Jill Ciciarelli

AIR DATE: October 31, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "All Things Fermented (Fermentation 101)" With the increased interest and popularity of the Paleo lifestyle in recent years, so many people with chronic health and weight issues are discovering the power of an ancestral nutrition and fitness program. But many of these Paleo newbies are neglecting a key aspect of Paleo that is critical in light of all the emerging science we are seeing on having a robust and healthy gut microbiota. This is something holistic health coach  has noticed as well and is seeking to educate others about the vital importance of fermenting food for health. Our modern-day culture makes the idea of fermented foods seem strange (ever tried to ferment a Dorito or Twinkie?), but this is something that has been done by traditional cultures around the world for centuries to add more flavor and abundant nutrition to the foods being consumed. Jill's August 2013 book release  shares all the basics of fermenting, finding foods locally in your area to ferment, and to begin perhaps for the first time in your life to add in this aspect of the Paleo lifestyle that has been missing. That's what we will take on this week in Episode 52 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" with the timely and very relevant topic of "All Things Fermented (Fermentation 101)."JOIN YOUR LOW-CARB FRIENDS ON THE 2014 LOW-CARB CRUISENOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: TENDERGRASS FARMS GRASS-FED/PASTURED MEATSNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Here are some of the questions we address in this episode:BOB ASKS: Is there any way to improve the Vitamin K2 content of fermented vegetables? I know natto has the highest amount of Vitamin K2, but I would like to maximize it in the veggies that I personally ferment, such as cabbage, peppers and more. Do I need to use a specific starter culture to make this happen or is there some other way to do it naturally?JANE ASKS: Is there a sure-fire way of getting my cucumber pickles, when fermented, to remain crisp? I'm a moderately experienced fermenter and have tried making pickles three times. Unfortunately, they come out so soft I just had to throw them away. Adding grape leaves to the batch hasn’t helped a bit. What am I doing wrong?FREDA ASKS: Can you address the controversy over bacteria from open fermentation using ball jars vs. PickleIt Jars that are completely anaerobic. The PickleIt Jar supporters suggest that the bacteria created in open fermentation creates bacteria that is not good for the gut and can actually be detrimental. What say you?LENI ASKS: How is the probiotic content of sauerkraut (and other fermented foods) affected by heating? What is the temperature range that supports the survival of probiotics?DEB ASKS: It it possible to make a "milk kombucha" as opposed to milk kefir? Is there enough sugar in milk to feed a SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Beast)? If so, then does the milk need to be pasteurized to avoid bugs battling bugs? I’ve heard you're not supposed to use raw honey for the same reason.ANNE FROM AUSTRALIA ASKS: I was wondering if you can tell me about the Vitamin K2 content of fermented foods, especially kefir?JOANNA ASKS: I’m wondering about the amount of Vitamin K2 in non-dairy fermented foods. Grass-fed cheese has been my go-to source for K2, but I’ve realized that I really have to limit dairy in order to lose weight and I suspect that dairy is an inflammatory food for me. Do non-dairy fermented foods provide a rich enough source of K2 so that I won’t have to supplement? And what quantity of fermented foods per day do you think would be necessary?TAMMY ASKS: Is it possible to safely ferment using only a mason jar? And what about using a layer of olive oil to seal it? I tried to do a quick ferment of pickles over a week recently and apart from being too salty, the olive oil layer turned green and really weird-looking after refrigeration. It makes me nervous to try using that method again.LOUISE FROM NEW ZEALAND: The Inuit eat fermented fish. How do you ferment fish and is there a way to do it safely? What does fermented fish taste like?HARRY ASKS: I know salami is fermented and I enjoy this aspect of it. But is commercially-made salami beneficial or are you best to make your own?MECHELLE ASKS: A group of us get together regularly to make some fermented foods. Most recently, we juiced pears and made hard pear cider using the apple cider recipe from Jill's beautiful book. We invited our entire neighborhood over to drink it, and it was such a yummy hit! Thanks Jill! I’m curious, do you know of any research looking at the blood sugar impact of fermented foods? And are fermented beverages more likely to raise blood sugar than fermented foods?JULIA ASKS: Do you have any favorite brands of fermented foods, especially kombucha, that you recommend? Or is pretty much anything in the refrigerated section of a health food store probably a good bet? Are any of the non-refrigerated fermented foods on store shelves any good?SAM ASKS: I love the taste of kombucha, and my neighbor has SCOBY for me to start making my own. To be honest, I still feel confused about kombucha because of noted integrated health and wellness expert Dr. Andrew Weil's stance. Here’s what he has to say about it:“I am...concerned about the possibility of contamination in home-brewed kombucha. Some batches contain aspergillus, a toxin-producing fungus. This would be a significant risk for individuals with compromised immune systems, such as those with AIDS or in chemotherapy for cancer.”He also notes that he knows of “no health benefits to be gained by drinking kombucha tea.” This is the same man who makes his own sauerkraut and regularly talks about the health benefits and delicious taste of fermented foods! What are your comments about Dr. Weil's concerns?

AIR DATE: October 31, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "All Things Fermented (Fermentation 101)"  With the increased interest and popularity of the Paleo lifestyle in recent years, so many people with chronic health and weight issues are discovering the power of an ancestral nutrition and fitness program. But many of these Paleo newbies are neglecting a key aspect of Paleo that is critical in light of all the emerging science we are seeing on having a robust and healthy gut microbiota. This is something holistic health coach  has noticed as well and is seeking to educate others about the vital importance of fermenting food for health. Our modern-day culture makes the idea of fermented foods seem strange (ever tried to ferment a Dorito or Twinkie?), but this is something that has been done by traditional cultures around the world for centuries to add more flavor and abundant nutrition to the foods being consumed. Jill's August 2013 book release  shares all the basics of fermenting, finding foods locally in your area to ferment, and to begin perhaps for the first time in your life to add in this aspect of the Paleo lifestyle that has been missing. That's what we will take on this week in Episode 52 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" with the timely and very relevant topic of "All Things Fermented (Fermentation 101)." JOIN YOUR LOW-CARB FRIENDS ON THE 2014 LOW-CARB CRUISENOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: TENDERGRASS FARMS GRASS-FED/PASTURED MEATSNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we address in this episode: BOB ASKS: Is there any way to improve the Vitamin K2 content of fermented vegetables? I know natto has the highest amount of Vitamin K2, but I would like to maximize it in the veggies that I personally ferment, such as cabbage, peppers and more. Do I need to use a specific starter culture to make this happen or is there some other way to do it naturally? JANE ASKS: Is there a sure-fire way of getting my cucumber pickles, when fermented, to remain crisp? I'm a moderately experienced fermenter and have tried making pickles three times. Unfortunately, they come out so soft I just had to throw them away. Adding grape leaves to the batch hasn’t helped a bit. What am I doing wrong? FREDA ASKS: Can you address the controversy over bacteria from open fermentation using ball jars vs. PickleIt Jars that are completely anaerobic. The PickleIt Jar supporters suggest that the bacteria created in open fermentation creates bacteria that is not good for the gut and can actually be detrimental. What say you? LENI ASKS: How is the probiotic content of sauerkraut (and other fermented foods) affected by heating? What is the temperature range that supports the survival of probiotics? DEB ASKS: It it possible to make a "milk kombucha" as opposed to milk kefir? Is there enough sugar in milk to feed a SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Beast)? If so, then does the milk need to be pasteurized to avoid bugs battling bugs? I’ve heard you're not supposed to use raw honey for the same reason. ANNE FROM AUSTRALIA ASKS: I was wondering if you can tell me about the Vitamin K2 content of fermented foods, especially kefir? JOANNA ASKS: I’m wondering about the amount of Vitamin K2 in non-dairy fermented foods. Grass-fed cheese has been my go-to source for K2, but I’ve realized that I really have to limit dairy in order to lose weight and I suspect that dairy is an inflammatory food for me. Do non-dairy fermented foods provide a rich enough source of K2 so that I won’t have to supplement? And what quantity of fermented foods per day do you think would be necessary? TAMMY ASKS: Is it possible to safely ferment using only a mason jar? And what about using a layer of olive oil to seal it? I tried to do a quick ferment of pickles over a week recently and apart from being too salty, the olive oil layer turned green and really weird-looking after refrigeration. It makes me nervous to try using that method again. LOUISE FROM NEW ZEALAND: The Inuit eat fermented fish. How do you ferment fish and is there a way to do it safely? What does fermented fish taste like? HARRY ASKS: I know salami is fermented and I enjoy this aspect of it. But is commercially-made salami beneficial or are you best to make your own? MECHELLE ASKS: A group of us get together regularly to make some fermented foods. Most recently, we juiced pears and made hard pear cider using the apple cider recipe from Jill's beautiful book. We invited our entire neighborhood over to drink it, and it was such a yummy hit! Thanks Jill! I’m curious, do you know of any research looking at the blood sugar impact of fermented foods? And are fermented beverages more likely to raise blood sugar than fermented foods? JULIA ASKS: Do you have any favorite brands of fermented foods, especially kombucha, that you recommend? Or is pretty much anything in the refrigerated section of a health food store probably a good bet? Are any of the non-refrigerated fermented foods on store shelves any good? SAM ASKS: I love the taste of kombucha, and my neighbor has SCOBY for me to start making my own. To be honest, I still feel confused about kombucha because of noted integrated health and wellness expert Dr. Andrew Weil's stance. Here’s what he has to say about it: “I am...concerned about the possibility of contamination in home-brewed kombucha. Some batches contain aspergillus, a toxin-producing fungus. This would be a significant risk for individuals with compromised immune systems, such as those with AIDS or in chemotherapy for cancer.” He also notes that he knows of “no health benefits to be gained by drinking kombucha tea.” This is the same man who makes his own sauerkraut and regularly talks about the health benefits and delicious taste of fermented foods! What are your comments about Dr. Weil's concerns?

52: Jill Ciciarelli | All Things Fermented (Fermentation 101)

David Perlmutter

AIR DATE: October 24, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "Grain Brain &amp; Ketones"LISTEN LIVE TONIGHT AT 7PM ET by calling (712) 432-0900 and use the access code 848908.The biggest breakthrough health book of 2013 contains a simple, yet profound message--the carbohydrates we are eating in our diet are directly leading us down the inevitable pathway to dementia, Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative brain health ailments. It's the #1 New York Times bestselling book  (read ) by a Naples, FL-based neurologist named  (listen to Jimmy's interview with him in ). Dr. Perlmutter identifies in his book the key role that ketone bodies play in various aspects of our health, especially brain health. And that some of the most common foods consumed in our diet--namely whole grains, sugar, starch and other culprit carbohydrates--are the very things that are robbing our bodies of adequate ketone production to thrive as our bodies were intended. That's what we'll be addressing in Episode 51 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" this week when we take on the topic "Grain Brain &amp; Ketones."REGISTER FOR SEAN CROXTON'S "REAL FOOD CON"NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: TRY WATER THE WAY PALEO MAN ENJOYED ITNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Here are some of the questions we address in this episode:LENI ASKS: What is the impact of a ketogenic diet on bone health? There’s a lot of information on the web that seems to indicate that a ketogenic diet creates an acid environment that leeches calcium and other minerals from the bones. Is this true?ADAM ASKS: What has been your response to the emerging idea that saturated fat is the root cause of Alzheimer’s disease? And I’m curious about what would bring on Alzheimer’s faster: a high-carb, high fat diet or a high-carb, low-fat diet?MARY ASKS: After reading Dr. Perlmutter's eye-opening book where he mentions fasting blood sugar levels are closely associated with cognitive function. Would that be the best thing for me to track or would it be more useful to track post-prandial blood sugar and/or blood ketone levels?REBECCA ASKS: If a person already has moderate to severe Alzheimer's or signs of dementia, is it too late to reverse the damage by eating low-carb, high fat? Can there be any reversal in symptoms?LINDA ASKS: In 1997, I underwent surgery for a benign, but fairly large brain tumor. The dietitian put me on the Food Pyramid diet and I ate that way until I read Dr. William Davis’ Wheat Belly in 2011. We don’t touch wheat and gluten anymore and happily eat low-carb. I wonder what effect grains have on the development of brain tumors. As a 63-year old, is it too late for me to achieve optimal brain health after a lifetime of eating grains?SANDRA ASKS: Should my husband be worried that his cholesterol has risen from 208 to 267? He eats what I eat—a low-carb, moderate protein, high-fat diet. His doctor will undoubtedly want to put him on a statin and my hubby is kinda freaking out about all of this. Any words of comfort you can give us?LISA ASKS: I loved Grain Brain and have already implemented many of your suggestions. I've heard it argued by people in the low-carb and Paleo community that it's the processed foods doing most of the metabolic damage to our health in modern society. However, the unifying factor in many of the world’s traditional cultures is that they're all eating real, whole foods. But Dr. Perlmutter seems to be saying that even real, whole food carbohydrate-based foods like fruits and tubers are poison. Does this apply to everyone, or just those who are metabolically challenged in some way? I think many will find it hard to swallow the "all carbs are poison for everyone" theory when there seem to be so many people eating real-food carbs while maintaining excellent health.HILARY ASKS: If carbs are so bad for our health, then how do people like Michael Phelps and Dr. Oz perform so well for so long eating pasta, pitas and pancakes? And why don't football players drink olive oil and eat sticks of butter on the sidelines rather than a solution of sugar and electrolytes?MARGARET ASKS: When I hit my early 40’s I started having occasional memory issues—it’s both annoying and embarrassing. I've been eating low-carb, high-fat with no grains or sugars and copious amounts of coconut oil for the past two years. I am an avid exerciser and at a normal weight, but I’m still insulin resistant. While my memory hasn’t gotten any worse, it hasn’t gotten any better either. Can I ever hope to see improvement if I continue with what I’m doing or are there other things I can do to help with this?KIM ASKS: I am a 53-year old female who has been on a ketogenic diet for about a year. I am reading your book and now know that many of my problems are a direct result of inflammation. I have lost 90 pounds so far, but I still have a lot of belly fat and inflammation. My low-carb friendly doctor recommends that I stay on a 1,000-calorie-a-day fat fast for a while to see what impact that will have. What effect will all this have on my brain? And what can I do about my belly fat and inflammation since I now know it shrinks the brain?WENDY ASKS: Can you explain why switching from a grain-brain to a ketone-brain is so important in light of menopause? All the books about this subject say to eat soy and flax, load up on the carbs, exercise them off doing cardio exercise, and somehow avoid stress—yeah right! Obviously these people have never had hot flashes! When I started eating ketogenic after reading a book by your fellow neurologist Dr. Larry McCleary called The Brain Trust Program, I noticed my hot flashes disappeared for a while, but then they came back. Why aren't medical professionals from various fields willing to offer any meaningful enlightenment on this issue? Is this something that neurologists like yourself will need to lead the charge on?DELILAH ASKS: For an 80+ year old woman already showing signs of dementia, how helpful will a ketogenic protocol be at this point? Is there any expectation of improvements and/or reversals in neurodegeneration at this point?TRISH ASKS: I inherited the ApoE 4 genotype from a relative who developed dementia at an early age. In light of this, is a low-carb, high-fat diet the best one for me to be consuming to support my brain health? Or should I consider cutting back on my intake of dietary fat as has been recommended for ApoE 4’s?MEREDITH ASKS: I'm confused about your statement in your book and on “The Dr. Oz Show” that it's okay to eat certain grains such as rice. What is it about the non-gluten grains on your "eat in moderation list" that makes them acceptable? Thanks for clarifying. Loved your book!ERIC ASKS: Are you aware of any animal or human studies on the effect of ketogenic diets on Alzheimer’s disease?AMBERLY ASKS: When I have been pregnant, my doctors have told me that being in a ketogenic state is not healthy for a developing fetus, specifically for their brain development. What research is there to support or refute this position? If ketones are good for an adult's brain, why wouldn't they be good for a growing baby's brain?DAVID ASKS: I've been reading your book and talking to my sister about it. She made the point that it wasn’t until grains were introduced into the human diet that there were great intellectual and artistic advances in our civilization. She can't think of one non-grain based population that has produced any great philosophers, artists, etc. She argues that a grain-based diet is what fueled all the great intellectual achievements in human history and thus will do the same for her. How do I respond to this assertion?DAMON ASKS: I have struggled for a long time trying to increase my blood ketone levels to an adequate level and it has never happened while eating ~200g fat, ~60g protein, and less than 30g carbs daily for that past six weeks. Is it possible to do so much damage from consuming carbohydrates in the past that becoming ketogenic is now impossible?KURT ASKS: I've eaten mostly the SAD diet for the 54 years I’ve been alive. I probably already have a huge backlog of AGE's to now overcome. At my age, can a ketogenic diet reverse and even repair the damage that’s been done from a lifetime of high-carb eating?ANN ASKS: If I remove gluten and grains from my diet at 50 years old, am I able to prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease? Or has the proverbial damage already been done?

AIR DATE: October 24, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "Grain Brain &amp; Ketones" LISTEN LIVE TONIGHT AT 7PM ET by calling (712) 432-0900 and use the access code 848908. The biggest breakthrough health book of 2013 contains a simple, yet profound message--the carbohydrates we are eating in our diet are directly leading us down the inevitable pathway to dementia, Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative brain health ailments. It's the #1 New York Times bestselling book  (read ) by a Naples, FL-based neurologist named  (listen to Jimmy's interview with him in ). Dr. Perlmutter identifies in his book the key role that ketone bodies play in various aspects of our health, especially brain health. And that some of the most common foods consumed in our diet--namely whole grains, sugar, starch and other culprit carbohydrates--are the very things that are robbing our bodies of adequate ketone production to thrive as our bodies were intended. That's what we'll be addressing in Episode 51 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" this week when we take on the topic "Grain Brain &amp; Ketones." REGISTER FOR SEAN CROXTON'S "REAL FOOD CON"NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: TRY WATER THE WAY PALEO MAN ENJOYED ITNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we address in this episode: LENI ASKS: What is the impact of a ketogenic diet on bone health? There’s a lot of information on the web that seems to indicate that a ketogenic diet creates an acid environment that leeches calcium and other minerals from the bones. Is this true? ADAM ASKS: What has been your response to the emerging idea that saturated fat is the root cause of Alzheimer’s disease? And I’m curious about what would bring on Alzheimer’s faster: a high-carb, high fat diet or a high-carb, low-fat diet? MARY ASKS: After reading Dr. Perlmutter's eye-opening book where he mentions fasting blood sugar levels are closely associated with cognitive function. Would that be the best thing for me to track or would it be more useful to track post-prandial blood sugar and/or blood ketone levels? REBECCA ASKS: If a person already has moderate to severe Alzheimer's or signs of dementia, is it too late to reverse the damage by eating low-carb, high fat? Can there be any reversal in symptoms? LINDA ASKS: In 1997, I underwent surgery for a benign, but fairly large brain tumor. The dietitian put me on the Food Pyramid diet and I ate that way until I read Dr. William Davis’ Wheat Belly in 2011. We don’t touch wheat and gluten anymore and happily eat low-carb. I wonder what effect grains have on the development of brain tumors. As a 63-year old, is it too late for me to achieve optimal brain health after a lifetime of eating grains? SANDRA ASKS: Should my husband be worried that his cholesterol has risen from 208 to 267? He eats what I eat—a low-carb, moderate protein, high-fat diet. His doctor will undoubtedly want to put him on a statin and my hubby is kinda freaking out about all of this. Any words of comfort you can give us? LISA ASKS: I loved Grain Brain and have already implemented many of your suggestions. I've heard it argued by people in the low-carb and Paleo community that it's the processed foods doing most of the metabolic damage to our health in modern society. However, the unifying factor in many of the world’s traditional cultures is that they're all eating real, whole foods. But Dr. Perlmutter seems to be saying that even real, whole food carbohydrate-based foods like fruits and tubers are poison. Does this apply to everyone, or just those who are metabolically challenged in some way? I think many will find it hard to swallow the "all carbs are poison for everyone" theory when there seem to be so many people eating real-food carbs while maintaining excellent health. HILARY ASKS: If carbs are so bad for our health, then how do people like Michael Phelps and Dr. Oz perform so well for so long eating pasta, pitas and pancakes? And why don't football players drink olive oil and eat sticks of butter on the sidelines rather than a solution of sugar and electrolytes? MARGARET ASKS: When I hit my early 40’s I started having occasional memory issues—it’s both annoying and embarrassing. I've been eating low-carb, high-fat with no grains or sugars and copious amounts of coconut oil for the past two years. I am an avid exerciser and at a normal weight, but I’m still insulin resistant. While my memory hasn’t gotten any worse, it hasn’t gotten any better either. Can I ever hope to see improvement if I continue with what I’m doing or are there other things I can do to help with this? KIM ASKS: I am a 53-year old female who has been on a ketogenic diet for about a year. I am reading your book and now know that many of my problems are a direct result of inflammation. I have lost 90 pounds so far, but I still have a lot of belly fat and inflammation. My low-carb friendly doctor recommends that I stay on a 1,000-calorie-a-day fat fast for a while to see what impact that will have. What effect will all this have on my brain? And what can I do about my belly fat and inflammation since I now know it shrinks the brain? WENDY ASKS: Can you explain why switching from a grain-brain to a ketone-brain is so important in light of menopause? All the books about this subject say to eat soy and flax, load up on the carbs, exercise them off doing cardio exercise, and somehow avoid stress—yeah right! Obviously these people have never had hot flashes! When I started eating ketogenic after reading a book by your fellow neurologist Dr. Larry McCleary called The Brain Trust Program, I noticed my hot flashes disappeared for a while, but then they came back. Why aren't medical professionals from various fields willing to offer any meaningful enlightenment on this issue? Is this something that neurologists like yourself will need to lead the charge on? DELILAH ASKS: For an 80+ year old woman already showing signs of dementia, how helpful will a ketogenic protocol be at this point? Is there any expectation of improvements and/or reversals in neurodegeneration at this point? TRISH ASKS: I inherited the ApoE 4 genotype from a relative who developed dementia at an early age. In light of this, is a low-carb, high-fat diet the best one for me to be consuming to support my brain health? Or should I consider cutting back on my intake of dietary fat as has been recommended for ApoE 4’s? MEREDITH ASKS: I'm confused about your statement in your book and on “The Dr. Oz Show” that it's okay to eat certain grains such as rice. What is it about the non-gluten grains on your "eat in moderation list" that makes them acceptable? Thanks for clarifying. Loved your book! ERIC ASKS: Are you aware of any animal or human studies on the effect of ketogenic diets on Alzheimer’s disease? AMBERLY ASKS: When I have been pregnant, my doctors have told me that being in a ketogenic state is not healthy for a developing fetus, specifically for their brain development. What research is there to support or refute this position? If ketones are good for an adult's brain, why wouldn't they be good for a growing baby's brain? DAVID ASKS: I've been reading your book and talking to my sister about it. She made the point that it wasn’t until grains were introduced into the human diet that there were great intellectual and artistic advances in our civilization. She can't think of one non-grain based population that has produced any great philosophers, artists, etc. She argues that a grain-based diet is what fueled all the great intellectual achievements in human history and thus will do the same for her. How do I respond to this assertion? DAMON ASKS: I have struggled for a long time trying to increase my blood ketone levels to an adequate level and it has never happened while eating ~200g fat, ~60g protein, and less than 30g carbs daily for that past six weeks. Is it possible to do so much damage from consuming carbohydrates in the past that becoming ketogenic is now impossible? KURT ASKS: I've eaten mostly the SAD diet for the 54 years I’ve been alive. I probably already have a huge backlog of AGE's to now overcome. At my age, can a ketogenic diet reverse and even repair the damage that’s been done from a lifetime of high-carb eating? ANN ASKS: If I remove gluten and grains from my diet at 50 years old, am I able to prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease? Or has the proverbial damage already been done?

51: Dr. David Perlmutter | Grain Brain & Ketones

Bill Lagakos

AIR DATE: October 17, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "All Things Calories (Calories 201)" The concept of calories is one of the most controversial and highly misunderstood concepts in the discussion of nutrition and healthy living. Most conventional health experts put forth the notion that weight and health management simply comes down to basic math--eat less calories in your diet and burn off more calories. In their world, it's all about food quantity. But for many of us in the low-carb and Paleo community, choosing food quality is so much more important as a means for controlling the hormonal and metabolic impact of those calories over how much of that food we are consuming. This is a concept that this week's guest expert knows a thing or two about. He is nutritional biochemist  (listen to Jimmy's interview with him in ) and the author of a book entitled . He'll took on the topic "All Things Calories (Calories 201)" in this fabulous podcast. You might recall we had  for a Calories 101 discussion. Listen in as we dig a little deeper into this topic to clear up any lingering misconceptions you may have about the subject of calories.REGISTER FOR SEAN CROXTON'S "REAL FOOD CON"NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: THE ALL-NEW WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY QUEST BAR:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Here are some of the questions we address in this episode:KAREN ASKS: What role do hormones play when it comes to the amount of calories consumed as it relates to weight loss?GERARD ASKS: What does Dr. Lagakos think of Lyle McDonald's energy balance formula? Does it line up with his findings about calories?DEBRA ASKS: I just don't trust calories anymore. All I need from them is to do their job. How did the whole calories in/calories out concept gain such a stranglehold on our culture? Aren't our bodies so much more complex than energy consumed and energy expended?AMY ASKS: Does Dr. Lagakos think the average person would be better off if we'd never heard the word "calorie" as it applies to food? I'm saddened when I think of all the human potential and creativity that are lost as a direct result of the obsessive behavior of calorie counting, watching the calorie meters on cardio equipment at gyms, and the complex math equation people think they need to perform in order to "balance their calories." That’s just way too much wasted brain power and emotional energy spent on a numbers games rather than focusing on nourishing our bodies the same way our healthy, lean, robust ancestors did for generations before anyone had ever heard of a calorie.JAMES ASKS: There have been isocaloric studies conducted where the major difference was the macronutrient composition, but the outcomes tend to differ regarding fat loss and lean body mass retention. Then why do the "experts" still insist that 400 calories of a rib-eye steak is no different from 400 calories of Pop-Tarts? Does Dr. Lagakos think we will ever reach a scientific consensus that embraces the notion that calories from fat, protein, and carbohydrates have different biochemical effects and can't possibly be lumped together based on their calories?KARL ASKS: I understand what the strict definition of a calorie is and that is refers to turning potential energy into kinetic energy. But I also know that our bodies don't utilize calories, but rather ATP. So given a basic understanding of how ATP is generated in the mitochondria, I don't see how to equate calories with the generation of ATP. Could you explain how the body utilizes energy?HELEN ASKS: Is there any scientific evidence supporting the timing of when the calories are consumed. For example, if someone eats 2500 calories per day, does it matter if those calories are spread out over 4-5 meals or if they are all consumed in 1-2 large meals as part of an intermittent fasting protocol?GARY ASKS: There is a common belief in our culture that states when you don't eat enough calories your body will go into "starvation mode" and accumulate stored body fat. Is there any science behind this, and if so, what exactly is going on inside the body to make this happen?Speaking of common beliefs on calories, doesn’t the idea that all calories are the same actually violate Newton’s Second Law of Thermodynamics?KURT ASKS: For years on the SAD diet I weighed 210 and regularly exercised by jogging, biking and lifting weights. Since going 90% Paleo/primal and wheat-free (but not ketogenic) 8 months ago I’ve lost 21 pounds and feel great. I exercise the same as always but I’ve plateaued at this weight for 4 months now. As near as I can tell, at 10% less weight, I seem to need 30% fewer calories than I did on the SAD diet. Have I become more efficient at using calories or are the calories I’m now eating somehow more efficient? This has been driving me nuts lately because I’d like to lose another 15 pounds without losing muscle. I look forward to your insights.CHRISTA ASKS: I have a question about calorie consumption during pregnancy. The current advice is to eat about 300 more calories per day while pregnant. I want to support my baby's growth and am eating the most nutrient dense foods I can find. But I also don't want to gain an unhealthy amount of weight in the process. Do you have any thoughts on how a woman can determine the proper amount of calories that should be consumed when pregnant?

AIR DATE: October 17, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "All Things Calories (Calories 201)"  The concept of calories is one of the most controversial and highly misunderstood concepts in the discussion of nutrition and healthy living. Most conventional health experts put forth the notion that weight and health management simply comes down to basic math--eat less calories in your diet and burn off more calories. In their world, it's all about food quantity. But for many of us in the low-carb and Paleo community, choosing food quality is so much more important as a means for controlling the hormonal and metabolic impact of those calories over how much of that food we are consuming. This is a concept that this week's guest expert knows a thing or two about. He is nutritional biochemist  (listen to Jimmy's interview with him in ) and the author of a book entitled . He'll took on the topic "All Things Calories (Calories 201)" in this fabulous podcast. You might recall we had  for a Calories 101 discussion. Listen in as we dig a little deeper into this topic to clear up any lingering misconceptions you may have about the subject of calories. REGISTER FOR SEAN CROXTON'S "REAL FOOD CON"NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: THE ALL-NEW WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY QUEST BAR:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we address in this episode: KAREN ASKS: What role do hormones play when it comes to the amount of calories consumed as it relates to weight loss? GERARD ASKS: What does Dr. Lagakos think of Lyle McDonald's energy balance formula? Does it line up with his findings about calories? DEBRA ASKS: I just don't trust calories anymore. All I need from them is to do their job. How did the whole calories in/calories out concept gain such a stranglehold on our culture? Aren't our bodies so much more complex than energy consumed and energy expended? AMY ASKS: Does Dr. Lagakos think the average person would be better off if we'd never heard the word "calorie" as it applies to food? I'm saddened when I think of all the human potential and creativity that are lost as a direct result of the obsessive behavior of calorie counting, watching the calorie meters on cardio equipment at gyms, and the complex math equation people think they need to perform in order to "balance their calories." That’s just way too much wasted brain power and emotional energy spent on a numbers games rather than focusing on nourishing our bodies the same way our healthy, lean, robust ancestors did for generations before anyone had ever heard of a calorie. JAMES ASKS: There have been isocaloric studies conducted where the major difference was the macronutrient composition, but the outcomes tend to differ regarding fat loss and lean body mass retention. Then why do the "experts" still insist that 400 calories of a rib-eye steak is no different from 400 calories of Pop-Tarts? Does Dr. Lagakos think we will ever reach a scientific consensus that embraces the notion that calories from fat, protein, and carbohydrates have different biochemical effects and can't possibly be lumped together based on their calories? KARL ASKS: I understand what the strict definition of a calorie is and that is refers to turning potential energy into kinetic energy. But I also know that our bodies don't utilize calories, but rather ATP. So given a basic understanding of how ATP is generated in the mitochondria, I don't see how to equate calories with the generation of ATP. Could you explain how the body utilizes energy? HELEN ASKS: Is there any scientific evidence supporting the timing of when the calories are consumed. For example, if someone eats 2500 calories per day, does it matter if those calories are spread out over 4-5 meals or if they are all consumed in 1-2 large meals as part of an intermittent fasting protocol? GARY ASKS: There is a common belief in our culture that states when you don't eat enough calories your body will go into "starvation mode" and accumulate stored body fat. Is there any science behind this, and if so, what exactly is going on inside the body to make this happen? Speaking of common beliefs on calories, doesn’t the idea that all calories are the same actually violate Newton’s Second Law of Thermodynamics? KURT ASKS: For years on the SAD diet I weighed 210 and regularly exercised by jogging, biking and lifting weights. Since going 90% Paleo/primal and wheat-free (but not ketogenic) 8 months ago I’ve lost 21 pounds and feel great. I exercise the same as always but I’ve plateaued at this weight for 4 months now. As near as I can tell, at 10% less weight, I seem to need 30% fewer calories than I did on the SAD diet. Have I become more efficient at using calories or are the calories I’m now eating somehow more efficient? This has been driving me nuts lately because I’d like to lose another 15 pounds without losing muscle. I look forward to your insights. CHRISTA ASKS: I have a question about calorie consumption during pregnancy. The current advice is to eat about 300 more calories per day while pregnant. I want to support my baby's growth and am eating the most nutrient dense foods I can find. But I also don't want to gain an unhealthy amount of weight in the process. Do you have any thoughts on how a woman can determine the proper amount of calories that should be consumed when pregnant?

50: Dr. Bill Lagakos | All Things Calories (Calories 201)

AIR DATE: October 10, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "All Things Aging (Aging 101)"Father Time has a sneaky way of catching up to us all at some point, doesn't he? But what if you could hold off the effects of aging for many more years than you think simply by making some basic shifts in your diet, fitness, supplements and lifestyle choices. That's the heartbeat of the work of this week's guest expert named  (check him out on  and ). He is an anti-aging specialist and co-author with  of the book . Dr. Rock was once a staunch vegan advocate and noticed how it greatly accelerated his aging which is what motivates him to help people over 40 discover the easy and intuitive methods for increasing vitality, sexuality, and youthfulness through whole food nutrition, convenience exercise and correcting micronutrient deficiencies. That's what we'll address in Episode 49 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" taking on the topic "All Things Aging (Aging 101)."TENDERGRASS FARMS GRASS-FED/PASTURED MEATS:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: GET JIMMY'S BESTSELLING NEW CHOLESTEROL BOOK:Get a FREE CHAPTER by visiting Here are some of the questions we address in this episode:HILARY ASKS: I'm 48 years old and menopausal. I've had lupus-like symptoms ever since I was a kid and my health has been improved beyond my wildest dreams by avoiding wheat, plus adding in healthy fats and a pile of supplements that I cycle into my routine when I feel I need them. I'm curious about DHEA and I'm trying the NOW brand of 7-Keto DHEA. Every once in a while when I feel like I need an anabolic boost, I sprinkle around 5-10 mg into my Bulletproof coffee. It really is helping my tendons, muscle tone, mood and energy. Do you think this protocol I am doing is helping me fight aging? Is this the best form of DHEA for reducing the masculinizing effect?JAMIE ASKS: We often hear insulin referred to as the “fat-storage hormone” but is it accurate to also call it the aging hormone? Do some medications accelerate aging? And are there any anti-aging supplements?JENNY ASKS: I am 41 years old and not in peri-menopause yet. I’d like to retain my present feelings of vibrant youth and know that fertility is a marker of being young and full of health. What do you think of using bio-identical hormones to continue to menstruate through and after menopause? How exactly does doing something like this work?ERIK ASKS: Would Dr. Schnell consider using exogenous testosterone as we get older to stave off the effects from aging? If so, then does he have a preference regarding the modes of administering it?MARK ASKS: Is mimicking the internal chemical environment of a young body the best way to defy aging? If so, then how do "turn off" late-acting deleterious or lethal genes?ANN ASKS: How do refined carbohydrates affect the skin as we age? Is this a direct reflection of what is happening in our organs long before it reaches the surface?KATHIE ASKS: Which vitamins are most beneficial in warding off the effects of aging in conjunction with my low-carb, high-fat lifestyle?LIZ ASKS: I work outdoors in a place where we have sun all year round. What are the best ways to keep my skin from prematurely aging? I use sunscreen (which I know has terrible ingredients in it) and cover up as much as possible. Many people I’ve seen who have worked outdoors doing what I do look 30 years older than they really are. I don't want to end up like that!KURT ASKS: I’m 54 years old and enjoy running, biking and weight lifting. There is conflicting advice between doing steady cardio vs. intense interval training. What do you feel works best for men as they begin aging after 50?NICK ASKS: Is eating low-carb to limit insulin and moderating protein down to limit MToR the best way to slow aging and increase longevity?

