Hope you find it useful.

See you in the next one :)

My dad had regular, unexplained bouts of acidity. His stomach was always troubling him. We adjusted his meals, cut things out- it helped but, temporarily.

It took me a long time to see that it wasn’t just about the food. It was the anger that he was holding on to.

Anger turns up the acid.

Now, picture yourself at a dinner table. Someone says something unpleasant about you. You can’t get up and go — so instead, you brace for confrontation.

Adrenaline floods in, and two things happen at once.

First, your stomach ramps up acid production — because you are bracing yourself to receive anything thrown at you mentally, so your stomach does the same. The adrenaline rush constricts the vessels supplying blood to your digestive system. So, blood flow there reduces.

There is more acid, less protection. That’s why, in a moment of real anger, even a little acidity can flare into full heartburn.

This is what was happening to my dad.

Different emotions, different signals

Fear, anger, shock, depression, and anxiety each give different signals to the body. While I was at it, I looked up what each emotion does to you.

Fear empties you out.

Think about the last time you were truly afraid. Your mouth went dry. Your stomach dropped. Maybe you suddenly needed a bathroom.

That wasn’t a coincidence. That was your gut listening to your emotions — and reacting in real time.

Imagine you see a tiger in the wild. What’s your first thought? Run.

In that instant, your body makes a decision as well:

I need to survive. Let me move all the blood to the legs.

Every resource gets redirected to your muscles so you’re ready to move.

Just like anybody who is fleeing, would get rid of any excess baggage, your body too decides the same. And it makes one more call — I don’t want to carry this weight while I run — so it empties the intestines out.

There’s a reason we say scared shitless. It’s not a figure of speech. It’s biology.

When you are afraid, your body is thinking of surviving and not digesting.

Shock freezes everything.

Shock is the strangest one.

Imagine a phone call in the middle of the night with news you weren’t ready for.

Your mind takes time to process it. So does your gut.

Your vagus nerve sends a single message down the line — freeze. Everything from your mouth to your stomach slows, and sometimes stops. Your throat physically tightens.

That’s why we call bad news hard to swallow. In that moment, it genuinely is.

People will tell you to let it sink in, take a moment, process it calmly. But here’s the truth: until your mind steps out of the shock, your gut won’t either.

Depression goes quiet.

Depression is the opposite of all of this. It doesn’t spike. It goes silent.

After a loss or a breakup, a strange pattern shows up — you crave sugar and empty calories, ice cream and the rest, because your body wants easy energy. But you don’t actually feel like eating.

Inside, things have gone quiet too. Serotonin, one of your mood chemicals, isn’t where it should be. Ghrelin, your hunger signal, isn’t speaking as loudly as it needs to. Even the small reward you’re supposed to feel after a good meal has dimmed — so the desire to eat fades with it.

That’s why depression so often comes with weight changes in either direction: some people stop eating and lose weight, others live on empty calories and gain it. Until the mood lifts, the food won’t go down right.

Anxiety never lets you rest.

Here’s the difference between fear and anxiety: fear is the tiger in front of you. Anxiety is the thought of the tiger — one that might arrive tomorrow, or next week, or never.

Now imagine living in that state, quietly, all the time. Your body stays braced. Your muscles hold a tension that no massage can reach, because on some level they don’t believe the threat is over.

Your gut motility — the speed food moves through you — swings with it. Sometimes it races, and you need the bathroom the moment you’ve eaten. Sometimes it crawls, and you feel bloated even when you’ve barely eaten at all.

If your mind won’t relax, your gut won’t either.

Now I see the pattern more clearly

For years, I’ve heard a version of the same sentence from so many people:

“My endoscopy report is clean. But I still have to run to the bathroom several times a day.”

Clean scan. Real symptoms. It didn’t add up.

So we’d sit them down with our in-house nutritionists and gut health experts and go through everything — what they eat, when they eat, how they sleep, how they live, their full history. Then we’d match them with the right product and the right diet.

Most of the time, it worked. But not always.

Back then, our intake didn’t have a single question about mental history. Not one. Now it does — because I finally saw the connection that had been sitting in front of me the whole time. How you feel and how you digest aren’t two separate stories. They’re the same one.

So why doesn’t it just pass?

Every one of these — fear, anger, shock, depression, anxiety — is meant to be acute. A few minutes. A day. Maybe two. Then it passes, and your gut returns to normal.

But that’s not how a lot of people live.

Some people hold onto these emotions for months. For years. Imagine what that does to a body that was only ever built to weather them for a moment.

• A woman in her thirties who hasn’t been able to eat in a restaurant for years — because her father used to lose his temper at the family dinner table when she was a child. That fear never left her system.

• A woman with IBS for six years who hasn’t truly slept in as long, still braced for the next bad thing, convinced nothing good is allowed to last. That’s years of anxiety, lived in the body.

• The aunty who stopped feeling like eating after her children moved out and the house went quiet. That isn’t only anxiety. It’s loneliness.

• And the one I know best — my own father.

None of these are problems, a tablet alone was ever going to solve.

