Dear Cia Column

Dear Avocado,

Oooh, now THAT'S a question.  

Granted, calories are something I don't talk an awful lot... mainly because counting calories is largely irrelevant with a healthy dietary lifestyle (it's not the quantity but the quality of the calorie that matters).  Even so, calories are just a unit of energy consumption, and so they DO matter to some degree... ESPECIALLY when it comes to eating too few of them.  

That's right... it's far more important to be concerned about consuming TOO FEW calories than it is to consume too many, which is kind of the purpose behind most conventional diets based on government dietary advice.

The reasons are various, but the obvious reason is of course the purpose behind going hungry... starvation.  And not just personal starvation but also cellular starvation... You can eat as much as you want, but if you're consuming foods that are impairing the availability of the food's calories from reaching your cells (say, for instance, if they're stored as fat rather than used as fuel), then your cells are still going to starve. And when cells starve, you grow hungry again.  So whether you're obese with greedy fat cells trying to eat as much as you need to stave cellular starvation -- or thin with efficient fat cells trying to semi-starve yourself on a 1200 calorie diet to "eat healthy" -- the end results are the same: your cells will starve.

And when cells starve, your body can panic -- and this typically comes in the form of metabolic slowdown, as a means to try and stave off your calorie needs.  You feel tired and sluggish as a result, and simple tasks become more difficult to do as your body tries to cope with doing more using fewer calories.  Your fat cells also become greedier (or as I prefer to analogize, "clogged up") in a vain attempt to store enough energy to prevent future starvation.  And if this semi-starvation is paired with strenuous exercise, the metabolic slowdown is even worse.  

This is why semi-starvation diets have that infamous yo-yo effect... they may catch the body off guard and manage to "burn off" a good deal of body fat by eating less and doing lots of exercise.  But if they persist for too long, the body adapts to this painful circumstance for it, and slow down your metabolism, making it progressively harder for the dieter to lose weight, even to the point of actually gaining weight. Then when the person is physically and emotionally spent, he/she gives up and inevitably "rebounds" to his/her original weight, and probably gains even more now that his/her metabolism is still in panic mode.  I make this claim from past personal experience, sigh.... >.>;

So yes, ironically eating less is very bad for weight loss -- if a person truly wants to lose weight, he/she cannot do it by restricting calories, not for long.  At best, the person CAN lose weight, but through the gradual loss of muscle and even organs in some very extreme (anorexic) cases, as the body typically prefers to eat away muscle mass first when it's starving before actually consuming its body fat.  Just goes to show you much your own body values fat more than we do, and for good reason.  Weight loss is therefore a matter about eating the right foods, not eating less or even exercising (exercise is great for many things, but weight loss is not one of them).  

So that's the main risk of not eating enough calories, and it of course will vary based on many factors, such as your inherent metabolism (some have more efficient starting metabolisms than others), your profession (a lumberjack will need more calories than an accountant), your mass (large people generally need more calories, be they overweight or muscular), and so forth.  Other risks are directly associated with the risk of starvation, which include:

- chronic fatigue
- obsession over food
- anxiety
- heighted irritability
- depression
- apathy
- impaired hormone production, resulting in decreases in estrogen or testosterone production for instance
- cracked skin
- dehydration
- atrophy (wasting away of the stomach)
- impaired or compromised immune system
- conditions of vitamin and mineral deficiency, such as anemia, pellegra, scurvy, diarrhea, edema, etc.
- heart failure

Probably one of the greatest crimes ever committed was telling people that semi-starvation was the key to good health.  While the occasional intermittent fast (usually lasting a day or two, with plenty of hydration) or "fat" fast (intermittent ketosis) may be helpful, chronic semi-starvation is anything but healthy. Worse, the obsession with semi-starvation leads to some horrifically-unhealthy decisions, such as favoring low-calorie junk foods full of grains and sludge oils, encouraging people (especially young women) to develop eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia, destroying appreciation for traditional and cultural cuisines, and encouraging the myth that obesity is hopeless,irreverisble and purely the eater's fault, leading to demeaning and disgusting shows such as "The Biggest Loser" which hopefully, one day, will be looked down upon with the same disdain and scorn as we give 1950's cigaratte ads for children.  


--Cia

Dear Cia,

How healthy are red beets and how would implementing them into my diet be beneficial?

Dear Cia,

How can birds fly? When I flap my arms and I don't go anywhere XD

~Hammy

Dear Avocado,

Hmmm, you didn't specify whether you're talking about the "root" or the "greens" portion of the red beet.  Both will contain a very strong concentration of nutrients such as vitamin C, potassium, manganese and folate, although the greens arguably are the most nutrient-rich with greater levels of those previous nutrients, plus the addition of phosphorous, zinc, vitamin B6, magnesium, copper, vitamin A and iron (calcium too, but more on this later).  Both will be a rich source of soluble fiber, although sadly no resistant starch as far as we know.  Both will enhance your immune system and purport to have anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties.  Through it's naturally occurring nitrates, it's thought that beetroot can lower blood pressure and boost stamina, and beetgreens can ward off alzheimer's disease (although eating healthy fats and reducing bad carbs can do just the same as well).  Them main difference between the two is that beetroots also have a LOT more sugar, possibly the most sugar-rich vegetable (not tuber) of all, and hence why they are also used in sugar production.  

Granted, a lot of this sugar is tied up with fiber and thus not as heavy on the glycemic index as it should.  However, it is interesting to note that greens are in many ways nutritionally BETTER for you and, like other greens such as spinach or kale, don't risk triggering an insulin response -- and they they're often ignored or discarded.  When you consider that many of us growing up were tortured with the bland taste of boiled beetroot, it does beg the question why we simply weren't given the greens instead, since they would have been a far better and more palatable option. XD

So this is all well and good, but given that plants are not simply benign creatures waiting to be eaten, is there anything in particular we should watch out for with beets?  In fact there is... beets, along with rhubarb and spinach, are among the plants that use anti-nutrients as defensive mechanisms against being eaten.  In their case, they make use of oxalates (or oxalic acid) -- lightweights compared to the phytates and lectins of grains, but still reasonably nasty as these can cause some targeted problems.  Oxalates bind to calcium, which is why much of the calcium that is present in beets is not bioavailable to us because it's already bound by oxalates.  This is typically not a problem if the body is already disposing of excess oxalates normally... eating beets with a healthy serving of dairy usually binds up all the oxalates and allows it to be easily and safely excreted from the body, while still having enough calcium left over for the body's needs.  

However, if something impairs the body's ability to properly dispose of oxalates (I suspect the usual sugar and grain suspects), then sadly oxalates bound to calcium or iron can accumulate in your body as "oxalate crystals", which form the basis of kidney stones and other inflammatory conditions such as joint pain or thyroid dysfunctions.  Not that spinach or beets are solely responsible for these conditions; grains such as wheat have a LOT of oxalates as well, on top of their arsenal of phytates, lectins and other unpronounceable phyto-toxins.  But if your body is already loaded with them thanks to years of grain consumption, then a healthy salad of beets, spinach and rhubarb are going to be the reverse of a healthy diet, and will simply contribute to the ongoing slaughter.  If instead they were your only source of oxalates, and your body's removal mechanism was in good order, than the worst that could happen would be a slight reduction in calcium absorption -- which could easily be fixed with a nice pat of butter (which you should be adding anyway to absorb that vitamin A, lol!).

Is there any way to naturally reduce the beet's oxalate content?  Sure!  Through the tried and true methods of steaming, boiling or fermenting, with fermenting being possibly the best of all methods since it retains all the plant's enzymes, vitamins and minerals (which would normally get lost with heat), while also increasing the B vitamin content and adding some beneficial FREE probiotics into your diet.  It's no surprise that traditional cultures prepared beets using these methods, such as the famous Beet Kvass (which is also the base for the ever-famous Beet Borsht).  


--Cia

Dear Hammy,

Ah, that's a fascinating question, and one we take so much for granted we often can't properly explain it.  Let's learn together...




--Cia

        I just joined today but I easily found myself lost searching through the forums and gathering information and a variety of subjects, many from this thread alone. It touches my heart to see how much you care for everybody at such an unconditional amount. I read a majority of this thread (About half) and then some snippets of the more touching or informative topics. My favorite topic so far is definitely the learning forum

      I have several questions, and I'd like to apologize for that but I've never really had a place to gather advice from a very capable and wise person.