AIR DATE: October 10, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "All Things Aging (Aging 101)" Father Time has a sneaky way of catching up to us all at some point, doesn't he? But what if you could hold off the effects of aging for many more years than you think simply by making some basic shifts in your diet, fitness, supplements and lifestyle choices. That's the heartbeat of the work of this week's guest expert named  (check him out on  and ). He is an anti-aging specialist and co-author with  of the book . Dr. Rock was once a staunch vegan advocate and noticed how it greatly accelerated his aging which is what motivates him to help people over 40 discover the easy and intuitive methods for increasing vitality, sexuality, and youthfulness through whole food nutrition, convenience exercise and correcting micronutrient deficiencies. That's what we'll address in Episode 49 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" taking on the topic "All Things Aging (Aging 101)." TENDERGRASS FARMS GRASS-FED/PASTURED MEATS:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: GET JIMMY'S BESTSELLING NEW CHOLESTEROL BOOK:Get a FREE CHAPTER by visiting  Here are some of the questions we address in this episode: HILARY ASKS: I'm 48 years old and menopausal. I've had lupus-like symptoms ever since I was a kid and my health has been improved beyond my wildest dreams by avoiding wheat, plus adding in healthy fats and a pile of supplements that I cycle into my routine when I feel I need them. I'm curious about DHEA and I'm trying the NOW brand of 7-Keto DHEA. Every once in a while when I feel like I need an anabolic boost, I sprinkle around 5-10 mg into my Bulletproof coffee. It really is helping my tendons, muscle tone, mood and energy. Do you think this protocol I am doing is helping me fight aging? Is this the best form of DHEA for reducing the masculinizing effect? JAMIE ASKS: We often hear insulin referred to as the “fat-storage hormone” but is it accurate to also call it the aging hormone? Do some medications accelerate aging? And are there any anti-aging supplements? JENNY ASKS: I am 41 years old and not in peri-menopause yet. I’d like to retain my present feelings of vibrant youth and know that fertility is a marker of being young and full of health. What do you think of using bio-identical hormones to continue to menstruate through and after menopause? How exactly does doing something like this work? ERIK ASKS: Would Dr. Schnell consider using exogenous testosterone as we get older to stave off the effects from aging? If so, then does he have a preference regarding the modes of administering it? MARK ASKS: Is mimicking the internal chemical environment of a young body the best way to defy aging? If so, then how do "turn off" late-acting deleterious or lethal genes? ANN ASKS: How do refined carbohydrates affect the skin as we age? Is this a direct reflection of what is happening in our organs long before it reaches the surface? KATHIE ASKS: Which vitamins are most beneficial in warding off the effects of aging in conjunction with my low-carb, high-fat lifestyle? LIZ ASKS: I work outdoors in a place where we have sun all year round. What are the best ways to keep my skin from prematurely aging? I use sunscreen (which I know has terrible ingredients in it) and cover up as much as possible. Many people I’ve seen who have worked outdoors doing what I do look 30 years older than they really are. I don't want to end up like that! KURT ASKS: I’m 54 years old and enjoy running, biking and weight lifting. There is conflicting advice between doing steady cardio vs. intense interval training. What do you feel works best for men as they begin aging after 50? NICK ASKS: Is eating low-carb to limit insulin and moderating protein down to limit MToR the best way to slow aging and increase longevity?

49: Dr. Donald 'Rock' Schnell | All Things Aging (Aging 101)

James Clear

AIR DATE: October 3, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "All Things Intermittent Fasting (IF 101)"Just mention the word "fasting" to the man on the street and the reaction you'll get from most of them would probably fall somewhere between completely scoffing at the idea to the sheer terror at the realization of going without food for more than a few hours. This concept of fasting even on an intermittent basis, as has become popularized in the Paleo community in recent years, is certainly a highly controversial and misunderstood strategy that could very well be the last piece of the puzzle in optimizing your weight and health issues. Is intermittent fasting (aka IF) the right way to go for everyone, especially for women who seem to have more difficulty with this? Is there anyone who absolutely shouldn't IF or even those who must do it for therapeutic purposes? And how long and how often should these fasting periods be done to get the most benefit out of them? These are just some of the questions we're going to explore further with a nutritional habits expert named  (listen to Jimmy's "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show" podcast with him in ) in Episode 48 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" where we'll take YOUR questions on "All Things Intermittent Fasting (IF 101)."Here's your chance to speak directly with the expert to ask YOUR questions. Start getting me your questions on this topic NOW by e-mailing them to  no later than 3PM ET this Thursday. You can also ask your question LIVE on my show by calling (712) 432-0900 or Skype the show for FREE by calling the username freeconferencing.7124320900. Whether you call or Skype, be sure to use the access code 848908. Listen LIVE and  if you like what you hear. This is golden opportunity to interact with the best nutritional health experts in the world, so don't be bashful. We look forward to sharing this brand new episode of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" with you later this week.SUGAR-FREE, LOW-CARB PEANUT BUTTER CUPSNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: LOW-CARB PASTABILITIES FROM QUEST NUTRITIONNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Here are some of the questions we address in this episode:RENEE ASKS: I have long heard that women in general don't have great results from intermittent fasting. I'm wondering whether you agree with this, why it happens, and if this applies to post-menopausal women? I am a post-menopausal female and naturally IF more days than not. What effect does IF have on women's and men's hormones?KARL ASKS: I have been doing Intermittent Fasting for the past few weeks eating meals between 12-8pm. Do you have any suggestions about how I can make sure I get enough food in my body during that 8-hour window? I feel like I’m eating way too few calories.I do have a cup of coffee with about two teaspoons of heavy cream in the mornings. Does that coffee and/or cream make any difference in the effects of an intermittent fast? Should I add a tablespoon of coconut oil or MCT oil to make it better? Or should I be going that entire 16 hours without any calories consumed to technically do an IF?JENNY ASKS: I've been eating low-carb, high-fat for 3 months now and incorporated a 24-hour fast, two days a week for the last month. I also try to mini-fast for 17 hours between my meals everyday. When does the timer begin for fasting: as soon as I put my fork down or about 3 hours later when I've digested my last meal?One issue I am having is that I want to take my vitamins everyday, especially on fasting days, but I can't keep them down on an empty stomach. Is there any type of food that I can eat to stay in a fasted state but is substantial enough to let me take my vitamins? I tried almond butter and was able to keep the pills down but it was not the best option for me. Would a pure fast be even more beneficial than a multivitamin?DAMON ASKS: Assuming proper caloric load and macronutrient breakdown compliance, what could be the reasons for not getting results as far as fat loss goes when engaging in regular periods of intermittent fasting?Are there any disadvantages to doing resistance training in a fasted state in the morning if you don’t eat until later in the day?DEB ASKS: I’m a 48-year old woman and changed my exercise to mainly weight-training and short bouts of high intensity interval training with lots of walking, but was eating low-calorie/low-carb/Paleo for part of the time and doing IF for most of that time frame. I check my muscle progress by doing hydrostatic weighing and I was told I’m losing muscle because I train in a fasted state. Does the kind of exercise matter when doing it fasted? What should I be doing and what should I avoid if I exercise in a fasted state?JASON ASKS: How important is it to eat as soon as possible after a fasted workout? I enjoy my post-workout fat/protein shake but I could just as easily go without it as I am rarely hungry after a workout. Am I harming recovery and/or muscle growth if I just wait until lunch to eat after my morning workout?Is there a known physiological benefit to forcing a 24 hour fast? What are the health reasons to do periodic fasts during the week?JANIE ASKS: I skip breakfast just about every single day as I'm just not hungry in the mornings. Sometimes I'll have decaffeinated coffee with a tablespoon of heavy cream but I wonder if that officially breaks my fast. I see people in the Paleo community having multiple tablespoons of fat in their coffee yet they say that they are still fasting! I am pretty sure a 900-calorie cup of coffee is NOT fasting, right? Is there a calorie level that I can consume in my coffee that keeps my intermittent fasting going?GEZ ASKS: I’m a 44-year old man and have lost 70 pounds following a low-carb, moderate protein, high-fat diet. Intermittent fasting 16-18 hours daily and high intensity eccentric exercise for 30 minutes once a week helped me shed the final 14 pounds. My question is I’m finding it difficult to lose the remaining fat around my waist and lower back. Should I change the length of my intermittent fast to longer periods of time between meals? I’ve also considered adding in a high-carb day once a week in the vein of Keifer’s Carb Nite Solution ketogenic cycling system. Any thoughts?MICKEY ASKS: I have been fasting quite regularly and eat one meal in the evening around 1500-2000 calories a day. I don't really get hungry at all during the day. My concern is whether or not I am prone to losing too much muscle mass doing this? Is it possible to overdo it when you are fasting?

AIR DATE: October 3, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "All Things Intermittent Fasting (IF 101)" Just mention the word "fasting" to the man on the street and the reaction you'll get from most of them would probably fall somewhere between completely scoffing at the idea to the sheer terror at the realization of going without food for more than a few hours. This concept of fasting even on an intermittent basis, as has become popularized in the Paleo community in recent years, is certainly a highly controversial and misunderstood strategy that could very well be the last piece of the puzzle in optimizing your weight and health issues. Is intermittent fasting (aka IF) the right way to go for everyone, especially for women who seem to have more difficulty with this? Is there anyone who absolutely shouldn't IF or even those who must do it for therapeutic purposes? And how long and how often should these fasting periods be done to get the most benefit out of them? These are just some of the questions we're going to explore further with a nutritional habits expert named  (listen to Jimmy's "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show" podcast with him in ) in Episode 48 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" where we'll take YOUR questions on "All Things Intermittent Fasting (IF 101)." Here's your chance to speak directly with the expert to ask YOUR questions. Start getting me your questions on this topic NOW by e-mailing them to  no later than 3PM ET this Thursday. You can also ask your question LIVE on my show by calling (712) 432-0900 or Skype the show for FREE by calling the username freeconferencing.7124320900. Whether you call or Skype, be sure to use the access code 848908. Listen LIVE and  if you like what you hear. This is golden opportunity to interact with the best nutritional health experts in the world, so don't be bashful. We look forward to sharing this brand new episode of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" with you later this week. SUGAR-FREE, LOW-CARB PEANUT BUTTER CUPSNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: LOW-CARB PASTABILITIES FROM QUEST NUTRITIONNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we address in this episode: RENEE ASKS: I have long heard that women in general don't have great results from intermittent fasting. I'm wondering whether you agree with this, why it happens, and if this applies to post-menopausal women? I am a post-menopausal female and naturally IF more days than not. What effect does IF have on women's and men's hormones? KARL ASKS: I have been doing Intermittent Fasting for the past few weeks eating meals between 12-8pm. Do you have any suggestions about how I can make sure I get enough food in my body during that 8-hour window? I feel like I’m eating way too few calories. I do have a cup of coffee with about two teaspoons of heavy cream in the mornings. Does that coffee and/or cream make any difference in the effects of an intermittent fast? Should I add a tablespoon of coconut oil or MCT oil to make it better? Or should I be going that entire 16 hours without any calories consumed to technically do an IF? JENNY ASKS: I've been eating low-carb, high-fat for 3 months now and incorporated a 24-hour fast, two days a week for the last month. I also try to mini-fast for 17 hours between my meals everyday. When does the timer begin for fasting: as soon as I put my fork down or about 3 hours later when I've digested my last meal? One issue I am having is that I want to take my vitamins everyday, especially on fasting days, but I can't keep them down on an empty stomach. Is there any type of food that I can eat to stay in a fasted state but is substantial enough to let me take my vitamins? I tried almond butter and was able to keep the pills down but it was not the best option for me. Would a pure fast be even more beneficial than a multivitamin? DAMON ASKS: Assuming proper caloric load and macronutrient breakdown compliance, what could be the reasons for not getting results as far as fat loss goes when engaging in regular periods of intermittent fasting? Are there any disadvantages to doing resistance training in a fasted state in the morning if you don’t eat until later in the day? DEB ASKS: I’m a 48-year old woman and changed my exercise to mainly weight-training and short bouts of high intensity interval training with lots of walking, but was eating low-calorie/low-carb/Paleo for part of the time and doing IF for most of that time frame. I check my muscle progress by doing hydrostatic weighing and I was told I’m losing muscle because I train in a fasted state. Does the kind of exercise matter when doing it fasted? What should I be doing and what should I avoid if I exercise in a fasted state? JASON ASKS: How important is it to eat as soon as possible after a fasted workout? I enjoy my post-workout fat/protein shake but I could just as easily go without it as I am rarely hungry after a workout. Am I harming recovery and/or muscle growth if I just wait until lunch to eat after my morning workout? Is there a known physiological benefit to forcing a 24 hour fast? What are the health reasons to do periodic fasts during the week? JANIE ASKS: I skip breakfast just about every single day as I'm just not hungry in the mornings. Sometimes I'll have decaffeinated coffee with a tablespoon of heavy cream but I wonder if that officially breaks my fast. I see people in the Paleo community having multiple tablespoons of fat in their coffee yet they say that they are still fasting! I am pretty sure a 900-calorie cup of coffee is NOT fasting, right? Is there a calorie level that I can consume in my coffee that keeps my intermittent fasting going? GEZ ASKS: I’m a 44-year old man and have lost 70 pounds following a low-carb, moderate protein, high-fat diet. Intermittent fasting 16-18 hours daily and high intensity eccentric exercise for 30 minutes once a week helped me shed the final 14 pounds. My question is I’m finding it difficult to lose the remaining fat around my waist and lower back. Should I change the length of my intermittent fast to longer periods of time between meals? I’ve also considered adding in a high-carb day once a week in the vein of Keifer’s Carb Nite Solution ketogenic cycling system. Any thoughts? MICKEY ASKS: I have been fasting quite regularly and eat one meal in the evening around 1500-2000 calories a day. I don't really get hungry at all during the day. My concern is whether or not I am prone to losing too much muscle mass doing this? Is it possible to overdo it when you are fasting?

48: James Clear | All Things Intermittent Fasting (IF 101)

William Curtis

AIR DATE: September 26, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "Nutrition-Based Diabetic Therapy"According to , 26 million Americans currently have diabetes (mostly Type 2) with a whopping 79 million more who are what's known as prediabetic where they are insulin impaired to the degree that if nothing changes they will become a full-blown diabetic in the coming years. The sad reality of these statistics is they are getting worse, not better, with an additional 2 million+ new cases of diabetes being added annually. What's going on here to explain the explosion in the rates of Type 2 diabetes and even the more rare Type 1?That's precisely what we cover in this podcast featuring a former ER physician and family doctor from Corpus Christi, Texas named  who has become passionate about how healthcare must shift the way they treat patients away from disease management and more towards wellness and prevention care. His clinical experience has shown him firsthand that health does not come from the medicine bottle for the vast majority of patients but from the very foods they are putting in their mouths as well as fitness and lifestyle changes.When it comes to the subject of diabetes, that statement is magnified many times over with the need for the right kind of nutrition and lifestyle treatment modalities as the FIRST line of defense in an overall wellness plan. Dr. Curtis doesn't believe we should be convincing everyone they are sick and in need of a prescription medication to get better again. He contends that a whole foods-based, low-carb lifestyle that he teaches through his  will provide diabetic patients with REAL encouragement and invaluable information to help them defeat this chronic health issue. That's the topic we'll take on directly in Episode 47 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" taking YOUR questions on "Nutrition-Based Diabetic Therapy."LOWER YOUR BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS NATURALLY:USE PROMO CODE "THANKYOU" FOR 10% OFFNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: LOW-CARB CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH QUEST BARSNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Here are some of the questions we address in this episode:ANDREW ASKS: It may just be a semantic argument, but I am wondering why the typical medical establishment position is that Type 2 diabetes is incurable. Conventional wisdom says that once you have a consistently elevated fasting blood glucose level, the “diabetic” label seems to stick for life. My doctor bestowed me with that distinction although he never even once checked my A1c, which I later discovered was low. But now my medical records show me as having Type 2 diabetes although I’ve never taken a single drug to treat it. This is such a scarlet letter on my health history that I’m wondering if I am plagued with this label for the rest of my life. What is the difference between "reversed" and "cured" in the context of diabetes? And is the term "managed" the best label one can hope for in the context of our current medical nomenclature?DEB ASKS: I am a 48-year old female who has eaten low-ish carb for the last year and a half (~75-130g per day) and my fasting blood glucose was always nice and low (100 units per day) who adopt a low-carb lifestyle? Do you see problems in this type of patient particularly in achieving the blood sugar lowering you’d hope for and do you attribute that to glucagon dysfunction and hepatic insulin resistance? What other factors should be considered when low-carb just isn’t enough on its own?

AIR DATE: September 26, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "Nutrition-Based Diabetic Therapy" According to , 26 million Americans currently have diabetes (mostly Type 2) with a whopping 79 million more who are what's known as prediabetic where they are insulin impaired to the degree that if nothing changes they will become a full-blown diabetic in the coming years. The sad reality of these statistics is they are getting worse, not better, with an additional 2 million+ new cases of diabetes being added annually. What's going on here to explain the explosion in the rates of Type 2 diabetes and even the more rare Type 1? That's precisely what we cover in this podcast featuring a former ER physician and family doctor from Corpus Christi, Texas named  who has become passionate about how healthcare must shift the way they treat patients away from disease management and more towards wellness and prevention care. His clinical experience has shown him firsthand that health does not come from the medicine bottle for the vast majority of patients but from the very foods they are putting in their mouths as well as fitness and lifestyle changes. When it comes to the subject of diabetes, that statement is magnified many times over with the need for the right kind of nutrition and lifestyle treatment modalities as the FIRST line of defense in an overall wellness plan. Dr. Curtis doesn't believe we should be convincing everyone they are sick and in need of a prescription medication to get better again. He contends that a whole foods-based, low-carb lifestyle that he teaches through his  will provide diabetic patients with REAL encouragement and invaluable information to help them defeat this chronic health issue. That's the topic we'll take on directly in Episode 47 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" taking YOUR questions on "Nutrition-Based Diabetic Therapy." LOWER YOUR BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS NATURALLY:USE PROMO CODE "THANKYOU" FOR 10% OFFNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: LOW-CARB CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH QUEST BARSNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we address in this episode: ANDREW ASKS: It may just be a semantic argument, but I am wondering why the typical medical establishment position is that Type 2 diabetes is incurable. Conventional wisdom says that once you have a consistently elevated fasting blood glucose level, the “diabetic” label seems to stick for life. My doctor bestowed me with that distinction although he never even once checked my A1c, which I later discovered was low. But now my medical records show me as having Type 2 diabetes although I’ve never taken a single drug to treat it. This is such a scarlet letter on my health history that I’m wondering if I am plagued with this label for the rest of my life. What is the difference between "reversed" and "cured" in the context of diabetes? And is the term "managed" the best label one can hope for in the context of our current medical nomenclature? DEB ASKS: I am a 48-year old female who has eaten low-ish carb for the last year and a half (~75-130g per day) and my fasting blood glucose was always nice and low (100 units per day) who adopt a low-carb lifestyle? Do you see problems in this type of patient particularly in achieving the blood sugar lowering you’d hope for and do you attribute that to glucagon dysfunction and hepatic insulin resistance? What other factors should be considered when low-carb just isn’t enough on its own?

47: Dr. William Curtis | Nutrition-Based Diabetic Therapy

Jacob Egbert

AIR DATE: September 19, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "Functional Fitness Medicine"One of the major flaws in the way traditional medicine is practiced these days is this over-obsession on treating symptoms and lab panels rather than getting to the heart of what is causing chronic disease in the first place. Rather than seeking out preventative modalities that include nutrition, fitness and lifestyle changes, many doctors are opting for pharmaceutical and surgical answers first without ever giving a second thought to alternative treatment options. Thankfully, there are an ever-growing number of medical professionals who are bucking that system by zeroing in on what just plain works for their patients.That's exactly what this week's guest expert has done and the lives of his patients are being changed on a daily basis as a result. He is a Utah-based Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialist named  and the . Dr. Egbert has seen firsthand how debilitating physical weakness is for most people and is committed to improving their functional fitness level to coincide with a rock-solid Paleo nutritional plan. That's what we'll address in Episode 46 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" taking YOUR questions on the topic "Functional Fitness Medicine."SUGAR-FREE, LOW-CARB PEANUT BUTTER CUPSNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: INTRODUCING THE PALEO TREAT NOGRAINOLA:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Here are a few of the questions we addressed in this podcast:ANN ASKS: I have been following a high-fat, moderate protein, low-carb diet for the past 5 months. It has been life-changing for me to say the least and I have lost 40 pounds with no exercise. But now I would like to become stronger and more flexible but unfortunately can't afford to join a gym. Do you have some suggestions to help me accomplish this goal in my home?JAMIE FROM AUSTRALIA ASKS: A medical term we don't hear enough about is “sarcopenia,” that is the loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength. This is typically attributed to aging, but a lack of physical activity, dieting and illness are the primary forces behind why it happens. Of course our skeletal muscles are the body's sink for glucose and are important for metabolic health. So here’s my question: What is the best way for a doctor to monitor muscle mass and strength changes? Why don't they pay any attention to muscle status? Is there a role for a certified personal trainer in the health care system to monitor strength as a simple predictor of muscle health? Is there a process or prescription/referral pad for a doctor to prescribe exercise or refer a patient to a certified trainer?

AIR DATE: September 19, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "Functional Fitness Medicine" One of the major flaws in the way traditional medicine is practiced these days is this over-obsession on treating symptoms and lab panels rather than getting to the heart of what is causing chronic disease in the first place. Rather than seeking out preventative modalities that include nutrition, fitness and lifestyle changes, many doctors are opting for pharmaceutical and surgical answers first without ever giving a second thought to alternative treatment options. Thankfully, there are an ever-growing number of medical professionals who are bucking that system by zeroing in on what just plain works for their patients. That's exactly what this week's guest expert has done and the lives of his patients are being changed on a daily basis as a result. He is a Utah-based Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialist named  and the . Dr. Egbert has seen firsthand how debilitating physical weakness is for most people and is committed to improving their functional fitness level to coincide with a rock-solid Paleo nutritional plan. That's what we'll address in Episode 46 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" taking YOUR questions on the topic "Functional Fitness Medicine." SUGAR-FREE, LOW-CARB PEANUT BUTTER CUPSNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: INTRODUCING THE PALEO TREAT NOGRAINOLA:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are a few of the questions we addressed in this podcast: ANN ASKS: I have been following a high-fat, moderate protein, low-carb diet for the past 5 months. It has been life-changing for me to say the least and I have lost 40 pounds with no exercise. But now I would like to become stronger and more flexible but unfortunately can't afford to join a gym. Do you have some suggestions to help me accomplish this goal in my home? JAMIE FROM AUSTRALIA ASKS: A medical term we don't hear enough about is “sarcopenia,” that is the loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength. This is typically attributed to aging, but a lack of physical activity, dieting and illness are the primary forces behind why it happens. Of course our skeletal muscles are the body's sink for glucose and are important for metabolic health. So here’s my question: What is the best way for a doctor to monitor muscle mass and strength changes? Why don't they pay any attention to muscle status? Is there a role for a certified personal trainer in the health care system to monitor strength as a simple predictor of muscle health? Is there a process or prescription/referral pad for a doctor to prescribe exercise or refer a patient to a certified trainer?

46: Dr. Jacob Egbert | Functional Fitness Medicine

John Kiefer

AIR DATE: September 12, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT:  &amp; FEATURED TOPIC: "Cyclical Ketogenic Diets For Health And Performance"At the recent 2013  in Atlanta, Georgia last month, Jimmy Moore was the moderator of a fantastic panel of experts addressing the topic "Ketogenic Diets &amp; Exercise Performance" featuring a star-studded line-up of Paleo fitness studs that included Robb Wolf, Mark Sisson, Ben Greenfield and Jamie Scott. The general consensus by most of these top names regarding the future use of the ketogenic approach for exercise and general health is the idea of regularly cycling in and out of ketosis to experience the maximum benefits. This is something that our expert guests this week know just a thing or two about. They are an exercise scientist, nutrition expert, and the author of The Carb-Nite Solution as well as  named  and a board-certified family physician from Gilbert, Arizona named . These two knowledgeable men were here in Episode 45 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" addressing the issue "Cyclical Ketogenic Diets For Health And Performance."TENDERGRASS FARMS GRASS-FED/PASTURED MEATS:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: THE WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY QUEST BAR:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Here are some of the questions we address in this episode:PEGGY ASKS: I see no reason why I should "cycle" in and out of ketosis. That seems a bit ridiculous to me, actually, when my performance is so fabulous remaining in ketosis virtually all the time. It's been truly miraculous for me. What added benefits will I get from going out of ketosis on occasion rather than simply staying in a constant state of ketosis for my exercise performance?ALAN ASKS: Dr. Peter Attia on his “Eating Academy” web site (http://eatingacademy.com/nutrition/ketosis-advantaged-or-misunderstood-state-part-i) says that research shows "someone in nutritional ketosis – even if eating zero carbohydrates – still has about 50-70% of a normal glycogen level, as demonstrated by muscle biopsies in such subjects." I have been on a ketogenic diet myself since May 2013. And as a recreational athlete, I like to do long endurance runs of 13+ miles at a time. Sometimes my runs are great, but other times the performance is poor and I bonk near the end. It feels like I have depleted my muscle glycogen stores at this point. What strategies would you recommend that I do to boost the muscle glycogen prior to going on a long run while on a ketogenic diet?ADAM ASKS: Is there such a thing as bulking up on a ketogenic diet? If you can’t bulk up in the traditional sense, then can you at least build muscle or see body recomp changes using a ketogenic approach?JERIS ASKS: I do a lot of Bikram Yoga and I've been on a low-carb, high fat ketogenic diet for several months. I noticed at first I was getting that ammonia smell and bonking near the end of the 90 minutes. I tried loading up on different carbs and experimented with this on several occasions. A bunch a fruit right before, sweet potatoes the night before--nothing worked.Finally, I heard Ben Greenfield talking about MCT oil and I was already putting that in my coffee in the morning. So I tried putting it in my water for the yoga and amazingly I could do the whole class with no carbs and without bonking or getting the ammonia smell. Maybe I just wasn't getting enough calories of any kind or I was eating too much protein.My question is this: Is it okay to use MCT oil daily in order to stay in ketosis? I guess cycling in and out would mean back-loading with a sweet potato or some other "safe starch" once or twice a week. I'm not doing that right now, I'm just eating a bunch of veggies and a little bit of berries for carbs, so I THINK I'm staying in ketosis. If you stay in ketosis, then won't you become fat adapted more quickly?DENNIS ASKS: If someone is engaging in a 24-hour intermittent fast a couple of times a week, then should they break the fast with starches?LINDA ASKS: I am a 50-year old female runner who has been running for nearly three decades. I’ve always eaten carbs and low-fat protein 5-6 meals a day up until a year and a half ago when I started to lower the carbs and up the fat. I am at a healthy weight, but found that adding the fat made me feel so much better. I’ve been eating mostly Paleo with a little bit of dairy. I’ve really enjoyed listening to the ketogenic success stories of athletes like Ben Greenfield, Vinnie Tortorich, and of course Jeff Volek and Dr. Steve Phinney. My question is how is this working for the ladies? Even all the male podcasters have female co-hosts that seem to whisper in the background that they need more carbs, especially when they race or train at high intensity. I will admit, when I posted to Ben about how many carbs to eat when training for a half marathon, he said at least 100g on high volume days and scale back on rest days. I know eating for leanness and eating for performance are two different goals, but I would like to hear more about low-carb performance for women, especially at you get older.DAMON ASKS: If someone ate a cyclical ketogenic diet but never got blood ketone levels to a significant level, then it seems to me that they would be in no man’s land where they have no ketones for energy but are also carbohydrate depleted. How can someone with this issue of low ketones and depleted carbohydrate stores figure out how to increase ketones to improve their health and performance?LAWRENCE ASKS: Keifer says that staying on a ketogenic diet for too long can lower your testosterone levels. But low-carb researchers like Dr. Steve Phinney and Dr. Jeff Volek never mention this as a long-term problem for people in a constant state of nutritional ketosis. On what basis does Keifer make this claim?JASON ASKS: Is a cyclical carb strategy REALLY necessary for everyone or is it more dependent on the specific kind of activity you are engaging in? I stay in a constant state of ketosis and run 20 hour/week as well as hit the gym twice weekly. I never feel low on energy and actually feel great pretty much all the time. In fact I do NOT like the feeling I get when I am kicked out of ketosis. In light of this, is there some unknown performance reason why I should be cycling in carbohydrates into my diet? And if I do decide to add in some carbohydrates, how do you determine the correct quantity so you don’t prevent keto-adaptation from taking place?MINDY ASKS: I’m a 47-year old female who weighs ~175 pounds and I want to lose body fat. I’ve been on a Paleo/low-carb plan for about 3 years and I swing kettle bells a few times a week for exercise. I am currently attempting to do my own version of Kiefer’s CarbNite plan with a very low-carb, higher fat program for six days followed by a smaller carby snack, carby dinner, and ice cream on day 7. I’ve had blowout CarbNites before and then end up spending the next 6 days just losing what I gained from that event which is why I'm scaling back on them. Also, I initially did your high protein protocol and started gaining weight. I have found that much lower protein and higher fat just works and feels better for me. What, if anything, would you advise I change about the way I’m implementing a cyclical ketogenic diet?DAMON ASKS: What is the maximum amount of time that you suggest being low-carb before beginning to cycle in and out of ketosis? Other than diabetes, are there any other conditions that may prevent someone from getting into ketogenesis if they are eating low-carb, high-fat?MARK ASKS: What is the relationship between ketogenic cycling frequency, the amount of workload during exercise, and lowering body fat percentage if your goal is continual fat loss?GREG ASKS: Does Kiefer or Dr. Patel promote using tools like blood glucometers or blood ketone meters along with the carb back loading protocol? I am particularly interested in the context of someone like myself who is around 15% body fat while doing heavy lifts like back squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and military presses a few times per week. Is there a particularly good way someone could use these meters to optimize and individualize things like carbohydrate intake post workout?PAUL ASKS: On The CarbNite Solution, is it possible to kick start things by lowering your protein intake down to the bare minimum needs perhaps around 30-40g a day? If so, is this something you’d do for 6 of the seven days or just a few of them?DEBBY ASKS: I'm currently using the CarbNite Solution protocol and an avid baker using coconut oil and coconut milk predominantly in my baking. I live a primal/Paleo lifestyle and limit my carbs to rice, sweet potatoes, and other real food starchy carb sources. I have heard that combining MCT oil with carbs, like sweet potatoes, raises insulin levels. If this is true, then would using coconut oil with other clean carbs such as the ones I listed above do the same? And if so, is there a limit to how much coconut oil to consume with our carbohydrate on a CarbNite plan?JULIE ASKS: I am a 34-year old female currently following the CarbNite Solution program. I had gestational diabetes with both of my kids 2 and 3 years ago. At my heaviest weight I was 260 pounds and my fasting blood sugar level was about 104. I gradually reduced carbs and finally discover CarbNite Solution that helped me get down to 185 pounds with an 84 fasting blood sugar in the morning and 5.4 A1c level. However, my blood sugar sometimes goes up to 97-104 on other mornings. Is this something to be concerned with? Should I consume less carbs on my CarbNite until my readings return to normal the next morning? Or am I just overthinking this?JOS ASKS: I'm a 34-year old female and just started weight training about almost a year ago. I am 5’5” and weigh 110-112 pounds with about 19% body fat. My goal is to increase muscles while minimizing fat gain. My current workout program mainly focuses on basic lifts such as a glute bridge, squats, deadlift, push and pull. I've been on CarbNite Solution for almost a year and have lost a good amount fat and gained a bit more muscle. I used to be that skinny fat Asian girl.Recently I've just started to increase my training intensity by going a bit heavier in weights. I heard that once you increase the workout intensity that we need to increase our carb re-feeds during the week, as opposed only having it once a week. What do you consider “working out with intensity” and why can't we just increase the amount of carbs in our once a week carb re-feed CarbNite instead of eating more carbs during the week? Or do you think I should start switching to your other protocol, Carb Back Loading?