Once you start seeing emotions and digestion as one system, the question changes. You stop asking only what’s wrong with my stomach and start asking what am I carrying that my gut is holding onto for me.

What to do with this.

If someone you love has been quietly carrying one of these for far too long — a fear, an anger, a grief that never got to finish — the most useful thing you can offer often isn’t advice. It’s understanding where it comes from.

That doesn’t replace real care when it’s needed — depression, chronic anxiety, and long-standing gut symptoms deserve proper support, medical and otherwise. But it does add the piece that’s so often missing: the recognition that the gut and the emotion aren’t two separate problems. They’re one. Sometimes healing starts with asking – What are you still holding?

This piece is meant to serve as educational content of what may be happening inside the body. It is not a substitute for medical advice or testing and should not be treated as such. Intended purely for educational purpose.

Almost no one shows you what it does to your gut.

Here’s what’s actually happening inside you, day by day, after one shot 👇🏽

Fun Fact: Nearly 40% of the weight people lose on GLP-1 isn’t fat.

If you know someone on GLP-1 — or thinking about it? Share this with them.

But here’s the real truth:

✅ Most of these are fried
✅ Many are re-fried
✅ And vendors reuse the same oil the entire day.

Check the list below and you will be shocked as to how much oil you consume!

Reused oil creates trans-fats, which will trigger:

• Acidity

• Bloating

• Sluggish digestion

• Weight gain around the belly

• Skin breakouts

• And long-term, even liver damage

So we pulled real numbers, estimated oil absorption per serving, and ranked 50 Mumbai street foods by how oily they actually are.

Some of your favourites are harmless.
Some are shocking.

Let’s go.
( CHART OF OILY FOODS)


Why Deep-Fried Street Food is So Oily

1. Street vendors often fry in low-quality refined oils

2. Oil overheats → becomes toxic & acidic

3. Food absorbs more oil with every re-fry

4. Many fry batches for hours without changing oil

5. Crispy snacks = highest absorption

This is why even a small plate can feel “heavy,” cause burping, or trigger loose motions the next morning.

Why Your Body Reacts Badly

Too much street oil can:

• Slow digestion → heaviness

• Cause reflux → acidity

• Irritate intestine → loose stools

• Overload liver → fatigue + bloating

• Spike calories → stubborn belly fat

This is why some people feel sleepy or get exhausted after eating street food.

You don’t have to give up everything now (but please do before it is too late)

Just know which foods are the oil bombs, and eat them occasionally!

If you have:
✔ Acidity
✔ Gas
✔ Loose motions
✔ Bloating
✔ Fatty liver
✔ Weight gain

…then these 50 foods might be the hidden reason.

Middle of the night.
On a morning walk.
Or while stretching in bed.

Your calf suddenly locks up like someone pulled a wire inside it.
You try to move, but the leg refuses.
The pain shoots down, your foot freezes, and for a moment — you panic.

Most people do the wrong thing:

• jump out of bed

• try to stand

• walk on it

• press it randomly

But the fastest way to stop a leg cramp takes just a few seconds, and almost no one knows it.

That’s it.

The muscle that cramped is shortened and tight.
By pulling the toes upward, you lengthen it instantly —
blood flow returns,
the muscle relaxes,
and the pain melts.

If you get night-time cramps, you can do this lying in bed.

Why This Works

A cramp is just a muscle spasm — sudden, involuntary, painful.
Not dangerous.
Not permanent.
Not a sign of paralysis.

It happens when your body is low on:

• water

• magnesium

• potassium

• sodium

or when your muscle is tired, tight, or stuck in one position too long.

So your body sends a painful signal:
“Fix circulation. Stretch me. Refill my minerals.”

3 More Quick Relief Tips

✔ Massage the tight spot
Use your thumb or knuckles and press in small circles.
This increases blood flow and switches the muscle off.

✔ Warm Water Bag / Hot Towel
Heat relaxes the spasm, especially in winter or after workouts.

✔ Ankle Rotations
10 circles clockwise, 10 anti-clockwise.
Prevents the cramp from returning after a minute.

What Not to Do

• Don’t stand and force yourself to walk

• Don’t panic

• Don’t jump or stretch immediately

• Don’t point your toes (it will worsen the cramp)
  
  Quick Prevention

• Drink water with a pinch of salt or ORS

• One banana or coconut water daily

• Stretch calves before sleeping

• Avoid sleeping with toes pointed down

• Nuts, dates, and seeds = great mineral sources

The Calm Truth

Leg cramps feel scary, but they cannot cause paralysis.
They are simply a muscle asking for basic needs:
water, minerals, and movement.

A tiny hack, a tiny stretch — and the pain is gone.

That crispy samosa.
The soft, puffy bhatura.
The buttery naan that melts on your tongue.

We love them all — but here’s what most of us don’t realize:

Each of these favourites hides spoonfuls of invisible oil, silently affecting your gut, digestion, and metabolic balance.

Indian Oily Foods Ranked by Estimated Oil/Fat Per Serving

💡 Note: “Fat” ≈ oil absorbed + added cooking oil/ghee. Actual numbers vary by portion size, cooking temperature, and oil reuse.

