We need to grow a pair!

Hi Everyone!

Yes. I'm walking the line of crudeness because I'm fed up!  Honestly, if I hear one more client say that it's okay that they're having the bag of chips because they are made with whole grains, I'm going to lose it! Honestly, how do you expect to achieve your goals if you're not willing to take out the garbage?

I'm not even sure who to be mad at any more!  I think we all have some culpability in this mess. Let's take a look at how each group plays a role in the obesity epidemic (both creating it and not helping to solve it).

Consumers/Clients

I think that the current food system is the way it is, because we (the consumers/clients) are a bunch of pushovers (not my first choice of words) who are so terrified to give up our vices like junky foods that we know are killing us that we choose to believe the BS claims that are made by food companies about said food items. For instance, these chips are okay because they are made from whole grains, or these cookies are organic.  I mean, PLEASE!

Message: We vote with our dollars, so don't buy processed food anymore & eventually there will be no market for it and similarly, the cost of good quality, real foods will decrease.

Government

The governments who supposedly police the food industry are absolutely culpable & they are made of educated people, so they are not stupid, therefore, I can only conclude that they are driven by money and secondary gain.  There is no other logical reason why in the face of clear evidence that TRANS fats kill humans by well known cardiovascular mechanisms, that they would impose a law to require that the amount of trans fats within a food product be shown on the label rather than make it illegal for the food company to use that item in the foods they make!  WHAT THE HECK!?  Think about it, governments make money on allowing poor quality foods into the market place & people get sick & then there's money to be made on the treatment of those illnesses (preventable ones).  So tell me then, where is the motivation to stop the cycle.  Nowhere for the governments regulators.

Message: Nobody has your back, other than you.  You need to take responsibility for your own lifestyle choices.  Don't you put your health, life & vitality in the hands of people with more to gain if you are sick than if you are healthy.

Nutrition Professionals

Practioners

The nutrition profession including Dietitians, Nutritionists (practitioners), Researchers & Professors.  All of which work very hard (I know I am one) to tow the company line (i.e. the food groups or pyramids or whatever), and most of them (this is where I consider myself different) do NOT question those concepts, they just keep teaching them.  This is where things become ugly for me.  I have a real Masters degree (thesis-based) & am pursuing a PhD all in Human Nutrition, so I believe I can read, interpret & critically appraise the research.  Unfortunately, many of the practitioners in the profession can not, do not or are not willing to do this.  This has lead to the promotion of the low fat diet for instance for the last fifty years or so.  You can see my post on some of my issues with the low fat diet and why that's a huge problem.  And the thing is, the evidence is out there to lead practitioners away from this but most are either too busy or just don't bother to review it.

Researchers

This brings us to researchers and professors. Researchers & Professors are, for the most part positions that are research driven and depend upon production & publications for their institution.  Unfortunately, Western medical research practices are based on supposed gold standards (i.e. randomized clinical trials) that really only work for pharmaceutical drugs, no coincidence that the majority of medical research is funded by these companies and that most medical decision trees produced for physicians and psychiatrists either end at or have as a major part of their treatment a pharmaceutical drug (that's for another rant, though).  I have many research colleagues and friends who consider the current state of nutrition research a joke.  I unfortunately have to agree with them.  They are mostly in the physical sciences like chemistry and physics, both of which I have minors in.  The major difference in my opinion is that those physical sciences have a unifying theory, which guides all research in that discipline to be in line with those principles.  In medical & health research it's more of a crap shoot of random trials & outcome measures.  Many will argue that there is no medical unifying theory, but that is crap!  The unified theory of biology should be and is EVOLUTION!  I talk about that unifying theory in a prior post here.  If nutrition researchers would simply ask does this study/finding/research question that I am proposing make sense in light of evolutionary biology, then this would prevent millions of dollars from being wasted on stupid projects that provide zero insights into human health & disease.  And by the way, food companies are also spending billions of dollars to fund research projects.


Professors

Professorships are research-dependent and therefore all of the research criticisms discussed above apply.  Additionally, however, most of the time there is a regulating body (i.e. college or other guiding body) that dictates the competencies and content that are required to become a certified health professional.  Unfortunately, these practice recommendations are based on the assumption that the last fifty plus years of lifestyle based research has been sound and that the principles of many of the early low fat proponents was correct (which is now known to be false).  Yet, each new generation of nutrition, health and medical practitioner are taught the same strategies to prevent and manage/treat cardiovascular disease, diabetes, kidney disease, etc... without any regard to human evolutionary biology.  This is absolutely a critical mistake and the most frustrating part of all is that this is a relatively easy one to fix.

Message: You can't always put your faith in credentials.  Just because someone has a certification or degree, doesn't mean they're good at what they do or even know about or truly understand the current research, it just means they were able to complete coursework & do well on a test. I am a certified health professional, I have many colleagues and only some of them truly understand the current research. Be sure to do your own research and then discuss it with your certified health professional.  If they are completely closed, fire them & find another who is more open and versed on the research.

