Nutrition

Category: Nutrition

Does A Poor Diet Cause Depression?

Feb 25, 2026

Today’s blog post is going to focus on the relationship between food and mood. More specifically, does a diet filled with junk food cause depression? First off, it would be easy for me to make a snap judgement and say, “of course it does.” My life, after all, revolves around helping people make healthy changes to their diet to lose weight naturally. Instead of just assuming a poor diet causes any number of health conditions I prefer to look at the data and interpret it.

My simple answer to the question of “does a poor diet cause weight loss?” is NO. As shocking as this revelation may be I believe, based on what I have read, that there is another factor that causes both a poor diet and depression. So let’s look at the research.

One popular study on the link between diet and mood found that: “A dietary pattern characterized by a high intake of fruit, vegetables, whole grain, fish, olive oil, low-fat dairy and antioxidants and low intakes of animal foods was associated with a decreased risk of depression. A dietary pattern characterized by a high consumption of red and/or processed meat, refined grains, sweets, high-fat dairy products, butter, potatoes and high-fat gravy, and low intakes of fruits and vegetables is associated with an increased risk of depression. This sounds like a slam-dunk right. One’s diet obviously effects mood and can lead to depression.

We can’t stop here, however. What if the people in the study were depressed and then turned to easy junk foods for comfort? Luckily, researchers wondered about this as well and in another large analysis they looked at baseline diet and then calculated the risk of participants later developing depression. They found that “A healthy diet (the Mediterranean diet as an example) was associated with a significantly lower risk of developing depressive symptoms.”

So that should put a bow on it. Diet directly affects mood. But wait, earlier I said that I don’t think this is the case. So why am I quoting all this research stating that food does effect mood? The reason is that I still don’t think that the research has dived deep enough to really uncover the source of the depression.

Correlation does not mean causation. Just because two factors happen together does not mean that one causes another. So what could cause both a poor diet and depression? The research is clear on this. Income-inequality, more specifically, having an extremely low income compared to the general society can contribute directly to a depressive state. People with a lower income are also much more likely to choose cheap, fatty, and unhealthy food.

In conclusion, I believe that maintaining a healthy diet can be beneficial in countless ways. It may even make you feel a little better emotionally. I don’t however believe that diets directly cause depression. Depression and poor diet can be seen to be more easily caused by having low income.

0 calories is not actually 0 calories

Feb 19, 2026

In this week’s blog post I want to discuss an obscure food labeling law that allows product manufacturers to label their products as “0-calories” even when they do contain calories. I will cite a couple examples, but this is not to bash these products. Certainly, products with calories are not “bad.” Consuming them will not necessarily lead to weight gain either. In fact, each of the products I will mention is approved in all the weight loss programs we prescribe to our patients. This post is simply about information. If you are trying to get healthy, lose weight, etc. you need to know exactly what you are putting into your body and food labels should not be misleading.

The basic rule is that if a product contains less than 5 calories per typical serving size than it can legally be labeled as a “0-calorie” or “calorie free product”. The key term here is “typical serving size.” As I will show you in the following examples, the serving size can be manipulated by food manufacturers so that they meet this 0-calorie requirement.

The first example I will share is the breath mint Tic Tacs. They are clearly labeled as a “0-calorie” product. However, the first ingredient listed is sugar. Of course, sugar contains calories, so what’s the deal here? Again, the important thing to note is the serving size. Tic Tacs serving size is listed as 1 individual Tic Tac. 1 Tic Tac is .5g and .5g of sugar is about 2 calories. So every Tic Tac is 2 calories. This is clearly under the 5-calorie cutoff, so it is labeled as calorie free. I don’t honestly know anyone who has ever eaten just one Tic Tac however, so I find this “typical serving size” a bit hard to believe.

Next, I will cite a 0-calorie cooking spray. There are a number of these containing canola oil, olive oil, etc. For this example, I will use one containing avocado oil. Although this example would be applicable to any other “0-calorie” spray as well. The avocado oil spray can was labeled as 0-calories per serving size, but the serving size was listed as ¼ second of a spray. This would equal about .25g of avocado oil. In each spray there are about 2 calories if somehow you can use only this amount. Again, I find this serving size hard to believe. I think that a 1-2 second spray to coat a pan is much more realistic.

In closing I will again state that these products can be used as part of a weight loss program. They add variety and flavor. One of the worst things that can happen during a weight loss program is boredom or the feeling like you are continuously eating bland, blah foods. When this happens either, we need to find out how to make things interesting or else the client is headed down the path towards inevitable failure. What is important is knowing that using these products does add calories. If you use them around or even a bit above the serving size, you will be fine. It is important to note that if you use them way over the serving size that you are not adding “0-calories” to your diet and these calories may add up to be significant.

