Kwasniewski's Optimal Diet

[Eliza_Jazz]

Hi Everyone, just stopping by to say Hi. This is arguably the most scientific of all threads on LCF and I just love reading it! Thank you for all the great contributions and a lot of food for thought.

Hope everyone is doing well. Cathy, I hope your doggies are doing great on the all-meat diet.

Hugs

[Key Tones]

Here is a pretty good write up about Metformin from Blood Sugar 101. If the link does not survive, send me a message. I have seen memberson the board refer to her site. Also, Stephan Guyenet links to her site from his blog.

Hmph, I didn't realize metformin is cancer-protective.

Anyway, it says (toward the bottom) that the heart burn effect can be reduced by taking the extended version and in the late afternoon after you have some meals under your belt.

Metformin

[Key Tones]

Egg update:

OK, on this experiment (which, admittedly, has been brief so far), I tried eating two apples during the day instead of one, and my appetite did seem to go up to a 1500 calorie level. I had up to 12 eggs per day. This is starting to sound like an egg fast, isn't it? I have always ignored the egg fast threads. Now suddenly, I am curious.

Somehow, other combinations of protein and fat that are similar to egg-eating (protein/fat) ratios just is not the same thing for me in terms of satiety.

OK, time to head over to Auntie Em's carnivore thread to catch up.

[piratejenny]

I had 5 eggs yesterday (1 for breakfast, the rest as deviled eggs, but sort of as "snacks" and not a meal) and I had absolutely no desire for lunch or dinner!

You're right; eating eggs is very filling. Eating chicken & mayo (chicken salad) or beef & cheese (tacos, burgers, etc) doesn't do the same thing. I wonder if it's because the amino acid profile is more complete with the egg?

Can you post a link to Auntie Em's "carnivore thread"? Thanks!

[shunsweets]

Thanks Keytones. I follow the Bloodsugar101 blog closely and have her book as well. I do take the metER but I haven't tried taking it in the late afternoon. I've been taking it morning and night and just gave up the night dose to see if that helps without impairing blood glucose control. Maybe the afternoon dose will be my next try although I'm at work then and it's hard to take anything.

I didn't know AuntieEm had a carnivore thread. Is it here on LCF's somewhere?

[Key Tones]

I know what you mean, if I had to take a pill in the afternoon while at work I would never remember to do it.

OK, here is the link to Auntie Em's thread:

Seriously Carnivore: Support Thread for Lifetime Carnivores

I just posted in it, so it should be at/near the top of the "Other Plans" as is this thread.

[Bejewelme]

KT- I have been on Met for almost a year, if I eat carbs I still blow up that ticks me off the most!
Interesting in the article


"There's No Research Data about the Effect of Combining Metformin with Carb Restriction

Unfortunately, all studies of Metformin published to date have been performed with people who were encouraged to eat a high carbohydrate diet. So there is no definitive information about what happens when Metformin is combined with a low carbohydrate diet."

Funny you mention eggs and apples, I view the HCG diet as a train wreck, like I could never eat 500 calories yet I am intrigued by it, and I am always reading about it-- they have corrections days one of the days is 2 apples and the rest eggs, funny you mention that!!!

Maybe tomorrow I will try an egg fast but it is my running day but WTH I need some virgin weight loss this week!!!

[jem51]

Well, eggs are the perfect food; everything all in one little package....and wrapped.

[Key Tones]

I am so in love with eggs right now! I suspect they are so filling due to the nutrient density and complete protein characteristics. Here is some information from incredibleegg.org

Gosh, they are so inexpensive as well!

Amber - did you notice Reva said she loses weight better when she is eating eggs? The HCG diet freaks me out. It seems like pregnancy hormone shots would make you want to eat pickles and ice cream, LOL...There is no reason to look into it. It is just another protein sparing modified fast. It seems like a good way to make your hair fall out, 500 calories, OMG...I like having hair!

