When you get your nutrition program really dialed in, your training program will work like magic.
One of the habits you need to get into is eating every 2-3 hours.
Meals are pretty easy to visualize:
Breakfast: Eggs, bacon, melon, sausage
Lunch: Chicken, Roast beef, spinach salad, carrots, bell pepper
Dinner: steak, salmon, broccoli, asparagus
But it’s harder to come up with good snack ideas. I mean, the time it takes to chew steak, spinach, and a bell pepper will use up a whole 15 minute break (and then you won’t even have a chance to pee!)
I was re-reading Primal Body-Primal Mind by Nora Gedgaudas and found a great list of primal snacks. Check them out, try a few, and leave a comment with your favorite healthy snacks!
Raw nuts (that have preferably first been soaked overnight in salt water, drained, rinsed, and dried in a 150 degree oven to eliminate phytates and trypsin inhibitors) including: macadamia, almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts
Hard boiled or deviled eggs (organic, free-range)
Sardines packed in olive oil (very rich in zinc and omega-3)
Tuna packed in olive oil
Tuna or chicken salad (w/o any macaroni)
Sliced seasoned avocado
Pate (no crackers or bread!)
Grass-fed liverwurst or braunschweiger sausage
Olives [note from Luke: Whole Foods in Reno has a great selection of olives!]
Cream cheese balls, herbed or plain, with an olive center
Coconut flakes
Green drinks (no sugar!)
Almond or other nut butter – NOT peanut or cashew (use celery sticks or a spoon)
Organic, full-fat cheese slices (preferably raw milk based) or a slice of brie (goat and/or sheep milk)
Homemade salmon jerky, beef jerky, or pemmican (see recipes in Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon) or a good homemade-style beef jerky sold at a natural foods-type meat counter
Raw veggies and homemade avocado dip or guacamole
Sliced turkey or roast beef rolled up with cheese or cream cheese
Lox or smoked salmon – with or without cream cheese
Shrimp cocktail with lemon
The secret: Fuel your body more often, not less. You don’t want to feel starved or deprived.
By fueling your body throughout the day you’ll keep your metabolism revving!
Maybe I’m just weird, but I don’t think Kim Kardashian is hot.
And she’s certainly not fit.
So when I caught this commercial where she endorses QuickTrim weight loss supplements, it made me sad.
The music makes me think of 70’s porn films (don’t ask me how I know that), as does the whispered voice over.
Then she shoves her chest at the camera and asks “How hot do you want to be?”
Quick note: QuicTrim didn’t give her those breasts. Sorry.
But since I’m curious by nature, I decided to check out the ingredient list and see just exactly WHAT so many people are putting in their bodies.
You can read the product info at: http://www.quicktrim.net/supplement_facts.html
Ok, the “burn and cleanse” capsules contain 400mg of caffeine – which is equal to 4 or 5 cups of coffee. They also contain black pepper and willow bark, both of which boost the potency of caffeine.
The caffeine in there is designed to raise your metabolism, but unless you burn a lot of calories while you jitter around, it won’t do much for your body.
There is also green tea extract, which might contain caffeine. Green tea in its liquid form is good for you, concentrated forms are not.
And since it might contain caffeine, along with all of the other sources and boosters in the pills, if you wash this down with a cup of coffee you could overdose on caffeine and really mess up your heart.
The “IsoCleanse and Flush” pills have TWO kinds of laxatives:
These pills are designed to speed up the movement of food through your intestines. And unless you’re severely constipated, this is a BAD IDEA.
You’ll get dehydration and diarrhea (“How hot do you want to be?”), plus loss of nutrients. On the bright side, you’ll weigh less. Your body fat won’t have changed, but you’ll be nice and sick.
And even better, your system will become dependent on these pills for bowel movements, so you’ll become constipated if you ever stop supplementing. You’ll also gain all the water weight back right away if you ever stop.
Bloated and constipated. (“How hot do you want to be?”)
These pills also have a lot of diuretics in them, which will cause even more water loss and dehydration, without leading to any fat loss.
Added bonus: The ingredients juniper berry, uva ursi, and horsetail extract all become toxic over time. Hooray!
Again, you’ll lose water weight, but not FAT weight. And you’ll put every ounce of it back on.
While you’re dehydrated from these pills some of the side effects may be:
extreme exhaustion
severe muscle cramps
memory loss
coma
kidney stones
kidney failure
bloating
seizures
The rest of the supplements in this system are just more of the same: laxatives, stimulants, and diuretics. Boooo.
Bottom line: These pills won’t help you lose weight, and they’ll do your body internal harm if you take them.
(Even flappers in the jazz age were taking weight loss pills. Check out how fat Jane became slim Jane!)
I used to have a t-shirt that said “Eat Like A Caveman”, but it got destroyed during a brutal tire-flipping workout
What is a primal diet? Basically, it is a way of eating that gives your body the foods it was designed to use, and gives you optimal health, fast fat loss, and tons of satisfaction.
I go deep into primal diets (and primal fat loss) in my nutrition seminars, too deep to cover here. Take a look at the list below.
Do you:
have any “diseases of civilization”? (diabetes, heart disease, obesity, etc)
have trouble losing weight?
get periods of low energy during the day?
ever suffer from emotional troubles? (ADD, depression, anxiety)
get acne, psoriasis, or other skin conditions?
