Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Dietary Carb 20-40 grams/day To Control BG

BG = Battlestar Galactica... *ha* j/k

BG = Blood Glucose

I loathe giving a limit to dietary carbohydrate intake but I get a lot questions regarding this.



Ideal Carb Intake for the Metabolically Challenged

20 to 40 grams daily
(with carb cycling 40 - 80 g on rare days -- to replenish glycogen after full depletion)

Why? This works, for broken metabolism.


Broken Metabolism

Carb intake for those with 'broken metabolism' like myself who used to carry 50 lbs of fat previously require meticulous and vigilant control of dietary carbohydrates and maintenance of basal metabolic rates via exercise. For us, carbs, fructose and omega-6 signal 'INSTANT' hibernation (fat gain, impaired immunity, sdLDL, low HDLs, autoimmunity, poor gut-brain axis). INFLAMMATION.

Why?

It is the Winterization v. Over-Summerization concept where our bodies are furtively storing for the winter that never comes. The adipose organ is damaged and continues to believe it is fulminant fat-storage time, not fat-burning time. Prior nephropal:
Phat Fat Accumulation versus Mobilization

20 to 40 grams per day is an amount that helps to control insulin, BG (blood glucose) and improves body fat recompositon. Yes -- improves sdLDL (small dense LDL) and Lp(a) as well and allows subcutaneous and visceral fat regression, regression of vascular calcifications (e.g. plaque, hypertension), prevention of senility (Alzheimer's also known as Type 3.0 Diabetes), cancer protection and overall optimal health and lifespan (and an X-image *wink*). Carb cycling (+resistance training/exercise) prevents long-term reduction in basal metabolism as well as maintains enough subcutaneous fat. Under the skin fat, subcutaneous, is brown GLORIOUS fat which provides the youthful, X-image, in all the right places. Without brown fat we can get excessively saggy, droopy, wrinkly skin folds. (also that just takes TIME to tighten up after dramatic weight loss... like 18-24 months... sorry) Intermittent ketosis (intermittent fasting and ketogenic diets) improve insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion. Ketosis is like a cheat... simulates a negative energy balance (as carbs are taken out of the picture). We are built to be ketotic and use the prime fuel of our mammalian systems: fatty acids and ketones. Newbornes are ketotic the first 2 weeks of life as the maternal colostrum and milk are coming in.


What the h*ll are carbs?
Anything your tongue perceives as sweet (including fruit) or starchy.

Use
Nutritiondata.com for help. Do note their reported servings sizes which are often not typical. Take into account in the calculations. Fitday.com is good as well I've heard.

Examples of 15 grams of carbs:
--1/3 cup oat bran (i.e. 2 bites and I have a big MOUTH; this raises my BG in 5-10min to 150-180 g/dl. No SH*T)
--palm-size orange, apple, banana (the worst due to starchiness), grapes, CUTEYS
--1/3 cup brown or white rice (doesn't matter they ALL raise BG)
--candy -- 1 bite
--ice cream 1/2 cup (not as huge a BG rise due to fat buffering effect from full cream)
--1 cup of milk (doesn't matter if low fat or full fat)

--1/3 to 1/2 cup juice or reg soda (depends on brand and HFCS content)
--1/3 cup pasta
--1 slice bread (rice bread is worse due to higher density)
--1/2 cup mashed potatoes





BG Mini Curve: Monitoring


Do you have a glucometer? The blood glucose curves for cats are better done than for humans IMHO (see diagram, courtesy of Vetsulin). Consider doing a 'mini curve' examining the effects of dietary carbs and combinations of food and lifestyle effects (exercise, intermittent fasting, STRESS STRESS, sleep deprivation, resistance/weight training, etc). Consider monitoring closely and tightly from 5-15min after food and additionally 30 v. 60 v. 45 v. 60 v. 90 min after food.

