Nutrition Prescription: Wellness vs Medications

Hey Podcast Friends! If you are needing help getting off diabetes medications and/or losing weight. We are here to help! Click the link below to get on a FREE 30 min CHAT to see if we have anything that can help! Free 30-Min. Wellness Solutions Chat Events where I will be speaking this year! Secrets in Healthcare. Use CODE shughlett10 for a discount. Secrets in Healthcare Momentum in the Mountains. Monterey, VA. www.eventbright.com Dr. Anthony Chaffee and Dr. Steve Hughlett discuss key health topics in this recorded medical interview. Gain insights from professional perspectives. This session features a direct conversation between Dr. Steve Hughlett and Dr. Anthony Chaffee, focusing on specific health discussions relevant to their respective fields. The two professionals utilize this platform to share their expertise, providing viewers with a clearer understanding of the subject matter being addressed. Whether you are a student of medicine or simply interested in expert medical opinions, this dialogue offers a direct look at how these practitioners analyze current health trends. Dr. Anthony Chaffee and Dr. Steve Hughlett break down complex concepts, making this medical interview a valuable resource for anyone seeking clarity on these topics Disclaimer: The information provided on this channel/podcast/publication is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other qualified healthcare provider. Always consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet, exercise routine, or medications

Hey Podcast Friends! If you could use some help with weight loss, inflammation and getting off medications.. Check out my Essential step-by-step course that helps you get started to take control of your health using real food — not pills, not crash diets, and definitely not tons of time in the gym. You'll learn how to eat low-carb, boost your energy, and build a healthier lifestyle that actually lasts. This is my Basic Essentials Course and it will help you to get started. Get signed up here before the price increase! Thrive Naturally Essentials Course In this episode, Dr. Steve breaks down exactly where you need to focus if you want real weight loss, more energy, and to reverse type 2 diabetes—without starving yourself or living at the gym. You'll learn why man-made, ultra-processed foods are toxic to your body, what your body is actually made of, and how to nourish it with real, low-carb, whole foods so it can grow, heal, thrive, and survive. Dr. Steve explains why glucose (sugar and flour) is the real problem, why fat and protein are your friends, and how eating animal-based meals in a tight eating window can lower insulin, burn fat, and keep you full for hours. He also shares why diabetes drugs often make insulin resistance worse, why focus must shift from glucose levels to insulin levels, and why walking and building muscle are critical as you age. If you're tired of being confused by diets and ready for a clear, simple path to better health, this episode will give you a step-by-step focus that can transform your life.​ What your body is actually made of (protein, fat, cholesterol, vitamins, minerals, water) and why your food should match that.​ Why man-made foods (box, bottle, bag, can) are toxic and drive obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.​ The difference between man-made food, plant-based "God-made" food, and animal-based "God-made" food.​ Why glucose is a toxin in excess, how carbs turn into glucose, and why "eating healthy" salads can still leave you hungry and undernourished.​ How to eat: mainly animal-based meals, 1–3 times a day, in a 6–8 hour window, with no snacking, to keep insulin low and burn fat.​ Why eating fat does not make you fat, but eating glucose does, and why fat is a cleaner, more powerful fuel than carbohydrates.​ How type 2 diabetes medications often make insulin resistance worse and why the real solution is changing nutrition, not adding more drugs.​ Your body is built from protein, fat, cholesterol, vitamins, minerals, and water—so that's what you must feed it.​ Man-made foods from a box, bottle, bag, or can are toxic and slowly damage your organs over decades.​ All plant foods contain carbohydrates (glucose), but animal foods give you the dense protein and healthy fat your body really needs.​ Glucose spikes insulin, stores fat, blocks your fullness hormones, and keeps you hungry and gaining weight.​ Eating mainly animal-based meals, 1–3 times a day in a 6–8 hour window, lowers insulin and lets your body burn stored fat.​ Diabetes and weight-loss drugs often lower blood sugar while driving insulin higher, making insulin resistance and long-term health worse.​ When you stop eating sugar and flour and focus on real food, walking daily, and building muscle, you can reverse type 2 diabetes and reclaim your energy and life.