you can see in the graph below and at 3:08 in my video.
The researchers also looked at the average levels of female sex steroids flowing through the bodies of six schoolchildren (with an average age of eight) before and after they drank about two cups of milk. Within hours of drinking the milk, their levels shot up, tripling or quadrupling their baseline hormone levels, as you can see in the graph below and at 3:23 in my video. So, one can imagine the effects milk might have on men or prepubescent children, but what about women? Presumably, women would have high levels of estrogen in their body in the first place, wouldn’t they? Well, not all women.
What about postmenopausal women and endometrial cancer, for example? Estrogens have “a central role” in the development of endometrial cancer, cancer of the lining of the uterus. “Milk and dairy products are a source of steroid hormones and growth factors that might have physiological effects in humans.” So, Harvard researchers followed tens of thousands of women and their dairy consumption for decades and found a significantly higher risk of endometrial cancer among postmenopausal women who consumed more dairy, as shown below and at 4:19 in my video. What about dietary exposure to hormones and breast cancer? Unfortunately, “understanding the role of dietary hormone exposure in the population burden of breast cancer is not possible at this time.”
For more on the relationship between cancer and dairy, see related videos below.
This time of year can be challenging for those of us who maintain a healthful, whole foods diet throughout the year. It’s not that we are necessarily tempted by chocolates pumped full of refined sugar, but sometimes it can be difficult to find something to eat at holiday gatherings or politely refuse the fruitcake pressed upon us by well-intentioned relatives. With a few tips and tricks at the ready, it’s doable to celebrate healthy holidays and feel vibrant throughout.
Here in Canada (where you’ll find the HQ of the Academy of Culinary Nutrition), we kick the holiday season off the second week of October during Canadian Thanksgiving – and the intensity only increases after Halloween.
Unless you decide to forgo the holidays altogether, the reality is you might be confronted with some awkward or less than ideal food situations. Here are some of our best suggestions about how to celebrate healthy holidays this year.
how to celebrate healthy holidays
Host Gatherings at Your Home for Healthy Holidays
The obvious way to avoid foods that you know don’t support your health is to offer to host the meal at your home. Of course, we realize this is not always the easiest option, especially since whole food cooking involves making many things from scratch. However, if you’re accustomed to healthy cooking and love doing so, hosting the meal on your own turf is a beautiful way to share delicious, nourishing food with the people you care about.
If you’re cooking for those who are wary of healthy food, no fear – their taste buds won’t be able to tell the difference if you:
Offer An Honest, but Diplomatic Explanation for Your Food Choices at Gatherings
Photo: Gabriel Gurrola via Unsplash
Sharing food is one of the ways we all like to express love and appreciation. When others perceive that you are rejecting their food, or judging the way that they eat, it can feel difficult or hurtful.
It’s helpful to explain that you are working on your health and that means there are certain foods that disagree with you. If you’re attending a meal with close family and friends, it’s likely that they already know a lot about you and the way that you eat, so this news won’t come as a surprise.
When you’re with people you don’t know very well, explain your situation clearly and diplomatically, but never criticize or preach to them. Just as you’d like people to respect your eating style, you can’t force kale on people unless they are ready to receive it.
If you are with family or friends who refuse to accept your lifestyle and criticize you for your ‘health nut’ ways, remember that their behaviour isn’t about you – it’s about them so try not to take their judgement or teasing personally. Don’t eat anything you don’t want to in order to diffuse a situation or make someone else feel better. If you feel awful or have to run to the toilet with diarrhea, that’s not actually helping anyone at all!
Call Ahead
Don’t show up at an aunt’s house and demand special treatment without warning. Call ahead and explain any dietary restrictions you have to your host and propose solutions you have to handle them. For example, you could offer to bring an entrée or dessert, or ask if elements such as dressings or sauces could be left on the side for guests to add to their own plates.
Bring a Delicious Dish to Share
Don’t isolate yourself with a specially prepared meal. Bring a huge casserole dish to share the healthy goodness with everyone else. For example, this shepherd’s pie is always a crowd-pleaser, and it’s hearty enough to serve as your entrée and a side for everyone else. It’s also difficult to turn down mashed sweet potatoes, or a plate of cookies.
While it may seem like the holiday season is rolling 24/7, there are plenty of opportunities aside from festivities where you can focus on fueling yourself with foods you know support your health.
It may help to do some meal prep and menu planning so you have nutritious foods at the ready during those non-holiday meals.
Get your FREE Anti-Inflammatory Shopping List plus 35 more free resource guides!
Fill out the form below for instant access.
Add Movement to Your Day
Sure, it’s cozy to hunker down wrapped in blankets in front of a fire, yet we still want to keep that circulation flowing. Movement during our healthy holidays doesn’t need to be excessive or rigorous – a short walk, light stretching, or even some seated exercises can be a big help.
Don’t Forget to Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated is key to health throughout the year and sometimes we don’t think about this as much during the cooler months or holiday season. Drink water throughout the day, setting a timer on your phone or whatever else you need as a reminder. Other hydrating drinks to help you have healthy holidays include:
Try Not to Stress Too Much
Try not to agonize about healthy holidays – stress inhibits digestion and isn’t helpful to our overall health. Do the best that you can, and maintain a positive attitude throughout your holiday meals. The point of this time of year is to relax with your family so don’t make it all about the food, and focus on other ways to enjoy the company of your loved ones.
Tell us what you think! How do you handle the holidays around your house?
Vitamin B12 is not made by plants or animals, but by microbes blanketing the earth. We presumably used to get B12 when we drank out of a mountain stream or sipped water from a well, based on studies showing vegetarians in developing countries who drink purified water appear to be at higher risk. Now, we typically chlorinate our water supply to kill off any bacteria. So, most of us don’t get a lot of B12 in our water anymore, but we don’t get a lot of cholera, either. That’s a benefit of living in a much more sanitary world. Vegetarians living in slums in lesser developed regions appear to have fewer B12 problems, though. Basically, the more hygienic our meals, the less B12 we get. Our fellow great apes, like gorillas, get all the B12 they need eating their own feces. I prefer supplements. So, how much should we get, which type is best, and how can we tell if we have a B12 deficiency?
Many case reports detail ways B12 can be life-changing. For instance, a 47-year-old woman had a five-year history of psychosis. She had been treated with antipsychotic drugs and was cognitively impaired and reported visual hallucinations. After her mother revealed that the patient had been following a strict vegan diet for seven years, vitamin B12 supplementation was started and her symptoms went away. She had lost years of her life lost in a psychotic haze—apparently just because she didn’t want to take a supplement.
Vitamin B12 supplementation is mandatory for anyone eating plant-based diets and, as I’ll discuss later, for every one of us from age 65.
