Diet - Principles & Protocols 😋
First do no harm...
Which foods damage us?
What's going wrong with DIET that's contributing to the avalanche of lifestyle disease?
The goal here is to explore truth. I've done many thousands of hours of research into nutrition and tried everything from vegan and vegetarian to keto and carnivore.
Below I share the best of what I have found.
I invite you to do what works best for you and to share your own experiences and ideas in the comments area below.
1. Digestive system damage & systemic inflammation.
2. Blood sugar variation > leptin, ghrelin, insulin resistance.
3. Nutrient deficiencies.
4. Psychology of food...
5. Timing, Fasting & Ketosis
6. Athletic Diets.
7. Additional concepts...
- FAQ's
- CASE STUDIES
What did our ancestors eat? What do tribal people eat? What is the difference in health between different tribes?
What is our gut designed to process?
What has changed? When did it change? Why did it change?
Who is curing the in-curable?
What is the mainstream health advice driven by?
QUICK START
Which foods got us here?
Which foods are destroying us?
ANIMALS
Animal foods are the foundation that our digestive system and many successful cultures have been built on.
Our fertile ancestors ate nose to tail.
Winning tribes and warriors secured dense animal based nutrition and knew their tribes depended on animal foods.
PLANTS & GRAINS
Plant foods should be added with caution. Vegan and vegetarian lifestyles are most commonly associated with monks and those who chose not to reproduce in favour of a spiritual existence.
MODERN FOOD
95%+ of what can be found in the supermarket was not available to our ancestors.
Modern "paleo" foods are domesticated versions of what our ancestors consumed (think broccoli and lamb).
Food for the masses is now driven by profits.
Plant foods and meat substitutes are highly profitable.
Meat and vegetables have much lower profit margins and create less business for the medical industry.
1. Digestive System & Systemic Inflammation
1. Modern Food
- Processed grains: have they become common because they are cheap and serve the needs of the economy? Did grains enable slavery and caste based societies like western civilisation and previous slave based cultures, Rome, Greece, Mayans, Egypt etc.
Gluten is the protein in wheat and other grains that stops birds from eating it all. Other grains and seeds also have protein for the same purpose. The area associated with many health conditions especially in those with compromised guts.
- Seed Oils: vegetable oils have become common because of the high profits and additional revenues generated in chemicals, fossil fuels and medical revenues.
Low quality fats damage cell membranes and nerve function. They promote systemic inflammation and for the most part were not consumed by our ancestors.
- Sugar & Substitutes: we are wired to love sugar and calorie dense foods. Historically sweetness was rare to find beyond liver, honey and raw milk. Sweet fruits and modern processed sugar are causing immense suffering for humanity for the sake of a quick fix.
Gut dysbiosis and insulin related health problems are now the norm because of excessive carbohydrate consumption from sugar and grains.
- Chemicals: the list of chemicals in our food, water and "medicines" continues to grow. Now is a time of the survival of the best detoxifiers.
Avoid toxins and chemicals that our ancestors were not exposed to.
2. Plants can't run away.
As a defence they contain chemicals to limit their consumption by humans.
Most highly, immediately poisonous to humans or have very little nutrition we can process.
Hippocrates said, "All disease begins in the gut."
The methods that plants use to defend themselves can be the cause of severe mental and physical dysfunction.
Oxalates, lecithins, gluten etc. plants use chemical warfare.
Some have been domesticated to be useful in certain circumstances... mostly to survive a less than optimal diet.
What about Fiber?
Great lecture by leading Australian doctor Paul Mason.
Georgia Ede for CrossFit HQ
Breaking down where the dominant ideas in nutrition are coming from.
2. Blood sugar variation > leptin, ghrelin, insulin resistance.
Metabolic dysfunction comes down to 2 main problems.
1. Poor oxygen delivery to the cells which paradoxically requires higher dissolved carbon dioxide in the blood.
2. Blood sugar fluctuations and the hormonal response to avoid them.
Dr Kraft
Dr Kraft discovered that insulin secretion was massively out of balance long before blood sugar was out of balance. This means that a lot of unnecessary damage is being done before diagnosis of pre-diabetes or diabetes is made.
Ivor Cummins is an engineer who had health troubles and realised the massive fraud that is nutritional science research. He discovered Dr Kraft's work and has helped to repopularise the Insulin Assay.
Dr Paul Mason
3. Nutrient Deficiencies
Despite most of the population being overly fat, overweight or obese most people are also malnourished.
