41. Ella Davar: The Nutrition Lies That Are Keeping You Sick (Do This Instead)

What if everything you've been told about nutrition is only half the story? It's not just about avoiding carbs, counting macros, or following the latest health trend—it's about how food impacts your metabolism, gut, and long-term health on a deeper level. The problem? Most people are stuck in a cycle of restrictive diets, misinformation, and ultra-processed foods that silently sabotage their well-being. In this episode, I sit down with registered dietitian and longevity expert Ella Davar to break down the science of personalized nutrition. We'll explore why gut health is the foundation of everything from digestion to mental clarity, how glucose monitoring can help you optimize your diet, and why ultra-processed foods are doing more damage than you realize. Ella shares her journey from Wall Street to wellness and reveals how a bio-individual, data-driven approach to food can help you feel better, think clearer, and age stronger. Ella Davar is a registered dietitian, gut health expert, and longevity advocate specializing in personalized nutrition. She is also the author of The Guide to a Euterian Diet and the founder of The Gut-Brain Method, a program designed to help people harness the power of food to improve cognitive function, energy levels, and longevity. If you're ready to improve your energy, digestion, and overall health, this episode is for you. Let's get started. We Also Discuss: (00:38) The Problem with Modern Dieting & Why Most People Struggle (04:18) Why Food Is Medicine & How It Transforms Your Health (09:48) Gut Health 101: The Key to Energy, Mood & Metabolism (16:27) How to Use CGM & Stool Testing for Personalized Nutrition (22:13) The Truth About Ultra-Processed Foods & Their Impact on Health (29:02) Bio-Individuality: Why There's No One-Size-Fits-All Diet Thank You To Our Sponsors: Deliverance: Give your liver the care it deserves! Deliverance is a powerful plant-based formula designed to support and restore liver health. Get 10% off your first order with code DRSHAH at loveyourliver.com https://loveyourliver.com Timeline: Upgrade your energy from within! Timeline helps power up your cells, supporting muscle strength, mental clarity, and overall vitality. Stay active, sharp, and strong at any age! Claim 10% off your first order now at timeline.com/DrShah http://timeline.com/DrShah Learn more about Dr. Shah: Website: https://www.drshah.com/ Clinic: https://www.next-health.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darshanshahmd/ Learn More about Ella Davar: Website: https://www.gutbrainmethod.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ella.davar/

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:03Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Welcome to Extend with me, Dr. Darshan Shah, a podcast dedicated to cutting-edge science, research, tools, and protocols designed to help you extend your health span. Having become one of the youngest doctors in the country at the age of 21, and trained and board-certified at the Mayo Clinic, I've accumulated three decades of practice as a board-certified surgeon and longevity expert. Over that time, I've discovered that a mere 20% of health knowledge yields 80% of the results when it comes to your health span. We're living in a new era where we are creating a new healthcare system, no longer focused on disease management, but achieving optimal health and vitality. Join me as I interview world-renowned experts, offering you a step-by-step guide to proactively avoid disease, and most importantly, extend your health span.

• 0:50Dr. Darshan Shah?

  This is Dr. Shah, and on this podcast, you're going to learn that everything you thought you knew about your diet and nutrition is only part of the picture. What we're going to hear about is that it's not just about carbs or counting macros or chasing the latest health diet. It's really about understanding how food affects your metabolism, your gut health, and your long-term longevity at a deeper level. Most people are trapped in cycles of restrictive dieting, conflicting advice, and ultra-processed foods that silently are undermining our cellular health. And we're going to learn today from Ella Davar. I'm going to sit down with the Registered Dietitian and Longevity Nutritionist Ella to break down the science of personalized nutrition. We're going to dive into why gut health is the key to everything, from digestion to brain function,

• 1:34Dr. Darshan Shah?

  how glucose monitoring can fine-tune your diet, and the real impact of ultra-processed food on your body. Ella, who I met a while ago at a longevity dinner that she hosted, shared her journey with me from Wall Street to wellness, and I can't wait for you to hear all about it. She reveals how our bio-individual, data-driven approach to food can help you feel better, think clearer, and age stronger. Ella Davar is a Registered Dietitian, a gut health specialist, and a longevity advocate. She's the author of a couple of books. One is called The Guide to the Euterian Diet, and she's also the founder and writer of The Gut Brain Method, which is a program designed to help people use nutrition to optimize their cognitive function, their energy levels, and overall well-being.

• 2:18Dr. Darshan Shah?

  So, let's get started on this episode with Ella Davar and learn how to improve our digestion, unlock better energy, and take control of our health.

