Ketogenic Diet - Powerful Dietary Strategy for Certain Conditions

[Gimpy]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

FWIW....I think this is working to lift the depression. Time will tell.

I'll put up with anything for that.

 

[Scottie]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Plus, it's the opposite of "too much focus on food", it's seeing food for what it is: fuel, not a social/pleasure thing primarily.

I don't think you can have too much focus on food.

I mean, normally we think of this as a bad thing, but then normally, people eat crap. They don't think that they are focused on food, but they have all kinds of problems. But, if you even suggest that they give up something like sugar or wheat, they just can't even imagine it. Forgot about even trying! In short, they have too much focus on food without even realizing it.

Then you have diet-aware people, who are seen by "normal eaters" as having "too much focus on food". Well, yeah, but that's like saying, "Why are you so obsessed with putting diesel in your car? I mean, sheesh! Just dump some gasoline or olive oil or turpentine or grape juice in there!"

The difference is the focus of the focus, or rather unconscious brain chemical-induced obsession vs. conscious eating for fuel.

At the end of the day, we MUST focus on food, because if we don't eat, we die. So, what could be more important than eating properly??

No one ever gets accused of having too much focus on breathing... Well, and there again, you CAN breathe more productively and effectively, so that accusation should be coming any day now...

 

[Carl]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Plus, it's the opposite of "too much focus on food", it's seeing food for what it is: fuel, not a social/pleasure thing primarily.

I don't think you can have too much focus on food.

I mean, normally we think of this as a bad thing, but then normally, people eat crap. They don't think that they are focused on food, but they have all kinds of problems. But, if you even suggest that they give up something like sugar or wheat, they just can't even imagine it. Forgot about even trying! In short, they have too much focus on food without even realizing it.

Then you have diet-aware people, who are seen by "normal eaters" as having "too much focus on food". Well, yeah, but that's like saying, "Why are you so obsessed with putting diesel in your car? I mean, sheesh! Just dump some gasoline or olive oil or turpentine or grape juice in there!"

The difference is the focus of the focus, or rather unconscious brain chemical-induced obsession vs. conscious eating for fuel.

At the end of the day, we MUST focus on food, because if we don't eat, we die. So, what could be more important than eating properly??

No one ever gets accused of having too much focus on breathing... Well, and there again, you CAN breathe more productively and effectively, so that accusation should be coming any day now...

I'll certainly be using that one when the next food discussion comes along ;) .

Then there are the people who acknowledge that they eat for pleasure, and think you're some kind of sad negative weirdo who's scared to "enjoy life"!. Then again, when your only pleasures are food, sex and vicarious violence, that view is understandable.

 

[Laura]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Yes. I have a large tub of DMSO gel that I share with the dog. The gel got me through the day yesterday, but the skin is very irritated from it. I'm going to give the skin a rest and put lotion on it today, see how that does.

I found the gel to be too harsh so I use the rose cream and generally combine it with arnica gel. Let me know if there is none available in your area (send hubby to check or call around) and I'll see that you get some.

You COULD mix the gel half and half with pure aloe gel... you just have to be careful what you mix DMSO with because it will carry it directly into the tissues. You could add some plain, ground up aspirin to the mix too.

 

[Gawan]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Unfortunately hormones are not possible to get in Germany without a prescription (but see further below) only something similar like this would be available:

_http://www.remedia.at/homeopathy/Cortisonum/a340.html

That is homeopathic, might be worth a try. People get hydrocortisone over the web at fludan.com, where they sell it in powder form. In that case, a scale that can weight in grams is needed. For instance, a cheap gem stone scale.

Who knows, DLPA first thing in the morning might do it. At least you have it and can experiment.

I started with one capsule at about 7, but the feeling did come up at about nine (had also more warm hands). So I took another one with vitamin C and it went off pretty fast (connected with a bit cold sweating hands). Nonetheless I'm really tired at the moment and have to drag myself from about 12pm to about 4pm and need to go to bed earlier as well. Hopefully it is getting better soon.

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Plus, it's the opposite of "too much focus on food", it's seeing food for what it is: fuel, not a social/pleasure thing primarily.

I don't think you can have too much focus on food.
...

I have been reading Wild Child by T. C. Boyle. I picked it up as an audiobook on sale for $4.95 -- one of those things that just sort of dropped into my life out of nowhere, and it's one of the most depressing books I have read, but it has been an interesting sort of depressing. It's a bunch of short stories about sleeping people and their occasional encounters with reality. I was listening to one of them while I was driving that involved Mexican kidnappers, and suddenly I encountered a roadblock that -- it turns out -- was due to an actual hostage situation at a Jack-in-the-Box (another reason not to eat fast food, I guess; I saw armored SWAT vehicles drive by while I waited at a second roadblock and thought about our future here in the USA). Fortunately, the rest of the stories didn't reach out to me in that particular way.