Feline 'mini curve'
Remember Ai M's study on carb loading v. fat loading and the insulin effects? Click here: insulin and aging. The same curve can be superimposed for dietary carbohydrates -- blood glucose rises within 5-10 minutes of a carb load. If I consume (depending on the time of the month and how much exercise I'm doing), my sugars can climb and peak to 180 mg/dl easily with 1 cup of rice in less than 10 minutes. And... I generally feel cr*ppy for the rest of the day (flushed, fast heart rate, hypersensitive).

When a diabetic patient has a hypoglycemic reaction (low glucose < 60 mg/dl; signs and symptoms include sweating, hot flash, tremor/shakes, fast heart rate, irritability, anxiety, palpitations, hunger, tunneling vision, headache/migraine), a glucose source will generally start to raise the blood glucoses within 5 to 10 minutes. Usually only medications lower the glucose so significantly (insulin or an oral drug, e.g. glyburide, glipizide, Amaryl). Exercise + medications is a potent combination. Exercise for some individuals is equivalent to 10 to 20 units of insulin.

What are goal glucoses? Why are they elevated in the first place? Adrenal insufficiency (which is associated with reactive hypoglycemia)? Untreated, undiagnosed hypothyroidism? Excessive carb intake? Lack of resistance training? Sarcopenia? Lack of exercise? Sleep deprivation? Excessive mental stress?

Fix these first then consider focusing on BG.

Here is the relationship between HgbA1c and average glucoses (click HERE) -- written by a fan of Dr. Bernstein's , a patient educator and advocate who has an A1c of 4.7% and is a Type 1 diabetes patient himself and medical physician.

Goals stated previously (HERE): HgbA1c < 5.0%


Glucoses > 140 mg/dl are associated with AGEs RAGEs and other glycosylation products and damage, including diabetic complications (kidney, eyes, nerves, brain, blood vessels, erectile dysfunction, hormone dysregulation, endocrine glands, etc).

We are not M&Ms. Don't sugar-coat yourselves.


Ultimate goal for health: as normal as possible (flat curve at 97 mg/dl or lower)


Success Stories


See prior paleo CAC success stories achieved with low carb, high sat fat Paleo or 'Dai-leo'(update Jimmy Moore and Scott have zero plaque):
My Paleo Peeps With High HDLs

Mr. Billy E is my HERO! Reversed CHF, chronic kidney disease, Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), dyslipidemia (high TG, low HDLs) and hypertension on low carb, high sat fat Paleo. Click HERE and HERE Look what happened on the way back to the cave.



Control of BG, Insulin, and Leptin

Stephan has articulately enlightened on leptin ( still I just don't completely get it yet... coz I'm a ding-dong). Leptin appears to be the long-term messenger for energy balance, reproduction and control of hunger and certain behaviors...
Wholehealthsource: Leptin
Excellently expressed and illuminating insulin resources which have helped me in my understandingof the hormone cascades are below. Though I have a CDE, certified diabetes educator 'credential', these broadened my knowledge by a ~milllion-fold... because... I admit *blechVOMIT* I used to be a card-carrying ADA member.
-Dr. Guyenet (Stephan) at WholeHealthSource: Body Set Point series, Paleo Diet series, Low carb diets, Fatty Liver, Visceral Fat, Omega-6/Fructose, Butyrate, etc

-Drs. Mary and Mike Eades: ProteinPower books
-Dr. Harris at PāNu:
How to lose weight and Get Started
-Dr. McGuff of Body By Science:
Internal Starvation and Especially for Women

Robert McLeod's thoughts on insulin and other hormones are what I have been thinking about for a while and what I have found personally to work for lifestyles. I would agree and concur on all his 13 points.

Entropy Production:
Hormone posts by Robert McLeod (I consolidated)

INSULIN, GHRELIN
1. Very long and very slow exercise (4+ hrs), typically hiking or cycling in my case. This is a far cry from the type of anaerobic-limit cardio exercise one typically sees recommended, for example, by the American Heart Association. There is a yawning gulf between walking and jogging. I personally approve of anaerobic exercise, such as sprint intervals or plyometrics.

2. Consistently eat carbohydrates at a low enough level that the brain (which prefers glucose over ketones) consumes the entirety of carbohydrates that you eat, leaving the body to burn ketones. This is a slow process.

