It's Time To Rethink Optimal Health
TIn was 2004 I was at the peak of my form as a competitive bodybuilder. My body was sculpted because I'd followed conventional nutrition and training wisdom to a T. I'd cut down to the lowest body fat percentage I’d ever been and I had a physique that most people would die for but yet I was miserable. I felt tired, depleted and depressed.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. I’d lost weight, yes, but I’d also lost my energy and vitality. Something was clearly off. How could my body look so good, and yet I felt so bad?
In was 2004 I was at the peak of my form as a competitive bodybuilder. My body was sculpted because I'd followed conventional nutrition and training wisdom to a T. I'd cut down to the lowest body fat percentage I’d ever been and I had a physique that most people would die for but yet I was miserable. I felt tired, depleted and depressed.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. I’d lost weight, yes, but I’d also lost my energy and vitality. Something was clearly off. How could my body look so good, and yet I felt so bad?
The answer, it turns out, is that the fundamental thesis of the fitness and nutrition industry is flawed.
WE'VE COMPLETELY LOST SIGHT OF WHAT REALLY MATTERS IN HEALTH
Weight loss is the dominant focus of our nutrition and diet conversations. Doctors are reminding you to lose weight, reality TV makes weight loss look desirable and quick, experts promise you that you can lose the weight fast if you buy their system and the supplement industry convinces you that their product is more nutrient dense than food.
The problem with these so called "solutions" to weight loss is that weight loss is only a small part of the puzzle and quite frankly sustainable weight loss (without lean muscle mass loss) only comes when you have a sound nutrition foundation and a healthy metabolism.
There's so much more to health than losing weight, yet we place all the importance on weight loss. There's no better realization to this as to when you've tried everything and nothing works anymore. You can even be in the "best shape" of your life and still feel miserable.
You're missing the mark on the real reason you're not losing weight. That foundation doesn't come by cutting macronutrients, fasting, supplementing, working out hard, detoxing or drinking green smoothies. These short term "solutions" come with risky long term side effects and will slow down your metabolism over time.
Unfortunately the nutrition industry leads most people to believe that the end result (weight loss) is the journey when it's only a byproduct of a high functioning metabolism when done right.
Since sustainable weight loss is a result of a healthy metabolism, you simply can't lose weight first to get healthy.
The truth is, weight loss is something that comes as a result of a pro-metabolic nutrition and fitness practice. One that focuses on long term health building as opposed to a quick fix plan that won't last, leaving you more depleted than when you started.
It's not about starvation, it's about building energy reserves with the right nourishment with food that's accessible and digestible.
IT’S TIME TO DROP THE FAD DIETS AND EMBRACE OPTIMAL HEALTH:
What if we thought about it differently. What if instead of depleting the body of it's resources to lose weight or making the therapy more complicated, we approached nutrition as a means of supporting the body's recovery process so that your body could do the job it was meant to do naturally.
We call this approach Optimal Health. Optimal health is characterized by these three markers:
“I was in the best shape of my life. Why did I feel miserable?”
Abundant Energy: You have enough energy to do what you want in life (taking care of self and living your dream) and to give to others (service to others, contributing to your community, parenting, etc.). This also includes your libido. Your sexual drive is a good indicator of your energy level.
Regenerative Capacity: Your ability to recover and regenerate is swift. Your injuries may not heal as fast as Wolverine's does but they do heal at a natural rate. You’re recovering from your workouts without too much soreness (or none at all). You don’t get sick too often but when you do you’re not sick for more than a day or two. You're not seeing signs of premature aging (muscle deterioration, hair loss, wrinkles, low libido, etc.) and you're sleeping soundly and throughout the night.
A Healthy Disposition: You have a consistent grounded mood and your outlook on life is balanced. You wake up excited about your day. You're able to handle most stressful situations without feeling overwhelmed and irritable, but instead with patience. You respond instead of react.
This is a radical shift from the dominant weight loss mentality, but it doesn’t mean weight loss isn’t part of the equation. It just means that weight loss will happen in a sustainable way when the body is healthy enough to let go of body fat (not muscle mass) for good.
HOW DO WE GET TO OPTIMAL HEALTH?
In order to understand how we support our body in this process we have to understand how our bodies work at the cellular level. Simply put, energy maintains structure and function at the cellular level. Since your body depends on a constant energy source for structure and function, not fueling your body with enough frequency and accessible nutrients will lead to degeneration.
