Nutritional Guidelines for Optimal Health and Pain Management
The title of this could just as well be Increased Longevity, Optimal Body Composition or Athletic Performance. The principals are the same.
Principals of healthy meals.
Let me begin by telling you the story of Jack Lalanne.
Probably the most influential "physical culturist“ of our time. He actually was a very sickly kid who was addicted to sugar. His mother took him to hear a man named Paul Bragg, the inventor of Bragg‘s apple cider vinegar and amino acid spice‘s. Bragg was an evangelical type nutritionist who would give raucous revival lectures on healthy living and nutrition. When young Jack heard Mr. Bragg‘s speech his life changed forever. He then went on to himself influence millions of people around the world on the benefits of healthy eating and exercise.I call this the ripple effect! My challenge to every one who reads this is to remember the change you embrace will unquestionably have a ripple effect, you don‘t have to influence millions of people but you will influence many. Maybe the most important people around you like your children and relatives. By making your life more energetic and healthy you may very well be literally saving the life‘s of the people who matter most to you, at the very least you will add to the quality of their future. Be a positive example of what is possible!
The reason for these suggestions I‘ve listed above are multifaceted. The body tends to process and store macronutrients based on combinations of foods and time of consumption. A great deal of body composition has to do with hormonal influences. Specifically insulin. When one consumes sugar and remember all carbohydrates are converted to sugar in the body. Then the pancreas secretes insulin to clear the sugar from the system. Two main problems occur. First, insulin stores excess sugar as fat! Second the brain needs glucose as a fuel source so the clearance of sugar causes the insulin "spike“ that occurred to drop. This drop causes the brain to sense that it needs more sugar, i.e. glucose, so you now have cravings for more sugar! This constant rise and fall of insulin is now believed to be a contributing factor in the alarming rise in type II. Diabetes. As well as a constant battle with craving foods that are not good for you.
It‘s better to have a steady plateau of insulin levels by eating several small meals through out the day as opposed to a few large meals. A more specific way to manage your macro food intake would be to keep carb. intake at 40 grams per meal and protein at 40 grams per meal. This adheres to the recommendation of eating 5 meals a day and staying at the 200 grams of carbs and 200 total grams of protein per day. Keep in mind that these are general guidelines, there is a six fold difference in how humans handle carbohydrates. You may need to lower the grams of carbs if fat loss is your goal or go higher if you‘re into endurance sports. There unfortunately is no single right amount for every one, but never go lower on the 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight recommendation. Also, do not skip breakfast! This truly is the most important meal of the day. And you absolutely must get protein at this time.
The glycemic index will show the foods in the order that they convert or break down into sugar when consumed. What‘s at the top of the list? White bread! Bread comes from grains. The reason for this is the type of cell membrane plant‘s have as opposed to animal cells. Plants have a cellulose membrane which your body must work to break down; this causes a slower absorption and hence slower rise in insulin levels. However, when a plant source is "processed“ the outer membrane is broken down for you so the body can convert this quickly into sugar hence the rapid rise in insulin! Basically you‘re eating a pre-digested food. The problem with the gylcemic index is that certain foods appear to be low on the list but influence a strong insulin response, like potatoes and fructose. However; understand that there is a big difference in processed carbs and complex carbs. I should say avoid the higher rated processed carbs. Because you will notice that things like carrots and potatoes have very high index numbers, you have to understand that if you consume say a sweet potato with a chicken breast and some broccoli your over all rise in blood sugar will be very stable.
The bottom line is that there are good carbs and bad carbs. Avoid "processed“ bad carbs like the plague. Sugar is the enemy! The less you consume the faster you will achieve your ideal body composition.
