Ben Answers

New Blog

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 12:17:52 -0400

From now on, you can find me here: Ben By Design

You're not a special snowflake.

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 18:51:00 -0400

The basic prinicple that rests at the heart of repeated success, is understanding that A=A. There are real laws to this universe. Things can be proven. Drop an object, and it will fall to the ground everytime.

Nothing will stymie success more than blanking out the fact that A=A.

I see examples of this daily when talking with others;

“That diet may work for you, but it doesn’t for me.”

“There is no right way or wrong way, you just have to figure out what works for you.”

Thankfully, reality is real, and when two people disagree, reality will always be the final arbiter.

Tell me that strength isn’t required to squat 500lbs, then put it on your back and see what happens.

Tell me that a headstand is a progression to a handstand, and watch countless of my students stand on their hands for a minute, while you sweat in a 105 degree room and wonder why your shoulders mysteriously aren’t any stronger from balancing on your head.

Tell me everything is good in moderation, and blank out the fact that you neither; look, feel or perform as those who actually have asked, and proven, what the body requires to be optimal.

Tell me success is a product of wishes, whims, luck and other contradictory princples- blanking out the fact that it takes, on average, 6 years for those who inherit wealth/win the lottery, to be back to the same level as they were before.

Tell me there are no absolutes- blanking out the fact you’re stating an absolute.

Tell me that we know we know nothing- blanking out the fact that you’re assuming knowledge.

Tell me it is genetic, and blank out the examples of Art Devany, Mark Sisson, Jack LaLanne, Erwan LeCorre & many others.

I will leave you with a quote from my favourite novel, Atlas Shrugged.

“Whatever you choose to consider, be it an object, an attribute or an action, the law of identity remains the same. A leaf cannot be a stone at the same time, it cannot be all red and all green at the same time, it cannot freeze and burn at the same time. A is A. Or, if you wish it stated in simpler language: You cannot have your cake and eat it, too.

“Are you seeking to know what is wrong with the world? All the disasters that have wrecked your world, came from your leaders’ attempt to evade the fact that A is A. All the secret evil you dread to face within you and all the pain you have ever endured, came from your own attempt to evade the fact that A is A. The purpose of those who taught you to evade it, was to make you forget that Man is Man.

“Man cannot survive except by gaining knowledge, and reason is his only means to gain it. Reason is the faculty that perceives, identifies and integrates the material provided by his senses. The task of his senses is to give him the evidence of existence, but the task of identifying it belongs to his reason, his senses tell him only that something is,but what it is must be learned by his mind.

“All thinking is a process of identification and integration. Man perceives a blob of color; by integrating the evidence of his sight and his touch, he learns to identify it as a solid object; he learns to identify the object as a table; he learns that the table is made of wood; he learns that the wood consists of cells, that the cells consist of molecules, that the molecules consist of atoms. All through this process, the work of his mind consists of answers to a single question: What is it? His means to establish the truth of his answers is logic, and logic rests on the axiom that existence exists. Logic is the art of non-contradictory identification. A contradiction cannot exist. An atom is itself, and so is the universe; neither can contradict its own identity; nor can a part contradict the whole. No concept man forms is valid unless he integrates it without contradiction into the total sum of his knowledge. To arrive at a contradiction is to confess an error in one’s thinking; to maintain a contradiction is to abdicate one’s mind and to evict oneself from the realm of reality.”- John Galt

Welcome to reality- you are not a special snowflake.

great website - do you know my buddy Wheels?

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 13:15:08 -0400

PPPPJJJJJJJJJ

I Love a Good Ego

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 14:23:00 -0400

We have all heard it before.. “Don’t let your ego get in the way”….” Just keep your mouth shut if you have nothing nice to say”… “Leave your ego at the door”… “A big ego is the greatest problem there is with men”…Let me tell you why this is batshit crazy.

When someone proclaims one of those statements, they are asking you to practice the altruistic virtue of “blanking out” the fact that your mind is of value. That you are of value. These statements generally come from those who proclaim there is no right or wrong, only moral greyness. These people are asking you NOT to think.

Ego is derived from the latin word “I.” Your ego is YOU. Yourself. A man’s self is his mind- the faculty that perceives, forms judgements, chooses values.

Now, let me go into this a bit further. The egoism that I practice is rational egoism OR rational selfishness. Rational egoism is the principle that an action is rational if and only if it maximizes one’s self-interest.

“The Objectivist ethics proudly advocates and upholds rational selfishness—which means: the values required for man’s survival qua man—which means: the values required for human survival—not the values produced by the desires, the emotions, the “aspirations,” the feelings, the whims or the needs of irrational brutes, who have never outgrown the primordial practice of human sacrifices, have never discovered an industrial society and can conceive of no self-interest but that of grabbing the loot of the moment.”- Ayn Rand

“Men have been taught that the ego is the synonym of evil, and selflessness the ideal of virtue. But the creator is the egoist in the absolute sense, and the selfless man is the one who does not think, feel, judge or act. These are functions of the self.

Here the basic reversal is most deadly. The issue has been perverted and man has been left no alternative—and no freedom. As poles of good and evil, he was offered two conceptions: egoism and altruism. Egoism was held to mean the sacrifice of others to self. Altruism—the sacrifice of self to others. This tied man irrevocably to other men and left him nothing but a choice of pain: his own pain borne for the sake of others or pain inflicted upon others for the sake of self. When it was added that man must find joy in self-immolation, the trap was closed. Man was forced to accept masochism as his ideal—under the threat that sadism was his only alternative. This was the greatest fraud ever perpetrated on mankind.

