Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?
I wanted to talk about what Dugdeep brought up with this note: “because I think having a probiotic that provides bacteria conducive to our diet may be quite helpful for us.” Last week I had a dietary wakeup call from a forum member, and I had the exact same thoughts on my mind.
It seems like we need meat probiotics. And by and large, what’s on the market is dairy based and/or designed to digest carbohydrates. I don’t know if this is faulty logic on my part based on a misnomer. I perceive Lactobacillus as a dairy product, yet you can get it from the air when you make sauerkraut – not that they necessarily cross cancel.
Lactobacillus specifically on Wikipedia & others that paraphrase it – key points about how it works, where it comes from and why it’s important:
They are a major part of the lactic acid bacteria group, named as such because most of its members
convert lactose and other sugars to lactic acid.
Many species are
prominent in decaying plant material. The production of lactic acid makes its environment acidic, which inhibits the growth of some harmful bacteria.
The ubiquitous appearance in food and their contribution to the healthy microflora of human mucosal surfaces.
The Lactobacillus acidophilus breaks down lactose in foods and produces lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide and many other by-products that create a harsh environment for bad bacteria. Additionally, it competes for food that many of these bad bacteria depend on, therefore restricting outbreaks.
They also improve the overall integrity of the intestinal wall, which reduces the amount of toxins entering the bloodstream. Lactobacilli also improve nutrient absorption, while bifidobacteria produce B-complex vitamins and inhibit nitrates, which are possible cancer causers.
From http://jn.nutrition(dot)org/content/137/3/830S.long:
“A
prebiotic is [a nondigestible food ingredient that] “selectively fermented ingredient that allows specific changes, both in the composition and/or activity in the gastrointestinal microflora that confers benefits upon host well-being and health.” (Gibson 1995;Schrezenmeir 2001). “…
“Not all dietary carbohydrates are prebiotics, and clear criteria need to be established for classifying a food ingredient as a prebiotic.”
From www.danoneinstitute(dot)org/objective_nutrition_newsletter/on85.php
“They [Prebiotics] are part of the composition of certain foods and dietary supplements. Inulins are combinations of oligo- and polysaccharides
essentially consisting of fructose. The terms fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and oligofructose are used for inulins with low molecular weight. Other candidates exist (isomalto-oligosaccharides, lactosucrose, xylo-oligosaccharides, soy oligosaccharides, gluco-oligosaccharides, Arabic gum, pectin hydrolysates, etc.) which have undergone or are currently undergoing preliminary testing, without having satisfied the above criteria as yet.”
……. Soooooo what happens if you aren’t eating carbs, if Lactobacillus “needs” to eat specific carbs??? That’s what’s missing for me, and I’m plateauing in terms of what knowledge I can process today.
I think that’s part of what you guys are talking about when you keep reminding us that the diet transition needs to be gradual, it’s partially so that the intestinal bacterial population can change its makeup and optimize nutritional uptake too. But change to what?
I did not find anything on the market that satisfied my curiosity about meat probiotics, and my search lead me to discussion boards about “High Meat” – as in the way historical cultures dealt with the less desirable muscle meat: let it rot in a hole til it’s a liquidy “delicacy” (I read in “Salt: A World History” that the Swedish canned fish version was banned by US customs after they opened it and got a whiff, LOL!).
Anyway, so far, I just can’t go there (never say never though!). But it does bring to mind this other thread here on The Vegetarian Myth that caught my eye before (http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,20771.msg270258.html#msg270258) about Dry Aging beef, which would basically be sausages & beef jerky too, no? But I’m thinking about probiotics (bacterial doing the predigestion for you, not just the yummy aging part of tenderizing muscle meat by leaving it sit open in the fridge for a few days then cooking it).
Frankly, I may just have the ladder on the wrong wall with this meat-based probiotic quest,
perhaps the important part is just having the proper digestion enzymes for fat/protein, akin to the recommendations of including Milk Thistle (for liver support) and Ox Bile for fat digestion.
Why I’ve looked up fat digestion enzymes (Lipase) is because I’m starting to get those eye-blob-things that my grandma had, kinda like a pimple on your eyelid that grows and grows, I don’t remember they’re called. They are commonly understood as a sign of too much cholesterol – but I had read that in Chinese Traditional Medicine circles they are considered a sign of poor fat assimilation.
A brief Wikipedia explainer about digestive enzymes:
An important function of enzymes is in the digestive systems of animals. Enzymes such as amylases and proteases break down large molecules (starch or proteins, respectively) into smaller ones, so they can be absorbed by the intestines. Starch molecules, for example, are too large to be absorbed from the intestine, but enzymes hydrolyze the starch chains into smaller molecules such as maltose and eventually glucose, which can then be absorbed. Different enzymes digest different food substances. In ruminants, which have herbivorous diets, microorganisms in the gut produce another enzyme, cellulase, to break down the cellulose cell walls of plant fiber.
And a comprehensive article:
http://library.thinkquest(dot)org/24206/enzyme-therapy.html
Overview:
An important first step in restoring health and well-being by helping to remedy digestive problems. Food (plant) enzymes and pancreatic (animal) enzymes are used in complementary ways to improve digestion and absorption of essential nutrients. Treatment includes enzyme supplements, coupled with healthy diet that features whole foods. Plant-derived enzymes and pancreatic enzymes can be used independently or in combination.
Below: A chart of the numerous digestive enzymes of the body and their functions.
