Note from Wolfram Alderson, CEO, Hypoglycemia Support Foundation: I have written about Dorothy Mullen in previous blogs.
“Shortly after meeting Dor at a food systems conference in San Francisco where we were both presenting as “thought leaders”, I flew to New Jersey for the basic facilitator training of Suppers. I wrote shortly thereafter that Suppers has discovered the Holy Grail of Lifestyle Change. Before assuming that I have joined some airy-fairy cult in New Jersey, hang on – I want you to know that The Suppers Programs is one of the best examples of applied science I have ever seen.”
I can’t say enough about the impact Dorothy has had on me and countless others. Here is incredible story about her and her work.

This is the story of “Dor” Mullen, founder of Suppers, a learn-by-doing program where people learn to cook, taste, and feel their way to vibrant health.

“Be strategic,” Dorothy Mullen said to a board member of Suppers. “There’s nothing better for fundraising than having your founder come down with metastatic cancer.”

Tears wiped. Business plan meetings scheduled. Moving forward.

This is the story of “Dor” Mullen, founder of Suppers, a learn-by-doing program where people learn to cook, taste, and feel their way to vibrant health.

Here is her story. And here are some of our stories. We are among the many who want to keep Suppers going. Not just to honor and remember Dorothy, not just because Suppers is so important to so many people, but because we believe Suppers — and its principles — have the power to make Princeton — and New Jersey — and the nation — healthier.

— Marion Reinson, member of the Suppers transition team

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE STORY IN PRINCETON INFO

Suppers Programs founder Dorothy Mullen. Photo by Gina Masessa. 

Patient narrative and experience are too often ignored as a resource for improving educational and regulatory practices, say Rebecca Baines, Charlotte Denniston, and James Munro

The narratives we share about ourselves and others are an integral part of our everyday lives. They are the medium through which we communicate, celebrate, and educate, providing a common currency that has the potential to be accessible to all. However, despite the repeated sharing of health and illness accounts around the world on a daily basis, the meaningful involvement of patient narratives in the education and regulation of healthcare professionals is perhaps yet to be fully realised.  

While there are some clear areas of excellence, there are also some clear areas of resistance to working with patient narratives. But why? What is the perceived risk of listening to patient voices for educational purposes? What power do patient voices have when expressed in their own, unaltered form and language?

Read the whole article by clicking here.

For much of modern nutrition history, a rather large assumption/concept has dominated thinking by experts in nutrition as well as in the general population: the “one-size-fits-all diet“. An example is the U.S. government food pyramid, or the current iteration “MyPlate”. Almost every government peddles some version of this – and sadly most are wrong… just look at the pandemic of metabolic diseases plaguing our planet.

In reality, current science supports the idea that nutrition plans and diets should be tailored for individuals, their culture, genetics, microbiome, environmental exposures, metabolic health, etc. Science supports using data to make decisions about what you eat, not fads, macronutrient ratios, etc. Modern nutrition science requires us to learn some actual science, use validated information to support decisions about what we eat, and last but not least, to cook and eat whole, real food (not food-like products and additives).

This means, when you hear someone tell you how to manage your blood sugar by giving you rote directions from a standardized diet plan, or worse yet, proffers some half-baked diet philosophy, commercialized proprietary food product regimen, or snake oils in form of expensive supplements, health-shakes, etc., then walk away. Some may do better on a low-fat diet, some on a low-carb diet, some on plant-based foods, and others on an animal-based foods – or all of the above. Don’t let food fanatics and philosophers, and with all due respect, kettlebell instructors, mislead you about what is good for you.

Added sugar? Processed carbohydrates? That isn’t food or nutrition, so it is a “no-brainer” to cut these out.

