Frequently Asked Questions

The short answer is no, the Keto diet is not a healthy diet to follow for either short term or long term health benefits. See my position paper and video presentation for more information.
I have a position paper available to read here. And a YouTube Video here.

Both Vegetarians and vegans don’t eat meat. Most vegetarians drink milk and eat eggs and cheese, but they just avoid any food that requires the killing of animals (for example meat and broth). Vegans don’t eat ANY foods that come from animals whether it is meat, fish, eggs, or dairy. Many vegans also avoid honey (animal product made by bees) and don’t wear leather goods.

There are two types of iron. Heme iron is found in animal foods like meat, fish, and poultry. Non-heme iron can be found in plant foods such as beans, grains, nuts and seeds, and many vegetables. Heme iron is readily absorbed by the intestines regardless of whether you need the iron or not. Non-heme iron has to be modified in the intestines first before absorption can take place; this allows the body to regulate  how much we take in based on our iron needs.

Unfortunately, many people have been misguided to think that a high absorption rate is better, specifically in regards to iron-deficiency anemia. However, it is actually more beneficial that our body can regulate iron absorption because iron is a pro-oxidant and high levels can increase oxidative stress resulting in a higher risk of heart disease or possibly cancer. 

In this study, heme iron intake was associated significantly with increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Moreover, while vegans and vegetarians have lower iron stores in their body, they do not have higher rates of iron-deficiency anemia as shown in this study. Personally, I prefer that my body has the power to increase or decrease iron absorption based on physiological need.

The smoothies that I recommend and that you see me make on my youtube channel contain half fruit and half vegetables. I do not recommend all- fruit smoothies as fruit is generally best eaten whole. However, high-powered blenders have the ability to break open the cell walls of fruits and vegetables, making their vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients significantly more available; learn more here. Personally, I have found that I eat way more fruits and vegetables when I can drink them rather than eat them whole. I also recommend sipping on smoothies over 30 minutes or longer to prevent any type of blood sugar spike that may occur if you chug them quickly (for my diabetic readers out there). It is for this same reason that I don’t recommend all-fruit smoothies.

I high recommend that every kitchen in America has either a Vitamix or Blendtec blender. I have had some success with the “bullet” blenders however their small size means you will eventually want to upgrade to a larger machine once you become a pro smoothie maker. I have used the “Ninja” many many times (unfortunately) and I find that its build quality sucks (too many plastic parts, snaps, and catches to break), the 1-year warrantee is next to useless, and the smoothies it produces are far from smooth (chunks and lumps). Check out this awesome blender comparison video by the Blender Babes.

Vitamix put an add out showing that you would have to buy THREE “Ninjas” to last as long as one Vitamix. I think they were being generous. My friend had to replace her entire ninja about 12-18 months after she bought it. My Vitamix is going on 8 years old and looks/works as good as it did the day I bought it. I find the “Ninjas” harder to fill as the blades get in the way, and if you have children those sharp blades can be very dangerous to clean. You will find on the Vitamix and Blendtec blenders that their blades are actually dull. You can run your fingers over them and not cut yourself. They work through sheer power and force rather than sharpness. One last tip, never buy blenders new; check out these refurbished sections here (Vitamix, Blendtec). Most can be had for around $230-$330 and believe me they are worth every penny and more. I have owned three refurbished Vitamix Blenders (one got stolen and one I gave away to a friend) and they arrive looking and functioning like new. Check out my cooking tools page for more information.

The vast majority of the foods you buy at the grocery should not have labels, or come in a box, can, bag, or bottle. Before you go through the check-out line, take a look at what you are about to buy. Most items should be produce: fruits and vegetables. There should be dried foods or bulk bin items such as: grains (oatmeal, rice, etc), whole wheat pasta perhaps, nuts and seeds (not roasted or salted), and dried beans. Only a small portion of what you buy regularly should have a nutrition facts label. The foods I do buy in cans, boxes, or bottles typically contain only one ingredient such as: tomato paste, 100% fruit juice, whole wheat pasta, rice, and beans. I focus more on limiting the number of ingredients in a product than the nutrition facts label.

I use nutrition facts labels often times as a way to compare two items. For example, I choose bread with the higher fiber content (4-5g per slice). For canned goods I look for NO SALT ADDED (look for less than 300mg of sodium per serving). I love making my own marinara sauce using NO SALT ADDED canned tomato sauce and mixing in some fresh herbs and garlic. If you find that it needs a little salt, YOU add the salt, not the manufacture. Remember, following a healthy diet puts you in control. 

