04

Omnivore, Herbivore, Paleo, Vegan, High Fat, Low Carb…… We are living in an era with thousands of diets to follow.  Cultures, religions, health status, geographic are also the metrics that determine the first solid food that gets introduced to us.  While we believe “Eating right is part of self-respect”, our bodies aren’t functioning as we thought they should be.  
雜食、草食、古飲食、純素、高脂、低碳……我們生活在一個充斥著數以千計飲食法的時代。文化、宗教、健康狀況、地理位置等，也都影響著我們最初接觸的固體食物。雖然我們相信「正確飲食是自我尊重的一部分」，但身體運作並未如我們預期般健康。

The numbers of Cardiovascular, Neurological, Autoimmune Dysfunction, as well as Nutrition Deficiency,  have reached a new high. Just the United States alone spends more on health care than the top ten developed countries combined, with similar issues bubbling to the surface and become overloaded in Asia as well.
心血管疾病、神經系統疾病、自體免疫功能障礙，以及營養缺乏症的數字，均創下新高。單是美國的醫療支出已超過十大已發展國家的總和，而亞洲的相關問題也日益浮現並加劇。

Functional Medicine has been a rising star lately, though it sounds like a buzzword. Little did you know it’s a cutting-edge system medicine, going beyond just a lab test result and blanket statements.  It traces down the root cause for individual causes, and implementing a healthier tailor-made lifestyle to live without it feeling like a chore.
功能醫學近年成為新星，雖然聽起來像流行詞，但其實是一套尖端的系統醫學。它不僅止於化驗結果或籠統的健康建議，而是追溯個人健康問題的根源，並實施量身定制的健康生活方式，讓人不感到枯燥乏味。

This month’s A-Lister is Leading Functional Medicine Expert, #Goopfella host, and Bestselling book KetotarianAuthor - Dr. Will Cole.  We’re honored to have Dr. Cole here to optimize our health by debunking the health myth on keto diets, intermittent fasting, his perspective of being a father, and the beauty in his eyes.
本月 A-Lister 專訪嘉賓 為領先功能醫學專家、#Goopfella 主持人，以及暢銷書《Ketotarian》的作者 Dr. Will Cole。我們很榮幸邀請到 Cole 醫生，與我們分享如何透過破解酮飲食迷思、間歇性斷食、父親視角，以及他眼中的美學，來優化健康。

C O N V E R S A T I O N

NL | Nicole Lui @ NOIRSTONE
DC | Dr Will Cole

• ‍NL | Doctor, Functional Medicine still sounds foreign to some audiences, could you please dive in and explain what this truly is?
  DC | Functional medicine approaches medicine from a different angle. Instead of matching symptoms with a medication, we utilize diagnostic testing to uncover the root cause of why someone is going through health problems in the first place to begin true, sustainable healing instead of just managing and covering up symptoms with medication. Instead, we use foods as medicine along with natural herbal supplements and lifestyle changes as necessary.
  NL | Dr. Cole，功能醫學對一些觀眾來說仍然陌生，您能解釋一下這到底是什麼嗎？
  DC | 功能醫學以不同角度看待醫療。我們不只是對症下藥，而是透過診斷測試，找出健康問題的根本原因，實現真正且可持續的療癒，而非僅靠藥物管理或掩蓋症狀。我們使用食物作為藥物，必要時搭配天然草本補充品及生活方式調整。

• NL | I guess the first doctor we’d choose to go is Dr. Search Engine who is an endless vortex of contradicting data.  It can be addictive and cause stress that ends up worsening the issues.  What’d be your best advice for patients or our audience?
  DC | Since every single person is unique – even people with the same diagnosis – Google doesn’t take into account this variability in biochemistry. If you are truly wanting accurate advice on how to move forward, it’s best to seek out a professional who understands what labs to run, how to interpret those results, and translate them into actionable steps pertinent to your individual health case.
  NL | 現代人常先求助「搜尋引擎醫生」，但大量資訊可能矛盾，反而增加壓力。您對患者或觀眾有何建議？DC | 每個人都是獨特的，即使診斷相同，生化差異也不同。谷歌無法考慮個體差異。若想得到真正有效的健康建議，最好找懂得分析化驗、並能轉化為個人可行方案的專業人士。‍

