Why Everything They’re Teaching Us About Nutrition & Health May Be Wrong

If you want to be able to help any person at any time I believe you can’t belong to only one specific ‘nutritional camp’. You have try to remain agnostic. Meaning understanding that the essential nature of things are unknown and unknowable, and that knowledge is limited to experience. If you think every person needs a paleo style diet – you may need to reevaluate if you’re looking at things too single mindedly. Most methods have a place, we just need to figure out what place they have.
With advances in medicine and technology people should be healthier than ever before, however its starting to appear the opposite is the case. Most experts (even the average person) agree that we have a serious health issues within our culture. Which is largely a result of being indoctrinated by false information that many believe is true.
Within this piece are a lot of the statistics, quotes and pieces of evidence are sited from the USA. Even if you don’t reside within the US the results are just as valid if you live in a western county because of the huge amount of influence and power the US has on the rest of the world. I do not live within America but I still take these statistics very seriously.
I read once that ‘the best program you can is the program you can do when everything goes wrong. Not when everything goes right’.
This is to counter the nature of life has proves to us that things will go wrong nearly every single day in one way or another.
I do not have all the answers. I’m going to be wrong many many times here. But this is just a collection of all the research I’ve found over many years to be the closest thing to what I believe is truth.

“We’re seeing an epidemic explosion of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease cancer the list goes on” – Jeffrey Gerber M.D.

To understand what is happening we need to understand our body and how it functions and where modern nutrition went wrong. This article will address many of these issues and many more.

Disclaimer: I do not have any fancy degrees, I don’t have PHD. I am not a professional in this field but I consider myself quite knowledgeable, A LOT more than the average person largely because I have made the consistent effort to seek out professionals and learn from them whilst conducting different experiments on myself testing out the things I hear.

I believe this is the easiest and fastest way to gain the expertise, skills and knowledge – from the professionals who have gone through the decades of life and study. I am simply summarising all these resources into a concise easy to read written piece that I hope everybody can understand.

Although, if you believe for someone to be credible they need such accolades such as degrees, in other words – the appearance of credibility for validity in an argument, please click off the page and continue being close minded and ignorant. Otherwise, thank you for reading and I hope you can get something positive from this. I will continually update this page as I learn more so check back periodically.


How Do All These Different Diets Actually Work

Edit (21/7/15) After listening to Dr. John Beradi ‘What’s The Best Diet?’ Seminar it inspired me to make an amendment and add this paragraph in.

What’s really interesting is the fact that seemingly opposite interventions such as vegan whose in awesome shape but you also have high meat eating person in great shape. This happens ALL THE TIME. John questions the fact that maybe they’re not that opposite. They are opposite in their macro nutrients but they might have more of the same characteristics that make all these different lifestyle habits work for different people. Here are the key points.

1. They Raise Awareness & Attention

Thinking and being concious of what your eating. Your simply not eating as mindlessly. Your paying attention to your actions.

2. They Focus On Food Quality

Very few diets advocate eating more processed, but a large majority preach natural/free-range/grass fed that is minimally processed. This may be one of the most significant interventions regardless of the macro nutrients.

3. They Assist In Eliminating Deficiencies 

Most of the best diets introduce more leafy green vegetables and nutrient dense foods. This obviously has a great impact on micro nutrient imbalances you may have had on a lifestyle riddled with processed unnatural food that can make us feel fatigued and lethargic.

4. They Control Appetite & Food Intake 

At the end of the day your getting foods that are satiating (foods that make us feel full). This is under the assumption your not drastically dropping your calorie intake but instead replacing the type of calories your eating for ones more suited to your health goals.

5. They Promote Regular Exercise 

He argues that it “may not be all about the food.”

“If the only thing that is different between these “wildly different” dietary plans is the macro nutrients and all this stuff is the same – well doesn’t that mean they’re more alike than they’re different?”

I agree with John here to an extent, but just understand that macro nutrients and the type of carbs/proteins/fats you put into your body is VERY important. You will witness people having success with all types of dietary plans and you will feel so confused and overwhelmed at how so many different things can work for so many different people.

I would argue that maybe they’re working for outward aesthetic appearances, but not for longevity of the brain and internal organs optimal function. With that being said I believe the below to be one of the best and simple ways to consume high quality food and live a life that goes along with it.


The History | Where Did Modern Nutrition Go Wrong?

Our culture developed lipophobia – a feared of fat. Which is the single most important commercial driver of modern nutritional advice for decades now, unfortunately.

Vilhjalmur Stefansson a Canadian arctic explore and ethnologist was one of the first to start questioning do we really need to eat carbohydrates. 

After living with the Inuits he looked at the role of fat in human evolution and discovered that humans have a natural tendency towards fat. But it has been replaced by sugar, as we eat more sugar our desire for fat goes down.

Below shows the diet that our ancestors have been eating for 2-3 MILLION YEARS.

If you have white skin and come from a British/Northern Europe background than your regional microbiome would have shown your ancestors have been consuming grains for approximately 2000 years while the Persians have been using grains in the diet for about 12,000 years as indicated below.

The human body is extremely adaptable

You can see this throughout time, the Inuits lived on a very high fat diet and very low vegetables. South Pacific Kitavans consume a very high fat/high vegatble while the New Zealand Tokelau low fat and almost exclusively vegetables and tubers (sweet potato). Macro nutrient wise they’re different to each other and never shared the diseases that are prevalent in today’s society.

This is an example that pretty much no matter what we consume our body will adapt, whether that be for the worse or better is dependent on the TYPE of calories we consume. But just because the Tokelau consumed tubers doesn’t mean they’re good for our brain and body. It just means our body can adapt accordingly.

An interesting note from Dr. John Beradi on consuming grains within history

(21 min mark ‘Whats The Best Diet’ Seminar) 

Now I don’t know how accurate this statement because I’ve only heard it once is but I think it’s worth mentioning, John sais “we cant go back to paleolithic time and know for certain what they ate, anyone who tells you that is full of shit because they’re using fossil records, and fossil records are only based on what you can find and printed in some rock. New methods in the last few years have shown that grains were eaten as far back as 300,000 years ago, pre-paleo. The reason they never found them in the fossil records was because they didn’t have methods sophisticated enough” So he’s arguing that grains only coming with agriculture is wrong and that are technology is proving this wrong.

I don’t have any concrete evidence for this yet. But it’s interesting if it in fact true because that may alter the definition of a paleo diet that so many follow religiously. Regardless, I have a feeling that it’ll just be like fruits where they only consumed grains occasionally depending on the season and not every day like today’s humans do.

Food Pyramid Time

Below is what this false food pyramid has caused.

The Classic Food Pyramid Screenshot 2015-06-24 18.38.12

In the mid 20th Century scientists such as Ancel Keys began culminating the idea of linking saturated fats and cholesterol to heart disease. They asserted people needed high carbohydrate diets that are low in fat and cholesterol.

He’s ideas were so prevalent that the army created the K-Ration (an emergency field ration for soldiers in WW2) based on this idea.

Right away, other researchers questioned the validity of the study. A British doctor named John Yudkin was particularly skeptical. Yudkin had done similar research and found several countries that had above average intake of saturated fat consumption but low rates of heart disease. Yudkin, along with other scientists, basically accused Keys of cherry-picking the countries in his study in order to prove his conclusion. They argued that it wasn’t cholesterol and fat that caused heart disease, but rather increased sugar consumption that was the true culprit.

But because of Keys’ role in developing nutrition standards for soldiers during WWII, he had tremendous political clout with congressmen, agency bureaucrats, and the media. Encouraged by the results of his study, Keys began to lobby heavily for the U.S. government to recommend low fat, low cholesterol diets. In 1977, Senator George McGovern, the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs, published dietary guidelines based on Keys’ research that would radically change how Americans ate. The guidelines called for a diet low in fat and cholesterol and high in carbohydrates from vegetables and grains. The USDA issued guidelines recommending only 300 mg of dietary cholesterol a day. Which isn’t very much. Just two whole eggs contain 374 mg of cholesterol.

Time Cholestrol

WELL ANCEL FUCKED THIS WHOLE SHIT UP FOR US

These dietary goals were based on weak science, Prof Timothy Noakes exclaims “not one clinical trial was taken to see whether that diet would make us healthier than if we remained with our current fatty diets”

As it turns out this diet which mimics constant carb loading is not a good thing.

Because grains whether whole or refined trigger elevated insulin levels. With elevated insulin response comes increased hunger but the most significant adverse affect of consuming a carbohydrate rich diet is inflammation. I will explain how insulin works and why it has adverse effects on your body soon.

Lets see how more carbs and less fat works out since that plan by Ancel was put in place in the 70’s.

1. Diabetes rates have nearly tripped

2. Hypertension continues to climb

3. Obesity levels have skyrocketed

4. Metabolic syndrome has become commonplace

If these were sound health recommendations would would not see these graphs.

Screenshot 2015-06-24 19.07.47

You can see in the 1970s the new dietary guidelines for the US were released. These dietary goals consisted of the above food pyramid we were taught in high school. It is NOT a coincidence that everybody was told to start consuming a high carbohydrate low fat diet and suddenly people were getting exponentially fatter. Continue reading and will you see.

Obesity Rise

However no one stopped to question why and the validity of these guidelines. The guidelines were always evaluated on how they were followed. They have never been evaluated on how well they work. It sais so in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines themselves!

Screenshot 2015-06-24 19.09.45

The general concepts of what they told us was healthy, to what children are being served in schools has NEVER BEEN TESTED. We should be horrified by this.

We are sick fat, tired and depressed and that is the legacy of the food pyramid and the western diet.

So we came to find out Yudkin and his colleagues were right. It wasn’t cholesterol and fat that caused people to gain weight and get heart disease; it was sugar and processed carbs. And guess what food manufacturers often replaced the missing fat with in their “heart healthy foods”? Sugar and processed carbs, of course. And that cholesterol-free margarine? It was made from hydrogenated vegetable oil that created trans fat, a type of fat that actually is linked to heart disease and stroke.

