Bart B. Van Bockstaele
@thamno.bsky.social
Medical translator, veteran computer programmer & author of several books on the subject.
I love science, language, snakes, nutrition.
Lost 65+ kg (143+ pounds) of weight & keeping them off. Not promoting any specific diet but very much in favour of APF.
I love science, language, snakes, nutrition.
Lost 65+ kg (143+ pounds) of weight & keeping them off. Not promoting any specific diet but very much in favour of APF.
Pinned
Just a reminder to people who are struggling with their weight that weight loss is *possible* at any age. I went from 127 kg in 2012 to 69 kg in 2022 and am currently hovering around 65 kg.
It took me 40 years to find a solution, I obviously found one that works. At least for me.
It took me 40 years to find a solution, I obviously found one that works. At least for me.
Reposted by Bart B. Van Bockstaele
I did not expect to see so many fit people in a CrossFit gym have high blood pressure and high fasting glucose — and especially that it could be resolved so easily in most people from simple diet changes. 🤯
youtu.be/ks0hHmkXXuo
youtu.be/ks0hHmkXXuo
They Looked Healthy. Their Blood Tests Told a Different Story.
YouTube video by Viva Longevity!
youtu.be
December 27, 2025 at 6:21 PM
I did not expect to see so many fit people in a CrossFit gym have high blood pressure and high fasting glucose — and especially that it could be resolved so easily in most people from simple diet changes. 🤯
youtu.be/ks0hHmkXXuo
youtu.be/ks0hHmkXXuo
Great presentation. I think it nicely illustrates that chocolate is not food. Rather, it is luxury that we can fully enjoy if we treat it as such. In my case, that means Neuhaus, Côte d'Or Double Lait Noisettes and Nestlé Galak with puffed rice.
Heavy metals in chocolate.
Detectable lead and cadmium are present in all chocolate products. But how much is safe?
Turns out brands vary tremendously.
We went over all the big brands. The least and most contaminated.
Full video below🔽🔽🔽
https://youtu.be/51Rvsrh6jSg
Detectable lead and cadmium are present in all chocolate products. But how much is safe?
Turns out brands vary tremendously.
We went over all the big brands. The least and most contaminated.
Full video below🔽🔽🔽
https://youtu.be/51Rvsrh6jSg
December 24, 2025 at 4:51 AM
Great presentation. I think it nicely illustrates that chocolate is not food. Rather, it is luxury that we can fully enjoy if we treat it as such. In my case, that means Neuhaus, Côte d'Or Double Lait Noisettes and Nestlé Galak with puffed rice.
What you're being fed is at most an indirect potential problem: if you don't eat it, it is doing you no harm, except possibly starvation. What you eat *is* the problem. This type of use of language is what makes people think that they are not getting fat because they eat too much,
@drjessicaknurick.bsky.social illuminates why the most concerning thing about health isn't what you're eating—it's what you're being fed.
Episode 928✌🏼🌱
Watch & subscribe: https://bit.ly/JessicaKnurick928
Episode 928✌🏼🌱
Watch & subscribe: https://bit.ly/JessicaKnurick928
December 4, 2025 at 11:21 AM
What you're being fed is at most an indirect potential problem: if you don't eat it, it is doing you no harm, except possibly starvation. What you eat *is* the problem. This type of use of language is what makes people think that they are not getting fat because they eat too much,
Some people have wonderful humour and @vivalongevity.bsky.social is one of them. Here is a favourite:
"low-carb diets were all the rage, before Atkins invented them in the 70s."
Masterful!
youtu.be/z4TMQ1PFYpU?...
"low-carb diets were all the rage, before Atkins invented them in the 70s."
Masterful!
youtu.be/z4TMQ1PFYpU?...
Harvard Study: Low Carb Diets INCREASE Diabetes Risk?
YouTube video by Viva Longevity!
youtu.be
December 2, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Some people have wonderful humour and @vivalongevity.bsky.social is one of them. Here is a favourite:
"low-carb diets were all the rage, before Atkins invented them in the 70s."