• NL | Variety of mutations, dysfunctions, or syndromes have recently been raised, especially in the last 20 - 40 years.  Even You and I couldn’t get away from it.  I noted that you have MTHFR Mutation.  I had a leaky gut, leading to autoimmune disease, tumor, and my kids have neurologically related syndromes as well as vitiligo, we later found out my husband has MTHFR Mutation as well (it sounds like a war).
  A tremendous number of families across the globe face similar types of health issues, yet they often see it as “It is what it is”.  What would be the first signal that we should look at and acknowledge before it gets too late? And how problematic it can be by having the “it is was it is” mentality?
  DC | We are all either trending toward wellness or disease. You don’t just wake up one morning sick, after being 100 percent healthy the previous day. Any symptom that you feel is ongoing, even if it’s ‘’tolerable’’ can be a sign that something should be addressed. It’s also important to remember that just because something is common doesn’t make it normal and it isn’t always a part of ‘’getting older.’’
  NL | 近 20 至 40 年間，各種基因突變、功能障礙或症候群頻繁出現。像您和我，也難以避免。我注意到您有 MTHFR 基因突變。我曾有腸漏症，導致自體免疫疾病、腫瘤，孩子也有神經相關症候群及白斑。我丈夫後來也發現有 MTHFR 突變（感覺像一場戰爭）。全球有許多家庭面臨類似健康問題，但常以「就這樣吧」心態看待。對此，我們應如何及早察覺？若抱持「就這樣吧」心態會有多大問題？
  DC | 我們都在健康與疾病之間逐步傾斜。你不會某天醒來突然生病。任何持續的症狀，即使「可忍受」，都可能是警訊。也要記住，普遍存在不代表正常，也不一定是「年紀大了才會有」。

• ‍NL | You have mentioned “DNA Is Not Your Destiny” in the book as our genes are like buttons, could be switched on and off. Could you simply explain what epigenetics is and how can we work on epigenetics in order to transform our genome?
  DC | Studies show that close to 77 percent of your immune system is made up of controllable factors and only 33 percent is due to your genetics. Essentially, these controllable factors determine whether or not any genetic dispositions you may have actually come to light. Triggers can be anything from the foods you eat, the toxins you are exposed to on a daily basis, stress, or medication use. Your triggers are going to be different than someone else and your threshold for these triggers may be higher or lower as well. Ultimately, it is going to be important to minimize these triggers as much as possible in your life.
  NL | 您在書中提到「DNA 並非命運」，基因如同開關，可開或關。可否簡單解釋一下表觀遺傳學，及我們如何透過它改變基因表達？
  DC | 研究顯示，約 77% 的免疫系統受可控因素影響，僅 33% 受基因決定。換言之，基因易感性是否發生，取決於可控因素，如飲食、環境毒素、壓力或藥物。每個人的觸發因素和耐受閾值不同，因此生活中應盡量減少這些觸發因素。

• NL | The concept of “Fat Is Your Best Friend” is fascinating, however, the old concept of “low fat is better” still lingers in our daily living.  Could you explain more about how Healthy Fat works on optimizing our overall wellness? And how Healthy Fat is fundamentally different from “the others”?
  DC | The ‘’low-fat is better’’ mantra couldn’t be further from the truth. If you just look at it from an evolutionary and biological standpoint, we started out our lives relying on fat in the form of breast milk for energy and development, and currently our adult brains are comprised of 60 percent fat. It makes sense that we’d want to feed our brains exactly what it is made of – not deprive it. Ultimately, fat is a more sustainable form of fuel than glucose from sugar. Where sugar acts like kindling to a fire, providing us a burst of energy than quickly dying out, fat is like a log to a fire – slow burning and long lasting.
  NL |「脂肪是你的朋友」這個概念很吸引，但「低脂更好」的舊觀念仍存在。可否說明健康脂肪如何促進整體健康？它與「其他脂肪」有何根本差異？
  DC |「低脂更好」完全錯誤。從人類進化及生物學角度看，我們出生依靠母乳中的脂肪提供能量與發育；成人大腦亦由 60% 脂肪構成。脂肪是比糖更持久的燃料；糖像火柴，瞬間提供能量卻很快消耗，脂肪則如木柴，緩慢燃燒、持久供能。‍

