Monday, October 13, 2008
Food Pushers and 5 Day Pouch Testers
Hello Neighbors!Today's 5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin - the free email about the back-to-basics program for weight loss surgery post-ops - gave fair warning for the food pushing season that starts in October with all the Halloween sweets and doesn't end until the ball drops on the first day of 2009. From now through the December we will face food temptations and food pushers around every corner. "
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Shout-Out for Mel's Recovering Fatty Website
Hello Neighbors!One of our good Neighbors here, Melinda, has put together a beautiful website and she is enjoying a growing community over at Recovering Fatty. Like the Neighborhood, her site is a licensed IPB board (so it works just like the Neighborhood), it is secure from spammers and flamers, and it is advertising free. Melinda is a special person with a kind heart and giving spirit. She
Friday, October 10, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Acid-Base Balance
Numerous health authorities have proposed that the acid-base balance of a diet contributes to its effects on health, including Dr. Loren Cordain. Here's how it works. Depending largely on its mineral content, food yields net acid or base as it's metabolized. This is not the same as the acidity of a food as you eat it; for example, lemons are base-yielding. The pH of the body's tissues and blood is tightly regulated, so it must find ways to resist pH changes. One way it deals with excess acid and base is by excreting it. Acidifying food causes the urine and saliva to become more acidic, while alkalinizing food has the opposite effect.
Another mechanism some believe the body uses to neutralize acidity is by drawing calcium from the bones. The modern diet tends to be acid-yielding. Vegetables and fruit are base-yielding while meat, refined carbohydrate, dairy and most other foods are acid-yielding. Some authorities believe this leads to osteoporosis, cancer and a number of other health problems. This is one of the reasons we're told to eat immoderate quantities of vegetables.
I've always been skeptical of the acid-base balance theory of health. This mostly stems from the fact that many hunter-gatherer societies were essentially carnivorous, yet they didn't suffer from osteoporosis, tooth decay or any other signs of calcium deficiency. Also, if acid-yielding diets strip calcium from the bones, how did calcium get into the bones to begin with? The body clearly has mechanisms for creating and preserving bone density in the face of an acid-yielding diet, it's just a question of whether those mechanisms are working properly.
I came across a gem of an article today on acid-base balance by none other than Dr. Weston Price. As usual, he hits it out of the ballpark. There are two tables in the article that sum it up beautifully. In the first, he compares the occurrence of cavities in healthy non-industrial groups to genetically identical groups living on modern foods (wheat flour, sugar). As you know by now if you've been reading this blog, the modern groups have 5-100 times more cavities than their non-industrial counterparts, along with crooked teeth, feeble frames and a number of other problems.
In the second table, he lists the acid-base balance of the same non-industrial and modern groups. There is no real pattern. Some of the non-industrial groups ate a diet that was heavily acid-yielding (Inuit, he calls them Eskimo), while others were fairly balanced or even base-yielding (South sea islanders). The unhealthy modern versions, ironically, were fairly balanced between acid and base-yielding foods. This is not consistent with the idea that acid-base balance contributes to the diseases of civilization.
There was one consistent trend, however. The non-industrial diets tended to be higher in both acid and base-yielding foods than their modern counterparts. That means they were richer in minerals. Just as importantly if not more so, their diets were rich in fat-soluble "activators" of mineral absorption and metabolism that ensure the proper use of those minerals. These are the fat-soluble vitamins A, D and K2. Here's what Weston Price says:
Why were the diets of healthy non-industrial people so rich in minerals? It's simple: they ate whole foods. "Empty calorie" foods such as sugar, vegetable oil and refined grains constitute more than half of the calories in the modern diet. Eliminating those "foods" and replacing them with whole foods instantly doubles your mineral intake. Properly preparing grains and legumes by soaking, sprouting or fermenting further increases their mineral availability. Add some grass-fed dairy, organ meats, shellfish and eggs for the vitamins and you're in business!