Best Condiments for Weight Loss

Nov 13, 2025

Condiments enhance food, and we are huge advocates for using certain low -carb or low -calorie condiment products to help achieve a weight loss goal. These products are usually great substitutes for items people typically crave when trying to lose weight. In this blog post I will give a shout out to our top four favorite brands of weight loss condiment options.

Best salad dressing – We have tried dozens of different low calories and low carb salad dressings. Certain items meet our program’s requirements, although their flavor profiles are not especially appealing. Some taste okay but have just too much of the stuff we are trying to avoid. During our search we have landed on the Skinny Girl salad dressing brand as the sweet spot for good taste and a compliant dressing for weight loss. This brand is widely available in most supermarkets. Try it to save calories and liven up your next salad.

Best BBQ sauce – Another product type that people feel like they need to give up when trying to lose weight is BBQ sauces, marinades, etc. In our weight loss centers we never want our patients to feel deprived. Again, after trying many brands, we landed on G. Hughes as the best brand of BBQ and related sauces. This brand is available at most grocery and health food stores. Try it with the meat of your choice.

Best mayonnaise – Mayo is a tough one. It is either tasty but loaded with extra calories or low-calorie and disgusting. There are two mayo brands that taste good and are compatible with a weight loss journey. Both Mrs. Taste and Walden farms brands fit the bill. These two are a bit more difficult to find. Local specialty grocery stores will sometimes carry these, otherwise, ordering online is your best bet. We have many recipes in which we use these two products interchangeably. Our favorite is using one as a substitute ingredient for deviled eggs.

To learn more about what we do visit: LearnOurSecret.com.

Alcohol and Weight Loss

Oct 16, 2025

In this blog post I clarify Brand NUE’s parameters when it comes to alcohol consumption and weight loss. I wrote extensively on beer, wine, etc. in the past. In this blog I will put everything together. This will pertain to our weight loss clients in our Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky offices, but this information can be useful to anyone.

First, we are not advocating for drinking alcohol during a weight loss program. We do, however, understand that drinking alcohol in moderation is part of the social fabric of America and many other countries. It is for this reason that we produced a guide on how to use alcohol when on a weight loss program.

First let’s talk about what is permitted. Wine, of any variety, is allowed. Beer is allowed if it is 100 calories or less – AND – 3g carbs or less. Only clear spirits are allowed. Hard seltzers, like White Claw, are also allowed.

Next, let’s talk about quantities. To not impact weight loss results, we recommend limiting wine to 8 oz. per week, beer and hard seltzers to 2 per week, and clear spirits to 6 oz. per week. Through our experience we have not seen much of a slowdown in weight loss if alcohol consumption is kept to these parameters.

I hope this information is useful and concise enough to be implemented immediately.

OUR SUPPLEMENTS

Sep 25, 2025

In this blog post I want to highlight some of our most popular supplements and describe how and when we typically have clients use them. All the products I mention can be found at BrandNUEweightloss.com or LearnOurSecret.com.

First things first, we need to address the elephant in the room. We DO NOT offer or sell “magic pills.” There is no such thing. No products can do all the work for you if you are unwilling to make certain lifestyle changes during a weight loss program. In our Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky weight loss offices we offer supplements to be used as tools to make the process of losing weight more efficient or easier. Certain supplements can aid the process, but it is extremely important to remember that they are simply one part of a much larger puzzle.

With that out of the way let us talk about some specific supplements and how they might help during a weight loss program. First, let us look at our Ultra Diet Drops. This product is like a “catch all” weight loss aid. It has many different ingredients that clients would typically need to purchase separately, combined into one. It has several ingredients that have been scientifically shown to help with fat metabolism. It also contains amino acids that can significantly suppress appetite (This is obviously important when trying to modify eating). This is a concentrated product, so we have clients take it sublingually.

Next, let us discuss one of our most popular products that clients can use long term, our Green Coffee Bean Extract. Green coffee bean extract has been shown to help with skin elasticity. This is often especially important when a client is losing a significant amount of weight and has excess skin. We have also observed that clients who take it regularly lose weight about 20% faster than those who do not and have about a 20% harder time regaining weight if they are on maintenance. This product is taken as a daily capsule by our clients.

We also offer multivitamins. Our multivitamin is specifically formulated to make up for the nutritional deficiencies that are typical when clients start a new program. The typical client will eat very plainly in the beginning before they investigate our approved recipes and products and may be missing essential nutrients. This multivitamin ensures they do not become nutrient deficient. This is, again, a capsule that is taken daily by our clients.

Finally let us talk about our stress support. This is used as needed by our clients. Clients with particularly stressful lives or jobs may need this product during a weight loss program. This product helps control cortisol. Elevated cortisol can lead to belly fat loss being very stubborn. If you have stress due to your job, school, family etc. and you are having a challenging time losing weight you may consider adding this product. This is, once again, a capsule take daily.

