"If everyone began burning more body fat, which can literally happen overnight by eliminating sugar from the diet, the world would be more than a better place, eventually." ~ Dr. Phil Maffetone
In this article, Dr. Mafetone lays out why changing the sugar economy will probably never happen from the top down and how we can only change it through taking personal responsibility for what we put in our bodies.
Text
Friday, May 27, 2016
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Healthy Meal Idea: Sausage, Salad, Olives, & Cheese
Menu:
- Salad
- 100 g. Power Greens Mix
- 30 g. Asiago (fresh grated)
- 1 tbls. Avocado Oil
- 0.5 tbls. Balsamic Vinegar
- Entree
- 6 oz. Pork Sausage
- 1.5 tbls. Mayo/Mustard Sauce
- Sides
- 4 oz. Brie
- 5 Kalamata Olives
- 3 Jalapeno Stuffed Green Olives
- 2 Banana Pepers
My Current List of Supplements and Prescriptions
This is not intended to be a recommendation of anything you should do. I just want to share what I have developed for my personal treatment so that you can be inspired to look into what you may need. I recommend that you search for studies that support any supplement you may be considering and then discuss it with your primary healthcare provider. I will try to publish links to the studies I have found for anything I am taking in the future. I am including links or affiliate links for all the products I am using. These links are for your convenience but they should not be considered an endorsement of any of the products. I will often change brands for price, availability or reputation purposes. The prices were good as of 5/26/2016:
| Taken | Pill / Product | Quantity | Cost |
| AM | Vitamin C | 2 | $0.12 |
| Test Strip | 1 | $0.16 | |
| Probiotics | 1 | $0.17 | |
| SAM-e | 1 | $0.53 | |
| Creatine M. | 5 | $0.09 | |
| Lunch | Lancet | 1 | $0.03 |
| Test Strip | 2 | $0.16 | |
| Dinner | Fish Oil | 4 | $0.52 |
| Glucosamine/MSM | 1 | $0.06 | |
| Turmeric / Curcumin | 1 | $0.16 | |
| Test Strip | 1 | $0.16 | |
| Vitamin C | 2 | $0.12 | |
| Creatine M. | 5 | $0.09 | |
| B50 Complex | 1 | $0.07 | |
| Bed | Pure Vitamin Club Magnesium | 1 | $0.28 |
| Vitamin D3 | 0.20 | $0.06 | |
| Pure Vitamin Club Multicap | 1 | $0.28 | |
| Test Strip | 1 | $0.16 | |
| Magnesium L-Threonate | 1 | $0.17 | |
| Phosphatidyl Serine | 1 | $0.39 | |
| Totals | Daily>> | 33 | $3.80 |
Monday, May 23, 2016
Reading Essential - The Sugar Conspiracy
“If only a small fraction of what we know about the effects of sugar were to be revealed in relation to any other material used as a food additive, that material would promptly be banned.” ~ John Yudkin
This is from a well written and long-form article written by Ian Leslie for the Guardian. It presents a good overview of the history of how "low fat" became pervasive in nutritional science.
Text or Audio
This is from a well written and long-form article written by Ian Leslie for the Guardian. It presents a good overview of the history of how "low fat" became pervasive in nutritional science.
Text or Audio
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Video Essential - Dr. Terry Wahls: Minding Your Mitochondria
Dr. Wahls does a extraordinary job of describing how resilient our bodies are when we feed them the correct food:
Minding Your Mitochondria - TEDx 11/30/2011
Minding Your Mitochondria - TEDx 11/30/2011
Friday, May 20, 2016
Falim: Real gum, no sugar
I am a long time gum chewer. Most gum that I chewed was "sugar-free" already, however, after I had been limiting my carbohydrate intake for a while, I started to notice that I would obsess about chewing it. I also theorize that some of the "sweet tooth" cravings I was having on the weekends were due to teasing my reward system with the simulated sweetness of the gum. I decided to stop buying the gum to test my theory and, whether it was placebo or not, I have been having less cravings for sweets.
Though I was pleased with the result of giving up the artificially sweetened gum, I missed chewing my gum. I did a quick search at Amazon for unsweetened gum and I came across Falim gum. It is made by a company in Turkey who's website has no English option so I am not sure what information is available there. I decided to order some of the mint and give it a try. It turned out to be just what I was looking for. It has a subtle mint flavor and the chewing consistency is the best I have ever experienced. Additionally, the flavor and feel remain the same for as long as you want to chew it. The sweetened gums I use to chew would usually start to taste bad and soften after I chewed it for a while.
If you are a gum chewer and you are looking for something with no sugar or sweeteners, I can recommend you give this a try. Their are several flavors available but I have only tried the mint at this point so that is the only flavor I can recommend. I would expect the other flavors to be good as well.