Consequently. government agencies and health organizations are finally backtracking on their stringent dietary cholesterol limits. In fact, earlier this year (2015), the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee issued a draft document stating that dietary cholesterol plays little or no role in heart disease and that most folks probably shouldn’t worry about how much cholesterol they’re eating

How Did This Happen?

In 1973 secretary of agriculture Earl Butz initiated a massive policy change for the farm bill that would subsidise the production of corn and grain bringing about the model you see today. So corn and grain became financially cost effective to promote, they did this in the form of high fructose corn syrup arguably one of the worst ingredients you can ingest. Societty was told to fear fat, this allowed the ‘low fat’ food culture to permeate every isle in your grocery store.

As the fat was taken from the product high fructose corn syrup was added, simply because without it, the product tasted like shit. The sugar was needed to make it more palatable whilst giving companies the ability to advertise ‘low fat’.  All of a sudden your adding fat in the form of fructose but making it sound like something that’s healthy with that low fat label.

Fructose Consumption

Reversal: But we’ve always had sugar and carbs through history.

It’s easy to see this from the last supper to various Roman empires. So what changed?

In short, the corporate fast food world has monetized the health and food industry and is taking advantage of peoples ignorance and laziness. As a result portion sizes have grown drastically larger and the content of the poor quality food choices has grown astronomically.

There are essential proteins and fats we should consume for optimal health, but there is no such thing as essential starch or an essential sugar. As a human species we’ve been adapted to proteins and fats for millions of years yet suddenly we started using carbohydrates/glucose as our main source of energy when we could be using fats instead.


But What Happens When We Eat?

Understanding Blood Glucose & Insulin

What is insulin?

“Insulin is a peptide hormone secreted by the β (beta) cells of the pancreatic islets cells and maintains normal blood glucose levels by facilitating the uptake of glucose into cells, regulating carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism and promoting cell division and growth. Insulin resistance, characteristic of type 2 diabetes is a condition in which normal insulin levels do not produce a biological response and lead to high blood glucose levels.”

Firstly, your body likes to maintain a blood glucose level of 70-100mg/dL

Blood Glucose

But let’s say you just spent 2 hours at a buffet gorging on everything that entices you. But now your glucose levels have risen to 140mg/dL – this means too much sugar is swimming around in your blood. If your blood sugar levels get to high for too long it can damage blood vessels.

Blood Glucose Increase

Blood glucose over 180mg/dL is called HYPERglycemia and too low of a level is called HYPOglycemia

Typically, rising blood sugar levels causes a series of events that trim this levels back down. Specifically they trigger special beta cells in the pancreas to start secreting more insulin.

Screenshot 2015-10-10 12.44.20

Insulin’s job in this instance is to move the glucose from all those donuts you ate out of the blood and into storage, and to do that it triggers a shift from catabolic reactions to anabolic ones.

Catabolic v Anabolic

It puts a stop to glycogenolysis and instead increases the process of glycogenesis

Glycogenolysis

Additionally it activates lipogenesis:

Lipogenesis

Now while lipogensis occurs from the glycogen you consume from those carbohydrates and sugars it also occurs to the extra fatty acids that you got from those bacon and eggs that aren’t immediately needed for energy.

Lipogenesis from Fats

Some of this may seem confusing. All it’s demonstrating is how consuming excess glycogen (carbs) and lipids (fats) can cause high blood sugar levels – therefore increased insulin secretion – therefore additional fat storage.

Your neurons are on an exclusive glucose meal plan so they feel like they need sugar at the ready (FYI it is possible for them to function on lipids) and if your body senses an imbalance in blood sugar levels it sounds the alarm. A decrease in glucose stimulates alpha cells in the pancreas to release glucagon.

Low Glucose Levels Glucagon

Glucagon starts raising blood sugar levels by triggering the liver and adipose tissues to metabolise their fat and glycogen thereby releasing fatty acids, glycerol and glucose back into the blood.

Low Glucose Levels Glucagon (2)

But if you’ve been fasting for extended period of time or been through long bouts of high intensity physical activity than you will eventually exhaust your blood glucose and your glycogen stores. So you don’t have any sugars left to feed your brain; in that cause your body will launch into gluconeogensis and convert fats and amino acids into glucose so ATP synthesis can continue in your brain cells.

Glucongenesis

I believe this is one of the processes that occurs during a ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting protocols where the body is made to rely on fats for energy whether in an attempt to improve brain function or lower body fat percentage.

Understanding The Pancreas & Diabetes

The Pancreas is part of the endocrine system that produces  important enzymes and hormones that assist in breaking down food. Included is insulin, which regulates the bodies glucose or sugar level.

The pancreas regulates your blood sugar by realsing two different hormones, insulin and glucagon. Once you eat a high GI food such as a starchy carbohydrate (potato for example) your beta cells in your pancreas release insulin which helps lower your blood sugar by increasing the rate at which your cells store the sugar either as glycogen or as fat.

Now let’s say the opposite happens and you haven’t eaten anything for an extended period of time, if your blood sugar drops too low than alpha cells of the pancreas will instead send out glucagon which helps raise your blood sugar levels in part by decreasing  the storage of sugar in your cells and triggering the release of glucose back into the blood.

Screenshot 2015-07-03 16.45.13

Diabetes

When a person has Type 1 Diabetes the pancreas is being attacked by the bodies own cells and can no longer produce insulin to remove sugar from the blood stream.

Screenshot 2015-06-24 18.13.52

Type 2 Diabetes due to the volume and frequency of insulin being released alpha and beta cells become less sensitive to the insulin. This creates an insulin resistance resulting in less sugar being removed from the blood.

Screenshot 2015-06-24 18.17.25

360 million people worldwide find themselves in this situation.

It is the 8th leading cause of death worldwide.

Screenshot 2015-06-24 18.21.04

Diabetes cases in children has nearly tripped in less than 10 years.

1/3 children have a weight issue, they’re either overweight or obese.Screenshot 2015-06-24 18.22.12

The CDC (Center for Disease Control) said of the children born in the year 2000, 1/3 Caucasians and 1/2 African-Americans/Hispanics are going to get diabetes in their lifetime. Furthermore, they go on to say this is the first generation that will be the first in US history to die at a younger age than their parents. – Ann Cooper (The Chef Ann Foundation)

According to the CDC by the year 2050 1/3 Americans will be diabetic and nearly 1/2 Americans will be obese.

Screenshot 2015-06-24 18.30.29

If you think you need to look like anywhere near the far right individual to have diabetes your gravely mistaken. Many top athletes, specifically a high percentage of marathon runners have been reported with diabetes after a decade of a high carbohydrate lifestyle.

Showing that you can be metabolically sick without the outward characteristics of illness, and many of us are. 


Insulin Resistance Correlation To Fat Accumulation

Insulin, among its other roles in the body, tells a cell to take up glucose, a fact that makes it a natural suspect for a connection to the Warburg effect. When insulin resistance develops, cells are no longer as responsive to insulin, and the pancreas responds by producing more and more, at least until it wears out and diabetes begins to develop.

“What is insulin sensitivity? Insulin sensitivity is simply how the body reacts to the physiological effects of insulin produced after a meal. Basically to be insulin sensitive means one requires smaller amounts of insulin to lower blood glucose levels than someone who has low sensitivity. One important thing to know is that all foods will stimulate insulin, but not equally. Fats have very little impact on insulin, while proteins only have a moderate one, although some proteins like whey are more insulinogenic than white sugar, but those are more the exception than the rule. The foods that trigger the most insulin release are those that contain.”

It used to be taught that insulin resistance (IR) does not exist or its uncommon. They attributed insulin resistance as an uncommon role in body.

But the science of modern nutrition has proved this wrong.

“Insulin resistance is the single most important medical condition in global medicine. Yet we don’t teach it in our schools.”

The problem is when you take in glucose you secrete insulin, thus insulin becomes the catalyst for obesity because insulin causes fat accumulation. When your inuslin is elevated you can’t access your fat stores – insulin is indiscriminately anabolic.

Obesity is a disease of the brain, not the body. Please understand obesity is purely a marker of a high carb diet of someone whose insulin resistant. So whenever you see obesity you should think, high carbohydrate diet and insulin resistant = cause of the problem.

The simplicity of how insulin secretion causes weight gain.

“It will become apparent that insulin secretion is associated with energy abundance. That is, where there is great abundance of energy giving foods in the diet, especially excess amounts of carbohydrates, insulin is secreted in great quantities. In turn, the insulin plays an important role in storing the excess energy. In the case of carbohydrates, it causes them to be stored as glycogen mainly in the liver and the muscles. Also all the excess carbohydrates that cannot be stored as glycogen are converted under the stimulus of insulin into fats and stored in the adipose tissue.” – Arthur C Guyton & John E Hall (Textbook of Medical Physiology 11th Ed 2006 pp 961-962)

If you want to regulate your weight you need to understand how many grams of carbohydrates you consume each day.

How much weight you gain due to carbohydrate consumption is largely determined by how on your levels of Insulin Resistance. 

We often see people consume large amounts of poor quality foods, such as high sugar/carb fast food and other carb rich foods and we are baffled why they don’t gain much weight and appear outwardly normal and thin. This can be explained by being only mildly insulin resistanc. Thus if you are only mildly IR consuming large quantities of carbohydrates will have negligible effects on your weight. Therefore because people don’t see any immediate outwards signs that would tell them to change what they’re doing, they continue without the knowledge of the effects consuming this type of food has on your brain. There are a plethora of positive effects consuming low carbs has on you outside of your physical weight.

I will eventually add them all here and the science behind it but for now if you want to understand read or listen to Grain Brain by the world class neurologist David Parlmutter. 

Furthermore, for woman:

“High levels of insulin are found in women who are overweight, less physically activate, and diabetic.” (Source)

Their seem’s to be a high correlation that people with high levels of insulin have lower levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) – which is a glycoprotein that binds to the two sex hormones: androgen and estrogen. So high levels of insulin can prevent estrogen in woman from being active, Ruth Patterson, Ph.D sais. I assume the same can be said of male sex hormones to.