• 2:30Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Hello, everybody. Welcome to the Extend Podcast. I'm so excited to be here today with one of my favorite people that I've met recently, Ella Davar. She's a registered dietitian and she just has an incredible message that I really felt that I wanted our audience to hear and to learn from you, Ella. So, thank you so much for joining us.

• 2:49Speaker 01

  Dr. Shah, this is such incredible opportunity to meet you and your audience. Thank you for having me.

• 2:54Dr. Darshan Shah?

  You're so welcome. So, you know, we've been following each other on social media for quite a while and you say so many incredible things that I really want to hone in on. But I wanted to just start off the podcast with just a few quick questions, just so people can know who you are to start with and kind of know what direction the conversation is going. So, first of all, what's your favorite topic in health? And what do you love to talk about? What are you passionate about?

• 3:17Speaker 01

  I'm passionate about my love for food. You know, a lot of us love food, but I love food more than you do because...

• 3:27Dr. Darshan Shah?

  I'll bet you on that one.

• 3:28Speaker 01

  I dedicated my life, my career to the love of food. I became a dietitian and nutrition and food expert because I wanted to figure out for myself how I could play this food game on my terms. As a young model in New York City, I struggled with dieting. I tried every diet and it felt restrictive. It felt so confusing when I would hear all this confusing advice from different health experts. And that's when I said, I'm going to become a nutrition expert. And I'm going to learn for myself what it is that creates the best nourishment for me, for my cells and for my organs. And that's what I'm doing now and I'm teaching others, my clients, on how to do the same for themselves.

• 4:11Dr. Darshan Shah?

  I love that. You know, and personally, I just really dislike the word diet. It just annoys me because, you know, diet implies something that you're going to do for a small time period, whereas really what you're talking about is a lifestyle change. And I think that's what we all need to think about is it's okay to have a diet for a little while if you are trying to do a specific intervention. But really, like, how do you make this part of your lifestyle so you're not always struggling and yo-yoing, right?

• 4:37Speaker 01

  I mean, look, we all have a routine, routine and discipline, right? That's how we get ahead in life. And diet has gained a bad reputation over the years because of the fad dieting, all the rules and restrictions that we hear. But in reality, we do need, as I said, routine and discipline.

• 4:54Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Absolutely.

• 4:55Speaker 01

  We do love food, but when we wake up in the morning and we need to get ahead in life, we need to get our children to school, we need to know exactly what's best for us, how we implement it, how we make it happen, how we nourish ourselves and our hormones, and how we get on with our lives.

• 5:11Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Yeah, so like reframing the word diet from like a specific time period to something that's more of a lifestyle, I think.

• 5:17Speaker 01

  Exactly, yes. I think diet translates from Greek language is actually a way of eating.

• 5:23Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Hmm.

• 5:23Speaker 01

  So a way of eating, a lifestyle eating, yes. Something that you know is nourishing for you, is benefiting also delicious, very important when it comes to my dietary recommendations, and is beneficial for you and your family.

• 5:37Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Yeah, no, it makes total sense. And next question for you is, if there's one thing that you wish everyone knew, that you know, you wish that all your audience, that everyone knew this one thing that you find a lot of people don't really know, what is that one thing?

• 5:51Speaker 01

  That food is medicine.

• 5:53Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Hmm.

• 5:53Speaker 01

  That changed, that's how I changed my career from Wall Street to wellness, because there's a dietitian that changed the way I looked at food. A lot of us, and when I was younger, I looked at food as an enemy. This makes me fat, this makes me bloated, this is good for me, this is too fatty, this is too many calories, avocado is good for me, but it's too fatty, you know? So there's all these labels that we put into food. This is too processed, this is whole foods, but I don't know how to eat that. You know, this is too healthy, this is too lame, or you know, something that's bland. That's what I meant to say. Um, you know, so, but in reality, and this is a creates like a negative

• 6:31Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Oh.

• 6:31Speaker 01

  approach, a negative mindset around food. But that's, I think, my mission is to educate a younger population group on how to eat healthier and changing their mindset that looking at food as your medicine. And if you look at food like that, you start looking for what's best for me, what actually makes me feel good. You know, when you focus on that side of the coin, actually, and that brings more joy to the dieting, to the way of eating, to the lifestyle, to the way of nourishing yourself and your family. And that's what I would want more people to know.

• 7:03Dr. Darshan Shah?

