Nutrition and lifestyle are the keys to longevity
A blog by Michael Butler
Articles and opinions for my family & friends about how I am living a healthier life informed by scientific research undertaken since being diagnosed with heart disease. Starting with the principle that each of us is biologically unique, everyone can use nutrition and lifestyle to achieve their greatest potential.
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- Agriculture 1
- Biology 1
- Blood glucose 1
- Book list 5
- Book review 3
- Carbohydrate 9
- Carnivore diet 1
- Chronic disease 17
- Chronic inflammation 1
- Circadian rhythm 1
- Continuous glucose monitor 1
- Dietary guidance 1
- Electrolyte 1
- Environment 1
- Evolutionary mismatch 6
- Exercise 3
- Fat 1
- Fermented food 7
- Fibre 2
- Food 4
- Fruit juice 1
- Gardening 4
- Genetics 1
- Heart disease 12
- Holobiont 1
- Human Metabolism 14
- Human development 1
- Human evolution 11
- Human health and disease 19
- Human microbiome 8
- Human nutrition 12
- Immune suppression 1
- Immune system 1
- Industrially processed ingredients 3
- Inspiring stories 1
- Insulin resistance 3
- Ketogenic diet 9
- Low carbohydrate diet 1
- Macronutrient 5
- Meat-based diet 1
- Medicine 1
- Mental health 8
- Microbiome 9
- Microbiota 9
- Microbiota diversity 1
- Micronutrient 4
- Mountain biking 3
- Multiple sclerosis 1
- Nature 2
- Nutrient density 9
Continuous glucose monitors show which foods can harm us
A CGM can show us which foods are raising blood glucose and may harm us if we continue to eat them.
My poor diet repeatedly damaged my arteries
An illustrative reminder of the way heart disease (plaque) is caused by repeat clot formation in arteries, not cholesterol.
It’s almost impossible to lose weight on a high carb diet
Have you ever wondered why it’s so difficult to lose weight when eating a recommended high carbohydrate diet? We’re not doing anything wrong. Quite the reverse, on such a diet our body is evolved to gain weight.
Revolutionising Health with Real Food: 2nd Annual Scottish PHC Conference
Want to know what some of the UK’s most prominent doctors are saying about diet and metabolic health? Read on.
We evolved to consume every kind of fat
When we consume real food, we consume fat and every type of fat. There are no exceptions.
Poor mental health may be another symptom of malnutrition
Have you noticed that mental illnesses such as depression and Alzheimer’s are on the rise in the same was as things like heart disease and type 2 diabetes? Well, they are. I recently attended a conference in which a compelling case was made for high carbohydrate diets causing mental illness in the same was as they do so-called chronic diseases. This article presents that case and describes a solution.
First Annual Keto Brain Health Conference
If you’re interested in mental illness causes and remedies this is a conference you might consider. It was packed with interesting speakers, their inspirational stories of recovery and how a ketogenic diet helped them.
Where does all the sugar come from?
Everyday foods like fruit juice, bread, croissants, pasta, potatoes, and rice are readily turned into blood sugar when we consume them. Much of that sugar is then turned into body fat. Eating these things all day and everyday goes a long way to explain why so many of us struggle with our weight. I explain how this happens here.
The importance of sunlight
Did you know that sunlight reaches deep into our bodies, especially in babies and young children? I didn't. Sunlight has benefited all life on earth since the very beginning. Humans harvest sunlight just as we use the nutrition in our food.
Reversing multiple sclerosis: the inspiring story of Dr. Terry Wahls
“Food is the bedrock of health. Our food choices can either lead to disease or create health and vitality.” I defy you to read this story and not be inspired by one woman’s story of how she reversed the debilitating symptoms of multiple sclerosis with food. She now leads a healthy, relatively normal life
Fruit juice can be OK… in moderation
Fruit juice must be good for us, right? Not so fast, fruit juice is not a natural food, it has been processed and changed from its natural fruity origin. It can be OK when consumed in moderation by someone who is metabolically flexible. Otherwise, be careful.
Healthy carbohydrates
This is a simple graphic that highlights the difference between healthy and unhealthy dietary carbohydrates. I tend to follow this guidance but point out where I do make exceptions
“…a healthy brain requires a meaty diet”
It’s not often I read about the pros and cons of meat-based vs plant-based diets in a major newspaper. This was a good one
Industrially processed carbohydrates
Have you ever wondered why, indeed did you even know that the sugar and starches many of us eat today are the main causes of weight gain and obesity? Even worse, if left unchecked, the metabolic damage they cause can include heart disease, high blood pressure, and Type-2 diabetes. I explain here how eating to much industrially processed carbohydrate drives up blood insulin and insulin resistance to produce those ill-effects.
Ferments - Dairy Kefir
Milk kefir is the only whole food that I consume every day. I make it easily at home and it provides me with a rich mixture of nutrients and gut-healthy prebiotics and probiotics. I write here about how I make kefir at home.
What’s in store for 2024?
There are many large myths surrounding nutrition and human health. This is a quick summary of what I’ve learned about the state of nutritional science since starting this blog and how I’m going to proceed in 2024.
The benefits of sauna
Do you dismiss sauna as a luxury or part of a pampering day out? I used to make that mistake. Now I consider it part of a healthy lifestyle that builds on a base of healthy diet, exercise and sleep. Here I describe why and how I use sauna regularly to get maximum health benefit
My book collection - part four
Three books about the ancient pinewoods of Scotland and temperate rainforests of Great Britain and Ireland. I find that time in nature is regenerative for me. I’ve used these books to identify places to hike and mountain bike through some of the most spectacular landscapes of the United Kingdom