= = = = =

Nutrition Nuggets

•The incredible edible egg™ has a high nutrient density because it provides a wide range of nutrients in proportion to its calorie count (about 70 calories per Large egg). Nutrient-dense foods help you get the nutrients you need without excess calories.

•A Large-sized egg supplies 12.6% of the Daily Reference Value (DRV) for protein. A little over half of the egg’s protein is in the white and the rest is in the yolk. The egg’s protein is the highest quality protein of any food. One egg of any size equals one ounce of lean meat, poultry, fish or seafood in the food groups.

•High-quality protein, like the protein in eggs, can benefit people of all ages in many ways, including forming muscle tissue, building muscle strength, repairing muscles after exercise and warding off the loss of muscle tissue as we age.

•High-quality protein also helps in weight management. Eating more high-quality protein foods, such as eggs, and fewer carbohydrates helps preserve lean muscle tissue and increase fat loss during weight loss. Research has shown that, compared to bagel eaters, when overweight and obese people ate a breakfast including eggs, the egg eaters’ appetites were satisfied longer and they ate fewer calories the rest of the day. Studies have also shown that those who eat more protein foods lose slightly more weight and maintain better blood lipid and glucose levels than those who eat a high-carbohydrate diet.

•Egg yolks are an excellent and important source of choline. A Large egg yolk contains 125 mg of choline and provides 23% of a pregnant woman’s daily needs. Choline intake during pregnancy may be a key factor in the development of infants’ memory functions and, later in life, choline may improve memory capacity.

•The yolk gets its color from the yellow-orange plant pigments called lutein and zeaxanthin. Lutein and zeaxanthin have been shown to reduce the risks of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in those 65 and older. Research has shown that, due to the egg yolk’s fat content, the yolk’s lutein and zeaxanthin may be more easily absorbed by the body than the lutein and zeaxanthin from other sources. A Large egg yolk contains 166 mcg of lutein and zeaxanthin.

•Incredibly, eggs are also a good source of vitamin B12 (10.8 % of the DRV) and riboflavin (14% of the RDI) and supply varying amounts of many other nutrients, including a wide variety of other vitamins and minerals. The yolk contains a higher percentage of the eggs’ vitamins than the white, including all of the eggs’ vitamins A, D and E. Egg yolks are one of the few foods that naturally contain vitamin D.

[Bejewelme]

OMG I could never do HCG, and exactly I said I want no hormones injected in me, esp pregnancy ones, LOL Although I wish I could nurse again, man did I drop weight nursing, LOL I just am always fascinated by how people stick to it and go through their day, man I would be cranky!

So I am going to run, trying to make it to 25 minutes today, I will do a big protein shake with some skim milk then the rest of the day I will do eggs, man I am tyring to psych myself for that, I am not like crazy about them, I get in a mood for them,but when I was doing the Dukan diet and eating 2 hard boiled eggs in the morning, I could not believe how I was not hungry all morning!

The scale is 215.2 the darn thing doesn't move, so I hope this does it today, water and eggs!!!!! I usually drop after a run day so I need to see the lower # for my mental sanity!

[clackley]

I gotta eat more eggs....

[Key Tones]

Amber - oh, yeah, I really didn't think you were looking into HCG. I know what you mean about fascination with that sort of thing. The bodybuilders that execise extreme weight loss tactics interest me in the same way, esp. since they are keen on not losing lean body mass.

Heh, running, go Amber!!! (Wow I feel lazy sitting in my recliner).

OK, time for some eggs!!! I like them easy over...I like the idea of eating the yolk on the rare side. They are really yummy that way too! Poached is my favorite way; I haven't done that for a while. I've never done soft boiled - I bet they do taste best that way.

[Key Tones]

OK, I am still reading Matt Stone's blog. I have to say I like his older posts. Anyway, here is something I have heard but did not clearly understand. This late night reading on the computer keeps insulin levels high and melatonin low! OMG...


I went to Mark's Daily Apple and read up a bit, Sisson suggests installing a program to get the blue light out of the monitor anyway. I am doing it.