AIR DATE: September 12, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT:  &amp; FEATURED TOPIC: "Cyclical Ketogenic Diets For Health And Performance" At the recent 2013  in Atlanta, Georgia last month, Jimmy Moore was the moderator of a fantastic panel of experts addressing the topic "Ketogenic Diets &amp; Exercise Performance" featuring a star-studded line-up of Paleo fitness studs that included Robb Wolf, Mark Sisson, Ben Greenfield and Jamie Scott. The general consensus by most of these top names regarding the future use of the ketogenic approach for exercise and general health is the idea of regularly cycling in and out of ketosis to experience the maximum benefits. This is something that our expert guests this week know just a thing or two about. They are an exercise scientist, nutrition expert, and the author of The Carb-Nite Solution as well as  named  and a board-certified family physician from Gilbert, Arizona named . These two knowledgeable men were here in Episode 45 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" addressing the issue "Cyclical Ketogenic Diets For Health And Performance." TENDERGRASS FARMS GRASS-FED/PASTURED MEATS:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: THE WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY QUEST BAR:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we address in this episode: PEGGY ASKS: I see no reason why I should "cycle" in and out of ketosis. That seems a bit ridiculous to me, actually, when my performance is so fabulous remaining in ketosis virtually all the time. It's been truly miraculous for me. What added benefits will I get from going out of ketosis on occasion rather than simply staying in a constant state of ketosis for my exercise performance? ALAN ASKS: Dr. Peter Attia on his “Eating Academy” web site (<a href="http://eatingacademy.com/nutrition/ketosis-advantaged-or-misunderstood-state-part-i" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://eatingacademy.com/nutrition/ketosis-advantaged-or-misunderstood-state-part-i</a>) says that research shows "someone in nutritional ketosis – even if eating zero carbohydrates – still has about 50-70% of a normal glycogen level, as demonstrated by muscle biopsies in such subjects." I have been on a ketogenic diet myself since May 2013. And as a recreational athlete, I like to do long endurance runs of 13+ miles at a time. Sometimes my runs are great, but other times the performance is poor and I bonk near the end. It feels like I have depleted my muscle glycogen stores at this point. What strategies would you recommend that I do to boost the muscle glycogen prior to going on a long run while on a ketogenic diet? ADAM ASKS: Is there such a thing as bulking up on a ketogenic diet? If you can’t bulk up in the traditional sense, then can you at least build muscle or see body recomp changes using a ketogenic approach? JERIS ASKS: I do a lot of Bikram Yoga and I've been on a low-carb, high fat ketogenic diet for several months. I noticed at first I was getting that ammonia smell and bonking near the end of the 90 minutes. I tried loading up on different carbs and experimented with this on several occasions. A bunch a fruit right before, sweet potatoes the night before--nothing worked. Finally, I heard Ben Greenfield talking about MCT oil and I was already putting that in my coffee in the morning. So I tried putting it in my water for the yoga and amazingly I could do the whole class with no carbs and without bonking or getting the ammonia smell. Maybe I just wasn't getting enough calories of any kind or I was eating too much protein. My question is this: Is it okay to use MCT oil daily in order to stay in ketosis? I guess cycling in and out would mean back-loading with a sweet potato or some other "safe starch" once or twice a week. I'm not doing that right now, I'm just eating a bunch of veggies and a little bit of berries for carbs, so I THINK I'm staying in ketosis. If you stay in ketosis, then won't you become fat adapted more quickly? DENNIS ASKS: If someone is engaging in a 24-hour intermittent fast a couple of times a week, then should they break the fast with starches? LINDA ASKS: I am a 50-year old female runner who has been running for nearly three decades. I’ve always eaten carbs and low-fat protein 5-6 meals a day up until a year and a half ago when I started to lower the carbs and up the fat. I am at a healthy weight, but found that adding the fat made me feel so much better. I’ve been eating mostly Paleo with a little bit of dairy. I’ve really enjoyed listening to the ketogenic success stories of athletes like Ben Greenfield, Vinnie Tortorich, and of course Jeff Volek and Dr. Steve Phinney. My question is how is this working for the ladies? Even all the male podcasters have female co-hosts that seem to whisper in the background that they need more carbs, especially when they race or train at high intensity. I will admit, when I posted to Ben about how many carbs to eat when training for a half marathon, he said at least 100g on high volume days and scale back on rest days. I know eating for leanness and eating for performance are two different goals, but I would like to hear more about low-carb performance for women, especially at you get older. DAMON ASKS: If someone ate a cyclical ketogenic diet but never got blood ketone levels to a significant level, then it seems to me that they would be in no man’s land where they have no ketones for energy but are also carbohydrate depleted. How can someone with this issue of low ketones and depleted carbohydrate stores figure out how to increase ketones to improve their health and performance? LAWRENCE ASKS: Keifer says that staying on a ketogenic diet for too long can lower your testosterone levels. But low-carb researchers like Dr. Steve Phinney and Dr. Jeff Volek never mention this as a long-term problem for people in a constant state of nutritional ketosis. On what basis does Keifer make this claim? JASON ASKS: Is a cyclical carb strategy REALLY necessary for everyone or is it more dependent on the specific kind of activity you are engaging in? I stay in a constant state of ketosis and run 20 hour/week as well as hit the gym twice weekly. I never feel low on energy and actually feel great pretty much all the time. In fact I do NOT like the feeling I get when I am kicked out of ketosis. In light of this, is there some unknown performance reason why I should be cycling in carbohydrates into my diet? And if I do decide to add in some carbohydrates, how do you determine the correct quantity so you don’t prevent keto-adaptation from taking place? MINDY ASKS: I’m a 47-year old female who weighs ~175 pounds and I want to lose body fat. I’ve been on a Paleo/low-carb plan for about 3 years and I swing kettle bells a few times a week for exercise. I am currently attempting to do my own version of Kiefer’s CarbNite plan with a very low-carb, higher fat program for six days followed by a smaller carby snack, carby dinner, and ice cream on day 7. I’ve had blowout CarbNites before and then end up spending the next 6 days just losing what I gained from that event which is why I'm scaling back on them. Also, I initially did your high protein protocol and started gaining weight. I have found that much lower protein and higher fat just works and feels better for me. What, if anything, would you advise I change about the way I’m implementing a cyclical ketogenic diet? DAMON ASKS: What is the maximum amount of time that you suggest being low-carb before beginning to cycle in and out of ketosis? Other than diabetes, are there any other conditions that may prevent someone from getting into ketogenesis if they are eating low-carb, high-fat? MARK ASKS: What is the relationship between ketogenic cycling frequency, the amount of workload during exercise, and lowering body fat percentage if your goal is continual fat loss? GREG ASKS: Does Kiefer or Dr. Patel promote using tools like blood glucometers or blood ketone meters along with the carb back loading protocol? I am particularly interested in the context of someone like myself who is around 15% body fat while doing heavy lifts like back squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and military presses a few times per week. Is there a particularly good way someone could use these meters to optimize and individualize things like carbohydrate intake post workout? PAUL ASKS: On The CarbNite Solution, is it possible to kick start things by lowering your protein intake down to the bare minimum needs perhaps around 30-40g a day? If so, is this something you’d do for 6 of the seven days or just a few of them? DEBBY ASKS: I'm currently using the CarbNite Solution protocol and an avid baker using coconut oil and coconut milk predominantly in my baking. I live a primal/Paleo lifestyle and limit my carbs to rice, sweet potatoes, and other real food starchy carb sources. I have heard that combining MCT oil with carbs, like sweet potatoes, raises insulin levels. If this is true, then would using coconut oil with other clean carbs such as the ones I listed above do the same? And if so, is there a limit to how much coconut oil to consume with our carbohydrate on a CarbNite plan? JULIE ASKS: I am a 34-year old female currently following the CarbNite Solution program. I had gestational diabetes with both of my kids 2 and 3 years ago. At my heaviest weight I was 260 pounds and my fasting blood sugar level was about 104. I gradually reduced carbs and finally discover CarbNite Solution that helped me get down to 185 pounds with an 84 fasting blood sugar in the morning and 5.4 A1c level. However, my blood sugar sometimes goes up to 97-104 on other mornings. Is this something to be concerned with? Should I consume less carbs on my CarbNite until my readings return to normal the next morning? Or am I just overthinking this? JOS ASKS: I'm a 34-year old female and just started weight training about almost a year ago. I am 5’5” and weigh 110-112 pounds with about 19% body fat. My goal is to increase muscles while minimizing fat gain. My current workout program mainly focuses on basic lifts such as a glute bridge, squats, deadlift, push and pull. I've been on CarbNite Solution for almost a year and have lost a good amount fat and gained a bit more muscle. I used to be that skinny fat Asian girl. Recently I've just started to increase my training intensity by going a bit heavier in weights. I heard that once you increase the workout intensity that we need to increase our carb re-feeds during the week, as opposed only having it once a week. What do you consider “working out with intensity” and why can't we just increase the amount of carbs in our once a week carb re-feed CarbNite instead of eating more carbs during the week? Or do you think I should start switching to your other protocol, Carb Back Loading?

45: John Kiefer & Dr. Rocky Patel | Cyclical Ketogenic Diets For Health And Performance

Paul Ralston

AIR DATE: September 5, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "Low-Carb Diets &amp; Spinal Pain"Have you ever suffered from back pain in your life? If you're like most people, the answer is an emphatic YES! Spinal pain is the #1 cause of disability worldwide and lower back pain is the #2 cause of missed days at work (behind sunny days!). What's at the root cause of all of this chronic pain that people are dealing with? And what can a low-carb and/or Paleo nutrition and lifestyle plan do to help alleviate the aches associated with our backs? That's what a Milwaukee, WI-based chiropractor named  will be exploring with us in this week's show. Dr. Ralston presented a lecture entitled  at the recent 2013 Ancestral Health Symposium in Atlanta, Georgia last month and he is a big fan of CrossFit, Paleo and low-carb diets. In other words, he knows just a thing or two on this subject we've got for you in Episode 43 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" addressing the issue "Low-Carb Diets &amp; Spinal Pain."LOWER YOUR BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS NATURALLY:Use "THANKYOU" coupon code to get 10% off!NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: LOW-CARB PASTABILITIES FROM QUEST NUTRITIONNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Here are some of the questions we address in this episode:MARGIEANNE FROM NEW ZEALAND ASKS:I’m a 75-year old woman and have had Bells Palsy since February 2012. I am working hard to stay in a state of nutritional ketosis. Recently I twisted my back while re-learning to ride a bike again. My chiropractor is doing wonders so I have great hope of feeling better than I did before the accident. I think I'm doing okay with my diet except I seem to be stuck about 44 pounds heavier than I’d like. I have about 30g of coconut oil daily and 10-15 mL of cod liver fish oil. Since I'm not losing weight, I've been tweaking things until I find what works again, including setting for myself a goal of getting in 10,000 steps/day several times a week. Is there anything else I can do to optimize my health based on what you’ve heard from my story?KIM ASKS:I suffer from a lot of back pain mostly due to spinal fusion, scoliosis, degenerative discs, and fibromyalgia. The pain has gotten a lot better since I started eating low-carb. Why does low-carb help with back pain? I know I would have less back pain if I could lose some belly fat, but low-carb alone is not getting rid of it. I currently take oxycodone for the pain and wondered if taking pain medications interferes with weight loss. Do you have any natural remedies that can help me with my persistent back pain?J.D. ASKS:I used to get severe pain in my lower back whenever I ran. Over the years, it began showing up when I walked, too. Among my many pre-low-carb attempts to fix my health, I tried a calisthenics routine for a few months that involved back extensions and that improved things considerably extending the distance I could walk. When I started eating low-carb, it had progressed to the point that I couldn't walk more than half-a-mile without pain. In fact, two weeks after starting low-carb, it was gone, entirely, and has never come back again! I spent the day at the State Fair, last weekend, walking for more than ten hours, carrying a backpack, and I had soreness in my joints, and in my shoulders and back, and was generally worn out--but I never experienced that back pain. And here's the thing: it disappeared over the space of two weeks, during which I did no exercise and lost about five pounds. So what changed?I have to think that the problem involved fuel partitioning. My hypothesis is that because I was severely insulin resistant, and thus hyperinsulinemic, when I walked the muscles in my back were mostly burning carbs, and that the pain I felt was just ordinary lactic acid build-up. After I went low-carb and got my insulin levels under control, I regained the ability to burn fat. Of course, I may be entirely off-base, but whatever happened, it couldn't have been a response to weight loss or exercise, because it happened before any significant amount of either had occurred. Does Dr. Ralston have any thoughts about my situation?

AIR DATE: September 5, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "Low-Carb Diets &amp; Spinal Pain" Have you ever suffered from back pain in your life? If you're like most people, the answer is an emphatic YES! Spinal pain is the #1 cause of disability worldwide and lower back pain is the #2 cause of missed days at work (behind sunny days!). What's at the root cause of all of this chronic pain that people are dealing with? And what can a low-carb and/or Paleo nutrition and lifestyle plan do to help alleviate the aches associated with our backs? That's what a Milwaukee, WI-based chiropractor named  will be exploring with us in this week's show. Dr. Ralston presented a lecture entitled  at the recent 2013 Ancestral Health Symposium in Atlanta, Georgia last month and he is a big fan of CrossFit, Paleo and low-carb diets. In other words, he knows just a thing or two on this subject we've got for you in Episode 43 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" addressing the issue "Low-Carb Diets &amp; Spinal Pain." LOWER YOUR BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS NATURALLY:Use "THANKYOU" coupon code to get 10% off!NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: LOW-CARB PASTABILITIES FROM QUEST NUTRITIONNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we address in this episode: MARGIEANNE FROM NEW ZEALAND ASKS:I’m a 75-year old woman and have had Bells Palsy since February 2012. I am working hard to stay in a state of nutritional ketosis. Recently I twisted my back while re-learning to ride a bike again. My chiropractor is doing wonders so I have great hope of feeling better than I did before the accident. I think I'm doing okay with my diet except I seem to be stuck about 44 pounds heavier than I’d like. I have about 30g of coconut oil daily and 10-15 mL of cod liver fish oil. Since I'm not losing weight, I've been tweaking things until I find what works again, including setting for myself a goal of getting in 10,000 steps/day several times a week. Is there anything else I can do to optimize my health based on what you’ve heard from my story? KIM ASKS:I suffer from a lot of back pain mostly due to spinal fusion, scoliosis, degenerative discs, and fibromyalgia. The pain has gotten a lot better since I started eating low-carb. Why does low-carb help with back pain? I know I would have less back pain if I could lose some belly fat, but low-carb alone is not getting rid of it. I currently take oxycodone for the pain and wondered if taking pain medications interferes with weight loss. Do you have any natural remedies that can help me with my persistent back pain? J.D. ASKS:I used to get severe pain in my lower back whenever I ran. Over the years, it began showing up when I walked, too. Among my many pre-low-carb attempts to fix my health, I tried a calisthenics routine for a few months that involved back extensions and that improved things considerably extending the distance I could walk. When I started eating low-carb, it had progressed to the point that I couldn't walk more than half-a-mile without pain. In fact, two weeks after starting low-carb, it was gone, entirely, and has never come back again! I spent the day at the State Fair, last weekend, walking for more than ten hours, carrying a backpack, and I had soreness in my joints, and in my shoulders and back, and was generally worn out--but I never experienced that back pain. And here's the thing: it disappeared over the space of two weeks, during which I did no exercise and lost about five pounds. So what changed? I have to think that the problem involved fuel partitioning. My hypothesis is that because I was severely insulin resistant, and thus hyperinsulinemic, when I walked the muscles in my back were mostly burning carbs, and that the pain I felt was just ordinary lactic acid build-up. After I went low-carb and got my insulin levels under control, I regained the ability to burn fat. Of course, I may be entirely off-base, but whatever happened, it couldn't have been a response to weight loss or exercise, because it happened before any significant amount of either had occurred. Does Dr. Ralston have any thoughts about my situation?

44: Dr. Paul Ralston | Low-Carb Diets & Spinal Pain

Jimmy Moore

Eric Westman

AIR DATE: August 29, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERTS: FEATURED TOPIC: "Cholesterol Clarity Q&amp;A" With the much-anticipated release of the book  by Jimmy Moore and Dr. Eric Westman, both of the coauthors joined us on "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" this week for a Q&amp;A session answering listener questions about this critically important new book about the subject of cholesterol. This book was written to fill a major void in the marketplace of an easy-to-understand manual on cholesterol, why it's not the evil substance we've been led to believe, what really matters the most on your cholesterol panel, and which levels are optimal if you are going to pay attention to cholesterol. Here's your exclusive chance to hear directly from both Jimmy and Dr. Westman answering listener questions about the book. That's what we've got for you in Episode 43 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" in this Cholesterol Clarity Q&amp;A.Get (or download the ) from Amazon.com:SUGAR-FREE, LOW-CARB PEANUT BUTTER CUPSNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Here are some of the questions we address in this episode:ROXANNE ASKS:I have read and enjoyed books by both of you and am very much looking forward to reading Cholesterol Clarity! I am a 53-year old diabetic female who had heart bypass surgery 6 months ago. There is a history of cardiovascular issues on both sides of my family. I've read that statins can have some rather serious side effects. What, if anything, can you say to me and my doctor to convince us that it would be safe for me to stop taking the 10mg Lipitor I am now taking?JAMES ASKS:So what's the deal with plant sterols? I see it for sale as a supplement to "lower your cholesterol" and I see people taking it. Is there any benefit to it? What about the harm in taking it? I follow a low-carb, high-fat lifestyle, so I get plenty of dietary cholesterol from animals.TRAVIS ASKS:I have a one word question: Eggs. I eat at least three eggs a day everyday for breakfast along with some cheese and bacon. I feel this kind of large low-carb breakfast really gets me through the day. However, I can't find any consensus about eggs. Are they good, good in moderation, bad long-term, or will eating 21 eggs a week kill me?KEVIN ASKS:I've read that higher serum cholesterol could be a clue that something else is going on in the body—for example, tissue damage that needs repair, or a decreased ability for cholesterol to be delivered into cells. Could you please talk about the role of LDL in particular, and what an increased level might indicate about other health factors?KEN ASKS:The homeostatic model for serum cholesterol appears to be well worked out for a standard high-carb diet. Do you think that the correct model is substantially different for a ketogenic low-carb, high-fat diet, and that this might be the reason for the large number of "hypercholesterolemic" responses on this diet? Might the small intestine, instead of liver, be the dominant source of endogenous cholesterol on this diet?DENNIS ASKS:My question is about the effect of fructose, sugar alcohols, and alcoholic beverages on your triglycerides. Would the fact my triglycerides are crazy high at 260 while everything else is fine mean that I should limit these things in my diet?JULIE ASKS:I have been diagnosed with a number of health issues including diverticulitis and Type 2 diabetes. Since then, I have been doing Paleo and cut out all gluten, sugar and high carb foods in my diet. I discovered that going ketogenic was right for me. Before I went keto, I had blood work run with the following results:Total cholesterol — 265HDL — 64LDL — 176Triglycerides — 158A1c — 5.8The next time I had blood work done was 6 months later. I asked for a VAP test and, although my doc doesn't understand how to read this test, she ordered it for me on my insistence. I moved towards a higher-fat diet and lost 40 pounds over that time since my last cholesterol panel. Here are the numbers:Total cholesterol — 313 (my doctor was pushing statins)HDL — 108LDL — 187Triglycerides — 77To tell you the truth, my doctor had no idea how to interpret the more advanced numbers on my VAP test and I don't understand it either. I didn't accept the idea that I needed to go on a statin drug but I am greatly concerned with this very high 300+ total cholesterol level. So how do I interpret these cholesterol tests and what should I be doing differently in my diet to work on any weakness in these results? What exactly should I be looking for to track my progress?MARYANN ASKS:The only guidelines I repeatedly see for the ApoE genotype 3/4 and 4/4 people are this: exercise, avoid smoking, abstain from alcohol and cut your saturated fat intake. Do you agree with these recommendations, especially the mandate to cut down on saturated fat? If so, how do you advise you patients who are eating low-carb, high-fat to reconcile this mandate to basically limit or avoid saturated fat with all that we know about the life-saving benefits of eating this way? What do people with this ApoE genotype gain by avoiding saturated fat?PATHOLOGIST DR. SMALL:I’m 59 years old and went low-carb about a year ago and my HDL rose from 50 to 77 and my triglycerides dropped from 92 down to 38. My cardiologist was stunned and asked me how I got such an outstanding triglycerides/HDL ratio with an outstanding CRP level of .4 and an carotid artery scan that show I have the arteries of an 18-year old. But he was not impressed with my LDL being above 130, my ApoB rising to 102, and my LDL-P coming in at 1500. How do you prioritize the favorable readings against the somewhat unfavorable ones? Do Heart Calcium Scores from a CT scan really tell the tale of where you stand with actual disease taking place in your coronary arteries?HOLLI ASKS:I'm wondering how I can raise my LDL cholesterol levels since they seem to be too low. I haven't tested recently, but my previous test showed my total cholesterol is 142, HDL is 78, LDL is 71, and triglycerides are 50. I've been working on correcting a leaky gut and eating a Paleo/GAPS diet for the past year. My energy is very low, I’m always tired and my hormone levels are all on the low end of normal. I'm wondering if my too-low cholesterol could be part of the problem and if so, what can I do to raise it? I am not taking any cholesterol-lowering medications.DAVE ASKS:I went to my doctor and he says I am in the "dangerously high LDL range" and I should stop eating my low-carb high-fat diet and reduce my egg consumption to no more than 3 per week. My last lab results were the following:Total cholesterol – 254LDL – 186HDL – 52Triglycerides – 82Blood glucose – 79Over the last three years, my triglycerides have decreased, HDL increased, LDL increased, blood sugar decreased and weight decreased. I used to take a statin drug, but I will never take it again. I realize I probably shouldn’t worry about it, but my doctor went crazy about my numbers. Is the increase in my LDL cholesterol something I can choose to ignore or should I modify my diet to reverse the upward trend?JW ASKS:Is it possible that the rise in either total cholesterol or LDL-P that some people report while on a ketogenic diet is due to the fat leaving the adipose tissue as they lose weight? Are there any studies that show if it persists or goes away once weight stabilizes? And if your HDL is higher than your triglycerides while your fasting blood glucose level is under 100, do you care what total cholesterol or LDL-P is assuming there is no familial hypercholesterolemia?

AIR DATE: August 29, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERTS: FEATURED TOPIC: "Cholesterol Clarity Q&amp;A"   With the much-anticipated release of the book  by Jimmy Moore and Dr. Eric Westman, both of the coauthors joined us on "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" this week for a Q&amp;A session answering listener questions about this critically important new book about the subject of cholesterol. This book was written to fill a major void in the marketplace of an easy-to-understand manual on cholesterol, why it's not the evil substance we've been led to believe, what really matters the most on your cholesterol panel, and which levels are optimal if you are going to pay attention to cholesterol. Here's your exclusive chance to hear directly from both Jimmy and Dr. Westman answering listener questions about the book. That's what we've got for you in Episode 43 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" in this Cholesterol Clarity Q&amp;A. Get (or download the ) from <a href="http://Amazon.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a>: SUGAR-FREE, LOW-CARB PEANUT BUTTER CUPSNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we address in this episode: ROXANNE ASKS:I have read and enjoyed books by both of you and am very much looking forward to reading Cholesterol Clarity! I am a 53-year old diabetic female who had heart bypass surgery 6 months ago. There is a history of cardiovascular issues on both sides of my family. I've read that statins can have some rather serious side effects. What, if anything, can you say to me and my doctor to convince us that it would be safe for me to stop taking the 10mg Lipitor I am now taking? JAMES ASKS:So what's the deal with plant sterols? I see it for sale as a supplement to "lower your cholesterol" and I see people taking it. Is there any benefit to it? What about the harm in taking it? I follow a low-carb, high-fat lifestyle, so I get plenty of dietary cholesterol from animals. TRAVIS ASKS:I have a one word question: Eggs. I eat at least three eggs a day everyday for breakfast along with some cheese and bacon. I feel this kind of large low-carb breakfast really gets me through the day. However, I can't find any consensus about eggs. Are they good, good in moderation, bad long-term, or will eating 21 eggs a week kill me? KEVIN ASKS:I've read that higher serum cholesterol could be a clue that something else is going on in the body—for example, tissue damage that needs repair, or a decreased ability for cholesterol to be delivered into cells. Could you please talk about the role of LDL in particular, and what an increased level might indicate about other health factors? KEN ASKS:The homeostatic model for serum cholesterol appears to be well worked out for a standard high-carb diet. Do you think that the correct model is substantially different for a ketogenic low-carb, high-fat diet, and that this might be the reason for the large number of "hypercholesterolemic" responses on this diet? Might the small intestine, instead of liver, be the dominant source of endogenous cholesterol on this diet? DENNIS ASKS:My question is about the effect of fructose, sugar alcohols, and alcoholic beverages on your triglycerides. Would the fact my triglycerides are crazy high at 260 while everything else is fine mean that I should limit these things in my diet? JULIE ASKS:I have been diagnosed with a number of health issues including diverticulitis and Type 2 diabetes. Since then, I have been doing Paleo and cut out all gluten, sugar and high carb foods in my diet. I discovered that going ketogenic was right for me. Before I went keto, I had blood work run with the following results: Total cholesterol — 265HDL — 64LDL — 176Triglycerides — 158A1c — 5.8 The next time I had blood work done was 6 months later. I asked for a VAP test and, although my doc doesn't understand how to read this test, she ordered it for me on my insistence. I moved towards a higher-fat diet and lost 40 pounds over that time since my last cholesterol panel. Here are the numbers: Total cholesterol — 313 (my doctor was pushing statins)HDL — 108LDL — 187Triglycerides — 77 To tell you the truth, my doctor had no idea how to interpret the more advanced numbers on my VAP test and I don't understand it either. I didn't accept the idea that I needed to go on a statin drug but I am greatly concerned with this very high 300+ total cholesterol level. So how do I interpret these cholesterol tests and what should I be doing differently in my diet to work on any weakness in these results? What exactly should I be looking for to track my progress? MARYANN ASKS:The only guidelines I repeatedly see for the ApoE genotype 3/4 and 4/4 people are this: exercise, avoid smoking, abstain from alcohol and cut your saturated fat intake. Do you agree with these recommendations, especially the mandate to cut down on saturated fat? If so, how do you advise you patients who are eating low-carb, high-fat to reconcile this mandate to basically limit or avoid saturated fat with all that we know about the life-saving benefits of eating this way? What do people with this ApoE genotype gain by avoiding saturated fat? PATHOLOGIST DR. SMALL:I’m 59 years old and went low-carb about a year ago and my HDL rose from 50 to 77 and my triglycerides dropped from 92 down to 38. My cardiologist was stunned and asked me how I got such an outstanding triglycerides/HDL ratio with an outstanding CRP level of .4 and an carotid artery scan that show I have the arteries of an 18-year old. But he was not impressed with my LDL being above 130, my ApoB rising to 102, and my LDL-P coming in at 1500. How do you prioritize the favorable readings against the somewhat unfavorable ones? Do Heart Calcium Scores from a CT scan really tell the tale of where you stand with actual disease taking place in your coronary arteries? HOLLI ASKS:I'm wondering how I can raise my LDL cholesterol levels since they seem to be too low. I haven't tested recently, but my previous test showed my total cholesterol is 142, HDL is 78, LDL is 71, and triglycerides are 50. I've been working on correcting a leaky gut and eating a Paleo/GAPS diet for the past year. My energy is very low, I’m always tired and my hormone levels are all on the low end of normal. I'm wondering if my too-low cholesterol could be part of the problem and if so, what can I do to raise it? I am not taking any cholesterol-lowering medications. DAVE ASKS:I went to my doctor and he says I am in the "dangerously high LDL range" and I should stop eating my low-carb high-fat diet and reduce my egg consumption to no more than 3 per week. My last lab results were the following: Total cholesterol – 254LDL – 186HDL – 52Triglycerides – 82Blood glucose – 79 Over the last three years, my triglycerides have decreased, HDL increased, LDL increased, blood sugar decreased and weight decreased. I used to take a statin drug, but I will never take it again. I realize I probably shouldn’t worry about it, but my doctor went crazy about my numbers. Is the increase in my LDL cholesterol something I can choose to ignore or should I modify my diet to reverse the upward trend? JW ASKS:Is it possible that the rise in either total cholesterol or LDL-P that some people report while on a ketogenic diet is due to the fat leaving the adipose tissue as they lose weight? Are there any studies that show if it persists or goes away once weight stabilizes? And if your HDL is higher than your triglycerides while your fasting blood glucose level is under 100, do you care what total cholesterol or LDL-P is assuming there is no familial hypercholesterolemia?

43: Jimmy Moore & Dr. Eric Westman | Cholesterol Clarity Q&A

Veteran nutritional health podcaster Jimmy Moore hosts this LIVE listener call-in show with the best and brightest experts in the world of low-carbohydrate diets addressing the cutting-edge health issues you REALLY care about! Listen and interact with the show on Thursday nights at 7PM EST by dialing 712-432-0900 or via Skype by adding the contact 'freeconferencing.7124320900'. The access code is 848908. Visit AskTheLowCarbExperts.com to see which experts and topics are lined up and submit your questions for them at AskTheLowCarbExperts@gmail.com.

Extremely helpful for low carb newbies.  Very good insight and informative.

Insightful & Informative

A Leader in the Low-Carb World

Veteran nutritional health podcaster Jimmy Moore hosts this LIVE listener call-in show with the best and brightest experts in the world of low-carbohydrate diets addressing the cutting-edge health issues you REALLY care about! Listen and interact with the show on Thursday nights at 7PM EST by dialing 712-432-0900 or via Skype by adding the contact 'freeconferencing.7124320900'. The access code is 848908. Visit <a href="http://AskTheLowCarbExperts.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">AskTheLowCarbExperts.com</a> to see which experts and topics are lined up and submit your questions for them at AskTheLowCarbExperts@gmail.com.

Ask The Low-Carb Experts

Peter Attia

AIR DATE: November 1, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: “Finding The Diet That's Right For You”If you've been listening to my podcasts or read my blog for any length of time, then you've obviously heard me talk about one of the basic philosophies that I think is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle. Here it is: "Find a diet plan that is right for you, follow that plan exactly as prescribed by the author and then keep doing that plan for the rest of your life making appropriate tweaks along the way to keep it working." But how do you go about figuring out what the "right" diet and lifestyle plan is for you? That's what we'll be exploring further in Episode 33 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" with a highly-qualified guest expert named  (listen to my March 2012 interview with Peter in ).TRY THESE DELICIOUS NEW PRE-MADE PALEO MEALSUSE COUPON CODE "LLVLC" FOR 10% OFF YOUR ORDERNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: TRY THE WORLD'S FINEST CACAO BEAN LOW-CARB CHOCOLATEEnter "LLVLC" at checkout for 15% offNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast:RENEE ASKS:I have been refining what I think is my perfect diet for about 3 years now. During that time my diet has drastically changed for the better. I eat a very strict Paleo autoimmune diet with no dairy, nuts or nightshades. This has worked very well for me and now I am experimenting with a few little things here and there to tweak my diet that help me go from feeling good to feeling great. I am wondering about the cross-reactivity of coffee with gluten. I have heard that this can be a problem for some people, but I dismissed it because I didn’t want to believe that it can be a problem for me. But now I’m thinking that it IS a problem for me because after quitting coffee I started losing weight with no other changes in my diet. And it's not just calories because I replaced the coffee with a coconut oil cocoa that would have equal calories since I made my coffee into a coconut oil latte anyway. I know that gut issues are the minority of manifestation of gluten intolerance, so this effortless weight loss might be showing some type of healing. I also heard that a study came out early this year confirming that a coffee/gluten cross reactivity is a significant problem. What are your thoughts on this issue?MICHAEL ASKS:I'd like to hear Peter address hypercaloric feeding on a ketogenic diet in combination with weight training. Is it possible for someone who is already basically lean and healthy to overeat and train his way up in size? What is the likely practical limit to size gain and performance in weightlifting with insulin levels being kept very low?MIKE ASKS:I have found success stabilizing my weight on a diet of 20-30g of carbs per day. However, I can't seem to lose those last stubborn pounds. I am a 5'8" male and currently weight 160 pounds with 19% body fat. My goal is to get down to 15% body fat. I started monitoring my ketones and after a month was able to lose another 4 pounds and 1% body fat, but it was very hard for me to maintain the high percentage of fat in my diet required to get my ketones high enough. Recently I started slow lifting and I really like that program. But when I increased my protein to aid muscle development I knocked myself out of ketosis and am right back to the 19% fat, 160-pound mark. I suspect a hormonal problem is contributing to the difficulties in losing but I’ve tested my testosterone twice and both times it’s near the high end of the "normal range." Recently my TSH also tested fine at 1.9, my Free T4 Direct was in the middle of the lab range at 1.32, and my TPOab was also in the middle at 12. My Free T3 was on the low end of the lab range at 2.2 (with the lowest reference range being 2.0). Given all of the above, are there variations I could try in my diet that could get me unstuck and help me reach my goal?MARYANN ASKS:I’m a 76-year old woman with the H63D gene for hemochromatosis and have high ferritin. My latest test was 436 and it goes up and down with an all-time high of 625. My doctors says that a phlebotomy is unnecessary unless it goes over 1000. I also have paroxysmal atrial fibrillation which I understand eating the Paleo way is the best for this. My A fib discussion board members say my ferritin is way too high now. What diet would you say would be the best for me?TINA ASKS:I am 42 years old and have been overweight since having children in my early 20s. I am 5'4" and weigh 199 pounds. My A1c was 5.8 when I check it a few months ago and my doctor advised me that I’m at risk for Type 2 diabetes and that I need to start exercising 30 minutes per day. I have been playing around with low-carb/Paleo and primal diets for the past few months but I can't decide which way to go. I have read tons of information and listen to many health podcasts like the ones from Jimmy Moore, Balanced Bites and Fat Burning Man. Where do I start? I crave sweets at least once a day and that continues to be my biggest downfall. How do I pick the diet that’s right for me?PALEOZETA FROM AUSTRALIA ASKS:I would like Dr. Attia to talk about intermittent fasting and…well, diarrhea. Sorry. About 10 minutes after I eat again following an intermittent fast, which works very well for me in conjunction with my ketogenic diet, I tend to have one or two bouts of diarrhea. I was reading that it could be our body expelling the toxins in it, but I’m not so sure about that. I’ve heard other people who do IF having this same issue. Do you have any insights about this?JAN ASKS:I'm a peri-menopausal woman, and I eat a low-carb, high-fat version of primal. My doctor is pushing statins on me strictly on the basis of my LDL-C which registered in at 142 using the Freidewald Equation. My HDL is 79 and my triglycerides are 71. Because of my insurer and financial situation, getting an NMR Lipoprofile test to measure my LDL-P is out of my reach to better assess my risk factors. I can't even get them to do a C-Reactive Protein test to assess whether there's inflammation. Is there any dietary tweak I can make to bring LDL-C lower without negatively impacting my excellent HDL and triglyceride readings?ERIC ASKS:It seems very timely that Dr. Attia will be on your podcast, Jimmy, as your latest Apo B results showing 238 and an LDL-P score of 3451 would appear to be quite alarming based on his recent “The Straight Dope On Cholesterol” series. Since Dr. Attia is a huge fan of ketogenic diets AND has a lot of knowledge about the importance of lipid markers, I would imagine he would be in a fantastic position to help clarify what is going on here. He seems to believe that the Apo B number is one of the most important markers of cardiovascular health. By the way, what is Dr. Attia’s Apo B number?JACK ASKS:Since cycling is a topic that is rarely addressed in Paleo/low-carb circles, does Peter have any tips for maximizing endurance athletic performance while on a ketogenic diet? Whenever I try to do cycling while in ketosis, I often feel fatigued and lose some of my power. Alternately, if I eat a lot of carbs and sugar-laden cycling food, I get stomachaches and feel bloated and grouchy most of the ride. Peter's blog has been the only thing I've ever seen talking about this topic and I’d appreciate hearing more from him about this.ROGER ASKS:Does a ketogenic diet repair or re-regulate an underactive thyroid? I’ve been on this diet for a year and a half now, but my hypothyroid symptoms still exist although I feel much better. My latest blood tests suggest I have low T3. I’m athletically built, never been overweight and exercise moderately. I’m wondering if Dr. Attia is a proponent of doing any thyroid supplementation in conjunction with a ketogenic diet as a beneficial approach to treating these hypothyroid symptoms?MICHELE ASKS:I heard you mention on your previous podcast with Jimmy that you use vegetables as a vehicle for consuming more fat. How important are vegetables in the diet if you’re eating a high-fat, low-carb diet? I always get confused because you hear how important it is to eat a lot of vegetables but I’m not particularly fond of a lot of them when trying to increase my ketones.TOM ASKS:We often hear the phrase used in the low-carb community that “there’s no dietary requirement for carbohydrate.” I’ve always assumed this comment was directed at the usual suspects like breads, cereals, pastas, legumes, etc. However, I have to ask, are vegetables really necessary to consume? In my case, I’m referring to non-starchy vegetables, such as kale, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and so forth. While vegetables contain vitamins, nutrients, fiber, and phytochemicals, I’ve read that cruciferous vegetables are also potentially goitrogenic. Cooking these vegetables for long periods of time supposedly helps to mitigate any deleterious effects, but the suggested cooking time is a minimum of 30 minutes. So what’s the scoop on veggies?DARREN ASKS:Over the past year and a half, I've been following a low-carb diet stopping short of nutritional ketosis. I'd put my daily carbohydrate input close to 100g out of a 2700- calorie diet. It has allowed me to accomplish and exceed the goals that I set out to do:- Lowered my Triglycerides from ~330 to

