The Food Doctor: The 4 Foods You MUST Avoid If You Want To Be Healthy! - Dr. Will Cole
Dr. Will Cole, a functional medicine practitioner and best-selling author, discusses the profound connection between gut health, mental well-being, and chronic inflammation. He explores how lifestyle factors, diet, stress, and even inherited trauma impact overall health, advocating for a holistic "both/and" approach to healing.
Deep Dive Analysis
18 Topic Outline
Introduction to Functional vs. Conventional Medicine
Dr. Will Cole's Motivation and Autoimmune Conditions
Gut Feelings Book: Connecting Mental and Physical Health
Understanding Acute vs. Chronic Inflammation
Symptoms and Causes of Chronic Inflammation
Shameflammation and the Impact of Self-Compassion
Chronic Stress vs. Hormetic Stress Responses
Societal Mismatch and the Path to Healing
Intergenerational Trauma: Scientific Evidence
Polyvagal Theory and Nervous System Regulation
Inflammatory Foods: The 'Core Four Plus One'
The Gut Microbiome: Importance and Function
Nourishing the Gut Microbiome with Food and Practices
Dr. Cole's Dietary Evolution from Veganism
Critique of Juice Detoxes and Cleanses
Designing an Optimal Healthy Life: Dr. Cole's Approach
Personal Struggles and Managing Work-Related Stress
Functional Medicine's Role and Controversies
12 Key Concepts
Functional Medicine
This approach interprets lab results using optimal, rather than average, reference ranges to find root causes of health issues like gut problems, nutrient deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, or trauma. It focuses on bio-individuality, understanding that what works for one person may not work for another, and aims to provide effective options with the fewest side effects.
Medical Gaslighting
This occurs when conventional doctors dismiss patient symptoms as merely 'depressed' or 'stressed out' after basic lab tests appear normal. It unintentionally tells patients they are similar to others with health problems, rather than addressing their unique underlying issues.
Cytokine Model of Cognitive Function
This research explores how pro-inflammatory cells, called cytokines, directly impact brain function and mental health. It suggests that conditions like anxiety, depression, brain fog, and fatigue often have an underlying inflammatory component.
Acute Inflammation
This is a normal and necessary immune system response, where the body sends chemical messengers, nutrients, and white blood cells to an area to fight infection, heal wounds, or repair injuries. It's a measured, temporary process essential for survival.
Chronic Inflammation
This is a persistent, ongoing inflammatory state that is associated with nearly every chronic health problem, including autoimmune diseases, metabolic issues like type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and mental health disorders. It represents a fundamental imbalance or lack of homeostasis in the body.
Evolutionary Mismatch
This concept describes the disparity between human genetics, which have remained largely unchanged for approximately 10,000 years, and the dramatic shifts in modern lifestyle, diet, stress levels, and environmental toxins. This mismatch triggers genetic predispositions that were previously dormant.
Shameflammation
Coined by Dr. Cole, this term illustrates how mental, emotional, and spiritual feelings such as shame, chronic stress, and trauma literally impact physical health. These psychological factors can dysregulate the nervous system and elevate inflammation levels in the body.
Hormetic Effects / Hormesis
These are beneficial stress responses that occur when the body is exposed to periodic, controlled stressors, such as cold plunges, sauna therapy, high-intensity interval training, or fasting. These challenges make cells and the overall system more resilient.
Intergenerational Trauma
This is a scientific phenomenon where trauma experienced by ancestors can be passed down through generations, influencing the health and well-being of descendants. Research shows it can manifest as epigenetic changes, increasing the likelihood of mental health issues, autoimmune conditions, and metabolic problems.
Polyvagal Theory
This theory explains how the vagus nerve, the largest cranial nerve connecting the brain and gut, regulates the autonomic nervous system. It describes three states of the nervous system (calm, fight-or-flight, shutdown/hypervigilance) and how trauma and emotions are stored in the body, impacting its regulation.
Gut Microbiome
This refers to the vast community of trillions of bacteria, yeast, and parasites residing in the human gut, which co-evolved with humans. It plays a critical role in producing neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, regulating the immune system, aiding digestion, converting hormones, and even influencing food cravings.
Metabolic Flexibility
This is the body's ability to efficiently switch between using sugar and fat for energy. Many people in Western societies are metabolically inflexible, stuck in a sugar-burning state, and practices like intermittent fasting can help train the metabolism to become more resilient and adaptable.
11 Questions Answered
Functional medicine interprets labs for optimal, not just average, health, running comprehensive tests to find root causes like gut problems, nutrient deficiencies, or trauma. This contrasts with conventional medicine's focus on diagnosing diseases and matching them with medication.