Friday, May 13, 2016
Coffee with Fat
Having coffee with healthy fats can help you in achieving some specific health goals. I have used coffee with added fat for specific nutritional reasons. Initially, I used it to control my hunger during the day and reduce the amount of time I spent feeding myself while at work. I found that I would make poor food choices during the day at work. Beyond birthday cakes, doughnuts, breakfast tacos and lunch out with coworkers even going out on my own, I would often be drawn in by the Golden Arches or promises of "all I can eat." For me, the best strategy ended up being to control my hunger during the day and politely decline all the offers of social food with the assistance of coffee with butter and MCT oil in it.
Since then, I have embraced a low carbohydrate and appropriate protein lifestyle where the coffee allows me to fill in my daily calorie deficit with healthy and nutritious fats. It also allows me to lower my endogenous insulin requirements, since fat causes little to no insulin response as far as I have found in my research, which has additional health benefits that are beyond the scope of this guide.
I have included shopping links for some of the items you will need at the bottom of this page.
-SUPPLIES-
Fats: Any combination of at least two of the following:
Unsalted grass-fed butter: Kerrygold brand should be readily available at most grocery stores for about $3 per half pound. I have found it at Trader Joe's, Walmart, Kroger, HEB. DO NOT get salted butter! It will taste horrible.
Organic coconut oil: check for your local grocery house brand. I get a big 32 oz vat from from my local grocery store for around $14.
MCT oil (medium chain triglyceride): you can find it in stores but it is expensive. Best deal I have found is on Amazon.
Decent coffee: whatever you like whole bean or ground but try to find something locally roasted for freshness. I use what I can find in whole beans in the $4-7/lb range. Don't spend more than $10/lb unless you are really into your coffee. There is no health benefit difference in the final brew once you get past $4/lb. (you may need to adjust the price for your location)
Coffee machine: drip, French, percolator, anything will work
Blending container: I use the carafe that goes with my coffee maker or you can use something like an Anchor Hocking 2 Quart Glass Batter Bowl.
Mixing device:
Blender: DO NOT try to use your standard blender. I tried twice and it resulted in an explosion of butter and coffee all over my wall. If you have $400-$800 dollars to blow on a very good blender, you should consider getting a Vitamix or Blendtec.
Immersion blender: I use something like this Cuisinart Hand Blender at home.
Milk frother: I use one of these when I make the coffee at work with my French press. You should be able to find one locally for pretty cheap or you could get one like the Ikea Milk Frother on Amazon:
Thermos: if you plan to exist all day at work on the coffee, you can get one of these Thermos Stainless Steel King 40 Ounce Beverage Bottle and make it the night before. It will still be hot enough to burn you until lunch the next day.
-INSTRUCTIONS-
Large serving
1) Make Coffee (see below for my single cup French press recipe I use at work)
2) Add fats: any combination of any two above (see below for proportions).
3) Blend: in the pot, Pyrex bowl or coffee cup.
4) Drink or pour into thermos: in general it is not good to leave coffee in the pot in the warming plate or in a percolator. This is especially true when you have added your fats in. Coffee by itself will start to burning once the brewing stops. When fat is present, they will burn as well and ruin the flavor of your coffee.
Single serving French press:
You will need a French press similar to this one: Bodum 8-Cup French Press Coffee Maker
1) 4 tablespoons of grounds.
2) Fill about 1/4 of the way and add grounds.
3) Stir the grounds and let sit for 1 minute.
4) Add the rest of the water up to a little past half way, to account for the volume lost by the grounds when pressed to the bottom, and leave a little above the filter so that I can avoid dumping the last dirty bit of water in your cup.
5) Let the brewing continue for another 3 minutes (4 minutes total)
6) Pour the coffee over the fats, up to half way up the cup.
7) Blend the ingredients until homogeneous.
8) Add the rest of the coffee and blend again.
-PORTIONS-
A good place to start in general: half and half butter and coconut oil, 3 tbls (1 tbls) each per pot (cup)
For appetite control with higher carb diet: You want to play around with the levels of fat and caffeine that allow you to go throughout your day without feeling hungry and without making you jittery or keep you up at night. You want the lowest levels of everything you can get by with.
For insulin control and calories with low carb, low protein diet: You want to increase the amount of fat needed to fill in any calories you are not able to get while you are eating at night while keeping the caffeine as low as needed to prevent being jittery during the day.