3. Periodically fast for an extended period of time so that your basal metabolism burns through your glycogen reserve and then begins to mobilize fat. This is not a calorie reduction method, rather you are simply not eating three times a day (on average), and as such having more extremely calories negative and calorie positive periods.

GROWTH HORMONE
4. Get adequate sleep. GH production spikes during sleep. Try not to eat before bedtime.

5. Fast occasionally, for relatively short durations.

6. Conduct intense exercise. Don't eat before or during your exercise.

PALEO PRINCIPLES
7. Control appetite hormones like gherlin by eating regular, satiating meals. By satiating I mean protein, fat, and fibre. Try to avoid snacking.

8. Restrict fructose and alcohol consumption to reasonable levels, day-to-day. 20 g/day of both combined would be a very healthful level, 50 g/day is I think an upper bound for people with healthy livers.

9. Eliminate industrial, refined oils, particularly refined polyunsaturates such as soy and canola oil. Go for fresh and high quality fats, in particular clarified butter, extra-virgin coconut oil, extra-virgin olive oil, and the fats from animals fed their native diet. Unstable oils should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer to prevent them from going rancid, e.g. Omega-3 fish oil capsules. Most industrial oils are deodorized to prevent you from smelling when they go bad.

10. Eat more than just muscle meat from an animal. Have you eaten liver pate or roasted heart lately? Bone broth?

11. Fast occasionally for approximately 24-hours to give your liver a break and restore insulin sensitivity. Many religious groups noted for their good health (i.e. Seventh-day Adventists, Mormons, and the Greek-Orthodox of Crete and Corfu) regularly fast — is the the shared common trait. Fasting and starving are not the same thing, don't conflate the two.

12. Go on elimination dietary trials of the common food allergies: wheat (including barley and rye), cow dairy, legumes, especially soy and peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, fish, and shellfish. Test assays may be insufficient to recognize many of the idiopathic problems (i.e. autoimmunity, neurological disorders) that these types of food may induce. It took me six months wheat-free to get better.

13. Supplement with Vitamin D, on the order of 1000 IU/12 kg of body mass per day. Consider that the recommended doses for infants are 400 IU/day, so if you mass ten-times that of an infant, you need ten-times as much vitamin D; recommended adult doses are a joke. Also consider that you produce about 10,000 IU/ 30 minutes in full-sun. Vitamin D is not a vitamin, it is the precursor material to most of the steroid hormones in your body. When the endocrine (hormone) system has adequate signaling compounds, the whole body works better.


Leptin and Leptin Resistance

Dr. A's post is eye-opening.
Mastering Leptin book report (but note her '????'s where I think she politely says wtf)

Factors that shut our brain off to messages like leptin and therefore raise leptin resistance and impair transport of leptin across the blood-brain-barrier are non-paleo foods and lifestyles:
--
excessive fructose
--maternal magnesium deficiency (epigenetic changes in rats)
--
dairy fats (?unfermented A1 casein)
--
lectins (grains, oats, corn, legumes, soy, peanuts) -- (unsoaked seeds and nuts too -- these are fattening if excessive!)
--screwed up
gut-brain axis
--lack of sustained 2-4 hr exercise and/or resistance training
--factors that induce hypertriglyceridemia: omega-3 deficiency, excessive carbohydrate diets, sedentary lifestyle, synthetic hormones (progestins, endocrine disruptors, Teflon, pesticides, bisphenol, etc), estrogen/vitaminD/testosterone/DHEA deficiencies
--deficiency of saturated fatty acids (short-
medium- long-chain)
--
excess omega-6 and/or deficiency of omega-3
--high cortisol (stress, endurance train/events, poor sleep)
--starvation (excessive intermittent fasting, hypocaloric diets)

--gender (females more affected, esp with all factors listed above)
--genetic programming (epigenetic influences -- stressors: drought, famine, protein-restriction)

42 comments:

thania said...

Great and detailed post. Thanks.

