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.

Plant-based or animal-based?

Plant-based or animal-based?

19. April 2010 William Davis (78)
The ideal diet for heart and overall health restricts carbohydrate intake. I say this because carbohydrates:

Make you fat--Carbohydrates increase visceral fat, in particular.
Increase triglycerides
Reduce HDL
Increase small LDL particles
Increase glycation of LDL
Increase blood pressure
Increase c-reactive protein

Reducing carbohydrates reverses all the above.

But here's a common mistake many people make when following a low-carbohydrate diet: Converting to a low-carb, high-animal product diet.

It accounts for a breakfast of a 3-egg omelette with cheese and butter, 4 strips of bacon, 2 sausages, cream in coffee. Low-carb? It certainly is. But it is a purely high-animal product, no-plant-based meal.

I believe a strong argument can be made that a low-carbohydrate but plant-based diet with animal products as the side dish is a better way to go.

Consider that:

1) Animal products have little to no fiber, while plant-based products like spinach, avocado, and walnuts and other raw nuts have substantial quantities.

2) Plant products are a source of polyphenols and flavonoids--This encompasses a large universe of nutrients, from epigallocatechins in tea, polymeric procyanidins from cocoa, to hydroxytyrosol from olives, and anthocyanins from red wine and eggplant. The inflow of these beneficial compounds needs to be frequent and generous, not piddly amounts taken infrequently.

3) Vitamin C--While it's easy to obtain, the fact that you and I need to obtain vitamin C from frequent ingestion of plant sources suggests that humans were meant to eat lots of plants. While it may require a few months of deficiency before your teeth fall out, imagine what low-grade deficiency can do over a long period.

4) Vitamin K1--Rich in green vegetables, vitamin K1 is virtually absent in animal products.

5) Tocotrienols--I've been watching the data on this fascinating family of powerful oil-soluble antioxidants unfold for 20 years. Tocotrienols come only from plants. (I recently had an extended conversation with the brilliant biochemist, Dr. Barrie Tan, who is incredibly knowledgeable about tocotrienols, having developed several methods of extraction from plants, including his discovery of the highly concentrated source, annatto. Be sure to watch for future conversations about tocotrienols.)

6) Meats and dairy yield a net acid load--While plant foods are net basic. At the very least, this yields risk for osteoporosis, since acids are ultimately buffered by basic calcium salts from the bones. Tissue and blood pH is a tightly regulated system; veering off just a teensy-weensy bit from the normal pH of 7.4 to an acidic pH of, say, 7.2, leads to . . . death. In short, pH control is very important. A net acid challenge from animal products is a lot like drinking carbonated soda, a huge acid challenge that leads to osteoporosis and other health issues.

Conversely, a pure plant-based diet has its own set of problems. Eating a pure plant-based diet can lead to deficiencies of vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids (no, linolenic acid from flaxseed will NOT cut it), vitamin K2, carnitine, and coenzyme Q10.

So, rather than a breakfast of 3-egg omelet with bacon, sausage, cream, and cheese, how about a handful of pecans, some blueberries, and a 2-egg omelet made with basil-olive oil pesto? Or a spinach salad with walnuts, feta cheese, and lots of olive oil?
Tags :

Comments (78) -

  • Jezwyn

    4/19/2010 12:02:43 AM |

    Really? You're trotting out the anti-carnivore rant again?
    Would you like to back up your claim that we somehow need fibre?
    Or polyphenols and flavonoids, and tocotrienols, in the absence of the oxidised situations they counter?
    Do you consider that Vitamin C is absorbed better when dietary glucose is minimised, as the two require the same uptake system and glucose will hog that system if it's present?
    If we need Vitamin K1, why didn't the Inuit suffer debilitating deficiencies?
    Why didn't they die young of bone fragility if their blood pH was truly so dangerously affected by acid load?

    It seems like your ideas here are based on unproven theories, not practical, clinical scientific demonstrations. If you'd like to link to studies demonstrating how individuals following a carnivorous diet (preferably one based on pastured, wild animals) suffer in the manner you've outlined, I'd love to read them.

    I really respect your blog and your efforts with helping your patients find lifestyles that work for them, but uninformed, unsupported posts like these are very disappointing.

  • John Phillip

    4/19/2010 1:10:41 AM |

    Absolutely correct, as always.  I switched from the Standard American Diet 5 years ago to a raw, plant based diet of dark green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, healthy fats and lean protein... no low carb, highly processed or over cooked meats. Totally eliminated wheat and corn based foods, and especially anything with HFCS. My blood sugar has dropped to below 100 1 and 2 hour post prandial and my A1C is 4.5.  Also, triglycerides are 50 and VAP shows mostly large LDL.  It really works, and I have seen it work for others who have followed the same program.  I write about it at my blog: myoptimalhealthresource.blogspot.com. Having read Dr. Davis for years, I would like to thank him for his spot on information!

  • Mike

    4/19/2010 1:29:43 AM |

    How about crushing a nice 10oz grass fed, organic, free range steak along with that salad, and then the whole debate of plant vs animal debate is moot?

