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Doug Cook RD > carotenoids

Slate plate with pieces of delicious chocolate brownie

Slate plate with pieces of delicious chocolate brownie

Sweet Potato Brownies

Let’s face it, everyone loves desserts of some kind. Some love cake, others ice...

Sweet Potato Brownies

dougcookrd

Doug Cook RD, The Gut Brain Guy

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My practice is grounded in science not dogma. I provide evidence to substantiate my views and nutritional advice.

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Phone: 1-416-413-9095

Fax: 416-352-5186

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Looking for a quick brain-nourishing meal? ⁣
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If you have a knife, a bowl, some salt, pepper, and lemons, you're good to go. ⁣
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This took no time at all. ⁣
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Just take 2 cans of sardines, and put them in a bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and some fresh lemon juice; refrigerate for a couple of hours. ⁣
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Why two cans? Um, for leftovers silly. ⁣
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When hungry, plop half the amount of sardines on a plate, cut an avocado in half, and season with a little salt, AND if you're extra lucky, and have a bottle of pickled beets, throw some of those in the mix as well. ⁣
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BAM, a meal that your brain would die for. Loaded with brain-loving goodies such as: ⁣
- omega-3 fats EPA, DPA, and DHA ⁣
- choline ⁣
- B vitamins ⁣
- iron ⁣
- zinc ⁣
- potassium ⁣
- lutein ⁣
- selenium ⁣
- vitamin D3 ⁣
- protein ⁣
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Damn...nutrient-density at its best. Thanks sardines, and thanks as well to the back-up crew avocado, and beets. ⁣

Adipose tissue inflammation and fibrosis (a hallma

Adipose tissue inflammation and fibrosis (a hallmark of adipose malfunction) are both linked to insulin resistance. ⁣
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Overweight and obesity induce changes to macrophages and adipocytes can lead to this chronic inflammation in fat cells and contribute to insulin resistance. ⁣
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Vitamin D receptor genes are found and expressed in dozens of cell and tissue types including adipocytes, macrophages, and fibroblasts – vitamin D has been shown to have direct anti-inflammatory effects on adipocytes. ⁣
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A small study of 19 subjects determined whether specific vitamin D receptor-mediated effects on adipocytes could impact adipose tissue inflammation, fibrosis, and therefore insulin resistance. ⁣
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19 overweight-to-obese subjects (BMI range 25-39), who were vitamin D deficient < 50 nmol (20 ng/ml) with confirmed insulin resistance (HOMA-IR > or equal to 3), underwent a euglycemic, hyper-insulinemic clamp study before and after vitamin D supplementation. ⁣
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Subjects were instructed to maintain their body weight and usual diet and exercise/activity level during the study duration. ⁣
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Vitamin D was given once a week during the study period. Vitamin D levels increase from about 37.5 nmol (15 ng/ml) to 130 nmol (52 ng/ml). ⁣
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Weekly doses were given (and varied) until a predetermined blood concentration was achieved: 75 nmol (30 ng) during the first 3 months of treatment and thereafter continued with weekly doses until a level of at least 130 nmol (50 ng) was achieved. ⁣
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To see if vitamin D’s effects are mediated through adipocytes, a vitamin D receptor knockout mouse model was used. ⁣
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𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗦: vitamin D repletion was associated with reductions in adipose tissue expression of pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic genes in the mouse model and improved hepatic insulin sensitivity in humans. During the 6-month study period, the placebo group saw worsening trends suggestive of progressive metabolic effects in vitamin D deficiency. ⁣
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#VitaminD #supplements #nutrition #health #insulin #insulinresistance #diabetes #inflammation #obesity #overweight #glycemic #vitamins #minerals #metabolic #metabolichealth #insulinsensitivity #nutrition