OK, here is Matt's article (just part a paragraph from it - it was long)

September 24, 2008

= = = = = =


Television, video games, and computers – Looking at bright flashing lights late at night (like I am right now) triggers an undesirable hormonal response. Insulin levels remain high instead of converting to melatonin, which is delayed because your body is tricked into thinking it’s still daylight. This kind of bizarro-sounding theory is actually well understood and well documented, both in animal subjects and in humans -- federally sponsored and recorded n’ everything right down at the National Institutes of Health in D.C. It is undoubtedly significant, the question is how significant. The correlation between hours in front of the television and pounds overweight is actually quite remarkable, but it’s not because of physical inactivity like most suckaz think it is.

= = = == =

Mark Sisson's Article March 4, 2011


4 Mar


How Light Affects Our Sleep



Most people are at least cursorily familiar with the concept of the circadian rhythm. For those who aren’t, the circadian rhythm refers to our internal, approximately 24-hour cycle of biochemical, physiological, and behavioral processes. Every living thing, from fungus to bacteria to plant to animal, has a circadian rhythm. External cues called zeitgebers (what a great word, huh?) help synchronize or alter our rhythms; they include temperature, nutrition, meal timing, social interactions pharmacological interventions (medicines, drugs), and, most prominently, the light/dark cycle of the earth.


Yes, light, or the lack thereof, plays an enormous role in the regulation of our cycles, especially our sleep cycle. For millions of years, light was an objective, exogenous measure by which organisms established behavioral patterns, hormonal fluctuations, and sleep cycles. Depending on the seasons, the position of the global axes, and the weather, you could pretty much count on light, bright days and deep, dark nights. Nocturnal hunters and scavengers took the lack of light to mean “eatin’ time,” while other animals (including humans) sought shelter and slumber when night fell. Daylight meant activity and safety (since we could, you know, see everything). Fire, then, wasn’t just about cooking and providing warmth; it also allowed humans a small sliver of daylight’s safety and security at night.

Before I go on, I need to make something clear. My regular readers will have already grasped this concept, but I think it’s a good idea to reiterate it. Though it’s tempting to place us humans on another plane of existence, apart from the mindless flora and fauna that share this world, we are animals. Sure, we’re smarter and more complex than the others, but we’re still subject to these exogenous zeitgebers worming their influential fingers into our subconscious and fiddling with our circadian rhythms. Our tendency to get sleepy when night falls isn’t a cultural relic; we didn’t consciously decide to start sleeping at night because it was too dangerous to be out in the dark. The culture of standard bedtimes arose organically, if you can even call it culture. Does the chirping of birds in the morning reflect cultural tendencies? Is “the early bird gets the worm” a standard axiom in avian academia? No – the early bird’s evolutionary niche decrees that it wake up bright and early in order to get food. It’s basic natural selection, and humans are the same way. We don’t decide to get up early. We get up early because of a complex pattern of environmental cues telling us to get up. Throughout our evolutionary development, handling business during the daytime was simply how we survived. We can’t escape nature.

But boy do we try.

The zeitgeber (can’t get enough of that word) with the biggest impact on our sleep cycle is light. Period. And it’s not just natural light that affects our sleep cycle, but also unnatural, manmade lights. That’s kinda how we operate, actually, as instinctual beings who often misinterpret “unnatural” because, well, our physiology isn’t exactly intelligent. It’s not sentient. It’s purely reactive. Blue light from a 10:00 AM sky, blue light from your computer screen at midnight – it makes no difference to our circadian rhythms. It’s all the same to our bodies, because for millions of years blue light meant daylight, not a late night blog comment section or reruns of The Daily Show. And it’s the blue light specifically that appears to monitor our sleep patterns the most.

