Moved to poatatohack.com
The full text of the study is available here: Effect of Dietary Resistant Starch on Prevention and Treatment of Obesity-related Diseases and Its Possible Mechanisms.
It's short and easy to read, have a look!
Later,
Tim
Hey, Wilbur - From the last paragraph before the conclusion:
ReplyDelete"As a kind of functional nutrients, RS may interact with other foods. Chai et al.[49] found that tea polyphenols could bridge high-amylose maize starch molecules together, leading to increasing amylose molecular sizes and low-ordered crystalline structure to produce a slowly digestible starch material that is beneficial to postprandial glycemic control and related health effects. In addition, Charrier et al.[50] found that the consumption of high fat diet could attenuate the fermentation effect of RS2. "
There's those polyphenols again!
And I believe they are saying that if you are eating a high fat diet, RS2 may not ferment correctly.
This is all very interesting. I'd really like to see someone compare a high-fat and high-fiber diet to other diets, not that my diet is high-fat. There was at least one study saying that even a little fiber significantly reduced the negatives of a high-fat diet. Maybe the fiber and the fat interfere with each other's digestion, which is a good thing? It is known, I think, that fiber reduces caloric absorption.
DeleteOr based on the study you posted, maybe you just need to add berberine to the high fat diet.
DeleteNow this is interesting. Maybe our immune system selects our gut microbiome to deal with our crappy diets?
Deletehttp://gutmicrobiotaforhealth.com/host-may-proactive-dietary-modulation-gut-microbiota-says-catherine-lozupone-8390
I think we are light years ahead of Catherine Lozupone in terms of how to make a healthy gut. She is seeing the things I saw 2-3 years ago. ie:
Delete"Lozupone sees probiotics as promising tools by which to help the microbiota adapt to different diets. "Some positive results in the literature [suggest] that probiotic administration of certain bacteria can protect against high-fat-diet induced obesity in mice," she says, citing studies on Bacteroides uniformis and Akkermansia muciniphila. She notes that the potentially helpful bacteria are not those currently available off the shelf, however. "A recent review showed limited effectiveness of currently-available probiotics for treatment of obesity in humans," she adds."
She is seeing these bacteria and thinking that if they could be transplanted, then everything would work out for the recipient. I don't think it is so simple.
I think the best thing that has come out of this blog are the latin words under the banner...
But, yes, interesting article in that the immune system is playing a part in the microbiome's make-up.
DeleteI know of a number of people that believe that meals predominantly of carbs and of protein/fat should be eaten separately to maximize body composition. Doing something like a high fat low carb diet with once or twice per week carb-only "refeeds" is not uncommon in body building circles. So maybe macro partitioning has various positive health effects.
Deletealso for the reason of better digestion. Some believe that the digestive enzymes for digesting carbs and protein/fat don't work optimally at the same time.
DeleteWe are light years ahead of Catherine Lozupone's basic assumption what is doing what for whom.
DeleteWhen something goes wrong, the microbes are doing what their can and try to play with our immune system / tissues in order to get the best conditions for THEIR OWN survival.
The well being of the host is a side project, kind of.
Um, Tim, those words are in french
Delete"..those words are in french"
Deletehaha, so they are. Shall we change to The meteorus nihil sit, subtilis , Solum omnia?
You could, but french is latin based je pense
DeleteTim, being a PHDer, I was somewhat concerned by the notion that a high fat diet might blunt the ability of resistant starch to cause fermentation. So I read the Charrier et al paper. First thing to note is that they were feeding rats in the high fat group a diet that was 42% fat (by cals). By PHD standards this is a relatively low fat diet, though not by SAD standards. The rats were fed high-amylose maize (HAM-RS2). Results showed that the rats in the low fat group had higher levels of acetate (5% higher), propionate (33% higher) and butyrate (50% higher) that the high fat diet rats. For both groups, however, these markers were vastly higher than in the control groups (e.g. high fat diet rats’ butyrate was 800% higher than the control group’s).
DeleteInterestingly, the authors note in the discussion: "Several studies have reported using fructoligosaccharide (FOS), a fermentable carbohydrate, in conjunction with a high fat diet. Such studies report that FOS is effective in producing beneficial health effects similar to those we have previously published for HAM-RS2 in a low fat diet."
