Entries by Chet Zelasko

Holiday Eating: Preload

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The fourth strategy of dealing with holiday eating is to preload. The idea is to eat some things that are healthy or at least healthier. In that way, you will be partially full and not as prone to overeat. There are two ways to do this.

The first is to eat a salad with a variety of greens: lettuces, kale, spinach, asparagus. Tomatoes are fine as well as cucumbers. Just skip the cheese and protein and use a minimal amount of dressing. Add a soft drink, coffee, tea, or water to fill even more space. If you occupy space with . . .

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Holiday Eating: Modify Your Recipes

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The third way of dealing with holiday eating is to modify the recipe—that is, if you’re doing the cooking. This approach can be tricky, especially if you’re baking, and you may want to do a trial run. In some recipes, it’s the chemical reactions between the nutrients that contribute to taste and texture. Simply trying to lower the fat content of a recipe or changing to an artificial sweetener such as stevia may not get the results you want. The sweetness of stevia may be altered by cooking or baking; less fat can change the texture . . .

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Holiday Eating: Portion Control

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The second way to deal with the onslaught of special foods during the holidays is to limit your portions. My diet philosophy has been that you can eat whatever you want as long as you control the amount and the frequency. Throw low-carb or low-fat out the window; if you can control the amount you eat, there are no holiday foods that are off limits.

That begs the question: can you control the portion? I make peanut brittle every Christmas. I have never done drugs, so I don’t know how accurate it is to say this, but . . .

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Holiday Eating: Abstain

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The days of holiday cookies, candy, and other luscious desserts have arrived. It’s a month-long battle to limit the damage. But it’s not just the sweets; stuffing, gravy, marshmallow-covered candied yams, and many more all show up this time of year. Holiday parties from work, church, and other organizations range from simple pitch-ins to full-course meals. How do we deal with this onslaught of culinary delights?

I can think of at least four strategies we can use; there are probably more so I’m asking you to email me your strategies for holiday eating . . .

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The Bottom Line on Preschoolers, Probiotics, and Gastroenteritis

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“These studies are likely to have significant impact towards eliminating use of medications that don't seem to work.”

That’s a quote from a physician interviewed by NPR who wrote a commentary accompanying the two research papers on probiotic use for gastroenteritis or GE (1). I think it perfectly illustrates the fallacy of the pharmaceutical model of research on nutrition and its impact on health:

Nutrients are not medications.

They may come in pill form, they can be administered like medications, but they’re nutrients nonetheless.
Questions About the Studies
The . . .

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Did Probiotics Help Preschoolers with Gastroenteritis?

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The use of probiotics to stop diarrhea and vomiting for preschoolers with gastroenteritis (GE) was studied in two major studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine. In the U.S. study, 55 of the 468 subjects who got the probiotics had scores of nine or greater on the scale while 60 of 475 in […]

Preschoolers, Probiotics, and Gastroenteritis

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Estimates are that close to two million preschool children will be taken to the emergency room for vomiting and diarrhea every year; the term generally used is gastroenteritis (GE). Two research groups, one from the U.S. and one from Canada, conducted studies to see if probiotics would have any impact on the course of GE […]

Winterize Yourself

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The official start to winter is quickly approaching, but for most of us the cold, wet, snowy, rainy weather has already begun. Today’s Memo contains some tips on how to winterize your body by focusing on basic nutritional supplementation. Water: Make sure you increase fluid intake during the winter. The humidity is lower because the […]

The Bottom Line on the 2018 Cholesterol Guidelines

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In Thursday’s Memo, I talked about the 2018 Cholesterol Guidelines and evidence-based medicine, focusing on the physician side of the treatment discussion. But I believe that’s not the most important part of the discussion; I think the critical part is the patient side. Here’s why. The Cholesterol Guidelines focus on lifestyle changes first: a healthier […]

2018 Cholesterol Guidelines and Evidence-Based Medicine

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I was encouraged by the AHA’s new cholesterol guidelines for one reason: the promotion of a joint decision between patient and physician on a treatment plan if one was necessary. That’s the basic tenet of evidence-based medicine: any and all treatment plans should take into consideration the wishes and desires of the patient. Many factors […]