My father used to say, “Chuck doesn’t do anything in halves.” He was right: sometimes its a virtue and sometimes a curse. He and my mother taught me to cook, sometimes using cookbooks, like Julia Child's, but more frequently just winging it. This site is a roller coaster ride of recipes, articles, ingredients and anything else that involves cooking and presenting food. There is something here for everybody from beginners to experts.
Cooking Temps
Chicken breast 165, Chicken thigh 170 or more. Pork med well 145, Pork med 140, Rack of lamb med rare 131, Beef very rare 125, Beef rare 130,Beef med rare 135, Duck Breast 126, Salmon med 118, Disclaimer: USDA stds dictate much higher temps. To be super safe, cook everything until it is dry and crunchy, then toss it in the trash
Your Doctor May be Killing You! A Doctor's Point of View
Metabolic Syndrome leads to high blood pressure, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, Diabetes, chronic inflammation, and shortened life span. It is a worldwide pandemic with over 50% of adults being affected. In some populations, 80% of adults may have insulin resistance, which is part of Metabolic Syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions including abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, Elevated blood sugar, High Triglycerides, Low HDL.
I see patients everyday who have metabolic syndrome, yet.
I have yet to see a single one of these patients who is monitoring their glucose with a continuous glucose monitor (CGM)!
I regularly ask patients with Metabolic Syndrome, pre-diabetes, and type 2 diabetes what their primary physician has recommended. I have not encountered any patient who has received advice regarding fructose and detailed steps to live a sustainable healthy lifestyle. Typically they are told to lose some weight by eating less and exercising. The physicians appear to be stuck in the ancient notion that weight gain/loss dis based on calories consumed vs calories burned. This ignores the past 20 years of research! Storage of fat is 100% dependent on insulin. High insulin levels promote fat storage. This is why consuming 1,000 calories of fat creates less fat storage than consuming 1,000 calories of sugar; Sugar elevates insulin much more than fat does. This is not new information.
CGM monitoring has been shown to improve glucose control in type 2 DM, so why aren't physicians advising patients to use them?
Continuous glucose monitoring in adults with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Jancev M, Vissers TACM, Visseren FLJ, van Bon AC, Serné EH, DeVries JH, de Valk HW, van Sloten TT.Diabetologia. 2024 May;67(5):798-810. Showed improved glucose control over traditional monitoring methods.
Insurance only pays for CGM if patients have insulin dependent diabetes. Other patients have to pay directly or use an HSA. I pay about $90/month for mine. I consider it a bargain to markedly reduce my risk of Metabolic Syndrome and all of the diseases associated with it. The cost of managing any of these diseases can be astronomical. If you get Alzheimer's you aren't going to point out how much you saved by not monitoring your glucose! Who wants a tombstone saying "Died 20 years early, after years of poor health, but saved hundreds of dollars by not getting a CGM!"
My recommendations:
1. Monitor your glucose with CGM (Dexcom Stelo)
2. Learn how your body responds to various foods and activities
3. Eliminate all sugar and replace it with Allulose
4. Get some exercise. Walking after a meal is especially useful.
5. Adjust you diet to reduce spikes that go above 140.
6. Minimize alcohol consumption
7. Absolutely stop smoking
8. Place a high priority on high quality sleep
9. Watch videos/read about Fructose and