​ Check out our Thrive Naturally Transformation course at drstevehughlett.com under the "Work With Us" tab to help reverse type 2 diabetes, get off medications, and regain energy and confidence in their health.​ If you'd like even more information on this topic, you can go to Amazon or Audible and pick up my book, Your Plate Is Your Fate. Check out our website: drstevehughlett.com You can also check us out on Youtube. Sign up for a FREE 15 minute Wellness Solutions Chat to help you decide if you would like our help on your weight-loss journey. For more in-depth answers on how to lose weight the healthy way, how to decrease the need for medications, and how to eliminate diseases like type 2 diabetes, sign up for our FREE weekly Thrive Naturally Newsletter released every Thursday Disclaimer: The information provided on this channel/podcast/publication is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other qualified healthcare provider. Always consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet, exercise routine, or medications

Hey Podcast Friends! If you could use some help with weight loss, inflammation and getting off medications.. Check out my Essential step-by-step course that helps you get started to take control of your health using real food — not pills, not crash diets, and definitely not tons of time in the gym. You'll learn how to eat low-carb, boost your energy, and build a healthier lifestyle that actually lasts. This is my Basic Essentials Course and it will help you to get started. Get signed up here before the price increase! Thrive Naturally Essentials Course In this episode, Dr. Steve breaks down the biggest myths about weight-loss and type 2 diabetes and explains why focusing on insulin, not calories or exercise, is the real key to lasting fat loss, more energy, and reversing disease. You'll learn why our modern food system, high sugar intake, and the wrong medical focus have left so many people overweight, tired, and sick—and what mindset shift has to happen first before true change starts.​ It's not about losing "weight"; it's about losing fat while protecting your muscle so you stay strong and independent as you age.​ Exercise is not the main driver of fat loss—you can't outwork a high-carb, high-insulin lifestyle.​ The real problem is not "too many calories" but the source of those calories, especially constant glucose from carbs that keeps insulin high.​ High insulin is the root cause of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and many chronic diseases—not just high blood sugar.​ Most diabetes medications work by raising insulin or making you more sensitive to it, which can actually worsen the root problem of insulin resistance.​ Our sugar intake has exploded from about 2 teaspoons a day in the 1960s to roughly 65 teaspoons a day, driving obesity and type 2 diabetes in adults and even children.​ Chronic stress and the mindset of "escaping the old you" keep you stuck; real change comes from focusing on building the "new you" with less fat and more energy.​ When you lower insulin by cutting excess carbs and processed foods, your body can burn stored fat for fuel, improve energy, and move toward reversing type 2 diabetes If you're ready to reverse type 2 diabetes, reduce medications, and finally feel energetic and confident in your health, schedule a free Wellness Solutions Chat using the link in the show notes. You can also visit DrSteveHughlett.com and click the "Work With Us" tab to learn more about one‑on‑one coaching and online programs. Check out our Thrive Naturally Transformation course at drstevehughlett.com under the "Work With Us" tab to help reverse type 2 diabetes, get off medications, and regain energy and confidence in their health.​ If you'd like even more information on this topic, you can go to Amazon or Audible and pick up my book, Your Plate Is Your Fate. Check out our website: drstevehughlett.com You can also check us out on Youtube. Sign up for a FREE 15 minute Wellness Solutions Chat to help you decide if you would like our help on your weight-loss journey. For more in-depth answers on how to lose weight the healthy way, how to decrease the need for medications, and how to eliminate diseases like type 2 diabetes, sign up for our FREE weekly Thrive Naturally Newsletter released every Thursday Disclaimer: The information provided on this channel/podcast/publication is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other qualified healthcare provider. Always consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet, exercise routine, or medications

