My Healthy Bite

07/18/2023

I’m not saying you should ignore any extreme results on the lab tests. However, it’s awfully hard for me to tell a guy who’s lost 100 pounds, reversed his diabetes, conquered sleep apnea, and went from doing half a pullup to 10 full pullups to go back to the old diet just because a number on a test result is out of range.

Of course, most times the personal results and the lab tests match up. The numbers improve when you lose the weight and improve the health. But if the two conflict, I would take a very serious look at listening to your own experience before you do anything drastic.

02/05/2023

Beware and be smart. These hidden sugars will short circuit your health and ability to maintain a healthy weight.

Many of you have said ditching sugar is one of your New Year intentions. I love this. Added sugar is definitely one of the first things you'll want to leave behind when creating better health. However...

⚠️WARNING: Even if you don't see the word "sugar" on an ingredient label, it doesn't necessarily mean the product is sugar free, or even healthy for that matter.

Manufacturers are pretty smart about using sugar substitutes that are just as, if not more harmful to your health, but harder for consumers to detect.

One of the most harmful is High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), avoid it at all costs. 👎

01/19/2023

Who doesn't want a little Miracle Grow for their brain. Remember walking really does count.

Exercise creates a brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is basically Miracle Grow for your brain. When you exercise, your brain becomes more elastic. Exercise also helps to improve your mood, boost your energy, and reduce overall stress in your body and mind.⁣⁣
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One of my favorite benefits of exercise is that it improves insulin sensitivity, which is the biggest contributor to advance aging. Exercise actually makes your cells and muscles more sensitive to insulin so you don’t need as much. Less insulin means less dangerous visceral belly fat. ⁣⁣
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Daily movement also enhances detoxification by stimulating the colon and releasing toxins through your sweat. It boosts detoxification of environmental chemicals. Vigorous exercise will help you work up a sweat, but gentle exercise keeps your circulation going and flushes out all the toxic fluids that build up in your lymphatic system. Even just lying on your back and putting your legs straight up against the wall for 20 minutes can make a huge difference. ⁣⁣
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Clearly, daily movement has whole-body benefits. These are just a few of them. The question becomes, how do we incorporate movement daily? Here are three simple ways. ⁣⁣
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Make it a priority and think ahead. Every single day I schedule time in my calendar to work out. If I don’t schedule it, I won’t do it. Also, make it easy.
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Do it first thing in the morning. We all know how easily pushing exercise to the back burner and subsequently neglecting it can become. Do your daily exercise first thing in the morning to jump-start your metabolism and set your day on the right course.⁣⁣
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Make it fun. I encourage you to explore all the fun things you may enjoy and save exercise for those times when you just can’t find a way to play on your own or with someone else. Vary up your routine and above all, make it fun.
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Ever since I’ve made movement part of my life, I notice that I’m happier, calmer, stronger, and I just feel good. If you could put exercise into a pill, it would be a blockbuster drug. So I encourage you to get up today and move your body, even if it’s just for a few minutes.⁣⁣

09/17/2022

Most of us do not realize the damage we are doing by using Canola,Sunflower, Safflower and other industrial seed oils. Check this out.
https://www.levelshealth.com/blog/best-fats-and-oils-metabolic-health/?utm_source=drip&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Why+Isn’t+High-Fructose+Corn+Syrup+Regulated%3F

Fats can either fight or promote inflammation and insulin resistance. Here’s how to select ones that add flavor and nutrients and benefit your health.

08/27/2022

Even a little intermittent fasting can be very beneficial.

THE MAGIC STARTS AT 13 HOURS ✅

At 13 hours after your last meal, your body typically begins producing ketones.

If your last meal was a big bowl of pasta, that's going to take a little longer! If your last meal was keto, you're already making ketones and they will only rise higher.

Ketones are a sign you are now using fat as energy instead of sugar.

If you're in a fasted state, that fat is going to be your own fat!

Teach your cells to use your own fat, instead of feeding them every few hours.

If your goal is weight loss then 13-24 hours is where you'll want to spend most of your days.

If you're already there, we've got to get you into the burn zone.

This is the zone for releasing that stubborn weight which comes between 24-36 hours.

I tell my patients, if you want to lose weight, you need to get to that 36-HOUR mark, ONCE A WEEK.

If you're new to fasting, that is going to seem CRAZY. That's okay! Work up to it by starting at 13 hours, and pushing breakfast back an hour every week.

Slow and steady wins the race.

08/26/2022

Looking at all the crazy additives in our foods today, may give you a hint why we have so much inflammation in our society today. My motto, Eat Real Food and minimize processed foods.

Inflammation is part of the body’s natural defense system and can be a good thing in balance.

However, when your immune system shifts out of balance, inflammation can run rampant—causing a chronic, smoldering fire inside your body that contributes to disease, weight gain, and more.

In additon to taking these supplements to help reduce inflammation, what we eat is one of the biggest levers we have when it comes to driving or reducing inflammation.