      What is it that lead you to be so helpful and caring for others? It could be as simple as it being a natural urge for you or is there something that caused you to dedicate such a generous amount of your time and knowledge with others?

      I'm also curious on how you acquired such a sizable general knowledge on so many subjects! I have trouble retaining any information that doesn't directly have anything to do with my primary interest such as my current major in school. For an example I wouldn't/haven't be able to memorize anything about mathematics, geography, language, etc.

      And sorry again for the overwhelming amount of questions! It's just really neat to be able to have someone to talk to about this because nobody has ever been able to help me with it and it has always generally been something I kept to myself because when I would tell others about it they would proceed to abuse it against me...

I've always had a problem diagnosed as misophonia in which the sound of someone eating (Smacking their lips or chewing loudly) would build up an absurd amount of anxiety in my and sometimes cause me to sweat, turn red, and shake nervously (given is a regular response for me when nervous). I was wondering if you would know anything there is I can do to thwart it from causing roadblocks in my life, for example in class when trying to write notes people across the room could be chewing on an energy bar or gum and I would be completely incapable of concentrating.

"After that, I just have lots of dreams.
 I dream, for instance, to be at a point
where I no longer have to worry about having
some mundane job, and can focus all my energy
and talents on something revolutionary and creative."

I wanted to quote this from earlier in the thread because I just wanted to compliment you on how you are doing something VERY revolutionary and creative by giving your support out to so many! No way of me saying this without looking like a kiss-up though but I hope it conveys the message I am aiming to send!

Thank you!

PS: There is so much I want to add but I don't have time for it, sadly I didn't have time to watch that documentary tonight but I'll watch it tomorrow for sure!

Dear Crabcake,
[dat name! XD ]

Thank you for writing on my Dear Cia thread, I always appreciate a good question or two.  
And thanks for the very kind and honest words. I wouldn't worry too much about sounding like a brown-noser as you said since, from personal experience, few if any prior suck-ups have shown any interest in what I actually had to say (their main goal being to brag or appear better than others).  In that respect I've shattered one too many selfish hopes and dreams, prompting many of them to disappear melodramatically from server life, only to return several months later in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, I'll shower them with unconditional attention and admiration (but until their actions stop being so transparent, it isn't going to work).  >v>

Speaking of which, I would advise caution on the use of the word "unconditional" -- in fact, I very regularly set conditions as far as how good the question should be or what kind of questions deserve a lengthy essay or a short dismissal -- and of course we set a bunch more conditions on server life itself.  It's one of the reasons why a small cadre of people appreciate my efforts, but many many more people view me as worse than the fungus that infects pond scum, including people who failed the whitelist or who got banned for being idiots.  So yes, in short and in line with my beliefs, I'll only share my knowledge with people who genuinely want to know or who want to play some small part in proliferating this information.  
There's no guarantee that the people asking questions here actually READ what I have to say (in fact I know many don't) and are instead doing it for the free cheese. But that's okay... because at least I get a lot in return:

1) I get to practice what I've learned.
2) I get the incentive to learn new things if I haven't, such as bird flight and beet oxalates.
3) I get to inspire other people who may be reading this thread, and could in turn use that knowledge to help themselves or a loved one.
4) I get to offer an additional value-add to our "community" aside from just a mere Minecraft server.
5) I get to play my part in the contribution of the so-called "Wisdom of Crowds", meaning I can consider myself an active participant of positive change in the world rather than just an idle spectator.
6) And since the information is published here permanently (though I desperately need to back-up this thread), maybe it CAN eventually help the apathetic question-asker one he changes his mind and starts taking an interest in self-learning.

So I'll admit some degree of self-interest in what I do, but I don't feel it's wrong so long as it also achieves altruistic results.  I'd much rather consider it VERY efficient to help others and help yourself at the same time -- kind of like having your cake and eating it too, or working smarter not harder. ^^

So that in part should answer your first question, although even prior to all this was I considered a very generous and family-oriented person, also a bit of an extrovert.  It has led me to be very easily taken advantage of, however, especially in my younger years, and most recently as being asked to have this server ownership saddled on me.  But just like with being saddled with the task of running this server, sooner or later I figure out a way to make the best of a bad situation (make lemonade out of lemons?), and so I've never stopped being overly generous (although clearly I'm a lot more cautious in who I'm generous to, hehe).  

Besides, you also have to consider that we ARE already spending a huge amount of time sitting on our asses playing with virtual Legos.  Comparatively-speaking, writing about learning and knowledge on the internet could hardly be called a waste of time, especially when I find it fun [at times].  

As for your other question...

Well do bear in mind that we ARE on the internet, so it could conceivably be easy for me to Google stuff up, slap it on here, and make myself sound smarter than I actually am (which wouldn't take much, I'm technically rather dumb, or so they used to say with my 2.3 GPA ). In fact, I do use Google a lot for things I don't know or need to validate, but generally it's used as a learning tool, and I'll regurgitate what I find, plus what I already know or think is correct, to form an answer that's reasonably-easy to read and follow.   Plus I do a LOT of reading, either in physical book form or as ebooks or as online blogs or more recently as audiobooks, which i can listen to while I walk or are on the train.  I don't watch television (aside from maybe a cooking or animal show or two), and I use Youtube and Amazon Prime a lot to watch documentaries, lectures and opinions from other people who have a lot to share.  

Of course, I did this to a degree before and had trouble retaining this kind of information anyway, but I feel my diet change has improved my memory retention a LOT in the past year, as I shock myself with how much I can remember now versus when I was an overworked, overstressed,  depressed, badly-nourished, sleep-deprived school/college student.  In particular, the extra consumption of healthy dietary fat (concurrent to the elimination of grains and sugar) is what I feel best improved not only memory retention, but mood (I'm not depressed anymore), sleeping patterns, and immune system function -- and it would make sense given our brains are largely composed of saturated fat and cholesterol.  I feel that any effort to improve memory needs a solid biophysical foundation to work on to be the most efficient, so a diet change that eliminates or reduces foods that can damage or glycate the brain (grains, sugars, processed oils), concurrent with a increase of healthy natural plant and animal fats (olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, palm oil, nuts, butter, ghee, lard, tallow, marrow, skin, offal, etc), will help rebuild or fortify the neural pathways responsible for memorization.

Once the solid foundation is built, then you can look at physical memory enhancement techniques such as keeping a noteback with you, using mnemonic techniques to remember certain facts and names (which is why I use a lot of fun nicknames, hehe), reading, talking to people, and, in my opinion, losing respect for institutional schooling.  With increasingly-rare exceptions, schools are there to destroy any sense of learning and curiosity, and instead mold you into a specific standardized paradigm that values obedience, and admonishes self-help, self-discipline, self-respect and self-learning (and other things like movies and television may attempt to do the same thing).  Of course you can't make it go away and chances are you have to stick with it for a while if your specific career path depends on a degree -- but so long as you are conscious of this fact, you will unconsciously allow yourself to deeply learn something that is NOT relevant to any test or degree, including aspects of math, geography or language that you might be interested in, but are unconsciously wary of learning and memorizing without potentially compromising success in your existing major (and believe me, I've been there). ^^;

And lastly... regarding your misophonia...
Admittedly, it's the first time hearing about this condition, although it seems like it is a steadily-growing problem that psychiatrists are lobbying to have labeled into a clinical syndrome.  Granted their interest in doing so is probably to sell more medication, much like they've done for ADD, ADHD, Asperger's and the like.  Actually, I remember a former player suffering from ADHD did seem to exhibit some characteristics of misophonia as she would on occasion complain about being driven insane from the sound of her laptop fan and the chirping of crickets outside, although granted that was in combination with the hyper-stimulating medications they gave her.  

I hate sounding like a hammer-wielder seeing nails everywhere, but as far as determining a possible solution (or reliever) for this condition, I would once again point at grains and sugar (and possibly casein, if necessary) as the probable culprits, or at least as possible aggravators of this condition.  Since this can be a sensitive subject, I should probably refer you to a good book on the effect of grains (including wheat) on the brain... please check out Dr. David Permutter's book "Grain Brain" for more detailed information:

http://www.amazon.com/Grain-Brain-Surprising-Sugar-Your-Killers/dp/031623480X

If you agree with the ideas proposed in his book, he offers some suggestions on how to reduce or reverse some neurological conditions, although granted some additional reading may be necessary after that.