  It's so true. I think if you're struggling with your weight, if you're struggling with gut health issues, you do start looking at food as the enemy. And that's, it's really not. Food is medicine. Food is there to nourish you, to make you feel good, to make you happy, and to also just make you a healthy human being. It keeps you alive. And so I think you're absolutely right. I think people, it's really the choices that we make within food and the dosing that we use that makes food the enemy for some people. And just reframing, once again, reframing, it's all about reframing, right, for people?

• 7:34Speaker 01

  Yeah, and the emotions that we attach to it. The first chapter in the book that I wrote actually addresses, before it addresses hormones and DNA and gut health, it addresses emotions.

• 7:44Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Yeah.

• 7:44Speaker 01

  That when we are little, when we grow up, we're the only thing that we could control is food, food intake. And very often, that's when the problematic relationship and the view and the mindset of food begins.

• 7:56Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Yes.

• 7:57Speaker 01

  That's when, if God forbid, you're not like anyone else, you think that food restrictions could help you to get thinner or leaner. And that's when I actually, part of the method that I created, I lead guided meditations for my clients. That after everything they learn about their metabolism, about the anti-inflammatory diet, I struggled in my practice to answer this question for myself and for people. Why do we do what we do when we know what we know? And that's when some of the emotions that are attached to it, for example, pleasure. Some people who work really hard all day, at the end of the day, food is the only source of pleasure. And that's when they tend to overeat and overindulge during those dinners. And here comes the dietitian that tells you, don't eat too much

• 8:41Speaker 01

  at a dinner. What are you gonna tell to that dietitian? You know what? No, you can't stop me. If this is the only source of pleasure, that emotion that is being attached to the food, it's hard to disentangle that relationship. And that's when I help my clients with the meditations to really look at it. And maybe, in this particular case, differentiate different sources of pleasure in life, and prioritize those before you get to the level of, you know, when it's late at night or late during the day, and, you know, dinner is the only source of pleasure that you allowed yourself throughout the whole day. So yeah, emotions is one of the things that I address.

• 9:16Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Wow. So that's so interesting because you're right. You know, emotion is so tied to what our diet is, what our food choices are. And you make that actually part of your dietary advice, your nutrition advice, as you bring in the mindset piece of this.

• 9:31Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 9:31Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Which I think that's so important. Mindset around your entire diet, all of your food choices. That is to come first, almost. So before you make any actual dietary changes, it's trying to find, you delve into the patient's mindset around the food, too.

• 9:45Speaker 01

  It kind of comes last. You know, when people come to me with like, for specific advice.

• 9:50Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Right.

• 9:50Speaker 01

  And then we get into the calories. We get into the, you know, the protocol, the meal planning. We get into the testing and looking at deficiencies or what their body needs. And then we get into the mindfulness. And that usually the cherry on the top. And very often, some of my performing clients, they'll be like, when we clean up their supplements and their diet and their protocols, they'll be like, you know what? It's the breath work that helped me at the end. That's what I hear a lot.

• 10:15Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Really? That's incredible. That's truly game changing.

• 10:18Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 10:18Dr. Darshan Shah?

  So my next question is about, you talk a lot about gut health. I love, you know, you have chapters dedicating your book towards gut health.

• 10:26Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 10:27Dr. Darshan Shah?

  What is the one thing about the gut that you wish people knew about?

• 10:30Speaker 01

  Well, your gut is your second brain. And we hear this a lot, and it's actually true. And what I would want people to know about is how it affects your entire well being, how it affects your brain functioning, your mood, how it affects your levels of energy and overall metabolism. Because when we eat food, and we've all heard, you are what you eat. And this oversimplified statement is actually true. But there's a lot of processes that go on inside of our body. But they all begin with the gut. Because that's where food stays for up to 18 to 24 hours. And that's where it gets fermented. That's where it gets broken down, digested and absorbed. And most of us take all of these functions of our gut for granted, right? We just enjoy the piece of food and then we don't think about it

• 11:15Speaker 01

  until we see it in the toilet bowl. Or maybe even then, we don't see, we don't think about it. But you'll be surprised that the lifestyle choices that we make, specifically stress and how that affects our gut health. And if we are exposing ourselves to too much stress, that shuts down the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for gut health and gut functioning, and enzymatic sufficiency. And I test these things for my clients, and I see a lot of enzymatic insufficiencies. You don't hear me talking about it on social media, because not everyone needs enzymes. But people who are leading highly stressful lifestyle, and deadlines, and not enough sleep, that's where it all begins. It begins with the gut health and gut functionality going away,

• 12:00Speaker 01

  because that's when your body is not able to prioritize those things. You know, when we're in parasympathetic nervous system, that's what's responsible for rest and digest mode. If we don't prioritize that, if we're always trending on the stress response, which is sympathetic nervous system, your body's just not able to prioritize those things. So to answer your question, what I would want more people to know about is that everything begins with your gut health. And if your body's not able to digest and absorb, your liver is not getting much, and all of your organs are not getting much. That's where it all begins.