Vitamin B12 Deficiency: Symptoms and Treatment
As I discuss in my video The Symptoms of Vitamin B12 Deficiency, it can cause everything from abdominal distention and chronic diarrhea to shortness of breath and swollen, red, painful feet. It can also cause Parkinson’s syndrome–like symptoms, skin darkening (that resolved with supplementation), and bilateral useless hand syndrome, a condition I had never heard of before.
Being deficient in B12 may also manifest in a variety of neurological symptoms—for example, numbness and tingling in the hands and feet, muscle cramps, dizziness, cognitive disturbances, difficulty walking, and erectile dysfunction—as well as fatigue and such psychiatric symptoms as depression along with psychosis.
How can B12 deficiency be treated? Either with B12 supplements or B12-fortified foods.
Suggested Vitamin B12 Dosage
The official position of associations and governmental agencies is categorical and unequivocal: Supplementation of vitamin B12 is required for anyone on a vegetarian diet—even when consuming eggs and dairy—and I would extend that to include flexitarians eating only a few servings of meat a week.
Who else should ensure they have a regular, reliable source of vitamin B12 by supplementing their diet with B12 supplements or B12-fortified foods? Those who’ve had bariatric surgery (which can sometimes impair absorption), those eating plant-based diets, and everyone from the age of 65.
Pregnant and breastfeeding women can just follow my 50 mcg (µg) a day recommendation for nonpregnant adults or take 2,000 mcg (µg) a week, perhaps split into two doses to boost absorption. After infants are weaned, they can start on 5 mcg (µg) a day. From ages 4 through 10, kids can take half the adult dose of 25 mcg (µg) a day, then they can take 50 mcg (µg) a day or 2,000 mcg (µg) a week from age 11.
Note that these doses are specific to cyanocobalamin, the preferred supplemental form of vitamin B12. (I discuss cyanocobalamin versus methylcobalamin below.)
The Best Food Sources of Vitamin B12
If you need supplemental B12 but don’t want to take supplements, you must rely on B12-fortified foods––eating three separate servings of B12-fortified foods a day, each ideally containing at least 190 percent of the “Daily Value” on the product’s nutrition facts label. As I discuss in my video The Healthiest Food Sources of Vitamin B12, B12-fortified nutritional yeast is a common food source, and there are all sorts of other B12-fortified options on the market, including plant-based meats and milks, breakfast cereals, and even energy drinks.
The Worst Food Sources of Vitamin B12
What about various algae-type products, like spirulina, which are advertised as natural vitamin B12 sources? Not only do they not actually contain B12 that’s useable for humans, they may contain B12 analogues—look-alike molecules that can even block your absorption of real B12!
Can Vitamin B12 Cause Side Effects?
You don’t have to worry about taking too much vitamin B12. It’s water-soluble. So, at worst, you’ll just end up with more expensive pee. Injectable forms, though, can trigger acne.
Methylcobalamin vs. Cyanocobalamin
There are two main types of vitamin B12: methylcobalamin, marketed as methyl B12, and cyanocobalamin, typically marketed as just vitamin B12. Methylcobalamin is more expensive so it must be better, right? Wrong.
The one major exception may be kidney failure, though. Methylcobalamin may be better for those with impaired kidney function. It’s been speculated that oral methylcobalamin or injected hydroxycobalamin may also be preferable in smokers, though it has yet to be confirmed.
It’s because I love you that I put this list together for you. It’s also my love for you that has me wanting to ensure you get through the holiday season indulging in the best kind of sweetness, the kind that will support your physical, mental and emotional health. And so here I have a list of my favourite gluten-free and dairy-free holiday treats, some from me, some from my bestest health-cheerleading, culinary-nutrition-rockstar experts, and recipe developers I greatly admire.
gluten-free and dairy-free holiday treats
Grain-Free Fruit Crumble
This recipe works with any seasonal fruit and has both grain-free and gluten-free options. This is always a HUGE winner and great for every occasion – you can even have this for a healthy breakfast.
This cake is rich in spicy holiday flavours – spices that also add a super healthy dose of immune power. This is the perfect weekend afternoon cake to be served with a hot cup of tea.
An ultra-luxurious chocolate pie recipe that has quickly become a reader favourite. You should see some of the swirls people have designed on the top – a beautiful yet simple dessert that will garner some ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ at the holiday table.
I can’t get enough of these. For one, they are super simple to make and the caramel filling – made mostly with dates and a little almond butter – is actually mighty confusing. Confusing because it is so much like actual caramel. These are a must-try!
A healthy re-make of a classic British/Aussie recipe that’s enjoyable for absolutely everyone. I highly recommend topping this with vanilla ice cream or coconut kefir.
An incredibly fueling recipe filled with healthy fats – I had this one a lot when my son was a newborn. This freezes easily for a fantastic make-ahead dessert. Freeze in little Mason jars, defrost and then top with fruit, cinnamon, chocolate sauce or just serve them plain.
This pudding recipe is not only delicious, but soothing for digestive health – and many of us need the digestive support during the holidays. Make it vegan by skipping the collagen protein!
This is a very popular recipe on the Academy of Culinary Nutrition blog created by Culinary Nutrition Expert, Amanda Maguire – she has successfully made chocolate our favourite medicine of choice!
A gluten-free and grain-free cake recipe that originally began as a New Year’s dessert and went on to be a family tradition for many occasions that need dessert!
These are basically little apple pies and they are super easy to make! Be sure to double or triple the recipe for a crowd because they will be snapped up quickly.
Lindsay developed these bars to support new moms in her recently released Food Doula Cookbook, but really, they are for everyone! Who doesn’t love almonds and chocolate?
I’ve been a huge fan of Elana’s grain-free, super simple recipes since I began doing this work. Her entrées are some of the best out there, and her desserts? These I LOVE!
Sondi is the queen of vegan and dairy-free ice cream. Her recipes are always very thoughtful, keeping a great balance of culinary nutrition and flavour. This gently spiced turmeric ice cream is a perfect example!
If anyone were to ever believe that good-for-you, real-food desserts weren’t possible, that conversation would end right here with this decadent and absolutely beautiful creation by Davida. Her whole blog is pretty much rockstar awesome.
Remember Fig Newtons? These are the delicious, healthified version from Sarah B over at My New Roots. Not only are they an upgrade in taste, but these yummy treats are infused with rooibos tea, which makes a great conversation starter at holiday parties!
Another tea-infused dessert? Yes, please! This time, we are talking the perfect marriage of chai and hazelnut from our friends over at Green Kitchen Stories.
For the coconut lovers! Add some frostiness to your desserts as an extra special treat. Or better yet, make some extra cookies for Santa and whip up some ice cream sandwiches!