So. What the heck can we do about it?

It's an easy fix, but not a quick one.  I learned everything I could (and still am by the way) about evolutionary biology and then use these principles to filter all of the latest research findings through and see which ones still make sense or try to figure how they might fit.  Also, I use these evolutionary principles to adjust my prevention and treatment protocols so that they are more in line with evolutionary biology.  There are many non-certified Western and Alternative medical practitioners that have been doing this for some time, I applaud the honest ones for doing this.  I think it's time that we in certified Western medicine caught up!

Message: It's through this practice of selecting professionals that are more open-minded & versed on the literature, that health professionals will ultimately expand their knowledge and be accountable to you, the client.  Also, we have to stop always citing old studies as the basis for our current treatment practice, research question or curriculum and seriously attempt to integrate the evolutionary biology approach.


Thanks for reading my rant!  I hope you found it useful as well as entertaining!  Honestly, I feel better for having wrote this, so thanks for giving me an audience.

Have a great week!

Take care,

Dan T

How to Heal your Gut & WHY!!!

There is more and more research suggesting that a "leaky gut" could be the underlying cause of many diseases that face modern humans and that it can perpetuate inflammation in the body that wreaks havoc on general health & well-being.  In order to discuss this further, we need to start with some basics.

The basics:

1)                    The gut is essentially a long tube that forms a 
barrier to the outside word that selectively allows
penetration of essential nutrients, vitamins, etc… that
we need to survive and thrive. Many hormones are
secreted by the gut and interestingly these hormones
can have both peripheral and central effects.

2)                      As mothers approach birth their
vaginal population change in order to expose the baby
to as many good bacteria as possible - this is evidenced
by lower numbers of good bacteria in the guts of children
from c-section birth.

3)                      The gut houses approximately 100 trillion 
bacteria and this population of bacteria is around 10 times 

that amount of human cells present in our body (3.72 x10¹³)-

this number is so great that it's becoming more apparent that 

these bacteria might be able to stimulate us to do what they want
(i.e. Food cravings/choices like carbohydrate cravings or PICA).

4)                      Gut flora promote normal GI function, provide protection from infection, regulates metabolism & comprises more than 75% of our immune system.

Our modern lifestyles put us at risk for lowering the good bacteria normally colonizing our guts. Chris Kresser outlines these in his blog:

·            Antibiotics and other medications like birth control and NSAIDs

·            Diets high in refined carbohydrates, sugar and processed foods

·            Diets low in fermentable fibers

·            Dietary toxins like wheat and industrial seed oils that cause leaky gut

·            Chronic stress

·            Chronic infections

Antibiotic therapy will essentially hit the reset button on our good bacteria, indiscriminately wiping them out. It then becomes critical that we repopulate our gut with beneficial bacteria and that’s where I believe most of us including Western Medicine practitioners drop the ball.

If the intestinal barrier becomes permeable (leaky gut), large protein molecules escape into the bloodstream that normally would not have penetrated. Since these proteins are not recognized by the body, the body mounts an immune response to them and attacks them. Studies show that these attacks can play a role in the development of autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto’s, Type 1 Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis and more. This immune response brought on by “leaky gut” has been shown to affect not only the gut itself, but also other organs including the skeletal system, pancreas, kidney, liver and the brain. Additionally, it’s been shown that “leaky gut” can manifest problems in the skin and heart.

What you can do to make sure your Gut stays healthy?

1. Eliminate exposure to toxic substances in food.   Substances to try to avoid:
• Cereal grains (especially refined flour)
• Omega-6 industrial seed oils (corn, cottonseed, safflower, soybean, etc.)
• Sugar (especially high-fructose corn syrup)
• Processed soy (soy milk, soy protein, soy flour, etc.)
2. FODMAPs intolerance – Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols – these are short-chain carbohydrates that are incompletely absorbed in the gut & can be easily fermented by Gut bacteria – the fermentation & osmosis caused by these undigested sugars cause major IBS symptoms such as gas, pain & diarrhea.
3. Use Fermented foods including Sauerkraut, Kimchi & Kefir, etc…
   
4. Use high-quality, mutli-species probiotic supplement after antibiotic use.
5. Manage your stress – Lots of research links gut health with emotional health & well-being!
   
   There's so much more that could be discussed, but I'll leave that to the experts.  If you're interested in having a full assessment done on the state of your gut health, track down a good functional medicine doctor in your area who can help you handle this.  Two sites that can help you are the Paleo physicians network & Primal Docs.

Until next time, make sure you're taking care of your gut & the Trillions of bacteria in it, and in turn, they will take care of you!

