Tag Archives: diet

Food and nutrition labels

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Happy Monday students,

Four week ago I discussed generic health advice and how it’s a one-size-fits-all health advice crap sandwich. You know, the kind of advice that says we should consume a specific amount of calories each day, that we must weigh a specific amount in relation to our height, that we must drink a specific (copious) amount of water each day, or that we need to avoid or consume specific foods all to be “healthy.” Today’s post stems off of that – off of the blind advice we’re told on a daily basis by health professionals – by highlighting some of the marketing campaigns said professionals swear by. And I cannot help to wonder if they really know what they’re talking about: Have they done their research? Research as in not just Google-ing a few articles that all support the same claim. Research as in understanding the physiology of the body, it’s mechanisms, and how it acts or reacts. Research as in understanding the food, it’s properties, and how it acts or reacts within the body.

  • Improves digestion
  • Boosts metabolism
  • Supports immune system
  • Detoxifies
  • Heart healthy
  • Lowers cholesterol
  • Improved mental clarity
  • Increased sexual stamina

The first marketing campaign that comes to mind is “Cheerio’s can lower cholesterol in two weeks.” Does anyone know what that actually means? Does anyone actually understand the mechanism by which Cheerios – a cereal made out of genetically modified oats and corn, and synthetic vitamins – can lower cholesterol? Do most people understand what cholesterol is and its purpose in the body? Do people most people understand how food affects cholesterol levels? Or are most people on the level that high cholesterol is bad, low cholesterol is good, and to avoid food with cholesterol because too much is bad? Oh, then there’s my favorite campaign, “part of a heart-healthy diet.” What the HELL does heart-healthy mean?! System of systems. One food does not benefit only one part of the body. System. Of. Systems.

I would really like to see the studies that allude to such claims. I would really like to see all of the stipulations that go into a claim, too, because of a little thing called subjectivity: Who was the study done on? Male? Female? Child? Animal? What age? Other current health factors? Exercise program? Genetic factors? General diet? And, probably the biggest factor, who funded the study?

I want to open some perspectives on what we become numb to and sheepishly believe. Before you go reading food labels as scripture and devouring every last morsel to boost, support, lower, or improve something within your physical self, take a moment to gain perspective with your all-encompassing non-physical self as to who is making the decisions here… your better judgement or the company’s fancy label. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve overheard two women of college age in a local coffee shop conversing about beauty products and superfoods, exclaiming how said factors can do wonders for the skin and metabolism and yadda, yadda, yadda. Ok, maybe I’ve heard it only twice BUT THOSE TWO TIMES were significant enough to stick and make me think… I can’t tell if they actually know what they’re talking about or if they’re really good at memorizing labels.

 

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One-size-fits-all health advice crap sandwich

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Happy monday cadets,

I am taking a stand against universal health recommendations; specifically, diet recommendations. Because health is subjective. Health is individualized. Health is not a math equation. Health is an internal feeling that projects outwardly, not the other way around. I’m guilty of it, both heeding and suggesting and having my perspectives skewed by all the jargon that’s out there. It’s hard not to when it’s nice to be “right,” to have a positive influence on others, to feel like I have purpose. It’s hard not to with years of ingrained “health facts” that are touted as scripture… yet… they… are… constantly… changing. I wish the solution was easy as encouraging people to not take everything so literally, to try before they buy and formulate an unbiased opinion, but we live in a quick-fix world that focuses on symptoms, of which hold generic numbers and unrealistic deadlines as guidelines or goals. With that approach it just may take a little more time for people to reach their true selves rather than the continuous yo-yo plight for image. And that’s ok. I just don’t agree with it anymore and this blog, in recent weeks, has become more of a figure-out-what-makes-you-happy-and-do-it-regardless-of-what-the-masses-say approach rather than hey-listen-to-me-I-read-some-cool-and-different-shit-that-may-help.

