Minneapolis Nutritional Medicine Doctor

Restore your health naturally! Call for your free consultation with Twin Cities nutritional medicine doctor Dr. Greg Fors today.

I have been practicing nutritional medicine for 30 years now, and I can tell you one thing for sure; you will never truly heal or maintain your health without the proper diet for you! Why? Because food is not just calories; it is information. Food provides instructions to the operating system of your own biology. The foods you eat communicate to your gut microbiota determining which bacteria thrive, to your immune system turning on or off inflammation, to your genetics expressing health or disease.

It’s Confusing With So Many Different Diets

There are the Vegan, Zone, Adkins, Paleo, Pegan, Keto diets, and so many more. Then there are all of the contradictions thrown at us by the government and media: eggs are bad, no eggs are good, fat is bad-no fat is good, grains are good-grains are bad, and on and on we go. A huge problem is that much of the scientific investigation into food and nutrition is highly influenced by the food industry. A recent study by the National Academy of Sciences has found government policy to be influenced by the food industry. No big surprise here.

So, you may ask the heck should I eat? First, eat real foods, whole natural foods, non-processed foods. Very simply, if God made it eat it, if man made it leave it. As an extreme example there are 37 different ingredients in a Twinkie only one is a food, banana purée at the very bottom the list the least thing in it.

My basic dietary guidelines - founded on my review of the scientific literature and my 30 years of experience in helping people return to health and wellness:

• Make a wide variety of vegetables the center of your diet. About three-fourths of your plate should be covered with colorful vegetables. The scientific community is unanimous on the fact that vegetables with all their phytonutrients are nothing but good for you, PERIOD.
• Smother your veggies in good fats, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, grass fed butter, or Ghee if allergic to dairy proteins. Then add your favorite seasonings but make your veggies tasty.
• About a quarter of the plate should be a protein. If it’s a meat, it should about the size of the palm of your hand. In other words, fill-up on veggies! Excessive protein should be avoided for many reasons. Vegetable-based proteins can be utilized in a vegan diet.
• Certain food proteins can be very pro-inflammatory. The most common are gluten from grains and casein from dairy products, avoid these to begin with, then do a trial introduction when feeling better.
• Reduce carbohydrates by removing grains for a while to see how you do on a low carb diet. Remove all sugars and utilize Stevia or Monk Fruit for sweetening. Reduce fruit intake, eat primarily berries.

This Is Just The Beginning. There Is So Much More To Do

With my patients, when it comes to diet and nutritional support, it is much more in-depth, and it is always based on laboratory testing of blood, stool, urine and saliva. First, there is an in-depth consultation with medical history and present symptoms review, followed by a comprehensive nutritional, neurological and orthopedic exam. Based on this data specific laboratory tests are run, then analyzed and correlated to symptoms, history and exam findings by me. Then I teach you on how you became sick and how you can heal.

Lab Tests That Make The Difference

This is much different than getting nutritional information from a clerk at a health food store or a dietitian. With these laboratory tests I determine specific nutrient insufficiencies, for example an RBC analysis for intracellular magnesium, a serum zinc to copper ratio, iron and intracellular iron in the form of serum ferritin. I look at essential fatty acids levels to see if there is an Omega-3 EPA and DHA insufficiency needing fish oil supplementation. Blood biomarkers for B vitamin intracellular deficiencies are also checked such as homocysteine for methyl folate and methylmalonic acid for B12.

I also look to blood biomarkers of chronic inflammation to see if an anti-inflammatory diet with certain herbal supplements are needed to help moderate your inflammatory response. I pay close attention to how you are handling glucose and insulin, and if a low carb/high fat/moderate protein diet is needed. You cannot rely on a fasting blood glucose it will miss insulin resistance and its dangers for more than a decade. You must test for hemoglobin A-1 C and a fasting glucose to insulin ratio rarely if ever done.

A urinary organic acid profile also helps to assess nutrient deficiencies and metabolic imbalances. In nutritional medicine it’s vital to assess digestion, absorption and the microbiota through a Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis. A corrective diet will not be successful when there is small intestinal bacterial overgrowth or SIBO, gut inflammation and leaky gut. Through the stool analysis and a SIBO Breath Test these conditions can be identified and then properly corrected. Food allergies and sensitivities are also tested through blood antibody levels to check for inflammatory protein reactions. A very common problem when leaky gut is present.

All dietary changes are taught to you in detail by me and my staff. The dietary changes are made with your preferences in mind; a corrective diet will only work if there is full patient compliance. Consider how your life could be with the restoration of your health, call for a free consultation today.