Inflammation is a normal immune response for healing, but chronic inflammation is a persistent, unhealthy state linked to nearly all chronic health problems, including autoimmune conditions, metabolic issues, and mental health disorders, due to a lack of homeostasis.
Symptoms can range from silent (only detectable in labs) to reactivity (brain fog, fatigue, anxiety, digestive issues) to full-blown diagnosable conditions like autoimmune diseases, type 2 diabetes, or hormonal problems.
The main causes stem from an 'evolutionary mismatch' between our ancient genetics and modern lifestyle factors such as diet, chronic stress, collective and personal traumas, environmental toxins, and soil/gut microbiome disruption.
While acute stress (hormesis) can build resilience, chronic stress keeps the body in a perpetual fight-or-flight state, leading to dysregulation of the nervous and immune systems, contributing to widespread health problems like autoimmune conditions and metabolic issues.
Yes, scientific research on events like the Ukrainian genocide and the Holocaust shows that trauma can be passed down through generations via epigenetic changes, increasing the likelihood of mental health issues, autoimmune conditions, and metabolic problems in descendants.
Dr. Cole suggests reducing or avoiding gluten-containing grains, industrial seed oils (like canola, vegetable, soybean), conventional dairy (especially A1 casein), sugar (including euphemisms like agave nectar), and alcohol.
The gut microbiome, consisting of trillions of bacteria and other microbes, is crucial because it produces most of our serotonin and dopamine, regulates two-thirds of our immune system, aids digestion, converts hormones, and even influences food cravings.
Focus on consuming fiber-rich vegetables, clean proteins, and healthy fats, especially through easily digestible foods like soups and stews. Also, incorporate fermented foods and practice 'feeling action items' like breath work, meditation, and spending time in nature to support vagal tone.
Dr. Cole views many juice detoxes as a form of 'diet culture' that lacks fiber and can lead to overconsumption of fructose without long-term benefits. While abstaining from junk food for a short period can offer a temporary break for the gut, it's not an optimal long-term strategy for wellness.
Dr. Cole found that a vegan diet didn't provide him with complete protein, was difficult to digest, and led to nutrient deficiencies in bioavailable iron, B vitamins (folate, B12), and true vitamin A retinol. He realized that while it was better than the standard Western diet, it wasn't optimal for his bio-individuality, especially with his MTHFR gene variant.
21 Actionable Insights
1. Address Root Causes, Not Symptoms
Functional medicine seeks to identify and address underlying gut problems, chronic infections, nutrient deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, trauma, and shame, rather than solely matching diseases with medications. This approach aims for sustainable healing by tackling upstream causation.
2. Prioritize Nutrition for Health
Adopt a nutrition-forward approach to healthcare, recognizing that most health problems are lifestyle-driven and many conventional doctors lack basic nutrition training. Focus on foods that support health and avoid those that contribute to inflammation.
3. Recognize Mental Health as Physical
Understand that mental health is intrinsically linked to physical health, with inflammation impacting brain function, anxiety, depression, brain fog, and fatigue. This perspective encourages addressing physiological drivers of mental and emotional well-being.
4. Modulate Chronic Inflammation
Actively work to modulate and support healthy inflammatory pathways, as chronic inflammation is a common underlying factor in nearly all chronic health problems, from autoimmune issues to metabolic and mental health disorders. The goal is to achieve homeostasis, not excess inflammation.
5. Identify Inflammation Symptoms Early
Be aware of subtle signs of chronic inflammation, such as brain fog, fatigue, dysregulated nervous system responses (anxious but exhausted), and persistent digestive problems (constipation, IBS). Recognizing these early allows for proactive intervention before a full diagnosis.
6. Cultivate Self-Compassion
Practice self-compassion, as research shows it can significantly attenuate inflammatory responses and lower stress hormones. This mental practice helps calm the body’s physiological reaction to stressors.
7. Build Stress Resilience
Develop grit and resilience to handle stress through hormetic effects like cold plunges, sauna, high-intensity interval training, or fasting, which can make cells more robust. The aim is to prevent chronic stress from keeping the body in a perpetual fight-or-flight state.
8. Support Parasympathetic Nervous System
Actively engage in practices that support the parasympathetic nervous system (rest, digest, hormone balance) to counteract an overactive sympathetic (fight-or-flight) response. This balance is crucial for overall health and preventing stress-related chronic conditions.
9. Clear Accumulated Stressors
Take agency in managing health by actively working to clear out accumulated stressors from diet, trauma, and environmental toxins. While genetic tolerance for stress varies, individuals can control what they put into their “bucket” to prevent reaching a health tipping point.
10. Engage in Nature (Forest Bathing)
Practice “Shinrin-yoku” or forest bathing by spending time in nature and engaging all senses. This is shown to lower inflammation, reduce stress hormones, balance the immune system, and improve the human microbiome.