This was the device by which dependence and suffering were perpetuated as fundamentals of life.

The choice is not self-sacrifice or domination. The choice is independence or dependence. The code of the creator or the code of the second-hander. This is the basic issue. It rests upon the alternative of life or death. The code of the creator is built on the needs of the reasoning mind which allows man to survive. The code of the second-hander is built on the needs of a mind incapable of survival. All that which proceeds from man’s independent ego is good. All that which proceeds from man’s dependence upon men is evil.”- Ayn Rand

This rational egoism should not be confused with those brutes who cannot admit they are wrong, when the facts of reality prove otherwise. It takes a man with high self-esteem to admit that he is wrong. Self-esteem will be a whole other post- I am working on it.

Remember folks- we believe that you are designed to be extraordinary. We believe that life is enjoyment. We believe that you are of value. We believe your highest value is yourself. We believe that before you can say “I love you,” you have to say “I”= Ego.

Economics of Health

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 19:57:00 -0400

Look, we at Life By Design, believe that the bodies natural state is healthy. We believe in thriving, not just surviving. This natural state is only achieved once we provide the body with the basic requirements of life.

If you looked at a wilting plant, you wouldn’t immediately diagnose it with this or that disease. First, you’d ask what it needs; water, sunlight, nutrient rich soil. The same is true for the body- give it what it requires and you will thrive.

There is no arguing that the state of the world economy is a mess- as is the state of our health as a species. We are sicker than we’ve ever been, and its only getting worse. The one thing required for a healthy economy, is capital. Capital comes from savings. If we view this from a health perspective, capital is your quality of life, which comes from making deposits into our savings account. Those deposits come in the form of living a life that you were designed to live.

Every time you; come into West London CrossFit, get your brain/body connection turned on at GFC or the Cafe, eat a by design meal, get your much needed full nights sleep, essentially - live a life by design- you’re making deposits into your health savings account. You’re increasing your overall health capital.

Just like in business, an increase in capital will allow you to expand your opportunities. When we are talking health capital, we are taking about increasing our overall wellness. We our providing ourselves with the necessary requirements, in order to perform the process of living we all desire to achieve; a being of self-responsibility, who trusts him/herself to perform any task life may throw at them- willing or unwillingly.

This also allows us to make withdrawals from our savings account without the detrimental effects it would have on those with less health capital.

Every time you take the actions to live by design, you’re making deposits in your account. Every time you take the actions that are at odds with our design, you’re making withdrawals from your account. You cannot keep withdrawing from your savings without eventually drying up that capital. Health, just like wealth, cannot be created out of thin air- we must look at the necessary actions required- production. You have to work to produce the goods.

“The body is designed to be amazing, it’s designed to be extraordinary. What most people see as illness and disease is simply just their body not getting what is needs to get.” -Dr. Jamie Richards, Life By Design Co-Founder & CEO

“An honest man knows that he can not consume more than he has produced.” -Ayn Rand

Think about that.

Cigarettes & Egg Whites?

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 18:46:00 -0400

I can not believe we are still having this talk.

As most of you have heard, Western University released the results of a study showing a correlation between egg yolks and heart disease- Research finds egg yolks almost as bad as smoking.

What we need to understand here, is this study was nothing more than a glorified questionnaire- that’s all it was.

“The study looked at data from 1,231 men and women, with a mean age of 61.5, who were patients attending vascular prevention clinics at London Health Sciences Centre’s University Hospital. Ultrasound was used to establish a measurement of total plaque area and questionnaires were filled out regarding their lifestyle and medications including pack-years of smoking (number of packs per day of cigarettes times the number of years), and the number of egg yolks consumed per week times the number of years consumed (egg yolk-years).”

If there is one thing that every single human being could grasp in order to decipher what information is correct or in-correct— its the controlled trial.

This was NOT a controlled trial. It is what those in the scientific community would call an observational or epidemiological study. These studies can never establish cause and effect because there are too many uncontrolled variables. Food questionnaires are notoriously inaccurate- could you tell me exactly what and how much you ate in the last month? No. Neither can I.

How many of these patients do you think were eating bread with those eggs? How about a big glass of orange juice and a bran muffin? I’d like to see how sugar intake, or wheat intake would measure up. Even if they show a positive correlation, that stills leaves us with nothing but a hypothesis.

I’ll leave you with a snippet of an essay by Richard Dawkins on the double-blind controlled trial

“Not all concepts wielded by professional scientists would improve everybody’s cognitive toolkit. We are here not looking for tools with which research scientists might benefit their science. We are looking for tools to help non-scientists understand science better, and equip them to make better judgments throughout their lives.

Why do half of all Americans believe in ghosts, three quarters believe in angels, a third believe in astrology, three quarters believe in Hell? Why do a quarter of all Americans and believe that the President of the United States was born outside the country and is therefore ineligible to be President? Why do more than 40 percent of Americans think the universe began after the domestication of the dog?

Let’s not give the defeatist answer and blame it all on stupidity. That’s probably part of the story, but let’s be optimistic and concentrate on something remediable: lack of training in how to think critically, and how to discount personal opinion, prejudice and anecdote, in favour of evidence. I believe that the double-blind control experiment does double duty. It is more than just an excellent research tool. It also has educational, didactic value in teaching people how to think critically. My thesis is that you needn’t actually do double-blind control experiments in order to experience an improvement in your cognitive toolkit. You only need to understand the principle, grasp why it is necessary, and revel in its elegance.”

"What are you reading right now?"