Another mechanism some believe the body uses to neutralize acidity is by drawing calcium from the bones. The modern diet tends to be acid-yielding. Vegetables and fruit are base-yielding while meat, refined carbohydrate, dairy and most other foods are acid-yielding. Some authorities believe this leads to osteoporosis, cancer and a number of other health problems. This is one of the reasons we're told to eat immoderate quantities of vegetables.
I've always been skeptical of the acid-base balance theory of health. This mostly stems from the fact that many hunter-gatherer societies were essentially carnivorous, yet they didn't suffer from osteoporosis, tooth decay or any other signs of calcium deficiency. Also, if acid-yielding diets strip calcium from the bones, how did calcium get into the bones to begin with? The body clearly has mechanisms for creating and preserving bone density in the face of an acid-yielding diet, it's just a question of whether those mechanisms are working properly.
I came across a gem of an article today on acid-base balance by none other than Dr. Weston Price. As usual, he hits it out of the ballpark. There are two tables in the article that sum it up beautifully. In the first, he compares the occurrence of cavities in healthy non-industrial groups to genetically identical groups living on modern foods (wheat flour, sugar). As you know by now if you've been reading this blog, the modern groups have 5-100 times more cavities than their non-industrial counterparts, along with crooked teeth, feeble frames and a number of other problems.
In the second table, he lists the acid-base balance of the same non-industrial and modern groups. There is no real pattern. Some of the non-industrial groups ate a diet that was heavily acid-yielding (Inuit, he calls them Eskimo), while others were fairly balanced or even base-yielding (South sea islanders). The unhealthy modern versions, ironically, were fairly balanced between acid and base-yielding foods. This is not consistent with the idea that acid-base balance contributes to the diseases of civilization.
There was one consistent trend, however. The non-industrial diets tended to be higher in both acid and base-yielding foods than their modern counterparts. That means they were richer in minerals. Just as importantly if not more so, their diets were rich in fat-soluble "activators" of mineral absorption and metabolism that ensure the proper use of those minerals. These are the fat-soluble vitamins A, D and K2. Here's what Weston Price says:
It is not my belief that [tooth decay, dental/skeletal deformity, general poor health] is related to potential acidity or potential alkalinity of the food but to the mineral and activator content of the nutrition during the developmental periods, namely, prenatal, postnatal and childhood growth. It is important that the very foods that are potentially acid have as an important part of the source of that acidity the phosphoric acid content, and an effort to eliminate acidity often means seriously reducing the available phosphorus, an indispensable soft and hard tissue component.In other words, the acid-base balance isn't what matters, it's getting enough minerals and the vitamins you need to make good use of them.
Why were the diets of healthy non-industrial people so rich in minerals? It's simple: they ate whole foods. "Empty calorie" foods such as sugar, vegetable oil and refined grains constitute more than half of the calories in the modern diet. Eliminating those "foods" and replacing them with whole foods instantly doubles your mineral intake. Properly preparing grains and legumes by soaking, sprouting or fermenting further increases their mineral availability. Add some grass-fed dairy, organ meats, shellfish and eggs for the vitamins and you're in business!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
One Last Thought
In Dr. Lindeberg's paleolithic diet trial, subjects began with ischemic heart disease, and glucose intolerance or type II diabetes. By the end of the 12-week study, on average their glucose control was approaching normal and every subject had normal fasting glucose. Glucose control and fasting glucose in subjects following the "Mediterranean diet" did not change significantly. He didn't report changes in cardiovascular risk factors.
Why was the paleolithic diet so effective at restoring glucose control, while the Mediterranean diet was not? I believe the reason is that the Mediterranean diet did not eliminate the foods that were causing the problem to begin with: processed grains, particularly wheat. The paleolithic diet was lower in carbohydrate than the Mediterranean diet (40% vs 52%), although not exceptionally so. The absolute difference was larger since the paleolithic dieters were eating fewer calories overall (134 g vs 231 g). When they analyzed the data, they found that "the effect of the paleolithic diet on glucose tolerance was independent of carbohydrate intake". In other words, paleolithic dieters saw an improvement in glucose tolerance even if they ate as much carbohydrate as the average for the Mediterranean group.
