Patients routinely ask me what I eat.
The comment I get the most is…
“I’m surprised you eat red meat.”
For decades, red meat took the blame for heart disease and obesity.
It’s time to rewrite that story.
Sugar, and refined carbohydrates won’t be happy about this.
I’m 40 today.
So grateful for my health, my family and friends, and the great outdoors.
Also grateful for this community on X that inspires me to continue on the path of health! Thanks for being here!
Outside is my best side. Did you get outside today?
Today my 19 year-old patient complained that her IBS is limiting what she can do
NOT ONE of her health care providers taught her about an elimination diet to identity her triggers
NOT ONE suggested any change in diet
Our system is set up for failure
We can do better
Good morning to everyone except my dad's cardiologist
After losing weight, and lowering his A1C on a lower carb diet,
His cardiologist suggests he try a plant-based diet as a long-term solution,
Despite the gains he's made the past few years
Not a day goes by where a patient doesn’t tell me:
“I rarely eat eggs because of the cholesterol.”
We have so much work to do.
Decades of terrible guidelines, and marketing of junk food brought us to people fearing one of nature’s best foods, at the expense of health
When I ask patients, are you getting enough protein?
Hands down, the number one response I get is:
“I try to drink an Ensure a day.” 🤦♀️
Whoever is doing PR / marketing for Ensure, well done.
Can you do the same for eggs, ground beef, salmon, and maybe even greek yogurt?
Not a day goes by where a patient doesn’t tell me:
“I don’t eat a lot of eggs because of the cholesterol.”
Looking forward to a shift in this mindset - one towards no longer afraid of incorporating real food into your diet
In the 60s the Sugar Association paid off 3 Harvard nutrition researchers
To say fat, not sugar contributes to heart disease
Decades later, we are dealing with the repercussions of tampering of information in the name of profits
Hard to trust the system with stories like this
I chose to stop drinking in the summer 2020
I lost a baby, the man I love had to move across the country, and the lockdown hit, all in the span of one week
Any time I had a glass of wine in the months after that, I cried
I told my therapist “I notice that alcohol triggers deep
Breakfast is served.
Sample breakfast at a middle school in Dallas, TX.
How many grams of sugar on this plate? 🤯
And we expect kids to sit still in their seats and learn.
We can do better, America.
Serious question:
Why do you think the general public is so quick to defend ultra-processed foods?
It seems obvious that they are a huge contributing factor (if not the biggest!) to skyrocketing rates of obesity, type II diabetes, dementia, heart disease, etc. in the U.S.
Type II diabetes is a lifestyle disease and is reversible. Reverse it by changing your lifestyle.
How?
Cut the sugar. Cut the carbs.
+
Exercise.
Reversibility isn’t talked about enough in conventional medicine. And the cost of this is high.
I have a patient with autonomic dysfunction of unknown origin
She's been dealing with it for 3 years, without any answers on how to regulate it
I asked her if she's tried making adjustments to her diet. She hasn't, but showed curiosity, as nobody has mentioned it as a possible
Average length of a doctor's visit is 17.4 minutes
And nutrition is barely covered in medical schools
And it shows...
It's estimated that ~ 1 in 3 American adults are pre-diabetic (and 80% don't even know it)
Here's a list of health care professionals who can help us answer
My patients come home from the hospital thinking this is premium protein because the “top” hospitals around here serve one at every meal
If you eat the opposite of what is served in hospitals, you’ll be on a path to healing
Perhaps if senior assisted living facilities spent their food budget on real food,
Instead of the standard American diet,
Our elderly would need fewer medications, fewer scarce resources, feel better, and be more independent / save $ on the cost of care.
There is spectrum of independence as we age
I meet frail 65 year olds on 15+ medications
And 92 year olds who still hike
Health problems can happen to any of us, BUT
What we eat, and how much we move in our earlier decades strongly predicts what our golden years are like
As biochemist
@glucosegoddesss
states,
Oats are a grain, and oat milk creates a big glucose spike in the body.
Definitely makes me think twice about the true cost of an oat milk latte at a coffee shop.
Follow her on instagram for simple tips on managing blood glucose.
~30 grams protein (roughly!)
5 eggs
5 oz Salmon
5 oz Chicken Thigh
3.5 oz Chicken Breast
4 oz Ribeye
5 oz 85/15 Ground beef
5 oz Shrimp
5 oz Tuna
6 oz Mackerel
4 oz Sardines
1.5 Cups Plain Greek Yogurt
1 Cup Cottage Cheese
3 oz Parmesan Reggianno
1/2
Perhaps if the shelves at a convenient store at an assisted living facility were stocked with more nourishing options,
The residents might be higher functioning and need less caregiver support.
