"Life Without Bread"

[Peam]

As for the digestive enzymes, could anyone please have a look at his link and suggest which to choose?

link

Thanks

If you find you're having upper digestive problems, like things sitting in your gut, not digesting, heartburn, indigestion or gas (burping) an hour or two after eating, then you might need HCl with your enzymes. You can always test by taking a little apple cider vinegar (diluted) with your meal - if it helps (or you don't notice anything) you probably need HCl. If it makes the problem worse, your problem might be that you're producing too much acid and don't need to supplement HCl, (and you may want to take a little bicarbonate to end the discomfort from the vinegar). Note though that the ACV will burn on the way down since it's quite acidic. The test is if it burns or helps awhile after your meal, not right away.

I haven't been getting heartburn/indigestion or gas, but I have had a bit of a niggling gut ache on the left side since a couple of hours after eating the belly pork meal I mentioned above. Wonder whether you can overdo it with the fat.

You may actually need to take an additional HCl supplement since there's usually not much included in enzyme formulas (for reference, I take an HCl supplement with 650mg Betaine Hydrochloride, but enzyme formulas often only have around 50mg).

I've been out this morning and got digestive enzymes with betaine HCI 100mg in them. And some Alpha lipoic acid. So I'll see how that goes for now.

Other than that, try to find one that includes ox bile to help with the digestion of fats - that's pretty essential given the high fat diet. The rest of the enzymes will be pretty standard. You don't need any lactase, since that's specifically for dairy digestion, but it won't hurt anything if it's in there.

Hope that helps.

Thank you Dugdeep, that's helped a lot. :)

 

[Courageous Inmate Sort]

You can also get good grass-fed beef tallow and add it to stocks/soups and roasts for extra fat in the drippings - very yummy.

That sounds very yummy indeed LQB, but I cannot find grass-fed tallow... I'm not sure if I should go for the "I have no idea how this cow was raised" tallow as a source of extra fat...

 

[Keit]

Have been eating primarily fatty meat with a few carbs (in a form of salad or sweet potatoes) and definitely noticed much clearer thinking and improved mood. Still have an upset stomach and gut, but hopefully with digestive enzymes (bought today) it will be better. Also have leg cramps and fatigue, so bought potassium today as well.

The only available at the drug store was potassium gluconate, and hope that this one is ok. And just in case others are taking or are going to take this type, there is a warning of taking it if one has problems with esophagus, stomach, or intestines that make it difficult to swallow or digest pills. It is recommended to drink it with a lot of water.

Also I have a question about the color of tongue coating. Recently noticed that its color is yellow. Don't remember having it before, it was usually white. Thought at the beginning that it was due to eating fried fat pieces (that become brownish) but then read on the net that it means that it's a sign of digestive problems. It could be it, of course, since have them now, but wonder if it has something to do with primarily meat and fat eating because had serious stomach problem in the past without the yellow coating. Maybe others noticed it as well?

Also, if someone is looking for a tasty cold snack that combines fat and a lot of salt, you can make home made salt cured pork cheek (or back) pieces (they are also very cheap). "To make salt pork, salt is rubbed all over a piece of pork, using about 1 lb. of salt for 15 lbs. of pork. The salted pork is then sealed tightly in a crock and placed in a refrigerator for about five or six days." Here is an example. You can add pepper and other spices or garlic to the mix as well (like here). In the first example the person washed it all away, while usually most of the spices and salt remain. But it can be washed as well, of course, and then put in the freezer or refrigerator if you like it soft.

 

[SolarMother]

Keit

Still have an upset stomach and gut, but hopefully with digestive enzymes (bought today) it will be better. Also have leg cramps and fatigue, so bought potassium today as well.

The only available at the drug store was potassium gluconate, and hope that this one is ok. And just in case others are taking or are going to take this type, there is a warning of taking it if one has problems with esophagus, stomach, or intestines that make it difficult to swallow or digest pills. It is recommended to drink it with a lot of water.

Someone told me about L-Carnitine for leg cramps, and it has helped. I got the liquid kind.

I found only iodide potassium at the health food store. I am wondering if this is the right kind just as you are wondering if you got the right kind.
I am also trying ox bile along with digestive enzymes at beginning of meals since I still have constipation.
The ox bile might help you as well as its being recommended in general.
The latest posts are saying less than 25 grams of carbs daily. Its been said as well that yams and carrots on occasion are OK, but salad is not (that is what I was told a few days ago on the Veg Myth thread.) Also, the meats don't have to be as fatty as we thought, if all we can get is lean, its OK (Veg Myth thread.)

 

[Ollie]

Hi SolarMother

I just posted this on the Vegetarian Myth thread:

The traditional advice is to drink water/fluid no less than half an hour before a meal and four hours afterwards. However, in Konstantin Monastyrsky's Fiber Menace, he suggests that we don't need to drink a lot of water, and, the eight glasses will do nothing to alleviate constipation. Overhydration causes the gradual loss of water through urine. Potassium deficiency is the principal reason (as in dry stools) for constipation, rather than shortage of water. A fascinating and informative book to read re the cause of many ailments, and all due to eating too much fibre. Recommended reading.

