Tag Archives: leaky gut

Questions & Answers

What is The Impact Of The Ketogenic Diet On Heart And Brain Health?

Before you go on any diet, its important to understand the pros and cons. That includes knowing the impact of ketogenic or high-protein diets on the risk of heart disease and stroke.

There are people out there who advocate a healthy variant of the ketogenic diet, but the diet is still high in fat, high in animal protein, and low in resistant starch. A lot of different foods are missing from the ketogenic diet. I’m particularly concerned about the lack of starchy vegetables in that kind of diet.

The European Journal of Nutrition published a study that demonstrated a dramatic increase in trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a toxic compound produced in the gut by a specific bacteria called Hungatella. Hungatella produces higher amounts of TMAO in the presence of a high-protein diet. TMAO is associated with a 62% increased risk of heart disease.

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This study was focused on the paleo rather than the ketogenic diet. But I’m pretty sure that the findings would be the same for the keto diet.

Restricting resistant starch and eating lots of dietary fat and protein alters the gut microbiome. This alteration can trigger different disease processes in humans.

Don’t stay on the ketogenic or paleo diet for the long-term. If you want to keep off weight permanently, focus on lifestyle, stress, sleep, and a generally healthy diet, rather than a fad like paleo or keto.

The ketogenic diet will stabilize your blood sugars and reduce body fat, but I’d hate to see what the arteries are going to be like in the brain and around the heart if you stay on that diet for a long time.

Remember, my concerns don’t refer to the keto or paleo type diets that also include fruit and resistant starch. I think those foods should never have been taken out in the first place.

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Questions & Answers

Flavonoids And Weight Loss: What You Should Know

Can flavonoids help you lose weight? And if so, what’s a safe amount for somebody to consume daily?

Firstly, it’s important to know that flavonoids are protective factors found in plants, including vegetables and fruits. Flavonoids act to protect and strengthen plants, increase cell-to-cell communication, and stop sun damage. The bottom line is that flavonoids make plants strong and healthy.

Weight issues have been around for a long, long time. But they’ve exploded in recent years.
Flavonoids also have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

I read a fascinating study in the British Medical Journal published in 2016, involving over 124,000 people. The study followed men and women for up to 24 years. This study found that people who each a flavonoid-rich diet found it easier to maintain a healthy weight. This was true even after the study was adjusted for smoking and exercise habits. Even sedentary people were found to better maintain a healthy weight when eating a diet rich in flavonoids.

Flavonoids are found in a variety of foods, including vegetables like onions, fruit like pears, and tea. The top flavonoid in this research was the anthocyanin.

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Anthocyanins are found in strawberries, cherries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, radishes, black currants, and grapes. These foods are what I called “pinnacle” foods because of their high nutrient content.

I encourage people to eat berries every day to their beneficial effects on health.

Quercetin is a very beneficial flavonoid found in onions. That’s one of the reasons I eat onions every day. Red wine and chocolate also contain flavonoids. It’s easy to overeat chocolate, so be very careful and only have small amounts of high-quality dark chocolate.

The more flavonoids you eat, the less you’ll crave processed foods. These foods taste delicious and also have powerful positive effects on your immune and digestive systems.

Most people between the ages of 18 and 49 will gain one to two pounds per year. If you do the math, that can be a lot of extra weight by the time you’re sixty. By maintain muscle mass and eating healthy foods, including flavonoid-rich fruits and vegetables, you can buck the trend of gradual weight gain.

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Questions & Answers

The Ins And Outs Of Gastric Surgery

What are my thoughts on gastric surgery?

Gastric surgery is a drastic solution to a big problem.

Over the years, I’ve had clients who’ve had lap band surgery as well as ones who had their stomachs made smaller. In two cases, in particular, the results were outstanding for my clients.

One of the patients was so obese that it was difficult for her to even walk to my clinic. She was in her late forties and near death. In cases like that, when there aren’t any other options, then gastric surgery can be a lifesaver.

Several months later, the patient came back, and I didn’t even recognize her. It was a fantastic outcome for her, but it did leave her with massive amounts of excess skin that had to be managed surgically.

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Still, I don’t think gastric surgery is the right fix for most people.

Is it a fix for many people? No, it’s not. I don’t think gastric surgery is a good option for 95% of people. Gastric surgery doesn’t cure the cause of obesity; it’s just fixing the end result of certain behaviors.