Hopefully, this sheds some light on why certain products are used during a weight loss program. Again, more information on all these products can be found at BrandNUEweightloss.com or LearnOurSecret.com.

What is Zevia Soda

Jul 06, 2025

In today’s review, we look at Zevia Zero Calorie Energy Drinks. We want to determine are these drinks are healthy and whether they are keto and low-carb friendly. Another important question to answer is, do they taste good? There are plenty of “healthy” products out there that just don’t taste that good and are therefore useless.

So, first let’s determine if Zevia energy is healthy and low-carb. The nutrition label gives us a couple of different clues. First, this is a product that contains zero calories, fat, and carbohydrates.

Second, the ingredient list contains no artificial sweeteners (such as aspartame or sucralose) that we would want to avoid. Based on these two observations, I can confidently say that Zevia Energy Drinks are healthy and keto-friendly.

It is for this reason that in our Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky weight loss clinics, we will recommend Zevia Energy drinks as an alternative to Red Bull or Monster.

Zevia Soda… What is it? Is it healthy? Does it make you gain weight? From time to time, we like to highlight certain products that we recommend in our Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky weight loss centers and explain why you should be using them. Zevia Soda is the subject for today.

Zevia Soda is a calorie-free soda alternative that comes in a variety of flavors. What makes Zevia special (and why we recommend it in each of our Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky – Florence weight loss centers) is that it contains no artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners (like what is found in traditional diet sodas) have long been known to be linked with obesity and weight gain.

Zevia Soda, on the other hand, uses stevia leaf to achieve its sweet flavor. This natural, zero-calorie sweetener has not been linked to weight gain and may actually have some health benefits. Zevia Soda can be found in most grocery stores. Find out more about our weight loss clinics in Cincinnati or Florence, Kentucky, by visiting us.

Hershey’s Special Dark Zero Sugar Review

Jul 06, 2025

women in front of pink wall looking excitedly at a chocolate bar

It’s time for another product review. In this blog post we are going to talk about an interesting product when it comes to weight loss –Hershey’s Special Dark Zero Sugar. What is it? Why is it “interesting? These and other questions are what I hope to answer today.

First off, Hershey’s Special Dark Zero Sugar is a product made by the Hershey’s company and marketed as a lower carb option to traditional chocolate bars. It is typically sold in bags of mini chocolates, similar to what kids get at Halloween. It seems to be gaining popularity as in or Cincinnati and Florence, KY weight loss offices we have had several inquiries about it. So, let’s first compare the calories in the zero sugar product in question to traditional dark chocolate made by Hershey’s. Hershey’s Special Dark Zero sugar contains 120 calories per serving (32g). This equates to 3.75 calories per gram of chocolate. Traditional Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate, on the other hand, contains 200 calories per serving (41g). This equates to 4.9 calories per serving. So clearly there are calories saved by choosing Hershey’s Special Dark Zero Sugar over the traditional Special Dark. In fact, you save about 25% of the calories in the sugar free variety.

The interesting thing about Hershey’s Special Dark Zero Sugar is how they make it “zero sugar”. The secret weapon here is maltitol. Maltitol is a sugar alcohol that tastes extremely sweet (similar to sugar), but is not easily digestible by the human body. Because it passes through the body without being absorbed the calories it contains are typically not counted in the total on the nutrition label. This is common practice with non-nutritive sweeteners like maltitol. Maltitol and other sugar alcohols used to sweeten foods, are not silver bullets, however. There has been some evidence that consuming to much of them can cause digestive difficulty. This is due to the fact that your body has a very difficult time breaking it down and absorbing it. A recent study has also linked sugar alcohol to cardiovascular problems.

I remain a fan of the use of sugar alcohols as replacements for sugar when someone is trying to lose weight. I believe that when used in moderation, like most things, it will not negatively affect health. Time will tell if more research links sugar alcohols to health problems, but as of now I don’t feel the evidence is compelling enough to warrant completely abandoning them.

So what is my final verdict on Hershey’s Special Dark Zero Sugar? Well, this is a tricky one. It is lower in calories than the original and it does contain a non-nutritive sweetener that I approve of. The difficulty for me is that Hershey’s Special Dark Zero Sugar is still a high calorie food. Just because it is lower calorie than it’s “fully loaded” counterpart does not necessarily mean that it is good for weight loss. I believe that this product is specifically aimed at people participating in the keto diet. Keto is fine for what it is but if you are looking for the most rapid way to metabolize body fat, keto is lacking. So my final verdict is that for low cal dirty keto (our clients preferred way of eating for rapid fat loss), Hershey’s Special Dark Zero Sugar just does not fit.