This may help, or not.

 

[Thor]

As for the digestive enzymes, could anyone please have a look at his link and suggest which to choose?

link

Thanks

If you find you're having upper digestive problems, like things sitting in your gut, not digesting, heartburn, indigestion or gas (burping) an hour or two after eating, then you might need HCl with your enzymes. You can always test by taking a little apple cider vinegar (diluted) with your meal - if it helps (or you don't notice anything) you probably need HCl. If it makes the problem worse, your problem might be that you're producing too much acid and don't need to supplement HCl, (and you may want to take a little bicarbonate to end the discomfort from the vinegar). Note though that the ACV will burn on the way down since it's quite acidic. The test is if it burns or helps awhile after your meal, not right away.

You may actually need to take an additional HCl supplement since there's usually not much included in enzyme formulas (for reference, I take an HCl supplement with 650mg Betaine Hydrochloride, but enzyme formulas often only have around 50mg).

Other than that, try to find one that includes ox bile to help with the digestion of fats - that's pretty essential given the high fat diet. The rest of the enzymes will be pretty standard. You don't need any lactase, since that's specifically for dairy digestion, but it won't hurt anything if it's in there.

Hope that helps.

How do you know if you need the oxbile or not? I switched to the low-carb diet a couple of days ago and have noticed that all the meat has a harder time passing through my bowels. I think that this could be a transitory problem but I am not sure.

Also, I am wondering about stomach acidity. Many places on the Internet, the benefits of alkaline water are highly praised although not everybody seems to agree on that. I have a water filter that raises the pH of the water by about 1.5. Would this be counterproductive in switching to the low-carb diet in light of the possible need for increased acidity?

As a side note, I have found a great to add more fat to my diet, osit. After making ghee and cooling it down I mix in freshly pressed garlic to make garlic-ghee. It doesn't quite have the same texture as garlic butter but I can eat a handsome amount with each bite of meat and that does add up. It's also nice to add a little lemon or lime juice if you tolerate it as sourness serves as a good counter balance to the richness of the fat. :P

 

[anart]

Hi SolarMother

I just posted this on the Vegetarian Myth thread:

The traditional advice is to drink water/fluid no less than half an hour before a meal and four hours afterwards. However, in Konstantin Monastyrsky's Fiber Menace, he suggests that we don't need to drink a lot of water, and, the eight glasses will do nothing to alleviate constipation. Overhydration causes the gradual loss of water through urine. Potassium deficiency is the principal reason (as in dry stools) for constipation, rather than shortage of water. A fascinating and informative book to read re the cause of many ailments, and all due to eating too much fibre. Recommended reading.

This may help, or not.

This was the reply from that thread:

http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,20771.msg272852.html#msg272852

In short, drink when you're thirsty.

 

[Thor]

On that note, I've been following Dr. Eades' recommendation to add a little bit of salt to remineralize my drinking water (distilled). I find I like the taste better this way (just enough so that you can barely taste it). I just add a couple pinches of Mediterranean sea salt to my jar and I'm set to go.

I've started Dr. Eades' recommendation and I add a little bit of sea salt to my water as well. After increasing the fat and cutting down on the carbs my feet and ankles have been swollen up, but they're gradually going down again now.

Also, I've started on the diet changes before getting some lipoic acid and digestive enzymes, and I think that is why my stools have been a very light colour the last few days? So I'm straight down to the health shop tomorrow.

I had 3 rashers of bacon done in lard with some chopped sautéed onions to soak up the fat for breakfast. Then for dinner I had belly pork, carrots, Brussels sprouts and green beans, wetted with some warmed up fat mixed with some of that brown stuff that you get in the bottom of the pan after cooking a chicken (which I cooked the other day.) That's all I've had today.

As for the digestive enzymes, could anyone please have a look at his link and suggest which to choose?

link

Thanks

Hi Peam,

FWIW, I was just looking at the link you posted and the suggested digestive enzymes. Several (but not all) of them contain Maltodextrin which is to be avoided :O.

 

[Gawan]

I strongly urge everyone who wishes to try the ketogenic method of restoring health, to read this book: "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living." By Volek and Phinney.

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Science-Low-Carbohydrate-Living/dp/0983490708/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1309769535&sr=1-1

It's 30 bux in the U.S.

Thanks Laura, unfortunately it is not available in Europe, for whatever reason.

I try to find some sources about ketosis in English and how to deal with it to have some more points. Only problem with carbohydrates is then, that I need sometimes more than 20 gr. a day, cause I mainly and most often only eat carbs for correcting blood-sugar and to get it up. In the very morning the blood-sugar is able to correct itself cause of Glykogen, but it only starts to work if the bs is too low for this kind of counter-reaction. Carbs are the fastest way to get energy if needed. Well, this is just my experience so far.

AWIW sometimes I'm in ketosis about 0.2 - 0.5 and at one time it was 0.

