https://lauraduffynutrition.com/

Laura Duffy Nutrition, 5525 Erindale Drive Suite 201A, Colorado Springs, CO (2026)

10/15/2026

I can help if... 🤝

You want to understand why you don't feel well

You believe there's a nutrition-related root cause and wonder if food and lifestyle changes could help you feel better

Your mental health is suffering

You experience mood imbalances, sleep issues, and struggle to focus

Your blood sugar is out of balance

Your doctor has told you that you'll need to start medication if it doesn't improve with diet and lifestyle changes

You have food intolerances or celiac disease

You're feeling overwhelmed and need help figuring out what you can actually eat

You want a plan personalized for YOU

Your body. Your lifestyle. Your tastes.

If any of this sounds like you, you don't have to figure it out alone.

I take a root-cause, functional nutrition approach — using your health history, symptoms, and lab work to build a plan that actually fits YOUR life.

Ready to feel like yourself again?

Book a free 15-minute discovery call to see if we're a good fit.

https://www.lauraduffynutrition.com/consultations

10/13/2026

I'm thrilled to announce I've partnered with Berry Street to offer 1-on-1 nutrition therapy to a limited number of insurance-based clients — both virtually and in-person!

Your insurance may cover personalized, comprehensive nutrition support if you have:
✅ Aetna
✅ Cigna
✅ United Healthcare

How it works:
📍 In-person: Visit my office in Colorado Springs
💻 Virtual: Available if you live in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Texas, or Virginia

Getting started is easy:
1️⃣ Check your insurance benefits with Berry Street
2️⃣ Get eligibility confirmation within 24-48 hours
3️⃣ Schedule your intake online OR contact me directly if you'd prefer an in-person visit

This means more people can access the root-cause, personalized nutrition care they deserve — without worrying about out-of-pocket costs getting in the way.
Ready to check your coverage?

👉 https://visit.berrystreet.co/providers/Laura-Duffy

Questions about scheduling or availability? Reach out — I'm happy to help!
More info: https://www.lauraduffynutrition.com/berrystreet

10/08/2026

What Ketones Actually Are (And Why the Brain Loves Them) 🧠⚡

Ketones aren't some mysterious "4th fuel" competing with glucose and fat. They're something more elegant: a water-soluble, transportable form of energy made FROM fat.

🔸Here's the problem ketones solve:
Long-chain fatty acids are bound to albumin in the blood and can't efficiently cross the blood-brain barrier. So when glucose is low (fasting, carb restriction, prolonged exercise), your liver takes fatty acids and converts a portion into ketones, mainly β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), which travel freely through blood and CAN cross into the brain.

🔸How ketones become ATP:
BHB → acetoacetate → acetoacetyl-CoA → acetyl-CoA → TCA cycle → electron transport chain → ATP
Notice something? Ketones don't skip the mitochondria. They still rely on the exact same TCA cycle and electron transport chain used by glucose and fat. They just provide a shortcut to acetyl-CoA, without requiring glycolysis OR β-oxidation first.

Think of it this way:
🔸 Fatty acids = the raw material
🔸 Ketones = a repackaged, exportable form of that energy
🔸 The brain = a major beneficiary, since it can't use long-chain fatty acids efficiently but thrives on ketones

This is why ketosis is such an elegant metabolic adaptation not a workaround, but a sophisticated biological solution for fueling the brain and other tissues when carbohydrate availability drops.

Your mitochondria were built for metabolic flexibility. Glucose, fat, and ketones all lead to the same destination inside the cell.

Full biochemistry breakdown (with sources) on my latest blog — https://www.lauraduffynutrition.com/post/do-mitochondria-need-glucose-debunking-a-persistent-nutrition-myth.

10/06/2026

The Mitochondria Myth That Won't Die 🧬🔥

"Mitochondria can only burn glucose." I keep hearing this claim even from healthcare providers and it's simply not true.

Here's the biochemistry that gets left out:

⚡ Glucose → ATP
Glycolysis breaks glucose into pyruvate, which enters the mitochondria, converts to acetyl-CoA, and flows into the TCA cycle → electron transport chain → ATP.
Yield: ~30-32 ATP per glucose molecule

🔥 Fatty Acids → ATP
Fatty acids undergo β-oxidation — INSIDE THE MITOCHONDRIA — breaking down into acetyl-CoA, which enters the exact same TCA cycle and electron transport chain.

Yield: ~106 ATP per palmitate molecule (a 16-carbon fatty acid)

That's not a typo. Fat produces roughly 3x more ATP per molecule than glucose.
The truth: mitochondria don't just "tolerate" fat, β-oxidation is a core mitochondrial function. Claiming mitochondria can only use glucose ignores basic, well-established biochemistry taught in every physiology textbook.

