6 March 2009

Good Calories, Bad Calories is “one of those books.”  One of those books that ultimately changes the direction you are heading, one that you will always refer back to and remember on your journey through this life.  For me, it is just that much more proof to cement that the direction I’ve been heading is the right now.

Although this book was ~500 pages, I just finished reading it in about two and a half days.  It challenges basically every assumption we have had for the past 150 years about why we gain weight and how to lose weight and tells us why we have been so terribly wrong.  I have tried to lose weight for many years and I can attest to the fact that I have tried just about everything.  I am about 20 lbs overweight and have been this way most of my life, with brief periods of losing weight and one time weighing even 20 lbs more than now and most of the time spent hovering around the same weight.

I was a vegetarian almost all my life, I tried being vegan for about 4 years, I tried eating macrobiotic, which was too confusing and didn’t really produce results and the types of food didn’t feel right to me.  I tried raw foods many times and sometimes got paltry results not matching my effort, that were difficult to maintain. I tried fasting (master cleanse 10 days, juice feasting 4 days, water only 3 days) only to eventually gain back what I lost during the fast and sometimes even more.

The only thing that seemed to semi-work was the near fruitarian 80-10-10 diet religiously for 8 months.  Once I was finally able to master the 80-10-10 diet, which took many months of transitioning and falling off the wagon, it did allow me to lose some weight and keep it off for about 5 months.  But to prevent from gaining weight, I had to remain at a certain amount of (restricted) calories and (much) activity and not fall off the wagon at all, or I would quickly gain again.  (Plus, I was hungry all the time and I suffered from low blood pressure and vertigo from all the fruit.  Plus many other ethical problems I had with the diet… but that’s another post

When I stopped doing 80-10-10 and went back to eating a high-raw vegan diet, I did not change my activity level and barely changed caloric intake and gained back the 20 lbs I had lost and remained there.  Why?  Why is it that when we restrict our calories and exercise more, we can’t seem to achieve long-term weight loss?  Why is it that some people (damn them) can eat whatever they want and not gain a gram and some people, if they as much smell a cupcake, will gain a pound?  And why have all of our prudent government efforts to eat a “balanced diet low in saturated fats” just made us even fatter and sicker?

Taubes answers all these questions, with reference to research studies and trials done for the past 150 years.  He also explains why this knowledge has been suppressed.

All along, I have been searching for the reason why processed modern food makes us sick.  I wanted something that seemed intuitive and natural.  How could hunter-gatherers populations remain so lean with little aerobic exercise and so much leisure time?  The theory behind the 80-10-10 diet is that we were all tropical people at one time and all ate fruit before fire was invented.  I am willing to entertain that this was true for a brief period of time before fire was discovered, even though there is no anthropological evidence to suggest as much.  Meanwhile there is an abundance of evidence to suggest that we were primarily flesh eaters and hunter-gatherers for nearly all, if not all, of our evolution as human beings.

It makes perfect sense to me that our bodies want to be healthy, disease-free and lean, if given appropriate foods, and would maintain this level of health with little effort.  And it makes perfect sense to me that which makes us sick has only been introduced into our diet within the past 10, 000 years, a relative blip on the evolutionary scale of humans, when agriculture began and high-carbohydrate foods such as potatoes, sugar and bread were available.  We surely have not yet adapted to eating a diet high in carbohydrates.  (Perhaps someday we will?  However, even the conservative guesses say it will take another 10, 000 years for that type of evolutionary change.)

Here’s a summary of Taubes’ main points.  Italics are mine.

1. Dietary fat, whether saturated or not, is not a cause of obesity, heart disease or any other chronic disease of civilization.

2.  The problem is the carbohydrates in the diet, their effect on insulin secretion, and thus the hormonal regulation of homeostasis–the entire harmonic ensemble of the human body.  The more easily digestible and refined the carbohydrates, the greater the effect on our health, weight and well-being.

3. Sugars – sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup specifically—are particularly harmful, probably because the combination of fructose and glucose simultaneously elevates insulin levels while overloading the liver with carbohydrates.

4. Through their direct effect on insulin and blood sugar, refined carbohydrates, starches and sugars are the dietary cause of coronary heart disease and diabetes. They are the most likely dietary causes of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and the other chronic diseases of civilization.  (I would add to this also that carbs are exacerbate or in some cases may be the cause of depression, anxiety, bi-polar and mood disorders due to the blood sugar swings.)

5. Obesity is a disorder of excess fat accumulation, not overeating and not sedentary behaviour.  (Yay!)

6. Consuming excess calories does not cause us to grow fatter, any more than it causes a child to grow taller. Expending more energy than we consume does not lead to long-term weight loss; it leads to hunger.

