Gluten-free carbohydrate mania

18. June 2011 William Davis (14)
Here's a typical gluten-free product, a whole grain bread mix. "Whole grain," of course, suggests high-fiber, high nutrient composition, and health.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's it made of? Here's the ingredient list:
Cornstarch, Tapioca Starch, Whole Grain Sorghum Flour, Whole Grain Teff Flour, Whole Grain Amaranth Flour, Soy Fiber, Xanthan Gum, Soy Protein, Natural Cocoa and Ascorbic Acid

In other words, carbohydrate, carbohydrate, carbohydrate, carbohydrate and some other stuff. It means that a sandwich with two slices of bread provides around 42 grams net carbohydrates, enough to send your blood sugar skyward, not to mention trigger visceral fat formation, glycation, small LDL particles and triglycerides.

Take a look at the ingredients and nutrition facts on the label of any number of gluten-free products and you will see the same thing. Many also have proud low-fat claims.

This is how far wrong the gluten-free world has drifted: Trade the lack of gluten for a host of unhealthy effects.
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Comments (14) -

  • Angela

    6/18/2011 12:31:21 PM |

    Dr. Davis, I agree with you whole-heartedly - especially if you have Celiac disease you should learn to eat a more carb free diet - but I am thankful for the gluten-free junk foods.  My 9 year old has Celiac and gluten free cupcakes and pizzas have truly been a godsend for school pizza parties and birthday cake celebrations.  You can explain until the cows come home to a 9 year old that gluten makes them sick and gluten free spikes their blood sugar - but when they are sitting in the classroom while all the other kids ooh and ahh over pizza and cupcakes that doesn't translate for them.  I wish we could change EVERYONE'S thought process on this junk and their wouldn't be these instances at school....but that's another lifetime.  

    I actually just posted about this, this very morning on my blog:  http://i-am-paleo.blogspot.com/2011/06/third-grade-is-done-nooooooo.html

    Thanks for our amazing blog!!!

  • Judi O

    6/18/2011 2:03:24 PM |

    I make really good breakfast muffins from coconut flour using Bruce Fife's book and almond meal also makes treats that come out much better than any of those mixes flooding the stores now. I had to get creative when I found out I was pre-diabetic! Making things from scratch allows you to put good quality ingredients in and doesn't take any more time. I still think these kind of treats shouldn't be the mainstay of your diet, but it is nice to have so you don't feel deprived and have more variety.

  • Luther Bliss

    6/18/2011 3:53:45 PM |

    So how much carb is too much? I don't really eat grains. If I had the equivalent grams in sweet potato, would that be as bad?

  • Princess Dieter

    6/18/2011 4:29:19 PM |

    I had taken a look at those gluten free breads to see if there was a doable option for hubby, but the ingredients were horrid, so I ditched the notion.

    I've been grain-free for a few months, lower carb (I try to stay between 60 and 120, ideally under 100), and this week my endocrinologist said, "You have now resolved your prediabetes." A1c and glucose were nice. HDL and triglycerides were lovely. LDL was up, but the good kind. She was gonna start the statin talk, and I nixed it, but she wants me to do red yeast rice. I'm considering it..gotta read up on it.

    Hubby has a hard time keeping weight ON since he went (mostly) grain free. He was becoming underweight from losing too much, so I added potatoes and rice, and he gives in to corn now and then in small amonts. Otherwise, he dropped sugar, except for the occasional dark chocolate square. (He has a raging sweet tooth, so I'm amazed.) I keep telling folks, you wanna drop weight, ditch the sugar and grains. On a tall guy, it's like liposuction, it drops so fast!

    And he doesn't fall asleep on the couch right after dinner anymore. Nor do I. That alone is worth ditching grains. Nudge;wink. Laughing

    Wish the universe could give me some wonderful, non-damaging toast...I miss toast...but it's not worth the cost....and gluten free breads are just downright scary...

  • ShottleBop

    6/18/2011 4:31:06 PM |

    Buy yourself a blood sugar meter, eat the sweet potato, and see what it does to your blood sugar.

  • ShottleBop

    6/18/2011 4:33:23 PM |

    Red yeast rice has a naturally-occurring statin--Mevachor is basically a pharmaceutical-grade version of what's in red yeast rice.