Fat soluble vitamins, B-Vitamins, amino acids, minerals
1. Vitamin D, A, K are commonly deficient.
2. B-Vitamins play a key role in energy metabolism and detoxification.
3. The minerals present in our food can't be more than what was present in the soils our food was grown in or the food our food ate (the land animals were grazing). Magnesium is depleted by excessive carbohydrate consumption and is less present in the soils of modern agriculture. Magnesium is key for energy production and acts as an enzyme in hundreds of important processes in the body. Zinc is commonly deficient negatively impacting male reproductive health and immunity. Anti-nutrients make plants a poor source of minerals. They can also bind minerals when combined with animal foods.
4. Glycine is conditionally essential. Most modern diets even when meat is consumed are low in glycine. Broth, connective tissues, slow cooked on the bone meats have a higher glycine content.
4. Psychology Of Food
We've been taught to "treat ourselves" with poisons from an early age.
Most people will never recover unless there is a change in mass education.
Those who do experience health problems and then elite health will rarely go back to their former habits.
A supportive environment and positive role-models are essential for success in any field.
1. Practice not perfection.
2. Acknowledge that it can be difficult. Some say it's easier to change someones religion than their diet.
3. Medicines can work against ketosis and health generally. They might have to stay but we should be aware of them.
"Food addiction can be worse than drug addiction." Dr Georgia Ede
5. Meal Timing, Fasting, Autophagy & Ketosis
You were born in ketosis.
We all were.
Without ketosis we would die when no food was available or we would have to rapidly metabolise muscle into glucose (gluconeogenisis) which wouldn't end well.
Ketosis and the ability to fast have been used medicinally in many cultures and throughout recorded history.
We all produce ketones everyday.
What changes is the ratio between blood glucose and ketones.
Healing from many diseases has been shown to accelerate when ketone levels rise and glucose levels fall.
Without periods of reduced carbohydrate consumption through fasting or low-carb eating many people lose the ability to function without regular meals and consistent carbohydrate intake.
Carbs don't burn clean in the body and this high carb, high frequency approach is at the centre of the metabolic dysfunction most of humanity is currently experiencing.
Lower meal frequency has been shown in some animal studies to be a more powerful intervention for improved health and longevity than any combination of macro-nutrients.
Training the body to be able to produce and use ketones through fasting or periods of reduced carbohydrates gives metabolic flexibility and healing benefits.
The most interesting research around ketosis for healing is in neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimers and cancer treatment.
When we stop eating protein, fast completely or extend the time between meals weaker cells die and damaged proteins within cells are recycled.
6. Athletic Diets
Does it make sense that the diets that reverse the worst chronic conditions might also help athletes recover from trauma caused by sporting collisions?
Should athletes be able to get into ketosis quickly after intense events to heal their damaged brains and bodies?
Health First...
Then... carbohydrates should be added to tolerance and need.
Elite sport isn't often the best thing for health and longevity and often winning is more important than immediate health concerns.
In that context fast digesting carbohydrates and supplements can be added to find a slight edge on race day or even the biggest training days.
Fruits might be used more for elite athletes.
A few grams of honey and salt might increase performance slightly during training / competition. This is less likely to be true for weekend warriors with poor health.
7. Additional Concepts
Leucine Threshold
Protein and training can drive muscle growth. Hormones drive muscle growth less with age.
A Case Against Plant Foods From An Elite Masters Athlete & Doctor
More about the negative potential for vegetables. Do some plant compounds have a cleaning / hermetic impact as well as the negative impact in higher doses.
Plant Free Diets For Cancer
Medical case studies on the paleo medicina (optimised meat) diet.
Diet FAQ's
Q. I have to put on 10kg in the next 3-6 months ... what should I do?
1. Improve strength and tolerance to training > create demand otherwise it'll be mostly fat you add.
2. Start from as lean as you can.
3. Sleep well and reduce life stress (babies sleep a lot).
4. Get sun and water. Nothing grows without light and water.
5. Eat 3-4g / kg bodyweight in protein from mostly red meat. Mince works well if you're struggling with volume.
6. Use potatoes or rice as your main carbohydrate source.
7. Add butter, honey and cream liberally to meals as more mass is needed.
8. Avoid foods that upset the gut and destroy appetite (protein shakes and other supplements often backfire in this way and don't work as well as they are reported to work).
This is not an ideal long-term plan but I have seen rapid emergency mass gains.
Q. Sprinter needs to drop 5% bodyfat fast.
1. No carbs.
2. Lean protein for around 70-90% of calories.
3. Decreased meal frequency.
4. Calorie controlled fat re-feed days every 2-4 days after the first 7 days strict.
5. Keep salt and electrolytes high.
6. Prioritise strength over speed for the period of rapid fat loss. The fat loss will impact speed more than and change in technique.
