Optimizing Health

Things I consider the key to my having more energy, slowing the aging process, feeling better and reducing excess weight

Here are things I discovered and have personally implemented that resulted in my having more energy, slowing the aging process, feeling better and reducing excess weight. By following these methods I reduced my weight, reduced or eliminated many of the conditions associated with aging and improved my energy, all while I was still traveling 100,000 miles a year and eating out over 30% of the time. My weight loss and health conditions began improving immediately. Over all, it took about 18 months to get to where I am now and I am still improving.

Eat - Exercise - Sleep - Supplement

Eat

Most of us were raised to think of food in only one dimension - as fuel - as if food only contained Calories. But food actually has 5 dimensions that I can currently identify. Fuel, yes, but it is also the source of all of the building blocks, supplements, epigenetic information and, negatively, most toxins that make up your body. You may not have thought of it this way before but your body is composed entirely of the food you consume. You renew your body on a regular schedule and the food you eat is the only source of the needed raw materials as well as the fuel to power the continual building and maintenance of your body.

There are variations to any diet type. I describe this type as a modified keto diet. I really call it a lifestyle because I don’t plan to change. Using the word “diet” seems to imply a temporary change but what I describe here is about new lifelong habits. Many keto diets are protein heavy. Most recommend that 50% of what you eat should be protein. My research and personal experience show that is a lot more protein than most people need. Too much protein can be as bad for you as too little protein. Many women, like my wife, have issues with standard keto but those issues can be fixed. The core of my diet plan as found in the book, The Plant Paradox, is similar to keto but encourages more good fats and fewer proteins. The basic ratio is get 70% of your calories from good fats, 20% from good protein and 10% from good carbohydrates. Vegetables are a key component in each category, but good animal products also play an important part, if you want them. Keep in mind that not all fats, not all proteins and not all carbohydrates are created equal. Each category has good, suspect and bad actors. The good are good for everyone, the bad are bad for everyone but there are some foods that are suspect because since each of us is different something that might not bother me because of my genetics or epigenetics may be kryptonite for you and vice versa.

Foods to eliminate or at least reduce

Eliminate sugary, starchy and processed (junk) foods

Eliminate sugary drinks and typical artificial sweeteners

Natural sweeteners

Eliminate toxic foods like popular cooking oils, high lectin foods, GMO and non-organic foods

Eliminate sugar, simple starches and processed (junk) foods or at least reduce them by half. Yes, it seems daunting but at least try cutting back by half for 2 weeks. The way you feel at the end of those 2 weeks will encourage you to cut by half again and again, every two weeks, until you no longer feel the need for them.

Sugar, starch and junk food carbs are mostly simple carbs, but not all carbs are simple carbs. The 2 basic categories of carbs are known as simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbs feed you. Complex carbs, also know as resistant starch or fiber, feed your intestinal microbiome. You cannot digest complex carbs so they do not affect your insulin levels but they are the major food supply for maintaining healthy gut bacteria.

Your body has 2 modes of operation, growth mode and repair mode. The mode you are in is controlled by the hormone insulin which is triggered by eating simple carbs. Being in either mode 100% of the time is not healthy because both are essential for optimal health. They have a balance that is found to be somewhere around 33% growth mode and 66% maintenance mode.

Any time insulin is high you are in growth mode, creating and growing cells, including fat cells, if there is excess fuel (sugar) in your bloodstream. Keeping insulin high for long periods by continuously eating high carbs foods is the primary cause of insulin resistance, also known as Type II Diabetes. This is also the primary cause of weight gain.

Fat cells only store excess fuel when insulin is high. So when you eat a meal high in simple carbs, insulin spikes and the excess fuel gets stored in fat cells. Eating a “sweet fat” meal is probably the most problematic and you are going to hate hearing what the common “sweet fat” foods are: burgers, fries, glazed donuts, pizza, and most fried foods. So don’t make these foods your main diet. Dietary fats are not normally stored. Your body uses them for fuel and structure. But since insulin is triggered by the simple carbs in a sweet fat food, you end up with an excess of carbs AND fats, and your body, being the efficient creation that it is, will store that excess in your fat cells. These foods also promote chronic inflammation, which I will save for another discussion.

Since Americans eat high carb, high fat foods at almost every meal, and all the snacks in between, is it any wonder we have the health issues we do? When you are constantly eating high carb foods throughout the day your insulin is always high. Most foods served at mainstream fast food joints is the “sweet fat” variety. Fast foods can actually be made in a healthy way but that is not how the fast food industry does it, so they are best avoided.