AIR DATE: November 1, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: “Finding The Diet That's Right For You” If you've been listening to my podcasts or read my blog for any length of time, then you've obviously heard me talk about one of the basic philosophies that I think is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle. Here it is: "Find a diet plan that is right for you, follow that plan exactly as prescribed by the author and then keep doing that plan for the rest of your life making appropriate tweaks along the way to keep it working." But how do you go about figuring out what the "right" diet and lifestyle plan is for you? That's what we'll be exploring further in Episode 33 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" with a highly-qualified guest expert named  (listen to my March 2012 interview with Peter in ). TRY THESE DELICIOUS NEW PRE-MADE PALEO MEALSUSE COUPON CODE "LLVLC" FOR 10% OFF YOUR ORDERNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: TRY THE WORLD'S FINEST CACAO BEAN LOW-CARB CHOCOLATEEnter "LLVLC" at checkout for 15% offNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast: RENEE ASKS:I have been refining what I think is my perfect diet for about 3 years now. During that time my diet has drastically changed for the better. I eat a very strict Paleo autoimmune diet with no dairy, nuts or nightshades. This has worked very well for me and now I am experimenting with a few little things here and there to tweak my diet that help me go from feeling good to feeling great. I am wondering about the cross-reactivity of coffee with gluten. I have heard that this can be a problem for some people, but I dismissed it because I didn’t want to believe that it can be a problem for me. But now I’m thinking that it IS a problem for me because after quitting coffee I started losing weight with no other changes in my diet. And it's not just calories because I replaced the coffee with a coconut oil cocoa that would have equal calories since I made my coffee into a coconut oil latte anyway. I know that gut issues are the minority of manifestation of gluten intolerance, so this effortless weight loss might be showing some type of healing. I also heard that a study came out early this year confirming that a coffee/gluten cross reactivity is a significant problem. What are your thoughts on this issue? MICHAEL ASKS:I'd like to hear Peter address hypercaloric feeding on a ketogenic diet in combination with weight training. Is it possible for someone who is already basically lean and healthy to overeat and train his way up in size? What is the likely practical limit to size gain and performance in weightlifting with insulin levels being kept very low? MIKE ASKS:I have found success stabilizing my weight on a diet of 20-30g of carbs per day. However, I can't seem to lose those last stubborn pounds. I am a 5'8" male and currently weight 160 pounds with 19% body fat. My goal is to get down to 15% body fat. I started monitoring my ketones and after a month was able to lose another 4 pounds and 1% body fat, but it was very hard for me to maintain the high percentage of fat in my diet required to get my ketones high enough. Recently I started slow lifting and I really like that program. But when I increased my protein to aid muscle development I knocked myself out of ketosis and am right back to the 19% fat, 160-pound mark. I suspect a hormonal problem is contributing to the difficulties in losing but I’ve tested my testosterone twice and both times it’s near the high end of the "normal range." Recently my TSH also tested fine at 1.9, my Free T4 Direct was in the middle of the lab range at 1.32, and my TPOab was also in the middle at 12. My Free T3 was on the low end of the lab range at 2.2 (with the lowest reference range being 2.0). Given all of the above, are there variations I could try in my diet that could get me unstuck and help me reach my goal? MARYANN ASKS:I’m a 76-year old woman with the H63D gene for hemochromatosis and have high ferritin. My latest test was 436 and it goes up and down with an all-time high of 625. My doctors says that a phlebotomy is unnecessary unless it goes over 1000. I also have paroxysmal atrial fibrillation which I understand eating the Paleo way is the best for this. My A fib discussion board members say my ferritin is way too high now. What diet would you say would be the best for me? TINA ASKS:I am 42 years old and have been overweight since having children in my early 20s. I am 5'4" and weigh 199 pounds. My A1c was 5.8 when I check it a few months ago and my doctor advised me that I’m at risk for Type 2 diabetes and that I need to start exercising 30 minutes per day. I have been playing around with low-carb/Paleo and primal diets for the past few months but I can't decide which way to go. I have read tons of information and listen to many health podcasts like the ones from Jimmy Moore, Balanced Bites and Fat Burning Man. Where do I start? I crave sweets at least once a day and that continues to be my biggest downfall. How do I pick the diet that’s right for me? PALEOZETA FROM AUSTRALIA ASKS:I would like Dr. Attia to talk about intermittent fasting and…well, diarrhea. Sorry. About 10 minutes after I eat again following an intermittent fast, which works very well for me in conjunction with my ketogenic diet, I tend to have one or two bouts of diarrhea. I was reading that it could be our body expelling the toxins in it, but I’m not so sure about that. I’ve heard other people who do IF having this same issue. Do you have any insights about this? JAN ASKS:I'm a peri-menopausal woman, and I eat a low-carb, high-fat version of primal. My doctor is pushing statins on me strictly on the basis of my LDL-C which registered in at 142 using the Freidewald Equation. My HDL is 79 and my triglycerides are 71. Because of my insurer and financial situation, getting an NMR Lipoprofile test to measure my LDL-P is out of my reach to better assess my risk factors. I can't even get them to do a C-Reactive Protein test to assess whether there's inflammation. Is there any dietary tweak I can make to bring LDL-C lower without negatively impacting my excellent HDL and triglyceride readings? ERIC ASKS:It seems very timely that Dr. Attia will be on your podcast, Jimmy, as your latest Apo B results showing 238 and an LDL-P score of 3451 would appear to be quite alarming based on his recent “The Straight Dope On Cholesterol” series. Since Dr. Attia is a huge fan of ketogenic diets AND has a lot of knowledge about the importance of lipid markers, I would imagine he would be in a fantastic position to help clarify what is going on here. He seems to believe that the Apo B number is one of the most important markers of cardiovascular health. By the way, what is Dr. Attia’s Apo B number? JACK ASKS:Since cycling is a topic that is rarely addressed in Paleo/low-carb circles, does Peter have any tips for maximizing endurance athletic performance while on a ketogenic diet? Whenever I try to do cycling while in ketosis, I often feel fatigued and lose some of my power. Alternately, if I eat a lot of carbs and sugar-laden cycling food, I get stomachaches and feel bloated and grouchy most of the ride. Peter's blog has been the only thing I've ever seen talking about this topic and I’d appreciate hearing more from him about this. ROGER ASKS:Does a ketogenic diet repair or re-regulate an underactive thyroid? I’ve been on this diet for a year and a half now, but my hypothyroid symptoms still exist although I feel much better. My latest blood tests suggest I have low T3. I’m athletically built, never been overweight and exercise moderately. I’m wondering if Dr. Attia is a proponent of doing any thyroid supplementation in conjunction with a ketogenic diet as a beneficial approach to treating these hypothyroid symptoms? MICHELE ASKS:I heard you mention on your previous podcast with Jimmy that you use vegetables as a vehicle for consuming more fat. How important are vegetables in the diet if you’re eating a high-fat, low-carb diet? I always get confused because you hear how important it is to eat a lot of vegetables but I’m not particularly fond of a lot of them when trying to increase my ketones. TOM ASKS:We often hear the phrase used in the low-carb community that “there’s no dietary requirement for carbohydrate.” I’ve always assumed this comment was directed at the usual suspects like breads, cereals, pastas, legumes, etc. However, I have to ask, are vegetables really necessary to consume? In my case, I’m referring to non-starchy vegetables, such as kale, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and so forth. While vegetables contain vitamins, nutrients, fiber, and phytochemicals, I’ve read that cruciferous vegetables are also potentially goitrogenic. Cooking these vegetables for long periods of time supposedly helps to mitigate any deleterious effects, but the suggested cooking time is a minimum of 30 minutes. So what’s the scoop on veggies? DARREN ASKS:Over the past year and a half, I've been following a low-carb diet stopping short of nutritional ketosis. I'd put my daily carbohydrate input close to 100g out of a 2700- calorie diet. It has allowed me to accomplish and exceed the goals that I set out to do: - Lowered my Triglycerides from ~330 to

33: Dr. Peter Attia | Finding The Diet That's Right For You

Stephen Phinney

23: Long-Term Stalls & Weight Gain Even On A Well-Formulated Low-Carb Diet | Dr. Stephen Phinney

Julia Ross

AIR DATE: June 28, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERTS: FEATURED TOPIC: "How To Beat Carbohydrate Addiction"Say the word "addiction" and most people immediately think of cocaine or heroine addicts, people who abuse alcohol and tobacco, or some other bad habit that is causing serious bodily damage to the addicted. Webster's Dictionary defines addiction as a "compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal." Sound familiar anyone? While most people who consume carbohydrate-based foods don't want to admit it, they are very likely addicted to these sugary, starchy, whole grain-based foods which in turn is making them more obese and chronically ill as the days go by. Nutritional psychotherapist and addiction specialist  is here with us in Episode 19 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" to get to the heart of the issue about why we crave something so deeply that we are becoming more and more aware is actually harming us. Julia is the author of a newly-revised book  that addresses many of the issues we'll be discussing in this podcast.If you have any questions about carbohydrate addiction that you would like for Julia Ross to address, then feel free to send it to me by 3PM ET this Thursday afternoon at . Or you can ask your question LIVE on my show by calling (712) 432-0900 or Skype the show for FREE by calling the username freeconferencing.7124320900. Whether you call or Skype, be sure to use the access code 848908. Listen LIVE and  if you like what you hear. This is your chance to interact with the best nutritional health experts in the world, so don't be bashful.For those of you using the Windows version of Skype to call into the show on Thursday night, you can locate the dial pad by selecting the Call tab at the top of the page, then click Show Dial Pad. Please see the image below for reference:And if you use the Mac version of Skype, here's how to call in:

AIR DATE: June 28, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERTS: FEATURED TOPIC: "How To Beat Carbohydrate Addiction" Say the word "addiction" and most people immediately think of cocaine or heroine addicts, people who abuse alcohol and tobacco, or some other bad habit that is causing serious bodily damage to the addicted. Webster's Dictionary defines addiction as a "compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal." Sound familiar anyone? While most people who consume carbohydrate-based foods don't want to admit it, they are very likely addicted to these sugary, starchy, whole grain-based foods which in turn is making them more obese and chronically ill as the days go by. Nutritional psychotherapist and addiction specialist  is here with us in Episode 19 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" to get to the heart of the issue about why we crave something so deeply that we are becoming more and more aware is actually harming us. Julia is the author of a newly-revised book  that addresses many of the issues we'll be discussing in this podcast. If you have any questions about carbohydrate addiction that you would like for Julia Ross to address, then feel free to send it to me by 3PM ET this Thursday afternoon at . Or you can ask your question LIVE on my show by calling (712) 432-0900 or Skype the show for FREE by calling the username freeconferencing.7124320900. Whether you call or Skype, be sure to use the access code 848908. Listen LIVE and  if you like what you hear. This is your chance to interact with the best nutritional health experts in the world, so don't be bashful. For those of you using the Windows version of Skype to call into the show on Thursday night, you can locate the dial pad by selecting the Call tab at the top of the page, then click Show Dial Pad. Please see the image below for reference: And if you use the Mac version of Skype, here's how to call in:

19: How To Beat Carbohydrate Addiction | Julia Ross

Mark Sisson

AIR DATE: February 9, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: “Ketosis: Devil or Angel?”Episode 5 of “Jimmy Moore Presents: Ask The Low-Carb Experts” featuresMark Sisson who is the man behind the wildly popular “Mark’s Daily Apple” blog and the author of several health books focused on primal/Paleo/low-carb living, including his bestselling 2009 release  as well as several cookbooks. He has been critically acclaimed for challenging many flawed elements of conventional wisdom about diet and exercise. Sisson’s “Primal” theme encourages us to reconnect with our hunter-gatherer ancestral roots by eating natural plant and animal foods, getting plenty of low-level daily activity interspersed with occasional brief, intense exercise, and engaging in lifestyle behaviors that balance the stress of hectic modern life. Sisson was one of the world’s most versatile and accomplished endurance athletes, with a 2:18 marathon to his credit and a fourth place finish in the Hawaii Ironman World Triathlon Championships. He also served as the first anti-doping leader of the International Triathlon Union and consulted internationally for the International Olympic Committee on endurance training, nutritional supplementation, and the effects of performance enhancing drugs on athletes. He is the founder and president of  a Malibu, CA-based supplement company. Sisson lives in Malibu with his gorgeous wife and two teenage children.Mark has studied nutrition very closely over the years and is pretty astute at articulating information from the scientific research on diet and health. One specific area of expertise he possesses is on the controversial subject of ketone bodies. He does a fabulous job addressing the nonsense that  and goes much deeper into what the purpose of ketone bodies in the body. This is a BIG TOPIC in the low-carb community and Mark Sisson does an excellent job addressing YOUR questions.Here are the questions about ketosis Mark addresses:GINA ASKS:Is it better, when testing for ketones, if the stick is very dark vs. lighter. In other words, is better to have more ketones? Or is any level of ketosis adequate?CHRISTINE ASKS:How do you explain to someone in the medical field that ketosis is not a bad thing? I was talking to my sister who is in the medical field and it seems that she along with a lot of other medical professionals who should know the difference between ketosis and ketoacidosis don’t. They automatically assume that ketosis and ketoacidosis are both bad. How do you explain the difference to them when they should already know the difference?KELLY ASKS:When I am in Ketosis – how do I know if the ketosis is from stored body fat or from excess fat that I may be eating?  Is there a certain level of fat per day (in grams or a %) that I should aim for at to ensure my ketosis is from stored body fat (and not eating too much fat).CHARLES ASKS:I’ve always been taught that ketones could only be produced if you eat around 50g of carb or less.  But I’ve seen on your site that you think eating less than 50g could lead to unnecessary deprivation of plant foods.  Could you elaborate on this? CARY ASKS:How long does it normally take a body to get adapted to using ketones for energy? I keep starting over (VLC – around 30-40/day) because I feel like a slug for a month and just can’t take it. Now I read it can take longer than that to actually get your body adapted to using ketones for energy well? I need to lose about 75 pounds and have ZERO energy for exercise.JAMIE ASKS:Is ketosis really necessary for most people to lose weight?Are there any negative health consequences (kidneys, brain function, hypoglycemia, bone and eye health or constipation) to being in ketosis for an extended period of weeks, months or years?Can excess protein at any one meal bring you out of ketosis? If so how much is too much?Is a ketogenic diet inflammatory or anti-inflammatory?MATTIAS ASKS:Just wanted to ask you guys what to do about the dreaded keto breath. My girlfriend really hates it and refuses to even kiss my when I have it. I’ve heard all kinds of remedies, carrots, parsley and other herbs. Any suggestions?JOSHUA ASKS:Where does ketosis fit into my weight loss and muscle gain routine? I’m currently 5’6″ and weigh about 185 pounds.JENNY ASKS:After about 5 or 6 months of low carbing, my scalp started burning and my hair started falling out. Could this be linked with ketosis?TONIA ASKS:The brain requires a steady inflow of glucose for proper functioning. Gary Taubes mentions in Why We Get Fat that it isn’t known for sure if the brain can run as effectively on ketones as it can glucose. What are your thoughts?DEB ASKS:I am 52 years have returned Atkins low carb eating about 4 week ago after being on the diet roller coast all my life. I am also on several medication (blood pressure, thyroid, quit the statin, supplements etc) that I know do hinder weight loss, can they be preventing me from burning more ketones? Any suggestion how I can bump up my ketosis if need to?STEVE ASKS:Does approaching diet and health from the Primal point of view consider manipulating ketones/ketosis to lose a lot of weight as the OPTIMUM way to do it? The question is assuming that hunter gatherers would not usually make it to the level of hormone damage and obesity we find common in today’s population, so evolution may not have provided a robust way to get us out of such a huge hormonal mess.CHRISTINA ASKS:I’m wondering how the absence of a gallbladder can affect someone attempting ketosis or a Primal lifestyle in general. I have heard that others require slightly higher carbs to keep away from IBS type symptoms. Have you found this to be true?RICH ASKS:Dr. Steve Phinney, in a video interview with Andreas Eenfeldt, says that someone who takes a one or two day “holiday” from a ketogenic diet generally takes “at least two weeks and more like 4-6 weeks” before they re-enter full nutritional ketosis. Do you have any thoughts on this? It was my assumption that it wouldn’t take that long before someone would recondition their bodies to preferentially burn fat. Do we reset the clock every time we eat enough carbohydrates to come out of ketosis?Is lowering carbohydrates the only thing that determines whether or not someone will get into ketosis? Specifically, is there any effect food sensitivities have on being in a ketogenic state? When I eat nightshades (which I am sensitive to) my ketone bodies (as measured with ketone urine strips) go down. I generally eat a very low carbohydrate diet (less than 20 grams/day) and am wondering if this effect on my measured ketone bodies is due to food sensitivities, the increase in carbs from the nightshade foods, or some other reason?KEITH ASKS:I’d like to get Mark’s perspective on ketosis and gout risk. Also what about people who have gout going on ketosis?SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR LOW-CARB DIET FOR TRIATHLETES:

AIR DATE: February 9, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: “Ketosis: Devil or Angel?” Episode 5 of “Jimmy Moore Presents: Ask The Low-Carb Experts” featuresMark Sisson who is the man behind the wildly popular “Mark’s Daily Apple” blog and the author of several health books focused on primal/Paleo/low-carb living, including his bestselling 2009 release  as well as several cookbooks. He has been critically acclaimed for challenging many flawed elements of conventional wisdom about diet and exercise. Sisson’s “Primal” theme encourages us to reconnect with our hunter-gatherer ancestral roots by eating natural plant and animal foods, getting plenty of low-level daily activity interspersed with occasional brief, intense exercise, and engaging in lifestyle behaviors that balance the stress of hectic modern life. Sisson was one of the world’s most versatile and accomplished endurance athletes, with a 2:18 marathon to his credit and a fourth place finish in the Hawaii Ironman World Triathlon Championships. He also served as the first anti-doping leader of the International Triathlon Union and consulted internationally for the International Olympic Committee on endurance training, nutritional supplementation, and the effects of performance enhancing drugs on athletes. He is the founder and president of  a Malibu, CA-based supplement company. Sisson lives in Malibu with his gorgeous wife and two teenage children. Mark has studied nutrition very closely over the years and is pretty astute at articulating information from the scientific research on diet and health. One specific area of expertise he possesses is on the controversial subject of ketone bodies. He does a fabulous job addressing the nonsense that  and goes much deeper into what the purpose of ketone bodies in the body. This is a BIG TOPIC in the low-carb community and Mark Sisson does an excellent job addressing YOUR questions. Here are the questions about ketosis Mark addresses: GINA ASKS:Is it better, when testing for ketones, if the stick is very dark vs. lighter. In other words, is better to have more ketones? Or is any level of ketosis adequate? CHRISTINE ASKS:How do you explain to someone in the medical field that ketosis is not a bad thing? I was talking to my sister who is in the medical field and it seems that she along with a lot of other medical professionals who should know the difference between ketosis and ketoacidosis don’t. They automatically assume that ketosis and ketoacidosis are both bad. How do you explain the difference to them when they should already know the difference? KELLY ASKS:When I am in Ketosis – how do I know if the ketosis is from stored body fat or from excess fat that I may be eating?  Is there a certain level of fat per day (in grams or a %) that I should aim for at to ensure my ketosis is from stored body fat (and not eating too much fat). CHARLES ASKS:I’ve always been taught that ketones could only be produced if you eat around 50g of carb or less.  But I’ve seen on your site that you think eating less than 50g could lead to unnecessary deprivation of plant foods.  Could you elaborate on this?  CARY ASKS:How long does it normally take a body to get adapted to using ketones for energy? I keep starting over (VLC – around 30-40/day) because I feel like a slug for a month and just can’t take it. Now I read it can take longer than that to actually get your body adapted to using ketones for energy well? I need to lose about 75 pounds and have ZERO energy for exercise. JAMIE ASKS:Is ketosis really necessary for most people to lose weight? Are there any negative health consequences (kidneys, brain function, hypoglycemia, bone and eye health or constipation) to being in ketosis for an extended period of weeks, months or years? Can excess protein at any one meal bring you out of ketosis? If so how much is too much? Is a ketogenic diet inflammatory or anti-inflammatory? MATTIAS ASKS:Just wanted to ask you guys what to do about the dreaded keto breath. My girlfriend really hates it and refuses to even kiss my when I have it. I’ve heard all kinds of remedies, carrots, parsley and other herbs. Any suggestions? JOSHUA ASKS:Where does ketosis fit into my weight loss and muscle gain routine? I’m currently 5’6″ and weigh about 185 pounds. JENNY ASKS:After about 5 or 6 months of low carbing, my scalp started burning and my hair started falling out. Could this be linked with ketosis? TONIA ASKS:The brain requires a steady inflow of glucose for proper functioning. Gary Taubes mentions in Why We Get Fat that it isn’t known for sure if the brain can run as effectively on ketones as it can glucose. What are your thoughts? DEB ASKS:I am 52 years have returned Atkins low carb eating about 4 week ago after being on the diet roller coast all my life. I am also on several medication (blood pressure, thyroid, quit the statin, supplements etc) that I know do hinder weight loss, can they be preventing me from burning more ketones? Any suggestion how I can bump up my ketosis if need to? STEVE ASKS:Does approaching diet and health from the Primal point of view consider manipulating ketones/ketosis to lose a lot of weight as the OPTIMUM way to do it? The question is assuming that hunter gatherers would not usually make it to the level of hormone damage and obesity we find common in today’s population, so evolution may not have provided a robust way to get us out of such a huge hormonal mess. CHRISTINA ASKS:I’m wondering how the absence of a gallbladder can affect someone attempting ketosis or a Primal lifestyle in general. I have heard that others require slightly higher carbs to keep away from IBS type symptoms. Have you found this to be true? RICH ASKS:Dr. Steve Phinney, in a video interview with Andreas Eenfeldt, says that someone who takes a one or two day “holiday” from a ketogenic diet generally takes “at least two weeks and more like 4-6 weeks” before they re-enter full nutritional ketosis. Do you have any thoughts on this? It was my assumption that it wouldn’t take that long before someone would recondition their bodies to preferentially burn fat. Do we reset the clock every time we eat enough carbohydrates to come out of ketosis? Is lowering carbohydrates the only thing that determines whether or not someone will get into ketosis? Specifically, is there any effect food sensitivities have on being in a ketogenic state? When I eat nightshades (which I am sensitive to) my ketone bodies (as measured with ketone urine strips) go down. I generally eat a very low carbohydrate diet (less than 20 grams/day) and am wondering if this effect on my measured ketone bodies is due to food sensitivities, the increase in carbs from the nightshade foods, or some other reason? KEITH ASKS:I’d like to get Mark’s perspective on ketosis and gout risk. Also what about people who have gout going on ketosis? SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR LOW-CARB DIET FOR TRIATHLETES:

5: ‘Ketosis: Devil or Angel?’ | Mark Sisson

Duke researcher and health practitioner  is a lifestyle medicine physician specializing in disease prevention primarily through the use of low-carbohydrate nutritional approaches that often improve conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, obesity, PCOS, metabolic syndrome, sleep apnea, fatty liver disease and more. He's the co-author with Dr. Stephen Phinney and Dr. Jeff Volek on the New York Times bestselling book  (listen to my interview with him about this book in ) and has performed some of the most influential scientific research on low-carb diets in the world over the past decade. He regularly teaches his patients about low-carb diets and has heard virtually every objection about it over the years. That's why he'll be here with us dispelling the myths people still believe about low-carb living.If you have any questions about the low-carb myths that are out there that you would like for Dr. Eric Westman to address (anything and everything is fair game--he's hear it all!), then feel free to send it to me by 3PM ET this Thursday afternoon at . Or you can ask your question LIVE on my show by calling (712) 432-0900 or Skype the show for FREE by calling the username freeconferencing.7124320900. Whether you call or Skype, be sure to use the access code 848908. Listen LIVE and  if you like what you hear. This is your chance to interact with the best nutritional health experts in the world, so don't be bashful.

Duke researcher and health practitioner  is a lifestyle medicine physician specializing in disease prevention primarily through the use of low-carbohydrate nutritional approaches that often improve conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, obesity, PCOS, metabolic syndrome, sleep apnea, fatty liver disease and more. He's the co-author with Dr. Stephen Phinney and Dr. Jeff Volek on the New York Times bestselling book  (listen to my interview with him about this book in ) and has performed some of the most influential scientific research on low-carb diets in the world over the past decade. He regularly teaches his patients about low-carb diets and has heard virtually every objection about it over the years. That's why he'll be here with us dispelling the myths people still believe about low-carb living. If you have any questions about the low-carb myths that are out there that you would like for Dr. Eric Westman to address (anything and everything is fair game--he's hear it all!), then feel free to send it to me by 3PM ET this Thursday afternoon at . Or you can ask your question LIVE on my show by calling (712) 432-0900 or Skype the show for FREE by calling the username freeconferencing.7124320900. Whether you call or Skype, be sure to use the access code 848908. Listen LIVE and  if you like what you hear. This is your chance to interact with the best nutritional health experts in the world, so don't be bashful.

15: 'Exploding The Low-Carb Myths' | Dr. Eric Westman

David Getoff

One of the more controversial areas of debate about the healthy low-carb lifestyle is what to do about sweeteners. Some say the taste of sweet itself is an addiction that needs to be overcome by complete abstinence from consuming anything sweet on the tongue. Still others believe that finding adequate sugar substitutions in your diet is a lot healthier way to eat than a sugar-filled one. And then there are those who say it is better to eat sugar, honey or other natural sugars than to risk consuming chemical-based sweeteners that are doing God-knows-what to your body. So who do you believe about what you should do? That's where this week's expert comes in. He is a naturopath and board-certified clinical nutritionist named Dr. David Getoff and he's going to help us sort through it all in Episode 18 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts." Dr. Getoff is quite knowledgeable about all of the ins and outs of both the natural and artificial sweeteners available for consumers to purchase and will give us the cold, hard facts about what is right and what is wrong answering your questions.VISIT DR. SPENCER NADOLSKY'S LEANER LIVING STORE:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast:LISA ASKS:What are your general thoughts about natural non-glycemic/low-glycemic sweeteners like stevia, erythritol, xylitol, and lo han. I have used these alone and in blends like ZSweet. Right now, I'm really enjoying Nature's Hollow's "maple syrup flavored" xylitol syrup which I use when a recipe calls for honey or agave.CAROL ASKS:Does Splenda really kill the beneficial intestinal bacteria? Jorge Cruise says in his book The Belly Fat Cure that you should avoid sucralose in your diet because of this.MICHELLE ASKS:Are the deep yearnings and calling for sugar due to candida overgrowth, a vitamin deficiency, excess insulin, a bad habit, or cellular mitochondria seeking fuel? Or maybe all of this?ELISE ASKS:I use both stevia and xylitol. Do either of these inhibit weight loss? And is there any truth to the claim that xylitol is toxic for pets like dogs and cats?LYNN ASKS:Is stevia ok? Is it low-carb or Paleo?ANDREI ASKS:I would like to know if stevia causes an insulin response.JAN ASKS:I consume multiple Diet Dr. Pepper's every day and have for many years. I have noticed that when I substitute Iced Tea or H2O for all but say one or two for several days running I have a downtick in weight. I have seen the UT San Antonio study that says Aspartame in Diet Drinks can cause Insulin to go up which I suppose could affect fat burning, but I have also seen a lot of research that says it has NO effect. If it isn't the Aspartame, why does my weight trend down when I stop drinking the soda? Is it the sodium?GRETA ASKS:I'm a Diet Coke person and I've been off of it since last Thursday as well as all other sweeteners.  How can we really tell if sweeteners are impacting our weight loss?  How long should we get off of them before trying to add something back in? Should we rely on our weight measurement from day to day?SHALEAH ASKS:If I choose to use artificial sweeteners, which ones are the least detrimental and have the most minimal effect on insulin and poor health?BRENDA ASKS:I know that coconut sugar is not calorie-free, but could you enlighten us about whether it's a good sweetener to use or not?DANA ASKS:I like using erythritol, stevia, and occasionally Splenda for sweetening my food. I would like a good "comeback" for those people who call anything other than "table sugar" -- artificial. White sugar itself is massively processed and artificial, so I'm not understanding their reasoning.Why is maltitol permitted to be put in food as a sweetener when it is well-known to cause a painful and drastic reaction in the gut even in small amounts?NORM ASKS:I was excited to look into Stevia-bases sweeteners, but I found out that all three major brands add sugar alcohols which are terrible for people with digestive problems. Can you tell me why they add sugar alcohols and can you get stevia without these?LAURA ASKS:I am a Type 1 diabetic and I live in Spain and the only sweetener I've found there that has no fillers like maltodextrin is a liquid mixture of saccharin and cyclamate. The taste is vastly better than the pure saccharin available in the United States, but I wondered if you would comment on the safety of this mix.Also, would you comment on any possible connections between artificial sweeteners and infertility/miscarriages?PAM ASKS:I have been using a pure stevia powder with only stevia and no fillers for several years and I use it daily in many things, like my Bulletproof coffee, water and fresh lemon, apple cider vinegar dressing, and homemade hot cocoa with unsweetened coconut milk. Is it likely that this stevia contains mycotoxins? What are the possible outcomes of consuming a good bit of stevia daily? This is the only form of sweetener I use.CHERYL ASKS:What about Acesulfame Potassium (aka Ace-K) and what impact does it have on blood sugar? It seems to be in just about everything diet these days, especially diet soda.APRIL ASKS:I consider myself highly addicted to sugar and eating a dessert made with things like erythritol, stevia, or Splenda causes me to want to eat even more sugar-free treats. Is there any way I can get this under control or is it better to just avoid these altogether? I do find the longer I abstain from them the less I crave them. But then some event comes up where I make something sugar-free and the cycle continues. Any advice is very much appreciated!COLLEEN ASKS:Earlier this year I discovered the "low carb" world and now eat 50-100g of carbs per day, mostly from fruit, vegetables, nuts and some dairy. I am 45 years old, slightly overweight, have eaten primarily high carb, low fat my entire adult life, and prior to changing my eating had fasting glucose in the 90s, normal cholesterol and triglycerides. Over four months I have lost 12 pounds without effort since adopting a higher fat, low carb diet. However, once or twice a week from rice or even bread. I also have 2 teaspoons of sugar per day in coffee. Is this acceptable? How important is it to eliminate sugar altogether? Is this more important than trying to fit exercise into my schedule?

One of the more controversial areas of debate about the healthy low-carb lifestyle is what to do about sweeteners. Some say the taste of sweet itself is an addiction that needs to be overcome by complete abstinence from consuming anything sweet on the tongue. Still others believe that finding adequate sugar substitutions in your diet is a lot healthier way to eat than a sugar-filled one. And then there are those who say it is better to eat sugar, honey or other natural sugars than to risk consuming chemical-based sweeteners that are doing God-knows-what to your body. So who do you believe about what you should do? That's where this week's expert comes in. He is a naturopath and board-certified clinical nutritionist named Dr. David Getoff and he's going to help us sort through it all in Episode 18 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts." Dr. Getoff is quite knowledgeable about all of the ins and outs of both the natural and artificial sweeteners available for consumers to purchase and will give us the cold, hard facts about what is right and what is wrong answering your questions. VISIT DR. SPENCER NADOLSKY'S LEANER LIVING STORE:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast: LISA ASKS:What are your general thoughts about natural non-glycemic/low-glycemic sweeteners like stevia, erythritol, xylitol, and lo han. I have used these alone and in blends like ZSweet. Right now, I'm really enjoying Nature's Hollow's "maple syrup flavored" xylitol syrup which I use when a recipe calls for honey or agave. CAROL ASKS:Does Splenda really kill the beneficial intestinal bacteria? Jorge Cruise says in his book The Belly Fat Cure that you should avoid sucralose in your diet because of this. MICHELLE ASKS:Are the deep yearnings and calling for sugar due to candida overgrowth, a vitamin deficiency, excess insulin, a bad habit, or cellular mitochondria seeking fuel? Or maybe all of this? ELISE ASKS:I use both stevia and xylitol. Do either of these inhibit weight loss? And is there any truth to the claim that xylitol is toxic for pets like dogs and cats? LYNN ASKS:Is stevia ok? Is it low-carb or Paleo? ANDREI ASKS:I would like to know if stevia causes an insulin response. JAN ASKS:I consume multiple Diet Dr. Pepper's every day and have for many years. I have noticed that when I substitute Iced Tea or H2O for all but say one or two for several days running I have a downtick in weight. I have seen the UT San Antonio study that says Aspartame in Diet Drinks can cause Insulin to go up which I suppose could affect fat burning, but I have also seen a lot of research that says it has NO effect. If it isn't the Aspartame, why does my weight trend down when I stop drinking the soda? Is it the sodium? GRETA ASKS:I'm a Diet Coke person and I've been off of it since last Thursday as well as all other sweeteners.  How can we really tell if sweeteners are impacting our weight loss?  How long should we get off of them before trying to add something back in? Should we rely on our weight measurement from day to day? SHALEAH ASKS:If I choose to use artificial sweeteners, which ones are the least detrimental and have the most minimal effect on insulin and poor health? BRENDA ASKS:I know that coconut sugar is not calorie-free, but could you enlighten us about whether it's a good sweetener to use or not? DANA ASKS:I like using erythritol, stevia, and occasionally Splenda for sweetening my food. I would like a good "comeback" for those people who call anything other than "table sugar" -- artificial. White sugar itself is massively processed and artificial, so I'm not understanding their reasoning. Why is maltitol permitted to be put in food as a sweetener when it is well-known to cause a painful and drastic reaction in the gut even in small amounts? NORM ASKS:I was excited to look into Stevia-bases sweeteners, but I found out that all three major brands add sugar alcohols which are terrible for people with digestive problems. Can you tell me why they add sugar alcohols and can you get stevia without these? LAURA ASKS:I am a Type 1 diabetic and I live in Spain and the only sweetener I've found there that has no fillers like maltodextrin is a liquid mixture of saccharin and cyclamate. The taste is vastly better than the pure saccharin available in the United States, but I wondered if you would comment on the safety of this mix. Also, would you comment on any possible connections between artificial sweeteners and infertility/miscarriages? PAM ASKS:I have been using a pure stevia powder with only stevia and no fillers for several years and I use it daily in many things, like my Bulletproof coffee, water and fresh lemon, apple cider vinegar dressing, and homemade hot cocoa with unsweetened coconut milk. Is it likely that this stevia contains mycotoxins? What are the possible outcomes of consuming a good bit of stevia daily? This is the only form of sweetener I use. CHERYL ASKS:What about Acesulfame Potassium (aka Ace-K) and what impact does it have on blood sugar? It seems to be in just about everything diet these days, especially diet soda. APRIL ASKS:I consider myself highly addicted to sugar and eating a dessert made with things like erythritol, stevia, or Splenda causes me to want to eat even more sugar-free treats. Is there any way I can get this under control or is it better to just avoid these altogether? I do find the longer I abstain from them the less I crave them. But then some event comes up where I make something sugar-free and the cycle continues. Any advice is very much appreciated! COLLEEN ASKS:Earlier this year I discovered the "low carb" world and now eat 50-100g of carbs per day, mostly from fruit, vegetables, nuts and some dairy. I am 45 years old, slightly overweight, have eaten primarily high carb, low fat my entire adult life, and prior to changing my eating had fasting glucose in the 90s, normal cholesterol and triglycerides. Over four months I have lost 12 pounds without effort since adopting a higher fat, low carb diet. However, once or twice a week from rice or even bread. I also have 2 teaspoons of sugar per day in coffee. Is this acceptable? How important is it to eliminate sugar altogether? Is this more important than trying to fit exercise into my schedule?