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:32:00 -0400

I love books. I have a habit of buying way too many at once! I love it. I collect them. I’ll give a list of the books I have read since I asked this question, and one’s that I am currently reading.

Just Finished

Atlas Shrugged- Ayn Rand

This is a must read. Easily the best book I’ve ever read. The impact Ayn Rand has had on me, is greater than any other individual, ever. You cannot come away from this NOT fighting for Liberty.

Economics In One Lesson- Henry Hazlitt

This is an excellent primer on the Austrian School of Economics. This will give you a great understanding of why a Free-Market is the only proper way for an Economy to prosper.

End The Fed- Ron Paul

Ron Paul is my hero. End of story. Seriously, this book will show you why the Federal Reserve Bank is the cause of the economic melt-downs, why it doesn’t work, and why it is downright immoral. We can’t print our own money, why should they?

It Starts With Foods- Melissa & Dallas Hartwig

Food either makes you healthy, or less healthy. That’s that. Best book outlining my nutrition philosophy.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad- Robert Kiyosaki

Who doesn’t want to be rich? Look, being rich isn’t luck. Those who inherit or win the lottery, are back to the same wealth they started at, within 6 years. Learn what the rich teach their kids, that the poor/middle-class do not.

Currently Reading

Start with Why- Simon Sinek

How did Apple take over the market? How did the Wright brother’s succeed in flying the first plane when all the odds were against them? People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.

Why Businessmen Need Philosophy

A compilation of essay’s that provide a guide for the capitalist ideas behind Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged- this is brilliant.

That is that! I’ll update what I am reading on a regular basis. I read; End The Fed, Economics In One Lesson, and Rich Dad, Poor Dad in about a week. You can expect more to come!

What is Fitness?

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 16:19:00 -0400

When CrossFit Co-Founder & CEO Greg Glassman went looking for a definition of fitness, the best he could find was ; the ability to transmit genes and be healthy.

Although that definition certainly describes the word in a reproductive sense, what we are looking for is a way to define who can do more work.

Glassman came up with the idea that fitness was best described as; Increased work capacity, across broad time and modal domains.

This simply means, the ability to do work, in any given time domain, regardless of the task. This covers tasks that take several seconds (Olympics Lifts & Power Lifts) as well as long hikes. Whatever the task, we want to be able to perform it as fast as possible.

Ten General Physical Skills

There are ten, general, physical skills that one must work on in order to do well at any given task. They are;

1. Cardiovascular/Cardio Respiratory Endurance

2. Stamina

3. Strength

4. Flexibility

5. Power

6. Speed

7. Coordination

8. Accuracy

9. Agility

10. Balance

The Hopper Model

Think of a big lottery hopper- write a bunch of tasks on slips of paper, that cover all time domains and as many modalities as possible, throw them in. Whoever finishes averagely best at these activities is fittest.

That means that if you can lift a car, but can’t walk a flight of stairs, you aren’t fit. Same goes for the marathon runner who can’t even do a pull-up or deadlift his bodyweight.

Looking at the above 10 GPS- we are saying you are as fit as you are competent in each of these ten general physical skills. If you have a weakness in one, it will impact all the others.

Sources

What is Fitness?- Greg Glassman

What Is CrossFit?

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 18:43:00 -0400

There may be plenty of you still wondering what exactly CrossFit is, as hearing the big news that we will be joining the affiliate family as West London CrossFit.

I wanted this post to lay out a clear message of what CrossFit is.

CrossFit is defined as: Constantly Varied, Functional Movements, Executed at High Intensity.

Constantly Varied?

What are we varying? Let’s break down a few things- Movements; deadlifts, squats, presses, pull-ups, running, rowing, swimming, biking, push-ups etc.

Rep schemes: one day we may back squat for 5 sets of 5, another day we may go for a max and then another day possibly 20 reps! The same goes for any other exercise (with some exceptions of course.)

Energy Systems: There are three basic energy systems, but we can simplify it by breaking it down into anaerobic and aerobic work. For anaerobic you can think short and heavy (max deadlift) , for anaerobic you can think longer duration- really anything over 2 minutes.

Functional Movements?

Any movement that you would find yourself performing in everyday life; standing up from a sitting postion, picking up something off the ground, putting a box up on the top shelf for storage- these movements are expressed in the three main lifts everyone should be training; squats, deadlifts and pressing. Functional movements are also unique in their ability to express power. This is important- power is king! This becomes especially important when we are creating conditioning workouts. We want to use movement that express the most power. We do so by using the following criteria to label an exercise a “functional movement.”

Moves a large load
Moves it a long distance
Does so quickly

High Intensity?

You may remember this from grade 10 physics—> Force x Distance / Time = Power.

In science, power and intensity are the same thing. How much did it weigh? How far did you move it? How long did it take you? We clearly want to move the heaviest weights, the longest distances, in the fastest amount of time possible.

The idea with CrossFit, is to build a broad, general and inclusive fitness level. Whatever task you wish to perform in life- be it swimming, rock climbing, pick up game of basketball, weeding the garden, playing with your kids- you should be able to do it. We can help you do it.

Next post, I will discuss how we define “Fitness” at CrossFit.

"Do you take any supplements?" Part 3

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 14:10:00 -0400

First off, let me make it clear my position on supplements. These are not to take the place of anything I could otherwise be getting in my diet. Eating by design covers your basis- it is the foundation. Supplements, in my eyes, are used in order to replace the missing nutrients. If you are not yet eating by design, get that under control first. No amount of supplementing will guard you from the ill effects of sugar and wheat.

The next supplement you’ll find in my cabinet, is zinc.