  • Jenny

    4/19/2010 1:29:43 AM |

    It's a myth that eating a high animal protein low carb diet will cause bone loss. Studies do not support this.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16718399?dopt=Abstract

  • Anonymous

    4/19/2010 2:21:11 AM |

    to include more plant-based options in anyone's diet, this blog post from Chris Masterjohn seems to contradict your 6th point.

    So although I may arch an eyebrow at that point, I still agree that we shouldn't be consuming animal products ad libitum at the expense of plant-based options.

    Randy Watson

  • sr

    4/19/2010 3:57:51 AM |

    Do we really need fiber? I recall a chapter in Taubes' book saying that fiber doesn't do much for you if you're not constipated. And Vilhjalmur Stefansson went for 2 years without eating vegetables and had no problems with scurvy. Apparently anti-nutrients in carbs up our vitamin C requirements. If I recall correctly it uses the same GLUT transporters glucose does.

  • PRIDE MAFIA

    4/19/2010 4:23:35 AM |

    Lots of Carbs and  O-6 in nuts;this is good?

  • Alan

    4/19/2010 4:26:28 AM |

    No thanks.. I'll stick to the eggs meat and cheese and get plenty of Vit C in the process. You absolutely don't need plants in your diet, they aren't magic..

  • Gyan

    4/19/2010 5:35:30 AM |

    Vitamin-C can be supplied by raw green chillies.

    Is Vitamin-K1 required? I thought all vitamin-K1 does is to convert to K2.

    IS Fiber essential? if yes, then in what quantity?

  • Rick

    4/19/2010 5:58:42 AM |

    Dr Davis, Do the plant foods you list in your suggested breakfast menus at the end qualify as low carb?

  • David

    4/19/2010 6:40:59 AM |

    wow, I can just see the pro-animal fat nuts rushing to retort to this one... pardon the pun, but it's like red meat to a caged lion...

  • Ellen

    4/19/2010 9:52:51 AM |

    Actually, it wasn't UNTIL I ate more saturated fat (in the form of butter and coconut oil) that I saw a significant improvement in my HDL. Up until that point it was hovering around 50'ish. It shot up to 80 after incorporating the coconut oil. Unless you would consider coconut oil plant based even though it's mostly saturated fat?

    I sincerely attribute my improved HDL to saturated fat.

  • Torquemada

    4/19/2010 10:09:53 AM |

    but that... but that means we can't use low carb as an excuse to indulge in an orgy of gluttony with bacon, cheese mayo and steak.

  • Joachim

    4/19/2010 10:16:21 AM |

    Do you think eating a balanced plant/animal diet (low-carb) would be sufficient as an everyday diet/lifestyle?

    I've been doing a similar low-carb ketogenic diet the last 4-5 months and never felt better. I'm planning on doing the ketogenic diet again but my doctor and my girlfriend her dietician said that this diet is very bad for the liver and the cardiovascular system.

    The only drawback in my opinion is the lack of fruits in order to stay in keto.

    What's your take on this?

  • SamAbroad

    4/19/2010 11:14:39 AM |

    Oops, forgot to include the link to the paper:

    http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/71/3/682

  • Vlado

    4/19/2010 11:21:02 AM |

    I am on a fish diet where 50% of my calories are coming from it(wild salmon) and have finally gained an ideal weight but i also eat some fruits and dark chocolate as well.There is a lot to be said about acidity factor which means that we are meant to eat both heavy and light foods to balance. The most important omission from diet would be grains , processed foods and vegetable oils.

  • LeonRover

    4/19/2010 11:47:37 AM |

    I thought that one of the observations that explorer Steffansson made on the health of his Inuit hosts was the lack of scurvy in the settlement.

    I also believe that in the absence of plant food,it has been concluded that meat can supply sufficient Vitamin C to prevent scurvy.

    It seems to me that to conclude " that humans were meant to eat lots of plants" is a conclusion too far.

    I suggest that the "or" in your should not be read as "either/or" but the "logical or" meaning " one or both".

  • Tom M

    4/19/2010 1:29:13 PM |

    Utterly ridiculous suggestion. Regardless of all the details that have been covered by previous posters, do you consider eating modern fruit and vegetables to be 'in tune' with the way we were designed to eat?

    A plant based diet is only possible through modern means, mainly transportation. I'm sure American olive oil is fantastic.

    I really don't think you've thought this through. Where are the calories? Do you drink a pint of walnut oil a day? Keeping carbohydrates and  animal sources down leaves you incredibly limited.

    Lastly, the idea of a 'side dish' of meat is absurd. Picture the scene: Hunter Tom in England kills an Auroch, begins gorging on the bountiful fat surrounding it's kidneys but then remembers: 'oh, better stop, I have boiled nettles awaiting'.

    Get real, kids don't like vegetables for a reason.

  • Anonymous

    4/19/2010 1:41:04 PM |

    With the Inuit argument you should consider whether they consumed the gut contents of the animals they ate.

  • Stargazey

    4/19/2010 2:34:46 PM |

    So by this reasoning we should avoid fruits because of their citric acid content?

  • Gretchen

    4/19/2010 2:36:12 PM |

    Too many people assume that anyone on a LC diet is pigging out out on huge amounts of fatty meats and cheese, with no vegetables. This is simply not true.

