Eating for Optimal Metabolic Health: The Healing Power of Plants with Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo

[@kathyjohnston3971]

Great. Fantastic. Loved this interview. Can’t wait to try a sauce over those plates of veggies.

[@ziolove]

Chef AJ, I hope you know the deep joy and transformation you're bringing to so many lives. Eternally grateful to you, and to all your guests who share such valuable information and insights. Thank you from the bottom of my healthy heart. Peace & love.

[@CHEFAJ]

And back to you! Thanks.

[@vi3472]

There are so many different philosophies and recommendations amongst WFPB docs and others. For example, Dr Ritamarie eats coconut products. I avoid all coconut because of my history of high cholesterol, high LPa, some cardiac calcifications found incidentally on a non cardiac test, and a lousy family history. I take a statin. My Hgb A1C is 5.2% , which is normal. My question is ...Why is Dr Ritamarie concerned enough with her blood sugars to wear a continuous glucose monitor? I am 67 years old. I also spent the first 30 years of my life eating the SAD diet. Then, pescatarian til 8/2022, then WFPB and no oil. She recommends everyone get a CGM. I would like to understand this recommendation. Isn't it enough to know your HgbA1c is normal? I loved when Dr Ritamarie said, "there is no wonder drug deficiency!" Chef, I agree with you, there is definitely BAD weather! I am in NY. Thank you, Chef AJ and Dr. Ritamarie. This was a very interesting interview.

[@DrRitamarieLoscalzo]

Hi @vi3472 thanks for the question. I have been wfpd for 38 years and have a family history fo heart disease and diabetes. A lot of people have normak A1C -there are some issues with the accuracy of it - I recomemnd that you know what your post prandial (after meal) glucose so i use the cgm. Most people dont know what their insulin level is - many have high insulin which brings A1C down - so between cgm and insulin we can determine if you;re at risk --- Hi insulin is leading cause of heart attack and stroke. Feel free to chec out my poscast and blog and even youtube channel for more detailed info. I find that coocnut is not great for people with APOE 4 dgenetic SNP, and I dont have it - coocnut doesnt seem to impact my labs.

[@vi3472]

@@DrRitamarieLoscalzo thank you for your reply. I’ll check out your podcast

[@joannhansen9578]

Very informative interview. Great questions AJ. DR. Ritamarie seem very genuine. She really cares about her patients. Thank you.

[@SmileyVegan]

Fantastic interview! This is the first I've seen this doctor. She's terrific! 😃

[@A2ZofEVs]

Thanks!

[@WOK-YT-handle]

Always fascinating 🧐

[@cindilacasa3291]

Omgosh I live in Hollister CA. I'm so curious where you were? That's amazing!!!

[@DrRitamarieLoscalzo]

it was a place 38 years ago called the religious school of natural hygiene

[@cindilacasa3291]

@@DrRitamarieLoscalzo wow I'll have to check that out. Such a small world. 😊

[@karenstanton5405]

great talk

[@jamesigo6324]

I also frequented Sheltons fasting retreat in Hollister, CA, but my time was back in the early 1970's & purchased many Natural Hygiene books that were not always available at health food stores back in the day.

[@woodlakesound]

Are you referring to "The Religious School of Natural Hygiene" with Art Andrews? That place opened in 1980. I went there a few times myself.

[@CherieGatten]

I make my own sourdough bread using King Arthur bread, flour, whole wheat, flour, and organic rye flour. The only other ingredients are water and a little bit of sea salt. I am assuming this is fine to eat?

[@DrRitamarieLoscalzo]

if you are gluten intoloerant of have blood sugar imbalances it's not. SO test

[@barbaramartinez7024]

Great talk! But, I finally got over my fear of fruit and now it’s back with a vengeance!

[@alethiacharis2480]

No, no, no fruit is one of the most natural foods for humans!!!🍉🍇🍎🥭🍏 And, greens are definitely important as well. However fruit is one of our most basic foods✨️

[@lisaasbellrn]

Love this !!!!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@betzib8021]

Forget oil...my plaque formation continued on just nuts and seeds...and they were raw.

[@AndreaOpdam]

Dr brook goldner has some amazing information on oil. It is best to eat omega 3 fatty acids rather than omega 6.

[@Liz-Torp-Walker]

I have high cholesterol and I have been told to avoid simple carbs. When I look this up it leads me to a keto diet. Can you suggest foods I can eat. I’m plant based

[@shashoe]

Hi there! You must research simple versus complex carbohydrates. Cheat sheet = food in whole form (fruits + veggies) are healthful carbohydrates whereas foods that have undergone refinement are simple and harmful and should be limited (sugars, white breads). Just avoid packaged + processed foods made in a factory with several ingredients

[@betzib8021]

Avoiding simple carbs does not lead people to keto. It leads them to complex carbs.

[@ronmilford1358]

Hey all

[@user56gghtf]

If I remember correctly, Dr. Loscalzo is 68 years old.

[@DrRitamarieLoscalzo]

yes

[@KaroAdC]

It’s a vegan keto… with all that fat no surprise that blood sugar spikes with fruit… I don’t understand people eating all that fat …

[@vladimirlelmezh7671]

Thinking of plants being harmful to human health, tabaco leaves probably come at the top of the list. But everybody I know who stopped smoking, has put on weight. I think the reason Americans are so overweight today is not due to too much sugar or meat in their diet, but due to the mass quitting of tabaco smoking in 1970s. It is virtually a crime to light up anywhere in the States nowadays. If you think about it, the French, Italians and Japanese are so slim and live so long not because of what they eat but because they all smoke. It may sound strange, but smoking helps them control their appetite and achieve the low BMI (19-22) which is a singular most important factor for longevity. This is why there are so many male centenarians that smoke. It is an interesting paradox that might be worth exploring in one of your future shows, Chef AJ. Cigarette smoking can curb appetite mainly due to the presence of nicotine, a chemical compound found in tobacco. Here's how it works: 1. Suppressing Appetite and Food Intake: Nicotine can suppress appetite and reduce food intake. Some people may smoke to suppress appetite, prevent overeating, and cope with body dissatisfaction. 2. Increasing Energy Expenditure: Nicotine can increase energy expenditure, which means it can increase the amount of calories your body burns. 3. Raising the Resting Metabolic Rate: Nicotine can raise the resting metabolic rate, which is the number of calories your body burns at rest. 4. Increasing Lipolysis and Fat Oxidation: Nicotine can increase lipolysis and fat oxidation, which are processes in which the body breaks down fats into smaller molecules to use as a source of energy. Moreover, nicotine activates parts of the brain that regulate food intake and hormones that affect the body’s energy use. In experiments on mice, scientists found that nicotine affects the hypothalamic melanocortin system, part of the central nervous system, by waking up a certain set of receptors. The receptors then activate a set of neurons called pro-opiomelanocortin or POMC neurons, which suppress the urge to eat. I'm not advocating smoking - far from it! I am aware of the health risks associated with smoking, such as lung cancer, but does this outweigh any potential risks from unsuppressed appetite such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc.? If our willpower is weak and we have a lot of weight to lose, we have very little choice...