Amylase - digests starches
Bromelain - a proteolytic, anti-inflammatory food enzyme from pineapple. Aids digestion of fats
Catalase - works with SOD to reduce free radical production
Cellulase - digests cellulose, the fibrous component of most vegtable matter
Chymotrypsin - helps convert chyme
Diastase - a pontent vegtable starch digestant
Lactase - digests lactose, or milk sugar, (almost 65% of humans are deficient)
Lipase - digests fats
Mycozyme - a single-celled plant enzyme for digestion of starches
Pancreatin - a broad spectrum, proteolytic digestive aid, derived from secretions of animal pancreas; important in degenerative disease research. proteolytic food enzymes from unripe papaya; a veegatable pepsin for digesion of proteins.
Papin and chymopapain - These enzymes help loosen nercotic and encrusted waste material from the intestinal walls.
Pepsin - a proteolytic enzyme that breaks down proteins into peptides. Can digest 3500 times its weight in proteins.
Protease - digests proteins
Rennin - helps digest cow's milk products
Trypsin - a proteoytic enzyme
Description:
For every chemical reaction that occurs in the body, enzymes provide the stimulus.
• Plant enzymes: Enhance the body's vitality by strengthening digestive system.
• Pancreatic enzymes: Beneficial to both the digestive system and the immune system.
The human body makes approximately 22 digestive enzymes, capable of digesting protein, carbohydrates, sugars, and fats. The function of the enzyme, a specialized protein molecule, is to catalyze chemical reactions within the cells so that all physiological processes can occur. The process of digestion begins in the mouth, makes its way to the stomach, and concludes in the small intestine. At each step in this process, specific enzymes break down different types of food. This process is balanced through acidity; each site along the digestive tract has a different degree of acidity that allows certain enzymes to function while inhibiting others. Every specific enzyme can bind to only one specific substrate (described by the lock-and-key model of enzyme function), or group of chemically related substances. Food enters the upper portion of the small intestine (after leaving the stomach) where the pancreas (digestive organ that feeds enzymes into the gut) provides pancreatic enzymesto further break down the food.
Enzyme activity is truly holistic; most enzymes act together as co-enzymes, or as co-factors with vitamins, minerals and trace minerals for optimum body efficiency. There are three basic categories of enzymes: metabolic enzymes, digestive enzymes, and enzymes in raw foods. Metabolic enzymes run body processes, repair damage and decay, and heal disease, while digestive enzymes assimilate carbohydrates, proteins and fats into the body. Enzymes in raw foods start food digestion and aid the body's digestive enzymes so they do not have to carry the entire load. There are over 1,000 kinds of acid, alkaline, or neutral enzymes that are quite specific in their functions.
There are four categories of plant enzymes that have uses in plant enzyme therapy:
(Note: the names of all enzymes end with the suffix -ase.)
Protease - digests protein
Amylase - digests carbohydrates
Lipase - digests fat
Cellulose - digests fiber
Plants are a person's only source of cellulase because the human body is unable to produce it. Cellulase is found in the rigid cell walls of plants to digest cellulose when needed. The fact that Plant enzymes function in the stomach, predigesting the food, was proposed by Dr. Howell in the 1920s. This predigestion of food occurs during the interim period, before enough hydrochloric acid (HCL) accumulates in the stomach to begin the next stage of digestion. Some people may have a problem digesting uncooked foods because of a lack of cellulase.
Cooking food can destroy the important plant enzymes. They are more heat-sensitive than vitamins and are the first to be destroyed during cooking. They are destroyed by being heated above 118 degrees Fahrenheit and "are deactivated or destroyed by pasteurizing, canning, and microwaving," according to Dr. Lita Lee, Ph.D. of Eugene, Oregon. While raw foods recommended, a one hundred percent raw foods diet is not necessary. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has long approved the use of plant enzymes, but as dietary supplements only.
The consequences of eating a predominantly cooked-foods diet are various inflammations, pancreatic hypertrophy (enlargement), toxic colon, and allergies. Because of inflammation, conditions such as bronchitis, sinusitis, cystitis, rhinitis, and arthritis may occur, and may be accompanied by fever, redness, swelling, and pain. Pancreatic hypertrophy results when a diet lacking in enzymes puts an extra strain on the enzyme production of the pancreas. The organ attempts to make more secretion by enlarging.
Undigested food can remain in the intestine and not be excreted. Here, molecules are converted into toxins that by the blood to the liver for detoxification. If the liver is overworked, it will be unable to properly detoxify the blood, resulting in the colon becoming toxic. A meal of predominantly cooked foods can lead to digestive leukocytosis, a condition marked by an marked by an increased white blood count. A rise in white blood cells is a sign that the immune system is mobilized. This mobilization accompanies infections, poisoning, but can also occur after breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Such a response puts added stress on the immune system. The concept of the immune system being stimulated every time a person eats was first reported in 1897 by Rudolph Virchow, the father of cellular pathology.
Pancreatic enzymes function in the small intestine and in the blood. They do not digest food in the stomach, or contribute to the important step of predigestion. Protein molecules that are only partially digested in the small intestine are able to be absorbed into the bloodstream. The immune system now treats these as invaders and circulating immune complexes form (CIC's). In a healthy person CIC's are neutralized in the lymphatic system. But in a sick person, CIC's accumulate in the blood where they can initiate an "allergic' reaction. Kidneys cannot excrete enough and CIC's begin accumulating in soft tissues, causing inflammation. Fortunately, pancreatic enzyme therapy can correct this problem, mainly because pancreatic enzymes can break down CIC's.