  • No one needs a specific amount of calories; i.e. 2,000 calories
  • No one needs a specific ratio of fat, protein, or carbohydrates at a given meal, as a dietary requirement, or as a daily culmination; i.e. 50-50-50, 10-50-40, 50-30-10, 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight to gain muscle
  • No one needs a specific amount of water; i.e. one gallon/day, 25% upon waking
  • No one needs to eat a specific food to lose weight; i.e. grains, omega -3′s, protein powder, skim milk, health bars, caffeine
  • No one needs to avoid a specific food to lose weight; i.e. saturated fat, sugar, dairy, white flour, salt
  • No one needs to exercise to be healthy
  • No one needs to lose weight to be healthy

You get the jist? I know that actual “healthy” and “unhealthy” foods exist. But, who’s to say what is right or wrong, especially on a universal scale? Most we can agree on: Drink water, eat food, sleep, laugh, be happy. It gets stupid when we place specifics or requirements upon health and happiness: Have sex this many times a week, drink this much wine, if you’re this height then you should be this weight, and yadda… yadda… yadda. We are human and experience a similar physical reality while our mentality, thoughts, and emotions are a) completely subjective and b) have an equal, if not greater, influence on our health as our physical realities do. We hear stories about people smoking daily into their 90′s, eating bacon daily into their 90′s, or drinking alcohol daily into their 90′s. We label them as the exception because how could any of that be healthy? If it makes them truly happy, how could it not be healthy?

 

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Self-understanding and healthy results

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Happy Monday my peoples,

This week I’m doing something different, as you can probably tell by the screen-shot shirtless JD in the video box below. I felt compelled to do a spoken-word blog for today’s post because I wanted to provide “an image to the face” in regards to results and understanding how to achieve those results (a physical manifestation of your mental and emotional states). A video post been an in-the-making process as I am beginning to feel more comfortable as a self-aware health blogger and not just some health nerd that needs to vent about his candid battles publicly. So, without further rambling. Here’s today’s blog…

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Functional exercise and my CrossFit review

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Happy Monday guise!

Last week I threw in some recent experiences with CrossFit for a blog about weight loss, stating that I actually increased my fat storage due to a stress response via over-exercise/exhertion in relation to a lack of calories to meet my body’s energy demands (I wasn’t eating enough in relation to my work out intensity). This week I want to dive further into my CrossFit experience, functional exercise, and what I can offer those who are considering this program or something similar that involves high-intensity, full-body workouts with short-to-no rest periods.

For those who aren’t familiar, CrossFit is a workout program used by the armed forces and trained athletes that has made a name for itself amongst the layfolk because of the kind of resulting functionality it breeds. Resulting functionality: functional movement patterns that can be transposed into all aspects of life such as squatting, bending, picking up, tossing, throwing, heaving, standing, twisting, running, and extending. The exercises CrossFit uses are demanding and require the use of proper technique/form. Yet, because of this, they also offer a degree of correction because proper physiological function cannot exist without proper form and kinetic chain movement. And, when these types of exercises are performed at high levels of intensity and in high volume, form is extremely important and it naturally becomes an obvious checks-and-balances. The resulting benefit is that the body has very little choice but to respond anabolically and metabolically, thus creating a more fit, able, and physically-apt person. I really enjoy the full-body, universally adaptive functional approach of CrossFit rather than the cliche muscle-isolation and body-sculpting exercises that a lot of training programs offer.

My favorite realization after CrossFitting for a little over a month is the foundation of every single functional exercise that CrossFit incorporates: they all involve the hips. The stability, momentum, and power derived from the hips are what we rely upon for movement every single day in our lives. And there isn’t one specific isolation exercise found in a CrossFit routine. Each exercise, although it may target one area or rely upon an area more than the rest, still involves a whole body movement and will always be dumbed down to the functionality of the hips. Here are some of the exercises…

  • Squats – Bodyweight, front-loaded, back-loaded, over-head, kettle bell
  • Lunges – Bodyweight, front-loaded, back-loaded, over-head, kettle bell
  • Snatch – Ground to Overhead Snatch, Hang Snatch, Snatch Squat
  • Clean – Ground to Shoulders Clean, Hang Clean, Clean Squat, Med Ball Clean
  • Clean & Press/Push/Jerk/Split Jerk
  • Thrusters
  • Deadlift and Sumo Deadlift High Pull
  • Push Ups and Burpees
  • Muscle Ups and Dips
  • Rope Climb
  • Jump Rope
  • Rowing
  • Running
  • Kipping Pull Ups
  • Kettle Bell Swings
  • Wall Balls
  • Kipping Hand Stand Push Up
  • Toes to Bar, Head and Toes, Reverse Hyper Extension, Glute-Ham Raise