7. Fattening and obesity are caused by an imbalance—a disequilibrium—in the hormonal regulation of adipose tissue and fat metabolism. Fat synthesis and storage exceed the mobilization of fat from the adipose tissue and its subsequent oxidation. We become leaner when the hormonal regulation of the fat tissue reverses this balance.

8. Insulin is the primary regulator of fat storage. When insulin levels are elevated—either chronically or after a meal—we accumulate fat in our fat tissue. When insulin levels fall, we release fat from our fat tissue and use it for fuel.

9. By stimulating insulin secretion, carbohydrates make us fat and ultimately cause obesity. The fewer carbohydrates we consume, the leaner we will be.

10. By driving fat accumulation, carbohydrates also increase hunger and decrease the amount of energy we expend in metabolism and physical activity.

3 March 2009

My Version of the Primal Energy Bar

Ingredients

1 c. nuts (I like all almonds, but can use walnuts, pecans or a combo)

1/4 c. hazelnut or other nut meal

1/4 c. nut butter

1/4 c. coconut oil

1/4 c. unsweetened, shredded coconut (reserve a few handfuls for topping)

1/2 c. dried fruit such as cranberries, goji berries, blueberries

dash of vanilla extract

dash of sea salt

Directions

Combine coconut butter and nut butter and melt over low heat on the range top, stirring constantly, or if you have lots of time and want it to be raw, put in the dehydrator to melt. Once melted, add in vanilla and sea salt.

Process nuts and coconut in food processor, but not entirely, it’s nice to have some texture.  Combine with hazelnut meal.  Add dried fruit.

Mix the nut mixture with the coconut/nut butter mixture and mix thoroughly.  Put into container lined with parchment paper.  Sprinkle coconut on top.

2 March 2009

The Best Butternut Squash Soup

My husband and mom really love this soup.  We make it once every few weeks.  Too high in carbs to be a staple, but it’s a delicious treat.

1 medium butternut squash (about 4 c.)

1 medium  sweet potato

1 medium onion

1 t garam masala

2 t of curry powder

1T olive oil

4 c. veggie stock (I use Pacific Foods organic vegetable broth for its flavour)

pinch of fresh basil for garnish (optional)

Instructions: Saute onion and garlic in pan on medium heat with olive oil and half of the garam masala powder.  Add peeled and chopped squash and sweet potato.  Add veggie stock.  Bring to boil, turn heat to low and cover.  Cook for 20-30 min.  Add the other half of the garam masala powder and stir in with spoon.  Take out 3/4 of soup and blend then add to stock pot.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional Information (as per Nutridiary)

18%F/72%C/10%P

Net carbs per serving:  31g

23 February 2009

I am really interested in a concept called Intermittent Fasting.  From all my research on health in the past, I’ve always found again and again that fasting is a great way to improve health.  Not only is it a great way to help alleviate the load on your digestive system and thus on your liver and other systems, it’s a great way to burn fat.  I have fasted in the past but I really like the idea of IF because it’s so customizable according to one’s lifestyle.  There are so many different ways of IFing.

I love the concept of IF because it seems natural to forgo meals.  Our evolutionary ancestors would not have been able to eat 3 times a day and have access to a constant supply of high-caloric food such as we do in western civilization.  Plus, we are the only animal who eats 3x a day everyday.  Grazers eat when they find food.  Scavengers like wolves eat less often.  When I visited the Wolf Centre at Haliburton Forest they said that they fed the wolves a huge carcass to share once a week.

On Friday I fasted from last night at 9pm until today at 5:30pm and felt fantastic.  Greatly improved mental clarity during the day.  Energetic feeling all day long. I felt hunger a couple times but it wasn’t too intense.  I really like the idea of fasting until dinner and then having a couple meals in the evening.  I find this easily do-able and so much easier to do than those multi-day never-ending fasts that are impossible mentally.

17 February 2009

Everyone knows fish oil is good but I couldn’t really understand how people would have primitively extracted the oil from fish.  Extracting oil seems like a pretty high tech process, right?  But nope, fish oil is a totally primitive food.  The Tsimshian people in British Columbia actually made fish oil and used it to supplement their diet! They would gather Eulachon fish, then let them rot and then boil them and skim off the oil.

