Debunking
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Leaky Gut Syndrome – What It Is and How to Know If You Have It
What is Leaky Gut? Leaky Gut Syndrome vs leaky gut Leaky gut syndrome (LGS) is a well-publicized but medically unrecognized condition that is separate and distinct from the scientific phenomenon of leaky gut (aka, increased intestinal permeability), a known factor in diseases such as celiac and Crohn’s disease. The hypothesis of leaky gut syndrome is that when the junctions in our intestinal lining are malfunctioning, the intestines become hyperpermeable. This then allows harmful substances through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream. Proponents of LGS claim that a host of maladies – from bloating to autism – are caused by the immune system reacting to germs, toxins or other substances that…
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4 Reasons to Break Up With Your Fitness Tracker
Or “take a break” … or “just be friends” Here’s recent imaginary conversation between me and my fitness watch: Me: “It’s not me, it’s you. You only love me when I walk 10,000 steps per day, you take a lot of my work and exercise for granted, and I’m afraid you’ll share my personal information without my permission. In short, I invest a lot of time and effort in you, yet end up feeling inadequate and betrayed. I think we should just be friends.” Fitness watch: [silent] Fitness trackers are great for a lot of things – like setting a morning alarm that won’t wake your spouse. That is the…
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Health At Every Size – What It Is, Why It’s Important, and Where It Goes Too Far
In my recovery from Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (HA), I’ve been listening to some podcasts that discuss the topic. Because the majority of HAers are restricting food and exercising excessively, a lot of these podcasts delve into eating disorders, diet culture, and a principle called Health At Every Size®, or HAES. What is HAES? In short, the HAES approach to both policy and individual decision-making that rejects the following: The use of weight, size, or BMI as proxies for health, and The myth that weight is a choice. The Health At Every Size® Principles are: Weight Inclusivity: Accept and respect the inherent diversity of body shapes and sizes and reject the idealizing…
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Turmeric and Curcumin: The Super Nutrient Spice?
How to know whether turmeric supplements are for you. If you live near a Natural Grocers (NG) health food store, you may be familiar with their regular publication, the “good4u Health Hotline Magazine”. This is a legit magazine that is part sales flyer, but also includes nutrition articles, recipes, and store events. I really get into reading these, especially the nutrition articles. They vary from the typical – “eat more organic vegetables” – to the obscure – “methylation adaptogens to restore methylation balance”. (What?! I’ll have to do some research on that one!) The January edition of good4u Health Hotline included the eye-catching article “Natural Grocers Top 10 Trends for…
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Three Reasons Noom is Not for Me
I was excited to try out Noom, a healthy-habit/weight loss app that’s been getting a ton of press recently. I dutifully entered all of my health info and stats as prompted and waited for my personalized recommendations. Imagine my surprise when Noom gleefully announced that I could lose 15 lbs by March! Surprised because, if I did lose 15 lbs, I’d weigh 100 lbs (I’m 5’6”), which would be unhealthy and darn near starvation. Noom. It’s an expensive app ($45/month at time of posting) designed by behavioral psychologists to help you lose weight. It’s targeted to millenials, because as stated by the app itself, millennials struggle to perform difficult tasks…
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This is Meaty – 4 Reasons Humans Should Eat Animals
If you’ve read my post on the pros and cons of veganism, you know that I was a vegan for two years, meaning I did not eat any animal products (even honey!). My choice to eat plant-based was motivated by a desire to lower my risk for chronic disease (personal health) have less impact on the environment. While I know that eating vegan is more Earth-friendly than an omnivore diet, I’m not convinced that avoiding animal products is the healthiest way to eat. Made For Meat-Eating Sorry vegans, but humans are omnivores, and we wouldn’t have progressed this far, meaning, we wouldn’t have become homo sapiens without the nutritional density…
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Keto is Crap!
3 Reasons to Not Put Yourself Through It Keto is “all the rage” in the fad diet world these days. I’ll bet you know someone doing it, or perhaps you’ve done the keto diet yourself. We see celebrities and others in the media advertising the dramatic weight loss or cognitive benefits of the keto diet. What’s more, now one can buy “keto-approved” pre-packaged and convenience food items. You know a fad diet has reached peak frenzy when food companies invest in tailor-made products for its followers. So what’s all the fuss about? What even is the keto diet? The ketogenic or “keto” diet is a very low carbohydrate, high-fat eating…