It’s because I love you that I put this list together for you. It’s also my love for you that has me wanting to ensure you get through the holiday season indulging in the best kind of sweetness, the kind that will support your physical, mental and emotional health. And so here I have a list of my favourite gluten-free and dairy-free holiday treats, some from me, some from my bestest health-cheerleading, culinary-nutrition-rockstar experts, and recipe developers I greatly admire.
gluten-free and dairy-free holiday treats
Grain-Free Fruit Crumble
This recipe works with any seasonal fruit and has both grain-free and gluten-free options. This is always a HUGE winner and great for every occasion – you can even have this for a healthy breakfast.
This cake is rich in spicy holiday flavours – spices that also add a super healthy dose of immune power. This is the perfect weekend afternoon cake to be served with a hot cup of tea.
An ultra-luxurious chocolate pie recipe that has quickly become a reader favourite. You should see some of the swirls people have designed on the top – a beautiful yet simple dessert that will garner some ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ at the holiday table.
I can’t get enough of these. For one, they are super simple to make and the caramel filling – made mostly with dates and a little almond butter – is actually mighty confusing. Confusing because it is so much like actual caramel. These are a must-try!
A healthy re-make of a classic British/Aussie recipe that’s enjoyable for absolutely everyone. I highly recommend topping this with vanilla ice cream or coconut kefir.
An incredibly fueling recipe filled with healthy fats – I had this one a lot when my son was a newborn. This freezes easily for a fantastic make-ahead dessert. Freeze in little Mason jars, defrost and then top with fruit, cinnamon, chocolate sauce or just serve them plain.
This pudding recipe is not only delicious, but soothing for digestive health – and many of us need the digestive support during the holidays. Make it vegan by skipping the collagen protein!
This is a very popular recipe on the Academy of Culinary Nutrition blog created by Culinary Nutrition Expert, Amanda Maguire – she has successfully made chocolate our favourite medicine of choice!
A gluten-free and grain-free cake recipe that originally began as a New Year’s dessert and went on to be a family tradition for many occasions that need dessert!
These are basically little apple pies and they are super easy to make! Be sure to double or triple the recipe for a crowd because they will be snapped up quickly.
Lindsay developed these bars to support new moms in her recently released Food Doula Cookbook, but really, they are for everyone! Who doesn’t love almonds and chocolate?
I’ve been a huge fan of Elana’s grain-free, super simple recipes since I began doing this work. Her entrées are some of the best out there, and her desserts? These I LOVE!
Sondi is the queen of vegan and dairy-free ice cream. Her recipes are always very thoughtful, keeping a great balance of culinary nutrition and flavour. This gently spiced turmeric ice cream is a perfect example!
If anyone were to ever believe that good-for-you, real-food desserts weren’t possible, that conversation would end right here with this decadent and absolutely beautiful creation by Davida. Her whole blog is pretty much rockstar awesome.
Remember Fig Newtons? These are the delicious, healthified version from Sarah B over at My New Roots. Not only are they an upgrade in taste, but these yummy treats are infused with rooibos tea, which makes a great conversation starter at holiday parties!
Another tea-infused dessert? Yes, please! This time, we are talking the perfect marriage of chai and hazelnut from our friends over at Green Kitchen Stories.
For the coconut lovers! Add some frostiness to your desserts as an extra special treat. Or better yet, make some extra cookies for Santa and whip up some ice cream sandwiches!
FDN is wishing you all a happy holiday season :). Twelve Days: Links CLICK HERE FOR THE FDN INSIDER LINK AND THE 12 DAYS OF PODCASTS. CLICK HERE FOR THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR PROGRAM WEBINAR LINK. Where to Find FDN Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FDNtraining/featured Instagram: www.instagram.com/fdntraining Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FunctionalDiagnosticNutrition LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/san-diego-natural-health-&-fitness-ctr
* A study has recently been published called “Winter holidays and their impact on eating behaviour.” It was a systematic review of other studies, which had assessed the impact of food and weight during the winter holidays.
* The systematic review located 10 studies to examine. The studies were conducted mostly in the US, but also in the UK, Japan, Germany and Spain.
* The (long) paper reviewed these 10 studies for interesting numerical findings and also narrative findings.
* All studies noted weight gain during festive periods unless interventions were made. Those with obese or overweight BMIs tended to gain more than people of normal weight. Some studies tested behavioural interventions (tips, not diets) and a number of these helped to alleviate weight gain.
* The paper cited much other interesting literature on the subject of why we might consume more at Thanksgiving/Christmas – from eating more when we eat with others, to certain items only being available at these times of year.
* I end with a link to my Top Tips for getting through the festive season without needing to start a diet in January. Happy Christmas!
The main topic of this conversation is about the significant steps for having a healthy baby with Leah Blondin, FDNP. Emphasis is put on the aspects regarding the creation of the baby, what people can do to promote the baby’s health, and the crucial things to consider once the baby is born.
Leah shares about her personal journey dealing with gut problems, anxiety, and depression from a young age and how becoming a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner in 2017 allowed her to get the answers she needed to heal and maintain long-term health.
The discussion covers fertility health. Leah emphasizes that to ensure a baby is healthy, the mother must be healthy first, as the mother passes her gut problems and other health issues onto her future baby. Managing gut health, hormonal balance, and optimal nutrient levels can lay the foundation for a healthy pregnancy and a thriving baby.
Leah also discusses the importance of having personalized prenatal plans and running diagnostic tests to address the unique health needs of each mother. Complementing her advice, she underscores the necessity to comprehend the ways our body is utilizing the nutrients, hormones, or such essentials; simply having them in the blood does not imply that they are serving their purpose appropriately within the body.
In the concluding segment, Leah talks about dealing with postpartum depression and anxiety. She also shares some of her client testimonials where she has helped people struggling with different health problems.
As per this episode, the recommended tests to investigate before and during pregnancy are micronutrient tests, GI MAP, DUTCH, and food sensitivities test to understand your hormone balance, gut health, and nutrient levels. Leah recommends micronutrient testing to provide a comprehensive idea of the body’s nutrition status and help in creating customized supplement plans.
Healthy Baby: Topics
Leah’s Personal Health Journey
Transitioning to a Health-Focused Career
The Importance of Preparing for Pregnancy
Leah’s Personal Experience with Postpartum Depression
Understanding the Biochemical Causes of Postpartum Depression
The Role of Micronutrients in Pregnancy and Postpartum Health
The Importance of Lab Tests in Preparing for Pregnancy
The Role of Gut Health and Micronutrients in Fertility
The Dangers of Overloading on Certain Nutrients
Controversy Around Breastfeeding
Impact of Deficiencies on Children
Chasing Symptoms vs. Understanding Cellular Health
Correlation Between Mother’s Issues and Baby’s Colic
Functional Diagnostic Nutritionists believe that understanding how to gather & analyze data is one of the most important factors in achieving optimal wellness. In this conversation with Reed we discuss: …and more!