    It's like criticizing someone on a low-fat diet by saying they're eating a breakfast consisting of two bowls of cereal, 3 cups of skim milk, 5 pieces of toast, 2 tablespoons of jam, and 3 glasses of OJ.

    If I choose to eat bacon and eggs, I'd have one poached egg with a quarter of a pat of butter, and 1 slice of bacon. Maybe 2.

    In your point 1 you're comparing spinach with meat. Apples and oranges. You need to compare a complete animal- protein-including meal with a complete animal-protein-lacking meal.

    Re point No. 2: you can get vitamin C from uncooked meat. Does this mean we're meant to eat uncooked meat?

    I eat plenty of LC vegetables. I just don't eat an all-vegetable meal because I need protein to stabilize my blood sugar and hold me until the next meal.

    It's very difficult to do a vegetarian LC diet because we need protein, and the usual vegetarian protein sources like beans and rice are too carby. The only exception is tofu, and one cannot live on tofu alone.

  • zach

    4/19/2010 3:05:36 PM |

    I totally disagree. The points on vitamin K and vitamin C are startling- very much at odds with my layman's research. Certain organ meats are sky high in vitamin C. The need for C also goes down on a low sugar diet. Conversion from K1 to the all important K2 is very poor in humans eating a plant based diet. Where is K2 MK4 found? Pastured eggs and dairy, seafood, organ meats, etc.

  • Kevin

    4/19/2010 3:05:36 PM |

    Ah, the voice of reason.  How the hell did you get in here?  

    Stuffing oneself with 5000 calories of fat every day made no sense when I was reading Atkins 15 years ago.  I think we evolved to be able to eat healthily using animal and vegetable sources.  Our modern health problems don't stem from anything more than excesses of everything.  Although it's much harder to ingest excess vegetables compared with meat.  

    kevin

  • Christopher Robbins

    4/19/2010 3:31:42 PM |

    The major problem I see in this recommendation is that without calorically dense, starchy carbs and/or a lot more fat it would be hard to take in enough calories. I can deal with the fat. Even Mark Sisson champions the Big Ass Salad. And Stephan at wholehealthsource has started including more veggies & carbs. I do think animal protein/fat should make up the bulk of the diet though.

  • Ellen

    4/19/2010 4:26:19 PM |

    Yeah, fiber's over-rated. So is olive oil. Olive oil never did *anything* for my lipid profile. Olive oil makes you fat.

  • Anonymous

    4/19/2010 4:44:00 PM |

    People evolves, even to feed on pasta: http://www.visitlimonesulgarda.com/index.asp?menu=13.58

    Thinking we're the same animal that fed on mammoths 10k years ago and that we have to eat that makes little sense.

    Thinking we all would react the same to an inuit diet, having inuits evolved for such a long time to survive where they live eating where they eat, makes no sense.

    There are many people on the planet that live health and diets vary a lot.

    Dr Davids, and anyone else for that matter, can only give pointers, but everyone has to find its own way to health and not expect it to be the same for every one and to be one single real truth.

    We are 6 billion mutants with 6 billion different ideal diets

  • Christine

    4/19/2010 4:46:00 PM |

    Now you're talking my language, Dr. D. Great post! I welcome more like this one. This reader wants to know everything you know on the subject of low carb plants vs high fat meat/dairy.

  • Chris Kresser

    4/19/2010 4:50:51 PM |

    Jezwyn, you took the words right out of my mouth.

    Let's see some proof for these claims.  You'll be hard-pressed to find it.

    Tell the Masai and Inuit that you need a diet high in plant foods to be healthy.

  • Ned Kock

    4/19/2010 4:56:23 PM |

    I tend to believe that a diet with plant AND animal products is at least quasi-optimal, in part for evolutionary reasons:

    http://healthcorrelator.blogspot.com/2010/02/lucy-was-vegetarian-and-sapiens.html

    But on the acid-base blood balance argument, there are a number of other issues to consider:

    - Lack of activity leads to bone demineralization, regardless of what you eat. Astronauts start losing bone mass soon after the start living in zero-gravity.

    - Higher protein intake is associated with higher dietary calcium absorption.

    - Higher serum levels of vitamin D are associated with increased serum calcium levels and bone mineralization. In fact, hypervitaminosis D leads to elevated serum calcium levels, even with low dietary calcium intake.

    - The Inuit, on a traditional diet of animal meat and fat, have among the lowest (if not THE lowest) rates of tooth decay in the world - and bone mineralization is correlated with teeth health (although the correlation is not 1).

  • Alan S David

    4/19/2010 5:03:46 PM |

    You describe my diet to a "t". Low animal products, lots of plant based. Low carb.So at 61, I am told I look in my 40's, rarely ( if ever) suffer from any of the common afflictions, and enjoy robust health. Gotta be something right about all this.
    Confirmed heavy animal products in your diet lead to all sorts of problems. Minimize them and you minimize the problems.

  • Dave, RN

    4/19/2010 6:18:31 PM |

    Aw man, you lose credibility when you publish stuff like this...

  • Anonymous

    4/19/2010 6:42:45 PM |

    I've been on a low carb diet for years, but my health was never so improved as when I finally cut all plant matter out of my diet.

