Perfect Boiled Eggs

I’ve recently fallen in love with boiled eggs. They are perfect for protein-sparing days because they don’t need to be cooked with butter or other fat in the pan like with omelets, scrambed eggs, and fried eggs. All you get is the super-healthy fat in the yolk, which is 4.5 grams/egg. And with 6 grams of super high-quality protein each, they are super filling, delicious, and done in minutes! This recipe is choose-your-own-adventure, depending on whether you prefer your yolks runny, medium, or hard! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Fresh eggs, soy- and corn-free (how many depends on the size of your pan: not more than will fit in one layer in the bottom of your pan, with some space around them)

Instructions:

1. Boil 3 inches of water in a medium sauce pan, being sure it’s not more than half full so there is room for your eggs after the water boils.

2. Lower fresh cold eggs into the rolling boiling water with a large spoon so they don’t crack on the bottom of the pan. Work quickly so that they don’t start cooking much before you get the timer set. Keep heat on high.

3. Set the timer immediately. Runny yolks = 7 minutes. Medium yolks (my fave) = 8 minutes. Hard yolks = 10 minutes.

4. When the water comes back to a roiling boil, lower the heat to medium, making sure that there are still simmer-bubbles in the water.

5. When the timer goes off, immediately pour out most of the hot water and add cold tap water to fill the sauce pan. Dump that water and fill it again with cold tap water to stop the cooking.

6. Peel, season with sea salt and pepper, and eat warm! Leftovers can be stored in the shell in the fridge for up to one week and eaten cold.

image: Photo by Anton Nazaretian on Unsplash

Salmon Greek Salad

This is one of my favorite salads ever. You can really use any kind of meat or fish you want but I love it with grilled or sauteed salmon. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

4 large wild-caught salmon fillets, 6-8 oz. each

1 tablespoon grass-fed butter

8 eggs

4 C zucchini noodles (or thin slice)

1/2 C kalamata olives

1/2 C feta cheese

2 C chopped cucumber

1/8 C super high-quality extra virgin olive oil

1/4 C balsamic vinegar

Sea salt and pepper, to taste

1 t each dried oregano, parsley, and dill

Optional: a few cherry tomatoes, if you tolerate nightshades (not recommended)

Directions:

Salt the salmon fillets and fry them in a hot buttered cast iron pan for a couple minutes on each side, so they are still rare in the middle. For the soft-boiled eggs, start with boiling a few inches of water in a medium pan until there is a roiling boil. Lower the eggs into the boiling water with a large spoon and immediately set a timer to simmer for 8 minutes. After the timer goes off, pour out the simmering water and fill with cold tap water to stop them from cooking. Peal and quarter the eggs. Plate the zucchini, cucumber, salmon, feta, eggs, and olives. Drizzle the dish with o.o. (olive oil), balsamic, herbs, and sea salt. Yum!

Beef Larb Salad

These are fun, easy, and absolutely delicious. Even my kids will eat them - in fact, they gobble them up! Double or triple the recipe for more than one hungry person.

Beef Larb Salad:

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 t sea salt

1 t garlic powder

1 t ginger powder

2 scallions (green onions), sliced, both white and green parts

juice and zest of one large lime

2 T fish sauce

2 T low sodium/ wheat-free tamari OR Braggs liquid aminos

2 T rice vinegar

1/2 Cup chopped fresh cilantro, mint, and basil (thai basil or regular)

For serving: julienned English cucumber (skinny cucumber with thin skin, wrapped in plastic).

Directions:

Brown the beef in a cast-iron pan with the ginger, garlic, and sea salt until cooked through. Turn the heat down and stir in the sliced scallions, tamari, fish sauce, rice vinegar, and lime juice and zest, and warm through. Sprinkle some of the herbs on top to serve, and plate the remaining herbs, and cucumber on the side. Serve the beef larb in bowls, topped with cucumbers and herbs, and enjoy!

Chicken Kebabs with Lemon-Yogurt Sauce

I grilled these up for some friends last night, and multiple people told me it was the best meal they’d had in months. The kebabs and yogurt sauce can be made in advance, so all you have to do is grill them up and serve!

Kebabs:

4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 40 2-inch chunks

2 sweet potatoes, cut into large slices

4 zucchinis, cut into large chunks

1 pineapple, cut into large chunks

Marinade:

1 Cup sour cream

1 t garlic powder

2 Tablespoons Herb de Provence, dried (or 4 Tablespoons fresh herbs)

zest and juice from 2 lemons

1 Tablespoon sea salt

Yogurt Sauce:

3 Cups Plain Greek yogurt

juice of 1 lemon

1 t garlic powder

salt to taste

1 onion powder

Optional sides:

Mixed Greek olives, pitted

feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions:

Whisk the marinade ingredients in a small bowl and pour 2/3 of it over the chicken to marinade for 30 minutes. Also soak the wooden kebab sticks in water for 30 minutues so they don’t catch fire on the grill.

