DrCarney.com Blog

Let's pretend it's lunch time. You're in a meeting and it won't end until 2:00, two hours past the time you're used to eating. How do you feel? Are you experiencing "stomach grumbling, headaches, light-headedness, irritability, fatigue, and inability to focus?"

At 1:00, are you now hoping no one will notice your nervousness, confusion, shaking, and anxiety? Most of us would assume that these uncomfortable symptoms are associated with hunger, since eating relieves the discomfort. Dr. Joel Fuhrman explains in his article that conventional wisdom would agree these are hunger symptoms, but Dr. Fuhrman disagrees. He says, "People are consistently led by these symptoms to consume more calories than they require and this widespread overeating behavior has led to an epidemic of obesity and a continual rise in preventable chronic diseases. Understanding the motivation behind overeating behaviors could be a key factor in reversing these trends."

If you have watched the impressive Forks Over Knives documentary, then you are familiar with Dr. Matthew Lederman, one of the many plant-based doctors featured in this film. In the live-stream Q&A video below, Doctors Matthew Lederman and Alona Pulde answer viewer's questions regarding plant-based nutrition. Topics in this one-hour presentation include: protein requirements, complete...

The word "fiber" may bring many thoughts to our minds. Helping us "stay regular" would be the most prominent thought for most of us. This is certainly true; however, fiber plays a much larger role in the prevention and reversal of disease, as Dr. Neal Barnard points out in this ten minute video.

Fiber is the indigestible substance which is resistant to digestive enzymes. Its role in removing toxic waste products is an important one. Carcinogens, for example, found in meat and dairy products, are moved along more quickly when sufficient fiber is available. This shortens the time it has to damage the lining of the intestines, which helps us avoid colon cancer. This would explain one reason why colon cancer rates are much lower in those consuming a plant-based diet.

Restaurant owner, Judy Patti, prepared her meals the way most Americans do, using a vast selection of meat, dairy, eggs and oil. She admits her poor dietary choices were the root cause of her illness.  Judy was 60 pounds overweight, had high blood pressure, and had already undergone two coronary bypass surgeries in the past.  Her...

Parents make many choices throughout the day concerning the health and safety of their children. Adequate sleep, proper dental hygiene, and getting enough fresh air and exercise are just a few of the many good habits we instill in our children. When it comes to dietary choices, how are parents doing?

Studies continue to demonstrate potential health risks associated with eating animal products, as shown below - written by the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine. (PCRM)

"Red and processed meat products increase women's disease risk, according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers from Harvard analyzed the diets and blood of 3,690 participants from the Nurses' Health Study and found that as total red meat consumption increased, C-reactive protein (CRP, a biomarker of infections and diseases including heart disease and cancer), hemoglobin A1c (an indicator of diabetes risk), and stored iron (a mineral which in excess is associated with heart disease, cancer, and diabetes) also increased. Weight and calorie intake also increased with increased intake of red and processed meat products."

"Consumption of red and processed meat products is associated with increased risk of death, according to a new review published by the American Journal of Epidemiology. Researchers looked at nine studies with years of follow-up ranging from 5.5 to 28 years to calculate a 23 percent increase in mortality risk for those consuming the most processed meat and a 29 percent increased risk for those consuming the most total red meat, compared with those who consumed the least. Other studies have shown a similar link with red and processed meat products and mortality as well as links to heart disease, cancer, and diabetes."

Dr. Jay Gordon is a pediatrician that uses whole-food, plant-based nutrition as preventative medicine in his medical practice in California. In the above eleven-minute video, Dr. Gordon addresses common questions regarding children's nutritional needs and the importance of establishing good eating habits at home.

A few of the topics he covers are:  

• The benefits of children eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables
• How a plant-centered diet impacts children's developing brains and bodies
• Raw vs cooked vegetables
• Childhood obesity
• What to say to children when they want to eat the junk food that their peers are eating

Vegans have lower body weights as well as cholesterol levels, according to a recent study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition and reported by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine:   "Those who consume vegan diets have better cholesterol levels than people who eat meat, fish, dairy, and/or egg products, according to a...

A new study conducted in Taiwan involving over 4,000 participants revealed a higher risk of diabetes in those that consumed even modest amounts of animal products in their diets.  This was reported by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, February 13, 2014.  "Vegetarians are less likely to have diabetes, compared with non-vegetarians, according to a...

Dr. John McDougall has been studying, writing, and speaking out about the effects of nutrition on disease for over 30 years. In this two-minute video excerpt, Dr. McDougall talks about his early experiences as a sugar plantation doctor on the Big Island of Hawaii where he provided medical care to three generations of people.

During this time, his observations led to a clear understanding regarding the association between diet and disease. Those first-generation patients who had originated from China, Japan and the Philippians ate diets rich in starchy grains and vegetables; as a result, they were fit, trim, and had no evidence of heart disease or diabetes. They also maintained their good health and activity well into their eighth and ninth decade. Their children and grandchildren however, traded their traditional vegetable and starch-based diets for the typical American diet. As their diets became more Americanized, they became sick and obese.

A new proposed Nutrition Facts label will provide some good information that has been missing but also removes some extremely important information from the Nutrition Facts label.

1. FDA proposing adding the display of Added Sugars which we commend!
2. FDA proposing removing the display of Calories from Fat which we lament!

Why do we care?
With the removal of the Calories from Fat we will no longer be able to calculate the Percentage of Calories from Fat (AKA Calorie Density) which is important information to aid people in combating our growing obesity epidemic. We have always wished for the Percentage of Calories from Fat to be ADDED to the Nutrition Facts label. Up until now this values has NOT been displayed but could be calculated by dividing the Calories from Fat by the Total Calories. Now the plan is to remove the values which allow us to do the calculation.

The statistics are distressing. Heart disease is our nation's leading cause of death for both men and women, resulting in a heart attack every 34 seconds. Eighty-one million Americans suffer from cardiovascular disease killing one out of every three people or 831,000 each year.

Will you be next? You may not have any symptoms of heart disease, or have been told that your cholesterol is within the "normal" range, yet these measures are not an accurate means of assessing your risk for heart disease. The majority of heart attacks occur in patients whose cholesterol is between "the normal range" of 150-200. In order to be truly protected, we should strive to maintain a total cholesterol level below 150. Heart disease is very rare in those with cholesterol levels this low.