Garth Davis, author of Proteinaholic, was a self-confessed protein addict. His professional background makes his story especially compelling. He is a top-rated surgeon who specializes in bariatric surgery, doing stomach bypass operations to help morbidly obese people lose weight. In the early years of his surgery practice, he strongly promoted…
Carbs (short for carbohydrates) are an essential fuel for the human body. There was a time when “carb-loading” was recommended to help athletes prepare for endurance contests. Data suggested this would help them perform better over the long haul. When carbs became vilified as a cause of our growing obesity…
Why are plant-based foods so good for health? The answer is not simple. Many factors are involved and no single factor is a magic bullet. Vitamins were once thought to be almost miraculous health boosters. They’re important, but not a panacea. Then there was a wave of enthusiasm for antioxidants.…
More and more nutrition experts emphasize the importance of a plant-based diet for good health. What does a plant-based diet involve? For me, it means eating lots of wholesome foods from the plant kingdom and minimizing most foods from the animal kingdom. Wholesome plant-based foods include fruits, veggies, lentils, grains,…
The Plant-Based Journey: A Step-by-Step Guide for Transitioning to a Healthy Lifestyle and Achieving Your Ideal Weight by Lani Muelrath, is the best guidebook I’ve found for anyone interested in plant-based eating. The preface by T. Colin Campbell, PhD and foreword by Neal Barnard, MD add to the strength of…
The hero of Homer’s epic Greek poem, Odysseus, encounters one deadly peril after another during his tumultuous ten-year voyage home after the Trojan war. Eventually, after countless close calls, he reaches his home island of Ithaca. There, after a last bit of drama, he is finally reunited with his loving…
The Gene Therapy Plan by Mitchell L. Gaynor, MD, is a new book with the subtitle: Taking Control of Your Genetic Destiny with Diet and Lifestyle. This book is about your power to influence your health for good or for ill. Can you really change your genetic destiny? Dr. Gaynor…
Recent studies tell us that taking antioxidant pills may do more damage than good for most people. This is a paradox because we know that antioxidants are usually good for us. Why is it counter-productive to take them as supplements? The Journal of Physiology studies in February and November 2014…
Thinner This Year is a recent book by Chris Crowley and Jen Sacheck, PhD. Chris Crowley is the retiree who co-authored Younger Next Year with Dr. Henry Lodge. It turned into an international best-seller. Now he’s teamed up with a top nutrition expert to co-author another good book. Dr. Jen…
The Starch Solution is a recent book by Dr. John McDougall. The book and the author are both somewhat controversial as they cut across the grain of much conventional medical thinking. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, the book is worth reviewing. Dr. McDougall doesn’t mince words as he…
High rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease in the Western world can be traced to our unhealthy diet.
