Protein Power: The high protein, low carbohydrate way to lose weight, feel fit, and boost your health, written by Dr Michael Eades and Dr Mary Dan Eades.
The book concentrates a lot on insulin (especially when levels become too high), not only as a regulator of blood sugar, but also as the ‘master hormone of human metabolism’, involved in the regulation of blood pressure, the production of cholesterol and triglycerides, and the storage of fats. As there are no medications to treat excess insulin, they consider that a properly structured diet is the only means to bring it in line.
Glucagon counters the action of insulin, and is the other master hormone of human metabolism. And food is what mainly controls these two hormones, to get a closer balance between these two hormones; the right diet is the only remedy.
There is a chapter to calculate your lean body weight, which is used to determine your daily protein requirement. To this it is recommended a carbohydrate load of 55 grams or less a day, and 25 grams of fibre a day. Tables are provided for ‘bargains under 1, 3, 5 grams of carbohydrate’, and charts of protein intake (each depends on your daily requirement), effective carbohydrate content of fruit, breads, cereals and grains, and vegetables. Needless to say there are sample menus, and recipes.
The third part of the book deals with the deadly diseases of civilization – obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, and, the common effect of excess insulin. In fact, all of these diseases are related. By restructuring your diet to reduce excess insulin, much of any disorder may be corrected; your body will heal itself.
The key chapter for me was: The Microhormone Messengers: Meet the Eicosanoids. These are the biological glue that holds together the human body. There are two families of these, one good, and the other bad for your health. Which one depends on your diet, excess insulin from a high-carbohydrate diet leads to ‘bad’ eicosanoids, as does arachidonic acid, which is found in red, and organ, meat and egg yolks. However you may eat these (using tricks) unless you are especially sensitive to arachidonic acid. Fish oil offsets the detrimental effects of arachidonic acid.
The main symptoms associated with arachidonic acid are:
Chronic fatigue
Poor or restless sleep
Difficulty awakening or grogginess on waking
Brittle hair
Thin, brittle nails
Constipation
Dry, flaking skin, minor rashes.
The other ‘biggy’ in this chapter concerned Flaxseed oil. Often recommended for helping relieve the pain and inflammation of arthritis, it is a sort of biological version of aspirin, blocking the synthesis of all eicosanoids. However, apparently, it is like using a nine-pound hammer to kill a fly: it kills the fly, but it does a lot of other damage as well.
Then, the myth of cholesterol is dealt with, and its importance as a building block for may important hormones. Again insulin plays a role here.
This a useful book to read and use for reference.
The book concentrates a lot on insulin (especially when levels become too high), not only as a regulator of blood sugar, but also as the ‘master hormone of human metabolism’, involved in the regulation of blood pressure, the production of cholesterol and triglycerides, and the storage of fats. As there are no medications to treat excess insulin, they consider that a properly structured diet is the only means to bring it in line.
Glucagon counters the action of insulin, and is the other master hormone of human metabolism. And food is what mainly controls these two hormones, to get a closer balance between these two hormones; the right diet is the only remedy.
There is a chapter to calculate your lean body weight, which is used to determine your daily protein requirement. To this it is recommended a carbohydrate load of 55 grams or less a day, and 25 grams of fibre a day. Tables are provided for ‘bargains under 1, 3, 5 grams of carbohydrate’, and charts of protein intake (each depends on your daily requirement), effective carbohydrate content of fruit, breads, cereals and grains, and vegetables. Needless to say there are sample menus, and recipes.
The third part of the book deals with the deadly diseases of civilization – obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, and, the common effect of excess insulin. In fact, all of these diseases are related. By restructuring your diet to reduce excess insulin, much of any disorder may be corrected; your body will heal itself.
The key chapter for me was: The Microhormone Messengers: Meet the Eicosanoids. These are the biological glue that holds together the human body. There are two families of these, one good, and the other bad for your health. Which one depends on your diet, excess insulin from a high-carbohydrate diet leads to ‘bad’ eicosanoids, as does arachidonic acid, which is found in red, and organ, meat and egg yolks. However you may eat these (using tricks) unless you are especially sensitive to arachidonic acid. Fish oil offsets the detrimental effects of arachidonic acid.
The main symptoms associated with arachidonic acid are:
Chronic fatigue
Poor or restless sleep
Difficulty awakening or grogginess on waking
Brittle hair
Thin, brittle nails
Constipation
Dry, flaking skin, minor rashes.
The other ‘biggy’ in this chapter concerned Flaxseed oil. Often recommended for helping relieve the pain and inflammation of arthritis, it is a sort of biological version of aspirin, blocking the synthesis of all eicosanoids. However, apparently, it is like using a nine-pound hammer to kill a fly: it kills the fly, but it does a lot of other damage as well.
Then, the myth of cholesterol is dealt with, and its importance as a building block for may important hormones. Again insulin plays a role here.
This a useful book to read and use for reference.
