This article was written on September 1, 2021 and was reviewed and updated by Joy Y. Erdile, MSc, RD, on April 24, 2026. Practitioner’s Preface For as long as I can remember, type 2 diabetes has been called a chronic, progressive disease and people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes have been taught that (1) the … Read more
This article was written on August 30, 2021, and was reviewed and updated by Joy Y. Erdile, MSc, RD, on April 24, 2026. Practitioner’s Preface A new consensus report from an expert panel made up of representatives from the American Diabetes Association (ADA), European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), and Diabetes UK [1,2,3] … Read more
This article was written on August 23, 2021, and was reviewed and updated by Joy Y. Erdile, MSc, RD, on April 24, 2026. Practitioner’s Preface Green tea, which is high in the catechin EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), has been associated in two meta-analyses with a reduction in body weight and body fat — especially abdominal fat … Read more
This article was written on June 23, 2021, and was reviewed and updated by Joy Y. Erdile, MSc, RD, on April 24, 2026. Practitioner’s Preface This morning, I posted on social media about the extreme heat wave that the Vancouver area will be having over the weekend, with temperatures hitting as high as 40°C or … Read more
This article was written on June 21, 2021, and was reviewed and updated by Joy Y. Erdile, MSc, RD, on April 24, 2026. Practitioner’s Preface This week, the weather forecast for the Vancouver area is for hot and hotter, so I thought it would be good to revisit a wonderful summer drink that I enjoy … Read more
This article was written on June 15, 2021, and was reviewed and updated by Joy Y. Erdile, MSc, RD, on April 24, 2026. Practitioner’s Preface The human body can use carbohydrate, fat, or protein to generate energy; only carbohydrate and fat are major fuel sources. Protein’s role in the diet is mainly to provide amino … Read more
This article was written on May 25, 2021, and was reviewed and updated by Joy Y. Erdile, MSc, RD, on April 24, 2026. Practitioner’s Preface There continues to be a reliance on LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) as the main means to assess cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, despite the fact that apolipoprotein B (apoB) has been found … Read more
This article was written on April 23, 2021, and was reviewed and updated by Joy Y. Erdile, MSc, RD, on April 24, 2026. Practitioner’s Preface FODMAP is an acronym for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols, which are the types of carbohydrate that are fermented by the microorganisms that live in our intestines, known as … Read more
Note: This article was originally posted on August 13, 2023, and was updated and reposted on November 25, 2025. Introduction In the interest of time, many people throw a cup or more of fruit, some green veggies, and maybe some protein powder into a blender to make a smoothie for breakfast. But most people don’t … Read more
This article was written on April 13, 2021, and was reviewed and updated by Joy Y. Erdile, MSc, RD, on April 24, 2026. Practitioner’s Preface A therapeutic diet is used to treat a medical condition, and when prescribed by a Physician and implemented by a Dietitian, it is referred to as Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) … Read more
This article was written on April 12, 2021, and was reviewed and updated by Joy Y. Erdile, MSc, RD, on April 24, 2026. Practitioner’s Preface People on social media argue about which is the “best diet” for humans — vegan or carnivore? Low carb or keto? Vegetarian or vegan? I avoid these “diet wars” largely … Read more
[NOTE: This is a combination Science Made Simple article and editorial, expressing my opinion.] This past Wednesday March 24, 2021, Dr. James Muecke, a South Australia ophthalmologist who was the 2020 Australian of the Year, posted on Facebook that Diabetes Australia reworded their webpage from ”Type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition” to ”Type 2 … Read more
This article was written on March 22, 2021, and was reviewed and updated by Joy Y. Erdile, MSc, RD, on April 24, 2026. Practitioner’s Preface In November 2018, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) released a Position Statement [1] which identified four separate disease stages associated with an abnormal glucose response, including Type 2 … Read more
This article was written on March 14, 2021, and was reviewed and updated by Joy Y. Erdile, MSc, RD, on April 24, 2026. Practitioner’s Preface More than half of middle-aged people have a hiatal hernia (sometimes referred to as a “hiatus hernia“), but most people are only diagnosed when their symptoms become problematic, or inadvertently … Read more
This article was written on March 9, 2021, and was reviewed and updated by Joy Y. Erdile, MSc, RD, on April 24, 2026. Practitioner’s Preface When people come to me because they think they may be allergic to certain foods, the first thing I ask is if they have an allergy to any trees or … Read more
This article was written on March 7, 2021, and was reviewed and updated by Joy Y. Erdile, MSc, RD, on April 24, 2026. Practitioner’s Preface Most people know that prediabetes and diabetes are associated with “high blood sugar,” but just how much sugar is actually in the human body? And how does “grazing” all day … Read more
This article was written on February 24, 2021, and was reviewed and updated by Joy Y. Erdile, MSc, RD, on April 24, 2026. Practitioner’s Preface I often hear the question, “How much protein is best?” but that depends on who. Different people have different protein needs. A healthy man or woman seeking to build muscle … Read more
Note: This article was originally posted on February 16, 2021, and was updated on November 10, 2025, and reviewed on April 24, 2026. Practitioner’s Preface More than a hundred years ago, Dr. Russell M. Wilder and two Dietitians from the Mayo Clinic wrote a 69-page book titled A Primer for Diabetic Patients – A Brief … Read more
Note: This article was originally posted on February 3, 2021, and was updated and reviewed on April 24, 2026. Practitioner’s Preface People come to me with different goals concerning type 2 diabetes. Many people who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes come to see me to help them put their diabetes into remission, so … Read more
Note: This article was originally posted on February 2, 2021, and was updated and reviewed on April 24, 2026. Practitioner’s Preface I was excited when I saw a thread on social media over the weekend about Diabetes Canada’s new 7-day Low Carb Meal Plan. After all, last May, they released a Position Statement summarizing the … Read more
Note: This article was originally posted on January 14, 2021, and was updated and reviewed on April 24, 2026. Practitioner’s Preface Several recent studies have found a relationship between the species of bacteria and fungi that live in our large intestine, carbohydrate intake, and Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD), including Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s disease. This … Read more
Note: This article was originally posted on January 4, 2021, and was updated and reviewed on April 24, 2026. Practitioner’s Preface The myth persists that a “keto” diet followed for weight loss or improved metabolic health is all about the fat…bacon, heavy whipping cream, and fat bombs. It’s about adding butter and MCT oil to … Read more
Introduction News outlets highlight when someone has died of complications of COVID-19, stressing that the person “had no underlying health conditions“, but the problem is that this is often assumed, not assessed. Just because a person wasn’t diagnosed with diabetes, heart disease or high blood pressure does not mean that they have no underlying health … Read more
Practitioner’s Preface One of the more frustrating things that I experience as a Dietitian who works with people with food allergy is when people come to me with a lab report listing foods they are ‘allergic’ to—only for me to get a multi-page report that they paid $650-750 out of pocket for, and which measures … Read more
Note: This article was originally posted on November 6, 2020 and was updated and reposted on April 19, 2026. Introduction Historically, studies have shown that more than half of weight loss is regained within 2 years, and more than 80% of weight loss is regained by 5 years [1]. Recent data indicate that within 1 … Read more