• NL | In East Asian culture, rice and soy are in their blood. In South Asia, Sugar and processed oil are inseparable for daily living, and not to mention the standard western diets.  It must be quite challenging to guide patients through their journey from different cultures and backgrounds. How would you unfold this mystery of Ketotarian and help them implement this new lifestyle in their daily living while respecting cultural differences? How do those cultural differences affect a Ketotarian lifestyle?
  DC | I understand the deep connection many different cultures have with certain foods. It’s important to honor this and come up with solutions and substitutions to be able to still enjoy these various foods. For example cauliflower rice is a great Ketotarian-friendly substitution for white rice and coconut aminos is an amazing soy sauce alternative. Thankfully, with more people aiming to eat differently, brands are responding with creating healthy alternatives for many popular cultural foods.
  NL | 東亞文化以米和豆為主；南亞日常離不開糖與加工油；西方飲食亦相似。要引導不同文化背景的患者實踐 Ketotarian 飲食，挑戰應該不少吧？
  DC | 我理解不同文化對食物的深厚情感。尊重這點很重要，可用替代方案達到效果。例如花椰菜飯可替代白米，椰子胺可替代醬油。隨著健康飲食普及，市面亦推出多種文化食物的健康替代品。‍

• NL | You have been a plant-based supporter for a couple of decades but have also experienced a health crisis at one point.  We usually get the misconception of “plant-based equals healthy”. How do we know or what should we keep an eye on when a plant-based diet or any other type of diet go wrong?
  DC | We have to remember that since everyone’s biochemistry different, what diet works for one person isn’t always going to be optimal for the next. Plant-based diets in particular can have a lot of pitfalls if you aren’t careful. Conventional plant-based diets can contain a lot of grains and legumes, which are ok for some people, but can be extremely inflammatory for most – especially if you are going plant-based to help an ongoing health problem. Grains can contain similar proteins to gluten and legumes contain lectin and phytate proteins that can irritate an already compromised gut which can perpetuate inflammation and ongoing health problems.
  NL | 您長期支持植物性飲食，但也曾遇到健康危機。「植物性＝健康」其實是迷思。我們應注意什麼？
  DC | 每人體質不同，適合某人的飲食未必適合他人。植物性飲食若不注意，可能有陷阱。傳統植物性飲食含大量穀物及豆類，部分人可行，但多數人可能引發炎症，尤其是為解決健康問題而採用植物性飲食者。穀物含類麩質蛋白，豆類含凝集素與植酸蛋白，可能刺激腸道，加劇炎症與健康問題。‍

• NL | Talking about plant-based, I love that you are the bridge builder and marry the notions of both plant-based and keto together. What was the most difficult task to reintroduce a better way to consume the fuel to each group of supporters?
  DC | I think the most difficult part was showing people that it is possible to merge these two seemingly contradictory ways of eating. But when it comes down to actually living out this lifestyle, it was second nature to me as I already ate this way personally and advocated for a similar way of eating for a lot of my patients as Ketotarian was really born out of over 10 years of clinical experience, seeing what worked and what didn’t for my patients. One can’t argue that vegetables are good for you and more and more research is confirming the benefits of being in ketosis and eating more healthy fats. So it was an easy switch in my mind to focus on plant-based sources of healthy fats.
  NL | 您將植物性與酮飲食結合，成為 Ketotarian。最難的部分是什麼？
  DC | 最困難的是讓人接受這兩種看似矛盾的飲食方式可以合併。但對我來說，生活上實踐其實可以很自然。我自己長期採用這方式，也建議病人這樣做。蔬菜 + 健康脂肪能互補，研究亦證實酮飲食與健康脂肪的好處。‍