Like insulin and inflammation, blue light is integral to our health – in the correct amounts. When we’re exposed to levels of anything in excess (or too little) of what we would have experienced for the bulk of our evolutionary history, problems arise. Blue light regulates our secretion of melatonin, the sleep hormone. Exposed to blue light, we limit the production of melatonin, and we stay alert and awake; in the absence of blue light, melatonin production ramps up, and we get sleepy. This system worked quite well for a long time. Reddish light from fire (our formerly primary source of nighttime illumination) has little to no effect on melatonin production, so sleep wasn’t disrupted when we relied on fire. These days, though, we’re subject to a steady barrage of blue light. During the day, blue light (natural or unnatural) isn’t much of a problem because we’re supposed to be awake, but at night, when we’re “supposed” to be getting ready to sleep, we tend to sit in front of blue light-emanating appliances, and our sleep suffers for it.

(An interesting note on how we respond to blue light. For years, scientists assumed circadian rhythm was set by sight (of light) alone. Person sees sky/LCD screen and the same visual system that allows colored vision determines the hormonal, behavioral, or other physical reactions to the light. It makes sense, but that’s not how it works. It turns out that there exists a second, more dominant system responsible for setting circadian rhythm based on light input. If a person’s sleep cycle depended purely on traditional color vision, we’d expect the blind to universally suffer from disrupted sleep. They do not, however, and this is explained by optical cells that express a photopigment called melanopsin. Unlike the standard rod and cone opsins, melanopsin doesn’t help us see. Instead, it reacts most strongly to blue light, and scientists think it’s the primary regulator of the biological clock and production of melatonin. In otherwise blind patients with intact melanopsin systems, blue light has a strong effect on their sleep cycles.)

Blue light has its place, of course. A British study found that blue light-enhanced white lights in the workplace improved alertness, performance, and even nighttime sleep quality in employees. That’s during the day, though, when blue light exposure is normal and expected. Nighttime exposure to blue light disrupts our sleep hormones. Television, computer screens, even digital clocks with blue numbers – they’re all common sources of late night blue light that can affect our production of melatonin.

Is blue light the only issue? It certainly appears to be the primary driver of circadian rhythm, but it’s not the only one. In a recent study, researchers found that while monochromatic blue light suppressed melatonin production via melanopsin stimulation, polychromatic white light (which includes blue light) stimulated melanopsin equally while suppressing melatonin to an even greater degree. Clearly, it’s not just blue light’s effect on melanopsin affecting our sleep cycles.

Still, blue light is the low-hanging fruit, and there are some simple steps you can take to mitigate its late-night effect on your sleep.

■Keep electronics usage to a minimum or completely eliminate blue light (alarms, TVs, laptops) after dark.
■Go to sleep earlier.
■Use candlelight (read how a fellow MDA reader gave this a try for 30-days).
■Keep your room as dark as possible and your sleeping quarters pitch black.
■Install F.lux (totally free) on your computer to cut down on blue light emissions.

F.lux: software to make your life better

■If you want to try a somewhat extreme experiment you could even wear orange safety glasses at night.

(Thanks to this thread on PaleoHacks for the last two tips.) Also, don’t forget to expose yourself to blue light during the day so that your cycle normalizes – it goes both ways, you know.

Does anyone have experience cutting out blue light exposure to great effect? Let the world know in the comments.

[shunsweets]

Very interesting about the blue light KeyTones. I have recently started taking 5mg of extended release melatonin about an hour before bedtime and have been amazed how I actually feel sleepy for the first time in years( still don't sleep through the night but that's another story). We also had shades installed on our bedroom skylights and find the darker room is relaxing. May have to look into blackout shades and download that program for our computers. So simple yet another example of how far we have strayed from our natural roots - diet, sleep, sunshine, walking, avoiding pollution - it all adds up.

[Key Tones]

Oh my gosh, isn't it interesting??? I was CLUELESS about the computer shining in my eyes having some effect on keeping insulin levels up!

Wow, I am always reading at my computer.

Day and night.

!!!

I do need to work more on the room darkening. I do have the sleep mask anyway, but I guess I toss too much to keep it in place.

