https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights Health insights by Dr. Caroline De Graeve: sleep, stress, metabolism, muscle and brain health, weighed for evidence. en Tue, 03 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/why-the-same-stress-hits-two-people-differently https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/why-the-same-stress-hits-two-people-differently Tue, 03 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Two colleagues, the same presentation, different nights. What the evidence says about judgment, control, history and who is in the room. https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/what-accumulates-when-stress-repeats https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/what-accumulates-when-stress-repeats Mon, 21 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Allostatic load: what builds up when stress repeats, the five measurements that carry real information, and what a cortisol test cannot tell you. https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/what-cortisol-actually-does-during-a-stress-response https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/what-cortisol-actually-does-during-a-stress-response Mon, 14 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000 The SAM and HPA stress systems, the three-organ relay, what cortisol does, and when the cortisol response is strongest. https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/the-stress-response-has-an-off-switch https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/the-stress-response-has-an-off-switch Mon, 07 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000 The HPA axis, the built-in shut-off mechanism of the stress response, and what changes at midlife when recovery takes longer. https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/why-you-wake-at-3am https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/why-you-wake-at-3am Tue, 01 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Early-morning waking is physiology, not a discipline problem. Sleep cycles, the cortisol rhythm, and what actually helps. https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/what-is-happening-to-your-brain-at-midlife https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/what-is-happening-to-your-brain-at-midlife Thu, 27 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 The brain energy shift of the menopause transition, the Lancet Commission's 45% dementia estimate, and why deep sleep is the lever that connects everything. https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/why-yoyo-dieting-happens https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/why-yoyo-dieting-happens Wed, 05 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Weight cycling explained: hunger hormones that persist a year after dieting, adaptive thermogenesis, muscle loss, and six strategies that actually help. https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/nutritional-noise https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/nutritional-noise Tue, 30 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Why nutrition information travels badly from lab to screen, and the three Filter questions that make any health claim easier to evaluate. https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/protein-for-active-women-after-40 https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/protein-for-active-women-after-40 Thu, 26 Feb 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Protein requirements after 40: what the RDA actually covers, post-run timing, plant vs animal protein, protein yogurts and creatine, without the hype. https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/focus-on-what-you-do-eat https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/focus-on-what-you-do-eat Thu, 05 Feb 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Why free-from products can be nutrient-poor, how restriction backfires, and the nourish-first approach: read for what's present, not what's missing. https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/smarter-food-better-cholesterol https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/smarter-food-better-cholesterol Wed, 21 Jan 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Lower LDL without dieting: swap saturated fat for unsaturated, replace meat with legumes more often, add soluble fiber, and build plates not rules. https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/human-recipe-decision-framework https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/human-recipe-decision-framework Mon, 22 Dec 2025 09:00:00 +0000 Protect the pillars, release the rest: a decision filter of five evidence-based anchors for meals, alcohol, sleep, movement and connection. https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/holiday-strategy-without-the-hangover https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/holiday-strategy-without-the-hangover Tue, 16 Dec 2025 09:00:00 +0000 The festive season as a physiological stress test: what food, alcohol and sleep loss actually do, and the five pillars that protect you. https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/fermentation-the-craft-and-the-chemistry https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/fermentation-the-craft-and-the-chemistry Fri, 28 Nov 2025 09:00:00 +0000 Fermentation explained as chemistry: glycolysis to lactic acid, four ferment styles, safety rules, and the synbiotic partnership with fiber. https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/the-gut-microbiome https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/the-gut-microbiome Thu, 30 Oct 2025 09:00:00 +0000 The gut microbiome as an active organ: diversity, fiber and fermented foods, probiotics vs prebiotics, and a daily gut routine without hype. https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/the-90-minute-sleep-window https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/the-90-minute-sleep-window Thu, 23 Oct 2025 09:00:00 +0000 The evening before bed decides how easily rest will come. Light, movement and timing as a quiet choreography: dim, move, stop. https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/why-muscle-is-your-health-insurance https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/why-muscle-is-your-health-insurance Thu, 16 Oct 2025 09:00:00 +0000 Muscle as metabolic tissue: blood sugar control, sarcopenia after 35, myokines and mood. Five practical ways to build and keep muscle in midlife. https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/the-case-for-fiber https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/the-case-for-fiber Sat, 04 Oct 2025 09:00:00 +0000 Fiber as the quiet multitasker: gut health, blood sugar stability, heart protection and longevity. What 25-30 grams a day looks like in real life. https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/sleep-is-not-a-luxury https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/sleep-is-not-a-luxury Sat, 27 Sep 2025 09:00:00 +0000 The glymphatic system, the brain's overnight waste clearance, and why deep, consistent sleep is treated as a clinical variable, not a lifestyle preference. https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/5-eye-opening-insights-in-ophthalmology https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/5-eye-opening-insights-in-ophthalmology Wed, 06 Aug 2025 09:00:00 +0000 Your eyes as a window into your health: rising myopia, silent glaucoma, the lens that ages from 40, and why children need early screening. https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/5-habits-of-healthy-people https://www.humanrecipe.com/insights/5-habits-of-healthy-people Fri, 25 Jul 2025 09:00:00 +0000 Sleep, movement, whole foods, stress resilience and medical literacy: five science-backed habits that people who age well have in common.