Hope this information will be helpful.


--Cia

Dear Cia,

Why do some people call breakfast the "most important" meal of the day? (Another vague phrase that I don't fully understand... I hate those.)

Dear Avocado,

Lol, didn't cereal makers come up with that phrase?  [and if so, I wonder why, lol] XD

Anyway, funny you should ask this question -- another player asked this question to me earlier as well, although since it was via email, it doesn't count in Dear Cia.  

Anyway, if your body has been conditioned to use mostly carbohydrate-based fuel (read: "carb addicts"), then breakfast is indeed your most important meal of the day.  After all, depending on your sleeping habits, mostly like you've been asleep for a good 7-9 hours -- add to that the time between when you last had dinner and went to sleep (say, between 3-4 hours) and that's a good stretch of time in which your body has not consumed any food.  It may even be called a "fast", so the first meal in the morning would invariably "break" the "fast".  See what I did there?  

By the time you break your fast, you're already hypoglycemic -- after all, as a carb addict, your body is used to the high-and-low roller coaster ride that is blood sugar spiking.  You eat a carby breakfast in the morning of fruit juice, creal and toast (or sugar, sugar and more sugar), spike your blood sugar way up, bounce off the walls for a while, crash, starve, go totally miserable prior to lunch, have a lunch of a big turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with chips and a soda (again, sugar, sugar and more sugar), feel revived, bounce off the walls for a while, crash again, crawl back home emaciated, finally sit down to a dinner of spaghetti and flour-bound meatballs, dinner rolls, and a nice cake or pie for dessert (sugar, sugar and more sugar).  By the time you crash from dinner, you're already fast asleep, unable to satisfy your sugar cravings, so your blood sugar plummets and adrenaline is released to force at least a base-minimum amount of glucose into your brain and bloodstream (though causing anxiety and nausea in the process).  On top of that, your body may very briefly tap into its fat stores through a process called ketosis in order to try and get some energy (which explains why people can have bad breath in the morning), though so long as your body is not keto-adapted, the transition from carb fueling to fat fueling is awkward and taxing to your body.  

The end result for the carb addict is that he wakes up miserable, cranky and in dire need of a carby breakfast to start the rest of his day and continue the vicious rollercoaster cycle in exchange for momentary focus, strength and freedom from hunger pangs. Absent this sugar fix, he'll be lucky to get to his lunch hour alive or at least conscious. XD

If you need a blood sugar refresher, you can watch this adorable video again:



So from this point of view, breakfast is important.

But from the point of view of a more keto-adapted person (one having trained his body to burn more fat than carbs as fuel), the benefit is not quite as obvious.  After all, you're no longer going through these vicious blood sugar roller coaster rides, and the foods you eat (high in fat, protein, safe starches and veggies) are of so much more superior satiety that they can keep you satisfied and energetic for hours.  Your sleep would be deeper and more fulfilling, and the awkward switch to ketosis would be non-existent because you would already be in a partial state of ketosis to begin with. It could be so effective that you may not be hungry by the time breakfast comes around, and you may instead choose to "break" your "fast" during your lunch hour instead.  While this is more true of someone that has achieved better health versus one just starting out and with a body ravaged by grains and sugar, it is still interesting to see breakfast losing a lot of its street creds.

Does it mean it's totally useless for a keto-adapted person?  Not always... again, it will be more useful to others based on the lifestyle the person comes from, and people not used to skipping breakfast do risk hormonal disruptions and even weight gain based on some of the body's metabolic defense mechanisms I mentioned in my last answer. Plus we still have the issue of adrenaline/cortisol being secreted as a way to prevent full hypoglycemia, which if allowed to persist could prolong a mild stress onto the body even if you don't feel hungry.  But even a small meal would make this go away and establish a good dietary rhythm for you, so breakfast can still be very helpful to have even for a keto-adapted person.  It simply wouldn't be "the most important meal of the day", and an occasional skipping of breakfast (en par with intermittent fasting) would not hurt you, and may, in fact, provide some benefits. 

Excluding the time I was sick, my longest record for a fast between meals was around 16 hours on Christmas morning, after a nice Christmas supper of ample high-quality fat, moderate proteins and moderate safe carbs, followed by a lovely bit of sleep, and the task of setting up my father's new Mac in the morning.  It was so engrossing, by the time  I realized it, it had already been 2pm, and the most I felt was a mild tummy murmur gently reminding me to eat something.  It's fascinating how adaptable your body is when you allow it to reach its full potential.  


--Cia

Dear Cia,

Why do most Americans think dinner should be our biggest meal? [and why do some of us think we should eat it right before bed? XD]

Dear Avocado,

"Elementary, my dear Haasman.  Elementary..." XD

This will be a short answer since this ties in nicely with my last answer (which I hope you've read, and if you haven't... read it NAU before continuing). >v<

Anyway, I don't normally eat dinner that late, but I used to, like you say, eat a very large dinner (and in fact, I still do to an extent, lol).  But I do know what you describe is very common, and in fact I see it every time I decide to eat out in the evenings, and see restaurants PACKED with hungry families at gawd-awfully late hours.  I mean with all that food, you would think these people are behaving like the proverbial squirrels filling their cheeks and bellies with food, as if preparing for a long hibernation.  

A "fast" if you will....

One that would require them to "break" that "fast" in the morning?  XD

So yes, if you're a carb addict, you'll want to have a LARGE dinner (double-up that serving of pasta and throw in some fettuccine alfredo,... oh but use the low-fat cholesterol-free cream that's probably made with sugar) as late as humanly possible in order to bloat you up and have enough glucose floating around to last you through the night.  After all, the last thing you want to do is be ravenously hungry while you sleep, else you wake up cranky and miserable... oh wait. XD

But again, this only makes perfect logical sense if your primary fuel source were sugar,... sugar, of course, being a very efficient fuel for short-term bursts of energy, but not something you'll want to use 24/7, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, all your life.  To do so is the equivalent of strapping rocket boosters to a car and driving around town with that,... yes, you'll go REALLY fast for a while, but you'll run out of fuel very quickly as well, and will have to refuel about 100 times more than if you had chosen to run the car with its standard fuel of gasoline (or an electric battery if you want to get modern, lol).  Not to mention that you're risking crashing into things, running over people and hitting other cars; and on top of that, you'll be wondering why your wheels are wearing down to the spokes, your glass is cracking and breaking, your rear bender is melting from the heat, your entire frame is falling apart, and you're always being chased by police cars. XD

If your primary fuel source is fat, then things work differently.  After all, fat has more calories than carbohydrates and are also more satiating (especially in conjunction with a solid protein base), so you wouldn't need a whole lot of dinner to make you feel full and satisfied for hours.  What hour you would have it by is also irrelevant -- though arguably the later you have such an efficient dinner, the more able you'll be to skip breakfast if that's what you choose to do sometimes.  


--Cia

Dear Cia,

I know you aren't big on pastas, but have you tried shirataki noodles instead of the regular spaghetti noodles we are all used to? I remember Wheat Belly suggesting that they be used instead if you want something like spaghetti, so I was wondering if you had any experience with them.

Dear Lom,

Hehe, you keep thinking I'm trying to relive my old carb addict days, but I have no honest-to-goodness interest in doing so.  At best, maybe I'll have a craving for a sandwich (like say a tuna melt) or possibly a chocolate-covered dessert, but as you know I already have those covered (and now that I'm experimenting more with green plantains, I'm finding even cheaper and stronger binding agents).  Being as I was never much of a noodle fan even when I was eating wheat products, it just never occurred to me to try an alternative noodle... at most I experimented with buckwheat noodles one time I joined my friends at a japanese restaurant, but it was only a one-time thing and I kinda thought they tasted nasty.  XD

But I have heard of those noodles (like you, through the good doctor's book), and at first I thought they were made out of mushrooms or something (shitaki, anyone?). But upon further inspection, they are in fact made from a tuberous plant called Konjac (aka, elephant yam)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konjac

It forms a very hard gel that's difficult to dissolve and good to maintain its shape -- I can kinda see how it would make pretty decent noodle substitutes as it likely can retain its shape very well.  However, if the name sounds familiar, it's because Konjac is also the same ingredient that was once used to make the little gelatin piece inside Lychee cups, that popular candy that used to be all the rave some years ago....  