If you answered yes to any of the questions above, you need to look into primal eating.
Check out this testimonial one of my personal trainer friends received on his website:
I’m 56 years old and have been a type 2 diabetic since I was 32. When diagnosed, I went on the American Diabetic Association exchange diet, which is 50%+ carbohydrates. Believe it or not, the diet worked for a while, because as high in carbs as it is, it was still fewer than I had been eating. Over the years I made an effort at taking care of myself, but medicines increased. At the first of this year I was injecting 10mcg of Byetta twice a day, 22 units of insulin at night, and taking 2 grams of metformin in the evenings. I was unable to predict what my body’s reaction to meals would be. I had frequent lows, because I was trying to maintain healthy blood sugars. I had been doing some studying – read Dr. Bernstein’s book, Taubes’ book, etc. Anyway on January 4th I began my first steps at becoming primal.
With my doctor’s consent, I discontinued the Byetta and began eating a low carb diet (he also agreed I could stop taking the statin I was on). Initially I was eating 90g of carbs or less a day. That soon dropped to 75g and now I am eating <50g a day. I had to start lowering my insulin dosage within two weeks and was off the insulin in 6 weeks. In 6 months I was off the Metformin, so I am now free of diabetes drugs, though I have not yet been able to get off some others. I have hope for the future. The only exercise I used to do was tai chi, which I enjoy a lot, but was not all I needed. I found out about burpees on this web site and began doing those as well. I also found out about grass-fed beef. I was able to locate a farmer about 75 miles from my home who raises and sells grass-fed beef and recently bought half a cow! I’m eating organic raw cheese. I have cut out artificial sweeteners with occasional lapses. I have cut out all grains and starchy vegetables. I do often have one square of a Lindt 85% cocoa bar – it is about 1.5 grams of sugar (never more than one in a day). Otherwise no sugar. No trans-fats. I find I am very sensitive to carbs so the only fruit I eat is berries, in small amounts. I have increased my fat intake in hopes of raising my HDLs, which historically have been < 30 most of the time. I have added coconut oil to my diet. My low testosterone had risen by 200+ points at my last check up. I hope for a further increase at the end of next week when I have another check up. If that happens, I can begin reducing the medicine I am on for that. I feel great and look forward to continued improvements in my health as time goes by. I wish I had known this 24 years ago.
After reading this, one of my clients asked me for a few resource recommendations for someone interested in learning more about the primal eating lifestyle.
The Vegetarian Myth
If, like me, people have tried to pound vegetarian arguments into your head, this book is a must read.
Lierre Keith was a hard-core vegetarian activist for 20 years, speaking at world conferences and being an advocate for vegetarianism however she could. Until she started to notice all of the health problems that vegetarians have.
(Did you know that 100% of anorexic and bulimic teenage girls start as vegetarians?)
In The Vegetarian Myth Keith looks at vegetarianism from health, political, and environmental standpoints and offers an alternative view: That we are designed to eat animals.
She describes her lifestyle – which is very primal in nature – and how she managed to make the decision to live cruelty free while still eating a healthy (primal) diet.
But be forewarned – Keith is also a feminist and doesn’t care who knows it. I really enjoyed the book, but it turned a few people I know off (both men and women). It won’t impact your nutrition education, but I don’t want any more angry emails
Bottom line: I read this book twice through in 2 days and keep it on my desk. If you’re interested in nutrition and health, get it.
Primal Body, Primal Mind
I’m going to be honest about this: I don’t understand this book’s subtitle. Main title? Easy. “Primal Body, Primal Mind.” Nora Gedgaudas is writing about having a healthy body and a healthy mind with primal nutrition.
It’s the subtitle that throws me: “Empower your total health the way evolution intended (…and didn’t)”
The “…and didn’t” is confusing. Oh well. That aside, this is a great book.
I use it as a reference manual more than anything. Want to know about nutrition and ADD? It’s there.
How magnesium and zinc support your total health? Right in the index.
This is another book I use as a desk reference.
Paleo Diet
This is a good all-around introduction to primal eating.
It’s an easy read (where Primal Body, Primal Mind is more technical).
I don’t like the focus on low-fat in the diet, but other than that, this book is a solid read.
Paleo Diet For Athletes
By “athletes,” the author is referring to endurance athletes such as marathoners and triathletes. The recommendations aren’t for strength and power sports like baseball, volleyball, or wrestling.
BUT, if you are involved in any endurance sports, this book is a goldmine.
The culture of endurance sports has lots and lots of high-carb supplements like powerbars and Clif bars that aren’t supporting health and optimal performance.
Here’s the deal: If you’re into distance biking or running, get this book. If you just want weight loss and health, you can skip it.
Neanderthin
This is the book most of my top trainer friends recommend for their clients.
For some reason, the info in this book is very easy to remember.
If you want to be a modern day hunter-gatherer, this book has all the goods.
The Primal Blueprint
Mark is THE MAN when it comes to a complete primal lifestyle. He can explain diet, exercise, and lifestyle without sounding like a froot loop. (Always a danger when writing about paleo diets!)
His ten primal commandments are excellent, and he lays down very clear guidelines, nothing vague.
If you only get one book off of this list, make it this one!