Hey Podcast Friends! If you could use some help with weight loss, inflammation and getting off medications.. Check out my Essential step-by-step course that helps you get started to take control of your health using real food — not pills, not crash diets, and definitely not tons of time in the gym. You'll learn how to eat low-carb, boost your energy, and build a healthier lifestyle that actually lasts. This is my Basic Essentials Course and it will help you to get started. Get signed up here before the price increase! Thrive Naturally Essentials Course In this episode of The Prescription Nutrition Podcast, Dr. Steve continues last week's discussion on type 2 diabetes and explains how everyday food choices either push you toward disease or back toward health. He breaks down why type 2 diabetes is really a problem of insulin and not just "high blood sugar," and why most diabetes drugs actually drive insulin even higher over time.​ You'll learn the three pillars that drive almost every chronic disease—high insulin, high glucose, and inflammation—and how going back to simple, God-made foods can calm all three. Dr. Steve explains why low-carb, whole-food eating helps your body burn stored fat, lower blood sugar quickly, and open the door to safely reducing medications with your doctor's guidance.​ He also shares practical tips: which foods raise blood sugar the most, which vegetables are safer if you're diabetic, and why man-made, boxed foods keep you sick, hungry, and inflamed. You'll hear how to check your own fasting insulin and glucose without a doctor visit, and what numbers to aim for if you want to avoid prediabetes and full-blown diabetes.​ If you're tired of being told diabetes only gets worse and you'll "always" need meds, this episode gives you hope, a clear path forward, and an invitation to get personal help through the Wellness Solutions Chat and the Thrive Naturally Transformation course.​ Type 2 diabetes is a disease of insulin resistance, not just "high blood sugar," and it develops over decades as fat cells become overfilled.​ High blood sugar is a symptom of the real problem: years of high insulin from constantly eating glucose and carbs.​ The three pillars driving diabetes and most chronic disease are high insulin, high inflammation, and high glucose, all heavily influenced by what you eat.​ Glucose mainly comes from plant-based carbs and man-made processed foods, while meat, eggs, healthy fats, and above-ground vegetables keep glucose much lower.​ When insulin is high, your body is forced to store fat and cannot burn its own fat, no matter how much you exercise.​ Exercise alone rarely reaches your fat stores because your body burns stored glucose first; nutrition and insulin control are the real key to fat loss.​ You can order your own fasting insulin and glucose through services like OwnYourLabs, and true healthy fasting insulin is closer to under 5, not just "under 20."​ Type 2 diabetes can start as "normal" blood sugar with high insulin (true prediabetes), long before an A1C of 5.7–6.4 ever shows up.​ The fastest way to start reversing type 2 diabetes is to stop eating sugars, starches, and man-made foods, and focus on protein, healthy fats, and low-glucose veggies.​ Never change your diabetes medications on your own; as your glucose drops from better nutrition, work with your doctor to safely lower or stop meds.​

Want to lose weight, get off medications, and finally feel great again? Check out my Basic step-by-step course that helps you get started to take control of your health using real food — not pills, not crash diets, and definitely not tons of time in the gym. You'll learn how to eat low-carb, boost your energy, and build a healthier lifestyle that actually lasts. Get signed up here: Thrive Naturally Basic Course In this episode, Dr. Steve explains why losing fat and getting healthy is driven far more by the food you eat than by time in the gym. He breaks down how insulin controls whether your body stores fat or burns it, and why keeping insulin low is the real key to weight loss, more energy, and reversing type 2 diabetes. You'll learn why sugar, flour, and man‑made processed foods are wrecking your health, and how simple low‑carb, whole‑food swaps can help you finally tap into your fat stores for fuel.​ Dr. Steve also talks about why most "eat less and exercise more" advice fails, what insulin resistance really is, and how to know if you're drifting toward prediabetes and organ damage. He gives practical, realistic first steps so overwhelmed men and women can start changing their health without restrictive diets or long workouts, just by changing what's on their plate.​ Main Talking Points Getting healthy and losing weight has very little to do with exercise and almost everything to do with the food you eat.​ If you are obese and not already working out, intense exercise is the last place to start; focus on food first.