<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><a href="https://peterattiamd.com/ama36/?utm_source=podcast-feed&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=220620-pod-ama36&utm_content=220620-pod-ama36-podfeed"> View the Show Notes Page for This Episode</a></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><a href="https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/?utm_source=podcast-feed&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=220620-pod-ama36&utm_content=220620-pod-ama36-podfeed"> Become a Member to Receive Exclusive Content</a></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><a href="https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter/?utm_source=podcast-feed&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=220620-pod-ama36&utm_content=220620-pod-ama36-podfeed"> Sign Up to Receive Peter's Weekly Newsletter</a></span></p> <p class="p2">In this "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) episode, Peter discusses the nutritional profiles of various fruits and vegetables as a means of assessing their relative value. He explains the difference between eating them vs. drinking them, how processing fruits and vegetables can change their properties, and how one's current state of health affects nutrition strategy when it comes to fruits and vegetable consumption. Additionally, Peter explains the potential benefits and negative effects of certain phytochemicals found in produce and concludes with a discussion of supplementing with green powders, multivitamins, and more.</p> <p class="p2">If you're not a subscriber and listening on a podcast player, you'll only be able to hear a preview of the AMA. If you're a subscriber, you can now listen to this full episode on your <a href="https://peterattiamd.com/members/private-podcast-feed/?utm_source=podcast-feed&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=220620-pod-ama36&utm_content=220620-pod-ama36-podfeed"><span class="s2">private RSS feed</span></a> or on our website at the <a href="http://peterattiamd.com/ama36/?utm_source=podcast-feed&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=220620-pod-ama36&utm_content=220620-pod-ama36-podfeed"><span class="s2">AMA #36 show notes page</span></a>. If you are not a subscriber, you can learn more about the subscriber benefits <a href="https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/?utm_source=podcast-feed&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=220620-pod-ama36&utm_content=220620-pod-ama36-podfeed"><span class="s2">here</span></a>.</p> <p class="p2">We discuss:</p> <ul class="ul1"> <li class="li2">The limitations of nutritional data and challenges of making broad recommendations [2:00];</li> <li class="li2">How one's current state of health impacts their "optimal" diet [11:30];</li> <li class="li2">Defining "metabolic health" [14:45];</li> <li class="li2">The wide-ranging nutrition profiles of various fruits and vegetables [16:30];</li> <li class="li2">The benefits of fiber [20:45];</li> <li class="li2">Eating whole fruits vs. drinking fruit juice or smoothies [22:30];</li> <li class="li2">Drinking alcohol: metabolic effects, calories in alcohol, and more [28:30];</li> <li class="li2">Can excess fruit consumption lead to insulin resistance? [30:30];</li> <li class="li2">Glycemic impact of different fruits, using CGM data to assist decision making, and how fruit is fundamentally different from what we evolved to eat [31:30];</li> <li class="li2">Dietary approaches for people with a carbohydrate tolerance disorder (TD2, NAFLD, etc.), and when it makes sense to restrict fruit consumption [34:30];</li> <li class="li2">Nutrition profile of select vegetables: sugar content, micronutrients, and more [40:00];</li> <li class="li2">Phytochemicals in produce: potential positive health impacts on inflammation, cardiovascular (CV) risk, and cancer [44:30];</li> <li class="li2">Phytochemicals with potential negative health impacts [50:45];</li> <li class="li2">Nightshades and inflammation [53:15];</li> <li class="li2">How important is it to eat organic foods? [56:00];</li> <li class="li2">How necessary is it to wash fruits and vegetables? [1:00:45];</li> <li class="li2">How does food preparation change the nutritional composition? [1:03:45];</li> <li class="li2">Considerations when eating canned and frozen food, and paying attention to processed food additives [1:04:45];</li> <li class="li2">Supplementing vitamins and nutrients as an alternative to eating whole fruits and vegetables [1:06:15];</li> <li class="li2">Green powder supplements [1:11:15];</li> <li class="li2">Important takeaways [1:16:00]; and</li> <li class="li2">More.</li> </ul> <p class="p2">Connect With Peter on <a href="https://twitter.com/PeterAttiaMD"><span class="s2">Twitter</span></a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/peterattiamd/"><span class="s2">Instagram</span></a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/peterattiamd/"><span class="s2">Facebook</span></a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8kGsMa0LygSX9nkBcBH1Sg"><span class="s2">YouTube</span></a></p>
Actionable Insights
1. Tailor Diet to Health Status
Differentiate your optimal diet strategy based on your current health state; what’s best for maintaining health may not be the same as what’s needed to restore health from sickness.
If you have type 2 diabetes or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), temporarily reduce high-volume fruit consumption (e.g., four bananas a day, watermelons, apples, pears, peaches) to reduce the fructose burden on your liver and improve metabolic health.
For a thorough assessment of metabolic health, look beyond the basic metabolic syndrome criteria by considering factors such as oral glucose tolerance tests, uric acid, homocysteine, a full lipid profile, and mitochondrial performance during a zone two test.
Quickly assess your metabolic health by checking if you meet three or more of the five metabolic syndrome criteria: truncal obesity, high blood pressure, high fasting glucose, high fasting triglycerides, and low HDL cholesterol.
5. Adhere to Core Nutrition Truths
Focus on fundamental nutritional principles: avoid consuming too much or too little food, ensure adequate protein intake, get essential micronutrients, and avoid food toxins like E. coli.
6. Practice Nutritional Skepticism
Approach nutritional claims with skepticism, as definitive knowledge is often limited beyond basic principles, and avoid extrapolating your personal dietary experiences to others.
7. Evaluate Fruits by Content
Assess the relative value of fruits and vegetables by considering their specific fiber, sugar, and other nutrient content.
8. Caution with Small Hazard Ratios
Exercise caution when interpreting epidemiological studies that report small hazard ratios (e.g., 1.19), as these findings can be difficult to verify and may be influenced by uncaptured biases.
9. Utilize Show Notes for Visuals
If an episode is audio-only but references charts and graphics, consult the show notes for helpful visual aids and additional context.