[clackley]

Interesting info. I would love to know however, how insulin is affected by light? Also the idea that we need insulin to convert to melatonin? My aim has been to keep insulin low at all costs. So I really don't understand what all this means. Can anyone make sense out of it for me??????

[Key Tones]

Cathy,

I don't understand the mechanism behind why the blue light causes a release of insulin. I can see from googling it that there is a rat study that reflects this as well (as in possibly treating high blood sugar with blue light instead of insulin shots). Who knows if we are like rats. I don't know.

All -

I like reading critisms of LC diets to make sure I have the pitfalls covered. The thing is, once you have been obese and diabetic, how can you eat the high carb diet most of the world seems to eat? Anyway, I will continue to read up on it and make sure the bases are covered. The more I read, the more I realize Kwasniewski knows what he is talking about!

So, here is another one. I just read that LC dieters tend to miss out on B vitamins and there are health consequences of this (atherosclerosis).


Be sure to get your B vitamins. Liver!

Here is a pretty good article about liver. I don't take cod liver oil because it I read it blocks vitamin E. I suppose if you take it to be sure you get extra E.

I didn't realize the liver pills have been defatted! Good info, love Chris MasterJohn.

The article is actually called

The Benefits of Liver, Cod Liver Oil, and Dessicated Liver

The Benefits of Liver and Cod Liver Oil — Cholesterol and Much, Much More


The Benefits of Liver, Cod Liver Oil, and Dessicated Liver
August, 2005
Updated September, 2008


by Chris Masterjohn

Liver and cod liver oil are nutrient-packed super-food supplements that can help boost energy, libido, muscle growth, brain power, and general health. They are abundant sources of nutrients difficult to obtain elsewhere, such as vitamin A, arachidonic acid, DHA, and the B vitamins.

Liver contains an unidentified "anti-fatigue factor" that was found to greatly boost swimming endurance in rats. It is probably extremely rich in carnitine, lipoic acid, and other energy-related nutrients whose food sources have not been sufficiently researched.

This article will cover the benefits of liver and cod liver oil. To skip to specific product recommendations for liver, cod liver oil, and dessicated liver, click here.


Liver and Cod Liver Oil Are Rich in Vitamin A
Liver and cod liver oil are by far the richest sources of vitamin A.

Vitamin A has traditionally been understood to promote healthy vision, promote healthy fertility in males and females, and allow for proper embryonic development.

More recently, researchers have found vitamin A to be important to many other processes. These include preventing childhood mortality,1 preventing childhood asthma,2, 3 promoting pubertal development4 protecting against oxidative stress,5 protecting against environmental toxins,6 preventing kidney stones,7 regulating the amount of fat tissue in the body,8 regulating blood sugar,9 and protecting against fatty liver disease.10

Almost one third (27 percent) of Americans surveyed in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey had vitamin A intakes below 50 percent of the RDA.11

Even the RDA may be too low — we still do not know what the optimal intake of vitamin A is, especially with respect to its more newly discovered roles.

Many people claim that beta-carotene from carrots and other vegetables is sufficient to provide the requirement for vitamin A. In 1994, researchers observed that pregnant women in Indonesia were consuming what should have been three times the vitamin A requirement as beta-carotene according to the World Health Organization's criteria but were nevertheless showing signs of marginal vitamin A deficiency. In 2002, the Institute of Medicine cut these conversion factors in half, but that would still lead one to estimate the Indonesian mothers to be consuming 50 percent more than their vitamin A requirement and still suffering from deficiency. The same year, Clive West and other researchers from the Netherlands argued from field studies that on a mixed diet, it took on average 21 units of beta-carotene from fruits and vegetables to yield one unit of true vitamin A — a conversion factor 75 percent less efficient than the one used by the Institute of Medicine.12

Table 1 below uses the conversion factors suggested by West's group for five plant foods near the top of the list for carotene content and compares them to five animal foods near the top of the list for true vitamin A content. As you can see from this table, one would have to eat two 100-gram servings of sweet potatoes and three or more 100-gram servings of most other carotene-rich vegetables per day just to meet the RDA of 3,000 IU per day. By contrast, one could meet this requirement by consuming one-half teaspoon of high-vitamin cod liver oil four days a week or eating liver once a week.

