Glucomania

8. February 2011 William Davis (52)
As I suggested in a previous Heart Scan Blog post, a glucose meter is your best tool to:

1) Lose weight
2) Cure diabetes
3) Reduce or eliminate small LDL particles
4) Achieve anti-aging or age-slowing effects

But it means getting hold of a glucose meter and applying it in a very different way.

Diabetics typically check fasting morning glucose and again several times during the day to assess medication effects. But you and I can measure blood glucose to assess the immediate effects of food choices--two very different approaches.

The concept is simple: Check a blood glucose just prior to a food or meal of interest, then one hour after finishing.

Let's take two hypothetical breakfasts. First, oatmeal, a so-called "low-glycemic index" food. Slow-cooked, stone ground oatmeal with skim milk, a handful of walnuts, just a few blueberries.

Blood glucose just prior: 95 mg/dl
Blood glucose one hour after finish: 175 mg/dl

I made those numbers up, but this is a fairly typical response for many adults. (This is why "low-glycemic index" is an absurd notion.) This kind of response causes 1) glycation, the adverse effects of glucose modification of proteins that leads to cataracts, kidney disease, cartilage damage and arthritis, atherosclerosis, skin wrinkles, etc., 2) high insulin response that cascades into fat deposition, especially visceral fat ("wheat belly"), and 3) glucotoxicity, i.e., direct damage to the pancreas that can, over years, lead to diabetes.

Next day, let's try a breakfast of 3-egg omelet made with green peppers, sundried tomatoes, and olive oil.

Blood glucose just prior: 95 mg/dl
Blood glucose one hour after finish: 93 mg/dl

This is a meal of virtually zero-glycemic index. This kind of response triggers none of the effects experienced following the oatmeal. Repeated over time and you fail to trigger glycation, you stop provoking insulin, and visceral fat mobilizes rather than accumulates: you lose weight, particularly around the middle.

We therefore aim to keep the one-hour blood glucose 100 mg/dl or less. If you start with a high fasting blood glucose of, say, 118 mg/dl, then we aim to keep the one-hour after-eating blood glucose no higher than the pre-meal.

It works. Plain and simple.

This makes the primary care docs crazy: "How dare you check your blood sugar! You're not diabetic." In truth, blood glucose meters are relatively simple devices to use. The test strips and lancets will cost a few bucks. (The meters themselves are either low-cost or free, just like Gillette sometimes sends you a beautiful new razor for free but expects you to buy the blades). These are direct-to-consumer products. While a prescription written by your doctor for a glucose meter and supplies helps insurance cover the costs, you can easily get these devices without a prescription. Some stores, like Target, keep their devices out on the shelves with the shampoo and bath soap.

Warning: Anyone taking diabetes drugs will have to consult with their doctors about the safety of such an approach. Because this approach can actually cure diabetes in some people, if you are taking some diabetes drugs, especially glyburide, glipidize, and glimepiride, you can experience dangerously low blood sugars, just as any non-diabetic taking these drugs would.
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Comments (52) -

  • Robert Burton Robinson

    2/8/2011 3:47:09 PM |

    Had a bowl of oatmeal less than one hour ago. Old-fashioned oats, artificial sweetener, cinnamon. Now I am wiped out. Tired, sleepy. I don't even need a glucose meter to tell me the oatmeal reeked havoc on my blood sugar.

    I always feel this way after eating certain carbs. Used to think old-fashioned oatmeal was okay. But it's just not. Not for me anyway. By the way, I'm hypoglycemic.

  • Steve Cooksey

    2/8/2011 3:50:18 PM |

    Agreed Dr. Davis... wish all would "Read and Heed" this advice.

    Question: you are referring to Type 2 Diabetes only, right?

    All the best.

    Steve

  • Jonathan

    2/8/2011 3:53:13 PM |

    Most drug stores including Walmart and Target carry a small disposable meter that looks like a 35mm film bottle.  Very cheap and includes 50 test strips.  Next cheapest I've found is the Walmart ReliOn Ultima meter which is around $9 and you buy the strips at the Pharmacy (only since people steal them) for around $39 for 100.  When I first started Primal, my sugar readings were all over the place and then within 3-4 months of eating low-carb my reading became really stable all day long.  I think I had to burn through my over abundant glycogen stores first (it was mostly causing high waking pre-breakfast readings).

  • Desia

    2/8/2011 4:39:06 PM |

    I'm going to try this with the BG meter we use for our diabetic cat. It measures in mmol/L and the recommended BG targets are 4.0-7.0 before meals/5.0-10.0 2hrs. after. (for humans)
    Is this similar to your recommendation of100 mg/d,l Dr Davis?

  • Anonymous

    2/8/2011 4:41:35 PM |

    Can it cure type I diabetes as well?

  • Steve Cooksey

    2/8/2011 5:04:04 PM |

    I am a diabetic and I find the inexpensive Wallmart brand ReliOn Micro is a great value.

    @ $20 for meter and strips. Refill strips @ $12 per 20.

  • Anonymous

    2/8/2011 5:22:48 PM |

    Just a "heads up" for others.  I ordered the Walmart Relion BG meter ($9) and a supply of strips and lancets online only to have Walmart CANCEL the BG meter (no reason available) and send me the strips and lancets (which I will have to return as they are useless to me without the Relion BG meter).  Walmart's website still says the BG meters are "in stock" when clearly they are not and customer service had no explanation for that either.

    I'll visit your earlier post to find a comparable meter.

  • Jeff

    2/8/2011 5:41:44 PM |

    Dr. Davis: "This is why low-glycemic index is an absurd notion."

    Does this mean the Dreamfields pasta claim of being low-carb is misleading, at best?

    I've been contemplating trying it, but fear it really isn't low carb.

  • Jack

    2/8/2011 5:48:20 PM |

    i am curious about the effect that the oatmeal that i sometimes eat would have on my blood glucose levels.

    i take 3 cups of raw oats, soak them in warm water with 8 tablespoons of raw whey and add 2 heaping tablespoons of organic buckwheat flour and let them soak for 24 hours. drain and rinse thoroughly. pour the oats into a baking casserole dish and add some coconut oil, blueberries, pure vanilla, cinnamon, buttermilk. bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

    the result is a very delicious and highly altered form of oats. the whey and buckwheat drastically reduce the phytic acid and 'ferment' or predigest the oats. when it's done, i just add a couple spoons of pasture butter and enjoy. i've noticed a significant change in texture as a result. the oats are no longer firm. they feel quite 'broken down' and they do not sit in my stomach like a brick.

    why go through all that trouble? well... you should taste it. it is quite the treat.

  • ~Amy Jo~

    2/8/2011 5:55:34 PM |

    I appreciate the information in your blog.  I started checking my blood sugar and was shocked at the results of some 'low glycemic index' foods.  Besides the basic health benefits of maintaining healthy blood glucose, I've also lost a few pounds.  Bonus!

  • Anne

    2/8/2011 6:02:39 PM |

    Desia,

    I'm diabetic and from the UK where we measure blood glucose in mmol/L - to convert from mg/dl to mmol/L just divide by 18 - so 100 is 5.5. Multiply by 18 to convert your mmol/L to mg/dl.

  • revelo

    2/8/2011 6:06:01 PM |

    Oatmeal and other high-carb foods won't cause blood sugar spikes if you are lean, get regular exercise,  eat high-carb foods on a regular basis, and don't have health problems. All 4 of the above conditions must be met. In particular, you MUST exercise, though the exerciser doesn't have to be lengthy.