I am not clear on carb cycling you mentioned , do you mean a high carb day ??? once in a while ?? If so, how high???

AngelaN said...

Sorry for the stupid comment but OMF(rakking)G you are a paleo geek, love crossfit and are into BSG!

Now I'm definitely developing a crush on you (don't worry, I live in Spain so stalking is not an option).

Marry me! In Spain is legal!

Teen Girls said...

Great post, worth reading twice!

Unknown said...

Hi BG,
(I've been zealously reading your blog over a year now, but that's my first comment - would like to say thank you for posting, great job)
That's great that you're giving actual numbers, really helpful. Do you mind sharing how much protein on an average day you're getting too?
F.

Dr. B G said...

Hey thania,

I think carb cycling is very individual and even inter-individual influences exist (like certain times of the 'month' for females). The quantity of carbs could vary but again can be very individuals. Some months (when I am routinely moving and take vitamin D compliantly and no gut issues that affect fat-absorption) I can eat 80 - 100 grams no problem and in fact cannot keep weight on. Over the holidays, the OPPOSITE is true *urrgh*. Body set point ISSUES *haa* galore.

-G

Dr. B G said...

AngelaN,

*haa!*

Actually I haven't watched too much BSG but I'm into the babes...

-G

Dr. B G said...

Primal Mama,

UR site is shwingtastic!


flo,

Honestly it really varies. Protein works for me very well (I just get lazy and don't eat/cook it as much as I should). Eggs work well for me (2-4 avg daily).

Protein 1.0 - 1.2 g per pound depending on what I am doing. If I am trying to get lean, higher protein and veggies (fiber) works very well for me without fail.

-G

lightcan said...

Great post, G! BSG was great.

Thanks for your clarity.

Neonomide said...

A short tidbit, in Lund UNiversity study BUTTER trumped olive oil, rape oil and linseed oil and especially in women butter produced a significantly lower increase in blood fats after a meal.

Fascinating, how would you comment on this ?

http://www.lu.se/o.o.i.s?id=15111&news_item=4467

Dr. B G said...

Neo,

No surprise -- butter beats the f*ckin CR*POLA out of olive (and canola/rapeseed) again.

thanks!!

-G

Erik said...

Awesome blog. Thanks a ton for your efforts.

My wife's parents are from Thailand. Her dad has had several heart attacks, the first coming at around age 40. He's been on statins since then, but had another major event a few years ago. 65 now. Pretty frail, as you might expect, and he takes a ton of medication, but a great man. I'm getting him on fish oil and vitamin D.

Her sister has high cholesterol, too. I don't know the specifics, but she's on some form of statin for abnormally high LDL. No word on density/size, but given her diet I'm sure they're small, dense, and super atherogenic. My wife's doctor put her on statins after hearing of the family history; not sure what her cholesterol was like, but you know docs and their knee jerk reactions. It sure seems like there's a genetic component at work here.

She's off them now, and has been for about a year.

I eat a high fat, low carb paleo diet. Everything free range farmer's market fare (tons of options here in LA), lots of grass fed butter, green veggies, some yams, raw dairy, heavy squats, deadlifts, sprints, all that good stuff. I'm in pretty great shape, having lost a ton of body fat and gotten much stronger. My wife is on a similar plan, though with a bit more starch (potatoes, very occasional slices of long fermented sourdough). She's even weight training with me. She takes 6k IU Vit. D, a couple grams of fish or cod liver oil, and K2 each day.

We no longer have health insurance, so I have no clue what her lipids look like at the moment. We're in our late 20s.

I've had trouble getting an accurate idea of how something like familial hypercholesterolemia works with a reasonably high-SFA paleo diet. I haven't really seen this addressed in the blogosphere... any ideas?

Apologies for the lengthy post.

Elizabeth said...

Hi there, two questions if possible, what is the impact of a smallish glass of red with dinner? also, how about too much protein, I weigh 90lbs but if I have about 110g protein over a day is this overkill, where does it go, how much to growth and repair, then what as i believe it impacts insulin in a fairly similar way to carbs just slower.

with thanks

Anonymous said...

