Beve has alot to say and anxious to get started again. Has it really been 3 years?

Why not daily blogs? Beve has a nutrition private practice to manage, patients to see, and speaking engagements and health fairs to attend in and around Seattle, on Whidbey Island and in Federal Way.

Are You A Food Label Reader?

Stop stressing over carbs, fats, saturated fats, and cholesterol on the labels. Info about protein, fiber and sugars per serving are the key to better health and wellness. Stay tuned!

You may have already had a colonoscopy, a tooth extraction or elective surgery and received paperwork about the “prep,” liquid diets, when to stop eating and to avoid aspirin.

But should you also stop taking any or all of the nutritional supplements too?

The answer may be “yes!”

Any procedure that might involve bleeding (such a snipping a polp for biopsy during a colonoscopy or having a tooth extracted or a procedure to clear up your sinuses or other elective surgery) means that your blood will need to clot in order for you to heal.

Most sheets from your doctor or clinic will tell you to avoid aspirin, but you should also stop taking fish oil, CoQ10 and vitamin E supplements too at least one week before these procedures. Why? These supplements are natural blood “thinners.” And your blood needs to clot in an expected amount of time after any type of surgical procedure so your body can heal properly .

Questions about medications to take or avoid?

That is outside my scope of practice in nutrition – ask your doctor, nurse practitioner and pharmacists about those!

And it’s the simple questions I still ask today. So thanks, Crisco shortening! Now I might start a stir with this one but I have to get this out there. One last comment as food-for-thought: “hydrogenated” and “partially hygrogenated” fats were renamed “trans fats” a dew years ago. Now that “trans fats” are not popular, keep an eye out for the new “inter-esterified” and “fully hydrogenated” fats since these may cause the most free radical damage of all to your body.

My recommendations? Use “unrefined” oils for cooking (since refining takes out the phyto (plant) nutrients to keep the oil from smoking); buy “organic” oils so you can avoid genetically modified seeds, and try to keep the heat low most of the time. Happy cooking!

The “Registered Dietitian “(RD) credential is the minimal standard that most insurance companies, hospitals, long-term care and school districts require. Why should you even care? Because everyone needs to see a qualified nutritionist at least 2 times a year. Why is seeing a qualified nutritionist necessary? Because 8 of the top 10 diseases in the US have a connection to food and lifestyle. And prevention and wellness guidance from a qualified nutrition consultant is so much cheaper than disease interventions.

Can you imagine if there were no national standards for the education and training of physicians and nurses? Do doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals other than nutritionists really have the time and expertise to be the sole providers of nutrition advise? Most of the time they are. It’s about time that the extensive education, training and continuing education requirements of legitimate nutrition professionals are recognized and appreciated. But does anyone besides me really care?

Sure, your own body makes about 1000 milligrams of the stuff everyday because you need it to survive and be healthy.

In the lens of your eye, cholesterol is found in high concentrations and may even help prevent cataracts.

The cholesterol in your skin actually helps your body make Vitamin D from the sun – needed to absorb calcium from your diet and calcium supplements – so it saves your skeleton.

Most of the cholesterol in your body is actually found in your tissues, not in your blood.

The cholesterol made by your body is used to make sterol hormones – estrogens, important for women, androgens (like testoterone) that men need and progestins such as progesterone that is important during pregnancy.

Others sterol hormones, called glucosteroids (you may know it as cortisol), increase the breakdown of fat and protein. Mineralcorticoids actually help control blood pressure.

So what raises your blood cholesterol levels?

Stress, too much animal “saturated” fat, too much total fat from all sources – good and not so good, and your genes. What can you do to lower your cholesterol? – stay tuned.

According to recent research, these foods eaten everyday could add 4.8 years to a woman’s life or 6.6 years to a man’s life - so eat, drink and extend your life.

Dancing, laughing, great sex and a good night’s sleep helps too!

There is no nationally recognized list of standards for the education, training and continuing education requirements of nutrition experts except for the registered dietitian (RD). So each state must decide what to do and many have made no decisions. To date, only the “Registered Dietitian” credential requires undergraduate or graduate education in nutritional sciences from an accredited college or university, completion of an accredited professional internship (usually 900-1000+ hours), successful completion and passing of a national registration exam – similar to that of a registered nurse (RN) – and completion of continuing professional education units every 5 years – currently set at 75 hours for registered dietitians.

So how can you protect yourself?

Check out qualifications and credentials before your first visit. Ask your doctor for a referral to see a qualified nutrition professional – someone who is a registered dietitian (RD) or at least has a graduate degree in nutrition if not a registered dietitian. And see if the professional is covered under your current health insurance plan.

Until there is a National Standard for Nutritionists training and credentials required by all states – (Congress would need to make this happen) – these are the best ways to ensure you are seeing a qualified nutrition expert and to stay out of harm’s way.

Beve Kindblade , MS , RD, CD has been a holistic nutritionist and registered dietitian for more than 15 years. She is the owner and manager of Beve Kindblade Consulting LLC in the heart of downtown Seattle – the Emerald City of the Pacific Northwest . Combining the best of both traditional medicine with natural health approaches to achieve optimal health and wellness is Beve’s mission for her clients!

To schedule an appointment, speaking engagement or for any questions, please contact Beve at

206-920-7676
1904 Third Ave, Suite 635
Seattle, WA 98101