Why Some Foods Absorb More Oil?

• Deep-frying swaps water for oil. As steam escapes, oil seeps in.

• Thicker doughs (bhatura, puri) hold oil longer.

• Repeated oil reuse (in street food) increases absorption.

• Finishing touches like butter/ghee brushing add invisible fat.

• Lower fry temperatures = longer oil contact = more absorption.

Why It Matters for Your Gut & Metabolism?

1. High oil = slower digestion. It delays gastric emptying, worsening acidity or reflux.

2. Oil-heavy foods stress the liver. They trigger bile overuse and can affect gut bacteria.

3. Hidden calories. One bhatura + chole meal can cross 700+ kcal, most from fat.

4. Repeated oil heating = toxin formation. Oxidized oil creates free radicals harmful for gut lining.

5. For diabetics or gut-sensitive people, these foods can aggravate bloating, heaviness, and energy crashes.

Key Takeaway

You don’t need to give up Indian food.
Just learn where the oil hides — and how to make peace with it.

P.S.

If you found this helpful, share this article with that friend who always says:

“Bas ek aur samosa le lete hain…”

In this article, I talk about the bare minimum standards you should maintain in your water filter, wherever you are in India.

It’s no secret - we are using more antibiotics…

….and India is making more of them (~20% of global antibiotic manufacturing happens in India).

This is where the problem comes in.

1. Antibiotic factories dumping effluent without proper treatment ruins our water bodies

2. 30%+ antibiotics that we consume comes out unchanged in our urine and feces. 80% of sewage in India is not properly treated, and these antibiotics pollute municipal water sources.

So if your doctor is giving you antibiotics, and they aren’t working on you - there’s a good chance it’s your water.

The scale of the problem is wild.

In the Cauvery in Karnataka, they sampled 283 strains of E.Coli Bacteria.

100% were resistant to 3rd gen-cephalosporin.

This is the antibiotic used to treat skin and respiratory infections. 

Across the Ganges and Yamuna, resistant bacteria amount to 17.4% among Gram-negative bacteria.

How do you keep yourself and your family safe?

Turns out, the most effective technology in your water purifier to remove up to 95% of antibiotics is reverse osmosis (RO).

The cost: it wastes A LOT of water. Up to 50%.

I.e. you need to use 2L of water to create 1L of clean drinking water.

What about antibiotic resistant bacteria?

A combination of RO + UV should do the trick effectively.

But this doesn’t work in your shower, when you brush or when you wash your bottom.

Rising skin infections? Don’t ignore your water.

What’s the future?

Well, the government is not taking it lightly.

They are in the process of setting up 40 monitoring centers.

By their own estimate, antibiotic resistance could affect GDP by 3%+ by 2050!

Think: rising number of sick, untreated people.

R&D is in full swing. People are trying to find new bio/nanomaterials to bring down antibiotic levels in water safely, cheaply and without wasting too much water.

Till they do, beware.

This is a fatty liver.

See the big bubbles? That’s fat.

Over time, you’ll probably start complaining of sticky stool, gas, stool not forming properly, low energy…

What appears to be a digestion problem is really just a liver problem.

This article should help to get your liver back into shape, in 30 days, without supplements.

Introducing the 25-25 Rule

It’s easy, free and takes less than a month.

Step 1: Reduce your food intake by ¼ (25% reduction)

Step 2: Increase your steps by ¼ (25% increase)

Let’s start with step 1.

Eat more, burn less → fat increases.

Eat less, burn more → fat decreases.

So step 1 will help you eat less.

Every item of food you eat, break it into 4 parts.

Sandwich? Break it into four parts. Eat only three.

Roti sabji? If you eat 4 rotis per day, reduce 1.

Rice? Break it into 4 spoonfuls, eat 1 less.

Eating biscuits? Break into four pieces, each 1 less.

This does not apply to vegetables or dal.

Now step 2: burn more.

Think about all the times you walk in a day.

Walk to station?

Walk at work?

Go for a walk in the morning?

For any one of these, just add little more walking.

Best time to do this is after every meal.

1000 steps = ~10 minutes of walking time.

3 times a day = 30 minutes of walking time.

That’s all.

These are such basics, but it is SUCH an effective way to get rid of the fat in your liver.

This can’t be the whole story, right?

Of course we can go into detail.

We can discuss: Calories into Carbs / Proteins / Oils

But why skip the basics?

Run the first race, and win the first race.

Then we can go onto something far more advanced.

How will you know that liver fat is reducing?

1. Check your waist size. It should have reduced.

2. Check your liver profile test, and compare your ALT. It should have decreased.

3. Check your lipid profile, and compare your triglycerides. It should have decreased.

4. Do another ultrasound.

On average, that’s about 0.3ml / minute.

If this falls to less than 0.2ml / minute, there’s a high chance you get bad breath…

…and your mouth starts to feel VERY dry.