    -Amber

  • schubie

    4/19/2010 7:09:33 PM |

    Is it my imagination or were the previous recommendations when I started reading this blog many months ago more evidenced-based pointing to specific studies, and lately they've been much shorter and more like "statements" of "fact" without any supporting documentation?

    I don't get it.

    Smells like someone's trying to court a little controversy to generate some buzz.

  • Martin Levac

    4/19/2010 7:40:56 PM |

    It's easy to forget the Stefansson all meat trial. It was supposed to answer all those questions and doubts about various deficiencies such as vitamin C or calcium. And it did in my view. So why does doubt still persist to this day?

    If you believe that you should eat plants, then go ahead an eat them. But for a PSA, stick to the facts.

  • Martin Levac

    4/19/2010 8:01:39 PM |

    Sorry, in my haste to bring an argument in favor of an all meat diet, I forgot this argument against a plant based diet.

    Dr Davis, you say "I believe a strong argument can be made that a low-carbohydrate but plant-based diet with animal products as the side dish is a better way to go."

    It's already been weighed and measured and found to be lacking. In comes Ancel Keys and his semi-starvation experiment. It is exactly the kind of diet you propose: Low carb plant-based diet with animal products as the side dish. The result? Emaciation and neurosis. But that was a low calorie diet, you say. And probably lacked many nutrients, you say. Yes and yes. In comes the Biosphere 2 project which tried to fix one of those problems by administering the full RDA in vitamins and minerals every day. The result? Still emaciation and neurosis but admittedly to a lesser extent. Maybe it would work with ample calories?

    I don't think it's merely a question of calories at this point. I think it's partly a question of essential nutrients found only in animal flesh. Or a question of the depleting nature of a high plant diet. In other words, eating a high plant diet requires more of those essential nutrients, including total calories, found only in animal flesh.

  • Anonymous

    4/19/2010 8:16:03 PM |

    Ok. I just found your blog. Now I'm really confused. These two questions I'd like answered:

    -Where do you agree/disagree with Esselstyn?

    -What am I supposed to feed my three year old. He eats oatmeal and fruit for breakfast? (It's supposed to be healthy!)

  • Aaron

    4/19/2010 8:21:16 PM |

    Great post -- and to the vegetable naysayers -- there is more evidence to suggest than not that veggies are a healthy addition one's diet.

    A low carb, non-veggie diet is an experiment -- "if" it turns out to be healthy, more power to it.

    In the mean time -- I'm sticking with the decent epistemological studies out there that support the use of veggies/fruit the diet.

  • pmpctek

    4/19/2010 8:50:19 PM |

    @ John Phillip,

    I accomplished all those milestones, plus my HDL is over 70 mg/dl, all on a heavy carnivore dominant diet. John, you curiously did not divulge your HDL level.

    @ Jenny,

    Agreed.  Myths are hard to kill.  This acid/alkaline theory of disease is clearly a long standing one.  

    Absence of renal and lung disease, the homeostatic mechanisms controlling the pH of our blood are incredibly robust and tightly regulated.  Even if you have poor regulation of bicarbonate concentrations in blood (dialysis patient) or you suffer from chronic respiratory acidosis (hyperventilation) it's not as though eating more plant foods and restricting meat and cheese will at all reverse the acidic condition these more serious underlying disturbances cause.

    Even if meat and cheese yields a heavy acid load, all that may result is slightly more acidic urine.  There is no credible evidence that proves the act of intentionally alkalizing your own urine by dietary restrictions prevents or treats any disease, makes you feel better, or anything else.

  • Scott Miller

    4/19/2010 10:52:37 PM |

    The evolutionary evidence indicates our paleolithic (pre-agriculture) ancestors ate a LOT of meat. It doesn't make any sense that meat is unhealthy to humans.

    And, the present-day evidence supports meat consumption, too.

    In my case, I've been on a ~10% carb diet (mostly salad and vegetable carbs, no grains, very little fruits) for 5+ years. My blood stats are outrageously healthy (at 48 yrs old). HDL = 98, trigs 47, VLDL = 4, C-RP = 0.2. A1c = 4.8.  I can go on and on. I look 10 years younger than I am, my VO2 max is 52 (and I do not do any cardio), bodyfat = 10%, and I have no arterial plaque.

    Sadly, I do not like seafood, so I eat red meat almost exclusively, plus a lot of coconut oil.

    I also take over 40 supplements a day, including K2 (K1 is far less effective, not sure why you like it more, versus the animal version of K), tocotrienols (agree these are amazing), and numerous supps that reduce glycation, inflammation, and brain degeneration.

    BTW, natural fed meats are greatly superior, but even grain fed meats are adequate. And red meat is healthier than chicken meat due to having significantly lower levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids.

  • thania

    4/19/2010 11:15:16 PM |

    I think in something so important as "nutrition", it is not possible to adopt an "one tooth paste menthality". It depends a lot on the environment, climate and hence the gut flora composition of each individual and the digestion issues.

    During the past year of being part of the low-carb, paleo/primal community. I have observed for some people eating plants even in small quantities cause bloating , gut discomfort and eliminating them and a carnivoros diet has almost saved their lives , are much healthier . On the other hand some of the fittest members eat huge amont of animal food + huge amont of plant food.

