Nutrition

Unlocking the power of graphic medicine: the key to improving health literacy

Conditions
February 24, 2023

According to the Office of the Surgeon General, only about 12 percent of the U.S. population has suitable health literacy skills. Health literacy is the repertoire of knowledge we fall back on to comprehend medication instructions, understand our risks for certain diseases, and make decisions regarding our own well-being. Wading through a convoluted medical system like the United States is difficult even for those fortunate enough to have access to …

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Clinicians serving under-resourced populations should seize opportunity for free lifestyle medicine education

Conditions
January 5, 2023

As a pediatrician serving under-resourced families in Washington, D.C., I was glad to see health leaders converge for the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. Solutions to food insecurity and diet-related diseases are urgently needed to address the crisis of chronic disease, which afflicts six in 10 Americans.

One of the important issues discussed at the conference is the critical need for more education and training in nutrition …

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The role of nutrition in rheumatology patients

Conditions
July 31, 2022

Five years ago, I met a patient that changed my view on practicing traditional medicine, especially when it comes to rheumatology. For years, I was proud to be in a booming field that provided patients with a new therapy every few years. As a physician and scientist, I believe that targeted therapy offers tools to treat patients like never before, but I have noticed that results vary over time.

Daniel was …

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Don’t give up on intermittent fasting just yet

Conditions
May 23, 2022

In late April 2022, headlines were plastered across the internet calling for the death of intermittent fasting. This was in relation to a New England Journal study out that week titled “Calorie Restriction with or without Time-Restricted Eating in Weight Loss.” I would have named it, “If you ask the wrong question, then you don’t get a helpful answer.”

The researchers asked if people lose …

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Stop prescribing one eating disorder to treat another: Why under and overeating are not “opposite problems”

Physician
February 6, 2022

Throughout my recovery journey from anorexia with a propensity for compulsive exercise, I have often heard, in a tone full of self-judgment, “I have the opposite problem.”

What the person is typically referring to is that they feel they eat too much, exercise too little, or both. The self-judgment usually reflects the way society places a positive value on undereating and over-exercising and negative connotation on the opposite. The interactions demonstrate …

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Culinary medicine and why clinicians should garden [PODCAST]

Podcast
January 18, 2022
YouTube video

“For too long have gardeners allowed our food supply to be dependent on mysterious logistics. We have criminally allowed our own food growing capacity to be displaced. Growing something you eat and trading with people who grow what you don’t are ways to be less reliant on Big Food and …

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Grow, share, eat: We have the opportunity to subvert the dominant supply chain

Policy
December 2, 2021

You might not be able to afford the usual Christmas roast this year.

According to the USDA, beef prices in the U.S. are up nearly 10 percent this year over last. And it’s not just in the U.S.  Distribution and other supply chain problems have led to severe price inflation for produce in Beijing, where a pound of lettuce now costs as much as a pound of pork. China’s agriculture ministry …

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Protein calorie malnutrition is devastating for patients

Conditions
October 26, 2021

I am a former chief of surgery and a scientific entrepreneur.

My practice consisted of patients who suffered from serious injuries and illnesses.  Concerning the latter, a significant number had cancer, especially breast cancer.  The issue all patient groups have in common to a certain degree is protein calorie malnutrition (PCM).  The most dramatically affected are those stricken with a malignancy.  PCM leads to increased morbidity, mortality, …

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The American food conspiracy

Physician
October 15, 2021

Everybody knows how to operate smartphones and understands complex modern phenomena, but many Americans are frighteningly ignorant about basic human nutrition.

I am convinced this is the result of a powerful conspiracy fueled by the (junk) food industry. Here are just a few examples:

Milk has been advertised as a healthy beverage. It is not. No other species consumes milk beyond infancy. Milk-based products like ice cream and yogurt are on top …

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Think about your brain and spine before you start that new fad diet

Conditions
April 14, 2021

Before you jump on the diet bandwagon with your brother-in-law (who’s crowing about shedding all that weight with so little effort), think about the potential downside.

The problem with an ill-thought-out diet: 

Fad diets are designed to take off weight as quickly as possible. They often ignore the long-term effects that might occur regarding both the brain and spine. Someone embarking on a radical weight loss …

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Reimagining diet: Why cheating brings the win

Conditions
March 15, 2021

Keto, Mediterranean, Paleo, intermittent fasting. How many times have you or your patients been sucked into the latest diet trend only to crash and burn just a few weeks later? I have tried every diet in the books and every single time, draw the same conclusion: extreme dietary restrictions are not sustainable. So many of us lose weight with the newest trending diet only to gain it back months later …

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6 unconscious biases against vitamins and supplements

Meds
January 28, 2021

Like many scary health scenarios where patients seek some modicum of influence, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to patient demand for “immune-boosting” dietary supplements. Toilet paper wasn’t the only essential item being limited by stores; bottles of zinc and vitamin C flew off the shelves as consumers stocked up. The role of vitamin D in COVID-19 has been conflated and deflated depending on …

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What is culinary medicine and why do we need it?  

Physician
December 12, 2020

It is no secret that physicians spend countless hours studying a wide variety of disease processes and treatments. We all know that sub-optimal dietary choices and habits can lead to chronic diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. The burden of these diseases is rising astronomically. According to the USDA 2015-2020 guidelines, in 2008, the medical cost related to the chronic disease of obesity was estimated to be …

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Put nutrition counseling in primary care

Conditions
October 8, 2020

The United Nations designated 2016 to 2025 the “Decade of Action on Nutrition” in recognition of the growing importance of food and diet as it relates to all aspects of human health. We’re almost halfway through, and we’re not making the progress we need to.

A comprehensive study of scientific evidence for global diet goals and sustainability, the EAT-Lancet Commission Summary Report, stated, “Read more…

Why this physician became a personal trainer

Physician
September 25, 2020

As many readers of my work know, I have a huge passion for preventive medicine, and balance my acute care hospital work with an outpatient wellness clinic. I have always been into exercise and outdoor activities since a young age but only became a regular gym-goer after I finished my medical residency training. I also became very keen on learning more about healthier nutrition habits. I don’t think I was …

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An ode to hospital cafeterias

Physician
August 30, 2020

I have been nourished by cafeteria food since elementary school. I remember the public school pizza squares with its melted artificial cheese, the fruit cocktail drenched in sickeningly sweet syrup, and 2 percent chocolate milk pints—costing $1.65 per meal. In college, I enjoyed access to a wider selection, including $6.50 custom omelets and midnight mozzarella sticks to fuel late-night study sessions. However, nothing came close to the quality and …

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