878. A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Nutrition and Wellness Expert?

“While I had always included diet and nutrition as a vital part of my clinical practice, along with the more traditional medical procedures, as I continued to research and study the science that increasingly reported that the majority of the chronic conditions people in modern Western cultures face are induced predominately by diet and lifestyle choices, I began to question whether I was making my greatest contribution to my patients. The catalyst that gave me the courage to walk away from my successful clinical practice was reading Doctor Walter Willett’s groundbreaking book: “Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating,” which was rooted in studies that tracked the health of dieters over twenty years. The work I do is fascinating and gratifying in every way.”

1. The field of medicine has been a driving force in my life since the beginning. My father was an amazing surgeon and on both sides of my family 27 individuals have chosen medicine as their profession. I guess it’s in our genes!

2. After 15 years building a successful private practice in the primary care field, I watched a body of new science growing at a thunderous rate telling us that the majority of all chronic conditions in the modern Western culture are induced by diet and lifestyle choices.

3. I left my clinical practice in 2002 to devote myself strictly to wellness education—today lifestyle medicine is the fastest growing area of medical specialty and the most sorely needed in my experience.

4. The microbiome is the vast ecosystem of microorganisms that reside in our gastrointestinal tract (GI), mostly in the large colon. It is what I call the “command and control system” of our entire body that is running our entire immune system.

5. Over 30 different autoimmune conditions—Parkinson’s, autism, mental health disorders, heart disease, and even obesity–are directly related to problems in our GI with the microbiome.

6. Fiber from plant-based foods is the most essential way to nurture a healthy microbiome. Long term studies show the overwhelming majority of the healthiest, longest living people around the world consume 80% to 90% of their calories from plants. What’s good is that if you do this, you can literally eat as much as you want, because plant-based foods are not highly caloric.

Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating, by Walter Willett, M.D

Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program for Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, and Optimizing Your Microbiome, by Will Bulsiewicz

How to Eat: All Your Food and Diet Questions Answered, by Mark Bittman and David Katz

Eat Right for Life : Your Common Sense Guide to Eating Right and Living Well, by Ann G. Kulze