• 12:31Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Right, right.

• 12:39Dr. Darshan Shah?

  At my practice at Nex Health, I'm often amazed by how many of my patients have liver health issues. It turns out that 38% of Americans have fatty liver disease, and most people have no idea. You wouldn't really know until you do something like a liver scan using ultrasound shear wave technology, which we offer to all of our patients at Nex Health to get a good idea of how much damage has been done for metabolic disease and alcohol consumption. This is where a new product called Deliverance comes in. Invented by Siggi Clavien, it uses natural plant extracts that you drink as a liquid shot, which have been shown in studies to prevent and reverse fatty liver disease. I personally have a history of metabolic disease, which I work really hard to keep at bay.

• 13:22Dr. Darshan Shah?

  I use Deliverance myself three times a day to profl actively make sure that my liver stays healthy. It's super easy to use and actually tastes good, too. You can save 10% on your first order when you use the code DRSHAH, that's D R S H A H, at the website loveyourliver.com.

• 13:47Dr. Darshan Shah?

  So I'm 52 right now, but I'm still pushing all of my limits. I'm running long distances. I travel across many time zones to support my work and I just want to live my life to the fullest. Staying active as I age isn't just about willpower. It's about supporting my mitochondria, the powerhouses of my cells with the energy that they need to recharge my muscles and recharge my brain. Mitopure is a supplement that I take. It's backed by solid research showing that it can boost cellular energy, increase muscle strength and support overall healthy aging. Personally, I take Mitopure every single day. It's helped me continue my active lifestyle, whether it's a high intensity workout or keeping up with my kids.

• 14:30Dr. Darshan Shah?

  So if you are looking to support your body and want to feel younger from the inside out, my friends at Timeline are offering you a 10% discount on your first order. Go to timeline.com/drsah to get started. That's timeline.com/drsah. Your future self will thank you.

• 14:52Dr. Darshan Shah?

  You know, you mentioned something that not a lot of people talk about is enzymatic insufficiencies. We talk a lot about the microbiome and I think that's like the hot button topic of the day.

• 15:00Speaker 01

  And inflammation.

• 15:01Dr. Darshan Shah?

  And inflammation, right? Exactly. But enzymatic insufficiency, your gut starts at your mouth and ends on the other side, right? So there's a lot going on beyond just what's going on in your colon, right? And so do you try to assess in your patients kind of from the top down? What's going on with your gut health?

• 15:17Speaker 01

  So there's five factors or different aspects that create an optimal gut health.

• 15:21Dr. Darshan Shah?

  I'd love to hear these.

• 15:22Speaker 01

  And comprehensive stool test that I do. And I actually, I think every single person, at least once in their lifetime, should look into what's going on underneath their belly and specifically in their stool. And the five aspects that we test for.

• 15:35Dr. Darshan Shah?

  What stool test do you like to use?

• 15:37Speaker 01

  Genova.

• 15:37Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Genova stool test.

• 15:38Speaker 01

  Genova or GI maps, but I prefer Genova. It's just easier to interpret and follow up like a year later.

• 15:42Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Where can people listening get these stool tests?

• 15:45Speaker 01

  The specific one you can't get without a healthcare professional because you need someone to interpret the results. I mean, that's what I offer and I'm sure you guys do too at the next health and in my practice. But I think there's some online practices, but mostly you have to get a practitioner to order it for you.

• 16:00Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Right, you know, there's so many gut health stool testing companies out there that just, you know, there's no one really interpreting the results for you.

• 16:07Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 16:07Dr. Darshan Shah?

  I think it's just so confusing and the science is so. Still has infancy, really. There's still so much that we need to know about the science of what's going on with your microbiome because it's so incredibly complex.

• 16:19Speaker 01

  I have a lot to say about those tests that are marketed to consumer.

• 16:23Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Yeah.

• 16:23Speaker 01

  The same test for like food sensitivities and intolerance, which gained bad reputations. Like how it's inaccurate doesn't mean much because of some of those labs that are marketing straight to consumer that are just not doing a good job interpreting. But the labs that I use that are very conservative and then you can't get them unless you have a healthcare professional because they're diagnostic. And those are some of the, I've created some of the best results for my clients to be able to create personalized results. But I didn't finish saying about the five aspects of gut health.

• 16:53Dr. Darshan Shah?