Dan T

 

REDEFINING WHY PART 2

Back in part 1 of my 2 part series on REDEFINING WHY, I attempted to define how I was able to be lean & athletic and remain that way through incredible stresses up to about 10 years ago and more importantly why this seems more difficult currently (at 41 years).  In part 2, I’m hoping to take you through the process of establishing my new WHYs and creating my specific goals for the next few months. This might take this post & one more.

Out of Date WHYs:

A) Be the leanest & fittest man I can be in order to attract the woman of my dreams.

B) Be as healthy & strong as I can be in case MS strikes me down, I will be in better position to maintain strength & function, etc…

C) Be Warrior Fit.

——————————————————————————

Why these WHYs are obsolete to me now:

A) I’ve met & married the woman of my dreams.

B) My mother passed away of complications relating to her (30 year bout with) MS 2 years ago & my priorities have shifted from avoiding disease, to earning a living & caring for my family.

C) I have not consistently practiced martial arts for the last decade and a half & I’m no longer as focused on preparation for spontaneous kumites.  

—————————————————————————————

Tony Robbins discusses 6 Master Steps to Change in a Powertalk session. I’ve adapted those here to walk you through how I developed my WHYs & how I intend to change my behaviors and start heading towards the attainment of my goals.  

6 Steps to Change:

1) Decide what DO you want & what might prevent you from getting it.

2) Create leverage (on yourself) to make the change a must.

3) Interrupt the current pattern.

A) Visualization

B) Experience

4) Implement the change using a positive behavior in place of the negative one (if applicable).

5) Condition the new behavior pattern, so it remains consistent.

A) Visualization

B) Role-Playing

6) Test the new behavior (pattern).

A) Visualization

B) Experience

Newer, more relevant WHYs:

A) Be the best living example of healthy, lean and strong man who is living the Paleo/Primal lifestyle for my family, friends, clients & the world.

B) Be a living example of what kind of change is possible through a well planned Paleo/Primal lifestyle for my family, friends, clients & the world.

C) Be the best example of health, fitness & longevity that I can be for my kids so they will be proud & strive to emulate my lifestyle.

D) Become as Warrior Fit as I can because I want to be able to defend my family at any moment, whatever comes.

These are WHYs that touch me more viscerally currently, so I know they’ll be more effective.

Now, if only this lifestyle could morph my face into Jason Statham's (at right) then my acting career would really take off!!

My Leverage:

For making the changes - I must achieve these changes because I have always been a man of my word. I am a healthy, lean & fit man who is a living example for those around him of what a healthy lifestyle can do. I now understand the importance of living a Paleo/Primal lifestyle & need to now implement these principles fully into my lifestyle in order be the living model of health, fitness & longevity! I need to become a living example of health, fitness & longevity & the power of the Paleo/Primal lifestyle in order to effect change at the policy level & to lead the charge amongst my fellow RDs.

I need to be a living example for my family and especially my kids in order for them to strive to emulate my lifestyle!  

Against not making the changes - If I don’t achieve my goals and successfully implement these lifestyle strategies then I will lose the respect of my friends & family and most importantly myself. My business & services will not thrive if I can’t be a living example of my lifestyle strategies. I will not be able to successfully effect changes at the policy level & amongst fellow RDs unless I am a living example of health, fitness & longevity!

My specific goals: Over the next 4 months, I will:

1) lose 4 inches off my waist (aiming for 1/2 inch every 2 weeks).

2) go to at least 2 CrossFit classes per week & will add in physical play activity (increasing weekly as weather here in Canada improves - horrible winter here this year.

3) consume a Paleo/Primal diet daily with on non-Gluten containing one cheat meal per week.

4) consume 100 g of carbohydrates or less daily.

These goals are mostly behavioral, meaning that I’m able to track my progress daily by seeing if I’m on track or not using a behavioral checklist. I discussed this in a previous post.

Although, this doesn’t guarantee success, since it can't remove the daily stressors of a newborn + a 2 year old, working full time, pursuing a PhD (due end of 2015), blogging & running my business; these goals should increase my odds for success because of the 6 keys to psychological success as reported in Prev Medicine in 2004 which were:

A) Using Proven Strategy - Paleo/Primal has worked for thousands, why NOT me!

B) Using all available resources - Quality food obtained & source identified, Kitchen & Pantry cleaned out, Cooking tools ready to rock.

C) Integrated Social Support Structure for behavior change - My wife is doing this with me + accountability to my readers = ultimate support system.

D) Self-Efficacy - my goals are broken down into smaller chunks to gain momentum & confidence.

E) Greater Outcome Expectations - 4 inches is significant.

F) Adequate time to form habit - I’m giving myself 4 months to fully embrace the lifestyle, but know that actual permanent change can take 1-2 years to become ingrained.

Well, I'm off & running (pun intended).

If you would like to do this also, feel free to share your step by step goals in the comments section!

Let’s rock this!