The other 1/3 of the marinade can be poured over the “veggies” after the kebabs are prepared. I like to position the potato and chicken toward the middle of the kebab since the middle of the grill is often the hottest and these parts need to cook more.

To prepare the yogurt sauce, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk. Serve the yogurt sauce as a dip for the kebabs, with feta cheese and olives sprinkled on top! Enjoy!

Bobotie (Curry Beef Custard)

This is one of my favorite dishes. Its from South Africa and is quite popular there. It’s a unique combination of flavors, but it’s magical how they all come together. It’s also easy enough for a quite and hearty weeknight dinner. Sometimes it is dressed up for weekends or holidays by cooking it in a hollowed-out pumpkin!

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef, preferably grass-fed

1 T beef tallow or butter

2 t sea salt

2 T nightshade-free curry powder (2 t ceylon cinnamon, 2 t turmeric, 2 t ground ginger)

2 t garlic powder

1 t onion powder

8 eggs

1 can coconut milk or 2 C raw milk

1/4 C raisins

1/4 C chopped apricots

2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped

Optional: 5 bay leaves

Preheat oven to 350. Saute ground beef, tallow or butter, and salt, and break it up until well cooked. Add all spices and turn off the heat. It should be a little too salty at this point, as the custard will absorb the saltiness. Combine eggs and milk/coconut milk with an immersion blender or regular blender until well mixed, and pour it into the beef/spice mixture. Stir well, adding the raisins, apricots, and chopped apple. Lay the bay leaves on top in a decorative pattern. Bake (in a cast iron pan, dutch oven, glass baking dish, or hollowed pumpkin!) in the oven for 20 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Do not overcook. Serve warm.

Taco Meat for Burrito Bowls

Taco Tuesday! Pile on top of shredded lettuce with your toppings of choice: sour cream, shredded cheese, diced avocado, cucumber, olives, and lime juice.

Ingredients

Per pound ground beef: (I like to make 1 pound per person and there will likely be leftovers)

1 teaspoon paprika, if tolerated

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, if tolerated

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 - 1 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:

Brown the ground beef in a cast iron skillet with a teaspoon of bacon fat per pound of beef. When it’s cooked halfway through, add the seasonings and stir well, breaking up the beef and salting to taste.

Chimichurri

Next to herb garlic butter, this is my favorite topping for steak. I like to double the raw garlic and cayenne if I feel a cold coming on, but then my kids think it’s too spicy and won’t eat it. Although, that just leaves more for me!

Ingredients:

I large bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, stems removed

1 large bunch fresh cilantro, stems removed

juice of one lime

2 T red wine vinegar

2 T finely chopped oregano

dash cayenne

dash cumin

sea salt and pepper

1/2 C melted butter

Directions:

Place all ingredients except olive oil into a food processor. If you don’t have one, an immersion blender works or you can fine chop the herbs and stir in all other ingredients. While machine is running, drizzle in the melted butter in a thin stream to emulsify. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Egg Custard

A super easy and delicious dessert. Can also be made into a pie, using an coconut flour crust and topped with whipped cream.

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2 C heavy whipping cream, half and half, OR milk

1/3 C raw honey OR 30 drops Nunaturals liquid vanilla stevia

pinch salt

couple dashes of nutmeg, preferably fresh ground

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients using a whisk or immersion blender. Pour into custard cups placed into a glass baking dish and add warm water to fill the baking dish halfway, this is called a “bain marie” or water bath, and helps the eggs to cook slowly and not scramble. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

🍓 Creamy Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries

Light, luscious, and melt-in-your-mouth dreamy.

This might be my all-time favorite dessert. It’s simple, elegant, and deeply satisfying. Gently sweetened with honey or maple, infused with vanilla, and topped with juicy, fresh berries, this gelled milk dessert delivers all the indulgence with none of the heaviness. Think: protein + calcium + collagen support wrapped up in a summer treat. ☀️

Perfect for warm days, easy on digestion, and totally pro-metabolic.

✨ Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 2 cups skimmed raw milk (or any high-quality milk you tolerate)

• 1 packet unflavored powdered gelatin (about 2 ½ tsp)

• 3 Tbsp honey or 5 Tbsp maple syrup

• ½ tsp vanilla extract

• Pinch of salt

• 1 cup fresh berries – raspberries or sliced strawberries are divine

🥄 Directions:

1. Bloom the gelatin: Pour 1 cup of the milk into a small saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the surface and let it sit for 3–5 minutes to hydrate.

2. Warm and dissolve: Add honey or maple, vanilla, and salt. Stir gently over medium heat until the mixture is steaming (but not boiling) and the gelatin is fully dissolved.

3. Add cold milk: Remove from heat and stir in the second cup of cold milk to cool the mixture down.

4. Chill and set: Pour into custard cups, ramekins, or wine glasses. Chill in the fridge until set—about 1 to 2 hours.

5. Top and serve: Spoon fresh berries on top right before serving. Optional: drizzle with extra honey for shine and sweetness.

