You are correct. Fat is blamed for everything. One of these days – I don’t know when – this idiocy will end.

Hi Dave–

Your diet sounds like mine.

Cheers–

MRE 

And now that I’ve sucked up a little (Heh, no I really meant it. Thanks!) I have three questions for you:

1. In your Protein Power Lifeplan book, you list Ghee as a good fat for cooking (chart p. 320). Being that I recently found out, through elimination, that my horrible sinus problems were due to dairy, I have been looking into dairy alternatives. I found many with milk allergies were able to use ghee because it contained no milk proteins. However, in researching I came across an abstract on PubMed called “Cholesterol oxides in Indian Ghee” [PMID: 2887943] which says

Substantial amounts of cholesterol oxides were found in ghee (12.3% of sterols), but not in fresh butter, by thin-layer and high-performance-liquid chromatography.

Being that all I could see was the abstract, I really have no more information to go on than this. So assuming they did find cholesterol oxides in ghee, wouldn’t this be a bad fat to use?

2. I saw you mention.. erm, somewhere… to eat a whole foods diet using only foods that would ‘go bad without electricity’ (or similar wording). Being that I live in a hurricane state and losing power for 2+ weeks at a time has happened more than once, what kind of items would you suggest to someone who needs to stock up on non-perishable food for just such an emergency? I’d like to plan ahead instead of living off crackers for two weeks and blowing all my progress.

3. I see in the comments on your “Bacon and butter and lard, oh my!” post (10/2/2006) you were considering a post on a zero carb diet and the acid-base balance of an all meat diet. I haven’t seen such a post on your blog. Have you written this yet, and if so, can you point me to it? If not, is this something you are still planning on writing?

Thank you so much for your thoughts on this. The first two questions have been nagging at me

Hi Janet–

Thanks for the kind words about the books; we really appreciate it.

Let’s get to your questions…

1) This is the first I’ve heard of oxidized cholesterol in ghee.  I’m assuming this comes from commercially-prepared ghee, which is probably made at fairly high temperatures.  You can make it yourself by slowly heating butter and pouring off the ghee as the milk solids drop to the bottom.  If you do this slowly and at just a high enough temperature to keep the butter liquefied, the amount of oxidized cholesterol should be minimal.  As another alternative, you could use coconut oil, which has no cholesterol, oxidized or otherwise.  We’ve pretty much gone the coconut oil way ourselves.

2) I would stock up on canned meats, sardines, especially, if you like them.  We love them.  You can also get canned salmon and, of course, tuna.  And you can get a lot of canned vegetables – spinach and other greens, for example – that work fine with a low-carb diet.

3) I haven’t written the post yet; it’s still on my list of posts to write, however.  Stay tuned.

Cheers–

MRE 

Can you take me through what a typical day is? Eating and output (work, work out, etc?)

Hi Heather–

I’ve taken care of many thousands of patients with low-carb diets, and it has been my experience that if the protein intake is high there are few, if any, signs of hypoglycemia.  The dietary protein is converted to glucose and allows the blood sugar to stay at an even constant level without the ups and downs driven by dietary carbs and the subsequent insulin response.

I’ll give you my diet today, which is pretty typical for me.  I ate three eggs and two sausage patties along with a couple of slices of tomato for breakfast.  I had a thigh, two wings, and a drumstick from a large roast chicken for lunch along with a couple of slices of tomato.  For dinner I had a 10 ounce top sirloin steak, three large spears of asparagus, and a small bowl of gazpacho.  Usually I have a glass of wine or two with dinner, but I didn’t tonight.  And I usually don’t snack between meals.  I probably drink 3 or 4 double espressos per day.  As far as working out, I walked 18 holes on the golf course.  I lift weights about once every four or five days.  That’s it.  I always have plenty of energy to do whatever it is that I want to do.

This regimen is similar to what I put most of my patients on, so it is very doable.

Hope this helps.