  • Princess Dieter

    6/18/2011 6:00:27 PM |

    Well, if red yeast rice is going to give me the same effects as statins, I'll pass. The muscle pains were horrible, and I lived years with that. And the forgetfulness that had me worrying about dementia. It wasn't until they took me off (liver issues) that I realized how wonderful I felt OFF them. Brain began to be like normal and muscles eventually stopped hurting at the lightest touch. Those things don't like me.

  • Lori

    6/18/2011 7:43:00 PM |

    Sometimes when I'm out dancing, I'll have a couple of small gluten-free cookies to help with what feels like falling blood sugar.

  • Shreela

    6/18/2011 10:07:32 PM |

    I'm guessing that pasta made from beans be an acceptable replacement for grain-pasta? Here's a blog post I learned about them from (the distribution site, nor amazon have label photos like this blog does): http://www.j3nn.net/2011/05/13/mexican-black-bean-spaghetti-gluten-free-grain-free-vegetarian/

    I've dehydrated cooked beans before, and it should be super easy to powder them with just a regular blender. One of these days, I'm going to play around with making bean noodles, just to see if it can be done with just water. Of course I'll have to make an egg batch too.

    While on beans as replacement for carby foods, many food blogs have been posting "bean brownies", and "bean muffins". I don't recall off hand if beans totally replace flour, or just reduce the flour needed. I suspect each site differs in their ratios. I'd probably grate some zucchini into bean muffins to lighten their texture.

    PS: I hope there's seed cracker recipes in your book! Hubby HAS to have crackers with salads and soups.

  • Geoffrey Levens, L.Ac.

    6/19/2011 2:41:42 PM |

    Here's my version. Junk food eating friends loved them enough to ask for recipe:
    Black Bean Brownies

    2 1/2 cups black cooked beans
    3 medium, very ripe bananas
    2 tablespoons ground flaxseed or other
    1/3 cup cocoa or carob (adjust to taste)
    1-3 teaspoons Baking Powder (potassium version so no sodium)
    2  tsp vanilla
    3/8 tsp stevia  (or substitute with chopped dates to taste)
    =============================================
    Put all above and blend in food processor.

    Spread in 13 x 9 in baking dish. Bake 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Definitely tastes best after chilled in refrigerator. Then cut into squares.
        ===========================================
    Single Serving

    1/2 cup beans
    1 large, very ripe banana
    2 tsp ground flax or other (I like cashews)
    3 Tbs carob
    1 tsp bake pwdr
    2/3-1 tsp vanilla
    3/8 tsp stevia (or substitute with chopped dates to taste)

  • Anne

    6/20/2011 8:55:37 PM |

    For me, beans are out. They spike my blood sugar to unacceptable levels. Also they are not part of my paleo/primal diet because of the lectins. If you do use bean flour, be sure it is well cooked. Some beans are quite toxic uncooked.

  • Dr. William Davis

    6/21/2011 3:00:31 AM |

    Anne and ShottleBop make the crucial point on how to gauge individual sensitivity to carbohydrates: Assess one-hour blood sugar after eating.

    This is the only way to immediately assess your tolerance to a specific carbohydrate load. A less immediate method of feedback would be to assess hemoglobin A1c, a reflection of 60+ days prior blood sugar.

  • Mark Lee

    7/7/2011 3:17:59 AM |

    Being gluten intolerant myself I get my carbs from rice, potatoes, gluten free pasta or bread made from corn flour, I can also reccoment Qinoa which is a grain from South America that tastes a bit like a mix between rice and cous cous and is completely gluten free and is high in energy. You can have it as a porridge in the morning and you can buy it in most supermarkets.

  • Tim

    7/8/2011 9:21:07 PM |

    I love quinoa and am using it in everything.  However, just a correction...quinoa is a seed, not a grain.  Not sure if it's processed different from grains in the system, though.

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Melatonin for high blood pressure?

Melatonin for high blood pressure?

10. May 2008 William Davis (15)
Melatonin is fascinating stuff.

In addition to its use as a sleep aid, melatonin exerts possible effects on cardiovascular parameters, including anti-oxidative action on LDL, reduction in sympathetic (adrenaline-driven) tone, and reduction in blood pressure.

Several studies document the blood pressure-reducing effect of melatonin:

Daily nighttime melatonin reduces blood pressure in male patients with essential hypertension.

Melatonin reduces night blood pressure in patients with nocturnal hypertension.

Prolonged melatonin administration decreases nocturnal blood pressure in women.

Blood pressure-lowering effect of melatonin in type 1 diabetes.