Choosing the lower fat option can often be a better idea (low/non-fat dairy). However, fat content is often measured by weight, not by calories. This means that 2% milk has two percent of its calories from fat by WEIGHT. But by calories, it is 38% fat (120 calories per glass, 45 of those are fat calories). On the nutrition facts label you will find total calories per serving and calories from fat (new labels are omitting calories from fat). Divide the fat calories by the total calories to get the percentage (just move the decimal point to the right 2 places). I’m not suggesting that you bring a calculator to the store. The take home message is lower fat options are generally better than their full-fat counterparts but just because something says lean does not mean it is lean. 

The product label shown on the left is 90% lean by WEIGHT (11 grams of fat from a 113 gram serving) BUT 50% of its calories come from fat (100 fat calories from a 200 calorie serving)

You may have heard that dietary cholesterol has no effect on our blood cholesterol levels or on our heart disease risk.  In fact, saturated fat has more of a cholesterol raising effect than dietary cholesterol. Nonetheless, these statements are based off of studies that take typical Americans and place half of them on a normal cholesterol diet and half on a low cholesterol diet. The problem with this study design is that the average American is doing SO MANY things to increase their risk for heart disease, if you only change one part of their diet, it is difficult to see any difference.  However, if you take someone on a healthy diet and add back in dietary cholesterol, their serum or blood cholesterol goes back up, and their markers for heart disease rapid increase within days. CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF HERE. If you are still not convinced that cholesterol is bad for your health, keep in mind that cholesterol containing foods (animal products) tend to be higher in fat, including saturated fat, naturally occurring hormones, environmental pollutants through biomagnification, and a whole host of other compounds that can increase our risk for heart disease. We must look at food as a whole rather than the effects of a single element. 

1. Have options. Make sure you have lots of variety in your kitchen. If you only have a couple healthy items available, you are more likely to choose something unhealthy. Keep several different kinds of fruit, snack bars, trail mix, cooked beans and rice, tortillas, frozen fruit for smoothies, lots of left overs (cook larger portions), and maybe a few quick and easy items like frozen meals that have been prepared in advance. The same goes for when you are on the road or traveling. The more healthy options you have, the greater likelihood that you will make the better choice.

2. Cooking isn’t hard, but you have to learn. Aim for 30 minutes or less in the kitchen. Start with the basics: boiling grains, chopping produce, sautéing or steaming vegetables, blending, and making sauces with a food processor if you have one. The more you cook, the faster and easier it will become. Over the years I’ve taken my favorite family recipes and made them healthier by adding extra veggies, choosing brown rice or whole grains instead of their refined “white” counterpart, and cutting the meat, salt, sugar, or oil in half (or better yet leaving it out entirely). I eat a lot of Mexican food (rice, beans, tortillas, homemade guacamole, salsa), at least 2-3x per week. I always make extras for next day’s lunch. And since I drink smoothies for breakfast, I’m only cooking once per day. If a recipe calls for some unusual ingredient, leave it out or find a different recipe. Remember, you’re in control. If you think a recipe is too complicated, find a simpler one.

3. Eat more. Most people who fail when eating healthy simply don’t eat enough. You may often hear, “I was hungry all the time.” Remember, if you are doing it right you will be taking in much fewer calories during the day. And without all the high-fat and high-protein foods that sit in your stomach for hours, you will get hungry sooner. Healthy foods have more fiber, which helps fill you up. A piece of fruit isn’t going to cut it. You need 3-4 pieces. I drink a half gallon green smoothie for breakfast. Skip the side salads and get out a large mixing bowl, fill it up with greens, peppers, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, dried cranberries. I also like to add beans on top and have a small starchy side like a baked potato or pasta. For lunch I often eat the previous night’s leftovers. Unlike oils and sugar, fiber takes up a lot of space in your stomach, making you feel full but with zero calories! What I love most about eating this eat is the more I eat, the healthier I become. I enjoy eating AND I enjoy the way it makes me feel. Win-Win.

4. Don’t worry about carbs, fats, or protein. Seriously. Mother nature has already perfected the macronutrient ratios, so just focus on whole plant foods. This include: Grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, and beans. Make your meals out of these. Some days I’m higher carb, some I’m higher in fat. But I never count and I never worry. Check out my carbs, fats, and proteins videos here.

