I’ve done more book-throwing this week than any week prior. First, there was a little post-alcohol and refined sugar crash that involved an argument and me throwing, not in any particular direction or with malicious intent toward the author ? a copy of Julian Whitaker’s Reversing Diabetes. The book wasn’t the worst I’ve ever read, but after hearing all this miraculous diabetes reversal talk from Whitaker, I almost threw it again when I got to the end and read a selection of his Auschwitz recipes ? many of which were under 300 calories.
The real tear-jerker was Primal Mind-Primal Body, by Nora Gedgaudas. I was already a little wary of it after it received accolades at world champion artificial sweetener consumer Jimmy Moore’s Livin? La Vida Low Carb site. But then I flipped open the front cover of the book to see her theft of my favorite Weston A. Price quote. Yeah, the one at the top of the page across my head. Sure, it’s public property I guess, but I felt a little violated.
Then the book goes on to quote repeatedly from Weston A. Price schools of thought and my other favorite, Diana Schwarzbein. All of this was used as supporting material for a, get this? low calorie, very low-carb diet that excludes all grains and starches. Good luck getting 10-100 times your daily allowance of vitamins and minerals on that fare as Price recommended we do.
This was killing me. If I have one pet peeve, it is parading around as a Price-revivalist while completely turning your back on his observations. Using my token Price quote was serious salt on my wounds. Glorifying Schwarzbein who advocates eating a lot of food, ?gagging it down,? in fact, while never eating a meal without either a whole grain or starchy tuber was more than I could stand. I committed imaginary suicide with an imaginary gun about 48 times reading this book. Gedgaudas calls two eggs in a pat of butter breakfast? That’s 250 calories by modest guesses. Enough already! I threw that biatch across the room.
Then I open up Michael Murray’s The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods, an ode to phytochemical antioxidants in plant foods. By page 6 this chisel-chest is talking about Weston A. Price. He uses Price, if you can possibly even believe this, in support of a theory that rising disease during the 20th century was attributable to the displacement of fruits and vegetables with meat and fat! WTF man! That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard! Price’s plain-as-day observations are all about ensuring sources of meat and fat and underemphasizing fruits and vegetables. This guy has eaten way too many blueberries and chia seeds. He’s bananas. I nearly fell off the couch in disbelief before committing imaginary suicide with an imaginary gun again.
Wait, it gets better. On pages 8 and 9 he lays out tables comparing U.S. per capita food consumption in 1909 vs. 1999. Not only does this chart obliterate any pitiful theory that he could’ve built in support of pomegranate seeds and spirulina, it bitch slaps almost every major health fad on the planet ? from low-fat to low-carb to Paleo to you name it. When I go over the changes, you’ll really see how FD (friggin? delusional) this guy really is. It boggles the mind, because he talks about how factory farming has caused animal fat to have more saturated fat than wild animals, who typically have higher levels of polyunsaturated body fat. Switching from saturates to veggie PUFA’s was the most radical dietary shift during that time jerky!
So let’s take a look at the changes from 1909, when Americans were vastly healthier, to 1999 when we were walking disasters. Let me know if you think it supports the ideas at 180DegreeHealth or if low-carb, vegetarian, low-fat, or Paleo nerds should claim victory for this piece of data. To reiterate, 180 is about displacing vegetable-based fat with saturated fat, particularly from animal and dairy fats, eating lots of starchy whole plant foods, including even the dreaded whole wheat, corn, and potato, eating fruit in moderation, and avoiding refined sugars and syrups like the plague?
In the American diet from 1909 to 1999, as reported by the USDA:
Consumption of whole milk dropped 49.8%
Consumption of skim milk increased 57.8%
Consumption of butter dropped 72.2%
Consumption of margarine increased 800%
Consumption of shortening increased 275%
Consumption of lard and tallow dropped 50%
Consumption of salad and cooking oil increased 1,450%
Consumption of fruit increased 29%
Consumption of vegetables increased 15.6%
Consumption of potatoes dropped 23% (of fresh, unprocessed taters, it fell by 73%)
Consumption of grains dropped 30.6% (corn by 50%, wheat by 30%)
Consumption of pork dropped 19%, eggs dropped 13.5%, beef increased by 22%, poultry increased 278%
Consumption of legumes and nuts increased 37.5%
And, drumroll please?
Refined sugar and syrup consumption increased by 74.7% (up about 1,600% from 1809)
And for the low-carb people especially, overall carbohydrate consumption fell from 57% of calories to 46% of calories. High-glycemic starches were displaced by lower glycemic high-fructose corn syrup and crystalline fructose.
To eat a 1909 diet today then, we must, as a nation, eat less margarine, shortening, vegetable oil, fruit, vegetables, skim milk, poultry, nuts, legumes, refined sugars, and beef?
And eat more butter, lard, tallow, potatoes, corn, whole wheat, pork, eggs, and whole milk.
I’m not saying I agree that we should do exactly that, or that changes from pork to poultry is even of any particular significance, but everyone has the right to know what changed in the American diet as we got sicker. The data makes it a tough feat to accuse dietary cholesterol, saturated fat, high-glycemic carbs, dairy, grains, or lack of fruits, vegetables, and legumes. It’s damn easy to blame it on vegetable oils and refined sugars though, which I think I’ll continue to do.
And a personal message to The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods:
?Consider yourself tossed m?fer! Ca-thunk goes 900 pages against the wall!
Brilliant post Matt. Another couple of books off my reading list.
I'm doing the 1809 diet with my Jane Austen Diet. Their butter consumption was mind boggling. Every recipe for vegetables calls for it to be accompanied to the table with a cup of or BOAT of melted butter. They used absurd amounts for the smallest cooking tasks . This was partly because there was, believe it or not, a black market for used butter funneled out of great houses to the working poor by the servants.
So they naturally used five times the amount of butter needed and their dumbass masters who had never cooked an actual thing in their life had no clue what they were doing.
In England the people were dying of malnutrition and diseases that prey on malnutrition, in large part because they were so fat deprived. They were bread-atarians. Any vegan bread atarian should just look at the mortality rates for the working poor in England 1809 before they make up their mind that it is healthy to skip animal products.
Hey where was coconut oil on the 1909 data? I've been interested in the subversion of coconut oil recently and I think it must have happened at the turn of the century, when as Mark Twain and other writers recorded, flim flam men were trying to replace healthy natural fats with cheap, refined vegetable oils.
Stellar post. I don't have the numbers on me, but I expect that tobacco use has fallen as well, while, of course, lung cancer rates climb. I'd like to see PUFA consumption graphed next to smoking and lung cancer rates.
I think I'm starting to see the light. Low carb just doesn't really make sense for healing. They don't say so, but every one who does well on it is really just looking to lose weight–and what a stiflingly boring subject weight lose is. No one writes about weight gain, about metabolic healing. That's why I'm here, I suppose.
Quick question: Reintroducing corn, potatoes, and rice has had some starling effects–most positive, but my joints do now noticeably ache, and I'm only 23. You think this will subside, or maybe I'm not preparing the stuff properly? (I'm baking the potatoes, soaking the rice, frying the tortillas, and eating a healthy amount of take out pizza.)
I just read the two books on the Milk Cure, and took three weeks off work in anticipation. My gums bleed when I drink milk (raw), so I've been avoiding it, but I figure the best way to reacclimatize myself to it is to drink a shitload and nothing else. I'm also hoping to put on some weight.