All = Hips for stability, momentum, and power

This realization really put things into perspective for my own exercise and weight lifting trials since I began in 2004. For the past 8 years I was caught up in isolation movements, body-building techniques, and feeding my ego. Even when I adopted the CHEK Institute’s program in 2010, which incorporates functional movement patterns and I managed to see some progress with their correctional exercises, it still didn’t register that function is THE foundation. I think because CrossFit is such a high intensity exercise and that correct form is an absolute must-have otherwise flaws will be highlighted, I was able to truly see the value of functional movement and its place in my life. Since the start of 2010 I kept my exercise program very light after years of not really knowing what the hell I was doing. I stretched and performed low-intensity correctional exercises without any weight-load so my body would not be over-stressed and, in theory, it would eventually find its way back to square one so I could take on a greater workload. While that is a well-researched and well-used approach, I believe that the use of weights and the extremely important awareness of good form for high-intensity, full body exercises CrossFit provides is possibly a better approach IF used properly. And I say better by my definition and by my realizations with my body.

There are some stipulations and some cons with all of this good that I am reporting. I do believe that CrossFit can be for anyone at any age and at any level of conditioning. However, those who are newcomers and those who are not familiar with weight lifting, Olympic lifting or the movement patterns that coincide should yield some caution when first starting such an in-tune program. This is one big spot where my eyebrow finds itself on the up and up. I have tried out two CrossFit gyms (known as “Boxes”) and each gym only had one coach teaching a class of 8-10 people (I know that some gyms have more than one coach for a class so bear with my example). I’ve attended about 8 classes and each had various levels of CrossFitters – from literal first-timers to 4-year veterans. In those classes I was able to categorize people into good form and poor form. Now, I didn’t really know who were the beginners or veterans, I just knew that some people were moving properly while some were not. And with only one coach in the room, form is more apt to slip-by for the sake of finishing a workout. Yes, CrossFit’s exercises can force proper movement patterns but only if individuals in-need/without much form knowledge can get the attention that they require when first programming these exercises into their body’s learning system. The body can learn correct movement patterns… oooor it can learn incorrect movement patterns. For about a year I was performing deadlifts with poor form by not using my hips correctly and by increasing the weight-load beyond my strength abilities which eventually lead to my body cutting corners in form. It resulted in my hamstrings firing before my glutes and that lead me on a path of low-impact, correctional exercises for about 20 months. I saw some progress and I also saw annoying regression if I didn’t keep up with my stretching and specific movements on an almost daily basis. BUT, within a month+ of CrossFit I was able to significantly correct my movement pattern because I was taught proper form. I retained that awareness and my body adapted accordingly! Regardless of my story, the need for more coaches or more individual attention in my short experience at CrossFit is a make-or-break factor when it comes to performing these kinds of exercises without injury and with benefit.

Another con is the exercise approach of “performing as many rounds as possible for time,” known as an “AMRAP.” Form and fatigue rarely go hand-in-hand. I don’t like the stipulation of racing in the presence of fatigue with a great need for proper form in all movements. At my last CrossFit class experience I tweaked my right, lower back during what’s called a “Chipper.” That day, the Chipper was 200 collective reps of 10 exercises yielding 20 reps each. And these weren’t bodyweight exercises; they were Olympic lifting, advanced exercises. I had to freakin’ stop before I could finish the workout so where did that get me? Yes, the argument that “everything is scalable” from one person to the next exists. For each workout there is a prescribed weight, an “Rx,” and then for those who are new or not as strong it is allowed/recommended to use less weight or assistance bands. But poor form will still show its face with or without weight, and it will show especially when a person is fatigued and pushed beyond their limits and/or are unaware of their movements. On similar note, let’s say that a person is fairly well-conditioned and can get through such a work out front to back, but since they’re racing against the clock they may cut corners on form just to finish quicker. How is that beneficial? Great, you have a fast time and you’re out of breath, but what benefit do you get from performing poorly? One coach cannot see all and quantity should never come before quality!!!

