A bit of fun dreaming up a possible utopian (or dystopian) prediction of the future of eating when our dietary choices will no longer be a chore. Algorithms at work I met my wife before the invention of the internet. Quaint, I know. We met in a class in college. I was attracted to her beauty and her intelligence. We liked the same activities and even the same rock band. Initially, she declined a few invitations for dates. Rebuffed, I turned my attention elsewhere. Then she started pursuing me. It turns out that her vision of finding a boyfriend included her being the pursuer and not the pursue ..read more

The plant-based diet may very well be the ideal human diet but it might not be right for everyone. There are two groups of people that should avoid this way of eating. There are a few groups of people that should eat this way cautiously, even under the care of a medical doctor. For some, this diet may be an extra challenge. Read on to determine if your relationship with the plant-based diet will be healthy or ill-fated. Avoid Sitosterolemia Sitosterolemia is a rare genetic condition that was first described in 1974. It is an autosomal recessive mutation in the ABCG5 or ABCG8 gen ..read more

Every once in a while a person comes along and does what was once thought impossible. An achievement that resets the boundary of human capabilities. The moon landing showed we could reach out and touch other heavenly bodies. Alex Honnold demonstrated supreme skill and mental fortitude to ascend the 3000 foot iconic El Capitan without ropes. Barriers were shattered. New frontiers can then be imagined for our species. I would, without reservation, place the significant accomplishment of Mr. Andrew Taylor on any such list of historic feats. Mr. Taylor dubbed himself SpudFit and ate just potatoes ..read more

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate Dr. Ettinger earns money from qualifying purchases. You pay nothing extra. Additional disclaimer: I am not an eating disorder expert. I know enough to recognize the signs and refer a person to a specialist. And I do not mean to diminish the anguish of those suffering with eating disorders. Here is a link to an official eating disorders screening tool if you personally are seeking help and support. The following is a hypothesis. There are many competing theories nowadays as to the cause of eating disorders. As always, I am partial to evolutionary explanations ..read more

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate Dr. Ettinger earns money from qualifying purchases. You pay nothing extra. Additional disclaimer: I am not an eating disorder expert. I know enough to recognize the signs and refer a person to a specialist. And I do not mean to diminish the anguish of those suffering with eating disorders. Here is a link to an official eating disorders screening tool if you personally are seeking help and support. The following is a hypothesis. Medical colleagues and parents universally express their concern that discussing weight with a child or adolescent will cause an eati ..read more

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate Dr. Ettinger earns money from qualifying purchases. You pay nothing extra. Spoiler Alert: Major spoilers about Contact….and the Bible. “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” So said astronomer Carl Sagan in his 1980 television show Cosmos in reference to accounts of alien visitation. I will attempt to meet this Sagan Standard by showing that an ancient warning about Vitamin B12 might be evidence of an alien visiting Earth, a time-traveling superhero, or a deity walking among us. What is Vitamin B12? Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is an ..read more

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate Dr. Ettinger earns money from qualifying purchases. You pay nothing extra. My favorite words to hear when discussing dietary changes with a person are “I never thought about it that way.” For someone who has been unsuccessful up until this point, that open-mindedness may be a sign of a willingness to try a new course of action. And since some of what I offer may cause cognitive dissonance, this reply is the most welcome of the possible human responses. Up is the new down Cognitive dissonance is the mental and sometimes physical discomfort a person experiences ..read more

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate Dr. Ettinger earns money from qualifying purchases. You pay nothing extra. Soon after becoming plant-based my wife and I found ourselves at an evening charity event. Dinner arrived magically in front of us by a deft waitstaff. Steaks, sigh. We meekly asked for a non-meat option and our entree was replaced with mushy pasta. Once we swore off animal products it became newly apparent to us that meat is everywhere. Like an alcoholic avoiding intoxicants, it became clear just how much meaty temptation is around us all the time in media, in restaurants, in holiday ..read more

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate Dr. Ettinger earns money from qualifying purchases. You pay nothing extra. Imagine sitting at a table in a fancy restaurant near Cypher and Agent Smith in the 1999 movie “The Matrix”. Major spoilers here as you overhear their conversation. The movie is a tale of a dystopian future in which humanity is unknowingly trapped inside a simulated reality, the Matrix, which intelligent machines have created to distract humans while using their bodies as an energy source. After 9 years of fighting the machines and living in austerity, Cypher is ready to betr ..read more

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate Dr. Ettinger earns money from qualifying purchases. You pay nothing extra. Additional Disclaimer: This blog post is not financial, investment, or tax advice. Sometimes I ask my teenage patients if they have started saving for retirement. They usually look at me quizzically or exclaim that they don’t even have a job yet. Their response and the conversation that ensues gives me a sense if they are thinking about the distant future. Choosing healthier foods today is, actually, quite a lot like planning for retirement. The choice Imagine a 17-year-old with $100 i ..read more