    As a mediterranean I am very used to eat plant food , and had concerns on eating VLC food due to acid/alkaline balance so did a bone densitometry through my traumatologist, to repeat it after 2 years feb 2010, and comparing the results ; there is a 10% bone density loss! Ofcourse in these 2 years of VLC I did a lot of mistakes with too much processed meat and LC junk foods at the beginning, and was an evolution towards the grass fed meat and realfood. And also the fact that a part from walking , I am quite sedentary too!

    For me never felt right to leave out the plant food so drasticaly when I was doing VLC,I can enjoy a nice juicy beef steak , but with a side of salad or some steamed veg , the joy is even more and feels much better on my guts and the BG levels.

    So is the matter of each personal biochemistry process and many factors influencing it.

    It is a question of indivitual trial and error and listening to ones body needs. Then decide to be carnivoros, VLC, plant based, animal based , paleo or primal.

  • David

    4/20/2010 12:14:26 AM |

    Dr. Davis,

    I'd definitely be interested if you personally see results with any of your patients taken delta gold. I've been taking it a year now. I'm just trusting the small clinical trials, and hope they are legit.

  • Dr. William Davis

    4/20/2010 12:50:56 AM |

    Maasai are plant-eaters as well as meat-eaters.

    Comment from Ethnobotany of the Loita Maasai   about the great "meat-eating Maasai" tribal culture:


    "Animals are kept both for economic reasons
    and as a source of food. Milk from cows, especially
    fermented, is the main traditional food of the
    Maasai. Herbal soup is an important part of the
    diet for most people, men and women alike, but
    especially for the warrior age group. It is taken as
    a health food by ordinary people and as a drug by
    warriors. Meat is usually eaten during ceremonies.
    Wild food, especially fruits, tubers, resins and
    roots, are still important, particularly to women
    and those taking care of animals in the field."

    Full-text here:http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001266/126660e.pdf

  • Dr. William Davis

    4/20/2010 12:52:24 AM |

    David--

    As we do not use tocotrienols in the program, we have no formal experience with it.

    However, having had an extended conversation with Dr. Barry Tan, I have to say it is worth looking at again, though my in-depth interest dates back nearly 20 years.

  • Chris Kresser

    4/20/2010 12:52:24 AM |

    The Masai may eat some animal foods, but they certainly aren't a "side dish" as you recommend.

  • Dr. William Davis

    4/20/2010 1:18:04 AM |

    Inuits eat lots of meats, but also eat plants.

    Dr. Weston Price on observing the eating habits of the Inuits during the first 20 years of the 20th century (before substantial Western influence on the Inuit diet took root):

    "The food of these Eskimos in their native state includes caribou, ground nuts which are gathered by mice and stored in caches, kelp which is gathered in season and stored for winter use, berries including cranberries which are preserved by freezing, blossoms of flowers preserved in seal oil, sorrel grass preserved in seal oil, and quantities of frozen fish. Another important food factor consists of the organs of the large animals of the sea, including certain layers of the skin of one of the species of whale, which was found to be very high in vitamin C."

    Organ meats and the fat of cold water creatures are indeed richer in vitamin C than muscle meat that we consume. When is the last time you ate muktuk?

  • Chris Kresser

    4/20/2010 1:19:22 AM |

    Oops, that should have read "The Masai may eat some plant foods, but they certainly aren't a side dish as you suggest."

  • Adolfo David

    4/20/2010 11:46:16 AM |

    I agree with a low carb diet based on animal and vegetal products, but I diagree with a so high fiber diet. See 'Fiber Menace' book, recommended by Weston Price Institute.

  • Helen

    4/20/2010 2:11:43 PM |

    Help for the nut-allergic, please.

  • Adolfo David

    4/20/2010 7:23:12 PM |

    Dr David and all, you have a interesting tocotrienols report in Nutraceutical Magazine september 2009, its about newest tocotrienol supplement formulation, in page 42

    http://www.nutraceuticalmag.com/NBT/pdf/2009/NBT_SO09.pdf

  • Maris

    4/21/2010 2:37:41 PM |

    You're right. so all in all, the key is to balance everything and place more emphasis in eating plant-based foods than animal products, specifically meat. I've tried a low-carb diet upon my doctor's reccomendation due to my hypertension, and although it's not easy at first(coz I'm used to eating lots of carbs), I got used to it after some time.

  • PJ

    4/22/2010 1:48:05 AM |

    You lost me on this one.

  • Marius

    4/22/2010 5:22:24 AM |

    This is getting ridiculous. Carbohydrates are evil and animal products are bad. Yum, I'm looking forward to my dinner of olive oil, carrots and five different types of nuts! The Auschwitz diet, it really works!

    We only became human because our ancestors included increasing amounts of meat and animal fat in their diet, which provided enough energy/EFAs for our brains to grow, which made us more intelligent and able to get even more meat and fat. Had they kept to their plant-based diet, we would still be swinging from the trees.

    That, and cooked tubers. As in, potatoes.

    What you are promoting on this site is anorexia and food phobias.I'm sure eating so little that your heart atrophies is super "heart healthy".