    I find keeping my bodyfat under 15% (I'm a 50 year-old male, women would have a higher percentage) and doing 5 to 10 minutes of one-legged squats, which gets my blood pumping and is much more convenient than running, is enough to keep my insulin sensitivity high enough to avoid blood sugar surges.

    Yesterday, for example, I had a single large meal in the late afternoon, due to being too busy to eat most of the day: a half can of salmon, a large salad, 300g (dry) of cooked oats mixed with about 6 grams of cinnamon all eaten within about 30 minutes. My blood sugar never exceeded 110 mg/dL during the subsequent 3 hours (I measured every 30 minutes) and eventually fell back to the normal level of about 85.

    When I experimented with a paleo diet for a while, my insulin sensitivity plummeted, so that when I broke the paleo regime temporarily and ate a mere 100g (dry) of cooked oats, my blood sugar skyrocketed to 195 mg/dL 30 minutes later. And note that those oats were eaten together with 2 eggs and some veggies, which would normally tend to mute the glycemic index as opposed to eating oats by themselves. Evidently, what happened while eating paleo is that my body's cells had down-regulated their insulin sensitivity. This makes sense, since there is no need for high insulin sensitivity when eating paleo, and the greater danger under these conditions is low blood sugar rather than high blood sugar. Only when glucose is abundant (regularly eating a high carb diet) does the body upregulate insulin sensitivity. But the upregulation won't occur if the body is fat or doesn't get regular exercise. And, of course, it obviously won't occur for someone with a "burned out" pancreas, such as Type II diabetics supposedly have.

  • Desia

    2/8/2011 7:43:01 PM |

    Anne, thanks for the info. (I'm from Canada)

  • AndreAnna

    2/8/2011 7:56:23 PM |

    Has there been any studies citing any differences in regular oats versus soaking/sprouted oats? I wonder if the neutralizing of the phytic acid that helps in digestions would also help the way the body breaks down the oats and, therefore, insulin response.

  • Brent

    2/8/2011 9:36:23 PM |

    Jeff -

    I have used Dreamfields for about 6 months now.  They claim the carbs are "locked up" and can't be digested.  I have found they do not affect blood glucose like regular pasta would.

    However they are still wheat, which has it's own problems even if the special processing prevents blood glucose spikes. I still have it once or twice a month when the rest of my "non-low carb" family has pasta, but I know I have to quit wheat all together soon, just hard to do. For now it's the lesser of two evils.

  • donny

    2/9/2011 1:34:07 AM |

    "Oatmeal and other high-carb foods won't cause blood sugar spikes if you are lean, get regular exercise, eat high-carb foods on a regular basis, and don't have health problems."

    Absolutely. But this is a blog about reversing heart disease...

  • Gretchen

    2/9/2011 2:02:45 AM |

    It's dangerous to talk about "curing" diabetes with a low-carb diet. Someone with type 2 who goes on a LC diet may be able to maintain normal blood sugar levels as long as s/he stays on the diet. But the diabetes is not cured. Returning to a standard American diet would result in high blood sugar again.

    A diabetes cure would mean you could eat cereal, skim milk, orange juice, toast, and jam and keep your blood sugar levels normal.

    The danger of telling someone he/she is cured is that the person will believe it, will return to a regular diet, and will stop testing, not realizing how high blood sugars are and will end up in a worse situation than he/she started with.

  • Galina L.

    2/9/2011 2:49:37 AM |

    That is it! I am buying a glucosameter! I sometimes get a little bit lethargic from any big meal, if I simple add cabbage soup to my usual stake + sauerkraut lunch.

    To Gretchen:
    It is very dangerous to be so stupid(or reluctant to think) as the individual you just described.

  • Anonymous

    2/9/2011 3:36:25 AM |

    I enjoy this blog, but I do frequently agree with those who say that the grandiose effects of eating grains that you present are often times found more common place in people with metabolic problems. For example, while I was in college, I had a dorm mate who read some random article about gluten and suddenly believed herself to be suffering from Celiac Disease. My friends and I labeled her an hypochondriac, going so far as feeding her a deadly, lethal oatmeal cookie (gasp!) which we passed off as consisting of "a grain-like substance produced from the dried roots of a Japanese plant." My dorm mate ate the cookie and low and behold - nothing. Weeks prior she claimed to have taken a few bites of Frosted Mini Wheats in the cafeteria and subsequently suffered a debilitating pain in her stomach. Moral of the story is that her fear of gluten and the pain she felt from consuming Frosted Mini Wheats were purely psychosomatic.

    I guess what I'm at getting at is you provide good information, but often times the entries you write are reminiscent of the blogs/journals/prose/essays written by individuals such as the Unibomber. In a half-serious, half-jocular manner, I always feel like one day I'll read/hear in the news, "Man opens [gun] fire within an oatmeal factory," and [to no one's surprise] it'll be you. I'm not accusing you of actually perpetuating such an act, but you write with such vigor about something like wheat/grains, and it gives off the "vibe" that you are harboring some hardcore resentment.

    Once again, I enjoy your overall blog, but your hasty generalizations and confusing cause-and-effect can be misleading and overly exaggerated.

  • Dr. William Davis

    2/9/2011 3:40:26 AM |

    Hi, Steve--

    Actually, the same advice applies to all forms of diabetes. Type 1 and "intermediate" types, i.e., slender people with diabetes, LADA, etc., can still follow a similar program with equally extravagant results.

    However, the blood sugar tightrope is much more difficult to walk for these people and should be undertaken with the assistance of the (sadly, rare) assistance of a knowledgeable expert in doing so.

  • Dr. William Davis

    2/9/2011 3:45:38 AM |

    Hi, Amy Jo--

    Ahh. Your comment alone made writing this post worth it. Thank you.

    There is an odd sentiment that sometimes prevails: If it doesn't apply to me, it must not be true. As if everyone wore a size 13 shoe.

  • Anonymous

    2/9/2011 4:42:37 AM |

    How about oatmeal (steel cut)if:
    15 min blood sugar 127
    30 min blood sugar 150s
    45 min blood sugar 125
    60 min blood sugar back to 95?

  • Anonymous

    2/9/2011 5:45:11 AM |

    As much as this wheat-free idea kills me, I'm going to try to at least quit my sweetened cereal habit each morning. My fasting sugar is good - 81, but my triglycerides are still monstrous at 292 even with niacin and fish oil. On a semi-related matter, I confirmed for myself that dry Vitamin D doesn't work. I've been using Life Extension brand cholecalciferol 5,000 units a day for months, and my levels barely rose - from 33 to 36. Got a shipment of the carlson oil caps and I'm going to try 8,000 and see where that leads.

  • Anonymous

    2/9/2011 9:05:42 AM |

    Hi,
    Thank you for this great post!  
    I was diagnosed borderline diabetic, glucose intolerant/insulin resistant over 10 years ago. I figured out that a glucose meter could really help improve my health so I used it faithfully for many years. Now the strips are very expensive so I have cut back. But I learned an incredible amount while  using the glucometer.
    This is a fabulous method, and I highly recommend it.

  • Peter

    2/9/2011 12:24:20 PM |

    My friend started feeding his diabetic cat low carb chow, and the cat went into shock when she got her insulin shot.
    The vet said her blood sugar had returned to normal, should no longer get insulin.