For those of you who have reversed pre-diabetes or type II diabetes, how many providers told you it wasn’t possible?
I’m running into a problem where providers continue to tell patients that they have to live with diabetes til the end of time because of genetics
People will drink diet coke to stay awake, eat Frosted Mini Wheats for breakfast, and sip on Starbucks lattes all day, without batting an eye
But suggest something like magnesium before bedtime to improve sleep?
Show me the studies!
Another day in health care and another
“My doctor told me I can’t eat egg yolks because of the cholesterol.”
We have work to do.
Keep advocating for real, whole foods.
In 2014 my blood pressure dropped from 124/80 to 110/75 by consistently exercising
In 2022 I’m down to 103/70
Exercise is key, but it starts with food
Big levers of change:
limit processed food
eat. real. food. 🍳🥩🐟🥬🫐
🚫seed oils
low carb
If I can do this, you can too
5 things that didn’t exist 100 years ago:
Added sugar in packaged food
Refined grains
Seed oils
Snacks galore
Food delivery at our fingertips
Are we better off? Or is it making us sick?
Fix your diet.
And you fix your health.
The path often starts with ditching ultra-processed food, eating enough protein, and focusing on real food
The following everyday people share their stories in an effort to help others restore health
If you are just starting out,
Most days in patient care I hear something along the lines of “my doctor told me to avoid salt, and red meat”
But this week I heard, “my optometrist warned me about ultra-processed food. He even said to throw out my Grape Nuts cereal! Do you agree?”
Our patients may not follow
New patient with type II diabetes, wearing a CGM:
“I learned from my CGM I can’t eat bagels”
It’s been 5 YEARS since someone talked to him about nutrition
Imagine how much more powerful of a tool it could be if patients sat down and talked about the results with a provider
A day in the life of modern healthcare:
I have a patient with T2 diabetes, morbidly obese, and asking about diet + lifestyle change
Today her doctor’s nutrition advice is to ⬇️ salt, and he recommended a brand of salt-free potato chips
No mention of low carb, real food diet
In 2020 I had over 150 new patients battling cancer
I started to wonder, what is going on?
I’m honored to be a part of
@travelingenes
documentary alongside
@calleymeans
@drcateshanahan
To shift the conversation towards prevention instead of cures
Have you watched this
This is a huge day for
@X
.
My documentary, Cancer: A Food-Borne Illness, is finally here.
It is only on this platform that I am able to release a film that challenges big food conglomerates and mainstream health claims without fear of censorship.
Here is the story of how I, an
Researchers are unofficially referring to Alzheimer’s Disease as Type 3 diabetes
Managing blood sugar to avoid insulin resistance not only reduces your risk for type II diabetes, but dementia too
The time is now to:
Eat real food
Avoid ultra-processed food and sugar galore
Why are we putting CANOLA OIL in coffee?
I can see why a non-dairy alternative is appreciated for the lactose intolerant, although there are better options than oat milk (can cause a big glucose spike), but why canola oil?
Help me understand.
According to the American Heart Association, if I care about my health, I should be frying no more than ONE egg a day and in canola oil or corn oil.
Looks like I’m doomed, especially since I also eat red meat.
Do they recommend limits on bowls of heart healthy Cheerios?
One of the biggest shifts in what I eat was when I started to write down how I FELT after a meal
Sleepy, energized, sad, focused, bloated, etc.
After a few days of this it became easier to make the best food choices for the life I wanted
If you’ve never tried this, start today
My brother-in-law has been in the hospital for days, and without a good reason was put on a modified diet
The first thing the dietitian recommended was Ensure
My sister, knowing Ensure would make him worse, asked for an alternative
The alternative:
When an institution with a reputation like Harvard warns against red meat in 2023, the masses listen
Making it infinitely harder for clinicians working in the trenches with sick patients to get them to even consider reducing grains and sugar in favor of meat
We are outraged
Overheard at the pool:
“I started to eat a lot of meat, eggs, yogurt, and the fruit and vegetables I like, and the weight came off”
“I even eat MORE than I used to, but feel better”
Sometimes NOT the quantity, but the quality of what we eat, matters most for sustainable weight
People who have 3+ kinds of cereal boxes on top of the fridge
Are usually the same people who say “I limit eggs because of the cholesterol”
I don’t blame these people
I blame General Mills, Kellogg’s, Post Consumer Brands for convincing us that boxed cereal is health food
A patient guessed that obesity in her grandparents generation was rare because of smaller portion sizes.
The bigger difference between now and then?
People were mainly eating real, farm food. Meat. Eggs. Dairy. Vegetables. Fruit.