The title story (which comes near the end of the book, after you have already been thoroughly beaten down), is about Victor, the Wild Boy of Aveyron. It is the only true story in the book as far as I know. What struck me about the account (finally getting to the on-topic part of this post) was the boy's natural behavior and diet, seen as a whole. It occurred to me that if we ate "naturally," relying only on foods we killed with our bare hands and ate raw, we might lose much of our human abilities. We need hunting tools and cooking skills and implements in order to feed our advanced brains.

We are very far from our natural roots, both in terms of diet and behavior, and that seems to be a good thing. But if we forget our roots and how we escaped them (on our own or with help; doesn't matter), we could find ourselves heading back in the other direction. And I think that is kind of what is happening. Human brains are shrinking, and humans seem to be having more and more trouble living on a human level.

The Paleo approach would seem to be a good start -- figure out what worked in the relatively recent past to move humanity forward and simulate it with what we have available now. The task now, though, is to evolve beyond that point. Definitely with help.

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

...What you say sounds like something that is called "Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome":

_http://www.wilsonssyndrome.com/
...

I happened to look up liothyronine on worstpills.org, and I was treated to a warning about how treating for "Wilson's syndrome" is considered quackery. Personally, I think think that if the FDA and the medical establishment regard it that way, that's a recommendation right there to try it. I can see where there would be risks if the Dr. didn't know what he/she was doing, but otherwise it looks pretty safe. A lot safer than many "approved" treatments.

I haven't had any side effects so far, but then I haven't had much improvement either. My body temperature is still around 97 most mornings, although it was 96.2 yesterday morning. I was having some GI symptoms this last week, however, that have settled now and that may help (yeah, I ate just a little bit of something I shouldn't have).

With my temperature being so low, it's no wonder I have an aversion to cold. I am wondering, however -- could some sort of cold therapy actually increase body temperature?

 

[Gaby]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

With my temperature being so low, it's no wonder I have an aversion to cold. I am wondering, however -- could some sort of cold therapy actually increase body temperature?

Well, it has certainly made more cold resistance all those who had tried, however "painful" it is at the beginning. Cold therapy is meant to improve metabolism as well.

The tricky thing with T3 is that it is one of those things that go down in longevity research, the concept being that thermogenesis is not good for health and that is why we restrict our protein intake. Even your low T3 levels might indicate that you are "on track" and that perhaps you need to work more on your adrenal fatigue thing (i.e. physiological doses of cortisol which will help balance all hormones including thyroid ones)

Ron Rosedale explains these concepts and Nora Gedgaudas has spread his message in PBPM. Here are some of his explanations:

Thermogenesis – Not So Good For Health – Ron Rosedale

_http://drrosedale.com/blog/2012/10/31/thermogenesis-not-so-good-for-health-ron-rosedale/

In calorie-restricted animals, researchers generally see a lower free T3. They also see lower T3 in centenarians, people who live past 100. When you see a lower free T3, it’s really indicative of kind of a longevity phenotype. It’s indicative of what you might even call, non-hibernating hibernation. And one clue that this lower T3 is healthy is that people who have it generally report that they function better. If it happens to you, on a low-carb diet that you’ve become adapted to over time, you’re not weak. You generally have more energy.[...]

Having your T3 level go lower, in a healthy way, is like being able to turn down the idle of a car when it’s tuned properly, so that at rest it doesn’t have to waste as much energy. In an efficiently running car, the resting “metabolism” of the car is lower. And if you want to get power from that car, if you want to accelerate, that’s better too. When a car is well tuned, it allows for a lower idle speed, and it will actually accelerate faster, and the engine itself certainly will have a much longer lifespan. It’s functioning better.

[...]

When a person switches to a low-carb diet, their metabolism overall isn’t necessarily increasing. The rate of metabolism might increase somewhat if they feel more energetic and start exercising more, and resting on the sofa less. And they might lose weight not because they’re burning more calories but instead because their hormones are signaling correctly and they’re less hungry. In other words, what’s happening on a very low-carbohydrate diet is, they’re improving the quality of their metabolism such that they’re able to burn fat properly and more importantly, ultimately enable better leptin and insulin signaling that will more appropriately apportion which fuel to burn when, in other words, when to burn fat and when not to. Most people are not able to burn fat — certainly not as readily as they need to or would want to. And the reason for that is because of inappropriate—or inaccurate, really—leptin signaling and even insulin signaling, more widely known as leptin and insulin resistance.

[...]

For most of the people, and I’ve questioned a number, including many who attended the August, Ancestral Health Symposium at Harvard, most people who mention that they felt poorly when they went on a very low-carbohydrate diet, when you question them in detail, you find they were eating way too much protein–two, three, four times as much protein as I normally recommend. People have within themselves such a fear that fat is a bad thing to eat, unconsciously they avoid it, and the only thing you can eat if you’ve eliminated most carbs and you don’t eat fat, is protein. So when people go on a very low-carbohydrate diet, unless they consciously think about it all the time, they go high-protein, which can make them miserable.