If I blindly toed the party line, I know, I'm laug

If I blindly toed the party line, I know, I'm laughing too, I'd have jumped on the witch hunt by now declaring the evils of fruit juice. ⁣
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No doubt you've heard certain health professionals decree from the rooftops things like "there's an ugly truth about fruit juice", or "juice is a risk factor for obesity", or "you're getting the sugar of 6 or 7 oranges" - cuz, you know, you have to squeeze several oranges to get the equivalent of 125 ml (4 oz) of liquid that is trapped in the flesh of the orange. ⁣
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As if the sugar (and carbs) is only found in the liquid part of the fruit. Do they really believe there are zero grams of carb left in the pulp after said juicing etc? ⁣
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A simple review of any nutrition database will reveal that 125 ml of orange juice DOES NOT have the same amount of sugar as 6 or 7 whole oranges. The number of calories, grams of sugar, vitamin C, and even the glycemic index are similar (within an acceptable margin of variance). ⁣
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Sigh. ⁣
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Earlier versions of Canada's Food Guide recommended 125l ml of citrus or tomato juice to prevent scurvy (thank you vitamin C). I grew up on juice but waaaaaay back then, I had a now-defunct 4 oz juice glass worth at breakfast - the size of juice glass you can likely only find in antique stores now. ⁣
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If you free-pour juice into larger drinking glasses which may be a problem as it's easy to overconsume large amounts of juice (liquid calories) which can contribute to excessive energy consumption. ⁣
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But for these health gurus to declare juice as the devil incarnate only to turn around and say things like "there are no good foods or bad foods", or "all foods fit", and spew vitriol (throw shade for the younger readers), at anyone who says doughnuts are unhealthy is at best uninformed and worst, hypocritical. ⁣
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C'mon now...just stop. ⁣
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If you want to have some juice, any juice, have at it. Keep the serving size small, and be sure to choose 100% juice. ⁣

You know omega-3 fats, specifically EPA, DPA & DHA

You know omega-3 fats, specifically EPA, DPA & DHA do a body good and you also know that when it comes to brain health, this is couldn't be clearer. ⁣
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But did you know that omega-3s can help to treat 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗿𝘆 (TBI), such as concussions, as well? ⁣
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In an upcoming podcast, I interviewed Dr. Michael Lewis on this very topic and reviewed his protocol and the amount of omega-3s needed for treating TBIs. You won't be disappointed. ⁣
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An interesting take away from my chat with Dr. Lewis is the notion of 'protection' in the event of a TBI. ⁣
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In other words, should a TBI occur (slipping on the ice, tripping, and falling, during recreational sports, occupational-related risk, etc), subsequent brain injury is reduced, and recovery improved IF your brain cells are optimally nourished (saturated) with enough omega-3 in the first place. ⁣
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How much is needed? ⁣
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The evidence suggests you need about 2000 - 3000 mg of omega-3 per day to ensure you have enough in your brain tissue to off-set any initial excess inflammation. ⁣
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This is where a healthy diet that includes fish and seafood, omega-3 enriched eggs, and a high quality, high-potency omega supplement like @aquaomega comes in ⁣
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#tbi #braininjury #traumaticbraininjury #concussion #sport #brainhealth #mentalhealth #omega3s #concussionrecovery #tbiawareness #postconcussionrecovery #tbisurvivor #concussionrehab #dha #omega #supplements #inflammation #fattyacids #brainfood #salmon #fish #omega3 #health

They say comfort kills. ⁣ ⁣ Speaking for myse

They say comfort kills. ⁣
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Speaking for myself, that's very true. ⁣
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I avoided many things that scared the hell out of me, choosing instead to live within my comfort zone for YEARS even though there were lots of things I wanted to try: writing for a newspaper, writing a book, public speaking, conducting workshops, public presentation, dabbling in media (TV and radio), and more. ⁣
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I wanted to explore these things within my career and I did. It WAS terrifying, but stretching myself has allowed me to chase lots of dreams. Some stuck, some fell by the wayside, but at least I tried and overcame my fears. ⁣
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Getting uncomfortable really is just growing pains, but you'll never know unless you edge to that boundary. ⁣

Brain-loving nutrients to go! ⁣ ⁣ For me, not

Brain-loving nutrients to go! ⁣
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For me, nothing is easier for breakfast than a nutrition-packed smoothie. ⁣
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Whether it's chugged down at home or taken to work, smoothies are a great way to pack in heaps of good stuff. ⁣
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The sky's the limit when it comes to ingredients. ⁣
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My main, go-to protein is typically a good-quality whey powder rounded out with some milled chia and flax seeds, hydrolyzed collagen powder from time to time, or hemp seeds as they're easy to blend and don't make things sticky like whole chia seeds. ⁣
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If I'm using whole chia seeds, I add them afterward, which makes for an easier clean-up. ⁣
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For extra creaminess, try 1/4 cup of coconut milk....mmmm good. ⁣
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Let's hear it for smoothies/protein shakes - ya! ⁣