18: The Truth About Sweeteners | Dr. David Getoff

Jeff Volek

AIR DATE: March 29, 2012 at 7PM ET FEATURED EXPERT:  FEATURED TOPIC:“Saturated Fat Is Good For You?”  Researcher and associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Connecticut Dr. Jeff Volek is one of the world's renowned experts in exercise, nutrition, weight loss and low-carb diets today. He is the author of a number of popular books addressing these subjects, including Men's Health TNT Diet, co-author of The New Atkins For A New You with Dr. Stephen Phinney and Dr. Eric Westman and most recently The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living in 2011 with Dr. Phinney. I interviewed Dr. Volek in  and I've personally heard him lecture at various obesity conferences over the years. He will be joining us on  in May 2012, but we are pleased to have him joining us to discuss a subject he has studied thoroughly over the past few years. Saturated fat is arguably the most misunderstood and maligned real food in the history of mankind and Dr. Volek can answer any and all questions you may have about how it impacts you metabolically. He is a real expert that we are privileged to have addressing this very important topic!  If you have any questions about saturated fat that you would like Dr. Jeff Volek to address, then feel free to send it to me by 3PM ET this Thursday afternoon at . Or you can ask your question LIVE on my show by calling (712) 432-0900 or Skype the show for FREE by calling the username freeconferencing.7124320900. Whether you call or Skype, be sure to use the access code 848908. Listen LIVE and  if you like what you hear. This is your chance to interact with the best nutritional health experts in the world, so don't be bashful.  For those of you using the Windows version of Skype to call into the show on Thursday night, you can locate the dial pad by selecting the Call tab at the top of the page, then click Show Dial Pad. Please see the image below for reference:    And if you use the Mac version of Skype, here's how to call in:

11: 'Saturated Fat Is Good For You?' | Dr. Jeff Volek

Chris Kresser

AIR DATE: March 22, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: “All Things Thyroid (Thyroid 101)”Licensed acupuncturist and integrative medicine practitioner Chris Kresser is one of the most highly-sought after voices of reason in the realm of health on the Internet today. He has personally been through the wringer with the traditional medical system as he shared with me in  But that set him on a quest to discover more about his own health by gathering and analyzing the medical research staying up-to-date on everything he could get his hands on. There are a lot of health myths that unfortunately pervade in the realm of health and Chris regularly addresses these on his highly popular  and wildly-popular  podcast. One area of specific interest to him is the subject of thyroid. Around 20 million Americans deal with some form of thyroid disease and yet it is left undiagnosed due to a variety of reasons. Yet there is a lot of confusion about thyroid conditions that we will hopefully have Chris help bring clarity to in this episode!LOW-CARB, GLUTEN-FREE CONDIMENTS MADE WITH STEVIVANOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast:Are there any dietary changes that will "treat" hypothyroid?There is a meme that has spread quickly to Paleo sites that low carb causes low T3, and is a cause of hypothyroidism. How can this be? My doc who treats hypothyroidism and insulin resistance had me do low carb, and it worked. How can low carb be both the cause and part of the solution? Someone has this wrong. What is going on?CRIS ASKS:I am a 53 year old female who had a Total Thyroidectomy four years ago due to thyroid cancer. My doctor keeps me just a smidgen "hyper" with Synthroid replacement medication to help the cancer not grow back. I have lost 50 pounds. In one year on a low carb diet, I feel great. But I have been stalled for two months now. I can't seem to lose any more weight. I need to lose 50 more. I know I need thyroid replacement meds but could this be the reason I can't seem to lose anymore?JENNIFER ASKS:Which is better--natural or synthetic thyroid hormone (like Synthroid) or a combination?PAUL ASKS:When I went zero carb Paleo, my T3 dropped out of the range and I needed to take antibiotics for a mouth abscess. I resumed carbs and gained back the weight I lost. I am now trying to drive down the carbs again. What can I do to ensure that my T3 remains ok. I am hypothyroid (take 100T4 + 20T3) and I was assessed a few years back by a former family doctor as having low adrenal function. Are adrenal and thyroid metabolism related and can a low adrenal state lead to a low T3?REGINA ASKS:What is your opinion of Jack Kruse's Leptin Reset Rx and Cold Thermogenesis on the thyroid?LAUREN ASKS:I underwent a total thyroidectomy in January of 2006 following a thyroid cancer diagnosis and will be on replacement T4 (Synthroid) for the rest of my life. Are there any modifications that those of us without a thyroid need to keep in mind when following a Paleo diet?JOSH ASKS:My wife had about 90% of her thyroid removed several years ago after undergoing a thyroid storm and goiter. She's on levothyroxin and we've switched over to a Paleo diet about two years ago, and she's pretty good with adherence, especially when it comes to avoiding wheat and grains. One of my real concerns is with her long term bone health due to the thyroid removal. She currently takes anywhere from 2000mg to 3500 mg of calcium each day to combat calcium loss from her bones. She takes 5000 IU of D3 daily, as well as K2 to help with proper absorption. Her blood calcium levels are usually high, but if she doesn't take the oral supplements she gets pain in her hands, wrists, and other joints. What supplements would you recommend for proper calcium absorption? What are some good blood markers you'd like to to indicate proper function?SHARON ASKS:Can you discuss the role of antibodies (AB), both blocking and stimulating, on thyroid health? When the typical thyroid labs appear "normal", could there be an AB issue occurring, causing the autoimmune response?DONNA ASKS:Since giving up soy milk and grains (including daily wheat germ) when I started on a low-carb regimen about a year ago, my arthritis symptoms have virtually disappeared, and my thyroid started working better (I was able to lower my dosage of levothyroxine slightly). During the same period, my osteopenia has progressed to osteoporosis. The latter may just be age, but what I want to know is, could the same root cause underlie co-existing hypothyroidism, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis?PAUL ASKS:My TSH increased from 3.86 a year ago to 5.23 last month. I have no hypothyroid symptoms but my doctor want to put me on levothyroxine. Does this make sense?Other relevant blood valuesT4 free 1.09T4 total 5.9T3 uptake 38TPO antibody: 19Total cholesterol increased from 197 to 215 over last year.T total 417T free 45Free T% - 1.1%SHBG 79.6LAURA ASKS:I am a 42-year-old female who has been eating Primal/Paleo (low to moderate carb) for over one year now (after being a vegetarian and vegan for almost my ENTIRE life). I had my one and only child almost three years ago and lost all my baby weight (and then some) by changing my eating habits. I looked so much better after changing my lifestyle, but still had low thyroid symptoms (FREEZING cold, tired, digestion issues, etc) AND it was discovered I had near zero sex hormone production (estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone). Also, I had BEYOND low Free T3 and Free T4 (TSH was all over the place, but is now quite low). I was diagnosed with hypothyroid due to a pituitary disorder. I have been put on Estradiol, Prometrium, and a small amount of topical Androgel (testosterone). I have also been taking Armour. I have gained 30 pounds thus far. I am miserable.My questions are:Do you believe in supplementing with sex hormones or should the thyroid medication be sufficient?Would daily intermittent fasting be contraindicated for someone with issues like mine (or does this stress the adrenals too much)?I want to be HEALTHY. But I cannot lie, I am so OVER being overweight. I would love to find a healthy balance.STEVE ASKS:This question is about real thyroid health vs "health on paper" (good test results). I've been treated for hypothyroid, chronic fatigue, and insulin resistance since 2007, with good results. I see a top doctor that deals with all three and they use the so-called bio-identical T3, hormones like testosterone or progesterone cream, and a lot of supplements. I lost 120 pounds quickly and look much different. My blood work went from train wreck to awesome. Weight is normal enough and I feel fine, even though I have low calorie requirements now (about 1,400 a day, and I'm male 51, 5"8, 192 pounds)My question is how do I know if I get to a point where I'm spending a lot of money on meds and supplements and maybe need to back off and let the body take over? My doc wants to keep doing what has worked. Am I broke forever, or should I think about cutting back on supplements and hormones and let the body handle more?TIRIL FROM NORWAY ASKS:I am wondering if thyroid problems is the cause of hair thinning in a woman? Are there any other causes that should be investigated as well? And what can you do as a first intervention?JAN ASKS:What thyroid tests do you recommend when weight loss has stalled? (In my case TSH is elevated but the HMO will not test T3 or rT3--is it worth paying privately for those tests to have a more complete picture of what might be going on?)PAULA ASKS:Do you have any insight on what might cause thyroid nodules? (I have several, and biopsies show them to be non-cancerous at this time. One doctor recommends surgery; another says they are nothing to worry about)

AIR DATE: March 22, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: “All Things Thyroid (Thyroid 101)” Licensed acupuncturist and integrative medicine practitioner Chris Kresser is one of the most highly-sought after voices of reason in the realm of health on the Internet today. He has personally been through the wringer with the traditional medical system as he shared with me in  But that set him on a quest to discover more about his own health by gathering and analyzing the medical research staying up-to-date on everything he could get his hands on. There are a lot of health myths that unfortunately pervade in the realm of health and Chris regularly addresses these on his highly popular  and wildly-popular  podcast. One area of specific interest to him is the subject of thyroid. Around 20 million Americans deal with some form of thyroid disease and yet it is left undiagnosed due to a variety of reasons. Yet there is a lot of confusion about thyroid conditions that we will hopefully have Chris help bring clarity to in this episode! LOW-CARB, GLUTEN-FREE CONDIMENTS MADE WITH STEVIVANOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast: Are there any dietary changes that will "treat" hypothyroid? There is a meme that has spread quickly to Paleo sites that low carb causes low T3, and is a cause of hypothyroidism. How can this be? My doc who treats hypothyroidism and insulin resistance had me do low carb, and it worked. How can low carb be both the cause and part of the solution? Someone has this wrong. What is going on? CRIS ASKS:I am a 53 year old female who had a Total Thyroidectomy four years ago due to thyroid cancer. My doctor keeps me just a smidgen "hyper" with Synthroid replacement medication to help the cancer not grow back. I have lost 50 pounds. In one year on a low carb diet, I feel great. But I have been stalled for two months now. I can't seem to lose any more weight. I need to lose 50 more. I know I need thyroid replacement meds but could this be the reason I can't seem to lose anymore? JENNIFER ASKS:Which is better--natural or synthetic thyroid hormone (like Synthroid) or a combination? PAUL ASKS:When I went zero carb Paleo, my T3 dropped out of the range and I needed to take antibiotics for a mouth abscess. I resumed carbs and gained back the weight I lost. I am now trying to drive down the carbs again. What can I do to ensure that my T3 remains ok. I am hypothyroid (take 100T4 + 20T3) and I was assessed a few years back by a former family doctor as having low adrenal function. Are adrenal and thyroid metabolism related and can a low adrenal state lead to a low T3? REGINA ASKS:What is your opinion of Jack Kruse's Leptin Reset Rx and Cold Thermogenesis on the thyroid? LAUREN ASKS:I underwent a total thyroidectomy in January of 2006 following a thyroid cancer diagnosis and will be on replacement T4 (Synthroid) for the rest of my life. Are there any modifications that those of us without a thyroid need to keep in mind when following a Paleo diet? JOSH ASKS:My wife had about 90% of her thyroid removed several years ago after undergoing a thyroid storm and goiter. She's on levothyroxin and we've switched over to a Paleo diet about two years ago, and she's pretty good with adherence, especially when it comes to avoiding wheat and grains. One of my real concerns is with her long term bone health due to the thyroid removal. She currently takes anywhere from 2000mg to 3500 mg of calcium each day to combat calcium loss from her bones. She takes 5000 IU of D3 daily, as well as K2 to help with proper absorption. Her blood calcium levels are usually high, but if she doesn't take the oral supplements she gets pain in her hands, wrists, and other joints. What supplements would you recommend for proper calcium absorption? What are some good blood markers you'd like to to indicate proper function? SHARON ASKS:Can you discuss the role of antibodies (AB), both blocking and stimulating, on thyroid health? When the typical thyroid labs appear "normal", could there be an AB issue occurring, causing the autoimmune response? DONNA ASKS:Since giving up soy milk and grains (including daily wheat germ) when I started on a low-carb regimen about a year ago, my arthritis symptoms have virtually disappeared, and my thyroid started working better (I was able to lower my dosage of levothyroxine slightly). During the same period, my osteopenia has progressed to osteoporosis. The latter may just be age, but what I want to know is, could the same root cause underlie co-existing hypothyroidism, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis? PAUL ASKS:My TSH increased from 3.86 a year ago to 5.23 last month. I have no hypothyroid symptoms but my doctor want to put me on levothyroxine. Does this make sense? Other relevant blood valuesT4 free 1.09T4 total 5.9T3 uptake 38TPO antibody: 19Total cholesterol increased from 197 to 215 over last year.T total 417T free 45Free T% - 1.1%SHBG 79.6 LAURA ASKS:I am a 42-year-old female who has been eating Primal/Paleo (low to moderate carb) for over one year now (after being a vegetarian and vegan for almost my ENTIRE life). I had my one and only child almost three years ago and lost all my baby weight (and then some) by changing my eating habits. I looked so much better after changing my lifestyle, but still had low thyroid symptoms (FREEZING cold, tired, digestion issues, etc) AND it was discovered I had near zero sex hormone production (estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone). Also, I had BEYOND low Free T3 and Free T4 (TSH was all over the place, but is now quite low). I was diagnosed with hypothyroid due to a pituitary disorder. I have been put on Estradiol, Prometrium, and a small amount of topical Androgel (testosterone). I have also been taking Armour. I have gained 30 pounds thus far. I am miserable. My questions are: Do you believe in supplementing with sex hormones or should the thyroid medication be sufficient? Would daily intermittent fasting be contraindicated for someone with issues like mine (or does this stress the adrenals too much)? I want to be HEALTHY. But I cannot lie, I am so OVER being overweight. I would love to find a healthy balance. STEVE ASKS:This question is about real thyroid health vs "health on paper" (good test results). I've been treated for hypothyroid, chronic fatigue, and insulin resistance since 2007, with good results. I see a top doctor that deals with all three and they use the so-called bio-identical T3, hormones like testosterone or progesterone cream, and a lot of supplements. I lost 120 pounds quickly and look much different. My blood work went from train wreck to awesome. Weight is normal enough and I feel fine, even though I have low calorie requirements now (about 1,400 a day, and I'm male 51, 5"8, 192 pounds) My question is how do I know if I get to a point where I'm spending a lot of money on meds and supplements and maybe need to back off and let the body take over? My doc wants to keep doing what has worked. Am I broke forever, or should I think about cutting back on supplements and hormones and let the body handle more? TIRIL FROM NORWAY ASKS:I am wondering if thyroid problems is the cause of hair thinning in a woman? Are there any other causes that should be investigated as well? And what can you do as a first intervention? JAN ASKS:What thyroid tests do you recommend when weight loss has stalled? (In my case TSH is elevated but the HMO will not test T3 or rT3--is it worth paying privately for those tests to have a more complete picture of what might be going on?) PAULA ASKS:Do you have any insight on what might cause thyroid nodules? (I have several, and biopsies show them to be non-cancerous at this time. One doctor recommends surgery; another says they are nothing to worry about)

10: 'All Things Thyroid (Thyroid 101)' with Chris Kresser

Jenny Ruhl

This week we shift gears a bit from our typical topics on “Ask The Low-Carb Experts” when we welcome a very popular blood sugar control advocate and outspoken health blogger  to the show. She appeared in earlier this year and raised some eyebrows amongst my listeners there with her frank messages about certain issues that can happen to people when they go on a carbohydrate-restricted diet as she outlined so beautifully in her latest book . The response to that podcast interview with Jenny was so overwhelming that I decided to invite her on ATCLX to field questions directly from my listeners about the topic “Overcoming The Problems With A Low-Carb Diet” which was sure to be one of the more controversial and most talked about episodes in the short history of this podcast! Get ready for an in-depth examination into what real-life low-carb living is all about.TRY THESE DELICIOUS NEW PRE-MADE PALEO MEALSUSE COUPON CODE “LLVLC” FOR 10% OFF YOUR ORDERNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: TRY THIS NEW LOW-CARB SNACK OPTION FROM NICK’S STICKS:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast:YVONNE ASKS:I have been eating a Paleo low-carb diet for over 18 months and as you can imagine I have had great success with it. Besides the weight loss I just started feeling better overall, sleeping better, working out better, you name it. I’ve always had a sweet tooth, but I find that in the past couple of months my sugar cravings are so intense that I have a hard time not giving in. I must have no willpower at all and will stuff my face with all kinds of sugary treats. I see the chocolate or ice cream and I just eat it. How is it possible that I still have such intense sugar cravings after all this time on the Paleo low-carb diet?DEBY ASKS:I am a 55-year old, 273-pound woman with Type 2 diabetes and an A1c of 5.6. I control my diabetes with a good grain-free, low-carb diet and no medications. My carb intake is around 20-30g daily and I don’t eat any added sugars or sugar substitutes. My calories generally fall between 1300-1600 daily and I track everything I consume to keep myself honest. I have had all kinds of tests run on myself and everything shows I’m good. However, I’ve been doing this since the beginning of the year and I just can’t lose weight. I’ve tested my ketones and they show I am not producing any. What am I doing wrong and what else can I do? I am very discouraged right now. My doctor recommended that I increase my calories to 2100 a day because I am so big, but in the first week of doing that I gained two more pounds. Needless to say I went back down to what I was doing previously. I tried asking about this on the Atkins diet forum and they told me that I MUST be doing something wrong which upset me because I have been doing everything exactly right. Believe me, I am not cheating or doing it wrong. Do you have any suggestions or help so that I don’t feel like the lone duck on an island.KIM ASKS:I’ve been following a low-carb eating plan for 3 1/2 months and can’t seem to lose more than 7-9 pounds all of which happened within the first seven weeks. I keep close track of what I eat, which ranges between 20-40g carbs per day, moderate protein (usually about 80-100g) and higher fat. My ratios are usually around 75% fat, 18% protein, 7% carb. I can’t figure out why I’m not losing weight. My carbs are coming mainly from vegetables and some processed meats. I tried increasing my fat and decreasing protein and I gained weight. I only tried this for about a week because the last thing I want to do is GAIN weight! I’m 5’6” and weigh 194 pounds, so it’s not like I don’t have extra weight to shed. I am 47 years old, and have been on medications for hypothyroid for 15 years. I’ve recently been diagnosed with iron-deficient anemia, but I don’t know if that has any bearing on this or not. I do use artificial sweeteners, but they do not seem to affect my blood glucose levels. I exercise by walking by dog about 45 minutes, 5 days a week. I kept track of my blood glucose levels for about 3 weeks trying to find out what the problem could be, but didn’t really know what I should be looking for. My fasting levels are about 91 each morning, and never went higher than 105 at any time that I tested, usually hovering between 83 and 93. When I fast for any length of time, I get extremely sleepy, so I don’t seem to be able to do well with that. I’m totally flummoxed and don’t know what to do. It’s very depressing to think I’ve avoided sugar and flour for almost four months and have lost hardly any weight at all. I know this is the best way to eat and plan on continuing to do so regardless. But I really want to lose weight in the process of eating healthier. Do you have any suggestions for me?BARB ASKS:I am a 44-year old pre-menopausal woman following a low carb diet as prescribed by Dr. Steve Phinney. That amounts to around 100g of protein daily, about 135g of good animal fats like butter, ghee, whole eggs and all cuts and types of meats, coconuts, olive oil and avocados. My carbs are kept around 20g total per day and are all from fibrous vegetables. I don’t eat any starchy vegetables and no fruit or sugar. My diet basically follows a Paleo template, so I know that I am not getting any hidden carbs in my meals as I simply do not eat anything processed. This works out to be close to 1800 calories per day as I precisely weigh and measure all of my food. I am not taking any medications and I feel well overall. My energy levels are really good and I have no signs of thyroid issues. I am doing CrossFit for exercise 2-3 times per week. In the first two weeks of low-carbing as described above, I lost 7 pounds. The next week I lost nothing. The next week I actually gained a pound. I realize that the scale is not the be all, end all. But I am hearing about all of these other people having wonderful results with a well-formulated low-carb diet–but it is not happening for me. Are there some people that low-carb diets simply do not work for? Perhaps the reason why I’m not losing weight is that I’m still eating too much at 1800 calories? My CrossFit workouts take a ton of energy so I can’t see myself feeling or performing well on much less food than this. Help!LEEANN ASKS:I have 20 more pounds I want to lose and am having a difficult time figuring out how to do it. There are experts that state that exercise is required, others say only lift weights and don’t do cardio; still others state that exercise isn’t required to lose weight. Some even say you have to decrease your calories or intermittent fast in order to lose weight. And there’s even those who say that even if you’re eating “low-carb” you can’t have certain foods (such as dairy) in order to lose weight. I’M SO CONFUSED! I currently eat until I’m satisfied enjoying my meats, eggs, cheese, heavy cream, and of course my veggies. I avoid grains, eat very low sugar (less than 15g daily), low-carb (less than 40g) every day and I have maintained my weight for 6 months without hunger, so I’m really happy about that. I am healthy as all my current metabolic health numbers look fabulous. How can I get most of that 20 pounds I have left to shed off my body?CRIS ASKS:I’m a 53-year old woman and I have lost 50 pounds on a low-carb diet over the past year and a half. I still need to lose 50 more pounds, but have been stalled out for nine months. I have great blood sugar, cholesterol and other key health markers thanks to my healthy low-carb way of life. I do still have high blood pressure, though, and have come to grips with the fact I may never lose all the weight that I want to. I just want to be healthy and OFF these blood pressure medications for good. But I feel like my blood pressure will not budge until I lose more weight. I have tried lowering my protein, increasing dietary fat and more–but nothing is working. Should I start counting calories now? How would I determine what level of calories a woman like me should be consuming?VINCENT ASKS:I have been eating low-carb for over a month but my morning fasting blood glucose level is still pretty high ranging from 97-111. This is the same that it was prior to starting my low-carb lifestyle. The rest of the day my blood sugar is pretty normal with numbers in the 80s. Do I need to be concerned about this?JANA ASKS:I’m a 34-year old, 5’4″ tall, 185-pound woman who just started a low-carb diet last week and I’ve already lost quite a bit of weight. However, at night when I lay down my joints in my shoulders and hips hurt. I felt this same way at the end of both of my pregnancies. Also, my lower back has been hurting which combined with the joint pain has made it difficult for me to get good sleep. Are toxins being released in my body making this happen and when will it stop?BEN ASKS:Whenever I go on a low-carb diet I pass through several phases. The first phase is the initial withdrawal from sugar and carbs. This can last up to two weeks for me, involving intense cravings, headaches and nausea. The second phase is when these withdrawal symptoms disappear and I enter into a state of mild euphoria in which I feel amazing. I am free from cravings, I have newfound energy and my mood elevates. I love the food choices I am eating and feel motivated. It’s the third phase that always slips me up and causes me difficulty. Usually after about one month or so into my low-carb way of eating, my cravings come back full force, which is odd because I am not doing anything drastically different. It feels as if I am constantly experiencing a blood sugar low (even though when I check my numbers they are right on target). This is also accompanied by growing boredom with my food choices. There are times when I wake up in the morning and I don’t eat for half the day because I am so bored with my food choices. I don’t want to break the diet, but I can’t stand eating bacon &amp; eggs or any other low-carb food choice. I just hit a motivational brick wall. I feel spent and can’t seem to go any further. I am completely burnt out. After a month or so of these feelings, I usually give up and binge on high-carb, sugary foods. Is there any way to avoid this combination of boredom, monotony and a return of sugar cravings? Have you heard of many other people who have gone through a similar pattern of experience with low-carb diets?DIANNE FROM THE UK ASKS:I have read your Diet 101 book and it seems that you are saying that not all low-carbers have to stick to around 50g net carbs or less daily. To clarify, are you saying that up to 100g or even 120g of carbs per day can still be ketogenic for some people? Or that not all low-carbers have to be ketogenic to gain the weight loss and heart health benefits of the low-carb lifestyle?LISA ASKS:I have noticed the following pattern happen a few times and I wanted to get your comments about it. After a couple days when my carbs are kept below 50g daily, I’ll lose a little bit of weight, but I will also feel a bit shaky kind of like I used to feel when I was hungry before going low-carb with obvious weakness and a faster heart rate that is gone by noon. Have you heard of this and is there some sort of correlation between having lost weight and the shaky feelings?CLAUDE ASKS:I have been on the low-carb diet off and on for years. While I believe in it I can’t seem to lose much weight on it. I do feel good while consuming less than 20g carbs a day. I believe my problem might be too much protein. I tend to eat about 16-20 ounces of meat a day. I currently weigh 350 pounds which is down from my all-time high of 440 pounds. I have lost 50 pounds over the past year, but my weight has stalled out for three months in a row. I drink a lot of diet soda, so maybe that’s preventing me from getting over the hump. Do you have any ideas for me?GRETA ASKS:I am reading your Diet 101 book and I have to say that while it’s not exactly an uplifting and encouraging work of prose, I definitely appreciate the honesty. Here is my issue: When I want to see if something I ate is going to work for me, how do I tell if it’s something I should keep eating? I read that I’m not supposed to use a scale and that testing my urine ketones with Ketostix is unreliable. So how do I tell if I should keep eating dairy or if stevia is okay for me, for example. If I weigh and I’m up from the day before, can I extrapolate that to mean something I did the day before didn’t work for me?JO ASKS:What is the true impact of low-carb and ketogenic diets on female reproductive hormones? I am someone who battles with estrogen dominance and these diets as well as intermittent fasting have all wreaked havoc with my hormones. My menstrual cycle becomes irregular and PMS symptoms were off the scale eating that way. I also found that my candida problems got worse on a ketogenic diet and my weight predictably increased. I also dealt with a nasty spell of constipation while on a very low-carb, ketogenic diet. Paul Jaminet talks about adding in small amounts of safe starch to help and this certainly worked for me. I follow a fairly strict Paleo diet protocol, so I don’t tend to eat a high-carb diet anyway–just a small amount of starchy veggies amounting to under 150g a day. And I consume plenty of good fats. I think there needs to be more education for women so they can work out how low-carb they can safely go without experiencing these adverse side effects. Have you seen this?MICHELLE FROM CANADA ASKS:I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes a couple of years ago and since have adopted a Paleo lifestyle for the past six months to stop any progression towards diabetes which runs in my family. I test daily and my fasting blood sugar numbers and they’re looking really good at around 74 in the mornings. Getting a blood glucose monitor has really helped me in figuring out which foods spike my sugars.My question is about something that Diane Kress from The Diabetes Miracle has talked about regarding the liver self-feeding every 5 hours so you need to space your meals in less than five hours intervals to prevent it from releasing glycogen on its own. I’ve read her book to try to learn more about this but haven’t seen this really addressed anywhere else and am wondering if it’s really a concern. I’d like to hear Jenny’s thoughts on this and if it is a concern, how often to eat and how much. I have done a couple of experiments testing my fasting blood glucose numbers first thing in the morning and then don’t eat anything until later in the day. When I check my numbers hourly throughout the morning while still fasting, I noticed that my glucose numbers gradually rise over the course of the morning. Is this because of what Diane Kress says about the liver’s self-feeding mechanism?

This week we shift gears a bit from our typical topics on “Ask The Low-Carb Experts” when we welcome a very popular blood sugar control advocate and outspoken health blogger  to the show. She appeared in earlier this year and raised some eyebrows amongst my listeners there with her frank messages about certain issues that can happen to people when they go on a carbohydrate-restricted diet as she outlined so beautifully in her latest book . The response to that podcast interview with Jenny was so overwhelming that I decided to invite her on ATCLX to field questions directly from my listeners about the topic “Overcoming The Problems With A Low-Carb Diet” which was sure to be one of the more controversial and most talked about episodes in the short history of this podcast! Get ready for an in-depth examination into what real-life low-carb living is all about. TRY THESE DELICIOUS NEW PRE-MADE PALEO MEALSUSE COUPON CODE “LLVLC” FOR 10% OFF YOUR ORDERNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  TRY THIS NEW LOW-CARB SNACK OPTION FROM NICK’S STICKS:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast: YVONNE ASKS:I have been eating a Paleo low-carb diet for over 18 months and as you can imagine I have had great success with it. Besides the weight loss I just started feeling better overall, sleeping better, working out better, you name it. I’ve always had a sweet tooth, but I find that in the past couple of months my sugar cravings are so intense that I have a hard time not giving in. I must have no willpower at all and will stuff my face with all kinds of sugary treats. I see the chocolate or ice cream and I just eat it. How is it possible that I still have such intense sugar cravings after all this time on the Paleo low-carb diet? DEBY ASKS:I am a 55-year old, 273-pound woman with Type 2 diabetes and an A1c of 5.6. I control my diabetes with a good grain-free, low-carb diet and no medications. My carb intake is around 20-30g daily and I don’t eat any added sugars or sugar substitutes. My calories generally fall between 1300-1600 daily and I track everything I consume to keep myself honest. I have had all kinds of tests run on myself and everything shows I’m good. However, I’ve been doing this since the beginning of the year and I just can’t lose weight. I’ve tested my ketones and they show I am not producing any. What am I doing wrong and what else can I do? I am very discouraged right now. My doctor recommended that I increase my calories to 2100 a day because I am so big, but in the first week of doing that I gained two more pounds. Needless to say I went back down to what I was doing previously. I tried asking about this on the Atkins diet forum and they told me that I MUST be doing something wrong which upset me because I have been doing everything exactly right. Believe me, I am not cheating or doing it wrong. Do you have any suggestions or help so that I don’t feel like the lone duck on an island. KIM ASKS:I’ve been following a low-carb eating plan for 3 1/2 months and can’t seem to lose more than 7-9 pounds all of which happened within the first seven weeks. I keep close track of what I eat, which ranges between 20-40g carbs per day, moderate protein (usually about 80-100g) and higher fat. My ratios are usually around 75% fat, 18% protein, 7% carb. I can’t figure out why I’m not losing weight. My carbs are coming mainly from vegetables and some processed meats. I tried increasing my fat and decreasing protein and I gained weight. I only tried this for about a week because the last thing I want to do is GAIN weight! I’m 5’6” and weigh 194 pounds, so it’s not like I don’t have extra weight to shed. I am 47 years old, and have been on medications for hypothyroid for 15 years. I’ve recently been diagnosed with iron-deficient anemia, but I don’t know if that has any bearing on this or not. I do use artificial sweeteners, but they do not seem to affect my blood glucose levels. I exercise by walking by dog about 45 minutes, 5 days a week. I kept track of my blood glucose levels for about 3 weeks trying to find out what the problem could be, but didn’t really know what I should be looking for. My fasting levels are about 91 each morning, and never went higher than 105 at any time that I tested, usually hovering between 83 and 93. When I fast for any length of time, I get extremely sleepy, so I don’t seem to be able to do well with that. I’m totally flummoxed and don’t know what to do. It’s very depressing to think I’ve avoided sugar and flour for almost four months and have lost hardly any weight at all. I know this is the best way to eat and plan on continuing to do so regardless. But I really want to lose weight in the process of eating healthier. Do you have any suggestions for me? BARB ASKS:I am a 44-year old pre-menopausal woman following a low carb diet as prescribed by Dr. Steve Phinney. That amounts to around 100g of protein daily, about 135g of good animal fats like butter, ghee, whole eggs and all cuts and types of meats, coconuts, olive oil and avocados. My carbs are kept around 20g total per day and are all from fibrous vegetables. I don’t eat any starchy vegetables and no fruit or sugar. My diet basically follows a Paleo template, so I know that I am not getting any hidden carbs in my meals as I simply do not eat anything processed. This works out to be close to 1800 calories per day as I precisely weigh and measure all of my food. I am not taking any medications and I feel well overall. My energy levels are really good and I have no signs of thyroid issues. I am doing CrossFit for exercise 2-3 times per week. In the first two weeks of low-carbing as described above, I lost 7 pounds. The next week I lost nothing. The next week I actually gained a pound. I realize that the scale is not the be all, end all. But I am hearing about all of these other people having wonderful results with a well-formulated low-carb diet–but it is not happening for me. Are there some people that low-carb diets simply do not work for? Perhaps the reason why I’m not losing weight is that I’m still eating too much at 1800 calories? My CrossFit workouts take a ton of energy so I can’t see myself feeling or performing well on much less food than this. Help! LEEANN ASKS:I have 20 more pounds I want to lose and am having a difficult time figuring out how to do it. There are experts that state that exercise is required, others say only lift weights and don’t do cardio; still others state that exercise isn’t required to lose weight. Some even say you have to decrease your calories or intermittent fast in order to lose weight. And there’s even those who say that even if you’re eating “low-carb” you can’t have certain foods (such as dairy) in order to lose weight. I’M SO CONFUSED! I currently eat until I’m satisfied enjoying my meats, eggs, cheese, heavy cream, and of course my veggies. I avoid grains, eat very low sugar (less than 15g daily), low-carb (less than 40g) every day and I have maintained my weight for 6 months without hunger, so I’m really happy about that. I am healthy as all my current metabolic health numbers look fabulous. How can I get most of that 20 pounds I have left to shed off my body? CRIS ASKS:I’m a 53-year old woman and I have lost 50 pounds on a low-carb diet over the past year and a half. I still need to lose 50 more pounds, but have been stalled out for nine months. I have great blood sugar, cholesterol and other key health markers thanks to my healthy low-carb way of life. I do still have high blood pressure, though, and have come to grips with the fact I may never lose all the weight that I want to. I just want to be healthy and OFF these blood pressure medications for good. But I feel like my blood pressure will not budge until I lose more weight. I have tried lowering my protein, increasing dietary fat and more–but nothing is working. Should I start counting calories now? How would I determine what level of calories a woman like me should be consuming? VINCENT ASKS:I have been eating low-carb for over a month but my morning fasting blood glucose level is still pretty high ranging from 97-111. This is the same that it was prior to starting my low-carb lifestyle. The rest of the day my blood sugar is pretty normal with numbers in the 80s. Do I need to be concerned about this? JANA ASKS:I’m a 34-year old, 5’4″ tall, 185-pound woman who just started a low-carb diet last week and I’ve already lost quite a bit of weight. However, at night when I lay down my joints in my shoulders and hips hurt. I felt this same way at the end of both of my pregnancies. Also, my lower back has been hurting which combined with the joint pain has made it difficult for me to get good sleep. Are toxins being released in my body making this happen and when will it stop? BEN ASKS:Whenever I go on a low-carb diet I pass through several phases. The first phase is the initial withdrawal from sugar and carbs. This can last up to two weeks for me, involving intense cravings, headaches and nausea. The second phase is when these withdrawal symptoms disappear and I enter into a state of mild euphoria in which I feel amazing. I am free from cravings, I have newfound energy and my mood elevates. I love the food choices I am eating and feel motivated. It’s the third phase that always slips me up and causes me difficulty. Usually after about one month or so into my low-carb way of eating, my cravings come back full force, which is odd because I am not doing anything drastically different. It feels as if I am constantly experiencing a blood sugar low (even though when I check my numbers they are right on target). This is also accompanied by growing boredom with my food choices. There are times when I wake up in the morning and I don’t eat for half the day because I am so bored with my food choices. I don’t want to break the diet, but I can’t stand eating bacon &amp; eggs or any other low-carb food choice. I just hit a motivational brick wall. I feel spent and can’t seem to go any further. I am completely burnt out. After a month or so of these feelings, I usually give up and binge on high-carb, sugary foods. Is there any way to avoid this combination of boredom, monotony and a return of sugar cravings? Have you heard of many other people who have gone through a similar pattern of experience with low-carb diets? DIANNE FROM THE UK ASKS:I have read your Diet 101 book and it seems that you are saying that not all low-carbers have to stick to around 50g net carbs or less daily. To clarify, are you saying that up to 100g or even 120g of carbs per day can still be ketogenic for some people? Or that not all low-carbers have to be ketogenic to gain the weight loss and heart health benefits of the low-carb lifestyle? LISA ASKS:I have noticed the following pattern happen a few times and I wanted to get your comments about it. After a couple days when my carbs are kept below 50g daily, I’ll lose a little bit of weight, but I will also feel a bit shaky kind of like I used to feel when I was hungry before going low-carb with obvious weakness and a faster heart rate that is gone by noon. Have you heard of this and is there some sort of correlation between having lost weight and the shaky feelings? CLAUDE ASKS:I have been on the low-carb diet off and on for years. While I believe in it I can’t seem to lose much weight on it. I do feel good while consuming less than 20g carbs a day. I believe my problem might be too much protein. I tend to eat about 16-20 ounces of meat a day. I currently weigh 350 pounds which is down from my all-time high of 440 pounds. I have lost 50 pounds over the past year, but my weight has stalled out for three months in a row. I drink a lot of diet soda, so maybe that’s preventing me from getting over the hump. Do you have any ideas for me? GRETA ASKS:I am reading your Diet 101 book and I have to say that while it’s not exactly an uplifting and encouraging work of prose, I definitely appreciate the honesty. Here is my issue: When I want to see if something I ate is going to work for me, how do I tell if it’s something I should keep eating? I read that I’m not supposed to use a scale and that testing my urine ketones with Ketostix is unreliable. So how do I tell if I should keep eating dairy or if stevia is okay for me, for example. If I weigh and I’m up from the day before, can I extrapolate that to mean something I did the day before didn’t work for me? JO ASKS:What is the true impact of low-carb and ketogenic diets on female reproductive hormones? I am someone who battles with estrogen dominance and these diets as well as intermittent fasting have all wreaked havoc with my hormones. My menstrual cycle becomes irregular and PMS symptoms were off the scale eating that way. I also found that my candida problems got worse on a ketogenic diet and my weight predictably increased. I also dealt with a nasty spell of constipation while on a very low-carb, ketogenic diet. Paul Jaminet talks about adding in small amounts of safe starch to help and this certainly worked for me. I follow a fairly strict Paleo diet protocol, so I don’t tend to eat a high-carb diet anyway–just a small amount of starchy veggies amounting to under 150g a day. And I consume plenty of good fats. I think there needs to be more education for women so they can work out how low-carb they can safely go without experiencing these adverse side effects. Have you seen this? MICHELLE FROM CANADA ASKS:I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes a couple of years ago and since have adopted a Paleo lifestyle for the past six months to stop any progression towards diabetes which runs in my family. I test daily and my fasting blood sugar numbers and they’re looking really good at around 74 in the mornings. Getting a blood glucose monitor has really helped me in figuring out which foods spike my sugars. My question is about something that Diane Kress from The Diabetes Miracle has talked about regarding the liver self-feeding every 5 hours so you need to space your meals in less than five hours intervals to prevent it from releasing glycogen on its own. I’ve read her book to try to learn more about this but haven’t seen this really addressed anywhere else and am wondering if it’s really a concern. I’d like to hear Jenny’s thoughts on this and if it is a concern, how often to eat and how much. I have done a couple of experiments testing my fasting blood glucose numbers first thing in the morning and then don’t eat anything until later in the day. When I check my numbers hourly throughout the morning while still fasting, I noticed that my glucose numbers gradually rise over the course of the morning. Is this because of what Diane Kress says about the liver’s self-feeding mechanism?