  • Anonymous

    2/9/2011 4:18:10 PM |

    Thanks Dr. Davis.  I have been following your advice to use the meter to lose weight and I find it really works!  I am finding the food that sends my blood sugar high and I am trying to avoid them.  
    Char

  • notrace

    2/9/2011 6:30:24 PM |

    Here's a way of using the glucose meter that I came across just this week: don't eat unless blood glucose has dropped to a normal level even if it means eating once a day.

    http://shurie.com/lee/writing_defeat_diabetes.htm

  • Might-o'chondri-AL

    2/9/2011 8:07:30 PM |

    Heart effect of Doc's recommendation is very important if you are not young. Human ageing is accompanied by histological (molecular and cellular) changes in the vascular smooth muscle cells of the artery wall. It means that over time formation of atheroscleroma (plaque) becomes easier to develop - even if it has not done so, yet.

    Technically the molecules that are big players in the pro-inflammatory cycle are MCP-1 (monocyte chemo-attractant protein 1), MMP-2 (matrix metallo-proteinase type-II) and TGF-B1 (transforming growth factor beta-1). With age these are found circulating in elevated amounts; even in individuals without clinical problems. In other words genetic expression of them is upregulated, and it appears that age induces this epigenetic activation even if there is no diagnosable pathology.

    Now, Doc's clinical instruction is to hold down the small LDL production and reign in circulating triglycerides. This is because those are what will provide the fodder for the pro-inflammatory molecules' loop of interaction to actually go on to "make" actual plaque.

    Blood sugar spikes, according to Doc, are apparently the stalking horse for setting up our aged vascular system for pathological problems. We are accustomed to think of blood sugar as only a diabetics dilema; and so, many non-diabetics mistake Doc's insistance as not applicable to them.

    And, to those readers who have their own method of carbohydrate consumption it would be instructive to learn if any have tested, and might share, your small LDL percentage (mine is unsatisfactory to me, based on Doc's recommended %). This can add some perspective to see if this blog's "glucomania" is somewhat overblown.

  • Anonymous

    2/9/2011 8:34:29 PM |

    Ebay is also a good source of meters and test strips.  Some out of date, but less important for non diabetic purposes.

  • revelo

    2/9/2011 8:34:41 PM |

    donny wrote: "But this is a blog about reversing heart disease..."

    It's for Dr. Davis and not me to say what this blog is about, but my impression is that the goal is not just reversing but also preventing heart disease in the first place (and also the other ailments mentioned in the current post).

    Many of the people on the blog are healthy and want to stay that way, as opposed to being sick and wanting to be cured. I think I am in the first category myself, though I'm still awaiting the results of blood tests to know for sure. Already, I have made the following changes in my life due to reading this blog:

    1) taking 2000 IU/day of vitamin D3 in gel capsule.
    2) vitamin D blood test after a few months of the D3 supplement regime.
    3) using the glucose monitor to learn about my response to carbs.
    4) getting a VAP test to learn if I have Lp(a) and also get my VLDL numbers.
    5) Hb1Ac test.

    I am quite grateful for Dr Davis for pushing me to making these changes, but I think the anti-grain/anti-oatmeal focus is misguided.

    There is an epidemic of obsesity and type II diabetes in Pacific Islanders who eat junk food nowadays, but who were formerly lean on their traditional paleo low-carb diet of fish and coconuts. So why don't they go back to the fish and coconuts? BECAUSE CARBS ARE TASTY AND LOW-CARB DIETS ARE BORING. And there you have the argument against the paleo low-carb diet in a nutshell. The evidence is clear: Atkins works in the short run, but not the long run (at least for most people) because we naturally crave carbs. Sure, if you have willpower, you can hold off a year or so, but eventually you'll fall off the wagon. And when you do, you'll go ape over those carbs, because you haven't learned how to manage them. Whereas if your normal diet is high-wholegrain-carb (after using Atkins for losing weight in a hurry), then there is much less danger of losing control of yourself when you eat some sugar in addition to your usual wholegrains.

    High-carb diets are tricky to manage, because there is nothing to stop you from overeating, unlike with Atkins, where the body tends to resist overeating. But tricky is not the same as impossible. Part of the trick, in my experience, involves eating lots of wholegrains or tubers: wheat, rice, oats, corn, potatoes, etc. (Another part involves staying lean, and by lean, I mean ribs showign for men, as is a little strenuous exercise each day.) And that is why I keep arguing against this blanket indictment by Dr Davis against grains, and especially against oatmeal, which is the most health-inducing of the common grains for many people.

  • revelo

    2/9/2011 8:49:22 PM |

    @Might-o'chondri-AL: The chemistry panel I got back in December shows the following:

    Total chol: 152
    HDL       :  70
    Trig      :  39
    VLDL calc :   8
    LDL calc  :  74

    The two LDL scores are calculated, not measured. I just got back this very morning from getting blood drawn for a VAP test (ordered through lef.org), so I'll know my tested, as opposed to calculated, VLDL numbers in a week or so.

  • revelo

    2/9/2011 9:31:41 PM |

    @Might-o'chondri-AL:
    The chemistry panel I had back in December showed:

    Total chol: 152
    Trig      : 39
    HDL chol  : 70
    VLDL calc : 8
    LDL calc  : 74

    Just this morning, I had blood drawn for a VAP test (ordered through lef.org), so when the results come back, I'll know the measured VLDL percentage numbers, as opposed to the calculated values from the chemistry panel. (I'll also learn if I have Lp(a)).

    My diet back in December was similar to now: 200g to 400g (dry) per day of rolled oats, 1/3 to 1/2 can salmon, salad, sometimes low-fat cottage cheese or eggs instead of salmon, plus small quantities of "forbidden foods" that I'm allowed to eat on the way home from the grocery but am not allowed to keep in my apartment: chocolate, nuts, fruit.

    I should note that I spent October and November hiking the Appalachian trail, and so was in extremely good cardiovascular condition, and also quite lean, but I was feeling damaged internally from the constant alternation of famine and feast. The feasts typically involved a gallon of ice cream, a package or two cookies, plus anything else that struck my fancy. These feasts during town stops were to avoid losing too much body fat, since it was getting cold as November progressed and I needed to retain some body fat to stay warm. It was because of that feeling of being internally damaged that I began researching health on the internet and came across this blog.

    (I posted this comment before and it got deleted somehow.)

  • free diabetic meters

    2/9/2011 9:39:52 PM |

    Fascinating! This is such a great idea! Thanks!

  • Dr. William Davis

    2/10/2011 2:24:03 AM |

    Hi, Revelo--

    Great comments.

    However, it helps to keep one thing in mind: The reduction or elimination of grains is not just about weight control (though it certainly does help that); it's about reduction of small LDL, triglycerides, other inflammatory phenomena, blood pressure, visceral fat, and glycation.

    Wheat and oats increase blood sugar, small LDL, triglycerides, etc. to extravagant degrees.

  • Might-o'chondri-AL

    2/10/2011 2:35:45 AM |

    @Revelo,
    Very good reading lipid panel profile; can see why you speak up against "glucophobia".

  • B

    2/10/2011 1:45:19 PM |

    @revelo: Hey, this is the only lipid panel I have ever seen anyone post that's close to my last one! At the time, I was eating 200-300g of carbs per day, mostly from grains. Of course I am only in my mid-20s now, but it's worth noting that this kind of lipid profile is typical for my extended family and we have absolutely no history diabetes or heart disease despite most of us being over. Bodies can handle carbohydrate so, so differently.

    Like you I am lean and need to put effort into gaining body fat, but I wasn't very active when I was eating high carb, lots of grains (and plenty of junky food too as I was trying to put on weight), and it made me ill in various ways.  