 

[Thor]

I strongly urge everyone who wishes to try the ketogenic method of restoring health, to read this book: "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living." By Volek and Phinney.

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Science-Low-Carbohydrate-Living/dp/0983490708/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1309769535&sr=1-1

It's 30 bux in the U.S.

Thanks Laura, unfortunately it is not available in Europe, for whatever reason.

I try to find some sources about ketosis in English and how to deal with it to have some more points. Only problem with carbohydrates is then, that I need sometimes more than 20 gr. a day, cause I mainly and most often only eat carbs for correcting blood-sugar and to get it up. In the very morning the blood-sugar is able to correct itself cause of Glykogen, but it only starts to work if the bs is too low for this kind of counter-reaction. Carbs are the fastest way to get energy if needed. Well, this is just my experience so far.

AWIW sometimes I'm in ketosis about 0.2 - 0.5 and at one time it was 0.

The book can be purchased from the UK from the following site:

http://www.langtoninfo.co.uk/showitem.aspx?isbn=0983490708

However, it is too expensive for me at the moment :(

 

[Keit]

Someone told me about L-Carnitine for leg cramps, and it has helped. I got the liquid kind.

Oh yeah, thanks for the reminder! Will keep it mind if potassium won't work.

The ox bile might help you as well as its being recommended in general.

It is part of the super enzymes that I bought, so should be ok.

The latest posts are saying less than 25 grams of carbs daily. Its been said as well that yams and carrots on occasion are OK, but salad is not (that is what I was told a few days ago on the Veg Myth thread.) Also, the meats don't have to be as fatty as we thought, if all we can get is lean, its OK (Veg Myth thread.)

That's a pity (about the salad), sometimes really crave something lemony and salty (add both in generous quantities), and for some reason specifically in summer. But will stop eating if for a while. As for fatty meats, actually like animal fat a lot, it has comforting and filling feeling. And the main issue with mostly only meat diet for now is, that sometimes want something else with it or it becomes "blunt" or "boring" (and can't add much spices because react to them) and won't have an appetite for more than minimum necessary. Heck, maybe that's a good thing if seen as a fuel.

 

[Oxajil]

For the last few months, I think? (especially lately) I've been feeling sudden pain in my right ear now and then that would last for seconds and then go away. I can't think of anything else than the blinis doing this. Maybe it's the chickpea flour. So I'm going to give them up for now and see if the ear pains go away... I'm not sure what else it could be. I stay around the 40/50 carbs. Today the pain came back again, all my carbs from today are from the blinis. Haven't taken fruit/vegetables and I had meat (chicken) and eggs.

 

[Scottie]

This was the reply from that thread:

http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,20771.msg272852.html#msg272852

In short, drink when you're thirsty.

I would add: eat ONLY when you're hungry.

I think I mentioned somewhere around here that I had to stop eating lunch on this low-carb diet, because I had stomach aches when I did. Well, I'm still on that schedule. I basically skip lunch entirely most of the time, which means 2 good meals a day. I have lost no weight at all, and I even feel fabulous when working out. Sometimes I THINK that I feel "hungry" around lunchtime, but it's actually not hunger. It's more like habit - and often just thirst!

Real hunger pangs are different now... It used to be sort of a gnawing, twisting sensation accompanied by a need to stuff my face. Now "hunger" is a completely different sensation. It's like a very mild, gentle, "you MIGHT want to give me some food soon" message coming from the old belly. It's hard to explain, but it sure is nice!

And if I don't eat, I don't keel over or go crazy. Today, I was hungry about 5pm, but I went to work out instead. Then I ironed some clothes. Then I put the clothes away. And then I ate dinner - at about 7pm. No problems whatsoever.

So, listen to your tummy!

 

[Laura]

I strongly urge everyone who wishes to try the ketogenic method of restoring health, to read this book: "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living." By Volek and Phinney.

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Science-Low-Carbohydrate-Living/dp/0983490708/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1309769535&sr=1-1

It's 30 bux in the U.S.

Thanks Laura, unfortunately it is not available in Europe, for whatever reason.

I try to find some sources about ketosis in English and how to deal with it to have some more points. Only problem with carbohydrates is then, that I need sometimes more than 20 gr. a day, cause I mainly and most often only eat carbs for correcting blood-sugar and to get it up. In the very morning the blood-sugar is able to correct itself cause of Glykogen, but it only starts to work if the bs is too low for this kind of counter-reaction. Carbs are the fastest way to get energy if needed. Well, this is just my experience so far.

AWIW sometimes I'm in ketosis about 0.2 - 0.5 and at one time it was 0.

All of you REALLY, REALLY need to read this book. I mean, like REALLY.

If I can't find a pdf of it, I'll make one in the next day or so.

 

[Niall]

I ordered this book today from the US Amazon for €27. it may take a while to get to the EU, but it does ship.

So, while it's on the expensive side, it sounds like an essential guide for all of us who have wandered into ketogenic no-man's-land. While I've noticed many benefits from going low-carb, this general lethargy I feel at the moment is a real drag.