Industrial food drives inflammation, oxidative stress, hormone and neurotransmitter imbalances, overloads your detoxification system, depletes your energy, damages your microbiome, and changes your gene expression to turn on disease-causing genes.

Real, whole, nutrient and phytonutrient-rich food does the opposite. It turns off inflammation, increases antioxidant systems, balances hormones and brain chemistry, boosts detoxification, increases energy, optimizes your microbiome, and turns on disease-preventing, health-promoting genes.

07/19/2022

Life Changing Bread.

I know, I felt the same way. How on earth can a bread recipe change your life? However if you have reluctantly given up grains because of potential food sensitivities, thyroid issues or other even more devastating health issues, you will more than understand the name.

When I first discovered this recipe, I was very reluctant… but what a surprise, it is delicious plain, toasted with peanut butter or your favorite spread. It’s my new Avocado toast base. Oh and it’s super easy to make.
https://food52.com/recipes/28886-my-new-roots-life-changing-loaf-of-bread

04/01/2022

It's really not as hard as you think to remove these Ultra Processed Foods from your diet... The difference in how you feel will make you a beliver. Just eat real foods.

These foods have been scientifically proven to cause disease and death, so why do we still keep reaching for them?

In a recent episode of my Masterclass series, I am interviewed by my good friend and podcast host Dhru Purohit about foods that you should never eat again, foods to limit, and the food industry’s role in why these foods are so pervasive in our supermarkets.

You can listen to the full episode here: https://bit.ly/3IbPHBU

03/21/2022

I know...we have all heard this for the past few years. However we are at a point where the research has become more and more convincing. Trust me the health benefits are definitely worth the lifestyle change. Take baby steps by kicking Ultra Processed Foods out of your daily diet.

Add to that reducing stress and sleeping better, and you’re on the way to a healthier lifestyle that benefits both your body and your mind.

In my Masterclass series, and I discuss the basics of Functional Medicine, including diet, inflammation, stress, and sleep, and why it’s important to start reducing chronic disease right now to live a longer, healthier, vitality-filled life.

Take a listen to the full episode titled, “How To Get To The Root Cause Of All Chronic Disease,” on your favorite podcast app.

03/21/2022

Unfortunately PCOS is much more common today than ever before and we now know it has much to do with our diet...

Can elevated uric acid cause polycystic ovarian syndrome?

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine and metabolic disorder that affects 4-18% of reproductive-aged women in the United States. It's characterized by symptoms including irregular menstruation periods, excess androgenic hormones, and polycystic ovaries.

And, more importantly, PCOS can cause some pretty serious complications.

A recent study in Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology evaluated over 1.1K women with PCOS and nearly 10.8K without it and looked at things like blood pressure, reproductive hormone levels, and our old pal uric acid. The findings showed that, while 8.7% of participants without PCOS were shown having hyperuricemia, over 25% of women with PCOS had elevated uric acid levels.

“…our findings confirmed that the serum uric acid level and the prevalence of hyperuricemia markedly increased in women with PCOS independent of age and BMI,” the study's authors wrote.

Read the full article at the link in my bio: https://www.drperlmutter.com/pcos-and-the-role-of-uric-acid/

03/21/2022

Even something as simple as not snacking after dinner and postponing breakfast for 1-2 hours after waking can provide many health benefits. Give it a try and see how you feel.😊

While many people associate fasting with restricting eating for long periods of time, there are actually many styles with different timing, which can make fasting a much more approachable practice than you might think. In fact, many of you are probably already fasting without even realizing it.

The most basic kind of fast is the break taken between dinner and breakfast. Fasting during this time, which usually falls between 12 and 14 hours, falls into line with our natural circadian rhythms of when the sun is up or down.

The term intermittent fasting can describe multiple timetables for eating. A 5:2 approach means eating only about 25% of caloric needs during two separate days each week; a 16:8 intermittent fast means extending your nightly fast, taking 16 hours between dinner and breakfast, which many people feel good doing several days a week.

Other approaches include a complete 24-hour fast or time-restricted eating where you would only eat within a 6-hour window during the day.

One important caveat of fasting is that when you do eat, you still need to eat well. Fasting and then binging on ice cream and french fries is not going to get you anywhere. The same dietary guidelines I’m always sharing—eat real foods, tons of non-starchy colorful veggies, healthy fats, high-quality protein, etc.—are an amazing compliment to any fasting regime.

It’s also important to note that fasting isn’t for everyone. For example, those with a history of eating disorders or who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Be sure to talk about fasting with your practitioner to decide if it’s right for you.

01/22/2022

The narrative never changes. When in doubt, eat more Real food. It's full of healing ingredients. 😊

I like to look at the grocery store as the Farmacy — all of the colorful fruits and vegetables contain powerful phytochemicals that can greatly impact our health. Which of these healing foods is your favorite?