Should you consider gastric surgery? Look at your situation determine it’s severity. Are all other avenues shut for you? Is it impossible for you to lose weight? Are you physically at such a point where you can’t exercise anymore?

If at all possible, I recommend going for reversible gastric surgery over the irreversible options. Of course, the surgeon will have the final say on that matter.

If you can find a non-surgical way to manage your way, take the route. Reserve the surgical solution for when all other options have failed.

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Questions & Answers

Will A Zero-Carb Diet Help You Lose Weight?

Are zero-carb diets any good for weight loss?

For many years, government agencies and dieticians were beating the drum for low-fat diets, but they clearly didn’t work. I read an interesting report that summarized 26 different studies that compared low-fat to low-carb diets. There’s no doubt that the low-carb diet is the clear winner in that comparison.

However, there are many conflicting studies when it comes to zero-carb and extremely low-carb diets. This is particularly true when it comes to long-term benefits and effects.

I think we’re sailing into uncharted waters when it comes to zero-carb diets that offer fish, eggs, and meat as the primary proteins. I don’t think those options are good over the longer term.

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I think low-carb diets can contribute to nutrient deficiencies and the lack of fiber is going to result in a change in bowel habits and gut flora. Fatigue and constipation are common side effects of a low-carb diet.

Zero-carb diets may be effective for weight loss over the short-term, but I think people are going to run into problems over time.

For very large people, the zero-carb diet may allow them to lose a significant amount of weight over the first few weeks. For every gram that you carry of fat, the body’s also maintaining a lot of fluid. As a result, as soon as you start burning off some initial fat, your weight will drop quite rapidly. It’s a lot of fluid coming off the body. But then you’ll plateau and will need to take extreme measures to get the weight to keeping dropping.

Instead of looking to a zero-carb diet to solve your weight problem, I think the focus should be on eating habits and the emotional side of food.

Look at your stress levels, your relationships, your occupation, and try and find the reasons you may be overeating. I think that is far more effective than jumping on a diet bandwagon.

We need a permanent fix. We don’t need some short term diet approach at all. Look at weight loss as a 12 month+ project, not a six-week program because you’re going to a wedding.

Any diet approach should be customized to the person. Don’t change your diet to live up to what a book says. Change the diet to meet your needs.

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Questions & Answers

Lychee Nuts And Your Weight

What are the health benefits of lychee? Are there any weight loss benefits associated with eating this fruit?

Lychee nuts (Litchi chinensis) are a type of fruit with a white, rubbery pulp, a reddish-brown skin, and a nice brown seed. I consider lychee nuts to be absolutely delectable to eat. It is one of my favorite fruits.

As for weight loss, there are differing options. Some people say lychee fruit’s high glycemic index makes it unlikely to assist in weight loss. But, I beg to differ. I have yet to meet anyone who is going to eat a whole bathtub full of lychees.

Lychees are quite rich, and most people have had enough after about four or five of them. So, sure, you can say that lychee nuts have a glycemic index of 70 and so they aren’t healthy. But is that really true? How do lychee nuts compare to chocolate bars or deep-fried chicken nuggets? I mean, for goodness sake, let people enjoy healthy treats like lychee nuts, glycemic index notwithstanding.

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Lychees are a fantastic food. They are high in fiber and high in vitamin C. They also have an unusual phytonutrient that is high in flavonoids and has antiviral properties. Lychee nuts also contain trace elements. From what I’ve read, lychee nuts are beneficial to the heart, the bones, and for curbing the appetite.

The high fiber content means that lychee nuts tend to slow things down in the gut. In my experience, if you sit someone down with a bag of potato chips and then sit someone else down with a bag of lychee nuts, it’s the one with the potato chips that is going to eat far too much.
Chemicals are added to processed foods to encourage people to overeat. But no one is adding chemicals to lychee nuts.

Remember the saying, if it groud out of the grow, grows in the ground, or runs around on the ground, it’s probably okay to eat. (Not always, of course. There’s such a thing as poisonous mushrooms, etc.!)

I endorse entirely eating lychee nuts, not from a weight loss perspective, but a holistic health and enjoyment perspective. This fruit will help your digestive system considerably.

If you want to give lychees a try, get a half dozen or so and enjoy them after a meal. Maybe you’ll be like me and become addicted to them. They are absolutely delicious to eat but in limited quantities. Enjoy them for what they are – a delicious fruit, not a weight loss aid.

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