    I do feel my best with starch in my diet, but stick to potatoes, other tubers/root veg, and white rice - and not too much, I have always had issues with blood sugar 'crashes' although I haven't tested with a blood glucose meter to see just what's going on there. I feel awful an hour or two after eating too many carbs (and more ill after eating smaller amounts of oats, whear).

  • Anonymous

    2/10/2011 4:46:38 PM |

    I have a question as a breakfast cereal junkie trying to kick the wheat and sugar habit: would something like rice crispies be significantly better? No wheat as far as I can tell, but there is some fructose and some malted barley involved...

  • Anonymous

    2/11/2011 1:13:36 AM |

    For those interested in blood glucose I recommend the presentation 'What is Normal Glucose? – Continuous Glucose Monitoring Data from Healthy Subjects' by Professor Christiansen.

    He uses a continuous blood glucose monitoring for 30 or so patients over a 5 day trial.  Days 2-3 set meal in clinic and days 4-5 free meals at set times.

    This should give you an idea of  the expected daily ranges are for healthy subjects.

    He then does an additional study on breakfast and comes to the conclusion that perhaps the fast adsorbing breakfasts we've be told to eat arn't that good for us.  Ref this blog post on oatmeal vs omelet.

    Finally he looks at mortality vs blood-glucose levels.

    http://www.diabetes-symposium.org/index.php?menu=view&source=&sourceid=0&chart=1&id=322

    Enjoy.

  • Anonymous

    2/11/2011 1:34:34 AM |

    Here is another presentation that y'all may find interesting as part of the 'cut grains out' argument is vLDL production that is the bad cholesterol.  I'm no biochemist but this presentation on Sugar focusing on Fructose and how it treated by the liver may interest.

    Other carbs though seem to get converted to Glucose and only a tiny amount to vLDL / triglycerides.

    The huge vLDL / Triglycerides production comes from fructose.  I limit my fructose to less than 10g/day.

    'Sugar: The Bitter Truth'

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

    Enjoy.

  • Tom

    2/11/2011 3:21:39 AM |

    I recently bought a ReliOn micro glucometer from Walmart after reading your recommendations, Dr. Davis. I'm 31, in excellent health, eat low-grain/starch most of the time, frequent anaerobic and aerobic exercise. My fasting glucose seems to rest in the 70-90 range.

    Recently I decided to measure my glucose response after eating oatmeal. I used organic instant rolled oats and soaked them > 1 day in water with salt and lime juice, WAPF-style. I made a huge bowl of oatmeal (about 20 fluid ounces) and added blueberries and an appropriately huge amount of butter before eating. One hour later I measured my blood glucose using 2 separate test strips. I got 79 and 78. This surprised me, and I thought I'd add my data point to the discussion here.

    No doubt a high fat load slowss gastric emptying and helps minimize the spike in blood glucose. Perhaps my reading would have been higher 2 hours after the meal.

  • Anonymous

    2/11/2011 2:20:27 PM |

    What about 1 carb whey protein isolate with unsweetened almond milk?  Why does it raise blood glucose?

  • Anonymous

    2/12/2011 4:56:41 AM |

    http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/007893.html

    Fructose Alters Brain Metabolism
    One of the competing theories to explain the obesity epidemic is a rise in fructose consumption causing alterations in hormone levels that increase appetite. UCSF med school prof Robert Lustig has a pretty good rant-lecture on the evils of fructose. Well, here's another study on part of the mechanism in the brain of how fructose might be causing increased obesity.

    PORTLAND, Ore. – The dietary concerns of too much fructose is well documented. High-fructose corn syrup has become the sweetener most commonly added to processed foods. Many dietary experts believe this increase directly correlates to the nation's growing obesity epidemic. Now, new research at Oregon Health & Science University demonstrates that the brain – which serves as a master control for body weight – reacts differently to fructose compared with another common sweetener, glucose. The research is published in the online edition of the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism and will appear in the March print edition.

    In humans the cortical brain control areas of the brain were inhibited by the influx of fructose.

    Functional MRI allows researchers to watch brain activity in real time. To conduct the research, nine normal-weight human study subjects were imaged as they received an infusion of fructose, glucose or a saline solution. When the resulting brain scans from these three groups were compared, the scientists observed distinct differences.

    Brain activity in the hypothalamus, one brain area involved in regulating food intake, was not affected by either fructose or glucose. However, activity in the cortical brain control areas showed the opposite response during infusions of the sugars. Activity in these areas was inhibited when fructose was given but activated during glucose infusion.

    This is an important finding because these control brain areas included sites that are thought to be important in determining how we respond to food taste, smells, and pictures, which the American public is bombarded with daily.

    The result increases the plausibility of fructose as a causal agent.

    "This study provides evidence in humans that fructose and glucose elicits opposite responses in the brain. It supports the animal research that shows similar findings and links fructose with obesity," added Purnell.

    If you want to reduce your weight also consider other theories for the cause of obesity including grains as a possible major cause.

    By Randall Parker 2011 February 09 05:42 PM  Brain Appetite

  • Anonymous

    2/15/2011 12:45:07 AM |

    Oats are often cross contaminated with wheat.  Would certified gluten free oats give the same results?

  • semsons.group

    2/21/2011 4:04:55 PM |

    I think this post is really very important. Looking forward to future extensions of it.

      I've been able to control my cholesterol cutting wheat to zero, a moderate version of paleo diet, and a little of supplements with DHA/EPA, as suggested by Dr. Davis. Now is the turn of glucose Wink

      After reading this post I bought a glucometer (Bayer USB device) and I'm slowly learning some important things. My fasting glucose is good, about 80, however I've just seen (measured) that a simple dish of rice with fried egg rises my glucose one hour after lunch to  170!. My wife experienced a similar change. Amazing. I have lunch at work, and these measures of glucose are going to be very helpful to help me decide what to choose for the menu. I plan to continue measuring my glucose for the next weeks, so I guess news surprise will come.

    I just want to thank Dr. Davis for the great help  he's providing to many people from his blog.

      Best.

  • Anonymous

    2/26/2011 7:01:06 PM |

    Hi,

    I have bought a glucometer and wnted to ask you a question.
    This morning my bg was 4.9 (fasting) so very good then I ate pork then I had cashews and at 5pm I felt shakey not right, hungry so I checked it and it was 4.3 (isnt it a bit low?) so I had a pear and an hour after the pear it was 6.1, is it normal? does it mean i should avoid fruits?

    thanks for your help!

  • Anonymous

    3/31/2011 2:36:10 PM |

    I know I'm late to this party, but I took your advice and got a free glucose meter from Walgreens (came with 10 strips). Fasting blood sugar 75, ate a giant meal of steak, eggs, bacon, sausage, and sliced tomatoes, it went up to 85. On seperate days, a plain protein shake with a tad of reds powder spiked it to 112 (!!!) and my "low-carb" meat chili (no beans, just meat) launched it to 102 (lots of tomato paste/sauce). Needless to say, it's been an eye opener, especially since so-called "healthy" foods are raising my blood sugar more than I'd like, and of course stopping fat loss in it's tracks.

  • Duncan

    5/5/2011 8:21:07 AM |

    Hi,

    Am late to this party too but had a question.

    I too bought a blood glucose monitor and, following almost exactly the info above, I've been tracking my numbers for a few days now. And I have a few questions I was hoping someone could help me with...

    A few facts first:

    Age - 45
    Male
    Do Crossfit 3-4 times per week

    So far my BG levels have not gone over 108 and are averaging around 91/92, fasting BS is around 86.