🌿 Tips & Variations:

• Want a creamier version? Swap half the milk for raw cream or use whole milk.

• Add lemon zest or lavender to the milk while heating for an herbal twist.

• This pairs beautifully with herbal tea or a small square of dark chocolate for a dreamy after-dinner moment.

The Sinus Infection That Wouldn’t Quit — Until Vitamin D Stepped In

I don’t get sick often, but when I do, it used to almost always be sinus-related. And it’s almost always winter. This time wasn’t especially painful—just relentless. I tried everything: antifungals, antibacterials, herbal remedies… nothing worked. A full month went by, and I still wasn’t better.

Then I came across an article by one of my favorite bloggers at the time discussing the role of vitamin D in viral immunity. My kids had just had short-lived flu-like symptoms when my sinus problems started—suspicious timing. I began to wonder: what if this wasn’t bacterial or fungal, but viral?

That’s when I discovered the Vitamin D Hammer protocol. I tried it—and within 24 hours, I felt significantly better. Within a few days, I was completely well. After weeks of frustration, it felt almost magical.

What Is the “Vitamin D Hammer”?

The Vitamin D Hammer is a high-dose, short-term protocol used to support the immune system during viral infections—especially in adults who haven’t been supplementing regularly. It typically involves:

• 50,000 IU in a single day, or

• 10,000 IU three times daily for 2–3 days

This far exceeds the FDA’s outdated recommendation of 400 IU/day. Research shows it takes ~9,000 IU/day for 97.5% of adults to achieve just 50 nmol/L serum levels—considered the bare minimum for sufficiency. Many experts now recommend 75–100 nmol/L, especially during illness.

Why It Works: Vitamin D as an Immune Modulator

Vitamin D is actually a hormone made in the skin in response to UVB light. It’s a powerful immune regulator that:

• Enhances macrophage function (white blood cells that engulf pathogens)

• Increases the oxidative burst needed to kill viruses

• Reduces pro-inflammatory cytokines that can worsen symptoms

• Protects against respiratory infections, especially in the winter

One landmark study found that vitamin D supplementation virtually eliminated seasonal influenza in children, with just one case reported in the group receiving 1,200 IU daily during winter months—compared to 31 cases in the control group.⁽¹⁾

Researchers who coined the “Vitamin D Hammer” reported:

“The results are dramatic, with complete resolution of symptoms in 48 to 72 hours. One-time doses of vitamin D at this level have been used safely and have never been shown to be toxic. The cost is less than a dollar.”

Why You Get Sicker in Winter

Flu season isn’t a coincidence. It’s a sunlight problem. In colder months, UVB exposure drops—and so does vitamin D production. That’s when respiratory viruses thrive.

• Influenza symptoms were worse in lab subjects exposed in winter

• Children with vitamin D deficiency had more frequent colds

• Activated vitamin D is critical for turning on antiviral defenses

Beyond Viruses: Vitamin D & Chronic Disease

Once I started digging into the research, I was shocked at how many conditions are linked to low vitamin D:

• Autoimmune disease (MS, RA): up to 40% lower risk

• Diabetes (type 1 & 2): improved insulin sensitivity

• Muscle weakness & falls in the elderly: 20–72% reduction

• Back pain, fibromyalgia, low energy: all linked to deficiency

• Cardiovascular health: lowers blood pressure and heart rate

• Cancer: shown to trigger apoptosis in some tumor cells

Can You Get Enough from Food?

Not really. While vitamin D is found in:

• Egg yolks

• Salmon and cod liver oil

• Beef liver and cheese

…the amounts are too small to make a real dent. Food alone won’t get you to the 9,000 IU/day threshold needed for sufficiency—especially in winter. I now supplement with 5,000-10,000 IU gel caps daily, and go higher if I’m fighting something off.

If possible, test your levels and aim for 60–100 nmol/L (30–40 ng/mL) for optimal immune support.

Summary

I kicked a month-long sinus infection in days using the Vitamin D Hammer. Turns out, most of us are deficient—especially in winter—and vitamin D is essential for fighting viruses, regulating immunity, and preventing chronic disease. Food isn’t enough. Test your levels, and don’t be afraid of higher doses when you need them.

Read the Research

• (1) Urashima M, et al. Randomized trial of vitamin D supplementation to prevent seasonal influenza A in schoolchildren. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010;91(5):1255-60. PMC2861286

• Vitamin D and Influenza – PMC2870528

• Vitamin D for COVID & Flu – PMC4463890

• Vitamin D & Immunity – PMC3317188

• Deficiency in the U.S. – PMC2426990

Keto Sushi Handrolls

This is one of my favorite meals. Adding seafood to our diets is essential, and I highly recommend wild caught seafood whenever possible to minimize toxins and maximize nutrients. Seafood has long-chain fats that cannot be found in any other food, including DHA and EPA, and is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins D and B2 (riboflavin), as well as calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, iodine, magnesium, and potassium. Seaweed paper (called nori) is also highly nutritous, containing as much protein as some meat, as well as high levels of iodine, an essential mineral.