Anyway, I have a hazy recollection of someone discussing their milk cure experiences in the comments of one of your posts. Of course I can't find it now, and wondered if you or anyone knew where these commenter were, or just whether or not the experiment(s) was successful.
D,
I can't find the milk lady either. I was thinking it was "ingridknits" but I may be mistaken. I think it's buried in the FUDA posts somewhere.
She did quite well but gained a suprising (to her) amount of weight. She followed it pretty closely except for the baths.
The pizza is the prime suspect for your joint pain. Some people have reported weird aches with taters though. Hopefully you'll transition out of it.
Yes, agreed that low-carb is pretty weak. It's telltale one-sidedness.
Jenny –
You eat that butter sista. As for coconut oil, I remember Mary Enig posting some information on that. It was the most commonly used oil in the household along with olive oil back in the day. Then we went techno baby and got our Hexane on – squeezed oil out of soybeans and corn.
And the rest is history.
Funny you mentioned the lung cancer D, I was just using that as an example in a battle royal with Russ Farris earlier today (cortisol-infection yahoo groups)
Very appropriate post. Besides filling your head with poor information, those books also seem to be causing binge eating. Halfway through this post I had to run to my kitchen to drink some whole milk, eat cheese and salami, an avocado and some popcorn. But seriously though, that whole changing American diet story was easily called out by Taubes, but it retains a string influence on health professionals.
An an anecdote, I was at thanksgiving with my father's family. They were all raised on a cattle ranch in Colorado in the 40s and 50s. We were looking at some old pictures, and I noticed how freakin buff and ripped they were. Now, 4 out of 6 have diabetes. I asked what they ate back on the farm: milk and beef every meal, eggs every morning for breakfast, and then stuff like bread and potatoes. At our thanksgiving dinner, there was margarine for the bread, 1% milk, fat free salad dressing, more desserts than dinner, and diet soda.
Tells me everything I need to know.
Scott
d – I agree the aching joints could be from the pizza. Do you know what's in the dough? A lot of pizza doughs contain trans fats and/or omega-6 oils, which cause inflammation.
Also, you may be sensitive to the solanine (a toxin, mostly – but not entirely – destroyed by cooking) in potatoes and other nightshade vegetables. It's known to cause joint pain.
Matt,
Ah yes, the "Weston Price supports my kind of eating" crowd. The sad thing is you find this even among true blue Weston Pricer's who think Price wrote a low carb and/or paleo book, or rationalize away 13 of the 14 groups Price observed who were not low carb and/or paleo as not applying to us "moderns" without significant revision (always in the direction of low carb).
I have been working on a post dealing specifically with this issue of what I call "dietary triumphalism" which seems to exist in all the various camps. It won't be pleasant. I won't make any new friends among the low carb/paleo crowd, but the truth needs to get out.
Thanks for a great post.
D,
As for the smoking issue, you don't need to go back to 1909. The current statistics in countries who smoke more than we do belies the whole smoking causes lung cancer theory.
It is interesting at least to me how many healthy groups smoke and/or drink without any observable adverse effects. Another article that is in the pipe line. Again its not going to make some of my online friends very happy.
By the way, I have done the milk cure. Any questions feel free to ask.
Michael
Nutrition and Physical Regeneration
hi matt.. love your site.. I started reading this post and just can't finish! I'd really like to continue reading it but it's something about the contrast of the black background? anyone else have a problem, or are my eyes going on me? I'll eat dinner and persevere to read on! Just thought I'd let you know that it's kinda hard visually. :)
Not sure I want to eat a 1909 diet. Check out the flu epidemic that soon followed. The 1909 diet wasn't exactly creating super immune systems. Could be that the additional fruits, vegetables and vitamin supplements we have these days are doing some good.
This is not to say our diet is superior in all respects. But it could be superior in some ways.
Oh, and read up on some of the fitness materials of that age. You don't have to do steroids to be far more muscular than many of the fitness gurus of the time.
Carl M
Good Points. I wonder, though, if the decreased resistance to the flu was due to the fact that people did still eat a lot of crappy food back then, white flour, sugar and such. Food quality probably depended on location. Refrigeration was not widely used at that time, so I would imagine that the rural population living near farms ate a much higher quality diet similar to the Weston Price ideal, while the city dwellers ate diets closer to the modern processed diet.
Scott
Hey Matt, can you talk about what you think is wrong with Paleo and why? I want to believe you and enjoy my taters and Ezekiel bread but Paleo has me thinking that I'll have an autoimmune disease and stay pudgey if I do. And oh yeah, I'll have acne from the high insulin spike in dairy. Thanks!
d,
You mentioned joint pain. It's December. Maybe you could also benefit from having an eye on your 25(OH)D (Vitamin D) levels.
For soaking, take a look at:
http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2009/04/new-way-to-soak-brown-rice.html
Matt,
Entertaining post, thanks!
I agree with annabelle. Most of the time I invert colors to read your posts. :)
Markus
Thanks for the color feedback. I think it's probably time to change it, even though I'm a big fan of NOT staring into bright lights, and the black background cuts down on that significantly.
Michael –
I'd love to talk to you in detail about the milk diet. Actually, if you don't mind, I'd love to have a guest post on the 180 blog on your experience with it – for better or for worse.
Scott –
Thanks for the anecdotal evidence from the family's big dietary switch.
Carl –
I don't want to eat a 1909 diet either. 91 pounds of white sugar is a little much for me. My sugar intake hovers closer to .91 pounds per year. No flu for me in over a decade. I also wouldn't say that having excess muscle mass affords any kind of health benefit. The aborigines with ultimate Paleo diets/lifestyles in Price's book weren't exactly gladiators (p. 167)
Mark –
It's not like the Paleo diet is totally whack. It's excellent in most regards, but some argue that its provisions to eat very low carb and cut out all grains and dairy is unnecessary. Grains, dairy, and high-carb diets have all proven to be just as superior to low-carb diets without them. Ezekiel bread is probably not the best choice though. I don't think it's made from fresh grain, and sprouting is in no way preferable to fermented breads or fresh-ground chapatis like the kind I featured at http://www.180kitchen.wordpress.com
Matt,
About Ezekial bread: they claim it is flourless, made from sprouted wheat berries. How do they make it? I was under the impression that freshness was only important IF the wheat was being ground into flour, so it should be baked and eaten shortly after grinding to preserve the nutrients and prevent PUFA oxidation.
Scott
Matt, fuck, man, what the hell is that shit! Please, my eyes. Everything but grey, everything but grey…
Rice lover
i had to burn alot of old and new books… just kidding, but i want to sometimes!!!
troy
Hey, Michael, I would like to ask you about your experience with the milk diet. I'm planning to do it soon, and I'm reading all the books, but I'm also in some trouble, since I'm opioid sensitive. I can get goats milk, though not easily (and I'm also a bit sensitive to that!). If you could tell me your experience it would be of great help. So far, I haven't found many testimonials, but what really worries me is that, by all accounts, our health is certainly worst than it was 90 years ago, and whatever did the trick back then may not work as well now. Gonna try it anyway, as I don't see better options, but getting the facts from someone who did try it would be most tranquilizing. Thanks.
Jesus Matt, that grey with the white red and blue is much worse. But then again Ive never had a problem with the black red and white, and in fact liked it very much. I dont understand how people cant read it that way. I think their monitor colors must be messed up. Regardless, please change it to something else (or just change it back!) or at least change the red to something else, its hard to read. I agree with rice lover. Hey Rice Lover, you're a semi-regular poster on this blog, go register (free) so you have an account and arent Anonymous.