Sorry, doc, I need just a little more clarity: you list starchy and "sweet-tasting" CHO sources (and dairy) as contributing to the 20-40g. Do you mean, then, that you do not "count" CHO from veggies (leafy greens, peppers, zucchinis, etc.) in large volume (at every meal, 3/4 of each plate) in that total?

Just need to make sure I'm reading you right. THANKS!

Dr. B G said...

Hey Elizabeth,

Some red WINO is excellent! I see no problemos... Actually it can lower blood glucoses (so people on diabetic meds needs to be cautious for that reason). I get cravings/'munchies' if I drink too much wine/alcohol for the glucose crashing later.

You are a LITTLE THING *haa* Actually I try to do 1.5 to 2 g protein if I do heavy lifting or running or swimming or all the above (which is hardly ever lately). Protein takes a little more time to prepare so I don't get in as much as I'd like.

I see no probs with more protein if it works for you. Sometimes > 15 to 25 % of the diet can predispose to higher insulin and downstream effects, but I've never noticed these for myself.

-G

Dr. B G said...

Hi Anonymous,

I didn't include non-starchy vegetables in the carb equation -- they are nearly negligible. It truly is hard to eat > 3-4 cups of veggies daily. At 3-4 cups or more you are looking at a slight glycemic load but hardly necessary to count for insulin effects.

The shear volume on the other hand stretch the GI/stomach and THAT may cause a trigger of insulin to prepare digestion and absorption of expected nutrients. I think that can be an issue for those who already deal with hyperinsulinemia or spikes post-prandially with insulin.

-grace

Dr. B G said...

Erik,

I think low carb high sat paleo works for any lipid dyscrasia.

low carb -- controls TG and sdLDL and more importantly hormones: insulin, leptin, etc. no matter what kind of apo E 2/3/4 anyone is, low carb controls the sdLDL and therefore atherogenicity of the immune system.

protein sufficiently -- controls glucagon which helps switch down insulin, provides satiety and amps up mTOR and lean muscle

high sat fat -- this is relative 12-40% of the diet -- anything is better than the SAD. sat fat controls Lp(a) which is perhaps a risk factor in your wife's lipoprotein profile. Sat fat increases the buoyancy and immunity in good ways for ALL the lipoproteins.

Other factors of course: minimize veggies oils, get sufficient omega-3 (this reverses omega-6 damage)


Certain tests can be self-ordered to ck these out. I like Berk Heart lab-- which is preferred by DR. Krauss MD.
http://www.bhlinc.com/

You and your wife have made significant progress!! KEEP UP THE STRONG WORK! :)

-grace

Elizabeth said...

Thank you for answering me- muchly appreciated.

Yes, it is crap how wine makes you want more, more isn't it - quite hard to stick to the one glass only and not have anymore to eat either! Cest la vie....same as all carbohydrates...

Dr. B G said...

Elizabeth,

*ha* Yeah I know!

Gary Taubes has a whole chapter (#15) on HUNGER -- it's ~double the length of the chapter on the 'role of insulin'. Hunger sometimes is just thirst, misinterpreted by the body... Or hunger is just dropping blood glucoses (alcohol *urgh*).

-G

think115 said...

Here is a link to an article in the NY Times which mentions Olympic Athlete reducing his body fat, and increasing his strength by eliminating (for the most part) carbs, and using (pre-race) coconut oil. Interesting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/20/sports/olympics/20ohno.html

Dr. B G said...

think115,

Thanks for the link! I love how his father talks about Apolo, "“His mind is so clear and focused... When I drive with him, I feel his testosterone level. It’s so high, I get scared. I don’t want to challenge him in conversation. It’s like a dominant, focused lion is sitting right beside me.” *ha*


Sounds like his trainer Schaeffer is into MMA and PALEO eating. No surprise.

I love speed skaters who know how to DANCE. What an evolution he is...

