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Doug Cook RD Doug Cook RD

Doug Cook RD > supplement

Dry berberis heap on the desk
Dry berberis heap on the desk
Berberine. A Supplement Worth Considering?

Dried barberry (berberis) – a source of berberine   There are thousands of supplements (a.k.a....

Berberine. A Supplement Worth Considering?
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dougcookrd

Doug Cook RD, The Gut Brain Guy
Meet Doug

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

info@dougcookrd.com
Popular Recipes
  • Collagen Boosted Green Goddess Juice Recipe
  • Beef and Quinoa Power Burgers
  • Red River Cereal Blueberry Muffins
  • Red River, Bran & Rolled Oats Muffins
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Instagram post 2192280754602403982_692972973 This of course isn't an inclusive list. There's only so much space on an Instagram tile AND I chose to prioritize these 5 ⁣ ⁣ There's been major shifts in the modern diet (we all know that) and as a consequence, a shift not only with the nutrients we do get, but also the amount of those nutrients⁣ In short, we're missing the mark⁣ ⁣ Without out going into too much detail, we'd all do better by getting more of these IF long-term, OPTIMAL health is your goal. If not, no problem ⁣ ⁣ Given that 50-60% of our calories are coming from highly processed foods, nutrients are being displaced ⁣ ⁣ 𝗗𝟯 (not the inferior vegan D2) and 𝗞𝟮, not K1 from plants, work together to help your body absorb calcium. They also keep calcium in your bones and teeth and out of your blood vessels, reducing cardiovascular disease ⁣ ⁣ 𝗗𝟯/𝗞𝟮 have lots of other benefits like reducing diabetes risk, high blood pressure and cancer ⁣ ⁣ 𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘂𝗺 helps to reduce the risk for metabolic syndrome (middle aged diabetes, high blood pressure etc), as well as diabetes. It also helps manage PCOS ⁣ ⁣ 𝗦𝗼𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻 (and no, not worried that it's sourced from soy. Use sunflower lecithin if that works for you) is one of the best sources of liver-loving choline, egg yolk are the next best thing. 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 deficiency is a leading cause of NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) ⁣ ⁣ 𝗚𝗹𝘆𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻 (which is a source of glycine) provide your body with the building blocks to make it's own collagen that supports your muscles, bones, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and skin ⁣ ⁣ And like any of my previous tiles on 𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗴𝗮-𝟯 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝘀, 𝗘𝗣𝗔, 𝗗𝗣𝗔 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗛𝗔 are the ones with the REAL health benefits and the ones that most of us are not getting enough of
Instagram post 2190973484937800943_692972973 Flashback to the summer when I was on a media tour of local berry farms in Southern Ontario ⁣ ⁣ We stopped for a berry-inspired lunch that included heaps of local, fresh greens ⁣ ⁣ I miss my vegetable garden when I would plant a variety of types of lettuce, which are super easy to grow by the way, and harvest what I needed, when I needed it ⁣ ⁣ I loved the flexibility of going out to the backyard, and just picking off a few leaves from the different types of lettuce to make a salad ⁣ ⁣ No options for that now though, no balcony to plant them during the summer now that I'm in a condo ⁣ ⁣ Oh well. It's amazing how far we've common as well in terms of options. Growing up, iceberg was the standard fare and then the exotic Romaine! ⁣ ⁣ I even put lettuce in my smoothies. It can't all just be about kale or spinach, am I right?
Instagram post 2190285391172893972_692972973 I'm hoping this is self-explanatory ⁣ ⁣ It's amazing how we have something as objective, verifiable and measurable as nutrition when it comes to things like how well a nutrient is absorbed, or used by the body ⁣ ⁣ Yet, unlike other sciences, nutrition isn't converging on its truth the way it should ⁣ ⁣ It's because, as they say, we don't eat nutrients, we eat food and food is rife with psychology and emotions ⁣ ⁣ It's so hard to have objective discussions about the science of nutrition ⁣ ⁣ When faced with a FACT that someone doesn't like, the discussion goes off topic or starts to get distorted with fanciful statements that just aren't true ⁣ ⁣ It's psychologically healthier to admit the facts and then discuss a work around ⁣ ⁣ Take mushrooms being cited as a reliable source of usable vitamin D (calcidiol); it's not ⁣ ⁣ The form of vitamin D from irradiated fungi is D2 (ergocalciferol), unlike D3 (cholecalciferol) which is made in your skin from sunlight, found in animal foods like eggs, fatty fish or added to milk & supplements ⁣ ⁣ D2 is not the same as D3⁣ So rather than saying, this is FACT, people start to say it's OK, D2 is good enough BUT the best thing to do is say, shit, ya, D2 is inferior. As a vegan, is there something better? ⁣ ⁣ Glad you asked, yes, you CAN get a D3 supplement derived from lichen⁣ ⁣ One day we'll get there
Instagram post 2188648640002838137_692972973 Do you drink alcohol? ⁣ ⁣ I don't drink as much as I used to. I would regularly enjoy wine, beer, or other spirits with friends, at dinner, while travelling or at home from time to time ⁣ ⁣ But it doesn't do me any favours anymore. It's not that I don't like it, it's more that it doesn't like me ⁣ ⁣ I can't pin it down. I thought it was only red wine (which I can't seem to handle anymore) and naturally thought it was the sulfites but white has more ⁣ ⁣ Dang beer just makes me bloated ⁣ ⁣ White wine is better for me and spirits are the best - can't imagine life without ever having a good gin and tonic again ⁣ ⁣ Regardless, even 1 standard drink interferes with my sleep. The difference when I wake after I've had 1 drink compared to none is noticeable ⁣ ⁣ Is it age? It's not like my liver can't handle. It has all the necessary nutrients needed for Phase 1, 2 & 3 detoxification pathways ⁣ ⁣ Go figure. Anyone else notice their tolerance is changing? ⁣ ⁣ Of course too much booze is no fun for gut, brain or mental health so tread lightly 🙂 ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #drink #cocktails #bar #happyhour #mixologist #beer #craftbeer #vodka #booze #alcohol #wine #spirits #gin #liqour #liver #liverhealth #detox #detoxify #detoxification #glutathione #
