DrCarney.com Blog

After making the transition to a whole-food, plant-based diet, you may encounter others who have also tried to go plant-based, yet have failed. The main reason for returning to their animal-based diet was due to lack of energy. They claim that they feel better when they eat animal protein. Dr. Michael Klaper addresses this issue...

Yes, you read the title right! Dr. John McDougall recommends salt, sugar and fat! But before you run to the nearest store to load up on the double chocolate cream pies, please continue reading! This, of course, will be the only time you will see Dr. McDougall recommending salt, sugar, and fat! Salt Sugar Fat...

If someone were to offer you a plain baked potato or a bag of potato chips, which would you choose? If you chose the plain baked potato, hooray for you! Most people however, would gobble down the entire bag of potato chips, lick their fingers, and look for more. The popular 1960's potato chip advertising slogan, "Betcha can't eat just one" was right; we can't eat just one. Many of us have probably tried, but failed. What compels us to gulp down the entire bag of chips, instead of the baked potato? Dr. Joel Fuhrman has the answer:

"The science on food addiction has now established that highly palatable foods (low-nutrient, high-calorie, intensely sweet, salty, and/or fatty foods - those that make up the majority of the Standard American Diet) produces the exact biochemical effects in the brain that are characteristic of substance abuse."
According to Dr. Fuhrman, "Junk food is ubiquitously available, legal, cheap, and socially accepted; therefore, it becomes the drug of choice for many of us."

What do holidays, birthdays, and family celebrations all have in common? If you answered food, you are correct! In today's culture, celebrating a special occasion without the typical American fare of gooey, weight-promoting desserts would almost be considered un-American. 

Let's pretend it's lunch time. You're in a meeting and it won't end until 2:00, two hours past the time you're used to eating. How do you feel? Are you experiencing "stomach grumbling, headaches, light-headedness, irritability, fatigue, and inability to focus?"

At 1:00, are you now hoping no one will notice your nervousness, confusion, shaking, and anxiety? Most of us would assume that these uncomfortable symptoms are associated with hunger, since eating relieves the discomfort. Dr. Joel Fuhrman explains in his article that conventional wisdom would agree these are hunger symptoms, but Dr. Fuhrman disagrees. He says, "People are consistently led by these symptoms to consume more calories than they require and this widespread overeating behavior has led to an epidemic of obesity and a continual rise in preventable chronic diseases. Understanding the motivation behind overeating behaviors could be a key factor in reversing these trends."

Dr. Joel Fuhrman has written an excellent article regarding our culture's obsession using rich, disease-promoting foods for celebrating special occasions, especially for Halloween. Dr. Fuhrman states in his article, "As parents we must protect our children from harm and give them the best opportunity in life to have a happy and healthy future. Science suggests...

Making the transition to a whole-food, plant-based diet, involves a process known as detoxification. It is not unusual for a person to experience feeling ill shortly after beginning their healhier lifestyle. Some of the most common symptoms are fatigue, headache, shakiness, and GI symptoms of gas, bloating, and diarrhea.

It has been noted that some symptoms can even mimic those of the flu including an elevated temperature.  Generally speaking, the severity of the symptoms is directly proportional to how toxic a person is and the richness of their previous diet.  Some choose to make positive changes in their diet quickly which may intensify the symptoms.  Making changes more gradually may work better for those who need a slower adjustment period.

Grocery store aisles are filled with products labeled as "all natural," "heart healthy" and "organic." It's easy to be attracted to these products, since they claim to be so healthy. Since it's organic, all natural, and good for our hearts, we would be crazy not to purchase it, right However, when we take a closer...

If you enjoyed my blog posts regarding food addictions and how dieting doesn't work, you'll also enjoy the below ten minute video clip featuring Dr. Joel Fuhrman. Dr. Fuhrman discusses in detail why eating less and exercising more doesn't work. Most people try dieting, only to fail after a few weeks. After several attempts and numerous weight loss strategies, many people feel hopeless and give up.

Dieting - it doesn't seem to work, does it?  Cutting back on portion size, counting calories, and using will power can only last so long before we're back to our old eating habits. By the looks of all the diet books available today, it would seem like we would all be a trim and healthy...

For those of us that have already made the switch to a whole-food, nutrient-dense, Starch-Smart® diet, I think we would mostly agree that cheese was the hardest food item to remove from our diets. It melts so nicely, and makes everything taste so much better, right? Remember how wonderfully satisfying it was, and how it...

Before switching to a plant-based diet, fast-food French fries tasted so much better than a plain baked potato, would you agree? There are two reasons that would explain this.

The first reason is due to what Dr. Doug Lisle calls "The Pleasure Trap." He says that our bodies were designed to search for three key flavors in foods that would not only satisfy our appetites, but would also enable us to survive and reproduce. However, we were designed to eat these flavors in very low concentrations that are contained in "highly-fibrous, water-dense, nutrient-rich foods."