Podcasts about ask the low carb experts

I used to drink 16 cans of Coca-Cola a day and eat big boxes of Little Debbie snack cakes a day. When McDonald's had that crazy Monopoly game, I would play that thing every year from the first year that they started doing it. And I would go five times a week during the workweek, even more sometimes, just to get those pieces. I could never get Boardwalk and it was just you know… that was my normal way of eating. Jimmy Moore Who is Jimmy Moore? Jimmy Moore catapulted onto the health scene in 2004 after a phenomenal 180-pound weight loss enabled him to come off of prescription drugs for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and respiratory problems. He is the energetic personality behind the über-popular blog Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb and the host of the longest-running and one of the top-ranked iTunes health podcasts, The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show. Jimmy also hosts three other active podcasts Keto Talk With Jimmy Moore & Dr. Will Cole, The Nutritional Pearls Podcast featuring Christine Moore, NTP and Jimmy Moore, and The Ketohacking MD Podcast with Dr. John Limansky and Jimmy Moore along with the retired podcasts Fasting Talk with Jimmy Moore and Friends and Ask The Low-Carb Experts as well as the departed Low-Carb Conversations. He has interviewed over 1400 of the world’s top health experts and has dedicated his life to helping people get the best information possible about living healthy so they can make the right decisions for their health. Jimmy is an engaging speaker who has been invited to speak all around the world, including the UK, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and across the United States and is a regular interview guest on podcasts, radio, and television. He is the international bestselling author of The Keto Cure, The Complete Guide To Fasting, The Ketogenic Cookbook, Keto Clarity, and Cholesterol Clarity as well as the upcoming release of Real Food Keto with Christine Moore, NTP in September.  Key Highlights of the Jimmy Moore Podcast Health as a complex system Jimmy's battle with insulin resistance and weight loss The problem with shows like "The Biggest Loser"  Why you should cook with bone broth all the time Common misconceptions of the ketogenic diet What is the carnivore diet?  The importance of food quality in any nutrition plan Why buying high quality, nutritious food is not as expensive as you think Intermittent fasting and Jimmy's experience with a 30-day fast Jimmy's view on the Fast Mimicking Diet  What is Keto Plus and how does it involve a systems approach to health How Jimmy manages his time and deals with haters Resources Mentioned The Keto Cure by Jimmy Moore and Adam S. Nally  The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day, and Extended Fasting by Jimmy Moore and Dr. Jason Fung  Keto Clarity: Your Definitive Guide to the Benefits of a Low-Carb, High-Fat Diet by Jimmy Moore  Cholesterol Clarity by Jimmy Moore 21 Life Lessons From Livin' La Vida Low-Carb: How The Healthy Low-Carb Lifestyle Changed Everything I Thought I Knew by Jimmy Moore The Longevity Diet: Discover the New Science Behind Stem Cell Activation and Regeneration to Slow Aging, Fight Disease, and Optimize Weight by Valter Longo The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance by Jeff Volek and Stephen Phinney The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living: An Expert Guide to Making the Life-Saving Benefits of Carbohydrate Restriction Sustainable and Enjoyable by Jeff Volek and Stephen Phinney Keto Con  Low Carb Cruise What if It's All Been a Big Fat Lie? New York Times article by Gary Taubes The Final 3 Questions with Jimmy Moore What is Jimmy's biggest pet peeve in the health world? You have to eat a diet to lose weight Losing weight does not mean you are necessarily healthy A redefinition of health away from weight loss is necessary What is Jimmy's top trick for focus?  Fasting and meditation What is Jimmy's favorite book on Peak Performance?  Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It by Gary Taubes Where to find out more about Jimmy Moore? Website: Livin La Vida Low Carb Instagram: @Livinlowcarbman Podcasts:  The Livin La Vida Low Carb Show, Fasting Talk, Keto Talk, Keto Hacking MD Disclaimer This information is being provided to you for educational and informational purposes only. This is being provided as a self-help tool to help you understand your genetics, biodata and other information to enhance your performance. It is not medical or psychological advice. Virtuosity LLC is not a doctor. Virtuosity LLC is not treating, preventing, healing, or diagnosing disease. This information is to be used at your own risk based on your own judgment. For the full Disclaimer, please go to (https://decodingsuperhuman.com/disclaimer). See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jimmy Moore catapulted onto the health scene in 2004 after a phenomenal 180-pound weight loss enabled him to come off of prescription drugs for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and respiratory problems. He is the energetic personality behind the über-popular blog Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb and the host of the longest-running and one of the top-ranked iTunes health podcasts, The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show. Jimmy also hosts two other active podcasts Keto Talk With Jimmy Moore & The Doc and Fasting Talk with Jimmy Moore and Friends along with the retired podcast Ask The Low-Carb Experts and the departed Low-Carb Conversations. He has interviewed over 1300 of the world’s top health experts and has dedicated his life to helping people get the best information possible about living healthy so they can make the right decisions for their health. Jimmy is an engaging speaker who has been invited to speak all around the world, including the UK, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and across the United States. He is the international bestselling author of The Complete Guide To Fasting,The Ketogenic Cookbook, Keto Clarity, and Cholesterol Clarity as well as the upcoming release of The Keto Cure, Keto Freedom, and Real Food Keto. Learn more about Jimmy and his work at www.livinlavidalowcarb.com. Content Summary: 6:45 Paleo or Keto? Jimmy describes the difference between the two and why his diet leans towards being more ketogenic 11:00 Signs of a Fat Burner How to tell if you are using fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates 12:15 Jimmy’s Journey with Food and Dieting Started with the Atkins diet Understanding ketones and their roles in the body 15:45 The “Protein Piece” of a Keto Diet How much protein does one really need and is it possible to be consuming too much? “Gluconeogenesis: The body can’t store protein so it has to store it into a usable source of energy which it then goes through the liver and stores as glucose.” 19:00 More Carbs for the Crossfitter The importance of knowing your insulin levels with high intensity training 21:00 Insulin Resistance Signs and symptoms of being insulin resistant “Even real food carbs can be problematic at times for people with insulin resistance.” 22:20 Sequence of Understanding Your Body Through Testing Testing blood sugar and insulin levels Getting rid of the dreadful scale 30:25 Jimmy’s Wake-Up Call Family genetics and history with heart disease Ketogenic Vs. Atkins Diet 35:55 Misconceptions About Keto Worth Noting Beware of the people that are just trying to make money off of the trend “I think the real food aspect of keto needs to be underscored.” 37:30 Quality of Food > Calories in Food “It’s the hormonal effects that matter the most and calories does not take into account the QUALITY of food.” 42:00 Exogenous Ketones and Ketone Esters Testing your blood ketones 46:45 A Vegan-Keto Approach Thank you listeners!! Please leave a review if you enjoyed and checkout my links below to get plugged in more to what I'm doing. PRIVATE FACEBOOK GROUP: www.facebook.com/groups/1292792567518714/ Find more on Em here: @emilyschromm www.emilyschromm.com youtube.com/emilyschromm

Biochemistry professor, researcher, and author Dr. Richard Feinman  Is our guest in episode 1328 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show".   The low-carb, high-fat message is a force to be reckoned with around the world. In countries like Sweden, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and more, carbohydrate restriction has become the basis of a societal paradigm shift that has been going on in the research world for more than a decade. It’s as if we’re now seeing a second low-carbohydrate revolution underway as a biochemistry professor from SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn, New York named Dr. Richard Feinman puts it. He’s laid the case for this bold proclamation in his book The World Turned Upside Down: The Second Low-Carbohydrate Revolution. In this special LLVLC Classic edition, we bring you an interview that Jimmy conducted with Dr. Feinman, as well as a special episode of Ask The Low-Carb Experts. Listen in as Jimmy and Dr. Feinman exchange ideas about how to unravel the years of flawed science that have kept the low-fat, high-carb diet afloat, how writing about nutrition involves not just science but politics too, how the field of nutrition has very low standards for evidence, the gold standard for anything you’re trying to prove is the one that answers the question, the problem with confounding factors in diet research, when the first low-carb revolution happened in the early 2000’s, results of the Gary Foster low-carb trial and why the methodology wasn’t good, how Dr. Christopher Gardner’s low-carb studycompared, whether we will ever see a genuine ketogenic diet used in research studies, why the burden of proof is on the low-fat diet to provide the evidence, why there’s no controversy about low-carb diets in the science, how not all revolutions necessarily turn out well, why George Washington is on the front cover of his book, how to insure the second low-carb revolution is a success, why he believes the government have to be a part of the solution (although they’re inept at giving advice), his American football analogy of the quarterback with insulin in metabolism, what’s happening with the respected researchers at Harvard Medical, how the red meat studies are incredibly misguided, the “Bill Gates walking into a bar” confounding statistical variation, the “seventh egg” story about the absurdity of health conclusions from nutritional choices, showing benefit for one year does not mean you’ll fall apart in two years, and how the Journal of N=1 would be an incredible medical journal. A fascinating conversation you WON’T want to miss! ORGANIC BRANDS YOU LOVE FOR LESS THRIVEMARKET.COM/KETO FOR 25% OFF NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Paid sponsorship NATURAL BLOATING RELIEF GO TO LOVEMYTUMMY.COM USE COUPON CODE “JIMMY” FOR 15% OFF GET A $39 BOTTLE OF OLIVE OIL FOR JUST A BUCK GET YOUR $39 BOTTLE FOR JUST $1 NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Paid sponsorship DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR – WITH FREE SHIPPING Use coupon code LLVLC for $200 OFF NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Paid sponsorship Join The Keto Clarity Club For $1 Blood Ketone Test Strips!   Links discussed in episode 1328: – SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR: Organic brands you love for less at thrivemarket.com/keto – SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR: The world’s freshest and most flavorful artisanal olive oils. Get your $39 bottle for just $1 – SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR: Love your tummy with Atrantil. (Get 15% off with the coupon code “JIMMY”) – SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR: Join The Keto Clarity Club For $1 Blood Ketone Test Strips! BestKetoneTest.com – Dr. Richard Feinman bio – “Richard Feinmain The Other” blog – AMAZON: The World Turned Upside Down: The Second Low-Carbohydrate Revolution

Elle Russ chats with Jimmy Moore about the various forms and benefits of fasting. Jimmy Moore catapulted onto the health scene in 2004 after a phenomenal 180-pound weight loss enabled him to come off of prescription drugs for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and respiratory problems. He is the energetic personality behind the über-popular blog Livin' La Vida Low-Carb and the host of the longest-running and one of the top-ranked iTunes health podcasts, The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show. Jimmy also hosts two other active podcasts Keto Talk With Jimmy Moore & The Doc and Low-Carb Conversations along with the retired podcast Ask The Low-Carb Experts. He has interviewed over 1100 of the world's top health experts and has dedicated his life to helping people get the best information possible about living healthy so they can make the right decisions for their health. Jimmy is the international bestselling author of The Ketogenic Cookbook, Keto Clarity, and Cholesterol Clarity along with the October 2016 release The Complete Guide To Fasting.

Jimmy Moore returns to Perfectly Healthy And Toned Radio to talk about his second book,"Keto Clarity. The book details how to use the Ketogenic Diet for weight loss and other benefits. The ever-energetic and enthusiastic man behind the uber-popular “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb” blog, “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show” podcast, “Ask The Low-Carb Experts” podcast, “Low-Carb Conversations With Jimmy Moore & Friends” podcast…I think you get the idea! If you’re following a Paleo and/or low-carb lifestyle and are not currently following the work of Jimmy Moore, then you are missing out on one of the best resources for quality information online today. His passion for educating, encouraging and inspiring others in their own journey to better health is an example for all of us In January 2004, Jimmy Moore made a decision to get rid of the weight that was literally killing him. At 32 years of age and 410 pounds, the time had come for a radical change of lifestyle. One year later, he had shed 180 pounds, shrunk his waist by 20 inches, and dropped his shirt size from 5XL to XL. Because of this tremendous life change, Jimmy has dedicated his life to helping as many people as possible find the information they need to make the kind of changes they need to make in their health

Jimmy Moore of LivingLaVidaLowCarb.Com visits the PhatMan Radio Show to talk about his new book,"Cholesterol Clarity."  On this show, Mr. Moore challenges the popular myth that high cholesterol causes heart disease and how to understand your cholesterol readings. The ever-energetic and enthusiastic man behind the uber-popular “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb” blog, “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show” podcast, “Ask The Low-Carb Experts” podcast, “Low-Carb Conversations With Jimmy Moore & Friends” podcast…I think you get the idea! If you’re following a Paleo and/or low-carb lifestyle and are not currently following the work of Jimmy Moore, then you are missing out on one of the best resources for quality information online today. His passion for educating, encouraging and inspiring others in their own journey to better health is an example for all of us. In January 2004, Jimmy Moore made a decision to get rid of the weight that was literally killing him. At 32 years of age and 410 pounds, the time had come for a radical change of lifestyle. One year later, he had shed 180 pounds, shrunk his waist by 20 inches, and dropped his shirt size from 5XL to XL. Because of this tremendous life change, Jimmy has dedicated his life to helping as many people as possible find the information they need to make the kind of changes they need to make in their health  

AIR DATE: October 31, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "All Things Fermented (Fermentation 101)"  With the increased interest and popularity of the Paleo lifestyle in recent years, so many people with chronic health and weight issues are discovering the power of an ancestral nutrition and fitness program. But many of these Paleo newbies are neglecting a key aspect of Paleo that is critical in light of all the emerging science we are seeing on having a robust and healthy gut microbiota. This is something holistic health coach  has noticed as well and is seeking to educate others about the vital importance of fermenting food for health. Our modern-day culture makes the idea of fermented foods seem strange (ever tried to ferment a Dorito or Twinkie?), but this is something that has been done by traditional cultures around the world for centuries to add more flavor and abundant nutrition to the foods being consumed. Jill's August 2013 book release  shares all the basics of fermenting, finding foods locally in your area to ferment, and to begin perhaps for the first time in your life to add in this aspect of the Paleo lifestyle that has been missing. That's what we will take on this week in Episode 52 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" with the timely and very relevant topic of "All Things Fermented (Fermentation 101)." JOIN YOUR LOW-CARB FRIENDS ON THE 2014 LOW-CARB CRUISENOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: TENDERGRASS FARMS GRASS-FED/PASTURED MEATSNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we address in this episode: BOB ASKS: Is there any way to improve the Vitamin K2 content of fermented vegetables? I know natto has the highest amount of Vitamin K2, but I would like to maximize it in the veggies that I personally ferment, such as cabbage, peppers and more. Do I need to use a specific starter culture to make this happen or is there some other way to do it naturally? JANE ASKS: Is there a sure-fire way of getting my cucumber pickles, when fermented, to remain crisp? I'm a moderately experienced fermenter and have tried making pickles three times. Unfortunately, they come out so soft I just had to throw them away. Adding grape leaves to the batch hasn’t helped a bit. What am I doing wrong? FREDA ASKS: Can you address the controversy over bacteria from open fermentation using ball jars vs. PickleIt Jars that are completely anaerobic. The PickleIt Jar supporters suggest that the bacteria created in open fermentation creates bacteria that is not good for the gut and can actually be detrimental. What say you? LENI ASKS: How is the probiotic content of sauerkraut (and other fermented foods) affected by heating? What is the temperature range that supports the survival of probiotics? DEB ASKS: It it possible to make a "milk kombucha" as opposed to milk kefir? Is there enough sugar in milk to feed a SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Beast)? If so, then does the milk need to be pasteurized to avoid bugs battling bugs? I’ve heard you're not supposed to use raw honey for the same reason. ANNE FROM AUSTRALIA ASKS: I was wondering if you can tell me about the Vitamin K2 content of fermented foods, especially kefir? JOANNA ASKS: I’m wondering about the amount of Vitamin K2 in non-dairy fermented foods. Grass-fed cheese has been my go-to source for K2, but I’ve realized that I really have to limit dairy in order to lose weight and I suspect that dairy is an inflammatory food for me. Do non-dairy fermented foods provide a rich enough source of K2 so that I won’t have to supplement? And what quantity of fermented foods per day do you think would be necessary? TAMMY ASKS: Is it possible to safely ferment using only a mason jar? And what about using a layer of olive oil to seal it? I tried to do a quick ferment of pickles over a week recently and apart from being too salty, the olive oil layer turned green and really weird-looking after refrigeration. It makes me nervous to try using that method again. LOUISE FROM NEW ZEALAND: The Inuit eat fermented fish. How do you ferment fish and is there a way to do it safely? What does fermented fish taste like? HARRY ASKS: I know salami is fermented and I enjoy this aspect of it. But is commercially-made salami beneficial or are you best to make your own? MECHELLE ASKS: A group of us get together regularly to make some fermented foods. Most recently, we juiced pears and made hard pear cider using the apple cider recipe from Jill's beautiful book. We invited our entire neighborhood over to drink it, and it was such a yummy hit! Thanks Jill! I’m curious, do you know of any research looking at the blood sugar impact of fermented foods? And are fermented beverages more likely to raise blood sugar than fermented foods? JULIA ASKS: Do you have any favorite brands of fermented foods, especially kombucha, that you recommend? Or is pretty much anything in the refrigerated section of a health food store probably a good bet? Are any of the non-refrigerated fermented foods on store shelves any good? SAM ASKS: I love the taste of kombucha, and my neighbor has SCOBY for me to start making my own. To be honest, I still feel confused about kombucha because of noted integrated health and wellness expert Dr. Andrew Weil's stance. Here’s what he has to say about it: “I am...concerned about the possibility of contamination in home-brewed kombucha. Some batches contain aspergillus, a toxin-producing fungus. This would be a significant risk for individuals with compromised immune systems, such as those with AIDS or in chemotherapy for cancer.” He also notes that he knows of “no health benefits to be gained by drinking kombucha tea.” This is the same man who makes his own sauerkraut and regularly talks about the health benefits and delicious taste of fermented foods! What are your comments about Dr. Weil's concerns?