By the end of this article, you’ll learn:

1. Two simple techniques proven to increase saliva

2. How to convert your saliva into a probiotic

Without saliva, you:

1. Wouldn’t be able to eat dry food (Saliva moisturizes food)

2. Would feel more bloated and gassy (Saliva contains enzymes that break down carbs)

3. Would get serious cavities despite brushing (Saliva contains anti-microbial compounds)

4. Would have bad breath and dry mouth, all the time (Saliva washes away ‘fragrant’ bacteria)

Saliva is vital - yet stress, dehydration and poor vagal function forces your body to make less of it.

How to increase saliva output?

Your body naturally makes saliva when you eat.

To be clear, your body makes saliva when it thinks that you are eating.

So a simple way to make more saliva - tongue exercises.

Just take a look at the difference:

The difference is very significant, and it takes just 5 minutes.

Here’s how to do it:

Position 1: Tongue Lock

Touch the tip of your tongue to the root of your top teeth, and press upwards.

Then, open your mouth, and tilt your head backwards.

This is called an Ayurvedic Tongue Lock

Position 2: Tongue Protusion

Simply extend your tongue out, and hold for 8 seconds.

Repeat 10 times.

Here’s a video:

Position 3: Tongue Curls

Curl your tongue, while you sway left to right.

This is what is looks like.

Position 4: Nose Touch

Try to touch the tip of your tongue to your nose.

It doesn’t matter if you actually manage to do it or not…

…the stretch is what matters.

Do it slowly. Focus on the stretch. Repeat it 10 times.

Position 5: Closed Mouth Tongue Rotation

It isn’t a coincidence that both Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine Focus on Tongue Exercises.

Will it reduce bad breath? I have no idea.

If you have dry mouth, give it a shot.

See where it takes you.

He was always a little overweight (weighing 80kg), but he had never faced this problem before.

After examining the wound, a doctor recommended a blood sugar test.

The report revealed that Indrajeet had an HBa1c of 6.85%.

He was confirmed to be diabetic.

The moment his reports came back, his doctor put him on anti-diabetic tablets, two times a day.

However, after consulting a doctor-friend, Indrajeet stopped his diabetes tablets; he wanted to reduce his blood sugar using food only.

Some YouTube videos suggested:

1. Increasing physical activity

2. Reducing white rice

White rice has a high glycemic index, which means that it may increase blood sugar rapidly.

So Mr. Indrajeet decided to replace his white rice with brown rice first.

The results were extraordinary.

PP blood sugar fell by 50+ points! (from 280 to 223).

This increased his confidence in being able to reduce blood sugar without medicines.

He tried to incorporate more physical activity; he was moving around the factory and spending more time on his feet.

But his blood sugar didn’t budge much.

In fact, his Hba1c was more or less the same 6 months later.

Additionally, he started feeling very lethargic at work.

It was exhausting, for example, to climb stairs.

He always felt hungry in between meals.

This is when he approached us.

During our first call, we learned that Indrajeet was an electrical engineer who worked in alternating day-night 8-hour shifts.

This was red flag #1.

Several people who work in night shifts eat in the middle of the night during their shift. This can spike blood sugar levels.

We also learned that he consumed alcohol very regularly (~about 180ml per week since 2010).

This was red flag #2.

His weight, combined with regular alcohol consumption pointed to fatty liver.

We confirmed this in his reports.

His liver enzymes were elevated, and his triglycerides were 300+, nearly 2x more than the limit of 150 - both strong indications of fatty liver.

The liver plays a vital role in blood sugar management.

Based on Indrajeet's history, it was likely that this fatty liver was the root cause of his diabetes.

i.e. his blood sugar was high because of poor liver function.

Finally, we asked Mr. Indrajeet to take a photo of his meals.

Here is one of the pictures that he shared:

You can see the portion sizes are very large.

One big katori of dal, combined with 5 rotis.

Converted, this translates to a 700-750 calorie meal.

He revealed that he consumed 3 such meals, daily.

Meaning he was consuming ~2100 to 2300 calories, daily.

This was red flag #3.

Treatment Plan

It was difficult to change the night hours, since his profession demanded it.

So for month 1, we decided to focus on supporting his liver.

We asked him to consume the Mango Leaf Tonic for 72 days, a juice made with fermented leaves, to help improve liver function.

Within the first 24 days, he reported:

1. He had more energy throughout the day

2. He no longer felt as tired or fatigued

3. He didn't feel as hungry in between meals as he did before

Here are his reports after ~24 days.

A summary of the changes👇

On 31 March 2023:

• Triglycerides = 307

• Hba1c = 6.8%

On 27 April 2023:

• Triglycerides = 287

• Hba1c = 6.7%

Hba1c is usually measured after 3 months. Here, there is (small) change in just 3 weeks.

Positive, but not good enough.

We expected better results than this.

Upon questioning him, we realized that he still consumed his occassional drink.

You can take a look at how much alcohol affects the liver (and management of blood sugar) by going through the CGM readings of this 60 year old woman.

We also noticed that his day-night alternating shifts make his dietary management extremely difficult.

i.e. he wasn’t able to manage portions.

This continuous daily load of 2000 calories, mainly in the form of carbs, made his liver repair journey longer than typical.

And this reflects in his reports: better management of triglycerides, but slower results on Hba1c.

