If you have read evidence of that, please send it to me. I have not (yet) seen anything concerning about stevia. Of course, we learn something new about these sugar "alternatives" every day!
Thank you once again, Dr. McDonald, for an important Substack. As I was driving to work, I was reaching for a stick of sugar-free gum and wondered if you could possibly address the issues if there are any, to "sugar-free" gum. Ingredients... health risks of any...Thanks.
Most of the gums and hard candies use xylitol, which is not a bad option, if you are used to chewing on or eating products with pure sugar. Xylitol appears to be quite safe when consumed in small amounts. It even helps reduce bacterial count in the mouth (thus its prevalence in gum and hard candy), so it has been shown to reduce tooth decay.
Check the ingredient list and confirm--there are excellent xylitol options available.
I just bought 2lbs of chia seeds at a local store, based on your recommendation. Your Fullscript despensary instructs us to take 2 tablespoons of chia seeds, once per day, and to mix it with water.
I tried to do the mixture as mentioned by adding the two tablespoons to a small glass of water. But all it did was float on the top of the water. So I drank it that way, which wasn't real fun.
For tomorrow's dose, I added the two tablespoons of chia seeds to a small glass of water, and then placed the glass in the refrigerator. Looking at that now, I see massive clumping of the seeds as they sink to the bottom of the glass. That's not surprising since I've read that chia seeds readily absorb lots of water.
You need more water--at least eight ounces. Personally, I prefer to mix the chia seeds with other items and take them in a smoothie. Milk, yogurt, whey protein powder, banana, orange juice, frozen berries, brazil nuts, ice, even coffee. The seeds will puff up after a few minutes of being submerged in liquid. If you let them sit overnight, they turn into a sort of pudding, which you can eat (but not drink).
~ 2 week update. Hi Dr. McDonald... I've ditched the yogurt with the chia seeds and instead, the two tablespoons of chia now go into my spinach-based salads that I have every night for dinner. No taste difference, obviously, but those seeds do add a bit of crunch to the salad, which is actually nice. :) I'll be having blood work done in late March so it will be interesting to see my a1c level at that time.
I've also passed your chia seed recommendation (along with your substack) to a good friend who is dealing with high a1c levels.
Very creative! If you're not pre-soaking the chia, be sure to drink plenty of water when you eat your chia salad, because those seeds will absorb several times their weight in water once they reach your stomach. Let me know what the change in HbA1C is after a solid month of daily use.
"Let me know what the change in HbA1C is after a solid month of daily use."
Hi Dr. McDonald.... thought you'd like to hear this... after a solid month of eating two tablespoons of chia seeds per day with my dinnertime spinach salads, I had fasting blood work done a couple of days ago and today I got my results from Labcorp. One month ago, my A1c was 5.9; today my A1c is now 5.7!
I am definitely continuing the chia seed routine with my dinnertime salads. I can't thank you enough for your efforts producing this great educational substack!!
As a side note, I drink nothing but water these days due to a couple of calcium oxalate kidney stones that formed back in the mid 90s. Those came about because of the large amounts of sweetened iced tea that I drank all the time. I mean, the pain was unbearable and I had to undergo extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy to clear out my ureter. Kind of funny, but the nurse who was treating me at the time said to me, "You know, the pain you're feeling is the same pain a woman feels during child birth." And my response was, "Then why would you have more than one child?!". Her response, "Because you get a stone, and we get a child." heh, heh.
Anyway, after the stones were analyzed by my urologist and were determined to be made up of calcium oxalate, I did some research and found out that iced tea contains large amounts of oxalate. I also found out that magnesium breaks down the oxalate. Ever since those days of the stones, I take magneseum supplements every day and I no longer drink iced tea, or for that matter anything else but water. Lo and behold, no kidney stones since 1997.
Great, thanks! Tomorrow morning, I'll try eating the chia pudding :) that I'm concocting in the fridge tonight. After that I think I'll try the two tablespoons in my morning bowl of plain yogurt and see how that works.
Yes, you are correct, Deborah about the futility of high-intensity exercise to facilitate weight loss long-term. Your physique is made in the kitchen, not in the gym.
What I'm advocating, though, is not high-intensity exercise or really traditional exercise at all. Perhaps a better term would be "movement," because a sedentary lifestyle contributes to obesity, along with many other related health problems. Walking outdoors for 20 minutes a day has been shown to improve mood, cardiovascular health, sleep, and metabolic regulation. The combination of health benefits also contributes to weight loss.
It does moderate weight, although you can lose weight with only dietary control. Most people are able to walk, so there is no reason not to--the health benefits (including metabolic benefits) are simply too great to ignore.
Stevia is a carcinogen as well I believe. I’ll see if I can find a reference for you.
Thanks to Deborah for sending the links below. To summarize:
1. Avoid crude stevia and stevia extracts. Processed stevia is safe.
2. Avoid stevia that has been mixed with erythritol, an additive.
If you have read evidence of that, please send it to me. I have not (yet) seen anything concerning about stevia. Of course, we learn something new about these sugar "alternatives" every day!
