Beth Motley MD, FACLM

10/15/2025

And this is why you are always better off sticking with whole foods!

I once had a patient using so much of a supplement that he ended up with lead poisoning and had to be referred to toxicology.

Your safest source of protein is whole foods! Whole grains, beans, and veggies are your best choices! Plus they come packaged with so much more good stuff like fiber, vitamins, and minerals

10/15/2025

Kids lunches today.

Chickpea nuggets 🫘

Cucumbers 🥒

Guacamole 🥑

Blueberries 🫐

Cookie balls 🍪

😋

I’ll post the link to my favorite cookbook shortly. It’s basically where 2/3 of my recipes come from! 🧑‍🍳

10/14/2025

Take a peek into the Pear Down community!

At last week’s virtual event, we took a deep dive into a common question that I hear all the time in the office…

Now that I have adopted a plant-based diet, do I have to keep taking my statin? 🌱 💊

We discussed:

🩺 Current guideline recommendations for statin use
🌱 How nutrition and lifestyle, impact cholesterol levels and heart disease risk
🧑‍⚕️ How to partner with your clinician to make an informed decision about statins

Want to learn more?

Join hundreds of others who are adopting positive lifestyle changes to overcome chronic disease and reduce reliance on medications.

👉 www.Skool.com/pear-down

Statins are one of the most studied medications in preventive cardiology. In this video, Dr. Beth Motley, MD, FACLM, explains what the evidence shows about w...

10/11/2025

Catching up on my inbox while the girls are napping. 👧🏼👶🏽

A timely message to receive!

I saw that he was on the road to success, so at our last appointment, I asked if I could eventually post about his case.

He said that I was welcome to share, but that I had to make sure to say that he is a “stubborn, hardheaded country boy”.

This “boy” is in his 70s… it’s never too late to change your diet!

If he can do it, you can too!

10/11/2025

This may not seem like a big deal for you all 😆but it’s definitely a big deal among Lifestyle Medicine physicians!

Now there is a formal billing code for “Type 2 Diabetes Remission”, which recognizes that diabetes CAN be reversed.

I remember in my training getting into a debate about whether the “diabetes type 2” billing code was still appropriate to use in a patient who had long overcome this with a plant based diet. I was inclined to remove it since I felt it was no longer applicable. My debater argued that the patient would best be labeled as “diabetes type 2”, with the added note that it was “diet controlled”.

Glad to see this “fringe” idea of diabetes reversal entering the spotlight.

Ready to achieve remission? Start here:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PXtgBAEKJ_8&pp=ygULYmV0aCBtb3RsZXnSBwkJ_AkBhyohjO8%3D

10/10/2025

Smoothie bowls for breakfast! 🥣

Woke up earlier than expected today so I had time to make something fancy!

Smoothie base -
Frozen fruit 🫐🍓🥭
Chia seeds
Flaxseed
An orange 🍊
1/2 of a leftover avocado 🥑

Toppings -
Banana slices 🍌
Raspberries
Hempseed
Slivered almonds

The kids made a mess, but it was delicious!
👧🏼👦🏽👦🏼👧🏼👶🏽

10/10/2025

💬 Question from a friend:
“I have 19 chickens that I feed soy- & corn-free grain, free range on non-chemical yard & bugs, bougie as they get! 🐔 Are those eggs also bad for us, and why??”

👩‍⚕️ My answer:
Even the “best” eggs still contain cholesterol and saturated fat, the same components that contribute to plaque buildup in arteries. 🫀

While how the chicken is raised may affect things like omega-3 content slightly, it doesn’t change the fact that an egg is biologically designed to grow a baby chick… it’s a concentrated source of animal fat and protein.

From a science-based, human health standpoint, it’s not about how the chicken lived; it’s about what the egg is made of.

If you love your chickens, that’s wonderful. But your arteries will thank you for loving your breakfast oats instead. 🥣💚

👉 Question for you:
Can something be “natural” and still not be healthy for us?

10/09/2025

Today’s very boring lunch. 🍲

Frozen soup vegetables + veggie broth. Adjust salt to taste.

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be difficult!

I’m a huge fan of frozen veggies because they make life so much simpler!

Are frozen veggies in your rotation? What are your favorite ones to keep in stock? 🫛 🥕

10/09/2025

I saw a case of herpes zoster ophthalmicus (shingles involving the eye) in the office recently. My patient described her pain as a “20 out of 10 and worse than childbirth.” 😣

When she came in for follow-up, she was still struggling with nerve pain. Like so many who’ve lived through shingles, she’s now one of my “shingles preachers,” telling everyone she knows to get the vaccine.

Most people don’t really think about the shingles shot. It hasn’t been politicized like some others. It’s just not on most people’s radar until they see a friend or family member go through it.

Here’s what I remind my patients:
💉 The shingles vaccine doesn’t just prevent the rash. It helps prevent postherpetic neuralgia, the ongoing burning, stabbing nerve pain that can last for months (sometimes years) after the rash heals.

It’s one of those vaccines that quietly prevents some of the most miserable pain I’ve ever seen in clinic.

A plant-based diet can protect us from chronic disease, but we are all vulnerable to infectious disease! (A lesson that I have learned firsthand after having all these kids!)

If you’re over 50 (or immunocompromised), this is your gentle reminder to consider the shingles vaccine.

You’ll thank yourself later. 💛

10/08/2025

Your habits don’t exist in isolation. They’re shaped by the spaces you spend time in.

When you intentionally design your environment, you make healthy choices the default choice. 🌱

Want to change your habits? Start by changing what you see every day.

Shoes by the door, ready for your morning walk. Cookbooks open on the counter instead of takeout menus. A pitcher of infused water on the table instead of soda in the fridge. Junk food out of the house. Screens tucked away rather than in arms reach.

Small shifts in your space create big shifts in your life. 🍐

The easiest way to build better habits isn’t more willpower; it’s a smarter environment.

How do you shape your environment to support healthy choices?

10/06/2025

Re-posting this from a year ago. Because it’s Monday and I have two separate messages in my inbox about various “detox” routines!

——

You don’t need a detox juice. You need to stop retoxing every day.

One of my patients used to come in every visit with a new “cleanse” or “detox” plan.

Meanwhile, he was eating bacon daily, pounding energy drinks, and ignoring every actual root cause of his fatigue and inflammation.

Detox isn’t a juice.
It’s your liver, your kidneys, your gut. And they’re not impressed by your celery-water week.

Want a real detox?
Stop retoxing.

10/04/2025

Coming up on Tuesday! 🗓️

Statins are commonly prescribed for preventing heart disease. At the same time, plant-based diets can lower cholesterol and improve heart health too. Join for an evidence-based chat about balancing plant-based diets and statins for heart health.

Hope you can join for this virtual presentation and Q&A!

Join here: www.skool.com/pear-down