MNT Scientific, LLC

04/09/2025

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2025-04-24, Long Beach, CA

01/17/2025

Much confusion surrounds the concept of diet culture. One definite set of criteria includes restrictive dieting, fad diets, meal substitutes, dietary tricks like meal timing, order of intake, a reliance on calorie restricting or counting, carbohydrate and/or fat restriction, or even limiting intake to fat. Also included are charlatans selling their supplement or program with no scientific basis whatsoever.

If this alone were part of diet-culture, I would join the camp of anti-diet culturists.

However, the diet culture concept seems to be expanded to a deliberate avoidance of clearly health damaging ultra-processed foods. These foods have been unequivocally shown to disrupt satiety, cause overconsumption, and result in chronic illness, including obesity. They are at the crux of our 51.8% chronic illness rate in the US.

Sadly, many victims of our food environment feel hopeless. With their medical provider many decide life altering bariatric surgeries and/or pharmaceutical drugs are the only hope to stop the damage these foods cause.

When these ultra-processed, junk foods are able to exert their intended effect, i.e., to cause overconsumption, they damage health. When one is successful in investing the enormous amount of mental energy needed to stop over consuming a specially designed ultra-processed food, postponing gratification, they are unable to sustain this throughout the day. These addictive substances generally win.

So, I challenge anti-diet culturists to exercise more responsibility when suggesting to incorporate ultra-processed foods into a healthy intake and to relax one’s diligence in adhering to a minimally processed, strictly health promoting diet. Equal pleasure results from consuming ultra processed foods vs minimally processed foods to satiety but it takes much less minimally processed food calories to do so (Hall et al., 2019).

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01/17/2025

Determining macronutrients, aka macros, more specifically, determining the percentages and amounts of calories consumed from protein, carbohydrates, and fats, if desired, is generally done haphazardly. Learn how to do this methodically without guessing.

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With MNT Scientific, nutrition counseling is free, no copay/no deductible, with most insurance plans.

01/16/2025

The taste of baked sweet potatoes can leave someone wondering if they are actually an indulgent food.

Yes, foods can be both indulgent and promote health simultaneously. Sweet potato yams have no added sugars.

Added sugars actually increase risk of insulin resistance as well as cardiovascular disease and obesity. Sweet potato yams, although may have all the sweetness of foods with refined sugars added to them, actually have the opposite effect.

In addition to improving blood sugar regulation, heart health, and weight management, they are high in antioxidants, support digestive health, reduce inflammation, support skin health, boost immunity, and increase bone health.

So next time you are craving something sweet, a prepared sweet potato is hard to beat.

Puncture each one a few times with a fork or knife. Bake them in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 30 to 40 minutes depending on oven's convection ability, potato size, number of potatoes, etc. Then, check to see if sufficiently soft by poking one or two with a fork. Let cool to eating temperature and refrigerate those not eaten.

You can microwave too and poke frequently.

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With MNT Scientific, nutrition counseling is free, no copay/no deductible, with most insurance plans.

01/14/2025

A transition to clean eating is difficult due to our biological systems, which includes the brain neurotransmitter system, the endocrine system, and even our gut microbiota. They all influence our cravings and desires.

But once you make the transition, like going from a typewriter to a computer, you will never have a desire to go back. There will be no need for restriction to somehow mysteriously reach your health and weight goals. Real foods contain nutrients in the quantities with which we have evolved.

This simple, lentil, bean, and brown rice dish can be made by simply mixing 1/4 cup of each and three cups of water into a bowl and placed into a microwave for approximately 30 to 40 minutes. If you wish to get even more tasty, blend the water with two cloves of garlic and 1/4 onion in a high speed blender. Add a bay leaf or two and you have a truly delicious, simple, healthy, and filling component of a meal or even a meal itself.

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Appointments and inquiries: (530)429-7363; info@MNTScientific.com; or appointment request: https://mntscientific.clientsecure.me.

With MNT Scientific, nutrition counseling is free, no copay/no deductible, with most insurance plans.

01/13/2025

The category of ingredients on food labels written as "natural flavors" is widespread. To me, this phrasing implies that this ingredient contributes positively to the overall health value of the packaged food.

Please watch the reel and let me know if you believe this phrase should be changed, and if so, to what?

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Appointments and inquiries: (530)429-7363; info@MNTScientific.com; or appointment request: https://mntscientific.clientsecure.me.