Ketogenic diets are put to the test for diabetes reversal.
As you can see at the start of my video Does a Ketogenic Diet Help Diabetes or Make It Worse?, ketogenic diets can lower blood sugars better than conventional diets. So much so, in fact, that there is a keto product company that claims ketogenic diets can “reverse” diabetes. However, they are confusing the symptom (high blood sugars) with the disease (carbohydrate intolerance). People with diabetes can’t properly handle carbohydrates, and this manifests as high blood sugars. Clearly, if you stick to eating mostly fat, your blood sugars will stay low, but you may be actually making the underlying disease worse at the same time.
We’ve known for nearly a century that if you put people on a ketogenic diet, their carbohydrate intolerance can skyrocket within just two days. Below and at 0:46 in my video, you can see a graph from the study showing the blood sugar response two days after eating sugar. On a high-carb diet, blood sugar response is about 90 mg/dL. But, the blood sugar response to the same amount of sugar after a high-fat diet is about 190 mg/dL, nearly double. The intolerance to carbohydrates skyrocketed on a high-fat diet.
After one week on an 80 percent fat diet, you can quintuple your blood sugar spike in reaction to the same carb load compared to a week on a low-fat diet, as you can see in the graph below and at 1:12 in my video.
Even a single day of excessive dietary fat intake can do it, as you can see in the graph below and at 1:26 in my video. If you’re going in for a diabetes test, having a fatty dinner the night before can adversely affect your results. Just one meal high in saturated fat can make carbohydrate intolerance, the cause of diabetes, worse within four hours.
Given enough weight loss by any means, whether from cholera or bariatric surgery, type 2 diabetes can be reversed, but a keto diet for diabetes may not just be papering over the cracks, but actively throwing fuel on the fire.
I’ve been trying to think of a good metaphor. It’s easy to come up with things that just treat the symptoms without helping the underlying disease, like giving someone with pneumonia aspirin for their fever instead of antibiotics. However, a keto diet for diabetes is worse than that because it may treat the symptoms while actively worsening the disease. It may be more like curing the fever by throwing that pneumonia patient out into a snow bank or “curing” your amputated finger by amputating your hand. One of the co-founders of masteringdiabetes.org suggested it’s like a CEO who makes their bad bottom line look better by borrowing tons of cash. The outward numbers look better, but on the inside, the company is just digging itself into a bigger hole.
Do you remember The Club, that popular car anti-theft device that attaches to the steering wheel and locks it in place so the steering column can only turn a few inches? Imagine you’re in a car at the top of a hill with the steering wheel locked. Then, the car starts rolling down the hill. What do you do? Imagine there’s also something stuck under your brake pedal. The keto-diet equivalent response to this situation is who cares if you’re barreling down into traffic with a locked steering wheel and no brakes—just stick to really straight deserted roads without any stop signs or traffic lights. If you do that, problem solved! The longer you go, the more speed you’ll pick up. If you should hit a dietary bump in the road or start to veer off the path, the consequences could get more and more disastrous over time. However, if you stick to the keto straight and narrow, you’ll be a-okay! In contrast, the non-keto response would be to just unlock the steering wheel and dislodge whatever’s under your brake. In other words, fix the underlying problem instead of just whistling past—and then into—the graveyard.
The reason keto proponents claim they can “reverse” diabetes is they can successfully wean type 2 diabetics off their insulin. That’s like faith-healing someone out of the need for a wheelchair by making them stay in bed the rest of their life. No need for a wheelchair if you never move. Their carbohydrate intolerance isn’t gone. Their diabetes isn’t gone. In fact, it could be just as bad or even worse. Type 2 diabetes is reversed when you are weaned off insulin while eating a normal diet like everyone else. Then and only then do you not have diabetes anymore. A true diabetes reversal diet, as you can see below and at 4:58 in my video, is practically the opposite of a ketogenic diet: getting diabetics off their insulin within a matter of weeks by eating more than 300 grams of carbs a day! The irony doesn’t stop there. One of the reasons people with diabetes suffer such nerve and artery damage is due to an inflammatory metabolic toxin known as methylglyoxal, which forms at high blood sugar levels. Methylglyoxal is the most potent creator of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which are implicated in degenerative diseases—from Alzheimer’s and cataracts to kidney disease and strokes, as you can see below and at 5:31 in my video.
You get AGEs in your body from two sources: You can eat them preformed in your diet or make them internally from methylglyoxal if you have high blood sugar levels. On a keto diet, one would expect high exposure to preformed AGEs, since they’re found concentrated in animal-derived foods high in fat and protein, but we would expect less internal, new formation due to presumably low levels of methylglyoxal, given lower blood sugars from not eating carbs. Dartmouth researchers were surprised to find more methylglyoxal! As shown in the graph below and at 6:11 in my video, a few weeks on the Atkins diet led to a significant increase in methylglyoxal levels. Those in active ketosis did even worse, doubling the level of this glycotoxin in their bloodstream.
It turns out that high sugars may not be the only way to create this toxin, as you can see below and at 6:24 in my video. One of the ketones you make on a ketogenic diet is acetone (known for its starring role in nail polish remover). Acetone does more than just make keto dieters fail breathalyzer tests, “feel queasy and light-headed, and develop what’s been described as ‘rotten apple breath.’” Acetone can oxidize in the blood to form acetol, which may be a precursor for methylglyoxal.
That may be why keto dieters can end up with levels of this glycotoxin as high as those with out-of-control diabetes, which can cause the nerve damage and blood vessel damage you see in diabetics. That’s another way keto dieters can end up with a heart attack. The irony of treating diabetes with a ketogenic diet may extend beyond just making the underlying diabetes worse, but by mimicking some of the disease’s dire consequences.
This is part of a seven-video series on keto, which you can find in related videos below.
Carly Faye Loewenthal, a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner (FDNP), coaches patients with eating disorders. She is an advocate for integrating physical health and mental health treatment and believes that a severe obsession with healthy eating, known as orthorexia, can be harmful and advocates for a balanced approach toward food choices.
We cover Carly’s personal journey from dealing with mental and physical health issues, including anorexia in her college years, and her transformation in reclaiming her health and well-being. She mentioned that the typical client she works with is between the ages of 20 and 45 and is ready to fully commit to their transformation.