Keto Salmon Handrolls:

1 lb wild salmon, seasoned with ground ginger and soy sauce, and sauteed in butter until medium rare

a few ounces of salmon roe (fish eggs), optional

1 package nori (seaweed paper)

1 hothouse cucumber, julienned

1 carrot, grated fine, optional

1 red or yellow bell pepper, julienned

2 ripe avocados, julienned or sliced fine

4 scallions, sliced fine

one jar of pickled ginger

wasabi

tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)

Instructions:

Take a nori seaweed wrap and lay a slice of salmon down diagonally, adding your desired julienned vegetables and toppings, and roll up, pinching the bottom and adding roe, tamari, and wasabi to the top. Enjoy, with bites of ginger before and after!

Barbacoa Beef (Instapot)

My family eats this for dinner about once a week, it’s our main staple. I can’t get my kids to eat plain pot roast because they think it’s too boring, but they inhale my Barbacoa Beef on “taco salad night”. Hope your family loves it too! (This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled and makes great leftovers, too.)

Barbacoa Beef (Instapot)

Ingredients:

2 T butter

2 lb beef chuck roast

1 C beef broth

Juice of one lime

1 T apple cider vinegar

1 T tomato paste, optional

1 T chili powder, optional

1/2 t cumin

2 t oregano

1 T sea salt

1 t garlic powder

1 t onion powder

Instructions:

1.     Cut beef into large chunks. Either place on a cookie sheet, salted, under the broiler, flipping once, until brown; or saute in the Instapot with the butter until all sides are browned and then press cancel.

2.     Combine lime juice, vinegar, tomato paste, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt in a lidded mason jar and shake.

3.     Add the mixture to the Instapot with the browned beef.

4.     Secure the lid on the Instapot, closing the pressure valve. Press the “manual” button and set the timer to 30 minutes. Afterword, allow the pressure to naturally release for at least 20 minutes, releasing the pressure valve at this time if it hasn’t released on its own yet. Remove the lid, transfer the beef chunks to a bowl, and shred the barbacoa beef with two large forks, stirring in enough of the remaining liquid/fat so that the beef is saturated and moist.

5.     Serve the barbacoa beef in bowls with various toppings of your choice: shredded lettuce, sliced olives, sour cream and cheese, chopped avocado, lime juice, etc.

Grass-Fed Cows Restore Soil and Rebuild the Land

Rebuilding Soil Health with Nature’s Original Regenerators

We’ve all heard about methane from cow burps—but what we don’t hear enough about is how properly raised cattle can regenerate soil, restore ecosystems, and bring dead land back to life.

The real crisis isn’t “carbon in the air”—it’s carbon missing from the soil. Topsoil loss is decimating our ability to grow food, hold water, and sustain life underground. When we lose living topsoil, we lose the microbes, fungi, and organisms that make the land fertile. Water can no longer absorb into hardened, dead ground—and the result is erosion, dust, and drought.

Nature’s Original Land Stewards

Most of today’s meat comes from factory farms—but this is a far cry from how cows and other ruminants once roamed the land. For millennia, wild herds of bison, elk, and deer covered the grasslands of the Americas. They moved in tight herds, kept together by predators, and grazed only the tops of the grasses before moving on.

As they moved, they trampled seeds into the soil with their hooves and fertilized the land with their waste. This is the original model of rotational grazing—and it works with nature. Not too long, not too short. Just like mowing a lawn, it promotes strong regrowth.

If grass isn’t grazed, it gets too tall, blocks sunlight, and dries out. If it’s grazed to the ground, it dies. Both situations lead to desertification—the death of topsoil.

Soil is Alive—But We're Killing It

Soil is made of carbon because it’s built from decayed plant and animal matter. That carbon should stay in the ground—where it feeds fungi, bacteria, worms, and the plant roots themselves.

Grasses and fungi have a symbiotic relationship: the fungi supply nutrients, and in return, the grass gives them sugar—made through photosynthesis from sunlight and carbon dioxide. But here’s the magic: when grass is grazed (but not killed), it pumps more sugar into the soil to “buy” more nutrients and regrow faster. This process rebuilds topsoil from the inside out.

What Modern Farming Gets Wrong

Industrial agriculture destroys this natural system. Tilling the soil—common in growing corn, soy, and wheat—breaks up fungal networks and sends soil carbon into the air. The symbiotic fungi die, the plants can no longer access nutrients, and farmers are forced to dump in synthetic fertilizers. Then come pesticides and herbicides, killing everything left in the soil.

This creates dead dirt. No worms, no bacteria, no water retention. Just dry, compacted ground that floods, erodes, and blows away in the wind.

And yes—this dead land feeds the factory-farmed animals and humans alike. Grains and beans are mass-produced to fuel a broken system. But neither humans nor cows are designed to eat those foods long-term.