Aside from being a horrible waste of plastic (and inferior to REAL lychees, which I love), the konjac gels were of course impossible to dissolve in the mouth and extremely sticky too.  Often times kids would swallow them, and on the small occasion these would get lodged in the trachea, they would become really hard to cough or extract out even using the Heimlich Maneuver, and the kid would choke to death. 

Now granted, you're not a kid and these are probably prepared a little better... but either way, if you plan to eat these, make sure to check the package for any warning labels. XD


--Cia

Dear Cia,

What are "lean" meats and why do most people consider them healthier?

Dear Avocado,

Ah fantastic question that's relevant to everything we've talked about so far.  

"Lean" meats are essentially referring to land-animal meats, and their cuts, that have a comparatively low fat content compared to other fatty meats, such as cuts from the belly (i.e., bacon), ribs (i.e., ribeye), or offal (i.e., liver, brains, etc).  Lean meats are typically muscle meats, such as those found in leg or loin areas... very high in protein, not so much in fat.  They can also be used in reference to some poultry, such as chicken and turkeys which have comparatively less fat than mammals and are also grounded (birds like duck and geese have, as you probably know, COPIOUS amounts of fat and can also fly).  The term is not used for fish, crustaceans and insects, however, as these are all naturally lean or have a different kind of fat (or simply are not considered "meat" under the technical definition of the term, lol).  XD

As with the breakfast/dinner explanation, lean meats make perfect sense if you're a carb-addicted, fat-fearing individual, doing your utmost to stuff yourself full of sugar and grains, while dutifully avoiding all that... ARTERYCLOGGINGSATURATEDFATZOMG!!!  I can probably go at length as to why this is not only nonsense, but completely inverted from reality, but you already know that... and if you don't, here's a refresher on how that idea ever came about in the first place....



So yes, lean meats have been all the rage for the last few decades as they give people their "meat fix" without giving them anything overly worthwhile for human nutrition and health... and in the case of boneless, skinless chicken breast or 90% lean ground beef, they can essentially PRICE GOUGE people out of their money for a nutritionally-inferior product.  Of course, some segment of Paleo-style eaters also prefer the consumption of lean meat as well, either because they're still fat-fearing, or because they worry that conventionally-raised meats from factory-farmed animals may concentrate too many toxins in their fat deposits, in which case, to them, no fat is better than bad fat.  I don't quite believe our bodies are THAT fragile, especially once we recover full health... but if it's truly a concern, it's simply more reason to prefer grass-fed or pasture-raised meat since those would likely have both safe fat, but also nutritionally-superior fat and meat (i.e., it will have some Omega-3 fatty acids!).  If that's too expensive or not an option, then I wouldn't worry too much about avoiding conventionally-raised fat, as I'm certainly in the camp of "some fat is better than no fat", but that's just my opinion. XD

Anyway, what constitutes lean meat?  It'll most likely be some of the following:

- White meat, skinless chicken (especially the breast)
- White meat, skinless turkey
- Dark meat, skinless chicken or turkey (it has a bit more fat, but arguably not a whole lot, certainly not without the skin)
- Beef round
- Beef sirloin
- 90 or 90 percent lean ground beef
- Pork loin (like tenderloin and chops)
- Lamb (being a young animal, it has comparatively little fat versus full-grown mutton)
- Veal (same as lamb, a  young cow and not fatty)
- Goat (naturally leaner than sheep and even chicken!)
- Rabbit (very lean animal)
- Venison (again, very lean, these animals are built for running)
- Bison (naturally leaner than cows, though they still have their fat and the Plains Indians would traditionally use it to make their pemmican)

Any any other cut of meat that has its fat trimmed off can be arguably classified as a "lean meat", although this is not only a waste of money, it also deprives the meat of much of its nutritional density.  Bear in mind, most ancient cultures that had access to a land meat of any kind would prize the fattiest portions of it first and foremost (especially the offal), and consider the muscles a secondary meat to be given to lower-ranked members of society or dogs.  After all, we run off of fat, not protein... while we do need protein for sustenance, it alone cannot sustain us as the body still needs a fuel source of some kind (either from fat, or, as a last resort, carbohydrates).  This is the reason why a lean meal of grilled skinless chicken breast with whole wheat pasta and carrots (like the kind I used to eat) would make you feel very hungry and weak anyway, as you're not really getting a whole lot of calories, you're not getting a lot of essential fat, and of course you're still consuming anti-nutrients in the form of the wheat pasta (which is spiking your blood sugar, and well you know how that works out in the end).  At that point, you might as well be eating seitan -- it's certainly as nutritionally-backwards as a gluten-based processed meat substitute. XD

If you want real health, don't get swayed by these conventional healthy buzzwords and eat foods meant to be eaten by human beings.  Skip the bad carbs and sludge seed oils, and source your human food from proper sources, you won't ever have to worry about finding "lean" meats or counting calories or calculating meal points or any of that other garbage that carb addict dieteres have to concern themselves with.  


--Cia

Dear Cia,

which dietary fats are the best for you and which ones should we avoid?

Dear Avocado,

WOW!!  You must be psychic!  I just got asked that not very long ago as well!  It just so happens to be one of my favorite topics.
l 
Anyway, I'll try to recycle much of the same answers as I did over email, albeit with a few tweaks.  It's hard to get a fully-comprehensive list given all the different trace fat sources and all the unique cuts of meat and fish, but I should list enough stuff to help you get started. ^^

To help you find good sources of fat, I'll give you a list of foods that will readily contain a good or at least adequate supply of both saturated and monounsaturated fat, as well as the occasional naturally-occurring polyunsaturated fat.  Contrary to conventional belief, saturated fat contains the most bioavailable nutrients for us in the form of essential amino acids (the kinds used to build up our brain, nerves and immune system); monounsaturated fat contain a comparatively lower density of essential amino acids, but these are still useful for proper body function, such as tissue growth and manufacture of healthy lipoproteins (the things regulating cholesterol allocation in the body).  In other words, rich sources of monounsaturated fat such as olives, avocados (YOU!), lard and tallow (yes, pork and beef actually contain substantial amounts of monounsaturated fat, comparable to olives!) can definitely be part of a healthy diet  At least peers won't despair and gasp in shock [too much] as you cascade a river of extra virgiin olive oil over your salad.

Only polyunsaturated fat needs some special handling, as different [natural] foods will contain different amount of [naturally-occurring] polyunsaturated fat that have special functions in your body.  The two primary polyunsaturated fatty acids are the anti-inflammatory Omega-3 and the pro-inflammatory Omega-6; despite the names, you DONT want TOO much Omega-3 in you as too much of a good thing can cause problems, and you certainly don't wnat to EXCLUDE Omega-6 as you do want your body to produce a natural inflamed response when its prudent (such as when you stub your toe).  Therefore, the ideal ratio of omega-6 to Omega 3 is 3:1 or 2:1, and given that Omega-3 fatty acids are present in LOTS of natural pasture or wild-raised foods (such as grass-fed beef, pasture-raised eggs, etc), historically this ratio was not very hard to come by.  It's only through the advent of toxic processed oils, coupled with the industrialization of meat and vegetable production, do you see a disproportionate rise in Omega-6 fatty acid consumption, to the point where the average American will unwittingly consume a ratio of 30:1.  That's a LOT of inflammation, and so is it any wonder we get stressed so easily and our hearts give us problems after so many years of chronic inflammatory onslaught?

Because Omega-6 has a role in our body, you don't necessarily HAVE to actively avoid it (although certainly avoid the artifical fats that have it in excess) -- all you really need to do is eat enough Omega-3 to bridge it back to a traditional 3:1 ratio.  If this is not possible through diet (because, say, Omega-3 rich foods are expensive these days), high-quality fish oil supplements will suffice in the short-term.  ^^

Anyway, for all the fat sources you see listed below, do your best to get them from organic, grass-fed, pasture-raised or wild-caught sources as these will have the highest-quality nutrient density, as well as the fewest toxins (ie, pesticides, antibiotics), or diseases (ie, E. Coli, BSE) available compared to tortured-raised meats and chemically-bathed vegetables.  But absent that, even conventional meats and veggies, while not ideal, are still infinitely better than eating very harmful products such as grains, sugar, soy, and processed oils.  If your health improves considerably, your body may be able to shrug off some or most of the toxins in conventionally-raised food -- although of course, since the goal is to achieve even BETTER health, you'll want to get to the really good stuff at some point.  It helps that you live in a state with so many farmers.  ^^

Anyway, while I won't list them in order of how good they are versus others, I will break them out into convenient categories, including a final segment on evil fats you'll want to avoid...