So I think it wouldn’t be wise to read too much into this one study. It seems that different fibres have different effects with different diets. Perhaps this isn’t a surprising result! While we may tentatively (rats ≠ people) conclude that HAM-RS2 will produce greatest fermentation in a low fat diet, do we know outcomes with other sources of RS2 or RS3? And given the FOS studies, perhaps, irrespective of diet, we might do best with a variety of different fibres? Advice I think I’ve read around here before ;)
Interesting to finally see a longer term study with such a seemingly strong conclusion.
ReplyDeleteRegarding RS2, that's what is found in plantain flour and bananas. If I cook with both of them, won't I have to cool it overnight to retrograde it to RS3? If I eat it hot after cooking there would be no RS2 (just like PS), right? Alternatively, I could eat raw plantains and bananas.
RS2 from most sources cannot be heated lest it retrograde to a much lesser amount of RS3.
DeleteThe makers of hi-Maize corn RS2 claim you can cook with their product and it retains its high RS2 content, but I have not seen this verified anywhere.
As far as I am concerned, raw starches, ie. potato starch, plantain flour make a useful supplement, but if used in cooking provide few gut health benefits.
I have been a big fan of home made dried plantains for years. Just buy very green plantains, peel, slice and dry in oven on very low (less than 125F) or sun dry or dry at room temp in front of a fan. They make good crackers. Very high RS2 content, and a whole food for those against isolated starches.
Thanks Tim. That was also my thoughts, I just wanted to make sure. I was just curious if the RS in plantains could be treated like RS from potatoes - which seems to be the case.
DeleteIn any case I think I would prefer raw plantains. Do you know how much RS they have per 100g?
Super green raw plantains have about 40g RS per 100g fresh, and 50-60g/100g dry. But I doubt you will be able to eat them. Have you ever tried? I find that if thoroughly dried, they are palatable.
DeleteNo, because I haven't found them yet in Denmark :) I was thinking of chopping them up and eating them on my oatmeal or skyr.
Delete"indicating that RS might be a promising food in dieteric treatment for obesity, T2DM and NAFLD." (for losing weight, as I understand it).
ReplyDeleteI know a long term diabetic (on insulin) who took 4 tablespoons potato starch a day. It did lower her blood sugars, but didn't help her lose weight. At the moment she is trying to fast the weight off.
I (as a diabetic) myself tried plantain flour, but it didn't help at all. Nothing budged my blood sugar levels. As it turns out, I was recently diagnosed as having Histamine Intolerance and having extensively read up on the subject know that plantains and bananas are high in histamine, along with avocados. When eating them it made my blood sugar levels sky rocket and it would take days for it to come down to a reasonable level. And on a forum site someone said to also look into adrenal fatigue as they often go hand in hand. Or it could be the chicken and egg situation: which came first.
So as you can see, there are more factors in play when trying to improve our gut flora. One of the consequences is that I can't eat fermented food like saurkraut as they are high in histamine. I know now that my skin starts itching when my histamine bucket overflows.
Potatoes are low in histamine, so I may give potato starch a go. If I eat the potato itself I should eat is with the skin on.
Jo tB
Jo tB - Want to be our lab rat? How do you do with oats? They are high in Beta glucans. Also dark chocolate (high in polyphenols). And of course some potato starch, or just a lot of potatoes.
DeleteTry this 3 pronged approach and see what happens. Here is list of high polyphenol foods: http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v64/n3s/fig_tab/ejcn2010221t1.html
And list of beta glucan foods: Mushrooms, yeast, oats.
And you should know where to get fiber and RS!
Tim, chocolate is out for me. I have the worst histamine reaction to dark chocolate. Twice when eating chocolate during a cold winter my whole back was severely chapped (I think is the right word). I didn't connect it to histamine at the time. I hadn't eaten chocolate in a while, I ate a piece and boy did the itchiness increase and noticed it with my meter the next day: my blood sugars had increased and hadn't come back down. (things I used to connect to my diabetes).
DeleteOats, millet, quinoa are OK.
Mushrooms and yeast are out, come under the same heading as saurkraut.
http://www.histaminintoleranz.ch/download/foodlist/21_FoodList_EN_alphabetic_withCateg.pdf
This is list of compatible and less compatible foods. I have to concentrate on 0 (zero) list. After a couple of months I can add list 1 to my diet.
Jo tB
I just feel like we are tap dancing all around a great discovery here. What is it???
DeleteSo, how do we get you the "Holy Trinity" then? Polyphenols, beta-glucans, and fiber.
