PJ's Fitness Blog
A blog about a fitter you. Come find out what is on the cutting edge of fitness science and be a part of the ongoing conversation.
People know about my low-carb lifestyle and they occasionally try to explain to me that the human body needs carbohydrates for energy.
Or that the brain has to have carbs in order to run properly.
Or that carbs are somehow necessary for optimal health.
And I have yet to hear this “advice” coming from someone who is healthier than me.
Things that make you go, “hmmmm…”
I realize their “advice” is also the current mainstream message, but if you do your own research and find out the facts for yourself, you will discover that the mainstream is wrong.
The mainstream happens to be wrong on lots of other stuff too. You should look into that. I have, and I don’t believe anyone anymore without researching it for myself, especially on the important stuff, like things that have to do with health.
Blindly following what the mainstream or even the “experts” tell you (including me), no matter how “qualified” or “credentialed” you think they are, without doing your own research, can get you in trouble (or sick, fat and even dead).
Here is an undisputed fact: Dietary carbohydrates are not necessary building blocks for any molecules or cells in the human body. This means carbohydrate is not an essential nutrient for humans.
Dietary carbohydrates aren’t necessary for human energy needs either (also contrary to what you might have heard). The body can obtain all the energy it needs from protein and fat, even in the case of long distance athletes!
Even if your body did need the type of fuel carbohydrates provide, the best sources are the slowly absorbed, complex forms found in green vegetables, which also happen to be the most nutrient-rich sources of food. They are also among the lowest net carb foods (among the foods that have carbs) because of their high fiber content. Is nature trying to tell us something? I think so.
I also get people telling me that the brain needs glucose (a type of sugar) for fuel. It is true that a small number of brain cells do prefer to run on glucose, but most of the brain’s preferred energy source is actually ketones, which can only be produced from fat metabolism. (more…)
Inflammation can cause many problems in the body, including slowed weight loss, joint pain, heart attacks, Alzheimer’s, tendonitis, general discomfort, bloating, and even major disease to name just a few.
Most people are inflamed most of the time and have even forgotten what it feels like to be “normal” or the way their body should be, if it were healthy. Once that inflammation is gone, it’s like having a new lease on life. Energy skyrockets (and stays consistent), brain fog goes away, most various types of pain disappear, sickness is rare and even chronic disease or major illness goes away forever.
Eating the right foods is the first and most important step. It should be a life commitment too, because falling off the wagon and eating inflammatory foods again, bring back all those horrible symptoms.
I mention this specifically because many people start the anti-inflammation lifestyle and of course, start to feel better. Then, as they move further away from the pain that got them started down this path, they don’t see the need anymore, so they (consciously and subconsciously) let those old habits and foods creep back into their lives, bringing the old symptoms back with a vengeance.
The worst culprits causing inflammation are sugar (in its many forms), starchy foods, trans fats and most processed foods. Genetically modified foods are also highly inflammatory, so the bottom line is to eat organic whenever possible and cut out processed foods as much as possible.
Just eating organic won’t take care of the inflammation problem by itself though. There are plenty of organic foods that are highly inflammatory, so below is a list of my seven favorites. There are of course, more than seven, but just reading this list of seven will give you a good idea of the direction you should be heading and the kind of foods you should be eating.
1.) Green vegetables – mainly because of their powerful antioxidants and flavonoids. Note: When green vegetables are fermented (i.e. sauerkraut), that takes it up another big notch because of their extremely high pro-biotic content, which nourishes certain gut flora that manufacture specific anti-flammation compounds. (more…)
