diet
A Nifty Counter to Genetic Programming Skeptics Flew Overhead This Morning
The past few weeks I’ve been overflown on my early morning walks by both small and large flocks of geese headed south. We live in a small community north of the DFW metroplex, surrounded by pasture and farmland, and the flocks are resting overnight before flying out about sunrise. The biggest V formation had already passed when it dawned on me to grab a pic this morning…
Why geese here today?
I have a physician acquaintance from long ago who’s recently resurfaced and taken me to task for aligning with much of the ancestral health world in what I’ve shared here on the Older Bolder Life.
Rounding out the story, he’s a no-nonsense internist who happens to spend over half his time working with a bariatric surgery team managing the oft expansive metabolic dysfunction that can sometimes occur post these procedures. We’ve not interacted in some time, and while I’d not define our past interactions as being those of close friends, we were involved in a community service project together years ago.
He’s particularly offended by those of us in the ancestral health and wellness circle who dare to suggest that consuming the Standard American Diet (SAD) and living what for most is a sedentary lifestyle runs counter to our inborn, encoded genetic programing, leading to development of a host of metabolic disorders and functional impairment (insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, T2DM, fatty liver are just a few that come to mind).
His argument appears to focus upon the fact that, at least from where he sits today, human evolution has been for the most part static for generations now, and that disease and metabolic dysfunction today, despite being damned prevalent, is primarily due to behavioral features that (in his view) most people simply can’t overcome; he goes on to argue that one’s “genetic program is simply the cards you were dealt” to play at your birth, and that the concept of using food and nutritional elements to “manipulate” genes is absurd.
He’s also gone on to suggest that man’s innate higher level cognitive abilities give us the power to override the (faulty) genetic programming we’re born with, at least most anyway, and he’s even suggested that the natural world around us offers very few concrete examples of deeply encoded genetic information that impacts the behaviors of creatures around us.
My acquaintance is dead wrong of course, and on a number of points.
The Canada geese honking their way overhead this morning are a beautiful example of deeply embedded programing that compels them to make their annual fall migration south, often covering thousands of miles, around the same time every year.
And, of course, there’s now decades of hard evidence supporting the fact that our genome appears to be encoded to thrive on a food plan that’s quite different from the SAD; my own experience (now having lost nearly 200 pounds!) is a prime example. The challenge of course is finding the optimal food/nutrition and activity/fitness plans to suit your particular physiology and activity demands, though it can be done, and it’s much simpler than you’d think.
(Postscript: My former colleague reluctantly admitted that he’s 70 pounds above his ideal weight range, is on statins, is insulin resistant and teetering on the edge of a formal diagnosis of T2DM, though he insists he’s “fit but fat”.)
A Thoughtful Reminder About Using Weight As a (Primary) Measure of Health
Family physician Yoni Freedhoff, MD (Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa; Medical Director, Bariatric Medical Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) recently penned a worthy read over on MedScape – Scaling Back on Weight as a Measure of Patient Health. (Note – free account required to read the full article).
From the article –
…When I was a medical student in the 1990s, I wasn’t taught how to use a scale, and I’m betting that the same is true for most medical students today. Don’t get me wrong; it’s not that I think scales are complicated pieces of equipment, but after exclusively practicing obesity medicine for the past 15 years, I do think that their proper use is worth discussing.
Scales do measure the gravitational pull of Earth at a given moment in time. Scales don’t measure the presence or absence of health, nor do they measure lifestyle or effort. And for patients, it’s useful to note that scales don’t measure happiness, success, or self-worth, either…
He goes on to remind that while weight is without question a significant risk factor for a plethora of medical conditions, particularly at the extremes of the body weight curve, weight alone is not a guarantee that any or all of these conditions will occur. He also reminds that inferring health status from body weight alone is often a fool’s errand, and that scales don’t measure lifestyle.
My specific intent in mentioning the article is two-fold. One, to remind us all that the principle objective of improving our nutrition and fitness is to optimize our health and ability to function in life, not necessarily attaining some (often arbitrarily derived) number on a scale that conforms to our (real or not) body image.
And two, it’s always interesting to read responses to opinion articles that are targeted toward a physician audience and “peek behind the curtain” if you will at their responses. I for one think it’s a good thing conventional medicine is beginning to talk in earnest (at least part of the time) about lifestyle influences on health…
Inquiring Minds Want to Know: Older Bolder Links, Reads, Recipes, and More 13 April 2019
Food, Nutrition, and Diet Plans: Comments from All Across the Spectrum
Who would have guessed eggs as part of a low carb breakfast benefits those with T2DM?
The study behind the article above.