Take care,

Dan T

Metabolism and Mental Health

Hi everyone!

I'm back from some time away and am thrilled to announce the birth of our second daughter Kathryn!  Kudos to my beautiful wife who delivered her naturally and has been an amazing trooper plowing through breast feeding challenges! Let's just say, there's not a lot of sleep to go around in our home right now!

On to today's topic: Metabolism and Mental Health

I'm constantly disgusted by the preachings & teachings of many of my peers who blindly tow the economically motivated company line!  I'm speaking from both the head and the heart here!

Maybe it's not news to any of you reading this that there is something wrong with the current model of "healthy lifestyles" being touted by North American health care professionals, and I might add is still being taught as the gold standard by many of the educational institutions creating the next generation of said health care professionals!  The sad part of all this is that it's all based on poor research and worse yet, the last 2 decades of evidence has clearly shown that the food pyramids & groupings that are are NOT the answer they are touted to be and could actually be responsible for the obesity epidemic we are now facing.  Denise Minger has done an awesome job illustrating the facts as to why the USDA pyramids since the 1970's are a bad idea in her book Death by Food Pyramid.

In fact, the evidence absolutely opposes regular consumption of a high carb, low fat diet for any prolonged period of time, suggesting that the increased prevalence of mental health conditions over the last 50 years is due to the shifting of public consumption to a low fat, high carbohydrate diet vs. the more traditional, low carb, high fat one (Riby LM and Riby DM, 2013)!

I work at a mental health hospital and I see significant overlap between the mental health conditions that lead to hospitalization (i.e. Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, Bipolar Affective Disorder, etc...) and the metabolic syndrome that has also become increasingly prevalent in our modern society.  FYI, Metabolic syndrome is defined by having 3 or more of the following conditions (as defined on the Diabetes Canada website):

• High fasting blood glucose levels (5.6 mmol/L or higher)
• High blood pressure (130/85 mm Hg or higher)
• High level of triglycerides, a type of fat in your blood (1.7 mmol/L or higher)
• Low levels of HDL, the “good” blood cholesterol (lower than 1.0 mmol/L in men or 1.3 mmol/L in women)
• Abdominal obesity or too much fat around your waist [a waist circumference of greater than 102 cm (40 inches) in men and greater than 88 cm (35 inches) in women]

The more of these conditions you have, the higher your risks of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease.  I can tell you from my experience, that at least 1-3 of these criteria are met by almost all the clients I come across in mental health.  It's far to common to be mere chance!  In fact, there is research outlining how these metabolic disturbances are linked with mental illness  (Carria G et al. 2014).  I think the best objective review of the evidence linking lifestyle habits with subsequent mental health issues and specifically cognitive decline is in Dr. David Perlmutter's book Grain Brain.

Furthermore, metabolic syndrome has been shown to be associated with poor memory and executive functioning in the elderly (Rouch I et al, 2014). I think we can safely assume that they are at the very least related & that nutrition and our consistent lifestyle habits are intimately involved in the pathophysiologies of these conditions.

One theory as to how this link occurs is through epigenetics or the altering of gene expression within individuals through methylation and other processes that turn on and off of various genes in the body.  Mark Sisson in his book The Primal Blueprint describes becoming a fat burning machine through altering our gene expression to do this.  Evidence is definitely starting to show that consistent lifestyle activities including diet, resistance and aerobic exercise and more do exactly this, alter gene expression of certain genes that favor fat burning and turn off others that would favor fat storage.  Epigenetic changes have been shown to occur in populations with Diabetes as well.  Interestingly, these gene expressions can be either health marker related (which can be tracked) or appetite-generating or suppressing to name a few, which can help explain how processed foods can stimulate people to over-consume them so frequently.  This phenomenon has been demonstrated clinically in a study that examined midlife diet and future phenotype expressions of Healthy Aging.



Regardless of mechanisms, there is definitely evidence that suggests we shouldn't be relying, let alone recommending high grain & refined carbohydrate intake (including grains) and that we shouldn't be restricting fat as much as we are now!

Specifically, there are a number of studies linking grain consumption to mental health issues including schizophrenia, depression and bipolar disorder.

 
I will leave you with one closing thought.  Most people know that the body is made of mostly water and if we don't get enough water daily, then we're on the road to problems; so once you understand that the brain is made of mostly fat, it shouldn't surprise you that if we don't consume adequate fat from our diet we are heading down the road to troubles with our brain!  Obviously, the types of fat matter, but this is another post in and of itself!



Anyway, I believe the time is coming for change & I am striving to advocate for it!  It will likely be many years until Government agencies climb aboard, so in the meantime, take control of your and your family's health!

Also, to any and all clinicians reading this, you should try the changes I'm talking about and advocate for change too!  To blindly move forward is irresponsible!


Till next time.  Have a great weekend & Take care!

Dan T