MEATS
[Rich in saturated and monounsaturated fat, as well as Omega-3 if properly raised in nice lush pastures with lots of sun; to get the most nutrient density, however, don't trim the fat, don't be afraid of the skin if it's edible, and give offal a chance if it's edible]
- Beef
- Bison (a bit leaner than beef)
- Lamb
- Mutton (I find this better than lamb)
- Pork
- Chicken (the fat is mainly in the dark meat and skin)
- Turkey (same as with chicken, don't shun the dark meat)
- Goat (a naturally-lean animal, leaner than chicken even!)
- Duck (a very fatty bird... if you roast it, let its own fat do the roasting)
- Goose 
- Venison (same as goats, very lean)
- Rabbit (VERY lean)
- Sausage made from any of these (make sure they dont have wheat as filler)
- Bacon made from pork only (turkey bacon is a fake vegetable oil product)
- Some processed meats (in moderation as they may still contain other junk, such as soy, wheat and processed oils -- best made on your own or obtained from a reliable source)
- Offal (such as liver, heart, kidneys, brains, etc... make sure it's edible first, though, you don't want to be eating chicken gall bladders)
- Liverwurst/Braunschweiger (in case offal is too much at this time, liver sausage is a nice safe compromise -- try to get this from a pasture-raised source of pork or beef)
- Suet (make sure its pure kidney suet from a properly-raised source, and by GAWD avoid this piece of crap: http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=265612930 )
- Tallow (wonderful cooking fat, and what McDonald's used to fry their french fries with many decades ago -- it's easy to make especially from good suet, lends a mild beefy taste to food, has a very high melting point, a long stable shelf-life, and can be reused very often)
- Lard (good cooking fat, and also easy to make especially from bacon grease; make sure its pure and not hydrogenated, not like this POS: http://www.amazon.com/Armour-Lard-16-oz-tub-Pack/dp/B003VB7P08 )
- Duck Fat
- Mutton Tallow (probably smells, but I'm sure it has its use)
- Other exotic animals if you're willing to try them out (insects, for instance, have a vast and diverse fat profile, from respectable saturated and mononunsaturated fat content for their size, to complete omega-3 profiles that would make some fish blush)



SEAFOOD
[We covered these before, but it's worth repeating that while fish and crustaceans will vary in their composition of saturated and monounsaturated fat, they will all contain at least some omega-3 polyunsaturated fat (an obvious exception being farm-raised "tortured" fish which will have a lot less).  So if you want a quick and reliable weekly omega-3 source, you can do no wrong with a fatty fish, especially the smaller plankton feeders. Best rule of thumb is that all cold-water fish and critters are going to have more fat (to help protect them from the cold); while tropical fish and crustaceans are going to have the least.]
- Fatty fish (like salmon, cod, sardines, herring, mackerel and anchovies)
- Other Seawater fish
- Some Freshwater fish
- Eels
- Shrimp
- Scallops
- Crawfish
- Crabs
- Lobster
- Clams
- Oysters
- Cod Liver Oil
- Salmon Oil
- Fish Oil (usually made from smaller fish -- make sure it's properly sourced and has EPA/DHA; you may prefer to eat the fish instead)



DAIRY 
[These are a very rich and convenient source of saturated fat from a "renewable" resource -- but some people have issues with lactose and allergies to casein, so be sure you're not one of those!  Lactose problems, especially in the way it fires off insulin prematurely, can be gradually resolved taking probiotics and/or eating probiotic-rich yogurts and kefir]
- Eggs (not dairy, but often lumped into this category -- great source of fat and protein, and absolutely NEVER discard the yolk!)
- Ghee (clarified butter, has no casein or lactose, so the only true "safe" dairy for everyone, assuming it's filtered properly -- makes one of the best cooking fats, up there with tallow and coconut oil, lends food a rich buttery taste, and is generally easy to make using unsalted grass-fed butter like this brand... http://kerrygoldusa.com/products/butter/unsalted-butter/)
- Butter (grass-fed is best, it tastes better, and will have more vitamins, including naturally-occurring vitamin D -- see if you can find great  locally-sourced grass-fed butter, although in a pinch this fancy imported brand is good too: http://kerrygoldusa.com/products/butter/)
- Hard Cheeses (like manchego and parmesan, have the least casein and lactose, and also may contain beneficial mold)
- Normal Cheeses (like cheddar and gouda, avoid processed imitations)
- Soft Cheeses (like mozzerella, riccotta and panela; may still have some lactose)
- Cheese curds (Wisconsin favorite, lol)
- Whole-fat milk (if you drink this, never drink skim or low-fat)
- Whole-fat heavy cream (never drink light creams)
- Sour Cream
- Whole-fat kefir or yoghurt (never eat non-fat or low-fat)


NUTS AND SEEDS 
[Though nice sources of monounsaturated fat and a little saturated fat, don't go too nuts on them as they may also have lots of omega-6 polyunsaturated fat, plus anti-nutrients too like some phytates and oxylates, some of which are responsible for tree nut allergies.  A healthy body can easily handle these plus much of them can be deactivated through roasting or blanching, so it's not all doom and gloom... just be wary that plants can and WILL defend themselves, so they deserve respect just as much as any moving animal. Note that peanuts aren't listed since they're technically a legume and have their own unique problems as such.]
- Almonds (makes a great meal or flour)
- Brazil nuts
- Brown Flax Seed (has some Omega-3, but not a whole lot that's useful to you; avoid golden flax which has no omega-3 and is a GMO)
- Cashews
- Dark Chocolate [cacao]
- Hazelnuts
- Macadamia nuts (nice saturated fat source)
- Mongongo nuts (possibly the fattiest nut in the world, but only if you're in Africa, lol)
- Pecans
- Pine nuts
- Pistachios
- Sesame seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Tiger nuts (actually a tuber, but looks like a nut and tastes like coconut, yum!)
- Walnuts
- Nut butters made from one or more of these
- Macadamia nut oil (better than olive oil, but harder to find)
- Cacao butter (a bit bitter, though)



VEGETABLES
[No "true" vegetable has a lot of fat.  At best, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and spinach have a tiny trace quantity that's less than 1% and of no real value to us.  Any fats that you would associate as belonging to the vegetable world would in fact belong to either fruits or nuts.  And vegetable oil doesn't count because... it dun exist.]



FRUITS 
[Can be great sources of saturated or monounsaturated fats -- my contain some trace anti-nutrients as well, but vitamin density and fat content FAR outweight the drawbacks.]
- Coconut [king of all fruits with the highest fat and calorie content of the plant world -- has sustained ancient Pacific Ocean cultures for millenia, and rivals animal sources of a reliable fat source]
- Coconut oil (superb saturated fat content, very shelf-stable so long as you keep it away from water, has a high melting point, and imparts a beautiful coconut flavor to food, making it ideal for baked goods; use extra-virgin or cold-pressed only, as anything cheaper is devoid of nutrition)
- Olives [delicious and respectable little fat sources, and make the "safest" fat source for a conventional dieter]
- Olive Oil (nice monounsaturated fat source that's easy to find; again, use extra-virgin or cold-pressed oils, as cheaper oils are devoid of nutrition)
- Avocado [YOU!!!! YAY!!!!]
- Avocado Oil (better monounsaturated fat source than olive oil, but harder to find; extra-virgin or cold-pressed quality is best)
- Palm Oil [one of the few foods that tastes nasty in its organic form, but at least you don't have to fear it much if you see it in an ingredient listing... coconut oil is superior, though]
- Some minute quantities of fat may exist in more exotic fruits like green plantain, durian, rowal and nance


EVIL FATS 
[Beware these manufactured, hydrogenated, trans fatty demon spawn that fill our bodies with fake fats, leading to all sorts of degenerative diseases caused by their rancid oxidation in our bodies -- its no small wonder they market antioxidant-rich foods a lot, if we keep eating foods that literally "rust" us.  They're also absurdly high in omega-6 polyunsaturated fat, which would be lucridious if not for the fact many of these oils are already oxidized and rancid when they're made.  Unless you're intentionally looking to poison yourself, DONT EAT THESE!!!!!!]
- Canola oil (aka, genetically-modified rapeseed oil, and a very fitting name)
- Corn oil
- Cottonseed oil (aka, CRISCO)
- Margarine (heresy)
- Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (aka, a mixture of various different sludge oils from seeds, not vegetables)
- Peanut oil
- Safflower oil
- Soybean oil
- Sunflower oil
- Vegetable shortening [also from seeds and industrial byproducts, NOT vegetables]
- Hydrogenated Lard (a travesty... lard is already semi-solid at room temperature, so there is no sane reason to hydrogenate it other than to turn it into yet-another-toxic product)
- Fake Processed Fat Products (including fake meat [seitan], turkey bacon [hydrogenated soybean oil with turkey flavor]. fake steaks (gawd knows), pink slime meat [chlorinated beef entrails with other residual protein products], gyro meat (meat-flavored bread crumbs), fake cheeses [we had a whole answer on this], etc)


--Cia

Dear Cia,

Can you explain all the nutrients and benefits found in ghee?