    The article seems to be supported by vegan myths and our modern cultural bias/squeamishness against meat more than scientifically established facts.

  • Cotton Yarn Manufacturer

    4/22/2010 7:55:47 AM |

    Other skins such as those from large animals such as horse and smaller animals such as ... Plant-based parchment: Parchment paper. thanks for sharing the information.

  • Mike Turco

    4/22/2010 4:13:11 PM |

    That is a really interesting line of thought, and plus, I'm an on-and-off reader of your blog and really respect your opinions. I've been on the meat and cheese mostly diet, along with the occasional veggies, nuts, berries, melons, etc. Its a good way to eat, for me, but hey its a boring diet and I've been wanting some change and variety for quite some time. I'm going to take a crack at switching things up for a while, in the way that you are suggesting, and see how that goes for me. I certainly don't see any harm in giving it a shot. I'll comment back at some time in the future, probably on another post, and let you know how it goes. Thanks again for your insight. -- Mike

  • Apolloswabbie

    4/23/2010 2:10:26 AM |

    Jezwyn - were you going to just borrow my thunder or steal it?

    Kidding - I could not have made those points as well or concisely as you did, thanks.

  • Apolloswabbie

    4/23/2010 2:15:42 AM |

    "Thinking we all would react the same to an inuit diet, having inuits evolved for such a long time to survive where they live eating where they eat, makes no sense."
    No, it doesn't, but when it actually happened, euros who lived/ate with the inuit reported more than once that they thrived.  This was tested in a hospital setting and confirmed.  In other words, we've more EVIDENCE that the Inuit diet was not beneficial because they were some genetic mutant - it was beneficial for humans in general.  

    Congnitive dissonance?  only if you've bought the unproved conjectures so rampant in the science of diet.

  • Anonymous

    4/25/2010 2:14:00 PM |

    I think the reaction to this article was predictable. If an atheist tells a person of faith that they are wasting their time with prayer and they should just get on with making the most of this life, very few would expect a capitulation by the religious. IMHO, diet is a lifestyle, like religion, and generally ruled by a hefty dose of emotion.  Having view points out there for people to make up their own minds is terrific.  But in the end we have to decide what we believe in.

    great work Dr. D. stay the course and the debate will be healthy..pun intended.

  • Kevin

    4/25/2010 6:08:13 PM |

    Anonymous said...
    "I think the reaction to this article was predictable. If an atheist tells a person of faith that they are wasting their time with prayer and they should just get on with making the most of this life, very few would expect a capitulation by the religious. IMHO, diet is a lifestyle, like religion, and generally ruled by a hefty dose of emotion. Having view points out there for people to make up their own minds is terrific. But in the end we have to decide what we believe in."

    I agree.  Unfortunately the emotion in any hotbutton issue leads the insecure to spew vitriole which makes it harder to stay connected to the dialogue.

    I'm hoping the doctor continues to espouse his viewpoint here.

  • DrStrange

    4/25/2010 8:24:23 PM |

    Just read thru all the posts and what a hilarious set of temper tantrums!  Since we live in modern times, we can easily supplement K2, D3, and omega 3 (I certainly do on plant based diet)(for omega 3 I take about 200 mg/day of plant source DHA drops).

    There are studies and there are studies and you have to actually read the details to see what they are measuring.  A little more fruits and veg than the crappy SAD, as in the study cited above, will have relatively little benefit though even at the amounts in the study there was a slight benefit.  Many Masai in fact were found to have plenty arteriosclerosis, just huge arteries from much more exercise than you or I will ever do.  Inuit skeletons do show severe osteoporosis and they tended to died young from hard living in a very tough and unforgiving environment.  Look around the rest of the world, aside from Inuit and Masai, all traditional cultures ate very small amounts of animal based foods and mostly plants.

    Personally, my blood sugars postprandial were running 175-200 for several hours. Switched to no animal fat and reduced fat and calories and they would still spike but stay up much shorter duration.  Currently I eat 100% plants, getting about 35% fat from unsalted, raw nuts and around 150-160 grams of carbs per day. Carbs and protein also coming from about 1 1/2 cups beans per day. Protein is about 15% of calories. My postprandial sugars stay under 110 and usually are under 100, even with a little fruit tossed in for dessert...  Everybody has to find their own way but you guys really need to read research more carefully.

  • DrStrange

    4/25/2010 10:29:42 PM |

    I had a doc tell me once he seldom if ever talked diet w/ patients as getting them to change was likely harder than getting them to change their religion!  I think that was cop-out as it is so important but a lot of truth there as well.

  • jandro

    4/27/2010 6:33:52 AM |

    Stefansson's meat only trial is not conclusive, X-rays were use to measure osteoporosis which only detects it once there has been a 30% reduction in bone mass. Obviously, you are not going to lose 30% of bone mass in a year. You can read more about it here: http://donmatesz.blogspot.com/2010/03/paleo-diet-ph-does-it-matter-part-vii.html

    There are also frozen eskimo skeletons that show severe osteoporosis in women that are only 30 years of age.

    Eskimos were pushed to a really extreme environment in which we certainly did not evolve. Why anyone would use their diet as a model diet blows my mind.