Improving Insulin Sensitivity

Science has identified one very simple and underestimated food to both reduce your insulin response to high carb meals and lose body fat: acetic acid, otherwise known as plain old vinegar.  Although studies on rats (1) have recently made interesting headway into explaining the mechanism of action, human trials have proven that vinegar consumption is not just useful in the animal models.

The very first study on the metabolic impact of vinegar dates as far back as 1988 (2) and since then, many studies have followed that concentrated on blood sugar levels, insulin levels, energy expenditure, satiety and body fat. All have demonstrated a positive effect from consuming acetic acid in one form or another. A 2009 Japanese study (3) even showed that there are benefits on body fat, BMI and waist circumference from just 15 ml of vinegar a day on obese subjects. The same team of researchers demonstrated in a 2010 sequel study (4) that consumption of vinegar increased energy expenditure. And that from just a tablespoon, so about the quantity you need to make a good salad dressing. The same year, another study found that post-meal glycemia was reduced when type 2 diabetic subjects consumed vinegar with the meal, but other evidences abound proving that this effect extends to normal healthy subjects as well (5-9). There is even evidence that acetic acid improves satiety, making you eat less (6, 9-10).

What’s best, both the consumption of vinegar in the form of condiment such as salad dressing or the consumption of pickled foods can provide these benefits (11, 12).

Overall, the glycemia lowering effect of vinegar seems to be approximately around 20% (13), but there is a dose response associated with this effect (9).

All referenced studies showed benefits of lower blood glucose level, and thus insulin response, to be between 20-35%, which is quite consequential, as it compares advantageously to many drugs.  This is shown to be true both for obese, diabetics and normal healthy subjects.

5 things you can do to fight insulin resistance or make you less insulin resistant:

  1. Whenever you sit down to eat a meal, make sure you first eat the protein, vegetables, and fat before you so much as take the first nibble of carbohydrate.
  2. Use vinegar as your salad dressing to increase insulin sensitivity, or take two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before your biggest meal of the day.
  3. Take a couple of teaspoons of psyllium (most commonly available as Metamucil) every day.
  4. Take fish oil. To make it even more potent, combine it with exercise as the two have a synergistic effect in lowering blood sugar that’s greater than the effects of either one by itself.
  5. Take the nutrient cyanidin 3-glucoside, found in Indigo-3G®. It helps your body handle carbs.

[Source]

What If You Have Higher Insulin Resistance? If Your Overweight – 99% Chance You Do.

If you have higher insulin resistance your weight will be higher on nearly all levels of carbohydrate intake.

Observe the flexion point on the graph below of where individuals begin to loose weight.

Insulin Resistance

If your moderately IR and you cut your carbohydrate intake to 250 grams almost nothing will change, but if your get down to 25 grams (as seen above) then that is a pretty sure fire to quickly see dramatic results. Note however that Prof. Tim Noakes sais that they don’t have the scientific proof to prove this is exact number is true, but this is what has been observed so far. Noakes sais “all someone has to do to regress from this is to go back up to 100g of carbs and they will notice weight coming back again. If your morbidly obese you have to get down to 25g a day and you have to stay there for life, thats what Robert Atkins taught us in 1972.”

From everything I’ve seen I don’t think hitting 25g or regressing once you hit 100g is necessarily true for all of us. These are numbers to experiment with, if you are overweight or obese your numbers may be a goal of 50g of carbs per day and you may regress back to weight gain on 120g. Experiment, measure the results and change accordingly. These are simply a guideline.


When you walk into a doctors office and you get results for any of the following diseases below, then unfortunately the majority of doctors treat the surface problems with without looking below at underlying causes. That is the problem.

Treating Surface Area

If your carbohydrate tolerant your probably an athlete and most likely be normal body weight your entire life. BUT, don’t take this as a cue to be complacent. I am an athlete and believe I have pretty low insulin resistance but I never want to get close to the diseases and disorders that could happen with a high carbohydrate lifestyle.

It is believed insulin resistance is a genetic predispositon that progressively worsens with age as a result of a high carbohyrate/sucrose/fructose lifestyle.

The key abnormality within insulin resistance  is a liver that overproduces glucose.

SO. The initial treatment for a carbohydrate/lipoprotein/inflammatory blood profile should be a high fat diet – not the use of statins which are so dangerous within themselves, only 1/140 treated “healthy” subjects are reported from their use. (Abrahamson et al. BMJ 2013; 347: f6123). 

So we are taught to fear fat, they say it causes atherogenic dyslipidemia (form of metabolic syndrome), increased LDL cholesterol, increased triglycerides, reduced HDL cholesterol which equals arterial clogging. They tell us all these diseases are separate issues but Noakes sais himself that it’s wrong. All these are a result of a high carb diet.

 This is the much more likely cause, high carbs = increased, glucose, insulin, triglycerides, HDL-C, CRP fatty liver consequently having a low Omega 3 diet which then results in the arterial inflammation, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, hypertension etc. Notice it’s one cause and one treatment.

Note: “Elevated triglycerides in the blood have been positively linked to proneness to heart disease, but these triglycerides do not come directly from dietary fats; they are made in the liver from any excess sugars that have not been used for energy. The source of these excess sugars is any food containing carbohydrates, particularly refined sugar and white flour.” [Source]

I have previously assumed and understood that triglycerides came from dietary fats, hearing the other side that they are derived from sugars does make sense in theory. But it is the first time I have heard this. Will need to find more info.

Best Blood Marker to Determine If You Deserve Your Carbs is a HbA1c test

HbA1c test counts the number of red blood cells that are glycosylated (attached to sugar) and reports it as a percentage – for example, if 7 out of every 100 red blood cells are attached to sugar, the HbA1c result will be 7%.

Marker: You want to have your HbA1c bellow 4.8

Source: (Charles Poliquin)


How do you treat it? Cut the carbs. Yes I know, you get it.

Gerald Reaven MD discovered this in his studies in 1960 when no one knew that insulin resistance was. 50 years later he is the father of insulin resistance and here’s the model he describes 50 years later. The model is taken directly from his publication. (Added in the ‘high carbohydrate diet’ to explain the cause of of hyper-insulinemia)

vlcsnap-5740-06-30-09h00m23s169

In short, the theory  is you consume fat, get clogged arteries, have a heart attack and you drop dead. “Not one of these components has been proven” sais Noakes.

“There is no significant evidence concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart diesese or cardiovascular disease” (Dr. Krauss said that and he was one of the first to confirm Reaven’s publication) If you wan’t a modern take on this read The Big Fat Suprise by Nina Teicholz she details the errors meticulously going through dozens of studies to which she comes to this conclusion, “the advice that comes out of this book is that a higher fat diet is almost assuredly healthier than one low in fat and high in carbohydrate. The most rigorous science now supports this statement”

“In the end what we believe to be true – our conventional wisdom – is really nothing more than 60 years of misconceived nutritional research”

In 1840 Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis discovered that the reason birth death rates were so high was because Doctors were going straight from the autopsy room to assist in births without washing their hands. Granted, this was before anyone knew about bacteria. He concluded that 82% of all deaths from childbed fever would have been prevented if obstetricians had adopted Semmelweis findings and simply washed their hands. People did not listen because they could not conceive the idea that doctors were killing so many of their patients. The same applies to our current nutritional guidelines.


Glucose Dependent to Fat Adapted

“It takes a while to go from glucose dependent to fat adapted. When your glucose dependent and you run out of glycogen you start breaking down muscle tissue via a process called gluconeogenesis in the liver.” Tim Ferriss [Source: Tim Ferriss Podcast] [16:51]


 The Fallacy Of Cholesterol

Cholesterol IS IMPORTANT. Without it, you would die.

That’s because cholesterol is the raw material your body uses for a whole host of functions. For example, did you know that the membrane of all your cells consists of a good amount of cholesterol? Without it, we’d be gelatinous blobs because our cells wouldn’t have any structure to them.

Your body produces about 80% of the cholesterol it needs during the day; the other 20% comes from food.

It serves as a precursor for the optimal functioning of many vital hormones such as:

Cholesterol

In addition:

The bile salts are made from cholesterol. Bile is vital for digestion and assimilation of fats in the diet.

Recent research shows that cholesterol acts as an antioxidant.47 This is the likely explanation for the fact that cholesterol levels go up with age. As an antioxidant, cholesterol protects us against free radical damage that leads to heart disease and cancer.

Cholesterol is needed for proper function of serotonin receptors in the brain.48 Serotonin is the body’s natural “feel-good” chemical. Low cholesterol levels have been linked to aggressive and violent behavior, depression and suicidal tendencies.

Mother’s milk is especially rich in cholesterol and contains a special enzyme that helps the baby utilize this nutrient. Babies and children need cholesterol-rich foods throughout their growing years to ensure proper development of the brain and nervous system.

Dietary cholesterol plays an important role in maintaining the health of the intestinal wall.49 This is why low-cholesterol vegetarian diets can lead to leaky gut syndrome and other intestinal disorders.

Poor thyroid function (hypothyroidism) will often result in high cholesterol levels. When thyroid function is poor, usually due to a diet high in sugar and low in usable iodine, fat-soluble vitamins and other nutrients, the body floods the blood with cholesterol as an adaptive and protective mechanism, providing a superabundance of materials needed to heal tissues and produce protective steroids. Hypothyroid individuals are particularly susceptible to infections, heart disease and cancer.51

Cholesterol is not the cause of heart disease but rather a potent antioxidant weapon against free radicals in the blood, and a repair substance that helps heal arterial damage (although the arterial plaques themselves contain very little cholesterol.) However, like fats, cholesterol may be damaged by exposure to heat and oxygen. This damaged or oxidized cholesterol seems to promote both injury to the arterial cells as well as a pathological buildup of plaque in the arteries.50 Damaged cholesterol is found in powdered eggs, in powdered milk (added to reduced-fat milks to give them body) and in meats and fats that have been heated to high temperatures in frying and other high-temperature processes.”

Cholesterol is not the enemy marketers will have you believe.

But instead a friend to the brain and body. The body makes 1200-1400mg on it’s own per day, it’s an extremely important molecule in our body to maintain homeostasis.