So when people report feeling poorly when they go on a very low-carbohydrate diet—and by the way, most people don’t feel poorly, and many feel much more energetic. But among those who report they feel bad, it’s usually either that they haven’t given the switch to low carb, high fat eating a long enough time to get through the physiological adaptation this switch requires, or, they never get through that adaptation because they’re eating too much protein, or too much carbohydrate. Excess of either of these will prevent you from actually getting through that adaptation. For instance, they lower their carbohydrate some but not enough to really start burning fat. It only takes 100 grams of carbohydrate a day to prevent a person from properly going into ketosis, and therefore supplying the necessary “ketone” fuel for many different body functions that can’t simply burn fatty acids, such as the brain. Or, they eat so much protein, the excess protein raises insulin and also leads the excess protein to be burned or transformed by the body into sugar, and all that keeps them out of ketosis as well. And if you’re not generating ketones because you’re eating too many carbohydrates, or you’re eating too much protein, then certainly initially you’re going to have a difficult time and you’re not going to feel well.

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

With my temperature being so low, it's no wonder I have an aversion to cold. I am wondering, however -- could some sort of cold therapy actually increase body temperature?

Well, it has certainly made more cold resistance all those who had tried, however "painful" it is at the beginning. Cold therapy is meant to improve metabolism as well.

The tricky thing with T3 is that it is one of those things that go down in longevity research, the concept being that thermogenesis is not good for health and that is why we restrict our protein intake. Even your low T3 levels might indicate that you are "on track" and that perhaps you need to work more on your adrenal fatigue thing (i.e. physiological doses of cortisol which will help balance all hormones including thyroid ones)

Ron Rosedale explains these concepts and Nora Gedgaudas has spread his message in PBPM. Here are some of his explanations:

...

Thank you. I remember that discussion now, but what about when rT3 is high, as mine is? That is not a healthy indication as far as I know.

I have been adjusting protein to be just enough so that I don't feel hungry, which works out to a little under 1 g/kg of my reference weight. My ketones weren't particularly high when I last measured them (somewhere around 2.4 or 2.5 mmol), but I am definitely in ketosis. I am actually ending up with a little too much meat at the end of the week now, and I have reduced the amount of bacon in the morning (again, guided by appetite), which takes me even closer to the RDA (0.8 g/kg, I think) that Nora quoted. Unless I am somehow "protein sensitive" then I don't think I am getting too much. I am happy to reduce it -- protein is expensive! At least the grass-fed variety is.

I am using a reference weight of 80 Kg, which in my past experience was "just right." If it turns out in the long run to be high then I might need even less protein. The idea of the reference weight is that if you are carrying extra pounds of fat, that doesn't proportionally increase your need for protein. Phinney & Volek somewhere (in a podcast, I think) talked about their current method for setting reference weight, and it sounded a bit complicated. I just pick a number.

 

[Laura]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Megan, I had the idea that if I could just get the adrenal fatigue straightened out and get my sleep normalized, that other things would begin to take care of themselves. That seems to have been the case. Keep in mind that I took armour thyroid for something like 20 years and it was just messing me up as far as I can see now. I don't take any thyroid meds anymore - haven't for ten years.

 

[Gimpy]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Yes. I have a large tub of DMSO gel that I share with the dog. The gel got me through the day yesterday, but the skin is very irritated from it. I'm going to give the skin a rest and put lotion on it today, see how that does.

I found the gel to be too harsh so I use the rose cream and generally combine it with arnica gel. Let me know if there is none available in your area (send hubby to check or call around) and I'll see that you get some.

You COULD mix the gel half and half with pure aloe gel... you just have to be careful what you mix DMSO with because it will carry it directly into the tissues. You could add some plain, ground up aspirin to the mix too.

A small tub of the rose scented cream was free with the jar of gel. I tried that last night, and reacted to the fragrance in it. (Very itchy, I think the skin being irritated to start with was a factor.)

I'll look for arnica gel today, see if there is anyone who has it locally.


The number of 'attacks' is less, each day the keto sticks are darker. I'm not able to be online a lot for now. Its tough getting up and down the stairs. I'm focusing on moving around, and writing on the laptop downstairs, where the recumbent bike and hand weights are.

 

[Gaby]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Megan, I had the idea that if I could just get the adrenal fatigue straightened out and get my sleep normalized, that other things would begin to take care of themselves.

And the two of them are usually related. Here is some relevant information about it:

Why sleep is more difficult for women

http://www.sott.net/article/254695-Why-sleep-is-more-difficult-for-women

Is there a torture worse than hitting the sack exhausted from a long day only to toss and turn for hours, unable to fall asleep? Or perhaps you fall asleep but later bolt awake and can't fall back asleep?

By the time women hit their mid 30s or early 40s, many struggle with sleep. Either it's difficult to fall asleep, difficult to stay asleep, or both. Although sleep difficulties can have many causes, fluctuations of female hormone prior to and during the transition to menopause can steal many hours of precious sleep.

Female hormone imbalances and sleep problems

When a woman enters perimenopause, her production of estrogen and progesterone begins to decline. Ideally the adrenal glands, which produce stress hormones, take over production of these hormones to ensure a smooth transition into menopause. Unfortunately, most women today enter perimenopause (pre-menopause) in a state of chronic stress and their adrenals glands are either producing too much or too little of stress hormones. To take on the added job of producing sex hormones is simply more than they can handle. That's when sleep issues can kick in, as balanced levels of estrogen and progesterone are necessary for healthy sleep. Other symptoms may include hot flashes, night sweats, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and more.

