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“Right now, there is quite likely to be a conversation you are trying to avoid. It is probably one that is important to you, but it has a quality of discomfort to it.”

This month, I took a break from my usual nutrition-focused reading and finally sat down with Listen: How to Find the Words for Tender Conversations by Kathryn Mannix. It’s been sitting in my to-read pile since it was published in 2021. (You may know Mannix from her bestselling book With the End in Mind.)

As I’ve mentioned before, lifestyle medicine is built on six foundational pillars: a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connections. These pillars are deeply interconnected and form the basis for preventing, treating, and managing chronic diseases. Mannix’s Listen is a powerful resource for strengthening the pillar of positive social connection.

What a resource this book is! In the first part, Mannix breaks down the basic skills required to open up meaningful dialogue, especially what she calls “tender conversations.” The later chapters show how to apply these skills in particularly difficult or emotionally charged situations. While the book ends with a helpful “style guide” of useful phrases, the bulk of its power lies in storytelling. Mannix emphasizes that for a conversation to feel genuine, it must come from our own words. The stories she shares are incredibly moving, so many of them resonated with me on a deeply personal level. 

The chapter that stood out the most for me was titled Where Are the Listening Spaces? In it, Mannix discusses social prescribing, a practice in which healthcare providers refer patients to non-medical, community-based support systems to improve overall well-being. She writes:

“Social prescribing recognizes that we are social beings and that connection is good for us, boosts our mood, and keeps us healthy.“

She also introduces the concept of Compassionate Space—places where people can connect, share stories, listen, and co-create meaning together. 

This book has me thinking about how I can integrate the skills of tender conversation into my own life, both personally and professionally. Mannix leaves us with a guiding message, one that has stayed with me:

“Compassion shared transforms lives, and listening is a good place to start.”

I absolutely love this book and would recommend it to everyone. Dr. Will Bulsiewicz (a.k.a. Dr. B) is a gastroenterologist, but he’s also incredibly approachable. I’ve followed him over the years and genuinely appreciate his knowledge, compassion, and sense of humour. Nearly half the book is recipes, so don’t be intimidated, this is an easy, engaging, and entertaining read.

The book is thoughtfully structured into three parts, each building on the last:

• Part 1: Knowledge is Power
  
• Part 2: The Fiber Fueled Approach
  
• Part 3: The Fiber Fueled Plan
  

Part 1: Knowledge is Power

This section dives deep into gut microbiota. Did you know there may be up to 36,000 species of bacteria living in your gut? The key to a healthy gut is diversity. When the gut microbiome is imbalanced, it can contribute to a range of diseases. Dr. B discusses symptoms of a damaged gut, some expected (gas, bloating, abdominal pain), and others surprising (anxiousness, sinus congestion, bad breath).

He explores how the gut is essential to immune function and connects it to metabolic conditions (like obesity, type 2 diabetes, pancreatitis), hormonal conditions (endometriosis, sexual dysfunction, breast cancer), and neuropsychiatric conditions (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, fibromyalgia, depression).

Dr. B. explains how our modern lifestyle, marked by being overfed, undernourished, and hyper-medicated, is damaging our health. He critiques the Standard American Diet (SAD) for its excess of sugar, refined carbs, salt, preservatives, additives, artificial sweeteners, unhealthy fats, animal protein, and fad diets.

He also takes a deep dive into fiber and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), explaining their powerful role in protecting against disease.

Part 2: The Fiber Fueled Approach

This section focuses on how to heal your gut by increasing fiber intake. For those who struggle with fiber digestion, there’s a full chapter dedicated to overcoming food sensitivities and intolerances. Fermented foods are another key element of gut healing.

Dr. B also breaks down the gut health essentials: prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics. To make it easier to remember what to eat, he introduces a simple acronym: F-GOALS

• F: Fruit & Fermented
  
• G: Greens & Grains
  
• O: Omega-3 Super Seeds
  
• A: Aromatics (onions, garlic)
  
• L: Legumes
  
• S: Sulforaphane (broccoli sprouts & cruciferous veggies)
  

Part 3: The Fiber Fueled Plan

The final section lays out a practical, approachable plan to put the knowledge into action. It includes easy and tasty recipes to help you start your journey toward better health.