Think of cholesterol as a scab inside your body, when your body becomes damaged your body releases cholesterol to patch it up. The cause of cholestrols release is inflammation which is caused in large part by consuming sugary starchy products.

When the arterial lining or endothelial becomes damaged by becoming oxidized cholesterol appears on the scene to put the fire out. This is what carbs do, they damage the body and brain thus combining high carbs with low fat means less cholesterol to put out these internal fires.

Cholesterol & Testosterone 

Because cholesterol is a precursor to testosterone, a common side effect found among men taking statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs) is a drop in libido as well as an increase in erectile dysfunction. Several studies have confirmed the connection between lowered cholesterol levels and lowered testosterone levels.

HDL & LDL Cholesterol

HDL LDL

HDL then deliveries the cholesterol back the liver or to places like the ovaries, testes and adrenal glands which use it to make steroid hormones.

HDL Deliveries

HDL Cholesterol

The reason doctors call HDL “good cholesterol” is because HDL removes the so-called bad LDL cholesterol from the body. HDL does this by transporting cholesterol away from the body’s tissues and back to the liver where it’s turned into bile and excreted out of your body. HDL is what gets rid of excess cholesterol in your body and prevents build-up in your arteries.

Because HDL is your body’s cholesterol garbage truck, the more you have, the better. Recent research suggests that your HDL should be more than 60 mg/dL.

Overall “Low HDL cholesterol is a stronger predictor of heart disease risk overall than high LDL cholesterol” (Dr. Ronald Krauss)

While HDL as a broad category is good for you, recent research has shown that not all HDL is the same.

There are two subtypes; one is good for you, the other not so much. HDL-2 particles are large, buoyant, and provide the most protection from the build-up of LDL cholesterol. These particles are also anti-inflammatory. HDL-3, on the other hand, is small, dense, and possibly inflammatory. So while you want a high overall HDL number, you’ll want to have more HDL-2 than HDL-3 in your system. Newer tests can suss out the difference between the two, and researchers are developing therapies to target lowering just HDL-3. However, for most folks, you don’t need to worry too much about the two sub-types. Just knowing your overall HDL will do.

To increase your HDL levels, get plenty of exercise, don’t smoke, and increase your consumption of healthy monosaturated fats that you’ll find in foods like olive oil, avocados, fish, and nuts.

LDL Cholesterol

LDL is considered “bad” cholesterol because it can build up in the arteries, blocking blood flow. Unlike HDL that transports cholesterol away from body tissue and to the liver, LDL delivers cholesterol to the body after the liver produces it.

While our body needs the cholesterol that LDL delivers, too much of it could create health problems by building up in the arteries. Consequently, researchers and doctors recommend that folks shoot for an LDL that’s lower than 100 mg/dL.

Just as with HDL, not all LDL is the same. There are two types of LDL particles. One is terrible for you and the other only causes problems when it’s oxidized. LDL-A is a big, fluffy molecule that won’t cause any harm to your system so long as it’s not damaged by oxidation, which occurs when free radicals attach to the LDL. When this happens, the cholesterol converts to plaque. Researchers believe LDL-A levels play little or no role in heart disease or other circulatory problems.

LDL-B, on the other hand, is the bad kind. It’s a small, hard, and dense molecule that causes your arteries to harden. While you should focus on lowering your overall LDL levels, you’re better off having more LDL-A and less LDL-B. Blood tests can measure both of these.

To lower your LDL levels, get rid of excess body fat and increase your HDL levels with the lifestyle suggestions above. Research has shown that increased consumption of saturated fat can help decrease the amount of LDL-B particles in your system.

Lipoprotein A & B

While HDL and LDL levels get the lion’s share of attention, there’s a third type of lipoprotein that likely has more of an influence on your risk for heart disease than both HDL and LDL levels.

Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), is a very small, yet highly inflammatory particle that promotes the blood clotting that can lead to coronary heart disease and stroke. Lp(a) is so patently bad for you, cholesterol expert Dr. Stephen Sinatra calls it the “alpha wolf cholesterol particle.”

Lp(a) isn’t a problem in low amounts. In fact, it serves a useful purpose in that it helps repair and restore damaged blood vessels. The problems start whenever your body has to use Lp(a) frequently to perform this function, as often happens when folks have chronic inflammation.

Most cholesterol blood tests don’t measure Lp(a) levels so if you want to know yours, you’ll have to ask for a test that specifically measures it. Ideally Lp(a) levels should stay below 30 mg/dL. Lp(a) levels are primarily determined by genetics, so if you have a family history of early arterial diseases, you should get your Lp(a) levels checked.

The current recommended treatment for high levels of Lp(a) is 1-3 grams daily of niacin, also known as Vitamin B3. When you take niacin at such high levels, you’ll experience what’s called a “niacin flush,” a harmless yet uncomfortable reddening and warming of your skin. To manage the flush, start off your niacin supplementation at 100 mg and very slowly increase the dosage.

A Note To The Minority

While 95% of us can consume large amounts of cholesterol without harmful side effects a very small percentage of the population has genes that cause their cholesterol levels to rise significantly when they eat diets high in it. These people will need to watch their cholesterol intake. To find out if you’re what scientists call “hyper-responsive” to cholesterol, you’ll need to take a test with your doctor.


Why Fat Is Our Friend

Even though there seems to be some type of marketing war going on against dietary fats we most definitely need them.

The fats in your adipose tissue obviously store energy, but they also store fat soluble vitamins crucial to our bodies optimal functioning.

“Fats from animal and vegetable sources provide a concentrated source of energy in the diet; they also provide the building blocks for cell membranes and a variety of hormones and hormonelike substances. Fats as part of a meal slow down absorption so that we can go longer without feeling hungry. In addition, they act as carriers for important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Dietary fats are needed for the conversion of carotene to vitamin A, for mineral absorption and for a host of other processes.” (Source: WestonPrice)

Adipose Tissue

Lipids (fats) also form the myelin that insulates the neurons in your brain and throughout your body as well as the oil in your skin.

They also provide the vital calorie content found in breast milk.

Adipose Tissue v Myelin

As discussed earlier there are other important lipids like cholesterol  which are the precursor to things like testosterone and estrogen.

And testosterone is needed to make estrogen. So if your a women with libido issues who happens to avoid cholesterol and fats than your testosterone, estrogen, proestrogen levels most likely would be lower than optimal ranges.

Cholesterol Precesor

And of course phospholipids which form the cell membrane in every single one of your 3 dozen or so trillion cells.

Phospholipids

The Process Of Lipid Breakdown

When you consume lipids your body breaks down triglycerides into glycerol and fatty acids

Glycerol & Fatty Acid

Those molecules can than be processed and used in the making of ATP or they might be converted into other kinds of fatty acids which your cells can then reassemble into your very own triglycerides or phospholipids. Your liver is great at converting one fatty acid into another but there are some it just can’t synthesis. These are:

Omega 6 & 3 Fatty Acids

Omega 6 & 3

They can be turned into all kinds of useful molecules like the ones used for synapse formation in the brain and for signalling inflammation during the healing process.

Too Much Omega-6

Problems associated with an excess of polyunsaturates are exacerbated by the fact that most polyunsaturates in commercial vegetable oils are in the form of double unsaturated omega-6 linoleic acid, with very little of vital triple unsaturated omega-3 linolenic acid. Recent research has revealed that too much omega-6 in the diet creates an imbalance that can interfere with production of important prostaglandins.34 This disruption can result in increased tendency to form blood clots, inflammation, high blood pressure, irritation of the digestive tract, depressed immune function, sterility, cell proliferation, cancer and weight gain.35

Too Little Omega-3

A number of researchers have argued that along with a excess of omega-6 fatty acids the American diet is deficient in the more unsaturated omega-3 linolenic acid. This fatty acid is necessary for cell oxidation, for metabolizing important sulphur-containing amino acids and for maintaining proper balance in prostaglandin production. Deficiencies have been associated with asthma, heart disease and learning deficiencies.36 Most commercial vegetable oils contain very little omega-3 linolenic acid and large amounts of the omega-6 linoleic acid. In addition, modern agricultural and industrial practices have reduced the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in commercially available vegetables, eggs, fish and meat.

For example, organic eggs from hens allowed to feed on insects and green plants can contain omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in the beneficial ratio of approximately 1:1; but commercial supermarket eggs can contain as much as 19 times more omega-6 than omega-3!37


The Basics To Fat

“To give you the basics, there are 3 types of fats you should include in your diet; saturated, mono-unsaturated, and poly-unsaturated. Under all circumstances, avoid trans-fats!

The ratios have been long debated as to how much of each you should consume, and there is probably not one absolute answer so here’s my take. If you are on a carb restricted diet make sure you include a decent amount of saturated and mono-unsaturated as they are good for energy metabolism, and saturated fat and cholesterol help maintain rigidity with cell structure. Poly-unsaturated should be included at lower quantities as they are sensitive to oxidation, but these have specialized roles to help optimize cell function, cognitive behavior, and inflammatory modulation. Avoid toxic omega 6 oils from commercial use and NEVER cook with poly-unsaturated fats.

Fats are the best source of energy for human metabolism, help provide the raw materials for all sex hormones, and don’t influence blood sugar.

It’s important to note that eating high carb and high fat at the same meal is not a good idea as insulin promotes fat storage in the wrong environment.”

The Benefits of Saturated Fats

The much-maligned saturated fats—which Americans are trying to avoid—are not the cause of our modern diseases. In fact, they play many important roles in the body chemistry:

  • Saturated fatty acids constitute at least 50% of the cell membranes. They are what gives our cells necessary stiffness and integrity.
  • They play a vital role in the health of our bones. For calcium to be effectively incorporated into the skeletal structure, at least 50% of the dietary fats should be saturated.38
  • They lower Lp(a), a substance in the blood that indicates proneness to heart disease.39 They protect the liver from alcohol and other toxins, such as Tylenol.40
  • They enhance the immune system.41
  • They are needed for the proper utilization of essential fatty acids.
    Elongated omega-3 fatty acids are better retained in the tissues when the diet is rich in saturated fats. 42
  • Saturated 18-carbon stearic acid and 16-carbon palmitic acid are the preferred foods for the heart, which is why the fat around the heart muscle is highly saturated.43 The heart draws on this reserve of fat in times of stress.
  • Short- and medium-chain saturated fatty acids have important antimicrobial properties. They protect us against harmful microorganisms in the digestive tract.