Dear Cia,

With all of the Walmarts and supermarkets around, it's not necessarily easy to "shop healthy" and get decent foods. Do you have any shopping tips for someone trying to avoid all the mess out there and buy better ingredients/food from such places?

Dear all,

You've all posted wonderful questions!  ♥
Sadly, work thing came up, and I'll have to take a raincheck on answering them till tomorrow please look forward to it and wish me lots of luck.  Thanks. ^^


--Cia

Dear Avocado,

Sorry for the delay.  Ah, ghee!  One of my favorite cooking fats, and one loved by so many people across the world (at least those who are aware it exists, lol). XD

Well I talked about what ghee was here on this post:  https://bigsister.forumotion.com/t419p450-dear-cia-column#9191
Definitely worth another read-through as a refresher.

I will add that while I toss around the word a lot, there are in fact many different things that are referred to as "ghee" that aren't quite the same thing.  I'll give a brief description of what these are:

- Clarified Butter: call it "westernized" ghee, or "cheap" ghee, this is the butter fat extracted from unsalted butter.  It's real easy to make and is often what is used to make the store-bought ghee in shops (some of the common brands you find in the Indian or middle-eastern food sections).  Generally Indian cooks don't like this kind of ghee (assuming they know any better), but it generally fits western palettes a lot better as it rarely has such a "raw milk" flavor.  The color of the resulting clarified butter reflects the quality of the butter... grass-fed will yield a golden-yellow color and rich flavor, while regular tortured-cow butter (aka, conventional butter) will be pale-whitish and nasty.  

- Desi Ghee: This is probably what the original ghee was like in Indian, and it's made through a unique fermentation process from a kind of yogurt instead of butter (and not even necessarily from a cow... it can probably be sourced from a buffalo or yak).  The flavor is complex and the smell is... not pleasant if you don't commonly enjoy raw dairy foods, but no doubt this is probably the most nutritionally-complete ghee there is.  Most Desi Ghee will be grass-sourced, unless it is manufactured in bulk (say, to sell in stores in the US), in which case they probably use horrid industrial methods, and would explain why few serious Indian chefs buy store-bought ghee.

- Butter Oil:  Otherwise known as "High-Vitamin Butter Oil", you can think of this as ghee on steroids.  This is a very super-concentrated form that uses very little heat, and instead uses a kind of extraction process similar to coconut oil extraction.  What results is a very dense oil with ALL the nutrients of the milk intact and in a much more concentrated form.  It's such a superior product that it's usually VERY expensive and sold only as a nutritional supplement, but it can yield many of the same benefits of ghee (and more) but at a much smaller dose.  Still, this is not something you can consume regularly due to the cost (and rarity), whereas ghee is something you could easily consume daily with your food, so in the end they're about the same in terms of overall wellness to you. ^^

Since HVBO is too expensive and Desi Ghee not likely to appeal to you, we're going to focus our discussion on the kind of ghee you can make on your own... which is grass-fed clarified butter.  Why grass-fed?  Apart from being healthier, more nutritious and better for the environment, it is also INFINITELY tastier than clarified butter made from conventional butter from tortured cows that's, which will appear more like Elmer's glue than proper ghee.  (and for the love of GAWD be sure not to use margarine, as all you'd get as a result would be heart-clogging vegetable shortening... or a big mess... both...)  XD

If you want to go out and make your own, here's a recipe for grass-fed clarified butter "ghee" that I've used successfully (and yes, using the same brand of Kerrygold butter).  The example I think uses only one bar, which is good to experiment with... but if you want to fill up a full mason quart jar, then 4 blocks of Kerrygold unsalted butter would do the trick).

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/15235810877/d-i-y-ghee

Anyway, so what's ghee good for....?

Well, since we're talking specifically about grass-fed clarified butter "ghee", we have quite a number of wonderful fatty goodies.  However, do bear in mind that ghee is a product of heavy heat... you basically cook away all the water and milk solids (casein and lactose) and leave behind only the fat.  As you probably know by now, heat destroys nutrients, and especially water-soluble nutrients.  If you expect ghee to be a fantastic source of calcium, you'll be sadly disappointed as it doesn't survive the rendering process.  But what DOES survive is wonderful, and consumed more efficiently in our bodies thanks to its pure-fat form....

SATURATED FAT:
Seems like a no-brainer, since ghee is almost entirely saturated fat (and is the reason why it's shunned in conventional circles) and only contains some monounsaturated fat and a small fraction of polyunsaturated fat (more on this later).  And I've already gone on-length before over how saturated fat is actually awesome for brain development, nerve and autoimmune function, hormone development and so on; and also how attempts to discourage saturated fat consumption has more to do with protecting a sludge oil monopoly than it does protecting us from heart disease.

But not all saturated fat is created equal, and its saturated fat is composed of Butyric Acid, which is great for the liver, regulating metabolism, fighting inflammation, reducing cholesterol (ironically), reducing stress, and so forth.  The name may note sound familiar, but Butyrate is precisely the fatty acid that healthy gut bacteria excrete when consuming resistant starches, so as if that source weren't great enough for your body, now you'd also be introducing reinforcements. 

On top of that, grass-fed ghee may offer some Lauric acid as well, which has powerful antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. It won't compare to the copious amounts found in coconut pil (which has TONS of lauric acid), but considering how much cheaper ghee is and how many other helpful things you get aside from lauric acid, it seems like a wonderful little bonus, and a good excuse for spending the extra money on grass-fed ingredients (and did I mention how awesome it tastes?). ^^


CHOLESTEROL: 
Seems like an odd thing to list as a benefit and I'll only really touch on this, but it begs repeating that dietary cholesterol DOES NOT EQUAL blood serum cholesterol.  Cholesterol is so important to your body that it will produce it no matter what you eat... ergo, it matters what raw materials are available for the body to use.  If you eat a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet, and instead consume "heart healthy" whole grains or sludge oils, then it'll use carbohydrates or hydrogenated trans fats to make cholesterol.  Using carbohydrates (which have to be converted to special fats called triglycerides) will slow the rate at which HDL particles are produced and increase the density of LDL particles (making them slow and dense); and combined with the hydrogenated fat componentss that oxidize easily, and you get a REAL precedent for heart disease.

But dietary choleterol from normal fatty sources, in conjunction with proper saturated fats, will produce serum cholesterol that resists oxidation, more HDL particles, and big fluffy LDL particles, and overtime this will result in lower serum cholesterol (as the body will have less inflammation or be better equipped to heal it quickly).  Call it one of the many ironies of modern life. ^^


OMEGA-3:
While it won't compare to fish and while it is almost absent in conventionally-made ghee, grass-fed milk products will have omega-3, and more importantly a balanced omega 6 to omega 3 ratio of 3:1.  Again, it'll be a minute amount compared to the omega-3 you can get from fish, but hey... when you figure that back in the day, most of our diet was FULL of things with omega-3, from fish to meat to dairy to eggs and so forth,.. that adds up to a naturally low inflammatory diet.  Compare that to now when a typical person may eat tortured meat, tortured milk, tortured eggs, tortured fish, and not even a plant source of omega 3 (such as flax); top it off with highly inflammatory grains and sugar (and of course sludge oils), and the entire diet is practically inflammation 24/7.  And then we wonder why people are so irritable. XD


FAT SOLUBLE VITAMINS:
Water-soluble vitamins and minerals may be cooked off, but fat-soluble ones remain nice and intacts.  These primarily include vitamins A, D, E and K.