If we look at how our body regulates our temperature, circulation, our mood and our ability to recover from stress we can figure out what our body is missing. Once we discover this it can only lead to faster recover, more energy and a positive outlook on life, aka, more fun.
If you continue to use more energy than you take in you run into issues like fatigue, autoimmune response, inflammation, nagging injuries, a slow metabolism, slow digestive motility, depression, weight gain and the list goes on. It doesn't matter if the energy is used in a workout or sitting at the computer it's all the same to your body because you're using energy for all of it.
And certainly your body will not prioritize when it comes to aging (like hair loss, grey hair or wrinkles), your body has bigger priorities. It'll conserve your energy and use it for more important jobs like pumping the heart and feeding the brain.
The truth is our bodies have a high capacity to regenerate at any age, as long as we are living and creating new tissue, we can recover. A body that's low in energy and is not receiving the nourishment to recover will stay in a constant state of inflammation or injury. But if you have the energy reserves to make new tissue your aging slows and your injuries and inflammation get better because your body now has something to work with.
So how do we practically support this and integrate it into our lives? We do it through:
The right kind of food practices
The right amount and kind of movement
Giving our bodies enough rest.
So why trust me... because I've been there and I've lived it. I was in the best shape of my life and felt miserable. I was depleted energetically and nutritionally with nothing left to give. Like many people I talk to, I felt tired, depressed and out of ideas about what to do next because I'd tried every type of elimination diet that I thought might work.
Then I started to study and really understand how the body works at the cellular level. I found life can be so much easier if you can support our body in it's natural processes, support it so it can do it's job better. So I did intensive research and tested ideas on myself and when they worked, I shared my practices with my clients.
As a result I've seen phenomenal results from myself and countless others.
Getting to know your own body's physiology and nutrient needs will give you a clear direction and create focused specific steps you can take to create a body you feel great in.
If you're interested to learn more about Optimal Health,
Sign up for my Creating Your Food Foundation online course here.
Heal Your Gut With This Simple Tool
Carrots are pretty darn amazing. I discovered the hidden health benefits of carrots long ago when I was turned on to Ray Peat’s work. He talks about how the fiber in carrots are helpful for aiding the excretion of harmful bacteria in the gut.
This is a big deal because the fiber that we’re recommended to eat to maintain a “so called” healthy diet does not have the same properties as the fiber you find in the carrot.
Instead the fiber that’s recommended by mainstream nutritionists (starchy grains, green leafy veggies, fermented foods and cruciferous veggies) run the risk of sitting in the gut and putrefying if digestion is too slow. Leading to issues like leaky gut and bacterial overgrowth.
Carrots are pretty darn amazing. I discovered the hidden health benefits of carrots long ago when I was turned on to Ray Peat’s work. He talks about how the fiber in carrots are helpful for aiding the excretion of harmful bacteria in the gut.
This is a big deal because the fiber that we’re recommended to eat to maintain a “so called” healthy diet does not have the same properties as the fiber you find in the carrot.
Instead the fiber that’s recommended by mainstream nutritionists (starchy grains, green leafy veggies, fermented foods and cruciferous veggies) run the risk of sitting in the gut and putrefying if digestion is too slow. Leading to issues like leaky gut and bacterial overgrowth.
The difference is, carrots contain anti-fungal properties as well as a unique antimicrobial fiber that acts as a natural detoxifier by binding to toxins in the intestines (absorbing bad bacteria, aka, endotoxins).
This beneficial fiber also aids the body in excreting excess estrogen which could be why you get the most benefit from eating your carrots raw.
But what’s even more interesting is that when you make a carrot salad the beneficial fiber can be way more effective at eliminating toxins, aiding digestion and raising your metabolism than just eating the carrot alone.
How it all works
Hormonal Balance
Improving digestion with beneficial fiber improves hormonal balance by aiding in eliminating excess estrogen in the gut which tend to get recirculated through the intestinal walls if digestion is too slow.
Too much estrogen circulating in the body can then cause harmful side effects and increase your percentage of fat body since estrogen gets stored in your fat cells.
Why is excess estrogen a problem?
Excess estrogen can be a problem as we get older because there’s not enough progesterone to oppose the estrogen (which is a natural process that happens after a woman’s menstrual cycle has ended).