Another-another con is over-training and how easy it is to push beyond one’s limits at CrossFit. I would hope that everyone has a decent sense of their limits and a decent idea of how much they can push themselves, but that can get clouded when there are specific rounds and time limits in a work out (plus we can’t forget that thing called the ego). It’s very easy to “red line” at the beginning of a work out and, from what I hear, most first-timers puke within their first week. If you are throwing up from a work out that is a huge warning sign that your body is literally rejecting what you are putting it through… “Remember… crazy; not stupid.” Vom aside, the frequency vs. rest days is super important. I know of some CrossFitters who train 6 days a week on top of a full-time job and may not get a full 8 hours of sleep each night. If that’s not a recipe for over-training and a slow degradation of the human body, then I need to re-check my facts (advanced athletes aside). Of course, that’s an extreme example but it’s important to pay attention to your body’s need for rest; that includes rest days AND enough hours in the sheets. Even if you cannot sleep throughout the night to get that “good night’s rest,” at least lie there, relax, and try to put your mind to rest through breathing exercises or meditation. Our brains need as much down-time as our bodies do and the adverse effects are certainly obvious.

Yes, I have one more con that I’d like to point out… the Paleo Diet encouraged by many CrossFitters. So, after that Chipper workout I mentioned earlier, I didn’t bring enough sugar-water along to replenish my glycogen stores, but luckily there was a pot-luck dinner where everyone brought food for after the workout. Unfortunately for my poor plumetted blood sugar levels, it was purely paleo food with as few carbs possible. I completely support carbohydrates and NEED simple sugars after any workout (and in daily life) to recover quickly and efficiently. So, I’m in the standard CrossFit recovery position with my hands on my knees in the parking lot trying to regain consciousness and my friend comes out with a Paleo cookie saying, “Here, man, eat and get your blood sugar back.” I asked if it had sugar. He said, “Nah, it’s paleo, but your body will convert it to sugar so it’ll do the same job.” Red flags were raised and air-raid sirens went off everywhere in my brain. I couldn’t think of a more inefficient way to provide [recovery] nutrition to my body. I am going to give my TIRED-ASS BODY a nutrient that it has to CONVERT using MORE ENERGY just so I can elevate my blood sugar? The body can convert protein into sugar for energy if it needs to. The body can also convert fat for energy if it needs to. But any physiology-versed person will [hopefully] tell you that the body prefers to use sugar as energy because it can be used immediately, thus expending as little energy to provide itself with more energy. The concept of using energy to convert energy to provide energy is absolutely back-asswards to me. I understand why Paleo “works,” but I really think there are better ways of approaching diet and providing the body with what it needs in a more timely and cost-effective manner.

Whew. So, I know it sounds like this turned into a CrossFit bashing blog when it started out so nice, but my point is to raise some much-needed awareness for those who are considering CrossFit or for those who are already involved and could use some perspectives. I also wanted to emphasize the importance of using proper form along with highlighting a functional fitness approach to exercise. Tangent: I really dislike work out machines and any exercise that’s designed to isolate or target. Your body works as a unit – it is a system of systems. No way in hell will anyone ever achieve function on a machine that straps you in and to “protect” you from injuries… because that actually creates injuries by teaching your body how to not support itself and how to not work in unison. Anyway, I think CrossFit is a great workout and can do wonders for those who really want to learn how their body functions and how they can adapt that function to improve their every-day lives. But, like anything that requires awareness, there will always be some possible downsides if that awareness does not exist. Whether you are a beginning athlete or have a few years of experience and want to get into CrossFit, I highly recommend taking an Olympic Lifting class prior to CrossFitting so you can get that individualized attention and an education of proper form. I know some Boxes offer an introductory course with form education and some coaches offer one-on-ones on top of that. Form over physique, plz.

Boom,

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Don’t complicate things health tips

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Happy Monday,

  1. You control your thoughts, your thoughts don’t control you
  2. Listen to your intuition, not your ego
  3. Bring awareness to your decisions/perspectives/experiences by taking the time to understand where your thoughts came from and how they brought you here
  4. Good posture promotes good breathing promotes the flow of inner energy throughout your body 
  5. Drink water when your body tells you
  6. Eat food when your body tells you – don’t complicate it, don’t over-think it, listen to your cravings, and pay attention to your body’s dialogue of what’s good and bad for YOU
  7. Sleep enough hours every single night – do ego-based priorities take charge?
  8. Move enough and rest enough – BALANCE
  9. Experience it, take it in, & let it go – be present within every moment
  10. Your fears are not real, you make that shit up 
  11. Your physicality is a manifestation of the non-physical you
  12. Quiet the mind, quiet the body – take time each day to rest your thoughts
  13. Live YOUR life, not a life of expectations
  14. Be like water, following the path of least resistance – ever-flowing with ease, yet unbreakable
  15. Discover your inner foundation

This began as a short list and it grew to 15, which is still rather short as I’m trying to be fairly general since this is… you know… a blog about not complicating things. Having said that, I must attribute some of these points to stem off of the Chek Institute’s Six Foundational Principles for Health, i.e. Thoughts, Breathe, Hydration, Nutrition, Movement, and Sleep. I enjoy those broad approaches but, of course, I have my own way of doing things… and that, I think, is what is meant to happen when perspectives are shared… 

Take what you need and leave the rest.

