READ THIS…It May Save Your Life (Finale)

Last week we talked about what I feel should be done from a top-down approach in helping to prevent and remedy diseases such as Type II Diabetes. We touched on the responsibility of the education system, the government, and the health care system in solving this issue. If you missed reading it, check it out here!

This week we dive into the most practical part of these series: the personal action plan. As much as I would love for change to take place in all the systems discussed previously, I know that often change happens from the bottom up. It takes each of us demanding more from our farmers, our doctors, and our politicians, that leads to change in the end. As I mentioned last time, everything we buy is a vote for what we believe in and what we want more of, so let’s see what votes you can place each and every time you go to the grocery store to protect yourself, your family, and your community.

The Personal Action Plan

These are the things that you can do to ensure that you and your family will be protected from the hardship and heartbreak of preventable disease. This is your best bet for optimal health and disease prevention.

1) Eat Less Carbs!

Between the food pyramid of old to the obsession with “whole” grains today, carbs have always been a staple in our diet. But did you know that your body does not actually NEED carbs to survive…or even to thrive. Yes, consuming vegetables is good for the micronutrients, but do you really need 50% of your calories coming from sugar?

And let’s make one thing clear: all carbs, whether complex, simple, whole, sprouted, refined, or otherwise turn into sugar in the blood. Eating whole grains will not lead to lower blood sugar or insulin control; you need to lower your carb intake all together.

2) Eat QUALITY Meats

Eating grass-fed and wild meats provides the protein your body needs to function at its best and the healthy fats to help your brain and cells stay healthy. There is no substitute for animal protein because there is no source of protein as DENSE. Yes, there is protein in rice and beans and almonds. But per calorie it is very low. You would actually be better off eating more spinach if you wanted to up your alternative protein consumption (it is one of the densest forms of non-animal protein available).

The bottom line is that there really is no good substitute and your body will NOT be able to perform as well without it. Did you know that it was the cooking and eating of meat that allowed our species to flourish and prosper? Before cooking meat, human ancestors were very small and weak. It was only after the discovery of fire and improved hunting techniques that out our bodies and brains developed into what we recognize as the modern human. I would also point out that it was the cultivation and increased consumption of grain that actually lead to a step BACK in our physical stature. I don’t want to get off topic too far, but this is just to show that we humans have evolved to do our best with a healthy dose of high-quality meats. So eat up and optimize your health and vitality!

3) Eat More Vegetables

Vegetables are some of the densest sources of micronutrients and phytochemicals, both of which are important for keeping you and your body working at it best. Most people think that taking a multi-vitamin is enough, but in most cases, multi-vitamins actually lead to greater risks of disease! This is because modern science is not even close to understanding all the pieces that go into how our body metabolizes and utilizes all the different elements that we derive from whole food sources.

The closest thing you can get is a “superfood” which is basically dehydrated fruits and veggies, but even this is limited in the variety of nutrients you derive. This is why eating a plentiful and varied diet of veggies is critical.

4) Sleep

While this is not related to food directly, it has a HUGE impact on your health and your ability to function at your best. Did you know that limited sleep can actually impact your cells’ insulin sensitivity just as much as if you were overeating sugar? Lack of sleep also makes you hungrier, less capable of making decisions, increases your cravings, increases fat storage, and makes your exercise less effective.

Sleep literally impacts every piece of the puzzle when it comes to optimal health and disease prevention, yet it is usually the least respected. It is looked upon as a waste of time and hindrance to life activities. This view could not be further from the truth. It is sleep that ALLOWS for life to be experienced at the highest level and to be enjoyed and savored. Why do anything in life if you feel miserable all the time? Sleep is what helps you to feel your best and will actually make you more productive in the end!

5) Move

This is probably the most well known action related to disease prevention, but it can also be confusing for many. What should you do? Well, I would say this. If you have never worked out before, just start with walking. If you can make 10,000 steps a day a lifelong habit, you will be setting yourself up for success.

If you would like more rapid results, participating in an appropriate strength training program can help. If you are unsure what to do or are intimidated to start, working with a fitness professional can be a good option. Even if you cannot afford to have a consistent trainer, it may not be a bad idea to go to one for a program and a few sessions just to learn the correct technique. Most professionals would be happy to assess, program, and coach you on a personalized program that would help set you up for success.

