Transforming Health Through Nutrition, Empathy, and Research

I found yoga about 12 years ago after years of heavy lifting. Truthfully, my body resisted it at first. My muscles were constantly sore and tight, and the stretching was uncomfortable. But after a few months of easing in, something shifted. I went from lifting 5x/week to yoga 3x/week with lighter weights in between. I lost some muscle mass — but my anxiety dropped significantly. My whole world opened up 🧘🏽

I’m convinced that trauma stored throughout my fascia tissues was released. Science is beginning to support this hypothesis 🧬

That led me to yoga retreats with @brentasana and @jaycoyoga — still some of my best memories in this life. Then the pandemic hit, then two kids, and my practice fell off. Sound familiar?

In recent months, I’ve gotten serious again. I’m practicing at @yogazan in Santa Monica (shoutout to @dianemagnette classes) and hoping to get my wife @miracleworkher on the mat with me soon 👰🏻‍♀️

Here’s what I wish I’d understood earlier: yoga isn’t just exercise. It’s a nervous system reset. A new systematic review (PMID: 41108584) looked at 10 clinical studies on yoga for IBS and found moderate-to-large effect sizes for reducing GI symptoms — in one trial, yoga performed as well as a low-FODMAP diet. The mechanism? Yoga restores vagal tone, the connection between your brain and gut. When stress tanks your vagal tone, digestion suffers.

The poses matter. But the breathing might matter more 🧎🏻‍♂️

I compiled specific poses matched to specific GI symptoms — bloating, constipation, diarrhea, stress-driven gut issues. Save it. Try them. Your gut will tell you if it’s working.

#yoga #guthealth #ibs #ibsrelief #functionalmedicine

New research just dropped in the BMJ, and it’s a big deal…

Transnational food corporations are now marketing “healthy” ultraprocessed foods — think high-protein snacks, vitamin-enriched drinks, and plant-based burgers — as solutions to the very problems their products helped create. This new analysis from Rezende et al. (2026) exposes exactly how this narrative is being used to undermine front-of-pack labeling, block marketing restrictions, and delay real policy change.

Here’s what the data actually shows:

📊 92 out of 104 cohort studies link UPF consumption to at least one adverse health outcome — obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, mental health disorders, and all-cause mortality.

📊 UPFs now account for more than 50% of calories consumed in the US and the UK.

📊 The mechanisms go beyond nutrients. Mediation analyses and randomized crossover trials indicate harms associated with the processing itself.

The industry’s playbook? First, it was “no food is harmful in moderation.” Now it’s “only SOME ultraprocessed foods are bad.” The goal is to fragment the science and confuse the public so that meaningful regulation never arrives.

But the world is catching on. More than 10 countries have incorporated the NOVA classification into dietary guidelines. Brazil restricts UPFs in schools. Colombia has introduced UPF taxes and mandatory front-of-package warnings. California recently passed legislation restricting certain UPFs in school meals due to harmful additives.

So what can we do RIGHT NOW?

Check out @nonupfprogram — a nonprofit certification program that is putting real pressure on the food industry to be transparent about what’s in their products. Food companies can now get certified as Non-UPF, giving consumers a clear signal at the point of purchase. This is a huge step toward holding Big Food accountable and recognizing the companies that are actually committed to public health over private profits. Certification is available now.

This is not fringe science. It has been published in the BMJ, The Lancet, and Diabetes Care. It’s driving global policy. And it demands systemic change — not just individual behavior change.

The idea of having a concert for children is brilliant. The Intelligence knows that kids need more than pop songs 🌎

Kids need to touch their roots. They need to sing and they need to dance. We have to work hard to remember who we are and there are things we can do 🧘🏻‍♂️

Eating commercial food and watching commercial news is a recipe for forgetting who we are. My family refuses to be indoctrinated. Instead, we celebrate love and focus on raising flourishing children 🏡

This is how we can give back to the world ✨

A calm nervous system and dialectical brain is the real medicine and it can never be commercialized.