Good Calories, Bad Calories
This isn’t really a “primal” book per se, but it takes a very detached look at carbs and fat, and how they affect our health.
Taubes explains how the low fat, high carb diet came into the mainstream, as well as presenting a history of low carb diets that had info even I had never heard of!
It’s a little harder to read than other books on this page, but well well worth it.
Paleo Cookbooks
If you want to get started on Primal eating TODAY, these cookbooks are instant downloads.
They are what I use to try new recipes.
And guess what…. there’s COCOA!! That’s right, one of the add-ons is a book of primal dessert recipes.
Amazon doesn’t carry these, so you can check them out here: Paleo Cookbooks
That’s it for today! Pick one or all of these and get reading!
Lots of people ask me what I do to stay lean. They don’t believe I eat lots and lots of fat, never do aerobics, and stay away from grains like the plague.
A big part of my success is having a healthy breakfast every day.
And every morning it is almost exactly the same thing. My alarm goes off at four a.m., and by 4:15 I’m chopping vegetables for the day.
I call this monster the “Hyper-Veggie Scramble.” Since you never know what your day will bring, I like to “front-load” and try to get as many vegetables as possible in early. (Now remember, I’m 225 pounds. This is what I eat. You’ll probably want to cut the portions down some.)
Without further ado, here’s step-by-step photos and directions of how to make your own Hyper-Veggie Scramble!
Luke’s Awesome Breakfast Step One: Take Stock
Here’s what I use: asparagus, bell pepper, green onions, baby spinach, swiss cheese, eggs, and pico de gallo.
Luke’s Awesome Breakfast Step Two: Chop The Pepper
I prefer to use red bell peppers when I cook, because I really like the flavor and they’re full of health benefits.
Here’s a full blog post (including recipes!) about the virtues of the red bell pepper: Fit Body Fuel
Luke’s Awesome Breakfast Step 3: Chop The Asparagus
I usually use six stalks of asparagus with breakfast. The problem is, I grew up in Eastern Washington and used to be able to get super-fresh veggies that had just been cut. It makes a big difference in flavor.
First, cut off the fibrous base of the asparagus. Then chop it into tiny rounds.
Luke’s Awesome Breakfast Step 4: Chop The Onions
I get organic green onions at Raley’s or Whole Foods. They don’t add a lot of vitamins, but they are full of flavor.
Chop off the scraggly root parts, and the top of the greens. Then dice it all up!
Luke’s Awesome Breakfast Step 5: Start Cooking!
I put everything in a non-stick pan with high sides over medium-high heat. It’s very important that you keep everything moving through the whole cooking process, too long in one place and the veggies will burn.
While the peppers, onions, and asparagus are cooking, I measure out four cups of either spinach or mixed spring greens. If I use greens, I chop them first so they don’t make big lumps in the eggs.
Luke’s Awesome Breakfast Step 6: Add The Spinach
When the peppers are cooked through, toss in the spinach and stir it all up. I flip everything over so that the spinach hits the hot pan.
It looks like a lot in the picture above, but check out the difference in volume once it cooks down:
Luke’s Awesome Breakfast Step 7: Eggs!
I eat five eggs with breakfast. As to the eggs, I get local when I can. Eggs from chickens running around a farm are a lot healthier than eggs for a chicken with no beak that was fed chemicals. If there are no local eggs to be had, I get omega-3 eggs or at the very least, cage-free eggs.
Luke’s Awesome Breakfast Step 8: Yum, Cheese
The cheese is the only non-paleolithic food in this dish, but it is so delicious I make an exception.
Once the eggs are almost done, I tear up a slice of cheese and stir it in. (Swiss goes great with the eggs and asparagus!)
Luke’s Awesome Breakfast Step 9: Toppings
Dump everything out on a plate (mine are black, everything looks more slimming in black and top with either pico de gallo or garlic salt.
Luke’s Awesome Breakfast Step 10: Eat!
Enjoy! My little sister laughs that it only takes me 5 minutes to clear my plate, but it’s so delicious I can’t slow down!
Give this recipe a try when you want something quick, healthy, and tasty!
Everyone complains about their metabolism “slowing down.”
I get messages every day from people who have a “slow metabolism” as their excuse for not losing weight.
So today I thought I’d shed light on what your metabolism really is, and how to get it more revved up than a Jack Russell on Amphetamines.
What does metabolism mean, anyway?
Here’s wikipedia’s definition: “Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in living organisms to maintain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories. Catabolism breaks down organic matter, for example to harvest energy in cellular respiration. Anabolism uses energy to construct components of cells such as proteins and nucleic acids.”
Basically, the sum of all buildups and breakdowns happening in your body.
Now, if you’re reading a blog about fat loss and fitness, we can probably skip all the boring stuff about nucleic acids.
Here we are interested in one thing: CALORIE BURNING.
Your body burns calories through the 4 components of metabolism: the calories it takes to keep you alive, the calories you burn by exercising, the calories you burn through eating, and a tiny bit of calories burned according to your genetic makeup.
1) Wold Fitness Metabolism Component Number One: Keeping Your Butt Alive
When I was studying exercise science in college, we spent a lot of time studying your Resting Metabolic Rate (or RMR).
I always explain RMR as the calories you would burn if you spent all day in bed. The energy would be used for pumping blood, repairing muscles and organs, thinking, etc.