Oats have both beta-glucans and fiber. What high polyphenol food is low in histamines?
According to the list I shouldn't eat mold cheese, so blue cheese, camambert and brie are out.
DeleteJo tB
when I read Heiman's patent, it just made so much sense to me. I really don't understand how it is patentable, but that's not relevant I guess.
DeleteI know nothing about histamines. There are supplements available.
Guess what I'm a big fan of? Thick viscous beers. My understanding is that beta glucans contribute to that. One of my favorites is barley wine.
From the highest polyphenol list I can use (pepper?)mint, oregano, celery (seed?) flaxseed, chestnut, sage and rosemary.
DeleteJo.
Those amounts can be misleading. If the list is by 100g amounts, that's a lot of dried herb.
DeleteBarney
The trouble with the spices is that they are so light, you'd need to eat an ungodly amount to get a meaningful dose. Seeds and chestnuts are heavier, what about the highest foods on that list?
Delete"we are tap dancing all around a great discovery"
DeleteShhhh. Not too loud. We don't want that people overdose on insulin, glucams and polyphetylene.
If I'm looking at this right, it looks like blueberries and blackberries would be good. The patent mentions blueberry extract. The quantity of extract is equivalent to quote a bit of blueberries. Heiman recommends extract to avoid the calories.
DeleteExtract was "700 mg of a polyphenolic compound". Right under the "insulin" section.
DeleteBarney
I'm looking at the patent now, too. I wonder why he feels it needs to be taken alongside Metformin ("a biguanide")?
DeleteThe patent seems top revolve around making this standard diabetes treatment more powerful.
In that light, no reason it would not work for the run-of-the-mill dyspeptic gut, right?
What do we know about Beta-glucan supplements?
And the polyphenols look awfully hard to get from real food in the amounts discussed. ie 59 cups of strawberries!
Inulin and RS can be supplemented in ways we've talked about around here forever.
Quercetin, resveratrol, curcumin. He specifically mentions blueberry. The effects could be related to some magic in the berry or something specific about that type of polyphenol.
DeleteBarney
Barney
From what I've read is that Heiman's patients are already taking Metformin and have tolerance and efficacy issues. His invention, according to studies he has done, dramatically improves things. I don't know if he is thinking of his invention as a possible gut recovery technique. Maybe we should patent that idea?!
Delete2 cups of blueberries is a lot. But do-able. For beta-glucans, I just read this:
Delete"The beta-glucan content in whole grain oat varies from 2 to 8% of dry weight, whereas the beta-glucan content of oat bran concentrate is usually between 15 and 35% of dry weight."
Bob's Red Mill and others sell oat bran. Maybe a good alternative to regular oats for this tactic.
Those amounts are per dose. Mentions 2 or 3 doses per day as a possibility.
DeleteBarney.
Re blueberries: the magic is mainly in anthocyanins.
DeleteBut I also see he says: 4.7g blueberry extract, 2g beta glucans, 4g inulin.
DeleteWritten out like this, it looks very do-able. Even if per dose.
I'm wondering...a smoothie with blueberries, cocoa powder, a green banana, 4TBS of raw oat bran, and 1TBS of inulin supplement powder or a real food equivalent. Maybe use herbal tea for the liquid, and honey or molasses to sweeten.
3 of those a day and anyone will be sh!tt!ng like a pro!
Anthocyanins - how about throwing a purple potato in there?
DeleteBarney
http://www.aaccnet.org/publications/cc/backissues/1987/Documents/CC1987a125.html
DeleteIt looks like beta glucans suffer the fate of RS when cooked.
"blueberries: the magic is mainly in anthocyanins."
DeleteWasn't that part of the Inuit magic, too, you found? Care to explain?