It is difficult to find reliable data about the vitamin A intakes of hunter-gatherer societies. The Greenland Inuit were consuming an average of 30,000 IU per day in 1953.13 This is ten times the RDA and probably higher than other hunter-gatherer societies closer to the equator that relied to a lesser degree on animal foods. Whether it is on the whole beneficial, harmful, or neutral cannot be said with any certainty, but 30,000 IU per day is clearly within the range of a natural diet and can quite clearly only be obtained by consuming liver or cod liver oil.


Table 1: Vitamin A Yield From Plant and Animal Foods

Plant Foods
Vit A Yield (IU/100g)
Animal Foods
Vit A Yield (IU/100g)

Sweet Potatoes
1,500
Turkey Giblets
35,800

Carrots
1,145
Beef Liver
25,800

Kale
1,295
CLO (1/2 tsp)
5,750

Spinach
997
Eggs
570

Collard Greens
770
Butter
330




Liver is Rich in EFA — Arachidonic Acid and DHA
In my thoroughly researched and extensively referenced Special Report, How Essential Are the Essential Fatty Acids?, I concluded that the only fatty acids for which there is convincing evidence of essentiality to humans and other mammals are the polyunsaturated fatty acids arachidonic acid and DHA. Arachidonic acid is necessary for growth, proper hydration, healthy skin and hair, gut health, and fertility, while DHA is necessary for learning, intelligence, and visual acuity.

According to NutritionData.Com, liver appears to contain 141 mg of arachidonic acid per serving. Thus, it is an even richer source of this nutrient than egg yolks. High-vitamin cod liver oil (discussed further in the product recommendations section) contains between 70 and 360 mg of DHA. Liver from land animals does not appear to contain significant quantities of DHA, but it probably does when the animals are fed grass, which is higher in omega-3 fatty acids than grain.

As described in my Special Report, the need for these fatty acids is extremely low for healthy adults. The requirement increases during infancy and childhood, pregnancy and lactation, recovery from injury, and diseases involving oxidative stress. Bodybuilders and others interested in building new muscle tissue should probably make sure to get some of these fatty acids.

Cod liver oil and fish oils contain EPA, a fatty acid that is probably not essential to mammals and interferes with arachidonic acid. When the total intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) is low, the EPA should be efficiently converted to DHA. When total PUFA intake or EPA intake is very high, however, the EPA may interfere with arachidonic acid metabolism and contribute to deficiency symtoms such as growth retardation, dehydration, flaky and scaly skin, hair loss, gastrointestinal syndromes, or infertility. Moreover, all of the PUFA contribute to oxidative stress when consumed in high amounts, a phenomenon that contributes to heart disease, cancer, fatty liver, diabetes, brain disease, DNA damage, and ageing. Therefore, it makes sense to obtain these precious fatty acids in small amounts. This means avoiding vegetable oils and excessive supplementation with fish oils and obtaining essential fatty acids from liver, muscle meat, butter, occasional fatty fish and very small amounts of high-vitamin cod liver oil.

A recent review by Darisuh Mozaffarian of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, cited in Issue 14 of my free newsletter, concluded that the benefits from fish oils plateau at 250 mg of omega-3 fatty acids per day. This is based on studies of populations consuming far too much total PUFA and a great excess of omega-6 fatty acids, and it still only justifies the consumption of one or two servings of fatty fish per week or one-half teaspoon of high-vitamin cod liver oil per day.

Cod liver oil should thus only be consumed in amounts higher than this in order to obtain the fat-soluble vitamins, and one should only consume these higher amounts within the context of a diet rich in vitamin B6, magnesium, and other minerals, low in total PUFA, and balanced by reasonable quantities of liver, muscle meat, and butter to provide adequate arachidonic acid and prevent EPA-induced deficiency symptoms.