5. Eating healthy isn’t restrictive. I had no idea how much selection there was at my local grocery market until I started vegetable juicing and cooking my own meals. There are hundreds of fruits and vegetable at most stores nationwide that most of us have never tried. The unhealthfulness in America today is so bad, it is literally part of our cultural identity. When we are surrounded at all times by unhealthy food options, making the right choice can be nearly impossible. But when you create a culture of health in your home, at your workplace, and where you dine out, healthy eating comes easy and naturally.

6. You will enjoy food more. This goes hand-in-hand with #5. As I’ve discovered new foods, I’ve found new FAVORITE foods. I enjoy the complexity that a variety of vegetables, homemade sauces, and ethnic spices can provide. I also have a healthier connection with my body. I see food as a way to love, care, and nourish myself. This adds a new dimension to my meals I never thought possible.

7. Meat-less substitutes are a treat. RE-read #4, “Focus on the basics.” Vegan substitutes are nice to enhance a dish (vegan sausages in homemade pasta or pizza) but should not be relied upon as a direct replacement. Some argue that they help bridge a gap as people begin to experiment with the idea of going vegetarian or vegan. To be honest, I don’t care much for these imitation items. Often times with these products, you are just substituting one unhealthy ingredient for another. And I am not investing all my energy and time into preparing healthy meals only to sabotage my efforts with “alternative” foods. I e-mailed a popular meat-less alternative company about the high salt content (600mg per wiener) and their response was that taste and acceptance is more important that healthfulness.” Wow.

8. Going vegetarian or vegan is easy. There are entire sections in the grocery store that you get to skip. Since you’re focusing on foods that actually have an expiration date, you can stay clear of the middle isles, too. It’s not so much about going vegetarian/vegan as it is about getting healthy. Shopping trips are quicker. How hard is it to eat fruit? Prepare mixed veggies? Or boil some grains and pasta? No need to worry about ovens or cooking meat to the correct temperature. Many plant-based dishes are simple and direct. Remember, 30 minutes or less.

9. Dairy is not healthy. We often think of dairy as a source of protein and calcium but what we don’t think about are the antibodies, HORMONES INCLUDING ESTROGEN, growth factors, and enzymes found naturally in milk. All these components help a baby calf gain around 800 pounds in a year as it grows into a cow. Dairy milk is steroids for a baby cow…just let that sink in. Moreover, dairy is the #1 source of saturated fat in our diet which we know increases our risk for our #1 cause of death, heart disease. If you are concerned about calcium, beans and greens are excellent sources. Plus you get all the vitamins, minerals, and fiber that will protect you again chronic disease.

10. There are hidden ingredients in everything. One of the biggest “eye openers” as you start down the scary road of label reading is how many foods are packed with dozens of weird ingredients that you wouldn’t find if you made that food yourself. Often times manufactures are more concerned with the texture, shape, shelf life, and acceptability of their products than they are about it’s healthfulness. Even seemingly benign items like vegetable soup, breads, and salad dressings are not safe from the experiment that is our food system. You might find yourself thinking thoughts like, “Seriously?! Why did that manufacture have to put 2% or less of whey powder in my margarine? The best part about cooking meals yourself at home is that you are in control of what goes in your food.

11. “The hardest part about choosing to eat healthy is watching everyone around you get sick.” I heard this quote once and I will never forget it. You may have made the choice for yourself to become as healthy as possible, and I believe going vegan is that answer for me. While you are actively taking a role in your health, most people you know won’t. Food is a very individualized, and sensitive, topic for many. We each need to make the decision for ourselves how we will live our lives. I choose to be as healthy as possible. What do you choose?

Many diets eliminate soy because of its “estrogenic” effect on the body. While soy does bind to our estrogen receptors (men included), it does not active them the way that animal estrogen does. Plant and animal estrogens are very different and effect our body often times in opposite ways. When we eat soy, we are blocking our own estrogen from binding, creating an anti-estrogenic effect. This helps explain why women who eat soy, such as in Japan, actually have a LOWER RISK OF BREAST CANCER. A large study published in the Journal of American Medical Association followed 5,000 breast cancer survivors and found that soy consumption was significantly associated with decreased risk of death and recurrence. Digging deeper, there are two types of estrogen receptors, Alpha and Beta. These “sub-sets” of receptors help explain the anti-breast cancer but pro-bone building effects of soy. Check out the videos below for more information!

VIDEO one: WHO SHOULDN’T EAT SOY

Video Two: BREAST CANCER SURVIVAL AND SOY

WARNING: The following contains a daily dose of truth. If you are concerned about your estrogen exposure, you may want to consider going vegetarian. All animal products including meat, dairy, and eggs contain estrogen. “Women may excrete 16 mcg every day [of estrogen], but farm animals may release 10 times more, or in the case of pregnant cows, thousands of times more.” Got Milk?