Cheers–

MRE 

I think we essentially have the same ideas here, but in opposite sides. We all agree that you need meat (how many veg’s do you know taking supplements and getting B12 injections.. real healthy guys!). And who ever wrote the food guide was on a serious sugar high! I just don’t want people to completly forget about carbs and veggies.
Your body can covert some fat components into glucose-6-phosphate. There is a an enzyme that converts glucose into glucose-6-phosphate and vice versa BUT THE REVERSE REACTION IS VERY SLOW!! Glucose-6-phosphate can be used to make fuel for the brain and other systems, but it cannot make up more that about 60% of its fuel (this # varies depending who you ask.. somewhere between 50-75%). The best way to fuel up is with SMALL amounts of COMPLEX carbs (preferable from veggies) and lager amounts of lean meants, eggs, cheese, etc. Have a small bit of oatmeal with sausage and eggs for breakfast. Have a baked potato or corn with dinner. If you work out alot and start feeling shaky and cold, have a banana with nuts or a protein bar, or even hummus (surprisingly good!).
The problem here is refined wheat and sugar. They have little nutritional value and are a shitty fuel source. You’re never satisfied after eating them so you eat more then you have too, and they give you a big spike in energy (where our body starts converting it to fat!) followed by a crash (but now we can’t get all the energy back effectively), leaving you eating AGAIN! The complex ones aren’t broken down all at once (or completely) so you get a little bit at a time.. great for the long day ahead. But proteins and fats keep you full and satisfied and are a better source of energy.
I guess all I am saying is that any extreme is just that… an extreme, and generally isn’t healthy. I say listen to your body. If you want meat, eat meat.. you probably are craving it for a reason. But don’t COMPLETELY ignore the carbs. If you crave it, have it, just do it in a smart way… who doesn’t like a baked potato with a steak for dinner?!?!

Hi Heather–

Thanks for the forgiveness.

We are still on different sides of the how-much-carb-is-good debate.  I avoid bananas, baked potatoes, and hummus.  And I encourage others to do the same.

Doesn’t mean that we still can’t have a beer, though.

Cheers–

MRE 

Hello Heather–

Had I known you were a scientist, I wouldn’t have been so cavalier with you.  I thought you were just another idiot vegetarian trying to waste my time.

Our disagreement is a matter of semantics, or more accurately, precisely defining our terms.  I agree with you 100 percent that fatty acids cannot be converted into carbs.  As you pointed out, there are no biochemical pathways that accomplish such a thing.  But, I’m not talking about fatty acids, I’m talking about fat.

As I’m sure you know, fat is stored as a triglyceride: three fatty acids attached to a glycerol backbone.  When fat is metabolized the three-carbon glycerol backbone is released and can along with other glycerol molecules be converted to glucose.  Most biochem and physiology texts indicate that anywhere from 10-15 percent of the calories in stored and/or dietary fat (also a triglyceride) can be converted to glucose.  I would assume the 10-15 percent range is a function of the chain length of the fatty acids making up the triglyceride.  This is the fat I’m talking about when I say that the body can convert fat to carbs.

A simply misunderstanding cleared up.  Friends?

Cheers–

MRE 

Puh-lease–

I’m not responsible for the education of every idiot vegetarian that wants to comment on this site.  Go get any good medical biochemistry textbook and read the chapter on carbohydrate metabolism, then come back and tell me all the things that convert to carbs in the human body.

And while you’re at it, read up a little on osteoporosis, kidney damage and heart disease, then tell me how a high meat diet causes them.  Read the real medical papers–don’t just read the literature from your idiot vegetarian friends.

Geez

MRE 

Hi AOE–

Not you, too!

First it was Simon nagging me about the fasting; I finally posted on the subject and spent the next week dealing with God only knows how many comments.

I’ll do the full meat post before long, but if I don’t get anything done for the next week, it will be on your conscience.

Best–

MRE

Hi Annie–

No need whatsoever to include eggs or dairy. It’s just that most people think they can’t live without variety.

I love coconut oil. We use it as our chief cooking oil.

Best–

MRE

By the way, I’ve abandoned IF because I couldn’t stand the ravenous hunger on low food intake days. Maybe I’ll try again once the thought of skipping a meal no longer induces fear of starvation!

I don’t seem to be able to do anything other than extreme moderation.

Hi Janet–

Sounds like ‘extreme moderation’ is the plan for you. I wonder if there is a book there.

Cheers–

MRE