She highlighted the importance of emotional processing and stated that many of her clients have repressed trauma that contributes to their disordered eating. Carly stressed that obsessive behaviors around exercise, food, and body image consumed her every day, demonstrating a clear lack of control and indicating a disorder.
In contrast, a clean eating lifestyle would involve thoughtful choices about food and supplements without creating anxiety or stress about missing a supplement or having a certain type of food. Carly shared a success story of a client who, in four months, managed to regain control of her disordered eating, establish a new career path, and move to a new state.
This episode emphasized the interplay of mental and physical health, the importance of recognizing and processing shame and repressed emotions, and cautioned against the risk of developing orthorexia from an overemphasis on eating “clean”. It ends with a call to action for listeners to take the next step in their health journey and learn to process their emotions effectively.
Ketogenic diets have been found to undermine exercise efforts and lead to muscle shrinkage and bone loss.
An official International Society of Sports Nutrition position paper covering keto diets notes the “ergolytic effect” of keto diets on both high- and low-intensity workouts. Ergolytic is the opposite of ergogenic. Ergogenic means performance-boosting, whereas ergolytic means performance-impairing.
For nonathletes, ketosis may also undermine exercise efforts. Ketosis was correlated with increased feelings of “perceived exercise effort” and “also significantly correlated to feelings of ‘fatigue’ and to ‘total mood disturbance,’” during physical activity. “Together, these data suggest that the ability and desire to maintain sustained exercise might be adversely impacted in individuals adhering to ketogenic diets for weight loss.”
You may recall that I’ve previously discussed that shrinkage of measured muscle mass among CrossFit trainees has been reported. So, a ketogenic diet may not just blunt the performance of endurance athletes, but their strength training as well. As I discuss in my video Keto Diets: Muscle Growth and Bone Density, study participants performed eight weeks of the battery of standard upper and lower body training protocols, like bench presses, pull-ups, squats, and deadlifts, and there was no surprise. You boost muscle mass—unless you’re on a keto diet, in which case there was no significant change in muscle mass after all that effort. Those randomized to a non-ketogenic diet added about three pounds of muscle mass, whereas the same amount of weight lifting on the keto diet tended to subtract muscle mass by about 3.5 ounces on average. How else could you do eight weeks of weight training and not gain a single ounce of muscle on a ketogenic diet? Even keto diet advocates call bodybuilding on a ketogenic diet an “oxymoron.”
What about bone loss? Sadly, bone fractures are one of the side effects that disproportionately plague children placed on ketogenic diets, along with slowed growth and kidney stones. Ketogenic diets may cause a steady rate of bone loss as measured in the spine, presumed to be because ketones are acidic, so keto diets can put people in what’s called a “chronic acidotic state.”
Some of the case reports of children on keto diets are truly heart-wrenching. One nine-year-old girl seemed to get it all, including osteoporosis, bone fractures, and kidney stones, then she got pancreatitis and died. Pancreatitis can be triggered by having too much fat in your blood. As you can see in the graph below and at 2:48 in my video, a single high-fat meal can cause a quintupling of the spike in triglycerides in your bloodstream within hours of consumption, which can put you at risk for inflammation of the pancreas.
The young girl had a rare genetic disorder called glucose transporter deficiency syndrome. She was born with a defect in ferrying blood sugar into her brain. That can result in daily seizures starting in infancy, but a ketogenic diet can be used as a way to sneak fuel into the brain, which makes a keto diet a godsend for the 1 in 90,000 families stricken with this disorder.
As with anything in medicine, it’s all about risks versus benefits. As many as 30 percent of patients with epilepsy don’t respond to anti-seizure drugs. Unfortunately, the alternatives aren’t pretty and can include brain surgery that implants deep electrodes through the skull or even removes a lobe of your brain. This can obviously lead to serious side effects, but so can having seizures every day. If a ketogenic diet can help with seizures, the pros can far outweigh the cons. For those just choosing a diet to lose weight, though, the cost-benefit analysis would really seem to go the other way. Thankfully, you don’t need to mortgage your long-term health for short-term weight loss. We can get the best of both worlds by choosing a healthy diet, as I discussed in my video Flashback Friday: The Weight Loss Program That Got Better with Time.
Remember the study that showed the weight loss was nearly identical in those who had been told to eat the low-carb Atkins diet for a year and those told to eat the low-fat Ornish diet, as seen below and at 4:18 in my video? The authors concluded, “This supports the practice of recommending any diet that a patient will adhere to in order to lose weight.” That seems like terrible advice.
There are regimens out there like “The Last Chance Diet which consisted of a low-calorie liquid formula made from leftover byproducts from a slaughterhouse [that] was linked to approximately 60 deaths from cardiovascular-related events.” An ensuing failed lawsuit from one widower laid the precedent for the First Amendment protection for those who produce deadly diet books.
It’s possible to construct a healthy low-carb diet or an unhealthy low-fat one—a diet of cotton candy would be zero fat—but the health effects of a typical low-carb ketogenic diet like Atkins are vastly different from a low-fat plant-based diet like Ornish’s. As you can see in the graph below and at 5:26 in my video, they would have diametrically opposed effects on cardiovascular risk factors in theory, based on the fiber, saturated fat, and cholesterol contents of their representative meal plans.
And when actually put to the test, low-carb diets were found to impair artery function. Over time, blood flow to the heart muscle itself is improved on an Ornish-style diet and diminished on a low-carb one, as shown below and at 5:44 in my video. Heart disease tends to progress on typical weight-loss diets and actively worsens on low-carb diets, but it may be reversed by an Ornish-style diet. Given that heart disease is the number one killer of men and women, “recommending any diet that a patient will adhere to in order to lose weight” seems irresponsible. Why not tell people to smoke? Cigarettes can cause weight loss, too, as can tuberculosis and a meth habit. The goal of weight loss is not to lighten the load for your pallbearers.
For more on keto diets, see my videoson the topic. Interested in enhancing athletic performance? Check out the related videos below.
As you know, I rarely share or promote companies unless I truly love them and since I am not much of a shopper, it’s rare that I discover amazing stuff before anyone else. That being said, I might have a few special trinkets up my sleeve that you may not be familiar with or have yet to discover how awesome they are. This is my Ultimate Healthy Living Gift Guide!
When I shop for myself or presents for others, I always want to feel great about my purchases. I love supporting local or small businesses (I am an Etsy junkie!) and companies with ethical give-back programs. Also, if there’s a crystal on it, I will love it.
Of course, I am also a huge advocate for skipping the holiday shopping altogether and giving other things.
My Favourite Kind Of Gift Giving: Experiences
???? Eat In Together: Prepare a beautiful meal to share with the special people in your life.
???? Make It Yummy: Prepare a delicious edible gift.