Why zinc?

Zinc is one of the most common mineral deficiencies among people, especially those who train. Of the athletes Charles Poliquin has tested, 98% of them come back deficient in zinc. One of the most common symptoms of low serum zinc is an increase craving for saltier, sweeter foods (1). Even a mild deficiency in zinc can lead to low testosterone levels (2). That is not cool with me!

Zinc is involved in over 300 enzyme processes and hormonal functions, many of which are involved in gene expression (3).

Low levels of zinc may lead to; decrease in sperm output, testicular shrinkage, reduced testosterone, slow muscle growth, decreased immune function,cause gastrointestinal problems, slow healing, as well as create problems with skin and appetite (4).

When I source any supplement, I am always looking for the best quality. There are two things you don’t cheap out on in life: supplements, and parachutes. The only form of zinc I will use is zinc chelate. Chelate simply means it is bound to amino acids in order to improve absorption.

Also, check out Poliquin Top Ten Benefits of Zinc.

Remember, these are not recommendations, this is simply me answering the question and providing the evidence to back up my beliefs.

References

1. Michio, Komai, et al, Zinc deficiency and taste dysfunction; Contribution of carbonic anhydrase, a zinc-metalloenzyme, to normal taste sensation. Biofactors, 200; 12(10): 65-70.

2. Prasad, A.S., Zinc in growth and development and spectrum of human zinc deficiency. Journal of American College of Nutrition, 1988 Oct; 7(5):377-384

3. Prasad, A.S., Zinc deficiency in women, infants and children. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 1996 April; 15(2): 113-120

4. Prasad, A.S., Zinc: The biology and therapeutics of an ion. Annals of Internal Medicine, 1996; 125(2): 142-143

The Case for Carbohydrates Part 4.

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 13:56:00 -0400

The last part of the series, we are going to talk more about why you often hear the advice to consume your dense carbohydrates post workout (pwo). We will cover the why behind the what, and who should be participating in the pwo carb indulgence.

Firstly, I want to make it clear why I made these posts. Carbohydrates in general have got a bad rep from the low-carb community. When Gary Taubes came out with his magnum opus “Good Calories, Bad Calories,” he smacked the nutrition world, myself included, directly in the face. He destroyed the lipid hypothesis, showed us why observational studies are barely worth the paper they are written on, and didn’t just show correlations, but actually plausible mechanism for how sugar is the driver of western diseases of civilization (CVD, Diabetes, Cancer, Alzheimer’s), while finally lifting charges on crimes that fat never committed- only an innocent bistandard. Back to the reason for the series; its not the macronutrients that are the issue, it is certain types of macronutrients, namely; fructose, linoleic acid & grains. The Kitavan’s eat a large portion of their calories from carbohydrates (up to 67%) and are free of any metabolic disease. Why? Well their main sources are tubers, and they consume very little fructose and no grains. Shocker.

Okay, enough background- let’s get into this post!

Who does this pertain too? Any hard charging athlete. Too vague? Okay, anyone that can see their abs and who is hitting workouts that a very glycogen demanding (think short and hard).

Why?

Exercise increases the rate of glucose absorption in muscle tissue by a process called “non-mediated glucose transport.” The “non-mediated” portion refers to the ability of cells to take in glucose without the aid of insulin. If you’ve been on the blog before, you should have a basic understanding that insulin is the storage hormone- often referred to as the “master hormone.” But, during exercise we have an increased need for metabolic substrates, and all the hormones that are going hay-wire like cortisol and adrenaline are all working to mobilize energy in order to keep our machinery working as efficiently as possible. During exercise, the receptors that absorb glucose into the cell, as brought to the surface without the aid of insulin. These receptors are called GLUT receptors. Specifically, it is the GLUT-4 receptor that comes to the surface and invites glucose into its dwelling. This is a great little trick, as we can consume large amounts of carbohydrates in the pwo window, which turns out to be within an hour after exercise. After roughly 45min-hour the process is basically non-existant.

To make it as simple as possible- we can get away with consuming a good dose of carbohydrates without negatively effecting insulin sensitivity. We want to use starchy sources of carbohydrates like; sweet potatoes, yams, bananas, as starch breaks down into glucose rather quickly. Glucose will go directly to muscle glycogen where as fructose needs to travel through the liver first, so it will preferentially fill liver glycogen. Fructose containing carbohydrates are a good choice when we are competing in a multi-event day format/ training multiple times a day.

Context matters here. If someone is doing the CrossFit workout “Grace” (30 clean and jerks at 135lbs for time) and they finish it in 2 minutes, they can definitely justify a sweet potato or two. But if they do one clean and jerk every minute, they can do with just some protein and fat. Remember- the rule is, if you’ve got abs and are hitting these types of workouts, carb up. If you’re not lean yet, stick with a protein/fat meal that has adequate calories. Everyone should be eating themselves until satiated.

References:

Exercise regulation of glucose transport in skeletal muscle

The Case for Carbohydrates Part 3.

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 14:44:00 -0400

Next up in the series is the relationship between carbohydrate consumption and the thyroid. First, let’s talk a bit about the thyroid.

Located in the throat region, the thyroid gland is most known for its role in metabolism, through the production of thyroid hormones; Triiodothyronine (T3) and Thyroxine (T4). Every single cell on your body has a receptor for thyroid hormones. This little puppy is responsible for the stimulation of new digestive enzymes, plays a key role in fatty acid oxidation, effect growth and rate of function in many parts of the body, as well as protein synthesis.