The scientific evidence, honestly evaluated, does not support the assertion that “artery-clogging” saturated fats cause heart disease.44 Actually, evaluation of the fat in artery clogs reveals that only about 26% is saturated. The rest is unsaturated, of which more than half is polyunsaturated.45

The Dangers of Polyunsaturates

“The public has been fed a great deal of misinformation about the relative virtues of saturated fats versus polyunsaturated oils. Politically correct dietary gurus tell us that the polyunsaturated oils are good for us and that the saturated fats cause cancer and heart disease. The result is that fundamental changes have occurred in the Western diet. At the turn of the century, most of the fatty acids in the diet were either saturated or monounsaturated, primarily from butter, lard, tallows, coconut oil and small amounts of olive oil. Today most of the fats in the diet are polyunsaturated from vegetable oils derived mostly from soy, as well as from corn, safflower and canola.

Modern diets can contain as much as 30% of calories as polyunsaturated oils, but scientific research indicates that this amount is far too high. The best evidence indicates that our intake of polyunsaturates should not be much greater than 4% of the caloric total, in approximate proportions of 1 1/2 % omega-3 linolenic acid and 2 1/2 % omega-6 linoleic acid.30 EFA consumption in this range is found in native populations in temperate and tropical regions whose intake of polyunsaturated oils comes from the small amounts found in legumes, grains, nuts, green vegetables, fish, olive oil and animal fats but not from commercial vegetable oils.

Excess consumption of polyunsaturated oils has been shown to contribute to a large number of disease conditions including increased cancer and heart disease; immune system dysfunction; damage to the liver, reproductive organs and lungs; digestive disorders; depressed learning ability; impaired growth; and weight gain.31

One reason the polyunsaturates cause so many health problems is that they tend to become oxidized or rancid when subjected to heat, oxygen and moisture as in cooking and processing. Rancid oils are characterized by free radicals—that is, single atoms or clusters with an unpaired electron in an outer orbit. These compounds are extremely reactive chemically. They have been characterized as “marauders” in the body for they attack cell membranes and red blood cells and cause damage in DNA/RNA strands, thus triggering mutations in tissue, blood vessels and skin. Free radical damage to the skin causes wrinkles and premature aging; free radical damage to the tissues and organs sets the stage for tumors; free radical damage in the blood vessels initiates the buildup of plaque. Is it any wonder that tests and studies have repeatedly shown a high correlation between cancer and heart disease with the consumption of polyunsaturates?32 New evidence links exposure to free radicals with premature aging, with autoimmune diseases such as arthritis and with Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, Alzheimer’s and cataracts.”33

An excerpt taken from a post by Charles Poliquin on fats:

“Fat has very low insulin response, the hormone of aging, as compared to the way sugar does. One of the low fat craze greatest side effect besides tripling children’s obesity in just one decade in the US, is its impact on mental decline. Here is a good layman’s article on the topic: Cognitive Decline Tied to Brain’s Insulin Resistance

 Fat is essential to the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E & K), which are omnipotent in the building of health.

German nutrition expert Konrad Biesalski, from Hohenheim University in Stuttgart, points out to the counter intuitive reality that many of the nutrients implicated in protecting against cancer (vitamin A, folic acid, selenium, and zinc) for which the scientific community has been brainwashing us to eat more fruits and vegetables, are not only more abundant in meat but are also more “bioavailable,” meaning that they are more easily absorbed when consumed in meat rather than in vegetables and fruits .

So relax, when fat comes the right sources like properly raised meat, wild meat, wild caught fish, avocados, butter, olive oil etc it has a host of benefits to the human body.”

 Saturated vs Trans Fats

A high fat diet will produce the best results, focus on naturally occurring saturated fats, not trans fats.

Sat Fats

Trans fats found in margarine, frozen dinners etc have been proven to be highly toxic to our brain and body.

Trans Fats


Correlation Of Leptin, Insulin & Fat

Insulin has a blocking effect on our appestat. Therefore when letpin isn’t being blocked by insulin it can signal our bodies to tell us we’re full and fat rich foods tend to trigger leptin much more readily thereby having a self managing effect. 

Gary Taubes in his book ‘Why We Get Fat’ exemplifies the point of literally why we get fat NOT being as simple as energy in/out imbalance. In short, the principle is not that simple, Gary does a great job illustrating this point and if you want a professional to take you step by step through the research read his book. He points out that the key defect is in the brain, in the appestat (the area in the brain that regulates appetite and food intake). This is obviously where the type of foods we consume come into play, and as I’ve been demonstrating having a low carb high fat diet can be of great benefit for weight gain. 

When looking at a very low-carb (ketogenic) diet’s superior impact on the biomarkers for disease:

Reduces beta-amyloid

Increases antioxidants (glutathione)

Stimulates mitochondrial growth

Improves glucose tolerance and cholesterol profile

Prevents free-radical damage

Reduces inflammation

Lowers triglycerides and fasting insulin

Provides alternative brain fuel (in Alzheimer’s patients) –

Improves motor performance (in ALS sufferers) –

Lowers HbA1c (in type 2 diabetics)

In my experience, the majority of the population can benefit from a 3-4 week ketogenic (or very low-carb) diet, as most are carrying excess fat, and dealing with varying degrees of insulin resistance. [Source]


Gluten

The gliadin proteins in wheat can be damaging to many people because of those proteins’ ability to induce inflammation and increase intestinal permeability. Wheat itself may also cause cravings and interfere with your appetite-regulating mechanisms.

 

 


Evidence SUPPORTING The Lipid Hypothesis That Fat Is Bad For You

“Experts” assure us that the lipid hypothesis is backed by incontrovertible scientific proof. Most people would be surprised to learn that there is, in fact, very little evidence to support the contention that a diet low in cholesterol and saturated fat actually reduces death from heart disease or in any way increases one’s life span. Consider the following:

Before 1920 coronary heart disease was rare in America; so rare that when a young internist named Paul Dudley White introduced the German electrocardiograph to his colleagues at Harvard University, they advised him to concentrate on a more profitable branch of medicine. The new machine revealed the presence of arterial blockages, thus permitting early diagnosis of coronary heart disease. But in those days clogged arteries were a medical rarity, and White had to search for patients who could benefit from his new technology. During the next forty years, however, the incidence of coronary heart disease rose dramatically, so much so that by the mid fifties heart disease was the leading cause of death among Americans. Today heart disease causes at least 40% of all US deaths.

If, as we have been told, heart disease results from the consumption of saturated fats, one would expect to find a corresponding increase in animal fat in the American diet. Actually, the reverse is true. During the sixty-year period from 1910 to 1970, the proportion of traditional animal fat in the American diet declined from 83% to 62%, and butter consumption plummeted from eighteen pounds per person per year to four. During the past eighty years, dietary cholesterol intake has increased only 1%. During the same period the percentage of dietary vegetable oils in the form of margarine, shortening and refined oils increased about 400% while the consumption of sugar and processed foods increased about 60%. (Enig, Mary G, PhD, Trans Fatty Acids in the Food Supply: A Comprehensive Report Covering 60 Years of Research, 2nd Edition, Enig Associates, Inc, Silver Spring, MD, 1995, 4-8)

The U.S. Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial, (MRFIT) sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, compared mortality rates and eating habits of over 12,000 men. Those with “good” dietary habits (reduced saturated fat and cholesterol, reduced smoking, etc.) showed a marginal reduction in total coronary heart disease, but their overall mortality from all causes was higher. Similar results have been obtained in several other studies. The few studies that indicate a correlation between fat reduction and a decrease in coronary heart disease mortality also document a concurrent increase in deaths from cancer, brain hemorrhage, suicide and violent death. (“Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial; Risk Factor Changes and Mortality Results,” JAMA, September 24, 1982, 248:12:1465)

Evidence AGAINST The Lipid Hypothesis That Fat Is Bad For You

A survey of South Carolina adults found no correlation of blood cholesterol levels with “bad” dietary habits, such as use of red meat, animal fats, fried foods, butter, eggs, whole milk, bacon, sausage and cheese. (Lackland, D T, et al, J Nutr, Nov 1990, 120:11S:1433-1436)

A Medical Research Council survey showed that men eating butter ran half the risk of developing heart disease as those using margarine. (Nutr Week, Mar 22, 1991, 21:12:2-3)

Mother’s milk provides a higher proportion of cholesterol than almost any other food. It also contains over 50% of its calories as fat, much of it saturated fat. Both cholesterol and saturated fat are essential for growth in babies and children, especially the development of the brain. (Alfin-Slater, R B, and L Aftergood, “Lipids,” Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, 6th ed, R S Goodhartand M E Shils, eds, Lea and Febiger, Philadelphia, 1980, 131)

Yet, the American Heart Association is now recommending a low-cholesterol, lowfat diet for children! Commercial formulas are low in saturated fats and soy formulas are devoid of cholesterol. A recent study linked lowfat diets with failure to thrive in children. (Smith, M M, and F Lifshitz, Pediatrics, Mar 1994, 93:3:438-443)

Numerous surveys of traditional populations have yielded information that is an embarrassment to the Diet Dictocrats. For example, a study comparing Jews when they lived in Yemen, whose diets contained fats solely of animal origin, to Yemenite Jews living in Israel, whose diets contained margarine and vegetable oils, revealed little heart disease or diabetes in the former group but high levels of both diseases in the latter. The study also noted that the Yemenite Jews consumed no sugar but those in Israel consumed sugar in amounts equaling 25-30% of total carbohydrate intake. (Cohen, A, Am Heart J, 1963, 65:291)

A comparison of populations in northern and southern India revealed a similar pattern. People in northern India consume 17 times more animal fat but have an incidence of coronary heart disease seven times lower than people in southern India. (Malhotra, S, Indian Journal of Industrial Medicine, 1968, 14:219)

The Masai and kindred tribes of Africa subsist largely on milk, blood and beef. They are free from coronary heart disease and have excellent blood cholesterol levels. (Kang-Jey Ho, et al, Archeological Pathology, 1971, 91:387; Mann, G V, et al, Am J Epidemiol, 1972, 95:26-37)

Eskimos eat liberally of animal fats from fish and marine animals. On their native diet they are free of disease and exceptionally hardy. (Price, Weston, DDS, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, 1945, Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, San Diego, CA, 59-72)

Several Mediterranean societies have low rates of heart disease even though fat—including highly saturated fat from lamb, sausage and goat cheese—comprises up to 70% of their caloric intake. The inhabitants of Crete, for example, are remarkable for their good health and longevity.19

In Okinawa, where the average life span for women is 84 years—longer than in Japan—the inhabitants eat generous amounts of pork and seafood and do all their cooking in lard.22 None of these studies is mentioned by those urging restriction of saturated fats.

