Fork U with Dr. Terry Simpson

Beyond the Scale: Eating for Long-Term Health, Not Just Weight Loss Weight loss is often the first thing people think about when starting GLP-1 medications like semaglutide or liraglutide. These medications are powerful tools for helping manage appetite and regulate the body’s hunger hormones. But here's the real truth: losing weight is just one part of the story. To truly thrive, you need to focu...

Obesity: Not Just About Forks and Willpower For years, obesity has been misunderstood, oversimplified, and even stigmatized. It's been framed as a personal failing, a lifestyle choice, or simply a matter of "eating less and moving more." But science tells a different , more nuanced story—one where our brains, biology, and ultra-processed food environment play starring roles. And thanks to groundbr...

The Future of Diets: From Weight Loss to Nutrition, Thanks to GLP-1 Drugs For as long as we can remember, dieting has been humanity’s awkward tango with food—three steps forward, two cheat days back. From eating grapefruit by the dozen to proclaiming kale chips as a snack revolution, our obsession with shrinking waistlines has been both fascinating and exhausting. But what if we could take weight...

From Starving to Stuffed: The Evolution of Obesity in America The rise of ultra-processed foods i n the United States closely parallels the surge in obesity rates and increased caloric intake observed from the 1980s onward. Starting in the 1970s , shifts in food production and consumer habits paved the way for these foods to become dietary staples, ultimately contributing to the obesity epidemic w...

In recent years, GLP-1 agonists have gained significant attention as effective treatments for obesity and type 2 diabetes. However, emerging research suggests these medications may also influence brain function and behaviors related to reward and addiction. In this article, we’ll explore how GLP-1 agonists work, where they act in the brain, and how they can help reduce “food noise” — the constant...

Apolipoprotein B (apoB) is the causative agent in atherosclerosis . If your apoB is low, you will not develop atherosclerosis. However, if your apoB is high, you could die young. We know this because of genetic studies of people with different levels of apoB and their health outcomes. What is Atherosclerosis of the heart? Atherosclerosis is a progressive laying down of "plaque" in the wall of the...

The Cyclical Nature of Autoimmune Diseases: A Huckster's Playground Autoimmune diseases are notoriously difficult to manage because they don’t follow a linear progression. Patients often experience periods of remission, where symptoms lessen or disappear, followed by flare-ups, where symptoms return, sometimes worse than before. This cyclical nature gives the illusion that certain "treatments" or...

Should I eat bread? The low carbohydrate movement has demonized bread.  But is bread fattening? Does it cause inflammation? And if so, why do we call bread the Staff of Life? The Staff of Life Imagine calling white bread the staff of life. And yet bread is more responsible for humans ending a nomadic existence. The cultivation of wheat and barley, both in the Nile and in the Euphrates/Tigris...

Seed Oils: Toxic or Not? Today, the low-carb/carnivore community has a new enemy. It is seed oils. Here is their argument: There were no seed oils in ancient lands Seed oils are highly inflammatory Seed oils are extracted with hexane, a cancer-causing agent The rise of seed oils correlates with the rise of obesity Seed oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids, which are inflammatory   That is the...

Ancestral Diets and Logical Fallacies There is an appeal to ancient history: the idea that ancient beings were either "designed"—as from a creator—or "evolved" to eat in a certain way. Both are logical fallacies, but both are meant to be the "ex-cathedra" in a debate. You read these logical fallacies in communities that claim they understand this. Here are some comments you will get: Our ancestors...

Rice and Fruit or Carnivore The rice diet successfully treated malignant hypertension. Today, we have medications that treat malignant hypertension. Before the 1940s, there were no drugs available to treat this disease, resulting in death from untreated malignant hypertension within six months.  Despite the best medical care available, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died from this diseas...

The Benefits of Whole Grains in Your Diet I want to take you back in time. While we talk about the Mediterranean diet not being a diet of culture but a pattern of eating – it still had its origins in the Mediterranean. The original Mediterranean diet was described as far back as 500 BC in the Ilead. The ancient Greeks ate whole grains, fruits, vegetables, pulses, and a bit of fish. Red meat was ra...