Hmmmmm. I always have high bifido, and I also eat lots of blueberries:
DeleteDifferential Modulation of Human Intestinal Bifidobacterium Populations after Consumption of a Wild Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) Drink
J. Agric. Food Chem., 2013, 61 (34), pp 8134–8140
Publication Date (Web): July 24, 2013
Abstract
Bifidobacteria are gaining increasing interest as health-promoting bacteria. Nonetheless, the genus comprises several species, which can exert different effects on human host. Previous studies showed that wild blueberry drink consumption could selectively increase intestinal bifidobacteria, suggesting an important role for the polyphenols and fiber present in wild blueberries. This study evaluated the modulation of the most common and abundant bifidobacterial taxonomic groups inhabiting the human gut in the same fecal samples. The analyses carried out showed that B. adolescentis, B. breve, B. catenulatum/pseudocatelulatum, and B. longum subsp. longum were always present in the group of subjects enrolled, whereas B. bifidum and B. longum subsp. infantis were not. Furthermore, it was found that the most predominant bifidobacterial species were B. longum subsp. longum and B. adolescentis. The results obtained revealed a high interindividual variability; however, a significant increase of B. longum subsp. infantis cell concentration was observed in the feces of volunteers after the wild blueberry drink treatment. This bifidobacterial group was shown to possess immunomodulatory abilities and to relieve symptoms and promote the regression of several gastrointestinal disorders. Thus, an increased cell concentration of B. longum subsp. infantis in the human gut could be considered of potential health benefit. In conclusion, wild blueberry consumption resulted in a specific bifidogenic effect that could positively affect certain populations of bifidobacteria with demonstrated health-promoting properties.
This damn blueberry business! What the heck is in blueberries that make me sick a few hours after eating them? Same goes for apples and cape gooseberries. None of them are genetically related. I didn't even really realize what the problem was because it doesn't happen right away. Seems to take until gastric emptying occurs. Then I get nausea and retching.
Deletegahhh!
Tim, are you saying that mushrooms need to be eaten raw?
DeleteI've never given that any thought! But in this 'hack' they use oat-derived beta glucans. I have been reading and the bg's in oats are mostly destroyed when cooked.
DeleteI'm just going to put it out there that every mushroom expert that I have run across emphatically says mushrooms should never be eaten raw., including Paul Stamets. I don't know enough to argue either way.
DeleteBut it appears that cooking greatly reduces barley glucans and mushroom glucans too. It would be pretty tough to eat uncooked barley! I think though that the situation is slightly different from RS : as I understand, RS degrades entirely above 140F, while beta glucans are just reduced. There's plenty left in cooked stuff, just not as much when you started. Again, not an expert.
Tim, I like your smoothie idea above. Why not? It's real food. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, well it doesn't. In the meantime, it's healthy food.
DeleteThe one thing that might need to be emphasized is that consistently taking the concoction might be important too. In the case study I linked before that showed the huge effects on a subject
http://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/abs/10.3920/BM2012.0063
the subject was helped within two days, stayed the course for 8 weeks, stopped, and then was sick again within two days. I am the model of consistent. I suspect that Tim might be too. From what I understand and observe, most people are not when it comes to this sort of thing. In over a year and a half, I have not missed two days in a row. A day here and there, but I think that's ok. But not at the beginning.
Ha! Just finished dinner, a small moose burger on a lettuce leaf wrap with green onions, some fried potatoes, and a smoothie: 1 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup raw rolled oats, 2TBS PS, 1TBS chia seeds, 1TBS cocoa powder, 1 cup beet kvass.
DeleteWe'll see what color it is in the morning, lol.
Oat bran has much more beta glucan than rolled oats. If I remember correctly, its twich as much.
DeleteOh mooseburgers! Sigh.😉
DeleteI know, right?! I love goat and lamb leg. Is moose leg good? Moose chops? I'm drooling.
DeleteTim: dark purple red. (Do I get a prize? LOL!) That smoothie sounds absolutely gross. Sorry. Glad you are eating onions though.
DeleteLettuce does nothing for poops.
Wilbur, what happens with the rest of the lamb and goat after you chomp through the legs? Hmmm???? Head to tail, my good man! Mind you, one time I made soup from a lamb head and just couldn't.........just could not. Same with testicles. I can eat them in some forms but in a soup? Nope.
I hear you Gabriella. I'm good at high heat or low heat cooking. Medium, or delicate stuff, I fail at. I love brains and sweetbreads and stuff, but only when someone else cooks them. Hearts and tongues I can do. I love medium rare heart, especially with baby collard greens. Tacos de lengua are amazing. I put chicken feet in my soups and beans, as well as pork feet. No heads yet, but head cheese from a reputable maker is always a favorite.
DeleteI'll eat tripe and intestine too. I always liked Andrew Zimmern's quote "it has a poopy flavor. In a good way." That's intestine!
So, I'm wondering if a deranged gut with what they call a motility problem - probably caused by a history of eating disorders with years of binging - can even function properly again by adding beneficial bacteria with fiber? Is the gut just used to those enormous volumes of food, or could be there some kind of nerve damage? Because anyone eating what I eat would not have motility issues. I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on this. I've heard of a newish probiotic called Elixa from the UK, and plan to try it. Of course my diet won't change if my gut never improves, but I would like to know if I'm wasting my money on fermented kraut juice!