​ Exercise is good for the body, but it has strict limits for fat loss because you rarely burn through stored glucose to reach your fat stores.​ The "eat less calories and exercise more" message fails because fat loss is not about calories; it is about the source of those calories.​ How Your Body Burns Energy The body can run on two main fuels: glucose and fat, and it always uses what is already in the blood first.​ Glucose in the blood triggers insulin, which lowers blood sugar but also decides whether you store fat or burn it.​ You have about 2,400 calories of stored glucose but 4,000 calories in just 1 pound of fat, showing that fat is meant to be your primary fuel.​ One pound of extra fat is like a huge "battery" you never reach if insulin stays high from constant carbohydrate intake.​ Insulin, Fat Storage, and Diabetes There is only one thing that puts fat into your fat cells and one thing that lets it out, and that is insulin.​ High insulin levels force your liver to turn glucose into triglycerides and store them as fat, making you gain weight.​ When insulin levels are low, your body is forced to burn fat out of your fat cells for energy and cannot store fat.​ Insulin resistance is not "broken insulin"; it is fat cells so full of triglycerides that they cannot store any more.​ Pre-diabetes is a long phase where insulin is high but glucose is still normal because you still have fat cells left to fill.​ True type 2 diabetes appears when insulin has been high for years, all fat cells are full, and blood glucose finally climbs.​ Focusing only on lowering glucose with medications often makes diabetes worse by pushing more fat into already full cells.​ The real root cause of type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance from years of excess glucose intake, not a simple "glucose problem."​ Warning Signs You're in Trouble On a cholesterol panel, high triglycerides and low HDL are the real red flags for cardiovascular disease risk.​ If your triglycerides are more than twice your HDL, you are likely causing organ and blood vessel damage and sliding into prediabetes.​ Measure your waist at the level of your belly button; if that number is more than half your height, you are likely storing dangerous organ fat.​ A large waist relative to height is a strong clue that you are already on the diabetes path and need to change quickly.​ The Role of Stress and Glucose Stress raises cortisol, which tells your liver to dump stored glucose into your blood for "fight or flight" energy.​ When stress ends, glucose and insulin should drop, and your body should go back to burning fat for fuel.​ The other way blood glucose rises is by eating it, especially from carbohydrate-heavy, plant-based and processed foods.​ Rather than focusing on pushing glucose down, focus on not putting so much glucose into your blood in the first place.​ Food Categories: Animal, Plant, Chemical Animal-based foods (meat, eggs, cheese, full-fat dairy, fish, pork) provide protein and fat without spiking insulin.​ Plant-based foods are built from carbohydrates, and their basic building block is glucose, though some have more than others.​ Plants that grow below the ground (like potatoes) are starch-heavy and packed with glucose, while many above-ground vegetables have less.​ It is possible to live a healthy life without plant-based foods, but if you eat them, you must be careful with quantity and type.​ Chemical-based foods (man-made, ultra-processed foods from boxes, bags, bottles, and cans) are full of chemicals and seed oils.​ These man-made foods are foreign to the body, highly inflammatory, and designed to keep you hungry and overeating.​ Shopping mainly around the outside edge of the grocery store helps you stick to real meats, real vegetables, real fruits, and full-fat dairy.​ Avoiding man-made foods reduces toxins and inflammation while helping keep insulin levels down.​ The Big Lies About Fat and Glucose One deadly lie is that "eating fat makes you fat," even though fat does not increase insulin levels.​ Protein raises insulin only a tiny bit, while carbohydrates (glucose) raise insulin strongly and drive fat storage.​ Another lie is that "glucose is your preferred energy source," despite the body storing far more energy as fat than as glucose.​ Fat is a cleaner, more efficient fuel and is what the body was designed to use for daily energy, with glucose reserved mostly for emergencies.​ Why Modern Diet Advice Fails Food and drug companies profit from pushing high-carb, low-fat guidelines and more medications.​ Many people born after the 1980s grew up under these guidelines and are heavier and sicker than previous generations.​ Diabetic medications usually target blood glucose, not insulin resistance, so they treat the symptom instead of the cause.​ Some drugs make the pancreas pump out more insulin or make cells more sensitive to insulin, which simply stores more fat and delays the problem.