This is all covered in more detail in my report, How Essential Are the Essential Fatty Acids?


B Vitamins, Lipoic Acid, Iron, Vitamin C, and Other Nutrients in Liver
The liver is the main metabolic engine of the body. It is thus an excellent source of energy-related nutrients.

Before the nutrients we eat make it through the blood to our other organs, they are first cleared through the liver. When blood glucose levels fall, the liver releases glucose from stored glycogen or produces new glucose from amino acids and other molecules. When we need to burn fat for energy, fat is released to the liver, which turns that fat into ketones that can be used by other organs.

In order to perform all these functions, the liver must concentrate a number of nutrients. These include all of the B vitamins, carnitine, and lipoic acid. Liver is extremely rich in biotin, and is even a decent source of vitamin C!

Charts of the nutrients found in liver can be found here and here.

Product Recommendations for Liver, Dessicated Liver, and High-Vitamin or Fermented Cod Liver Oil
Whether you choose to use liver, dessicated liver supplements, or cod liver oil will depend on your personal tastes and nutritional needs. Liver provides energy-related nutrients such as B vitamins, iron, vitamin A, and the fertility-boosting arachidonic acid, but it does not provide much vitamin D. Cod liver oil provides vitamins A and D and the brain-boosting DHA, but does not provide B vitamins or iron. Dessicated liver is generally defatted, so it supplies water-soluble nutrients like B vitamins and iron, but not fat-soluble vitamins or essential fatty acids.


Liver
If you like liver, the best thing to do is find a source of local, fresh, grass-fed liver. To locate a source, contact your local Weston A. Price Foundation chapter. Personally, I mail order liver from North Star Bison, which consistently has the best-tasting, freshest liver that I can find.


Dessicated Liver
NOW Foods consistently has the best-priced supplements with the least additives. The company sells an additive-free liver powder as well as a dessicated liver supplement with minimal additives. Dr. Ron's sells a grass-fed version of this supplement, although it is much more expensive.


High-Vitamin Cod Liver Oil and Fermented Cod Liver Oil
I recommend using high-vitamin cod liver oil because the polyunsaturated fatty acids found in cod liver oil are only necessary for healthy adults in very small quantities. Small amounts are healthful, but large amounts are likely to be dangerous. I explain this in my Special Report, How Essential Are the Essential Fatty Acids?

High-vitamin cod liver oil can be found at WolfRiverNaturals.Com or a number of other sites, including Dr. Ron's, GreenPasture.Org, and Radiant Life.

The Blue Ice brand also produces a fermented cod liver oil and fermented skate liver oil. These products are also high-vitamin, but more easily digestible and, because the fermentation process produces additional nutrients, more nutrient-dense. Skate liver oil is lower in vitamin A but higher in vitamins E and D than cod liver oil. The fermented high-vitamin oils can be found at WolfRiverNaturals.Com, Dr. Ron's, and GreenPasture.Org.

[Bejewelme]

KT you are so smart!!!! I always love coming here and seeing what you post

[Key Tones]

Originally Posted by Bejewelme

KT you are so smart!!!! I always love coming here and seeing what you post

Oh, I dunno...obsessed is more like it! Anyway, thank you!

[clackley]

Originally Posted by Key Tones

Oh, I dunno...obsessed is more like it! Anyway, thank you!

Ha, ha - that pretty much describes me!

Just finished listening to the Chris Kresslor/Emily Deans podcast and really enjoyed it. I think Emily is going to have a very successful career! Thank you!

[clackley]

"I don't understand the mechanism behind why the blue light causes a release of insulin. I can see from googling it that there is a rat study that reflects this as well (as in possibly treating high blood sugar with blue light instead of insulin shots). Who knows if we are like rats. I don't know."

I find this really interesting and thanks for the info!

[Eliza_Jazz]

Originally Posted by clackley

"I don't understand the mechanism behind why the blue light causes a release of insulin. I can see from googling it that there is a rat study that reflects this as well (as in possibly treating high blood sugar with blue light instead of insulin shots). Who knows if we are like rats. I don't know."