No Sancho if it appears, it's me, mistake.
Oh, and the black and white was stylish. Agree with Da'Drooooo and rice lover: what the fuck is that shit!
Oh no, no, no registration for me, please. I'll gently dissappear when my job here is done. That will be very soon, hopefully.
Rice lover
Matt,
Enjoyed the post. I hope you keep up with this site in addition to your other projects, it is solid material.
Also I was fine with your original color scheme. The white text on a gray background does not work well at all.
If you are set on a lighter color I would do black text on a white background. Or maybe black text on a somewhat off-white background. Being able to effortlessly read the posts are crucial.
-M
IS CRUCIAL
long day :(
Michael, I'd love to hear more about your milk cure experiences. I checked out your blog, but wasn't able to find out what happened to you while on the diet. I'm most curious about skin, weight, and ability your ability to tolerate foods that you used to have difficulty with. Thanks
love the blog, hate the grey! once you go black you can never go back Matt! t-hee
Grey seems to be a bad option. Even worse as you are using red and blue quite a lot. Also red on grey (or black) blurs or glows easily. Especially when scrolling.
The white-on-black vs. black-on-white issue could also be influenced by ambient lighting. People who read your site in darkness will probably prefer white-on-black. I like natural light around me so the opposite is true for me.
Eating right seems easier than getting colors right.
Maybe this helps: http://colorschemedesigner.com/
Markus
The only problem with the black background was the poor contrast against the blue link text, why not switch back to black and change the link font color?
Alright alright already! Damn, I thought you guys were opinionated about health and nutrition!
Speaking to milk sensitivty and opioid sensitivity for a milk diet follower…
I think the whole idea behind the milk diet is that it will heal the digestive tract, improve the metabolism, normalize the immune system, and so forth. Even if you are sensitive to it now, that doesn't mean that it cannot and will not be healed on a milk diet over a period of several weeks. Even perhaps with casein-rich cow's milk (human breast milk contains lots of casein as well by percentage).
Cool! So I'll be stoned AND healing. You just can't get better than that. But I'll gain myself quite a withdrawal anyway… Or if I don't heal fast enough, I'll end in "el manicomio". Even cooler!
Nah, I'll stick to goats milk and supplement b12 and folic acid as my plan A. Opiates don't just stone you, but also mess with your inmune system and your gut, etc. Sorry, but it seems too risky. Of course, I'll probably give raw holstein milk a chance before jumping into the water, but overall goats milk is much safer, I believe. Even if I can get slightly addicted to it, it does not leave me feeling dopey, which most likely traduces to no problem when following the milk diet rules.
Goat's milk is also casein rich, but more closer in it's protein composition to mother's milk BTW, which is less likely to leave you in "bunnies and flowers" land.
I'll try it if can't get goat's milk, anyway. Being well fed protects against adicction and/or withdrawal, and milk is much more than casein… Yeah, only way to know is doing it. It's just that is frightening to be the guinea pig (and fun).
Hey, don't complain to me about being a guinea pig!
And yes, the milk diet was touted as a powerful means of overcoming addiction, especially to opiate-class drugs.
What's most exciting about it, is that addiction was claimed to rarely if ever return after a full bout of the milk cure.
For soaking, take a look at:
http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2009/04/new-way-to-soak-brown-rice.html
You don't even have to do that. You can eat haiga rice which strips all but a trace of the bran but leaves the germ intact. So it is in between whole brown rice and white rice.
Michael
Nutrition and Physical Regeneration
Matt Stone said:
Michael –
I'd love to talk to you in detail about the milk diet. Actually, if you don't mind, I'd love to have a guest post on the 180 blog on your experience with it – for better or for worse.
I would be happy to do so. In fact I was going to ask you to guest post on my blog.
Michael
Nutrition and Physical Regeneration
Sancho said:
Hey, Michael, I would like to ask you about your experience with the milk diet. I'm planning to do it soon, and I'm reading all the books, but I'm also in some trouble, since I'm opioid sensitive. I can get goats milk, though not easily (and I'm also a bit sensitive to that!). If you could tell me your experience it would be of great help.
Alright, I will try and knock out a post in the next week or so. My writing has slowed down during this part of the year but I will get something written.
…but what really worries me is that, by all accounts, our health is certainly worst than it was 90 years ago, and whatever did the trick back then may not work as well now. Gonna try it anyway, as I don't see better options, but getting the facts from someone who did try it would be most tranquilizing. Thanks.
Keep in mind that Dr. William Campbell Douglass did this when he was in active practice. I vaguely remember him referring to a diabetes patient he healed with the milk cure. Perhaps his son still uses the milk cure today.
Even so I don't think 90 years makes much difference. If you are struggling with a nasty disease like many of the folks who used the milk cure, it doesn't matter when that occurred.
Also keep in mind that the milk cure is ultimately a fast – a very nutritious one – but a type of fast nevertheless. Fasting, even when done with less than adequate foods/liquids, can bring about amazing results.
Michael
Thanks Michael. Ready for a blog post exchange any time. I hope to get in touch with both Schmid and Douglass to see what their direct experiences using the milk diet are. I always assumed that most of the benefits were attributable to the fasting component. What makes it superior is the fact that you do not lose muscle, slow down the metabolism, or have any rebound-like issues which are often experienced on starvation fasts.
Here's a link to the USDA food intake data from 1909-2000…
http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/publications/foodsupply/FoodSupply1909-2000.pdf
Average carb intake in 1909 was 501 grams per day and the average carb intake in 2000 was 490 grams per day.
LMAO at the low carbers. Last I heard, we weren't a nation of fat retards in 1909. They've wrongfully put carbohydrates in jail.
Michael (I'm "Sancho", BTW), I don't agree with you. Of course, I lack personal experience, but please hear my arguments:
First, through the concept of metabolic degeneration (Matt's hand in this) or intercepted heredity, you can easily imagine that in the same way toxins, excercise, stimulants, drugs (peruvians of Price consumed cocaine, but didn't become addicts, I think), medicine won't have the same beneficial effect. The milk diet appeals to your own healing abilities, but those may not be the same (at their max potential) that the ones of your grandma. In other words, for the first generation that walks the wrong path returning to natural food usually suffices, but for the subsequent generations it gets harder and harder (like in my case). Second, food is no longer what it used to be (this goes more with your point of view, I belivee). It's hard to expect that the milk you can get now is as nutritious as the one used at that time, solely by taking into account soil depletion. Hopefully this ins't such a big problem for me, since where I live is known for it's fertility (though that is surely changing, as happens everywhere).
I still have hope in the milk diet.
Oh, and BTW, I get the feeling that the milk diet abilities go way beyond that of a fast. Metabolic enhancement should be the ultimate goal, as what I have read tells me, and fasts are limited in many ways for that, specially given the big probability for someone who fasts to have deficient nutrient stores to support its body's attempts to heal.
D said:
Michael, I'd love to hear more about your milk cure experiences. I checked out your blog, but wasn't able to find out what happened to you while on the diet.
Well I haven't written about my personal experience yet although I'm sure the details are on one of the yahoo groups I frequent.
I'm most curious about skin, weight, and ability your ability to tolerate foods that you used to have difficulty with. Thanks
My skin was superb during the milk cure. Amazing really. Well moisturized and smooth as a baby's butt.
I lost weight and became more muscular/leaner with no effort on my part.