• NL | If someone who has the desire to give Ketotarian 28day challenge a try, what is the first thing that they should look at or change?
  DC | I suggest following the food plan as closely as possible and track your macros in an app to ensure you aren’t eating too many carbs. This can help you make adjustments and become fat-adapted so you can really determine if Ketotarian is working for you. But if you want to ease into the diet that is ok too. Just decreasing carbs and upping your intake of healthy fats can make a huge difference in your health – tracking and aiming for ketosis can come later if that is easier and less stressful for you. Ketotarian is all about removing dieting dogma and shame. There should be a grace and lightness to wellness so if you need to press pause of tracking that is ok too and just focus on making the food switch in the beginning.
  NL | 若有人想挑戰 28 天 Ketotarian，第一步應做什麼？
  DC | 建議盡量按食譜進行，使用 app 追蹤營養素攝取，確保碳水攝入不過量。這可幫助身體適應脂肪代謝，判斷 Ketotarian 是否適合。但若想循序漸進，也可先減碳、增脂，再進一步追蹤酮值。Ketotarian 強調去除飲食規條與罪惡感，讓健康生活更輕鬆。‍

• NL | We believe Conventional, Chinese Herbal, Indian Ayurvedic, Functional Medicine, Naturopath serve a good purpose, how would you find the middle ground?
  DC | It all goes back to bioindividuality. Some aspects of each practice can work for someone, but not everything. It’s looking at a person’s health case as a whole and finding the right tools to optimize their health regardless of what background that resource comes from. Even in conventional medicine some surgeries and medications can be life-saving. At the end of the day in functional medicine we are looking to find the right healing tool that has the maximum amount of healing potential with the least amount of side effects.
  NL | 我們相信西醫、中藥、印度阿育吠陀、功能醫學及自然療法都有其價值，你會如何找到平衡點？
  DC | 這一切都回到「生物個別差異」的概念。每種療法中的某些部分可能適合某些人，但並非全部。重點是要以整體角度看待個人的健康狀況，找到最合適的工具來優化健康，而不論這些資源來自哪種背景。即使在西醫中，有些手術與藥物也可能是救命的。最終，在功能醫學中，我們尋找的是能夠最大化療癒潛力，同時副作用最少的療癒工具。

• NL | Even though we believe in Functional Medicine, food is the first thing to support healing, however, the food nowadays might not be the same as back then and not each individual of food contains the same amount of nutrients. Would you recommend supplementing to help support our well-being?
  DC | Ideally food should be our primary source of medicine since we can’t supplement our way out of a poor diet. With that being said, certain nutritional deficiencies may require supplementation as a boost to get levels back to normal and then food can take the lead from there as maintenance. Some supplements can also be good in a short term if you are needing a boost of Vitamin C and Zinc to help get over a cold for example. Again, since every person is different the level and length of supplementation is going to vary from person to person, but the key takeaway is that you can’t rely on supplementation alone to fix your health problems if you aren’t addressing your diet and other lifestyle factors that play a role in your symptoms.
  NL | 即使我們相信功能醫學，食物仍是支持療癒的首要方式。然而，現今的食物可能與過去不同，每種食物所含的營養也不盡相同。你會建議透過補充品來支持健康嗎？
  DC | 理想情況下，食物應該是我們的主要「藥物來源」，因為光靠補充品無法彌補不良飲食。但某些營養缺乏的情況可能需要補充品來提升水平，使其恢復正常，之後再以食物作為日常維持。一些補充品在短期內也有幫助，例如需要補充維他命 C 與鋅來抵抗感冒時。每個人的需求不同，因此補充品的劑量和使用時間會因人而異。但關鍵是，如果不處理飲食及其他生活方式因素，單靠補充品無法真正解決健康問題。

• ‍NL | As a parent and health advocate, the most burning question would be “how to stop kids from consuming sugar”.  Grains, high carb, sugary and processed food are fully packed in the grocery store, being the must-have on the list. How would you go about educating on the lesser considered sugars like grains and carbs, which have similar results to candy and sweets?
  DC | I try to tell my kids to focus on what you can’t have instead of what you can have and give healthy alternatives such as things sweetened with fruit, stevia, maple syrup, or raw honey instead of sugar.
  NL | 作為父母與健康倡導者，最困擾的問題是「如何阻止孩子攝取糖分」？
  DC | 我會告訴孩子關注不能吃的東西，而非能吃的，並提供健康替代品，例如用水果、甜葉菊、楓糖或生蜂蜜代替糖。‍