As women get older their ability to produce progesterone diminishes so it’s a double edge sword. You produce less progesterone to oppose the estrogen and the estrogen gets recirculated through the gut if your digestion is compromised.
If estrogen continues to get recirculated without being excreted you end up with severe premenstrual, menopause symptoms, thyroid issues and slow digestive motility. This all leading to a slower metabolism with more fat storage and less muscle growth.
Hence the midlife crisis for women, the thing all women dred as we approach middle age, getting fat (without having the ability to exercise and calorie count it away).
Liver Support (detox)
It’s all about liver support. Your liver is your main event and the one organ you want to pay close attention to. Because if you support your liver many other organs and systems will function well as a result.
According to Ray Peat, “A carrot salad eaten daily can assist the liver and GI tract in the detoxification process and elimination of endotoxin and excess estrogen, thus improving the function of your metabolism.”
Carrot salad in the making
70% of your hormonal conversion happens in the liver.
That may be an even bigger deal.
Your liver is your gateway to hormonal balance and efficient energy production.
That’s why it’s important to support your liver with the right foods. Foods that will aid your liver in it’s function of releasing and excreting toxins thus taking the burden off the liver so it can do it’s job of hormonal conversion and aiding the body in energy production by supporting the thyroid (since your thyroid regulates your metabolism).
The beneficial fiber from raw carrots, cooked bamboo shoots and well cooked mushrooms can provide this.
If you struggle with bacterial overgrowth, low thyroid, digestive issues, premenstrual symptoms, menopause symptoms, inflammation, low energy and autoimmune response I highly recommend you include this in your daily routine. I’ve seen digestion improve substantially within a week of eating the raw daily carrot salad.
Daily Carrot Salad - The Recipe:
Grate 1 medium size carrot lengthwise
Add 1 tsp of organic refined coconut oil (or melted if it's not refined) or olive oil
Add 1 tsp of white rice vinegar
Add 1 to 2 pinches of sea salt and a little pinch of pepper ( I like Jacobsen Sea Salt - they have a variety of flavors which help to change the flavor up)
Mix it up and enjoy!
Variations:
Did you know that carrots come in an array of different colors. Visit your local farmers market and see what you find. Using yellow or purple carrots is a great way to avoid too much beta carotene.
Kate Deering recommends grating an entire batch of carrots and soaking them in water before use. This keeps them fresh as well as aids in reducing the amount of beta carotene.
You change the flavor by adding different flavors of sea salt or spices to it.
Benefits of a daily carrot salad include:
Aids the liver in the detoxification process by carrying the toxins away via the carrot fiber
Stimulates the digestion
Increases thyroid hormone conversion
Decreases stress hormones; adrenaline and cortisol, as well as, aldosterone and serotonin
Relieves premenstrual symptoms
Contains an indigestible fiber that's antimicrobial and antibacterial which pull out endotoxins (bad bacteria) in the gut. Making your gut flora a much healthier place.
When you cut your carrot lengthwise (even after you chew it) you get the benefit of it pulling out endotoxin much more effectively and lower in the digestive tract.
The raw carrot is effective at detoxing excess estrogen in the gut and prevent estrogen from getting reabsorbed in the gut, thus creating hormonal balance.
Eat your carrot salad between meals, between breakfast and lunch or lunch and dinner.
Benefits of Essential components of the daily carrot salad
The coconut oil or olive oil aids in offsetting the unsaturated fat in the carrot as well as stimulates the metabolism by lowering your requirement for vitamin E, suppressing bacterial overgrowth and healing the intestinal wall.
The vinegar aids in digestion and stimulating HCL.
The salt aids in keeping adrenaline, aldosterone and serotonin levels down, stimulates the bowel, provides minerals your body needs, increases metabolism, maintains a healthy blood sugar and makes your salad taste better.
Dairy's Not So Scary
Food sensitivities are a big deal and it seems the amount of people with food sensitivities are growing every day. Since many issues are linked to food sensitivities, food elimination seems to be the most common approach, but I think there's so much more to consider first.
Food sensitivities are a big deal and it seems the amount of people with food sensitivities are growing every day. Since many issues are linked to food sensitivities, food elimination seems to be the most common approach, but I think there's so much more to consider first.