But blood pressure may be increased when melatonin is added to nifedipine, a calcium channel blocker:

Cardiovascular effects of melatonin in hypertensive patients well controlled by nifedipine: a 24-hour study.


Effects on BP tend to be modest, on the order of 5-8 mmHg reduction in systolic, half that in diastolic.

But don't pooh-pooh such small reductions, however, as small reductions exert mani-fold larger reductions in cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke. NIH-sponsored NHANES data (see JNC VII), for example, document a doubling of risk for each increment of BP of 20/10. The Camelot Study demonstrated a reduction in cardiovascular events from 23% in placebo subjects to 16.7% in subjects taking amlodipine (Norvasc) with a 5 mm reduction in systolic pressure, 2 mmHg drop in diastolic pressure. Small changes, big benefits.

Many people take melatonin at bedtime and are disappointed with the effects. However, a much better way is to take melatonin several hours before bedtime, e.g., take at 7 pm to fall asleep at 10 pm. Don't think of melatonin as a sleeping pill; think of it as a sleep hormone, something that simply prepares your body for sleep by slowing heart rate, reducing body temperature, and reducing blood pressure. (You may need to modify the interval between taking melatonin and sleep, since individual responsiveness varies quite a bit.)

I also favor the sustained-release preparations, e.g., 5 mg sustained-release. Immediate-release, while it exerts a more rapid onset of sleep, allows you to wake up prematurely, The sustained-release preparations last longer and allow longer sleep.

The dose varies with age, with 1 mg effective in people younger than 40 years, higher doses of 3, 5, even 10 or 12 mg in older people. Sustained-release preparations also should be taken in slightly higher doses.

The only side-effect I've seen with melatonin is vivid, colorful dreams. Perhaps that's a plus!
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Comments (15) -

  • Jeanne Shepard

    5/10/2008 2:27:00 PM |

    I've hears that you can take melatonin too long, that is build up a tolerance.
    Any thoughts? I prefer it to other sleep aides, otherwise.

  • Anonymous

    5/10/2008 9:15:00 PM |

    After reading the article, I'm going to give melatonin a try.  Bought a bottle of 1mg tablets.

  • Michael

    5/10/2008 11:09:00 PM |

    I don't know if I have a weird body or something, but melatonin doesn't agree with me at all. It makes me a tiny bit groggy when I take it, but it turns me into a zombie the next day. Even small doses, like 1-2grams, basically makes me feel like I didn't sleep at all that night, and I feel crummy all day.

  • Jenny

    5/11/2008 11:33:00 AM |

    Dr. Davis,

    I have taken melantonin for many years and it helps me not only sleep, but get back to sleep if I wake up in the middle of the night.

    I've found a huge difference in the effectiveness of various company's pills. Trader Joe's for example, don't work for me at all. Schiff work very well.

    I was told years ago to take 1/4 of a pill for best results, and that is what I do. That works better than a larger amount for me.

  • Anne

    5/12/2008 1:10:00 AM |

    I have found melatonin to be very helpful. I go to sleep easily and I stay asleep. After I had bypass 8years ago, I was unable to sleep more than an 4-6 hours without Ambien. 8 months ago I started taking melatonin. It did not work right away, but after a few weeks I started to sleep very well and I have not had to restort to Ambien since. I take 3mg.

    I take 25mg metoprolol, a Beta blockers and found out that BB's decrease melatonin. Found this info through the internet, not my doctor.  

    My BP has been well controlled, even at night so I never checked to see if it went lower with melatonin.

  • Jeanne Shepard

    5/12/2008 3:24:00 AM |

    Jenny,

    Have you ever been told that you can't take it for a long period of time?
    I'd like to keep taking it, but was told not to.

    Jeanne

  • JohnN

    5/15/2008 2:01:00 AM |

    I have been taking melatonin for years and credit it with restorative sleep and general good health.
    Even so, my success rate is only about 70%. I discover that the amount of melatonin (in the blood) for a good night sleep (the desired effect) is a very small fraction of the oral dose that you can take. The difference is how the body (liver) metabolizes the substance. You really have to experiment to find the right dose for yourself; more is not better.
    For someone to try it for the very first time start at .1-.2 mg (a very small chunk of the tablet) and modify the dose accordingly.
    Do not think of it the same way as Ambien. It's best function is to ease you into sleep.
    Good luck.