-VIDEO-
I have posted a video on YouTube where my wife shows you how we make our coffee:
-SCIENCE-
"Supplementation with coconut oil does not cause dyslipidemia and seems to promote a reduction in abdominal obesity"
Benefits of lauric acid found in coconut oil
Health benefits of Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT)
"Why butter is better"
"13 evidence based benefits of coffee"
-PRODUCT LINKS-
Below are links to products mentioned above. Most are items I have used but some are just for convenience:
MCT Oil
Glass Bowl
Immersion Blender
Milk Frother
40 oz. Thermos
French Press
Coconut Oil
Self Grinding Coffee Maker
Drip Coffee Maker
Percolator
Since then, I have embraced a low carbohydrate and appropriate protein lifestyle where the coffee allows me to fill in my daily calorie deficit with healthy and nutritious fats. It also allows me to lower my endogenous insulin requirements, since fat causes little to no insulin response as far as I have found in my research, which has additional health benefits that are beyond the scope of this guide.
I have included shopping links for some of the items you will need at the bottom of this page.
-SUPPLIES-
Fats: Any combination of at least two of the following:
Unsalted grass-fed butter: Kerrygold brand should be readily available at most grocery stores for about $3 per half pound. I have found it at Trader Joe's, Walmart, Kroger, HEB. DO NOT get salted butter! It will taste horrible.
Organic coconut oil: check for your local grocery house brand. I get a big 32 oz vat from from my local grocery store for around $14.
MCT oil (medium chain triglyceride): you can find it in stores but it is expensive. Best deal I have found is on Amazon.
Decent coffee: whatever you like whole bean or ground but try to find something locally roasted for freshness. I use what I can find in whole beans in the $4-7/lb range. Don't spend more than $10/lb unless you are really into your coffee. There is no health benefit difference in the final brew once you get past $4/lb. (you may need to adjust the price for your location)
Coffee machine: drip, French, percolator, anything will work
Blending container: I use the carafe that goes with my coffee maker or you can use something like an Anchor Hocking 2 Quart Glass Batter Bowl.
Mixing device:
Blender: DO NOT try to use your standard blender. I tried twice and it resulted in an explosion of butter and coffee all over my wall. If you have $400-$800 dollars to blow on a very good blender, you should consider getting a Vitamix or Blendtec.
Immersion blender: I use something like this Cuisinart Hand Blender at home.
Milk frother: I use one of these when I make the coffee at work with my French press. You should be able to find one locally for pretty cheap or you could get one like the Ikea Milk Frother on Amazon:
Thermos: if you plan to exist all day at work on the coffee, you can get one of these Thermos Stainless Steel King 40 Ounce Beverage Bottle and make it the night before. It will still be hot enough to burn you until lunch the next day.
-INSTRUCTIONS-
Large serving
1) Make Coffee (see below for my single cup French press recipe I use at work)
2) Add fats: any combination of any two above (see below for proportions).
3) Blend: in the pot, Pyrex bowl or coffee cup.
4) Drink or pour into thermos: in general it is not good to leave coffee in the pot in the warming plate or in a percolator. This is especially true when you have added your fats in. Coffee by itself will start to burning once the brewing stops. When fat is present, they will burn as well and ruin the flavor of your coffee.
Single serving French press:
You will need a French press similar to this one: Bodum 8-Cup French Press Coffee Maker
1) 4 tablespoons of grounds.
2) Fill about 1/4 of the way and add grounds.
3) Stir the grounds and let sit for 1 minute.
4) Add the rest of the water up to a little past half way, to account for the volume lost by the grounds when pressed to the bottom, and leave a little above the filter so that I can avoid dumping the last dirty bit of water in your cup.
5) Let the brewing continue for another 3 minutes (4 minutes total)
6) Pour the coffee over the fats, up to half way up the cup.
7) Blend the ingredients until homogeneous.
8) Add the rest of the coffee and blend again.
-PORTIONS-
A good place to start in general: half and half butter and coconut oil, 3 tbls (1 tbls) each per pot (cup)
For appetite control with higher carb diet: You want to play around with the levels of fat and caffeine that allow you to go throughout your day without feeling hungry and without making you jittery or keep you up at night. You want the lowest levels of everything you can get by with.
For insulin control and calories with low carb, low protein diet: You want to increase the amount of fat needed to fill in any calories you are not able to get while you are eating at night while keeping the caffeine as low as needed to prevent being jittery during the day.
-VIDEO-
I have posted a video on YouTube where my wife shows you how we make our coffee:
-SCIENCE-
"Supplementation with coconut oil does not cause dyslipidemia and seems to promote a reduction in abdominal obesity"
Benefits of lauric acid found in coconut oil
Health benefits of Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT)
"Why butter is better"
"13 evidence based benefits of coffee"
-PRODUCT LINKS-
Below are links to products mentioned above. Most are items I have used but some are just for convenience:
MCT Oil
Glass Bowl
Immersion Blender
Milk Frother
40 oz. Thermos
French Press
Coconut Oil
Self Grinding Coffee Maker
Drip Coffee Maker
Percolator
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