Pass the breath mints. Eating raw garlic helps keep memory sharp?
Drink your beets.
Pondering wellness vs diet from a foodie magazine.
Twitter’s Jack Dorsey’s diet: “bizarre” or spot on?
Unhealthy diets killing millions.
The study behind the article above.
A Few Other Odds and Ends
Tried the IMST workout yet?
Factors associated with healthy memory in “mature” adults.
Want to be happier? Smile more.
The study behind the article above.
FDA rule cracks down on compounded drugs.
What I’m Reading This Week
Just picked up a copy of Dr. Steven Gundry’s new book The Longevity Paradox and will dig in this weekend. Anybody read it yet?
Food, Glorious Food
Twelve lamb and ham recipes for Easter
Texas Mini-Wedge Salad
Buttermilk Sour Cream Dressing and Dip
Starting a New Series This Week: Pick the Low Hanging Fruit First
We’re going to start a new series of posts this week on the blog, using the tried and true analogy of picking the easy to reach, low hanging fruit first.
My goal here is to outline a plan of attack for someone wanting to jump into the “improve my health” game, yet is overwhelmed by the number of self-proclaimed experts promising astounding results if one just follows their magical meal plan (available for three easy payments of $49.99 each), reads their book, attends their seminar, takes this array of supplements, drinks these teas or coffees, follows a complex workout routine, eats only meat – oh wait, or is it eats no meat?
Should I eat paleo? Or primal? What about the Whole 30 Plan? Vegan? Pegan? Carnivore? Vegetarian? The grapefruit diet? I’ve overheard a pitch in a local grocery this week for the gummy bear diet plan…
There’s a genuine risk of newcomers to the game being overwhelmed by all the chatter, and all the choices to be made.
So let’s take a walk on the simple side of things over the next couple of weeks looking at implementing some very attainable changes – picking the low hanging fruit – toward a healthier lifestyle, particularly when it comes to your approach to a rational, practical, and enjoyable food plan.
Another 2019 Older Bolder Challenge: Stop Using, and Thinking About, the D-Word
Today we’re back with another of our Older Bolder Challenges for 2019 – it’s time to stop using, and thinking about the D-Word: Diet.
A point of order regarding the use of the word diet is called for here. In the medical and clinical arenas, the term diet is commonly used to describe a patient’s (or client’s) comprehensive nutritional plan (i.e., specifying the number of calories or other restrictions, such as a 1600 cal ADA diet, etc.).
In common, everyday, non-medical jargon, the word diet is most often used to describe a change from one’s typical eating plan, for example, “I’m trying the vegan, ice tea, prune diet” this January…
Though the approach following might seem almost tongue-in-cheek, I’d argue it’s high time we stopped using the D-word for five key reasons.
The D-Word Implies Deprivation
Admit it, if you’re like most of us (and not a medical-oriented clinician), when you hear the word diet you immediately think about being deprived of the foods you crave. The typical use of the word diet is to suggest a short-term, transient, restrictive eating plan that you endure to accomplish a goal, typically weight loss, and then go right back to the way of eating that got you into trouble in the first place.
The D-Word is Discouraging
Coupled closely to the deprivation issue above, many people starting their New Year, new body diet in January quickly become discouraged, particularly if they’ve chosen a restrictive, bland or very repetitive, or unhealthy plan to follow.
I have a relative who, during my childhood, would go on a several week binge of eating nothing but stewed cabbage every meal for two to three weeks at a time. They’d drop a few pounds (of course, calorie restriction works over the short haul), but eventually became so discouraged, as did the rest of household (cough, gag, etc…), the plan would crash and burn.
The D-Word is Distracting
Fad diets are fascinating to watch; there’s a never ending cascade of new and miraculous diet approaches being hawked by Instagram influencers around the world (the modern equivalent of the traveling snake oil/magic potion salesman of the frontier days). How about the celery juice diet for a current example?
Fad diets will always be around, as people are always looking for the quick and easy way out (and a way to keep scarfing their pizza and beer every weekend), though the simple fact is they often distract folks from making the best choices and finding a durable nutrition plan for the long haul.
The D-Word Can Be Deceitful, Even Dangerous
A kissing cousin to the distraction issue above is that some diets intentionally mis-state or mis-represent their efficacy, short and longer term impacts, and safety. Approaches like the Five-Bite Diet, the Werewolf Diet, The Baby Food Diet, Beyonce’s Master Cleanse, the Cotton Ball Diet, the Breatharian Diet, among many others, are doomed to fail (for a host of reasons) and have an impressive potential to inflict genuine harm.