AIR DATE: October 24, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "Grain Brain & Ketones" LISTEN LIVE TONIGHT AT 7PM ET by calling (712) 432-0900 and use the access code 848908. The biggest breakthrough health book of 2013 contains a simple, yet profound message--the carbohydrates we are eating in our diet are directly leading us down the inevitable pathway to dementia, Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative brain health ailments. It's the #1 New York Times bestselling book  (read ) by a Naples, FL-based neurologist named  (listen to Jimmy's interview with him in ). Dr. Perlmutter identifies in his book the key role that ketone bodies play in various aspects of our health, especially brain health. And that some of the most common foods consumed in our diet--namely whole grains, sugar, starch and other culprit carbohydrates--are the very things that are robbing our bodies of adequate ketone production to thrive as our bodies were intended. That's what we'll be addressing in Episode 51 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" this week when we take on the topic "Grain Brain & Ketones." REGISTER FOR SEAN CROXTON'S "REAL FOOD CON"NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: TRY WATER THE WAY PALEO MAN ENJOYED ITNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we address in this episode: LENI ASKS: What is the impact of a ketogenic diet on bone health? There’s a lot of information on the web that seems to indicate that a ketogenic diet creates an acid environment that leeches calcium and other minerals from the bones. Is this true? ADAM ASKS: What has been your response to the emerging idea that saturated fat is the root cause of Alzheimer’s disease? And I’m curious about what would bring on Alzheimer’s faster: a high-carb, high fat diet or a high-carb, low-fat diet? MARY ASKS: After reading Dr. Perlmutter's eye-opening book where he mentions fasting blood sugar levels are closely associated with cognitive function. Would that be the best thing for me to track or would it be more useful to track post-prandial blood sugar and/or blood ketone levels? REBECCA ASKS: If a person already has moderate to severe Alzheimer's or signs of dementia, is it too late to reverse the damage by eating low-carb, high fat? Can there be any reversal in symptoms? LINDA ASKS: In 1997, I underwent surgery for a benign, but fairly large brain tumor. The dietitian put me on the Food Pyramid diet and I ate that way until I read Dr. William Davis’ Wheat Belly in 2011. We don’t touch wheat and gluten anymore and happily eat low-carb. I wonder what effect grains have on the development of brain tumors. As a 63-year old, is it too late for me to achieve optimal brain health after a lifetime of eating grains? SANDRA ASKS: Should my husband be worried that his cholesterol has risen from 208 to 267? He eats what I eat—a low-carb, moderate protein, high-fat diet. His doctor will undoubtedly want to put him on a statin and my hubby is kinda freaking out about all of this. Any words of comfort you can give us? LISA ASKS: I loved Grain Brain and have already implemented many of your suggestions. I've heard it argued by people in the low-carb and Paleo community that it's the processed foods doing most of the metabolic damage to our health in modern society. However, the unifying factor in many of the world’s traditional cultures is that they're all eating real, whole foods. But Dr. Perlmutter seems to be saying that even real, whole food carbohydrate-based foods like fruits and tubers are poison. Does this apply to everyone, or just those who are metabolically challenged in some way? I think many will find it hard to swallow the "all carbs are poison for everyone" theory when there seem to be so many people eating real-food carbs while maintaining excellent health. HILARY ASKS: If carbs are so bad for our health, then how do people like Michael Phelps and Dr. Oz perform so well for so long eating pasta, pitas and pancakes? And why don't football players drink olive oil and eat sticks of butter on the sidelines rather than a solution of sugar and electrolytes? MARGARET ASKS: When I hit my early 40’s I started having occasional memory issues—it’s both annoying and embarrassing. I've been eating low-carb, high-fat with no grains or sugars and copious amounts of coconut oil for the past two years. I am an avid exerciser and at a normal weight, but I’m still insulin resistant. While my memory hasn’t gotten any worse, it hasn’t gotten any better either. Can I ever hope to see improvement if I continue with what I’m doing or are there other things I can do to help with this? KIM ASKS: I am a 53-year old female who has been on a ketogenic diet for about a year. I am reading your book and now know that many of my problems are a direct result of inflammation. I have lost 90 pounds so far, but I still have a lot of belly fat and inflammation. My low-carb friendly doctor recommends that I stay on a 1,000-calorie-a-day fat fast for a while to see what impact that will have. What effect will all this have on my brain? And what can I do about my belly fat and inflammation since I now know it shrinks the brain? WENDY ASKS: Can you explain why switching from a grain-brain to a ketone-brain is so important in light of menopause? All the books about this subject say to eat soy and flax, load up on the carbs, exercise them off doing cardio exercise, and somehow avoid stress—yeah right! Obviously these people have never had hot flashes! When I started eating ketogenic after reading a book by your fellow neurologist Dr. Larry McCleary called The Brain Trust Program, I noticed my hot flashes disappeared for a while, but then they came back. Why aren't medical professionals from various fields willing to offer any meaningful enlightenment on this issue? Is this something that neurologists like yourself will need to lead the charge on? DELILAH ASKS: For an 80+ year old woman already showing signs of dementia, how helpful will a ketogenic protocol be at this point? Is there any expectation of improvements and/or reversals in neurodegeneration at this point? TRISH ASKS: I inherited the ApoE 4 genotype from a relative who developed dementia at an early age. In light of this, is a low-carb, high-fat diet the best one for me to be consuming to support my brain health? Or should I consider cutting back on my intake of dietary fat as has been recommended for ApoE 4’s? MEREDITH ASKS: I'm confused about your statement in your book and on “The Dr. Oz Show” that it's okay to eat certain grains such as rice. What is it about the non-gluten grains on your "eat in moderation list" that makes them acceptable? Thanks for clarifying. Loved your book! ERIC ASKS: Are you aware of any animal or human studies on the effect of ketogenic diets on Alzheimer’s disease? AMBERLY ASKS: When I have been pregnant, my doctors have told me that being in a ketogenic state is not healthy for a developing fetus, specifically for their brain development. What research is there to support or refute this position? If ketones are good for an adult's brain, why wouldn't they be good for a growing baby's brain? DAVID ASKS: I've been reading your book and talking to my sister about it. She made the point that it wasn’t until grains were introduced into the human diet that there were great intellectual and artistic advances in our civilization. She can't think of one non-grain based population that has produced any great philosophers, artists, etc. She argues that a grain-based diet is what fueled all the great intellectual achievements in human history and thus will do the same for her. How do I respond to this assertion? DAMON ASKS: I have struggled for a long time trying to increase my blood ketone levels to an adequate level and it has never happened while eating ~200g fat, ~60g protein, and less than 30g carbs daily for that past six weeks. Is it possible to do so much damage from consuming carbohydrates in the past that becoming ketogenic is now impossible? KURT ASKS: I've eaten mostly the SAD diet for the 54 years I’ve been alive. I probably already have a huge backlog of AGE's to now overcome. At my age, can a ketogenic diet reverse and even repair the damage that’s been done from a lifetime of high-carb eating? ANN ASKS: If I remove gluten and grains from my diet at 50 years old, am I able to prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease? Or has the proverbial damage already been done?

AIR DATE: October 10, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "All Things Aging (Aging 101)" Father Time has a sneaky way of catching up to us all at some point, doesn't he? But what if you could hold off the effects of aging for many more years than you think simply by making some basic shifts in your diet, fitness, supplements and lifestyle choices. That's the heartbeat of the work of this week's guest expert named  (check him out on  and ). He is an anti-aging specialist and co-author with  of the book . Dr. Rock was once a staunch vegan advocate and noticed how it greatly accelerated his aging which is what motivates him to help people over 40 discover the easy and intuitive methods for increasing vitality, sexuality, and youthfulness through whole food nutrition, convenience exercise and correcting micronutrient deficiencies. That's what we'll address in Episode 49 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" taking on the topic "All Things Aging (Aging 101)." TENDERGRASS FARMS GRASS-FED/PASTURED MEATS:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: GET JIMMY'S BESTSELLING NEW CHOLESTEROL BOOK:Get a FREE CHAPTER by visiting  Here are some of the questions we address in this episode: HILARY ASKS: I'm 48 years old and menopausal. I've had lupus-like symptoms ever since I was a kid and my health has been improved beyond my wildest dreams by avoiding wheat, plus adding in healthy fats and a pile of supplements that I cycle into my routine when I feel I need them. I'm curious about DHEA and I'm trying the NOW brand of 7-Keto DHEA. Every once in a while when I feel like I need an anabolic boost, I sprinkle around 5-10 mg into my Bulletproof coffee. It really is helping my tendons, muscle tone, mood and energy. Do you think this protocol I am doing is helping me fight aging? Is this the best form of DHEA for reducing the masculinizing effect? JAMIE ASKS: We often hear insulin referred to as the “fat-storage hormone” but is it accurate to also call it the aging hormone? Do some medications accelerate aging? And are there any anti-aging supplements? JENNY ASKS: I am 41 years old and not in peri-menopause yet. I’d like to retain my present feelings of vibrant youth and know that fertility is a marker of being young and full of health. What do you think of using bio-identical hormones to continue to menstruate through and after menopause? How exactly does doing something like this work? ERIK ASKS: Would Dr. Schnell consider using exogenous testosterone as we get older to stave off the effects from aging? If so, then does he have a preference regarding the modes of administering it? MARK ASKS: Is mimicking the internal chemical environment of a young body the best way to defy aging? If so, then how do "turn off" late-acting deleterious or lethal genes? ANN ASKS: How do refined carbohydrates affect the skin as we age? Is this a direct reflection of what is happening in our organs long before it reaches the surface? KATHIE ASKS: Which vitamins are most beneficial in warding off the effects of aging in conjunction with my low-carb, high-fat lifestyle? LIZ ASKS: I work outdoors in a place where we have sun all year round. What are the best ways to keep my skin from prematurely aging? I use sunscreen (which I know has terrible ingredients in it) and cover up as much as possible. Many people I’ve seen who have worked outdoors doing what I do look 30 years older than they really are. I don't want to end up like that! KURT ASKS: I’m 54 years old and enjoy running, biking and weight lifting. There is conflicting advice between doing steady cardio vs. intense interval training. What do you feel works best for men as they begin aging after 50? NICK ASKS: Is eating low-carb to limit insulin and moderating protein down to limit MToR the best way to slow aging and increase longevity?

AIR DATE: October 3, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "All Things Intermittent Fasting (IF 101)" Just mention the word "fasting" to the man on the street and the reaction you'll get from most of them would probably fall somewhere between completely scoffing at the idea to the sheer terror at the realization of going without food for more than a few hours. This concept of fasting even on an intermittent basis, as has become popularized in the Paleo community in recent years, is certainly a highly controversial and misunderstood strategy that could very well be the last piece of the puzzle in optimizing your weight and health issues. Is intermittent fasting (aka IF) the right way to go for everyone, especially for women who seem to have more difficulty with this? Is there anyone who absolutely shouldn't IF or even those who must do it for therapeutic purposes? And how long and how often should these fasting periods be done to get the most benefit out of them? These are just some of the questions we're going to explore further with a nutritional habits expert named  (listen to Jimmy's "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show" podcast with him in ) in Episode 48 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" where we'll take YOUR questions on "All Things Intermittent Fasting (IF 101)." Here's your chance to speak directly with the expert to ask YOUR questions. Start getting me your questions on this topic NOW by e-mailing them to  no later than 3PM ET this Thursday. You can also ask your question LIVE on my show by calling (712) 432-0900 or Skype the show for FREE by calling the username freeconferencing.7124320900. Whether you call or Skype, be sure to use the access code 848908. Listen LIVE and  if you like what you hear. This is golden opportunity to interact with the best nutritional health experts in the world, so don't be bashful. We look forward to sharing this brand new episode of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" with you later this week. SUGAR-FREE, LOW-CARB PEANUT BUTTER CUPSNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: LOW-CARB PASTABILITIES FROM QUEST NUTRITIONNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we address in this episode: RENEE ASKS: I have long heard that women in general don't have great results from intermittent fasting. I'm wondering whether you agree with this, why it happens, and if this applies to post-menopausal women? I am a post-menopausal female and naturally IF more days than not. What effect does IF have on women's and men's hormones? KARL ASKS: I have been doing Intermittent Fasting for the past few weeks eating meals between 12-8pm. Do you have any suggestions about how I can make sure I get enough food in my body during that 8-hour window? I feel like I’m eating way too few calories. I do have a cup of coffee with about two teaspoons of heavy cream in the mornings. Does that coffee and/or cream make any difference in the effects of an intermittent fast? Should I add a tablespoon of coconut oil or MCT oil to make it better? Or should I be going that entire 16 hours without any calories consumed to technically do an IF? JENNY ASKS: I've been eating low-carb, high-fat for 3 months now and incorporated a 24-hour fast, two days a week for the last month. I also try to mini-fast for 17 hours between my meals everyday. When does the timer begin for fasting: as soon as I put my fork down or about 3 hours later when I've digested my last meal? One issue I am having is that I want to take my vitamins everyday, especially on fasting days, but I can't keep them down on an empty stomach. Is there any type of food that I can eat to stay in a fasted state but is substantial enough to let me take my vitamins? I tried almond butter and was able to keep the pills down but it was not the best option for me. Would a pure fast be even more beneficial than a multivitamin? DAMON ASKS: Assuming proper caloric load and macronutrient breakdown compliance, what could be the reasons for not getting results as far as fat loss goes when engaging in regular periods of intermittent fasting? Are there any disadvantages to doing resistance training in a fasted state in the morning if you don’t eat until later in the day? DEB ASKS: I’m a 48-year old woman and changed my exercise to mainly weight-training and short bouts of high intensity interval training with lots of walking, but was eating low-calorie/low-carb/Paleo for part of the time and doing IF for most of that time frame. I check my muscle progress by doing hydrostatic weighing and I was told I’m losing muscle because I train in a fasted state. Does the kind of exercise matter when doing it fasted? What should I be doing and what should I avoid if I exercise in a fasted state? JASON ASKS: How important is it to eat as soon as possible after a fasted workout? I enjoy my post-workout fat/protein shake but I could just as easily go without it as I am rarely hungry after a workout. Am I harming recovery and/or muscle growth if I just wait until lunch to eat after my morning workout? Is there a known physiological benefit to forcing a 24 hour fast? What are the health reasons to do periodic fasts during the week? JANIE ASKS: I skip breakfast just about every single day as I'm just not hungry in the mornings. Sometimes I'll have decaffeinated coffee with a tablespoon of heavy cream but I wonder if that officially breaks my fast. I see people in the Paleo community having multiple tablespoons of fat in their coffee yet they say that they are still fasting! I am pretty sure a 900-calorie cup of coffee is NOT fasting, right? Is there a calorie level that I can consume in my coffee that keeps my intermittent fasting going? GEZ ASKS: I’m a 44-year old man and have lost 70 pounds following a low-carb, moderate protein, high-fat diet. Intermittent fasting 16-18 hours daily and high intensity eccentric exercise for 30 minutes once a week helped me shed the final 14 pounds. My question is I’m finding it difficult to lose the remaining fat around my waist and lower back. Should I change the length of my intermittent fast to longer periods of time between meals? I’ve also considered adding in a high-carb day once a week in the vein of Keifer’s Carb Nite Solution ketogenic cycling system. Any thoughts? MICKEY ASKS: I have been fasting quite regularly and eat one meal in the evening around 1500-2000 calories a day. I don't really get hungry at all during the day. My concern is whether or not I am prone to losing too much muscle mass doing this? Is it possible to overdo it when you are fasting?