Women may also experience sleep issues during certain times of the menstrual cycle when hormone levels fluctuate.

Low progesterone and problems sleeping

Low progesterone seems to have become increasingly common among women and can play a large role in sleep problems. Progesterone is referred to as the "calming hormone" whereas estrogen is more excitatory, and low progesterone is associated with sleeping difficulties.

Chronic stress can impact progesterone levels. Every time you experience stress your adrenal glands release cortisol, a stress hormone. When demand for cortisol is constantly high the body borrows pregnenolone, which is needed to make progesterone and other hormones, to make cortisol instead. This is called "pregnenolone steal" because the body steals pregnenolone from the hormone cascade in order to keep pace with the demands of stress.

Stopping pregnenolone steal may help improve hormone function and improve sleep. Strategies for stopping pregnenolone steal include an anti-inflammatory diet, which eases the body's burden of stress. You may also need to work on restoring gut health, taming chronic inflammation, or managing an autoimmune disease appropriately, approaches that benefit from the guidance of an experienced practitioner.

Estrogen and sleep problems

When estrogen is too high and progesterone too low, it can cause sleep problems for the obvious reason - there is too much of the excitatory estrogen compared to the calming progesterone and the brain can't calm down enough to rest. A proper ratio between the two is important.

However, low estrogen can also contribute to sleep problems. Estrogen is intimately connected with serotonin, a brain chemical associated that is converted to melatonin, a sleep hormone. Low estrogen may lead to low serotonin activity and contribute not only to sleep problems but also depression and anxiety. The female brain is highly dependent on sufficient estrogen for normal function in general, and low estrogen can also cause symptoms that include brain fog and memory loss.

Strategies to support hormone balance

Tending to adrenal function and other health issues may help correct hormonal imbalances. This includes not only reducing lifestyle stress, but also eliminating dietary stressors. Eating a diet lower in carbohydrates to prevent blood sugar swings, avoiding foods that cause an immune reaction, not drinking too much alcohol, tending to bacterial gut infections and other aspects of digestive health, and supporting immune balance are all whole-body approaches that can foster proper hormone function and improve sleep.

It seems to me that addressing adrenal fatigue with either physiological doses of progesterone or cortisol or both is the ticket. When your adrenals are working smoothly in reaction to daily stressors, everything else works out better. T3 is more available to your body and sexual hormones get balanced. Of course, EE and the diet are at the core of the healing, but sometimes we need an extra aid during these stressful times where we are bombarded with unprecedented toxic levels in every area and aspect of our daily living.

 

[LQB]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Here's the latest WAPF article on bacon at http://westonaprice.org/traditional-diets/save-your-bacon

Save Your Bacon
Written by Kaayla Daniel, PhD, CCN
Monday, 10 December 2012 21:02
Sizzling Bits about Nitrites, Dirty Little Secrets about Celery Salt and Other Aporkalyptic News

“When you’re in my house you shall do as I do and believe who I believe in. So Bart, butter your bacon.” Homer Simpson

Neal Barnard, MD, head of the Physicians Committee for (Ir)Responsible Medicine, tried to round up an army of vegans to protest a Bacon Festival in Iowa last spring, but succeeded in recruiting only six volunteers.1 Why so few? Probably fear of bacon! Not fear of death by bacon, which is what Dr. Barnard hoped to fuel with anti-meat rhetoric and billboards of skulls and crossbones, but vegan fears of succumbing to the lure of bacon itself! Bacon’s smell and taste are so seductive that many vegetarians fear it as “the gateway meat.”

But what of those health risks? What about all that fat, cholesterol and sodium? And what about nitrites? It’s not just vegans after all who warn us against bacon. Recently, the Harvard School of Public Health announced with great fanfare that just a small daily serving of red meat would increase our likelihood of death by 13 percent, while a little bacon, hot dog, sausage or other processed red meat every day would kill us off 20 percent faster.2,3

In fact, the study was pseudo-science at its best—an observational study using notoriously fallible food-frequency questionnaires, with researchers drawing unwarranted conclusions based on mere associations. Much ado about nothing, in other words. A careful look at the data suggests a 0.2-fold increased risk at most. And that’s for people eating supermarket meat from factory farms who also happen to smoke, are couch potatoes, and eat their red meat wrapped up in white bread and buns.4-6

Sadly, lots of people assume Harvard’s warnings must be valid. Red meat, bacon and other tasty high-fat foods, after all, have long enjoyed reputations as being both delicious and dangerous. Indeed, the bacon question has been argued for years now, with most non-vegan internet bloggers concluding that bacon’s “not so bad” if used to add a bit of flavor and crunchiness to “healthy” foods such as salads and vegetables. Comedian Jim Gaffigan spoofed this point of view on Late Night with Conan O’Brien when he described bits of bacon as “the fairy dust of the food community” and eating a salad sprinkled with bacon as “panning for gold.”