Masterful!
youtu.be/z4TMQ1PFYpU?...
"low-carb diets were all the rage, before Atkins invented them in the 70s."
Masterful!
youtu.be/z4TMQ1PFYpU?...
Here is something to contemplate for all those smart MAHA people who know so much better than scientists that vaccines cause autism. Stay away from organic foods. They cause autism. Look! Forget vaccines, they are nothing!
www.ithinkwell.org/autism-corre...
www.ithinkwell.org/autism-corre...
December 1, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Here is something to contemplate for all those smart MAHA people who know so much better than scientists that vaccines cause autism. Stay away from organic foods. They cause autism. Look! Forget vaccines, they are nothing!
www.ithinkwell.org/autism-corre...
www.ithinkwell.org/autism-corre...
Highly enjoyable and enlightening low-carb conversation by @vivalongevity.bsky.social. I especially liked the remark about Toni making soy yoghurt with the Instant Pot. It is for the very same reason (ease) that I love to make nattou with it.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4TM...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4TM...
Harvard Study: Low Carb Diets INCREASE Diabetes Risk?
YouTube video by Viva Longevity!
www.youtube.com
November 30, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Highly enjoyable and enlightening low-carb conversation by @vivalongevity.bsky.social. I especially liked the remark about Toni making soy yoghurt with the Instant Pot. It is for the very same reason (ease) that I love to make nattou with it.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4TM...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4TM...
Une fois n'est pas coutume: it had disappeared from the shelves of Kai Wei in Toronto for far too long, in my opinion. My number one favourite junk "food": hard durian candy. Not only is it deliciously unhealthful, it is also vegan. A win on all fronts!
November 25, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Une fois n'est pas coutume: it had disappeared from the shelves of Kai Wei in Toronto for far too long, in my opinion. My number one favourite junk "food": hard durian candy. Not only is it deliciously unhealthful, it is also vegan. A win on all fronts!
Really great conversation of @theproof.bsky.social with Jessica Knurick on public health and nutrition:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvG-...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvG-...
MAHA vs The Scientists: What’s Really Happening Behind the Scenes with Jessica Knurick | EP#392
YouTube video by The Proof with Simon Hill
www.youtube.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Really great conversation of @theproof.bsky.social with Jessica Knurick on public health and nutrition:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvG-...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvG-...
Here is something I remember from my younger years: Treets. I loved them. And then, they were transformed into m&m's. I never buy these. There was something irresistible in Treets and revolting in m&m's. It *could* be that the colours look inappropriate to me, but I don't know.
November 23, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Here is something I remember from my younger years: Treets. I loved them. And then, they were transformed into m&m's. I never buy these. There was something irresistible in Treets and revolting in m&m's. It *could* be that the colours look inappropriate to me, but I don't know.
Reposted by Bart B. Van Bockstaele
Today on @thepulse.whyy.org, @juliabelluz.bsky.social and I discuss several popular topics in nutrition science that are covered in our book #FoodIntelligence:
whyy.org/episodes/wha...
whyy.org/episodes/wha...
What Science Says About How Much Our Food Choices Matter
Ahead of Thanksgiving, we take a look at new nutrition research, and what we should — and shouldn’t — be eating.
whyy.org
November 21, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Today on @thepulse.whyy.org, @juliabelluz.bsky.social and I discuss several popular topics in nutrition science that are covered in our book #FoodIntelligence:
whyy.org/episodes/wha...
whyy.org/episodes/wha...
Great conversation on nutrition and its complexities by @mariokratz.bsky.social. For me, this👇is the salient point. It is hard for a company to exist when no one buys its products. *We* are ultimately responsible for what *they* put on the market.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC75...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC75...
What Happens When You Eat Less Ultra-Processed Foods (UPF)? A Conversation with Sam Dicken, PhD
YouTube video by Nourished by Science
www.youtube.com
November 21, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Great conversation on nutrition and its complexities by @mariokratz.bsky.social. For me, this👇is the salient point. It is hard for a company to exist when no one buys its products. *We* are ultimately responsible for what *they* put on the market.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC75...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC75...