AIR DATE: September 26, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "Nutrition-Based Diabetic Therapy" According to , 26 million Americans currently have diabetes (mostly Type 2) with a whopping 79 million more who are what's known as prediabetic where they are insulin impaired to the degree that if nothing changes they will become a full-blown diabetic in the coming years. The sad reality of these statistics is they are getting worse, not better, with an additional 2 million+ new cases of diabetes being added annually. What's going on here to explain the explosion in the rates of Type 2 diabetes and even the more rare Type 1? That's precisely what we cover in this podcast featuring a former ER physician and family doctor from Corpus Christi, Texas named  who has become passionate about how healthcare must shift the way they treat patients away from disease management and more towards wellness and prevention care. His clinical experience has shown him firsthand that health does not come from the medicine bottle for the vast majority of patients but from the very foods they are putting in their mouths as well as fitness and lifestyle changes. When it comes to the subject of diabetes, that statement is magnified many times over with the need for the right kind of nutrition and lifestyle treatment modalities as the FIRST line of defense in an overall wellness plan. Dr. Curtis doesn't believe we should be convincing everyone they are sick and in need of a prescription medication to get better again. He contends that a whole foods-based, low-carb lifestyle that he teaches through his  will provide diabetic patients with REAL encouragement and invaluable information to help them defeat this chronic health issue. That's the topic we'll take on directly in Episode 47 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" taking YOUR questions on "Nutrition-Based Diabetic Therapy." LOWER YOUR BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS NATURALLY:USE PROMO CODE "THANKYOU" FOR 10% OFFNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: LOW-CARB CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH QUEST BARSNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we address in this episode: ANDREW ASKS: It may just be a semantic argument, but I am wondering why the typical medical establishment position is that Type 2 diabetes is incurable. Conventional wisdom says that once you have a consistently elevated fasting blood glucose level, the “diabetic” label seems to stick for life. My doctor bestowed me with that distinction although he never even once checked my A1c, which I later discovered was low. But now my medical records show me as having Type 2 diabetes although I’ve never taken a single drug to treat it. This is such a scarlet letter on my health history that I’m wondering if I am plagued with this label for the rest of my life. What is the difference between "reversed" and "cured" in the context of diabetes? And is the term "managed" the best label one can hope for in the context of our current medical nomenclature? DEB ASKS: I am a 48-year old female who has eaten low-ish carb for the last year and a half (~75-130g per day) and my fasting blood glucose was always nice and low (100 units per day) who adopt a low-carb lifestyle? Do you see problems in this type of patient particularly in achieving the blood sugar lowering you’d hope for and do you attribute that to glucagon dysfunction and hepatic insulin resistance? What other factors should be considered when low-carb just isn’t enough on its own?

AIR DATE: September 19, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "Functional Fitness Medicine" One of the major flaws in the way traditional medicine is practiced these days is this over-obsession on treating symptoms and lab panels rather than getting to the heart of what is causing chronic disease in the first place. Rather than seeking out preventative modalities that include nutrition, fitness and lifestyle changes, many doctors are opting for pharmaceutical and surgical answers first without ever giving a second thought to alternative treatment options. Thankfully, there are an ever-growing number of medical professionals who are bucking that system by zeroing in on what just plain works for their patients. That's exactly what this week's guest expert has done and the lives of his patients are being changed on a daily basis as a result. He is a Utah-based Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialist named  and the . Dr. Egbert has seen firsthand how debilitating physical weakness is for most people and is committed to improving their functional fitness level to coincide with a rock-solid Paleo nutritional plan. That's what we'll address in Episode 46 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" taking YOUR questions on the topic "Functional Fitness Medicine." SUGAR-FREE, LOW-CARB PEANUT BUTTER CUPSNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: INTRODUCING THE PALEO TREAT NOGRAINOLA:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are a few of the questions we addressed in this podcast: ANN ASKS: I have been following a high-fat, moderate protein, low-carb diet for the past 5 months. It has been life-changing for me to say the least and I have lost 40 pounds with no exercise. But now I would like to become stronger and more flexible but unfortunately can't afford to join a gym. Do you have some suggestions to help me accomplish this goal in my home? JAMIE FROM AUSTRALIA ASKS: A medical term we don't hear enough about is “sarcopenia,” that is the loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength. This is typically attributed to aging, but a lack of physical activity, dieting and illness are the primary forces behind why it happens. Of course our skeletal muscles are the body's sink for glucose and are important for metabolic health. So here’s my question: What is the best way for a doctor to monitor muscle mass and strength changes? Why don't they pay any attention to muscle status? Is there a role for a certified personal trainer in the health care system to monitor strength as a simple predictor of muscle health? Is there a process or prescription/referral pad for a doctor to prescribe exercise or refer a patient to a certified trainer?

AIR DATE: September 12, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT:  & FEATURED TOPIC: "Cyclical Ketogenic Diets For Health And Performance" At the recent 2013  in Atlanta, Georgia last month, Jimmy Moore was the moderator of a fantastic panel of experts addressing the topic "Ketogenic Diets & Exercise Performance" featuring a star-studded line-up of Paleo fitness studs that included Robb Wolf, Mark Sisson, Ben Greenfield and Jamie Scott. The general consensus by most of these top names regarding the future use of the ketogenic approach for exercise and general health is the idea of regularly cycling in and out of ketosis to experience the maximum benefits. This is something that our expert guests this week know just a thing or two about. They are an exercise scientist, nutrition expert, and the author of The Carb-Nite Solution as well as  named  and a board-certified family physician from Gilbert, Arizona named . These two knowledgeable men were here in Episode 45 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" addressing the issue "Cyclical Ketogenic Diets For Health And Performance." TENDERGRASS FARMS GRASS-FED/PASTURED MEATS:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: THE WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY QUEST BAR:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we address in this episode: PEGGY ASKS: I see no reason why I should "cycle" in and out of ketosis. That seems a bit ridiculous to me, actually, when my performance is so fabulous remaining in ketosis virtually all the time. It's been truly miraculous for me. What added benefits will I get from going out of ketosis on occasion rather than simply staying in a constant state of ketosis for my exercise performance? ALAN ASKS: Dr. Peter Attia on his “Eating Academy” web site (http://eatingacademy.com/nutrition/ketosis-advantaged-or-misunderstood-state-part-i) says that research shows "someone in nutritional ketosis – even if eating zero carbohydrates – still has about 50-70% of a normal glycogen level, as demonstrated by muscle biopsies in such subjects." I have been on a ketogenic diet myself since May 2013. And as a recreational athlete, I like to do long endurance runs of 13+ miles at a time. Sometimes my runs are great, but other times the performance is poor and I bonk near the end. It feels like I have depleted my muscle glycogen stores at this point. What strategies would you recommend that I do to boost the muscle glycogen prior to going on a long run while on a ketogenic diet? ADAM ASKS: Is there such a thing as bulking up on a ketogenic diet? If you can’t bulk up in the traditional sense, then can you at least build muscle or see body recomp changes using a ketogenic approach? JERIS ASKS: I do a lot of Bikram Yoga and I've been on a low-carb, high fat ketogenic diet for several months. I noticed at first I was getting that ammonia smell and bonking near the end of the 90 minutes. I tried loading up on different carbs and experimented with this on several occasions. A bunch a fruit right before, sweet potatoes the night before--nothing worked. Finally, I heard Ben Greenfield talking about MCT oil and I was already putting that in my coffee in the morning. So I tried putting it in my water for the yoga and amazingly I could do the whole class with no carbs and without bonking or getting the ammonia smell. Maybe I just wasn't getting enough calories of any kind or I was eating too much protein. My question is this: Is it okay to use MCT oil daily in order to stay in ketosis? I guess cycling in and out would mean back-loading with a sweet potato or some other "safe starch" once or twice a week. I'm not doing that right now, I'm just eating a bunch of veggies and a little bit of berries for carbs, so I THINK I'm staying in ketosis. If you stay in ketosis, then won't you become fat adapted more quickly? DENNIS ASKS: If someone is engaging in a 24-hour intermittent fast a couple of times a week, then should they break the fast with starches? LINDA ASKS: I am a 50-year old female runner who has been running for nearly three decades. I’ve always eaten carbs and low-fat protein 5-6 meals a day up until a year and a half ago when I started to lower the carbs and up the fat. I am at a healthy weight, but found that adding the fat made me feel so much better. I’ve been eating mostly Paleo with a little bit of dairy. I’ve really enjoyed listening to the ketogenic success stories of athletes like Ben Greenfield, Vinnie Tortorich, and of course Jeff Volek and Dr. Steve Phinney. My question is how is this working for the ladies? Even all the male podcasters have female co-hosts that seem to whisper in the background that they need more carbs, especially when they race or train at high intensity. I will admit, when I posted to Ben about how many carbs to eat when training for a half marathon, he said at least 100g on high volume days and scale back on rest days. I know eating for leanness and eating for performance are two different goals, but I would like to hear more about low-carb performance for women, especially at you get older. DAMON ASKS: If someone ate a cyclical ketogenic diet but never got blood ketone levels to a significant level, then it seems to me that they would be in no man’s land where they have no ketones for energy but are also carbohydrate depleted. How can someone with this issue of low ketones and depleted carbohydrate stores figure out how to increase ketones to improve their health and performance? LAWRENCE ASKS: Keifer says that staying on a ketogenic diet for too long can lower your testosterone levels. But low-carb researchers like Dr. Steve Phinney and Dr. Jeff Volek never mention this as a long-term problem for people in a constant state of nutritional ketosis. On what basis does Keifer make this claim? JASON ASKS: Is a cyclical carb strategy REALLY necessary for everyone or is it more dependent on the specific kind of activity you are engaging in? I stay in a constant state of ketosis and run 20 hour/week as well as hit the gym twice weekly. I never feel low on energy and actually feel great pretty much all the time. In fact I do NOT like the feeling I get when I am kicked out of ketosis. In light of this, is there some unknown performance reason why I should be cycling in carbohydrates into my diet? And if I do decide to add in some carbohydrates, how do you determine the correct quantity so you don’t prevent keto-adaptation from taking place? MINDY ASKS: I’m a 47-year old female who weighs ~175 pounds and I want to lose body fat. I’ve been on a Paleo/low-carb plan for about 3 years and I swing kettle bells a few times a week for exercise. I am currently attempting to do my own version of Kiefer’s CarbNite plan with a very low-carb, higher fat program for six days followed by a smaller carby snack, carby dinner, and ice cream on day 7. I’ve had blowout CarbNites before and then end up spending the next 6 days just losing what I gained from that event which is why I'm scaling back on them. Also, I initially did your high protein protocol and started gaining weight. I have found that much lower protein and higher fat just works and feels better for me. What, if anything, would you advise I change about the way I’m implementing a cyclical ketogenic diet? DAMON ASKS: What is the maximum amount of time that you suggest being low-carb before beginning to cycle in and out of ketosis? Other than diabetes, are there any other conditions that may prevent someone from getting into ketogenesis if they are eating low-carb, high-fat? MARK ASKS: What is the relationship between ketogenic cycling frequency, the amount of workload during exercise, and lowering body fat percentage if your goal is continual fat loss? GREG ASKS: Does Kiefer or Dr. Patel promote using tools like blood glucometers or blood ketone meters along with the carb back loading protocol? I am particularly interested in the context of someone like myself who is around 15% body fat while doing heavy lifts like back squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and military presses a few times per week. Is there a particularly good way someone could use these meters to optimize and individualize things like carbohydrate intake post workout? PAUL ASKS: On The CarbNite Solution, is it possible to kick start things by lowering your protein intake down to the bare minimum needs perhaps around 30-40g a day? If so, is this something you’d do for 6 of the seven days or just a few of them? DEBBY ASKS: I'm currently using the CarbNite Solution protocol and an avid baker using coconut oil and coconut milk predominantly in my baking. I live a primal/Paleo lifestyle and limit my carbs to rice, sweet potatoes, and other real food starchy carb sources. I have heard that combining MCT oil with carbs, like sweet potatoes, raises insulin levels. If this is true, then would using coconut oil with other clean carbs such as the ones I listed above do the same? And if so, is there a limit to how much coconut oil to consume with our carbohydrate on a CarbNite plan? JULIE ASKS: I am a 34-year old female currently following the CarbNite Solution program. I had gestational diabetes with both of my kids 2 and 3 years ago. At my heaviest weight I was 260 pounds and my fasting blood sugar level was about 104. I gradually reduced carbs and finally discover CarbNite Solution that helped me get down to 185 pounds with an 84 fasting blood sugar in the morning and 5.4 A1c level. However, my blood sugar sometimes goes up to 97-104 on other mornings. Is this something to be concerned with? Should I consume less carbs on my CarbNite until my readings return to normal the next morning? Or am I just overthinking this? JOS ASKS: I'm a 34-year old female and just started weight training about almost a year ago. I am 5’5” and weigh 110-112 pounds with about 19% body fat. My goal is to increase muscles while minimizing fat gain. My current workout program mainly focuses on basic lifts such as a glute bridge, squats, deadlift, push and pull. I've been on CarbNite Solution for almost a year and have lost a good amount fat and gained a bit more muscle. I used to be that skinny fat Asian girl. Recently I've just started to increase my training intensity by going a bit heavier in weights. I heard that once you increase the workout intensity that we need to increase our carb re-feeds during the week, as opposed only having it once a week. What do you consider “working out with intensity” and why can't we just increase the amount of carbs in our once a week carb re-feed CarbNite instead of eating more carbs during the week? Or do you think I should start switching to your other protocol, Carb Back Loading?

AIR DATE: September 5, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "Low-Carb Diets & Spinal Pain" Have you ever suffered from back pain in your life? If you're like most people, the answer is an emphatic YES! Spinal pain is the #1 cause of disability worldwide and lower back pain is the #2 cause of missed days at work (behind sunny days!). What's at the root cause of all of this chronic pain that people are dealing with? And what can a low-carb and/or Paleo nutrition and lifestyle plan do to help alleviate the aches associated with our backs? That's what a Milwaukee, WI-based chiropractor named  will be exploring with us in this week's show. Dr. Ralston presented a lecture entitled  at the recent 2013 Ancestral Health Symposium in Atlanta, Georgia last month and he is a big fan of CrossFit, Paleo and low-carb diets. In other words, he knows just a thing or two on this subject we've got for you in Episode 43 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" addressing the issue "Low-Carb Diets & Spinal Pain." LOWER YOUR BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS NATURALLY:Use "THANKYOU" coupon code to get 10% off!NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: LOW-CARB PASTABILITIES FROM QUEST NUTRITIONNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we address in this episode: MARGIEANNE FROM NEW ZEALAND ASKS:I’m a 75-year old woman and have had Bells Palsy since February 2012. I am working hard to stay in a state of nutritional ketosis. Recently I twisted my back while re-learning to ride a bike again. My chiropractor is doing wonders so I have great hope of feeling better than I did before the accident. I think I'm doing okay with my diet except I seem to be stuck about 44 pounds heavier than I’d like. I have about 30g of coconut oil daily and 10-15 mL of cod liver fish oil. Since I'm not losing weight, I've been tweaking things until I find what works again, including setting for myself a goal of getting in 10,000 steps/day several times a week. Is there anything else I can do to optimize my health based on what you’ve heard from my story? KIM ASKS:I suffer from a lot of back pain mostly due to spinal fusion, scoliosis, degenerative discs, and fibromyalgia. The pain has gotten a lot better since I started eating low-carb. Why does low-carb help with back pain? I know I would have less back pain if I could lose some belly fat, but low-carb alone is not getting rid of it. I currently take oxycodone for the pain and wondered if taking pain medications interferes with weight loss. Do you have any natural remedies that can help me with my persistent back pain? J.D. ASKS:I used to get severe pain in my lower back whenever I ran. Over the years, it began showing up when I walked, too. Among my many pre-low-carb attempts to fix my health, I tried a calisthenics routine for a few months that involved back extensions and that improved things considerably extending the distance I could walk. When I started eating low-carb, it had progressed to the point that I couldn't walk more than half-a-mile without pain. In fact, two weeks after starting low-carb, it was gone, entirely, and has never come back again! I spent the day at the State Fair, last weekend, walking for more than ten hours, carrying a backpack, and I had soreness in my joints, and in my shoulders and back, and was generally worn out--but I never experienced that back pain. And here's the thing: it disappeared over the space of two weeks, during which I did no exercise and lost about five pounds. So what changed? I have to think that the problem involved fuel partitioning. My hypothesis is that because I was severely insulin resistant, and thus hyperinsulinemic, when I walked the muscles in my back were mostly burning carbs, and that the pain I felt was just ordinary lactic acid build-up. After I went low-carb and got my insulin levels under control, I regained the ability to burn fat. Of course, I may be entirely off-base, but whatever happened, it couldn't have been a response to weight loss or exercise, because it happened before any significant amount of either had occurred. Does Dr. Ralston have any thoughts about my situation?