A bit more bacon—even a few strips— sometimes even gets the Food Police stamp of approval, provided it’s a special treat, of course, and not a daily indulgence. But such recommendations usually come complete with a warning to stick with lean bacon, and then cook it so it’s firm but not soft. While that last sounds a bit naughty, it’s actually anti-fat food puritanism—the goal being to render the soft parts into fat that can be poured or patted off.

But what if bacon is actually good for us? What if it actually supports good health and is not a mortal dietary sin after all? What if we can eat all we’d like? Naughty propositions to be sure, but ones the Naughty Nutritionist™ is prepared to argue. And that promise is not just a strip tease!
HEALTHY FAT

Bacon’s primary asset is its fat, and that fat—surprise!—is primarily monounsaturated. Fifty percent of the fat in bacon is monounsaturated, mostly consisting of oleic acid, the type so valued in olive oil. About three percent of the fat is palmitoleic acid, a monounsaturate with valuable antimicrobial properties. About 40 percent of bacon fat is saturated, a level that worries fat phobics, but is the reason why bacon fat is relatively stable and unlikely to go rancid under normal storage and cooking conditions. That’s important, given the fact that the remaining 10 percent is in the valuable but unstable form of polyunsaturates.7

Pork fat also contains a novel form of phosphatidylcholine that possesses antioxidant activity superior to vitamin E. This may be one reason why lard and bacon fat are relatively stable and not prone to rancidity from free radicals.8 Bacon fat from pastured pigs also comes replete with fat-soluble vitamin D, provided it’s bacon from foraging pigs that romp outdoors in the sun for most of the year. Factory-farmed pigs kept indoors and fed rations from soy, casein, corn meal and other grains, are likely to show low levels of vitamin D.
NUMBERS GAME

How much vitamin D is the question. Most databases suggest 100 to 250 IU per 100 grams, with some of the higher numbers coming from Italy, where even commercial pigs are more likely to see the great outdoors.9,10

However, far higher numbers have been reported, especially for pastured pigs. According to Dr. Mary Enig, USDA laboratories in the 1980s came up with the figure of 2,800 IUs per 100 grams, though those data were never officially reported by the government agency.11 According to her source at the USDA, the agency chose to suppress this information because it wanted the public to think its vitamin D must come from fortified milk and other BigAg products. Whether the 2,800 IUs figure is valid and represents sophisticated laboratory testing still not in common use or a typographical error for 280 IUs is not known. USDA databases from that period do not even include vitamin D.

Other unanswered questions involve the vitamin A content of bacon fat or lard. USDA tables—both the official tables and the unpublished 1980 findings discovered by Dr. Enig—report levels of zero.12,13 Yet a 1948 study showed that vitamin A deficiency in rats can be corrected with lard. Indeed vitamin A-deficient rats reversed the deficiency provided that fats replaced the sucrose in their chow. Even more interesting, those animals fared better than those on the same diet with added vitamin A palmitate, a synthetic form of A. Although any fats seemed to help, the effect was most pronounced with lard.14 This makes little sense given the seeming lack of vitamin A in lard, but a series of studies from the early 1950s identified the presence of a “vitamin A replacing factor” in lard even when vitamin A itself was not detected.15-19

As we would expect, the good fat in bacon comes accompanied by cholesterol, a “no-no” according to the Food Police, and yet another reason for bacon’s dangerous reputation. The evidence against cholesterol causing or contributing to heart disease, of course, is inconsistent, contradictory, misinterpreted and sparse. It’s oxidized cholesterol—as found in the powdered milk and powdered egg ingredients used for processed, packaged and fast foods, including lowfat and non-fat milks—that contributes to heart disease. What’s more, as biochemical textbooks make clear, cholesterol is the mother of all hormones, including our reproductive and mood hormones.20 Thus bacon’s cholesterol content may be part of the reason it enjoys such a reputation as a “feel good” food.
HEART OF THE MATTER

Even so, “everyone knows” bacon’s bad for us, and Dr. Barnard would have us think it’s a veritable risk factor for heart disease. In fact, bacon might be good for the heart. And not just because it makes us happy, though that’s surely a plus! Monounsaturated fat—the primary fat in bacon—is widely lauded for reducing inflammation and lowering blood pressure, while the antimicrobial palmitoleic content in bacon fat can keep plaque at bay. Triglycerides too may improve because bacon fat is especially good at helping us achieve satiety and stable blood sugar. Bacon can thus be useful for diabetics and prediabetics as well as everyone else coping with sugar cravings and carbohydrate addictions.