Eliminate sugary drinks. This includes most soft drinks, fruit juices, sports drinks, and energy drinks. Replacing sugary drinks with diet versions is usually not a good plan either as most artificial sweeteners are toxic and have their own negative effects. A sugary drink will trigger over production of insulin even with an otherwise healthy meal. If you miss carbonated drinks there are a wide variety of naturally flavored carbonated waters that are good like La Croix and natural sparkling waters like Pellegrino.

Natural sweeteners like stevia, monk fruit, sugar alcohols and inulin are fine but getting used to things being less sweet is even better.

Eliminate toxic foods. Most people are now aware of the health damage caused by hydrogenated trans fats like Crisco but most are not aware that the recommended replacements for trans fats are oils that are just as bad in a different way. The oils marketed for cooking, frying and used in processed foods and fast foods are made from soybeans, corn, peanuts, and canola. All are highly oxidized by the high heat and chemicals required for extraction and further oxidized by storage in clear containers and all are high in omega 6 fats. They also dissolve hormone disrupting chemicals from their plastic containers. Your body uses oils (fat) to build ALL the cell membranes in your body. Oxidized oils build weak, leaky cell membranes. If most of the fat you eat is from bad, oxidized, hormone disrupting oils guess what all your cells are made from. Fat is also your brain’s preferred fuel and oxidized fat produces much less energy than non-oxidized fat. If you wonder where brain fog comes from, this is a prime culprit. Good oils are 100% first cold pressed virgin olive oil and 100% avocado oil. But beware, double check your sources because both are often adulterated with the bad oils to make them cheaper.

Your body has the ability to run on several fuels but in general it only runs on one fuel at a time. The most common fuels are fat or sugar. Fat is the better, cleaner burning, longer lasting, higher energy fuel. But in order to use fat for fuel instead of sugar insulin levels must be low. You can only switch to repair mode, aka autophagy, when insulin is low and when insulin is low fuel will never be stored in fat cells. If you make most of your meals high in good fats but low in simple carbs, insulin will remain low, you will not store excess fuel in fat cells, chronic inflammation will disappear and you body will be able to repair and maintain itself.

Foods to to get more of

Healthy fats - Colorful, dark vegetables - Wild and naturally raised meats - Nutrient dense foods

Healthy fats. Most of your calories, up to 70%, should be from healthy fats. Fats are very calorie dense so this is not as hard as it sounds. Some healthy fats are coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, butter and ghee from grass fed cows, lard from pasture raised pigs, avocado, wild caught small, fatty fish like salmon, sardines, mackerel and anchovies, eggs, natural cheese like real parmesan, real nuts (peanuts are not real nuts), dark chocolate, grass-fed, organic beef, full fat raw, organic, grass-fed dairy and mct oil (coconut oil).

Colorful, dark organic vegetables. Vegetables should make up most of the rest of your diet, around 20%. Make sure they are organic and non GMO. Remember, food is also information and toxins. You don’t want GMO because GMO gives your body instructions from genetic material that is suspect. You do want organic because organic gives you additional protection against toxic chemicals. Eat more polyphenols which are available from dark chocolate, coffee, herbs and spices, colorful vegetables - sweet potatoes, red beets, red onions, spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts, red or green cabbage, cauliflower and carrots. Fresh fruit is good but limit fruit to what is in season and treat it like candy. Sweet, later summer fruit is what helped fatten up our ancestors for the winter. Concentrate on dark berries, strawberries and pomegranates.

Wild and non-industrial meats. Protein is a necessity but most Americans have come to see meat as the centerpiece of a meal with veggies as the sides. Meat has its place but eating for health and longevity means making meat the side and veggies the centerpiece. Eat grass-fed, organic beef, wild caught fish, pastured lamb, pork and chicken and wild game.

Nutrient dense foods. Not everything you eat has to be nutrient dense but most of it should be. Since your body is composed ONLY from the things you eat and drink, it pays to be sure that what makes you feel full is what makes you feel healthy and is nourishing your body.