A lot of people wrote to us after reading Neha’s CGM story.

Let this story be a reminder beneficial ingredients will have little to no effect in the face of lifestyle abuse.

Indrajeet is continuing the mango leaf tonic, and intends to do until he shifts his job or stops his night shift.

Know someone in Mumbai who is struggling with blood sugar and fatty liver like Neha ji? Just write to me on harsh.doshi@hatabevtech.com, and we’ll set up a CGM for them :)

Want to know more about the Mango Leaf Tonic for your own practice or use? Just write to me on harsh.doshi@hatabevtech.com, and I’ll guide you further.

I eat dal because of these 4 components.

52grams of carbs, in the era of low-carb diets?!

Hold your horses. Here is a detailed carbohydrate breakdown 👇🏽

Your body doesn’t break all of these down.

Instead, they feed your gut bacteria - i.e. act as a prebiotic.

That gives you nearly 12 grams of prebiotic carbohydrates.

That’s a LOT.

The recommended amount is ~30gms a day.

In reality, I suspect it is much more.

Think about it: the glycemic index of lentils is ~25%.

That means 25% of lentil carbs make it into the blood.

What happens to the rest?

This is why I believe dal acts like a fertilizer for your gut.

Let’s come to part 2: Ash.

For any food items, minerals / vitamins fall into the ‘ash’ component.

100gms of lentils gives 👇🏽

Decent source of Vitamin B1, B5, Potassium and Zinc.

Better source of Iron (~40%).

Fantastic source of selenium (>100%)

Protein in dal (>25%) is an obvious win.

Yes, the protein in dal is incomplete.

But why should that be your only source of protein? It isn’t for me.

I balance it out with dairy, eggs and seeds.

Fiber is a complete bonus.

Read this to understand how fiber affects stool quality and regularity.

To be clear: I’m not recommending that you eat dal.

You know your level of activity and current state of health much better than I do.

I’m simply explaining why I choose to eat it.

What I don’t worry about?

1. Too many carbs! (It’s filling + fertilizes my gut)

2. Inadequate protein source (it’s not my only source of protein)

What I enjoy?

1. Rich source of iron + selenium

Next week: why dahi-rice is one of the most underrated food items.

Liked this piece? Hit the 💖 button and share it with someone who’s working to improve their health.

Suba [name changed], a 50 year old female from Andhra Pradesh, came to us to with 3 objectives:

1. Reduce her HbA1C

2. Reverse high blood pressure

3. Improve her thyroid function

She had been diabetic for nearly ten years, had hypertension and thyroid dysfunction for nine years, but COVID pushed things over the top.

During COVID, her HbA1c shot from 8.6 to 10.7. 

When she came to us, this is what she was taking:

1. Ryzodeg Insulin ( 10-0-10 )

2. Istavel Insulin ( 0-10-0 ) 

3. Thyronorm 88 mcg 

4. Cilamet XL for HTN 

5. Rosuvastatin 10mg for Cholesterol Abnormalities    

Finding the root cause

Her detailed functional timeline revealed several essential markers:

1. She has a very strong family history of cardiometabolic conditions

2. History of carbohydrate-rich food from the beginning of her life

3. She doesn't have any significant medical history for birth and childhood, but she said that she was malnourished.

4. While she was fairly ‘healthy’ as an adult, she has always had a sweet tooth.

5. Her weight gain started at the age of 35. Initially, she controlled her weight with exercise, but gradually she lost the energy, and was detected with hypertension and cholesterol.

6. Her physician had put her on anti-hypertensive and anti-cholesterol medicine for four years. Then, she developed diabetes.

7. Initially, it was controlled by anti-diabetes medicine, but for the last eight months (since June 2022), she was put on Insulin.
   

In October 2022, we ran some basic labs, and found:

1. HbA1c: 10.7

2. Fasting Blood Sugar: 290

3. Estimated Average Glucose: 260.4

4. Fasting Insulin: 39.02

This was a red flag. A fasting insulin of 39 signalled Hyperinsulinemia - meaning Suba already had too much insulin in the body.

Despite this, Suba was taking insulin injections (not as effective, as she was insulin resistant).

CAUSES OF INSULIN RESISTANCE

There are multiple reasons why someone becomes insulin resistant: Inflammation, poor diet, nutritional deficiencies, poor detoxification, high toxic load, low protein and good cholesterol, due to which the cell loses the sensitivity towards insulin and becomes resistant.

Hyperinsulinemia in the blood which is responsible and root cause for many disorders like:

1. Progression of DM ( Insulin Resistance >> PreDM >> DM ) 

2. Hypertension 

3. PCOS 

4. Hormone Dysfunctions ( Thyroid, Estrogen Dominance, and Low Progesterone )
   

The functional medicine approach isn’t to reduce Hba1c or reduce fat but to target and treat the conversion of glucose into energy.

For this, we first understood her diet.  

Here is some vital information got from her diet history:

1. Portions are very tiny. She barely eats! Also, we don't see good fats in the diet. 

2. Several veggies, usually in 50:50 proportion to anything else.

3. There is a focus on protein, But she is taking a lot of refined carbs in the form of roti, poha, fruits, dosa, and chips.