Instagram post 2188014913569795481_692972973 Did you know there's a difference between biological age (the 'age' of your cells, metabolism, physiological function etc) and chronological age (your actual age based on your birth date)? ⁣ ⁣ It's true ⁣ ⁣ Amazingly, I have a friend who actually said "whatever" when we were talking about this ⁣ ⁣ Context => this is someone who has one of the least healthy lifestyles of anyone I know. And it's showing ⁣ ⁣ He couldn't accept the idea that at a cellular level, he's much older than me despite being chronologically 5 years younger ⁣ ⁣ The secret is nothing new ⁣ - get lots of good quality sleep ⁣ - watch the booze ⁣ - eat nutrient-dense foods and by extension cut the crap ⁣ - supplement as needed ⁣ - don't smoke ⁣ - move! ⁣ ⁣ The foods we eat, stress, smoking, alcohol and inactivity actually increases aging to the degree that our bodies don't work as well as they could ⁣ ⁣ This increases the risk for, and the speed at which degenerative chronic disease sets in ⁣ ⁣ So, how are you controlling your aging?
Instagram post 2185900043838890680_692972973 Ya, it's scrambled eggs again (with old cheddar) and my favourite avocado ⁣ ⁣ A typical meal will be 4 eggs, 2 avocados and 1 ounce of cheese ⁣ ⁣ Not too shabby ⁣ ⁣ While no one can quality nor quantify what is 'nature's perfect food', eggs are pretty darned close ⁣ ⁣ They are loaded with high quality, easy to digest nutrients and basically have the highest biological value protein around ⁣ ⁣ A recent study in children showed that regular egg consumption resulted in better intake (nutrient status) of protein, lutein, zeaxanthin, choline, DHA and alpha-linolenic acid ⁣ ⁣ Avocado are a great lower-carb, low sugar fruit with lots of fiber, monounsaturated fat, lutein, potassium and of course taste ⁣ ⁣ What are you quick and easy go-to meals (was gonna say breakfast, but this was actually my dinner!)
Instagram post 2185212008055847908_692972973 Have you ever worked out, or did an activity that you haven't done for a long time, and it hurts like a motherf-cker afterwards? ⁣ ⁣ Of course you have ⁣ ⁣ That pain is called DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) or EIMD (exercise-induced muscle damage) ⁣ ⁣ For me, I can set my watch to it. If it's a new exercise or if I've increased the load on my muscles, like clockwork, I fee it 36 hours later ⁣ ⁣ The range is 24 to 36 hours for most people ⁣ ⁣ Don't despair. This pain is a good thing. Why? Because it's a sign that your body has been stressed enough to trigger repair so that over time, it gets easier. This is how strength and fitness improve ⁣ ⁣ But, did you know that there are various compounds in food that help to attenuate this? ⁣ ⁣ Dark purple and red foods like cherries are rich in a type of phytonutrient called 𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙘𝙮𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙨. ⁣ ⁣ Anthocyanins have been shown to reduce DOMS, markers of inflammation, muscle damage and improve muscle function ⁣ ⁣ But not to the point where it interferes with recovery. How great is that? A food that helps your muscles, exercise efforts AND tastes great
Instagram post 2184259723166167324_692972973 I don't always eat 'carbs' 🙂 ⁣ ⁣ But when I do, I LOVE an incredible pizza ⁣ ⁣ I'm not a big dessert person. Sure, I like the taste of chocolate cake, butter tarts (with raisins!), ice cream and pretty much any fruit pie ⁣ ⁣ BUT, what really gets the pistons firing is savory and salty ⁣ ⁣ Nothing raises my dopamine levels more than salt, rosemary, sage, thyme, onion or garlic flavours. Those get my taste buds excited ⁣ ⁣ I do love pineapple on my pizza and I love spinach and goat cheese too ⁣ ⁣ Hell, I even like eating what's essentially a salad on a pizza when it's overflowing with arugula ⁣ ⁣ However, there's nothing quite like classic pepperoni pizza - can I get an amen? ⁣ ⁣ And you? What are your must-haves when it comes to pizza?
Instagram post 2183575164611191518_692972973 As mentioned in a previous post, some scientists are calling for DHA to be considered THE essential fatty acid, not ALA ⁣ ⁣ That's because ALA IS NOT efficiently converted to EPA (and EPA is only somewhat efficiently converted to DPA and then further to DHA) ⁣ ⁣ For optimal health, you need a source of DHA. ⁣ ⁣ Humans have always consumed DHA throughout history from various animal foods since there's no archeological evidence for vegan societies ⁣ ⁣ Only recently have humans started adopting vegan diets ⁣ ⁣ The fallout? They have no access to DHA ⁣ ⁣ Plants/plant foods DO NOT contain DHA ⁣ ⁣ OK, that's not technically correct. Algae (a.k.a. marine cryptophytes) are considered plants but nor fruit, vegetable, grain, nut or seed contains DHA ⁣ ⁣ ALA is found in both animal and plant foods but for vegans, they're trying to rely on the piss-poor conversion of ALA from things like flax, chia, hemp, walnuts, canola oil etc into DHA ⁣ ⁣ This won't happen. ⁣ ⁣ They will miss out which is why vegan sources of DHA from algae were created. Vegan ideology had to catch up to nutritional biochemistry ⁣ ⁣ To recap, plants DO NOT contain DHA

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