My hair was thinning slightly and it filled in nicely in a very short period of time.
Outside of refined junk (sugar, grains, oils, and certain types of soy) I have never had difficulty tolerating any food per se, so I couldn't really speak to that issue.
Michael
Nutrition and Physical Regeneration
Carmichael said…
love the blog, hate the grey! once you go black you can never go back Matt! t-hee
Are you speaking from personal experience? :-)
Michael
Nutrition and Physical Regeneration
Sancho said:
Nah, I'll stick to goats milk and supplement b12 and folic acid as my plan A.
Why the supplementation? This is a "fast" not a permanent diet.
Of course, I'll probably give raw holstein milk a chance
I have yet to find any regular practitioner of the milk cure, either in the days of Dr. Crewe or today, who used genetically freakish holstein milk.
That doesn't mean you won't benefit, just saying. :-)
Michael
Nutrition and Physical Regeneration
I loved the table. It is interesting that the Paleo crowd don't like to include such information in their logic.
Just wanted to give a 4 week Update of my 180/Hedish experiment. Still eating around 2000 cals per day, but in the past fortnight I have also had 4 2500ish days, which is mega high for me. I have been totally caffeine, sugar and artificial sweetner free and have only had a couple of glasses of wine. I have been offered chocolate four times and have a box given to me in the cupboard, this is usually very tempting for me.
Positives: Psychologically still enjoying carbs and socially it is MUCH easier. I had dinner at a friends last weekend and he made duck p’t? for the starter and then a huge steak with home made french fries fried in goose-fat from the farm, normally i would have avoided these, but they were great.
I do not have any heartburn or indigestion or bloating. Don't seem to have any problems with any particular food.
I do miss caffeine, protein powders, chocolate and diet coke but I don't have overwhelming urges. Sugar I have avoided for years.
Weight isn't going up much.
Negatives: My sleep is still terrible and that is getting me down.. didn't find 5-HTP and fruit hasn't helped.
I read Matt's Digestion book and realized that I do have constipation as I have few, small hardish stools, 2-3 times per day. (four years ago when i drank coffee and ate branflakes for breakfast, I had the best stools ever! )
I also tried an all fruit day to help this but unlike when i tried it the first three days, it didn't help at all on stools??
I also have some gas, which had disappeared on low carb.
Temperatures have not increased.
overall, I will certainly continue but have started to have to take some medication every few nights to help me sleep at least one good night as this is becoming a real issue.
J
I was at a lecture by Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm a few weeks again. He talked about chicken and swine being the food of "kings" and common people ate grass-fed animals. Chicken and swine are omnivorous and need more that grass to survive. These animals need a fat and protein supplement in some form.
Joel Salatin feels that if someone wants to save the planet, eating more grass based meats would be a good strategy.
Swine may be the food of kings, but I don't know about chicken. The world doesn't need saving. It's got the same number of postive and negative aspects as it always has.
MacFadden and Sanford Porter both recommended Holstein milk as the most superb form you could get your hands on – most likely becauase of its lower fat content.
Those milk diet results sound pretty spot on Michael.
LMAO at low-carbers too Darigazz
J –
You might try taking a bunch of apple pectin or something as a fiber supplement if that worked for you in the past (bran is probably not the best, as it can inhibit mineral absorption in large quantities). I do think your stools will improve dramatically once you can get your food intake up higher – keeping my fingers crossed that your sleep will improve along with it.
One thing that should be kept in mind when laughing at the low carbers is that the stats you are using to do so are largely made up. Taubes talks about this in his book. The USDA did not keep records of food consumption in 1909. They didn't start tracking until the early 20's, these reports were sporadic and only on certain food groups until 1940. It wasn't until then, 30 years after 1909, that they looked at the limited data available and came up with the guesses that have since been published as the 1909 consumption data. The process and timescale gives me no reason to feel that the early century numbers reported actually represented what was going on at all. As Taubes also points out, the early data was particularly sketchy for all food that could be grown on a small farm for local consumption, you know the places that 54% of the population still lived.
"Until WWII the data are lousy and you can prove anything you want to prove" – David Call, fmr Dean Ag and Life Sciences, Cornell.
Hey, stop calling me Sancho! Michael, I would supplement because goat's milk is pretty deficient in those 2, I have clues that I may be b12 deficient, and, among other things, the milk diet was used to help pernicious anemia, which I doubt would work with goat's milk.
BTW, Matt, I have just drank a cup of raw milk, sipped and with lemon (made me nauseus). Since I'm having mood swings every 15 minutes, it's somewhat hard to tell, but I'm not feeling specially dopey, and it wans't particularly delicious (more like bah). Of course, the dose makes the poison…, or the cure.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAh, my mind is breaking. Damm.
Dear Matt et all,
<lazy>
Do you like your glucose meter? I'm looking for a recommendation; there is more marketing than I want to wade through.
</lazy>
Thanks!
Carl
I have a question about temperature. A woman's temperature can vary quite a bit from one half of the menstrual cycle to the other half. In my case it can vary by up to 0.7?C. Are you saying that the temperature needs to be 37?C or over the entire month?
Jedi, Your temp should be around 97.8 on awakening from around the 1st to 2nd day of your period. Then it will rise around ovulation time.
So to get the most accurate reading , you should take it around day 3-4 of your cycle and then anytime within the first days after your cycle ends. It should be around 98.6 by mid afternoon, and taken at least 20 mins after eating something
pipx
thanks, Pip :)
A bird in hand is worth two in the bush................
Youngblood –
Doesn't matter much. I have one of the most popular ones, which makes it easiest to get supplies for it. A OneTouch Ultra Mini.
Yes Mike, I don't trust any data farther than I can throw it. Many people say sugar intake was more like 10 pounds per year at that time, not 91.
But there's no doubt that the United States diet revolved around agricultural staples like corn, potatoes, and wheat at that time – in whole or at least less-refined form.
Today we eat our potatoes in the form of chips and fries, and our corn in the form of corn oil and high-fructose corn syrup. That's the main fundamental difference, and it has nothing to do with the overall change in fat and carbohdyrate content in the diet.
Taubes comes to this reasonable conclusion at one point, and then diverts into low-carb la-la land and can't seem to crawl his way back to the point that the refining process is what has always been associated with the onset of modern disease – not "old-fashioned foods."
Plus, I suspect Americans consume way more fruit, 365 days per year in the form of juice primarily, which is also quite different than apples, melons, and berries in season.
Dear Matt,
I hope you can advise me. Since I was introduced to your writings by
Pippa (Facebook) in the last couple of weeks or so, I have read lots that
you've written and also am well on with reading The Schwartzbein Principle.
So first off let me say that what you and she says makes complete sense to
me. I've tried everything over the years to control my weight and to eat
healthily, been a fanatical excerciser, all with varying degrees of
'success'. Now I'm menopausal and have left off any form of dieting and
most exercise apart from walking for the last three to four years or so, in
an attempt to give my body time to find its own balance. I've battled
with sugar addiction on and off (mostly on) and carry an unwanted hunk of
mid-body fat. And as I'm not someone to do things by halves (you'll
recognise the type!) I have made significant changes since reading your
work.
First I ditched soya milk (supposed to be better for menopausal women
because of the isoflavones) and started drinking whole cow's milk – in
de-caff cappuccino mainly, one a day, but I also started to enjoy a glass of
milk here and there. I'm now a bit confused on the milk front because of
the lactose and am feeling I probably need to keep consumption down….
would you say that's the case?