-G

v/vmary said...

off topic- did you hear about the movie 'formosa betrayed'? i lived in taiwan for 7 years, the first year was 87 right when martial law was lifted, so i'll be seeing it.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous

think115 said...
Here is a link to an article in the NY Times which mentions Olympic Athlete reducing his body fat, and increasing his strength by eliminating (for the most part) carbs, and using (pre-race) coconut oil. Interesting.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/20/sports/olympics/20ohno.html

February 19, 2010 9:05 PM


"Schaeffer also changed Ohno’s diet, using lean fat for energy instead of carbohydrates, eliminating toxic nutrients".

Could someone please explain just what is lean fat??

Dr. B G said...

mary,

sounds intriguing! I still have to watch fathead... I'm a little behind...

Dr. B G said...

anonymous,

You know.

Lean fat, like on your HAAWWT phat *ss *wink*

Marisa said...

Dr. BG, based on your last comment, I must say ... You're d*mn smart! & Sassy too! Love, M

Dr. B G said...

Dearest M,

*ha ha ha* Like my CHUNKY-LICIOUS phat *ss...

Love always and thank you for being in my life,
G

Steve Cooksey, Diabetes Warrior said...

Dr. BG,

I have been a reader for about 6 mos.
Sincerest thanks for the time and effort you put into your blog posts.

SO refreshing to hear an unbridled 'voice' after hearing the "ADA Mantra" all day.

Steve

Dr. B G said...

Mr. Cooksey,

Indeed.

We need more voices that speak out against low saturated fat and high carb lifestyles. They kill people -- slowly via cancer and atherosclerosis.

No one dies 'from' diabetes per se -- just a slow painful achy heart- and brain-breaking death from cancer and plaqu-ing of the arteries and organs.

Your story is inspiring -- no insulin and complete reversal of T2D. You LOOK HAAWWT! Strong work and keep up the education and sharing your story for the masses!

I hope you continue to find the high sat fat, low carb evolutionary points helpful.

-G

Unknown said...

I am so thankful for this blog - so thank you for all of your hard work!

I'm confused about that dairy a bit... is it ok as long as it's heavy cream and not just milk (little/no casein) or is it the fats that cause the higher triglycerides like that study says. I'm trying to make sure I get enough fat, otherwise my calories are too low. And it's hard without the cream... I've been having a 'treat' of a bit of full fat cottage cheese plus a good amount of cream with some chopped green onions. Good, or no?

One thing that I mentioned to you Dr. B is that my temps have gotten much more normal since I've been eating better (esp avoiding the omega 6's and fructose and grains). I've always run on the low side and now I'm consistently higher and much closer to normal... 98.6, 98.4 or so averaging throughout the day (98 or so upon waking), whereas I used to run in the high 96/low 97 at waking and then average in the low to mid 97's, sometimes into the low 98's, but not consistent. I don't know which factors are having the biggest effect, but obviously something is working. I still need to get new labs done but interesting, nonetheless.

v/vmary said...

Hi dr.

i posted this one the whole health source blog, but they were in the middle of discussing omega 6 oil and it was ignored. wondering if you have any thoughts on it, especially due to you taiwan background:

i have some info for you that is off topic, but i wasn't sure you would see it in the other posts about teeth.

my husband was born in 1963 in taiwan during a time when the people there still ate a traditional diet (except for the brain-washing of the population to believe bottle-feeding was better than breast-feeding). he, his three brothers, and half-sister all have beautiful teeth. this is the thing: they were all bottle-fed and the sister sucked on a pacifer until she was 5 years old. BUT, their family ate lots of fish, pork fat mixed into rice, organ meats, sweet potatoes and rice, bone broths etc. unfortunately i ate this way only partially while pregnant (i was living in taiwan at the time in the 90s). i have two daughers- one who i breast fed for 2 weeks and then switched to formula, and the other i almost exclusively breast fed for 10 months. both daughters required palate expanders. that was enough for the first daughter, and she didn't need braces. the second on did.

so- based on my husband's and my experience, i feel that the use of pacifiers isn't important. my older daughter's teeth are better, and that may be because i ate a more traditional chinese diet when i was pregnant with her. with the second child, i moved back to the US at 4 months of pregnancy and ate the SAD diet. so if the mom has a bad diet, breast feeding doesn't make a difference. since all the siblings in my husband's family got bottle-fed, maternal nutrition while pregnant, and eating well as children seem to be the most important factors.