This study population is not representative of the general public. These are people who suffered from an extreme version of the "disease of civilization". But they are examples of a process that I believe applies to nearly all of us to some extent. This paper adds to the evidence that the modern diet is behind these diseases.
A quick note about grains. Some of you may have noticed a contradiction in how I bash grains and at the same time praise Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. I'm actually not against grains. I think they can be part of a healthy diet, but they have to be prepared correctly and used in moderation. Healthy non-industrial cultures almost invariably soaked, sprouted or sourdough-fermented their grains. These processes make grains much more nutritious and less irritating to the digestive tract, because they allow the seeds to naturally break down their own toxins such as phytic acid, trypsin inhibitors and lectins.
Gluten grains are a special case. 12% of the US public is though to be gluten sensitive, as judged by anti-gliadin antibodies in the bloodstream. Nearly a third have anti-gliadin antibodies in their feces. Roughly 1% have outright celiac disease, in which the gut lining degenerates in response to gluten. All forms of gluten sensitivity increase the risk of a staggering array of health problems. There's preliminary evidence that gluten may activate the innate immune system in many people even in the absence of antibodies. From an anthropological perspective, wherever wheat flour goes, so does the disease of civilization. Rice doesn't have the same effect. It's possible that properly prepared wheat, such as sourdough, might not cause the same problems, but I'm not taking my chances. I certainly don't recommend quick-rise bread, and that includes whole wheat. Whole wheat seemed to be enough to preserve glucose intolerance in Lindeberg's study...
Why was the paleolithic diet so effective at restoring glucose control, while the Mediterranean diet was not? I believe the reason is that the Mediterranean diet did not eliminate the foods that were causing the problem to begin with: processed grains, particularly wheat. The paleolithic diet was lower in carbohydrate than the Mediterranean diet (40% vs 52%), although not exceptionally so. The absolute difference was larger since the paleolithic dieters were eating fewer calories overall (134 g vs 231 g). When they analyzed the data, they found that "the effect of the paleolithic diet on glucose tolerance was independent of carbohydrate intake". In other words, paleolithic dieters saw an improvement in glucose tolerance even if they ate as much carbohydrate as the average for the Mediterranean group.
This study population is not representative of the general public. These are people who suffered from an extreme version of the "disease of civilization". But they are examples of a process that I believe applies to nearly all of us to some extent. This paper adds to the evidence that the modern diet is behind these diseases.
A quick note about grains. Some of you may have noticed a contradiction in how I bash grains and at the same time praise Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. I'm actually not against grains. I think they can be part of a healthy diet, but they have to be prepared correctly and used in moderation. Healthy non-industrial cultures almost invariably soaked, sprouted or sourdough-fermented their grains. These processes make grains much more nutritious and less irritating to the digestive tract, because they allow the seeds to naturally break down their own toxins such as phytic acid, trypsin inhibitors and lectins.
Gluten grains are a special case. 12% of the US public is though to be gluten sensitive, as judged by anti-gliadin antibodies in the bloodstream. Nearly a third have anti-gliadin antibodies in their feces. Roughly 1% have outright celiac disease, in which the gut lining degenerates in response to gluten. All forms of gluten sensitivity increase the risk of a staggering array of health problems. There's preliminary evidence that gluten may activate the innate immune system in many people even in the absence of antibodies. From an anthropological perspective, wherever wheat flour goes, so does the disease of civilization. Rice doesn't have the same effect. It's possible that properly prepared wheat, such as sourdough, might not cause the same problems, but I'm not taking my chances. I certainly don't recommend quick-rise bread, and that includes whole wheat. Whole wheat seemed to be enough to preserve glucose intolerance in Lindeberg's study...
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Yet another day off work...