Regrettably, some (many) healthcare institutions and providers don’t have a clue about nutrition – just look at the last meal you had in a hospital – either as a patient or as a visitor. Less than 30% of doctors are required to take a nutrition course during medical school. This means you have to shop around, find the right expert to guide you: someone who uses actual data, and then tailors a plan for you based on what the data and the science say, not their opinion or belief system. It is relatively easy to sort out the charlatans from the professionals – the professionals gather information, ask questions, and then formulate a plan… the charlatans just prescribe the same thing to all their patients, like you are a member of a herd. Don’t be part of the herd – be heard! 

Below, we share a few articles and resources for you to get acquainted with this issue.

This diagram by the Nutrition Coalition shows that the diets recommended by the U.S. Government are basically all the same.

Personalized Nutrition References

• Blood Sugar Responses to Diet Highly Individualized

• Weizman Institute of Science – Personalized Nutrition Project

• Challenges in Personalized Nutrition and Health

• The “Internet Of Food,” DNA Testing, And The Quest For The Perfect Diet

Personalized Nutrition Companies and Organizations

• The Suppers Programs
• EatRx
• Viome/Habit
• 13 Personalized Nutrition Companies on the Market Today

Doctors and Books That Might Help Expand Your Thinking on Nutrition

• Dr. Robert Lustig – Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease 
• Dr. David Ludwig – Always Hungry: Conquer Cravings, Retrain Your Fat Cells, and Lose Weight Permanently
• Dr. Aseem Malhotra – The Pioppi Diet: A 21-Day Lifestyle Plan

Technology Tools

• Continuous Glucose Monitors – What do the data show?
• Fitbit – one way to measure your activity during the day
• MyFitnessPal – food tracking platform
• Diet Symptom Diary – correlate what you eat with symptoms

From a paper by folks at NASA

The Effects of Blood Glucose Levels on Cognitive Performance: A Review of the Literature

AIM: To investigate whether perceptions of task difficulty on neuropsychological tests predicted academic achievement after controlling for glucose levels and depression.

WHAT IS BLOOD GLUCOSE?

Blood glucose, or blood sugar, is sugar in the bloodstream that easily passes the blood-brain barrier. The regulation of blood glucose involves the pancreas, liver, brain, and several hormones. Glucose is a simple sugar, which is an immediate source of energy for cells. Our brain uses a large amount of energy, and is dependent on blood glucose as its source of energy. The primary source of glucose is carbohydrates or starches and sugars, and consumption of these carbohydrates affects the rise and/or fall of blood glucose levels. Normal blood glucose levels in healthy (non-diabetic) adult individuals range from 70–110 mg/dl, and up to 140 mg/dl after meals. Consumption and digestion of all foods containing carbohydrates will raise blood glucose levels; however, some foods will raise levels at different rates than others. Because the brain cannot store glucose, it requires a continuous supply of glucose to function properly. Any shortage in this availability of glucose to the brain has adverse consequences for its functioning.

Reduced blood sugar level, or hypoglycemia, is “an abnormally low plasma glucose level that leads to symptoms of sympathetic nervous system stimulation or of central nervous system dysfunction” (Merck & Co., 2001). Hypoglycemia has been found to induce adrenergic symptoms such as nervousness and tremor as wells as central nervous system symptoms such as tiredness, confusion, and slowed mental function (Lincoln & Eaddy, 2001). Hypoglycemia occurs when glucose is released into the bloodstream more slowly than needed, when body glucose is used up too rapidly, or when excessive insulin is released into the bloodstream. The first signs and symptoms of low blood sugar can begin to occur below 70 mg/dl, although this varies from individual to individual. Hypoglycemia’s effects on the central nervous system also include symptoms like deficiencies in coordination, headaches, blurred vision, anxiety, and dizziness (Field, 1989). Normal glucose regulation varies throughout the day. Circadian rhythms, time of day, and glucose tolerance have been reported to be associated with varied blood glucose levels. In some cases, performance has deteriorated only on certain tasks (e.g., sustained attention task) and glucose tolerance was worse in the afternoon, rather than in the morning.