I find this really interesting and thanks for the info!

One more possible reason to cut down on my excessive computer time. Wonder if an LCD TV would have the same effect as an LCD monitor? Or is it worse because it's bigger even though farther away?

[piratejenny]

Originally Posted by clackley

Interesting info. I would love to know however, how insulin is affected by light? Also the idea that we need insulin to convert to melatonin? My aim has been to keep insulin low at all costs. So I really don't understand what all this means. Can anyone make sense out of it for me??????

My basic understanding is that blue/artificial light makes our bodies "think" it's summer all the time. Summer is when we animals need to put on a few extra pounds to make it through the winter. And higher insulin levels help us store fat.

Is that the sort of explanation you were looking for? Or something more science-y?

[clackley]

I have got to learn to cook beef liver! Last time I overcooked it and was not able to eat much. As it happens, today when I was checking out at the grocery store, the clerk was telling me that she makes curried chicken livers. I had never thought of that and am going to go on a recipe search!

I will have to reread the article as I still get confused on the omega 3's and 6's and what the right amounts....

[clackley]

Originally Posted by piratejenny

My basic understanding is that blue/artificial light makes our bodies "think" it's summer all the time. Summer is when we animals need to put on a few extra pounds to make it through the winter. And higher insulin levels help us store fat.

Is that the sort of explanation you were looking for? Or something more science-y?

Thanks - kind of what I was looking for but I guess I thought that insulin could only be raised with food - although now that I think about it, I have heard it said that the suggestion of food can do it as well.

[Eliza_Jazz]

Originally Posted by clackley

Thanks - kind of what I was looking for but I guess I thought that insulin could only be raised with food - although now that I think about it, I have heard it said that the suggestion of food can do it as well.

Oh yes, I don't recall which of the LC thought titans blogged about this a while ago . I think if I see a picture of a cake, for example, and start salivating, I am probably experiencing some insulin release as well.

[clackley]

Originally Posted by Eliza_Jazz

Oh yes, I don't recall which of the LC thought titans blogged about this a while ago . I think if I see a picture of a cake, for example, and start salivating, I am probably experiencing some insulin release as well.

Yes, exactly. Talking and smelling as well! I live very close to a donut factory - wonder if that is causing my stall - the smell is constant!

[Eliza_Jazz]

Originally Posted by clackley

Yes, exactly. Talking and smelling as well! I live very close to a donut factory - wonder if that is causing my stall - the smell is constant!

[Key Tones]

Ugh, constant doughnut aromas wafting by!!!

Of all the information I have read about sweeteners, the one that concerns me most is it that it may cause an insulin release. Basically, the sweet taste triggers it. However, no rise in blood sugar occurs. But, since the body released the insulin anyway (I don't know how much), the blood sugar goes down, and this causes hunger.

This is one theory anyway behind why sweetners can be a problem.

I have read that caffeine makes blood sugar go up, so perhaps these things cancel somehow out with the sweetener in coffee. I can only hope...I find the diet much more tolerable with coffee and sweetener and a little half n half!
'"
I have stopped eating greek yogurt with cocoa powder and sweetener anyway.

[clackley]

For anyone who likes podcasts, I just finished listening to Chris Masterjohn on the topic of cod liver oil. It is much like the article that you posted K.T. but I enjoy the audio format with questions. It is on itunes (free) and is by 'Our Natural Life' dated 6/01/09.

I wish they had discussed cod liver oil as opposed to 'fish oil'. When I look at both the fish oil does not list vitamin A and D so I guess they are not good sources? My cod liver oil has way more A than D. Hmm, wonder if Costco will take it back - I only bought it about 9 months ago!!!?

I am planning on listening to the next episode in the same series - again with Chris Masterjohn on the topic of the lipid hypothosis. I have heard him speak on this subject before and he offers a lot of valuable information!