Your RMR is the bulk of the calories you burn every day, about 50-75%.
Because this is such a large chunk of the calories you burn every day, it makes sense to spend the most time focused on this, right?
And the way you can rev up your resting metabolic rate the fastest is to do two things:
Build up more lean, toned muscle
Activate your muscles to spend more energy in repair while you’re resting
During one study in college I slept in the exercise science lab hooked up to an open circuit spirometer to measure how many calories I burned while sleeping. It turned out that I had so much lean muscle at the time that I would have burned just over 4,300 Calories if I had spent the entire day in bed!
Now, I was a big muscular dude, so this number was off the charts. Mostly we were trying to see how many Calories lean muscle would add to your daily metabolic burn. It’s a lot. Most exercise physiology textbooks have settled on a simple formula:
One Pound Of Muscle = 50 Calories Burned Daily
So if you switch out one pound of muscle for one pound of fat, you would weigh exactly the same, but burn an extra 50 calories a day!
And the second way to raise your resting metabolic burn is to activate what muscle you have to burn a bit more calories every day.
I call this Firestorm Training (You can see a sample training Firestorm program here: 6 Week Workout For Fat Loss).
Studies have found that training to activate your lean muscle will keep you burning calories for a day and a half after your workout!
Why? Well, if you remember above, a big part of your resting metabolic rate is repairing your muscles. If you train really hard ON THE RIGHT PROGRAM, you’ll get just the right amount of breakdown for you metabolism to fix.
And then you’ll keep burning calories long after you’ve left the gym.
Wold Fitness Metabolism Component Number Two: Keeping Your Butt Moving
Every time you move, you fuel your muscles with calories. Otherwise they wouldn’t have the energy to contract.
The scientastic name for this part of your metabolism is Physical Activity Level (or PAL).
Your PAL is about 10-30% of your daily metabolic burn. If you exercise you’re obviously going to burn more calories than if you don’t.
Of course, this isn’t just exercise at the gym. This is any physical activity. Walking the dog, climbing the stairs, running from the cops, all count as part of your PAL metabolic burn.
When you get right down to it, the more you move, the better your body is going to be.
Wold Fitness Metabolism Component Number Three: Keeping Your Butt Fed
One of the coolest ways your metabolism burns calories is with the Thermic Effect of Feeding (TEF).
This is the energy you use chewing, digesting, transporting, and eliminating food in your body.
TEF is about 5-15% of your daily metabolism, depending on if you know how to maximize the benefits of your eating plan.
The two best ways to boost your thermic effect of feeding metabolic burn are to:
Eat better foods (ex: broccoli “costs” more than wheat)
Eat more often (this alone will change your body shape)
A great study of Japanese boxers showed the power of the Thermic Effect Of Feeding:
The boxers were divided into two groups. Both were fed 800 Calories a day. They trained like maniacs (boxers are crazy!). One group ate twice a day, the other ate 5 times a day.
So the only difference was in meal frequency. After 14 days, both groups had lost the same amount of weight – 15 pounds.
The group that ate twice a day lost 13 pounds of muscle, 2 pounds of fat. The group that ate 5 times a day lost 13 pounds of fat, 2 pounds of muscle.
Which group is going to keep their strength, health, and metabolism? The ones that lost fat instead of muscle, of course!
Eating healthy foods more often is the key to maximizing your Thermic Effect of Feeding.
Wold Fitness Metabolism Component Number Four: Your Genes
Something called Nonexercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) is up to 5% of your daily calorie burn.
Unless they make a big breakthrough in stem cells, there isn’t anything you can do to change this, so we don’t focus much on NEAT.
I just wanted you to know it’s there
The Wold Fitness Metabolism Big Idea Of The Day
A “slow metabolism” just means you aren’t taking care of the three main components of your metabolism we looked at today.
Why does your metabolism “slow down”? Usually it means you’re moving less, not keeping your lean, toned muscle, and eating the wrong foods at the wrong time.
You can totally kick your metabolism in the butt and get it in gear.
Back in the day I was drinking at least a gallon of soy milk every day.
I needed the extra calories to fuel my super-heavy powerlifting workouts, and I thought soy would be a healthier choice.
Lots of people told me that soy is an inferior protein, can mess with your hormones, can create food allergies, blah blah blah.
One morning I was chugging soy milk straight out of the carton after a tough squat workout and my chest started hurting. I shrugged it off, figuring it was some sort of strain and would work itself out.
The next day my nipples were so sore it hurt to put on a shirt. And it just got worse. Every day it hurt more and more and there was starting to be some swelling.
Now, you don’t tell a bunch of hardcore powerlifters you think you’re growing breasts, so I couldn’t ask my training partners what they thought was going on. Luckily, I was doing an internship as a strength and conditioning coach for the US Ski team right after they got back from Torino.
I called one of their trainers and told him what was happening. He only asked me one question: “Do you eat a lot of soy?”
Well, yeah.
“Switch to goat milk and quit all soy foods and supplements. You’ll get better.”
Really?
“Yes, really.”
I followed his advice and in a week the swelling was gone and in another few days the pain was gone too! Yes!
After this little adventure I found out people had been right all along. Soy is an inferior protein, can mess with your hormones, can create food allergies, blah blah blah.