27: Jenny Ruhl | Overcoming The Problems With A Low-Carb Diet

Fred Hahn

These days, exercise has been relegated to forcing yourself to hop on a treadmill for 30-60 minutes a day or engage in rigorous weight lifting as a means for losing weight and getting stronger. But what if you could get the benefits of cardiovascular exercise AND resistance training in just 15-20 minutes a WEEK? That's precisely what New York slow lifting fitness expert Fred Hahn prescribes for his clients and what he has outlined in his outstanding book entitled  co-written with Drs. Mike and Mary Dan Eades. He's also written a follow-up book for teaching children the benefits of proper strength training called . This week's topic is "All Things Slow Lifting (Slow Burn 101)." Have you ever wanted to know why lifting at a slower pace less frequently is preferred over traditional weight lifting at a faster speed and more often? Fred Hahn is the man to answer YOUR questions about it!TRY THESE DELICIOUS NEW PRE-MADE PALEO MEALSUSE COUPON CODE "LLVLC" FOR 10% OFF YOUR ORDERNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast:WILLIAM ASKS:I have been doing Slow Burn-style lifting since June 2012. I feel that I have been going to failure and then adding 10 seconds. I always feel spent after a workout of 5-8 different exercises. I started out doing 2 workouts per week and have now decreased to 1 workout weekly. My problem is I am not seeing the gains I would like to see in either my strength or appearance. I don't think anyone can tell I've been working out out based on my appearance. I still have a fair amount of body fat but even in the areas where there is little body fat I don't see great improvements. I am currently following a low-carb diet and have lost over 100 pounds. I still need to lose another 75 pounds to be at goal weight. What's going on here?I noticed something and I wanted to ask Fred about it. I know that Ken Hutchins said that the range of time for lifting can be between 6-15 seconds and that 10 seconds is just a good round number. But I have noticed that when I decrease my time to around 6-7 seconds both positive and negative I enjoy lifting so much more. This is purely subjective but there is something about making myself go to 10 seconds that takes the "fun" out of lifting and makes it more like work. Have you heard of this before and is there a good explanation for why I do better at the shorter times than the longer ones?PHILIS ASKS:What is Fred's personal exercise regimen per week? Surely he does more than one 15-20 minute resistance training session a week. And why does he not like the power plate for muscle building exercises?FORTUNE ASKS:I've been lifting slow for just about a year and I really enjoy it--certainly much more than I thought I would. Being really out of shape at the beginning, I could barely leg press 95 pounds. Now I've been doing 300 pounds for the past month. But I feel like I'm stuck at 300 and want to know what I need to do to break through 300. I've set a personal mini-goal of 320 pounds for myself and would like to get there soon. What's the best way to do it? My trainer says to just be patient, but is it going to take a while to build up the strength?RICHARD ASKS:I am in the Navy and I am looking for suggestions for a Slow Burn approach to getting ready for an upcoming Navy fitness test. For the past four months I have been doing the Big 5 workout from the Body By Science program and I have been seeing terrific results in my strength. My upcoming test is about 8 weeks away and will require me to do as many sit-ups as I can in two minutes followed by as many pushups as I can in two minutes followed by 12 minutes of maximum effort on a stationary bike. I am having a hard time balancing my current strength program with preparing specifically for this test and still getting enough rest days to maximize recovery. I am considering putting the Body By Science program I've been doing on hold until after the test and instead working on pushups and sit-ups in a super slow manner and the bike test full out about once per week. Does this sound like a good approach or do you have any other suggestions?My wife has also been doing a High Intensity, Super Slow workout program for the last few months. Recently we found out she is pregnant. We have read that this is a good routine for someone who is with child, but do you have any specific recommendations both for how to approach her workout now and as the weeks go on? And are there any things we should be concerned about or things we should watch out for to make sure she and the baby are safe?PETER ASKS:I'm a 41-year-old pretty skinny dude who is 6 feet tall. How do I put more meat on my bones? I've never done any kind of weight training before and I don't have access to a gym.DEANNA ASKS:Would the slow lifting technique work for someone who is brand new to exercise? And what kind of results have you seen with women?LISA ASKS:I do Slow Burn at the gym two days a week during my lunch hour. Many of my colleagues do not eat before they workout but I always have part of my lunch before engaging in exercise. I think part of it is my fear of being weak and hungry reminding me of my pre-low-carb days but I think the other part is that I feel stronger. However, after a workout I am a bit shaky for about 30 minutes and not hungry until about an hour later when I'm able to finish the rest of my lunch. Do you think I should eat my entire lunch before my workout? What is your favorite pre- and post-workout snack or meal?SCOTT ASKS:Fred, I know you're an opponent of kettlebell training. I'd love to hear what your arguments are for this. Is it strictly because there are better ways to get similar results or due to a high-level of perceived injury risk? I think the former is very subjective and anecdotal, but I'd like to hear your thoughts. As for the injury risk, what if you're someone with vast experience in kettlebell training or someone working with an RKC certified instructor? I tend to think kettlebell training is something, when done right and with the appropriate weight and periodization, is something people really enjoy and can get legitimate results from. What are your thoughts?AMBERLY ASKS:I have four kids under the age of 7 and my time is really tight. I can either drive my son to school or take 30 minutes to walk with him. If I HAD to choose, which would be a better use of my time for me and my family: walking my child to school or doing the resistance training? I know I should do both, but what if I can ONLY do one?JONATHAN ASKS:How do you figure out the level of your starting weight on a Slow Burn lifting routine? I read a recommendation of 80% of maximum in Body by Science, but I have no clue what my maximum is so that doesn't really help me.KIM ASKS:I'd like to know the best way to get going again with lifting weights. I personally have muscular/skeletal issues from sitting at a desk all day and I get easily tired and sore.DAVID ASKS:Can you ask Fred to touch on why a person should do the concentric and eccentric portion of the exercise as opposed to doing each one only. There seems to be proponents of doing only the eccentric portion, so what gives? Also, how would you go about learning how to become certified in your Slow Burn technique to help train others?JUNE ASKS:After listening to previous interviews with you about Slow Burn, I've decided to change to weight training using one very slow set of 10-12 reps for each lift. It takes me about 20 minutes to complete my upper body. Do you dedicate the next day for lower body then following day to repeat the upper body? I still walk in the pool to get full step motion and to do back, chest, and neck stretches but I have cut my time in the pool down from 1 hour to 30 minutes which has helped me get more done in my day.CHARLES ASKS:I have been doing slow lifting one set to failure a la Doug McGuff's Body By Science for about 3-4 weeks now. It's experimental for me to see if I can make muscle gains with this way of lifting. Currently I'm doing one day of slow lifting, one day of sprints, one day of body weight exercises including pushups, pull-ups, air squats and planks, and one day I run a mile with the goal of getting my mile time down to around 7:30, then add distance until I can comfortably run a 5k. I am a 25 year old, 5'10" and about 150 pound man with around 12-15% body fat looking to get to single digits. I eat strict Paleo and have recently cut out fruits opting instead for eating meats and veggies to keep my total sugar intake down. My primary goal is to lean out and then gain 15-20 pounds of muscle in the next year or so. I'm wondering whether these are realistic goals with that type of training protocol? How do you compare slow lifting one set to failure to something like Wendler's 5/3/1 program? And which would you say is better for long-term strength gains?

These days, exercise has been relegated to forcing yourself to hop on a treadmill for 30-60 minutes a day or engage in rigorous weight lifting as a means for losing weight and getting stronger. But what if you could get the benefits of cardiovascular exercise AND resistance training in just 15-20 minutes a WEEK? That's precisely what New York slow lifting fitness expert Fred Hahn prescribes for his clients and what he has outlined in his outstanding book entitled  co-written with Drs. Mike and Mary Dan Eades. He's also written a follow-up book for teaching children the benefits of proper strength training called . This week's topic is "All Things Slow Lifting (Slow Burn 101)." Have you ever wanted to know why lifting at a slower pace less frequently is preferred over traditional weight lifting at a faster speed and more often? Fred Hahn is the man to answer YOUR questions about it! TRY THESE DELICIOUS NEW PRE-MADE PALEO MEALSUSE COUPON CODE "LLVLC" FOR 10% OFF YOUR ORDERNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast: WILLIAM ASKS:I have been doing Slow Burn-style lifting since June 2012. I feel that I have been going to failure and then adding 10 seconds. I always feel spent after a workout of 5-8 different exercises. I started out doing 2 workouts per week and have now decreased to 1 workout weekly. My problem is I am not seeing the gains I would like to see in either my strength or appearance. I don't think anyone can tell I've been working out out based on my appearance. I still have a fair amount of body fat but even in the areas where there is little body fat I don't see great improvements. I am currently following a low-carb diet and have lost over 100 pounds. I still need to lose another 75 pounds to be at goal weight. What's going on here? I noticed something and I wanted to ask Fred about it. I know that Ken Hutchins said that the range of time for lifting can be between 6-15 seconds and that 10 seconds is just a good round number. But I have noticed that when I decrease my time to around 6-7 seconds both positive and negative I enjoy lifting so much more. This is purely subjective but there is something about making myself go to 10 seconds that takes the "fun" out of lifting and makes it more like work. Have you heard of this before and is there a good explanation for why I do better at the shorter times than the longer ones? PHILIS ASKS:What is Fred's personal exercise regimen per week? Surely he does more than one 15-20 minute resistance training session a week. And why does he not like the power plate for muscle building exercises? FORTUNE ASKS:I've been lifting slow for just about a year and I really enjoy it--certainly much more than I thought I would. Being really out of shape at the beginning, I could barely leg press 95 pounds. Now I've been doing 300 pounds for the past month. But I feel like I'm stuck at 300 and want to know what I need to do to break through 300. I've set a personal mini-goal of 320 pounds for myself and would like to get there soon. What's the best way to do it? My trainer says to just be patient, but is it going to take a while to build up the strength? RICHARD ASKS:I am in the Navy and I am looking for suggestions for a Slow Burn approach to getting ready for an upcoming Navy fitness test. For the past four months I have been doing the Big 5 workout from the Body By Science program and I have been seeing terrific results in my strength. My upcoming test is about 8 weeks away and will require me to do as many sit-ups as I can in two minutes followed by as many pushups as I can in two minutes followed by 12 minutes of maximum effort on a stationary bike. I am having a hard time balancing my current strength program with preparing specifically for this test and still getting enough rest days to maximize recovery. I am considering putting the Body By Science program I've been doing on hold until after the test and instead working on pushups and sit-ups in a super slow manner and the bike test full out about once per week. Does this sound like a good approach or do you have any other suggestions? My wife has also been doing a High Intensity, Super Slow workout program for the last few months. Recently we found out she is pregnant. We have read that this is a good routine for someone who is with child, but do you have any specific recommendations both for how to approach her workout now and as the weeks go on? And are there any things we should be concerned about or things we should watch out for to make sure she and the baby are safe? PETER ASKS:I'm a 41-year-old pretty skinny dude who is 6 feet tall. How do I put more meat on my bones? I've never done any kind of weight training before and I don't have access to a gym. DEANNA ASKS:Would the slow lifting technique work for someone who is brand new to exercise? And what kind of results have you seen with women? LISA ASKS:I do Slow Burn at the gym two days a week during my lunch hour. Many of my colleagues do not eat before they workout but I always have part of my lunch before engaging in exercise. I think part of it is my fear of being weak and hungry reminding me of my pre-low-carb days but I think the other part is that I feel stronger. However, after a workout I am a bit shaky for about 30 minutes and not hungry until about an hour later when I'm able to finish the rest of my lunch. Do you think I should eat my entire lunch before my workout? What is your favorite pre- and post-workout snack or meal? SCOTT ASKS:Fred, I know you're an opponent of kettlebell training. I'd love to hear what your arguments are for this. Is it strictly because there are better ways to get similar results or due to a high-level of perceived injury risk? I think the former is very subjective and anecdotal, but I'd like to hear your thoughts. As for the injury risk, what if you're someone with vast experience in kettlebell training or someone working with an RKC certified instructor? I tend to think kettlebell training is something, when done right and with the appropriate weight and periodization, is something people really enjoy and can get legitimate results from. What are your thoughts? AMBERLY ASKS:I have four kids under the age of 7 and my time is really tight. I can either drive my son to school or take 30 minutes to walk with him. If I HAD to choose, which would be a better use of my time for me and my family: walking my child to school or doing the resistance training? I know I should do both, but what if I can ONLY do one? JONATHAN ASKS:How do you figure out the level of your starting weight on a Slow Burn lifting routine? I read a recommendation of 80% of maximum in Body by Science, but I have no clue what my maximum is so that doesn't really help me. KIM ASKS:I'd like to know the best way to get going again with lifting weights. I personally have muscular/skeletal issues from sitting at a desk all day and I get easily tired and sore. DAVID ASKS:Can you ask Fred to touch on why a person should do the concentric and eccentric portion of the exercise as opposed to doing each one only. There seems to be proponents of doing only the eccentric portion, so what gives? Also, how would you go about learning how to become certified in your Slow Burn technique to help train others? JUNE ASKS:After listening to previous interviews with you about Slow Burn, I've decided to change to weight training using one very slow set of 10-12 reps for each lift. It takes me about 20 minutes to complete my upper body. Do you dedicate the next day for lower body then following day to repeat the upper body? I still walk in the pool to get full step motion and to do back, chest, and neck stretches but I have cut my time in the pool down from 1 hour to 30 minutes which has helped me get more done in my day. CHARLES ASKS:I have been doing slow lifting one set to failure a la Doug McGuff's Body By Science for about 3-4 weeks now. It's experimental for me to see if I can make muscle gains with this way of lifting. Currently I'm doing one day of slow lifting, one day of sprints, one day of body weight exercises including pushups, pull-ups, air squats and planks, and one day I run a mile with the goal of getting my mile time down to around 7:30, then add distance until I can comfortably run a 5k. I am a 25 year old, 5'10" and about 150 pound man with around 12-15% body fat looking to get to single digits. I eat strict Paleo and have recently cut out fruits opting instead for eating meats and veggies to keep my total sugar intake down. My primary goal is to lean out and then gain 15-20 pounds of muscle in the next year or so. I'm wondering whether these are realistic goals with that type of training protocol? How do you compare slow lifting one set to failure to something like Wendler's 5/3/1 program? And which would you say is better for long-term strength gains?

25: All Things Slow Lifting (Slow Burn 101) | Fred Hahn

Cassandra Forsythe

Fitness and nutrition expert Dr. Cassandra Forsythe is highly-qualified to discuss the topic of low-carbing women and weight lifting. With a PhD in Exercise Science and Nutrition from the University of Connecticut (under the tutelage of ) and a Registered Dietitian (RD), Cassandra has the educational background to address this critically important subject that is far too often misunderstood. Additionally, she’s a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and a Certified Sports Nutritionist (CISSN) which means there’s experience there to back up her book knowledge. She owns and operates the gym Fitness Revolution Vernon in Vernon, CT which in March 2012 won a Readers’ Choice contest for “Best Place to Work Out” in that area. Cassandra is well-known for her expertise in low-carbohydrate diets, nutrition for fat loss, and all aspects of female health which is why she addressed your questions on this topic. I had her as a guest in  a few years back and we were happy to have her here with us to talk about low-carbing women and weight loss.ENTER TO WIN PRIZES IN JIMMY’S BLOGIVERSARY GIVEAWAY:LOW-CARB, GLUTEN-FREE CONDIMENTS MADE WITH STEVIVANOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast:SANDY ASKS:Where does a woman begin when embarking on a weight lifting program if they have never done it before? How many days per week should they lift? What about the machines for resistance training at the gym?CAROL ASKS:I keep reading that if I don’t want to lose muscle mass, I must lift weights. But I want to know if you can do more than simply “not lose” muscle. I want to put on muscle! I have lifted weights pretty regularly over the years, and I feel pretty strong. But at age 60, what is a reasonable amount of muscle that I can put on?MINDY ASKS:I’d be curious to know your guests’ opinion on working out either with weights or HIIT-style when adrenal issues are in play. I’m 45 years old, have Hashimoto’s, constantly struggling with anemia, low hemoglobin &amp; other CBC markers, etc. Cortisol saliva tests shows low levels in the AM and high in the PM. Under doctor’s care for all of these issues. My diet is low-carb Paleo with daily dose of sweet potato or starch at the evening meal. Body composition is approximately 20-30 pounds overweight.Would it be better in the short-term to put aside the higher intensity and maybe focus on walking or yoga? If it’s OK to continue with the HIIT (I do 3x per week kettlebells/TRX), is it important to do at a particular time of the day to optimize energy?PHILIS ASKS:For those of us who could write the book “I Hate To Exercise,” here are some questions:- How beneficial would 5-7 high intensity (1 Minute) intervals be?- Is it effective to strength train just doing 2 or 3 reps in the evenings most days? I am one of those with wobbly upper arms that drives me crazy &amp; have not seen much benefit even with a trainer.- There is slow burn and fast sets in lifting weights. Is it just a matter of what someone is willing to do and enjoys?ASHLEY ASKS:How often do you come across female low carb and/or Paleo weight lifters who lose their menstrual cycle? What advice would you give them to get their cycle back? Especially for someone one who is trying to get pregnant. Would you suggest they up their carbs? Try to up their calorie intake? Would you suggest they exercise less, even though they might not seem to be over exercising to begin with? Or would you tell them to stop exercising all together? How long does it normally take a woman to get her cycle back once back on track?KAT ASKS:I am a 53 year old woman, basically healthy, active, but overweight. I want to lose fat, and keep my bones healthy. What do you think about taking Creatine? How do you feel about P90X and Insanity type DVD courses or can you recommend a different one? And of course, we all want to know – can one build muscle, lose fat, and get fit on a very very low carb diet?PETER ASKS:I’ve experimented heavily with ketogenic and cyclic ketogenic diets over the last two years and have been trying to make low-carb work together with my love off CrossFit. My problem is that when I do a straight low-carb diet (~50g/day from green vegetables) after about two weeks I feel very sluggish while trying to do high energy workouts, yet when I try to do a carbohydrate “refeed” I end up turning on the compulsive switch and losing control of my intake. Is there a point at which becoming keto-adapted will allow me to do high energy CrossFit style workouts without feeling like I have no gas in the tank?JENNY ASKS:I am 39 years old and overweight with PCOS and a lot of stubborn belly fat. I have been “slow-burning” for several years. I go to a gym that focuses on this type of weightlifting. My trainer claims that I can lift a lot of weight for a female. My muscle mass is pretty big for a woman. I have defined hamstrings and calves and I have big muscles underneath my fat on my upper body. I’m trying to lose weight eating low carb; it’s just stubborn or I am not doing something right.Now that you have my background, my question is about muscle fatigue. If I try to ride my bike or go for long walks, my muscles tire right away and I get winded easily. When I was younger and thinner and played sports, I dealt with the same story. Big strong muscles, terrible endurance. I sort of thought by weightlifting I could help my other conditioning a bit. Should weightlifting help at all with conditioning, or is something else going on with me?GRETA ASKS:Given my size, I am not comfortable doing floor work, so I wonder if you could give me some suggestions for abdominal exercises that I can do standing up?AMY ASKS:I absolutely LOVE to lift weights! Would lifting help with fat loss (I have about 60 pounds to lose)? I am more concerned with inches than the number on the scale…more concerned with sizes in my clothing!FORTUNE ASKS:I read a lot about L-Carnitine for lifting. I prefer to get my nutrition from real low-carb foods. And yet I wonder if extra L-Carnitine would help? I see it comes in pill form and in liquid mixed with glycerine. I worry about glycerine because it has carbs and a lot of calories. If L-Carnitine would help, what form should I take it in, when should I take it, and how often? Just before lifting or every day? How much? If L-Carnitine doesn’t help, are there other things I should be taking to support my lifting goals?ORE (pronounced “Aray”) ASKS:I am 29 years old, and I’ve recently taken up heavy lifting, after years of chronic cardio with little to no success in weight loss. I’ve got about 40 lbs to lose, and am hoping that a combination of HIIT and heavy lifting will help with weight loss. I’m wondering if there are any supplements that Cassandra could recommend in connection with weight loss efforts and/or lifting weights. Does she have any top recommendations, or even particular brands of supplements that she like?SUSAN ASKS:I have a question about body composition. I think I am at a good weight – 5 ft tall, 102 pounds. But I look in the mirror and I see two bodies. The one above the waist shows muscle tone and looks good. Then I look below the waist. I have great muscle in my butt/thighs but it is buried behind that subcutaneous fat. I have never had belly fat, always a pear shape. I gave up grains about 4-5 months ago and drastically reduced sugar which has helped – my lower body is in much better proportion and the look of cellulite is greatly reduced, which was a nice surprise. But how do you ever get rid of that hip/butt/thigh flab? I already lift weights, walk, bike, roller blade – whatever comes my way. Is there any hope for us women in this area? Does this just take time? Can you offer any strategies to help burn that fat? BTW – I was never athletic as a kid which I believe has something to do with it. I never had lean good looking legs so there is nothing to go back to. Exercise for me did not come until adulthood – and consistent weight lifting came in my 40s. I am in the best shape I have ever been in.BOB ASKS:What are some specific differences in challenges that you see with the female population and low-carb-resistance training compared to men, if any? What are some specific advantages women have over men in terms of low-carbohydrate diets and weight lifting, if any?

Fitness and nutrition expert Dr. Cassandra Forsythe is highly-qualified to discuss the topic of low-carbing women and weight lifting. With a PhD in Exercise Science and Nutrition from the University of Connecticut (under the tutelage of ) and a Registered Dietitian (RD), Cassandra has the educational background to address this critically important subject that is far too often misunderstood. Additionally, she’s a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and a Certified Sports Nutritionist (CISSN) which means there’s experience there to back up her book knowledge. She owns and operates the gym Fitness Revolution Vernon in Vernon, CT which in March 2012 won a Readers’ Choice contest for “Best Place to Work Out” in that area. Cassandra is well-known for her expertise in low-carbohydrate diets, nutrition for fat loss, and all aspects of female health which is why she addressed your questions on this topic. I had her as a guest in  a few years back and we were happy to have her here with us to talk about low-carbing women and weight loss. ENTER TO WIN PRIZES IN JIMMY’S BLOGIVERSARY GIVEAWAY:LOW-CARB, GLUTEN-FREE CONDIMENTS MADE WITH STEVIVANOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast: SANDY ASKS:Where does a woman begin when embarking on a weight lifting program if they have never done it before? How many days per week should they lift? What about the machines for resistance training at the gym? CAROL ASKS:I keep reading that if I don’t want to lose muscle mass, I must lift weights. But I want to know if you can do more than simply “not lose” muscle. I want to put on muscle! I have lifted weights pretty regularly over the years, and I feel pretty strong. But at age 60, what is a reasonable amount of muscle that I can put on? MINDY ASKS:I’d be curious to know your guests’ opinion on working out either with weights or HIIT-style when adrenal issues are in play. I’m 45 years old, have Hashimoto’s, constantly struggling with anemia, low hemoglobin &amp; other CBC markers, etc. Cortisol saliva tests shows low levels in the AM and high in the PM. Under doctor’s care for all of these issues. My diet is low-carb Paleo with daily dose of sweet potato or starch at the evening meal. Body composition is approximately 20-30 pounds overweight. Would it be better in the short-term to put aside the higher intensity and maybe focus on walking or yoga? If it’s OK to continue with the HIIT (I do 3x per week kettlebells/TRX), is it important to do at a particular time of the day to optimize energy? PHILIS ASKS:For those of us who could write the book “I Hate To Exercise,” here are some questions: - How beneficial would 5-7 high intensity (1 Minute) intervals be? - Is it effective to strength train just doing 2 or 3 reps in the evenings most days? I am one of those with wobbly upper arms that drives me crazy &amp; have not seen much benefit even with a trainer. - There is slow burn and fast sets in lifting weights. Is it just a matter of what someone is willing to do and enjoys? ASHLEY ASKS:How often do you come across female low carb and/or Paleo weight lifters who lose their menstrual cycle? What advice would you give them to get their cycle back? Especially for someone one who is trying to get pregnant. Would you suggest they up their carbs? Try to up their calorie intake? Would you suggest they exercise less, even though they might not seem to be over exercising to begin with? Or would you tell them to stop exercising all together? How long does it normally take a woman to get her cycle back once back on track? KAT ASKS:I am a 53 year old woman, basically healthy, active, but overweight. I want to lose fat, and keep my bones healthy. What do you think about taking Creatine? How do you feel about P90X and Insanity type DVD courses or can you recommend a different one? And of course, we all want to know – can one build muscle, lose fat, and get fit on a very very low carb diet? PETER ASKS:I’ve experimented heavily with ketogenic and cyclic ketogenic diets over the last two years and have been trying to make low-carb work together with my love off CrossFit. My problem is that when I do a straight low-carb diet (~50g/day from green vegetables) after about two weeks I feel very sluggish while trying to do high energy workouts, yet when I try to do a carbohydrate “refeed” I end up turning on the compulsive switch and losing control of my intake. Is there a point at which becoming keto-adapted will allow me to do high energy CrossFit style workouts without feeling like I have no gas in the tank? JENNY ASKS:I am 39 years old and overweight with PCOS and a lot of stubborn belly fat. I have been “slow-burning” for several years. I go to a gym that focuses on this type of weightlifting. My trainer claims that I can lift a lot of weight for a female. My muscle mass is pretty big for a woman. I have defined hamstrings and calves and I have big muscles underneath my fat on my upper body. I’m trying to lose weight eating low carb; it’s just stubborn or I am not doing something right. Now that you have my background, my question is about muscle fatigue. If I try to ride my bike or go for long walks, my muscles tire right away and I get winded easily. When I was younger and thinner and played sports, I dealt with the same story. Big strong muscles, terrible endurance. I sort of thought by weightlifting I could help my other conditioning a bit. Should weightlifting help at all with conditioning, or is something else going on with me? GRETA ASKS:Given my size, I am not comfortable doing floor work, so I wonder if you could give me some suggestions for abdominal exercises that I can do standing up? AMY ASKS:I absolutely LOVE to lift weights! Would lifting help with fat loss (I have about 60 pounds to lose)? I am more concerned with inches than the number on the scale…more concerned with sizes in my clothing! FORTUNE ASKS:I read a lot about L-Carnitine for lifting. I prefer to get my nutrition from real low-carb foods. And yet I wonder if extra L-Carnitine would help? I see it comes in pill form and in liquid mixed with glycerine. I worry about glycerine because it has carbs and a lot of calories. If L-Carnitine would help, what form should I take it in, when should I take it, and how often? Just before lifting or every day? How much? If L-Carnitine doesn’t help, are there other things I should be taking to support my lifting goals? ORE (pronounced “Aray”) ASKS:I am 29 years old, and I’ve recently taken up heavy lifting, after years of chronic cardio with little to no success in weight loss. I’ve got about 40 lbs to lose, and am hoping that a combination of HIIT and heavy lifting will help with weight loss. I’m wondering if there are any supplements that Cassandra could recommend in connection with weight loss efforts and/or lifting weights. Does she have any top recommendations, or even particular brands of supplements that she like? SUSAN ASKS:I have a question about body composition. I think I am at a good weight – 5 ft tall, 102 pounds. But I look in the mirror and I see two bodies. The one above the waist shows muscle tone and looks good. Then I look below the waist. I have great muscle in my butt/thighs but it is buried behind that subcutaneous fat. I have never had belly fat, always a pear shape. I gave up grains about 4-5 months ago and drastically reduced sugar which has helped – my lower body is in much better proportion and the look of cellulite is greatly reduced, which was a nice surprise. But how do you ever get rid of that hip/butt/thigh flab? I already lift weights, walk, bike, roller blade – whatever comes my way. Is there any hope for us women in this area? Does this just take time? Can you offer any strategies to help burn that fat? BTW – I was never athletic as a kid which I believe has something to do with it. I never had lean good looking legs so there is nothing to go back to. Exercise for me did not come until adulthood – and consistent weight lifting came in my 40s. I am in the best shape I have ever been in. BOB ASKS:What are some specific differences in challenges that you see with the female population and low-carb-resistance training compared to men, if any? What are some specific advantages women have over men in terms of low-carbohydrate diets and weight lifting, if any?