How does this all work? Well, the pituitary gland sends a signal to the thyroid via Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) to tell the thyroid to start producing T4. The T4 is then converted to T3 is the target tissues it wishes to work on (predominantly the gut and liver). In order to convert T4 into T3, we need glucose. Have high LDL? T3 is responsible for the activation of the LDL receptor, so in order to take Low-Density Lipoprotein out of the bloodstream, we need T3 to activate the receptor.

How can low-carb create issues? Well, low-carb tends to produce a caloric deficit because the diet is so satiating. Overtime this can lead to a drop in T3 levels, as your body tries to conserve glucose and protein. Some people may have issues with this…if they aren’t consuming enough calories in general! There seems to be good evidence supporting the fact that low T3 isn’t necessary a bad thing when calories are adequate. We don’t see any other tissues in the body effected and this usually fixes itself, in the sense that T3 rises, when carbohydrates are re-introduced. We need more research here.

This is an issue though, when Susie has been eating low-carb for a few months, is hitting her workouts hard and once her metabolism is running properly again, won’t re-introduce carbohydrates to match her activity level. She needs to up those carbohydrates in the post workout window with something tasty like a baked sweet potato with cinnamon on top! This will ensure a good dose of carbohydrates to match her glycogen demands and enough glucose and calories to support T4 production and T3 conversion.

Another issue when moving to a low-carb, whole foods diet, can be a major reduction in iodine, due to reduced salt intake. Iodine deficiency will result in lower T3 production.

Not only will low-carb, low-iodine and low-calorie reduce T3, it will actually turn T3 into “reverse” T3 (RT3). What does this mean? Well, this inactive form of T3 will actually bind to the thyroid receptors on tissues, and block the effects of active T3. Here is a cool video discussing this. Anytime you need to conserve energy, RT3 will rise and active T3 will go down. This isn’t a good scenario.

My conclusion? Make sure you’re eating enough calories AND carbohydrates to support your activity level. The issues that can arise when this is disregarded can be very hard to reverse. Something important to note, is this is NOT a case for bread, pasta and other crap. You get more than enough carbohydrates from fruit and vegetables. In fact, there is solid evidence supporting the lectins in grains causing auto-immune conditions in the thyroid. I’m sorry, but as much as you want it to be true, that you need bread and pasta to have a well-balanced diet* , as(what does well-balanced even mean? vague ) these foods are detrimental to your health in any quantity. Food either makes you healthy, or less healthy.

* Seriously, where did “well-balanced” come from? Canada’s Food Guide? Hey, I’ve got an idea for you. Let’s do an experiment: I’ll keep eating the way I am eating, and you can eat by Canada’s food guidelines or whatever you deem “well-balanced.” We will both get a full lipid panel done before and again, after 30-days of me eating in accordance with my genetics and you eating in accordance to pseudo-science. We will then see how your “well-balance” plays out. After all, the only arbiter that will matter in this disput, is reality.

The Case for Carbohydrates? Part 2.

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 16:35:00 -0400

So were did we last leave off? Oh thats right, we have made some solid weight lose on low-carb, but we have seemed to plateau. Why might this be? Well, typically we see this problem in people who eat low-carb and do a lot of high intensity exercise**. Low-carb is metabolically equivalent to starving, as we know. That is stressful- as is exercise. Too much stress is going to lead to too much cortisol secretion. Add on top of the fact that you are having to make *glucose out of protein to support your brain, red blood cells, kidneys etc. which cortisol plays in integral part in- we could end up with some cortisol dis-regulation. This is not going to be a good situation to be in- more cortisol, less anabolic hormones- goodbye muscle, hello skinny fat. We typically see this play out in the “biggest loser” scenario. If this scenario repeatedly happens for sometime, cortisol levels can drop- that’s when epinephrine and nero-epinephrine come into play. Have fun getting back to to bed when its adrenaline that is being secreted to manage your blood sugar, let alone cortisol.

How would I go about this if I were in this particular situation? I’d start upping my carbohydrate intake. Remember, if we are not metabolically damaged, then carbohydrates from root vegetables & fruits are not going to be an issue. If you’re a recovering Type 2 Diabetic, you may never be able to handle starchy vegetables- but those people are a special population! I’ll repeat that- root vegetables like yams, sweet potatoes, beets etc. are not going to cause metabolic issues in a healthy individual. Neither is fruit. If insulin and leptin get back in line, which usually happens after sometime on low-carb, then we should easily be able to re-introduce these foods back in. Basically, I view low-carb as an introductory phase as it has great therapeutic effects on getting leptin/insulin back in line, cleaning some fatty acids out of the liver and finally managing your sugar cravings and blood sugar roller coasters.

Next, I’ll discuss the importance of carbohydrate intake and a healthy thyroid.

* Educate yourself on Gluconeogenesis

** I am referring to the beginning exerciser. I will do a post on carbohydrate needs for athletes etc.

"Are diseases preventable, or are we at the mercy of our genetics?"

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 20:50:00 -0400

The vast majority of all diseases are preventable. The cases for genetic disease alone is very minimal. I just shake my head when someone goes on about this or that disease that runs in their family. Guess what also runs in their family? Poor food choices, lack of movement and terrible sleeping habits.

You see, genetics may load the gun, but your environment pulls the trigger.

Epigentics is what matters- how you express your genes. Examples: Out of 100 women who get breast cancer, only 7 of them carry the gene. Celiac disease? Don’t eat gluten and you won’t have it. A quick search of “diabetes” on Robb Wolf’s site yields plenty of posts from people reversing their Diabetes….even Type 1 (that’s right, that “genetic” disease), after removing the foods and life style factors that increase gut permeability.

