We still carry the natural fat burning genome of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. We have not evolved to thrive on the high carbohydrate diets, that industrial mono-cropping for profit now provides us.
When I told a friend that I was starting a nutritional supplement business, his reply was “Oh yeah, Macros or Micros?” (meaning Macronutrients or Micronutrients).
I didn’t really know how to answer, as I hadn’t really thought of it in those terms.
He was asking from the perspective of a gym goer, who may do some carb loading before a workout, then have a protein smoothie afterwards, & take whatever specific vitamin &/or mineral supplement tablets meet the nutrient shortfall he perceives he has.
This is quite a different perspective from someone eating a Whole Foods, Nose to Tail, Animal Based Diet.
When we consume organ meats, they are a dense source of muscle & structural rebuilding protein. They also contain extremely high concentrations of bio-available micronutrients, in the perfect balance that nature intended, combined with essential fatty acids, all of which aid our natural absorption & utilization of those nutrients.
Proteins are the absolute essential building block Macro required to rebuild, replace & strengthen the tissue that has been broken down, through every bit of exercise, injury & general cellular turnover. Protein however is a poor form of energy. If our bodies are deprived of both quality fats & carbohydrates, we can produce blood sugar from protein, through a process called Gluconeogenesis. This blood sugar can be created either from ingested protein, or our bodies will catabolize our own muscle. This is an unhealthy situation that can create an acidic & inflammatory environment in our bodies.
When we consume fat from free-range, grass-fed animals, not only do we get the richest source of clean burning energy available for our bodies, but we also get all the fat-soluble vitamins, in their optimum ratios, that are essential for us to survive & thrive. Quality Animal Fats have the perfect balance of Omega Fatty Acids to fuel our bodies, while reducing inflammation. When we metabolize quality animal fats, they leave a neutral pH ash in our bloodstream, helping us maintain the critical acid/alkaline balance of slightly alkaline 7.36 pH, that is essential for life. Fats like the Grass Fed Beef Suet in Primal Kiwi Rocket Fuel is loaded with Stearic Acid, said to trigger our bodies natural fat burning hormones. Suggestion…. If you want to burn fat, eat fat.
On the other hand, industrially processed seed oils like Soy, Corn, Canola, Rapeseed, Cottonseed, Safflower…. are extremely high in pro-inflammatory Omega 6 fatty acids. These plastic bottles full of chemically extracted, highly processed yellow liquid oil, or their further processed counterparts like margarine & things trying to look like butter, are the enemy of our health. If they’re in your cupboard, the best place for them is your wheelie bin.
There are some very smart & highly educated people & athletes that are getting great health outcomes from Carnivore diets &/or extreme Ketogenic diets. If we have spent our lives to date fuelling with something like the “Standard American Diet”, something like the Carnivore or Lion diet may seem extreme or unnecessary. Many may struggle in the long term or even short term to exclude carbohydrates entirely from our diets. These choices are of course all personal, & will depend on the individual’s health &/or performance status motivations.
There is however a growing body of evidence to suggest that keeping a tight rein on carbohydrate consumption, & the sources of it, can have highly beneficial effects on our health.
Most of us now know that excessive sugar intake is detrimental to our health, but many do not understand why.
Excess sugar in our blood streams is toxic. Blood sugar triggers insulin production, in anyone with a functioning Pancreas. The metabolizing of sugar as an energy source is acidifying to our blood & our bodies. The burning of sugar & resultant insulin means that any fat we may have ingested does not get burned for energy but gets pushed into storage. We cannot burn ingested fat or stored body fat, while blood sugar levels & insulin are high.
All carbohydrates break down to blood sugar, but some carbs are better than others.
One most healthful source of blood sugar is RAW unprocessed honey. RAW honey has an incredible array of health-giving nutrients, while is said to contain all the necessary vitamins, enzymes & alkalizing minerals to leave a neutral pH in our bloodstream when metabolized in appropriate quantities. Fruit also is said to contain the naturally occurring nutrients to largely nullify the negative effects of resultant blood sugar, when eaten in appropriate quantities. Some fruits such as lemons, limes & melons can be quite advantageous & alkalizing to our bloodstreams.
Some people swear by root vegetables & tubers, like Sweet Potato/Kumara (as higher nutrient carbohydrate than likes of a standard spud), with the starch breaking down to blood sugar over a longer period, giving more sustained release of energy than fruit sources. It’s worth just considering that the longer our blood sugar is elevated, the longer we are not burning fat for fuel, & the harder our body must work to alkalize.
I’ve heard & read estimates of 10 000 to 20 000 years that it takes a species to change its genome slightly. Our species has evolved from hunter gatherers. We now have industrial scale agriculture that can supply us huge quantities of carbohydrates in the form of grains, through mono-cropping. It’s apparent we simply have not evolved genetically to cope with this onslaught of carbohydrates & constant high blood sugar. This is evidenced by the soaring obesity, blood pressure, cancer & diabetes rates we’ve seen over the last 50 years. A pancreas will wear out due to constantly pumping too much insulin. Nearly every other chronic condition can be exacerbated by the resultant inflammation of a high carbohydrate diet.
Our bodies must maintain a pH of 7.36 or thereabouts, otherwise we will die. Minerals, such as Calcium are very alkalizing to the body. If we are constantly partaking in a very acid producing diet, our bodies will rob calcium & other minerals from our bodies, in order to alkalize. This is evidenced through things like tooth decay, Osteoporosis & people shrinking as they age.
There are highly credentialled doctors & scientists around the world, some who say that carbohydrates are useful & beneficial, others who say that introduced carbohydrate or blood sugar of any type is unnecessary & toxic. The science is definitely not settled it would seem.
Solution: Ensure adequate protein intake for structural repair & maintenance of our bodies, ideally through red meat, fish & eggs. Get 80%+ of our energy from quality fats, ideally animal fats. Keep carbohydrate intake between zero grams & 150 grams per day.
Disclaimer - I am not a doctor. These opinions should not be taken as medical advice to treat, prevent or cure disease. Consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, supplement or exercise program.
Wishing you the very Best in Health
Nigel Dixon