Vitamin D enables the small intestines to absorb c

Vitamin D enables the small intestines to absorb calcium (along with magnesium and phosphorus). ⁣
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BUT there needs to be enough of it in your bloodstream for maximum calcium absorption. ⁣
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If your vitamin D concentration is not 75 nmol (30 ng/L for those that think of vitamin D in terms of mass 🙂 ), then you're not able to absorb calcium as efficiently as you can. ⁣
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So when your vitamin D is low, throwing all the calcium in the world won't help. In fact, you can get by with less dietary calcium because the proportion of calcium absorb is greater when your vitamin D is optimized. ⁣
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Regardless if you're aiming for the RDA or 1000 - 1200 mg of calcium per day (from all sources), or go with the WHO's recommended 500 mg per day, or closer to the UK's 700 mg a day, know that you'll be able to replace the 200 or so mg of calcium that is lost every day as part of normal bone turnover/remodelling when your vitamin D is ideal. ⁣
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To answer the age-old question, 'How much vitamin D should I take?". The answer is, whatever amount is needed to get your vitamin D to 75 nmol (the reality is, everyone is different which is why testing is best). For most, that's in the 2000-3000 IU (50-75 mcg) per day according to several studies. ⁣
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I'll be covering this and more in my vitamin D course, Vitamin D Essentials, link in bio. ⁣

If you're like me, you probably grew up with peanu

If you're like me, you probably grew up with peanut butter but there are a lot of different nuts and seed butter to consider. ⁣
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One of my favourite is pumpkin seed butter. It has about the same calories as peanut butter per 2 Tbsp serving but has a lot more magnesium. ⁣
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2 Tbsp of peanut butter has about 50 mg of magnesium, and pumpkin seed butter, about 155 mg. ⁣
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I've always hated pitting one thing against another so it's not about "choose this, instead of that" but rather to show there are advantages to shaking things up and getting more variety in your food choices. ⁣
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It's not uncommon to focus on the same 10 recipes or so, or the same food items in our shopping carts, week after week. ⁣
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Set a goal to try something new whether that's a different veggie, protein (steam some mussels instead of that same old chicken breast), or expand your nut and/or butter repertoire and give cashew, pumpkin seed, almond, and sunflower seed a go. ⁣
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What's your favourite peanut butter alternative? ⁣
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Photo a la @trinaphoto ⁣

Nutrients don't work in isolation. ⁣ ⁣ Unfort

Nutrients don't work in isolation. ⁣
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Unfortunately, nutrient studies have followed the drug model study design which works well for medications. Introducing a single variable (drug) that doesn't exist in the body is easier to measure and to see if an effect occurs. ⁣
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It's different for nutrients and many scientists are advocating for studies/study designs that optimize nutrient 𝗰𝗼-𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 in order to better understand the effect of the nutrient being studied. ⁣
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In this example, a person's magnesium status and intake affect vitamin D levels as magnesium is a co-factor in vitamin D metabolism; not the least of which is the conversion of the vitamin D you get from the sun, food, and supplements to it's partially activated form, calcidiol (the form of vitamin D that's measured with a blood test). ⁣
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In this case, 146% 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 vitamin D (742 IU / 18.5 mcg) was needed to get 50% of those studied to 100 nmol compared to those getting 400 mg of magnesium from supplements - fascinating. ⁣
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I'll be covering this and more in my new online course Vitamin D Essentials, link to registration in my bio. ⁣
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Graph credit: www.grassrootshealth.net ⁣
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#vitamind #supplements #magnesium #syngery #cofactors #antaging #wellness #bonehealth #brainhealth #mentalhealth #cancer #dementia #depression #health #nutrition #vitamink #colds #flu #covid #vitamins #healthyliving #vitamind3 #immunesystem #immunity #yournutritioneducation

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