Years ago I read a book entitled The T-Factor Diet by Martin Katahn. I've always remembered a phrase from the book: "It Takes Fat to Make Fat".
That phrase stuck with me, most likely because it is true. Katahn's phrase may have lots of value for individuals seeking to improve their health and lower their weight.
The simplicity of "it takes fat to make fat" frightens us. If you eat less fat, you will lose weight. The T-Factor Diet encouraged readers to count grams of fat in their diet, rather than count calories. Reducing fat consumption would lead to weight loss, Katahn predicted.
A more subtle insight to the benefits of reduced fat come from a second book, more anthropological and philosophical than dietary: Affluence Without Abundance by James Suzman.
Suzman's book about the African Bushmen of the Kalahari provided an account of their diets. He described a the hunter/gathering tribe consuming a constricted number calories from very few food sources, including some millet. They ate meat rarely. The aridity of the climate severely limited the foodstuffs provided by their gardens. I noticed in the book's photos the beauty and strength of the tribesmen's bodies despite their limited intake of calories. Apparently the resources present in this arid landscape were sufficient to build a strong and healthy body.
Look at reviews of the book on Amazon.com and you become convinced that Katahn's program works. There are present-day diets that refute Katahn's contention on the value of reducing fat intake. I'm not sure why diets would be encouraging people to increase their fat intake? The fad diets probably have complicated explanations for the recommendation that eating fat is good for you, but this defies logic.
Disclaimer (joking)
Avoid the following topics:
Religion
Politics
Sex
Money... and
Diet
Discussions around diet quickly become heated and over-wrought. Dietary habits are almost as charged as the least recommended conversation topics-- religion and politics. Two other sensitive topics--sex and money-- are other subjects mostly avoided in polite society. I'm going add one more sensitive topic to the list-- diet. Though I mentioned it here, please don't say a word about this to your friends!
Monday, August 28, 2017
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Cholesterol Down-- get the river flowing through your blood vessels!
You often hear about cholesterol and the importance of reducing cholesterol levels in your blood. How does is work? I turned to an expert and the information is amazing. Janet Bond Brill, author of Cholesterol Down (2006), my resource for this blog entry. I'm grabbing quotes for pages 191-195 in her book. It gets a little technical-- but a bit of exposure to the science may increase your dedication to an exercise program. I'm trying to follow Dr. Brill's explanations-- and I present them in an abridged version below.
LDL, or low density lipoprotein, is the bad cholesterol. The LDL cholesterol lodges in "the inner lining of the artery walls and and contributes to plaque buildup and atherosclerosis." Walking, Janet Bond Brill explains, "boosts LDL resistance to oxidation," and this decreases the likelihood that LDL cholesterol will cause atherosclerosis of the arteries.
Heart disease seems mainly to refer to problems that occur in the blood vessels rather than the heart itself. That's been my conclusion, listening to stories from friends and family about cardio procedures most often involving the placement of stents in the blood vessels. I was glad to hear that brisk walking is possibly the best method for maintaining the health of your blood vessels.
5 Fun Facts from Janet Bond Brill, Ph.D.
1) Walking changes the size and shape of LDL (bad cholesterol) particles in your bloodstream, beneficially altering them so that they are less dangerous.
2) Finnish researchers studied 104 men and women on an exercise program (mostly walking) and noticed great results: LDL cholesterol dropped by an average of about 11 percent, but HDL, good cholesterol, increased and the antioxidant potential of LDL was strengthened by a huge 23 percent.
3) Where you store your fat accents your likelihood of developing not only heart disease but also diabetes and high blood pressure. Potbellies are bad. A small amount of belly fat is much worse than fat in other areas such as hips and thighs. Walking trims abdominal fat.
4) Some researchers think that exercise improves the body's ability to utilize insulin. This in turn increases the activity of LDL receptors on the liver, which enhances clearance of LDL from bloodstream, subsequently lowering LDL levels.
5) Imagine that the flow of blood through the arteries is like water flowing down a river. Brisk walking speeds up the flow of blood through the arteries, which reduces clogging and inflammation and there helps prevent the atherosclerotic process.
Oh, and one other thing, okay, make that #6
6) Bumping up the intensity of your workouts increases what is called "shear stress," a substantial increase in the speed of blood flowing through your blood vessels. This leads to increased production of nitric oxide in the cells lining the arteries. Nitric oxide promotes dilation of the vessels' interior diameters, which helps prevent clogging and lessens the chance of a heart attack.
Thank- you Dr. Janet Bond Brill!
LDL, or low density lipoprotein, is the bad cholesterol. The LDL cholesterol lodges in "the inner lining of the artery walls and and contributes to plaque buildup and atherosclerosis." Walking, Janet Bond Brill explains, "boosts LDL resistance to oxidation," and this decreases the likelihood that LDL cholesterol will cause atherosclerosis of the arteries.
