Joy Erdile, MSc, RD

Introduction The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has released its Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes (2020) [1]. This update reinforces the April 2019 Consensus Report, emphasizing that there is no “one-size-fits-all” eating pattern for diabetes management. Instead, the ADA underscores that Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) must be individualized to the patient. The ADA explicitly recommends … Read more

Introduction Many people say they plan to lose weight or lower their blood sugar, pressure, or cholesterol in the New Year, but the difference between a “wish” and a “resolution” is having a plan in place to actually do it. Wish or Resolution? A “wish” is really just a hope that something will occur, whereas … Read more

Introduction Historically, “when we eat” was a non-issue; we ate when it was daylight and food was available, and we fasted when it was dark. With modern lighting and refrigeration, our “day” lasts as long as the lights are on, and food is available around the clock. To understand the current science of meal timing, … Read more

Introduction There are two large-scale meta-analyses — one from 2013 and the other from 2017 that indicate that Vitamin D supplementation can reduce the risk of getting an upper respiratory infection (URI) including influenza (“the flu”). Studies Showing that Vitamin D Attenuates the Flu The first study by Bergman et al [4] analyzed data from … Read more

Introduction There is much “push back” when it comes to the standard advice to “eat less and exercise more” as a means of losing weight, and for good reason. For one, metabolism will slow as a result of caloric restriction—making it that much more difficult to lose weight when deliberately cutting calories. Another reason is … Read more

Introduction In the first two articles of this series on Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), I covered what SIBO is, its prevalence, symptoms, and the various diagnostic tests used to identify it. I also discussed why Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) that does not improve with standard dietary changes may actually be SIBO. In this third … Read more

Introduction In the first article of this series about Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), I covered what SIBO is, how common it is, and its primary symptoms. If you haven’t read that introduction yet, it provides essential context for our discussion. In this second article, I cover the different tests used in diagnosing SIBO, exploring … Read more

Introduction I used to believe that SIBO was a condition that only alternative medicine practitioners, such as naturopaths, identified and treated. I thought it wasn’t a real diagnosis at all, and it seems I was not alone in this belief. This is the first article about SIBO, outlining what it is, its symptoms, and its … Read more

Introduction Note: This article is not one of my usual Science Made Simple posts, but a commentary regarding an interaction that occurred on social media. Yesterday, I posted a photo on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter of some fresh chicken that I had bought and prepared. Real food is a perfectly normal topic for a Dietitian … Read more

Introduction A migraine is more than just a severe headache; it is a debilitating condition often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound, and sometimes a preceding aura. For many, these episodes are linked to a reduced ability to clear the amino acid tyramine, a condition known as tyramine intolerance. In individuals with … Read more

NOTE: This article was written and posted on August 4, 2019, and was completely updated on November 7, 2025. Introduction Doctors are often hesitant to order blood tests for post menopausal women who report being more tired or having more hair loss than usual, simply because these women no longer have a period. While menstruation … Read more

Introduction Adverse reactions to food can be broadly categorized as either food allergies or food intolerances. A food allergy is an IgE antibody-mediated immune reaction that can range from mild itching to life-threatening anaphylaxis. In contrast, a food intolerance is a non-immune reaction, such as the enzyme deficiency seen in lactose intolerance. Histamine intolerance and … Read more

NOTE: This article was written and posted on July 21, 2019, and was completely updated and expanded on December 29, 2025. Introduction Digestive issues resulting from milk consumption are frequently attributed to lactose intolerance. However, emerging clinical research indicates that for many, the culprit is actually an intolerance to a specific protein variant found in … Read more

Many people mistakenly believe that arthritis is a normal part of the aging process, but many older adults never get it and most of the people that are diagnosed with it are under the age of 65 years old. In fact,  2/3 of those diagnosed are not seniors, and some include children. US statistics report … Read more

According to the scientific literature to date, there are three ways of putting type 2 diabetes into remission, but an article that was widely circulated on social media earlier this week implied that a ketogenic diet ‘cures’ type 2 diabetes. The article was titled “What If They Cured Diabetes and No One Noticed?”[1] and said; … Read more

Constipation is one of the most common problems that people face, with between 2 and 28% of the population in Western countries reporting having this [1-3]. In 2007 in the United States, 19.4% of people reported problems with chronic constipation[4] and in Canada between 15% and 27% of people reported having sought health care support for … Read more

Quite a few physicians that I know that recommend a low-carb diet to their patients have mentioned to me that those who had previously been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and who suffered for years reported significant improvements within a short time of adopting the dietary changes and have asked me why. That is the … Read more

Have you recently been told by your General Practitioner (CP) or gastroenterologist that you have “diverticulosis” and wonder how you should be eating differently to keep it from getting worse? What is “diverticulosis”? Diverticulosis is where your colon (large intestine) has small “pockets” in it called diverticula which can cause a number of symptoms or … Read more

An analysis was published last week in the British Medical Journal which raised several important concerns about the World Health Organization (WHO)’s draft guidelines on fatty acids; including saturated fat. The international group of 16 nutrition experts who wrote the paper are concerned as “many governments consider the WHO dietary guidelines to be state of … Read more

Note: This article is a combination of a Science Made Simple article, with the references below and an editorial which provides my opinion. Dietary advice ⁠— especially National Dietary Guidelines ought to give clear, consistent messages. It would seem that the new Canada Food Guide ‘snapshot’ outlined in the previous article may inadvertently cause considerable confusion … Read more

Note: This article is a combination of a Science Made Simple article with references below and an editorial which provides my opinion. This past Monday, Health Canada released the Canada’s Food Guide “snapshot”[1] in 28 languages which is not intended to be a stand-alone resource, but to be used as a tool to guide people … Read more

The maintenance of blood sugar is very tightly regulated; with a healthy person’s blood glucose being kept in the range from 3.3-5.5 mmol/L (60-100 mg/dl) between meals, however a new study indicates that it may be newer variant of a gene that determines how well (or not) we are able to maintain these levels. After … Read more

INTRODUCTION: There much debate in the health community about the effect of dietary fat — especially saturated fat on cholesterol levels and whether there is an association between dietary saturated fat intake and cardiovascular disease. In the first part in this two-part series titled High Cholesterol and the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease, I explained what cholesterol … Read more

INTRODUCTION: There is much debate in the scientific community about the effect of dietary fat — especially saturated fat on cholesterol levels and risk of cardiovascular disease. To best understand this complex topic, I have broken the subject into two articles. In this first part, I explain the different ways cholesterol values are assessed, what they … Read more

INTRODUCTION: National dietary guidelines in both Canada and the US focus on the variety of foods available in each of several defined ‘food groups’ and make recommendations about “healthy eating” based on how much of particular nutrients are in specific foods.  In Canada for example, foods that are rich in saturated fat, sodium or sugar … Read more