Coconut oil is not a health food. The healthiest foods are ones that are consumed intact exactly as they are found in nature. If you want coconut oil, eat the coconut meat inside the coconut where the fat is intact with the fiber. Any time we separate out individual parts of food, it likely will result in a less healthy product. Coconut oil is no different. It is actually more harmful than other oils because it contains saturated fat which increases our risk for heart disease. Nutrition studies show that coconut oil increases insulin resistance, the hallmark of diabetes. Moreover, oils cause our arteries to stiffen; a high-fat meal can cripple our arterial function for 3-4 hours as shown here. What happens after we recover? We eat another meal! Should you avoid all oils? Not necessarily. Stick to less than 2 tablespoons daily (this includes salad dressings).

The paleo diet gained its popularity around the mid-2000’s and gained quit an impressive following (although it quickly phased out as the Keto Diet became the ned FAD). Its advocates argue that we as humans started eating grains around 10,000 years ago and thus our GI tract has not ADAPTED for these foods. The same goes for dairy and processed junk foods. Humans consumed a “paleo” diet for 2 million years (meat, vegetables, nuts and seeds, limited fruit) so the thinking is we are much better adapted to this style of eating compared to our modern grain-centered diet which began around 10,000 years ago. See timeline below.

But why stop here? Why stop at 2 million years? How were we evolving and what was our diet prior to eating paleo?

It turns out that our current digestive tracts have been evolving for over 25 million years! During which time we followed a plant-based, fruit centered diet with only 5% of total calories coming from animal sources in the form of insects. Yum. In the bottom right corner of the timeline is the paleo timeline for reference.

So is the Paleo Diet good or not? For starters, there is more than one “take” on the paleo diet, depending on which book you read. Regardless, there are two fundamental flaws with the concept:



1) We may have been eating paleo longer than grains, but we have been eating vegetarian for a much more significant part of our evolutionary history. Like ten times longer.

2) What is a paleo diet anyways? It turns out our more recent ancestors were actually gather-hunters eating lots of fiber, tons of vegetation, and only supplementing with meats. Unfortunately, many people use the Paleo diet as an excuse to eat steak and bacon.

We are living much longer than our ancestors and we need a diet for longevity. We may have been more likely to die from disease or dinosaurs than the decades it takes to develop heart disease (by the way, cave men and dinosaurs never co-existed ever in history)
. All this being said, I think the Paleo Diet isn’t all that bad when executed well!

What I like about the paleo diet: 
It focuses on whole, intact foods with minimal processing (some even encourage organic, free range meats which are lower in harmful omega-6 fats)
Avoidance of dairy (nowhere in history were we ever meant to drink milk from another species)
It has influenced a lot of people to think about nutrition.

What I don’t like about the paleo diet:
 We need to eat more carbs, especially fruit, which it discourages
Beans, lentils, and whole grains like oatmeal are extremely healthy for us (especially those with heart disease and diabetes). Some books focus more on high-fat, large cuts of meat, too much cholesterol
The interpretation and execution of the diet is often wrong: Paleo does not mean bacon, cake make with almond flour, and unlimited steak.

Final words: If you want to eat a paleo diet, go for it! Just make sure it is the diet our Paleolithic brothers and sisters actually ate: lots and lots of fiber (upwards of 100 grams per day), vegetables, some fruit, nuts and seeds, and meat as a supplement (not a staple).

It’s all about flax seeds! Why? Because they are cheap, readily available, and have been shown to reduce the risk for breast, prostate, and colon cancer.Flax seeds are extremely high in a compound called lignans which is responsible for their anti-cancer property. Up to 800x more lignans can be found in flax seeds compared to any other food. Brown or golden, the color does not matter, just buy the cheaper one.

The National Cancer Institutecompleted a study where they took women at high risk for breast cancer; they either had a history of breast cancer or had a suspicious breast biopsy showing either precancerous changes or carcinoma in situ. They asked the women to eat a single teaspoon of ground flax seed daily for a year before having a repeat biopsy. What did they find? In 80% of the participants (36 out of 45) they found less cellular proliferating and fewer precancerous changes.

Another study looking at prostate cancer male participants were asked to consume 3 tablespoons of ground flax seed along with a low-fat diet for a month prior to having a prostatectomy.  They found a significant drop in PSA levels (Prostate-specific antigen), improvements in their lipid panel, and a significant decrease in cellular proliferation rate. So much so that two of the participants did not have to go through with the follow-up biopsy.

