The Rx Kitchen at GVMA

05/25/2025

01/03/2022

For those who have questions about diabetes, these links have excellent information for you.

Insulin is the key that unlocks the door to let blood sugar into our cells so it can be used as energy or stored for future use.

Without insulin, blood sugar would be stuck in the bloodstream, unable to get into our cells, which is what happens with type 1 diabetes and is the reason people with type 1 need to take insulin.

Insulin resistance is when our body produces enough insulin, but the lock that allows blood sugar into our muscle cells has been gummed up. By what? Fat—specifically intramyocellular lipid, or fat inside our muscle cells. As the amount of fat, particularly saturated fat, in the diet goes up, our blood sugar spikes.

When researchers lower the level of fat in people’s blood, insulin resistance comes right down. Clear the fat out of the blood, and you can clear the sugar out of the blood, too. Watch the video "What Causes Insulin Resistance?" at http://bit.ly/2t58PeF to learn more.

Not all fats affect muscles the same way. Saturated fats, like palmitate, which is found mostly in meat, dairy, and eggs, cause insulin resistance, whereas unsaturated fats, like oleate, which is found mostly in nuts, olives, and avocados, may actually improve insulin sensitivity. This may explain why those eating plant-based diets have less fat buildup in their muscle cells and less insulin resistance. See the video "Lipotoxicity: How Saturated Fat Raises Blood Sugar" at https://bit.ly/3t1TWc1.

In How Not to Die, Dr. Greger explains how nutritional and lifestyle interventions may trump prescription pills and other pharmaceutical and surgical approaches, freeing us to live more healthful lives. See https://nutritionfacts.org/book.

12/30/2018

This may be helpful for those of you finding meal planning without meat a challenge...

Wondering which meat replacements are best? We've created this handy graphic to help!

12/20/2018

Let me recommend Dr. Neal Barnard’s newest book, The , a super-quick, confidence-building book, that walks you step-by-step into a healthy diet. Loads of helpful tips and dozens of quick recipes. It’s on Amazon now. Buy an extra one for a friend!

Leading medical authority Neal Barnard, MD, FACC, shows you how to put the power of a vegan diet to work with an easy, step-by-step approach.Many are looking to adopt a more healthful diet but may have questions, like: How do I plan a vegan meal? Is protein an issue? How do I make it work if I do...

12/20/2018

Upcoming 5-Week Series beginning January 10, 2019, registrations being taken now at Golden Valley Medical Associates, Inc. 4813 Coffee Road, Suite 200.