    We evolved in East Africa with dry and wet seasons. Warm all year round. It allowed for plenty of vegetation to grow, and for plenty of animals to thrive.  Tribes living in that region have a diet high in both animal and plant products. It's low in fructose and most of the carbs are coming from tubers (yielding a net alkaline effect). Some nuts may be used as well but not to the extent it was used in this post.

  • Martin Levac

    4/27/2010 6:52:18 PM |

    Is there an association between meat consumption and calcium excretion?

    Is there an association between calcium excretion and bone loss?

    Is there an association between meat consumption and bone loss?

  • DrStrange

    4/28/2010 1:05:51 AM |

    Depending on what studies you read, there is an association w/ higher protein intake and bone loss, particularly for animal protein though I think plant too.  Amino acids are acids and need buffering.  If necessary, body will take alkaline minerals from bone to do the job.

  • Contemplationist

    4/28/2010 6:10:17 AM |

    Indeed what about the evolutionary argument that our ancestors survived mostly on animal meat (and its fat) ?

  • Bonnie

    5/2/2010 8:49:36 PM |

    You confuse me.

    Yesterday I ate 4 eggs, a pint of cream, 4 tablespoons of butter, 3 pieces of bacon (with all the rendered fat), about 6 oz of fatty beef steak, and a tin of sardines. I also ate 1 serving of sprouted pumpkin seeds, 1 cup of orange juice, 1 serving of brussels sprouts and 2 servings of spinach. From this I got 97% of DRIs for vitamins and 91% of minerals (I use CRON-O-Meter) in under 2500 calories.  48 grams of carbs.

    I'm not finding it at all difficult to exceed minimums for vitamins and minerals found mostly in plant foods while still eating a low-carb animal-based diet.

  • DrStrange

    5/4/2010 12:41:14 PM |

    "Yesterday I ate 4 eggs, a pint of cream, 4 tablespoons of butter, 3 pieces of bacon (with all the rendered fat), about 6 oz of fatty beef steak, and a tin of sardines."

    Bonnie, have you no concern about GMO diary (hormone forced milk production), nitrites/added hormones/stress hormones in bacon, GMO corn and petro chem and drug residue in beef, etc? Or are all these from organic, free-range animals fed their natural diets?

  • DrStrange

    5/4/2010 12:49:18 PM |

    "Indeed what about the evolutionary argument that our ancestors survived mostly on animal meat (and its fat)?"

    Contemplationist, read this

    http://diabetesupdate.blogspot.com/2009/09/lets-not-twist-history-to-support-our.html

    From looking at the diet of contemporary hunter gatherers, an argument could be made that the ancestral diet contained a great deal of plants, as well as insects, small birds, lizards, etc.  The meat eaten was not the bulk or even the majority source of calories and it was all very very lean.

  • Anonymous

    5/4/2010 2:50:16 PM |

    His advice makes sense for the vegans and vegetarians and low-fatters.  A huge step up for them and, most importantly, it's very 'foodie' and will appeal to them.

    The animal-based diet, on the other hand, appeals to people like me who are lazy and therefore used to eat the SAD diet.  Dinner: grilled hamburger topped with butter, sea salt and blue cheese on top of microwaved spinach.  Five ingredients.  Takes me five minutes.

    The answer to "Plant-based or animal-based?" is "YES!"  Ditch the grains and we can discuss everything else later.

  • DrStrange

    5/5/2010 1:42:01 AM |

    "The animal-based diet, on the other hand, appeals to people like me who are lazy and therefore used to eat the SAD diet. Dinner: grilled hamburger topped with butter, sea salt and blue cheese on top of microwaved spinach. Five ingredients. Takes me five minutes."

    Took me about 15 max to make mine:  Pre-cooked beans from fridge plus huge pile of chopped veg in pressure cooker.  Up to pressure and run for 60-90 seconds.  Bring pressure down fast, dump in bowl, add some nuts/seeds, and eat.

  • jpatti

    5/7/2010 6:59:53 AM |

    We evolved as neither herbivores nor carnivores, we're omnivores.

    It's always been normal for humans to eat BOTH plant and animal foods.

    I think everyone should eat at least half their food, by volume, as nonstarchy vegetables and low-sugar fruits - a wide variety.  

    That being said, meat, dairy and eggs, if raised on pasture, are darned healthy foods.

    I think raw milk, pastured eggs and pasture-raised butter are some of the healthiest foods one could possibly eat.  

    And besides being a health food in itself, butter makes getting your veggies in much more palatable, so... an artichoke dipped in butter ought to make all of us happy.  It certainly makes me happy.  ;)  

    Bacon, if from healthy animals and just smoked as opposed to being pumped full of nitrites and nitrates, is a fine food.  

    And if we all ate enough wild-caught shellfish, you'd be hard pressed to find all these iodine deficiencies you've been noticing.

    Animal foods are not a problem so much as the US system of mass-raising animal foods in an extremely unhealthy manner is a problem.  

    See http://www.eatwild.com to find good local sources of meat, dairy and eggs.  

    IMO, the "right" answer to breakfast can be the omelet, cooked in butter, stuffed to overflowing with fried peppers,  onions and mushrooms, with a bit of grated cheese over the top.  