The relative good health of the Japanese, who have the longest life span of any nation in the world, is generally attributed to a lowfat diet. Although the Japanese eat few dairy fats, the notion that their diet is low in fat is a myth; rather, it contains moderate amounts of animal fats from eggs, pork, chicken, beef, seafood and organ meats. With their fondness for shellfish and fish broth, eaten on a daily basis, the Japanese probably consume more cholesterol than most Americans. What they do not consume is a lot of vegetable oil, white flour or processed food (although they do eat white rice.) The life span of the Japanese has increased since World War II with an increase in animal fat and protein in the diet. (Koga, Y et al, “Recent Trends in Cardiovascular Disease and Risk Factors in the Seven Countries Study: Japan,”Lessons for Science from the Seven Countries Study, H Toshima, et al, eds, Springer, New York, NY, 1994, 63-74)

Those who point to Japanese statistics to promote the lowfat diet fail to mention that the Swiss live almost as long on one of the fattiest diets in the world. Tied for third in the longevity stakes are Austria and Greece—both with high-fat diets. (Moore, Thomas J, Lifespan: What Really Affects Human Longevity, 1990, Simon and Schuster, New York, NY)

As a final example, let us consider the French. Anyone who has eaten his way across France has observed that the French diet is just loaded with saturated fats in the form of butter, eggs, cheese, cream, liver, meats and rich patés. Yet the French have a lower rate of coronary heart disease than many other western countries. In the United States, 315 of every 100,000 middle-aged men die of heart attacks each year; in France the rate is 145 per 100,000. In the Gascony region, where goose and duck liver form a staple of the diet, this rate is a remarkably low 80 per 100,000. (O’Neill, Molly, NY Times, Nov 17, 1991)

This phenomenon has recently gained international attention as the French Paradox. (The French do suffer from many degenerative diseases, however. They eat large amounts of sugar and white flour and in recent years have succumbed to the timesaving temptations of processed foods.)

A chorus of establishment voices, including the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute and the Senate Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs, claims that animal fat is linked not only with heart disease but also with cancers of various types. Yet when researchers from the University of Maryland analyzed the data they used to make such claims, they found that vegetable fat consumption was correlated with cancer and animal fat was not. (Enig, Mary G, Ph D, et al, Fed Proc, Jul 1978, 37:9:2215-2220)


Understanding Animal Protein

Nutrition pioneers, like Vance Thompson, Alfred Pennington, and Vilhjalmur Stefannson, were supplying undeniable proof in the early 1900’s that eating predominantly animal protein and limiting carbohydrates was the ultimate solution for a lean physique. As Pennington writes in 1950:

“Of the twenty men and women taking part in the test, all lost weight on a diet in which the total caloric intake was unrestricted. The basic diet totaled about 3,000 calories per day, with meat and fat in any desired amount.”

It gets better:

“The dieters reported that they felt well, enjoyed their meals and were never hungry between meals. Many said that they felt more energetic than usual, and none complained of fatigue. Those who had high blood pressure to begin with no longer did.”

I underlined the points I really want you to acknowledge, although I may as well have underlined the whole thing. No restriction on calories, yet never hungry and more energy…?

The individuals that followed Pennington’s plan were not hungry because they filled up on calorically dense animal protein. They lost fat because they avoided the foods that promote fat storage (high glycemic carbohydrates). And they reported more energy because they ditched the cheap instant fuel (sugar) and tapped into their bigger better tank (fat).

More importantly, they lowered their blood pressure and improved the other critical biomarkers for heart disease. Which is typical when you combine animal protein with a low-carbohydrate eating strategy. Generally, we see lower triglycerides, higher HDL (good) cholesterol, and the transition from small-dense LDL cholesterol particles to large-fluffy benign ones.

Although I wouldn’t suggest lowering your carbohydrate intake to the extreme of Vilhjalmur Stefansson’s All Meat Diet, it’s critical that you understand the importance of animal protein. Despite the unfair criticism suggesting that meat causes cancer and increases heart disease, Stefansson’s 11-year experience as an Eskimo helps to further resolve this misconception. In 1906 he went to the Arctic, carrying with him the nutritional habits of the typical North American. Once Stefannson arrived, he was forced to adapt to the Eskimo way of life, and consume mainly meat, fish and fat. As expected, Stefannson became extremely lean and fit and his energy was incredible. What he noticed, and later wrote about, was that the Eskimos had no heart problems, no cancer, and their overall health was far superior to anything he’d seen in North America. According to Stefannson, Eskimo’s are also not fat, as they are commonly depicted in movies and cartoons:

“Eskimos…are never corpulent…in their native garments they do give the impression of fat, round faces on fat, round bodies, but the roundness of face is a racial peculiarity and the rest of the effect is produced by loose and puffy garments. See them stripped, and one does not find the abdominal protuberances and folds which are so in evidence on Coney Island…”

Animal Protein Supplies Essentials

Protein is the building block for bone, muscle, skin, hair, arteries, and veins. Even our organs (heart, brain, kidneys, lungs, liver) are built with tissue made of protein. Aside from structure, protein is a carrier of oxygen, fat, and cholesterol to areas of our body that need it, and is a synthesizer of key enzymes from our food. Basically:

If you’re lacking in protein, you’re missing out on the essential macronutrient of life.

Prioritizing protein is critical to supporting the needs of the musculoskeletal system. Failure to consume enough animal protein leads to muscle loss, which lowers your resting metabolic rate and weakens your structural frame.

Most understand that calcium builds bone, but fail to recognize that extra dietary calcium does not add bone support if protein intake is too low.

Furthermore, calcium absorption is largely dependent on Vitamin D, which is found primarily in animal protein.

Older generations are not only at risk of falls and fractures due to an overall reduction in strength and muscle mass, but they generally fail to meet the animal protein requirement to maintain healthy bones.

Vitamin D, EFAs (essential fatty-acids), Iron, B12, and essential amino acids, are a few of the key nutrients that can only be obtained from animal source foods. Yes, these substances are available elsewhere, but they lack the quality and absorbability (bioavailability) found in meat and fish. Essential means ‘only obtainable from food,’ so if you’re not eating the foods they come in, you’re not getting them!

Vegetarians are a commonly deficient group. For instance, unless they’re eating fish they only obtain the plant source (ALA) of omega-3, which is difficult to absorb and convert to the usable and beneficial format (DHA). Iron deficiency is also very common as non-heme (or ferric) iron from vegetable sources is not easily absorbed, while heme (or ferrous) iron from animal sources is.

As Lorne Cordain and fellow researchers discuss in a paper from the year 2000 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a high-protein and low-carbohydrate diet is what the majority of us have evolved from:

“73% of the worldwide hunter-gatherer societies derived >50% (≥56–65% of energy) of their subsistence from animal foods, whereas only 14% of these societies derived >50% (≥56–65% of energy) of their subsistence from gathered plant foods”

For the record, the plant foods he’s referring to are the low-glycemic (low-sugar) variety, and the only high-carbohydrate foods consumed by these hunter-gatherer tribes were nutritionally dense squashes, and tubers (Not Grains!). Similarly, as anthropologist, Mark Cohen discusses in his book ‘Health and Rise of Civilization,’ the strongest and healthiest lived in parts of Africa where there was the most Big Game – as in ‘Big Large Animals to hunt.’

Protein and amino acids also play a considerable role in determining our daily energy and wakefulness by activating key neurotransmitters in the brain. A study from 2011 found that protein stimulated these neurotransmitters, while glucose blocked them, and the amino acids (found in protein) actually prevented glucose from blocking the energy network.

Animal Protein Burns Fat

The best part about focusing on animal protein intake (other than it’s deliciousness) is that you’ll not only build and support muscle, but you’ll burn lots of fat. Research has shown a direct correlation between the essential amino acids found in animal protein and one’s ability to burn fat.

A diet deficient in the amino acid Lysine has been tied to body fat accumulation and fat in the liver, while a diet high in the amino acid Leucine increases fat loss. Interestingly, both amino acids must be present in order to experience these favorable results in body composition.

Regardless of whether it’s the amino acids or something else driving the fat loss, there’s a considerable amount of scientific support suggesting that an increase in animal protein ‘alone’ assists in the fat burning process.

A study from the journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, gave one group of subjects 1.6g/kg bodyweight, and another 0.8g/kg, with an equal amount of daily calories. Although the weight loss was nearly equal, the high-protein group lost almost entirely fat!

When protein intake is adequate, fat loss is maximized without a reduction in muscle loss. More importantly, when daily protein consumption is above average, there’s the potential to gain muscle. This not only means a more attractive physique, but it translates to an increased metabolic rate, which results in extra daily fat burning.

When we ‘Make Animal Protein Mandatory,’ we not only burn fat at a faster rate, but we prevent the muscle loss and diminishing metabolic rate that’s normally associated with aging.

(Excerpted from Live It, NOT Diet! by Mike Sheridan)

Choosing The Right Meat – Quality Protein

People need to make informed choices regarding the type of meat and the size of their portions. Consuming beef that is pasture-fed and raised without genetically modified feeds, added hormones or antibiotics is of the utmost importance.