Vitamin A, as you might remember from an earlier answer, is commonly-associated with eye health, bu tis also essential for skin health, immune system health and reproductive health.  It's also important for the proper functioning of the heart, lungs and kidneys.  Since it is possible to get vitamin A toxicity, beta-carotene from plant sources is considered the "safe" form of Vitamin A... but upon further reading, it does so in a process similar to ALA Omega-3 from plant sources, which have to go through a laborious process in the body to convert to DPA/EHA, so only a fraction of flax omega-3 will turn into usable omega-3 in our bodies.  Similarly, beta-carotene has to be converted in our guts to RETINOL before it can be used, and usually these are very minute quantities (hence the "safeness") -- but these small converted amounts of Vitamin A, coupled with digestive problems due to an unhealthy diet that may impair your ability to form retinol, or a lack of fat in your diet that prevents you from properly absorbing beta-carotene, means that people who get their vitamin A exclusively from beta-carotene may end up with Vitamin A deficiencies. Ergo, consuming Vitamin A from intact Retinol sources (such as meat, fish or dairy) is the most efficient and effective way of getting your daily requirement.

Vitamin D is of course on of the most important vitamins in our diets, and one we get very little from due to our diet or our lack of exposure to the sun -- it's very important for bone health (preventing rickets), immune system health, and heart health, given its a co-factor to calcium and other complimentary vitamins like A and E.  While Vitamin D is generally not efficient to get through food, getting a little bit from the diet is always a nice and helpful little treat.  Note that Vitamin D is only present in grass-fed or pasture-raised animals, since they will get plenty of sun or exposure to sun-kissed food... contrast that to tortured feedlot cows that are usually confined and fed equally-tortured animal feeds, and there is practically no naturally-occuring vitamin D in their meat or milk.  

Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that's useful for skin health and overall immune system health -- any bad press it's gotten as of late is due to the fact it's often taken alone as a supplement, when in fact it needs to be available as part of a vitamin complex in order to work effectively, typically alongside A, D, and K (which, coincidentally, is what ghee has too, woohoo! nature isn't stupid!).  It won't be found in huge amounts in ghee, but again... it adds up in a proper healthy diet.  ^^

And last is the oft-overlooked Vitamin K2, which is wonderful for combating chronic inflammation and promoting good blood clotting, and also promoting heart health, brain health, bone health and kidney health.  Plant sources will offer Vitamin K1, and while this is important to take too, it's benefits primarily deal only with clotting and arterial health -- K2 is the true powerhouse, and also coincidentally the one that naturally occurs the least in our diet of tortured meats, dairy and eggs.  Grass-fed and pastured sources will have copious amounts of vitamin K2, as if you needed another reason why conventional "grain-fed" animal foods suck. 

Actually, wait, there is one more.... XD


CONJUGATED LINOLEIC ACID
"CLA" for short, this is one health powerhouse that's getting more long-overdue recognition lately.  Believe it or not, this is a naturally-occuring TRANS FAT (yes, those actually CAN be helpful to you, so long as they're not manmade) that can serve various positive benefits to our body including the treatment or resistance of:

- Breast, Colorectal, Lung, Skin and Stomach Cancer
- Asthma
- Cardiovascular disease
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Osteoporosis
- Insulin resistance (aka, diabetes)
- Inflammation
- Body fat accumulation (imagine eating a dietary fat that pronotes fat loss?)

This remarkable health gem is only present in grass-fed ruminants such as beef and their milk, and is completely absent in their grain-fed tortured bretheren.  Moreover, it is not possible to manufacture this for supplementation... at best, humans can get like Linoleic acid, which is a different trans fat that helps promote inflammatory agents (and in fact, hydrogenation is a process that helps to form a kind of artificial linoleic acid), but this does not have the same in fact, and in fact can be harmful at high doses.  


So despite the increased cost of grass-fed ingredients, I think it's well worth the cost in terms of getting so much nutritional goodness. And did I mention it tastes good too?  If you're used to cooking with sludge oils, get ready for some REAL cooking fat (and best to strap yourself in, because it's going to be an awesome ride!)  XD


--Cia

Dear Lom,

Ah, well that's the million dollar question in this day and age.  Don't think I've lamented the fact that my tomatoes may come from a standard mini market or that the grass-fed beef I use for jerky came from a shady Aldi's brand.  Or that mom and pop health shops and butchers are so rare, and a convenient place like Whole Foods is so expensive and most likely dishonest in many things.  Truth is, OUR brand of health is not really catered for, or when it is, either it's expensive, rare, or just a bald flat-out lie or embellishment (a big problem with organic vegetables, for instance).  

Unless you trust online distributors like this... http://grasslandbeef.com/ ...or can go to local farms for fresh produce, eggs, milk or meat,... chances are you won't ever really eat as "healthy" as you could.

But then again, "healty" compared to what?

Let's be honest, we genuinely can't ever return to paleolithic health no matter what.  Aside from the proliferation of tortured animals, tortured mutant plants and tortured humans, we also have poisoned water, polluted oceans, bad air, fracking-induced tectonic disruptions, growing deserts, dying plant and animal species, all sorts of weird "waves" traversing our air and bodies with television and cellphone signals, and nuclear radiation from four decades of nuclear tests from all the nuclear-wielding nations.



Some of these have composed irreparable damage to our Earth and ourselves and we'll never be able to recover from that.  We can grow more resilient through such things as diet, but we'll never again experience that kind of purity.  But we're adaptable creatures, and given the will to do so, we can adapt to imperfect conditions and evolve ways to survive and thrive in it, just like pidgeons, cockroaches and coyotes have in our towns and cities.  

So really you should rephrase that as not "shopping healthy" but simply "shopping healthier"; no matter how far from ideal the foods you have available to you are (either due to lack of product diversity or cost), if they're less damaging to your body you can still achieve a generous modicum of health.  After all, I would argue that the majority of our health problems don't stem from an absence of high quality foods, but rather an abundance of intentionally-harmful foods such as the infamous grains, sugar, soy and sludge oils.  Simply by eliminating the intentionally-harmful superfoods (evilfoods?) you'll already see dramatic changes in your health and body composition beyond your wildest dreams.  They may not be as fast or as effective if you really had all the benefits of non-tortured meats and vegetables, but it'll be competitive, and it will certainly be enough to keep you living happy and well till the day you're inspired to broaden your horizons to fresher and better ingredients.  This may even be a better approach since that way your path to a healthy living will be evolutionary... as you see how much conventional meat and produce can change your life, perhaps you'll feel personally-compelled to push the envelope and lift heaven-and-earth to try the good stuff.

That being said, let's have a go at some quick tips...

1) Try out a good nutritional-comparison guide such as this one... http://www.amazon.com/Rich-Food-Poor-Ultimate-Purchasing/dp/0984755179/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426115314&sr=8-1&keywords=rich+foods+poor+foods ...which helpfully details how to build a good micronutrient profile using everyday supermarket foods.  Two bags of chips may be less-than-ideal, but considering the conventional one is fried with peanut oil and salt, and the "Fat-free" one has a whole laundry list of ingredients including HFCS and soy, then the simpler one will be a better improvement.  This is good to know so you can make "better" choices from conventional foods, including fast food (I think I've mentioned before how it's possible to cobble together a good meal plan at a fast-food place like McDonald's or Subways).

2) If you're ready to transition to whole food goodness, shop along the outskirts of a supermarket, where you will have the fresh meat, fish, produce, dairy, eggs (<= I know, lol), and even some of the "better" processed meats.  Not to say you should never go into the middle aisles, but do so only to locate the occasional hidden gem (such as plantain chips, walnuts, pickled olives, sardines canned in olive oil, and bottles of extra virgin coconut oil).  Almost everything else will be made out of the same toxic ingredients, mainly grains, sugar, soy and processed oils (the entire cereal aisle, for instance).