ReplyDeleteSorry, missed this one.
DeleteI think that eating foods that are historically known as healthy and have been with us for eons is never a bad idea. I don't think that you are wasting money on any fermented food, but you could maybe do better learning to make your own. I am skeptical sometimes of commercial ferments, but there are good ones available, or so I'm told.
One thing with the RS/fiber studies, they almost universally show increased gut motility and increased musculature of the muscles supporting the gut. If you suffered years of an eating disorder, you may have indeed done some damage, but years of healthy eating may restore the lost vigor of your gut.
Good luck! Don't give up.
Did you guys read this in the patent:
ReplyDelete"The present invention can be used in combination with drugs. For example, broad spectrum antibiotics prescribed for systemic infections are not completely absorbed by the upper GI system and make it to the microbiota environment. This will temporarily alter the GI microbiome and it may be desirable to ingest the formulation of the present invention during antibiotic therapy, in preparation for a course of antibiotics, or following such intervention. Specific antibiotics may target Gram positive or Gram negative bacteria. Treatment with a Gram positive antibiotic before-, during-, or following ingestion of the above combination of prebiotics of the present invention could improve the desired outcome."
Hi Tim,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing and interesting stuff. Do you think amazing fat loss is a bit strong language to use based on the findings here? Am I missing something? Animal data showing no appreciable fat or weight loss - I mean yes interesting mechanisms but how can we say amazing weight loss from this?
Sorry - The blog title was a joke. Maybe I should stick to my day job and stay way from stand-up?
DeleteThe joke is a riff on all the gurus that love to highlight a particular protocol with its 'amazing fat loss' potential. I have never claimed that for RS, but in this case, the research shows that RS could lead to long term weight regulation through attenuation of hunger hormones and gene expression of weight loss pathways.
Sorry for the confusion, sometimes I forget that people unfamiliar with my particular brand of humor read here.
No problem, sorry I missed the pun!
DeleteWow, I see quite a few developments have occured while sleeping (time difference to Europe).
ReplyDeleteIn Holland I can get oat bran quite easily, so that may be something to try with my histamine intolerance. I can't get steel cut oats, just quick oats to make porridge.
So Tim, your smoothie seems doable for me with a few minor changes (there I go again!!) . The cocoa powder is out and the cup of beet kvass (fermented product), but I could add raw beet juice.
So that would make my smoothie: 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen) 1/2 cup oats (or bran) 2 tbs PS, 1 tbs chia seeds, 1 cup beetroot juice. See how that goes down.
Jo tB
Sounds like a good plan! That hits all the bases we are curious about. Let us know how it works, alstublieft.
DeleteNothing happened, no bloating, no farting , no bowel movement. Recently I was having a bowel movement every day. Coincidence? As I changed my routine by adding PS, oats and oatbran, I will have to wait and see. But I will continue.
DeleteMy smoothie today will be kale, 2 tbs hemp seed, 2 tbs PS, 2 tbs oats, 2 tbs oat bran.
Jo
And my cup of blueberries.
DeleteJo
There's some things being bandied about that I'm excited to experiment with.
ReplyDeleteLet's start with the problem: Some folks, including me, have what appears to be a deranged microbiota that does not respond well to fiber. Indeed, fiber usually makes all my gut symptoms worse. While fiber itself _can_ modify the microbiota, at least in my case, it does not appear to do so fast enough or completely enough to solve the issues.
So the goal is to modulate the microbiota into a more beneficial mix. Here are some possible ways to do so:
- Semi-monotonous diet: Reducing variety in diet may actually increase gut diversity. It might make sense to pick ~10 'staple' foods, and ensure that 2-3 meals per day are composed largely of them.
- Polyphenols: Plant polyphenols may exert selective pressure on more beneficial species. Certainly plant polyphenols are associated with health in plenty of studies, and most of them are not absorbed by the small intestine. So it's plausible they exert their benefits through bug selection in the colon.
- Exercise: At least in mouse studies, exercise has been shown to change the microbiota independently from diet.
- Bug exposure: You can't modulate to something that doesn't exist. Exposure to beneficial bacteria is important until the flora is established and stable. Fermented foods and dirt are sources, though it's hard to say if they really contain the right bugs. But perhaps any bacteria is good, since bacteria swap genes so much.