Mi casa es mi corazon ♥️

After 40 years of treating binge eating disorder, documented outcomes haven’t improved. Published literature suggests that recovery rates have declined over time. PMID: 41345043

Meanwhile, the field has become so hostile to certain questions that asking them risks your social stance in the treatment community. It feels less like a scientific community and more like a schoolyard sandbox.

Professional organizations are shrinking and collapsing. Thoughtful clinicians are leaving. Researchers self-censor to protect their livelihoods.

And patients who don’t fit the dominant framework? They’re told their experience isn’t real — or they quietly stop seeking help.

When a field can’t tolerate internal debate, when scientific inquiry is met with professional threats rather than curiosity, when legitimate protective instincts harden into unchallengeable dogma — something has gone wrong.

This isn’t about picking sides in manufactured culture wars. It’s about asking who actually benefits when we’re too busy policing each other to examine the systems that shape our practice.

The answer might surprise you. Or maybe it won’t.

I wrote about it. It’s uncomfortable. It’s meant to be.

Drop “BLOG” in the comments if you want the full article.

New research is clarifying the role of selenium in brain aging—and it’s worth paying attention to.

I just finished reviewing a comprehensive 2025 paper that examines how this trace mineral supports hippocampal neurogenesis, protects against oxidative damage, and influences multiple pathways relevant to cognitive health.

Key findings:
* 500 million to 1 billion people worldwide may be selenium deficient
* Selenium is incorporated into selenoproteins that regulate neuroinflammation, synaptic plasticity, and even new neuron formation in adulthood
* The SEPP1/LRP8 transport axis is critical—and exercise appears to enhance it
* Genetic polymorphisms affecting selenoprotein synthesis may explain individual variation in selenium requirements

The science is pointing toward selenium as a modifiable factor for cognitive resilience as we age. It’s pretty easy to modify.

But here’s the nuance: more isn’t always better. Selenium has a narrow therapeutic window—deficiency AND excess can cause problems. This is why I’m a fan of food-first approaches (Brazil nuts, seafood, eggs) and functional testing when needed.

If you’re working on longevity, mental health, or just trying to age well—micronutrient status deserves your attention.

#selenium #functionalmedicine

Last night we reflected on our last 6 NYEs together. We relived the memories of our love story and our evolution from dating to engaged to parenting and now reaching the peak of our marriage and soul connection ♥️

To have a growth partner to serve as a mirror and do the deep work as a unit and raise little humans together is everything that it’s cracked up to be 🥰

Love is the only thing that truly matters @miracleworkher

I’ve been diving into some fascinating new research on the connection between environmental toxins and mental health—specifically PFAS, the synthetic chemicals found in everything from nonstick pans to food packaging to our drinking water.

A 2025 study in the Journal of Affective Disorders used machine learning to examine how blood levels of these chemicals relate to depression risk. What they found was striking: among the seven PFAS compounds studied, PFOS emerged as a significant predictor—with a threshold effect that suggests higher levels may increase vulnerability.

Now, I want to be clear: this doesn’t mean PFAS are the cause of depression. Mental health is multifactorial, and this study also highlighted the importance of income, social connection, lifestyle factors, and existing health conditions. We always have to hold nuance.

But as someone who takes a functional approach to mental health, I find this research meaningful. It reminds us that what’s in our environment matters—and that sometimes mood struggles aren’t just “in your head.” They’re in your water, your cookware, and your daily exposures.

The good news? Awareness opens doors. We can make informed choices about the products we use, the water we drink, and how we support our bodies in clearing what doesn’t belong. And even though these are referred to as “forever chemicals,” it does not mean we cannot reduce their levels with targeted interventions.

#pfas #foreverchemicals #functionalmedicine

For over a decade, I’ve been talking about ultra-processed foods—sometimes feeling like I was shouting into the void. But something has shifted.

A landmark Lancet Series just published the most comprehensive analysis ever on UPFs and human health, and it validates what so many of us have observed clinically: these products are engineered to override our biology, and our children are uniquely vulnerable.

The good news? Countries that have taken action are seeing real results. The science is settled. The momentum is building. And for the first time, meaningful change feels within reach. Swipe through to see what the research says—and why I’m more hopeful than I’ve been in years.

#nutrition #publichealth #upf