Next, I went from being a 'fishetarian' to diving right back in to meats and
doing my best to increase fat consumption – so high quality (organic
wherever possible) sausages, bacon, eggs, chicken and so on (I have beef and
lamb in the fridge too just haven't got round to eating it yet), plus
cheese, butter, cream, coconut oil, goose fat……… and doing my best to
make every meal balanced, with small amounts of wholewheat bread and some
potatoes etc. I also haven't touched sugar (YAY!) apart from a bit of
fruit – not having much of that though. Yesterday, I did have berries for
breakfast as I was short of time, but I had them with cream instead of my
usual full fat Greek yoghurt, and even managed to chuck some melted coconut
oil in with it! I next ate around 1, with sausage cooked in goose fat and
coconut oil, eggs scrambled in butter, mushrooms in plenty of butter and
some spinach done in the sausage pan to soak up some more of the oil. I
wasn't hungry again till I felt a bit peckish around 10.30 at night….. but
I was also having abdominal discomfort during the evening, something I never
used to get. I woke up with it today too….. feeling a bit sickly,
stomach a bit distended…. not fancying food, or possibly just something
nice and light….. getting lots of food together into one of those balanced
meals is the last thing I want to do right now.
My question………do I push through this and trust that it's going to come
right? Does this sound normal to you? Have I tried to do too much too
soon? Any other tips?
I'd really appreciate your input on this as I'm determined to get things
right once and for all and to heal my metabolism. I'm also telling my
family and friends about it , so I need insight into what's going on for me,
as much as I can muster.
Regards and thanks,
Irene
Does here anyone know how smoking affects the gall bladder / liver? I ask this because i have sometimes problems to digest all the fat and roasted meats seem to be poor digested also. I've smoked maybe 20-25 per day, am now down to maybe 10-15. I am ready to quit smoking but if someone could write me some scientific arguments how smoking affects gall bladder and liver it would be much easier…
Hey Irene:
It sounds like you are constipated,that's what usually causes me to have abdominal pain and an aversion to food. I swear by smooth move from Traditional Medicinals for fast relief. The extra saturated fat in your diet is good for the digestive system, but you probably have a ton of PUFAs in your system to clean out from your fishitarianism. Be prepared for some smelly poos, by the way.
Thanks Jennythenipper (!)…you may be right…bowel activity is still 'regular' but different. I know there will be changes going on there. The discomfort is more upper abdominal though…not lower as you'd expect if constipation is the cause. Not sure.
Hi Irene,
I suggest slowing down on the fats. When I started to increase saturated fats back into my diet. I had been on a low fat diet for around 10 years prior to that and my body couldn't handle it. Coconut oil was really hard for me and made me feel nauseous to start with.
So I suggest just calming down on the fats and slowly increasing them.
Not sure Matts thoughts on this. but that's where I would go..
Pipxx
Dear Pip, thanks a lot for this – it's so helpful when someone has had the same experience – and this certainly sounds like the same issue. I'll take this on board, starting tomorrow. Had a big dose of fats for dinner tonight. Not feeling too bad, but stomach still a bit swollen. Thanks again :0) (It would still be interesting to hear from Matt as to his thoughts.)
You nailed it Pip. Coconut oil was screaming at me to be the culprit of the "too fast too soon" digestive trouble.
Irene –
I think you'd be best to keep the milk down too. Unless you can find access to really excellent-quality raw milk, then I'd say go with half n' half. Half and half contains no additives, is not homogenized, and contains far less denatured casein and lactose – the big culprits of dairy problems.
I don't think there's a huge need to go crazy with fats anyway. Nowadays I'm displacing more fat with carbohydrates and liking it. Keeping carbs really low was based on the belief that carbs kept fasting insulin levels high, which I no longer consider to be true. Anyway, I'll let you toy around with it. Many people overcome their sugar cravings much better on low/moderate-carb diets anyway, so that may be a better choice.
I also think it would be best to cook with more butter, beef fat, and coconut oil for high-heat cooking due to their lower polyunsaturated fat content. Even bacon grease has less poly fat than poultry fat. Polyunsaturated fat is much more unstable at high temperatures, and many people feel strongly that more poly's is the last thing a modern human needs more of. Can't say I don't disagree with that logic.
Anyway, glad to have you playing along with us at 180. Hope things go well. If not, keep letting us know your experiences so we can find the solutions ya need.
Just loved the new ezine, having read Nora and Mark's offerings over the summer; I had been following the Primal Blueprint for about 18 months before finding this blog and really agree with your summary of this book. Mark himself stays pretty balanced in his views (except grains and milk) but many of the forum followers are much more extreme. that said, many have had some amazing health improvements, at least in the short term, however, you cannot mention grains on the forum without being called a troll :(
Matt, would be please shed some light on refined vs. unrefined carbs? I'd love to see them listed in a category-type system.
Thanks Jedi, I put a lot of effort into those eZines. Glad you enjoyed it. The Paleo diet is certainly a big improvement, and one can obtain great health following a moderate-carb diet with lots of whole carbohydrate foods. It's the unecessary restrictions and the flawed logic that makes me grumble.
Rachel –
Let me know exactly what you want. Are you having trouble differientiating between what a refined or unrefined carbohdyrate is, or are you just wanting to know the fundamental nutritional differences between the two?
So, thought it might be time to report on my progress with the HED diet so far. Some background: I'm a 24 year old male, and throughout my childhood and teens I've always eaten ridiculous amounts of sugar, candy, milk chocolate and homemade cookies, but I never really started to get overweight until I began drinking copious amounts of cola around 15. By the time I was 18 I had gone up to 185 pounds (on a 5'9 frame), and then I began dieting and exercising to get into shape. Weight problems is pretty much the only reason I ever took an interest in nutrition and exercise, particularly since no matter how low I went and how much I exercised, I still had some fat distribution issues and was never satisfied. So, for the past six years and until stumbling upon 180 Degree Health, I've pretty much been low-fat, low-calorie dieting continuously with a few short high-calorie breaks in between. I have done intermittent fasting the past 18 months or so, which is when hunger management started to get tolerable for the first time and allowed me to slim down more than ever, and then the past six months or so I've been doing it with low-carb, which made hunger even less of an issue and seemed to fix a bunch of problems I thought were due to the calorie restriction. Though I realize now that all that might have come at a cost eventually. Started to have problems with constipation after a few months on low carb.
Anyway, I've been at the HED for seven weeks now, started out by going from two to four meals a day, adding in a few starchy carbs with each meal and a lot more fat, like butter, creme fraiche and coconut milk. So that immediately took my daily intake from about 1800 to 4000-4500 calories, and I think I've stayed at about this caloric intake the whole time. At first I think I upped my carbs from 30-40 to about 150 per day, and the past few weeks I've upped the carbs even more, going to about 200-300 g per day. I eat primarily eggs, ground beef, cheese, salmon, butter, cream, coconut milk, creme fraiche, brown rice, potatoes, lentils, sourdough rye bread and some veggies like onions, broccoli and carrots. Virtually no sugar beyond what's in the veggies and coconut milk, and only been out for a few beers twice. I also took a rest from my weekly weight-lifting session and cut down exercise to a few miles of walking a day. I also quit on coffee cold turkey, had been drinking about three pints of coffee a day, every day for the past six years, but the abstinence seemed to disappear completely in a few days. So, now I'm eating maybe 300 g of fat, 250-300 g of carbs and 120 g of protein a day.
