It has been my experience that most doctors are slaves to the pharmaceutical companies and don't do much thinking for themselves. That is why they still believe in the diet-heart hypothesis and will steer you in the wrong direction when reading your lipid results. Here is what the numbers really mean:

Total Cholesterol - Don't be fooled here. Total cholesterol is not a good predictor of much unless you are setting a low score. In which case, you will likely suffer from dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, depression, cancer, or a stroke as you get older.

HDL - Often referred to as "good" cholesterol, the higher the better. 60-80 mg/dL is a good place to be, but if you work hard and get a score above 100 mg/dL, I'll give you a high-five!

LDL - Often referred to as "bad" cholesterol, this guy gets a bad rap. The size of the LDL particles is much more important than the generic number most doctors will give you. That's right, size does matter. Large and fluffy are nothing to worry about, while small and dense just might kill you.

Triglycerides - The lower the better here. The amount of triglycerides in your blood goes hand-in-hand with LDL particle size and insulin resistance. Because of this, your triglyceride level can generally be used as an indicator of your LDL particle size as well as your level of insulin resistance. Lower tri's equals large, fluffy LDL particles and less insulin resistance. Higher tri's equals small, dense LDL particles and a higher level of insulin resistance. A score less than 60 mg/dL is ideal.

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That's right, we need YOUR help in designing the next CrossFit Fire t-shirt! Let your imagination run wild and submit your best work. If your design is selected, you will be the first one at the Fort to don the new threads...for FREE!

If you have some creative ideas, but zero artistic ability, seek someone *cough* Brittany *cough* out to assist you.

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Brian's comment from the "Grain-fed Cattle vs Grain-fed People" post:

Bill-

I tried explaining the paleo diet to a few runners this weekend after our weekly softball game and they had the same dietary mantra that I had before I got brainwash...I mean, before I learned from you. "It doesn't matter what you eat, if you burn off more than you put in, you won't gain weight." I tried to explain to them about body composition and the role of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, but I'm pretty sure they just didn't believe me.

Is there a short, like no more than 2-3 paragraph answer to this common refrain that you have handy that we can all use?

Thanks.

Overweight individuals are not overweight because they ate too much and/or exercised too little. Instead, they are overweight because of the hormones in their bodies. You see, we all have the same hormones, but our lifestyles will dictate which ones are released and in what amount. Therefore, if you fuel your body improperly (i.e. frankenfoods) or stress your body too much (i.e. chronic cardio, lack of sleep, etc.) you will be promoting the production and release of hormones that may drive you to become fat. Once you are overweight, you will eat more and exercise less because that is the signal your body is now conveying. This happens because the hormones being produced in overweight people are triggering the fat cells to be greedy and not release the fat to be used by the body as energy. The body compensates by:

1. going into conservation mode (i.e. inactivity/lethargy)
2. signaling for more fuel through hunger/appetite.

A good example of this are growing kids. They don't go through growth spurts because they are taking in more calories than they are expending. Instead, they take in more than they are burning because they are going through a growth spurt. This means that the growth hormones in their bodies are signaling for an increase in energy so they can grow. Thus, the large appetites of children when they are growing.

Another good example would be someone who has been eating and exercising the exact same for a long time while maintaining a steady body weight and then they inexplicably put on a few extra pounds. This is because they have been following the calorie-in/calorie-out mantra for far too long and it finally caught up to them. They destroyed their inner workings to the degree that they are now insulin resistant and fat storing machines. The fat cells have become greedy and this will drive them to obesity unless changes are made to what they are eating, not how much.

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Dr. Davis, of The Heart Scan Blog, has posted yet again on the dangers of fructose. His most recent post, Fructose is a Coronary Risk Factor, concludes with:

Make no mistake: Fructose is a powerful coronary risk factor.
There is no doubt whatsoever that a diet rich in fructose from fruit drinks, honey, raisins and other dried fruit like cranberries, sucrose (table sugar), and high-fructose corn syrup is a high-risk path to heart disease.

Also note that many foods labeled "heart healthy" because of low-fat, low saturated fat, addition of sterol esters, or fiber, also contain fructose sources, especially high-fructose corn syrup.

In an earlier post, Goodbye, Fructose, Dr. Davis gives the following warning:

...fructose is yet another common food additive that, along with wheat, is likely a big part of the reason Americans are fat and diabetic.

Fructose is concentrated, of course, in high-fructose corn syrup, comprising anywhere from 42-90% of total weight. Fructose also composes 50% of sucrose (table sugar). Fructose also figures prominently in many fruits; among the worst culprits are raisins (30% fructose) and honey (41% fructose).