  I want to hear about the five aspects of gut health.

• 16:55Speaker 01

  You mentioned enzymatic insufficiency. So the five aspects of gut health, number one is inflammation. And we all heard that's been trending everywhere in social media that to lower inflammation in our gut, and this is the actually the inflammation of the organ itself, the gut lining. Then the second one is gut microbiome. It's the balance, the microbial makeup of the pathogenic or the bad bacteria or the good bacteria. So we measure that. The third one is actually digestion or indigestion. That's where we measure enzymes, pancreatic enzymes, as well as bile to see if your body is actually able to break down nutrients, specifically fats and proteins. And then the fourth one, which is very exciting, is infections. That's what is not everyone talking about, including myself.

• 17:40Speaker 01

  I don't like to bring it up on social media, but it's parasites, it's fungi and yeast. And the truth is, not a lot of people have parasites. But those who don't, they really see the difference when we do the herbal anti-parasitic treatment. And that the fifth one is metabolic imbalances. That's where your gut is not a lot of people know that the gut is actually is able to metabolize things and create things, things like vitamin K and short chain fatty acids. And we need to be able to see if your gut is producing enough of those.

• 18:12Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Right, so that's, I love giving people like five steps or five aspects because it really helps break things down for people. And, you know, for people that are listening. Out there, your gut health can become an incredibly complex topic, but not everyone needs to focus on all five of these.

• 18:26Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 18:26Dr. Darshan Shah?

  You just need to know if there's a problem or not.

• 18:28Speaker 01

  Exactly.

• 18:29Dr. Darshan Shah?

  You can then hone in on that problem, right? And so part of this is working with a practitioner such as yourself that pays attention to all five of these aspects of your gut health.

• 18:38Speaker 01

  So testing for all five of them and to see and very often how I begin my test or interpretation sessions, like good news. You got no inflammation. You you got you have great ability to digest and break down things. And there's an area for improvement. That's how it usually plays out. In my in my population group that comes to me, those are my mostly my clients are people who are doing all the right things, but still find themselves spinning their wheels and they're looking for optimization. And that's where we come in and we're able to see some of the, you know, result and results that they really see the difference.

• 19:10Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Yeah, that's that's fantastic. So other than the stool testing, what other testing are you using in your practice?

• 19:15Speaker 01

  So another is a big one, which I know you love is CGM, which I learned about maybe like eight years ago when I was studying in Tel Aviv and Tel Aviv University, where they were studying the CGM, the continuous glucose monitoring for people and seeing how personalized dietary recommendations and nutrition protocol can actually create better difference than standardized even Mediterranean diet. That's where I learned about it first and I started using it around like four or five years ago when I worked at a clinic. And I think nothing trumps the 30 minutes after effect after you eat the food. Because most of us, when we eat food, what are we thinking about? It's this number on the scale that we need to move. How often does it move?

• 19:59Speaker 01

  Like maybe once a week you'll see the results, right? Or it's the biomarkers, right? On the blood test that the doctor has to review, right? So the the feedback loop is so long.

• 20:09Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Right.

• 20:10Speaker 01

  That's when I use CGM for educational purposes, because most of the clients that I work with either prediabetic or healthier, like for weight loss, I love using CGM for weight loss. And it helps my clients to see what really is going on underneath their skin after they eat certain food choices and specifically the ones that have a health halo over them, like mangoes, dates, granolas and all the things. And when that's when they learn and they learn specifically what their body is able to metabolize and how that affects their insulin and glucose level specifically and weight loss in the long term.

• 20:45Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Yeah, I love this CGM. We use it for almost all of our patients as well. You know, it's one of those things like there's all these sleep trackings out there, like the rings and the watches. And I think this is going to be a mainstay of self quantification. And you know, the more data you have that's immediately actionable, like you said, by the time your blood markers change and you find out, it's been months, right? And so seeing this immediate data on how specific foods are affecting your biology at that moment, it's so incredibly game changing.

• 21:15Speaker 01

  Nothing trumps that.

• 21:16Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Right, exactly. Like these halo foods, like you said, you know, people are eating raisins and thinking it's healthy for them.

• 21:21Speaker 01

  Dried mango.

• 21:23Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Dried mango, yes, spiking their blood sugar.

• 21:25Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 21:26Dr. Darshan Shah?

  And even things like the order of your food, what you're eating first and second, right? Exactly. So all those things you can kind of elucidate with the CGM. Okay, so let's go back to gut health a little bit. So we're testing stool tests. And what are you specifically looking for in stool tests when you're looking at them?