Both pathways converge on the SAME final steps: the TCA cycle and electron transport chain. The only difference is how each fuel gets converted into acetyl-CoA.

Why does this matter? Because misinformation like this fuels unnecessary fear around evidence-based approaches like low-carb and ketogenic diets, approaches with real clinical applications for epilepsy, insulin resistance, metabolic health, and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Understanding your own biochemistry helps you ask better questions and make informed choices.

Read the full breakdown (with the ketone piece too) on my blog https://www.lauraduffynutrition.com/post/do-mitochondria-need-glucose-debunking-a-persistent-nutrition-myth.

09/25/2026

Meal planning doesn't have to be complicated 🥗✨

No strict diets. No confusing rules. No calorie counting.

Just one simple concept: The Rule of Thirds.

Build every meal around:
🥩 Protein
🥦 Vegetables
🍠 Carbohydrates
🥑 A healthy dose of Fats

That's it. That's the framework.

Grab my FREE visual guide and get:
✔️ A colorful, easy-to-follow meal-building visual
✔️ Examples of nutrient-rich foods in each category
✔️ A reminder to balance your plate, not restrict it
✔️ A healthy fats section most people completely forget about!

Perfect for:
👩‍💻 Busy professionals who need quick, no-fuss meal ideas
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Parents wanting to feed their family better
🙋‍♀️ Anyone ready to eat more balanced meals without obsessing over numbers

Whether you're meal-prepping for the week, cooking dinner for your family, or just trying to eat a little more intentionally, this guide makes it simple.

Download your free copy here: https://www.lauraduffynutrition.com/ruleofthirds

09/23/2026

Ready to feel like yourself again? 🤝✨

Nutrition consulting isn't about handing you a generic meal plan. It's about understanding YOUR story, YOUR body, and YOUR goals, then building a personalized, evidence-based plan together.

Here's how we work together:
🤝 Free Discovery Call (15 min)
Have questions? Let's chat first to see if we're a good fit. No pressure, no obligation.

📋 Initial Consultation (2 hours)
This is where the real work begins. We'll dive deep into:
* Your health history and relationship with food
* How you're feeling day to day
* Insights from any labs you've already had done
* Whether additional nutrition-related labs could help uncover root causes
* Your personal health goals and a clear plan to get there

🔄 Follow-Up Consultations
We refine the plan as we go, reviewing new labs, adjusting nutrition strategies, and personalizing supplements based on how your body is responding.

This isn't a one-size-fits-all approach. It's comprehensive, holistic, root-cause care designed around YOU.

Whether you're dealing with fatigue, blood sugar issues, hormone imbalances, digestive struggles, or just want to feel your best, let's figure out what your body actually needs.

Ready to get started? Book your free discovery call today 👇
https://www.lauraduffynutrition.com/consultations

09/17/2026

Forget everything you thought you knew about creatine 💪🧠

It's not just for bodybuilders. Creatine monohydrate is a mitochondrial support tool with research backing benefits far beyond muscle:
⚡ Blood sugar: One study found creatine lowered HbA1c comparably to metformin — with no major side effects
🧠 Brain health: Supports ATP availability in neurons, cognitive performance under stress, and mental clarity
🦴 Healthy aging: Preserves muscle mass — a key driver of metabolic rate and longevity
🛡️ Immunity & healing: Immune cells need rapid ATP to fight infection and repair tissue
🦋 Hormones: Mitochondria are the starting point for steroid hormone synthesis (estrogen, testosterone, cortisol)

The mechanism behind it all? Creatine fuels your mitochondria — the energy powerhouses in every cell. When mitochondria are dysfunctional, you feel it as fatigue, brain fog, poor recovery, and metabolic dysfunction.

One of the most studied, safest supplements available — with one clinical note: it can falsely elevate creatinine on routine labs (not a kidney issue, just increased turnover). Pause 2 weeks before bloodwork.