Heart disease seems mainly to refer to problems that occur in the blood vessels rather than the heart itself. That's been my conclusion, listening to stories from friends and family about cardio procedures most often involving the placement of stents in the blood vessels. I was glad to hear that brisk walking is possibly the best method for maintaining the health of your blood vessels.
5 Fun Facts from Janet Bond Brill, Ph.D.
1) Walking changes the size and shape of LDL (bad cholesterol) particles in your bloodstream, beneficially altering them so that they are less dangerous.
2) Finnish researchers studied 104 men and women on an exercise program (mostly walking) and noticed great results: LDL cholesterol dropped by an average of about 11 percent, but HDL, good cholesterol, increased and the antioxidant potential of LDL was strengthened by a huge 23 percent.
3) Where you store your fat accents your likelihood of developing not only heart disease but also diabetes and high blood pressure. Potbellies are bad. A small amount of belly fat is much worse than fat in other areas such as hips and thighs. Walking trims abdominal fat.
4) Some researchers think that exercise improves the body's ability to utilize insulin. This in turn increases the activity of LDL receptors on the liver, which enhances clearance of LDL from bloodstream, subsequently lowering LDL levels.
5) Imagine that the flow of blood through the arteries is like water flowing down a river. Brisk walking speeds up the flow of blood through the arteries, which reduces clogging and inflammation and there helps prevent the atherosclerotic process.
Oh, and one other thing, okay, make that #6
6) Bumping up the intensity of your workouts increases what is called "shear stress," a substantial increase in the speed of blood flowing through your blood vessels. This leads to increased production of nitric oxide in the cells lining the arteries. Nitric oxide promotes dilation of the vessels' interior diameters, which helps prevent clogging and lessens the chance of a heart attack.
Thank- you Dr. Janet Bond Brill!
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Not All Uphill (benefits of walking the hills)
Fortunately, I live close to a hilly neighborhood in Austin, Texas. I've been walking those hills for several years now. The biggest problem in Austin is high temperatures. June heat arrives and you can forget walking the hills after sunrise. But the other 8-9 months usually provide great weather for walking and going up and down hills provides great advantages. I strive for about 2 1/2 miles on these walks and usually take 45-50 minutes to complete the workout. And it is a workout-- just read the comments from Greg Isaacs in his book 10,000 Steps a Day to Your Optimal Weight.
Walking hills is almost like a trip to the gym, but without the bad music, stretchy workout garb, and puddles of sweat. Walking on an incline causes a resistance in your muscles of your legs, and to a lesser extent in your stomach and buttocks, much the same way that lifting weight does. If fact, you will actually build muscle and gain strength with repeated hill climbs. Naturally you also burn calories at a high rate, and your lungs and heart get a better cardiovascular workout. (p. 165)
Years ago I heard that walking uphill has different benefits from going downhill and Greg Isaacs explained the difference:
Incredibly, it is not just going up that provided this double-coupon of benefit. Walking downhill has its advantages as well. Doctors at the Voralberg Institute in Feldirch, Austria, examined two groups of people. One group walked up hills and took a tram to the bottom; the other took the tram up and walked down. The researchers were not expecting much from the downhill walking and were surprised to find that it significantly lowered blood sugar level, a risk factor for Type II adult-onset diabetes. Uphill walking lowered triglycerides-- fat in the blood, a risk factor for heart attacks-- but did not have the same sugar-lowering effect as downhill walking. Both groups experienced lowered cholesterol levels, the uphill group more than the downhill. Researchers concluded that the practice of downhill walking is a a good starting point for people who are new to exercise.
Take a look around your town, even if you don't live in the Swiss Alps, and find some hills. They may, or may not, be alive with music, but at least it won't be bad gym music. The health benefits will be music to your ears!
Walking hills is almost like a trip to the gym, but without the bad music, stretchy workout garb, and puddles of sweat. Walking on an incline causes a resistance in your muscles of your legs, and to a lesser extent in your stomach and buttocks, much the same way that lifting weight does. If fact, you will actually build muscle and gain strength with repeated hill climbs. Naturally you also burn calories at a high rate, and your lungs and heart get a better cardiovascular workout. (p. 165)
Years ago I heard that walking uphill has different benefits from going downhill and Greg Isaacs explained the difference:
Incredibly, it is not just going up that provided this double-coupon of benefit. Walking downhill has its advantages as well. Doctors at the Voralberg Institute in Feldirch, Austria, examined two groups of people. One group walked up hills and took a tram to the bottom; the other took the tram up and walked down. The researchers were not expecting much from the downhill walking and were surprised to find that it significantly lowered blood sugar level, a risk factor for Type II adult-onset diabetes. Uphill walking lowered triglycerides-- fat in the blood, a risk factor for heart attacks-- but did not have the same sugar-lowering effect as downhill walking. Both groups experienced lowered cholesterol levels, the uphill group more than the downhill. Researchers concluded that the practice of downhill walking is a a good starting point for people who are new to exercise.