Topsoil: Our Missing Organ

Topsoil isn’t just “dirt”—it’s a living, breathing organ of the earth. A single teaspoon of healthy soil contains billions of microbes. It absorbs and stores water like a sponge, supports nutrient-dense plant life, and builds resilience into entire ecosystems.

When Europeans arrived in 1492, the Americas averaged 10 feet of rich topsoil. Today? Less than 6 inches. Some experts warn we have fewer than 60 harvests left before soil collapse makes large-scale food production impossible.

Cows Can Bring It Back

Allan Savory—ecologist and founder of the Savory Institute—has shown that regenerative grazing can restore dead land into fertile pasture. With the right grazing patterns, cattle can create up to a foot of new topsoil per year, deep underground.

Savory believes that if we returned ruminants to the grasslands without clearing new land, we could rebuild soil health globally. Not by fighting nature—but by imitating it.

This isn’t about “fighting climate change.” It’s about healing the earth from decades of chemical farming and mono-cropping.

This is how we get back to real food. This is how we restore the ancestral cycles of life. And this is how we nourish the soil that nourishes us.

Learn More

Allan Savory’s TED Talk (Top 100 of all time)
Meat is Magnificent – Sustainable Dish
Regenerative ranching and carbon – GreenBiz
Meet Allan Savory – Pioneer of Regenerative Agriculture
Soil health and free-range farming – Inside Climate News

Cayenne Gargle: A Natural Cure for Strep Throat

Scientific studies have shown that there are many natural medicines that are just as effective as antibiotics against strep throat (Group A Streptococci). The most effective natural medicine against strep throat that I’ve found is cayenne pepper (active component: capsaicin). Two others that have shown promise in studies are oil of thyme or oregano (active compound is carvacrol), and cinnamon oil (Cinnamomum verum EO) - which was found in a study of essential oils to be the most effective essential oil, similar to a common antibiotic (Amoxicillin) in its antimicrobial activity against strep.

My favorite home cure for strep throat, that has worked over 20 times in a row in my family for over a decade, is to make a salt water-cayenne gargle and use it many times throughout the day as soon as one’s throat becomes sore. I use 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and 1-2 teaspoons of cayenne powder (as much as I can stand) in one cup of warm water, using one medium sip for each gargle. Spit the gargle out after. It’s important to start right away, and to keep the spicy residue on the throat and not drink water right after. Basically every time I eat or drink, I do another gargle of the salt-water cayenne, and I can feel the cayenne killing the bacteria on my throat. I do rinse my mouth out with plain water after the gargle, if the cayenne makes my mouth too spicy, but I leave the spicy salt/cayenne rinse on my throat.

Usually the pain is reducing by the end of the first or second day, if I am strict about keeping the spicy on my throat. The salt is helpful by creating an osmosis effect on the cells of the throat, drawing the bacteria to the surface so they can be killed by the cayenne, and rinsed out of the mouth. We also make sure to not eat any grains or sugars, so that we don’t feed the throat bacteria simple carbohydrates, eating mostly healthy animal fats and proteins, as well as fruits and honey for carbohydrates if needed.

People have also had success with the cayenne technique with young children by using Cholula mild hot sauce, which contains capsaicin, the active compound in cayenne pepper, and isn’t quite as spicy. It can be added to their food, like scrambled eggs, with a little sea salt, and eaten periodically throughout the day. Be sure to visit a doctor if a child’s sore throat doesn’t improve within a day or two.

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4643145/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22807321

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25784902/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3638616/

Letter To My Daughter's Teacher

Just ate a huge steak covered in butter while I wrote this letter to my daughter's teacher.
Hey *,

I just wanted to drop a note to you about the earth day lesson that you gave the kids yesterday. My daughter was concerned and I would love to pass on some scientific information to you that you might not be aware of and might be interested in.

So, she let me know that you told the class that meat eating is bad for the planet and that a plant-based diet is best for the environment and our bodies. I am a nutrition researcher by trade (masters in biochem from the U and I'm also a licensed nutritionist) and I'm actually writing a book on the topic. Although in the past, science agreed with you, the emerging science is painting a very different picture.

It turns out that our ancestors were largely carnivorous and every primitive culture that we've studied ate an animal-based diet. Not only is meat NOT the cause of chronic disease (this is commonly called the diet-heart hypothesis and was started at the U where I went to school - the science has been disproven and it is now widely accepted science that all chronic disease is actually caused by sugar and grains) but the environmental science has been off, too. I discovered during my graduate work that all nutrition science in the US is industry funded, and the U of M nutrition department is funded largely by the grain industry, as well as Coca-Cola. The system is very broken and the science disproved the links between animal fat and chronic disease long ago, but the systems in place (including Big Pharma and the USDA - corporate grain and bean farmers) hugely profit off of this misinformation.