Also, beware of low-fat or non-fat salad dressings (rich with high-fructose corn syrup), ketchup, beer, fruit drinks, fruit juices, all of which are rich sources of this exceptionally fattening, metabolism-bypassing, LDL cholesterol/small LDL/ApoB increasing compound. Ironically, this means that many low-fat foods meant to reduce cholesterol actually increase it when they contain fructose in any form.

When you hear or say "fructose," run the other way, regardless of what the Corn Refiners Association says.

I have said it before and I will say it again, fructose will kill you! It isn't the saturated fats and red meat that are causing high cholesterol and heart disease; it is the grains and fructose!

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Fact:
Cattle are fed grains in the final stages of their lives to quickly fatten them for slaughter.

Fact:
The US government encourages people to eat grains in an effort to lose weight and become "healthy".

Now, I hope you can all see the problem here. If you can't, I am here to help.

Here is a picture of cattle being fed grains in an effort to fatten them:

Here are a couple of people being fed grains:

Now, I know there will be at least one of you out there who will argue that grains are metabolized differently by cows than they are by people. If you believe this, please explain to the rest of us how that is. Seriously, since the government started pushing grains on the American public, diseases of civilization have been on the rise and obesity has increased to such a level that it is being considered a pandemic! You are all smart enough to know the solution by now.

Long post short, grains are great for fattening both cattle AND people. Love yourself for a change and stay away from those damn dirty grains!

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Yesterday we discussed how prudent it may be to spend more on food now in order to save a lot on healthcare later. Is it absolutely necessary though to spend more on food to avoid the diseases of civilization?

In layman's terms, NO!

Here are a few ideas for going Paleo on a Budget:

1. Eat at home - you will lose money faster eating out than you would if you sat at home setting $1 bills on fire
2. Join a food club - find a local CSA or Co-op and enjoy the discount benefits of ordering agricultural products with a group of people
3. Grow your own - if you have the time and interest, start your own garden
4. Buy in bulk - buy your meat a quarter of a cow or more at a time and stock your freezer for the next year
5. Buy in season - stick to fruits and vegetables that are locally in season and save considerably
6. Buy frozen - fruits and vegetables are just as nutritious when frozen, but a fraction of the price
7. Go carnivore - stay away from those expensive fruits/veggies and stick solely to animal products

My family is currently making an effort to eat at home more often. We also try to buy our meat in bulk as much as possible. I feel that we have had pretty good success at keeping the cost down to this point. Personally, I have gravitated very closely to carnivorism over the past several months, so I will use that as an example.

A typical day for me will consist of 1.5 pounds of beef rib eye and 2 pounds of ground beef. This comes out to a grand total of $14.47 per day for food. I could also very easily swap out 3/4 of a pound of rib eye for 14 large eggs (7 whole eggs + 7 egg yolks) and arrive at a very similar level of macronutrients for a total of $10.39; a savings of $4.08!

With that being said, I challenge you to come up with a day's worth of food that contains approximately 4,000 calories and costs less than $14. If you are feeling really adventurous, you can try to outdo the cost of the second example. Feel free to use restaurants, fast food joints, supermarkets, mail order, whatever. We will then compare the nutritional profile of my daily intake to whatever you can come up with.

One last note. I will be more than happy to do a follow-up on the health merits of a completely carnivorous diet if requested to, but please don't flame me in the comments. Stay focused on the main objective of this post.

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One of the arguments that usually surfaces when trying to get someone to eat Paleo is cost. Sure, organic fruits and vegetables combined with raw nuts and other goodies can add up quickly, but being sick at some point in your life will cost even more. Here are the numbers:

Cost of living with heart disease or stroke:

• According to the CDC, living with heart disease will cost you upwards of $121,200 over 20 years.
• If you need surgery or other forms of ongoing care, the cost can realistically exceed $4.8 million over your lifetime.
• The estimated lifetime cost of a severe stroke in a younger individual is $500,000.

Cost of individual procedures:

• The average cost of a cardiac catheterization in 1992 was $10,880.
• The average cost of coronary artery bypass surgery in 1995 was $44,820.
• In 1996, the estimated first-year cost for a heart transplant was $253,200. The estimated annual followup cost was more than $21,200.
• The average cost of a coronary angioplasty in 1995 was more than $20,000.

Cost of living with diabetes:

• People diagnosed with diabetes spend over $4,100 more each year on medical costs than people who don't have diabetes.
• This gap increases by an average of $128 each year following the initial diagnosis.

As you can see, the cost of being sick is outrageous. Prioritizing your physical health and thinking long term is the perfect justification for making the switch to Paleo and allocating more of your resources (i.e. money) to food.

Spend more now, save a lot later!

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