• 21:44Speaker 01

  Those five aspects, you know, really I'm not looking for anything except for like improving the symptoms of my client. And when we do the stool test, we see which area needs improvement.

• 21:55Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Got it.

• 21:55Speaker 01

  Whether they need enzymes or probiotics, whether they need herbal antiparasitic treatments, or they need to change their diet. And the test that I do really is very holistic. We create the FASTE protocol based on that. We create dietary recommendations, specific foods, anti-inflammatory foods. Some people need more pomegranates to stimulate acromansia. And some people, depends how low they are, pomegranates might not be helping and they need a special probiotic strain, right? And based on that, we also are able to create specific probiotic recommendations because you know, there's so many different strains. And I'm impartial to all of them because I recommend my clients to, number one, get most of their probiotics from fermented foods or high fiber foods.

• 22:36Speaker 01

  And number three is rotate their probiotic strains and not just do the same thing for the rest of their lives. This way you expose yourself to diversity. You asked me a good question early about gut health. What I would want more people to know about is that diversity. Just because you eat broccoli and spinach once in a while, that's, I'm sorry, but that's not enough. Is very important and that's when I teach my clients to eat Horta, which is boiled dandelion greens that you could find in Greek restaurants. Watercress, radicchio or arugula or scallions, all of those. The diversity and the variety of those herbs create a better microbiome. Specifically, if you if you really think of what I just mentioned, those are they called bitter herbs.

• 23:17Speaker 01

  Those are amazing to stimulate your digestion naturally, to stimulate your enzymes, especially as we get older. And if we leave, you know, a very high performing lifestyle, we need to support our digesting system. And those bitter herbs really help to do it naturally.

• 23:34Dr. Darshan Shah?

  It's such, I'm so glad you you mentioned diversity because I've always wondered, you know, we always tell our patients, you want the most gut bacteria diversity. But then how do you create that? And so the way to create that, as you're saying, is that have a diverse foundation of the vegetables and the fruits that you're eating. And that's what creates the diversity. Is that what you're saying?

• 23:53Speaker 01

  And that's another chapter of the uterine diet. It's called seasonality. Because in nature, it's actually created perfectly. There's no such thing in nature that just like one vegetable that grows all year round. It doesn't exist like that in the nature and it forces you to give other things a try or a chance. And this is one of the homeworks I do for my clients. The first consultation is usually diet specific. And I give them a homework to at least once a week to try a new vegetable.

• 24:22Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Right, right. Yeah.

• 24:23Speaker 01

  Try something that they haven't had in a while.

• 24:25Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Yeah, no, that's that's excellent because I heard that you have to have about thirty different kinds of vegetables per week in your diet. And it makes sense, different colors, different like categories, right?

• 24:35Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 24:36Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Yeah. And then what about those people on the opposite end of this? They say that there's certain vegetables that have compounds in them that that could be harmful for your gut, things like lectins, et cetera. How do you talk about that with your clients?

• 24:50Speaker 01

  I want to know your opinion too. My thing is, we I don't, I mean, yes, I measure certain things, specifically histamine. And based on that, I could, or I measure advanced blood tests like for antioxidants. Based on that, I create dietary recommendations for my clients. I don't just. You know, I hate this like general recommendations that we hear on the internet. And this is what I want to, the reason why I wrote this guide to uterine diet, because a lot of us hear information on the internet, but it has nothing to do with us. You know, they're speaking, as you said, this curve bell, right? They're speaking to this general population, but in reality, they're not speaking to you. And it's just more confusing and takes you further away from your true self.

• 25:31Speaker 01

  And the more you hear this doctor, this influencer, this dietitian, like everyone is right. But in reality, everyone's giving you overwhelmingly confusing advice on different things to do. I would just focus on what feels good to you. And with that knowledge, I, you know, my gold standard for finding out what's good to you is elimination diet of 21 days, right? Eliminate certain things for 21 days and then reintroduce it and then see how that feels. Right? And this way you'll be able to know whether it makes a difference for you or it makes you feel sluggish or gives you a bloating feeling. So my advice, I love vegetables and I love recommending them. And when I do food sensitivity and intolerance tests, sometimes some vegetables come up,

• 26:14Speaker 01

  specifically nightshades or like things like corn and soy. That's when I'm able to provide specific recommendations. But that's again, that's based on your body telling us, right? And when people listen to that, that really creates a feeling of success for them because they see how they feel better without certain things like gluten or dairy or certain vegetables. So when it comes like to answer your question, like, yeah, my recommendation is to always listen to your body and to, and listen to experts that help you to connect to your body more. Whether it's from testing or from like this elimination diet that helps you to hear and listen your body more than, instead of like taking you away from yourself and just

• 26:58Speaker 01

  into someone else knows better than me, let me go listen to that person.