Highly enjoyable conversation on nutrition and the complexities of the field by @mariokratz.bsky.social. For me, this👇is the salient point. It is hard for a company to exist when no one buys its products. *We* are ultimately responsible for what *they* put on the market.
youtu.be/hC756z_ovLs?...
youtu.be/hC756z_ovLs?...
November 21, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Highly enjoyable conversation on nutrition and the complexities of the field by @mariokratz.bsky.social. For me, this👇is the salient point. It is hard for a company to exist when no one buys its products. *We* are ultimately responsible for what *they* put on the market.
youtu.be/hC756z_ovLs?...
youtu.be/hC756z_ovLs?...
Here is something that really pains me. Dry-roasted chickpeas are a wonderful food and snack, but this is what happens when the label designers or their employers don't care about providing accurate information to their customers:
fibre = 0? What chickpea species would that be?
fibre = 0? What chickpea species would that be?
November 18, 2025 at 6:20 AM
Here is something that really pains me. Dry-roasted chickpeas are a wonderful food and snack, but this is what happens when the label designers or their employers don't care about providing accurate information to their customers:
fibre = 0? What chickpea species would that be?
fibre = 0? What chickpea species would that be?
I am less than impressed with ChatGPT's accuracy, but I have to give it good marks in the humour department. It seems to be able to cater to my own sense of humour:
November 1, 2025 at 10:34 PM
I am less than impressed with ChatGPT's accuracy, but I have to give it good marks in the humour department. It seems to be able to cater to my own sense of humour:
Here is another magnificent result from Google's AI. 35 g contains approximately 4 g of fibre and 100 g contains approximately 1.5 g of fibre. How fantastic. I admit that my limited brain is unable to grasp such an exquisite calculation.
Artificial idiocy at its finest!
Artificial idiocy at its finest!
October 25, 2025 at 2:51 AM
Here is another magnificent result from Google's AI. 35 g contains approximately 4 g of fibre and 100 g contains approximately 1.5 g of fibre. How fantastic. I admit that my limited brain is unable to grasp such an exquisite calculation.
Artificial idiocy at its finest!
Artificial idiocy at its finest!
I saw this one yesterday as a recommendation on YouTube. Highly recommended!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx8Q...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx8Q...
October 23, 2025 at 8:33 AM
I saw this one yesterday as a recommendation on YouTube. Highly recommended!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx8Q...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx8Q...
It seems that @vanranstmarc.bsky.social has blocked me on Twitter. I do not know why, because I thought I agreed with most of his positions, but it is his right. So, I will no longer risk bothering him and will unfollow him here as well.
October 19, 2025 at 12:41 AM
It seems that @vanranstmarc.bsky.social has blocked me on Twitter. I do not know why, because I thought I agreed with most of his positions, but it is his right. So, I will no longer risk bothering him and will unfollow him here as well.
Excellent and hilarious-while-sad video about the dangers of 'alternative' health. Whether we like it or not, the only alternative to reality is fantasy, and that is not an impressively reliable basis for desirable results. We may not like that, but reality doesn't care about that either.
Scientist Reacts to the most Dangerous Internet Health Fads
Coffee enemas, raw meat/milk, Sun-staring or drinking urine. The craziest practices on the Internet reviewed with a scientific eye
https://youtu.be/BzIKJLvhrD0
Coffee enemas, raw meat/milk, Sun-staring or drinking urine. The craziest practices on the Internet reviewed with a scientific eye
https://youtu.be/BzIKJLvhrD0
October 4, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Excellent and hilarious-while-sad video about the dangers of 'alternative' health. Whether we like it or not, the only alternative to reality is fantasy, and that is not an impressively reliable basis for desirable results. We may not like that, but reality doesn't care about that either.
Wonderful talk by @kevinh-phd.bsky.social that is well worth the time for anybody even remotely interested in weight gain, loss and maintenance.