The one thing I would NOT do is go out and start running. This is the most common error for beginners. While it is simple, it is not easy, and can lead to injuries quickly, especially if you are overweight. Running is actually an advanced activity and should be built up to with proper strength and stability training first. Walking is almost always okay, but running and jogging should be avoided at first. 

Closing Thoughts

While there are other factors that can play into preventing disease, these are some of the most important. You see, your body responds in EXACT accordance to the environment it is put in. When you eat poorly, sleep poorly, and do not move often, there is nothing telling your body to stay fit. Your body is a machine of efficiency, so it is always looking for ways to store and conserve energy. The less you move, the less your body knows how to move. The more you eat, the more you store. The more stressed you are, the more your body breaks down.

These are the fundamentals of disease. If we can work to make better choices for ourselves and our families, then maybe we can make an impact on ourselves and the world around us. Maybe our health care costs will not be through the roof because disease will return to what it used to be…a RARE occurrence. Maybe our food producers will start focusing on quality food sources and will help to lower the cost of food that fuels us rather than poisons us. And maybe, just maybe, we can all feel more fulfilled in our own lives because we no longer have to worry about our health and can get back to making the most out of our years.

Until next time, stay active Bay Area!

READ THIS…It May Save Your Life (Part 2)

Last week I talked about the rate of obesity in America and how many of the issues stemming from this epidemic are almost completely preventable. I then took a more in-depth look at one of the most common diseases related to obesity: Type II Diabetes.

My goal was to both explain what, exactly, happens that leads to this disease and to show just how important our own lifestyle choices are in the development of this disease. If you did not read it yet, check it out here! This week we continue our discussion by looking at what can be done at a national level to prevent this disease and others like it.

All This…And for What?

Keeping with Type II Diabetes as our model, it is concerning to me just how many problems can arise from such a disease. People have lost limbs, gone blind, and died from this! And for what? Are they not told that if they simply cut back on their sugar and carb intake that many of these issues would resolve themselves? Or are they told, but have such an addiction to carbs that they are incapable of controlling their eating? Either way, I think this is an unacceptable situation.

Here is what I think needs to change:

1) Proper nutrition should be taught in school. And by proper nutrition I do not mean the misleading food pyramid or food plate or anything else put out by the government who takes money from the grain, dairy, and livestock producers.

In contrast to what is normally preached as good nutrition, learning about the importance of whole foods, wild/grass-fed animal products, and food sensitivities from a young age could make a huge difference.

To this point, food in schools should also be improved. Why we allow children to eat any differently than we know we should is beyond me. They need high quality foods just as much, if not more, than their parents, yet so often a child’s diet consists of processed foods and loads of carbs.

2) Speaking of government, I believe that food subsidies play a huge role in disease. Food subsidies on corn, soy, wheat, dairy, and peanuts have provided an outrageous supply of these goods with not enough demand. And what we know from basic economics is that when supply is high and demand is low (or at least lower) cost goes down. Great for getting cheap calories, not good for helping consumers make smart food choices. When you can get a double cheeseburger from Burger King (1000+ calories) for $1, why would someone watching their budget even think about grabbing a pack of carrots (100 calories) for $3. 

Add to this that the immense overproduction of these products has led to them or their derivatives permeating our food supply and it’s no wonder we are having issues. High fructose corn syrup, soybean oil, soy lecithin, wheat gluten, etc. are all things that you will find in almost all cheap, packaged food products. Corn is also the main food source for most of the animals we end up eating (cow, chicken, even fish!) If you take away the subsidies, these foods no longer have a stronghold on the market, giving quality meats, fruits, and vegetables a chance in the pricing game. 

3) Training in proper nutrition and dietary counseling should be mandatory in medical school! Why do fitness professionals know more about nutrition than MDs? We entrust our health to doctors, and yet they know almost nothing about proper nutrition and the science behind digestion, absorption, and utilization of macro and micro nutrients. 

Most have not been trained in the art of coaching, either. It is not enough to just tell someone to go eat better…you have to coach them and guide them! It is even worse if you just send them home with some medication that will inevitably have side effects and will most likely only “Band-Aid” the issue rather than treating the cause.

4) At the first sign of Type II Diabetes (and just about any other major disease) dietary and lifestyle factors (exercise, sleep, stress, etc.) should be accounted for and a plan of action should be determined for making incremental improvements to put people on the right track. Yes, medication is needed in some cases, but why is it always the first course of action?

