What is the hCG Diet?
The hCG weight loss protocol consists of a very low calorie diet (VLCD) of 500 calories per day, accompanied by treatments of hCG, usually injected. The average hCG dieter experiences rapid weight loss of up to 1 to 2 pounds per day. In addition to loss of unwanted fat, the true benefit of the hCG protocol is its ability to help modify the dieter’s relationship with food and eating, resulting in easily maintained, long-term weight loss.

“…ionizing radiation exposure from CT alone may now be responsible
for 1.5–2.0% of all cancers” in the US alone. (Reference: Brenner DJ,
Hall EJ. Computed tomography — an increasing source of radiation
exposure. N Engl J Med. 2007;357:2277–2284.)

So, I decided to assemble some information on the prevention and treatment of calcium oxalate kidney stones (aka nephrolithiasis) today, since I was sitting through a medical continuing education presentation on oxalates and at the same time answering an email from a family member who has the condition.

The primary treatment of anything metabolic always HAS to include nutrition. A major issue with calcium oxalate stone formation is being overweight.

Effect of being overweight on stone-forming risk factors.

When I work with patients who desire to reduce their bodyfat, I tell them something very important. These are the general rules for reducing bodyfat–if you aren’t in the shape you want to be in, it is likely that you need to change these things in these directions:

1. Increase protein intake
2. Increase non-starchy vegetable intake (making sure to exclude the nightshades–tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant, paprika)
3. Decrease starchy carbs (pasta, rice, tortillas, anything made with grains, yes even whole grains!)
4. Decrease sugary carbs (all carbs eventually break down to sugar, this can even include fruit sugar for some people who eat too much)

Essential Formulas makes my favorite probiotic.

This is the strongest and most effective probiotic supplement on the market that I have been able to find–well worth the value if you have not or will not start eating cultured foods.

I nearly always have my patients start on the “loading dose”, 5 caps in the AM, 5 caps in the PM, for the first 60 capsule box (this takes 6 days to complete). After that, depending on the amount of other probiotic-containing supplements and/or cultured foods they are taking in, I have them take 2-4 capsules per day.
This product does NOT require refrigeration, which is a marker of its stability, quality, and suitability to the human gastrointestinal system (probiotics that require refrigeration are unlikely to do well in the 100-degree F environment inside our bodies).

Yesterday:

Article on Legumes (beans): Poor source of hard-to digest nutrition

Today:

Article on How much Vitamin C do we really need?

This article will be straightforward and simple. Following is a link to a PDF article written by Kevin Spelman (a brilliant man and instructor of mine, he is one of the relatively few people in the healthcare field I truly look up to), regarding how much (whole-food based, not ascorbate/ascorbic acid pseudovitamins) Vitamin C the majority of people likely need in a day.

Dosing Parameters for Vitamin C: The Stability of the Antioxidant Network

Note that this article is referring to whole-food Vitamin C, as is sold in my store as Innate Response Vitamin C-400 and RightFoods C-500. Both are whole-food based Vitamin C dietary supplements.

Many people wonder why I recommend that nearly all legumes (beans, soybeans, peanuts, etc.) be avoided. There are three main reasons:

1. Humans did not evolve eating legumes and we are poorly adapted, if at all, to eating them in significant amounts. Loren Cordain, the author of the Paleo Diet, expounds greatly upon this idea in the following link:

The Late Role of Grains and Legumes in the Human Diet, and Biochemical Evidence of their Evolutionary Discordance

Ingredients:

• 1 bag Southern Greens (TJ)
• 1 package chicken sausage (TJ)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin coconut oil (see our online store)
• 1/2 cup spring water
• Sea salt to taste (see our online store)
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed (TJ)
• Fresh ground peppercorns (TJ)

Directions:

1. Melt coconut oil (if necessary) and saute the onion until just starting to turn clear.
2. Add sausage, water, and greens to pan (you will need a large pan).
3. Cover and cook over medium to medium-high heat for 10 minutes.

Two links for your personal edification:

From the NY Times Magazine:

Unhappy Meals

My favorite part is right at the start (this is a long article):

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.