For men and women alike, soy can really mess you up. In The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability by Lierre Keith, she talks first hand about her experiences with soy overdose. And she tells the story of a friend of hers so jacked up by soy that she has all but lost her short-term memory. (And for men, well, my story should scare you off of soy)
Soy has never been given the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status by the FDA. Yikes!
Soy contains hemagluttinins that cause your red blood cells to form clots.
Soy disrupts your thyroid and can cause obesity, dry skin, brittle hair, low blood pressure, slow pulse, depressed muscles, feeling cold all of the time, goiters, and generally slow down all of your body’s systems.
Despite what the commercials say, soy is NOT a complete protein. It is missing lysine, an essential amino acid.
There are high levels of phytic acid in soy. This keeps you from absorbing calcium, copper, magnesium, iron, and zinc. This acid isn’t neutralized by sprouting, soaking, and slow cooking. It also causes growth problems in kids. Boooo soy!
Soy interferes with protein digestion (trypsin inhibitors, if you want to google it). This may cause your pancreas to misfire and cause stunted growth of your pancreatic cells.
Soy disrupts your endocrine system and can cause infertility.
The phytoestrogens in soy damage your thyroid and will slow down your entire system. (Hypothyroidism makes it EXTREMELY difficult to lose any body fat!)
Vitamin B12, which keeps your brain functioning, is not absorbed when you eat soy. In fact, soy actually INCREASES your body’s need for B12!
Soy makes you need more Vitamin D, and you’re already not getting enough.
Processed soy protein is both toxic (lysinoalanine) and carcinogenic (nitrosamines)
During processing of soy Free Glutamic Acid is formed, which is a big-time neurotoxin.
Foods made with soy are high in ALUMINUM, which is toxic to your kidneys and nervous system.
Eating soy foods makes you more likely to have kidney stones.
For Parents:
If your baby drinks soy formula, it’s own body will be programmed to attack it’s thyroid for the rest of its life.
Babies fed soy infant formula have estradiol levels up to TWENTY-TWO THOUSAND TIMES higher than babies on milk formulas. This is like feeding your infant at least five birth control pills a day.
The estrogens in soy pass through the placenta and will cause SEVERE malformations and a loss of functional ability that will last a lifetime.
Soy messes up the testosterone of male infants resulting in inhibited male characteristics and sex organs.
Soy messes up leutinizing hormones which will jack up brain and reproductive tract development in both males and females.
50% of girl infants who are exposed to soy foods end up with a malformed reproductive tract.
Soy speeds the rate of female maturation. Girls enter puberty earlier than they should. One percent start getting breasts and pubic hair before the age of 3. 14.7% of Caucasian and 50% of African Americans by the age of 8. (They aren’t mentally ready for their body to start changing!)
For Women:
Eating soy increases your risk for estrogen-dependent cancers. (Examples of estrogen-dependent cancers are breast cancer, colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer, and ovarian cancer)
More on cancer: The National Center for Toxicological Research says that soy consumption is a very significant risk factor for breast cancer.
Cancer again: Women using soy protein supplements have increased epithelial hyperplasia – a precursor of… Cancer!
Consumption of soy isoflavones (what the soy marketers tell us are the best part of soy!) causes breast cells to enter into malignant cycles.
Soy will mess up your menstrual cycle.
For Men:
Soy causes decreased testosterone levels and suppressed libido.
Soy is decidedly linked to Alzheimer’s in men.
And guess what? Soy can actually cause a man to start growing breasts! Seriously.
I expect a few jokes, but that is what was starting to happen when I was on my soy diet. I’m scared to think of what would have happened if the rest of my diet and exercise wasn’t on check.
The Bottom Line:
No matter what I say or do, soy is going to keep on being pimped as a super-healthy food and protein source.
Is is going to be added to many foods and supplements.
The only thing you can do is avoid it. You should be reading food labels anyway, so just make sure you don’t see the word SOY anywhere in the ingredients.
Insulin DIRECTLY affects your weight, health, and shape. It’s a pain in the butt to describe and define every part of the process (I know because I was tested on it weekly until I got it!)
So here’s a quick and dirty introduction to insulin…
THE BASICS
Sugar is very sharp. And when it bounces around in your bloodstream it can cause a lot of small cuts and scrapes. Platelets stick to the cuts and that is when you start to get blockages in your arteries.
Insulin is a storage hormone released by your pancreas. Your body wants to protect itself from all of the sharp little sugar crystals bouncing around so it unleashes the insulin.
The insulin then “sweeps up” all of the sugar and shoves it wherever there is any storage room. If your muscles and liver can’t store any more sugar, your liver converts all of the extra into triglycerides and sends it to fat cells for storage. (Like kicking all of the dirty laundry behind your door – pretty soon the pile gets HUGE!)
A LITTLE MORE…
Insulin really delivers nutrients to all cells, but we’re going to look at liver, muscle, and fat cells. When everything is working right, cell receptors use insulin as a sort of “key” to unlock gateways in cell membranes. With those gates open, nutrients can be stored and used in the cell, it also eliminates extra sugar from your bloodstream.
What happens when you follow the Standard American Diet (SAD) and eat too many grains and processed carbs? You produce too much insulin over time.