    The 108 number came 1 hour after a breakfast of uncooked oatmeal, some apple sauce. milk and a handful of almonds - all blended. BUT last night I ate a green salad, chicken and vegetables, with a piece of thin pie crust (!) and 2 lattes (!!) that only gave me a BS  number of 85 after 1 hour and 83 after 3 hours.

    Do these numbers sound right? And how 'bad' is a BS level of 108?

    Hoping someone can advise...

    Duncan

  • Fred

    7/25/2011 5:36:21 AM |

    Insulin is meaningless. All the answers are on this site - http://carbsanity.blogspot.com/. Thank you and have a blessed day.

  • tam

    7/25/2011 7:52:13 PM |

    I've been testing stuff after 20 minutes.  The highest things were: whole wheat bread, whole wheat cereal, potatoes, and whole oranges.  But so far I've only had the 'low carb flu' or 'reactive hypoglycemia', and I've actually gained some weight.  But I think I'm on the right track.

  • LS

    10/4/2011 1:46:16 PM |

    Dr. Davis,
    If a person has a high fasting number, is the goal to stay at the original number?  I have a fasting glucose number of 83-85, so should my ideal number one hour or so post meal be close to or identical to the start or just below 100?  I'm a little confused.

  • Dr. William Davis

    10/5/2011 1:43:44 AM |

    At this low a starting value, just staying below 100 mg/dl is a great goal.

    The "no higher" advice was meant for people who start at 100 mg/dl or higher blood sugar.

  • jpatti

    5/29/2012 3:11:45 AM |

    Those who can keep tight control of bg with diet are not "cured" of diabetes anymore than those who avoid peanuts are "cured" of peanut allergies.

    Minimizing carb content keeps bg lower, yes, and many diabetics can control bg with just that.  Others need meds regardless of how clean their diets are.  

    Managing the disease is NOT curing it.  Unless they can pass a GTT, they're still diabetic.

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Cureality | Real People Seeking Real Cures

For the sake of convenience: Commercial sources of prebiotic fibers

3. May 2015 William Davis (0)
Our efforts to obtain prebiotic fibers/resistant starches, as discussed in the Cureality Digestive Health Track, to cultivate healthy bowel flora means recreating the eating behavior of primitive humans who dug in the dirt with sticks and bone fragments for underground roots and tubers, behaviors you can still observe in extant hunter-gatherer groups, such as the Hadza and Yanomamo. But, because this practice is inconvenient for us modern folk accustomed to sleek grocery stores, because many of us live in climates where the ground is frozen much of the year, and because we lack the wisdom passed from generation to generation that helps identify which roots and tubers are safe to eat and which are not, we rely on modern equivalents of primitive sources. Thus, green, unripe bananas, raw potatoes and other such fiber sources in the Cureality lifestyle.

There is therefore no need to purchase prebiotic fibers outside of your daily effort at including an unripe green banana, say, or inulin and fructooligosaccharides (FOS), or small servings of legumes as a means of cultivating healthy bowel flora. These are powerful strategies that change the number and species of bowel flora over time, thereby leading to beneficial health effects that include reduced blood sugar and blood pressure, reduction in triglycerides, reduced anxiety and improved sleep, and reduced colon cancer risk.

HOWEVER, convenience can be a struggle. Traveling by plane, for example, makes lugging around green bananas or raw potatoes inconvenient. Inulin and FOS already come as powders or capsules and they are among the options for a convenient, portable prebiotic fiber strategy. But there are others that can be purchased. This is a more costly way to get your prebiotic fibers and you do not need to purchase these products in order to succeed in your bowel flora management program. These products are therefore listed strictly as a strategy for convenience.

Most perspectives on the quality of human bowel flora composition suggest that diversity is an important feature, i.e., the greater the number of species, the better the health of the host. There may therefore be advantage in varying your prebiotic routine, e.g., green banana on Monday, inulin on Tuesday, PGX (below) on Wednesday, etc. Beyond providing convenience, these products may introduce an added level of diversity, as well.

Among the preparations available to us that can be used as prebiotic fibers:

PGX

While it is billed as a weight management and blood sugar-reducing product, the naturally occurring fiber--α-D-glucurono-α-D-manno-β-D-manno- β-D-gluco, α-L-gulurono-β-D mannurono, β-D-gluco-β- D-mannan--in PGX also exerts prebiotic effects (evidenced by increased fecal butyrate, the beneficial end-product of bacterial metabolism). PGX is available as capsules or granules. It also seems to exert prebiotic effects at lower doses than other prebiotic fibers. While I usually advise reaching 20 grams per day of fiber, PGX appears to exert substantial effects at a daily dose of half that quantity. As with all prebiotic fibers, it is best to build up slowly over weeks, e.g., start at 1.5 grams twice per day. It is also best taken in two or three divided doses. (Avoid the PGX bars, as they are too carb-rich for those of us trying to achieve ideal metaobolic health.)

Prebiotin

A combination of inulin and FOS available as powders and in portable Stick Pacs (2 gram and 4 gram packs). This preparation is quite costly, however, given the generally low cost of purchasing chicory inulin and FOS separately.

Acacia

Acacia fiber is another form of prebiotic fiber.  RenewLife and NOW are two reputable brands.

Isomalto-oligosaccharides

This fiber is used in Quest bars and in Paleo Protein Bars. With Quest bars, choose the flavors without sucralose, since it has been associated with undesirable changes in bowel flora.

There you go. It means that there are fewer and fewer reasons to not purposefully cultivate healthy bowel flora and obtain all the wonderful health benefits of doing so, from reduced blood pressure, to reduced triglycerides, to deeper sleep.

Disclaimer: I am not compensated in any way by discussing these products.

How Not To Have An Autoimmune Condition

20. April 2015 William Davis (0)

Autoimmune conditions are becoming increasingly common. Estimates vary, but it appears that at least 8-9% of the population in North America and Western Europe have one of these conditions, with The American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association estimating that it’s even higher at 14% of the population.

The 200 or so autoimmune diseases that afflict modern people are conditions that involve an abnormal immune response directed against one or more organs of the body. If the misguided attack is against the thyroid gland, it can result in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. If it is directed against pancreatic beta cells that produce insulin, it can result in type 1 diabetes or latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA). If it involves tissue encasing joints (synovium) like the fingers or wrists, it can result in rheumatoid arthritis. It if involves the liver, it can result in autoimmune hepatitis, and so on. Nearly every organ of the body can be the target of such a misguided immune response.

While it requires a genetic predisposition towards autoimmunity that we have no control over (e.g., the HLA-B27 gene for ankylosing spondylitis), there are numerous environmental triggers of these diseases that we can do something about. Identifying and correcting these factors stacks the odds in your favor of reducing autoimmune inflammation, swelling, pain, organ dysfunction, and can even reverse an autoimmune condition altogether.

Among the most important factors to correct in order to minimize or reverse autoimmunity are:

Wheat and grain elimination

If you are reading this, you likely already know that the gliadin protein of wheat and related proteins in other grains (especially the secalin of rye, the hordein of barley, zein of corn, perhaps the avenin of oats) initiate the intestinal “leakiness” that begins the autoimmune process, an effect that occurs in over 90% of people who consume wheat and grains. The flood of foreign peptides/proteins, bacterial lipopolysaccharide, and grain proteins themselves cause immune responses to be launched against these foreign factors. If, for instance, an autoimmune response is triggered against wheat gliadin, the same antibodies can be aimed at the synapsin protein of the central nervous system/brain, resulting in dementia or cerebellar ataxia (destruction of the cerebellum resulting in incoordination and loss of bladder and bowel control). Wheat and grain elimination is by far the most important item on this list to reverse autoimmunity.