- Mineral capture [speculative]: I wonder if unbound minerals might cause a shift to unwanted bugs. In the human body, minerals like iron are normally tightly controlled and bound to various proteins. The best way to do this might be to eat foods with phytic acid, like wheat bran, that are known to tightly bind iron etc. Perhaps those bacteria that are able to obtain minerals from phytic acid are the most compatible with us.
- Fiber: Both feeds and modulates the microbiota. Caution may be required at first until the other items have started to shift the species mix.
So the experiment, starting today, will be to try to incorporate the above with standard baseline things (get plenty of sleep, eat whole foods, etc). For the record, I've already attempted every one of the above, but never all together. Perhaps none are, by themselves, enough.
Am I missing any other possible gut modulators?
Are you considering beta glucans? According to the patent, these will make the bacteria prefer to eat what you eat instead of eating you. Tim mentioned raw oatmeal bran above.
DeleteVery reasonable. Perhaps one of the staple foods in my experiment will be a daily breakfast of raisin bran with 1-3 tsps of oat bran sprinkled in. That kills a bunch of birds (semi-monotonous, fiber, phytic acid, oat bran) in one swoop. I've actually eaten this before and the taste is quite fine.
DeleteAs a (very healthy) kid, I used to eat Cheerios or Honey Nut Cheerios, which have whole oats, pretty much every morning. Coincidence?!?!?!
Thank you!
Just for fun, you might want to read about Cheerios are made. I personally do not think of them as being healthy. I haven't allowed my kid to eat any packaged cereals for years. Just yesterday she saw a picture of her from 6 years ago eating Cheerios. "You mean that I've eaten Cheerios before?"
DeleteI'd double the amount of oat bran by taking another dose in the evening. I'd take the fiber twice per day too.
Would you mind posting your entire proposed plans?
Here's a good book describing how some of our food is made:
Deletehttp://www.amazon.com/Pandoras-Lunchbox-Processed-Food-American/dp/1451666748/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437490441&sr=8-1&keywords=pandoras+lunchbox
Chapter 4 describes how many cereals are made and why. I liked the chapter on chicken.
For more fun, reading about how carton OJ made is also eye opening. I would also say that is not a healthy food.
I hear ya. I think when (if) people actually figure out what it is that makes people truly healthy, we'll be able to interpret this stuff better. As of right now, I'm quite sure that lots of things we think are bad really aren't, and vice versa. For example, 20 years ago everyone was _sure_ that salt and saturated fat were horrible for you, and now it's less obvious. I ate white bread, processed cheese, cheerios, and pepsi every day of my life for 8 years as a kid, and was in vibrant. I'm not claiming this is a good diet -- It's quite possible that I was healthy despite that, not because of it.
DeleteIn any event, that's not at all the intervention I'm planning now. :) I'll try to formalize my plan a little better tonight and post it.
Zogby - If I was going to do a 10 staple food plan, I'd include beans and corn tortillas. Cook up a whole bag of beans at once, then freeze in serving size bags. Mush the beans onto a toasted corn tortilla and use as a base for your meat of choice. I found that corn tortillas can be quickly toasted in a standard toaster. Check the ingredients, lots of tortilla and taco shells have only "corn, lime, salt" listed as the ingredients.
DeleteFor bonus points, buy a bag of masa harina (nixtamalized) corn meal and make your own tortillas!
Zogby
DeleteWhen people speak of processed food, Cheerios and many other cereals are near the top of the list. The book I linked, Pandora's Lunchbox, is very informative. I've forgotten whether raisin brand is covered, but I'd skip it. You want real food in your intervention. Instead buy whole wheat and cook it. You can make enough for the week, add milk, raisins, honey, and oat bran at serving. I bet right now that you'll notice a big difference in how you feel.
You can also make savory versions of this that would go well with many meats. There's your second serving for the day.
One thing I eliminated in my diet is all preservatives. What are they designed to do? Prevent bacterial spoilage. Not something I want my gut bugs to deal with. I don't care if they are safe or not.
"Freshly squeezed" orange juice in a carton also seems to a processed food. That is why it would not be in my diet.
http://civileats.com/2009/05/06/freshly-squeezed-the-truth-about-orange-juice-in-boxes/
Tim:
DeleteYeah, beans are probably a good idea. IIRC, most blue zone areas eat beans as a staple. So we can conclude that, at the worst, they are not bad for you, and very likely quite good. I'll add it to the list of staples, as long as I can tolerate 'em.