Let me briefly explain the last of the bullet presentation regarding "not counting calories“. This concept is very confusing and misleading. It has been in my opinion the reason so many people have failed to achieve their goals of optimum body composition. The ideal of body weight equals calories in vs. calories out is a very flawed equation. (See my web site, mypainfix.com) for an in depth explanation regarding the details of this. But suffice it to say simply look at the fact that 95% of all people who attempt to loose weight by restricting calories have at the end of one year regained the weight and 5 extra pounds. The reason is that when you restrict calories to the level of reducing body weight you essentially are putting your body into a semi starvation mode. The body‘s response is to become more insulin resistant and as such when one resumes even a maintenance level of calories you tend to store the calories as fat. This concept is seen on many different levels but a very striking example was what we saw from concentration camp survivors. They were walking skeletons when rescued and due to a lack of food supply in Europe after the war were only given meager amounts of bread and soup. However within a very short period of time regained an enormous amount of weight. This concept has been termed "catch up weight ". And is also seen in malnourished children who manage to survive infancy. Look at the pictures of the poorest people say in Africa who are very poor but you generally see the typical over weight woman walking around. How did she get so heavy starting out as this pathetic starving child who inevitably grew up malnourished?
The take home point is trying to loose weight by restricting calories is the road to disaster. Follow the recommendations out lined in this manual and you will achieve your desired outcome but you may need to experiment to find the right amount of carbohydrates for you. Start with the simple 200/200 rule I mentioned.
Fat‘s:
I know it seems counter intuitive but fats are not only beneficial but absolutely necessary for good health, in fact if I could only take one supplement it would be Fish Oil. I‘ll explain why a little later but it has a lot to do with preventing inflammation. However, fish oil is not the only source of PUFA‘s (Polyunsaturated fatty acids). Certain plant based oils are also crucial for optimal good health and work in combination with the fish oil. I prefer Udos Oil for this source of essential fats. These oils provide GLA and LA (Gamma Linoleic Acid and Linoleic Acid ). Both incredibly beneficial.
How the oil is processed makes a tremendous difference in not only the effectiveness of the product but also the level of contamination. Unfortunately, all fish is contaminated with heavy metals. The way the manufacturer processes this out is different from one brand to the next. The only ones that do this right that I personally know of are the pharmaceutical grade prescription Lovasa, Barry Sears brand and Metagenics.
You want to consume at least 3 grams per day in divided doses. You may need higher doses if you are dealing with an acute injury or suffer from certain chronic diseases. You should always check with your doctor if you plan on going higher as very high doses can influence blood clotting ability. Also, in certain conditions such as Ulcerative Colitis; fish oil is not good to take.
(The conversion rate is 1,000 mg equals 1 gram). In an acute situation you may need to take up to 10 grams/day! You want a brand that gives you close to 1 gram of EPA and DHA separately per serving. Both of the brands I mentioned do that.
Also, Code liver oil as a choice has the added benefit of supplying Vitamin A & D which is usually missing in most people as we fail to get adequate sun exposure, which is where you get your best source of this vital nutrient. I take both Cod liver oil and fish oil in the winter. Standard Process makes an excellent one.
Carbohydrates:
Do eat un-processed carbs, i.e. Fruits, vegetables, sweet potatoes, yams, brown rice and live sprouted grains. Live sprouted grains are handled differently in the body than are conventional grains. There is some evidence that certain grains actually interfere with nutrient absorption. In particular "corn“, soy and wheat. Corn is a grain not a vegetable. Grains pose a particular conundrum. While the advantages of agriculture made the ability to form civilizations possible, grains have issues that need to be appreciated fully to maximize good health. As a society we can survive on grains, we cannot thrive on grains! Unfortunately large populations create complex problems not eating the way our ancestors did, (before the epidemic rise in chronic diseases that plague modern society). Which was mainly protein sources, tubers, fruits, nuts and greens. You see, all living organisms have a genetic mandate to withstand natural selection pressure, (survive). A grain cannot get up and hit you with a golf club if you try to eat it, so it‘s found it‘s own unique way to ensure its survival. Most all grains produce a substance called Lectuns. These are molecules that interfere with nutrient absorption. Let‘s use Soy as an example. Soy produces estrogen mimicking compounds that say when eaten by a male deer causes his libido to decrease. He then does not mate as much, less deer are produced eventually leading to them being gone. Soy wins! There is mounting evidence to suggest were all having health issues because of our dependence on a grain based diet, (which is what the government recommends). Some people have more pronounced problems as a result like Celiac disease, but we all pay a price on some level, be it those colds that seem to drag on forever to feeling exhausted all the time, grains create nutrient absorption problems. Another way to say this is that we‘re consuming a lot of calories and basically starving to death at the same time.