Correct vitamin D deficiency

It is clear that, across a spectrum of autoimmune diseases, vitamin D deficiency serves a permissive, not necessarily causative, role in allowing an autoimmune process to proceed. It is clear, for instance, that autoimmune conditions such as type 1 diabetes in children, rheumatoid arthritis, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis are more common in those with low vitamin D status, much less common in those with higher vitamin D levels. For this and other reasons, I aim to achieve a blood level of 25-hydroxy vitamin D level of 60-70 ng/ml, a level that usually requires around 4000-8000 units per day of D3 (cholecalciferol) in gelcap or liquid form (never tablet due to poor or erratic absorption). In view of the serious nature of autoimmune diseases, it is well worth tracking occasional blood levels.

Supplement omega-3 fatty acids

While omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, from fish oil have proven only modestly helpful by themselves, when cast onto the background of wheat/grain elimination and vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids compound anti-inflammatory benefits, such as those exerted via cyclooxygenase-2. This requires a daily EPA + DHA dose of around 3600 mg per day, divided in two. Don’t confuse EPA and DHA omega-3s with linolenic acid, another form of omega-3 obtained from meats, flaxseed, chia, and walnuts that does not not yield the same benefits. Nor can you use krill oil with its relatively trivial content of omega-3s.

Eliminate dairy

This is true in North America and most of Western Europe, less true in New Zealand and Australia. Autoimmunity can be triggered by the casein beta A1 form of casein widely expressed in dairy products, but not by casein beta A2 and other forms. Because it is so prevalent in North America and Western Europe, the most confident way to avoid this immunogenic form of casein is to avoid dairy altogether. You might be able to consume cheese, given the fermentation process that alters proteins and sugar, but that has not been fully explored.

Cultivate healthy bowel flora

People with autoimmune conditions have massively screwed up bowel flora with reduced species diversity and dominance of unhealthy species. We restore a healthier anti-inflammatory panel of bacterial species by “seeding” the colon with high-potency probiotics, then nourishing them with prebiotic fibers/resistant starches, a collection of strategies summarized in the Cureality Digestive Health discussions. People sometimes view bowel flora management as optional, just “fluff”–it is anything but. Properly managing bowel flora can be a make-it-or-break-it advantage; don’t neglect it.

There you go: a basic list to get started on if your interest is to begin a process of unraveling the processes of autoimmunity. In some conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and polymyalgia rheumatica, full recovery is possible. In other conditions, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and the pancreatic beta cell destruction leading to type 1 diabetes, reversing the autoimmune inflammation does not restore organ function: hypothyroidism results after thyroiditis quiets down and type 1 diabetes and need for insulin persists after pancreatic beta cell damage. But note that the most powerful risk factor for an autoimmune disease is another autoimmune disease–this is why so many people have more than one autoimmune condition. People with Hashimoto’s, for instance, can develop rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis. So the above menu is still worth following even if you cannot hope for full organ recovery

Five Powerful Ways to Reduce Blood Sugar

4. April 2015 William Davis (0)
Left to conventional advice on diet and you will, more than likely, succumb to type 2 diabetes sooner or later. Follow your doctor’s advice to cut fat and eat more “healthy whole grains” and oral diabetes medication and insulin are almost certainly in your future. Despite this, had this scenario played out, you would be accused of laziness and gluttony, a weak specimen of human being who just gave into excess.

If you turn elsewhere for advice, however, and ignore the awful advice from “official” sources with cozy relationships with Big Pharma, you can reduce blood sugars sufficient to never become diabetic or to reverse an established diagnosis, and you can create a powerful collection of strategies that handily trump the worthless advice being passed off by the USDA, American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association, or the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Among the most powerful and effective strategies to reduce blood sugar:

1) Eat no wheat nor grains

Recall that amylopectin A, the complex carbohydrate of grains, is highly digestible, unlike most of the other components of the seeds of grasses AKA “grains,” subject to digestion by the enzyme, amylase, in saliva and stomach. This explains why, ounce for ounce, grains raise blood sugar higher than table sugar. Eat no grains = remove the exceptional glycemic potential of amylopectin A.

2) Add no sugars, avoid high-fructose corn syrup

This should be pretty obvious, but note that the majority of processed foods contain sweeteners such as sucrose or high-fructose corn syrup, tailored to please the increased desire for sweetness among grain-consuming people. While fructose does not raise blood sugar acutely, it does so in delayed fashion, along with triggering other metabolic distortions such as increased triglycerides and fatty liver.

3) Vitamin D

Because vitamin D restores the body’s normal responsiveness to insulin, getting vitamin D right helps reduce blood sugar naturally while providing a range of other health benefits.

4) Restore bowel flora

As cultivation of several Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria species in bowel flora yields fatty acids that restore insulin responsiveness, this leads to reductions in blood sugar over time. Minus the bowel flora-disrupting effects of grains and sugars, a purposeful program of bowel flora restoration is required (discussed at length in the Cureality Digestive Health section.)

5) Exercise

Blood sugar is reduced during and immediately following exercise, with the effect continuing for many hours afterwards, even into the next day.

Note that, aside from exercise, none of these powerful strategies are advocated by the American Diabetes Association or any other “official” agency purporting to provide dietary advice. As is happening more and more often as the tide of health information rises and is accessible to all, the best advice on health does not come from such agencies nor from your doctor but from your efforts to better understand the truths in health. This is our core mission in Cureality. A nice side benefit: information from Cureality is not accompanied by advertisements from Merck, Pfizer, Kelloggs, Kraft, or Cadbury Schweppes.

Cureality App Review: Breathe Sync

7. March 2015 William Davis (0)


Biofeedback is a wonderful, natural way to gain control over multiple physiological phenomena, a means of tapping into your body’s internal resources. You can, for instance, use biofeedback to reduce anxiety, heart rate, and blood pressure, and achieve a sense of well-being that does not involve drugs, side-effects, or even much cost.

Biofeedback simply means that you are tracking some observable physiologic phenomenon—heart rate, skin temperature, blood pressure—and trying to consciously access control over it. One very successful method is that of bringing the beat-to-beat variation in heart rate into synchrony with the respiratory cycle. In day-to-day life, the heart beat is usually completely out of sync with respiration. Bring it into synchrony and interesting things happen: you experience a feeling of peace and calm, while many healthy phenomena develop.

A company called HeartMath has applied this principle through their personal computer-driven device that plugs into the USB port of your computer and monitors your heart rate with a device clipped on your earlobe. You then regulate breathing and follow the instructions provided and feedback is obtained on whether you are achieving synchrony, or what they call “coherence.” As the user becomes more effective in achieving coherence over time, positive physiological and emotional effects develop. HeartMath has been shown, for instance, to reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure, morning cortisol levels (a stress hormone), and helps people deal with chronic pain. Downside of the HeartMath process: a $249 price tag for the earlobe-USB device.

But this is the age of emerging smartphone apps, including those applied to health. Smartphone apps are perfect for health monitoring. They are especially changing how we engage in biofeedback. An app called Breathe Sync is available that tracks heart rate using the camera’s flash on the phone. By tracking heart rate and providing visual instruction on breathing pattern, the program generates a Wellness Quotient, WQ, similar to HeartMath’s coherence scoring system. Difference: Breathe Sync is portable and a heck of a lot less costly. I paid $9.99, more than I’ve paid for any other mainstream smartphone application, but a bargain compared to the HeartMath device cost.