Treatment Plan

Together with Suba, we laid out 4 objectives:

1. To reduce HbA1c 

2. Take her off Insulin injection as her Pancreas was already secreting enough Insulin 

3. Reverse hypertension and stop medications 

4. Improve thyroid function 

We put her on a low carb diet that was personalized according to her needs.

We specifically focused on correcting her Macros (Proteins and fats), and 7 key micros:

1. Iron

2. Magnesium

3. Vitamin D

4. Vitamin K2

5. Vitamin B12

6. Active Folate

7. Omega 3

Note: The right supplement makes all the difference. We used therapeutic-grade supplements available on VitaOne.

ROLE OF MAGNESIUM IN INSULIN RESISTANCE

Magnesium helps in secreting insulin from pancreas.

Magnesium also allows insulin to transfer glucose into the cell.

Tyrosine kinase, an enzyme that allows glucose entry into the cell (along with insulin), is magnesium dependent. Seven of the ten enzymes needed to metabolize glucose in the process called glycolysis are also magnesium dependent.

Magnesium also increases insulin sensitivity, and your body stores ATP in the form of Adenosine Triphosphate Magnesium.

Follow Up

Within just 15 days of starting the diet, her FBS went from 290 to 178mg/dl.

We stopped her lunch Insulin in the initial 15 days of the treatment plan. 

She additionally reported a huge increase in her energy levels, and continued to reduce her weight and brain fog over the next 2 months.

Here are her before-after labs after 3.5 months.  

The results were pretty extraordinary:

1. Her HbA1C improved from 10.70 to 5.50

2. FBS from 290 to 99.07

3. Fasting Insulin, even after stopping, was 29.19, which meant that her pancreas was secreting enough Insulin to control the glucose levels in the blood.

Note: We stopped the other two Insulin injections that she was taking for breakfast and dinner. Her values of FBS have not shot up since then. 

The patient is under constant observation and was very satisfied to see the results.

She never expected this, as she had never seen her Hba1c below 9 all these years. 

THYROID FUNCTION 

We additionally noted a massive improvement in thyroid function.

This prompted us to reduce her dosage from 88mcg to 75mcg.

BLOOD PRESSURE  

Her BP readings came down to 115 from 156.

This prompted us to stop her hypertension medicine as well. 

LIPIDS AND CHOLESTEROL READING 

Her triglycerides fell to 215 from 517.

Her LDL fell to 140 from 180.

As statins have action on LDL and HDL, we stopped the ANTICHOLESTEROL MEDICATION as well.

Her Triglycerides abnormality was coming solely from insulin resistance. 

This is a power of the functional medicine approach to deal with chronic metabolic diseases from the root cause, and to help clients live a medicine-free life.

Dr. Musa is hosting a one-of-a-kind LIVE session to discuss 1 case study in 30 minutes on Saturday, August 3rd.

We’re talking about diagnosing insulin resistance, thyroid and cholesterol.

We’re expecting more than 1000 nutritionist and health professionals to join.

To join, click here.

Join Webinar Free

You might have an answer in theory (what’s taught in schools and textbooks)…

…but from personal experience, you’ll know that it doesn’t always give you the desired outcome.

Take a moment, and try to answer these 3 questions

I couldn’t answer these myself a few months back.

What changed?

I joined Dr. Musa’s 12-week functional lab analysis training program.

Most nutritional training in India is worthless; it’s all theory with little clinical data or insights.

Not this.

We learned how to how to interpret and corelate biochemical parameters on a blood report.

For example:

1. Why focusing on TSH does not reduce thyroid symptoms?

2. Why calcium deficiency is very misleading?

3. Why normal levels of fasting insulin can also indicate insulin resistance?

A huge difference

When you can read blood reports right, you can diagnose better.

When you can diagnose better, you can treat better.

When you treat better, the patient gets results faster.

When patients get results faster, they refer more.

Dr. Musa’s next training program begins in the first week of September.

But he’s giving a sneak peek this Sunday, August 20th, where he will be discussing 3 complex case studies on insulin resistance, thyroid and cholesterol.

Trust me, you don’t want to miss this.

We’re expecting nearly 1000 people to sign up (it’s free!).

Will you be there?

Link to join the Whatsapp group for updates.

The truth: there are actually four.

Each type performs a different function in the body.

So depending on your health goal, you need to pick the right fiber.

Here’s a breakdown of which is which:

2 fiber warnings (that no one talks about)

Warning #1: Too much insoluble fiber without enough water? You’ll feel heavy, stuffed and constipated.

Warning #2: Too much fermentable fiber? You may start farting a lot.

Remember, even fibers within categories work differently.

A breakdown by conditions (that are actually supported by research).

A secret: Only high density gel-forming fibers work best.

Other fibers don’t do much for cholesterol.

The trick: anything which makes the liquid in your stomach thicker will reduces the post-meal glucose spike.

It doesn’t always have to be fiber!

The fibers that make you feel less hungry are linked to weight loss.

There are no clear answers on this front yet.

My prediction: fiber will become the next protein.

