Please tell us a bit about yourself

My formal education and background include a PhD in Nutritional Science, a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine, and a Doctorate in Business Entrepreneurship. I also hold undergraduate degree in Biology and Chemistry. I have been an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps since 1976, and just finished serving in the reserves in April 2016 after 40 years.

I have been passionate about health and nutrition for over 30 years and my career started in the food manufacturing industry.  The natural food company I was CEO of, was honestly slightly before it’s time when we got started.  After the culture caught up and our population became aware of the harmful additives in food, the food politics, etc.  I obtained a new focus on more nutrition education. I made it a goal to build my platform and go back to school so I could help people improve their lifestyle on many levels, not just the food they were eating.  I am now focusing on promoting NAMED Program through radio interviews, publications, and events.  I have a beautiful and supportive wife who shares my vision and two grown children who I am beyond proud of, their careers and success in their fields.

What particularly got you into this field that you are in?

I really want to help people and I feel like our country is in desperate need of ethical leadership when it comes to health, behavioral science and nutrition therapy.  The obesity, and addiction epidemics we are faced with are decreasing the lifespan of this generation and with lifestyle improvements, education and awareness we can make a positive dent in decreasing these epidemics and truly save lives or dramatically improve the quality of life.

Dr. Kantor, Can you tell us what NAMED does, and what it is?

NAMED stands for Nutritional Addiction Mitigation Eating and Drinking.  I developed this program to specifically target the opiate receptors that are directly related to addiction and with through specific menus can be mitigated.  Educating and empowering patients in recovery and their families with knowledge through their addiction recovery.  I want my patients to learn how to have a successful recovery through a nutrition program that does not stimulate the opiate receptors, while reducing inflammation and acid build up, this will improve their quality of life and reduce the possibility of a relapse.  From here NAMED went on to design specific menus for mental illness with excellent results. Finally we were asked by Vetcv.com to design menus for the veterans and cover all diseases which we have done successfully.

Can you elaborate on the traditional food pyramids that we have seen over the years?

Traditional food pyramids were developed and designed with a financial gain in mind, promoting crops that are economical in our country but not necessarily beneficial to our health.  These crops include multiple servings of dairy and whole grains and only moderate amounts of healthy fats and vegetables and fruits.  This is far from what our body needs to function optimally and maintain an ideal body fat percentage.

With all the changes in the health and wellness space, as well as nutrition, new discoveries, coupled with findings of unhealthy, or lack in needing certain food groups altogether (Dairy, Meat, etc), what do you think the food pyramid should look like for the modern day person?

The base of the food guide pyramid should be heart healthy unprocessed fats including nuts, seeds, avocados, oils, coconut, etc.  this percentage should be anywhere from 50-75% of our daily intake.  About 20% of our intake should come from quality protein sources including eggs, poultry, seafood, and beef.  It is important to get quality protein sources that do not use chemicals, dyes or antibiotics during any phase of the processing.  Lastly 10-30% of our intake should be from unprocessed carbohydrates including fruit, vegetables, while grains, beans or dairy only if you are not intolerant.  Due to the rise of gluten intolerance I recommend unprocessed gluten free foods like steel cut oats, quinoa, brown rice, etc. avoid gluten free imitation foods like cereal, cookies, etc. The carbohydrates in gluten free packaged items can have a worse impact on your insulin levels than the traditional gluten containing foods.  The percentage of carbohydrates should be based on your activity level and sensitivity to carbohydrates.  Athletes, children, teens, and those who perform manual labor require higher amounts of carbohydrates to sustain their metabolism and activity level.

Are there any particular supplements that you recommend?

Yes, due to the industrialized farming practices foods do not have as many nutrients as they once did, making it nearly impossible to obtain adequate nutrients from foods alone.  I recommend an omega 3 fish oil (500-1000mg of EPA/DHA per day), a high quality multi-vitamin/mineral in capsule form for adequate absorption, a multi probiotic to help balance out exposure to harmful bacteria and to build up a healthy gut bacteria balance. I also recommend drinking Hydroxide alkaline water daily to help reduce acid and inflammation.  If laboratory values are low then supplement with Vitamin D, Calcium and Magnesium.  Magnesium helps improve sleep quality also.