I’m not overly-elaborating on any of my aforementioned points because that would, again, negate what I’m going for here. They’re pretty straight forward and are open to your interpretation. If you are stuck on one or do not understand its place in your life, perhaps that’s an opportunity where answers are awaiting your pursuit.

If you’d like to discuss this perspective along with other health-related insights, please contact me for a FREE Conversation.

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Sunday wrap up august 12th

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Miss any posts this week?

Check out the blog archives for all posts!

If you’d like to discuss these perspective along with other health-related insights, please contact me for a FREE Conversation.

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Unsaturated fats are toxic to your health

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There are a few foods that I tend to denounce as being “unhealthy” these days: 1) Soy because of its anti-thyroid, pro-estrogenic, and anti-digestive properties (GMO or not), 2) Uncooked, raw above ground vegetables due to their high fiber and cellulose content which can slow down bowel transport time (encouraging a feeding and breeding ground for gut bacteria), create inflammation within the intestinal tract due to “poking,” and, of course, cause digestive disturbances, 3) Grains (although some may not be as digestively degrading, such as rice) because of their anti-digestive, pro-inflammatory, pro-allergen, and possible chemical toxicity, and 4) Unsaturated Fats, specifically the existence of any Polyunsaturated variety, because of their high susceptibility to oxidation (exposure to oxygen that can immediately damage the molecular structure), thus creating free-radicals amongst many other immune-suppressing properties (excess estrogen, unstable cell walls, low thyroid response, excess cholesterol levels in the blood, etc.)

Today we’ll focus on Unsaturated Fats from vegetable, seed, and nut oils, and why the H-E-double hockey sticks these stinkin’ things are causing all sorts of dis-eases and cancers despite our being told that “diet doesn’t affect disease” or that “essential fatty acids promote health (hence the name)” or that “saturated fats cause unhealthy cholesterol levels” or that I’m just going to stop there.

The main unsaturated fats involved are found in soybean oil, corn oil, safflower oil, canola oil, sesame oil, sunflower seed oil, palm oil, almond oil, and any others that have any sort of high percentage unsaturated fat content on the label. Chemically, the material that makes these oils very toxic is the polyunsaturated fat itself. (Peat) Polyunsaturated fats are extremely unstable due to their more-than-two double bonds characteristic – the greater the amount of double bonds (and a lack of respective binding hydrogen molecules), the greater the unsaturated, the greater the instability, and the greater risk for oxidation. It is rather impossible to completely eliminate Polyunsaturated Fats from the diet because many of the farm-raised animals that we consume are fed a diet of said fats via soy, corn, and other grains, and vegetable oils are the restaurant industry standard when it comes to cooking oil because it’s cheap and chefs are taught (marketed) to use the oils in culinary school. As in humans, animals will use dietary fat for body processes, conversions, and you name it – one such is to replenish the cell wall and structure. In the late 1940′s, chemical toxins were used to suppress the thyroid function of pigs, to make them get fatter while consuming less food. When that was found to be carcinogenic, it was then found that corn and soy beans had the same antithyroid effect, causing the animals to be fattened at low cost. The animals; fat becomes chemically similar to fats in their food, causing it to be equally toxic, and equally fattening. (Peat)

Let’s get into some why’s…

Digestion and Immunity

“All systems of the body are harmed by an excess of these oils. There are two main reasons for this. One is that plants produce the oils for protection, not only to store energy for the germination of the seed. To defend the seeds from the animals that would eat them, the oils block digestive enzymes in the animals’ stomachs. Digestion is one of our most basic functions, and evolution has built many other systems by using variations of that system, as a result, all of these systems are damaged by the substances which damage the digestive system.”