Everyone will want to have it daily.

Experts will talk non-stop about it.

Companies will want to sell it wildly.

But don’t be tricked by ‘eat more fiber.’

Eat food in its natural form, and you’ll get the fiber you need.

If you can’t, pick a fiber that meets your specific health objective.

For anyone who wants to dig deeper, check out this resource and this one.

Liked this piece? Hit the 💖 button and share it with someone who’s working to improve their health.

If you want to read more, here’s another detailed article for you. (Read Time: 5 minutes)

Compare your results to the table below.

If even one number is outside the normal range, this article is for you.

In the next 4 minutes, you’ll understand what all this means and how to bring everything back to normal.

The Basics

Your body needs just 1mg of iron daily.

That is 1mg of the active form of Iron (FE-2).

Let’s assume you don’t get enough Active Iron (FE-2).

Why will red blood cells increase? To compensate for lower hemoglobin per cell, the body will make MORE cells.

90% of people will try to fix this by taking a supplement.

The smarter, no-supplement solution: improve absorption.

Two steps to improving conversion

Germination or sprouting converts complex iron compounds into a form the body can access.

Moong sprouts, millet sprouts, rice sprouts … these are all very rich in ‘available iron.’

Improving stomach health is critical for iron absorption.

Is your stomach acid healthy?

If you have even 1 of the above 4, then there is an 80% chance your stomach acid is not healthy.

Another simple test: check your stool color and smell. 

Stool is very dark/black, and has a foul smell? Signs of low stomach acid.

Here’s a simple guide to improving stomach acid levels.

Why do you need antioxidants?

Active iron is very, very reactive.

If it binds to the wrong thing, your body will not be able to absorb it.

That’s why it’s best to eat iron-rich food alone, and usually with lemon juice (a strong anti-oxidant).

That’s all? It seems too simple!

It’s not.

❌ Drugs affects iron absorption. (Might have to limit unnecessary meds)

❌ Lifestyle affects iron absorption. (Might have to start exercising)

❌ Other nutrients affect iron absorption. (Might have to take supplements)

But for a large % of cases, just improving absorption can give a tremendous result.

Check out this video to see how Ruchi improved her iron levels just by improving her gut health. (Watch time: 9 minutes)

Key Takeaways

1. Improve available iron from food by sprouting

2. Improve stomach acid health to improve iron absorption

3. Eat iron-rich food separately from other meals

Liked this piece? Hit the 💖 button and share it with someone you know that is taking iron tablets.

If you want to read more, here’s another detailed article for you. (Read Time: 5 minutes)

Compare your results to the table below.

If even one number is outside the normal range, this article is for you.

In the next 4 minutes, you’ll understand what all this means and how to bring things back under control.

The Basics

Your cells need T3 to do their best work.

Multiple organs, functions and nutrients come together to do this.

Let’s say your cells are getting less T3.

Body will react by making more TSH (to create more T3).

We call this hypothyroidism.

The problem is less T3, not TSH.

So the easy solution: eat a thyroid tablet (made of T3) daily.

The longer term solution: help your body convert T4 to T3…

…and you may never need any medicine.

Two thyroid secrets that no one shares

1. ~20% of T4 is converted into T3 in your liver and your gut

Poor gut health → low conversion.

The remaining happens in your tissues

2. We need zinc, iron, selenium and iodine to convert T4 into T3

Poor gut health → low absorption.

What does ‘poor’ gut health actually mean?

Either (1) you have inflammation in your gut or (2) you have an unhealthy ratio of good:bad gut bacteria.

Do I have inflammation?

Again, check your blood reports.

Look for (1) Hs-CRP (2) Total IGE and (3) CBC/Hemogram

#1 and #2 are usually extra. #3 is part of almost every report.

If your Hs-CRP and/or total IGE readings are high, but your CBC is largely normal…

…there is an 80% chance that your food is causing your inflammation.

Here are the most common culprits.

Eliminate these for 4 week sand do your tests again.

See how much difference it makes.

Here is the real story of one person’s 2-month journey.

It can’t be that simple!

It’s not.

❌ Drugs affects thyroid. (Might have to limit unnecessary meds)

❌ Lifestyle affects thyroid. (Might have to start exercising)

❌ Nutrients affect thyroid. (Might have to take supplements)

❌ Your own immune system can affect thyroid! (Might need 1-on-1 supervision)

But for a large % of cases, just reducing inflammation in your gut can give a tremendous result.

Here is a far more complex case of Thyroid reversal (Reading time: 10 minutes)

Key Takeaways

1. To improve Thyroid function, start by improving gut and liver health

2. The easiest way to fight inflammation: eliminate 6 foods for 4 weeks

Liked this piece? Hit the 💖 button and share it with someone you know that has a Thyroid issue.

He’s retired, and spends most of his time at home.