Museum of Civilization

How lucky we are these days to benefit from professional quality processing of high quality fish oil.  Although we don’t get the benefit of all the exercise that it takes to catch those fish and boil them up.  Nor do we get to go fishing in boats in seas teeming with fish, feeling the salty sea air and sun on our faces. Nor do we get to say the prayers of gratitude to the fish as we catch them and use their bodies to nourish us.

Sprinting

Cool!

Primal Exercise

So since I’ve changed my diet, I’ve also been thinking about what I will do this spring and summer in terms of exercise.  I am rethinking my plans to do ultras.  I had been planning to do at least a baby ultra (50K) this spring.    Perhaps, yes, ultras can do some damage to the body which is not quite natural.  Though, there is still something that draws me to them, so maybe someday.  But the question that really gets me thinking is when would a hunter-gatherer have had to run for 24+ hours straight?  The only instance I can think of is the Tarahumara tribe (who incidentally kicked ass at Leadville many times) because they historically ran to deliver messages across long distances…  Unfortunately in terms of my running career, my heritage is not Tarahumara, it is half-Estonian serf and half-Canadian (and if you go way back, logically, British Isles of some sort.) so maybe my genetic stock is less suited for long-distance running and more suited to cutting wheat in fields and going fishing.  No wonder I’m such a slow runner.

The idea of exercising primally is:

• move around a lot at a slow pace
• lift really heavy things
• run really fast once in a while

This idea is meant to mimic how we would live if we weren’t in technologically advanced modern civilization, which is a relative blip on the genetic timescale of humans.  So perhaps a primal exercise plan might look more varied than training for an ultra and focusing so much time and effort just on running.

My husband is planning on doing a 24-hr bike race in June, so focusing on cycling again would be good so we can do a bit of riding together.  Cycling definitely fits into the idea of moving around a lot, but slowly.  I did some sprints with my friend on Monday, and doing some sprinting once a week or so seems pretty do-able.  Also looking into adding swimming and whatever other fun exercise opportunities come along.  I’ll still probably end up going to the gym to do weights 1-2 times a week.  The lazy part of me that likes to stay inside during winter really likes the fact that a primal diet seems to allow one to maintain muscle mass with much less exercise.

Primal Progress

I have really only been following this Primal stuff for a few days and I can’t believe how immediate the results are!  I am ready to wake up in the morning at 7 or 8 whereas before I was sleeping in until 9 or 10 and still wanted to sleep more. I don’t feel bloated in my tummy anymore and my friend noticed yesterday that I already lost weight.  My joints feel flexible and I feel really energetic.  My mental clarity is amazing and my moods feel even.

And most impressive to me, I am not craving sugars or having any cravings whatsoever!  Hunger is different now than when I was eating a high-carb diet.  I would get ravenously hungry and would have to eat right away and when I would eat the jitteriness would go away and my mood would get better.  Now I don’t get jittery or in a bad mood if I’m hungry and my hunger can wait and eating can be delayed for an hour or two without negative consequences.  I am feeling true hunger, but it is much easier to deal with.

For the past few days I’ve been eating lots of nutty and fatty primal bars, full-fat organic and local yogourt mixed with berries, almonds and a tiny bit of raw honey and miso soup broth with loads and loads of spinach and a bit of tempeh and carrot.  I am basically doing primal vegetarian right now.  It’s a lesser carb load for sure.  Slow transitions are best.  I am really enjoying my food and when I eat I feel so satiated.

Shifting Gears

Big shifts are headed my way this year.  I recently had a consultation with Kiva Rose, a medicine woman herbalist who I have a great respect for.  Since September, I have had a bad dry and itchy skin rash which spread and would not respond to the typical topical treatments or dietary changes, or even the advice of a Western medical doctor.  The rash continued to spread to other areas and it got so bad that I’d be scratching myself to bleeding while I was sleeping.  So I decided to consult Kiva.

Kiva told me I am dealing with sluggish liver, kidneys, and digestive system as well as insulin resistance. She recommended some nourishing herbal infusions, which I’d already been taking previous to the consult.  As well, she recommended some bitters to take before meals to help with the digestion of fats and proteins.  I had also mentioned to her that I have bipolar/depression in my history and she took that into account as well.  To this end, she also suggested some tinctures for mood balancing.  As well as this, she recommended a routine of 2-3 weeks of vitamins to help my metabolism and endocrine system.

From a mental health perspective, she says that lessening carb-load can help to relieve anxiety and depression.  This makes sense to me since refined carbs are addictive and ones that are highly processed create insulin spikes and mood disorders.