Wilbur:
Hmmm, I'll admit I'm a little torn on this.
Something like Cascadian Farm's raisin bran seems pretty ok to me: WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT*, WHEAT BRAN*, RAISINS*, SUGAR*, OAT FIBER*, SEA SALT, MALTED BARLEY EXTRACT*, VITAMIN E [*Organic].
But I guess I'd rather err on the side of being too careful. Lemme look into some other possible easy breakfasts, including the home-made one you proposed. I ordered Pandora's Lunchbox, too, so maybe it'll scare me into agreeing with you.
General Mills owns Cascadian Farms. Pandora's Lunchbox says it uses the technique I'm talking about on at least one of its cereals. It does not say directly, but I believe implies it is used on raisin bran. I hope this google preview works for you.
Deletehttps://books.google.com/books?id=MBDgAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA62&lpg=PA62&dq=does+cascadian+farms+extrude+cereals&source=bl&ots=l_jshAhf0t&sig=S4NVDLMekcXv_AKcKKfLYbEQZUw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCwQ6AEwBWoVChMItIyOouLsxgIVwR0-Ch1DHg49#v=onepage&q=does%20cascadian%20farms%20extrude%20cereals&f=false
My daughter loves cereal so I looked hard at this. First, it is really difficult to find cereals truly made by the non-majors. It's not an organic issue. It's hard to make a cereal that will last for months on a shelf without going rancid, and that's where the processing comes in. It destroys the goodness you think you're getting from the ingredient list.
You can do very similar things with other grains, like steel cut oats and barley. If you know how to pressure cook, you can make a terrific no-stir barley or oat risotto in about 20 minutes cook time. I'll post a recipe if you are interested.
This is the heart of Michael Pollan's advice to eat real food.
@ zogby
DeleteIf you're looking for quick and easy breakfast ideas, have you considered rice pudding? Load it up with raisins or dried apples or blueberries, keep a batch in the fridge and you just grab a bowl and go. Season any way you like, I like it with cinnamon and turmeric. And maple syrup .. mmm.
Then there's a savoury option that takes less than ten minutes to throw together - I nearly always have left over rice in the fridge, so I often just re-heat in a pan, cook an egg and toss it on top. Add in mushrooms, green onions and some dulse and you're talking breakfast of champions.
It's hard to kick the cereal habit, I know. A good breakfast is a wonderful thing though. Try these on the weekend first and you'll see.
@ Wilbur or others - have you ever fooled around with mallow root? I have a plethora in my garden and would be interested to hear feedback from anyone using it for guy health. I don't (generally!) have gut issues so have no personal experience but its long been a traditional remedy for various gut problems. Thoughts anyone?
Couldn't you cook steel cut oats and refrigerate them (for more RS?) and then heat them up with a small amount of water the next morning? I make a batch with coconut milk and then add blueberries, cinnamon or whatever suits your fancy in the morning. You can make a weeks worth in about 20 minutes or so.
Deleteak, that's gut health, not guy health. although I guess it works both ways ..
Delete"Then there's a savoury option that takes less than ten minutes to throw together - I nearly always have left over rice in the fridge, so I often just re-heat in a pan, cook an egg and toss it on top. Add in mushrooms, green onions and some dulse and you're talking breakfast of champions."
DeleteOh Yum! I have done that for lunch!
Another tincture to add to your list, wildcucumber!
Alright, you guys win. Consider cereal off the list. :)
DeleteAnother food that is important in the healing process, especially if you are not eating nose to tail as Wilbur describes, is bone broth and gelatin. The gelatinous broth contains minerals and aminos that heal the gut lining and return permeability to normal.
DeleteThis article about orange juice is even "better" !! If I want orange juice I use fresh oranges. And that may not be the case, as oranges are harvested once a year and kept in cold storage so that we can have our oranges all year round.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.naturalnews.com/034703_orange_juice_flavor_packs_ingredients.html
Jo tB
Hey, Jo! Thought I'd say 'hi' while we are both awake, lol.
DeleteYeah, most fruit juices are just terrible. But they taste SO GOOD. And it's cheap so you can buy a lot, and drink great big glasses of the stuff.
Thanks!
At which temperature is natural RS in potatoes destroyed? I was thinking of cooking potatoes sous vide below the critical point to see if they would worth eating.
ReplyDelete