Get in the habit of reading labels, Wheat is in many things.
Why do you think they feed grains to livestock? To fatten them up.....Can you say, Moooo.
If you are dealing with a health issue of any kind my absolute best advice is to eliminate all grains from your diet.
Sugars
Sugar is public enemy number one! Sugar is 8 times more addictive to the brain than cocaine!
The food industry recognized that years ago. It's now put in infant formula and baby food. Their getting your children hooked right out of the gate. This is why kids have such a hard time "just saying no“ to sugar. Oh, and you too!
White sugar has the same problem white salt has. The bleaching process, (the way they make it nice and pretty) strips the many natural vital minerals away from the finished product leaving behind something that will harm your body in the long run. Unprocessed sugar is a much better choice but remember it‘s still going to raise your insulin levels. You Must stay below 200 grams/day of carbs.
While were on the subject. Fruit also has sugar in it.
The difference is how your body processes it. Because fruit has fiber the release of sugar is slower, hence less of a spike in insulin levels. So you‘re much better off eating fruit as opposed to drinking it as a juice.
Protein:
PROTEIN INTAKE SHOULD BE AT LEAST 1GRAM PER POUND OF WEIGHT/DAY, OF YOUR CURRENT WEIGHT!
A fascinating study was done at Skidmore College which showed that simply adding 60 grams per day of Whey protein, divided into 3 doses caused a reduction of 3.5 kilos of body fat even without exercise. It also showed a drop in blood pressure, normalization of blood lipids and the beginning of blood sugar levels to normalize.
Dairy:
H2O
Water is one of the single most important things you can do for optimal health!
There has been a lot of attention lately regarding the contaminants in plastic as a very serious source of estrogen mimicking compounds entering our food chain. In fact whole schools of fish right off our shores have been found to be hermaphroditic, meaning a mix of male and female sex characteristics. This contamination may be responsible for certain cancers. Also, a book titled Boys Adrift, states that this excessive exposure may be responsible for an alarming social problem. Young men have been found to have a fraction of the testosterone levels there grandfathers had. This has been postulated to be the reason girls are with out question out performing boys in academics. The rate of college honor graduates and even the number of graduating seniors per age group average is higher for girls.
The issue of alkalinized and energized water needs to be addressed. It‘s a waste of money! This is another example of the shady nature of the health industry. The question that should be asked is how can water with an alkaline Ph level stay that way when it is placed in an extremely acidic environment of the stomach, and more important, why would you want to "alkalinize“ this organ? You can‘t and you don‘t. You need to have the stomach acidic in order to digest your food properly. Minerals cannot be absorbed other wise. The claim that water can take on magical properties like "clustering“ and "hexagonal“ are propagated because most people don‘t understand basic chemistry. A great web site to visit that fully explains this issue is chem1.com/CQ/ the CQ is case sensitive. Please don‘t be a sucker. Believe me I would love it if some of these claims were true. But part of my job as your doctor is to provide you the information you need to make the best choices possible for your health and avoid the hucksters out there.
Salt/Minerals
This is an important topic. Normal table salt is highly processed in order to make it the nice pretty white grains that sit on your dinner table. This process removes all the natural minerals (approximately 73 different minerals).