• 27:02Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Yeah. And you know, if there's one mission I have with this podcast, one of my main missions is that for all the people listening, that every person needs to realize that they are an individual, their biology is different than everybody else's.

• 27:14Speaker 01

  By individuality.

• 27:15Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Bio-individuality, exactly. And we talked a little bit earlier about the bell-shaped curved. And this is one thing that I, I think about every single time I talk to every single patient is where do you fit on the bell-shaped curve? Knowing your biology is going to be different. Most people in the bell-shaped curve are about the same, but there's people definitely on the outsides of the bell-shaped curve that have a completely different reaction to the same foods as the people on the other side of the bell-shaped curve. And so there's no way to know unless you're tuning into your body. And now we're lucky enough to have these blood tests or stool tests and tests that a practitioner like yourself can help interpret to help us find out where we are on this bell-shaped curve. So, like you said, there's a lot of talk on social media all the time of people that are promoting one type of diet

• 28:00Dr. Darshan Shah?

  or saying one vegetable is absolutely the most evil vegetable on the planet. And it might be for that one person, but it's definitely not true for everybody.

• 28:08Speaker 01

  Exactly. Thank you, doctor. Yeah, I'm glad we agree on that. And that's why the first book on dieting was written 100 years ago in 1908. Yes. And 100 years later, you would think we would have an answer. What is the best diet for humans? And guess what? We're still arguing and some of the foremost healthcare professionals still disagree with each other. And that's why I wrote my book and I trademarked the name of YouTarian because I'm just tired of hearing people arguing and pointing fingers. Oh, you eat that? I thought you were a dietitian. I'm like, excuse me, you know? Or like, you're a doctor, you should know better. Or I heard that on the news. You know what? Why don't we all find peace and clarity on what it is that's best for us?

• 28:52Speaker 01

  And allow others to do the same.

• 28:55Dr. Darshan Shah?

  I totally agree with you. I love the Ted Lovey book, YouTarian, because it really is. Every diet needs to be individualized, every single human on the planet. And you don't need to spend a lot of money to do this. A lot of people can also kind of figure this out on their own with things like the elimination diet as well. So let's talk a lot about diet. So I want to start off with, I feel like there are some overarching principles in diet that are applicable to almost everybody, right? And so one of them, I'd like to get your opinion on, is eliminating ultra-processed food from our day-to-day diet, for the most part, as much as you could. What do you feel about that? What are your feelings on ultra-processed food? And how do you talk to your patients about that?

• 29:34Speaker 01

  This is the best approach. So I always say, as a human, we are not a part of nature. We are nature and we need to live in harmony with that. So I would always, when I see another superfood trending, and it just breaks my heart when I see people relying on Amazon deliveries for their nourishment. Because actually, I grew up on the farm in rural Russia, and my family was very poor and we would grow and raise our own foods. So I would take care of the plants all summer long, only to see them getting fermented and pickled so we have food during the cold winter times. Same thing with animals. I would take care of the cows and pigs and chickens and I would see them getting slaughtered in the late fall. Again, so our family has food.

• 30:19Speaker 01

  So I have developed this deep appreciation for this circle of life and how, what food really is. It's also nature and so are we. And when, a part of the blue zones on longevity studies is living in harmony with your environment, shopping and eating locally and seasonally. And with that, you know, mostly, you know, almost of the blue zones are islands. Right. Guess what? There's no Amazon delivery. There's not even supermarkets, right? And that's what I always break it down to basics to my clients. And my biggest mission is to support local farmers and to support people who are working hard to bring all those nourishment for us that is grown locally, seasonally, and the most nutrient-dense foods.

• 31:03Speaker 01

  And with that, create the lifestyle, the longevity lifestyle that I call for all, not just for ourselves and our families. So to answer your question on ultra-processed foods, those were not created for our health. They, those were created for the demand of urban living. Like, no one has the time to cook anymore, right? Give them the processed packaged food for quick and easy nourishment. And, but that's, again, takes you further and further away what your body really needs because you're choosing time and convenience and the speed of the nourishment and convenience versus the actual nutrient density. So, yes, I think it's one of the easiest thing to do to avoid. Packaged foods and ultra processed one, the ones that are wrapped in plastics

• 31:48Speaker 01

  and has some marketing or health label on it. And the more you avoid those, the more you connect with the real food that's grown locally and has no labels on it. And sometimes even better that it has no plastic packaging on it. And that's what the opposite of ultra processed food, the whole foods. And that's what creates a larger impact just on your own ecosystem inside of you, for your family and for overall planet or in global health.