Remember when I said that there was only a little bit of storage room for sugar in your muscles and liver? Most people can only store 400grams. When that is “topped off,” any glucose in your blood that isn’t being used immediately (during a fitness bootcamp, for example) is converted into fat and stored.
With high insulin levels, your fat cells not only store extra glucose, they also store all of the fat you ate at your last meal. And here’s the kicker – HIGH INSULIN IS A SIGNAL FOR FAT CELLS TO HOLD ONTO FAT AND NOT RELEASE IT.
If you keep producing too much insulin, the pattern continues and you gain fat. A LOT of fat.
Then it happens: your cells start to become insulin resistant. (Especially if you don’t exercise) Insulin is a “key” to open gateways in cell membranes. But when you are insulin resistant, the KEY DOESN’T FIT!
Someone who doesn’t exercise never calls on their glycogen stores, so they constantly have a full tank of liver and muscle glycogen. With the lack of exercise their cells are very bad at burning and “restocking” energy from food, so all carbs and fats go directly to the liver to be turned into fat. Do not pass Go, Do not collect $200.
Soon, even fat cells resist more storage. And when that happens, you have no more defense against the havoc carbs will wreak on your body.
That is when diabetes, heart attacks, blindness, amputations, and other health disasters happen.
To burn stored glycogen and fat, the best thing to do is EXERCISE. Dietary changes alone won’t work at this point: The genes responsible for the “locks” in your cell membranes turn themselves off to protect against the insulin in your bloodstream.
When your liver becomes insulin resistant, your situation gets even worse. If glucose isn’t absorbed by your liver, some cells in your liver sends out a signal that they REALLY wants glucose. Then, other cells in your liver dump EVEN MORE sugar into your bloodstream, even though there’s already too much!
And when the “double dose” of blood sugar bounces off insulin resistant cells and gets stored as fat. Unless your fat cells are FULL, then you start in on glucose toxicity – sugar poisoning.
AND A BIT OF GOOD NEWS!
When you control your insulin levels with a low-carb diet and frequent exercise, these “locks” actually become INSULIN SENSITIVE. And then you are MORE effective at absorbing nutrients transported by insulin. Awesome!
PLUS – Controlling insulin tells your genes to make more receptor sites, making you even more effective at absorbing nutrients!
BACK TO THE BAD NEWS: SOME CONSEQUENCES OF INSULIN RESISTANCE
Fat cells get bigger and fatter. This means YOU get bigger and fatter.
Fat cells can’t release energy to be used as fuel, because the insulin keeps the fat locked up.
Glucose (sugar) stays in your blood longer where it can cut up your blood vessels and randomly bind with important protein molecules, rendering them useless for your body processes. This results in increased inflammation, circulatory problems, and nerve damage.
Your pancreas works to produce more and more insulin – until it gets exhausted and shuts down. Then you’re DEPENDENT on insulin injections for the rest of your life.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY
There isn’t a “one day” cure for insulin resistance. The very first thing you need to do is cut out flour and sugar.
This means no bread, no english muffins, no waffles, no pancakes, no buns, nothing that has any flour. I don’t care if it says “100% whole wheat” on it. It will still break down into 100% whole blood sugar. Don’t eat it.
Cutting out modern carbohydrates like grains and sugar will help you control insulin and help you lose fat – both of which will improve insulin sensitivity (good thing). Learn more about carb cravings in this post: Sugar Cravings Taking Over Your Brain!
The second thing to do is start a structured exercise program – NOT random acts of aerobics. Here is a VERY simple metabolism boosting workout you can do almost anywhere: 10 Minute Workout
If you want to get into great shape then you’ll be interested to know that 80% of your fitness results are attributed to your diet.
In our fast-paced society, eating is often done with little or no thought as to what exactly it is being ingested. Excess body fat is a direct outcome of this hurried, poor nutrition. Even if you have the best intentions with your diet, you are likely frustrated and fed up with extra pounds.
I don’t blame you for being confused about what you should eat. The media surely doesn’t help. One day the talking heads want you to give up all fats. The next day carbs are the culprit, and then acai berries become the holy grail of weight loss.
The food manufacturers increase confusion by printing misleading labels and bogus health claims.
Sometimes it seems like the whole system is set up to confuse and frustrate us into buying the latest and greatest packaged food.
The bottom line is that your physique is largely a result of what you eat, so the foods that you put into your body should be carefully selected.
It’s time to re-examine what you eat.
It all starts with reading nutritional labels. The nutritional content and ingredient list will give you everything you need to know about the quality of the food item.
I’ve outlined 5 ingredients that should raise a red flag when you turn over that package and find them listed:
Red Flagged Ingredient #1: High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
HFCS is a manmade sugar, derived predominantly from genetically modified corn. The sweet concoction has been shown to promote binges and hysterical hunger, and wrecks havoc on your blood sugar levels, promoting fat storage.
The introduction of HFCS into our food supply directly paralleled a 47% spike in Type 2 Diabetes cases as well as an 80% increase in obesity. Food manufacturers use HFCS in many mainstream products, including the following:
Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats have undergone such extensive processing that the chemical structure has changed from a “cis” shape, which the human body recognizes and utilizes, to a “trans” shape, which is foreign and destructive to human physiology.
Check each food label for the word ‘hydrogenated’ and avoid it diligently. Cutting out hydrogenated fats is a simple set towards looking and feeling your best.