Promoting bacon as a red hot ticket to weight loss might seem over the top, but eggs and bacon do add up to a high-fat, high-protein, low-carb breakfast. They not only help people start their day feeling happy, but can reduce hunger pangs and rev the metabolism. For many people, bacon’s signature salty and savory sweetness is a treat that reduces feelings of deprivation and lack. It can help people transition away from high carb diets and overcome carb addictions. And by stabilizing blood sugar, bacon helps prevent mood swings, reduces anxiety, improves focus and enhances coping skills.
SALT OF THE EARTH

Those not worried about bacon’s fat and cholesterol content often fret about the salt. Sodium restriction, of course, is the latest goal of the Food Police despite underwhelming evidence that salt contributes to high blood pressure and heart disease. In fact, Americans today eat about half the salt they consumed during the good old days prior to refrigeration when meat and fish were preserved by salting and curing, and vegetables by culturing and pickling. Animals seek out salt licks, Paleo people eat and drink salty blood and other animal parts, and biochemists point out that we need sodium and chloride for blood, sweat, tears, mucus and semen. Textbooks “worth their salt” make all of this abundantly clear, yet the U.S. government guidelines recommend drastic reductions in salt intake. Sadly, low-salt diets increase the likelihood of heart disease, hypertension, cognitive decline, osteoporosis, insulin resistance and erectile dysfunction.21,22 Given today’s epidemic of chronic illness, that’s pouring salt on a gaping healthcare wound! And it’s a poor reason indeed to avoid bacon.
FEAR OF NITRITES

For members of the Weston A. Price Foundation, the big issue is not fear of fat, cholesterol or salt, but fear of nitrites, which have been associated with cancer and many other ills. Indeed, studies such as the recent one out of Harvard make the headlines so often that nearly all educated, health-conscious consumers think they should either avoid processed meats altogether or choose “uncured bacons” that are advertised as “nitrite-free.” Popular brands assumed to be healthy include Niman, Bieler, Applegate, Coleman’s and nearly every other bacon brand found at Whole Foods Market or other health food stores.

The question is, are these “uncured” bacons healthier?
DECEIVING THE PUBLIC

The short answer is no. Nathan S. Bryan, PhD, of the School of Medicine at the Universtiy of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, pulls no punches when he states, “This notion of ‘nitrite-free’ or ‘organically cured’ meats is a public deception.”23

Traditionally bacon was cured by adding sodium nitrite salts directly to the meat. Today most manufacturers of “nitrite free” brands add celery salt, which is about fifty percent nitrate, plus a starter culture of bacteria. This transforms the nitrate found naturally in the celery salt into nitrite, which cures the meat.

Although manufacturers label this bacon “nitrite-free,” this method actually generates more nitrite from the celery salt than would ever be added as a salt. Indeed, “nitrite-free” bacon can have twice the nitrite content of bacon cured directly with nitrite salts. “Some convert 40 percent, some convert 90 percent, so the consistency of the residual nitrite is highly variable,” Dr. Bryan says. Yet his biggest concern is not nitrite content but the possibility of bacterial contamination. “I think it is probably less healthy than regular cured meats because of the bacteria load and the unknown efficacy of conversion by the bacteria,” he says.24

Nitrites were used traditionally to preserve food safely, including cured meat and fish, as well as some cheeses. Although improved hygiene and availability of refrigeration diminishes the need for nitrite, it remains useful for its antioxidant properties, antimicrobial activity, flavor enhancement, and color development.25-31 Modern alternatives such as biological acidulants, parabens and sorbates are FDA-approved and generally considered safe. Yet biological acidulants such as sodium and potassium bisulfates have been linked to respiratory problems, including lung irritation and coughing,32 and parabens are significant endocrine disrupters, with the potential to adversely affect the fertility and sex lives of both men and women.33 As for sorbates, the mainstream media only warn us about an association with contact dermatitis.34 Older studies, however, suggested mutagenic sorbate and nitrite reactions.35,36 Biochemist Galen D. Knight, PhD, is sufficiently concerned to exclude them from his diet: "The sorbates and parasorbates are essentially polyunsaturated fats capable of forming both epoxides and enols, which are carcinogens. The 'bates should not be in our food supply if we want to remain healthy."37
THE BACON CURE

Could it be our ancestors were right after all? Could it also be that today’s new, improved and supposedly healthy versions of bacon are indeed not? The traditional way to make bacon is dry cured through hand rubbing with a mixture of herbs, sugars, salt, and the sodium nitrite curing salts. Vitamin C in the mix helps form the nitrosylheme pigment that gives cured meats their pleasing red color, and, as will be explained shortly, helps ensure that nitrites convert to healthy nitrous oxide and not carcinogenic nitrosamines.

Traditional producers leave the bacon to cure for anywhere from a day to a month before slow-smoking it over applewood, hickory or other wood fires, generally from one to three days. The extended curing time intensifies the pork flavor and shrinks the meat so that the bacon doesn’t shrivel and spatter as it cooks. Flavor can vary quite a bit from producer to producer, and is determined by the ingredients of the cure, the method of smoking and the timing. The age, gender and breed of the pig, as well as its time outdoors, forage and feed all influence the final flavor of the bacon as well as its potential for health benefits or risks.
DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS

Supermarket bacon may also use sodium nitrite, but not in a traditional way. Instead, manufacturers opt for fast and cheap methods by which inferior quality factory-farmed meat is pumped and plumped with a liquid cure solution that includes sodium erythrobate and sodium nitrite, along with “liquid smoke,” spices and flavorings heavy in MSG. After “curing” for a few hours, the pork is sprayed with more “liquid smoke” and heated until a smoke-like flavor permeates the meat. The pork is then quickly chilled, machine-pressed into a uniform shape, sliced, and packaged for sale. Pumped and plumped bacon may look big in the package, but shrinks, shrivels and spatters when cooked.