The main reason I was drawn to this “paleo” concept was the complete lack of any diseases of civilization (heart disease, stroke, diabetes, auto-immune disorders, cancer) in any of these groups- Whether it be the Inuit , Kitavans , Masai or the Kung! Bushman. “But Ben, cavemen didn’t live long”- hold those arguments until you’ve actually done some research- you’ll find they don’t hold up. Let’s just entertain the thought that they only lived until they were 40. Where is the childhood cancer? Breast cancer in middle ages women? Type 1 Diabetes and other auto-immune disorders? Where is the metabolic syndrome? We’ve studied these modern day hunter gatherer’s extensively, and we have the tools to look at the physical evidence from millions of years ago- we can’t find them. Looking back at what our ancestors ate simply provides a hypothesis for us, it does not mean that is what we should eat. But, with both the anthropological evidence and what we understand about human physiology, we have proven time and time again that grains, sugar (mainly the fructose) and an imbalance in fatty acids, leads to trouble. Add on top of that poor sleeping habits and other stress, you’ve got environment pulling the triggers and shooting the wrong bullets all the time.

To get back to all the “life expectancy” arguments, Loren Cordain tackles just about everything in this paper, so read it if you think you have something nobody has already brought up, and been proven to be wrong about.

Here is a excellent video discussing the myth that we are doomed by whatever genes we have. This is also a pretty funny video on epigenetics.

Sorry to break it to you folks, but you can’t blame what you see in the mirror or whats going on under the hood, on fate- you have the ability to change these through your lifestyle! This is a good thing!

Remember, we want facts to determine our view points, not our feelings, hopes, or dreams about this or that. No matter how much you cry and whine and throw a tantrum, A is still A.

Do you have foods you'd recommend to eat or stay away from for eczema sufferers?

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 13:22:27 -0400

All grains and dairy. I’d make sure I was consuming an optimal ratio of omega 6: omega 3. See my post on supplements (part 1) below.

The Case for Carbohydrates? Part 1.

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 21:26:00 -0400

The intention of these posts is to cover when carbohydrates are best kept low, and when keeping them too low for too long can be detrimental. Part 1 looks to cover the typical situation regarding weight-loss. Let us begin.

When someone has a decent amount of weight to lose, there is no doubt that a diet based around whole foods (*meat & vegetables, nuts & seeds, some fruit, little starch, no sugar) is the best approach to tackle all that nutrient storing you’ve been doing as a hobby- to actually use some of that as fuel. You see, what you really need to do is go hibernate- seriously. But, its hard to do that with a 9 to 5 gig. But here is the deal with low-carb- it practically is hibernating.

In this post on ketosis, Dr. Eades makes the point

“If you read any medical school biochemistry textbook, you’ll find a section devoted to what happens metabolically during starvation. If you read these sections with a knowing eye, you’ll realize that everything discussed as happening during starvation happens during carbohydrate restriction as well. There have been a few papers published recently showing the same thing: the metabolism of carb restriction = the metabolism of starvation.”

He goes on to state that he thinks this was the basic metabolism for hunter gatherer’s. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it was optimal. If cave man had a donut, you’re damn right he would eat it.

Let’s back up a bit and talk about what is going on under the hood with someone who has gained some weight.

Typically, when we see someone with abdominal adiposity (belly fat), we are looking at a sugar burner. Someone who typically eats a large portion of carbohydrates, coming from sources such as wheat and sugar. These foods have been chemically altered to be very addictive, and they contain very little nutrients (protein? fat?) so the satiety factor isn’t there. Remember that hormone Leptin? Leptin is mainly secreted from fat cells, and its job is to tell your brain (through leptin receptors) that you have enough fat mass and therefore can stop eating now. Think of leptin as the fat cell dipstick (just like checking the oil). The problems with the foods- with-no-breaks (*hat tip to Melissa & Dallas for that term), is they drive overconsumption, which leads to an abundance of leptin, which down-regulates the receptor— you constantly need more leptin to do the job (shutting off hunger). The overconsumption and stuffing of fat into the cells leads to an inflammatory process which will likely lead to **insulin resistance.When you’re insulin sensitivity sucks, and insulin becomes constantly elevated (a term called hyperinsulinemia), you’re going to be storing more fat then you are burning (this is a great primer on insulin by Dr. Kurt Harris).

How do we turn this process around, so we can start using some fat as fuel ( I mean, that is what its there for. Its certainly no mantle piece)? Stop eating crap food so we can control our leptin and insulin. Removing the foods that promote leptin & insulin resistance is key. The starting line up looks like this: grains, legumes, sugar & dairy (dairy can be re-introduced comfortably in some people. The protein in dairy induces a decent insulin response, and for the time being should be avoided. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing in someone without pathological insulin resistance. Insulinogenic does’t mean hyperglycemic. Fermented dairy is less of a problem, but I’ll touch on the whole insulin deal in more depth at some point). Grains may actually cause leptin resistance directly at the receptor site, regardless of overconsumption.

When we start regulating insulin through diet, we will typically see some rapid weight-loss. It is important to keep protein (from meat obviously) on the higher side (I’d shoot for 1g per pound of body weight) to improve glucagon sensitivity (glucagon is the mirror image of insulin. Insulin stores, glucagon encourages the break down and burning of fat) and promote satiety (let’s get that leptin in check.)

So we’ve lost some serious weight- we’re been at this for a few months. We’ve made some good progress on low-carb, then BOOM—plateau. Weight won’t budge. Especially that damn fat around your legs ( typically women) and that little bit left around the belly.