???? Get Creative: Use your own unique talent to create something – maybe a poem, a song, a love letter, some natural beauty care products, a painting, or a self-choreographed dance.
???? Do Something: Give an activity you can do together – a trip to a museum or gallery, a dance class, a dinner at a restaurant you’ve been wanting to try, a movie, a couples massage, a holiday!
???? Do Unto Others As They Won’t Likely Do For Themselves: Give something they need but would never buy themselves – a high speed blender (here’s theUS link to the one I love), a massage, or an extra cozy pair of new slippers (why do we always wear our slippers until they’re barely holding together?!).
⏰ Your Time: In this epidemically busy world we now live in, time could be the very best gift of all. Give yourself over to someone you love, someone you haven’t seen in ages, someone you want to get to know more, and be together. Go for a long walk, make dinner together, or for those with children, offer to babysit!! That is the best gift of all.
The Gifts That Give
Gifts that give back are at the top of my Healthy Living Gift Guide and for good reason! I have seven nieces and nephews and I found it challenging watching kids who have everything unwrap a ton of plastic garbage toys that were undoubtedly stashed away in a closet or broken within a month. So I voted to give each child one gift card to get something special, and to make a family donation to a cause that the kids could all choose together.
Given that we live in a very abundant culture, I am a big fan of the gifts that serve a greater purpose and can honour the ones you love by helping those who have less:
Adopt a family and provide gifts for a family in need in your local community.
Create a lending team with Kiva and give in honour of your family.
All of these organizations are set up to allow you to donate as a gift in honour of someone you love.
Of course, sometimes, we just want to give something tangible and thoughtfully chosen for the people we love. There is joy to giving presents and it’s good for our health too.
Below is a list of gift ideas that I’d love. Maybe you’ll find some inspiration here for yourself or for a loved one!
Ultimate Healthy Living Gift Guide
The Gift Of Chemical-Free Sleep
Why our bed tends to be the lowest on the rung of things we make investments on is beyond me. We spend 1/3 of our life in bed. Most beds are loaded with chemicals and most of us aren’t sleeping well. Could the bed make all the difference?
What if instead of buying each other a bunch of little things, you instead invest in the gift of a new bed? Something you will enjoy for optimally eight hours a night for the next 20 years.
I have long been a fan of Sunshine Mattress Co. They sell organic latex mattresses, foundations and accessories and they’ve done the work for you. There is no mattress company with the standards and knowledge that they have.
Use coupon code MEGHAN5 for 5% off mattresses and MEGHAN10 for 10% off accessories at Sunshine Mattress Co. If you’re in the GTA and want to head to the store to try a bed in person, drop my name for 5% off.
Did you know that I am a huge fan of essential oils for travel, beauty care products and home cleaning? I have a 4-Perfume Pack from Living Libations and it is the best thing ever. I now keep it in my purse and carry it with me. It’s a sweet way to try out a few different scents, and since natural oils don’t have the toxic pervasiveness of chemical-based perfumes, and because the natural aromas work in harmony, you could even wear one scent during the day and switch it to a different scent in the evening. This company is based in Haliburton, Ontario and carefully sources the purest oils from around the globe.
After the birth of my son, I found it hard to get back into a fitness routine that I could realistically maintain. That is, until I found Obé Fitness. There are very few things I’ve experienced in my life that I would call life-changing, but this habit that is new in my life absolutely has been. These workouts are on-demand, short, full of variety and are utterly FUN. Most important for me, however, is the mental and emotional shift I am feeling. I feel stronger, and more resilient mentally.
This is one of those gifts you may have to be mindful of – you don’t want someone to take it the wrong way 😉 But I recommend making it a group thing and gift it to yourself and a friend and make it happen together!
In addition to the quality ingredients, I also appreciate the thoughtfulness towards low and zero plastic packaging.
Their teas along with the growing line of products makes this both a brand to love now and to keep an eye on as they grow and expand their product line.
You can use the code ‘MEGHAN’ at checkout to save 10% on your purchase.
This tallow-based moisturizer is basically a miracle worker. I use it on any dry patches on my knees, elbows and feet. It’s anti-inflammatory and the tallow is made from organic, grass-fed, pasture and humanely raised animals. It won’t clog your pores, either.
I am obsessed with this cream: How it feels, how it smells and the founder is just delightful!
Pact is my go-to for organic cotton clothing, and I especially love their leggings (plastic free ones are really hard to find) and underwear, but they also make organic bedding and towels (which do make for a nice gift too).
What I love most about Pact is that their goods are certified Fair Trade, made with organic cotton because we really need to stop with the idea that sweating in plastic fitness clothes is okay (especially the ones that are all up in our business). Let’s be honest, plastic is plastic, whether it has a fancy name and trademark or is greenwashed as ecological because it’s recycled.
Organic cotton just feeeeeeeels good.
If you’ve never tried Pact before, you can use code ‘MEGHANT15’ at checkout to save 15% on full-price apparel.
I have a pair of blue light filtering glasses from Swanwick, but there are a lot of non-prescription and prescription options out there, so in my opinion they would be a good gift for those in your life who spend a lot of time in front of devices.
But of course I am going to blatantly plug my own book as a most awesome gift in my Healthy Living Gift Guide. The UnDiet Cookbook is where playtime comes in with 130 beautiful gluten-free and dairy-free recipes, gorgeous photos, entertaining and travel tips, a whole chapter of beauty care recipes and of course, practices to help you live a healthy and awesome life. It’s available online from all major book sellers and in most major book stores.
This small business specializes in beeswax candles and incense, though it also offers a few extra goodies like crystals and necklaces.
What I adore about Carlyn’s products is her focus on using the candles for ritual and intention-setting. I invited Carlyn to present a candle-making and intention-setting for a ‘Crafternoon’ session with my team, and she was chock-full of brilliant ideas for how to use candles mindfully to manifest your dreams and goals.
I am a huge fan of elixirs – I make them almost daily in my high-speed blender. Yes, I am a little biased because Josh is my husband. But also, I’m certain I would love this product no matter who made it!
This blend is incredibly tasty, sugar-free, packed with adaptogens and superfoods, and so easy to blend and use. This works in hot and cold elixirs, smoothies, homemade chocolates, nut/seed butters, and is a fantastic alternative to coffee too.
One of the best investments that I made this year was in my Rouge Red Light Therapy. I use it daily to help regulate my circadian rhythm (hello sleep!), boost my immune system, and help get my hair and skin glowing.
It functions differently from a sauna for a few reasons, but generally a sauna is powerful by nature of it being a ‘stress’ on our body, where this feels like adding nourishment and relaxation. It offers a similar mood boosting feeling as you get from laying out under the warm sun, an extra bonus in the darker, colder months of the year.