Q. What about Blue Zones?
Blue zone diets have been debunked. Nutritional science is difficult. Mixed diets can definitely work. Those born over 100 years ago grew up with much lower levels of chemical exposures and others stressors (electromagnetic, time, geographical isolation from tribe etc.)
ATG Coaches Case Studies > add your story to the comments to be transferred here.
Diet - Protocols I've Used.
Ultimate Health Diet
What protocols are getting people back from the worst health challenges?
Brain regeneration. Overcoming unhealthy cell growth.
This is an extreme approach for those who need maximal regeneration.
FOOD
1. Bone broth
2. Liver
3. Other organ meats - Brain, marrow, heart, kidneys, sweet breads etc.
4. Beef, Lamb, Goats muscle meats (4 legged animals)
5. Fatty off-cuts / tallow / lard.
6. Eggs
Optional extras on rotation (not foundational) fish, chicken, duck.
Lifestyle is also a huge part of healing.
Fruits and Vegetables should be avoided initially if the motivation and mental health is there. Some cooked vegetables can be added back while blood is monitored for change.
MEAL FREQUENCY
1-2 meals per day between 12pm and 5pm.
TESTING
Ketones, blood glucose and
Paleo Medicina
A clinic of doctors in Hungary treating type 1 diabetes and other conditions and getting amazing clinical case study results.
Optimised Athletic Diet
Some of the following foods can be included with the ultimate health diet to support performance and muscle.
Try adding one back for a week or 2.
Consider only including these in 1 meal each day.
- Ghee
- Butter
- Raw milk (not essential but some do well with it)
- Honey
- Vegetables
- Fruit
- Rice / Sourdough / Potatoes (find one that works for you or leave them out)
Increase the eating window to 8 hours. Use 2-3 meals most days.
Rapid Muscle Diet
If maximum mass is needed with lean athletes or where body-fat is not a concern.
- Rice / Potatoes (most do better on rice but use one for one week and another for the next.
- Mince meat (lamb, beef)
- Cream
- Eggs
- Honey
- Broth
Have tasty meat burgers in the fridge in zip locked bags.
Have a rice cooker ready to go as well as cold rice in the fridge.
Heating broth / adding boiled water and flavour to cold burger patties and rice makes the process very simple.
Leaders in MASS
Stan Effernding.
Fat 2 Free
Fat can act as a form of slavery through poor health, lowered self-esteem and being less favoured in sports, relationships and even work opportunities (depending on the level).
Eliminate protein hunger while accepting some energy and fat hunger.
- It's best to be keto adapted before trying this diet because you’re going to be using your own fat stores as fuel.
- The body can up-regulate usage of fat as a fuel from stored fat but the system needs to be used instead of running on sugars from consistent sugar intake throughout the day.
Lean days.
Eat lean (<10% fat) meat to satiety 1-2 times / day.
Fish, chicken, lamb, beef.
Add 2-4 eggs as needed.
Maintenance days.
Eat 1 meal of fatty and lean meats.
Leaders in lean
- Vince Gironda - Steak and eggs diet.
- Ted Naiman MD. PE diet.
If you can't maintain it
1. Eat berries & salad.
2. Have a single meal refeed after a tough training session.
3. Just stick to it until you reach the goal.
KOT Diet
Breakfast - Coffee with cream or Eggs with butter.
Lunch - Chicken, (Burger / steak) for lunch.
Dinner - Fish or steak for dinner.
Vegetables / berries to satiety after dinner.
Fasting & Meal Frequency
Fasting increases C02 retention in the body according to Buteyko which is one of the reasons for its therapeutic impact.
The hunger and storage hormones, leptin, ghrelin and insulin are impacted by fasting.
Not eating during the 2-6 hours before bed can help us get the maximal detoxifying effect in the nervous system during sleep.
Extended fasting might not be needed for those experiencing elite health.
For those who aren't experiencing optimal health who aren't wanting to use the essential ketogenic diet / paleo medicina diet fasting could be a powerful tool.
Any extension of the time between meals has a significant physiological effect. Getting all your calories in one meal every 2 days is not the same as eating the same amount of calories divided into eating every 3 waking hours.
FASTING
When we don't eat food we still eat.
The human body must eat.
We eat ourselves.
Generally we feel good living on the fats and proteins we've stored (although tolerance to training and stress will be lower).
When we stop eating cells recycle damaged proteins (autophagy)
Weak cells die under the stress of low energy, heat etc. (apoptosis)
Diet ResourcesBeing Fat is OK
Being fat is desirable for health. Fat is good. It’s ok to be fat. Don’t try and lose weight. Gaining more fat leads to better health and performance. Being high body fat percentage makes life better. Everyone should gain fat, not lose it. Fat is essential for good life and happiness.
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