Remember when you learned that low-carb is metabolically equivalent to starving (in a healthy individual)? Once we get your hormones in check through whole foods, and you are a healthy individual (regardless of body-fat left to lose), what do you think this starving message is now telling your body?

More to come….

* whole foods should always be the basis of your diet. As we will see, the “litte starch” part ends up throwing the baby out with the bath water, at some point. Don’t get your hopes up- this doesn’t eating bread and other crap.

** this doesn’t even touch on the pathological insulin resistance that first starts in the liver, leading to hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia.

"How do you want to spend your days when you retire?"

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 15:30:00 -0400

Moving well, eating well, sleeping well- living well- teaching others to do so- fulfilling my purpose. I’m already doing it.

Have something you’d rather be doing for a living? Do it. Somebody already does. Why? Because they made no excuse and took massive action to get there.

"Do you take any supplements?" Part 2

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 13:55:00 -0400

The second supplement on the list is Vitamin D. Vitamin D is actually classified as a secosteroid—a hormone precursor, derived from cholesterol, just like cortisol and the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone.

Vitamin D has been closely linked to osteoporosis, rickets, cancer, immune function, as well as improving insulin sensitivity. Since I am outside most of the day in the summer, I tend not to supplement. But, whenever I am not getting adequate sun exposure, or during months of low UV, you can bet I am keeping my levels repleted. I am NOT taking super-physiological doses of Vitamin D, I am simply trying to replace what nature would give me. Large doses of Vitamins and anti-oxidants like resveratrol have been shown countless times to do more harm than good. Don’t believe me? Here is some research;

Anti-oxidants prevent health promoting effects of exercise

Vitamin C decreases muscle mitochondrial biogenesis and hampers training-induced adaptations in endurance performance

Lasting anti-oxidant effect of flavonoid-free diet.

When you understand how polyphenols work, it isn’t surprising that high doses of these things are harmful. Check out Dr. Stephan Guyenet’s posts here and here.

The evidence for multivitamins would fall under useless, and potentially even harmful , so let’s just get that question out of the way.

For more research on Vitamin D, check here or check out this cool search engine I found, here.

Next time someone tells you to take this or that, ask them to PROVE it first.

References:

Vieth Review AJCN

Garland Review AJPH

Holick Review AJCN

Willet Fracture Review JAMA

Cockayne Vit K Fractures

Rovner Review Archpediatrics

"Do you take any supplements?" Part 1

Sat, 16 Jun 2012 13:53:00 -0400

I have chose to break this one down into multiple part. Why? Because there is a lot of research to pull up for each and everyone one. I do NOT take anything lightly in regards to putting something in my body. If someone tells me to take this for this or that reason, my initial thought is “bullshit.” I do not trust anybody-unless they earn it through facts. I want the nitty gritty science-y stuff. I want the mechanism for how things work. Some kids grow up fascinated by cars- they want to take apart the motor- see how things really work. I’m doing the same thing with my body, and I would advise YOU do the same if you wish to know how and why these things work. Unless you just want to jump from this fad to that fad and ride the novice effect, only to still wonder how to take the fat off your ass a decade later.

Do I take supplements? Yes. Let’s start with one of the basics. Long Chain Omega-3 Fats.

There are two long chain omega 3 fats; Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). You may have also heard of another omega 3 fat- Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA). ALA is a short chain omega 3 fat. Our bodies only use the long chain versions (EPA/DHA), so we must obtain these either through diet (This is why they are called Essential Fatty Acids (EFA)) EPA & DHA are predodmanently found in animal foods (sorry vegans), while ALA is find in plant foods. Our bodies can convert the short chain ALA into the longer chain EPA/DHA, the process can be very inefficient- more on that later. The body uses these long chain omega 3 fats (EPA/DHA) to make compounds known as eicosanoids using either the cycloxygenase enzyme to make prostaglandins or thromboxanes or the lipoxygenase enzymes to make leukotriene. Eicosanoid is the general term to include all prostaglandins, thromboxanes and leukotrienes. Eicosanoids are short-lived, local-acting hormones that affect many aspects of physiological function at the cellular level. All you need to know here is this; a higher ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 will push the eicosanoid production down a pro-inflammatory pathway (vaso-constriction, platelet aggregation, increased ROS).

Changes in the modern diet are largely responsible for the increasing incidence of EFA imbalances and deficiencies. The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats has changed dramatically due to the widespread use of vegetable oils (mostly n-6 fats) in cooking and to the processing of oils to alter omega-3 fats to improve shelf life and eliminate their stronger taste (just think of the distinctive tastes of cod liver or flax oil). In fact, historical estimates place the ratio of n-6 to n-3 oils at nearly 1:1 for prehistoric humans, but by the turn of the 20th century, the ratio had increased to about 4:1. Current estimates for Americans place the ratio in the range of 20:1 to 25:1! The sharp rise is due to increased vegetable oil consumption: from 2 lbs per year in 1909 to 25 lbs per year in 1985! The ideal dietary ratio should probably be in the range of 3:1 to 5:1, with a minimum of 1% of our daily calories coming from omega-3 oils.

In terms of membrane structure, the longer and more polyunsaturated fatty acids play the more critical roles in maintaining membrane structure and function. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5 n-3) is elongated and desaturated even further to produce docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6 n-3) which is a critical EFA for increasing membrane fluidity and permeability. This allows for proper cell receptor function as well as regulation of nutrient and waste product flow into and out of cells and organelles. DHA is the longest and most highly polyunsaturated fatty acid in membranes. It is found in highest concentration in the membranes of nerve cells, in the retina, and testes ( I care about my testes).