Constipation ceased within a week, and I haven't had any digestive problems so far. Surprisingly, I've had absolutely no acne break-out, which I otherwise always get when I pig out and I had always thought that the only way to keep it away was calorie restriction, but no. Still have some sleep issues (like waking up in the middle of the night sometimes), though maybe the issue is just that I'm trying to get more sleep than before – about 9 hours, and am simply not tired by bed-time. Tried improving my sleep by adding in some fruits and orange juice, which definitely didn't work (laid practically sleepless those nights), and only gave me hypoglycemia – otherwise haven't had any troubles with low blood sugar. My sugar cravings, and overall desire to binge-eat, are all but gone, though I guess those should simply be natural consequences of eating all I want four times a day, seven days a week.
I started to measure my morning armpit temperature two weeks into the experiment, and by then they were at about 96.5, they seem to have increased somewhat (very unevenly though). This past week they have definitely risen, actually hit 97.9 twice, averaging around 97.5 for the week, but I don't know if maybe that was just due to the fact that I started to add in more coconut oil this week. Adding in coconut oil also seemed to greatly increase my appetite, had to go up to 5000-5500 calories the first few days just to avoid hunger.
(continued below)
(continued from above)
Energy levels haven't really changed that much, experienced some bursts of energy the first week and second week, but since then it's been relatively constant, although I've gotten much heavier since the start, so maybe it's a sign of progress that I haven't slowed down at least. For the first few weeks I got very tired after meals and for quite some time after that my back and joints would ache and I'd feel like stretching alot, but those problems seem to have diminished now. But I can't really say I feel that much better now even though my temps are almost up to normal, will getting up to 98F, as opposed to cruising just a few tenths of a degree below, actually make a big difference in this regard?
And now for the bad part – I've gained almost 40 pounds – from 141 to 180 (height 5'9), most of it fat, and it shows. I've had to go and buy new pants twice,in the past seven weeks and most of my wardrobe is starting to feel sort of tight now. Most of this weight gain came in the first three weeks, but I'm still steadily gaining fat as far as I can tell. I haven't really force-fed myself either, but just eating according to appetite. I haven't always been hungry before each meal, but never had to "gag it down" either. Only this last week have I felt once or twice like I didn't really want to continue eating. I was pretty lean before due to years of dieting and weight training, but now I'm starting to get almost as fat as before I ever began to care about my diet. I didn't really feel like I was starving before I went into this diet (due to low carb and intermittent fasting), but I guess my body had a different opinion.
So, anyway, I guess things seem to progress as they should, just this ridiculous weight gain is starting to get a bit tough to bear. Just how should one proceed after this anyway, say when (if) my basal temperature stabilizes around 98 degrees, should I continue eating like before, rely on some natural appetite suppression to kick in at this point, or what? Eating 4000+ calories a day is also sort of a bother financially and I'm hoping to be able to cut it down eventually. Any tips otherwise on how to speed my recovery/slow down weight gain?
Collden –
Excellent reply. After going vegan for 2 weeks I have committed fully to HED myself. My experiences have been almost exactly the same. I ate ridiculous amounts at first just to satisfy my appetite. My weight climbed 13 pounds, a mix of both fat and muscle, to a peak of 185 pounds (8-10 pounds above my typical set point). Keep in mind this came after overexercising my way down to a body temp of 96.2 F followed up with a vegan diet. I am also at 5'9", so I'm actually heavier than you are! Ha!
I also tried eating some fruit, but this did me no justice. My teeth starting hurting within a week.
Now that my weight is stable, my appetite is dropping. I was at least in the 4,000 calorie range a month ago. Now I'm having trouble reaching 3,000 calories. I think it's only a matter of time before your appetite starts to come down as well.
I attribute my response to eating to appetite from balanced food – to prolonged calorie deprivation over the summer, when I literally was burning through calories faster than I could ever dream of replacing them. This is what caused hyperphagia and a tendency to store fat. It is a rebound response.
My skin is healthier, my moods are better, my digestion is better, and overall I feel much better. I have no doubts that I experienced healing through this phase. As mentioned, blood sugar is down significantly as well. I think you are experiencing metabolic healing too.
Your temp is getting close to perfect. You've made a lot of progress. I suspect that you will reach a peak in your weight and a drop in your appetite very soon. At that point you will be eating to satisfaction, not overexcercing, and maintaining a table weight. If you continue to do that, I think you'll be able to achieve that for the rest of your life, which is, as far as I'm concerned, the ultimate goal.
If you haven't stopped gaining within the next month or two, it's time to troubleshoot the diet. I suspect that more vegetables and a more reasonable fat intake (like 200 grams per day), will bring your appetite back down a bit.
You've come this far (up 30+ pounds), don't turn back yet. You can always go back to IF and LC to lose weight. But to eat a well-balanced diet and be healthy, I still think that's the place to set your sights.
Hi Collden,
I also gained some weight when I first started to eat this way. I gained around 12lbs when I first went from eating low fat to eating more meat and fats and carbs. It has taken me around 8 months to start loosing weight and it is only because people started to comment on me having a 6 pack that I even noticed it.
I also took thyrpoid hormone because my temps were staying low but slowly they are coming back up to normal.
In schwarzbeins book she says it may take some time to heal the metabolism especially if you have been abusing it for a long time.
Thanks for sharing your story with us and keep posting. Would love to know how this unfolds for you..
Pipxxx
Hi Matt, I'm having trouble categorizing unrefined carbs. I'm interested in adding them back into my regular diet, but I was hoping I could get a list of unrefined carbs. I'd also love a breakdown of which of the unrefined carbs are favourites among us @ 180.
First I want to say that I seriously love this blog and your ezines. You're one of the only voices on nutrition out there not prescribing to some cult- like mentality.
Now, i have some questions!
Quick background: Raised macrobiotic, on and off veg in early adulthood, 2 year stint with anorexia which i dealt with by exercising like a mad woman for five years ( I'm taking super high intensity couple hours a day exercise.) Everyone thought I was the picture of health!
Fast forward to last year when I got pregnant…. and super super super sick. Couldn't eat for three or four months, couldn't get out of bed. When I could start eating I obeyed my body's commands for the first time in years and ate as much as i felt like whenever hungry – which was a LOT. But I did stay almost completely away from refined foods.
Anyway, I packed on 60 lbs in 4.5 months. (I'm only 5"3)
Now I have a six month ld and have lost 30 lbs but have been holding steady for three months.
Okay, that wasn't as quick a background as I meant it to be!
So my questions are:
1. Will I ever lose the rest of the weight? I refuse to diet because I want to feel good.
2. How much should I really be eating? I mean I eat when I'm hungry, don't really have any cravings, but it's not like I eat a TON or anything. A rough guess would be 2000 – 2500 cals. And I am exclusively breastfeeding my daughter which I know takes my requirements up.
Should I be making myself eat more?
3. Can I hear from anyone who has had success eating like this? Maybe vain, but I don't want to stay fat forever!
4. Matt, what books do you recommend? I'm reading Weston A Price again, and I've read Julia Ross and Schwarzbein. Any other good ones?
Hope that wasn't too long or too many questions, and thanks for all the great work you're doing!
Thanks Pip. I know it's hard to be patient, and it's hard for anyone not to be infatuated with the leanest they've ever been in their lives (even if you starved yourself to do it), but this takes time, and at our healthiest, few are impeccably lean. I'm way healthier with an extra 10 pounds of subcutaneous fat than when I'm ripped. For many it will no doubt take months to really turn the tide.