How Food Elimination Works
A food elimination diet works by taking the foods out of the diet that seem to be causing digestive distress for a certain period of time and then working the foods back into the diet one at a time, noticing any change in digestion during the process. While this gives a person temporary relief, it doesn't really address the bigger issue... why can't this person digest and metabolize their food? In other words, what's the root of the problem.
My Experience With Dairy Intolerance
Years ago I believed I was intolerant to dairy, but looking back on it, I had a blood sugar handling issue. I'd been eliminating so many foods and I remember feeling like I needed to make a switch with my approach, but I wasn't sure where to go since the only recommendations about inflammation were to eliminate the foods that are causing you distress. Losing inches initially was great, because inflammation would go away, but I was still feeling fatigued and run down all the time. I felt like I was missing something, I wasn't feeling good anymore and had zero energy. I eventually had to come to accept that my approach wasn’t working for me anymore and it was time to make a change.
Could the issue be blood sugar?
Soon after I was introduced to Ray Peat’s research and it simply blew my mind. Mainly because his ideas about nutrition were so hard to wrap my head around and so completely opposite to what I'd learned about nutrition. I remember thinking I could eat dairy and sugar again, how liberating, but how does that work? After a while, his ideas started to make sense and I was soon compelled to try it out on myself.
I realized I'd had a blood sugar handling issue the whole time. It wasn't diary's fault, it was my body not being able to metabolize natural sugars very well for energy. I discovered when I eliminated sugar I felt a lot better at first and many of my issues subsided, but after a while I started to run out of energy, my metabolism slowed down( I lost muscle) and many of my issues came back. I didn’t gain weight per say, instead my digestive motility slowed down, I developed a small pooch (distended belly) and I was tired and depressed.
What I found...
According to Dr. Peat, food intolerance lab tests are a vague indicator of an actual food intolerance. Mainly due to the fact that your immunity responds to everything you're exposed to. Finding the particular antibodies to that substance actually means that you've become tolerant to that food, not the other way around. Because of this, most blood tests end up being a very poor indicator of a food intolerance.
Other Reasons For A Perceived Dairy Intolerance
According to Dr. Ray Peat, dairy’s not the problem, it’s the degradation of our food supply, and I tend to agree. If you’re eating toxic food with preservatives, there’s a greater chance you’ll end up with food allergies, sensitivities, bloating, gas, vitamin D deficiency, parasites, etc. Even if you’re eating organic you can still get some toxic preservatives that may irritate and inflame your body.
In Kate Deering's book, "How To Heal Your Metabolism", she states that it's a matter of the kind of dairy you choose which determines if you're intolerant or not. The culprit may actually be the preservatives and not the milk itself. One harmful allergen that's added frequently to dairy, almond and coconut milk is carrageenan. This preservative originates from seaweed and can cause digestive distress and inflammation. I also found carrageenan in foods like soy milk, ice cream and yogurt, it’s in just about everything.
Poor blood sugar regulation can be another reason for food intolerance. According to Dr. Ray Peat, you have the potential to be sensitive to just about any food when you're in a state of low blood sugar. A solution to a food sensitivity can be as simple as keeping your blood sugar more regular on a daily basis, by eating more frequently, slowing down (make mealtime sacred), calming the nervous system before meals and chewing your food. Breathing more mindfully (taking your breath in through the nose and expanding your ribcage and diaphram) and including a daily meditation practice can even improve your ability to digest your food.
dairy is a nutrient dense food
Dairy contains a balanced ratio of phosphorus (essential mineral for bone development) and calcium (needed for healthy bones, nerve function, blood clotting, muscle and heart contractions). According to Kate Deering, this is important because the ratio of phosphorus to calcium in dairy aids in calcium absorption and that's why including dairy in the diet is so important as you get older. Even more so since we're more susceptible to osteoporosis as we age. The good news is we can essentially side step this issue if we're absorbing calcium properly which dairy can provide.
Dairy's incredibly nutrient dense and a complete food, providing all three macronutrients (protein, fat and carbohydrates) your body needs to metabolize your food and keep your blood sugar regulated. Dairy contains magnesium, potassium, selenium and iron, vitamins A, B2, B12 K and D. These vitamins and minerals are all needed for a healthy fully functioning metabolism.
This superfood is worth reconsidering.
References:
http//www.eastwesthealing.com
http//www.katedeeringfitness.com
"How To Heal Your Metabolism", by Kate Deering pg.141-142