    Eating plenty of vegetables does not preclude eating animal foods.

    And really, you'd be pretty hard pressed to do low carb as a vegan and get anything like sufficient protein and fat.  A vegetarian, yes, if you eat lots of eggs and dairy, but a vegan, no.  

    This isn't an either/or scenario, we do best eating both.

  • lightcan

    5/7/2010 2:39:10 PM |

    We could argue and fight for ever, Drstrange.
    Stress hormones? As if the animals that humans used to kill went down happy and peaceful listening to Vivaldi. Are your vegetables all organic? And they do not contain any toxins or anti-nutrients, or nitrates, they also provide you with all the vitamins and minerals you need? Good for you. Oh, no, you need to supplement. Just as well you can afford to do it.

  • DrStrange

    5/8/2010 7:20:11 PM |

    lightcan, not sure what you are going on about.  Really.  I was referring to the lifetime of tissues saturated in stress hormones of  industrial, factory raised animals which I have boycotted since the early 70's when I found out how they were being treated even then! And what does any of that have to do with supplements?  I take some because I am old and a bit paranoid but am quite sure I would be fine without (excepting B-12 and D).  As for organic, yes, probably 95% at least and since I don't buy meat which is expensive (especially free range/grass fed or wild caught which is only meat I would eat when eating it) but rather cheap organic beans instead, I can afford it.

    Not fighting or arguing really at all. I have no "beef" against someone eating meat if they feel the need.  But the research I have read really does show that a diet based on bacon and butter and blue cheese is basically a death sentence.

  • lightcan

    5/11/2010 10:42:55 AM |

    I don't think that a diet based on butter, meat, fish, eggs and some greens is unhealthy. You think the opposite. I'm sure you can find studies that you think support your stance. That's why I said that there is a lot of debate going on, even between specialists, and asking people if their meat is organic and stress hormones free doesn't help.
    Many people who care about their health (those that read these blogs, you and I included) are trying to do their best until the definitive answers come in. It's really hard for the majority of people to find quality food exactly because of those pervasive industrial food practices you talk about.
    All the best.

  • Anonymous

    10/30/2010 11:53:05 PM |

    I eat 100% plant foods and I feel the same as when I ate both plant and animal foods, except I feel much better stopping the toxic fish - way too much mercury for me. I think eating plant foods is much more convenient. I even eat soy, and don't understand why there's so much anti-soy stuff online.

  • mirckur

    2/8/2011 3:49:28 AM |

    That is very good comment you shared.Thank you so chat much that for you shared those things with us.Im wishing you chat sohbet to carry on with ur achivments.All the best .

  • Anonymous

    2/22/2011 4:44:33 PM |

    Seriously, I am sick and tired of hearing "Low carb"  you don't mean low carb, you mean low grains don't you because plants are carbs..

    Say what you mean, not what is popular

  • jpatti

    6/18/2011 10:08:09 PM |

    The biggest issue with these guidelines is NOT what they say to adults, but the fact that they're taught in school to children.  

    I was in-between the 7 food groups and the pyramid, went to school with the 4 food groups myself.  Meat, dairy, grains, fruits & veggies.

    People still think this way, have to remind hubby all the time that corn is a grain not a veggie.  Point being, we both "think" in the four food groups, and probably will our whole lives.  

    We learned this stuff with our alphabet and arithmetic.

    Anyways, the answer to the question is BOTH.  

    We are OMNIVORES.  Look at your teeth: you're not a herbivore, and you're not a carnivore.

    IMO, when you sit down to eat, half your plate should contain nonstarchy veggies.  In my opinion, NONSTARCHY vegetables is an entire food group.  If I'd designed the pyramid, that'd be at the bottom.  

    This is not a veggie-based diet though.  Cause veggies are low calorie, and diets are defined as high fat or high carb or whatever, based on the percentage of calories.  So... you can eat EITHER a high carb or high fat diet with half your plate covered with nonstarchy veggies, as it depends on what's on the other half of your plate.

    IMO, at least another quarter of your plate should be good protein - pastured beef, pork and poultry, free-range eggs, raw milk and yogurt and kefir and raw cheese, nuts and seeds, and (if you can tolerate the carbs) legumes.  I define "good" protein as ones that don't have bad fats with them - so largely saturated and monosaturated fats, with minimal PUFAs.

    The only other "rules" are... do eat broth and other sources of gelatin, do eat fermented foods, don't eat HFCS and don't eat PUFAs/trans fats.  

    The rest varies with the person - if bg issues, should stick to lower carb, etc, if not, eat french fries, whatever.

    Cause... if you eat half your food as nonstarchy veggies and a quarter as good sources of protein, and get some good broth and fermented foods in weekly, eschew HFCS and PUFAs, even if the REST of your diet consists of nothing but hot fudge sundaes you'd be coming out ahead of the VAST MAJORITY of people.  

    Course, you're BETTER off if you eat some starchy vegetables and fruit in this other 25%, but... veggies and protein sources with good fats... these contains the vast majority of the micronutrients any of us get.  

    This is a simple enough system to teach to a small child, which is what I think the guidelines should be aiming for.

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