Not 🚫:
Ultra-processed, lab food
Sugar galore
15 months ago I had 2 followers on here
Pretty sure one was a bot, and the other a friend 😬
Now at almost 8k I’ve learned
-everyday people want to go back to simple, real food
-a growing # of health care providers, entrepreneurs, and everyday folks are advocating for real
Whenever a patient starts with “I saw on the news…”
It usually means I have damage control ahead
Today my sweet, type 2 diabetic patient: “So that new study said red meat is bad for diabetes”
It’s happening. Already seeing the negative effects of Harvard’s recent study.
Worth repeating
PSA: It’s ok to eat red meat 🥩
Even in 2023, every week I still meet people who say “I don’t eat red meat,” like it’s a badge of honor
Is there a faster track to fixing this mentality of red meat as a food to fear/avoid?
My sister is a labor & delivery RN
She sees a lot of parents bringing this for their newborn.
Main ingredients:
corn syrup (sugar) and vegetable oil
Those who rely on formula to help, what are alternatives that aren’t a fortune?
Ingredient list reads like boost for babies!
@sciencebyjae
Please do the opposite of this thread if you want to improve your healthspan. Choose olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, butter, or tallow.
I could eat this every day
Bacon, 2 eggs + 3 tablespoons egg whites, Bubbies sauerkraut, & blueberries
Taste ✅
Full for hours ✅
Supports my health goals ✅
Eating at home can be simple
Eating healthy CAN be expensive, but it can also be affordable.
This chuck eye steak was $3.47. Add in 2 eggs, and the free herbs from my patient’s garden, this meal was less than $5, and took me less than 15 minutes to cook.
While this recipe is an improvement compared to any breakfast suggestion on the American Diabetes Association’s food hub site
At 32 grams of carbs, and 16 grams of sugar, I’m not convinced this is how we “outsmart diabetes” on an empty stomach
Better option? 🍳
One of my biggest aha moments was when I started to write down how I FELT after a meal
Tired, Energized, Sad, Bloated, Satiated, etc
After that it became much easier to make the best food choices for my body, and the life I wanted
If you've never tried this, start today
Not sure who needs to hear this
But you don't have to be a nutrition expert
To know that focusing on real food is the way to health
We've overcomplicated it
Stick to real food 🥩🫐🍳🧀🥦🍗
And avoid the junk
It’s January 3rd, and if you’ve already veered off course, it’s ok.
Start again tomorrow.
Keep it simple:
-Eat real food
-Avoid ultra-processed food and sugar
-Cook the majority of meals at home
-Move your body
-Get outside
-Good sleep
Rinse. Repeat.
If I had a dollar for every time someone told me
"I avoid red meat + eggs because of cholesterol,"
I'd be able to pay off my student loans tomorrow.
A plea to fellow health care providers:
let's teach people to avoid fearing real food
Junk food won't be happy about this
Best way to avoid modern disease? Avoid modern diet.
Get rid of:
🚫 Seed oils (canola, soybean, sunflower, safflower, rice bran, etc.)
Limit:
🚫 Processed food (things with an ingredient list!)
🚫 Sugar
I see these in most of my patient’s homes, and cringe.
Main ingredients: corn syrup solids, sugar, and seed oils. 🤯
It’s as if we are deliberately trying to make patients sicker.
Why does this continue to be the go-to recommendation for seniors to ⬆️ weight & muscle mass?
In the context of ~$412 billion spent on diabetes in 2022 in the U.S. alone,
should we be advocating for pasta 3-4x/week based on a food frequency questionnaire study funded by the PASTA industry?! 🤯
We can do better
@washingtonpost
The top 2 comments I hear from patients when I ask about their diet:
1) I don’t eat red meat
or
2) I don’t eat a lot of red meat
This is usually the FIRST comment they make
🥩 is brought up more than ultra- processed food, sugar, refined carbs, or alcohol
A reminder of what we are feeding our elderly at assisted living facilities.
Mind you, this is a high-end one - one I’d probably never be able to afford.
And we wonder why so many of our elders are frequent flyers to the hospital.
I can think of better ways to “break fast.”
Optimal health starts in the kitchen
Regardless of how much you exercise,
If your diet consists of mostly ultra-processed junk,
It will eventually catch up to you
This is my observation after working with patients in the U.S. the past decade
Focus on real, whole food
@HeidiHmoretti
I’ll never understand the guardians of ultra-processed foods crowd. How is it controversial that UPFs are destroying human health around the globe. 🤯
I meet many patients who want to eat better, and improve their health, but don't know how to cook, and have zero interest in learning how to (assuming no mobility barriers)
Cooking is a lost art, and can be one of the best ways to address hypertension, and obesity
1/4 cup of sugar poured on cucumbers. This is how you maintain type II diabetes. I can’t think of anyone who would benefit from this recipe besides pharmaceutical companies or Davita.