His journey with diabetes has been topsy-turvy:

1. He used to be on oral drugs for diabetes

2. In 2019, he had a haematoma surgery after which he was placed on insulin injections

3. In 2022, he stopped his insulin injected and returned to oral medicines for diabetes

Across a single day, he takes:

1. Gliclazide Extended Release Tablets 60mg, Dapagliflozin & Metformin HCL Extended Release Tablets & Teneligligliptin 20 mg [For Diabetes]

2. Sacubitril & Valsartan Sodium 50 mg [For Heart Disease]

Gliclazide & Dapagliflozin work by helping the body dump blood sugar in urine (increasing load on kidneys).

Teneligligliptin works by pushing the pancreas to produce more insulin (increasing load on pancreas).

Metformin decreases the amount of sugar the liver releases. 

Despite this cocktail of antidiabetic medicines, his Hba1c in December 2022 was 9.6%.

Concerned about his wellbeing, Kishore Ji’s wife - Saroj ma’am [name changed]- decided to make changes to his diet and lifestyle.

Incredibly steadfast, she instilled rigorous discipline in terms of portion control and meal types.

Here’s a look at what Kishore ji ate throughout the day.

Healthy mix of vegetables ✅

Protein through dal ✅

Choosing millets over grains ✅

Limited high starch foods ✅

Good portion sizes ✅

Dietary control like would impress even leading nutritionists!

Despite continuing this for nearly 4 months, Kishore ji’s Hba1c fell only to 8.9%.

He was still consuming a cocktail of diabetic drugs + following a meticulously planned diet with incredible discipline.

But his blood sugar was not yielding.

This is when he came to us.

His #1 issue: postprandial blood sugar.

For some reason, it would spike straight to 270mg/dL even after a low carb meal.

This clearly pointed to a hormonal issue (not just a diet issue).

Eating was driving a cascade of hormones like incretin, GLP-1, insulin and glucagon which in combination was driving blood sugar up by more than was required.

Our solution: starting every day with the Mango Leaf Tonic.

This is a natural juice made with fermented Indian leaves like Kalmegh, Mango leaves and Moringa that improve liver functions by balancing hormonal health.

Here is his wife’s message after using the Mango Leaf Tonic for one month:

Feeling better, but no clear input on sugar levels. A few weeks later:

Nearly 4 months later, here is how Kishore ji’s PP blood sugar changed:

From 270mg/dL straight to 165mg/dL.

Why did a little juice work, when a cocktail of well-researched medicine + a strict diet didn’t?

Because it targeted the root cause: liver function through hormone regulation.

Medicine and food was simply helping to reduce sugar in blood.

But by targetting the root cause, the result turned out all the much stronger.

Kishore ji is continuing the tonic, and expects to complete his next HBa1c test in July.

Results to be published soon!

^read that again.

Iron is so important to growth, maintenance and repair that it is very tightly regulated by the body.

More than half of all iron in the body is used to make hemoglobin for red blood cells.

When the red blood cells die, most of that iron is reused to make more red blood cells.

In this way, your body recycles 90% of your iron for most of your life.

You lose very little (when you pee, sweat or menstruate for example).

For example:

A woman can usually store 3000mg of iron in the body, but loses just 0.55mg during heavy menstrual flow.

That’s <0.02%.

So in an ideal world, all we have to do is make up the deficit.

How much is the deficit?

Theoretically, you need just 1 mg/day.

That’s how much you’d get in a small bowl of spinach or 1 tbsp of pumpkin seeds.

But because vegetarians usually absorb only 7-10% of the iron they eat, the RDA is 8 times more at 8mg/day.

If we need so little, why are so many people deficient?

If you take too much Vitamin C, your body will just pee the extra out.

The same does not apply to iron.

Why? Because your body has NO system to remove iron.

Instead, it controls how much iron you absorb from your food.

When you need more, it increases how much iron you absorb from your food.

When you have enough, it reduces absorption.

So for example:

1. When you donate blood

2. When you lose a lot blood

3. When you exercise (and break red blood cells)

4. When you smoke

5. When you become pregnant

6. When you are breastfeeding

…the body naturally increases how much iron you can absorb from your food.

The result: balanced iron stores.

However, when your body needs iron BUT it cannot absorb properly, you become deficient.

That’s why the trick to improve iron levels is not to eat iron rich food…

…it’s to increase iron absorption.

Have a great Thursday :)

1. Food high in saturated fats (i.e. milk, eggs and cheese)

2. Multi-grain preparations (i.e. usually very high in fiber)

3. Food thats are deep-fried, especially in processed refined seed oils

4. Oil-heavy seeds and nuts

5. Mucilaginous foods (i.e. unripe banana and avocado)

6. Raw fruits that require multiple enzymatic processes

Why? They need more enzymes, stomach acid or bile to break down completely. 

Pay close attention to the next time you eat these foods. If you don’t control your quantity, you’ll:

1. Feel heavy after eating

2. Feel sluggish for hours are a meal

3. Likely eat very little during your next meal

4. Feel low energy as the day passes by

Simple changes make a big difference.

1. Control your nut intake to 5 pieces per nut, max.

2. Always eat fruits separately

3. Choose single grain (whole wheat or single-millet) vs. multi-grain

For more, check out this video I recorded:

See how much lighter you feel.

When it comes to gut health, approach matters as much as diet.

Enjoy your weekend! ❤️

Harsh