My Unremarkable Brain

Doctors have known since the 1920s that a  ketogenic diet is effective in treating epilepsy .  What they still don’t know is how .   Ketogenic diet therapy is really pretty simple. You cut carbs, forcing your body to burn fat for fuel; your body turns that fat into ketones, which run through the bloodstream; and when there are more ketones in your blood, your brain works more efficiently.  This might explain why the diet is being explored for many other neurological problems, like autism, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, MS, and more .  That the diet is effective for many (though not all) people is well-known.  But again, the mechanisms by which it works are still a mystery.  Like the Totally Awesome Roller Racer , everyone wants to know, "How's it go?"  But two new studies have come out suggesting that the path leading from bacon in the belly to benefits in the brain might run straight through the gut. The gut microbiome is the wild and wonderful world of tri

Last week I attended my college’s Employee Recognition reception.  At this somewhat cheesy annual event, the VPs get up and announce the folks in their divisions who have stuck around for 5 years, 10 years, 15 years, and so on.   It was a record-setting year: a colleague in my division celebrated his 50 th year at the college. An entire career — an entire adult life, in fact — spent at one job, at one institution.  Inconceivable!  I know people who quit jobs like it’s a bodily function, and whose resumes are thick as a phone book.   But that’s not even the impressive part.  You’d think that after being at one place for so long, still grinding away in his seventies, he’d be burned out — phoning it in, cruising along, collecting a paycheck.  You’d be wrong.  In fact, he’s the most dedicated, most passionate, hardest-working guy in my division.  When I compare myself to him, I have to blush at how I fall short. How is this possible?  It’s not supposed to be that way.  Or is

Well, it’s here: America’s pig-outingest holiday .  And I'm a man who loves to eat.  Unfortunately, for the past nine months, I’ve been staying in dietary ketosis by following a low-carb diet called NSNG (No Sugar, No Grains).  What’s a big guy to do?  After all, what’s game day without pizza, nachos, wings and beer?   It ain’t always easy.  Especially when you’re as lazy as I am.  But in the words of baseball great Jimmy Dugan, “the hard is what makes it good.”  So here’s the low-effort, low-carb game day grub that helped me spin-maneuver my way through a glorious undefeated season (and brutal post-season) by my alma mater. Guacamole: Avocados are a keto dieter’s favorite fruit.  Buttery-licious, nutritious, and easy to eat.  When it comes to guac, it’s best to make your own, since packaged brands have tons of preservatives.  This recipe from goop  requires only 4 ingredients and almost no prep.  But how can you have guac without chips?  Somehow, you need to transport all

“Can you donate blood?”  The question catches me off-guard.  I’m in the office of my new family doctor, reviewing the results of my recent blood tests.   So far, no big surprises.  My cholesterol is okay, I’m low on omega-3s, my insulin sensitivity is so-so, my genetics are generally good…  This new doc is a bit unconventional, but very thorough.  When she orders blood tests, she orders BLOOD TESTS. The report is 5 pages long and has a dizzying list of letters and numbers that, for me, might as well be hieroglyphics (or a quarterly 401k statement).  But she flies through the report, decoding the numbers and offering me helpful lifestyle tips, like eating less sugar and more fish. All good, until we get to the blood-donation thing.  “Um, well… I haven’t donated blood,” I admit, sheepishly.   “Okay, but I mean, will they allow you to?  The reason I ask is that your ferritin levels are quite high.” “Ferritin?” I say, reaching back for a scrap of knowledge from high schoo