Yes, Red Light Therapy is a significant investment, but it makes an excellent gift for yourself or for a special loved one.
Use the code ‘MEGHAN’ to save $50 on your purchase of $400 or more.
It’s not just an air purifier that helps keep your indoor air quality safe. It’s a medical-grade air purifier that delivers the highest level of performance for the most affordable price. I have this one and love it.
To complete this Healthy Living Gift Guide, this stainless steel cookware is absolutely beautiful, long-lasting and has a lifetime warranty. Using toxin-free cookware is important, as what we cook in (especially at high heat) comes in direct contact with our food. I am obsessed with the 360 slow cooker. No more fears about what’s coating those ceramic slow cookers leaching into the food!
As you know, I rarely share or promote companies unless I truly love them and since I am not much of a shopper, it’s rare that I discover amazing stuff before anyone else. That being said, I might have a few special trinkets up my sleeve that you may not be familiar with or have yet to discover how awesome they are. This is my Ultimate Healthy Living Gift Guide!
When I shop for myself or presents for others, I always want to feel great about my purchases. I love supporting local or small businesses (I am an Etsy junkie!) and companies with ethical give-back programs. Also, if there’s a crystal on it, I will love it.
Of course, I am also a huge advocate for skipping the holiday shopping altogether and giving other things.
My Favourite Kind Of Gift Giving: Experiences
???? Eat In Together: Prepare a beautiful meal to share with the special people in your life.
???? Make It Yummy: Prepare a delicious edible gift.
???? Get Creative: Use your own unique talent to create something – maybe a poem, a song, a love letter, some natural beauty care products, a painting, or a self-choreographed dance.
???? Do Something: Give an activity you can do together – a trip to a museum or gallery, a dance class, a dinner at a restaurant you’ve been wanting to try, a movie, a couples massage, a holiday!
???? Do Unto Others As They Won’t Likely Do For Themselves: Give something they need but would never buy themselves – a high speed blender (here’s theUS link to the one I love), a massage, or an extra cozy pair of new slippers (why do we always wear our slippers until they’re barely holding together?!).
⏰ Your Time: In this epidemically busy world we now live in, time could be the very best gift of all. Give yourself over to someone you love, someone you haven’t seen in ages, someone you want to get to know more, and be together. Go for a long walk, make dinner together, or for those with children, offer to babysit!! That is the best gift of all.
The Gifts That Give
Gifts that give back are at the top of my Healthy Living Gift Guide and for good reason! I have seven nieces and nephews and I found it challenging watching kids who have everything unwrap a ton of plastic garbage toys that were undoubtedly stashed away in a closet or broken within a month. So I voted to give each child one gift card to get something special, and to make a family donation to a cause that the kids could all choose together.
Given that we live in a very abundant culture, I am a big fan of the gifts that serve a greater purpose and can honour the ones you love by helping those who have less:
Adopt a family and provide gifts for a family in need in your local community.
Create a lending team with Kiva and give in honour of your family.
All of these organizations are set up to allow you to donate as a gift in honour of someone you love.
Of course, sometimes, we just want to give something tangible and thoughtfully chosen for the people we love. There is joy to giving presents and it’s good for our health too.
Below is a list of gift ideas that I’d love. Maybe you’ll find some inspiration here for yourself or for a loved one!
Ultimate Healthy Living Gift Guide
The Gift Of Chemical-Free Sleep
Why our bed tends to be the lowest on the rung of things we make investments on is beyond me. We spend 1/3 of our life in bed. Most beds are loaded with chemicals and most of us aren’t sleeping well. Could the bed make all the difference?
What if instead of buying each other a bunch of little things, you instead invest in the gift of a new bed? Something you will enjoy for optimally eight hours a night for the next 20 years.
I have long been a fan of Sunshine Mattress Co. They sell organic latex mattresses, foundations and accessories and they’ve done the work for you. There is no mattress company with the standards and knowledge that they have.
Use coupon code MEGHAN5 for 5% off mattresses and MEGHAN10 for 10% off accessories at Sunshine Mattress Co. If you’re in the GTA and want to head to the store to try a bed in person, drop my name for 5% off.
Did you know that I am a huge fan of essential oils for travel, beauty care products and home cleaning? I have a 4-Perfume Pack from Living Libations and it is the best thing ever. I now keep it in my purse and carry it with me. It’s a sweet way to try out a few different scents, and since natural oils don’t have the toxic pervasiveness of chemical-based perfumes, and because the natural aromas work in harmony, you could even wear one scent during the day and switch it to a different scent in the evening. This company is based in Haliburton, Ontario and carefully sources the purest oils from around the globe.
After the birth of my son, I found it hard to get back into a fitness routine that I could realistically maintain. That is, until I found Obé Fitness. There are very few things I’ve experienced in my life that I would call life-changing, but this habit that is new in my life absolutely has been. These workouts are on-demand, short, full of variety and are utterly FUN. Most important for me, however, is the mental and emotional shift I am feeling. I feel stronger, and more resilient mentally.
This is one of those gifts you may have to be mindful of – you don’t want someone to take it the wrong way 😉 But I recommend making it a group thing and gift it to yourself and a friend and make it happen together!
In addition to the quality ingredients, I also appreciate the thoughtfulness towards low and zero plastic packaging.
Their teas along with the growing line of products makes this both a brand to love now and to keep an eye on as they grow and expand their product line.
You can use the code ‘MEGHAN’ at checkout to save 10% on your purchase.
This tallow-based moisturizer is basically a miracle worker. I use it on any dry patches on my knees, elbows and feet. It’s anti-inflammatory and the tallow is made from organic, grass-fed, pasture and humanely raised animals. It won’t clog your pores, either.
I am obsessed with this cream: How it feels, how it smells and the founder is just delightful!
Pact is my go-to for organic cotton clothing, and I especially love their leggings (plastic free ones are really hard to find) and underwear, but they also make organic bedding and towels (which do make for a nice gift too).
What I love most about Pact is that their goods are certified Fair Trade, made with organic cotton because we really need to stop with the idea that sweating in plastic fitness clothes is okay (especially the ones that are all up in our business). Let’s be honest, plastic is plastic, whether it has a fancy name and trademark or is greenwashed as ecological because it’s recycled.
Organic cotton just feeeeeeeels good.
If you’ve never tried Pact before, you can use code ‘MEGHANT15’ at checkout to save 15% on full-price apparel.
I have a pair of blue light filtering glasses from Swanwick, but there are a lot of non-prescription and prescription options out there, so in my opinion they would be a good gift for those in your life who spend a lot of time in front of devices.