Delta-6 desaturase is the rate-limiting step for transforming linoleic or linolenic acid into the longer EFA metabolites, GLA (Gamma Linolenic Acid- sorry a lot of big words, but isn’t this fun!) and EPA, respectively, and delta-6 is also used to make DHA out of EPA. Many people have less than optimal delta-6 activity. Infants have no appreciable delta-6 activity until about 6 months of age and must get DGLA, AA, EPA and DHA from breast milk and the diet. As we age, delta-6 activity declines progressively.Too little or too much insulin in circulation can have profound effects on eicosanoid formation, contributing to chronic inflammatory processes. Insulin resistance or absolutely low levels of insulin have been shown to impair delta-6 activity, and can lead to all of the problems associated with reduced delta-6 activity (this is why I eat what I eat!).

The first steps I take to getting my n-6:n-3 ratio in check, is to limit my consumption of omega-6 (check), and try to source out grass-fed meats whenever I can. Recommendation for doses can vary from who you talk to (Poliquin recommends 1g per % of bodyfat-that can be lots). From the research I’ve read, the upper limits that can actually be used in the body is about 5g, but this does not take into consideration the massive change in adipocyte tissue when we shift our ratio away from the standard diet, heavy in omega 6. I usually take 2-3g of Carlson’s Fish Oil a day (sometimes much higher) with a meal that contains fat to aid in the digestion (whenever I hear people saying they put their fish oil in their protein shake I think “WTF?”). For all you vegans- you need long chain fatty acids too. Well today is your lucky day, because it just so happens the best and most environmentally friendly place to supplement long chain omega 3 fats, is from Algae (same place the fish get it)- This is the product I get my mother to take. It even has some GLA (a good omega 6 fat). This stuff is legit. There I said it. That’s the only nice talk you vegans are likely to get :)

References:

1 Simopoulos AP. Omega-3 fatty acids in health and disease and in growth and development. Am J Clin Nutr 1991; 54(3):438-463.

2 Linder MC. Nutrition and metabolism of fats. In: Linder MC (editor). Nutritional biochemistry and metabolism. 2nd. ed. Norwalk, CT: Appleton & Lange, 1991:51-83.

3 Innis SM. Essential dietary lipids. In: Ziegler EE, Filer LJ, Jr. (editors).Present knowledge in Nutrition. 7th. ed., Washington, DC: ILSI Press, 1996:58-66.

4 Horrobin DF. Loss of delta-6-desaturase activity as a key factor in aging. Med Hypotheses 1981;7(9):1211-1220.

"Is Moderation a Good Eating Philosophy?"

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 15:30:00 -0400

No. To me, the word “moderation” opens up way too many doors. Moderation from what? All foods are a go? What is your rule? 50/50? 80/20? 90/10? What do you consider excessive?

Moderation is a flimsy word to hide the fact that you just want to have your cake and eat a lot more than you should, too. Hands up if “moderation” is your eating philosophy. Keep them up if you have; abs? 2 x bodyweight back squat? sub 6 minute mile? 60 second handstand? Hey, where did all the hands go?? Oh you have that excuse…*sneeze*…sorry, I have a strong allergy to bullshit.

I am all for enjoying food (in fact I would bet money my meals taste way better than yours- chef duel?), but I’ve seen clients fall off the wagon in one weekend because they decided to have a few cookies. The problem with foods like this (scientifically created to be abnormally sweat, salty, without any nutrition) is that they are inherently addictive. Let’s look at what Melissa & Dallas Hartwig have to say in their new book- “It Starts With Food” (note: this is my new favourite book for beginners. I am only 60 pages in and they have done arguably the best job ever at taking the science-y stuff and making it fun and easy to understand. The also have an absurd list of references, put together by Mat Lalonde<—if that name is new to you, you have a long journey to go grasshopper);

“These scientifically designed foods artificially concentrate highly palatable flavours (sweet, fatty, salty) that stimulate our pleasure centers with a far bigger “hit” than we could ever get from nature. This processing removes any nutrition once found in the food but still leaves all the calories. The final concotion (we can’t really call it “food” at this point) offers a staggering variety of over-the-top flavour sensations in every single bite- but your body knows there is no nutrition there, so you continue to want more food, even past the point of fullness.”

Combine that with stress;

“Stress eating can promote habit- driven overeating even in the absence of active stress. So as a result of the stress-related habits you’ve created, you may find yourself reaching for cookies when you’re feeling tired, cranky, or just kind of down.( Remember, cravings are strongly tied to emotion.) Over time, as your brain continues to create new links between “cookie” and “feeling better,” the association- and your wanting for more- only continues to grow stronger.

The Science-y summary

The food choices you make should promote a healthy psychological response.
Sweet, fatt, and salty tastes send pleasure and reward signals to the brain. In nature, these signals were designed to lead us to valuable nutrition and survival.
Today, these flavour sensations are unnaturally concentrated in food, which is simultaneously stripped of valuable nutrition.
This creates food-with-no-brakes—supernormally stimulating, carbohydrate-dense, nutrient-poor foods with all the pleasure and reward signals to keep us overeating, but none of the satiey signals to tell us to stop.
These foods rewire pleasure, reward, and emotion pathways in the brain, promoting hard-to-resist cravings and automatic consumption. Stress and inadequate sleep only reinforce these patterns.
Reconnecting delicious, rewarding food with the nutrition and satiety that nature intended is the key to changing these habits.”