Food As Medicine Episode 2 With Dr. Dexter Shurney

Behavior Change Architect

The Behavior Change Architect Podcast, hosted by Kerry E. Evers, Ph.D., discusses innovative and evidence-based behavior change strategies designed to increase wellbeing.

The third series focuses on food as medicine and is sponsored by The Blue Zones Wellbeing Institute. In the first episode of the series, we introduced our listeners to this topic with the help of our guest, Dr. Dexter Shurney.

In today’s episode, the second in the series, we are welcoming back Dr. Shurney as we delve deep into the state of the research and the topic of misinformation.

Dr. Dexter Shurney is the president of the Blue Zones Wellbeing Institute. He is a frequent speaker often recognized for his thought leadership on health disparities research and innovative healthcare business models, Dr. Shurney is immediate past president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

Join us in this exciting episode as we discuss the current state of research on how food is medicine.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• [2:25] What is the Blue Zones Institute?
• [05:00] One of the core elements in the Blue Zones is how we eat, especially related to increased consumption of whole foods.
• [08:50] The diet that was healthy for us 50 years ago, is, for the most part, healthy for us today.
• [10:30] Understanding the gut microbiome.
• [11:45] Diet determines our gut microbiome, which assists in maintaining a healthy weight.
• [14:00] Description of calories in processed foods versus wholefoods.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Blue Zone communities consume a whole food diet and tend to be healthier and live longer.
• Eating whole foods has many health benefits including supporting the gut microbiome and maintaining a healthy weight.
• Choosing whole foods to eat can boost our immunity and assist in preventing disease.

RESOURCE LINKS

How Not To Die by Dr. Mike Greger

How Not to Die Cookbook by Dr. Mike Greger and Gene Stone

The True Health Initiative Dr David Katz

American College of Lifestyle Medicine Website

Blue Zone Wellbeing Institute

Dr. Shurney on LinkedIn

BIO:

Blue Zones Well-Being Institute President

Dexter Shurney, MD, MBA, MPH, FACLM, DipABLM

Dr. Shurney leads the work of the Blue Zones Well-Being Institute as a “living lab” to create and codify best practices that can be replicated across regions to improve the health and wellness of communities. He ensures the capitalization of local opportunities and enhances the strength of the Blue Zones portfolio to serve communities of greatest need.

A frequent speaker often recognized for his thought leadership on health disparities research and innovative healthcare business models, Dr. Shurney is immediate past-president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) and continues as one of its representatives to the AMA House of Delegates and Executive Board Committee. He also serves on numerous other boards, including the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO), National Association of Managed Care Physicians (NAMCP), and Population Health Alliance (PHA).