Her advice for dietary changes includes eating according to Mark Sisson’s Primal Blueprint.  The idea of this diet is that one would strive to eat in a caloro-nutrient ratio and style that resembled our hunter-gatherer ancestor’s diet.  For me this means eliminating/restricting bananas (!!!), dates and super sweet fruits.  It means eating blueberries, other berries, local apples instead of super sweet fruit.  It translates to eating more fats and proteins and keeping carbs limited to around 120 grams per day.  So, no super sweet fruit, only moderate amounts of fruit and starchy veg., no grains, limiting legumes/beans, limited “smart” grains such as quinoa.  The emphasis is on green vegetables and non-sweet fruits, with lots of healthy sources of fat/protein.

I had been eating lots of fruit, but also some cooked food such as legumes, rice, and vegetable soups.  When I had been eating cooked food, I was concentrating on carby things not fatty things, since I reckoned that fatty things didn’t combine well with super sweet fruits.  I think this was creating a major imbalance with the amount of sugar I was taking in, combined with the cooked carbs.  It’s okay to eat a lot of sugary fruits if that’s all you’re eating, but when you combine it with anything else, it’s a disaster.  I think what she is saying makes a lot of sense.

As well, she disagrees with veganism from a nutritional standpoint but understands ethically where I am coming from.  She says that I am headed for long-term nutritional deficiencies if I remain vegan, but if I want to do so, I should at least continue with daily herbal infusions, some b-vitamins, magnesium and zinc.  I am not ready to eat meat any time soon, but am considering slowly adding in raw local cow’s milk or goat’s milk yogourt/kefir/pima.  Maybe eggs in the long-term.  (“Yogourt?  I thought you were vegan?”  Yeah, I know!  Crazy, huh?)  I have been interested in the body ecology/primal eating thing for quite some time and I got to a point where I understood that an animal-based diet can be as healthy if it’s from wild sources rather than domesticated.  I think that’s why I got my gun license, since in the back of my idealistic mind I have a vision of one day being able to hunt my own food.  Hunting my own would probably be the only way I’d eat meat at this point in my thinking and I’m nowhere near there yet since the thought of eating it still repulses me (hey, it’s been a while since I ate meat). As well, in terms of preparing for the crash of civilization and fall of the oil economy, I would like not to depend on the fruits of civilization so much.  I want to know how to hunt for that reason.

Of course, all of this information about eating low-carb and high-fat/protein to someone who strongly believe(s?)(d?)  in the 80/10/10 diet which is strictly vegan and high carb, seems pretty overwhelming.  It seems crazy to have invested so much energy into a philosophy.  As you all know, I have already abandoned all ideas of an animal-rights based approach to eating because of the preposterousness of that idea, although I had remained vegan because I thought it was healthy.  I feel as though 811 was just part of my journey and knowledge.  I agree with Dr Graham that we need to eat more produce. And I agree that grains are toxic and an inappropriate food for humans. Some of the principles of 811 are still important.  Eating a produce-dominated diet full of fruits and greens is still what I want to do.  I just want to eat less-sweet fruits instead, and change the caloro-nutrient ratio.

I am not saying that 80-10-10 did not work for me at some point in my life.  It did work for me, to a great extent.  When I was following 811 strictly for a period of 8 months my depression lifted and I experienced great health.  But when it came around to winter, I started having difficulty finding good sources of fruit.  On 811, I also experienced low blood pressure with dizziness spells and vertigo and cold temperature, because of all the fruit and greens.  I am already cold and even colder on 811.  When one isn’t exercising at an intense level 1+ hrs per day, the sugar can’t be used by the body easily.  And in the winter it’s hard to exercise at such an intense level because it’s so cold outside.  I have always felt limited in finding good quality fruit, especially in the winter.  Bananas just aren’t available locally, organically in Canada   And I have always felt guilty about eating a diet that consisted of mostly imported fruit from the tropics.  (I plan to continue to live in Canada, not the tropics.)  What I am saying is that I am having problems and insurmountable challenges in sticking to 80-10-10 now in the present, and in the past so I have to admit it is not working for me.

I have to be realistic and not idealistic, which I tend towards.  I have not been consistently 100% raw for periods more than a few weeks for the past year or more.  And my interim plan of eating high raw foods (lots of sweet fruit) + some cooked carb-y things was creating problems.  I kept holding onto this plan because I thought maybe, just maybe, someday I’ll be able to be 100% raw and it will all be okay.  Even though it clearly wasn’t working I was still holding out.  So realistically, what I was doing was not only (a) not working, (b) creating mood disorders, (c) creating skin rashes, but it was also nutritionally deficient! Realistically, I feel like Kiva’s dietary recommendations make sense and are do-able for me.