macronutritent

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #57 – Chef Mark Allison – Healthy Eating from a Chef’s Viewpoint

This week’s guest is Chef Mark Allison, a highly accomplished culinary artist known for his innovative and healthy creations. Born and raised in England to a family with a deep appreciation for food, Mark developed a passion for cooking at an early age. He honed his skills by attending prestigious culinary schools and gaining practical experience in renowned restaurants around the world. He counts current and past job titles as the Corporate Executive Chef at Forever Oceans, the former Director of Culinary Nutrition at the Dole Food Company and the former Dean of Culinary Arts Education at Johnson & Wales University.
With an unwavering commitment to excellence, Chef Mark has earned a stellar reputation for his meticulous attention to detail and creative flair. Throughout his career, Chef Mark has received numerous accolades and awards for his culinary expertise. His dishes have been featured in prominent culinary publications, and he has appeared as a guest chef on various television shows, where he shares his expertise and passion with a wider audience.
Beyond his culinary prowess, Chef Mark is also dedicated to sustainable and ethical practices in the culinary world. He actively promotes the use of locally sourced, seasonal ingredients, and supports initiatives that minimize food waste and protect the environment. In two words, he is a culinary scientist. He looks at food through two windows, taste and cellular health. Both of which are important to my patients and me. We dive into why and how he does this effectively in a society that is not aligned in the same direction.
He is the author of these books: 3 boys & a chef, 3 boys & a chef 2, Lets get smart about diabetes and 150 projects to get into culinary arts.
Chef Mark Allison continues to push the boundaries of culinary artistry, captivating diners with his extraordinary creations and leaving a lasting impact on the culinary industry. His passion for food, commitment to excellence, and dedication to nutrition and sustainability make him a true culinary visionary.
Please enjoy my conversation with Chef Mark,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 13 Issue 39

Maternal Nutrition and the Microbiome – Part I

This was a tricky topic to drill down into one article – so I split it into two. Bear with me on this topic as it is so important in the grander scheme of maternal and child health.
The microbiome by definition: the microorganisms that reside in a particular environment.
Pregnancy is a dynamic event where a woman’s body changes radically, including epigenetically, hormonally, immunologically and physiologically in order to conceive and carry a baby to term. Pregnancy has always been a scientific fascination because of these changes. Now, we add the microbiome to the list, as it is the latest area of research that is shedding light on how pregnancy outcomes are determined.
Part I
This was a tricky topic to drill down into one article – so I split it into two. Bear with me on this topic as it is so important in the grander scheme of maternal and child health. The microbiome by definition: the microorganisms that reside in a particular environment. Pregnancy is a dynamic event where a woman’s body changes radically, including epigenetically, hormonally, immunologically and physiologically in order to conceive and carry a baby to term. Pregnancy has always been a scientific fascination because of these changes. Now, we add the microbiome to the list, as it is the latest area of research that is shedding light on how pregnancy outcomes are determined…… also two sections on covid vaccines and disease…
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 13 Issue 31

THE NUTRITIONAL STUDIES
We know that the foods that we consume affect our intestinal microbiome, our immune system, our metabolism and therefore have a significant effect on inflammation. Is this knowledge translatable to asthma? Let us look specifically at nutrition as it relates to Asthma. Are there specific diet studies available that lead us toward a unified diet for better asthma health? Can we make good recommendations for our patients on a macronutrient basis with fats, carbohydrates and protein ratios and types. Do we have data to support certain micronutrient needs in asthma and how a diet could provide these nutrients? How much can we trust the data?…..
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #50 – Richard Johnson, MD – Fructose and Perinatal Issues

This weeks guest is my favorite researcher, Dr. Richard Johnson.
He is the Tomas Berl Professor of Medicine and the Chief of the Renal Division and Hypertension at the University of Colorado since 2008. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, with a major in Anthropology, and a graduate of the University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, he is a physician and nephrologist whose research has focused on the role of sugar, and especially fructose, in driving obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease. Much of this work has explored the role of fructose metabolism, especially the generation of uric acid, in driving this phenotype, and his work has included studies ranging from molecular biology, integrative physiology, and evolutionary biology. He is the author of The Sugar Fix which introduced the first low fructose diet, and also The Fat Switch which explores the role of fructose in driving the obesity epidemic. His newest book, Nature Wants Us To Be Fat, is a tour de force of the entire pathway of survival via metabolic events in the body related to fructose and the polyol pathway. This is a must read book.
This podcast will follow up on the original conversation, podcast #14, and the exceptional work of Dr. Johnson this time looking at how we are mismatched metabolically for the environment of modern America and our food systems from the maternal health and perinatal perspective.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 13 Issue 24

Breastfeeding Versus Formula
Science versus Opinion
I read with somewhat of a frustrated feeling a recent article in Scientific American entitled: It’s Okay Not to Breastfeed by Kavin Senapathy. In principle, the reality of this statement is reasonable. Then you read the article as to what makes this reasonable. She states: “Exclusive breastfeeding is not imperative, and the “breast is best” mantra can be harmful to babies and parents, especially among marginalized people.”(K. Senapathy 2023) Again, at first blush this may seem reasonable. Let’s dig into the science and the truth of breast versus cow milk based formula for optimal health for a child. Does formula in all of its forms work for infant nutrition in order to grow and survive in a reasonable way? The answer is a resounding yes, however, this does not tell the whole story, far from it…..
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast – The Growing Brain and Autism

The Growing Brain and the Upstream Etiologies of Neurodevelopmental disorders – AUTISM
This weeks guest is me! I re-recorded a lecture that I gave in Florida this month at the Annual International Conference for the Institute for Functional Medicine. My goal in this lecture is to look at the upstream reasons that we are seeing more Autism and neurological diversity in children year upon year. It is a wide ranging look at the current state of the science and my thoughts on a unifying theory. As with Dr. Stone’s interview last week with Grow Baby, this is a follow up discussion that is a critical primer for “mother’s to be” regarding disease avoidance measures that can be taken for the best health of the maternal child dyad.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #43 Subinoy Das, MD – Ear Infections and Sinus Disease

This weeks guest is Dr. Subinoy Das. Dr. Das is the chief executive officer and medical director at US institute for advanced Sinus Care and research. He is the former Director of The Ohio State University Sinus and Allergy Center, and an Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University. He is widely recognized as one of the nation’s best sinus surgeons and has received multiple awards as a U.S. board-certified otolaryngologist including a Presidential Citation in 2015 from the American Rhinology Society. In addition, he is a former Research Associate of the Center of Microbial Pathogenesis at the Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital. His NIH funded research was awarded the 2013 Fowler Award (top basic science research award in otolaryngology) for his work on detecting the cause of sinus infections.
We crossed paths at the University of Virginia where Dr. Das received the Alfred Burger Award for the top pre-medical student at the University before completing his medical degree at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, where he was elected President of his class, received Alpha Omega Alpha Honors, and received the Richard Bowman Scholarship for the top clinical performance. He then attended the University of North Carolina for residency and completed a fellowship in advanced sinus surgery and anterior skull base surgery at the Medical College of Georgia.
He is a leader in minimally invasive sinus surgery, does not use nasal packing, and has helped to develop leading instruments/techniques used in sinus surgery including working on diagnostic tests and therapies to reduce the use of antibiotics for sinus disease, advanced computer guided surgery systems, hydrodebridement therapies for sinus disease, and custom molecular-based therapies to avoid sinus surgery.
Today, we dive into the upstream causes of sinus and ear disease of children and adults. This is especially interesting because of the changes that occurred during COVID leading to new understandings of viral induced disease in humans.
Enjoy,
Dr. M