Intermittent fasting aka time restricted eating

Eat all your calories in an 6 to 10 hour window - Eat nothing 2 to 3 hours before bedtime - Eat most of the carbs in your diet at night

Eat all your calories in an 6 to 10 hour window. Eating all your food in an 6 hour window puts your body in its natural cycle of building (6 hours) and repair (18 hours). Other ratios can also be tried. Just do not eat and snack constantly all day long. WHEN you eat is important. Eat nothing that will raise insulin (carbs or protein) outside of this window. This is as important as WHAT you eat because it triggers cycles your body uses to repair itself. You can choose whether you want 1, 2 or 3 meals in that window. Mix it up on different days.

Eat nothing 2 to 3 hours before bedtime. Food digestion steals energy from the brain and shuts down the body regeneration process during sleep.

Eat most of the carbs in your diet at night. Save the higher carb foods for the last meal of the day. Think of that afternoon nap you crave after a high carb lunch. Save that instead for the evening when you actually want to get sleepy for bedtime.

Autophagy

This feast/fast food cycle puts your body into a repair mode called autophagy. Think about autophagy as “taking out the trash” of normal living. If this trash is not taken out then it accumulates until it causes problems. One of the problems that shows up, among many, is fibromyalgia or muscle weakness or pain. Trash accumulation also causes autoimmune issues. My big autoimmune issue was arthritis and yes, I did use the past tense for a reason. My arthritis is gone. It took about 6 months for it to fade and a little longer for me to find all the foods that trigger it for me. If I stay away from those trigger foods I have zero arthritis. Autophagy is also about recycling and maintenance - reusing old worn out cells to create new vibrant cells.

Hacks

I found a wonderful hack for extending my fasting window called Bulletproof coffee. Drink Bulletproof coffee in the morning instead of eating breakfast. This makes it easy to skip breakfast and since it contains no carbs or protein you will stay in fat burning and repair mode. All the good things that happen in a “pure” fast continue to happen although you are enjoying your cup of Bulletproof coffee and don’t feel like you are fasting. And Bulletproof coffee improves brain function - it turns your brain on.

Exercise

20 minutes a day of low intensity exercise - Resistance and flexibility exercises - HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)

20 minutes a day of low intensity exercise like a brisk walk will help you keep your muscle tone, increase blood flow and heart rate in a good way and provide fresh air and sunshine. Walking with a friend or your spouse is also great for the relationship which is also beneficial to health and well-being.

Resistance and flexibility exercises. Pick something you can do every day like 10 squats, push-ups, weights or anything with resistance. Unless you are trying to build muscle you do not need an extensive routine, just a consistent one.

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). HIIT followed by sufficient recovery periods is good as you become more fit and want to go to the next level. You can exercise more, but as you do, always be sure to allow sufficient time for recovery as it is the recovery period that provides the most benefit. The benefit from a single 7 minute HIIT session lasts for 3 days so you don’t have to over do it.

Sleep

Sleep 6 to 8 hours every night - Use a sleep tracker - Blue light

Sleep 6 to 8 hours every night. Do your best to have the same bed time and wake up time 7 days a week. I have never been a morning person before in my life but now I am up between 5:00 AM and 5:30 AM and in bed by 11:00 PM every day - and loving it. There are books written on the benefits of deep, regular sleep and regular times promote regular sleep. This is your body’s recovery and repair period, do not underestimate it.

Use a sleep tracker. A sleep tracker app helps you understand your sleep patterns. It can help you recognize how different actions throughout the day as well as different foods can affect your sleep quality. 6 hours of deep sleep is better than 8 hours of restless sleep and a good app can detect the difference.

Blue light. Specific light wavelengths affect your circadian rhythm and hormone levels more than you might realize. You need the blue light found in the morning sunlight to trigger the production of serotonin. Then you need the presence of red and amber light, and the absence of blue light, in the sunset to trigger your circadian system to turn that serotonin into melatonin and induce the deep sleep needed for brain function and tissue repair. The blue light found in artificial light at night messes with that cycle. Blue light by itself can be damaging. It is very important that blue light is mixed with other light wavelengths as found in natural light. Studies show that artificial blue light, particularly that emitted by electronic devices and fluorescent lights are disruptive and harmful at all times of day but particularly at night. There are blue blocking glasses available to avoid the excess blue we get from our devices and office lighting.