This book is amazing—it provides both the “why” and the “how” behind the plan, which is key to lasting change.

If you’re living with GI issues or chronic disease and haven’t read Fiber Fueled, get yourself a copy now. You won’t be disappointed, and you’ll be well on your way to better health. And if you ever get the chance to hear Dr. Bulsiewicz speak, don’t miss it—he’s down-to-earth, knowledgeable, and truly inspiring.

Is natural flavor actually natural? Quick—yes or no…or maybe?  Or is this a trick question?

I’m not sure how The Dorito Effect ended up on my reading list (it came out back in 2015), but I’m glad it did. It’s an interesting dive into the world of flavor and how the food industry has quietly changed the way we eat. As someone who follows a whole-food, plant-based diet, I’ll admit the parts about chicken—especially fried chicken—didn’t do much for me. But the sections on tomatoes, and vanilla and its synthetic counterpart vanillin? Those really stuck. I mean, there’s nothing like real vanilla or a sun-ripened heirloom tomato picked right off the vine. Compared to that, supermarket tomatoes are just… sad and bland.

Schatzker’s main idea—what he calls The Dorito Effect—is that over the past handful of decades, real food has lost its natural flavor thanks to industrial farming. To make up for it, food companies started adding artificial flavorings to make bland food taste exciting. This messes with our natural instincts to choose foods based on what our bodies need. Basically, we’re being tricked into eating more and enjoying it less.

He traces the start of all this back to the 1960s, when Frito-Lay launched taco-flavored Doritos. They tasted like tacos but had none of the real ingredients. It was a marketing hit—and a major turning point. Suddenly, taste didn’t need to come from real food anymore. Flavor could be engineered. And once that door opened, the food industry ran with it.

One of the most interesting concepts in the book is “nutritional wisdom”—the idea that humans (and animals) have an instinct for choosing the foods our bodies need. But when everything is artificially flavored, our instincts don’t work the way they’re supposed to. That’s how we end up craving nutrient-poor junk food that’s been engineered to taste amazing.

Schatzker outlines how fake flavors mess with us:

• Dilution: Real food becomes bland, so we stop wanting it.
  
• Nutritional Decapitation: When we isolate flavor from real ingredients, we lose the nutrition that should come with it.
  
• False Variety: Fake flavors make similar processed foods seem more diverse than they actually are.
  
• Cognitive Deception: Our minds get fooled—like when strawberry yogurt tastes like strawberries but doesn’t contain any.
  
• Emotional Deception: Flavor tech targets the part of our brain that experiences feelings.
  
• Flavor-Nutrient Confusion: Artificial flavors create expectations that real food can’t meet.
  

Schatzker makes a strong case that this manipulation of flavor plays a big role in the obesity epidemic and related health issues. We’re eating more but getting less nutrition, and our taste buds—and brains—are confused.

He ultimately argues for going back to real, flavorful food. Eat things that are naturally delicious and you won’t need to fake it with additives. For both health and enjoyment, that’s the way forward.

So, back to the original question: are natural flavors actually natural? Turns out, not really. They start from natural sources, but by the time they’ve been processed in a lab and blended into food, they’re far from what nature intended. Their job is to make things taste good—not to nourish us. That’s why Schatzker (and I) recommend reading ingredient labels closely.

The Dorito Effect is an eye-opening read if you’re curious about nutrition, food science, or why modern food tastes the way it does. It might not appeal to everyone, but if flavor and health matter to you, it’s well worth your time.

If you’re vegetarian, vegan, or simply looking to add more plant-based meals to your plate, Plant-Powered Protein is a must-have resource. Written by renowned Canadian dietitians Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina, along with Cory Davis, this book is equal parts nutritional textbook and practical cookbook — and that’s exactly what makes it so valuable.

What I love about this book is how it blends solid, evidence-based nutrition information with approachable, delicious recipes. It answers one of the most common questions in plant-based eating — “But where do you get your protein?” — with clarity, science, and reassurance. You’ll find detailed explanations on protein needs across the lifespan, guidance on plant-based sources, and tips for building balanced, satisfying meals.

Whether you’re new to plant-based eating or have been on this journey for years, this book offers something for everyone. It’s empowering, practical, and deeply informative — and it deserves a spot on your kitchen shelf.