“Liquid smoke,” a product heavily favored by big food manufacturers, is produced by burning wood chips or sawdust, then condensing the smoke into solids or liquids and dissolving it in water. It is being investigated by the European Food Safety Authority for safety as a food flavoring because of evidence of genotoxicity and cytotoxicity. Indeed, one study suggests liquid smoke is more carcinogenic than cigarette smoke concentrate.38-41
CONCERNS ABOUT NITRITE

Concerns about the safety of nitrite first surfaced in the 1960s when studies showed the presence of carcinogenic nitrosamines in bacon and other cured meat products. In the early 1970s, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology implicated nitrite itself as a carcinogen. The MIT study involved direct feeding of nitrite to laboratory rats and later studies did not support the headline-making conclusion that nitrite induces cancer. The USDA’s concern then shifted to the formation of nitrosamines from nitrite combining with the amines available in meat, with regulators weighing the possible risk of cancer against nitrite’s traditional and wellproven role protecting us from botulism and other forms of food poisoning.42

Since then commercial bacon has been heavily studied and subject to regulatory monitoring of nitrosamine levels. Although nitrosamines have been found in many cured meats, they are most consistently found in fried bacon.43-50 A look at the research, however, shows it to be inconsistent, contradictory and confusing.

Over the years, most scientists have blamed the nitrosamines on frying although some data suggest nitrosamines can be produced as an artifact during the analytical procedure whenever residual nitrite is present.51 Wood smoke has also been blamed though the culprit might actually be “liquid smoke.”52 In 1973, the Canadian Department of Agriculture found preformed nitrosamines in the readymade spice mixes favored by Big Ag bacon processors as well as many of the smaller producers. After the USDA confirmed the Canadian findings, regulators made these spice mixes illegal.53 The USDA also soon required the use of sodium erytrobates and/ or ascorbates in bacon processing after consistent research findings indicated these substances pushed nitrosamine levels way down.54

Obviously some of the nitrosamine problem stems from industrial processing. The USDA may have outlawed certain spice mixes back in the 1970s, but preformed nitrosamines might well exist in the latest generation of artificial and “natural” flavorings and “liquid smokes.” Also worrisome are references to “meat batters” and to high pressure, high temperature processing methods known to produce nitrosamines and routinely used to produce commercial bacon.

Choosing dry cured or “country style” bacon made by small producers would seem to be a safer option, but in some instances might generate even higher levels of n-nitrosopyrrolidine (NPYR) after frying compared to pump-cured bacon.55 The problem is processing methods vary widely, with different choices and concentrations of spices, sodium nitrite and sometimes sodium nitrate. The USDA now recommends that processors not add sodium nitrate because it is not necessary and the conversion of nitrate to nitrite is variable and somewhat unpredictable.
FAT IN THE FEEDS

From the WAPF point of view, the most interesting and helpful findings concern the effect of fatty acid composition on nitrosamine formation. After all, factory-farmed pigs routinely eat feeds that include soy, corn and other inferior oils while pastured pigs generally consume a more nutritious mix, often soy-free and in the best circumstances based on whey. In 1984, researchers discovered that bacon from pigs fed corn oilsupplemented diets contains significantly higher levels of the nitrosamines n-nitrosopyrrolidine and n-nitrosodimethylamine compared to controls. They also reported that bacon from pigs fed a coconut fat-supplemented diet contains significantly lower levels of n-nitrosopyrrolidine but no significant difference in n-nitrosodimethylamine levels compared to controls.

Given that the controls were fed a standard commercial corn and soy-based diet supplemented with vitamins and minerals, we can only wonder what might be found with bacon sourced from optimally nourished, pastured pigs. Be that as it may, one of the researchers’ conclusions is telling: “Fatty acid analyses of the adipose tissue of the bacon samples indicated that n-nitrosopyrrolidine levels in bacon correlated well with the degree of unsaturation of the adipose tissue.”56 Other research supports the connection between nitrosamine formation and the fatty acid profiles of animal feed and meat. Nitrosamines show up more frequently in the fat than in the lean.57-59

The takeaway is clear: choose bacon from pastured pigs. That said, finding genuine, traditionally cured artisanal bacon is very difficult.

Many artisanal farmers do produce their bacon using the dry salt way without added nitrites, relying on salt, good sanitary practices and refrigeration to prevent contamination. Most “no added nitrate or nitrates” products are honest compared to the newfangled celery salt “uncured” bacons, and are obviously far healthier than supermarket pumped and plumped bacon-like products, or the fakin’ bacons from turkey or soy.