Thank you once again, Dr. McDonald, for an important Substack. As I was driving to work, I was reaching for a stick of sugar-free gum and wondered if you could possibly address the issues if there are any, to "sugar-free" gum. Ingredients... health risks of any...Thanks.
Most of the gums and hard candies use xylitol, which is not a bad option, if you are used to chewing on or eating products with pure sugar. Xylitol appears to be quite safe when consumed in small amounts. It even helps reduce bacterial count in the mouth (thus its prevalence in gum and hard candy), so it has been shown to reduce tooth decay.
Check the ingredient list and confirm--there are excellent xylitol options available.
I just bought 2lbs of chia seeds at a local store, based on your recommendation. Your Fullscript despensary instructs us to take 2 tablespoons of chia seeds, once per day, and to mix it with water.
I tried to do the mixture as mentioned by adding the two tablespoons to a small glass of water. But all it did was float on the top of the water. So I drank it that way, which wasn't real fun.
For tomorrow's dose, I added the two tablespoons of chia seeds to a small glass of water, and then placed the glass in the refrigerator. Looking at that now, I see massive clumping of the seeds as they sink to the bottom of the glass. That's not surprising since I've read that chia seeds readily absorb lots of water.
How do you recommend taking these with the water?
You need more water--at least eight ounces. Personally, I prefer to mix the chia seeds with other items and take them in a smoothie. Milk, yogurt, whey protein powder, banana, orange juice, frozen berries, brazil nuts, ice, even coffee. The seeds will puff up after a few minutes of being submerged in liquid. If you let them sit overnight, they turn into a sort of pudding, which you can eat (but not drink).
~ 2 week update. Hi Dr. McDonald... I've ditched the yogurt with the chia seeds and instead, the two tablespoons of chia now go into my spinach-based salads that I have every night for dinner. No taste difference, obviously, but those seeds do add a bit of crunch to the salad, which is actually nice. :) I'll be having blood work done in late March so it will be interesting to see my a1c level at that time.
I've also passed your chia seed recommendation (along with your substack) to a good friend who is dealing with high a1c levels.
Very creative! If you're not pre-soaking the chia, be sure to drink plenty of water when you eat your chia salad, because those seeds will absorb several times their weight in water once they reach your stomach. Let me know what the change in HbA1C is after a solid month of daily use.
"Let me know what the change in HbA1C is after a solid month of daily use."
Hi Dr. McDonald.... thought you'd like to hear this... after a solid month of eating two tablespoons of chia seeds per day with my dinnertime spinach salads, I had fasting blood work done a couple of days ago and today I got my results from Labcorp. One month ago, my A1c was 5.9; today my A1c is now 5.7!
I am definitely continuing the chia seed routine with my dinnertime salads. I can't thank you enough for your efforts producing this great educational substack!!
BRs,
Mark H
Wonderful! The proof is in the pudding (or the salad).
Will do Dr. M (btw, my name is Mark too).
As a side note, I drink nothing but water these days due to a couple of calcium oxalate kidney stones that formed back in the mid 90s. Those came about because of the large amounts of sweetened iced tea that I drank all the time. I mean, the pain was unbearable and I had to undergo extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy to clear out my ureter. Kind of funny, but the nurse who was treating me at the time said to me, "You know, the pain you're feeling is the same pain a woman feels during child birth." And my response was, "Then why would you have more than one child?!". Her response, "Because you get a stone, and we get a child." heh, heh.
Anyway, after the stones were analyzed by my urologist and were determined to be made up of calcium oxalate, I did some research and found out that iced tea contains large amounts of oxalate. I also found out that magnesium breaks down the oxalate. Ever since those days of the stones, I take magneseum supplements every day and I no longer drink iced tea, or for that matter anything else but water. Lo and behold, no kidney stones since 1997.
Sure glad I found your substack!
Great story. Amazing how often a simple change can resolve a chronic health problem. Glad to have you a subscriber!
Great, thanks! Tomorrow morning, I'll try eating the chia pudding :) that I'm concocting in the fridge tonight. After that I think I'll try the two tablespoons in my morning bowl of plain yogurt and see how that works.
Yes, you are correct, Deborah about the futility of high-intensity exercise to facilitate weight loss long-term. Your physique is made in the kitchen, not in the gym.
What I'm advocating, though, is not high-intensity exercise or really traditional exercise at all. Perhaps a better term would be "movement," because a sedentary lifestyle contributes to obesity, along with many other related health problems. Walking outdoors for 20 minutes a day has been shown to improve mood, cardiovascular health, sleep, and metabolic regulation. The combination of health benefits also contributes to weight loss.
It does moderate weight, although you can lose weight with only dietary control. Most people are able to walk, so there is no reason not to--the health benefits (including metabolic benefits) are simply too great to ignore.