Take a look around your town, even if you don't live in the Swiss Alps, and find some hills. They may, or may not, be alive with music, but at least it won't be bad gym music. The health benefits will be music to your ears!
Saturday, January 14, 2017
Diabetes (Type 2) and Better Health: Your Blood Never Lies
Several years ago I received a shocking phone call from my physician with sobering news: "You've got diabetes." I steadied myself. I had been going for physicals every year since about 1995 and getting my blood work done every year since. He was referring to Type 2 Diabetes and may have been overstating the case. My A1C test showed a blood glucose level that exceeded 6.0 and I was overweight.
My doctor sent me to a diabetes education class and something valuable happened-- I was given a glucometer-- a machine for measuring my blood sugar level at home. The line in the sand for keeping blood sugar levels down on a daily basis seemed to be fairly simple-- if possible, keep your fasting blood sugar level below 100 mg/dl.
The hemoglobin A1c blood test indicates an average blood glucose level over an extended period-- possibly three months. The guideline for diabetes, as I understand it, is 7.0. If your level is over 7.0 on your A1c, you are considered diabetic, and the range from 6.0-7.0 indicates pre-diabetes. I'm not a physician, so please do not consider this explanation as precise enough to diagnose your own situation. My A1c level was 5.9 at my last doctor's appointment in Dec. 2016. Previously I had scored as high as 6.7.
Methods I used for improving my blood sugar levels, include changing diet, exercise and spiritual outlook:
1) Eat less.
(I love food and so this was a tough habit to change!)
2) Walk more.
(I've always liked walking. But the pedometer has allowed me to track my steps. I strive for 10,000 steps a day.
3) Take long walks, 3-5 days a week.
(A long walk can be 30 minutes-1 hour or more. I walk a mile in about 17 minutes and so a one hour walk indicates a distance 3 miles or more of walking. The nicer the environment, the better the walk.)
4) Eat more legumes and vegetables.
(Legumes included black beans, pinto beans, split peas, lentils, etc.. They are packed with vitamins as well as fiber. Vegetables and salads provide the great range of micronutrients your body needs.
5) Eat less sugar and refined carbohydrates, AKA junk food.
6) Follow Louise Hay's guidance regarding your attitude towards life. Louise Hay gives a Probable Cause for diabetic tendencies and provides New Thought Patterns, affirmations you can use to lead to better health in the future. I repeat the New Thought Patterns every day-- several times a day.
Problem: Diabetes
My doctor sent me to a diabetes education class and something valuable happened-- I was given a glucometer-- a machine for measuring my blood sugar level at home. The line in the sand for keeping blood sugar levels down on a daily basis seemed to be fairly simple-- if possible, keep your fasting blood sugar level below 100 mg/dl.
The hemoglobin A1c blood test indicates an average blood glucose level over an extended period-- possibly three months. The guideline for diabetes, as I understand it, is 7.0. If your level is over 7.0 on your A1c, you are considered diabetic, and the range from 6.0-7.0 indicates pre-diabetes. I'm not a physician, so please do not consider this explanation as precise enough to diagnose your own situation. My A1c level was 5.9 at my last doctor's appointment in Dec. 2016. Previously I had scored as high as 6.7.
Methods I used for improving my blood sugar levels, include changing diet, exercise and spiritual outlook:
1) Eat less.
(I love food and so this was a tough habit to change!)
2) Walk more.
(I've always liked walking. But the pedometer has allowed me to track my steps. I strive for 10,000 steps a day.
3) Take long walks, 3-5 days a week.
(A long walk can be 30 minutes-1 hour or more. I walk a mile in about 17 minutes and so a one hour walk indicates a distance 3 miles or more of walking. The nicer the environment, the better the walk.)
4) Eat more legumes and vegetables.
(Legumes included black beans, pinto beans, split peas, lentils, etc.. They are packed with vitamins as well as fiber. Vegetables and salads provide the great range of micronutrients your body needs.
5) Eat less sugar and refined carbohydrates, AKA junk food.
6) Follow Louise Hay's guidance regarding your attitude towards life. Louise Hay gives a Probable Cause for diabetic tendencies and provides New Thought Patterns, affirmations you can use to lead to better health in the future. I repeat the New Thought Patterns every day-- several times a day.
Problem: Diabetes
Probable Cause
Longing
for what might have been. A great need to control. Deep sorrow. No sweetness
left.
New
Thought Pattern
This moment is filled with joy. I now choose to experience the sweetness of today.
This moment is filled with joy. I now choose to experience the sweetness of today.
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