Red Flagged Ingredient #3: Aspartame
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that was denied 8 times by the FDA before being approved in 1973. Many scientists objected the approval, claiming that aspartame hadn’t been proven safe for use as a food additive.
MIT neuroscientist, Richard Wurtman, researched the effects of aspartame and concluded that it promotes cravings for foods high in calories and carbohydrates. Though aspartame is calorie-free it still causes insulin to be released, which job is to stow away sugar – when this sugar is not available, the result is often hypoglycemia and severe hunger. Not exactly a recipe for weight loss.
Red Flagged Ingredient #4: White Sugar
White sugar comes from the juice of a sugar cane plant that has undergone an intensive refining process. In this process all of the enzymes, fiber, vitamins and minerals are destroyed, rendering it nutritionally void. White sugar is also extremely high in calories, which your body loves to store away in fat cells.
Refined sugar has been linked to a weakened immune system, hyperactivity, ADD, mental and emotional disorders, dental cavities, hypoglycemia, enlargement of the liver and kidneys, and an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain. All that and it leads to weight gain.
Red Flagged Ingredient #5: White Flour
White flour comes from natural whole wheat that has been stripped of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. This results in a nutritionally void product that is packed with calories that release quickly into your system, creating a spike in blood sugar. As you know, this promotes fat storage and leads to hysterical hunger and cravings. You don’t need that.
Once you cut these 5 items out of your diet, you’ll be pleased with the results. Expect to lose weight, to have more energy and to feel better than you have in a long time.
If you’re serious about looking and feeling your best through purifying your diet, then focus on eating real food items. Real foods include lean meats, vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts and seeds.
Would you like to expedite your fitness and weight loss results? Email today to get started on a fitness program that will quickly transform your body.
Remember, while nutrition is vitally important for weight loss, true results are achieved through a combination of both nutrition and challenging, progressive exercise.
You’re about to read a great post by my friend Dr. Daniel Chong. When I saw it on his blog I HAD to ask him if I could share it with you. (The words are his, the goofy pictures are mine – hope you don’t mind, Daniel!)
Without further ado… here’s Dr. Chong!
Everyone is human.
Myself included.
Lately, I’ve been drinking coffee. Of course it’s organic and I only have one cup a few times a week, but it’s still the dreaded COFFEEEEE (supposed to look spooky) that I learned in naturopathic school is something akin to devil water, especially if you have adrenal stress.
I admit, I have, at various times in the past, asked my patients to stop drinking this stuff. It is very dehydrating and can lead to mineral imbalances and even constipation if consumed excessively. It can also overstimulate a tired person, giving them a false sense of ‘energy’ when really they should be feeling so horribly fatigued that the only viable option for them should be a nap.
AND- It stains your teeth!
These are not good things.
Why then do I drink it sometimes? Why then have I recently adopted more of a lenient attitude about this beverage with my patients (and myself)? Well, a couple of reasons.
For one thing, as I mentioned already, I’m human. So are most of my patients.
Being human, amongst other things, means we are typically unable to maintain a perfect diet and lifestyle 100% of the time, especially if our lives are so crazy that we have no choice but to become so tired that even though we should (correction- we HAVE to) take a nap, we can’t.
What are we all supposed to do then? Drinking green tea would a MUCH better idea if we needed a bit of caffeine pick-me-up, but green tea doesn’t taste like coffee. So some of us, addicted as we are to its lovely flavor and aroma, will keep on drinking it, regardless of what I or anyone else tells them.
The point of this post then is this- For various reasons, some better than others, many of us feel as though we need a vice- some ‘bad’ habit or another that is less than perfectly healthy but makes us feel good. And so, I have come to realize that my job is not only to teach you about the healthiest possible things you can do in your life, but also to teach you about the healthiest UN-healthy things you can do in your life.
In other words, I know many of you think I’m a perfectionist when it comes to health, but I’m trying to be a realist here OK people? I know that this world is FULL of unhealthy things, many of which smell good, look good, taste good and can even make you feel good. These are attractive attributes, especially for someone who is so wiped out and worn down they don’t smell good, look good, taste good OR feel good! So, I’ve come up with a short list of the healthiest options out there for a good old fashioned vice.
Here is my list:
Coffee
Dark Chocolate
Red Wine
What, no doughnuts? No french fries? Come on people, this isn’t a free for all. There actually has to be some benefit to be had here. (I know, I know, “But french fries are made from potatoes, and potatoes are VEGETABLES!” Blah, blah, blah. I’ve heard it all before.)
Coffee
So you are already familiar with some of the negative attributes of coffee. Well, there may be some other ones that are potentially much worse, but for the most part the jury is still out. You see, while some studies suggest that coffee could actually contribute to heart disease, cancer and osteoporosis, other studies show just the opposite, like this one and this one.
All that being said, coffee is still my least favorite vice, mainly because people tend to drink it (or “need it” as some of my patients like to say) when they really shouldn’t, ie when they are wiped out and need a nap! If this is you, try the nap- it’s cheaper and healthier. However, if you are basically healthy and just like the taste and the gentle pick me up it provides you, I don’t really have a problem with it. I would, however, recommend always drinking an extra cup of water and making sure you are taking regular amounts of magnesium and other minerals to help compensate for some of the potential negative effects.