For the best red meat cuts, look for those with “loin” in the name. For example: sirloin tip steak and top sirloin. Also look for round steaks and roasts, such as eye round and bottom round, chuck shoulder steaks, filet mignon, flank steak, and arm roasts. Choose ground beef labeled at least 95% lean. Frozen burger patties may contain as much as 50% fat.

“Many foods from both animal and plant origin contain protein, but not all protein is created equally. Protein from high quality animal food contains a better amino acid profile for building muscle as well as influencing nitrogen retention (maintaining an anabolic state) on account of the higher biological value of the protein. This is an area where meat consumption is superior as most forms of vegetable proteins are either accompanied with large quantities of carbohydrate or come in powder form if you want them isolated from what is in the rest of the food. Getting quality protein at each meal is important to not only stay anabolic, but to supply your body the amino acids needed to make enzymes, hormones, and structural components.”


Composition of Different Fats

Duck and Goose Fat are semisolid at room temperature, containing about 35% saturated fat, 52% monounsaturated fat (including small amounts of antimicrobial palmitoleic acid) and about 13% polyunsaturated fat. The proportion of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids depends on what the birds have eaten. Duck and goose fat are quite stable and are highly prized in Europe for frying potatoes.

Chicken Fat is about 31% saturated, 49% monounsaturated (including moderate amounts of antimicrobial palmitoleic acid) and 20% polyunsaturated, most of which is omega-6 linoleic acid, although the amount of omega-3 can be raised by feeding chickens flax or fish meal, or allowing them to range free and eat insects. Although widely used for frying in kosher kitchens, it is inferior to duck and goose fat, which were traditionally preferred to chicken fat in Jewish cooking.

Lard or pork fat is about 40% saturated, 48% monounsaturated (including small amounts of antimicrobial palmitoleic acid) and 12% polyunsaturated. Like the fat of birds, the amount of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids will vary in lard according to what has been fed to the pigs. In the tropics, lard may also be a source of lauric acid if the pigs have eaten coconuts. Like duck and goose fat, lard is stable and a preferred fat for frying. It was widely used in America at the turn of the century. It is a good source of vitamin D, especially in third-world countries where other animal foods are likely to be expensive. Some researchers believe that pork products should be avoided because they may contribute to cancer. Others suggest that only pork meat presents a problem and that pig fat in the form of lard is safe and healthy.

Beef and Mutton Tallows are 50-55% saturated, about 40% monounsaturated and contain small amounts of the polyunsaturates, usually less than 3%. Suet, which is the fat from the cavity of the animal, is 70-80% saturated. Suet and tallow are very stable fats and can be used for frying. Traditional cultures valued these fats for their health benefits. They are a good source of antimicrobial palmitoleic acid.

Olive Oil contains 75% oleic acid, the stable monounsaturated fat, along with 13% saturated fat, 10% omega-6 linoleic acid and 2% omega-3 linolenic acid. The high percentage of oleic acid makes olive oil ideal for salads and for cooking at moderate temperatures. Extra virgin olive oil is also rich in antioxidants. It should be cloudy, indicating that it has not been filtered, and have a golden yellow color, indicating that it is made from fully ripened olives. Olive oil has withstood the test of time; it is the safest vegetable oil you can use, but don’t overdo. The longer chain fatty acids found in olive oil are more likely to contribute to the buildup of body fat than the short- and medium-chain fatty acids found in butter, coconut oil or palm kernel oil.

Peanut Oil contains 48% oleic acid, 18% saturated fat and 34% omega-6 linoleic acid. Like olive oil, peanut oil is relatively stable and, therefore, appropriate for stir-frys on occasion. But the high percentage of omega-6 presents a potential danger, so use of peanut oil should be strictly limited.

Sesame Oil contains 42% oleic acid, 15% saturated fat, and 43% omega-6 linoleic acid. Sesame oil is similar in composition to peanut oil. It can be used for frying because it contains unique antioxidants that are not destroyed by heat. However, the high percentage of omega-6 militates against exclusive use.

Safflower, Corn, Sunflower, Soybean and Cottonseed Oils all contain over 50% omega-6 and, except for soybean oil, only minimal amounts of omega-3. Safflower oil contains almost 80% omega-6. Researchers are just beginning to discover the dangers of excess omega-6 oils in the diet, whether rancid or not. Use of these oils should be strictly limited. They should never be consumed after they have been heated, as in cooking, frying or baking. High oleic safflower and sunflower oils, produced from hybrid plants, have a composition similar to olive oil, namely, high amounts of oleic acid and only small amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids and, thus, are more stable than traditional varieties. However, it is difficult to find truly cold-pressed versions of these oils.

Canola Oil contains 5% saturated fat, 57% oleic acid, 23% omega-6 and 10%-15% omega-3. The newest oil on the market, canola oil was developed from the rape seed, a member of the mustard family. Rape seed is unsuited to human consumption because it contains a very-long-chain fatty acid called erucic acid, which under some circumstances is associated with fibrotic heart lesions. Canola oil was bred to contain little if any erucic acid and has drawn the attention of nutritionists because of its high oleic acid content. But there are some indications that canola oil presents dangers of its own. It has a high sulphur content and goes rancid easily. Baked goods made with canola oil develop mold very quickly. During the deodorizing process, the omega-3 fatty acids of processed canola oil are transformed into trans fatty acids, similar to those in margarine and possibly more dangerous.69 A recent study indicates that “heart healthy” canola oil actually creates a deficiency of vitamin E, a vitamin required for a healthy cardiovascular system.70 Other studies indicate that even low-erucic-acid canola oil causes heart lesions, particularly when the diet is low in saturated fat.71

Flax Seed Oil contains 9% saturated fatty acids, 18% oleic acid, 16% omega-6 and 57% omega-3. With its extremely high omega-3 content, flax seed oil provides a remedy for the omega-6/omega-3 imbalance so prevalent in America today. Not surprisingly, Scandinavian folk lore values flax seed oil as a health food. New extraction and bottling methods have minimized rancidity problems. It should always be kept refrigerated, never heated, and consumed in smallamounts in salad dressings and spreads.

Tropical Oils are more saturated than other vegetable oils.

Palm oil is about 50% saturated, with 41% oleic acid and about 9% linoleic acid.

Coconut oil is 92% saturated with over two-thirds of the saturated fat in the form of medium-chain fatty acids (often called medium-chain triglycerides). Of particular interest is lauric acid, found in large quantities in both coconut oil and in mother’s milk. This fatty acid has strong antifungal and antimicrobial properties. Coconut oil protects tropical populations from bacteria and fungus so prevalent in their food supply; as third-world nations in tropical areas have switched to polyunsaturated vegetable oils, the incidence of intestinal disorders and immune deficiency diseases has increased dramatically. Because coconut oil contains lauric acid, it is often used in baby formulas.

Palm kernel oil, used primarily in candy coatings, also contains high levels of lauric acid. These oils are extremely stable and can be kept at room temperature for many months without becoming rancid. Highly saturated tropical oils do not contribute to heart disease but have nourished healthy populations for millennia.72It is a shame we do not use these oils for cooking and baking—the bad rap they have received is the result of intense lobbying by the domestic vegetable oil industry.73

Red palm oil has a strong taste that most will find disagreeable—although it is used extensively throughout Africa—but clarified palm oil, which is tasteless and white in color, was formerly used as shortening and in the production of commercial French fries, while coconut oil was used in cookies, crackers and pastries.

“In summary, our choice of fats and oils is one of extreme importance. Most people, especially infants and growing children, benefit from more fat in the diet rather than less. But the fats we eat must be chosen with care. Avoid all processed foods containing newfangled hydrogenated fats and polyunsaturated oils. Instead, use traditional vegetable oils like extra virgin olive oil and small amounts of unrefined flax seed oil. Acquaint yourself with the merits of coconut oil for baking and with animal fats for occasional frying. Eat egg yolks and other animal fats with the proteins to which they are attached. And, finally, use as much good quality butter as you like, with the happy assurance that it is a wholesome—indeed, an essential—food for you and your whole family.”


Miscellaneous Questions & Topics:


Can What A Women Eats While Pregnant Cause Her Children To Have An Attraction Towards The Food She Ate

I don’t have any direct studies to site at the moment just a quote from doctor from the documentary ‘Carb Loaded: A Culture Dying To Eat’ . “If your giving your child the memory of sugar their brains are going to send them in that direction compared to consuming vegetables and grass fed animal produce, which there is research that shows they’re going to be more inclined to eat those healthier foods.

Babies in the womb begin to swallow the amniotic fluid in the womb and begin to have taste preferences depending on what the mother eats, so with that knowledge it is greatly encouraged if you are pregnant now or are wanting to have children in the future to be very mindful of the foods your ingesting because they are in fact going to be influencing your child’s taste preferences. If you had a choice I don’t think you would choose to risk your child having taste preferences for high sugar foods.


The Cause and Treatment of Heart Disease

“The cause of heart disease is not animal fats and cholesterol but rather a number of factors inherent in modern diets, including excess consumption of vegetables oils and hydrogenated fats; excess consumption of refined carbohydrates in the form of sugar and white flour; mineral deficiencies, particularly low levels of protective magnesium and iodine; deficiencies of vitamins, particularly of vitamin C, needed for the integrity of the blood vessel walls, and of antioxidants like selenium and vitamin E, which protect us from free radicals; and, finally, the disappearance of antimicrobial fats from the food supply, namely, animal fats and tropical oils.52 These once protected us against the kinds of viruses and bacteria that have been associated with the onset of pathogenic plaque leading to heart disease.

While serum cholesterol levels provide an inaccurate indication of future heart disease, a high level of a substance called homocysteine in the blood has been positively correlated with pathological buildup of plaque in the arteries and the tendency to form clots—a deadly combination. Folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and choline are nutrients that lower serum homocysteine levels.53 These nutrients are found mostly in animal foods.