Learn to Cook Fish Fish is not only a healthy option but also a versatile ingredient that can be transformed into a myriad of mouthwatering dishes. Whether you're a seafood aficionado or looking to expand your culinary repertoire, mastering the art of cooking fish can elevate your cooking skills to new heights. In this article, we'll explore the techniques and recipes to create delicious fish dish...

Health Benefits of Fish Consumption Fish consumption has been linked to various health benefits due to its rich nutritional profile.  The health benefits of fish consumption include cardiovascular health, brain function, and well-being. Because fish are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, they are an important part of a balanced diet. Fish, the Most...

Three Great Diets The Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), and the MIND diet (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) are all great eating patterns. Each diet focuses on different aspects of health.   Mediterranean Diet The Mediterranean diet comes from the traditional dietary patterns of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, s...

Abstract: The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet is a widely recognized dietary pattern designed to lower blood pressure and promote cardiovascular health. I will attempt to provide an in-depth review of the DASH diet, its origins, key principles, health benefits, and potential limitations. It also explores the scientific evidence supporting its efficacy and applicability in vario...

Did You Try the Carnivore Diet? Did you try the carnivore in January? A month of red meat, eggs, and butter? If you did, you probably lost weight.  If you lost weight, you felt better. The Carnivore crowd will point to weight loss as proof of superiority. But did you worry that this might not be the healthiest diet for you long-term?  Is it healthy? In short, the answer is no. Perhaps yo...

Sorry It Didn't Work This is the time of year when everyone is excited about some change in their life. My neighbors are doing a "dry January" because they want to cut down on their alcohol. Other neighbors committed to more physical activity before a hip replacement. And there is the inevitable "what diet will I do this time?" Now, before I go to that, long-time readers of my newsletter will real...

The Scams and Quacks of the Year The New Year, the point we all look for a second chance. To get healthy, lose weight, adopt a new habit.  And waiting for you are the hucksters who want to sell you hydrogen in your water, expensive supplements of dubious value, and some choices that might actually harm you. If it sounds too good to be true, you might just be hearing the sound of the duck - or...

Canola Oil is Healthy and Inexpensive Did you ever notice there are those people who will tell you how everything is bad for you? Don't eat this and don't eat that? They make grand assertions about the modern food system. Often claiming we should return to the age of the caveman. Assuming that health will return when we eat what our ancestors ate. The Logical Fallacy of Ancestral Diets / and Human...

Nuts and Seeds, or Supplements People who count calories notice nuts contain about 200 calories per ounce. Nuts are calorie-dense. However, nuts are also nutrient-dense. Moreover, nuts provide fiber, healthy oils, and essential minerals. Nuts have been shown to decrease sudden cardiac death , decrease cholesterol, and provide satiety that helps people who wish to control their weight. Two Brazil n...

We Love Legumes The legume is a powerhouse plant protein. The beautiful bean. Often the source of protein for vegetarians and vegans, and forgotten about in most modern diets today. Thus, we will campaign to bring back the legume. In today's gym, you will find people selling protein powders, advocating all meat diets, and flexing their muscles. But in ancient times, the original Greek Gymnasiums,...

Turmeric: It can kill you Turmeric is from the root of a flowering plant (Curcuma longa of the ginger family Zingiberaceae), known for being anti-inflammatory. Because of its anti-inflammatory nature, turmeric is one of the most common supplements I am asked about during my TikTok live sessions. This is because people like a "natural" anti-inflammatory supplement rather than over-the-counter medic...

Ozempic, Wegovy, Monjaro, and a host of other drugs – the GLP-1 agonists and near miracles weight loss drugs, and soon a more potent pill form coming. These drugs have known side effects, and there have been increased visits to the emergency rooms. Often because people were not told foods to avoid. As with any new drug, there are the grifters. After all, since it is a prescription, you will have s...

Seed Oils, Omega 6, and Inflammation Just about everyone in the low-carb community is talking about how bad seed oils are. They claim the medical community has it wrong. The conspiracy-minded folks claim doctors want to keep people sick. Thus dependent on medicine for pills and surgery. Hence, seed oils are the new evil part of the picture. The New Sugar Conspiracy Seed oils, hydrogenated oils, an...