Imagine if we recommended REAL FOOD to our diabetic patients
instead of Fortune 500 company lab food.
My patient’s nephrologist suggests THREE Glucerna a day (loaded with sugar and seed oils)
Is the patient thriving on this nutrition recommendation?
Spoiler alert: No.
Worth repeating.
It’s hard to gain weight when insulin level is low.
If you want to reduce insulin, reduce glucose spikes.
How?
⬇️ sugar and ⬇️ refined carbohydrates.
A good place to start if you want to lose weight. A good place to start if you want to feel better.
Thank you so much for having me
@JesseBWatters
and
@FoxNews
.
I’m only 18, but my message to Big Food is simple:
Have the moral courage to stop getting teens addicted to sugar or we’ll have exponentially more cancer than any generation before us.
I won’t stop until I’ve
Met a very pleasant new patient today who is morbidly obese and was recently hospitalized for hyperglycemia and acute kidney injury.
This is the extent of her discharge instructions from the hospital in regards to nutrition.
Welcome to health care in the U.S.A. 🇺🇸
The first time I saw the arrow in the FedEx logo
I wondered how I could miss something so obvious that's hiding in plain sight
It's a lot like health care in the U.S.
Many of the powers that be, and everyday folks, are still perplexed by what's causing skyrocketing rates of
This will undoubtedly ruffle some feathers.
And it’s not to slam any certain way of eating. You do you.
But I will never go back to being a vegetarian.
For 3 years I had:
Fatigue
Frequent migraines
Too many cavities!
@kevinstock12
Mood swings
Making conversation with a patient with mild cognitive impairment due to dementia
And I ask if she is looking forward to brisket for Passover:
“Oh honey my doctor told me to stay away from red meat!”
🥩 Fear of red meat has been so deeply ingrained in us 🥩
Wolves, gorillas, and penguins don’t need doctors, nurses, dietitians, and therapists to tell them what to eat.
Animals in the wild instinctively know how to fuel the body.
How have humans veered so far off course?
How have we lost our way?
It seems like every patient that tells me “I watch my salt intake” is also on 10+ medications, and a frequent flyer to the hospital.
Once again,
@ElieJarrougeMD
is spot on.
Doctors often blame high blood pressure on salt. If this is true, how come I’ve never seen any patient fix it by restricting 🧂?
Also, how come my patients fix it by limiting their sugar and carbs intake while also increasing their 🧂 intake?
Simple:🧂 is NOT the root cause.
Obesity is not an Ozempic deficiency.
Heart disease is not a statin deficiency.
Diabetes is not a metformin deficiency.
Depression is not an SSRI deficiency.
ADHD is not an Adderall deficiency.
We’re being lied to.
@agy_lena
I’d never refuse care. Read the tweet again. It’s about TALKING about diet as part of treatment for arthritis. Very few health care providers talk about diet. This needs to change. If you worked in health care, you might see this. Your story matters, but it’s just n=1.
@Andrew_The_PA
Good list! I’d like to add quality sleep, omega 3s, routine exercise, novel activities, and social interaction to stimulate the brain! Helps tremendously with my patients.
In 3 weeks my mom turns 70
1 month ago, she joined a gym for the first time in her life, and she's hooked (now I affectionately call her a "gym rat")
It's never too late folks
No need to wait until Jan 1
Aim for 1% better every day
Start today
It’s hard to address your arthritis if you don’t address your diet.
Does exercise play a role in pain management? Absolutely. But it starts with food.
Start by reducing sugar, refined carbohydrates, and seed oils.
You’ll feel better and get more out of your exercise routine.
My 88 year-old patient with multiple comorbidities, including type II diabetes, recently had dental work for a toothache
Dentist advised “eat pasta for a month”
since it’s soft
There are plenty of soft foods that won’t skyrocket blood glucose 📈
Don’t assume your health care
@hubermanlab
@BioLayne
N=1 but my health has improved since ditching them. I see no reason to consume them when we have plenty of options like olive oil, avocado oil, grass fed butter, tallow, and coconut oil. Goes with the philosophy of minimally processed food.
Feeling full and feeling satiated are different
Oatmeal 🥣 (high carbs / low in fat) with its fiber / ability of the oats to soak up water trick you into feeling full but HUNGRY soon after
🍳with its protein and fat = satiated for hours
High protein / fat breakfast > high carb