“The enzymes which break down proteins are inhibited by unsaturated fats, and these enzymes are not only for digestion, but also for production of thyroid hormones, clot removal, immunity, and the general adaptability of cells. The risks of abnormal clotting, inflammation, immune deficiency, shock, aging, obesity, and cancer are increased … Since the unsaturated oils block protein digestion in the stomach, we can be malnourished even while ‘eating well.’ 

 Hot vs Cold – Liquid vs Solid – Stable vs Unstable

“The other reason is that the seeds are designed to germinate in early spring, so their energy stores must be accessible when the temperatures are cool, and they normally don’t have to remain viable through the hot summer months. Unsaturated oils are liquid when they are cold, and this is necessary for any organism that lives at low temperatures. For example, fish in cold water would be stiff if they contained saturated fats. These oils easily get rancid (spontaneously oxidizing) when they are warm and exposed to oxygen. When the oils are stored in our tissues, they are much warmed, and more directly exposed to oxygen, than they would be in the seeds, and so their tendency to oxidize is very great. These oxidative processes can damage enzymes and other parts of cells, and especially their ability to produce energy.”

Protective mechanisms

“Seeds contain a small amount of vitamin E to delay rancidity.” (The vitamin is simply used as protection for the plant, just like how humans produce cholesterol or store fat as a protective mechanism. But we’re promoted that the plants, seeds, nuts and their oils contain “nutrients” for human consumption – bullshit!)

“Plants produce many protective substances to repel or injure insects and other animals that eat them. They produce their own pesticides. The oils in seeds have this function. On top of this natural toxicity, the plants are sprayed with industrial pesticides, which can concentrate in the seed oils.”

“All systems of the body are harmed by an excess of these oils. There are three main kinds of damage: one, hormonal imbalances, two, damage to the immune system, and three, oxidative damage.”

All of these points from Ray Peat’s “From PMS to Menopause: Female hormones in context” are something to consider… considering we are told that unsaturated fats are healthy, vegetable oils are healthy, saturated fats are unhealthy, saturated fats increase heart disease, to eat more unsaturated oils, eat more corn, eat more soy, eat more wheat and grains, eat less meat, eat less saturated fat, and so the saga continues. There’s a lot of minor details to go into everything, i.e. saturated fats from commercially raised animals tend to be saturated with toxins, chemicals, and are also coupled with toxic unsaturated fats because of their diets. In that case, yes, saturated fats can be harmful, but that’s no reason to go denouncing or eliminating the very substance that keeps us alive on a daily basis from all of the indigestible and immune suppressing substances we have grown up eating.

 

If you’d like to discuss this perspective along with other health-related insights, please contact me for a FREE Conversation.

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No one is ever “unhealthy”

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Let’s throw out any preconceived notion of what “unhealthy” means. Naturally, people tend to correlate being unhealthy with being overweight (I’ll take Superficial for 200, Alex) so we’ll try to stick to that for simplicity’s sake. Weight gain isn’t unhealthy, nor is any other sort of disorder, dis-ease, or cancer once you understand the body’ s mechanism for survival (and what it takes for them to develop).

Those whom we may deem unhealthy are actually the perfect manifestation of an organism that is adapting to its environment and surviving despite internal or external conditions. Have you ever heard of the term “superbug”? You know, the bacteria strains or insects that literally become resistant from generation to generation to any medications or chemical treatments – they evolve and maintain life simply by adapting to their environment. Humans are much like that, too, only we tend to complicate things so much more with our thoughts, emotions, and beliefs, BUT the autonomic instinctual adaptive mechasnisms will always be there to save us [from ourselves].

When an imbalance occurs the body will do whatever the heck it takes to survive. Those who are overweight, are diabetic, are hypothyroid, are anorexic, et cetera, et cetera, are surviving as best as they can. Given that’s really not a pleasant way to go through life – by trying to exist rather than existing – but that’s how our bodies are designed. It’s quite the most miraculous thing, really. To see an “unhealthy” person walking down the street is a true miracle of life. Their body is literally adapting to every single thing that’s thrown at it, cutting corners any way it can, and still has the energy to wake up the next morning.

Something important to note: adaptation involves energy, and in an “unhealthy” person’s case it is usually created through round-about, impractical ways and, thus, ends up using more energy than necessary. That same process of doing whatever the heck it takes to survive can become a daunting task if the problem is chronic and/or builds upon itself due to the amount of energy the body is able to create and maintain through diet and lifestyle.