One glitch is that you need to not be running any other programs in the background, such as your GPS, else you will have pauses in the Breathe Sync program, negating the value of your WQ. Beyond this, the app functions reliably and can help you achieve the health goals of biofeedback with so much less hassle and greater effectiveness than the older methods.

If you are looking for a biofeedback system that provides advantage in gaining control over metabolic health, while also providing a wonderful method of relaxation, Breathe Sync, I believe, is the go-to app right now.

Amber’s Top 35 Health and Fitness Tips

7. November 2014 Amber B (0)
This year I joined the 35 club!  And in honor of being fabulous and 35, I want to share 35 health and fitness tips with you! 

1.  Foam rolling is for everyone and should be done daily. 
2.  Cold showers are the best way to wake up and burn more body fat. 
3.  Stop locking your knees.  This will lead to lower back pain. 
4.  Avoid eating gluten at all costs. 
5.  Breath deep so that you can feel the sides or your lower back expand. 
6.  Swing a kettlebell for a stronger and great looking backside. 
7.  Fat is where it’s at!  Enjoy butter, ghee, coconut oil, palm oil, duck fat and many other fabulous saturated fats. 
8.  Don’t let your grip strength fade with age.  Farmer carries, kettlebells and hanging from a bar will help with that. 
9.  Runners, keep your long runs slow and easy and keep your interval runs hard.  Don’t fall in the chronic cardio range. 
10.  Drink high quality spring or reverse osmosis water. 
11.  Use high quality sea salt season food and as a mineral supplement. 
12.  Work your squat so that your butt can get down to the ground.  Can you sit in this position? How long?
13.  Lift heavy weights!  We were made for manual work,.   Simulate heavy labor in the weight room. 
14.  Meditate daily.  If you don’t go within, you will go with out.  We need quiet restorative time to balance the stress in our life. 
15.  Stand up and move for 10 minutes for every hour your sit at your computer. 
16. Eat a variety of whole, real foods. 
17.  Sleep 7 to 9 hours every night. 
18.  Pull ups are my favorite exercise.  Get a home pull up bar to practice. 
19.  Get out and spend a few minutes in nature.  Appreciate the world around you while taking in fresh air and natural beauty. 
20.  We all need to pull more in our workouts.  Add more pulling movements horizontally and vertically. 
21. Surround yourself with health minded people. 
22. Keep your room dark for deep sound sleep.  A sleep mask is great for that! 
23. Use chemical free cosmetics.  Your skin is the largest organ of your body and all chemicals will absorb into your blood stream. 
24. Unilateral movements will help improve symmetrical strength. 
25. Become more playful.  We take life too seriously, becoming stress and overwhelmed.  How can you play, smile and laugh more often?
26.  Choose foods that have one ingredient.  Keep your diet simple and clean. 
27.  Keep your joints mobile as you age.  Do exercises that take joints through a full range of motion. 
28. Go to sleep no later than 10:30pm.  This allows your body and brain to repair through the night. 
29. Take care of your health and needs before others.  This allows you to be the best spouse, parent, coworker, and person on the planet. 
30.  Always start your daily with a high fat, high protein meal.  This will encourage less sugar cravings later in the day. 
31. Approach the day with positive thinking!  Stinkin’ thinkin’ only leads to more stress and frustration. 
32. You are never “too old” to do something.  Stay young at heart and keep fitness a priority as the years go by. 
33. Dream big and go for it. 
34.  Lift weights 2 to 4 times every week.  Strong is the new sexy. 
35.  Love.  Love yourself unconditionally.  Love your life and live it to the fullest.  Love others compassionately. 

Amber B.
Cureality Exercise and Fitness Coach

To Change, You Need to Get Uncomfortable

25. September 2014 Amber B (0)
Sitting on the couch is comfortable.  Going through the drive thru to pick up dinner is comfortable.  But when you notice that you’re out-of-shape, tired, sick and your clothes no longer fit, you realize that what makes you comfortable is not in align with what would make you happy.   

You want to see something different when you look in the mirror.  You want to fit into a certain size of jeans or just experience your day with more energy and excitement.  The current condition of your life causes you pain, be it physical, mental or emotional.  To escape the pain you are feeling, you know that you need to make changes to your habits that keep you stuck in your current state.  But why is it so hard to make the changes you know that will help you achieve what you want?  

I want to lose weight but….

I want a six pack but…

I want more energy but….

The statement that follows the “but” is often a situation or habit you are comfortable with.  You want to lose weight but don’t have time to cook healthy meals.  So it’s much more comfortable to go through the drive thru instead of trying some new recipes.   New habits often require a learning curve and a bit of extra time in the beginning.  It also takes courage and energy to establish new routines or seek out help.  

Setting out to achieve your goals requires change.  Making changes to establish new habits that support your goals and dreams can be uncomfortable.  Life, as you know it, will be different.  Knowing that fact can be scary, but so can staying in your current condition.  So I’m asking you to take a risk and get uncomfortable so that you can achieve your goals.  

Realize that it takes 21 days to develop a new habit.  I believe it takes triple that amount of time to really make a new habit stick for the long haul.  So for 21 days, you’ll experience some discomfort while you make changes to your old routine and habits.  Depending on what you are changing, discomfort could mean feeling tired, moody, or even withdrawal symptoms.  However, the longer you stick to your new habits the less uncomfortable you start to feel.  The first week is always the worst, but then it gets easier.

Making it through the uncomfortable times requires staying focused on your goals and not caving to your immediate feelings or desires.  I encourage clients to focus on why their goals important to them.  This reason or burning desire to change will help when old habits, cravings, or situations call you back to your old ways.
Use a tracking and a reward system to stay on track.  Grab a calendar, journal or index card to check off or note your daily successes.  Shoot for consistency and not perfection when trying to make changes.  I encourage my clients to use the 90/10 principle of change and apply that to their goal tracking system.  New clothes, a massage, or a day me-retreat are just a few examples of rewards you can use to sticking to your tracking system.  Pick something that really gets you excited.  

Getting support system in place can help you feel more comfortable with being uncomfortable.  Hiring a coach, joining an online support group, or recruiting family and friends can be very helpful when making big changes.  With a support system in place you are not alone in your discomfort.  You’re network is there for you to reach out for help, knowledge, accountability or camaraderie when you feel frustrated and isolated.  

I’ve helped hundreds of people change their bodies, health and lives of the eleven years I’ve worked as a trainer and coach.  I know it’s hard, but I also know that if they can do it, so can you.  You just need to step outside of your comfort zone and take a risk. Don’t let fear create uncomfortable feelings that keep you stuck in your old ways.  Take that first step and enjoy the journey of reaching your goals and dreams.  

Amber Budahn, B.S., CSCS, ACE PT, USATF 1, CHEK HLC 1, REIKI 1
Cureality Exercise Specialist

The 3 Best Grain Free Food Swaps to Boost Fat Burning

25. September 2014 Lisa G (0)
You can join others enjoying substantial improvements in their health, energy and pant size by making a few key, delicious substitutions to your eating habits.  This is possible with the Cureality nutrition approach, which rejects the idea that grains should form the cornerstone of the human diet.  

Grain products, which are seeds of grasses, are incompatible with human digestion.  Contrary to what we have been told for years, eating healthy whole grain is not the answer to whittle away our waists.  Consumption of all grain-based carbohydrates results in increased production of the fat storage hormone insulin.  Increased insulin levels create the perfect recipe for weight gain. By swapping out high carbohydrate grain foods that cause spikes in insulin with much lower carbohydrate foods, insulin release is subdued and allows the body to release fat.