As you can see, there are a lot of factors that currently play into why we have such a high rate of obesity in our country, and this only covers some of them. Our country has been raised on grains and carbs and it is not an easy thing to change.

Next Week: The Action Plan

Because these changes talked about today will be slow moving, next week we will go through a personal action plan to protect you and your family from these types of preventable diseases. While it is important to work from the top down, many times it takes the voice and demands of the people to make changes. And as they talk about in “Food, Inc.” everytime you go to the grocery store and make a purchase, you are voting. You are voting for what you believe is best for you and your family. The good thing about living in a capitalistic society is that it is our demands that drive the markets. So, the more wild/grass-fed meats, organic fruits, and organic veggies you buy, the more they will be produced and the less they will cost.

Until then, be active Bay Area!

READ THIS…It May Save Your Life (Part 1)

I was watching a documentary on obesity rates in America and was reminded just how out of touch we are today with what it means to be fit and healthful. Right now, almost 70% of Americans are overweight or obese. This is an incredible number, yet because it is so prevalent, it has become more and more socially acceptable and supported. You have probably heard that your personality, language, income, and outlook on life are very closely linked to the five people you spend the most time with. Well, your weight and health are influenced just the same. When your whole family and community are overweight, you are most likely going to be overweight as well. Yes, there are genetic factors, but genes are only expressed in the presence of the proper environment. It is the social norms and food availability that has led to the dramatic increase in weight and disease in this country, and the sad part is…most of these issues are almost completely PREVENTABLE.

The Preventable Disease

In this article I will review one of the most common preventable diseases for those who are overweight: Type II Diabetes. This is different from Type I in that Type II is your body’s natural response to overconsumption of sugar and carbs. Type I on the other hand is your body’s inability to adequately produce insulin, a hormone responsible for transporting sugar into your cells. Insulin is a very important hormone and if your body cannot produce enough, you can have some serious health concerns. As a Type I Diabetic you can certainly do things to help the situation, but in the end, it is rare that you can fully remedy your body’s inability to adequately produce insulin.

As for Type II Diabetes: this is almost completely preventable! When you eat sugar or carbs, your body releases insulin to shuttle the sugar out of your blood and into your cells. This is important for two reasons. First, it allows your cells to use the energy from sugar to perform their daily functions. Second, it gets sugar OUT of your blood stream. So how does this relate to diabetes?

Type II Diabetes is your body’s natural response to excessive consumption of sugar and carbs. When you eat a high quantity of carbs, your body must release enough insulin to move this sugar out of the blood stream and into the cells. Your cells, however, can only handle so much sugar, and as they become saturated, they start blocking the response to insulin. This is known as insulin resistance. As more and more of your cells become insulin resistant, it becomes increasingly difficult to clear out the sugar in your bloodstream. This leads to a cycle of increased insulin production, followed by insulin blocking in the cells, leaving the sugar just sitting in your blood and no longer getting into your cells. What ends up happening is that cells are so busy blocking insulin, that they lose track of how much sugar they have to run on. Now you have a situation where even though your cells NEED sugar, they have a hard time breaking down the wall they have built up to block sugar in the first place! All the while, that sugar in your blood has nowhere to go, so it must be converted to fat and stored.

This is where things get really bad. Because your cells cannot use sugar for energy, your body must now use its fat stores for fuel. This may seem good because you are using fat but there are two issues with this. First, you are producing more fat than you are burning because of the excess sugar, so you are still gaining weight. Second, your body is SO reliant on fat for fuel that the breakdown of fat becomes toxic. This is a metabolic state known as ketoacidosis where your body is in an uncontrollable cycle of fat use for fuel. This should not be confused with the state of ketosis, where your body is using fat for fuel in a controlled manner (this is what happens on very-low carb diets, something that can be extremely effective for weight and fat loss).

In a state ketoacidosis, your internal pH becomes highly acidic and can result in dehydration, difficulty breathing, confusion, and can even lead to coma or death. Add to this that many of your cells are still not functioning properly, potentially leading to nerve damage, impaired vision, fatigue, immune dysfunction, and more. If this is not enough, you are probably also starting to develop fatty liver disease and heart disease due to the amount of fat that is flowing through your blood. In the end, too much sugar has turned into a painful and life threatening situation.