AIR DATE: August 29, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERTS: FEATURED TOPIC: "Cholesterol Clarity Q&A"   With the much-anticipated release of the book  by Jimmy Moore and Dr. Eric Westman, both of the coauthors joined us on "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" this week for a Q&A session answering listener questions about this critically important new book about the subject of cholesterol. This book was written to fill a major void in the marketplace of an easy-to-understand manual on cholesterol, why it's not the evil substance we've been led to believe, what really matters the most on your cholesterol panel, and which levels are optimal if you are going to pay attention to cholesterol. Here's your exclusive chance to hear directly from both Jimmy and Dr. Westman answering listener questions about the book. That's what we've got for you in Episode 43 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" in this Cholesterol Clarity Q&A. Get (or download the ) from Amazon.com: SUGAR-FREE, LOW-CARB PEANUT BUTTER CUPSNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we address in this episode: ROXANNE ASKS:I have read and enjoyed books by both of you and am very much looking forward to reading Cholesterol Clarity! I am a 53-year old diabetic female who had heart bypass surgery 6 months ago. There is a history of cardiovascular issues on both sides of my family. I've read that statins can have some rather serious side effects. What, if anything, can you say to me and my doctor to convince us that it would be safe for me to stop taking the 10mg Lipitor I am now taking? JAMES ASKS:So what's the deal with plant sterols? I see it for sale as a supplement to "lower your cholesterol" and I see people taking it. Is there any benefit to it? What about the harm in taking it? I follow a low-carb, high-fat lifestyle, so I get plenty of dietary cholesterol from animals. TRAVIS ASKS:I have a one word question: Eggs. I eat at least three eggs a day everyday for breakfast along with some cheese and bacon. I feel this kind of large low-carb breakfast really gets me through the day. However, I can't find any consensus about eggs. Are they good, good in moderation, bad long-term, or will eating 21 eggs a week kill me? KEVIN ASKS:I've read that higher serum cholesterol could be a clue that something else is going on in the body—for example, tissue damage that needs repair, or a decreased ability for cholesterol to be delivered into cells. Could you please talk about the role of LDL in particular, and what an increased level might indicate about other health factors? KEN ASKS:The homeostatic model for serum cholesterol appears to be well worked out for a standard high-carb diet. Do you think that the correct model is substantially different for a ketogenic low-carb, high-fat diet, and that this might be the reason for the large number of "hypercholesterolemic" responses on this diet? Might the small intestine, instead of liver, be the dominant source of endogenous cholesterol on this diet? DENNIS ASKS:My question is about the effect of fructose, sugar alcohols, and alcoholic beverages on your triglycerides. Would the fact my triglycerides are crazy high at 260 while everything else is fine mean that I should limit these things in my diet? JULIE ASKS:I have been diagnosed with a number of health issues including diverticulitis and Type 2 diabetes. Since then, I have been doing Paleo and cut out all gluten, sugar and high carb foods in my diet. I discovered that going ketogenic was right for me. Before I went keto, I had blood work run with the following results: Total cholesterol — 265HDL — 64LDL — 176Triglycerides — 158A1c — 5.8 The next time I had blood work done was 6 months later. I asked for a VAP test and, although my doc doesn't understand how to read this test, she ordered it for me on my insistence. I moved towards a higher-fat diet and lost 40 pounds over that time since my last cholesterol panel. Here are the numbers: Total cholesterol — 313 (my doctor was pushing statins)HDL — 108LDL — 187Triglycerides — 77 To tell you the truth, my doctor had no idea how to interpret the more advanced numbers on my VAP test and I don't understand it either. I didn't accept the idea that I needed to go on a statin drug but I am greatly concerned with this very high 300+ total cholesterol level. So how do I interpret these cholesterol tests and what should I be doing differently in my diet to work on any weakness in these results? What exactly should I be looking for to track my progress? MARYANN ASKS:The only guidelines I repeatedly see for the ApoE genotype 3/4 and 4/4 people are this: exercise, avoid smoking, abstain from alcohol and cut your saturated fat intake. Do you agree with these recommendations, especially the mandate to cut down on saturated fat? If so, how do you advise you patients who are eating low-carb, high-fat to reconcile this mandate to basically limit or avoid saturated fat with all that we know about the life-saving benefits of eating this way? What do people with this ApoE genotype gain by avoiding saturated fat? PATHOLOGIST DR. SMALL:I’m 59 years old and went low-carb about a year ago and my HDL rose from 50 to 77 and my triglycerides dropped from 92 down to 38. My cardiologist was stunned and asked me how I got such an outstanding triglycerides/HDL ratio with an outstanding CRP level of .4 and an carotid artery scan that show I have the arteries of an 18-year old. But he was not impressed with my LDL being above 130, my ApoB rising to 102, and my LDL-P coming in at 1500. How do you prioritize the favorable readings against the somewhat unfavorable ones? Do Heart Calcium Scores from a CT scan really tell the tale of where you stand with actual disease taking place in your coronary arteries? HOLLI ASKS:I'm wondering how I can raise my LDL cholesterol levels since they seem to be too low. I haven't tested recently, but my previous test showed my total cholesterol is 142, HDL is 78, LDL is 71, and triglycerides are 50. I've been working on correcting a leaky gut and eating a Paleo/GAPS diet for the past year. My energy is very low, I’m always tired and my hormone levels are all on the low end of normal. I'm wondering if my too-low cholesterol could be part of the problem and if so, what can I do to raise it? I am not taking any cholesterol-lowering medications. DAVE ASKS:I went to my doctor and he says I am in the "dangerously high LDL range" and I should stop eating my low-carb high-fat diet and reduce my egg consumption to no more than 3 per week. My last lab results were the following: Total cholesterol – 254LDL – 186HDL – 52Triglycerides – 82Blood glucose – 79 Over the last three years, my triglycerides have decreased, HDL increased, LDL increased, blood sugar decreased and weight decreased. I used to take a statin drug, but I will never take it again. I realize I probably shouldn’t worry about it, but my doctor went crazy about my numbers. Is the increase in my LDL cholesterol something I can choose to ignore or should I modify my diet to reverse the upward trend? JW ASKS:Is it possible that the rise in either total cholesterol or LDL-P that some people report while on a ketogenic diet is due to the fat leaving the adipose tissue as they lose weight? Are there any studies that show if it persists or goes away once weight stabilizes? And if your HDL is higher than your triglycerides while your fasting blood glucose level is under 100, do you care what total cholesterol or LDL-P is assuming there is no familial hypercholesterolemia?

AIR DATE: July 11, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "Ketones & Brain Health" NOTE: Audio for this episode will be posted on Friday afternoon Since you listen to this podcast, you probably are already well aware of the tremendous benefits of low-carb, high-fat living on your overall health and longevity. But did you know that eating this way can actually make you smarter? Old-school thinking regarding the brain tells us that glucose is the sole source of fuel it can use. However, we are now learning through the very latest in nutritional health research that the brain can not only be fueled well by the ketone bodies produced by eating a low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet, but these ketones may actually be a better fuel for the brain than glucose. That's the primary focus of the work our guest expert this week has been exploring. Nutritional scientist  from the University of California at Harbor-UCLA has become intricately involved in investigating the role of ketogenic diets on brain health ever since she stumbled across the cognition-enhancing properties of ketones when she personally started consuming a ketogenic diet. What she has discovered in her research is how ketones may prevent the neurocognitive deficits such as memory loss and dementia typically chalked up to the aging process, the therapeutic effects of ketones on patients with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's and how elevated blood sugars levels are quite possibly contributing to a significant cognitive decline leading to neurodegeneration. Dr. Yount theorizes that human beings are meant to run most effectively on a ketogenic diet and that our hunter-gather ancestors millions of years ago not only survived but thrived in this keto-adapted state. That's what we'll be exploring further in Episode 41 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" addressing the topic "Ketones & Brain Health." SUGAR-FREE, LOW-CARB PEANUT BUTTER CUPSNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  LOWER YOUR BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS NATURALLY:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are just a few of the questions addressed in this podcast: LAWRENCE ASKS:Does the brain need glucose? STEVE ASKS:I have worked as a caregiver in an assisted living facility taking care of Alzheimer's patients for several years. So I have seen the devastating toll Alzheimer’s disease has taken on so many precious senior citizens. The diet they feed these people is absolutely horrendous—low-fat, low salt, high-carb and low-protein. It’s so tragic. I understand that brain cells may die if they are glucose dependent and also insulin resistant and that ketone bodies can fuel the brain in the absence of glucose by preventing more brain cells from dying. Would ketone bodies rejuvenate brain cells that were close to death and create new ones that would then improve the symptoms of Alzheimer's? In other words, given enough time, can someone completely or nearly completely recover from advanced stage Alzheimer's disease with the therapeutic use of ketones? FRANZISKA THE RD ASKS:What level of ketosis is required to achieve improvements in memory and prevent cognitive decline as we age? Does a person gain further benefit from being in a deeper state of ketosis due to significant carbohydrate restriction (ie Why is there so much variability regarding the need for protein restriction to enter into and remain in ketosis? I've heard of people needing to reduce their protein intake significantly in order to achieve ketonemia or ketonuria, while others eat very large amounts of protein yet manage to stay in ketosis. JOHN FROM THE UK ASKS:My 78-year old father has been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and his family has witnessed a very rapid mental decline over the past 3-4 years. He has no symptoms of shaking at all, but seems to suffer from muscle wastage and dementia. I personally think that his symptoms match those precisely of dementia with Lewy bodies. From the research you have come across, do you think a ketogenic diet could help him at all or is he too far gone? RICHELLE FROM AUSTRALIA ASKS:What does Dr. Yount know about Huntington’s disease and the ketogenic diet? Everyone always refers to Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s as the key neurodegenerative diseases. But Huntington’s is a genetic condition with a huge variation in the age of onset and disease severity indicating epigenetic and environmental factors at play. I am a 46-year old female and I have Huntington’s (CAG mutation of 42). I have been using a ketogenic diet for 10 years off and on. The research I have found relates to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and brain cancer--but nothing for Huntington’s. Are you aware of any? I am sure I am on the right track but it would be good to read scientific studies that are specific to my problem. JEAN ASKS:In addition to the effects on brain health you report for a ketogenic diet, do you detect a key component involved due to the addition of coconut oil, particularly with regard to Alzheimer's Disease? ROBIN ASKS:I sometimes feel a little foggy or lightheaded while eating a low-carb, high-fat diet. My carbohydrate intake is generally 20g or less daily. I’ve been doing this for a couple of months now and even restricting my protein intake to around 60g daily. I am 54 years old and currently weigh 170 pounds. In the two months I’ve been doing this, I have not lost any weight yet but I'm seeing that my fasting blood sugar levels have come down to around 100 or less while my blood ketones today readings are 2.5 millimolar. Is it normal to have brain fog with numbers like these? RENEE ASKS:It’s my understanding that MCT oil is good for the brain, especially for patients with Alzheimer's disease. But what about MCT oil for people who don’t have Alzheimer's? I’ve done some research and discovered that there are two types of MCT oil--C8 and C10. Unfortunately, there’s nothing about this on the bottle. Is there any benefit to choose specific type or brand of MCT oil over another? KARL ASKS:Is the amount of ketones in your blood proportional to the benefits received by the brain? In other words, is having 3 millimolar of blood ketones better than having 1 millimolar? I have tried hard to stay in a 2+ millimolar level of blood ketones. But even when restricting carbs well under 50g, keeping protein low and eating quality fats I have a very hard time maintaining anything over 1 millimolar. Is my brain receiving the full benefits of being in ketosis? And how long do the ketones stay in your blood? I am considering trying to cycle carbs so I would do something like 5-7 days of a ketogenic diet, 3 days of higher carbs, 3 days moderate carbs then repeat. Assuming I only consumed nutrient dense carbs (not pizza and ice cream), would I keep enough ketones in my system to experience the brain health benefits? CHRISTINE ASKS:With the brain consisting of large quantities of fat, how does the process of breaking down fats into ketone bodies affect the brain or does it have an impact at all? So if the body breaks down fats from other areas to create ketones for fuel, then would it convert any unused ketones back into fat that could then be used to bolster the brain, build it up and recover from damage? PAUL IN AUSTRALIA ASKS:My mother was recently diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy. She is falling frequently and I am concerned that she will soon need to be confined to a wheelchair. It is unlikely that I can get her to make significant changes to her diet (she’s just too old and too stubborn) but I was wondering if coconut oil, MCT oil or any supplements can help her at this stage. Any suggestions you can make regarding food or would be appreciated. I suffer with depression and attention problems and in desperation started taking 40 ml of flaxseed oil daily after reading a post about it on the Internet. After two days I experienced a strange little emotion I’d completely forgotten about: joy. The following morning while getting dressed I was in the middle of putting on my jeans when I stopped, one leg on the ground and one leg in the air–I was balanced and didn’t need to touch the airborne leg down to avoid falling over. This felt odd to me. A while ago I noticed I couldn’t put my socks on without having one foot up on the bed or by leaning up against the wall. So I tried putting on my socks “stork style” and did so with ease, even putting on my shoes in the same manner. It felt great to have my balance back. I have cut back on the flaxseed oil because of concerns over blood clotting with a daily aspirin regimen. I’ve tried adding fish oil and coconut oil but can’t seem to get as much benefit as I was getting from 40ml of flaxseed oil. Can you please explain what might be going on with the flaxseed oil to improve my balance? ANDREW ASKS:Can you cause harm to the brain if you don't consume enough calories on a ketogenic diet? One of the problems I have eating this way is that I'm not really hungry very often so I forget to eat. When I go too long without food I start to get a dull ache sort of like pressure in my skull. I try to consume lots of calories from quality fats when I do remember to eat along with moderate protein and minimal carbohydrates. I like being ketogenic but I can’t help but wonder what impact this is having on my brain health. JEN FROM AUSTRALIA ASKS:I am brand new to low-carb and already feel much more energetic and thinking clearly--I must say I am loving how this feels! I’d like to hear what Dr. Yount says is an optimal day of eating for maximizing ketones to keep my cognitive function and physical health in the best shape possible. I’m an older mother who will be working into my late 60’s and need to be looking to the coming years of raising my child now at the age of 53. GREG FROM NEW ZEALAND ASKS:I am a 50-year old male and have been on low-carb, high-fat diet for the past seven months. Early on I was getting ketone levels around 1-2.2 in the evening. But lately they have dropped back down to barely 0.5, although I still have steady energy levels and fast intermittently for 16-20 hours at a time. In other words, I believe I am still keto-adapted. One significant aspect of my personal lifestyle is circadian dysrhythmia from long-haul flying and missing out on sleep. I also take the occasional sleeping pill (Triazolam) to help with the time zone changes at hotels. Does the brain function better with more ketones or is it fully satisfied at some particular level? Is the brain’s choice of energy source influenced by circadian dysrhythmia? And finally, do you have an opinion on raspberry ketone products for raising blood ketone levels? HEIDI ASKS:According to the book The Brain Trust Program by neurosurgeon Dr. Larry McCleary, ketones are the secret to remedying hot flashes, Alzheimer's, and a whole host of other brain illnesses. But I don’t think there's near enough information out there as to how to TRULY fight the effects of menopause--conventional wisdom says to eat your soy, take hormone replacements, and hope for the best. I've been taking the advice out of Dr. McCleary’s book, and along with coconut oil and the recommended supplements, have kept hot flashes at bay for months now. Hot flashes themselves are the brain's cry for more glucose, but the glucose can't get there any more, because the lack of estrogen to coat the glucose means it can no longer pass through the blood-brain barrier. So in order to feed the brain what it needs without using glucose it instead relies on ketones--and boy DO THEY WORK! Does Dr. Yount have any corroborating experience with using ketones for menopausal issues?