Rachel –
My favorite unrefined carbohydrates are:
Fresh corn (from the cob)
Baked potatoes and yams – I like them both better with the skin, and as far as potatoes go, Yukon gold's are the tastiest
Boiled and/or mashed with butter potatoes or yams
Yams or potatoes fried in coconut-oil
Brown rice
Steel-cut, whole, or old-fashioned rolled oats
Roasted or boiled beets
Roasted or boiled carrots
Other root vegetables (celeriac, parsnips, rutabaga, turnips)
All vegetables, particularly bell peppers, onions, cabbage, broccoli, spinach, and bok choy (all veggies contain at least some carbohdyrate)
All nuts, seeds, beans, and legumes (the most difficult to digest of all plant-carbs, but good sources nonetheless)
And fruit – although I think the body can easily become overloaded on natural fructose sources, so I eat fruits only once per week typically or in isolation as part of a short 1-3 day "cleanse."
Refined carbs are just the white grains (pearled barley, white rice, white wheat flour, tapioca, etc. – white flour is by far the worst because it is pulverized into micro-particles)
White sugar
Evaporated cane juice
High-fructose corn syrups and other sweeteners, and other white powders such as maltodextrin, corn starch, and many others
Kate –
Thanks for the non-cult compliment. I work hard to avoid that stigma.
As for dietary recommendations, I would eat only raw lamb brains combined with raisin skins (just the skins, the others are too high on the glycemic index). When breastfeeding your baby, it is best if you hang upside down from a tree while doing the chant featured in Indiana Jones part II: Temple of Doom (It goes something like, "Moogarum, Seegarum… Gallimah Shockti-Day!). Also, do not used white flour as baby powder – too much gluten.
My answer to your questions are:
1) Some of the weight, but not all of it. I'm guessing you were overly lean as an anorexic/overexcerciser (just a hunch). You will add lean body mass and bone density, so not all of your new weight will be purely added fat.
2)That's probably plenty of food. Experiment going higher if you like, but for average everyday eating, that's plenty. Stive for maximal nourishment. If you can get more healthy food in you comfortably and not forcefully, then do it.
3)Most people feel better doing this, but not all. This is not a superlean Hollywood diet though. It's about health and maximal nourishment. Do that, and you'll have the best lean mass to fat ratio you can without starving yourself. Continuing to breast feed beyond 1 year will help shed the weight.
4) I've got too many books to list here I think. Click on my profile and you'll see a good list under "Favorite Books"
Another fantastic e-zine and podcast, Matt!
I loved the dog story, but wonder if the owner was made aware of what you fed the dog during those 10 days? Poor puppy could have such a higher quality of life if his owner continued to pamper him as you two did!
I also enjoyed your introduction of Roger Williams, who I find interesting because he is often credited as one of the major players in the beginnings of Metabolic Typing. I think MT and orthomolecular medicine are incredibly similar. Again, I'm not saying I buy into MT 100%, but much of it makes a lot of sense, particularly the concept that "if the body has all the tools it needs, it will function harmoniously."
Gina
i just got back to my parents house in colorado a few days ago… snow!!! anyways… was super excited to bust out my many boxes of books i couldn't fit into my pickup when i moved to california!!!! I went through the Metobolic typing diet book, solved:the riddle of illness, Detoxify or Die, and Eat fat lose fat so far the past couple of days… I missed all my books, so many more to catch up on again… anyways.. nice newsletter matt… i really enjoyed reading it!!! Lots of good info… and i am going to try you ceaser salad dressing out forsure!
troy
Troy –
You've got to go to Larkburger immediately. They just opened up a place in Boulder. Their first location is in Edwards (close to me). Seriously dude, this is a destination burger joint. I had no idea a burger could even be as good. Get a rare Larkburger with truffle aoili (PUFA I know, but do it anyway). Seriously man. I was speechless when I ate this thing. Even Don Gorske would ditch the Big Mac if he tasted one of these badboys.
http://www.larkburger.com/
kate, i, like you, am exclusively breastfeeding my 4 month old. i was told by someone i trust that we should be eating 3000+ calories a day to keep up with the demand. it's actually not that hard. i put in only some of the things i ate yesterday into fitday and i had over 2300 calories–this was 2 c. cream, 4 T. butter, 1 oz. parmesan cheese, 2 eggs. i don't think i have gained additional weight since pregnancy, in fact i know i haven't since my pants are a little looser. but then we don't have a scale. but i gotta tell you, this is the most fantastic information i have come across b/c with my first baby 4 1/2 years ago i was practically near death b/c i ate very little and was so brainwashed against animal products. even when i found the WAPF and completely changed my diet my health greatly improved, but i didn't feel that great. on the days now when i eat tons of food i feel awesome. oh, and especially since i have allowed myself to eat carbs again. unfortunately that is only a couple of times a week b/c i am not very good at managing 2 kids while trying to figure out what to eat all day.
–amanda
oh hey, i could go to Lark Burger, too! we live in loveland and Boulder is my favorite place to eat and hang out. we were just there monday for my birthday. :) have you eaten at The Kitchen Cafe? too bad about the canola oil french fries at Lark burger. Plank in Fort Collins, which recently closed its doors, made real pommes frites with duck fat served with aioli. they were to die for! i don't think i will ever find another restaurant like it.
matt, i like a good parsnip too, but got concerned when i read this. what do you think…
Parsnips contain psoralens, which are potent light-activated carcinogens and mutagens not destroyed by cooking [Ivie 1981]. Parsnips contain psoralens at a concentration of 40 ppm, and Ivie [1981, p. 910] reports:
[C]onsumption of moderate quantities of this vegetable by man can result in the intake of appreciable amounts of psoralens. Consumption of 0.1 kg of parsnip root could expose an individual to 4 to 5 mg of total psoralens, an amount that might be expected to cause some physiological effects under certain circumstances…
Yo Matt, you recommend oats as an unrefined carb stable, but does oat bran constitute as such, or is it a refined evil to be avoided? I prefer the taste and texture just a little slightly more than regular whole oatmeals, but don't care one way or the other about ditching it if it's something that's actually backtracking my health goals instead of advancing.
-Sarah
Hey Matt,
Do you ever eat whole wheat pasta? I thought you may shy away from it due to the fiber and gluten content. I'e recently started eating it and it's working great. My digestion seems to work the complete opposite as most on this board – white rice constipates the hell out of me and fibrous whole grains work wonderfully.
Thanks,
Erica
Erica –
I don't eat much pasta. It's not that I'm anti-pasta, I just don't really like it all that much. Glad to hear it's working. I'm coming around on fiber now that I've healed my own digestion to where I can enjoy and benefit from it.
On parsnips –
Perhaps if someone ate parsnips as a sole source of starch day in and day out, that information would definitely raise some red flags. Eating it from time to time for variety probably isn't going to kill them, particularly if they are eating and living healthfully otherwise.
On the topic of oat bran, it's probably best to eat the whole oat. Price had some good little mouse charts in his book showing the difference between refined grain, straight bran, and the grain plus the bran. Only the whole grain led to good physical development. I'm sure eating oat bran with a mixed diet could be great though. If you like it, you like it. Hard to argue with that.