I am getting cheesed off with being in pain. I had to take today off work because I knew I would not handle it. That's £90 down the Swanee. Anyway, no matter what happens, I am working tomorrow because I just have to. Its not possible for me to keep losing money like this. A fill costs me about £300 by the time I am over it all!
So to update you about the food..
This week, on top of the 1000 cals a day given to me by the Diet Chef meals, this week I have had:
2 wholemeal pitta
cheese and onion sandwich filler
bacon and cheese sandwich filler
3 banana's
cauliflower
potato
sweetcorn
about 5 fromage frais with fruit pulp
2 bread sticks
orange juice
milk for my many coffee's
2 large gherkin's
Romanesque
2 cardamom muffins that I made (small cup cake size)
I think that's about it. Absolutely no wine *SHOCK HORROR* or sweets or anything really really bad. Its amazing how guilty I feel just eating the above in excess of the Diet Chef meals, even though all the veg are allowed and honestly a couple of bread sticks and a muffin aren't going to make me a heifer are they!
I am kind of looking forward to seeing how much I have lost on Friday. I can feel it in my face along my jaw that its not so pudgy. It had got a little pudgy from the 1 stone weight gain, and this seems to be where it went and where its gone from first again. I would rather it came off my bum, but then I guess more people look at my face than my bum these days anyway!
The housemates:
We currently have 3 extra housemates... Sue, long term lodger that she is, Nicky from Korea has now been here 1 month - that's gone really quick - and Heather a girl from Birmingham who is here doing some work experience after finishing her degree, to help her get a job. Personally I thought that was what the degree was for, but apparently degrees are as common as fag butts outside the local pub on a Friday night!
I feel quite exclusive not having a degree... maybe that's why I actually have a job! I wish I didn't have to have a job though. I hate work with a passion. I want to be a Mum and that's it. If DH ever gets a good job again (unlikely) then I am quiting. I bring home quite a nice amount of cash, but after you take out petrol money and books and stuff like that, I am getting a pretty thankless wage for a really hard and skilled job. I cant bring myself to put my prices up either as I feel terrible about it.
Anyway, I am off to bed now and I am SO having a lie in in the morning.
So to update you about the food..
This week, on top of the 1000 cals a day given to me by the Diet Chef meals, this week I have had:
2 wholemeal pitta
cheese and onion sandwich filler
bacon and cheese sandwich filler
3 banana's
cauliflower
potato
sweetcorn
about 5 fromage frais with fruit pulp
2 bread sticks
orange juice
milk for my many coffee's
2 large gherkin's
Romanesque
2 cardamom muffins that I made (small cup cake size)
I think that's about it. Absolutely no wine *SHOCK HORROR* or sweets or anything really really bad. Its amazing how guilty I feel just eating the above in excess of the Diet Chef meals, even though all the veg are allowed and honestly a couple of bread sticks and a muffin aren't going to make me a heifer are they!
I am kind of looking forward to seeing how much I have lost on Friday. I can feel it in my face along my jaw that its not so pudgy. It had got a little pudgy from the 1 stone weight gain, and this seems to be where it went and where its gone from first again. I would rather it came off my bum, but then I guess more people look at my face than my bum these days anyway!
The housemates:
We currently have 3 extra housemates... Sue, long term lodger that she is, Nicky from Korea has now been here 1 month - that's gone really quick - and Heather a girl from Birmingham who is here doing some work experience after finishing her degree, to help her get a job. Personally I thought that was what the degree was for, but apparently degrees are as common as fag butts outside the local pub on a Friday night!
I feel quite exclusive not having a degree... maybe that's why I actually have a job! I wish I didn't have to have a job though. I hate work with a passion. I want to be a Mum and that's it. If DH ever gets a good job again (unlikely) then I am quiting. I bring home quite a nice amount of cash, but after you take out petrol money and books and stuff like that, I am getting a pretty thankless wage for a really hard and skilled job. I cant bring myself to put my prices up either as I feel terrible about it.
Anyway, I am off to bed now and I am SO having a lie in in the morning.
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