Supplement

You may think that supplements are unnecessary. But as you learn more about the complex reactions and chemical processes that sustain life and the components that must to be at optimum levels for proper function you begin to realize what nutrition really means. There may have been a time when we could get all the vitamins and minerals we need from the foods we ate but modern industrial farming and marketing practices have made that virtually impossible now. Vitamins and minerals in the proper amounts are not optional if you want vibrant health. If you do not get them from what you eat, and most of us cannot, then trusted supplements help fill the gap. Below are options I have found that work well for me. The top supplements in my program right now are:

• Calton multivitamins

• Vitamins A, B12 (methylcobalamin), C, D3, K, K2, Magnesium, CoQ10, Omega 3

• Quercetin, Zinc with Copper, and Selenium for immune support

• Resveratrol (Longevinex)

• NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine)

• H2 (molecular hydrogen)

Tips

Getting through the hard times

Bulletproof coffee - why you should make Bulletproof Coffee and how to make it from the recipe originator, Dave Asprey. How to make Bulletproof coffee

Don’t be stoic. This is a journey, do what you can do and add stricter discipline as you progress.

Be relentless, stay focused on the goal, forgive yourself for slip-ups but don’t make excuses. Own it and change it. Never allow one slip-up to become a repeating slip-up. Instead of saying “I can’t do this” say “How can I do this?”

Cheat or reward days. When you reward yourself and have a cheat day, make sure it is more like throwing a party and not like throwing a hand grenade. No one says, hey, I want to have some fun. I think I will throw a hand grenade in the house and watch it explode. That makes a mess that will take major reconstruction if it can be fixed at all. Think more along the lines of I want to throw a party. There will be some cleanup but nothing irreparable.

Good resources

Dr. Steven Gundry wrote a book, “The Plant Paradox,” that has a great “yes” and “no” food list which is also found at: https://drgundry.com/dr-gundrys-print-friendly-yes-no-lists/. This is the book that got me started, kept me going and continues to inform me to this day. The Dr Gundry Podcast is still going and you can find it on YouTube here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtxo0nTZjzlKJq5-vJq6s6g

Dave Asprey has food categories known as bulletproof, suspect and toxic (aka kryptonite). He wrote a book called “The Bulletproof Diet.” His food chart can be found online:

https://www.bulletproof.com/diet/bulletproof-diet/the-complete-illustrated-one-page-bulletproof-diet/

Dave is the father of biohacking and still going strong and worth following. Check him out.

https://daveasprey.com/category/podcasts/

There are minor disagreements between their lists but Gundry and Asprey are great friends and both have sound reasoning backed by research and experience behind their differences. A good example of good science resulting in differing opinions. But they both whole-heartedly agree that foods high in lectin proteins are a major contributor to modern day bad health and back their views with personal and study-based research and that diet and lifestyle are inextricably connected with health, energy and longevity. Many differences can be explained by differences in our genes and our gene expression as modulated by our gut microbiome and toxin exposures. There are true differences in each of us from person to person. This creates classes of foods that may be safe for some and kryptonite for others. If you dig deeper into Dr. Gundry’s recommendations you find that he also has a “maybe” list similar to Dave’s. Even the way a food is cooked or grown can also make a difference. For instance, you can move beans from Gundry’s “no” list to the “yes” list if you simply pressure cook them or use the old overnight soak followed by long cook time method since both of those destroy most of the harmful lectins in the beans.

If some of your favorite foods are not on the “yes” list do not despair just yet. If you eliminate your bad and suspect foods long enough to reset your system, you can then add back possible suspect foods a little at time to see how you react. Listen to your body. Your body will quickly tell you which foods work for you and which ones don’t.

I also include books from Dr. Mark Hyman and Dr. Jason Fung in the suggested reading below. Dr. Hyman is a leading functional medicine practitioner at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Fung is a kidney doctor and has used intermittent fasting by itself without even changing which foods are eaten to keep it simple to reverse Type-II diabetes in his patients. I highly recommend intermittent fasting. It demonstrates that it is not only what you eat, but when you eat, that is important and that there are multiple factors that influence our health, some more than others.

There is so much more to say about each of the topics above and that will be one source for future posts. I hope you enjoy this journey … none of us are done yet!

My favorite diet books and resources

Dr Steven Gundry: The Plant Paradox, The Longevity Paradox

David Asprey: The Bulletproof Diet, Super Human, Head Strong
The differences between the keto diet and the Bulletproof Diet.

Dr Mark Hyman - Food: What the Heck Should I Eat, The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet, Food: What the Heck Should I Cook

Dr. Jason Fung, The Complete Guide to Fasting, The Cancer Code