There are More

I wanted to give a detailed explanation of Type II Diabetes because it shows two things. One, just how bad it can be, and two, that it is almost completely a result of dietary and lifestyle choices. This, however, is not the only disease like this. Many heart conditions, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, gout, GERD, arthritis, thyroiditis, and even things such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s can be dramatically impacted through dietary and lifestyle modifications and many times are preventable.

This is a dramatic shift in thought from how we normally view disease, but the fact of the matter is this: your body will respond to how it is treated. If you provide it with quality food, movement, and recovery, it will not get sick. If you do not, you will have issues. They do not always present themselves in the same way, but they will come nevertheless.

Until Next Time…

This is all I want to go over for this week, but please check back next week to see what my thoughts are on how to remedy this situation and what you can do to ensure that you and your family avoid the hardship that can arise from this and other types of preventable disease. Until then, stay active Bay Area! 

Success is No Secret

Pick up any health magazine and you will inevitably find some promotion of the next big health secret. The new exercise routine that is changing the game, the new drink that gives you endless energy, burns fat, and has no side effects, the new diet that “really” works. The problem with all of this is that every month, there are new secrets to be learned, half of which contradict last month’s secrets. If you or anyone you know has been highly successful, you have most likely already discovered that the secret to success is no secret at all. Success is the result of consistency, plain and simple.

Focus on the Fundamentals

Now we can argue about what things are important to be consistent with, but usually the details are much less important than taking the fundamental, big picture ideas, and being consistent.

Take weight loss as an example. We can argue about which foods to eat, when to eat, and what supplements to take, but in the end, those people that are most successful have found a way to exercise more and eat less on a consistent basis. The have made these things part of their daily routine and even when the holidays, birthdays, or vacations come up, they are STILL consistent. They find ways to get in their workouts and they find ways to limit their eating and drinking.

Is this easy? Not always, but there is never a “good” time to undertake building a new exercise program and eating routine. Life is busy, but if you have a goal that is important to you, there is no time like the present to get started.

The key is to keep going once you have taken the first step. It’s easy to stay the course if you are motivated and you have no major obstacles, but what about when life gets in the way? This is when consistency is MORE important and when it makes the biggest difference. This is where long-term change for the better is set or lost.

Look Back to Move Forward

If you have struggled to achieve a goal in the past and are looking to try to reach that goal again, it would serve you to look back and determine why exactly you were unsuccessful before. Undoubtedly you will find reasons why you failed and each of these will have impacted your consistency in some way. Success takes action, so the only way success is limited is when action is stopped.

So, what happened? What came up that impacted your consistency and what happened that kept you from getting back on track once you fell off? Only when you reflect on your past struggles will you be able to formulate a plan of attack. And with this plan of attack and your unwavering focus on consistent action, you will be prepared to not only achieve your goal, but surpass it. This is the secret to success, and luckily for all of us, it is no secret at all.  

Giving Thanks for Health

What makes Thanksgiving such a special day is that it is the one day each year that we take the time to really recognize and cherish all that we are thankful for. While we all have different things for which we are most thankful, I would like to propose that health or progress toward better health should be at the top of the list. Not to minimize the significance of friends and family, as it is these people that make life worth living, but without health, we may not have a life or at least a quality life in the first place. It is our body’s ability to sustain life, fight off infection and disease, and optimize brain function that allow us to enjoy our friends, family, hobbies, vocations, etc. Without our health, life may not be lived to its full potential, and when you only have one shot, it’s important that we cherish the health that we do have.

This is why I feel that for Thanksgiving this year it is worthwhile to really reflect on the impact that “health” has on our lives. If you are currently healthy, you can reflect on all the things that have been possible in your life because of your health. If you are currently working to improve your health, you can reflect on what is now possible that was not before. If you are feeling like you are at the bottom and there is nowhere but up from here, you can reflect on the opportunity that you have to make things better. This is one of the most remarkable attributes of humans: the ability to change. We can create the lives that we desire, and the fact that you are still alive means that you have an opportunity to improve your situation.

No matter what state your health is in, you can undoubtedly find something to be grateful for and find hope in the fact that even if things are not perfect right now, it could probably be worse, and you have the power to make things better. When you combine this with all the other things we have to be thankful for, we should come out of this year’s Turkey Day feeling pretty darn good. So have fun, enjoy each other’s company, and remember to give thanks for life, love, and happiness.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!