Fantastic evening at @oxmartinschool.bsky.social last night with @kevinh-phd.bsky.social giving a talk on "The Calculus of Calories". Really great, nuanced and evidence-based approach to why it it so hard to lose weight, the obesogenic environment and UPFs.
Video below in case you missed it!
Video below in case you missed it!
'The calculus of calories: food environments and body weight regulation' with Dr Kevin Hall
YouTube video by Oxford Martin School
www.youtube.com
October 2, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Wonderful talk by @kevinh-phd.bsky.social that is well worth the time for anybody even remotely interested in weight gain, loss and maintenance.
When time is short, this is a lifesaver: sprouts/microgreens taken from a drawer next to my desk with TVP, psyllium-spice mix and water. The salt mill does not contain salt but citric acid.
October 2, 2025 at 6:42 PM
When time is short, this is a lifesaver: sprouts/microgreens taken from a drawer next to my desk with TVP, psyllium-spice mix and water. The salt mill does not contain salt but citric acid.
Here👇is the little blurb about "Food Intelligence", the remarkably enjoyable and intelligent book on food written by @kevinh-phd.bsky.social and @juliabelluz.bsky.social I wrote on Google. I think it deserves many more and better reviews.
October 2, 2025 at 5:30 AM
Here👇is the little blurb about "Food Intelligence", the remarkably enjoyable and intelligent book on food written by @kevinh-phd.bsky.social and @juliabelluz.bsky.social I wrote on Google. I think it deserves many more and better reviews.
For people who believe that everything should be "organic", which is said to mean "containing no human-made chemicals": petroleum is perfectly organic. It was created at a time there weren't even any humans around to "contaminate" it with those hated human-made chemicals.
September 28, 2025 at 6:15 PM
For people who believe that everything should be "organic", which is said to mean "containing no human-made chemicals": petroleum is perfectly organic. It was created at a time there weren't even any humans around to "contaminate" it with those hated human-made chemicals.
Here is my current number one favourite meal. I have to be careful with it, because it is prone to massive overeating:
Sprouts/microgreens, crushed tomatoes and psyllium with nattou. Insanely delicious.
Sprouts/microgreens, crushed tomatoes and psyllium with nattou. Insanely delicious.
September 25, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Here is my current number one favourite meal. I have to be careful with it, because it is prone to massive overeating:
Sprouts/microgreens, crushed tomatoes and psyllium with nattou. Insanely delicious.
Sprouts/microgreens, crushed tomatoes and psyllium with nattou. Insanely delicious.
I think that this lovely conversation is a great example of how policy decisions will always make people unhappy. I also think that people's unhappiness is not as important as population's safety. Personal freedoms are wonderful, but they should stop where they start hurting other people and this is
The very first shot a baby gets is now under review.
Should the Hep B “birth dose” stay the starting point of America’s vaccine schedule, or be delayed to rebuild trust?
We asked @pauloffit.bsky.social & @michaelmina.bsky.social, take a listen here:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
Should the Hep B “birth dose” stay the starting point of America’s vaccine schedule, or be delayed to rebuild trust?
We asked @pauloffit.bsky.social & @michaelmina.bsky.social, take a listen here:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
The Hepatitis B Birth Dose Vaccine: Do We Need It? An Honest Conversation w Dr. Paul Offit & Dr. Michael Mina
Podcast Episode · Why Should I Trust You? · 09/18/2025 · 1h 22m
podcasts.apple.com
September 25, 2025 at 5:47 AM
I think that this lovely conversation is a great example of how policy decisions will always make people unhappy. I also think that people's unhappiness is not as important as population's safety. Personal freedoms are wonderful, but they should stop where they start hurting other people and this is
People sometimes wonder why I am not impressed by the abilities of current programmers and associated "ITers". Here is but one minor example. As far as I know, time travel is not available yet.
September 16, 2025 at 5:59 PM
People sometimes wonder why I am not impressed by the abilities of current programmers and associated "ITers". Here is but one minor example. As far as I know, time travel is not available yet.