Although animal flatulance does contain methane, this addition to climate change is miniscule compared to the carbon that is removed from the atmosphere by grazing animals. When cows eat grass (just like in the wild), they cause the grass to dump carbon into the soil (because the grass has a symbiotic relationship with the soil fungus, providing it with sugar - a 6-carbon molecule - in exchange for micronutrients) sequestering carbon from the atmosphere and creating up to a foot of topsoil/year. If the earth's grasslands were covered in cattle, it would completely reverse climate change in our lifetimes. I am including some scientific articles for you to peruse if you are interested in learning more.

Although I completely respect your right to decide to not eat meat because of spiritual or animal-welfare reasons, I want you to know that it is scientifically a much less healthy diet and ironically, mass agriculture of grains and beans is actually the cause of desertification (removal of topsoil), which has contributed more carbon to the atmosphere and climate change than ALL fossil fuel use combined. Plant based diets are actually causing climate change, and grazing cows is one of the only things that can reverse it. And red meat is actually the healthiest food for the human body. Humans aren't grainivores, we don't have a gizzard (the organ that grinds grains into flour in the animal's body) and grains are one of the newest foods to be added to the human diet.

Her dad and I wanted you to have access to this scientific information and hold no hard feelings about your teachings because we know your motives were pure and you want our kids to be healthy and the environment to be saved. We would really appreciate it if you would look over this additional research I'm sending, and please not spread misinformation in the classroom. My daughter was so upset after your meat-is-bad speech that she went in the bathroom and cried. Since our family eats a meat-heavy diet (all grass-fed and organic, of course) this was hugely upsetting to her, and us. Since I began eating a meat-based diet, I have reversed my type 2 diabetes, all of my digestive diseases (SIBO, IBS, and celiac) have gone into complete remission, and I've lost 70 pounds and kept it off for over 5 years.

Thanks so much for listening. I highly recommend watching this TED talk from the leading permaculture scientist Allan Savory, it's one of the top 100 TED talks of all time, and explains how to reverse climate change and save the earth.

https://www.ted.com/…/allan_savory_how_to_green_the_world_s…

And here is an excellent article by one of the leading scientific nutrition researchers in the US about red meat and how it's actually the heathiest food for the human body and was the primary source of nutrition for our ancestors throughout a million years of human evolution: https://chriskresser.com/red-meat-it-does-a-body-good/ He also has an entire ebook (free) online if you want to learn more about the science behind animal-based diets.

Thanks *, we really appreciate you, but we would like you to be aware of the way our daughter was affected by your lesson and have access to the alternative scientific information.

Love, Marissa

Gluten

It’s just the newest fad diet these days to go gluten-free, right? What is this stuff, “gluten,” anyway?

Turns out this newest “fad” actually makes a lot of sense when we look into it. Gluten is the protein found in wheat and most other grains. Although grains (the seeds of grass plants) are mostly carbohydrate, there is a little fat and protein thrown in there too.

So let’s talk about grains like wheat. Grains are the newest food to be added to the human diet, from an evolutionary perspective. We’ve only been eating grains for about 10,000 years, at most. And that’s only in certain areas of the world. When you look at the fact that homo sapiens have been on the planet for over 400,000 years, and our older ancestors dating back to homo habilis have been on the planet for 2.3 million years, this is only the blink of an eye. Actually, this means we’ve been eating grains for only the last 0.04% of the time our species has been on this planet.

Grains are not human food. We do not have a gizzard, which is the organ that grainivores have that grinds the grains into flour inside their bodies. This is why we have to grind grains and cook them in order to eat them. Grainivores also eat little sticks and rocks to help their gizzards grind up the grains. Have you ever seen a wheat berry? It’s like a small rock. We would never eat that in the wild, that’s why our ancestors did not consider it food for the first 99.96% of human history.

Grain-eating started with the agricultural revolution. Humans realized that they could stop following the herd they relied on for survival, and stay in one place, if they planted wheat fields and kept domesticated animals. Thus was born agriculture. We needed foods that could be stored when animal foods were scarce, and increasingly came to rely on grains and beans, in addition to root vegetables, squash, and other foods that could be stored. These were used to supplement the animal foods that were available at the time.

Humans began experiencing a great increase in sickness and disease with the adoption of this foreign food group. Although many of us think of ancient humans as living short difficult lives, this is the experience of more recent people, after the agricultural revolution (like the middle ages). Pre-agricultural humans, or hunter-gatherers, often lived long and healthy lives. There are mummies that date back to pre-agricultural times that have all of their teeth and are believed to be close to 100 years old.

Our human body evolved over millennia to be an amazing machine, when fed the right foods. Grains cause disease in multiple ways. First of all, there are a plethora of “anti-nutrients” in grains that strip vitamins and minerals out of the human body. The primary anti-nutrients are phytates, which bind to minerals and results in rickets, slowed skeletal growth, iron-deficiency anemia, and leaky gut syndrome. Leaky gut is a very common issue in our society today.