13: ‘Low-Carbing Women & Weight Lifting’ | Dr. Cassandra Forsythe

William Davis

Episode 3 of “Jimmy Moore Presents: Ask The Low-Carb Experts” features Dr. William Davis, M.D. who is the author of the New York Times bestselling book . Dr. Davis is a preventive cardiologist whose unique approach to nutrition (that is unlike what most of his fellow heart doctors are using) allows him to advocate for reversal, not just prevention, of heart disease. He is the founder of the Track Your Plaque program and lives in the state of Wisconsin.Dr. Davis has been on the cusp of identifying the key causes of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease for well over a decade with his examination into the negative impact of consuming “healthy whole grains” that became the central focus of his long-awaited book released in August 2011. Dr. Davis was a special guest speaker on The 3rd Annual Low-Carb Cruise discussing his work promoting heart health through prevention with the use of an inexpensive CT Heart Scan test and he will be one of the featured guest speakers on the May 2012  sharing more about this in a lecture entitled “The Great Whole Grain Caper.” But he’s gonna be with us here on ATLCX and your questions are invited and welcomed!Here are some of the questions we addressed in this episode:REESE ASKS:I would love to know from Dr William Davis what his thoughts are on grains other than wheat e.g. 100% rye or spelt bread. Does he think that these are as harmful as wheat? I would also like to know if he knows anything about wheat production/modification in parts of the world other than the USA. I am from Sydney Australia and don’t know if our wheat is just as modified and dangerous.PETER ASKS:I’d like to ask Dr. William Davis if he knows of other doctors who agree with him about wheat and its harmful effects on health, or is he a “lone crusader”?KATHY ASKS:I intellectually accept and agree with everything in your book and have stopped eating wheat (all grains) a couple of years ago. But it’s hard to stay motivated when eating wheat does not give me any symptom that I can feel or see. If a person has no symptoms — please explain the adverse effects that may be happening anyway. Or do they take many years to show up?TORI ASKS:I’ve heard from people like Elizabeth Hasselbeck that only 5% of the population has a wheat sensitivity and yet there are others like Dr. Daniel Chong who say that it is near 85%. I would love to hear Dr. Davis’ thoughts on this.KIM ASKS:Thank Dr. Davis for the great work you did on Wheat Belly. It was a fascinating read, and it has helped me better understand why avoiding wheat (especially modern wheat) is optimal. My question is about rice. I eat a primal diet that includes a small amount of white rice from time to time (no more than 1 cup cooked per week). I have a few friends that eat more of a WAPF diet and enjoy soaked brown rice as part of their diet. They tell me that soaking the brown rice removes a lot of the anti-nutrients, making soaked brown rice a healthier alternative to white rice because it contains fiber and other nutrients. I’m just wondering, if properly/traditionally prepared, whether or not brown rice would be a better option than white rice in those rare occasions I indulge in eating this grain.SARAH ASKS:I’ve always struggled with my weight and food addiction. The only eating plan that has ever been successful for me has been one that eliminates whole grains, sugar, and the other “bad stuff”. Although my blood pressure was never “high”, I always noticed a drop in my BP once I recommitted to a low-carb eating plan.Fast forward to last July. My BP had been running high (140s/90s) for most of the year. I weighed the most I’d ever weighed (279lb at 5’3.75″ tall), so I finally kicked myself in the backside and recommitted to a low-carb, grain-free eating plan. My blood pressure didn’t drop.By September, I was noticing an irregular heartbeat along with my high blood pressure, and in October, I made an appointment to see my doctor. He put me on 10mg of lisinopril and told me to come back in 3 months. (He knew about my eating plan and was fine with it because I was slowly losing weight.)Five days before my 3-month checkup, I fainted in my bathroom. Since I’d never fainted before, I called my doc. He suggested that I stop taking the lisinopril until I saw him on the 16th, so that’s what I did. Within just a couple days, my blood pressure started creeping back up again, and I started feeling the irregular heartbeats again.When I saw my doc for the follow-up, he told me to stay off the lisinopril unless my BP got up over 130/80 (consistently), he told me to keep trying to lose weight, and he told me to avoid salt. He also said that if my BP did go up over 130/80, I should start taking 5mg of lisinopril since it was likely working too well for me.So here’s my question. When removing grains doesn’t control your BP, is there something else that I’m missing? I eat pretty strict Paleo right now (no grain, legumes, dairy, etc.), and my weight loss is slow but steady. (I weigh 248lb right now.) Oh yes, and I did end up having to start the 5mg dose of BP meds 3 days ago. My BP is back in a reasonable range again.DONNA ASKS:My 17-year-old daughter asked me this: “what’s worse for you, whole grain bread or white bread?” I would have answered “white bread is worse” 2 years ago, but after giving up a daily serving of wheat germ (along with grains in general), my arthritis symptoms have virtually disappeared!Is flaxseed safe?JAMIE ASKS:Mainstream dietary “experts” argue that eating whole grains are good for you because of the “evidence”. Of course they have only looked at the evidence comparing eating whole grains versus eating refined grains AND they make the false logic extension that eating wholes grains are good for us. They fail to look at any research comparing eating grains (whole or refined) against eating no grains. This point is missed. What say you?What do you say to people who say “Without grains, how will I get enough fiber?”HEATHER ASKS:I have purchased his fabulous book and listened to the podcasts he has been on lately. I think his ideas about wheat are brilliant. My seven year old daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in September 2011 with a blood sugar of 211 at the doctor’s office. She was immediately sent to the hospital so that her blood sugar could be under control and that they could teach us the proper way to inject the insulin and everything else that goes along with it.The diabetic diet they wanted her to eat in the hospital was a joke – high carb, moderate protein and of course low fat. I couldn’t believe some of the food choices and how things were loaded with wheat and even sugar. The only sugar free item on the menu was sugar free jello! I argued with the dietician and told her that no way should my daughter be eating all these carbs, sugar and grains! By giving in and following this woman’s advice for just one meal – my daughter’s blood sugar rose to the 300′s. I immediately went back to the lower carb plan that I knew was right for her and had been controlling her blood sugar pretty well up until that point. I couldn’t wait to go home and put her on a high fat, moderate protein, low carb diet to control her blood sugar.As soon as we came home and she ate this lower carb way – her need for insulin kept decreasing every day. She started off at 14 total units daily at the hospital and within days of being home she was down to about 5 units. A few weeks later down to 1 unit of insulin per day. By the beginning of October she was off all insulin. If she did take insulin it would cause her blood sugar to go too low. The doctor even agreed and told me not to give her insulin anymore until she needs it again.Now of course, the doctor keeps saying she’s in that honeymoon period. Honeymoon period is when a type 1 starts getting insulin and the pancreas wakes up and starts making it’s own insulin again. I just keep thinking that maybe she was misdiagnosed and really a type 2 diabetic or that she has reactive hypoglycemia. I’ve asked that she have a c-peptide test and insulin tolerance test, but the doctor keeps refusing. She keeps saying she’s still in honeymoon period and this will probably be over soon.Well, I want these tests so it will help us know if she’s really a type 1 or not. I will insist on these tests at the next upcoming appointment and if the doctor refuses I will get a 2nd opinion. I’ve been told I should do this by many people already. They just cannot believe the doctor is refusing the tests. So sorry that my story is so long, but my main point is that I notice that as long as my daughter does not eat wheat, sugar or too many carbs at one meal – she has wonderful blood sugar numbers!The doctor said the record for the longest honeymoon period in her office was a boy who didn’t need insulin for 6 months. My daughter is already at 4 months with no insulin and her numbers are still great! Do you think it’s possible that her good blood sugars can continue forever with avoiding wheat, sugar and too many carbs at one meal without insulin?QUEST BARS HAS A BRAND NEW NATURAL LINE:

Episode 3 of “Jimmy Moore Presents: Ask The Low-Carb Experts” features Dr. William Davis, M.D. who is the author of the New York Times bestselling book . Dr. Davis is a preventive cardiologist whose unique approach to nutrition (that is unlike what most of his fellow heart doctors are using) allows him to advocate for reversal, not just prevention, of heart disease. He is the founder of the Track Your Plaque program and lives in the state of Wisconsin. Dr. Davis has been on the cusp of identifying the key causes of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease for well over a decade with his examination into the negative impact of consuming “healthy whole grains” that became the central focus of his long-awaited book released in August 2011. Dr. Davis was a special guest speaker on The 3rd Annual Low-Carb Cruise discussing his work promoting heart health through prevention with the use of an inexpensive CT Heart Scan test and he will be one of the featured guest speakers on the May 2012  sharing more about this in a lecture entitled “The Great Whole Grain Caper.” But he’s gonna be with us here on ATLCX and your questions are invited and welcomed! Here are some of the questions we addressed in this episode: REESE ASKS:I would love to know from Dr William Davis what his thoughts are on grains other than wheat e.g. 100% rye or spelt bread. Does he think that these are as harmful as wheat? I would also like to know if he knows anything about wheat production/modification in parts of the world other than the USA. I am from Sydney Australia and don’t know if our wheat is just as modified and dangerous. PETER ASKS:I’d like to ask Dr. William Davis if he knows of other doctors who agree with him about wheat and its harmful effects on health, or is he a “lone crusader”? KATHY ASKS:I intellectually accept and agree with everything in your book and have stopped eating wheat (all grains) a couple of years ago. But it’s hard to stay motivated when eating wheat does not give me any symptom that I can feel or see. If a person has no symptoms — please explain the adverse effects that may be happening anyway. Or do they take many years to show up? TORI ASKS:I’ve heard from people like Elizabeth Hasselbeck that only 5% of the population has a wheat sensitivity and yet there are others like Dr. Daniel Chong who say that it is near 85%. I would love to hear Dr. Davis’ thoughts on this. KIM ASKS:Thank Dr. Davis for the great work you did on Wheat Belly. It was a fascinating read, and it has helped me better understand why avoiding wheat (especially modern wheat) is optimal. My question is about rice. I eat a primal diet that includes a small amount of white rice from time to time (no more than 1 cup cooked per week). I have a few friends that eat more of a WAPF diet and enjoy soaked brown rice as part of their diet. They tell me that soaking the brown rice removes a lot of the anti-nutrients, making soaked brown rice a healthier alternative to white rice because it contains fiber and other nutrients. I’m just wondering, if properly/traditionally prepared, whether or not brown rice would be a better option than white rice in those rare occasions I indulge in eating this grain. SARAH ASKS:I’ve always struggled with my weight and food addiction. The only eating plan that has ever been successful for me has been one that eliminates whole grains, sugar, and the other “bad stuff”. Although my blood pressure was never “high”, I always noticed a drop in my BP once I recommitted to a low-carb eating plan. Fast forward to last July. My BP had been running high (140s/90s) for most of the year. I weighed the most I’d ever weighed (279lb at 5’3.75″ tall), so I finally kicked myself in the backside and recommitted to a low-carb, grain-free eating plan. My blood pressure didn’t drop. By September, I was noticing an irregular heartbeat along with my high blood pressure, and in October, I made an appointment to see my doctor. He put me on 10mg of lisinopril and told me to come back in 3 months. (He knew about my eating plan and was fine with it because I was slowly losing weight.) Five days before my 3-month checkup, I fainted in my bathroom. Since I’d never fainted before, I called my doc. He suggested that I stop taking the lisinopril until I saw him on the 16th, so that’s what I did. Within just a couple days, my blood pressure started creeping back up again, and I started feeling the irregular heartbeats again. When I saw my doc for the follow-up, he told me to stay off the lisinopril unless my BP got up over 130/80 (consistently), he told me to keep trying to lose weight, and he told me to avoid salt. He also said that if my BP did go up over 130/80, I should start taking 5mg of lisinopril since it was likely working too well for me. So here’s my question. When removing grains doesn’t control your BP, is there something else that I’m missing? I eat pretty strict Paleo right now (no grain, legumes, dairy, etc.), and my weight loss is slow but steady. (I weigh 248lb right now.) Oh yes, and I did end up having to start the 5mg dose of BP meds 3 days ago. My BP is back in a reasonable range again. DONNA ASKS:My 17-year-old daughter asked me this: “what’s worse for you, whole grain bread or white bread?” I would have answered “white bread is worse” 2 years ago, but after giving up a daily serving of wheat germ (along with grains in general), my arthritis symptoms have virtually disappeared! Is flaxseed safe? JAMIE ASKS:Mainstream dietary “experts” argue that eating whole grains are good for you because of the “evidence”. Of course they have only looked at the evidence comparing eating whole grains versus eating refined grains AND they make the false logic extension that eating wholes grains are good for us. They fail to look at any research comparing eating grains (whole or refined) against eating no grains. This point is missed. What say you? What do you say to people who say “Without grains, how will I get enough fiber?” HEATHER ASKS: I have purchased his fabulous book and listened to the podcasts he has been on lately. I think his ideas about wheat are brilliant. My seven year old daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in September 2011 with a blood sugar of 211 at the doctor’s office. She was immediately sent to the hospital so that her blood sugar could be under control and that they could teach us the proper way to inject the insulin and everything else that goes along with it. The diabetic diet they wanted her to eat in the hospital was a joke – high carb, moderate protein and of course low fat. I couldn’t believe some of the food choices and how things were loaded with wheat and even sugar. The only sugar free item on the menu was sugar free jello! I argued with the dietician and told her that no way should my daughter be eating all these carbs, sugar and grains! By giving in and following this woman’s advice for just one meal – my daughter’s blood sugar rose to the 300′s. I immediately went back to the lower carb plan that I knew was right for her and had been controlling her blood sugar pretty well up until that point. I couldn’t wait to go home and put her on a high fat, moderate protein, low carb diet to control her blood sugar. As soon as we came home and she ate this lower carb way – her need for insulin kept decreasing every day. She started off at 14 total units daily at the hospital and within days of being home she was down to about 5 units. A few weeks later down to 1 unit of insulin per day. By the beginning of October she was off all insulin. If she did take insulin it would cause her blood sugar to go too low. The doctor even agreed and told me not to give her insulin anymore until she needs it again. Now of course, the doctor keeps saying she’s in that honeymoon period. Honeymoon period is when a type 1 starts getting insulin and the pancreas wakes up and starts making it’s own insulin again. I just keep thinking that maybe she was misdiagnosed and really a type 2 diabetic or that she has reactive hypoglycemia. I’ve asked that she have a c-peptide test and insulin tolerance test, but the doctor keeps refusing. She keeps saying she’s still in honeymoon period and this will probably be over soon. Well, I want these tests so it will help us know if she’s really a type 1 or not. I will insist on these tests at the next upcoming appointment and if the doctor refuses I will get a 2nd opinion. I’ve been told I should do this by many people already. They just cannot believe the doctor is refusing the tests. So sorry that my story is so long, but my main point is that I notice that as long as my daughter does not eat wheat, sugar or too many carbs at one meal – she has wonderful blood sugar numbers! The doctor said the record for the longest honeymoon period in her office was a boy who didn’t need insulin for 6 months. My daughter is already at 4 months with no insulin and her numbers are still great! Do you think it’s possible that her good blood sugars can continue forever with avoiding wheat, sugar and too many carbs at one meal without insulin? QUEST BARS HAS A BRAND NEW NATURAL LINE:

3: ‘Healthy Whole Grains?’ | Dr. William Davis

Thomas Dayspring

AIR DATE: October 4, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: “Cholesterol Testing: What Matters Most?”This week we're very excited to bring to you one of the world's leading lipidologists and experts on just about everything you could ever want to know about cholesterol numbers named  from . He's the Director of Cardiovascular Education at the  in Richmond, Virginia and is one of the most requested speakers in the United States with expertise on atherothrombosis, lipoprotein and vascular biology, advanced lipoprotein testing and more. Dr. Dayspring has given over 4000 lectures in all 50 states educating medical professionals and the lay public alike.Many of you first heard him in  and afterwards had lots of questions for Dr. Dayspring about cholesterol. That's why we decided to bring him back on ATLCX to take on the topic "Cholesterol Testing: What Matters Most?" so you can speak directly with him about your burning questions on your cholesterol concerns. This was a golden opportunity to get clarification on any issues regarding cholesterol testing that concern you.TRY THESE DELICIOUS NEW PRE-MADE PALEO MEALSUSE COUPON CODE "LLVLC" FOR 10% OFF YOUR ORDERNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: TRY THIS NEW LOW-CARB SNACK OPTION FROM NICK'S STICKS:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast:COLLEEN ASKS:In an ideal world, should everyone know what their LDL-P number is? What is the ideal number or target range for LDL-P? How important is LDL-P as a biomarker for risk of heart disease? Other than diet, what would be common causes of high LDL-P?TRISTA ASKS:If someone has high cholesterol (mine is 307 total, 48 HDL, 239 LDL, and 95 triglycerides with mostly Pattern A LDL cholesterol), is that a reason to stop eating a low-carb diet? And who would you say needs to be taking a statin drug as an appropriate treatment option for lowering cholesterol numbers?UROLOGIST FROM BRAZIL NAMED J.C. ASKS:We know that statins raise insulin resistance and can interfere with blood glucose control in Type 2 diabetics. I have a patient who has already had two heart attacks and seen great improvements in his health since adopting a low-carb diet. Would you consider taking him off simvastatin if his Apo-B remains low after stopping the medication? And for those of us who live outside the United States, how good is an Apo-B test as compared with the NMR Lipoprofile? What is the desirable value for Apo-B?ANDREI ASKS:Do other favorable test readings, such as large fluffy LDL particles, high HDL, low triglycerides or low CRP levels, singularly or in combination, reduce the risk of heart attack posed by a very large LDL-P number?DANNY ASKS:You mentioned in your previous interview with Jimmy that sterols, not just cholesterol, have the potential to incorporate into arterial plaque. I did some research and  where arterial plaque was scraped and analyzed and a direct relationship was established between the amount of plants in the diet and the amount of plant based sterols that end up in the arterial wall. What is the mechanism behind plant sterols becoming plaque? Does the addition of plant sterols in the diet make our lab results, especially the calculated LDL tests, look good for no real benefit? And if this is true, why does cholesterol get a bad rap and these sterols enjoy the halo of healthiness?ORLEATHA ASKS:Recently, Paleo diet practitioner Chris Kresser wrote in a blog post that "the number of LDL particles in the blood...is a risk factor for heart disease." After getting an NMR Lipoprofile test run, what number should be cause for concern?BRIAN ASKS:How do cholesterol numbers get calculated? We see LDL, HDL, triglycerides and total cholesterol. And why isn't the NMR Lipoprofile test the standardized cholesterol measurement in the medical profession yet?SHARI ASKS:Is it possible for someone to have too low cholesterol? My total cholesterol has never been more than 95 testing over the past 15 years. Some people in the Paleo community have said I should be very concerned but my general practitioner thinks my very low cholesterol is great. What do you say?FORTUNE ASKS:What should APOE 3/4 or even 4/4 people look for in their lipid tests given that they will probably not be "normal?" And what should APOE 3/4 or 4/4 do to reduce their risk?IKE ASKS:My question is in regards to the test that is performed by Health Diagnostics Laboratory Inc called the Apolipoprotein E Genotype. What are the implications on the lipids of a high-fat, low-carb dieter with the 2/4 genotype combination? I believe that this occurs in 1-2% of the population. Would these people need to eat less saturated fat?WILLIAM ASKS:You have said in more than one interview I have heard that you believe it really boils down to the LDL particle number and that particle size is not as important. With that in mind I would think the Lp(a) test would be all you would need to run to obtain that information. So, what is the BEST, most cost effective lab test to have done if you could do only one test to give you the most information about heart disease risk?ANN ASKS:Does what I eat in the few days prior to my lab draw make a difference in my Apo B and small LDL-P...especially if I overindulge in carbs the day before the draw? If a lab report gives both Apo B and LDL-P and one is high and one is normal which one do you go with?ALLYSON ASKS:Why do you see HDL decrease with autoimmune diseases such as lupus? Is it associated or causal? Does the HDL decrease in response to the disease? Why do you suspect hyper absorption when you see high HDL-C?KAY ASKS:I have been eating low-carb Paleo since January and have lost 45 pounds. I just went to the doctor for the first time since 2007 and he ran blood work. My total cholesterol went up to 334, mostly LDL, and the doctor is alarmed. In order to prevent my doctor from ordering me to take statins, I told him that I had read that losing more than 30 pounds within a few months can temporarily elevate total cholesterol, and that I would have another blood test done in 3-6 months. Is it true that my weight loss may be the reason for the jump in total cholesterol and LDL?ED ASKS:I had the NMR test and it reveals an elevated (high risk) LDL-P count of 1573 but also a calculated, intermediate risk of Apo-B of 62. I recently noticed that these results were from a non-fasting test. Is it possible that the LDL-P and APO-B (both particle counts) are affected by the fact the the test was done in a non-fasted state? Would you recommend this test only be done in only a fasted state?RICHARD ASKS:It has been stated by Chris Masterjohn that within the same individual, cholesterol readings can vary from day to day. In fact, it was reported that total cholesterol has a standard deviation of +/- 17.5 points meaning that a reading of 200 for example, could easily vary between 165 and 235 over a two-day period. So if this is accurate, how meaningful are the various cholesterol readings particularly since most MDs only get one test and make their decisions based on that singular piece of data?

AIR DATE: October 4, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: “Cholesterol Testing: What Matters Most?” This week we're very excited to bring to you one of the world's leading lipidologists and experts on just about everything you could ever want to know about cholesterol numbers named  from . He's the Director of Cardiovascular Education at the  in Richmond, Virginia and is one of the most requested speakers in the United States with expertise on atherothrombosis, lipoprotein and vascular biology, advanced lipoprotein testing and more. Dr. Dayspring has given over 4000 lectures in all 50 states educating medical professionals and the lay public alike. Many of you first heard him in  and afterwards had lots of questions for Dr. Dayspring about cholesterol. That's why we decided to bring him back on ATLCX to take on the topic "Cholesterol Testing: What Matters Most?" so you can speak directly with him about your burning questions on your cholesterol concerns. This was a golden opportunity to get clarification on any issues regarding cholesterol testing that concern you. TRY THESE DELICIOUS NEW PRE-MADE PALEO MEALSUSE COUPON CODE "LLVLC" FOR 10% OFF YOUR ORDERNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: TRY THIS NEW LOW-CARB SNACK OPTION FROM NICK'S STICKS:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast: COLLEEN ASKS:In an ideal world, should everyone know what their LDL-P number is? What is the ideal number or target range for LDL-P? How important is LDL-P as a biomarker for risk of heart disease? Other than diet, what would be common causes of high LDL-P? TRISTA ASKS:If someone has high cholesterol (mine is 307 total, 48 HDL, 239 LDL, and 95 triglycerides with mostly Pattern A LDL cholesterol), is that a reason to stop eating a low-carb diet? And who would you say needs to be taking a statin drug as an appropriate treatment option for lowering cholesterol numbers? UROLOGIST FROM BRAZIL NAMED J.C. ASKS:We know that statins raise insulin resistance and can interfere with blood glucose control in Type 2 diabetics. I have a patient who has already had two heart attacks and seen great improvements in his health since adopting a low-carb diet. Would you consider taking him off simvastatin if his Apo-B remains low after stopping the medication? And for those of us who live outside the United States, how good is an Apo-B test as compared with the NMR Lipoprofile? What is the desirable value for Apo-B? ANDREI ASKS:Do other favorable test readings, such as large fluffy LDL particles, high HDL, low triglycerides or low CRP levels, singularly or in combination, reduce the risk of heart attack posed by a very large LDL-P number? DANNY ASKS:You mentioned in your previous interview with Jimmy that sterols, not just cholesterol, have the potential to incorporate into arterial plaque. I did some research and  where arterial plaque was scraped and analyzed and a direct relationship was established between the amount of plants in the diet and the amount of plant based sterols that end up in the arterial wall. What is the mechanism behind plant sterols becoming plaque? Does the addition of plant sterols in the diet make our lab results, especially the calculated LDL tests, look good for no real benefit? And if this is true, why does cholesterol get a bad rap and these sterols enjoy the halo of healthiness? ORLEATHA ASKS:Recently, Paleo diet practitioner Chris Kresser wrote in a blog post that "the number of LDL particles in the blood...is a risk factor for heart disease." After getting an NMR Lipoprofile test run, what number should be cause for concern? BRIAN ASKS:How do cholesterol numbers get calculated? We see LDL, HDL, triglycerides and total cholesterol. And why isn't the NMR Lipoprofile test the standardized cholesterol measurement in the medical profession yet? SHARI ASKS:Is it possible for someone to have too low cholesterol? My total cholesterol has never been more than 95 testing over the past 15 years. Some people in the Paleo community have said I should be very concerned but my general practitioner thinks my very low cholesterol is great. What do you say? FORTUNE ASKS:What should APOE 3/4 or even 4/4 people look for in their lipid tests given that they will probably not be "normal?" And what should APOE 3/4 or 4/4 do to reduce their risk? IKE ASKS:My question is in regards to the test that is performed by Health Diagnostics Laboratory Inc called the Apolipoprotein E Genotype. What are the implications on the lipids of a high-fat, low-carb dieter with the 2/4 genotype combination? I believe that this occurs in 1-2% of the population. Would these people need to eat less saturated fat? WILLIAM ASKS:You have said in more than one interview I have heard that you believe it really boils down to the LDL particle number and that particle size is not as important. With that in mind I would think the Lp(a) test would be all you would need to run to obtain that information. So, what is the BEST, most cost effective lab test to have done if you could do only one test to give you the most information about heart disease risk? ANN ASKS:Does what I eat in the few days prior to my lab draw make a difference in my Apo B and small LDL-P...especially if I overindulge in carbs the day before the draw? If a lab report gives both Apo B and LDL-P and one is high and one is normal which one do you go with? ALLYSON ASKS:Why do you see HDL decrease with autoimmune diseases such as lupus? Is it associated or causal? Does the HDL decrease in response to the disease? Why do you suspect hyper absorption when you see high HDL-C? KAY ASKS:I have been eating low-carb Paleo since January and have lost 45 pounds. I just went to the doctor for the first time since 2007 and he ran blood work. My total cholesterol went up to 334, mostly LDL, and the doctor is alarmed. In order to prevent my doctor from ordering me to take statins, I told him that I had read that losing more than 30 pounds within a few months can temporarily elevate total cholesterol, and that I would have another blood test done in 3-6 months. Is it true that my weight loss may be the reason for the jump in total cholesterol and LDL? ED ASKS:I had the NMR test and it reveals an elevated (high risk) LDL-P count of 1573 but also a calculated, intermediate risk of Apo-B of 62. I recently noticed that these results were from a non-fasting test. Is it possible that the LDL-P and APO-B (both particle counts) are affected by the fact the the test was done in a non-fasted state? Would you recommend this test only be done in only a fasted state? RICHARD ASKS:It has been stated by Chris Masterjohn that within the same individual, cholesterol readings can vary from day to day. In fact, it was reported that total cholesterol has a standard deviation of +/- 17.5 points meaning that a reading of 200 for example, could easily vary between 165 and 235 over a two-day period. So if this is accurate, how meaningful are the various cholesterol readings particularly since most MDs only get one test and make their decisions based on that singular piece of data?

29: Dr. Thomas Dayspring | Cholesterol Testing: What Matters Most?

Chris Masterjohn

AIR DATE: February 16, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: “All Things Lipids (Cholesterol 101)”Episode 6 of “Ask The Low-Carb Experts” features the topic “All Things Lipids (Cholesterol 101)” with blogger and doctoral candidate in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Connecticut  where he will be graduating this Spring. He is the creator and maintainer of Cholesterol-and-Health.Com and is the author of two blogs, The Daily Lipid at Cholesterol-and-Health.Com and Mother Nature Obeyed at WestonAPrice.org. He is also a frequent contributor to Wise Traditions, the quarterly journal of the Weston A. Price Foundation. Chris is the author of five publications in peer-reviewed journals, including a letter to the editor of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology criticizing the conclusions of a widely publicized study about the effect of saturated fat on blood vessel function, and letter to the editor of the American Heart Journal arguing that the effect of cholesterol ester transfer protein inhibitors on vitamin E metabolism should be studied before these drugs are deemed safe for preventing heart disease, a hypothesis published in Medical Hypotheses about the molecular mechanism of vitamin D toxicity and the involvement of vitamins A and K in this mechanism, a pilot study in humans suggesting that vitamin E protects against some of the negative effects of sugar consumption published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, and a review published in Nutrition Reviews about the potential for green tea to prevent or treat nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases. Chris Masterjohn has thoroughly studied the impact of cholesterol on your health and the answers he has discovered might just surprise you. If you have questions about cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides and more then this is the podcast for you.Here are some of the questions Chris addressed in this podcast:DARREL ASKS:My cholesterol has been high for quite a while. I was previously on Lipitor which made me feel pretty bad (old and feeble even though I’m neither) so I quit. This week my doctor got back my blood work and noticed my number was high (295) and insisted I go back on Lipitor. He said I was a ‘heart attack brewing’. I don’t want to and need some ammunition. Point me in the right direction.MARK ASKS:I have a senior lady that her doctor has recommended her to take statins for a while. She doesn’t want to go on them, and her doctor just ran an Lp(a) test and hers was at 80. I seem to recall that statins don’t really affect Lp(a) and it’s mostly genetic. I’m not sure of her triglyceride/HDL ratio at this time, but should she be worried? Seems that Lp(a) is only an issue if you have heart disease or a lot of inflammation.JOHN ASKS:http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2011/05/18/db11-0085Question: Is MGmin LDL the silver bullet of atherosclerosis?I’ve read suggestions that small, dense LDL is the killer, but I see studies suggesting that large, fluffy LDL can also be atherogenic.JAMIE ASKS:In some countries (like Australia) you cannot get your cholesterol measured down to “small dense” and “large fluffy”. They only measure the basics, Triglycerides, HDL, LDL and Total cholesterol. From these numbers, is there a good ratio to indicate good health versus poor health?SHARON ASKS:My husband has high cholesterol which is made worse by another necessary medication he takes. Triglycerides were over 700; he is taking very high doses of statins, bring it to 600; We started Paleo (no sugars; no grains; full-fat dairy and meats) and blood results after two weeks showed them at 199. Is this possible to have such a dramatic change so quickly from this diet? If followup blood work shows continued improvement, what is the number that would get his doctor to take him off of the statins?SAM ASKS:I’m a 42-year-old male with little to no family history of heart disease. My latest VAP results include:Tot LDL-Chol Direct 167 H mg/dLTot. HDL-Cholesterol Dir. 52 mg/dLTot. VLDL-Cholesterol Dir. 23 mg/dLSum Total Cholesterol 241 H mg/dLTriglycerides-Direct 75 mg/dLTot. NonHDL Chol(LDL+VLDL) 189 H mg/dLTotal apoB100 – calc. 118 H mg/dLLP(a) Cholesterol 4.0 mg/dLIDL Cholesterol 23 H mg/dLReal LDL-Cholesterol 140 H mg/dLSum Total LDL-C 167 H mg/dLREAL-LDL Size Pattern A ARemnant Lipoprot(IDL+VLDL3) 37 H mg/dLMy doctor insists I take a statin such as Lipitor. I say I may not need it. Which one of us is right? Also, is it possible that statins inhibit the formation of arterial plaque over time?PAUL ASKS:What are your thoughts on all the alarmism surrounding glycation and fructation?KAREN ASKS:I’m about to have blood work done to be underwritten for term life insurance. I’m concerned that my cholesterol levels may have elevated because I’ve only been LC’ing for about 9 months. If it comes back bad, do you have any advice for how to explain what’s going on to help mitigate the consequences?LEO ASKS:It’s been almost 2 years since going low carb. Before that time I was taking fenofibrate for almost 8 years because of very high trig (700 -380) and low HDL (37) because of eating SAD. Now my trig is 100 – 75, HDL is 57 and still improving without taking meds. I read that eating saturated fat and red wine will help increase HDL. At my last doctor visit he suggested in begin statins because my total cholesterol was 250 and my LDL was 148 and to see a cardiologist. I asked that he do the test for determining large and small LDL particles to which he replayed he was not qualified to request that test! I also mentioned to him that the LDL level is really a fictitious number gathered by the Friedewald equation. Would you suggest I see a cardiologist and check further? Would it be a good idea to request a CAC score, Lp(a) and test for density particles of LDL?WILLY ASKS:How are you? My question is what is Lp(a)’s role in heart disease and should we really even track it. As I recall Dr. Kurt Harris from the panu blog has what is considered a high level yet has a very low calcium score. While some on Dr. Davis heart scan blog have levels lower than his and suffer from high calcium scores or other cardiovascular issues. If we should be concerned with this lipid what is the best way to lower it? Niacin? Saturated Fats? Low Carb? I wonder if Lp(a) is just the new kid on the block for Big Pharma trying to keep the lipid hypothesis alive.VALERIE ASKS:Chris, In your most recent interview with Chris Kresser you indicate that a TC:HDL ratio of 4 might be cause for concern and should be evaluated. My husband and I just got our results back, our ratios are 4.3 and 4.6. We can rule out recovering from obesity and fatty liver disease. What do you advise we do if anything? Get retested to establish our averages? Without going into too much detail, we have been following a WAPF/Paleo diet for 4 years, we are healthy and fit, I am 47, my husband is 40. Next, I have in my notes a TC range of 180-250 as found in traditional cultures. Can you also provide a range for HDL and LDL? And last, what foods, herbs, supplements, and food preparation techniques would you advise to support a healthy LDL receptor uptake process?KYLE ASKS:There seems to be a growing interest in the blogosphere with the work of Dr. Ray Peat. A major tenet of Peat’s philosophy revolves around the toxicity of virtually any dose of polyunsaturated fats (PUFA)–both n3 and n6. Given your past work on EFAs and PUFAs in general, I’d love to hear your thoughts on Dr. Peat’s stance.LUKE ASKS:What is the relation of lipid volume in the blood and speed of blood flow in the arteries and the body in general? (e.g, the documentary “Supersize Me” made a big deal about animal fat causing slower measured blood flow)ELLEN ASKS:I believe higher cholesterol levels are healthier and protective against many illnesses. If my normal total cholesterol is around 205, and I make a diet change that has the effect of dropping my total cholesterol to 165, am I compromising the protective aspect of cholesterol? LDL is also lower at 92 and HDL has stayed about the same (55). Trigs are at 92. CRP is .75 and HbA1c is 5.5.MACKAY ASKS:Patient just came back with very high cholesterol, but sub markers were phenomenal.HDL 99Triglycerides 66HSCRP .4Positive for celiac, although eats very little wheat. Total cholesterol 450. What could cause this?EDWARD ASKS:Regarding lab measurements…lipid panels: Cholesterol measurement – what is actually being measured in standard lipid profiles, and what is being estimated? Is LDL calculated based on your TG measurement?DEANNA ASKS:My stepdad has high cholesterol (mostly high Triglycerides) and has for many years—I have attached his lab report from last May—his numbers were better.Total cholesterol 252Triglycerides 534HDL 33Testosterone 235Free testosterone 8.9He takes: 160mg Fenofibrate, Benicar, Lovaza, DHEA, Niacin, and just started taking Red Yeast Rice. My mother thought he was on a statin—but Fenofibrate and Lovaza aren’t statins are they? Are they just as bad? Haven’t heard much discussion on these meds.Filed Under: , ,