AIR DATE: June 27, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "Anxiety, Bipolar & The CARB Syndrome" NOTE: The audio will be published by midday on Friday Think about the tremendous load of stress we are putting on ourselves in modern society and the impact that is having on our mental health and well-being. Here are some sobering statistics: The Centers For Disease Control estimates 1 in 10 Americans are clinically depressed, The Anxiety And Depression Association Of America notes that 40 million American adults have an anxiety disorder and The National Institute Of Mental Health says that another 5.7 million Americans are impacted with bipolar disorder annually. This is something our guest expert this week has seen up close and personal in his Northern Minnesota family practice. A few years back,  couldn't help but notice that his patients were getting fatter and sicker than ever before and the indelible effect this was having on brain health was alarming to him. That's when he sought to find answers and developed what he refers to as  which identifies the metabolic component involved in the health of your brain that can manifest itself in a myriad of ways. In Episode 41 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts," we had Dr. Wilson zoom in specifically at answering YOUR questions about "Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar & The CARB Syndrome" solution. LOW-CARB PASTABILITIES FROM QUEST NUTRITIONNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: LOWER YOUR BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS NATURALLY:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are a few of the questions we addressed in this episode: CODY ASKS: My 13-year old daughter wakes up every night and cannot get back to sleep for over an hour. This has been an issue as long as we can remember. She has always been very temperamental as well and is prone to quite a bit of anxiety. She is a super picky eater and attempting to change her diet in any way, shape, form or fashion causes EXCESSIVE trauma. She also doesn't like meat. She does love cheese (Kraft Extra Sharp Cheddar and Cheeseheads String Cheese are the specific brands she’ll eat) and a lot of fruits (she’s very aware of textures and doesn't like apples that are too crunchy, even the hint of a grape seed, etc.). But other than those two things, her go to foods are junk, such as Cheetos, crackers, Pringles, candy, pizza and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. She has asthma and eczema as well. She's seen 5 different psychiatrists and has received 5 different diagnoses. She's been on a handful of medications, all of which were either ineffective or made her worse. She is now off of all the meds and I supplement with a daily multivitamin, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, B vitamins, magnesium and selenium. Do you have any suggestions on how we can help her? DR. VAN DERVEER ASKS: Hi Dr. Wilson, I'm a psychiatrist in Boulder, Colorado. I'm seeing big improvements in my patients with anxiety and mood disorders by recommending the elimination of grains from their diets. Can you please share your insights on where we are currently with the science of a brain-gut inflammation connection? NANCY ASKS: I just had lunch with an elementary school teacher today. She was telling me how the numbers for autism have skyrocketed and of course mainstreaming autistic kids into the schools. We talked about the effect this was having on the classroom environment and the fact that the parents of these children seem to be in denial about what their child is going through. Would our sugar and carbohydrate-laden diets have anything to do with this increase that has been happening? MICHAEL FROM AUSTRALIA ASKS: At the age of 42 I had my first panic attack and I remember the exact time and day it happened. It has been relentless every single day for the last 22 years. I went down the conventional health path with various general practitioners, shrinks and psychologists—all to no avail! My shrink put me on Xanax and I think I have tried every SSRI known to man with no success. When I attempted to wean myself off of Xanax, my generalized anxiety disorder returned with a vengeance. It’s a miserable place to be in. I discovered the low-carb, high-fat way of eating over decade ago thanks to people like Dr. Mike Eades and Gary Taubes. Their advice had marvelous affects on all my physical health markers, including my lipids, BMI and blood sugars. However, it has not helped me with my anxiety at all. At this stage I am not optimistic of a cure, but do you have anything that can give me some hope for the future? PHIL FROM THE UK ASKS: I currently eat a low-carb diet that consists of less than 30g of net carbs per day. I had a Vitamin D test and it came back as "insufficient." So I began supplementing with 4000 IU daily for a month and fixed that. I also take an EPA supplement that is extracted from fish oil. Is there any science around which if any omega-3 fish oil supplement is most effective for depression and anxiety issues? Does DHA in some way negate EPA if they are taken together? RICK ASKS: How common is magnesium deficiency in those people dealing with anxiety problems? Also, considering your medical practice is in northern Minnesota, how often does you see people that are deficient in Vitamin D and do you use it in treating patients dealing with depression and anxiety issues? If so, what is the ideal blood level you are shooting for in your patients? Finally, have you used probiotics in treating depression?

AIR DATE: June 20, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "What Are 'Normal' Lab Values?" Have you ever gotten back test results from your doctor and were relieved to see that you were in the "normal" range with your lab values? Did you ever stop to ask yourself how they came up with these numbers? What if you are in the normal range on a particular test, but you still have symptoms in your health that make it obvious you are still not well? These are just a few of the questions we addressed in this week's episode of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" with a low-carb/Paleo-friendly family physician named  from King, North Carolina. He has a special interest in measuring fasting insulin and ketone levels as well as testing his patients for vitamin deficiencies. As you will quickly see, Dr. Graham is quite opinionated and more than willing to stretch the boundaries of "traditional white coat medicine." That made him the perfect choice to answer YOUR questions about the topic What Are 'Normal' Lab Values? on this week's show. LOW-CARB CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH QUEST BARSNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: SUGAR-FREE, LOW-CARB PEANUT BUTTER CUPSNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are just a few of the questions addressed in this podcast: KELLY ASKS: I’ve read that the "normal" ranges on most lab tests are actually averages of all the tests results that the lab has conducted. Why this is so frightening to me is because most of the people who are having tests run have something WRONG with their health. This means the supposedly "normal" values are really clouded with a lot of sick people’s numbers and the more tests run on sicker people the more "normal" sick actually becomes. Is this actually how it works or do I have it all wrong? LESLIE ASKS: As with modern infant growth charts, I often wonder what's considered normal these days. My family doctor has joked with me that according to her charts I should be dead with blood pressure of 110/60 and a resting heart rate of 54 as a woman in my late 50s. SIMON ASKS: I’m a lean, fairly healthy 26-year old man and I've been following a low-carb ketogenic diet since the beginning of April 2013 because I didn’t like feeling constantly hungry on a high-carb diet. I had a blood test done at the end of May and my uric acid levels were out of the normal range measuring 7.2 mg/dl. The normal range specified is 3.6-7.0 mg/dl. Should this be cause for concern? Are my kidneys perhaps still adapting to the presence of ketones? By the way, my total cholesterol is 223 mg/dl and my triglycerides are 139 mg/dl. EDWARD ASKS: I was wondering if the lab standards for blood pressure are somehow biased. I'm an American born citizen of Asian descent and lived on a diet of rice for many years. It never bothered me that my blood pressure was considered Stage One Hypertension as I personally felt fine. However, with the medications I'm taking, I now feel tired and sluggish simply with the goal of lowering my blood pressure because it’s not in the right range. Can you help me understand this? LISA ASKS: I had a regular CBC done recently and my BUN level came back as 23. The lab test states that normal is between 7-18. The doctor hasn't recommended anything for me to do about this. I follow a lower-carb diet compared to the SAD diet and I don't eat a lot of sugar. Should I be concerned about my BUN levels being so high? TONY ASKS: Other than the typical blood test markers physicians run to gauge the general health of their patients, what are the top 5 blood markers people should be paying most attention to after the age 40? Are they different for males vs. females? ARI ASKS: What do you think about the seemingly high prevalence of low-carbers, including Jimmy, who have very high LDL-P numbers but no other signs of imminent heart disease risks? I realize there is very little research on this right now, but would love to hear Dr. Graham’s personal experience on this subject working with patients eating a low-carb diet. KEN ASKS: Between the standard lipid panel, NMR Lipoprofile test, CMP panel, and CBC panel, which 3-4 numbers should folks be most concerned about to determine their cardiovascular and overall health risks? RICHELLE FROM AUSTRALIA ASKS: What is the significance of lactate in the blood particularly in the context of mitochondrial function? What other blood markers are good to keep an eye on to monitor mitochondrial function? Also, what are the best tests to monitor nutrient requirements in the body?

AIR DATE: June 13, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "All Things Thyroid (Thyroid 201)" The thyroid gland serves one of the most under-appreciated and yet totally misunderstood functions within the human body. If someone is dealing with excessive weight on their body, you might hear them say something along the lines of it being due to having a bad thyroid. But there's got to be more to it than that, right? What is at the root cause of why your thyroid might not be functioning at optimal levels? And what steps can be taken to fix these thyroid issues without resorting to taking potentially harmful prescription medications? That's what we'll be exploring with a Walnut Creek, CA-based functional medicine physician named  (listen to my interview with him in ). Dr. Ruscio specializes in the subject of thyroid health (and has  to tell) which is why he will being joining us to talk about "All Things Thyroid (Thyroid 201)." You might recall we had the great  on to talk about this subject back in  to give a Thyroid 101 introduction to the topic. But Dr. Ruscio will help us dig even deeper into answering YOUR most pressing questions about thyroid health and how it relates to your healthy low-carb, Paleo lifestyle. If you want to get a taste for what his teaching style is like, then be sure to check out  for lots of informative videos on this subject and more. Dr. Ruscio joined us in Episode 39 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" to keep the conversation going on the vital importance of attaining and maintaining good thyroid health. Here are just a few of the questions we addressed in this podcast: DANIELLA ASKS: I'm a 36-year old mother who recently started eating a low-carb Paleo lifestyle. I consume 1500-1600 calories most days and take in about 50-60g of carbohydrates daily. My energy is great and I look and feel the best I have ever felt in my life. Sleep and athletic performance are incredible as well and my muscle definition at 5’3” tall and 110 pounds has never been better. My only concern is that I take 60mg Armour thyroid daily and I am concerned that my low-carb diet may interfere with thyroid function. I feel like I eat adequate calories most of the time, but should I be concerned? My last labs showed everything to be good: TSH 0.6, Free T3 at 2.2, free T4 at .8. KATHERINE ASKS: I'm 39 years old and I've been on a low-carb diet (40-70g carb per day) for 22 months in response to pre-diabetic blood sugar levels. Since changing my diet, my T3 has dropped and is now borderline low. Initial thyroid tests 22 months ago were all normal. I've done some casual reading in recent months that a low-carb diet can suppress thyroid function. In other places I've read it can help it. Can you please help clear up this confusing issue? & NANCY ASKS: I have actually been struggling with the low-carb concept out of fear of ruining my thyroid. There is so much conflicting information out there with regards to low-carb being bad or good for thyroid. I’ve heard that women should not be on a low-carb diet for too long or at all because of the risks to their thyroid function. I am already obese at 5'1" and 184 pounds and I feel lost and not sure which nutritional path to take. KEN ASKS: I've been eating Paleo over the last year and recently had an NMR test. My LDL particle count was very high at 1403 with my small LDL coming in at 492. HDL is 62 and triglycerides are 50. I was wondering if you could further explain the role the thyroid plays in the particle count levels and whether those of us eating a low-carb Paleo diet should be worried. It seems many of us eating this way, including Jimmy, have high LDL-P and I’m curious if our way of eating is making this happen. JUNE ASKS: Do you have a preference between Armour vs. Nature Thyroid? RICK ASKS: What are your thoughts on treating thyroid disease with high levels of iodine supplementation? WENDY ASKS: I have been taking 30 mg of Armour Thyroid and have been Paleo/Primal since Jan 2011. I eat fish 2x per week. I avoid raw cruciferous veggies and take a drop or two of a concentrated iodine supplement weekly as I don't want to overdo it. I recently started adding kelp sprinkles daily to my food and would like to stop having to take thyroid medications if at all possible. Is this doable? JACKIE ASKS: I had thyroid cancer in 2008 and had a total thyroidectomy. I'm currently taking 200 mcg of Synthroid daily. Since the thyroid controls metabolism, how do I increase my metabolism to lose weight? I’m 57 years old, 5'2" tall and weigh 260 pounds. DEANNA ASKS: I did the HCG diet over 2 years ago and lost nearly 40 pounds. Since then I have slowly gained almost all of it back. I am having hypothyroid symptoms (hair loss, brittle nails, cold hands and feet) the main one being a total inability to lose weight no matter how hard I try. I eat mostly Paleo. What are your thoughts about the HCG diet and its effect on thyroid function? I have read that it could affect reverse T3 but there are a lot of functional medicine doctors advocating it. PAUL ASKS: What are Dr. Ruscio’s thoughts on the Endocrine Society's updated clinical practice guidelines for the management of thyroid health in pregnancy? They seem to be quite controversial. LINDA ASKS: I read that eating one Brazil nut a day is enough to bring up a low thyroid to normal levels. Is that true? What other foods can help with this? JASON ASKS: Is the excessive fluoride typically added to the drinking water in local municipalities something to be worried about because of iodine absorption issues and by extension be a contributor to hypothyroidism? INGE FROM MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA ASKS: I lost weight after my sister died in 1993 and at the age of 40 I developed a taste for alcohol that killed my thyroid. For 10 years the specialist put me on Thyroxin until my blood pressure became very high due to a lack of T3 stimulation. She then put me on 7 grains of thyroid extract and I started losing weight again. I’m now seeing an integrative doctor who is not happy about this high dosage of thyroid extract. He told me to back off of it and now I’m gaining weight again putting on 8 kg, I sleep 10 hours a night, I retain fluid, I can no longer exercise because I’m so exhausted all the time and I have severe brain fog. Do you have any suggestions for me? MELANIE ASKS: I just got diagnosed with Adrenal Fatigue that according to my doctor is causing Functional Hypothyroidism. So my Free T3 and T4 were in the normal range, but at the lower end. I need to fix the adrenal fatigue issue but I also need to be supporting my thyroid so that it doesn’t get any worse. I'm pretty familiar with ways to support the thyroid, but wanted to ask the opinion on taking animal glandulars. I wonder if Dr. Ruscio is familiar with the Xymogen T-150 thyroid support product (a freeze-dried, BSE-free, bovine, multi-glandular, mineral and herbal formula to support healthy thyroid function). Do you have an opinion on it? My doctor wants me taking it. ROGER ASKS: Before I went low-carb Paleo, I knew my thyroid wasn’t functioning well. My Free T3 and T4 levels were horrible and I was feeling sluggish. Is a short-term supplementation of pregnenolone a good way to boost thyroid health and balance other hormones? CATHY ASKS: I started Synthroid for hypothyroidism in January and quickly developed a bad case of acne. Is this just a coincidence or did the medication cause this? AMBERLY ASKS: The thyroid tests done by my doctor were all normal, but then I started going to another doctor who specializes in bio-identical hormone replacement. He said that one of them was low, maybe the Free T3. He put me on Armour thyroid to treat it. When I asked him if this could have any negative effects, he said that it could shut my thyroid down, but that since my thyroid wasn't functioning as well as it needed to on its own. Thus, he convinced me it would make sense to go ahead and start the Armour since it wasn't going to get any better on its own anyway. My Free T3 is now slightly too high. Do you agree with this doctor’s aggressive approach?

