How I Ended Up on a Low Carb, High Fat Diet and Stuff I've Learned Along the Way [Part II]

When writing last week's post it was getting a bit long so here is Part II . . .


Here is some stuff I've learned in my journey so far:

• There's not an exact "one-size-fits-all" diet that is going to suit everybody's needs.
• With our modern Western Diet most of us are not getting adequate supplies of the nutrients our bodies need to function the way that they were designed to.  Often we are blocking our body's ability to absorb and use some of the nutrients that we are consuming because of the refined and processed foods we are also eating, medications we are taking or other lifestyle factors like smoking or over-consumption of caffeine and alcohol.  [The Science of Skinny by Dee McCaffrey and Drug Muggers by Suzy Cohen RPh]
• Getting nutrients from unprocessed whole foods is better and safer than taking supplements because there is still so much that scientists don't yet understand about what's in real whole foods, so manufactured supplements are just not the same.  Eating a wide variety of nutrient-dense foods is the best way to avoid over-dosing or getting nutrients in the wrong balance.  [The Wahls Protocol by Dr Terry Wahls]
• Grains, nuts and seeds contain phytic acid, also know as "anti-nutrients" which bind to minerals in the gut preventing mineral absorption.  They also contain enzyme inhibitors which suppress the proper function of digestive enzymes leading to poor digestion and digestive discomfort.  Preparation methods that include soaking and/or fermenting before cooking help to neutralise the phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors making the grains, nuts and seeds more digestible and their nutrients more available. [Sourdough ebook by Wardeh Harmon and the GNOWFGLINS Team and the Western A Price Foundation]
• When consuming lots of vegetables, especially cruciferous vegetables, it's important to also have an adequate intake of iodine to prevent the effect of goitrogens which when metabolised can decrease the uptake of iodine to the thyroid gland thus effecting its function.  Vegetables do contain some iodine but tend to be an unreliable source because soils these days are often depleted of this nutrient.  The best source of iodine is seafood.   [Chris Masterjohn]
• Unfermented soy is not healthy and in fact causes health issues and blocks absorption of some nutrients.  [Western A Price Foundation, Dr Kaayla Daniel, and Sally Joseph ]
• GMO - Genetically Modified Foods - are dangerous!  [Dr Jeffrey Smith]
• Fat, including saturated fat, is not our enemy, in fact we need it to absorb the fat-soluble nutrients:  A, D, E and K, essential fatty acids and co-enzyme Q10 which perform many very important functions in our bodies.  [The Science of Skinny by Dee McCaffrey, Western A Price Foundation, The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholz and The Happiness Diet, a Nutritional Prescription for a Sharp Brain, Balanced Mood, and Lean, Energised Body]
• Whilst vegetable oils have been shown to reduce cholesterol, they are not healthy because they are highly susceptible to oxidation from exposure to air, light and heat.  This causes inflammation in the body.  Consumption of vegetable oils also causes a huge imbalance of the omega 3 / omega 6 ratios in our diet.  Human consumption of vegetable oils was not heard of prior to the early 1900's.   [The Science of Skinny by Dee McCaffrey, Western A Price Foundation, The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholz]
• Olive oil is good for you and is more stable than vegetable oils but you should not cook with it at high temperatures because this will lead to oxidation.   [The Science of Skinny by Dee McCaffrey and The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicolz]
• Cholesterol is not the cause of heart disease.  Most cholesterol in the bloodstream does not come from our food but is made by the body and cholesterol is actually essential for many important functions in the body.  [Chris Masterjohn, Jimmy Moore author of Cholesterol Clarity, What the HDL is Wrong with my Numbers?]
• Heart disease is caused by the immune system's response to oxidative stress causing degeneration of the lipoproteins in the blood.  To prevent this we need to "maintain robust thyroid hormone status and good metabolism, get sufficient nutrients to minimise the degeneration of lipids, and minimise inflammation, infection and other toxic factors that contribute to their degeneration." [Chris Masterjohn]
  
• Traditional cholesterol testing is not an adequate indication of heart disease risk and readings can vary greatly.  Several tests under similar conditions are really needed to determine your medium reading and more advanced tests required to determine whether or not a seemingly high cholesterol reading is actually a problem, because there are both good and bad reasons for a rise in cholesterol.   [Chris Masterjohn]

If you want to get deeper into the science of cholesterol you can listen to this three-part interview with Chris Masterjohn. Part I, Part II, Part III. Each of theses runs for about 50 minutes.  

~ take every opportunity to put the good stuff in ~

This blog is about me, what I'm doing, what's working for me, and what's not. It includes my experiences and opinions. It is for general information only and is in no way intended to replace the advice of a health care professional.