Read the full breakdown on dosing, safety, and who may benefit most:
https://www.lauraduffynutrition.com/post/creatine-monohydrate-more-than-a-gym-supplement

09/15/2026

Struggling with symptoms you can't quite explain? 🧠😴
It might not be "just stress" or "getting older." You could be missing essential minerals that drive everything from brain function to immune strength.
In functional nutrition, we know minerals are cofactors, they power critical biochemical reactions that keep your body running smoothly. When you're low, symptoms can show up long before a blood test reveals it.
Red flags to watch for:
🔸 Zinc: frequent breakouts, poor wound healing, hair loss
🔸 Magnesium: muscle cramps, anxiety, constipation, poor sleep
🔸 Iron: dark undereye circles, brittle nails, shortness of breath, fatigue
🔸 Potassium: irregular heartbeat, muscle cramps and spasms, muscle weakness
🔸 Copper, selenium, iodine, manganese also play essential roles in energy, thyroid, and brain health
Why are deficiencies so common today?
🌱 Industrial farming has depleted soil, modern crops contain up to 40% fewer minerals than 50 years ago
📦 Processed foods are often devoid of bioavailable nutrients
☕ Stress, medications, caffeine, alcohol, and gut issues can all impair absorption
🧬 Even a "healthy" diet may not cover individual needs without personalization
Minerals are required for enzyme reactions, neurotransmitter production, detoxification, thyroid hormone conversion, and bone mineralization. Even mild deficiencies can affect cognitive performance, sleep quality, cardiovascular function, and blood sugar balance, yet most standard labs don't test for functional mineral status.
What you can do today:
✅ Eat a mineral-rich diet: organ meats, seafood, leafy greens, seaweed, nuts, seeds, legumes
✅ Reduce processed foods that displace nutrient-dense options
✅ Cook with cast iron and use mineral-rich sea salt
✅ Get functional testing (RBC magnesium, ferritin)
✅ Supplement based on need, some minerals like zinc and copper require careful balance
✅ Address gut health to optimize absorption
Know the signs. Test what matters. Feed your body what it's missing.
Start with minerals. They're small but mighty.
Credit: Mark Hyman, MD (Facebook) — inspiration for this post.
Learn more https://www.lauraduffynutrition.com.

09/10/2026

You could be eating "healthy" and still be nutrient deficient 😳

Multiple large-scale NHANES studies reveal something startling: 75-95% of Americans have micronutrient inadequacies, not from rare medical conditions, but from the typical American diet.

The numbers by nutrient:
📉 Vitamin D: 95% of adults don't meet the DRI
📉 Vitamin E: 84% fall short
📉 Vitamin C: 46% don't get enough
📉 Calcium: 44%+ of adults fall short
📉 Magnesium: 40%+ don't reach adequate levels
📉 Potassium: A universal "shortfall nutrient"

Here's the kicker: even POPULAR diet plans don't fix this. Research analyzing Atkins, DASH, South Beach, and The Best Life Diet found they were only 43.5% sufficient across 27 essential micronutrients on average, at their recommended calorie levels.

To hit 100% sufficiency for all 27 nutrients would require eating 27,575 calories per day 🤯, obviously unrealistic.

Do supplements fix the gap? Partially. They significantly boost intake of B12, D, B6, and C, but even WITH supplementation, 59-66% of adults still had inadequate vitamin D. And nutrients like magnesium, potassium, and choline? Barely touched by typical supplements (0.5-8% contribution).

There's also a flip side worth knowing: oversupplementing with vitamin D and iron is a real risk I see in clinical practice, especially when multiple products (multivitamins, energy supplements, hair growth formulas) contain overlapping doses.

The takeaway: food first, test don't guess, and personalize your supplementation instead of assuming a basic multivitamin has you covered.

Read the full breakdown: https://www.lauraduffynutrition.com/post/the-micronutrient-gap-why-most-americans-are-falling-short-even-with-a-good-diet

09/08/2026

The overlooked mineral in America's blood sugar crisis 🩸🔍

Over 1 in 3 American adults have prediabetes. More than 38 million have type 2 diabetes. And buried in the research on widespread micronutrient shortfalls is a mineral that rarely gets attention: chromium.

Chromium showed up as one of the under-consumed minerals in some studies evaluating American micronutrient intake — yet its role in insulin sensitivity makes this gap especially concerning.

Why it matters:
Chromium helps insulin do its job more efficiently at the cellular level. Without adequate chromium, insulin receptors become less responsive — meaning your body may need to produce MORE insulin just to manage the same amount of blood sugar.

Sound familiar? That's the exact mechanism behind insulin resistance.

Given that:
📊 A huge share of Americans already have insulin resistance, prediabetes, or T2D
📉 Chromium intake is low across some national dietary studies
🌾 Food processing strips chromium from grains and produce..this isn't a minor nutritional footnote. It's a modifiable piece of the blood sugar puzzle that deserves more attention.

The fix starts with food: broccoli, whole grains, potatoes, grapes, and quality protein sources naturally contain chromium.

Sometimes the smallest nutrients have the biggest blind spots.

Laura Duffy Nutrition

10/15/2026

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