  • Ann Theresa

    9/27/2008 1:59:00 PM |

    I am so hot at night that when I sleep, I wake up because of it.  I started taking my blood pressure upon waking and found it to be high.  160 or so over  90-95. I could feel the way my body felt. My blood pressure during the day is usually 115-120 over 70.  I knew I was peri menepausal, so the hormone thing was very suspect. After a lot of research, I decided to start taking 3 mg Melatonin. I checked with my doctor and he was catching up with me on his computer as we spoke.It was funny!  But anyway....I have been on these for about 3-4 weeks now and find that although I'm still warm when sleeping,  I am in a deeper sleep. My blood pressure now upon waking is about 123-125 over 82-83.  I have seen a significant improvement in lower blood pressure.  I will add that I have been walking daily and started taking a B complex also before bed.  I take my melatonin just before bedtime.  I have never had any problems with falling asleep. So the timing of use should be adjusted for when you need it.  I would much rather take this hormone than take the blood pressure medicine my doctor was so fast to offer.

  • Anonymous

    11/10/2008 7:54:00 PM |

    I swear by melatonin, and recommend the 5mg time release.  For me, it works best if I take it about 30 minutes before bedtime.  The time release eliminates the problems with waking up too early.

    The only time I have problems with feeling groggy is when I don't get enough sleep.  If you take it at midnight, then get up at 5 am, you're going to feel it.  If I know I'm not going to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep, I will skip the melatonin that night so I don't feel groggy.

    I have seen extreme differences in brands, so I think there is something to the comments about the quality of different manufacturers.

    I've never been told not to take it over long periods, but then I didn't ask a doctor about it.  I've noticed a slight tolerance if you take it all the time, so I sometimes will stop taking it for a while to break that cycle.

  • Improve Health Heart

    4/10/2009 3:43:00 PM |

    Hello.

    Your post looks quite interesting.. I never knew that Melatonin is a substance which has such uses.. I had heard of the term anywhere in any book but never took much interest in it..

    But your post spills out quite knowledgeable information definitely this much that it will hold my attention for a long long time..

    I also have a great interest in Heart related issue's and I have created a blog myself for it..

    I hope my posts will also help you gain some info..

  • Jonathan Byron

    4/22/2009 2:44:00 PM |

    There is some interesting research that suggests that melatonin is one factor that reduces insulin secretion at night.

  • TedHutchinson

    9/6/2009 6:26:07 PM |

    Oxidized-LDL and Fe3+
    /Ascorbic Acid-Induced Oxidative
    Modifications and Phosphatidylserine Exposure in Human
    Platelets are Reduced by Melatonin
    Abstract.
    Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) modifications and platelet activation are major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. When platelets are exposed to oxidative stress, they become activated. Oxidized LDL (ox-LDL) and metal-catalysed oxidation systems such as Fe3+/ascorbic acid increase free radical production.
    We wanted to verify whether melatonin has a protective effect against oxidative modifications and phosphatidylserine externalization in platelets induced by ox-LDL and Fe3+/ascorbic acid.....snip.... These data suggest that melatonin may protect platelets from iron overload-induced and ox-LDL-induced
    oxidative modifications and also from the triggering signals of apoptosis activation, possibly due to its scavenger effect on toxic free radicals.
    The full text of both abstract and paper are the link above.

  • Serg

    7/21/2010 5:52:26 PM |

    This article regarding Melatonin for high blood pressure? is very interesting and useful, blood pressure may affect your sexual activity, and this not only happen to older people as I used to believed, young people can also be affected so you may need  to buy viagra to help yourself on those situations.

  • buy jeans

    11/3/2010 4:54:14 PM |

    I also favor the sustained-release preparations, e.g., 5 mg sustained-release. Immediate-release, while it exerts a more rapid onset of sleep, allows you to wake up prematurely, The sustained-release preparations last longer and allow longer sleep.

  • mike

    2/22/2011 11:37:17 AM |

    One such remedy that has gained popularity in recent years is melatonin. Melatonin is a growth hormone naturally produced by the pineal gland in your brain. Melatonin hormones are secreted at night or in the dark and helps regulate the sleeping cycle. It is believed that melatonin may help the body know when it is time to go to sleep and when it's time to wake up. These days, melatonin can be taken in pill form to treat everything from jet lag to insomnia. However, like with all medications, there is the potential for serious melatonin side effects if take with other medications.

    Reference:
    melatonin usage consider your age

    melatonin side effects

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