The main diseases that result from grain eating, besides vitamin and mineral deficiencies, are autoimmune disorders. When we eat grains, especially whole grains - which are actually worse for our bodies, the bran part of the grain that makes it a “whole grain” rips tiny microscopic holes in our intestinal lining. (By the way, the reason they tell us whole grains are better for us is because they cause a slightly slower raise in blood glucose. This is similar to saying that low-tar cigarettes are slightly better for you than high-tar cigarettes so you should smoke a lot of them.)

When we have these holes in our intestinal walls, intact proteins from our diet can leak into our blood stream instead of being broken down into individual amino acids. When the body sees certain intact proteins from our diet (like gluten and casein  - milk protein) in our blood, it thinks this protein is a pathogen because many germs and pathogens are long protein strings. The body reacts with an immune response against the imagined invader. When this goes on for years, the immune system eventually turns on its host and causes auto-immune problems. These include: Type I Diabetes Mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis and joint problems, Crohn’s disease, colitis, celiac, lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome, psoriasis and eczema, hypo- and hyperthyroidism, depression, anxiety, Sjogren’s syndrome, and irritable bowel syndrome, among many others.

So why are grains the base of the food pyramid and why are we told to eat a diet high in “healthy” whole grains? Well, the most obvious explanation is because the grain industry likes it that way. They make a lot of money off of our grain-eating ways, and the health care industry makes a lot of money off of treating these diseases. The reason this misinformation has been perpetuated for so many years, especially in our country, is because nutrition research in America is almost exclusively industry-funded. There is almost no federally-funded nutrition research in the U.S., like there is in many other Westernized countries. This means that most of the nutrition research here is funded by groups like the grain and sugar industries. This obviously sways the results of the research, and which studies not only get funded, but which studies get published.

Many people are forced to eat a diet higher in grains and other cheap carbohydrates because animal foods are more expensive. There is also an incorrect belief that grains and plant foods are easier on the planet that growing animals. Ironically, these days we not only eat grains ourselves but feed it to our domesticated animals – like chickens, who are omnivores and eat worms, and cows who are supposed to be eating grass. But is it really cheaper when we look at the costs of health care, and living shorter lives? There is a quote I like that says something like, Pay for food now or doctor’s bills later. When the destruction of the soil and our bodies is taken into account, we find that grain eating is not actually cheaper or better for the planet.

But how can we possibly give up bread? The staff of life… Give us this day… Crusty baguettes and cake and donuts and cookies. Well, gluten-free has been a “fad” long enough that wonderful alternative have been put on the market. I have been off of gluten grains for almost a decade, and don’t miss them at all. One can still eat sandwiches, cake, cookies, and pizza – mostly made out of almond flour and coconut flour, mostly made at home. But I choose to eat healthy animal foods. And in addition to watching the pounds melt away, I got to watch numerous health problems melt away as well.

You Are Only As Healthy As Your Gut

The Real Root of Autoimmunity, Anxiety, Bloating & Burnout

Welcome to the metabolic underground: the gut.

Once a fringe topic, the microbiome is now a full-blown scientific obsession—and for good reason. The trillions of organisms lining our digestive tract don’t just help us digest food. They regulate our immune system, mood, metabolism, hormones, and even how our cells make energy.

We are, quite literally, more bacterial than human.
(Our DNA? ~5% human. ~95% microbial.)

But here’s the part no one talks about in the biohacking, keto, or pharma-sponsored gut health circles:

The real root cause of gut dysfunction is low energy availability.
Not just the wrong bugs.
Not just gluten.
But a metabolism running on empty.

Your Gut Is a Tube. But What’s In the Tube Isn’t Technically You

Think of your body like a donut. From mouth to colon is one long tube, and what’s inside that tube—food, microbes, toxins—is not actually “in” you until it crosses the gut lining.

Enterocytes (your intestinal lining cells) are the gatekeepers. When healthy, they decide what gets absorbed and what stays out. When stressed, inflamed, or underfed, these gatekeepers break down.

The result?
Leaky gut.
Immune chaos.
Chronic inflammation.
And the perfect breeding ground for pathogenic bacteria and yeast.

What Damages the Gut Lining?

You already know the classics: antibiotics, NSAIDs, alcohol, processed food, and gut infections.

But let’s zoom out:

The biggest and most ignored culprit?
Chronic under-eating and low-carb dieting.

Your gut lining is made of cells that need a constant stream of glucose to regenerate every 3–5 days. Starve them of carbs and calories? You get…

• Leaky gut (tight junction breakdown)

• Low secretory IgA (impaired immune defense)

• Sluggish motility (hello, SIBO)

• Poor enzyme production (hello, bloating)

• Weakened mucus layer (pathogen party)

Add in high-fat, low-fiber diets (carnivore or keto, anyone?) and you’re not just starving the good bugs—you’re overfeeding the bad ones.

Gut Dysfunction Is a Metabolic Feedback Loop

Let’s break it down:

1. You under-eat (or cut carbs/fat too low)

2. Gut motility slows, enzymes drop, and bacteria overgrow

3. Leaky gut develops → food proteins leak into bloodstream

4. Immune system attacks the “invaders” → chronic inflammation

5. You develop sensitivities, hormonal issues, anxiety, autoimmune symptoms

6. You restrict even more

7. And around and around we go...

The Gut-Brain Axis Is Real. But You Can’t Fix It Without Fuel.