If you or a loved one is “unhealthy,” first take some time to appreciate what the body is doing to maintain life. Second, verse yourself in the body’s “protective” and “defense” mechanisms that produce the “unhealthy” (survival) results. Third, research how diet and lifestyle choices affect the body on a hormonal level. And, fourth, bring the body and its hormones back into balance (homeostasis) through a new perspective. If there were a fifth: do your research, do your research, and do some more research.

 

 

If you’d like to discuss this perspective along with other health-related insights, please contact me for a FREE Conversation.

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It’s all about metabolism

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A higher metabolic rate translates to a higher quality of life. – This guy

What does metabolic rate have to with leading a quality life? Well, everything really. We know that the metabolism is the main calorie-burning epicenter – the body’s ability to turn food into biological energy and heat at a rapid rate AND with efficiency. We know that people like to boost their metabolism with shots of caffeine, energy pills, extracts, protein shakes, amino acids, steroid hormones, and hours in the gym. What good does this all do if the mechanisms which fuel bodily activities are not understood? I mean, why are people constantly taking shots in the dark when they have absolutely no physiological clue as to how their body actually runs, responds, reacts, digests, assimilates, regenerates, rebuilds, eliminates, converts, produces, reduces, or, the all-encompassing, metabolizes? I can take green coffee bean extracts all damn day long because it’s supposed to increase my metabolic rate (so then I’ll burn calories quicker, eliminate body fat, eat whatever I want and be “ok,” etc.), but how do I really know whether or not it’s working?

I’d say the best approach to elevating the metabolic rate is to understand what is actually involved in the metabolism. For starters, metabolism involves hormones and a lot of ‘em. The hormones involved require a balance with one another – within homeostasis. For example, in male’s there must be a greater ratio of Testosterone:Estrogen and in females there must be a greater ratio of Progesterone:Estrogen (yes, excessive estrogen levels for women is actually BAD). When those ratios are imbalanced and there exists a greater amount of [unopposed] Estrogen then the metabolic rate will likely decline because of the anti-metabolic affects of excess Estrogen (which can trigger stress-hormone reactions, hypoglycemia, muscle loss, weight gain, bacterial imbalance, encourage cell division, water retention, and also cause organs to become “sluggish”). We’ll go into Estrogen’s true-colors role within the body in another blog, but my point is to show how a simple imbalance can create an opportunity for a weaker metabolic rate – that is, a weaker functioning body. Other hormones involved include thyroid (T4, T3), pituitary, progesterone, testosterone, pregnenolone, cholesterol, DHEA, estrogen, serotonin (tryptophan), prolactin, insulin, glucagon, cortisol, adrenaline, and aldosterone (to name a few). 

So-to-speak, metabolism fuels the body and hormones fuel the metabolism. So what fuels the hormones? Well, hydration, nutrition, and rest, of course! Let’s keep it simple and focus on nutrition (because I tend to throw in hydration as part of nutrition since water should always have a mineral content, i.e. nutrition). Nutrition can be broken down into two categories: Macronutrients (Fats, Proteins, and Carbohydrates) and Micronutrients (Vitamins and Minerals). Macro’s can be further broken down into Saturated Fats, Monounsaturated Fats, Polyunsaturated Fats, Animal Proteins, Plant Proteins, Simple Carbohydrates, and Complex Carbohydrates. Micro’s go further into Fat-Soluble Vitamins A, D, E, and K, Water-Soluble Vitamins B and C, and Minerals such as Calcium, Copper, Magnesium, Potassium, Sodium, Selenium, Zinc, Iron, Phosphorus, Iodine, and Maganese.

Phew. 

Sleep is next in line as a essential platform to allow your body some time to rest, recover, and rebuild from a day-in-the-life. Whether or not you did anything today, your body is still working, digesting, assimilating, producing, excreting, and being a living organism that’s just trying to do what it needs to do to survive.

