Metabolic Syndrome

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What does all that fat do to your cholesterol?

We are asked this question frequently. Our answer usually involves a bit about how cholesterol is not the problem, that the true culprit is excess insulin, which is raised only by glucose in the blood. The source of this glucose is, of course, carbohydrate. Most people are dissatisfied with this answer and respond with skepticism, saying they will continue to follow the advice of their doctor—taking a statin. For the few people who want to understand the cholesterol question, we highly recommend this video. From The Fat Emperor comes the best explanation of cholesterol–what it is and how it functions. We ask that you watch “The Cholesterol Conundrum—and Root Cause Solution.” Be one of The Few. It may save your life. Then, share it with your family and friends so they may also join the ranks of The Few. Be bold. Share it with your doctor.

To your health!
Clark & 9ah

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LCHF Cookbook!

In the weeks leading up to the holidays, Costco always brings in a wide selection of cookbooks. This past October, we saw the usual plethora of gorgeous cookbooks that focused on baking, desserts, regional cuisines, and techniques. It was heartening to note that several Paleo cookbooks had joined the collection. The Paleo movement is several steps in the right direction–no processed foods, no grains, no legumes. It has made remarkable inroads into the general discussion about diet and we heartily support many of its tenets. However, it is important to remember that the Paleo diet is not necessarily low in carbohydrate. In Paleo recipes, we see far too much emphasis placed on recreating familiar favorites, especially sweet things. This is usually accomplished by replacing processed white sugar and HFCS with dried fruit, honey, or maple syrup–all still concentrated sugars. This is truly unfortunate because, as we see it, the root of our metabolic disorder is our habit of ignoring our basic paleolithic physiology. Humans are designed to use fat as their primary fuel.

Three times a day, plus several snacks, people around the world stoke with carbohydrate. This chronic consumption of carbohydrate interferes with the proper use of fats by “locking the door” to their access, so to speak. Glucose itself is not benign. This molecule is highly damaging to our tissues and so the body must use it immediately by burning it for fuel (getting out of our bloodstream) or storing it away for the future in glycogen, which only amounts to about 120g, and in unlimited amounts as fat in adipose tissue. Keep in mind that the latter cannot be utilized as fuel as long as we keep eating carbohydrate.

Fructose is unique in that our cells are unable to burn it for energy. Fructose, which is the sugar in fruit and the other half of table sugar (sucrose) and corn syrup (HFCS), must go to the liver to be processed, where it is turned into triglycerides–fat–and transported to the adipose tissue. Nor can we burn protein for fuel directly. These amino acids may be converted by the liver, when necessary, into glucose. This process is called gluconeogenesis. Essentially, there are only two sources of fuel for our cells–fats and glucose. Fats are the most efficient, the most stable. As Dr Ron Rosedale says, “If you are a fat burner, you will be healthy. If you’re a sugar burner, you’re not. It’s as simple as that.”

While I examined the glossy covers displayed atop the stacks of cookbooks that day in Costco, I suddenly stopped in my tracks. My eyes zeroed in on a title whose cover was buried beneath a pile of yet another Paleo cookbook. The Low Carb High Fat Cookbook. ♥ Wow ♥ Imagine my shock, surprise, and LCHF Cookbookdelight at discovering this gem! Written by Sten Stur Skaldeman, a Swede who adopted LCHF a dozen years ago and lost a great deal of weight, this is an eye-popping collection of 100 beautifully photographed recipes that are sure to convince you that this lifestyle is filled with a scrumptious variety of foods. If you happen to believe that a low-carb lifestyle is in any way boring or that a person cannot possibly hope to stick with it for any significant period of time, this book may inspire you to change your mind. The stylish presentation of each recipe is gorgeous and mouthwatering. Even though we are longtime practitioners of LCHF, a copy went home with us that day. Before leaving, I moved the remaining copies of this cookbook to the top so they could be seen! Hopefully, many more were sold. We have been recommending Sten’s book ever since.

May all your meals be deliciously LCHF,
9ah & Clark

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Become a Fat Burner!

The best guide available to help you become a fat burner!Dr. Michael Eades calls this book “the best low-carb book in print” and we agree. This “expert guide to making the life-saving benefits of carbohydrate restriction sustainable and enjoyable” by Stephen Phinney, MD, PhD, and Jeff Volek, PhD, RD, is THE BOOK we recommend to everyone.

After you’ve read, re-read, and digested the belief-shattering Gary Taubes’ Good Calories, Bad Calories, you are probably asking, “What now? If everything I thought I knew about nutrition is basically wrong, what do I do now?” In The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living, you will learn how your physiology works, how your metabolism functions, and why fatty acids, not glucose, are the preferred fuel for every cell in your body (with the exception of red blood cells). You will understand why, when your body makes the switch back to burning fat for cellular energy (fatty acids and ketone bodies are the evolutionarily appropriate fuel), your body begins to heal and rebuild itself, inflammation is curtailed, and you will have energy to burn, literally.

We know you are as passionate about being healthy as we are, so get a copy of this book today! As Dr. Eades writes, “There is so much invaluable information in this book that I’m having to fight back the impulse to quote the whole thing. You’ll learn

why you need more sodium on a low-carb diet and why the sodium prevents lean tissue loss,
why you need to increase fat intake during maintenance,
why a low-carb diet decreases inflammation,
why the low-carb, high-fat diet improves gall bladder function,
why excess carbohydrate converts to saturated fat and how,
what all the lipid parameters mean and how they’re affected by a low-carb diet,
and what the Paleolithic evidence tells us about diet.

And this list is just scratching the surface. As I read this book, I kept marking parts that I needed to use for this blog. In going back through, I would have to practically reprint the whole thing to give you just the important parts because the entire book is a gem.”

We have read many books and articles (and continue to research what’s out there), and we believe the Drs. Phinney and Volek have written the definitive reference on the whys and wherefores of low-carbohydrate living. It is the best guide available today, one grounded in science, and it has the information you need to improve your health. We will go so far as to say it may well save your life. The authors are scientists in the forefront of low-carbohydrate research. Included in the guide are a few of the authors’ favorite recipes and a meal plan to get you started. Get your copy today, plus a couple more for friends and family. You’ll love being a fat burner!

To your health!
Clark & 9ah