You are left with just sodium and chloride. Your body needs all of these minerals in correct ratio in order to drive every metabolic process in the body. The fact is that you can have all the vitamins you need but if you‘re missing minerals your in trouble. How ever, you can have the right concentration of minerals and no vitamins and do okay. Independent labs that test for tissue mineral levels have stated that up to 90 % of us don‘t have proper levels of minerals.
Consider bone loss as one example of how misguided we are in our thinking. Ask most people, even most doctors what you‘re losing and they will tell you Calcium. Well, calcium is just one mineral of about 13 that make up bone tissue. You‘re actually losing all of these. When you just supplement with calcium you often create imbalances that actually cause even more problems.
The type of mineral is critical. Your body needs to go through complex bio-chemical processes in order to absorb minerals at the cellular level. In order to do this the electrical charge has to be just right. Ionic minerals are the type your body actually processes. Sea salt which has not been processed has these specific electrical properties along with all 73 different minerals in correct ratios you need. The kind I‘m referring to is that ugly grey, brown even black and red, depending on the source. I recommend you also supplement with ionic minerals. Since if your deficient, and most of us are, then you probably need more than what you would use just by what is on your food. The good news is, there dirt cheap! Just make sure they are in the ionic form.
You should have a hair mineral analysis done in order to determine your own levels. This is with out a doubt the single best test to see the potential future health problems you may be facing and to take proactive steps to avoid them and to correct current health issues. A great book on this subject I recommend reading is The Calcium Lie, by Dr. Robert Thompson M.D.
Exercise:
Lifting also is as close to a fountain of youth as you can get. The reason being is that resistance exercise stimulates growth hormone production better than any other form of exercise. This is important because as we age growth hormone declines. This substance is in large part what keeps fat levels down, skin elasticity tight and a whole host of other beneficial factors. Also, your muscle cells are your metabolic furnace meaning that the more muscle you have the more efficiently you‘re body will manage insulin and control body fat.
The other key benefit is the effect weight lifting has on preventing osteoporosis. It has been proven that weight bearing exercise is the one sure thing you can do to stay off this deforming crippler.
How much should you exercise? Depends on what you want! But three days a week, less than one hour a day with the proper program is generally a good rule of thumb. Just remember that motion is life. The human body was not meant to be stationary. This applies to the joints (which is what were addressing with Chiropractic), but also to the whole body.
The best routine I can advise would be a program split between 80% resistance training and 20% cardio.
If you‘re not sure how to structure a program on your own it‘s well worth the expenditure to hire a good personal trainer. I know several I can recommend. Again, Muscle is your metabolic currency, get in the gym today and make a deposit.
The conventional wisdom of "you are what you eat“ needs to be clarified…You are what you eat, eats!
Let me take a moment and explain why the issue of grass fed meat and heating are important to understand.
Research has shown that the majority of all chronic degenerative disease can be traced to a single cause, Cellular Inflammation!
If you look at the incidence and rise of these diseases you notice that they really took off at the beginning of the last century. This coincides with the advent of food processing and the adulteration of our food and water supply.
For instance, prior to World War II. Most cattle were grass fed. After this they began to feed cattle grains. The problem is that in naturally fed animals and fish for that matter the Lipid Profiles, meaning the ratio of essential fatty acids omega 3 to omega 6 was 1:1 to 1:4. This is important because omega 3 is very anti-inflammatory and omega 6 can be pro-inflammatory. In animals allowed to eat grains (and remember your an animal) you animal, that ratio can reach as high as 1:20! That means your consuming a fat that is reeking havoc with your cell membranes. The problem is compounded in the milk from these sources in that you have the added problem of pasteurization and homogenization. Pasteurizing milk raises the temperature in order to kill off pathogens above 113 degrees. This unfortunately denatures the protein molecule (fancy term for "screws up“), and also destroys all the live enzymes which are necessary for proper digestion. Ironic that milk allergies were almost unheard of prior to this practice. It‘s also fascinating to me that 113 degrees is the temp. that is at the point of being too hot to put in your mouth! You think nature may be trying to tell us something?