Pathogenic bacteria and yeasts (like Candida or Klebsiella) produce neurotoxins—literally brain-altering chemicals that mess with serotonin, dopamine, and GABA.

This is why so many clients with bloating, gas, and reflux also deal with:

• Panic attacks

• Morning depression

• Insomnia

• ADHD-like symptoms

• Autism spectrum behaviors in kids

• PMS and mood swings

The gut doesn’t just digest food—it dictates your reality.

And while pharma would love to sell you Zoloft or acid reducers for the rest of your life, the fix isn’t in your medicine cabinet.

It’s in your kitchen.

So What Does Heal the Gut?

Not pills. Not powders. Not another low-carb protocol.

Gut healing starts with energy—bioavailable, carb-based, low-fat energy.

Start with Food:

• Fruit and fruit juice – fast fuel, polyphenols, potassium, antioxidants

• Well-cooked roots & tubers – gentle fiber for butyrate, microbiome diversity

• Raw carrot salad – daily antimicrobial, estrogen-detox superstar

• Bone broth & gelatin – nourish the gut lining and feed enterocytes

• Low-fat dairy – casein for immune health, calcium for tight junctions

• Sourdough & white rice (if tolerated) – bring back starches after healing

• Herbs like ginger, oregano, fennel, thyme – natural motility boosters

Key Supplements (When Needed):

• Grapefruit Seed Extract – kills pathogens, safe for daily use

• Allicin or berberine – effective against SIBO/IMO

• Biofilm disruptors – like InterFase or proteolytics

• Prokinetics – ginger, magnesium, motility blends to keep things moving

• Saccharomyces boulardii – crowd control yeast that kills Candida

• Enzymes + Bile support – if you’re missing a gallbladder or have reflux

What About SIBO and IMO?

SIBO (bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine) and IMO (methane-dominant overgrowth) are both signs of slowed motility and weakened immunity.

You don’t get overgrowth if the gut is moving and the enterocytes are well-fed.

That’s why so many clients fail low-FODMAP, GAPS, or carnivore diets—they remove triggers but starve the root systems that keep pathogens in check.

The solution?

Restore carb intake
Normalize meal timing (no fasting!)
Kill the overgrowth + support motility
Rebuild the gut lining + reintroduce fiber slowly

But First: You Can’t Heal the Gut in a Starved Body

Read that again.

When I first wrote this article, I didn’t fully understand the connection between energy availability and gut health. I do now—and it changes everything.

The gut doesn’t just get sick out of nowhere. It breaks down when the body doesn’t have enough fuel.

If you’re under-eating (especially fat and carb-restricted), your body will immediately down-regulate digestion to preserve energy for more essential systems. That means:

• Slowed motility

• Weak stomach acid

• Impaired enzyme and bile production

• Thinning of the gut lining

• And eventually… opportunistic bacterial overgrowth

We used to call these bugs “invaders” or “bad guys”—but they’re just doing what any organism would do when digestion slows and food sits undigested in the gut. They're opportunistic, not demonic.

Most “gut overgrowth” is really just carbohydrate deficiency + metabolic stress.

Once I started optimizing my clients’ macros—especially tripling their carbs, slashing dietary fat, and increasing total calories to meet or exceed 45 kcal/kg EA (energy availability)—something wild started happening:

Their digestion kicked back on
Their gut lining began to heal
One round of antimicrobials actually worked
They didn’t need to re-do protocols or go on 10-week gut-killing journeys anymore

Now, I never run a gut health protocol until we’ve optimized energy availability first.

If you don’t fix the fuel problem, you’ll always be chasing bugs.

What About Poop Transplants?

Yep, they’re real. And they work—especially for extreme infections like C. diff.

Fecal microbiota transplants (FMTs) work by reseeding the gut with a full spectrum of healthy bacteria from a donor. But for most people, you don’t need poop in a pill. You need to stop starving your microbiome.

And for the record, you don’t need $99 microbiome kits either. Most of the results don’t change what actually works.

The Bottom Line:

You don’t need more elimination diets.
You don’t need more pills.
You need to feed your gut the way nature intended:

Fuel the body →
Heal the gut →
Balance the bugs →
Calm the nervous system →
Fire up the metabolism →
Reclaim your health.

Want Help?

I’m a Licensed Nutritionist with a Master's in Biochemistry, and I specialize in gut health through metabolic healing. If you're sick of bloating, constipation, reflux, or autoimmune flares—and want real healing through food—I’ve got you.

Book a session or join the waitlist:
hello@theprometabolicnutritionist.com

Recommended Reading:

• Ray Peat on gut motility and serotonin

• Denise Minger: In Defense of Low Fat

• Jay Feldman: Energy Balance Podcast