• NL | Have your kids ever debated and negotiated with you about their choices on food? How would you guide them through?
  DC | Make food fun and not dogmatic and teach them all the ways to use food to make them feel great and alleviate shame around food.
  NL | 孩子會和您討論飲食選擇嗎？
  DC | 我讓飲食有趣、非教條化，教他們用食物改善感受，減少食物羞恥感。‍

• NL | Your statement at the beginning of the book truly caught my eye - “Through the hills and valleys, without Love, everything else is meaningless”.
  Why is this statement so important for you that you felt it needed to be placed in the book, especially so early on in the reading?
  DC | It’s my dedication to my family and without them and their support I wouldn’t be where I am today.
  NL | 您書開頭的話：「沒有愛，無論山丘與低谷，一切皆無意義」，為何如此重要？
  DC | 這是對家人的奉獻，沒有他們的支持，我無法站在今天的位置。

• NL | Wellness is a new fashion.  It tends to have an overload of frequently changing information.  With society getting and less patient, we see the majority of people switch from one thing to another before seeing the results of the previous. Let's say skin takes at least 6 months and gut takes years to heal.  How do you get your audience to take a step back and actually work with the process rather than chase the “magical fix-it-all now”?
  DC | I try to communicate that as much as possible in my one-on-one conversations with my patients as well as my articles and larger scale platforms. It all comes down to a lifestyle change and once you have made that change, it is harder to go back from that, and it’s less about the one thing that healed you it’s the entire process – diet, supplements, stress reduction, and more.
  NL | 現代社會資訊過載，人們追求快速結果。皮膚需要半年修復，腸道需要多年。您如何讓觀眾耐心配合過程，而非追求「即刻解決」？
  DC | 我在一對一諮詢及文章中不斷強調，健康是一種生活方式改變。重點不在單一療法，而是整體過程 — 飲食、補充品、壓力管理等。‍

• NL | How do you see our society changing a decade from now? Do you see getting there be increasingly difficult with the current trend-chasing?
  DC | I try not to compare myself with others and stay in my own lane and focused on how I can be the best that I can be. Comparing and trend-chasing is transparent to your followers and inhibits you from being authentic and can ultimately lead to burnout.
  NL | 未來十年，您如何看社會變化？
  DC | 我嘗試不與他人比較，專注自我提升。追趕潮流會影響真實性，並可能導致倦怠。‍

• NL | What does #selflove mean to you?
  DC | Loving yourself enough to nourish your body with delicious food medicines.
  NL | #自愛對您意味著什麼？
  DC | 愛自己，並用美味的食物滋養身體。‍

• NL | What is “Beauty” in your eyes?
  DC | Being at peace with yourself is beautiful.
  NL | 「美」在您眼中是什麼？
  DC | 與自己和諧相處，就是美。‍

• NL | If you were to meet your younger self, what advice would you give him?
  DC | Be present because it all goes by quick and you can learn a lot from the present moment.
  NL | 若見到年輕時的自己，您會給他什麼建議？
  DC | 活在當下，因為時間飛逝，當下教會你最多。

• NL | What’s that one question you’d like to ask our NS Insiders?
  DC | What is the one thing in your life that makes you want to live a healthier life? This will keep you going in the hard moments.
  ‍NL | 您想問 NS Insiders 的問題是？
  DC | 生活中，什麼事情能驅使你活得更健康？這將支撐你度過困難時刻。
  ‍

D R .  W I L L   C O L E ' S   C H O I C E

| Snack(s) |
The spiced nuts from my book Ketotarian
書中 Ketotarian 的香料堅果

| Drink(s) |
Earl Grey Tea
伯爵茶

| Song Of The Month |
Somebody Else by 1975

| Book(s) |
The Power of Now‍
當下的力量

| Mentor(s) + Inspiration(s) |
Terry Wahls and Alejandro Junger‍

| Stress reliever(s)  |
Being in nature‍
親近大自然

| That 1 Thing You Keep Telling Yourself |
Be present and trust God’s timing
活在當下，相信上天的時機

| Daily Routine |
Wake up, work out, intermittent fast and a cup of earl grey, work, break my fast at lunch, finish work, and spend time at home with my family.
起床、運動、間歇性斷食 + 伯爵茶、工作、午餐開啟斷食、完成工作、與家人共度晚上

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This article was originally published on our website in March 2020