11. Set Healthy Boundaries with Technology
Implement healthy boundaries with technology to avoid its detrimental effects on mental and physical well-being. This promotes a more sane, joyous, and meaningful life by fostering self-respect and intentional choices.
12. Prioritize Health Over External Status
Re-evaluate cultural priorities that glorify burnout and external status, understanding that optimal health is fundamental to being a high-performing individual. This shift prevents health erosion caused by unsustainable, status-driven lifestyles.
13. Strengthen Vagal Tone
Improve vagal tone, which is often weak, through practices like breath work and meditation. A strong vagus nerve is essential for supporting the parasympathetic nervous system, the gut-brain axis, and overall microbiome health.
14. Avoid Inflammatory Foods
Significantly reduce consumption of gluten-containing grains (especially conventional wheat), industrial seed oils, conventional dairy (opt for grass-fed organic A2 or fermented), and added sugars (including natural-sounding euphemisms). Also, limit alcohol due to its detrimental effects on gut health, inflammation, and brain volume.
15. Nourish the Gut Microbiome
Actively care for your gut microbiome, which influences neurotransmitter production, immune regulation, digestion, and hormone conversion, by consuming foods that support its health. A healthy microbiome is critical for mental health, inflammation control, weight, and energy.
16. Incorporate Soups and Stews
Regularly consume soups and stews, particularly those made with broths, cooked vegetables, and meats, as a “proverbial siesta” for the gut. This easy-to-digest approach calms gut-centric inflammation and supports overall healing.
17. Eat Fiber-Rich Vegetables
Prioritize fiber-rich vegetables, especially for cooking and blending into meals, to provide essential nourishment for a healthy gut microbiome.
18. Consider Fermented Foods
Gradually introduce fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, and kefirs, starting with small amounts due to their potency, to further support gut health.
19. Practice Intermittent Fasting Mindfully
If appropriate for your health, consider intermittent fasting or time-compressed feeding to train your metabolism for greater flexibility and resilience. This approach helps the body become more efficient at burning fat rather than constantly relying on sugar.
20. Build Meals with Whole Foods
Construct meals around abundant vegetables, clean proteins, and healthy fats (e.g., avocados, extra virgin olive oil), or opt for whole-food smoothies with fruits and greens. This ensures sustained energy, optimal nutrient intake, and supports metabolic health.
21. Say No to Protect Well-being
Develop the ability to decline opportunities or requests that would lead to overcommitment and increased stress. Saying “no” is a crucial act of self-respect that helps manage stress levels and maintain personal boundaries.
8 Key Quotes
Just because something's common doesn't necessarily mean it's normal.
Dr. Will Cole
None of us are sick from a pharmaceutical deficiency. You're not going to like pharmaceutical your way into health one day.
Dr. Will Cole
Mental health is physical health. And our brain is a part of our body, just like anything else.
Dr. Will Cole
As trauma can be inherited, so can healing.
Dr. Will Cole
Our bodies are like cellular libraries where we're storing all of these things. And the thoughts we speak, the thoughts we're thinking, the words we speak are literally stored in ourselves.
Dr. Will Cole
If you care about mental health, if you care about your overall health as far as inflammation is concerned, if you care about your weight and your energy levels, you have to care about the microbiome because if it's not healthy, you're not healthy.
Dr. Will Cole
Avoiding things that don't love you back isn't restrictive. It's self-respect for your body.
Dr. Will Cole
Healthy shouldn't be controversial.
Dr. Will Cole
2 Protocols
GAPS Protocol (Gut and Psychology/Physiology Syndrome) Principles
Dr. Will Cole- Implement soups and stews made with broths (bone broth or plant-based), cooked vegetables, and cooked meats.
- Cook foods thoroughly to pre-digest them, making them easier on the gut.
- Batch cook these meals for convenience and consistent consumption throughout the week.
- Consider incorporating fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and kefirs, starting with low and slow amounts due to their potency.
- Support vagal tone through 'feeling action items' such as simple meditation, breath work, or spending time in nature (forest bathing).
- Focus on consuming fiber-rich vegetables, clean proteins, and healthy fats.
Optimal Daily Routine for Metabolic Flexibility (Dr. Cole's Son's Example)
Dr. Will Cole- Practice intermittent fasting in the morning, engaging in time-compressed feeding.
- Break the fast around lunchtime with a meal rich in vegetables, clean protein, and healthy fats (e.g., avocados, extra virgin olive oil).
- Include a whole food smoothie made with fruits, greens, and an optional protein powder.
- Consume a similar healthy dinner.
- Cultivate 'feeling practices' to support the parasympathetic nervous system, such as meditation.