Dr. Tom Rifai

09/14/2025

Saudi swim 🏊‍♀️ time!

09/14/2025

On “routine” and healthspan.

09/12/2025

A hyper simplified, outcome exaggerated, Facebook reel on a study (full paper linked below) are making the rounds on social media re diverse-pasture raised beef and grain fed CAFO (confined animal feeding operation) beef.

To be clear, I of course far prefer the former but still within the context of a plant predominant flexitarian eating pattern, conceptually anyway.

The reason I say conceptually is that reality meets science at the point of the availability of such diverse pasture based fed beef is exceedingly low and exceedingly high cost. Friends like Michigan Farmer Dan Hiday can provide a bit to the market, and by all means, reach out to him if you like (Hoopshiday@aol.com)

But because of such limited availability, as it relates to population health, the ultimate answer is still to keep “flesh-based nutrition” within reasonable portions that will help in terms of the sweet spot of protein intake (the Goldilocks balance, not too much, not too little).

Also, to be clear, one need not eat any animal product at all to be healthy, it simply requires planning, but that’s the case for any healthspan optimizing eating pattern.

Also to be clear, this was not a human health outcome study - so, as far as I’m concerned, it has only minor impact in terms of where the majority would find their reality meets science. Eg - if you insist on eating beef, and can find and afford to replace some or all CAFO with exclusively diverse pasture raised beef, by all means, please do. But I’d still suggest the predominant weight of food eaten in a day be, minimally refined-plant predominant.

Comments, questions and challenges with decorum are most welcome. Insults, ad hominem and frivolous comments wil deleted.

FULL PAPER: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-025-00471-2

🔎 Key points from the study

Background
• Led by Stephan van Vliet and Fred Provenza (plus colleagues at Duke, Utah State, and others).
• Aim: see how soil and forage quality affect nutrient density in grass-finished beef vs. grain-finished feedlot beef in the Southern U.S.

⸻

Methods
• Compared 3 grass-fed systems vs. 1 grain-fed feedlot system.
• Looked at soil, forage, and beef using untargeted metabolomics (a broad sweep of small molecules).
• Measured vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and oxidative stress markers.

⸻

Findings

🌱 Soil & forage
• Pasture soils had higher organic matter and minerals than feedlot crop soils.
• Forage from pastures contained 118× more phytochemicals (antioxidants, polyphenols, flavonoids, etc.) than grain-based rations.

🥩 Beef nutrient density
• Grass-fed beef had:
• 3.1× more phytochemicals.
• 2.9× more vitamin A.
• 4.2× more vitamin E.
• More urate (an antioxidant).
• Grain-fed beef showed more markers of oxidative stress (homocysteine, 4-hydroxynonenal glutathione).

⸻

Conclusion
• Soil and plant health directly shape beef nutrient density.
• Grass-fed systems — with richer soils and diverse forage — produce beef with higher antioxidant and vitamin levels, while grain-fed beef shows more oxidative stress markers.
• Reinforces the “soil–plant–animal–human” health continuum

09/11/2025

It’s really been an AMAZING first month here in NEOM. To meet and work with talented people from all over the world, have such excellent accommodations and food, all within an opportunity to have a high impact on population health? All I can say is thank you, God for this once in a lifetime - maybe millennia - opportunity🙏🏽

09/10/2025

Tonight on the plant predominant Flex5 menu in NEOM!

Highlighted items intrigued me because I like experimenting with vegan and I’m exploring into Indian food.

Most of the rest is fairly self-explanatory, except maybe the chickpea fatteh in the center of the plate on the left of the onions on top: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatteh

09/10/2025

And check your blood pressure while on that break. With all due respect to Blue Zones, we are so distracted with “magic hacks” that we forget the critical basics: Resting Blood Pressure

TAKE A 10-MINUTE TEA BREAK

In the blue zones, where tea is consumed regularly, it is thought to be healthier than water. People in the blue zones hotspot of Ikaria enjoy drinking herbal teas with family and friends, and scientists have found that they pack an antioxidant punch. Are you growing mint in your summer garden? If so, try making mint tea!

Learn more about tea's healing effects by reading What Happens When You Drink Tea Every Day: https://www.bluezones.com/2019/10/what-happens-when-you-drink-tea-every-day/

Info from The Blue Zones Challenge by Dan Buettner

09/09/2025

aLIVE walk n talk from Saudi! 

09/08/2025

May have to make it a regular occurrence to break down Eric Berg’s sadly imprecise targets. It’s CRRAHP (calorie rich refined and hyper-palatable) beverages and food concoctions that are the real issue. And how to read a label is very consistent and valuable once you differentiate CRRAHP from UPFs (which often, but absolutely not always, overlap) and small, simpleton targets like the ones Eric highlights below.
For more, check out my educational video here: https://youtu.be/yMiKlgMp9N8?si=K9rsUUBLkBY0dJXO

Don’t be fooled by packaging designed to mislead you.

Food manufacturers employ deceptive marketing tactics and use unregulated buzzwords like “natural” to give you the impression that their products are healthy.

Avoid processed foods containing seed oils, starches, and sugars. All junk foods contain at least one of these harmful ingredients.

Ready to remove ultra-processed foods from your diet? My free mobile app lets you scan the barcodes of packaged food items to uncover hidden ultra-processed ingredients instantly. Download today to get started: https://drbrg.co/41iEfRJ

09/08/2025

Dinner tonight in NEOM! You’re no fool if you eat Foul! (yes, in this case Foul is pronounced “fool”).
For insights: https://www.clevelandclinicabudhabi.ae/en/health-byte/diet-and-nutrition/a-hearty-breakfast-foul-medames

09/08/2025

So very true. Rest - both physical and mental – is not laziness. Rest is strategic to optimizing Healthspan.

Rest & Recovery reminder with Jack’s approach to balance: movement, rest, nutrition.

09/08/2025

Don’t trade lifestyle for meds, but don’t deny the ability for medications to accentuate Lifestyle as Medicine results. That’s where Reality Meets Science. Lifestyle is engine. Meds are optional ‘turbo chargers’. Elevated blood pressure is too important to ignore. Rev your engine. But talk to your doctor and turbo charge where necessary.

https://apple.news/AeJjP-besSQOIgs4uKHgBzgce rert

New recommendations for early treatment for hypertension to prevent strokes, heart attacks and dementia come as an experimental medication is shown to lower blood pressure in hard to treat patients.

09/06/2025

New YouTube answering Q’s re weaning from GLP and blood pressure drugs, as well as homemade high fiber vs store bought Ezekiel 4:9 bread!

Every week the Reality Meets Science "Flex5 Private Community", participants of which are either alumni or active students in The Flex5 Lifestyle online mast...