That said, there is probably nothing wrong with a good old-fashioned bacon cured with a precise amount of sodium nitrite curing salts. If the idea of nitrite still seems scary, consider this: Ascorbic acid is routinely added to cured meats along with the nitrite in order to promote beneficial nitric oxide formation from nitrite, and to inhibit nitrosation reactions in the stomach that can lead to carcinogenic nitrosamines. Bringing alpha tocopherol (vitamin E) into the mix as well seems to further prevent occurrence of nitrosamine formation.60-63 Old-fashioned processing, involving leisurely time for curing and smoking, further enhances the conversion of nitrite to the beneficial nitric oxide molecule.
JUST SAY "NO"

In 1998 Robert F. Furchgott, Louis J. Ignarro and Ferid Murad won the Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine for their discovery of nitric oxide (NO) as a signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system. As the first molecule discovered that can literally communicate with other molecules, nitric oxide revolutionized conventional scientific thinking.64

In terms of preventing heart disease, nitric oxide (NO) produced by the cells in our blood vessels signals the surrounding arterial tissues to relax. That lowers blood pressure, expands narrow blood vessels, eliminates dangerous clots and reduces the formation of plaque. Interestingly enough, NO lowers triglyceride levels, but not cholesterol, and researchers report that NO even seems to protect those with high cholesterol. WAPF thinking, of course, holds that NO’s failure to lower cholesterol is a point in its favor, because cholesterol has many benefits and no protection against high cholesterol is needed.

By optimizing circulation, NO affects every part of the body. More blood flow means better oxygen transfer and more energy. More blood flow means better brain function and better attention. And more blood flow means a better sex life. Accordingly, NO is a key ingredient in many well-known erectile dysfunction products. Nitric oxide also benefits the immune system, where it helps us fight off infections, and the nervous system where it helps our brain cells communicate properly. NO’s myriad health benefits are summed up in the popular book The Nitric Oxide (NO) Solution by Nathan S.Bryan, PhD, and Janet Zand, OMD.65 Although the book does not contain citations, a quick PubMed search reveals Dr. Bryan’s contribution to at least eighty-eight journal articles, many establishing the NO benefits described above.
NO FOR LIFE

The message is that NO is essential for a long, healthy and vital life. Unfortunately, few people today produce enough NO for optimal health, and NO deficiencies have been identified in many chronic diseases. Although NO supplements have been developed and marketed, and might well be helpful for people on plant-based, lowfat, low-cholesterol diets, such products might not be needed with a return to traditional foods. Traditionally cured bacon, sausage and other meats cured with sodium nitrite might be just the ticket to increasing NO production in the body.

Another big NO-producing food is beets, suggesting yet another reason why so many WAPFers thrive on beet kvass. Although foods rich in the amino acids citrulline and arginine are often recommended to increase NO production, most people are not young enough or healthy enough to turn that trick. Perhaps the more direct route from nitrite to NO is the way to go.
NITRATES, NITRITES, AND THE NITROGEN CYCLE

But aren’t nitrates (NO2-) and nitrites (NO3-) dangerous? Yes and no. Nitrates are natural products of the nitrogen cycle and are found in water, plants and animals. Approximately 80 percent of dietary nitrates are derived from vegetable consumption, and nitrites are naturally present in saliva, in the gut, and indeed in all mammalian tissue.66 Clearly, we cannot be pro plant-based diet and anti nitrates!

Levels of nitrite naturally increase in the body to help boost oxygen when people live at high altitudes, and such people are often considered among the healthiest in the world.67 In short, nitrites are not a problem, provided our diets are rich enough in antioxidants to facilitate the conversion of nitrites to NO and to prevent nitrosation reactions that convert nitrites into carcinogenic nitrosamines.

It’s obviously important to avoid eating readymade sources of nitrosamines, of the kind that occur in soy protein isolates, non-fat dry milk, and other products that have undergone acid washes, flame drying or high temperature spray-drying processes.68-70 People are also exposed to nitrosamines from some types of beer, cigarettes, nipples of baby bottles and the rubber used with braces in orthodontics.71,72 In other words, nitrosamines don’t just come from cured meats. Furthermore, the nitrosamine content in cured meats has gone way down over the past few decades.72

As for environmental damage from nitrates, this problem comes from the land use abuses of factory farming.
BRING HOME THE BACON

Then why do so many health experts condemn bacon and other cured meats because of their nitrite content? Well, why do fats and cholesterol still get a bum rap? The reason is bad studies and worse publicity, with the latest shoddy work out of Harvard a prime example. According to Dr. Bryan, the body of studies shows only a “weak association” with evidence that is “inconclusive.” As he and his colleagues wrote in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, “This paradigm needs revisiting in the face of undisputed health benefits of nitrite- and nitrate-enriched diets.”73

So what’s the last word on America’s favorite meat? Indulge bacon lust freely (just buy carefully), know that the science is catching up, the media lag behind, and, our ancestors most likely got it right.

The author thanks Dr. Sylvia Onusic for research assistance in preparing this article.

 

[nicklebleu]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Thanks, LQB .... really interesting arcitle.

 

[Josi]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Thanks, LQB .... really interesting arcitle.

Thanks, from me too. That was very interesting. I am going to have deprogram myself about "nitrate free" bacon.