AIR DATE: February 16, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: “All Things Lipids (Cholesterol 101)” Episode 6 of “Ask The Low-Carb Experts” features the topic “All Things Lipids (Cholesterol 101)” with blogger and doctoral candidate in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Connecticut  where he will be graduating this Spring. He is the creator and maintainer of <a href="http://Cholesterol-and-Health.Com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cholesterol-and-Health.Com</a> and is the author of two blogs, The Daily Lipid at <a href="http://Cholesterol-and-Health.Com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cholesterol-and-Health.Com</a> and Mother Nature Obeyed at <a href="http://WestonAPrice.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WestonAPrice.org</a>. He is also a frequent contributor to Wise Traditions, the quarterly journal of the Weston A. Price Foundation. Chris is the author of five publications in peer-reviewed journals, including a letter to the editor of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology criticizing the conclusions of a widely publicized study about the effect of saturated fat on blood vessel function, and letter to the editor of the American Heart Journal arguing that the effect of cholesterol ester transfer protein inhibitors on vitamin E metabolism should be studied before these drugs are deemed safe for preventing heart disease, a hypothesis published in Medical Hypotheses about the molecular mechanism of vitamin D toxicity and the involvement of vitamins A and K in this mechanism, a pilot study in humans suggesting that vitamin E protects against some of the negative effects of sugar consumption published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, and a review published in Nutrition Reviews about the potential for green tea to prevent or treat nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases. Chris Masterjohn has thoroughly studied the impact of cholesterol on your health and the answers he has discovered might just surprise you. If you have questions about cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides and more then this is the podcast for you. Here are some of the questions Chris addressed in this podcast: DARREL ASKS:My cholesterol has been high for quite a while. I was previously on Lipitor which made me feel pretty bad (old and feeble even though I’m neither) so I quit. This week my doctor got back my blood work and noticed my number was high (295) and insisted I go back on Lipitor. He said I was a ‘heart attack brewing’. I don’t want to and need some ammunition. Point me in the right direction. MARK ASKS:I have a senior lady that her doctor has recommended her to take statins for a while. She doesn’t want to go on them, and her doctor just ran an Lp(a) test and hers was at 80. I seem to recall that statins don’t really affect Lp(a) and it’s mostly genetic. I’m not sure of her triglyceride/HDL ratio at this time, but should she be worried? Seems that Lp(a) is only an issue if you have heart disease or a lot of inflammation. JOHN ASKS: <a href="http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2011/05/18/db11-0085" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2011/05/18/db11-0085</a> Question: Is MGmin LDL the silver bullet of atherosclerosis? I’ve read suggestions that small, dense LDL is the killer, but I see studies suggesting that large, fluffy LDL can also be atherogenic. JAMIE ASKS:In some countries (like Australia) you cannot get your cholesterol measured down to “small dense” and “large fluffy”. They only measure the basics, Triglycerides, HDL, LDL and Total cholesterol. From these numbers, is there a good ratio to indicate good health versus poor health? SHARON ASKS:My husband has high cholesterol which is made worse by another necessary medication he takes. Triglycerides were over 700; he is taking very high doses of statins, bring it to 600; We started Paleo (no sugars; no grains; full-fat dairy and meats) and blood results after two weeks showed them at 199. Is this possible to have such a dramatic change so quickly from this diet? If followup blood work shows continued improvement, what is the number that would get his doctor to take him off of the statins? SAM ASKS:I’m a 42-year-old male with little to no family history of heart disease. My latest VAP results include: Tot LDL-Chol Direct 167 H mg/dLTot. HDL-Cholesterol Dir. 52 mg/dLTot. VLDL-Cholesterol Dir. 23 mg/dLSum Total Cholesterol 241 H mg/dLTriglycerides-Direct 75 mg/dLTot. NonHDL Chol(LDL+VLDL) 189 H mg/dLTotal apoB100 – calc. 118 H mg/dLLP(a) Cholesterol 4.0 mg/dLIDL Cholesterol 23 H mg/dLReal LDL-Cholesterol 140 H mg/dLSum Total LDL-C 167 H mg/dLREAL-LDL Size Pattern A ARemnant Lipoprot(IDL+VLDL3) 37 H mg/dL My doctor insists I take a statin such as Lipitor. I say I may not need it. Which one of us is right? Also, is it possible that statins inhibit the formation of arterial plaque over time? PAUL ASKS:What are your thoughts on all the alarmism surrounding glycation and fructation? KAREN ASKS:I’m about to have blood work done to be underwritten for term life insurance. I’m concerned that my cholesterol levels may have elevated because I’ve only been LC’ing for about 9 months. If it comes back bad, do you have any advice for how to explain what’s going on to help mitigate the consequences? LEO ASKS:It’s been almost 2 years since going low carb. Before that time I was taking fenofibrate for almost 8 years because of very high trig (700 -380) and low HDL (37) because of eating SAD. Now my trig is 100 – 75, HDL is 57 and still improving without taking meds. I read that eating saturated fat and red wine will help increase HDL. At my last doctor visit he suggested in begin statins because my total cholesterol was 250 and my LDL was 148 and to see a cardiologist. I asked that he do the test for determining large and small LDL particles to which he replayed he was not qualified to request that test! I also mentioned to him that the LDL level is really a fictitious number gathered by the Friedewald equation. Would you suggest I see a cardiologist and check further? Would it be a good idea to request a CAC score, Lp(a) and test for density particles of LDL? WILLY ASKS:How are you? My question is what is Lp(a)’s role in heart disease and should we really even track it. As I recall Dr. Kurt Harris from the panu blog has what is considered a high level yet has a very low calcium score. While some on Dr. Davis heart scan blog have levels lower than his and suffer from high calcium scores or other cardiovascular issues. If we should be concerned with this lipid what is the best way to lower it? Niacin? Saturated Fats? Low Carb? I wonder if Lp(a) is just the new kid on the block for Big Pharma trying to keep the lipid hypothesis alive. VALERIE ASKS:Chris, In your most recent interview with Chris Kresser you indicate that a TC:HDL ratio of 4 might be cause for concern and should be evaluated. My husband and I just got our results back, our ratios are 4.3 and 4.6. We can rule out recovering from obesity and fatty liver disease. What do you advise we do if anything? Get retested to establish our averages? Without going into too much detail, we have been following a WAPF/Paleo diet for 4 years, we are healthy and fit, I am 47, my husband is 40. Next, I have in my notes a TC range of 180-250 as found in traditional cultures. Can you also provide a range for HDL and LDL? And last, what foods, herbs, supplements, and food preparation techniques would you advise to support a healthy LDL receptor uptake process? KYLE ASKS:There seems to be a growing interest in the blogosphere with the work of Dr. Ray Peat. A major tenet of Peat’s philosophy revolves around the toxicity of virtually any dose of polyunsaturated fats (PUFA)–both n3 and n6. Given your past work on EFAs and PUFAs in general, I’d love to hear your thoughts on Dr. Peat’s stance. LUKE ASKS:What is the relation of lipid volume in the blood and speed of blood flow in the arteries and the body in general? (e.g, the documentary “Supersize Me” made a big deal about animal fat causing slower measured blood flow) ELLEN ASKS:I believe higher cholesterol levels are healthier and protective against many illnesses. If my normal total cholesterol is around 205, and I make a diet change that has the effect of dropping my total cholesterol to 165, am I compromising the protective aspect of cholesterol? LDL is also lower at 92 and HDL has stayed about the same (55). Trigs are at 92. CRP is .75 and HbA1c is 5.5. MACKAY ASKS:Patient just came back with very high cholesterol, but sub markers were phenomenal. HDL 99Triglycerides 66HSCRP .4 Positive for celiac, although eats very little wheat. Total cholesterol 450. What could cause this? EDWARD ASKS:Regarding lab measurements…lipid panels: Cholesterol measurement – what is actually being measured in standard lipid profiles, and what is being estimated? Is LDL calculated based on your TG measurement? DEANNA ASKS:My stepdad has high cholesterol (mostly high Triglycerides) and has for many years—I have attached his lab report from last May—his numbers were better. Total cholesterol 252Triglycerides 534HDL 33Testosterone 235Free testosterone 8.9 He takes: 160mg Fenofibrate, Benicar, Lovaza, DHEA, Niacin, and just started taking Red Yeast Rice. My mother thought he was on a statin—but Fenofibrate and Lovaza aren’t statins are they? Are they just as bad? Haven’t heard much discussion on these meds. Filed Under: , ,

6: ‘All Things Lipids (Cholesterol 101)’ | Chris Masterjohn

Jonny Bowden

AIR DATE: September 13, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: “All Things Vitamins (Supplements 101)”We all know it's important for us to be getting our vitamins and minerals from the food we eat as much as we possibly can. But what about those critical nutrients that our bodies need that we can't quite get enough of even on our low-carb diet? That's where getting the right kind of supplementation may come into play for so many of us who have a vested interest in being optimally healthy. That's why I’m excited to have an expert on supplements joining us in Dr. Jonny Bowden, author of many books, including  (listen to my “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show” podcast interview with him about this book in  and ). Dr. Bowden is indeed one of the most knowledgeable experts in the world about vitamins and minerals and we were happy to have him here answering YOUR questions about this topic.CHECK OUT THE LOW-CARB MEALS FROM DIET-TO-GO:Low-Carb meal plans from . No carb counting, no cooking.Enter "LLVLC" at checkout for 25% off!NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: TRY LOUISE'S FOODS LOW-CARB BREAKFAST BITES &amp; GRANOLAUSE COUPON CODE "LLVLC" AT CHECKOUT FOR 15% OFF YOUR ORDER!NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast:FRANKYN ASKS:I'm on a tight budget. What vitamins and minerals will give me the most optimal results for my health?SHERRI ASKS:I have been reading a lot about adding baking soda to your water can improve alkalinity. Is this true and can you overdo it?ROBERT ASKS:Are you aware of any supplements that are effective for blood glucose control?JEAN ASKS:Do you know of any supplements that are effective for reversing peripheral artery (vascular) disease?RENEE ASKS:I am a post-menopausal 51 year old woman and I've been taking 50 mg of DHEA for a few months to help me sleep better. I also added tryptophan at night and that helps me to really sleep deep. Is it fine to keep using these supplements over the long term? I've used melatonin in the past, but I have better results using DHEA and tryptophan.KRIS ASKS:I would like to know how to find out what forms of vitamins are best to take. I have seen two types of B12, three types of Magnesium and many types of iron. How do we know if what we are buying will be absorbed and how will it respond with other supplements we may be taking?ORLEATHA ASKS:I'd like to know what supplements are best for people with eczema. I have two types - one being dishydrotic. I eat a clean Paleo diet and drink water and kombucha but still have a few stubborn patches.RICK ASKS:I'm a 40 year old male in mostly good health: 5'11", 185 pounds, good muscle development and a solid exercise regimen. But I've had hypertension for years. I went Paleo in March 2012 and have had positive results across the board with my health, but my BP is still pretty high, often close to the 140/90 range before I lie down. I haven't seen diastolic less than 70 for 15-20 years. My allopathic doc just wants to prescribe medication without nailing down the cause. But there's a reason, and I want to know what it is so I can do something about it! I'm trying to hack my own way to a solution to this problem. I only drink maybe 2-3 cups of green tea per day; no other caffeine. I rarely consume 100g carbs/day, often less than 50g. My sodium intake shouldn't be an issue with this way of eating, especially with some folks talking about the need to supplement with salt! I get 7-8 hours sleep almost every night, and my life isn't full of stress, so I assume I'm not a ticking cortisol bomb. I supplement with magnesium, eat lots of green, leafy vegetables, and drink a cup of bone broth most days, so I'm probably good with most trace nutrients. Other than that, the only other supplement I take are a multivitamin and a drop of liquid Vitamin D3 daily. Am I relegated to prescription medication for the rest of my life to control my BP? I feel like I'm already addressing most of the known causes.LEANNA ASKS:I have blood pressure that stays around 130/90 unless I am relaxed in bed. What vitamins can help normalize this and in what dose. I am 5'2" and 140 pounds, I've lost 30 pounds over the past year and a half via Paleo, but that has only brought my BP down a little.BRIAN ASKS:What is the best supplement for dropping LDL and improving the particle size?LEEANN ASKS:I've been low-carbing for 6 months and feel great. I get my information based on what I read in books as well as listening to podcasts! I take a daily multivitamin, as well as iron, D3, Potassium, Magnesium and CoQ-10. I take these all in the morning. Is it possible to take too many supplements if I eat a low-carb/moderate protein/high-fat diet for a 44 year old woman in good health? And are there other vitamins that are best taken at night like magnesium or at a different time during the day for optimum effect?DARIO ASKS:Is it possible to get a sufficient amount of vitamins from mostly green, leafy vegetables on a very low-carb diet or is it better to take a multivitamin to help supplement this way of eating?JAY ASKS:Where do you see the future of supplements going? I've been reading more and more of the FDA trying to limit them (Codex Alimentarius). And what is your advice for finding more reliable suppliers?

AIR DATE: September 13, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: “All Things Vitamins (Supplements 101)” We all know it's important for us to be getting our vitamins and minerals from the food we eat as much as we possibly can. But what about those critical nutrients that our bodies need that we can't quite get enough of even on our low-carb diet? That's where getting the right kind of supplementation may come into play for so many of us who have a vested interest in being optimally healthy. That's why I’m excited to have an expert on supplements joining us in Dr. Jonny Bowden, author of many books, including  (listen to my “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show” podcast interview with him about this book in  and ). Dr. Bowden is indeed one of the most knowledgeable experts in the world about vitamins and minerals and we were happy to have him here answering YOUR questions about this topic. CHECK OUT THE LOW-CARB MEALS FROM DIET-TO-GO:Low-Carb meal plans from . No carb counting, no cooking.Enter "LLVLC" at checkout for 25% off!NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: TRY LOUISE'S FOODS LOW-CARB BREAKFAST BITES &amp; GRANOLAUSE COUPON CODE "LLVLC" AT CHECKOUT FOR 15% OFF YOUR ORDER!NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast: FRANKYN ASKS:I'm on a tight budget. What vitamins and minerals will give me the most optimal results for my health? SHERRI ASKS:I have been reading a lot about adding baking soda to your water can improve alkalinity. Is this true and can you overdo it? ROBERT ASKS:Are you aware of any supplements that are effective for blood glucose control? JEAN ASKS:Do you know of any supplements that are effective for reversing peripheral artery (vascular) disease? RENEE ASKS:I am a post-menopausal 51 year old woman and I've been taking 50 mg of DHEA for a few months to help me sleep better. I also added tryptophan at night and that helps me to really sleep deep. Is it fine to keep using these supplements over the long term? I've used melatonin in the past, but I have better results using DHEA and tryptophan. KRIS ASKS:I would like to know how to find out what forms of vitamins are best to take. I have seen two types of B12, three types of Magnesium and many types of iron. How do we know if what we are buying will be absorbed and how will it respond with other supplements we may be taking? ORLEATHA ASKS:I'd like to know what supplements are best for people with eczema. I have two types - one being dishydrotic. I eat a clean Paleo diet and drink water and kombucha but still have a few stubborn patches. RICK ASKS:I'm a 40 year old male in mostly good health: 5'11", 185 pounds, good muscle development and a solid exercise regimen. But I've had hypertension for years. I went Paleo in March 2012 and have had positive results across the board with my health, but my BP is still pretty high, often close to the 140/90 range before I lie down. I haven't seen diastolic less than 70 for 15-20 years. My allopathic doc just wants to prescribe medication without nailing down the cause. But there's a reason, and I want to know what it is so I can do something about it! I'm trying to hack my own way to a solution to this problem. I only drink maybe 2-3 cups of green tea per day; no other caffeine. I rarely consume 100g carbs/day, often less than 50g. My sodium intake shouldn't be an issue with this way of eating, especially with some folks talking about the need to supplement with salt! I get 7-8 hours sleep almost every night, and my life isn't full of stress, so I assume I'm not a ticking cortisol bomb. I supplement with magnesium, eat lots of green, leafy vegetables, and drink a cup of bone broth most days, so I'm probably good with most trace nutrients. Other than that, the only other supplement I take are a multivitamin and a drop of liquid Vitamin D3 daily. Am I relegated to prescription medication for the rest of my life to control my BP? I feel like I'm already addressing most of the known causes. LEANNA ASKS:I have blood pressure that stays around 130/90 unless I am relaxed in bed. What vitamins can help normalize this and in what dose. I am 5'2" and 140 pounds, I've lost 30 pounds over the past year and a half via Paleo, but that has only brought my BP down a little. BRIAN ASKS:What is the best supplement for dropping LDL and improving the particle size? LEEANN ASKS:I've been low-carbing for 6 months and feel great. I get my information based on what I read in books as well as listening to podcasts! I take a daily multivitamin, as well as iron, D3, Potassium, Magnesium and CoQ-10. I take these all in the morning. Is it possible to take too many supplements if I eat a low-carb/moderate protein/high-fat diet for a 44 year old woman in good health? And are there other vitamins that are best taken at night like magnesium or at a different time during the day for optimum effect? DARIO ASKS:Is it possible to get a sufficient amount of vitamins from mostly green, leafy vegetables on a very low-carb diet or is it better to take a multivitamin to help supplement this way of eating? JAY ASKS:Where do you see the future of supplements going? I've been reading more and more of the FDA trying to limit them (Codex Alimentarius). And what is your advice for finding more reliable suppliers?

26:  Dr. Jonny Bowden | All Things Vitamins (Supplements 101)

Larry McCleary

AIR DATE: April 19, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: Dr. Larry McCleary -- DrMcCleary.comFEATURED TOPIC: Episode 14: “Diet And The Three A's: ADHD, Autism and Alzheimer's”Neurosurgeon  is the retired Acting Chief of Neurosurgery at Denver Children’s Hospital. His latest book  examines the close interconnection between the role of gut health, nutrition and the health of your brain (listen to my interview with Dr. McCleary about this book in ). His special areas of expertise involve the neurological system and metabolic medicine which makes him very highly-qualified to address the role that diet plays on mental health ailments such as ADHD, Autism and Alzheimer's. Can these be prevent or even reversed through the use of nutrition? That's what we be explored in greater detail in this podcast with Dr. McCleary.ENTER TO WIN PRIZES IN JIMMY'S BLOGIVERSARY GIVEAWAY:LOW-CARB, GLUTEN-FREE CONDIMENTS MADE WITH STEVIVANOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast:DANNY'S COMMENT: Haven't needed my ADHD meds since I reduced carbs.MARTA'S COMMENT: My son is in the autism spectrum and last year when I started Atkins and was restricting certain foods in the house - he adapted to a "modified" Atkins way of eating. I noticed about 6 months ago how he has changed - for the better. Originally he was also diagnosed with ADHD - his re-diagnosis as of last month is that he does not have ADHD anymore!! He has become such a happier, more outgoing child and yes he does not like a lot of foods - his favorites are broccoli, cucumbers and salad, and he has always been a big meat eater. He has peanut and tree nut allergies so candy and sweets were never a big part of his diet. He does like an occasional hershey bar or cup of ice cream - and I let him. Its not every day. AND he also has Tourette's which has subsided too with NO MEDS!!!!!!!RICHELLE FROM AUSTRALIA ASKS:The modern diet is dreadfully low in omega 3 and high in omega 6 FA’s – are these implicated in the 3 A’s?What are the physiologic effects on the brain of ketosis? Do those effects protect the brain from the 3 A’s? Does the mother's diet during pregnancy lead to the child developing autism and ADHD?KEVIN ASKS:Are you familiar with Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride's GAPS diet protocol (listen to  for Jimmy's interview on this) for these conditions and if so what are your thoughts about the program? Do you believe these conditions are primarily diseases of digestion and gut flora dysbiosis and "leaky gut"?TRECIA ASKS:Are there any specific nutrition recommendations for people with ADHD? I have 2 adult children and a hubby who could use some more direction. We have a variety of eating styles going on in the home. I'm Paleo, my son (25) is Primal, my daughter (20) is Gluten-Free and hubby (48) can't quite decide if he is just Gluten-free or if he wants to go back to a SAD diet.RANDY ASKS:Please ask him about how magnesium plays into the Three A's? What are his thoughts on how important magnesium is and why the modern human is so high in calcium and low on magnesium?MORLEY ASKS:Given that all three conditions share the same mineral deficiency -- Magnesium -- what is Dr. McCleary's recommendation on the best way to measure its status within our body? What levels of magnesium has he learned from his research into this that correlate most with these three conditions? What is the ideal ratio of Calcium to Magnesium to keep these three conditions in check?AILSA FROM THE UK ASKS:If you have an autistic child who is fruit and vegetable phobic, how do you get around that? It's quite common with my son Luke who is now 16 and eats relatively low carb. We tried fish oil supplementation and it made no difference. And he's been diagnosed with Asperger's, ADHD and Dyspraxia and his father also has Asperger's. Last year he lost 28 pound and 7 inches off his waist eat low-carb and he is now at a normal BMI. Luke takes slow release ritilin too. We tried doing the natural version first, but we were desperate and my son was miserable. He only takes medication when at his special needs private school to help with his concentration.LINDA ASKS:WIth autism, there are structural differences in the brain. How far can diet go in correcting autistic symptoms with these brain changes being present?GRETA ASKS:We've read recently of the value of coconut oil in helping to prevent Alzheimer's. Many of us cook with it and put it in our coffee every morning. Can you give us your suggestions on how much would be needed to be taken to make a difference?MARK ASKS:Which commonly consumed foods (i.e. sugar, wheat, etc.) should be eliminated when someone has autism and what improvements could someone expect to see?SASKIA FROM BELGIUM ASKS:Kids with autism and Asperger's tend to have trouble with eating in general. Textures, smells, tastes, mixing foods and how the food looks on the plate can cause problems. Some kids like this don't like change either. For my ADHD-diagnosed daughter, I am afraid to try changing her diet to low-carb because it will be very restrictive in the beginning at least to find out what foods she is most sensitive too. I am afraid that putting her on a restrictive diet will cause problems either physical or psychological. She is 13 and slowly accepting more food but still only likes one kind of fruit (apples) and just few vegetables. She would rather go hungry than eat things that stress her out. I have been trying for years to get her to be less picky but it's a very long process. Any suggestions?DAVID ASKS:Some studies have shown that chemicals used in the growing process of some of the top selling fruits such as Grapes, Strawberries, Peaches, etc. play a major role in ADHD, autism and Alzheimer's. What role do these toxins play and if you go organic instead what are the top foods to be consumed?PAUL ASKS:My son is 18 and has Asperger's. He is graduating high school and heading to college in the summer. At the age of 18, do you think it would be worth attempting to put him on a low-carb diet? He struggles, as most Asperger's kids do, with the social aspects of relationships. I am a low-carber myself who has consistently kept 20 pound off for the past year. At his age, I would have to try to convince him to do it. Any suggestions about doing that and if you think low-carb will help him?SHAWNA ASKS:My son has Asperger's syndrome. He is addicted to milk and won't give it up. He's extra picky about food and doesn't like certain textures such as meat--only chicken nuggets. I guess my question is what should I do about nutrition with a picky Asperger's/autistic child?MARIA ASKS:My mind is absolutely more calm and I don't feel as much irritation against other people now when I eat low-carb as I did before. My temper was definitely my enemy. I have not been diagnosed with ADHD but my education as a school teacher has given me a working knowledge about it. I have no doubts about the relationship between ADHD and a high-carb diet. Is it too late for me to avoid Alzheimer's at the age of 54 and can I heal from the many years of damage my poor nutritional choices inflicted on me?CANDANCE ASKS:Is there a point in Alzheimer's Disease where you have no hope of trying to reverse the effects of the disease with diet? My aunt has lost all memory of who anyone is, and I've been trying to convince her sons to request a dietary change for her to see if there could be improvement, i.e. adding coconut oil. However, I'm afraid that at this point it is far too late.KATHY ASKS:I heard mention of a new study that suggested that low-carb diets, particularly if they're supplemented with coconut oil and induce ketosis, can slow or arrest cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease. I am looking for the reference because I wanted to see if it's a good study. Are you aware of this research?BRYAN ASKS:What is the role of ketosis in treating Alzheimer's and why it might not be as beneficial for those with the APO-E4 genotype (according to the work of Samuel T. Henderson). Is there anything we can do for those folks with the APO-E4 genotype who presently have the disease?JENNIFER ASKS:I have my own hypothesis that the low-fat diet craze over the past 40 years is a strong contributing factor to ADHD, autism, and other behavioral issues in childhood (because the young brain is deprived the needed fats that are crucial for normal brain development). Does Dr. McCleary feel the same?

AIR DATE: April 19, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: Dr. Larry McCleary -- DrMcCleary.comFEATURED TOPIC: Episode 14: “Diet And The Three A's: ADHD, Autism and Alzheimer's” Neurosurgeon  is the retired Acting Chief of Neurosurgery at Denver Children’s Hospital. His latest book  examines the close interconnection between the role of gut health, nutrition and the health of your brain (listen to my interview with Dr. McCleary about this book in ). His special areas of expertise involve the neurological system and metabolic medicine which makes him very highly-qualified to address the role that diet plays on mental health ailments such as ADHD, Autism and Alzheimer's. Can these be prevent or even reversed through the use of nutrition? That's what we be explored in greater detail in this podcast with Dr. McCleary. ENTER TO WIN PRIZES IN JIMMY'S BLOGIVERSARY GIVEAWAY:LOW-CARB, GLUTEN-FREE CONDIMENTS MADE WITH STEVIVANOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast: DANNY'S COMMENT: Haven't needed my ADHD meds since I reduced carbs. MARTA'S COMMENT: My son is in the autism spectrum and last year when I started Atkins and was restricting certain foods in the house - he adapted to a "modified" Atkins way of eating. I noticed about 6 months ago how he has changed - for the better. Originally he was also diagnosed with ADHD - his re-diagnosis as of last month is that he does not have ADHD anymore!! He has become such a happier, more outgoing child and yes he does not like a lot of foods - his favorites are broccoli, cucumbers and salad, and he has always been a big meat eater. He has peanut and tree nut allergies so candy and sweets were never a big part of his diet. He does like an occasional hershey bar or cup of ice cream - and I let him. Its not every day. AND he also has Tourette's which has subsided too with NO MEDS!!!!!!! RICHELLE FROM AUSTRALIA ASKS:The modern diet is dreadfully low in omega 3 and high in omega 6 FA’s – are these implicated in the 3 A’s? What are the physiologic effects on the brain of ketosis? Do those effects protect the brain from the 3 A’s? Does the mother's diet during pregnancy lead to the child developing autism and ADHD? KEVIN ASKS:Are you familiar with Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride's GAPS diet protocol (listen to  for Jimmy's interview on this) for these conditions and if so what are your thoughts about the program? Do you believe these conditions are primarily diseases of digestion and gut flora dysbiosis and "leaky gut"? TRECIA ASKS:Are there any specific nutrition recommendations for people with ADHD? I have 2 adult children and a hubby who could use some more direction. We have a variety of eating styles going on in the home. I'm Paleo, my son (25) is Primal, my daughter (20) is Gluten-Free and hubby (48) can't quite decide if he is just Gluten-free or if he wants to go back to a SAD diet. RANDY ASKS:Please ask him about how magnesium plays into the Three A's? What are his thoughts on how important magnesium is and why the modern human is so high in calcium and low on magnesium? MORLEY ASKS:Given that all three conditions share the same mineral deficiency -- Magnesium -- what is Dr. McCleary's recommendation on the best way to measure its status within our body? What levels of magnesium has he learned from his research into this that correlate most with these three conditions? What is the ideal ratio of Calcium to Magnesium to keep these three conditions in check? AILSA FROM THE UK ASKS:If you have an autistic child who is fruit and vegetable phobic, how do you get around that? It's quite common with my son Luke who is now 16 and eats relatively low carb. We tried fish oil supplementation and it made no difference. And he's been diagnosed with Asperger's, ADHD and Dyspraxia and his father also has Asperger's. Last year he lost 28 pound and 7 inches off his waist eat low-carb and he is now at a normal BMI. Luke takes slow release ritilin too. We tried doing the natural version first, but we were desperate and my son was miserable. He only takes medication when at his special needs private school to help with his concentration. LINDA ASKS:WIth autism, there are structural differences in the brain. How far can diet go in correcting autistic symptoms with these brain changes being present? GRETA ASKS:We've read recently of the value of coconut oil in helping to prevent Alzheimer's. Many of us cook with it and put it in our coffee every morning. Can you give us your suggestions on how much would be needed to be taken to make a difference? MARK ASKS:Which commonly consumed foods (i.e. sugar, wheat, etc.) should be eliminated when someone has autism and what improvements could someone expect to see? SASKIA FROM BELGIUM ASKS:Kids with autism and Asperger's tend to have trouble with eating in general. Textures, smells, tastes, mixing foods and how the food looks on the plate can cause problems. Some kids like this don't like change either. For my ADHD-diagnosed daughter, I am afraid to try changing her diet to low-carb because it will be very restrictive in the beginning at least to find out what foods she is most sensitive too. I am afraid that putting her on a restrictive diet will cause problems either physical or psychological. She is 13 and slowly accepting more food but still only likes one kind of fruit (apples) and just few vegetables. She would rather go hungry than eat things that stress her out. I have been trying for years to get her to be less picky but it's a very long process. Any suggestions? DAVID ASKS:Some studies have shown that chemicals used in the growing process of some of the top selling fruits such as Grapes, Strawberries, Peaches, etc. play a major role in ADHD, autism and Alzheimer's. What role do these toxins play and if you go organic instead what are the top foods to be consumed? PAUL ASKS:My son is 18 and has Asperger's. He is graduating high school and heading to college in the summer. At the age of 18, do you think it would be worth attempting to put him on a low-carb diet? He struggles, as most Asperger's kids do, with the social aspects of relationships. I am a low-carber myself who has consistently kept 20 pound off for the past year. At his age, I would have to try to convince him to do it. Any suggestions about doing that and if you think low-carb will help him? SHAWNA ASKS:My son has Asperger's syndrome. He is addicted to milk and won't give it up. He's extra picky about food and doesn't like certain textures such as meat--only chicken nuggets. I guess my question is what should I do about nutrition with a picky Asperger's/autistic child? MARIA ASKS:My mind is absolutely more calm and I don't feel as much irritation against other people now when I eat low-carb as I did before. My temper was definitely my enemy. I have not been diagnosed with ADHD but my education as a school teacher has given me a working knowledge about it. I have no doubts about the relationship between ADHD and a high-carb diet. Is it too late for me to avoid Alzheimer's at the age of 54 and can I heal from the many years of damage my poor nutritional choices inflicted on me? CANDANCE ASKS:Is there a point in Alzheimer's Disease where you have no hope of trying to reverse the effects of the disease with diet? My aunt has lost all memory of who anyone is, and I've been trying to convince her sons to request a dietary change for her to see if there could be improvement, i.e. adding coconut oil. However, I'm afraid that at this point it is far too late. KATHY ASKS:I heard mention of a new study that suggested that low-carb diets, particularly if they're supplemented with coconut oil and induce ketosis, can slow or arrest cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease. I am looking for the reference because I wanted to see if it's a good study. Are you aware of this research? BRYAN ASKS:What is the role of ketosis in treating Alzheimer's and why it might not be as beneficial for those with the APO-E4 genotype (according to the work of Samuel T. Henderson). Is there anything we can do for those folks with the APO-E4 genotype who presently have the disease? JENNIFER ASKS:I have my own hypothesis that the low-fat diet craze over the past 40 years is a strong contributing factor to ADHD, autism, and other behavioral issues in childhood (because the young brain is deprived the needed fats that are crucial for normal brain development). Does Dr. McCleary feel the same?

14: Diet And The Three A's: ADHD, Autism and Alzheimer's | Dr. Larry McCleary

Mat Lalonde

Harvard research biochemist Mat Lalonde has a rather interesting take on the Paleo diet from the role of an organic chemist. Lauded for bringing skepticism about the claims of ancestral living to light, Mat is a really smart guy who pushes the boundaries of thinking outside of our own little online communities to see the bigger picture. He was a guest in  and we’re pleased to have him address a subject matter that he knows quite a bit about: CALORIES! Mat is a big believer in food quality over food quantity and that eating until you are full is possible on a weight loss plan. This is sure to be one of the most popular episodes we’ve aired to date!GET BEN GREENFIELD’S ‘LOW-CARB DIET FOR TRIATHLETES’:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Here’s the column on calories Jimmy referenced at the beginning of the show: by Kristin Wartman in the March 8, 2012 issue of The AtlanticHere are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast:ANGELA ASKS:Is there a point where your body gets too comfortable with a low-carb diet and too used to burning fat for fuel, that you need to watch your calories as well as your carbs in order to lose weight? I had a great success on Atkins in the first months, losing 13 kgs, then nothing else since then, unless I lower my calories.DON ASKS:On a recent ATLCX show I heard Mark Sisson say that he believed if you are taking in enough nutrients and fat in your diet to maintain your current weight that you probably wouldn’t gain weight but that if your goal was to lose fat that you needed to create a calorie deficit. Mat, what is your take on this? There seems to be a lot of disagreement on this subject.SUSAN ASKS:Is it true that there’s no scientific evidence that 3500 calories = 1 lb? Where did this stat originate from? Why is it not relevant for weight loss if this stat isn’t true? I would love to have an answer for those who still regard this as the holy grail of weight loss.MIKE ASKS:What are your thoughts on the food reward theory and the idea that weight and health management is really “all about the calories.” I think it’s rubbish but I’d like to hear Mat’s take. It seems that many Paleo folks are abandoning low-carb as a legitimate nutritional approach.LISA ASKS:If you eat too low of calories, will that send you into “starvation mode” and stall your weight loss?JAMIE ASKS:One of the biggest chains of women’s workout centers is Curves and they claim you will “Burn up to 500 calories in 30 minutes.” Just how accurate would you say calorie estimates are for exercise machines and programs?WALLY ASKS:You have made the remark that the human body is not a calorimeter. In what ways, if any, are food kilo-calories relevant to optimal health?SUSAN ASKS:Is there an ideal percentage of your calories that should come from carbs, fats and proteins?BEN ASKS:Mat once mentioned how intermittent fasting causes an increase in the “fight of flight” response. Is this still true for a person that is well adapted to intermittent fasting and can go 16+ hours without any desire or hunger for food? And if it’s still true, would something like a piece of fruit be enough to negate the stress issue?MICHAEL ASKS:Before I ran across Paleo, I was looking into calorie restriction, which naturally I didn’t even attempt to comply with. In your estimation, do you think the science shows there is an advantage to modest calorie restriction when already eating cleanly? Do you believe all the benefit of calorie restriction can be retained by clean eating and intermittent fasting? Where does protein sparing fasting fit in?

Harvard research biochemist Mat Lalonde has a rather interesting take on the Paleo diet from the role of an organic chemist. Lauded for bringing skepticism about the claims of ancestral living to light, Mat is a really smart guy who pushes the boundaries of thinking outside of our own little online communities to see the bigger picture. He was a guest in  and we’re pleased to have him address a subject matter that he knows quite a bit about: CALORIES! Mat is a big believer in food quality over food quantity and that eating until you are full is possible on a weight loss plan. This is sure to be one of the most popular episodes we’ve aired to date! GET BEN GREENFIELD’S ‘LOW-CARB DIET FOR TRIATHLETES’:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Here’s the column on calories Jimmy referenced at the beginning of the show: by Kristin Wartman in the March 8, 2012 issue of The Atlantic Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast: ANGELA ASKS:Is there a point where your body gets too comfortable with a low-carb diet and too used to burning fat for fuel, that you need to watch your calories as well as your carbs in order to lose weight? I had a great success on Atkins in the first months, losing 13 kgs, then nothing else since then, unless I lower my calories. DON ASKS:On a recent ATLCX show I heard Mark Sisson say that he believed if you are taking in enough nutrients and fat in your diet to maintain your current weight that you probably wouldn’t gain weight but that if your goal was to lose fat that you needed to create a calorie deficit. Mat, what is your take on this? There seems to be a lot of disagreement on this subject. SUSAN ASKS:Is it true that there’s no scientific evidence that 3500 calories = 1 lb? Where did this stat originate from? Why is it not relevant for weight loss if this stat isn’t true? I would love to have an answer for those who still regard this as the holy grail of weight loss. MIKE ASKS:What are your thoughts on the food reward theory and the idea that weight and health management is really “all about the calories.” I think it’s rubbish but I’d like to hear Mat’s take. It seems that many Paleo folks are abandoning low-carb as a legitimate nutritional approach. LISA ASKS:If you eat too low of calories, will that send you into “starvation mode” and stall your weight loss? JAMIE ASKS:One of the biggest chains of women’s workout centers is Curves and they claim you will “Burn up to 500 calories in 30 minutes.” Just how accurate would you say calorie estimates are for exercise machines and programs? WALLY ASKS:You have made the remark that the human body is not a calorimeter. In what ways, if any, are food kilo-calories relevant to optimal health? SUSAN ASKS:Is there an ideal percentage of your calories that should come from carbs, fats and proteins? BEN ASKS:Mat once mentioned how intermittent fasting causes an increase in the “fight of flight” response. Is this still true for a person that is well adapted to intermittent fasting and can go 16+ hours without any desire or hunger for food? And if it’s still true, would something like a piece of fruit be enough to negate the stress issue? MICHAEL ASKS:Before I ran across Paleo, I was looking into calorie restriction, which naturally I didn’t even attempt to comply with. In your estimation, do you think the science shows there is an advantage to modest calorie restriction when already eating cleanly? Do you believe all the benefit of calorie restriction can be retained by clean eating and intermittent fasting? Where does protein sparing fasting fit in?

9: ‘All Things Calories (Calories 101)’ | Mat Lalonde

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