Please keep in mind, these are interventional studies and their results should be taken with a grain of salt (not literally, if you want to prevent hypertension). However, good nutrition is a win-win. The benefits of eating a healthy diet are numerous and their side effects are always positive. Flax seeds are also high in fiber and rich in Omega-3 fatty acids which make them great for our heart.

More importantly, chronic constipation can increase your risk for diverticular disease. Straining on the potty increases intra-abdominal pressure which creates the “outpouchings” that we find with diverticular disease. The nuts and seeds thing is a myth and it has never been proven that small food particles get trapped in these pockets. In reality, these pockets create a bacterial breeding ground for infections to form.

We need to eat more fiber. I recommend that most individuals consume at least 40 grams per day (much higher than the measly 14 grams most Americans get daily). It is thought that our “hunter-gather” ancestors consumed upwards of 100 grams per day (not so carnivorous were they J). Anthropological evidence (paleo poop) suggests that our ancient relatives were more like gather-hunters with a much greater emphasis on vegetation and fiber than mass meat consumption.

When we consume fiber, it traps cholesterol inside of our small intestine disrupting our ability to recycle/reabsorb cholesterol. This means we POOP OUT CHOLESTEROL, thus lowering our blood cholesterol levels. Moreover, bacteria in our large intestine convert fiber to butyrate, a healthy substance that protects us from colon cancer.

As an aside, fiber contains zero calories yet helps us feel full after a meal. This is one of the reasons why people who follow vegetarian diets (high in fiber) tend to weigh less than their omnivorous counterparts. This is why many individuals on “low-carb” diets complain of constipation. Aside from vegetables, carbohydrate-rich foods are the ONLY source of fiber.

With all these benefits, why don’t we eat more fiber? Bottom line, it’s not sexy.  But it sure beats being constipated. So here’s a list of recommended foods to boost your fiber intake:

Legumes: Beans, lentils, split peas are all very high in fiber (a whopping 25 grams in 1 cup)

Whole Grains: Brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, faro, barley, whole grain breads, tortillas, buckwheat, bulger, spelt

Fruits and Vegetables: Expect about 2-3 grams per serving (handful/1 cup or 1 piece) Remember my 10 servings daily? That’s 20-30 grams of fiber!

Meat/dairy: NO FIBER

Final words: Fiber supplements may help keep you regular but won’t provide all of the health benefits described above. Make sure you drink at least 64 ounces of water daily to keep that fiber moving (or more if sweating or high physical activity).

Quick Reminder: The Hypertension Guidelines have changed! ACC/AHA have now defined hypertension as a blood pressure of 130/80 (compared to 140/90). Based on this new definition, nearly HALF of American adults (46%) now have high blood pressure. Nutrition NEEDS to be the primary treatment for those with hypertension. In many cases this condition is reversible with aggressive diet and lifestyle modifications. Don’t see this condition as a natural part of the aging process. Hypertension is one of the first warning signs that our body gives us that our diet and lifestyle are not supporting a healthy body. If we take action now, we may be able to prevent more serious conditions such as dementia, heart disease, and stroke later in life.

“Fat in sufficient quantities in the intestine enables the translocation of bacteria into the lining of the intestine. When our immune system attempts to attack the bacteria, it attacks us as well.”

“The irony is that the highest fiber group wasn’t even eating the official recommended daily minimum of fiber intake, but even just being less fiber deficient has a wide range of benefits, including, evidently, a significant reduction in the risk of developing Crohn’s disease.” ~NutritionFacts.org

By the way, minimum fiber intake for women is 28 grams daily, which is only slightly more than what can be had from a cup of beans.

We also know from a study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology that high intake of meat was associated with a significant increased risk for IBD (Inflammatory bowel disease). This is why most dietitians will not recommend a ketogenic diet or any diet that favors meat consumption in favor of fruits and vegetables.  Check out my paper, Dangers of The Ketogenic Diet.

2) More plants, less animals. Produce is very ANTI-INFLAMATORY, helps boost our immune system, and is very high in fiber

3) More whole foods, less processed foods. Weird ingredients like maltodextrin and polysorbate 80 were also shown to increase your risk. Again, if you buy single ingredients, you will know exactly what you are eating, instead of trusting big food manufactures or the FDA to only put safe ingredients in packaged foods.

Want to know what happens when Crohn’s sufferers follow a semi-vegetarian diet for two years? Watch this short 4-minute video: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/achieving-remission-of-crohns-disease/