But of course I am going to blatantly plug my own book as a most awesome gift in my Healthy Living Gift Guide. The UnDiet Cookbook is where playtime comes in with 130 beautiful gluten-free and dairy-free recipes, gorgeous photos, entertaining and travel tips, a whole chapter of beauty care recipes and of course, practices to help you live a healthy and awesome life. It’s available online from all major book sellers and in most major book stores.
This small business specializes in beeswax candles and incense, though it also offers a few extra goodies like crystals and necklaces.
What I adore about Carlyn’s products is her focus on using the candles for ritual and intention-setting. I invited Carlyn to present a candle-making and intention-setting for a ‘Crafternoon’ session with my team, and she was chock-full of brilliant ideas for how to use candles mindfully to manifest your dreams and goals.
I am a huge fan of elixirs – I make them almost daily in my high-speed blender. Yes, I am a little biased because Josh is my husband. But also, I’m certain I would love this product no matter who made it!
This blend is incredibly tasty, sugar-free, packed with adaptogens and superfoods, and so easy to blend and use. This works in hot and cold elixirs, smoothies, homemade chocolates, nut/seed butters, and is a fantastic alternative to coffee too.
One of the best investments that I made this year was in my Rouge Red Light Therapy. I use it daily to help regulate my circadian rhythm (hello sleep!), boost my immune system, and help get my hair and skin glowing.
It functions differently from a sauna for a few reasons, but generally a sauna is powerful by nature of it being a ‘stress’ on our body, where this feels like adding nourishment and relaxation. It offers a similar mood boosting feeling as you get from laying out under the warm sun, an extra bonus in the darker, colder months of the year.
Yes, Red Light Therapy is a significant investment, but it makes an excellent gift for yourself or for a special loved one.
Use the code ‘MEGHAN’ to save $50 on your purchase of $400 or more.
It’s not just an air purifier that helps keep your indoor air quality safe. It’s a medical-grade air purifier that delivers the highest level of performance for the most affordable price. I have this one and love it.
To complete this Healthy Living Gift Guide, this stainless steel cookware is absolutely beautiful, long-lasting and has a lifetime warranty. Using toxin-free cookware is important, as what we cook in (especially at high heat) comes in direct contact with our food. I am obsessed with the 360 slow cooker. No more fears about what’s coating those ceramic slow cookers leaching into the food!
This week, I review a paper that filled my inbox with ‘look at this’ requests. It was a study published in JAMA titled “Cardiometabolic Effects of Omnivorous vs Vegan Diets in Identical Twins: A randomised clinical trial” by Landry et al. The name that caught my attention was Professor Christopher Gardner from Stanford University, a veteran vegetarian with whom I’ve corresponded on previous occasions.
Professor Gardner, renowned for the DIETFITS and KETO-MED trials, is the last author on this paper, indicating his senior role. The DIETFITS study, a randomized trial involving 609 participants, compared healthy low-carb and healthy low-fat diets. Notably, Gardner’s studies stand out for their rarity in the field of nutrition – rigorous randomised controlled trials (RCTs), a focus on whole foods, and explicit attention to diet adherence.
This latest research from Gardner’s team is another RCT comparing two whole-food diets—vegan and omnivorous—enrolling 22 pairs of identical twins. Unlike population studies, RCTs typically equalise characteristics through randomisation. However, this study, though small, revealed baseline differences between groups, notably in weight, blood pressure, and lipid levels.
The trial spanned eight weeks, with the first four weeks providing meals to ensure adherence. Notably, the vegan group received fewer calories, revealing a significant flaw in the study’s design, contradicting its claim of no prescribed energy restriction. Macronutrient proportions and nutrient intake differed between groups, highlighting the main issues with the study.
The vegan group experienced a significant decrease in LDL-cholesterol, fasting insulin, and body weight compared to the omnivores. However, the predictable reduction in cholesterol due to increased plant sterol intake was not groundbreaking. Moreover, diet satisfaction plummeted among vegans, with only one expressing intent to continue the diet, while omnivores reported increased or maintained satisfaction.
Strengths of the study, such as using identical twins and ensuring adherence through a food delivery period, were acknowledged. However, there were limitations, including a small sample size, short duration, lack of follow-up, and a non-isocaloric design, which should raise concerns.
In summary, this trial appears to be a waste of time and resources and lacking in novel insights. From a research standpoint, it failed to unveil new information. Narratively, it contributes to the literature favouring plant-based diets, despite nutritional evidence suggesting the opposite is true.
Michael Caprio is someone who persevered through the challenges of a unique genetic condition known as Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP), which significantly affects the large intestine.
This episode dives into Caprio’s journey of discovering and managing his condition, which caused him to undergo major surgeries, including removing his large intestine and having an ostomy bag for a while. This has required him to pay close attention to his diet and lifestyle, particularly avoiding specific food types that could cause him discomfort and staying adequately hydrated. Despite the notable challenges, Caprio maintains a positive attitude, nurtured through deep personal growth and increased mindfulness.
Furthermore, he shares his experience of writing a memoir about his journey, hoping to shed light on his condition, inspire others dealing with similar challenges, and contribute to medical research. He discusses his grandmother’s role in inspiring him to share his story, as she had the same condition and had committed to improving the situation for future generations by participating in medical trials.
Through his experiences and his book, which is also a contribution to the FAP community, Caprio emphasizes the importance of a supportive network, discourages comparisons with others, particularly on the internet, and encourages reaching out to others when struggling. His resilience and drive to support others underscores the profound resilience of the human spirit in the face of challenging circumstances.
Genes: Topics
Introduction of the guest, Michael Caprio, his battle with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), and his dedication to discussing his journey.
Michael shares about his medical history, the genetic nature of his condition, and how it manifests in his life.
Michael explains his family’s history with FAP, dating back to his grandmother and how it’s passed down through generations.
Discussion of Michael’s early symptoms, such as dental issues, and how they led to his diagnosis of FAP.
Michael shares his personal journey, gaining and losing his health, dealing with surgeries, and his overall medical experience.
Michael talks about the mental health challenges he experienced and how he coped with them.
Exploration of how Michael shifted his mindset to a positive one, which he attributes to his health journey.
Michael discusses eating habits, exercise, and lifestyle changes he made to improve his health.
Discussion about Michael’s surgeries including removing the large intestine and the process of recovery.
Explanation of the high risks associated with FAP and the importance of regular medical screenings.
Michael shares about his book writing journey, his motivation, and what readers can expect.
Michael talks about what’s next for him, including speaking engagements, connecting with the FAP community, and future writing plans.
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The irony doesn’t stop there. One of the reasons people with diabetes suffer such nerve and artery damage is due to an inflammatory metabolic toxin known as methylglyoxal, which forms at high blood sugar levels. Methylglyoxal 
