Are you a Chronic Dieter?
Are you a Chronic Dieter?
Sent by JUDY CHO | October 23, 2021
We are traveling to Los Angeles to celebrate my mom’s birthday and Halloween with the cousins. Ever since I was sick a few years ago, I try to value the time with loved ones. Life can really change in a moment.
I’d love to meet you in LA!
A few of the Carnivore community members made this meat up and I will be there! If you think you can make it, please let me know as they are trying to get an estimated headcount.
STUDY OF THE WEEK — A1C
This week I am releasing my Community Q&A #5 and one of the questions I received was about hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). Many carnivores that were once on a strict ketogenic diet, tend to see their blood glucose numbers go up.
Why is that?
According to the NIH, “The A1C test measures the amount of glycated hemoglobin in the blood, which reflects average blood glucose levels over the preceding 3 months. (source)
The Hemoglobin A1C, HbA1c, or glycohemoglobin test is based on the attachment of glucose to hemoglobin over the typical 120-day life span of a red blood cell.
The amount of glycated proteins is directly related to the amount of glucose in the blood. However, the A1C test is a weighted average, with the glucose level of the preceding 30 days contributing more to the test result than glucose levels 90 to 120 days earlier. Thus, clinically significant changes in glucose can be seen in the A1C without waiting 120 days for red blood cell turnover.”
This is one reason that the A1C isn’t 100% accurate, especially for carnivores.
- Our red blood cells may live longer causing us to show inflated blood glucose numbers (alternatively, if you are diabetic, your red blood cells will die, possibly showing deflated blood glucose numbers).
- Based on how zero carb you were, your numbers will vary as A1C is a weighted average. Your last 30 days of diet will matter more than the full 3 months’ average.
Other weaknesses with the A1C marker:
1) Anemia affects RBC lifespans. The RBC lifespan may be lower for people suffering from anemia, resulting in an A1C that is lower than the true reflection of the average glucose.
But if you have iron-deficiency anemia, your A1C can be higher than the true reflection of glucose levels. One study compared A1C in iron-deficient anemic subjects and they showed higher A1Cs than iron-sufficient T2 diabetics. You can read the study here.
2) A1C shows no indication of insulin sensitivity. But how much insulin was required to keep the glucose at a normal range? If glucose is normal but takes constantly elevated insulin to keep the glucose in the normal range, well that’s not ideal.
Basically, you can have normal A1C for a long time but without knowing your insulin, and other blood markers for metabolic health, you may be having a false sense of health.
I recommend testing for multiple markers to ensure your diet is helping you in the best way possible. HOMA-IR may be more ideal than A1C in this sense. HOMA-IR calculates fasting glucose and insulin.
The list below is pretty comprehensive but if you have several of these markers tested and they are within range, I wouldn’t worry too much if your A1C is 5.5 or 6. (I don’t like seeing it above 6. Now if you were at 10 and now at 6, then I’d be happy. Context always matters.)
Recommended Inflammatory Markers & Indicators
- Hb-A1C
- HOMA-IR
- Fasting Insulin or LP-IR
- GGT
- C-Peptide
- Serum Ferritin
- Homocysteine
- ESR and Platelets
- Hs-CRP
- LDH (Lactate Dehydrogenase)
- NLR (Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio)
- Liver Enzymes (like ALT and AST)
- Lipid Panel (LDL-P (particle size), LDL, HDL, triglycerides)
- Vitamin D3 (if your number is at least 40–50, I wouldn’t supplement)
I offer a complete wellness panel and a written report from a low-carb, keto, carnivore POV. You just need to be near a LabCorp and I do not offer this in the states of NY, NJ and RI.
SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
It’s easy to blame a diet. Any diet.
I blamed a plant-based diet for ruining my health after following it for 12 years.
But the reality is that there are some people that do well on it IF they supplement smartly AND have good gut health.
It’s a hard way to eat for proper nutrition but some people do well on it.
Not a lot but some.
- Carnivore
- Keto
- Paleo
- Whole30
- FODMAP
At a certain point, we have to be honest, stop blaming the diet, and see where the individual roles are in the cause of less than ideal outcomes.
Things I can agree with the Peaters are:
the inclusion of more minerals
the inclusion of more calories
We must fuel the body well for the body to heal. Well, as in having sufficient calories from proteins AND fats.
The consistent theme I see is that on Carnivore, people undereat and on sugar-rich diets, people start to overeat.
If you allow your body to eat sufficiently on a meat-based/keto diet, a lot of healing happens.
Most people can’t be honest with themselves and instead blame the diet.
But one day, you’ll remember the “CHOOSE YOUR HARD” graphic.
I don’t care what diet you follow. I just want our communities to heal. And at a certain point, we need to take a look within and be honest with our own selves.
Because if you keep only blaming the diet, you will chase your tail and end up back at square one. Every. Single. Time. And I don’t wish that for anyone.
CATG PODCAST: Real Talk — Fear Sells
In this week’s Cutting Against the Grain podcast, Laura and I talk about the darker side of the internet.
- Dogma, dOGmA, DoGMa — Setting the Narrative
- Less than Ideal Studies
- T3
- Undereating
- Body Image Standards
- Influencer Dangers
- Hardest Part of Dieting
- Fruits and Genetics
- One tip we Recommend
Listen Now!
NwJ PODCAST: Exercise and Nutritional Science with Bart Kay
I had several requests for Bart Kay to be on my channel and we had a fun conversation. Make sure to check out this conversation. And as Bart said, he was on his best behavior. It’s great to have people like Bart in the community to help science prevail.
We recorded this a couple of months ago but it was a very timely release. Check out his YouTube channel and you’ll see why.
You can listen to the podcast version, here.
Bart is a former senior lecturer in cardiovascular and respiratory physiology, exercise physiology, nutrition, research methods, and statistics. Bart has published a number of peer-reviewed research and review articles, as well as book chapters.
- Best Exercise for Longevity
- Strength Training vs. Cardio Vs. High Intensity
- Incidental Exercise
- The Reason Why Carnivore Doesn’t Work for Some
- Insulin, Carnivore, Gluconeogenesis
- The Weakness of Nutritional Studies
- Thyroid Concerns on Carnivore
- Low Energy on Carnivore
- Doing Carnivore Long Term
- Bart’s Diet
- Importance (or not) of Ketones and Glucose
- Microbiome and Sugar
- Bart’s Diet Tips and Macros
- The Importance of the Randle Cycle
- The Power of Zero Carb
- How to Get Started
Watch Now!
NwJ INSIDER TIPS
I’ve been reading and absorbing a lot of motivational content lately. It’s been helping me with my clients and for my upcoming Carnivore Cure future program (ETA: summer of 2022).
Mindset really matters.
The program will have limited participants so that it can be the most effective. The barrier to entry will be a steep one (it’s going to be pricey) but if it means it can change your life, it just may be worth it.
I will be opening the program to the NwJ newsletter community first.
We’ve also been working on mockups for the food toxin database. When we’re a little further along, I’ll share some samples. What I thought would be a simple PDF is turning out to be something pretty cool (and labor-intensive). But ideally, this food toxin database will help those with real sensitivities find their personalized list of foods while healing and practitioners trying to help their clients and patients custom-create a food list.
Get excited(!) because we’re just getting started. ♥️
with ♥️ and hope for healing,
DISCLAIMER:
While I am a nutritional therapy practitioner and provide nutritional support, I am not providing medical advice. Any information provided in regards to nutritional therapy should not be considered medical advice or treatment. Always consult your primary care physician or medical team.
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