Dr. B G said...

etmon,

Strict paleo helps a lot people because casein can be inflammatory in the same manner as gluten. I am not sure if casein is always inflammatory or only in the case of a poor gut biofilm, e.g. leaky gut. I suspect it is inflammatory for the great majority (like me -- but I sometimes addicted). Perhaps the low grae inflammation does not pose a problem if everything is inline?

Anecdotally from my crossfit gym and reading Robb's stories -- most people get improved performance, ripped and better gains off of dairy. Of course, there are rampant exceptions as well.

A2 casein form A2 jersey cows (usually on CSA grassfed specialty ranches) and sheep/goat diary tend to be less inflammatory and less associated with diseases.

A1 casein is highly associatd with triggering Type 1 diabetes and host of other autoimmune diseases.

etmon, how old are you? You appear to have done a stunning job recovering your thyroid gland! Congratulations!! Seriously, I have only come across half-dozen people with truly normal body temps and normal thyroid function. So glad to hear the evo way works!!

-G

Dr. B G said...

hey mary!

I agree -- in utero is where the dentition, teeth (baby and adult) and dental arches are FIXED. Pacifiers or pseudo-pacifiers (e.g. thumbs) though can lead to the front teeth coming forward, don't you think? It's interesting to hear you had vastly different diets with each pregnancy. The first one was quite lucky in retrospect! Personally I ate a lot of meat... my kids both have wide arches. However, way more high carbs w/the second and she has MAJOR dental issues. I gained 60 lbs with that pregnancy... 40-50 lbs with the first...

I believe from what I've researched and read from WAPF that the factors likely to lead to narrow arches and crowding are
--low thyroid
--refined carbs
--lack of bone nutrients vitamins ADEK1K2 C B-vits, omega-3s, serotonin, mag, calc, zinc, etc

For birth order dynamics, I've wondered if what is observed all related to the hormone/nutrient milieu in utero -- as the mom gets thyroid depleted (and adrenal depleted -- adrenals make ~50 hormones and chemical messengers) -- this affects brain and organ development. The zodiac characteristics has been associated with vitamin D serum levels. Hhhmm... thoughts?

-G

v/vmary said...

"The zodiac characteristics has been associated with vitamin D serum levels. Hhhmm... thoughts?"

?? you lost me with zodiac. ahhh you mean western zodiac (not year of snake zodiac) and the amount of vita d in the mom when she is gestating/growing the baby- zodiac being tied to the time of year and the amount of sun shining on the mom. in taiwan i did have lots of sun.

if i could only go back and do those pregnancies again- i would produce SUPER BABYYYYY

my mom, on the other hand, just ate white bread when she was pregnant with me :( this is why i type lower case :)

did you do the taiwan ritual of eating special foods the month after you gave birth (zuo yuezi)? i did it a little, but my po po wanted to add in a lot of traditional alcohol to the dishes, so i didn't want it.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the info :) I'll try my best to stick with pastured dairy (cream and butter) and no grains for now to keep my fat up. I don't really eat yogurt and I've almost eliminated milk (or if I do drink it, it's whole, pastured).

I actually just turned 40 in Dec... I'm encouraged by the changes I'm seeing. We'll see how it goes. I have along way to go (a good 80-100lbs). I'm hoping that my normalizing temps means that my hypothyroid tendencies were really just a suppression as opposed to true damage.

I know that I am insulin resistant though. But I've had a bit of acanthosis negricans (definitive sign of too much insulin) for the last 12 years b/c of it and now it's pretty much gone completely. And I just feel more energetic and somehow more physically powerful... so SOMETHING is happening.

Anonymous said...

Great post. Your success has been very inspiring to me.

How often do you have a high carb day and how often do you do crossfit/strength training? I went low carb (30-40 g) for a few days, but with strength training I was getting very fatigued.