AIR DATE: June 6, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "All Things Digestion (Gut Health 101)" The more we learn about diet and health, it seems that as our gut health goes so goes our overall health. And perhaps you have shifted your diet over from the Standard American Diet to more of a low-carb or Paleo lifestyle and you're still experiencing issues with your digestion that have you flummoxed. It can be frustrating when you start eating a real foods-based lifestyle and still dealing with things like bloating, IBS, constipation, low stomach acid and more. But  and the author of the New York Times bestselling Victory Belt book  has some real solutions to these most common problems associated with digestive health issues. Diane is joining us in Episode 38 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" to answer all of YOUR questions on digestion and gut health. ENJOY CARB-FREE PASTABILITIES FROM QUEST NUTRITIONNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: LOWER YOUR BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS NATURALLY:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are a few of the questions we addressed in this episode: PAM ASKS: I have been on a Paleo diet for several months now and I eat generous servings of vegetables three meals a day. Despite that I have less frequent bowel movements than I would like--less than once daily. I have accepted the fact that I probably have to take a fiber supplement. I currently use a formula that contains psyllium seed husks, non-GMO soy fiber, oat bran, acacia gum, and apple pectin extract. I chose this brand because of its reasonable price and high fiber content per serving, however I am concerned about the soy and the oat bran. Do you have any product recommendations that would not contain these concerning ingredients? Most of what I find in the stores seems to have too few grams of fiber per serving to bother with, or have other even more questionable ingredients in them. ALLY ASKS: So for the last year and a half, my digestion has been utterly icky. I’ve had severe bloating, gas, diarrhea and more. I eat a very strict low-carb Paleo plan and was diagnosed with Candida requiring me to eat this way. However, it only made me worse. For the last month and a half, I've been following a whole-food based approach similar to Matt Stone's Diet Recovery, eating more carbs (rice, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, sugar), and my digestion is now AMAZING. It improved almost immediately and I've been doing great. The only problem now is I can't seem to lose weight. What's up with that? Why was my digestion so poor when I ate low-carb Paleo (which I LOVE), but it improves when I eat foods that I honestly would prefer not to? How do I navigate around this tricky situation? KRISTIN ASKS: I'll keep it simple: Should my poop float? JAMES ASKS: My 27-year old brother is suffering from some problems with digestion. For most his life he was eating the Standard American Diet, basically carbage. I have been low-carb and following a generic ancestral eating template for a year and a half now and he has adopted some of the LC/Paleo principles. However he still snacks on chips and candy occasionally. His GI tract seems to want to hold on to the food as long as possible. This results in feeling full and bloated with constipation. Without being too graphic, he has examined his stool and sees undigested food. This occurs more often with tougher cuts of meat such as brisket. He has tried more chewing and more vegetables to increase his fiber intake but it doesn’t seem to help. He does not appear to be malnourished but it does make life difficult and interrupt his day-to-day activities. What should he be doing next? Get a gastroenterology exam? Stool exam? My amateur guess is that his gut bacteria may be off, but I have no idea where to begin. Any pointers would be great. JENN ASKS: What are the signs and symptoms of intolerance to FODMAPs? To be blunt, fruit causes me to be rather gassy and I'm trying to figure out if it is a FODMAP issue or a gut bacterial growth issue. Do you have any suggestions on how I can figure this one out? DANIELLE ASKS: Low carb + FODMAPs = better digestion because...? RACHAEL ASKS: Sometimes if I have too much fat I have an immediate and urgent digestive issue to contend with and at other times I'm totally fine! Are there certain fats that can cause more issues or are there any food combinations that I should avoid? I’m a huge, huge fan of Diane! GEZ FROM THE UK ASKS: I follow a high-fat, moderate protein, low-carb diet. Does it matter if some meals are mainly protein and fat while others are primarily vegetables and fat in regards to digestion? Or should I strive to make sure the macronutrients are balanced in each meal? LESLIE ASKS: About 6 months ago, I had a tooth pulled that entailed taking antibiotics for 10 days - amoxicillin and using nitrous oxide during the procedure. Right after that, 15 pounds crept up on me within about 2-3 weeks. I have NOT been able to make the scale budge no matter what I have tried--Whole 30, low-carb with 25g carbs max daily for 6 weeks, intermittent fasting, fat fast, fish and salad--nothing is working. I have always taken a probiotic and added even more right after the procedure. This didn't help, as far as I can tell. I eat plenty of cultured foods. What else could be going on? JOEL ASKS: Is it possible to eat too much sauerkraut in a day to help with good gut flora? I'm a tall guy (6'4") with a big appetite, but I've leaned out to a normal weight now (207 lbs) after eating a low-carb diet for 8 months. In a meal I will eat around 350g of sauerkraut. Is there any harm in regularly eating this much sauerkraut 2-3 times a week? Are there any benefits to eating this much?

AIR DATE: January 31, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: “Ketogenic Diets And Exercise Performance” Carbohydrate loading has become so deeply-ingrained (all pun intended!) in our culture for endurance athletics these days that hardly anyone questions whether it is the most effective means for fueling exercise performance or not. But ketogenic diet researchers like  and self-experimenters like  have discovered a new paradigm that could quite possibly be the future of fueling exercise activity–using ketones as an alternative and much more preferred energy source for fueling exercise. And we’re pleased to have a bona fide expert on this topic with a triathlete and sports scientist named Ben Greenfield (listen to my interviews with Ben in  and  of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show” podcast) who is joining us in Episode 37 of “Ask The Low-Carb Experts” to share what he has learned about the role ketogenic diets can have in maximizing exercise performance. JOIN BEN AND JIMMY AT THE BECOME SUPERHUMAN EVENT SIGN UP NOW FOR LOW-CARB CRUISE ON CARNIVAL MAGIC Here are just a few of the questions addressed in this podcast: ALAN ASKS:Do you think a ketogenic nutrition plan is compatible with training at lactate threshold? And for races shorter than 5000 meters, is a ketogenic diet optimal or detrimental to maximum performance? MIKKI ASKS:I’m interested in whether you’ve come across research or anecdotal evidence of the effects of a ketogenic diet on exercise performance in women? A lot of the research that has been conducted seems to be in men. I am an endurance runner and I am much better doing longer distances. When I had an RER test done in a fasted state (albeit on a cycle and not a treadmill), it showed I was a complete sugar burner. However, I have no problems training (and performing) for extended periods of time in a fasted state, or with the intake of minimal to no fuel. As far as body composition goes, I’m very lean. Would this have any effect on the RER test results? My diet composition was at the time around evenly split between the three macronutrients. But since becoming interested in and converting to the low-carb, whole food diet approach thanks to Mark Sisson, Robb Wolf and other people in this field, my CHO sources now come from fruit, a small amount of kumara/potato, nuts and non starchy greens. I used to consume a lot of grains and sugary foods. I’ve dropped all artificial sweeteners and processed foods from my diet, upped my intake of fat and feel great. Could the small amount of sugars along with the intake of artificial sweeteners in my diet have influenced my sugar burner result from the RER test? Does it even matter that the RER test suggested I wasn’t a fat burner if I am good at running over longer periods of time with little intake of fuel as aforementioned? KEITH ASKS:If muscles draw energy from the sarcoplasm that stores glycogen for energy, then what positive effect could a low-carb diet possibly have on the sarcoplasm? I’m especially interested in bodybuilding where most studies show that sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is the key to developing larger muscles and differentiates the bodybuilder’s physiology from the power lifter. SUE ASKS:I’m in my mid-50’s and started low-carb 2 years ago after suspecting my body wasn’t utilizing fat for energy. Twice, I did an ironman triathlon and twice, I got rhabdomyolysis. I would like to consider an endurance event again, but wonder if there’s a way to confirm my body is using stored body fat instead of protein? How can I be sure that it does? In the Fall 2012, I did a ketogenic diet for three months but wasn’t able to get my ketones higher than low 2′s. CLAY ASKS:Can you please address a ketogenic diet in relation to endurance for people who are ectomorphs? What is different, if anything, about the details of a ketogenic regimen for people like myself? I’m 6’1″ and weigh 153 pounds and I run 3-4 times a week, do yoga and lift weights on the other days. JONATHAN ASKS:I recently read a series of articles in which Robb Wolf makes it sound like ketosis isn’t something someone can do if they are involved in an MMA/Crossfit or other extreme intensity type work because they are too glycolytically demanding. I would love to hear your thoughts on. NEERAJ ASKS:I do fasted long runs of 24 miles almost every week and eat what I think is a ketogenic diet. I DO include a lot of vegetables in my diet like kale, spinach, broccoli, string beans and the like. However, I’m not seeing any ketones in my urine Ketostix. Are these reliable? Could you talk about high-end athletic performance and the ketogenic diet. I run anywhere from 5Ks to 100Ks. Am I likely to see slower times in the shorter races and better times in the longer ones? And are you aware of any pro runners out there using ketogenic diets? CHRIS ASKS:Would you recommend going into ketosis while training 20 hours a week for an ironman race? GEZ FROM THE UK ASKS:Is it possible to exercise intensively with high performance on a ketogenic diet and at the same time maximize muscle gain and fat loss? Does it matter if the ketosis is from being low-carb or from intermittent fasting? MECHELLE ASKS:I am a 45-year old mom who has been low-carbing since June 2012. I am working hard on getting into full-on nutritional ketosis with readings of 1.5 in the afternoon. My goal is to get above 2.0 millimolar in the morning! I am hoping a formal weight lifting program will help me get there. After reading Ben’s Get-Fit Guy’s Guide To Achieving Your Ideal Body Weight, I realized that I am a pure Mesomorph. Here is my question for Ben: In your book, you recommend lighter weights, with more repetitions for me; however, I am intrigued by Fred Hahn’s Slow Burn and his suggestion to use weights heavy enough for complete muscle fatigue with just a few reps. Is your suggestion for the lighter weights for cosmetic reasons? As a Mesomorph, can I actually get as strong and build as much bone density when lifting lighter weights, with more reps, as I can with lifting heavier weights in the manner Hahn suggests? Filed Under: , , , 

Click to Subscribe to All Ben's Fitness & Get A Free Surprise Gift from Ben. Jan 30, 2013 free podcast: Top 10 Ways to Boost Your Libido Also: when and how to use bitter melon extract, can you suffer withdrawal from adaptogenic herbs, the best allergy remedies, ways to stop hair loss, and when to combine cardio with interval training. Have a podcast question for Ben? Click the tab on the right side of this page, call 1-877-209-9439, Skype “pacificfit” or (if you hate the sound of your own voice) scroll down to the “Ask Ben” form. Please don't forget to give the podcast a comment/ranking in iTunes - it only takes a minute and it helps grow our healthy and fit community! ----------------------------------------------------- News Flashes: To get these and other interesting news flashes every week, follow Ben on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Why most hotel gyms fail, via @samiinkinen. Stuff you probably didn't know about thyroid testing (during this announcement, I mention the new WellnessFX for hormone testing). Great earthing/grounding video - this is why I sleep with Earthpulse every night. ----------------------------------------------------- Special Announcements: Tunes Review Contest: Make us laugh! Leave the funniest, craziest (but clean) review on iTunes and win a 20 minute one-on-one consult with Ben! Saturday, February 2, at 6pm PST - Coaching with Ben Greenfield. Ben is rolling out a new coaching program for folks who want to use the most cutting-edge training, nutrition, supplement and "biohacking" techniques that exist. It's going to be pretty revolutionary stuff - basically allowing for huge results with very minimal time commitments. You can join Ben this Saturday at http://goo.gl/McL9M for a special video announcement that will go over the details. If you're serious about coming on board, there will be a replay available (at that same link) which you'll need to watch within one week of the video being released (after which all seats to the new coaching program will be closed for 2013.)  Top Health, Fitness & Diet Books of 2012: Ben read a LOT of health, fitness and nutrition books during 2012. As a matter of fact, he read an average of 6 books a month. Some were good, some were bad. Curious what he read? You can find out for free, and ask your questions LIVE. Thursday, January 31, 12pm PST: Heat Prep For Cold Climate Athletes. In this webinar presentation, Ben Greenfield will teach you the science of the body's physiological response to heat. You'll learn how cold climate athletes who are non heat-acclimated can prepare for hot races via the research-proven use of body cooling gear, heat acclimation strategies, hydration strategies, dietary supplements, food choices and more. All USAT coaches are eligible for CEU's from this course. Get in now. Thursday, January 31: Join Ben for a LIVE Q&A on Jimmy Moore's "Ask The Low Carb Experts" to discuss low carb diets and performance. Tune in Thursday night at 4PST/7EST! Call 712-432-0900 or Skype freeconferencing. 7124320900. Use access code 848908. Get featured on the podcast by creating your own MyList -here's what to do (did I mention that it's free?): Create your own "MyList" list that targets your passion in health, fitness or nutrition (gear, tools, supplements or anything else), Share your MyList right here by leaving a link to it in the comments section at the bottom of the page, I'll choose the best list, and contact you for an interview about why you chose the items on your list. Want to get lots of new customers in the health, fitness and nutrition industries? Sponsor Ben's upcoming "Become Superhuman" Live Event? Full event sponsor details. “Become Superhuman” Live Event With Ben Greenfield Coming To Spokane, WA, March 8 & 9, 2013 - Reserve your spot now! The video below tells you all about it and/or you can listen to this audio interview from the Wide World Of Health to learn more. 2013 training camps: February 22 to 28: Winter Triathlon Camp in Austin. March 2 to 8: Winter Triathlon Camp in Florida. April 5 to 7: Wildflower Camp. April 14: Vietnam Trip. The Laguna Lang Co Triathlon aims to build on the success of its sister event, the legendary Laguna Phuket Triathlon. Register for the race. Nov-Dec: Ben's Annual Trip to Thailand (details TBA). Email ben@bengreenfieldfitness.com if you want in - it will fill up fast! ----------------------------------------------------- Listener Q&A: As compiled, edited and sometimes read by Brock, the Ben Greenfield Fitness Podcast "sidekick". Alex asks @ 00:27:47 What is the best way to use Bitter Melon in terms of dosage, usage and should take it by itself? ~ In my response, I refer to MPX100. Allison asks @ 00:33:31 She began taking TianChi after hearing about it on the podcast in October of 2012 and took it pretty consistently until about the beginning of January 2013. After coming off it she has experienced unreal hormonal swings, PMS that is amplified, and two full periods this month separated by only a week. She's wondering if something in the adaptogenic herbs may have caused her hormones to go haywire when I stopped taking them. She is currently trying to get pregnant so this weirdness is kind of putting a kink in the works. She's been to an ob/gyn and had a pelvic exam and other tests and found nothing. ~ In my response, I refer to TianChi. Anonymous asks @ 00:39:43 He is 38 years old and races 70.3s and yet he doesn't have the libido he once had. He knows he isn't 19 any more but still… he would like to try some natural remedies. He tried Vit D3 (life extension) and some Cod Liver Oil (nordic naturals) and the Horny Goat Weed extract (NOW). Are those good brands? Is there a more pure form to get Horny Goat Weed? Do you think it even works? ~ In my response I list: 1. Oysters 2. Cold Showers 3. Any nitric oxide, citrulline or arginine blend, or dark chocolate/red wine. 4. Kamagra: www.FasterKam.com www.KamagraFast2.com 5. Heavy Lifting and/or Sprinting + Avoiding Chronic Cardio 6. The right bike seat. 7. Avoid porn. 8. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy with a compounded pharmacist, particularly using the www.thewileyprotocol.com OR liposomal progesterone for women. 9. Avoid large meals  10. Herbal blends: RenewMale stacked with TianChi. Eric asks @ 01:01:32 Is wondering about Finasteride (or Propecia). What happens to the testosterone that is left? Does it mean that he has more testosterone in his body? Should he be worried about it converting to estrogen? Carlos asks @ 01:08:15 He is experiencing bad allergies this year from pollen. Is wondering if you have any recommendations for natural products or vitamins that will help with allergies. ~ In my response, I mention www.naet.com, Sinus Buster, and this post on asthma that I did with Dr. David Minkoff. Jason asks @ 01:15:23Is using the Little Method of interval training on the treadmill. After he does the interval training he likes to do some sustained cardio training. Is that going to negate the afterburn effect that interval session is giving him? Prior to asking your question, do a search in upper right hand corner of this website for the keywords associated with your question. Many of the questions we receive have already been answered here at Ben Greenfield Fitness! ====================================== [contact-form-7 id="6222" title="Ask Ben"]======================================

AIR DATE: January 24, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: "All Things Hunger (Satiety 101)" If you ask a typical registered dietitian about the role of hunger in your diet, then you'll likely hear something like what I recently read in a SHAPE Magazine column by  entitled . Sass wrote that "one of the most common missteps I see that keeps people from getting results is being afraid to get hungry...mild to moderate hunger is normal, and it's something you should be experiencing about four times a day." She went on to say that "if you’re never hungry you’re probably eating more than your body needs to reach and maintain your ideal weight." Interestingly, she went on to admit that if you eat a "balanced breakfast" of cooked oats with fresh fruit and nuts with a glass of fat-free or soy milk that should "feel a little stomach rumbling" in a few hours. What an admission by someone who is supposed to be an authority on what good nutrition is all about! But the idea of getting hungry as a positive sign in your diet goes against what our expert guest this week believes is the sign of a healthy nutritional plan.  (listen to my previous interviews with him in  and  of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show" podcast) is the author of the newly-revised version of his book called the  where he explains that hunger is actually a tell-tale sign of malnutrition that needs to be addressed and not something to be glorified or honored as something good for you as the RD above suggests. The nutritional content of your food and making sure you are getting all the key essential micronutrients in what you are eating is very closely associated with the level of satiety you will experience on your chosen diet plan. But far too many people still feel this strange connection to being hungry on a diet which is why Paul Jaminet is joining us in Episode 36 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" to look at the role of hunger and satiety on a weight loss diet. SIGN UP NOW FOR PALEOFX 2013 IN AUSTIN, TXJOIN JIMMY MOORE'S NEW LIVIN' LOW-CARB MEAL PLAN:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are just a few of the questions we addressed in this podcast: RISA ASKS:I eat a ketogenic diet and have observed during the week of my period and the week after that I have very little need to eat. However, during the week of my PMS, I experience an increased hunger unlike anything I see at other times. I am feeding my hunger sensibly with fat and proteins and it still takes much less food in order to make me feel satisfied. Unfortunately, though, I just can’t lose weight during this time. Does Paul have any theories about the potential impact of the menstrual cycle on hunger and satiety in a ketogenic state for women? DR. BRETT HILL FROM AUSTRALIA:Is there any research out there on the satiety per calorie of various foods? If not, then I am seriously considering doing some and writing a book about it. My main question has to do with the satiety of nuts vs. nut meals? I am curious about what happens to the satiating properties of consuming whole nuts when they are ground into a flour or meal that ostensibly makes them more easily digestible. SCOTT ASKS:I work very hard to eat appropriately, monitoring the types of fats I eat, adequate amounts of proteins and restricting carbs to no sugar/starch/flour. I make my own breakfasts and lunches, but dinner is with my wife and kids who are not following this diet yet. Typically we consume a leaner protein and a vegetable or salad. Sometimes, though, after we’re finished eating and I’m cleaning the dishes, I have an almost insatiable desire to just KEEP EATING! This is just crazy to me. As you might imagine, when this hits is when I get into all of the wrong foods. Is this an emotional or physiological response? MIKE ASKS:My wife and I have been eating a Paleo diet with dairy for a few years now. Thanks to Paul & Shou-Ching's work we have reintroduced "safe starches" into our diet and doing well overall. I eat within a 6-8 hour window, Tracey's window is more like 8-10 hours and we have been intermittent fasting for 2+ years. I very seldom get hungry and if I do it quickly passes. Tracey on the other hand is often hungry to the point that she can't stop thinking about food during her fasting time and very seldom does she feel satisfied even after eating quite a bit of food. I have seen a lot of blog posts lately related to the differences between males and females, but I find this concept interesting since it has been very easy for me. Does Paul have any thoughts or ideas about why Tracey may be having this hunger?