Alright, so I have thrown a lot of information at you and your probably waiting on me to tell you to do this, that, and voila – you’re metabolism is as good as new! Well, that can exist and the approach can be viewed as a metabolic recovery rather than a metabolism-boosting scheme (like we’re marketed) because, in my perceived reality of many people whom I interact with on a daily basis, most people are in need of a recovery – to get back what their body used to be, what their body used to be able to do, and how their body used to function with efficiency. Ever hear someone say, “I used to be able to eat that when I was younger” or “I was very active when I was younger so I could eat whatever I wanted.” While those statements may be true of the past, the mindset that the opportunity no longer exists in the present should not hold water. Throughout our American-way lifetime we are bombarded with metabolism-weakening opportunities: gluten, grains, processed foods, unsaturated fats, trans fats (spoiled unsaturated fats), inflammatory proteins, artificial sweeteners, additives, preservatives, chemicals, toxins, heavy metals, alcohol, dehydration, resulted constipation, antibiotics, vaccines, and you name it. It’s no wonder our bodies can’t do it anymore because the metabolic rate, the metabolic processes, and the metabolic efficiency cannot continuously work at top speed because of all the crap we put our body through and put through our body.

Take your body into perspective with metabolism: any physical imbalance is likely a result of a hormonal imbalance which is likely a result of a nutritional/sleep imbalance (minor lifestyle details aside). Boom.

If you’d like to discuss this perspective along with other health-related insights, please contact me for a FREE Conversation.

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Question: Why do I bloat after eating?

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Question: What do you think about fennel seeds to minimize bloating? More importantly, why do I bloat immediately after eating?

Perspective:

Bloating is an inflammatory reaction. Inflammation can occur for a number of reasons, but its main purpose is to protect the body by producing a thick barrier made of new and sacrificed cells, and thus encouraging the release of white blood cells as a greater immune defense.

Here are some possible situations…

Certain foods can cause an inflammatory reaction because they may be indigestible to irritate the intestinal lining (gluten, wheat, grains, starchy foods, fibrous vegetables), may yield man-made toxic or natural toxic defense materials to cause an immune reaction (phytic acid), or may be allergenic to cause puffiness (gluten, wheat, grains, soy, dairy, caregeenan, gums, and other additives).

There could be an imbalance of intestinal bacteria so there is a constant fight occurring within the digestive tract that will encourage a barrier-reaction to keep bacteria “at bay.” It is very possible for the intestinal tract to become permeable when the body’s defense reactions have become exhausted or over-come, thus allowing bacteria and food to be released into the bloodstream, which causes a greater immune reaction AND allows for bacteria to become systemic. (This is a drastic example, but it is very possible and real for a lot of people who are unaware… it’s called Leaky Gut Syndrome).

Dietary stressors that encourages the increased production of Estrogen, which, in excess, becomes a stress-reactive hormone. This reaction is more of an effect of to any sort of chronic irritant, imbalance, toxin, or foreign (indigestible) material, but it should be considered that this [chronic] hormone release can actually affect many other physiological functions such as thinking, moving, breathing, feeling, and understanding.

Do I think supplementing Fennel Seeds will help? Not entirely because it’s simply treating the symptoms and not necessarily the cause. That’s like taking aspirin for a headache when you haven’t eaten all day. I do think that diet is a very large factor in bodily reactions and should be the first thing taken into perspective and evaluated. I know that Saturated Fats, such as those found in coconut oil and dairy/eggs, are very protective to the intestinal tract as the fats help build stronger cell walls, increase cholesterol production which is a natural anti-oxidant and more cholesterol means more steroid hormones (since it’s a precursor) and the body will be able to handle “stressful” situations with greater ease, and, to keep the list short, the fats aid in metabolic and immune function (which I can go into great detail but we’ll leave it at that).

The best approach to bloating is to gain some perspective on why, when, and how bloating occurs. Take two weeks (a week should suffice but the longer the better) – take two weeks to record a diet and lifestyle journal. The journal will have you write down every single thing that you do and feel before/after throughout the day – from waking up, to bowel moving, to eating, to drinking, to working, to schooling, to exercising, to socializing, to sleeping. It’s much easier to take perspective on what choices help or hinder your health when you write them down on paper AND when you consider your physical and mental states previous, during, and post experience, rather than thinking back to “oh, well on Wednesday I think I ate some rice and I probably felt like shit after because I always feel like shit.” Take a (whole)istic approach to your health – don’t just single out the bloating.

 

If you’d like to discuss this perspective along with other health-related insights, please contact me for a FREE Conversation.

jdperryhealth.com
jdperryhealth.tumblr.com
jdperryhealth@gmail.com