• 32:18Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Thank you for listening to the end of that wonderful episode with Ella Davar. Here are my top 10 takeaways from this episode. Takeaway number one is that most diets actually fail because they're ignoring bio individuality. So one size fits all nutrition advice, we know that doesn't work. Everyone's different, everyone needs to individualize their diet, not just to their taste, but to what their gut bacteria are wanting and what their digestion can really utilize. The best diet is the one that aligns with your genetics, your metabolism and your lifestyle. My takeaway number two is that food is medicine, but only if you choose the right foods. Every bite you take influences your hormones, your inflammation and your metabolism. Three incredibly important factors that are fully influenced by food.

• 33:03Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Nutrient dense foods, whole foods can heal. We know this as a fact. Picking the right foods out of these groups is very bio individual, as we mentioned. Ultra processed food, however, on the whole are just empty calories and they usually drive disease. Takeaway number three is that your gut controls much more than just digestion. So we all know about the gut microbiome, if you've been listening to this podcast, and we know it can affect your brain, your mood, your immune system, and of course, your weight. The more diverse your diet and the more rich in fiber and fermented foods in your diet, you're going to support a healthier microbiome. A healthier and more diverse microbiome leads to better overall health and longevity.

• 33:45Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Number four, stress could be wrecking your digestion and you don't even realize it. So chronic stress actually suppresses digestive enzymes. Can slow down gut motility and lead to nutrient malabsorption and deficiencies. This can then lead to symptoms like bloating, fatigue and craving. So if you're feeling these symptoms, think about how is your stress levels and how is your stress management? Cause that might be causing some of these symptoms. Number five, stool testing can reveal hidden gut issues. So there are functional stool tests out there that go beyond just basic gut health markers. They're really identifying enzyme deficiencies, microbiome imbalances, and even undiagnosed infections. There's many of them out there. I think you have to choose very carefully

• 34:29Dr. Darshan Shah?

  which microbiome or stool test that you utilize. But I think once you find a good one, you can get some really good data. Number six, blood sugar spikes can sabotage your metabolic health. I'm a big fan of using a continuous glucose monitor and so is Ella. This can reveal how different foods affect your blood sugar. So a food perhaps for you, maybe a banana, for example, could cause a massive glucose spike. However, maybe your significant other, it doesn't. It really is bio individual and a CGM can help you determine how specific foods affect your specific blood sugar response. Number seven, ultra-processed foods are engineered for overconsumption. I've said this on many podcasts, but all the ultra-processed food that comes in packaging,

• 35:12Dr. Darshan Shah?

  they actually hire scientists to make it ultra palatable and give it a specific feel and taste in your mouth. And they add sugar, salt and fat to really enhance your body's cravings for it. These are all chemically designed to override your body's hunger signals and it makes you crave more while providing little real nutrition. So just because you see the calories on a ultra-processed food label, it doesn't mean that that's all you're going to consume because chances are you're going to be hungrier after you eat that food. Number eight, timing matters. Front-loading calories improves your metabolism. Eating larger meals early in the day and avoiding late night eating can optimize your blood sugar control, your digestion and your metabolic health. Number nine, women nutrition needs shifts throughout their menstrual cycle.

• 35:57Dr. Darshan Shah?

  So hormone fluctuations, as Ella mentions, can impact appetite, metabolism and nutrient needs.

• 36:03Dr. Darshan Shah?

  Your diet based on cycle phases can help improve energy and reduce cravings. And finally, number 10, true health optimization requires testing, not guessing. I'm a big fan of becoming the CEO of your own biology. And what I mean by that is using testing like a CGM, a wearable device, blood work, gut health panels. All of this advanced blood work can help you identify the real drivers of why you're gaining weight, why you're feeling tired, why you're being inflamed, and it can allow you to make precise personalized strategies and watch the biomarkers change to see if they're working. So get testing done. I'm a big advocate. If you enjoyed this episode and you know someone that needs some help with their gut

• 36:45Dr. Darshan Shah?

  health, please pass it along to them and thank you so much for listening. Thank you so much for listening to the podcast today. Please remember to subscribe if you liked this episode and give us a good review and share a link with your friends. It really helps to support all of our efforts. I also want to remind you that the information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult with your healthcare provider or physician before making any decisions or taking any action based on what you hear today, especially if you have any underlying health conditions or on any medications. Your doctor knows your personal health situation the best, and it's always important to seek their guidance.