Click to Subscribe to All Ben's Fitness & Get A Free Surprise Gift from Ben. Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode. Jan 23, 2013 free podcast: How To Grow Your Own Superfoods. Also: the benefits of training in the heat, does a minimalist training schedule work, the best way to treat IBS and constipation, how to stay fit and feel good while pregnant, and are plyometrics more effective after lifting weights? Have a podcast question for Ben? Click the tab on the right side of this page, call 1-877-209-9439, Skype “pacificfit” or scroll down to the “Ask Ben” form. Please don't forget to leave the podcast a ranking in iTunes - it only takes a minute of your time and it helps grow our healthy community! ----------------------------------------------------- News Flashes: To get these and other interesting news flashes every week, follow Ben on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. One reason why Boron WILL be included in the new multivitamin I am designing. Moving a lighter weight slower (i.e. A "Body By Science" approach) can still grow muscle. Electrical stimulation CAN give you an aerobic response-1 hr, 3x/wk, placed on major leg muscles. Wanna make your kids vitamins? If you're doing cold thermogenesis, then green tea, caffeine or ginger before may enhance fat loss results. Chewing caffeinated gum can help cycling performance & here's a brand guide. ----------------------------------------------------- Special Announcements: DATE CHANGE - Thursday, January 31, 12pm PST: Heat Prep For Cold Climate Athletes. In this webinar presentation, Ben Greenfield will teach you the science of the body's physiological response to heat. You'll learn how cold climate athletes who are non heat-acclimated can prepare for hot races via the research-proven use of body cooling gear, heat acclimation strategies, hydration strategies, dietary supplements, food choices and more. All USAT coaches are eligible for CEU's from this course. Get in now. Thursday, January 31: Join Ben for a LIVE Q&A on Jimmy Moore's "Ask The Low Carb Experts" to discuss low carb diets and performance. Tune in Thursday night at 4PST/7EST! Call 712-432-0900 or Skype freeconferencing. 7124320900. Use access code 848908. Get featured on the podcast by creating your own MyList -here's what to do (did I mention that it's free?): Create your own "MyList" list that targets your passion in health, fitness or nutrition (gear, tools, supplements or anything else), Share your MyList right here by leaving a link to it in the comments section at the bottom of the page, I'll choose the best list, and contact you for an interview about why you chose the items on your list. Want to get lots of new customers in the health, fitness and nutrition industries? Sponsor Ben's upcoming "Become Superhuman" Live Event? Full event sponsor details. “Become Superhuman” Live Event With Ben Greenfield Coming To Spokane, WA, March 8 & 9, 2013 - Reserve your spot now! The video below tells you all about it and/or you can listen to this audio interview from the Wide World Of Health to learn more. 2013 training camps:                  February 22 to 28: Winter Triathlon Camp in Austin. March 2 to 8: Winter Triathlon Camp in Florida. April 5 to 7: Wildflower Camp. April 14: Vietnam Trip (details TBA). The Laguna Lang Co Triathlon aims to build on the success of its sister event, the legendary Laguna Phuket Triathlon. Register for the race. Nov-Dec: Ben's Annual Trip to Thailand (details TBA). Email ben@bengreenfieldfitness.com if you want in - it will fill up fast! ----------------------------------------------------- Listener Q&A: As compiled, edited and sometimes read by Brock, the Ben Greenfield Fitness Podcast "sidekick". Audio Question from Adam @ 00:25:16 Wants to know if it is smart to train in the morning when it is cooler or to train in the heat of the day (thinking back to a study that showed heat training had similar benefits to training at altitude). Also, would it differ depending on the type of workout (speed vs. base training). The marathon he is training for is not in any extreme heat. ~ In my response to Adam I mention: Proteolytic Enzymes, Trace Liquid Mineral, and Fish Oil. Audio Question from Dee @ 00:35:14 Has heard Ben talk about minimalist run training that doesn't require you to run as much mileage as traditional training programs do. She has completed 4 marathons following the Hal Higdon plan. Would like to know more about the minimalistic training idea because she is not sold on it and thinks she would do better on the higher mileage plans. She has PRed at every race while actually increasing her training mileage. ~ In my response, I mention www.marathondominator.com and the interview I did on the Rich Roll Podcast. Audio Question from Johnny @ 00:40:01 He is looking for advice on what to grow in his garden to give him the most bang for his buck. He wants the "most superhuman fit garden as possible". Blueberries grow well where he lives - should he use the entire space (40 x 20 feet) for blueberries? ~ In my response to Johnny, I mention "Azomite". Audio Question from Bob @ 00:47:44 He read the article on the website "The Fibre Menace" and finds it very misleading and contrary to what he has experienced. He has IBS and Constipation and gets a lot of relief from psyllium husk powder but not from vegetables. He would like to get your opinion on the paper written Yikyung Park about fibre as a treatment for cancer among other benefits. Audio Question from Frances @ 00:54:07 She is 35 years old and currently 9 weeks pregnant with her second baby. She has heard that she should be able to remain at the same activity level as she was before the pregnancy but she is currently having trouble lifting her head off the couch. What can she do to try stay in the best condition possible so she doesn't lose all the endurance she built training for last year's NYC Marathon (she was in the best shape of her life). Also, she would like to know about any natural mood boosters that are safe for pregnancy. She is depressed and anxious and has insomnia. ~ In my response to Frances I reference this interview with Cassandra Forsythe. Also this article on core exercises for pregnancy. For mental function, I recommend: Alpha-GPC, Glutamine, Acetyl L Carnitine, Phosphatidylserine, Low Blue Lights, and Better Baby book. Audio Question from Isaac @ 01:03:01 Would a plyometrics, speed and quickness workout be even more effective if done after a hard lower body weight lifting session? You've talked about doing an explosive exercise immediately after lifting but he is wondering about and entire plyo set after a an entire weight session. ~ In my response to Isaac I mention: Triglyeride based fish oil for enhanced nerve function, 2-4g/day. Recommend SuperEssentials and TwinLab Cod Liver Oil. Choline – 250-500mg daily – Recommend TwinLabs. L-Tyrosine - 0.5-2g, 20-45 minutes prior – Recommend NOW Foods. Green Tea Extract - 400-500mg EGCG equivalent per day. Recommend delta-E. Vitamin B Complex. Recommend delta-E.   Prior to asking your question, do a search in upper right hand corner of this website for the keywords associated with your question. Many of the questions we receive have already been answered here at Ben Greenfield Fitness! ====================================== [contact-form-7 id="6222" title="Ask Ben"]======================================

AIR DATE: January 17, 2013 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: “High-Fat Diets: Good vs. Bad” Depending on who you ask these days, a diet described as "high-fat" can either be a very good thing or a really bad thing for your health. For those of us who embrace a healthy low-carb lifestyle change, we understand the significant role that dietary fat plays in providing satiety, as an alternative fuel for our body in the absence of significant amounts of carbohydrates and other important health functions. But are all fats created equal? Absolutely not! That's why we're so pleased to welcome a bona fide expert in this area who knows just a thing or two on differentiating between the outstanding good fats and the truly bad fats. His name is  and he is one of the top heart surgeons and researchers in the world. But his real passion is in helping people stay off of his operating room table through the healthy nutritional principles he shares in his book  (listen to my two-part "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show" interview with Dr. Gundry about his book in  and ). He's joining us in Episode 35 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" to learn more about what fats you should embrace and which ones you should run away from on your low-carb, high-fat diet. SIGN UP NOW FOR LOW-CARB CRUISE IN GALVESTON, TXNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: GET THE BEST-TASTING LOW-CARB CHOCOLATE BARNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are a few of the questions we addressed in this podcast: RENEE ASKS:My husband's family has a very strong family of heart disease. He is doing better with controlling his carbs. However, he is not low-carb and will not do low-carb. My question for Dr. Gundry is this: if my husband is eating a moderately high level of carbohydrates, is it dangerous to combine that with more saturated fat? I always buy good quality fats like Kerrygold butter, coconut oil and red palm oil. We only use extra virgin olive oil at room temperature poured liberally over steamed vegetables after they are cooked. I'm wondering if the combination of higher than optimal carbs with higher saturated fat is heart healthy or not. I believe that saturated fats are heart healthy if you eat moderately low-carb or even higher-carb. Or, should we lean more toward the monounsaturated fats like olive oil for him? TYLER ASKS:I am a patient of Dr. Gundry and he's changed my life as well as several of my family members. I’d like to ask him to discuss the ApoE 3/4 or 4/4 genotype and why those who have it should be eating animal fats sparingly? It seems like many in the Paleo community seem to neglect this and Dr. G. has a different take on it. DUSTIN ASKS:Is it possible to eat too many macadamia nuts? TESS ASKS:Although Dr. Gundry is probably more interested in heart health than thyroid health, perhaps he can tell me more about what impact omega-6 fats have on thyroid function. MICHELLE ASKS:I have been aiming for consuming the best quality nutrient-dense foods, including fat sources like Kerrygold butter, organic cream cheese, olive oil, lard from foraging pigs and coconut oil. I have been eating high-fat cheeses, pastured beef, wild caught fish and salmon, dark meat with the skin from pastured chickens, bone broth, eggs, seaweed, olives, avocados and spinach. My first question for Dr. Gundry is: In light of my food choices, what information can I offer to my very sweet and concerned mother-in-law (who follows a low-fat, “healthy whole grains” diet) when she tells me she is afraid I will have a heart attack because of all the fat I am eating? And what can you tell women of childbearing age about nutrient-dense high-fat diets during pregnancy? WENDY ASKS:Is eating more fat from grass-fed and pastured animals than fat from expeller pressed organic oils good or bad for you while eating a low-carb diet? Are there any health concerns I should be aware of? RAYMUND ASKS:I would like to ask what Dr. Gundry thinks is an optimal ratio of the various fat types while on a ketogenic diet. What are the proper amounts of monounsaturated, saturated and polyunsaturated fat (including both omega 6s and 3s) that should make up our daily intake? MARY ASKS:In the optimal diet, where should I be getting most of my dietary fat from and how much fat is too much? AMY ASKS:Is eating one whole avocado daily providing too many omega-6 fats? We take fish oil supplements but my understanding is that it does not necessarily cancel out the other foods we are consuming. MIKE ASKS:I've heard a lot about the dangers of polyunsaturated fats but I don't really understand where to draw the line. My general understanding is that trans fats are evil, mono and saturated fats are awesome, and polyunsaturated fats are somewhere in between. How much polyunsaturated fat is too much? Eating grass-fed beef means I have a half-hour drive to Whole Foods, making my own mayo means I have high fat tuna fish or egg salad less often, avoiding processed foods at restaurants makes it nearly impossible to enjoy a guilt-free night out with friends. I feel as though all of these "rules" make it nearly impossible for anyone to succeed on what is supposed to be a relatively straightforward approach to eating. How do you personally decide when to compromise food and/or fat quality for your sanity's sake? Is it possible to drop that last bit of weight without complete and militant adherence to every rule under the sun? SUSAN ASKS:Why are the fats found in eggs not bad for us? Can I eat half a dozen eggs a day without any health consequences? And does eating too much saturated fat in your diet lead to an increase your uric acid levels and give you gout? GEZ FROM THE UK ASKS:Do you agree that a low-carb diet should also be moderate in protein and high in fat from a longevity and health perspective? And what are you thoughts on intermittent fasting which seems to happen naturally in people who eat enough quality dietary fats while limiting their carbohydrate intake? VINCENT ASKS:Can you please explain what if any connection there is between a high-fat diet and blood glucose levels? I know there is something that fat does in the metabolic process that reduces or eliminates sugar spikes, but I would like to hear an explanation about this. BETH ASKS:I would like to ask Dr. Gundry his thoughts on Organic Macadamia Nut Oil and grass-fed ghee, both of which I get online. I saw Dr. Gundry speak at a women's health expo in November and am hoping he could clarify his thoughts on American chickens and the estrogen levels: Did he mean ALL chickens, including organic? And why is the estrogen in them so bad for us? JEAN ASKS:What do you think about using bacon fat in cooking? LAURA ASKS:I have a friend who is on insulin who is doing low-fat, high protein diet. I’m worried about the low-fat part of her diet for long-term success and the high-protein for her kidneys. What does Dr. Gundry think about what my friend is doing? MICHALEA ASKS:Are plant sources of fat good to consume although they may be higher in carbohydrates? What role does the fiber in these high-fat plant foods play?