The D-Word Leads to Dropouts
Probably the point I’m most concerned about with the cadre of folks that I coach and encourage is this – disruptive, deprivation driven, unsustainable diets ultimately fail; people drop out, get discouraged, assume their goals of improved health and well being are in reality unattainable, and go back to destructive food plans. Yoyo dieting patterns appear to be linked to metabolic and other issues, creating metabolic baggage that will be hard to dump down the road.
One Key Take Home Point: Don’t Diet, Develop a Healthy, Nutritious Food Plan
The take home point here is glaringly obvious, yet takes some thought and effort to work through – don’t diet, you need to develop a healthy, whole foods based, nutritious food plan for yourself (and your family) that fits your tastes, budget, culinary skills, and works for your schedule. Your food plan (or nutrition plan, or whatever you want to call it) must be durable and sustainable over the long haul.
It can be done.
There’s no single “right path” to get there. Your challenge is to listen to your body, educate yourself, and work it out. And interestingly, you’ll likely be tweaking and adjusting your nutrition plan along the way to meet changing life needs and issues that arise.
Inquiring Minds Want to Know (Older Bolder Links, Reads, and More) 5 January 2019
A Few Older Bolder Leftovers from Thinking About the New Year
Powerlifting at 76? Damn right.
This trainer never lets her clients “go on a diet”.
Another good read from Shape about body composition and size stereotyping.
Older Bolder Topics We’ve Been Reading This Week
Thinking about cancer risk and body weight; here’s some interesting data broken down by state, and the details.
Can your skin cells predict how you’ll age? Maybe.
Supercharge your brain and become sexier? Some of the invisible benefits of exercise – but you already knew this…
Even NPR is jumping on the “cold is good” bandwagon.
Brain tumors (GBM) and the battle of the sexes – interesting study.
Miki Ben-Dor discussing the cooking hypothesis. Looks like a blog to follow…
Our Older Bolder Life Recipes from the Week
Fasolakia (Greek-Style Green Beans)
Dig a Little Deeper: The Carbohydrate Insulin Model of Obesity
Dr. David Ludwig recently published a nifty article over on Medium – The Case for a Low-Carb Diet is Stronger Than Ever – in which he discussed a recent study his team conducted looking at the Carbohydrate Insulin Model of obesity.
From the article, in way of introduction –
…The conventional approach to obesity considers weight control as a matter of accounting — too many calories into the body, not enough calories out. The solution: count calories, eat less and move more. As long as you have a negative “energy balance,” you’ll eventually solve the problem.
Sounds simple. The problem is, calorie restriction is devilishly difficult for most people to sustain over the long term, because the body fights back when it’s deprived of calories. Decades of research shows that, as people lose weight, their hunger inevitably increases and their metabolism slows down.
The more weight you lose, the harder it is to burn off those extra calories, even as hunger and cravings for extra calories keep rising. This isn’t a matter of will power. In the battle between mind and metabolism, metabolism wins. According to nationally-representative data, fewer than 1 in 5 people with overweight or obesity have ever lost just 10% of their weight, for just 1 year.
We each have a sort of set-point, a weight that our body seems to want to remain — it’s lighter for some people, heavier for others, and determined in part by our genes. Some people can eat whatever they want and stay thin. Others seem to gain a few pounds by simply walking past a bakery. For both groups, attempts to either lose or gain significant amounts of weight run into biological resistance…
And the alternative, the Carbohydrate Insulin Model (again, from the article, and there’s a great image summarizing the following at the link)-
…There’s another theory of obesity called the Carbohydrate-Insulin Model (CIM), which argues that we’ve had it backwards all along: Overeating doesn’t cause weight gain, at least not over the long term; the process of gaining weight is what causes us to overeat.
Think of a teenage boy. Eating a lot doesn’t make him grow; his rapid growth makes him hungry and and so he eats a lot. (Of course, adults won’t grow taller no matter how much they eat.)
According to the CIM (see Figure 1), processed, high-“glycemic load”carbohydrates — mainly refined grains, potato products and added sugar — that flooded the food supply during the low-fat diet craze of the last 40 years have raised insulin levels, forcing people’s fat cells into calorie storage overdrive. Our rapidly growing fat cells take up too many calories, leaving too few for the rest of the body. That’s why we get hungry. And that’s why our metabolism slows down if we force ourselves to eat less…
Well worth a read; it’s written as a laymen’s-oriented overview of his study, and the diagrams included are quite illustrative. Despite conventional wisdom’s collective panning of the CIM theory, there’s more research coming down the pike about thoughtful and intentional carbohydrate consumption that’s NOT typical of the standard American diet.