3) Becaues of the increase of awareness of things like paleo or grass-fed beef, you will begin to see these things crop up in your local supermarkets and walmarts... slowly but surely at first, but more in droves later on as markets adapt to new emerging tastes (heck, you'll remember during the Atkins craze how much they tried to adapt to that?).  So you will find remarkable gems such as grass-fed butter (Kerrygold!) or conventional grass-fed beef brands (Tallgrass Beef) or eggs raised from local farms (<= give these a chance XD ) or wild-caught salmon or halibut or "gluten-free" products made from proper ingredients like coconut or the ever-ubiquituous organic fruits and vegetables (even if they're sealed in your favorite package boxes, lol).  Make note of these hidden gems and buy them as an occasional treat if they're very expensive.  That way, you at least eat it every once in a while (grass-fed beef in all its CLA goodness) and also help shop with your wallet... the more they see you buy it, the more they will get, and the more the prices will begin to come down.  An exception can be made with cheaper hidden gems such as grass-fed butter, which, if it's available to you, is probably worth converting into a common staple.  ^^

4) And finally, once you really get well ahead, begin to supplement with really great alternatives either locally if it's available to you, or online if that's your only recourse.  Not just the US Wellness site I mentioned earlier, but Amazon is a good source, as are smaller stores such as Tropical Traditions, Wild Mountain, the Paleo Market and the THRIVE Market.  When doing so, stick to products that you can't make on your own... I have full confidence that one day you can make your own salads or jerky or low-carb cookies or energy bars, but I doubt you can milk your own cow, butcher your own meat, or grow your own durian.  This ensures that you and only you control the quality of your complex food, making it far more tasty and nutritious TO YOU than any processor, big or small, could have made it.  

Then again, if time is still scarce, order away on those snacks, lol!  Just remember to check for normal ingredients you can pronounce.



--Cia

Dear Cia,

What negative effects might you suffer if you do not consume enough dietary fats?

Dear Avocado,

"Might"?  I'm sure you've been to a school cafeteria and have seen the kind of low-fat, high-carb slot they feed to kids these days.  So you have first-hand look at some of the consequences of not consuming high fat, although in fairness that's also in conjunction with consuming way too many carbs.  And owing to the lack of interest in researching this without any bias, it's hard too tell which of our common societal ailment are caused by too few fats, the wrong kinds of fats, or consumption of grains/sugar.  

But let's assume for instance you DO go Paleo, no longer consumed grains, sugar, soy or sludge oils, and ate a diet full of wonderous whole foods, but minus any signifcant fat source (even coconut or olive oil), owing to still being largely fat-phobic.  This is not a real hypothetical situation... many people coming into Paleo as if it were some kind of fad diet DO make the mistake of not expanding their fat consumption; similarly, many people going on low-carb diets fail to replace those carbs without something else, be it fat or protein.  

In both hypothetical scenarios, we can expect to see the following things if the person continues to get fully deprived of fat:

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- Hunger or Semi-Starvation: in both cases, you remove the primary Standard American Diet fuel source (sugar) and replace it with... nothing.  So your cells neither get their sugar fix, nor do they get any kind of delicious fat at least; sure there is still protein which can break down to glucose if necessary, but this is very labor-intensive for your body as well as inefficient, since that glucose wouldn't be available to you until hours later, it's a very slowly digested macronutrient.  That leaves fat as your viable fuel source, and if you don't consume it, your body will have nothing to fuel it.  Sure, it may TRY to burn body fat, but if your body is not adapted for fuel burning, it'll preserve your precious body fat, and choose to eat your muscles and organs instead!  In short, if you're on one of these diets and are feeling hungry, fat is your friend. 

- Low Energy:  goes hand-in-hand with the one above, since you don't have enough energy to run your normal body function.  After a prolonged period of time, your body's metabolism begins to shut down non-critical functions, it adapts to a lower calorie intake, and it will make you feel sluggish and tired.  

- Dry Skin:  your skin cells use a lot of fat to keep moistorized, so absent that your skin could end up like a pair of dried lips in winter.  >.<

- Poor Memory:  If your brain's neural pathways, which require a lot of fat to maintain, no longer have the supplies to do so, expect memory retention to be very poor at best, and existing memories to get regularly deactivated and forgotten.  Is it any wonder kids these days on the "SAD" diet have such poor memories?

- Mental Fog and Fatigue:  Same as the above but impairing immediate actions; you would lack concentration and focus.

- Nerve problems: Similar to the above, but try your ENTIRE BODY!  This can lead to unusual behavior such as neurosis, involuntary spasms, anxiety disorders and so forth.

- Poor Body Temperature Regulation:  If you don't have enough fat on you, expect to get much colder in the winter.  In this respect we're not all that different from seals.

- Hormonal Imabalances:  Given how important fat is in the synthesis of hormones, you would lose estrogen (in women) and testosterone (in men) production, causing sexual drive problems, in addition to problems developing sexual characteristics, especially during puberty (i.e., proper breast growth in women, or muscle growth in men). 

- Infertility:  Similar to the above, I suspect that a lack of fat in the diet, concurrent with the consumption of toxic grains and seed oils, can be a primary culprit for intertility in some couples.  If this ever turns out to be validated, I think it will be one of many extremly damning crimes committed by the so-called health experts.

- Impaired Physical and Cognitive Development: Children need a LOT of fat to grow up into happy healthy adults, and minus this they will hae a much harder time growing their bodies and their brains to the fullest potential.  They may even succumb to cognitive diseases such as ADHD. Note that this is not limited to just growing up -- I suspect that babies developing in the womb are also impacted by a lack of fat combined with the mother's consumption of toxic grains, sugar and sludge oils -- and can lead to severe impairments such as Down's Syndrome or inherited autoimmune diseases such as Type 1 diabetes.  If this is ever properly validated, this will be another damning crime against humanity.  

- Bone Problems: Ever eaten bone marrow?  Notice how much fat is inside bones?  Yeah, fat is VERY important for bone health, and if it doesn't have enough of it, expect bones to become weaker and brittle, and prone to osteoporosis and other degenerative diseases.

- Greater Cardiovascular Risk Factors:  Queue the irony of life, but a decreased fat intake WILL lead to a worse cholesterol profile, since your body will need to construct its OWN cholesterol from inferior base materials, leading to a very low HDL count and oxidized LDL which helps flare up inflammation.  Let your body generate proper lipoproteins and cholesterol, and it will be just fine and lower total cholesterol over time.

- Impaired Liver Health:  Repeat after me:  "Fatty Liver" has nothing to do with actual fats -- in fact, Fatty Liver is caused by too many carbohydrates (hence why this happens often with alcoholics).  In fact, fat often helps protect th liver from the damaging effects of alcohol and some medications.

- Gallstones:  Your gall bladder is there to properly digest fats.  If it doesn't get used, the bile stored in it will remain stored for a long time, until it begins to stagnate, congeal, crystallize, solidify, and form... gallstones . Million of Americans get their gall bladders needlessly removed every year, simply because they don't consume enough fat (concurrent with eating grains that impair gall bladder function, such as wheat).

- Unhealthy Lungs:  Same as with your skin and liver, fat is important for coating your lungs with a proper surfactant.  Minus it, and it will get irritated, damaged and more susceptible to intrusion.

- Impaired immune system: Not only does fat and cholesterol help build up the body's natural defenses against illness (ie, white blood cells), but various fats like lauric or myristic acid also provie an antibacterial and antifungal role too).  Minus all that, you're bound to get sick, and stay sick for a long time... no surprise how effective Flu season is at infecting millions (though the vaccine problem doesn't help).  >.>;

- Greater cancer risk:  Same as the above, but minus the benefits of certain fats such as butyric acid that help with genetic regulation, this leaves your body highly susceptible to cancer.  

- Deficiencies of Essential Vitamins:  You will immediately become deficient in fat-soluble vitamins such as Vitamin A, D, E and K, and these in turn will cascade their own problems to you, from eye problems to skin problems to bone problems to blood-clotting problems.  

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Given all the above, and pairing it with actively degenerative food intake, is it any wonder we as a culture have grown to accept a steady decline in health as the "norm"?  Does no one remember a time when old people were still young, rigorous, with good memories, happy dispositions, and able to walk and reason without much assistance?  Or people with functioning gallbladders, no diabetes, thin as rails, and who have only heard of the word "cancer" as a disease of the rich?  It wasn't really that long ago, and the fact that this long history of fat-appreciation has been obfuscated by a clear agenda of profit can only be described by me as a crime against humanity.

My only hope is that in 50 years time, we can look back at these horrible decades with the same ridicule and disdain as we see the smoking era.  


--Cia

Dear Cia,

What exactly IS flan?