​ Practical First Steps (Simple, Not Restrictive) The goal is not restrictive diets or long workouts but small, daily food habits you can do almost without thinking.​ Today can be your real "Day One" simply by reassessing every bite you put in your mouth.​ Many people fail not because they lack willpower but because they start with huge, overwhelming goals instead of small, doable ones.​ Think in terms of tiny, repeatable habits—like brushing your teeth—that you can stick with every day.​ Key Food Swaps and Meal Ideas If you love Mexican food, keep the meat, cheese, lettuce, and vegetables but skip the chips and shells.​ For fajitas, order extra meat and vegetables and eat it without tortillas or chips.​ When ordering a hamburger, load it with cheese, bacon, mushrooms, and even an egg, but skip the bun and fries.​ Replace fries or pasta sides with options like buttered broccoli to keep insulin levels low and meals satisfying.​ For lasagna, leave out the noodles and use layers of deli chicken or turkey instead to cut out the flour.​ Avoid most fried foods at restaurants because they are usually cooked in toxic seed oils that cause inflammation.​ Look for places that cook with animal fats like tallow or lard if you want fried foods more safely.​ Building meals around animal-based proteins and fats helps keep insulin low and hunger steady for hours.​ The Two Biggest Food Villains Sugar is a mix of glucose and fructose; fructose is toxic to the body, and glucose drives insulin up and fat storage.​ Flour is basically powdered glucose, and everything made from it (bread, pasta, pizza crust, crackers, cookies, donuts) spikes insulin.​ Sugary drinks like soda, fruit juice, smoothies, and many energy drinks are essentially liquid glucose that hit the bloodstream quickly.​ Liquid sugar spikes insulin fast and high, which is why cutting out soda alone often leads to surprising weight loss.​ Man-made foods are usually built from sugar, high fructose corn syrup, refined grains, and seed oils, a perfect storm for weight gain.​ Most boxed, bagged, and bottled foods are designed to keep you craving more by rapidly raising and then dropping your blood sugar.​ Focus first on eliminating sugary drinks and flour-based foods, then replace them with simple animal-based options and water.​ As insulin comes down, you begin burning stored fat for energy and naturally feel less hungry and more energized.​ Building New Habits and Mindset This process is not about perfection; it is about consistency and learning from small slip-ups.​ When you "fall off," do not beat yourself up; treat it as a speed bump, not a dead end, and get right back on track at the next meal.​ Your goal is to be smarter, not tougher—small, smart changes you can live with beat big, heroic changes you cannot sustain.​ Think of health as giving your body nutrients (protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, water) and keeping toxins out (excess glucose, chemicals, seed oils).​ Simple Action Steps to be Taken Stop all sugar-sweetened beverages and replace them with water, unsweet tea, or unsweet coffee.​ Eliminate foods made with flour: bread, pasta, pizza crust, crackers, cookies, and donuts.​ Avoid man-made, ultra-processed foods in boxes, bags, bottles, and cans as much as possible.​ Build most of your meals from animal-based foods like meat, eggs, cheese, full-fat dairy, and fish, with careful use of plant foods if desired.​ If you want, the next step can be writing a short intro and outro script for this episode that speaks directly to overwhelmed 30–70 year olds who are tired, overweight, and ready for a simple low-carb, whole‑food plan. "If this episode helped you, share it with a friend "To join the Thrive Natural Transformation course and get step-by-step help reversing type 2 diabetes, boosting energy, and getting off medications, visit drstevehughlett.com and click the 'Work With Us' tab." If you'd like even more information on this topic, you can go to Amazon or Audible and pick up my book, Your Plate Is Your Fate. Check out our website: drstevehughlett.com You can also check us out on Youtube. Sign up for a FREE 15 minute Wellness Solutions Chat to help you decide if you would like our help on your weight-loss journey. For more in-depth answers on how to lose weight the healthy way, how to decrease the need for medications, and how to eliminate diseases like type 2 diabetes, sign up for our FREE weekly Thrive Naturally Newsletter released every Thursday. Disclaimer: The information provided on this channel/podcast/publication is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other qualified healthcare provider. Always consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet, exercise routine, or medications.