With MNT Scientific, nutrition counseling is free, no copay/no deductible, with most insurance plans.

01/12/2025

The Women Infants and Children (WIC) program allows pregnant, nursing, and breastfeeding women to purchase foods without added fats, sugar, and salt, with few exceptions, for themselves and their kids up to five years of age.

This investment saves an estimated $2.48 for every dollar spent, an approximately 250% return on investment due to savings in medical, education, and productivity costs.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in contrast, allows for virtually unrestricted food and beverage purchases (with exceptions like pet food, hot food, to***co, alcohol, and supplements).

With our American culture’s confused relationship with food, the food industry easily sank its clutches into our marginalized groups, lobbying to give recipients the right to purchase health damaging foods and beverages, loaded with added sugars, refined grains, saturated and other inflammatory fats, salts, and flavors in unnaturally high concentrations making overconsumption largely inevitable.

Like recreational drugs, these “foods” provide a dopamine rush the consumer remembers and strives to imitate by consuming these substances regularly and in greater quantities.

However, unlike recreational drugs, food substances like donuts, candy, battered poultry mixtures, sodas, chips, etc. are so mainstream that even those not needing federal assistance would think restricting them from SNAP would be anti-American.

The cause of the negative return on investment, -0.89% of SNAP is no mystery. Unlike WIC, SNAP includes addictive and health damaging foods.

I do not advocate removing SNAP recipients’ right to purchase these junk foods and even alcohol, to***co, and ci******es. They can use their non-SNAP income. I simply do not want tax dollars to pay the food industry to steal the health away from those in need, depriving them of the real joy real food brings.

Appointments and inquiries: (530)429-7363; info@MNTScientific.com; or appointment request: https://mntscientific.clientsecure.me.

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01/11/2025

I hear people justifiably complain about the high price and unattainability of healthy food. However, inexpensive, yet abundantly healthy food can be equally as convenient.

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Appointments and inquiries: (530)429-7363; info@MNTScientific.com; or appointment request: https://mntscientific.clientsecure.me.

With MNT Scientific, nutrition counseling is free, no copay/no deductible, with most insurance plans.

01/10/2025

While the avoidance of genetically modified organisms that comprise a great portion of our food supply has not been shown to reduce the incidence of diet related chronic illnesses in the US, people seem to be under the assumption that if they avoid GMOs, they are offered a layer of protection.

However, the avoidance ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and highly processed foods most certainly protects against dementia, heart disease, type II diabetes, chronic kidney disease, hypertension, and more.

Weekly mailing list: info@MNTScientific.com with "subscribe" in the subject.

Appointments and inquiries: (530)429-7363; info@MNTScientific.com; or appointment request: https://mntscientific.clientsecure.me.

With MNT Scientific, nutrition counseling is free, no copay/no deductible, with most insurance plans.

01/09/2025

Prediabetes has definite criteria and absolutely requires attention. But the stage prior is oftentimes overlooked and is definitely detectable with a fasting blood insulin level.

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Appointments and inquiries: (530)429-7363; info@MNTScientific.com; or appointment request: https://mntscientific.clientsecure.me.

With MNT Scientific, nutrition counseling is free, no copay/no deductible, with most insurance plans.

01/09/2025

Supplements

The dietary supplement industry is expected to be worth $300 billion by 2028.

When I was a teenager, I saw advertisements for muscle growth supplements that were no more than a few tablets of vitamins. I would take them expecting to see great changes. While I may have experienced a placebo effect, there was no scientific proof.

Since 1994, the Food and Drug Administration passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). As a result, manufacturers take responsibility for their product for being safe and their label having some evidence to support it.

But the FDA does not need to approve supplements. Even vitamins can be overconsumed and cause damage.

If a supplement actually works and is safe, it is likely because humans have evolved with it in real foods.

Don’t leave it to chance, supplements can be dangerous, and most often the best effect is the placebo. Used judiciously, e.g., based on blood lab value results, deficiencies in diet, they can be highly beneficial.

So, it may be worthwhile to work with a registered dietitian to review your current intake and what supplementation may be needed.

Appointments and inquiries: (530)429-7363; info@MNTScientific.com; or appointment request: https://mntscientific.clientsecure.me

Weekly newsletter: email info@MNTScientific.com with “subscribe” in the subject

No copay/no deductible, with most insurance plans