This same concept should be remembered when cooking any live food! I.e. vegetables. Steam them until tender if you want to retain the necessary live nutrients and try not to pre-cut and store vegetables as this also oxidizes and drains vital nutritents.
Homogenization is the process of keeping milk from separating. To do this they force the milk through a very small micron screen. This however changes the structure of the protein molecule to something the body doesn‘t always recognize and can see as a foreign protein causing an antigen /antibody reaction at the gut wall. This can lead to problems that are similar to leaky gut syndrome.
As a side note some individuals just don‘t do well with casein protein. It is a very common allergy. It may have to do with the type of cow the milk came from. In fact new research has shown an interesting connection to casein protein and Autism. The reason being that some individuals lack a certain enzyme in the intestines that prevent the protein from not converting to an opioid type substance in the brain, which causes a drugged effect and may also be why some people find it so difficult to stop consuming dairy products. Side note; grains also have opioid like chemicals which is why they can be so hard to kick. Your brain is literally addicted to them.
If your dealing with a teenager that is battling acne or Asthma, I‘ve seen miracles by eliminating dairy or switching to raw dairy.
Juicing
This is with out a doubt the single most important thing you can do for your health! Juicing provides the life giving nutrients nature intended us to have in therapeutic doses. The example I like to give is the case of Melanoma. One of the scarier C words to hear. Melanoma is divided into three stages; each stage has its own statistical probability of survival. Stage 3‘s is 2%-6% survivability. Meaning get your affairs in order. However, evidence has shown that using an alternative therapy known as The Gershwin Diet, that survival level can rise up to 36%! An amazing difference. The Gershwin Diet involves consuming mass quantities of live juices, up to 13 pounds of vegetables a day. .While admittedly extreme this example demonstrates how powerful nutrients are when taken in at concentrated levels.
You don‘t need 13 pounds of vegetables a day in order to see tremendous benefits. A few drinks a day will improve energy levels, promote better sleep, improve the appearance of skin and help guarantee the proper levels of the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables with out necessarily having to eat them. In fact you probably can‘t eat that much fruit and vegetables, but you can drink them.
You should probably buy a small book on Juicing in order to understand the complete reason and simple rules to follow when juicing. Also to get some tips as far as receipts to follow in regards to specific issues you may wish to address.
Vitamins:
I‘ll be the first to admit I was wrong for a lot of years telling my patients to take vitamins. I noticed that many people do not really see the types of improvements you hear about with respect to taking supplements. I always wandered why that is.
The old joke of "expensive urine“ may be true! Here‘s why.
Almost every vitamin supplement on the market is the same. In the sense that they are not complete vitamins. An example is vitamin C. Vitamin C is actually a rather complex molecule containing numerous substances such as factors P, K, and J. tyrosinase enzymes, 14 known bio-flavonoids, various ascorbigens, 5 copper ions, iron, manganese, zinc, selenium, phosphorus, magnesium, and yes ascorbic acid. Most vitamin C comes as ascorbic acid. The problem is ascorbic acid is actually the anti-oxidant envelope around the vitamin C molecule. Sort of like the wrapper around a candy bar, all the good stuff is inside. To take it in this form is no different than taking a drug. It‘s a fractionated piece of the whole vitamin. Yes it does have a certain antibiotic effect but it can actually interfere with whole vitamin C uptake if taken too much. When you take any vitamin in this "synthetic“ state, your body will not see it as something it can use so it will pull out from your tissues all the other factors it needs to "complete“ the molecule into something it can use. So you can wind up actually deficient in that particular vitamin. Interestingly Linus Pauling who did the original work with Vitamin C used whole vitamin C, not ascorbic acid in his research. This is why I believe most people don‘t get the expected reduction in cold symptoms they hear about when they try taking large amounts to fight the flu. It‘s also why research studies have not seen the positive results touted about vitamin therapy and why they actually see severe problems associated with taking high dose supplements.