1. Swap wheat-based flour with almond flour/meal

  • One of the most dubious grain offenders is modern wheat. Replace wheat flour with naturally wheat-free, lower carbohydrate almond flour.  
  • Almond flour contains a mere 12 net carbs per cup (carbohydrate minus the fiber) with 50% more filling protein than all-purpose flour.
  • Almond flour and almond meal also offer vitamin E, an important antioxidant to support immune function.

2. Swap potatoes and rice for cauliflower

  • Replace high carb potatoes and pasta with vitamin C packed cauliflower, which has an inconsequential 3 carbs per cup.  
  • Try this food swap: blend raw cauliflower in food processor to make “rice”. (A hand held grater can also be used).  Sautee the “riced” cauliflower in olive or coconut oil for 5 minutes with seasoning to taste.
  • Another food swap: enjoy mashed cauliflower in place of potatoes.  Cook cauliflower. Place in food processor with ½ a stick organic, grass-fed butter, ½ a package full-fat cream cheese and blend until smooth. Add optional minced garlic, chives or other herbs such as rosemary.
3. Swap pasta for shirataki noodles and zucchini

  • Swap out carb-rich white pasta containing 43 carbs per cup with Shirataki noodles that contain a few carbs per package. Shirataki noodles are made from konjac or yam root and are found in refrigerated section of supermarkets.
  • Another swap: zucchini contains about 4 carbs per cup. Make your own grain free, low-carb noodles from zucchini using a julienne peeler, mandolin or one of the various noodle tools on the market.  

Lisa Grudzielanek, MS,RDN,CD,CDE
Cureality Nutrition Specialist

Not so fast. Don’t make this mistake when going gluten free!

25. September 2014 Lisa G (0)
Beginning last month, the Food and Drug Administration began implementing its definition of “gluten-free” on packaged food labels.  The FDA determined that packaged food labeled gluten free (or similar claims such as "free of gluten") cannot contain more than 20 parts per million of gluten.

It has been years in the making for the FDA to define what “gluten free” means and hold food manufactures accountable, with respect to food labeling.  However, the story does not end there.

Yes, finding gluten-free food, that is now properly labeled, has become easier. So much so the market for gluten-free foods tops $6 billion last year.   However, finding truly healthy, commercially prepared, grain-free foods is still challenging.

A very common mistake made when jumping into the gluten-free lifestyle is piling everything labeled gluten-free in the shopping cart.  We don’t want to replace a problem: wheat, with another problem: gluten free products.

Typically gluten free products are made with rice flour (and brown rice flour), tapioca starch, cornstarch, and potato flour.  Of the few foods that raise blood sugar higher than wheat, these dried, powdered starches top the list.

 They provide a large surface area for digestion, thereby leading to sky-high blood sugar and all the consequences such as diabetes, hypertension, cataracts, arthritis, and heart disease. These products should be consumed very rarely consumed, if at all.  As Dr. Davis has stated, “100% gluten-free usually means 100% awful!”

There is an ugly side to the gluten-free boom taking place.  The Cureality approach to wellness recommends selecting gluten-free products wisely.  Do not making this misguided mistake and instead aim for elimination of ALL grains, as all seeds of grasses are related to wheat and therefore overlap in many effects.

Lisa Grudzielanek MS, RDN, CD, CDE
Cureality Health & Nutrition Coach

3 Foods to Add to Your Next Grocery List

25. September 2014 Lisa G (0)
Looking for some new foods to add to your diet? Look no further. Reach for these three mealtime superstars to encourage a leaner, healthier body.

Microgreens

Microgreens are simply the shoots of salad greens and herbs that are harvested just after the first leaves have developed, or in about 2 weeks.  Microgreen are not sprouts. Sprouts are germinated, in other words, sprouted seeds produced entirely in water. Microgreens are grown in soil, thereby absorbing the nutrients from the soil.

The nutritional profile of each microgreen depends greatly on the type of microgreen you are eating. Researchers found red cabbage microgreens had 40 times more vitamin E and six times more vitamin C than mature red cabbage. Cilantro microgreens had three times more beta-carotene than mature cilantro.

A few popular varieties of microgreens are arugula, kale, radish, pea, and watercress. Flavor can vary from mild to a more intense or spicy mix depending on the microgreens.  They can be added to salads, soup, omelets, stir fry and in place of lettuce.  

Cacao Powder

Cocoa and cacao are close enough in flavor not to make any difference. However, raw cacao powder has 3.6 times the antioxidant activity of roasted cocoa powder.  In short, raw cacao powder is definitely the healthiest, most beneficial of the powders, followed by 100% unsweetened cocoa.

Cacao has more antioxidant flavonoids than blueberries, red wine and black and green teas.  Cacao is one of the highest sources of magnesium, a great source of iron and vitamin C, as well as a good source of fiber for healthy bowel function.
Add cacao powder to milk for chocolate milk or real hot chocolate.  Consider adding to coffee for a little mocha magic or sprinkle on berries and yogurt.




Shallots

Shallots have a better nutrition profile than onions. On a weight per weight basis, they have more anti-oxidants, minerals, and vitamins than onions. Shallots have a milder, less pungent taste than onions, so people who do not care for onions may enjoy shallots.

Like onions, sulfur compounds in shallot are necessary for liver detoxification pathways.  The sulfur compound, allicin has been shown to be beneficial in reducing cholesterol.  Allicin is also noted to have anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal activities.

Diced then up and add to salads, on top of a bun less hamburger, soups, stews, or sauces.  Toss in an omelet or sauté to enhance a piece of chicken or steak, really the possibilities are endless.  

Lisa Grudzielanek,MS,RDN,CD,CDE
Cureality Nutrition & Health Coach

3 Band Exercises for Great Glutes

15. August 2014 Amber B (0)
Bands and buns are a great combination.  (When I talk about glutes or a butt, I use the word buns)  When it comes to sculpting better buns, grab a band.   Bands are great for home workouts, at gym or when you travel.  Check out these 3 amazing exercises that will have your buns burning. 

Band Step Out

Grab a band and place it under the arch of each foot.  Then cross the band and rest your hands in your hip sockets.  The exercise starts with your feet hip width apart and weight in the heels.  Slightly bend the knees and step your right foot out to the side.  Step back in so that your foot is back in the starting position.  With each step, make sure your toes point straight ahead.  The tighter you pull the band, the more resistance you will have.    You will feel this exercise on the outside of your hips. 

Start with one set of 15 repetitions with each foot.  Work on increasing to 25 repetitions on each side and doing two to three sets.



Band Kick Back

This exercise is performed in the quadruped position with your knees under hips and hands under your shoulders.    Take the loop end of the band and put it around your right foot and place the two handles or ends of the band under your hands.  Without moving your body, kick your right leg straight back.  Return to the starting quadruped position.  Adjust the tension of the band to increase or decrease the difficulty of this exercise. 

Start with one set of 10 repetitions with each foot.  Work on increasing to 20 repetitions on each side and doing two to three sets. 



Band Resisted Hip Bridge

Start lying on your back with feet hip distance apart and knees bent at about a 45-degree angle.  Adjust your hips to a neutral position to alleviate any arching in your lower back.  Place the band across your hipbones.  Hold the band down with hands along the sides of your body.  Contract your abs and squeeze your glutes to lift your hips up off the ground.  Stop when your thighs, hips and stomach are in a straight line.  Lower you hips back down to the ground. 

Start with one set of 15 repetitions.  Work on increasing to 25 repetitions and doing two to three.  Another variation of this exercise is to hold the hip bridge position.  Start with a 30 second hold and work up to holding for 60 seconds.