Dark Chocolate
Yummy.
High in powerful, disease preventing antioxidants.
Good fat source.
Lowers blood pressure and reduces stroke risk.
Potential aphrodisiac.
‘Nuff said.
Red Wine
There is rapidly growing list of the likely health benefits to be had from consuming alcohol in moderation, in particular red wine. In fact, when consumed in moderation (1-2 small glasses per day) this is probably my favorite, “healthy” vice of all for most people.
The simple fact that red wine is high in resveratrol, perhaps one of the most health-benefiting antioxidants to be discovered yet, is good enough for me. But now, even the big boys in the health care industry are starting to sing its praises.
Conclusion
So, should we all just skip the exercise, sleep and organic whole foods eaten in a more ‘primal way’ and instead just eat chocolate, and alternate between cups of coffee and red wine?
Funny enough, if you did you’d probably still be better off than the average American, but obviously I jest.
The idea instead would be to do the exercise, get the good sleep and eat really good foods in a primal way, AND THEN feel free to dabble in a few, higher quality vices like these.
Adios from one human to another…..
Dr Daniel Chong is a family physician who enjoys treating people of all ages, with a wide variety of ailments. Over time, he has also developed a keen interest in the treatment of chronic health conditions. His passion is to combine what he calls treating his patients the “old fashioned way”, with cutting edge advancements in functional diagnosis, nutritional and herbal medicine. In addition to his private, clinical practice, he also offers his services via online and telephone consultations.
Dr. Chong is a 2000 graduate of the National College of Natural Medicine, in Portland, an active member of the Oregon Association of Naturopathic Physicians, and is licensed as a primary healthcare provider in the state of Oregon. He can be contacted at www.SeekHealth.net.
Print out this page and keep the quiz for your records.
Are you an emotional eater? (I’ve written about this before: Emotional Eating)
If you think your emotions are making you overeat, this quiz will help determine why. Choose A or B, or both if they are equally true. If neither A nor B applies to you, don’t circle either one. (Excerpted from Life is Hard, Food Is Easy by Linda Spangle, R.N., M.A.)
1. When I crave something to eat even if I’m not really hungry…
(a) a specific food immediately comes to mind, such as cookies or potato chips, and nothing else will do. I may even drive to the store to get it.
(b) I wander around thinking, “I want something to eat, but I don’t know what.” I usually end up choosing ice cream or bread.
2. I often experience cravings…
(a) when I’m at work, feeling stressed and pressured.
(b) when I’m home alone or bored.
3. When I crave something sweet, I usually choose…
(a) a candy bar, trail mix or chewy cookies.
(b) a milkshake, a bowl of ice cream or a slice of cake.
4. Even when I’m not really hungry, I could go for…
(a) hot dogs, pizza and French fries.
(b) Mom’s cooking, especially a meal or one of her homemade desserts.
5. The time of day that I’m most likely to experience cravings is…
(a) in the middle of the afternoon, when I’m at work feeling pressured by a million deadlines or I’m watching the clock.
(b) late at night, when I’m exhausted and have nothing to do and no one to talk to.
6. I’m a sucker for…
(a) potato chips, nuts or other snack foods.
(b) macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, fresh-baked bread or other comfort foods.
7. On a given day, I’m likely to feel…
(a) angry, frustrated, resentful, irritated, stressed or tense.
(b) discouraged, lonely, bored, restless or fatigued.
8. Sometimes I snack to avoid…
(a) doing something—eating is a great way to procrastinate.
(b) thinking about my feelings—food helps me bury my emotions.
9. I eat mainly because…
(a) it’s fun. I often seek out snack-type “party foods.”
(b) it feels good. I go for my childhood favorites.
10. If I find myself craving breakfast-type meals, regardless of the time of day, I’m more likely to choose…
(a) cereal or granola.
(b) eggs or biscuits with gravy.
SCORING for Emotional Eating Quiz
If you chose more A’s:
It means your feelings of anger, stress, frustration, resentment, burnout, bitterness, self-disgust or being overwhelmed and/or your desire for excitement are causing you to seek chewy, crunchy foods. You may be munching on a cookie or candy bar, but what you really want to chew on is something in your life: deadlines, your spouse or your boss. Spangle calls this sort of craving “head hunger” because it’s generated by thoughts, attitudes and pressures.
If you chose more B’s:
It means you are probably struggling with feelings such as boredom, loneliness, sadness, grief, depression, restlessness, hurt or disappointment, hopelessness, an overwhelming need for love or attention and/or a lack of meaning in your life. You also may be feeling fatigued or ill. Spangle calls such emotions “heart hunger” because people who are feeling them often crave soft, creamy comfort foods to fill a void in their lives.
If you circled three or fewer responses:
It means emotional eating is not likely to be a problem for you. You may occasionally use food to cope, but for the most part, it doesn’t hamper your weight-management efforts. If you’re having trouble losing weight, it’s probably your eating patterns and/or exercise program (or lack of one) rather than your emotions that are to blame.
by Sally Fallon) or a good homemade-style beef jerky sold at a natural foods-type meat counter
by Lierre Keith, she talks first hand about her experiences with soy overdose. And she tells the story of a friend of hers so jacked up by soy that she has all but lost her short-term memory. (And for men, well, my story should scare you off of soy)
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