The same thing goes for all the other vitamins. Vitamin A, another example, usually comes in the form of beta-carotene which has been shown to cause birth defects. Again, this is a single part of vitamin A not the whole molecule. Most sources of Vit. B come from coal tar!
The source of whole complete vitamins only comes from one source, food. I unfortunately have only been able to find two sources of real "whole food“ vitamins. Standard Process and Innate Response are the only companies I know of that produce vitamins in whole molecular form. Standard Process is an interesting company in that they grow their own food according to organic standards and treated soil that replaces the complete array of minerals and other components that produce optimally nutrient dense fruits and vegetables. They also wait to pick until vine ripened which is the proper way to harvest to achieve full nutrient value.
Our office carries the Standard Process series of supplements and we offer them at discount!
Summary:
Everything in this manual is important for achieving the health and vitality that is our birth right. The more of these proven concepts you incorporate the more you will benefit. However, the reality of the old saying that "it‘s easier to change a person‘s religion than it is their diet is true“. So, let‘s start with Breakfast! The most important meal of the day! This alone will provide the most positive single thing you can do. This will either make or break the rest of your day. Here‘s the way I start my day:
I don‘t usually feel very hungry first thing in the morning and I‘m always facing a busy day in my office seeing patients where I will not have a chance to eat until lunch…if then. So I adhere to the KISS rule of life,
K eep
I t
S imple
S tupid.
I live out of a blender. This allows me to very easily monitor macronutrient levels, it‘s quick, its nutrient dense and clean up is a breeze. As an example I start with say Coconut water, throw in some organic berries, a scoop of protein powder, (the combination type with whey, casein, and albumen). I often do the "Rocky“ thing and put a few fertile raw eggs in but that part is optional. I also use two scoops of Standard Process SP Complete which is additional protein with concentrated super foods. I also take my SP Whole food supplements pack and two SP green food caps to ensure I get all the phytonutrients I need. Some additional fish oil and that‘s it. I have just given my body the premium fuel it needs to supercharge my day and support the millions of cellular functions that comprise this miracle we call life.
Bon Apatite,
As always, watching your back.
Dr. Bartz
7246.The Burrito Diet
An example of how to combine easy compliance and stay within the guidelines I‘ve mentioned is to incorporate what is called the "Burrito Diet“.
Sounds funny, but it‘s a very cool way to combine high fiber and all the other essential components of good macronutrient profiles.
You simply find these "Carb Balance“ wraps in the grocery store. They all have them, Mission brand has one that has 21 grams of fiber. Remember, you subtract the grams of fiber from the total amount of net carbs, so in this case these wraps have 31 total grams of carbs but minus the 21 grams of fiber your left with only 10 grams of carbs. you can make these the night before work and have one for breakfast, lunch and dinner and you just had more fiber than most people get in a week and kept your carb intake at 30 grams. You now have 150 more grams of carbs to play with.
You just combine a lean protein source with some veggies and you have every thing you need in one handy little meal. Supplement with a couple of protein shakes in between breakfast and dinner and you have your 4-5 meals per day dialed in. You‘ll never be hungry because of the fiber and consistent feedings. And you will also get the critical protein element into your diet as well. How easy was that?
This is just one tool you can use to manage a very healthy way of eating that does not rely on starving your self into loosing the wrong kind of weight and creating a life long habit of ill health.
For more info and tricks to help you live the kind of life you want contact our office. We plan on launching a new web site that will give you a lot more tools to help you manage your new quest for good health. As an example we‘ll take you on virtual shopping trips and show you what foods to buy, how to read the labels correctly and how and why to prepare these foods to not only provide delicious receipts but also give your body the premium fuel it needs to function at it‘s optimal level. We‘ll also cover exercise and other information you need to stay at the top of your game.
As always: Watching your back. Dr. Steve