Amanda –
Thanks for the feedback. Glad you're feeling good. Now eat some carbs. If you don't have time, just fill the oven with washed Yukon gold potatoes and yams and bake them until they're nice and soft. Then you've got something on hand that just needs a reheat. And definitely go to larkburger. You don't have to do the fries, which aren't the highlight anyway. At least canola is only 30% PUFA compared to say, soy oil, but oh well. You win some you lose some.
hell yah!!! Larkburger, looks kinda like In N out burger… it will take its place for me in Boulder!!! I can't wait to try it… the fries don't look like the highlight…. i will have to email them to see how there buns are made! I am going to eat it no matter what, but i still like to know whats in everything. I can't wait to run around in the Flat Irons!!!!
Thanks for the suggestion Matt!!
troy
Matt, Great Ezine man! You're always so entertaining. Educational information DOES NOT HAVE TO BE DRY AND BORING. People dont seem to get that. Keep it up, man!
Irene,
If you are constipated like Jenny says, go find some Magnesium Citrate to help with that. Magnesium (at least so I read) is the mineral involved in muscle relaxation (among many other things). You can buy powders that dissolve in hot water (like the Calm kind I have) or you should be able to go into the Laxative section of any drug store and find liquid Magnesium Citrate. Dr. Wong (he's the one Ive gotten this information from. http://www.drwong.us) says people should take 1000-2000 mgs of Magnesium per day. Currently Im taking about 400mgs per day because thats enough to make my bowels much looser. Dr. Wong also said if you are prone to getting diarrhea from loose bowels while on magnesium citrate to go and find Magnesium Glycinate as it is much easier on the bowels and almost as absorbable. Im having difficulty finding the glycinate in a powder that is bigger than 4oz for like $15, so we'll see if I end up buying it. So I would try the citrate first to help move things along. Start low, like, I dont know, maybe 250-500 mgs and go up
Also, some half and half does have preservatives in it. No carragean, but some kind of phosphate or something or another.
Da'Droooo, Matt and Pip – thank you for your input. Whilst I'm certainly maybe a little tiny bit on the constipated side, the abdominal discomfort I was suffering isn't there now. I haven't had coconut oil in the last couple of days, so it may have been that. Also I've taken on board what Pip said about just easing the fat a little maybe. Plus, I'm away from home right now and not able to have as much control over every aspect of every meal, so I'm happy to be generally eating more saturated fats, meats, avoiding sugar, having whole milk in my cappuccinos (decaff) and keeping carbs on the low side…. not much fruit (seems odd after all the 5 a day propaganda)….veggies at each meal…. I'm keeping going and hoping to see longer term effects. Still reading Schwarzbein.
Having said all that, I'm going to be on a retreat over the weekend at a fully vegetarian Buddhist centre. Wish me luck! :0)
Irene –
Good luck with the vegetarians.
Remember that there is really nothing in fruit from a nutritional standpoint that is not in vegetables. On a per calorie basis, vegetables are far superior to fruits. Even on a per weight basis, vegetables tend to be more nutritious – this is true even of Vitamin C, something we associate with fruits, but which is found in much higher concentrations in many vegetables.
Matt – thanks for the reminder. As I write I am 40 minutes from my first meal here in the Buddhist centre…. they do everything with such care and I'm sure they'll present as good a balance as they can. I can get porridge and eggs for breakfast, so that can't be bad!
Irene
Thanks for the replies.
Matt, you are right – I don't want to lose all of the weight, but I definitely do want to lose some.
Amanda, who told you to eat 3000+ cals?
Maybe I'm getting more than I think, I haven't counted for a long time.
I've been adding more carbs in and find that I feel better with them too!
Kate: I'm in the same boat, kind of. My baby is 21 months now and I breastfed until 13 months. I wish I had been breastfed, now that i know the difference it makes!!.
I, too, had anorexia about 6 years ago. I don't like calling it anorexia; I just stopped eating because nothing was food. I ate less than 400 cals a day for about 5 months, and then I started exercising daily and eating lots but still low fat, less than 5% animal products, for a few years, still skinny but 'healthier'.
I have intolerance tendancies toward pretty much every food that isn't an unadultered animal product, so I've currently concluded. So I'm still trying to figure out how to eat, although I'm doing better, recently started following WAPF although I wish I would have been better at it while I was pregnant.
When I was pregnant all my food issues went away and I was eating 'normal' people food, like bacon, hamburgers, cereal with milk, no issues. strange how that works.
It took me 6 months, without any exercising or dieting, to get my waist totally back. So I can't be in that bad of shape. I still would like to lose 15-20 lbs. its all in my legs and has been even before pregnancy. its been a year of me trying to do that and i think i went backwards a little bit because i got myself into a huge hormonal mess from overexercising over 6 months. I was getting super hypoglycemic and stuff when I ate ANYTHING that was carblike, even while eating fairly high-carb, So now I'm on my simple meat fat and meat diet, and I'm weighing my food to make sure i eat enough. I'm hoping I won't get myself into an even worse mess.
I do feel WAY healthier. First of all, I used to always have muscle soreness, which is totally gone with eating mostly animal products. It used to be especially bad during certain parts of my cycle and i think whatever inflammation was going on was majorly disrupting my hormones. Also, I have a very good immune system now, and this is coming from someone who used to get the flu every other week, not joking. Also, eating this way makes me not need to exercise every day, which is huge.
I had a friend who lost her baby weight and more after 2 months. we all hate those people..grrrrrr. Please let me know how you make out. And, to be honest, one of the reason I was glad to be done breastfeeding is then the hormones go back to normal and you may lose more weight. even though you technically burns tons of calories while breastfeeding, you may not be able to lose weight because it doesn't always work that way.
haha poor trying to find excuses to eat more carbs… to bad people in 1909 were not exactly the pinnacle of health.
Finding excuses to eat more carbs? What are you an intellectual cripple?
They weren't the pinnacle of health of course but you seemed to have missed the point. They still consumed about 3 teaspoons of refined sugar a day, however, overall carbohydrate consumption decreased as disease increased.
How much did overall fat consumption increase or decrease? If carbohydrate consumption decreased by 11 percent, is that a macro-nutrient ratio perspective or by weight? If it's a ratio perspective, than what took the place of it?
That's by percentage of calories ingested. Americans now consume more fat by percentage of total calories and more calories overall (supposedly).
Matt, I took this quote directly from Weston A. Price’s letter to his nieces and nephews in which he describes the best diet based on his studies. CARBS take CENTER STAGE! If you don’t have this letter, Matt, let me know; II’ll send it to you.
“The basic foods should be the entire grains such as whole wheat, rye or oats, whole wheat and rye breads, wheat and oat cereals, oat-cake, dairy products, including milk and cheese, which should be used liberally, and marine foods. All marine or sea foods, both fresh and salt water, are high in minerals and constitute one of the very best foods you could eat. Canned fish such as sardines, tuna or salmon are all excellent; also the fresh seafood such as oysters, halibut, haddock, etc. The protein requirement can be provided each day in one egg or a piece of meat equivalent to the bulk of one egg a day. The meals can be amply modified and varied with vegetables, raw and cooked, the best of the cooked vegetables being lentils used as a soup. The cooked vegetables are cauliflower, brussels sprouts, asparagus tips and celery. Lettuce is the best of the raw vegetables.”
Yeah, Harley Johnstone, aka Durianrider, just read this quote on youtube. With the modern knowledge we have about body composition, athletic performance and recovery, oxidative metabolism, the world’s current healthiest diets/peoples, and so forth strengthens the case for carbs even more.