Dr. B G said...

mary!!

*haa* SUPERBABYYYY!! Yes, I know you could!!

I meant that Oprah had a great piece once on a semi-scientific article about the waxing and waning of vitamin D maternal concentrations and how is affects neurodevelopment and possibly personality traits in the growing child/adult.

http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/Whats-Your-Sign-No-Seriously

http://drbganimalpharm.blogspot.com/2008/12/physiologic-actions-and-benefits-of.html


We recall our mom had serious IBS after moving to the U.S. -- read semi-celiac with major vitamin D and n-3 deficiency issues, eating white bread and dairy and escaping sun-darkening rays... It's no wonder my sisters and I though *wink* highly functioning we're semi-Aspie autistic weird...

Yes -- did many things I did not want to do for my in-laws and parents. They wanted me to not bathe or leave the house for 30 days post-partum -- forget THAT -- but otherwise ate all the usual offerings -- sesame drunk virgin chicken (or something like that u wrote), bone broth galore daily, and then more soup to make the milk come out. Must've worked...was a hyper-lactator!

-G

Dr. B G said...

etmon,

You had acanthosis nigricans?? It's definitely associated with insulin resistance.

HEY YOU BEAT IT!!! AWESOME WORK!

Keep it up!

Too much dairy makes me insulin resistant... perhaps it's the same mechanism as fructose, gluten/ grains and n-6 oils on immunity and the gut??


-G

Dr. B G said...

Hey Anonymous,

Do you think you need to acclimate? Requires 1-2 mos apparently for some (and you could be burning out your adrenals if not adequately rested, slept, on appropriate nutrition, minerals, B-vitamins, etc).

I'm cycling carbs a lot more now -- and trying small meals w/protein and 10-20 grams carbs per meal and every 1-2 wks a carb load (e.g. my baker-sister's SPECIAL yummy brownies w/bananas and Valrhona 85% CHOCOLATE). As long as I keep up cardio mod intensity, this is working (despite semi-ongoing birth control hormone imbalance downstream effects -- I mean my tiny ADRENALS).


I've observed that the individuals who appear intolerant to very low carb (20g or less) are those with adrenal +/- thyroid issues. Adrenal dysfunction alone may also reduce body temps. 'A' before 'T' -- fix the adrenals first. Going too low on carbs before major workouts or prior to anaerobic oly or power lifting can be EXTRA taxing and stressful to already damaged and dysfunctional adrenals. Personally I realized this after reflection on my last summer when I partied too much, drank too much (*haa* is that possible??!), addicted to too much caffeine, calorie restricted and IF'd too much, travelled (I don't do well in time zones like Miami and Boston eps on a red eye), then finally fell on my head. Apparently anyone can burn the tickin' TOAST out of their adrenals pretty easily and even on 'evo/paleo'.



Here, how to fix it if you think over stress or adrenals are affecting you:

Dr.Rind at WAPF
http://www.westonaprice.org/Low-Metabolic-Energy-Therapies.html

Dr. Wilson of Adrenal Fatigue fame
http://www.naturalnews.com/019339_adrenal_fatigue_adrenal_glands_chronic_stress.html

Hope that helps and would love to hear how your workouts improve later!

G

phishery said...

This was a great blog post.

For any diabetics out there here is a compilation of resource on using a restricted carbohydrate diet to achieve normal blood sugars:
Http://www.dsolve.com

Anonymous said...

An oldie but goldie, now available from many other sites

http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2009/04/test-test-test.html

Agree on dsolve too, and

http://diabetesupdate.blogspot.com/

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/

Test Test Test pointed me in the right direction and a Paleo type diet sort of arrived via the back door. Except I do butter and cheese (not much milk though), and from proper old fashioned cows, not those Holstein monstrosities.

Anonymous said...

Hi Dr. B G.
Do you have any other way where I can contact you? Email or facebook? I really need your insight on something.

Dr. B G said...

Email is on the top left (I should update this post, no?)

https://www.blogger.com/profile/15451872961651116061