The best way to treat heart disease, then, is not to focus on lowering cholesterol—either by drugs or diet—but to consume a diet that provides animal foods rich in vitamins B6 and B12; to bolster thyroid function by daily use of natural sea salt, a good source of usable iodine; to avoid vitamin and mineral deficiencies that make the artery walls more prone to ruptures and the buildup of plaque; to include the antimicrobial fats in the diet; and to eliminate processed foods containing refined carbohydrates, oxidized cholesterol and free-radical-containing vegetable oils that cause the body to need constant repair.

What About Athletes, Don’t They Need To Carb Load?

More often than not you will see seemingly healthy athletes progress throughout their career and end up with diabetes. The assumed best fuel is carbohydrates, what people don’t realise is that humans can be deriving energy from stored body fat without having to refill their glycogen every 3 hours.

Sam Inkinen and his wife Meredith Loring of http://www.fatchancerow.org/act-on-sugar are a perfect example of world class athletes practicing this.

Sam had a lot of trouble keeping his blood glucose in check for most of his training life and was consequently pre-diabetic. He trained 12 hours a week as a high class triathlete and was in fact metabolically sick. The couple decided to row from California to Hawaii almost 28,000 miles 45 day trip for this cause.

They did not have the typical nutrients endurance athletes take, no gels, no sports drinks, 0 sugar and 0 processed carbohydrates each trip. They expended about as much energy as performing 2 marathons a day each. They did this to demonstrate that sugar and carbohydrates aren’t necessary to perform at a world class level.

However Prof. Tim Noakes does explain there can be some benefits for specific performance events, “if you are a world class athlete who is lean and are able to stay lean eating lots of carbohydrates maybe you do get a little bit of a boost from the carbohydrates but that’s really for the world class athletes competing in short events lasting maybe 15 min or so, but once you start putting on weight that is telling you those carbohydrates are doing you no good and you need to reduce them”


Fitness / NEAT / BMR / Muscle

“The reason people don’t get the results they’re looking for is because they waste their time doing the wrong things.  Either because they’ve been misled to believe it’s the most important (ex: cardio), they’ve set their sights on the wrong objective (ex: scale weight), or they’re distracted by short-term gains instead of looking at the big picture and playing the long game.

With fitness this means spending the limited amount of time you have to train on building strength and muscle.  Since this is your biggest return on investment – whether we’re talking about physique goals and fat loss, or healthy aging and disease prevention.

First of all, because the more muscle you have the more energy you burn at rest (i.e. higher metabolic rate).  Meaning, every workout spent building muscle is an investment in your future ability to burn calories without exercising.

image-3-basal-metabolic-rate

And second of all, because the more muscle you have the less you’ll fall victim to the biological deterioration process:

  • Insulin resistance
  • Strength reduction
  • Metabolic slowdown

Which is responsible for both the metabolic dysfunction and physical degeneration that send grannie and gramps to an early grave (regardless of what the marathon monkeys will try to tell you about aerobic capacity).

“The greater your muscle mass, the lower your risk of death…rather than worrying about weight…we should be trying to maximize and maintain muscle mass.” ― Dr. Arun Karlamangla

 

image-4-muscle-health

With respect to food, there should be no surprises.  As protein does the same thing for your health and body composition as resistance training.  The difference being, you eat 3+ times a day, and only train 3+ times per week.  So there’s at least a 7x greater risk of screwing that up!

Especially when you throw in all the convenient sugary crap you could eat instead!!

This is why, just like resistance training, you need to put protein first.  And not just when looking at each day, but when looking at each meal.  Since, realistically, we can only eat so much, and if you’re not careful, your protein can be displaced by other foods.  Just like your email inbox, twitter account, and chatty Cathy coworkers can suck-up your MIT time.

This means sitting down and finishing that whole steak before moving onto anything else.  Which is outlined nicely in the picture below from the Blog of Mike Sheridan (one of my old students): 5 Small Nutrition Tweaks That Make a BIG Difference

Source – Charles Poliquin


Coconut Oil

I advocate increasing its consumption when going low carbs or trying to gain lean muscle mass.

“There are basically two types of coconut oil: virgin l or expeller-pressed. Virgin coconut oil still retains the taste of coconut, which does not make it suitable to cook everything. Expeller pressed is flavorless, and hence it can be used for cooking practically anything. Regardless of the form, they are both antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiprotozoal.

I love it in coffee as it provides the drinker with greater energy. The medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) found in coconut oil have some significant benefits. MCT’s are used readily by the body for immediate energy as they are immediately available, no digestion is required.

A great coconut oil will contain about 50% lauric acid, one of the MCT’s which is converted in the body into monolaurin, which provides much benefits to the health defensive mechanisms as it has antifungal properties. Breast fed babies are known to have far less infections of all types; scientists attribute it to the very high concentration of lauric acid in breast milk.

Breast milk is the only natural source of high concentration of lauric acid.

Coconut oil is loaded with antioxidants, and has been shown to help increase absorption of minerals.

If you’re on a low carb diet, I suggest you consume at least 3 tablespoons of coconut oil a day.

Coconut oil is of the best saturated fats you can enjoy for greater health and performance.”

Source: Charles Poliquin


But Aren’t There Good & Bad Carbs?

So this doesn’t necessarily mean all carbs are bad. Fresh pineapple and broccoli have carbs in them. So the quality of the carb is important and a way to judge the quality and whether you should be consuming it is by determining how much insulin is required to process it. This is called glycemic load.

Carbs - insulin

Refined foods tend to have a very high glycemic load whereas complex carbs are more likely to have a low GL.

All carbs aren’t created equal. The issue is the quality.

But even then you have to look at it within the context of your own health, which most people don’t do. What’s healthy for a athlete training 5-7 days per week is not necessarily healthy for you.  An athlete may want to replenish his liver/muscle glycogen stores with fruits and  a shake after a workout (though he doesn’t need to if he’s using fat’s as his primary fuel e.g. a ketogenic diet) while someone aiming to drop body fat fruit is not smart. If your glycogen stores are already full fructose becomes triglycerides very rapidly.

Most look at carbohydrates as black/white good/bad, but I believe they all have to be applied within your own context.


Is Free Range / Grass Feed Worth It?

The most simple way to evaluate the quality is « where does it come from » ?

According to Liz Wolfe, this is what properly raised animal means :

That’s what properly raised means—cattle graze on grass in open pasture instead of being fed corn on a feedlot; chickens range freely over pasture and eat insects, grass, and worms. A healthy animal makes healthy food, and this concept is vital to eating and living well. We are what our animals ate, after all.”

Alzheimer’s Is The New Type 3 Diabetes?

Type 3 diabetes is a term that’s been applied to this development of glycosylated end-products in the brain. Meaning substances that are a factor within degenerative diseases. We’re describing one of the most heartbreaking degenerative as type 3 diabetes as a consequence of this sugar and starch poisoning. Just wait and see and don’t be surprised if you hear type 3 diabetes in 5-10 years time.


Post Exercise Carbohydrate | Sucrose v Fructose

Poliquin sais to consume foods low in fructose post exercise because fructose doesn’t spike insulin. Plus, apparently fructose is more lipogenic then glucose. “Fructose is different from other sugards because it runs through different metabolic pathways and is not the preferred energy source for muscles or the brain. Frucose is only metabolized in the liver and relies on fructokinase to initiate metabolism. Unlike glucose, too, it does not cause insulin to be released or stimulate production of leptin, a key hormone for regulating energy intake and expenditure. These factors raise concerns about chronically high intakes of dietary fructose, because it appears to behave more like fat in the body than like other carbohydrates.” [Source]

He sais to avoid fruits like grapes, mango’s and bananas post exercise because their high in fructose, even though he sais a banana ONLY has ‘4.9% fructose’ which sounds pretty low to me. Instead he advises apricots (0.9% fructose), kiwi and pineapple because their high in sucrose.

 


Conclusion: So Where Does That Leave Us?

Start with a foundation of low starch, high fiber vegetables with different colours

Add in quality proteins from wild or properly raised conditions

Utilize high quality fats as a primary energy source and as a way to enhance nutrient absorption from other foods in the form of good oils

Avoid any high starch or high sugar foods when not eating to fuel exercise

All in all. Just experiment. TRY a high fat, moderate protein low carb diet for a extended period of time – 2 months will be enough to see decent results. Note your progress throughout to compare how far you come and by than you hopefully (if you did it right) will be able to reaslise this lifestyle has a plethora of life changing benefits.

For me personally, when I experimented with intermittent fasting (IF) for two months and kept a higher fat, high protein diet with low carbs I can confidently say I don’t remember a time when I felt that mentally alert and had that much energy. You’d think 16 hours of fasting everyday would have the opposite effect but I found great success in my energy, mental abilities and I had so much more time, I was more productive. IF is a whole another topic if your curious check out the Branden Carter he’s been on it for 2 years I believe, and you can  CLEARLY see he’s had success with it. For in depth information check out look at The Leangains Guide by Martin Berkhan.


Resources | References

Carl Montgomery

Grain Brain – David Parlmutter. 

Why We Get Fat – Gary Taubes 

‘Medical aspects of the low carbohydrate lifestyle’- Prof. Tim Noakes – Talk

‘Beating M.S. & Neurological Diseases with Nutrition’ – Terry Wahls, MD [Interview On Randy & Christa Show]

‘Carb Loaded: A Culture Dying To Eat’ [Documentary]

‘Understanding Gluten Gluten Sensitivity Vs. Celiac Disease Vs. Gluten Intolerance’ [Video]

Cereal Killers + Cereal Killers 2 [Documentary]

Endocrine System, part 1 – Glands & Hormones: Crash Course A&P #23

Metabolism & Nutrition, part 1: Crash Course A&P #36

Metabolism & Nutrition, part 2: Crash Course A&P #37

Charles Poliquin (Insulin Sensitivity)

Why Fat is Our Friend – Charles Poliquin

Everything You Know About Cholesterol Is Wrong (ArtOfManliness)

Make Meat Mandatory: For a Better Body and a Longer (Stronger) Life | Beef is Back

Dr. Ronald Krauss on LDL Cholesterol, Particle Size, Heart Disease & Atherogenic Dyslipidemia

Choosing The Right Meat – Quality Protein

Refuting “Eating Meat is as Bad as Smoking Cigarettes” Study: Associative Study

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