Click to Subscribe to All Ben's Fitness & Get A Free Surprise Gift from Ben. Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode. Jan 16, 2013 free podcast: How To Make Your Immune System Bulletproof (And Shorten The Duration Of A Cold). Also: IGF1 and Testosterone levels, pain from long commutes, how to fuel for a hard race on a low carb diet, can altitude affect PMS, the best Personal Trainer certification, and how a high fat diet can irritate your throat. Have a podcast question for Ben? Click the tab on the right side of this page, call 1-877-209-9439, Skype “pacificfit” or scroll down to the “Ask Ben” form. Please don't forget to leave the podcast a ranking in iTunes - it only takes a minute of your time and it helps grow our healthy community! ----------------------------------------------------- News Flashes: To get these and other interesting news flashes every week, follow Ben on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Poop transplants for serious digestive issues? Oh yeah, it's a reality. Caution! How prevalent is Vitamin B12 deficiency in vegetarians? Pretty high. How to tell if you're Vitamin B12 deficient without actually testing (and a good Vitamin B12 Spray). Oh yeah, intermittent fasting could make you live longer. Of course, paradox is you may not enjoy life if you overdo it. Eat your heart out, Gatorade…tomato juice beats out sports drinks. LOL. ----------------------------------------------------- Special Announcements: DATE CHANGE - Thursday, January 31, 12pm PST: Heat Prep For Cold Climate Athletes. In this webinar presentation, Ben Greenfield will teach you the science of the body's physiological response to heat. You'll learn how cold climate athletes who are non heat-acclimated can prepare for hot races via the research-proven use of body cooling gear, heat acclimation strategies, hydration strategies, dietary supplements, food choices and more. All USAT coaches are eligible for CEU's from this course. Get in now. Thursday, January 31: Join Ben for a LIVE Q&A on Jimmy Moore's "Ask The Low Carb Experts" to discuss low carb diets and performance. Tune in Thursday night at 4PST/7EST! Call 712-432-0900 or Skype freeconferencing. 7124320900. Use access code 848908. Get featured on the podcast by creating your own MyList -here's what to do (did I mention that it's free?): Create your own "MyList" list that targets your passion in health, fitness or nutrition (gear, tools, supplements or anything else), Share your MyList right here by leaving a link to it in the comments section at the bottom of the page, I'll choose the best list, and contact you for an interview about why you chose the items on your list. Want to get lots of new customers in the health, fitness and nutrition industries? Sponsor Ben's upcoming "Become Superhuman" Live Event? Full event sponsor details. “Become Superhuman” Live Event With Ben Greenfield Coming To Spokane, WA, March 8 & 9, 2013 - Reserve your spot now! The video below tells you all about it and/or you can listen to this audio interview from the Wide World Of Health to learn more. 2013 training camps: February 22 to 28: Winter Triathlon Camp in Austin. March 2 to 8: Winter Triathlon Camp in Florida. April 5 to 7: Wildflower Camp. April 14: Vietnam Trip (details TBA). "The Laguna Lang Co Triathlon aims to build on the success of its sister event, the legendary Laguna Phuket Triathlon. Register for the race. Nov-Dec: Ben's Annual Trip to Thailand (details TBA). Email ben@bengreenfieldfitness.com if you want in - it will fill up fast! ----------------------------------------------------- Listener Q&A: As compiled, edited and sometimes read by Brock, the Ben Greenfield Fitness Podcast "sidekick". Audio Question from Clay @ 00:26:17 Has some "lung crud", sinus headache and a cold. Wants to know if there is anything other than antibiotics that he can use to cure this? Probiotics? ~ In my response to Clay, I mention this article and also my article on how to mitigate effects of antibiotics. Audio Question from Scott @ 00:37:01 Has tested his IGF1 and Testosterone levels, first thing in the morning in a fasted state about 8 weeks apart. Both tests showed low free testosterone levels (3.9 and 4.7) and high IGF1 levels (332 and 300). He is wondering how you would interpret these results (he has his own ideas too). He's 29 years old and is training for a power lifting competition. ~ In my response to Scott, I mention private consultations with me, at pacificfit.net. I also reference my podcast with Christopher Walker on how to balance your hormones and also lab testing via WellnessFX. Audio Question from a full-time driver @ 00:43:48 Has been spending a lot of time in his car (2 to 4 hours per day) and has noticed that his running form is getting bad and his knees are hurting (especially on the left). Is there anything he can do or anything he can use to minimize the damage of being in the car so long everyday? ~ In my response I mention this set of stretches. Audio Question from Vince @ 00:49:50 Has gone low-carb (30 to 50 grams per day) and is doing less cycling and more weight lifting (off-season). He currently feels great, doesn't feel hungry, has lots of energy in the gym and on the bike. Is this the type of eating that he can maintain when the cycling season starts up again? He is concerned that a low-carb diet is good for the off-season but will not give enough "burst of energy" fuel that is necessary for a crit. ~ In my response to Vince, I recommend my Low Carb Fueling Package at www.lowcarbtriathlete.com. Audio Question from Chris @ 00:56:56 His girlfriend has been experiencing increasingly severe symptoms associated with her period since she moved to Utah for school. She is 19 years old, she's been living at 5000 feet elevation and didn't seem to get as bad symptoms when she was at 1000 feet. She gets emotional, bloated, lack of appetite, back pain and stomach cramps/pain (to the point of not wanting to get out of bed). She's not an athlete but is healthy and eats ok. Could this be happening because she is getting older, because of the elevation change, or the climate, or something else? Is there a holistic approach she could take to help with this? ~ In my response to Chris, I mention Chinese Adaptogenic Herbs like TianChi. Audio Question from Troy @ 01:06:40 Is thinking of getting a Personal Trainer certification. Has done the NASM and wasn't very impressed. The one called Nation Personal Training Institute. It is a 6 month course, 5 days a week, 9 to 5. It is about $6000 (pricey?). Seems comprehensive and is a classroom format rather than online or by mail. What would you recommend or suggest? ~ In my response to Troy, I recommend my mentorship at www.SuperhumanCoach.com. Audio Question from Keerthi @ 01:13:49 Has been following a high fat diet for a while now but he has noticed that when he eats a lot of healthy fats (like coconut oil or grass fed butter) he sometimes gets an irritation in his throat. Do you know why this might happen and what would be a possible remedy? ~ In my response to Keerthi, I recommend including lipase, or digestive enzymes like Caprazymes. Prior to asking your question, do a search in upper right hand corner of this website for the keywords associated with your question. Many of the questions we receive have already been answered here at Ben Greenfield Fitness! ====================================== [contact-form-7 id="6222" title="Ask Ben"]======================================

AIR DATE: January 10, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: “The Importance Of Food Quality On A Low-Carb Diet” One of the biggest criticisms of the low-carb diet over the years is that it sacrifices choosing the best quality foods in favor of the simple process of cutting carbohydrates. But in 2013, that's not the reality of what most of us low-carbers are actually doing. The challenge that we face as carb-conscious consumers is in balancing our desire to control the amount of carbohydrates we consume with the need to obtain the most nutrition out of the foods we eat. That's where our guest experts  come into play. In 2012, they shared about the critical importance of getting the proper amount of micronutrients in our diet with the release of their book . But in 2013, they're back with a brand new book releasing on February 26th entitled  that serves as a virtual guide for how to go shopping without getting confused by slick marketing by food companies. Recognizing the importance of food quality on a low-carb diet is what we will be discussing in Episode 34 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts." Start getting me your questions NOW regarding the importance of food quality on a low-carb diet for me to ask Dr. Jayson and Mira Calton by e-mailing them to  no later than 3PM ET on the day the podcast airs. You can also ask your question LIVE on my show by calling (712) 432-0900 or Skype the show for FREE by calling the username freeconferencing.7124320900. Whether you call or Skype, be sure to use the access code 848908. Listen LIVE and  if you like what you hear. This is your chance to interact with the best nutritional health experts in the world, so don't be bashful. We're glad to be back and look forward to sharing a brand new episode of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" with you this week.

Click to Subscribe to All Ben's Fitness & Get A Free Surprise Gift from Ben. Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode. In today's episode, I podcast completely without my usual podcast sidekick Brock, straight from a hotel room in Vancouver, Canada, where I'm hanging out with Jeff Spencer, a featured speaker at my upcoming "Become Superhuman" live event.... Jan 9, 2013 free podcast: How to test your antioxidants, should you mix sports drinks with energy gels, how to have 1 recovery day a month, UCAN Superstarch vs. Vitargo, why your legs aren't toned, how the Squatty Potty works and Tough Mudder vs.  Spartan Race. Have a podcast question for Ben? Click the tab on the right side of this page, call 1-877-209-9439, Skype “pacificfit” or scroll down to the “Ask Ben” form. Please don't forget to leave the podcast a ranking in iTunes - it only takes a minute of your time and it helps grow our healthy community! ----------------------------------------------------- News Flashes: Skipped the news flashes in today's podcast, but to get interesting news flashes hot off the press every week, follow Ben on Twitter and Google+. ----------------------------------------------------- Special Announcements: Thursday, January 10, noon PST: Heat Prep For Cold Climate Athletes. In this webinar presentation, Ben Greenfield will teach you the science of the body's physiological response to heat. You'll learn how cold climate athletes who are non heat-acclimated can prepare for hot races via the research-proven use of body cooling gear, heat acclimation strategies, hydration strategies, dietary supplements, food choices and more. All USAT coaches are eligible for CEU's from this course. Get in now. Thursday, January 31: Join Ben for a LIVE Q&A on Jimmy Moore's "Ask The Low Carb Experts" to discuss low carb diets and performance. Tune in Thursday night at 4PST/7EST! Call 712-432-0900 or Skype freeconferencing. 7124320900. Use access code 848908 Get Featured On the Podcast By Creating Your Own MyList -and to create your own MyList, here's what to do (did I mention that it's free?): 1. Create your own "MyList" list that targets your passion in health, fitness or nutrition (gear, tools, supplements or anything else) 2. Share your MyList right here by leaving a link to it in the comments section at the bottom of the page 3. I'll choose the best list, and get you on for an interview about why you chose the items on your list. Wildflower Triathlon Training Plans now available for both Olympic and Long Distance. These are 18 week training plans designed to begin in January 2013. Get yours now! Want to get lots of new customers in the health, fitness and nutrition industries? Sponsor Ben's upcoming "Become Superhuman" Live Event? Full event sponsor details. “Become Superhuman” Live Event With Ben Greenfield Coming To Spokane, WA, March 8 & 9, 2013 - Reserve your spot now! The video below tells you all about it and/or you can listen to this audio interview from the Wide World Of Health to learn more. Need ACE Fitness CEU's? They're awarding 1.2 CEU's if you attend!   2013 training camps: February 22 to 28: Winter Triathlon Camp in Austin. March 2 to 8: Winter Triathlon Camp in Florida. April 5 to 7: Wildflower Camp. April 10-16: Vietnam Trip. "The Laguna Lang Co Triathlon aims to build on the success of its sister event, the legendary Laguna Phuket Triathlon. E-mail ben@bengreenfieldfitness.com if you want in on the private trip that Ben is arranging for this race. We will have a beach pool villa and some private tours arranged. Depart Wednesday, April 10 or Thursday, April 11 and return Monday April 15 , or Tuesday April 16 Nov-Dec: Ben's Annual Trip to Thailand (details TBA). Email ben@bengreenfieldfitness.com if you want in - it will fill fast! ----------------------------------------------------- Listener Q&A: As compiled, edited and sometimes read by Brock, the Ben Greenfield Fitness Podcast "sidekick". Chuck asks: You mentioned having your antioxidant profile tested.  I actually just had that done and have very good results.  My dietician mentioned that there a significant genetic factor in that as well-how much of a role does that play? Also, my Cobalamin (B12) and Pantothenate were low.  What dietary changes can I make to increase these? In my response to Chuck, I mention the ION Profile w/40 Amino Acids-METAMETRIX Edwin asks: Ben, My question is regarding the use of energy gels in combination with other liquid nutrition. Energy gels by themselves are extremely hypertonic and thereby it is important to consume adequate amounts of water. The gel company I use states that drinking electrolyte sports drinks with your gel (instead of water) will not properly dilute the gel, thus slowing the absorption rate. This can also lead to stomach irritation and a dehydrating effect as your cellular fluids are drawn upon to dilute the gel. What are your thoughts on this? I heard you say that you use a gel every 20 minutes during a race. Do you only drink water? I want to get the best and most useable nutrition into my body during a race.  I called the gel company who also make the liquid fuel that I use, and asked how they suggested the use. I didn't really get an answer. In my response to Edwin, I recommend he reads my Healthy Race Day Nutrition Plan. I also reference this chart on the ingredients of popular sports gels. Hollie asks:  I'm an absolute beginner as far as fitness and exercise.   I started a boot camp in June and was actually liking it quite a bit and seeing results.  Then I got tendonitis in my shoulders, right elbow and right wrist.  I work as a housekeeper so I am not able to rest that arm at all.  I ice it after work, take ibuprofen when I remember (not daily).  My arms hurt so they wake me up at night. Is there a way to "power rest" my arms?  I get one day off a month, and my daily life is kicking my butt.  I would like to be able to do pushups again, or any kind of arm work.  Some days I can't pour a cup of coffee.  Can you suggest anything? In my response to Hollie, my recommendations include: -Only choose the EAT foods off the Superhuman Food Pyramid -1 TianChi per day (Chinese Adaptogenic Herb complex) on empty stomach -4-6 Recoverease proteolytic enzymes on empty stomach  -1 daily serving of concentrated greens (to balance pH). Recommend Enerprime, Capragreens, Supergreens, or cycling between all three. -1-2x/day full body session with Rumble Roller -1-2x/day 15-20 minute soak in magnesium salts -10-15 sprays topical magnesium on all sore muscles -Only if you test iron and it's low, use of Floradix -Wear 110% Play Harder full leg compression tights with ice for 30-60 minutes (use code GREENFIELD & get 10% discount and free shipping) -Sleep with magnet taped or placed over injured area -Home handheld low level cold laser unit, circle around area for 10-15 minutes, 1-2x/day -Home electrostimulation unit, 1-2 20 minute sessions per day -4-12 Phenocane per day -9-12 Capraflex per day Bill asks: What do you recommend for 2hr MtB/XC race - UCAN Superstarch or Vitargo S2? Angela asks: I'm having a hard time with the Squatty Potty and why it is a benefit.  I actually get what the SP website is saying about the anorectal angle  and why using the SP to change it makes it easier to go to the bathroom, but I don't see why you can't just bend over.  In comparing images between someone on a SP and someone doing a seated row, both show their knees just inches from their chest.   Do you believe someone can get the same benefits as the SP by simply bending over while on the pot? Synthia asks: For the last 3 months I have been doing the Insanity dvds everyday (finished the first 60 days and started it up again).  Before that I was running everyday.  So all in all I am in good shape (could still be better) but i feel that with all this rigorous excercise my legs should be more tone. However, it feels like I can't get them be stronger or toner looking.  How can I achieve this? In my response to Synthia, I recommend my body typing book at http://www.GetFitGuy.com Angela asks: I don't think I've ever heard either of you talk about any obstacle races.  Have you considered qualifying for (and of course competing in) the World's Toughest Mudder or the Spartan Death Race?  If not, why? Compare/contrast tough mudder and death race, then talk about your adventure racing. In my response to Angela, I mention the Endurance Planet interview about the Spartan Death Race. I also recommend this Race Day Domination plan for obstacle course racing. Prior to asking your question, do a search in upper right hand corner of this website for the keywords associated with your question. Many of the questions we receive have already been answered here at Ben Greenfield Fitness! ====================================== [contact-form-7 id="6222" title="Ask Ben"]======================================

Click to Subscribe to All Ben's Fitness & Get A Free Surprise Gift from Ben. Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode. Jan 2, 2013 free podcast: What Kind Of Water Filters Should You Use To Minimize Health Risks Of Chlorine? Also: how to fuel a multiple day training camp, the Resolve Advanced Pre-workout Anabolic Primer supplement, Dr. Ho's Decompression Belt and TENS unit, what is Muscle Activation Technique, can supplements leach minerals into your teeth, and the first MyList feature interview with this month's pick, Daniela Knight. Have a podcast question for Ben? Click the tab on the right side of this page, call 1-877-209-9439, Skype “pacificfit” or scroll down to the “Ask Ben” form. Please don't forget to leave the podcast a ranking in iTunes - it only takes a minute of your time and it helps grow our healthy community! ----------------------------------------------------- News Flashes: To get these and other interesting news flashes every week, follow Ben on Twitter and Google+. Even if you don't have celiac disease, here's a great reason to limit gluten. Good evidence that high intensity training with long rest periods for cycling beats out tempo efforts. Turns out a bit of protein during workout doesn't "negate" effects of fasted workout. I recommend amino acid capsules. ----------------------------------------------------- Special Announcements: Thursday, January 10, noon PST: Heat Prep For Cold Climate Athletes. In this webinar presentation, Ben Greenfield will teach you the science of the body's physiological response to heat. You'll learn how cold climate athletes who are non heat-acclimated can prepare  for hot races via the research-proven use of body cooling gear, heat acclimation strategies, hydration strategies, dietary supplements, food choices and more. All USAT coaches are eligible for CEU's from this course. Get in now. Thursday, January 31: Join Ben for a LIVE Q&A on Jimmy Moore's "Ask The Low Carb Experts" to discuss low carb diets and performance. Tune in Thursday night at 4PST/7EST! Call 712-432-0900 or Skype freeconferencing. 7124320900. Use access code 848908 Special Interview with Daniela Knight in this podcast about her MyList -and to create your own MyList, here's what to do (did I mention that it's free?): Create your own "MyList" list that targets your passion in health, fitness or nutrition (gear, tools, supplements or anything else), Share your MyList right here by leaving a link to it in the comments section at the bottom of the page, I'll choose the best list, and get you on for an interview about why you chose the items on your list. Wildflower Triathlon Training Plans now available for both Olympic and Long Distance. These are 18 week training plans designed to begin in January 2013. Get yours now! Want to get lots of new customers in the health, fitness and nutrition industries? Sponsor Ben's upcoming "Become Superhuman" Live Event? Full event sponsor details. “Become Superhuman” Live Event With Ben Greenfield Coming To Spokane, WA, March 8 & 9, 2013 - Reserve your spot now! The video below tells you all about it and/or you can listen to this audio interview from the Wide World Of Health to learn more.   2013 training camps: February 22 to 28: Winter Triathlon Camp in Austin. March 2 to 8: Winter Triathlon Camp in Florida. April 5 to 7: Wildflower Camp. April 14: Vietnam Trip (details TBA). "The Laguna Lang Co Triathlon aims to build on the success of its sister event, the legendary Laguna Phuket Triathlon. Register for the race. Nov-Dec: Ben's Annual Trip to Thailand (details TBA). Email ben@bengreenfieldfitness.com if you want in - it will fill fast! ----------------------------------------------------- Listener Q&A: As compiled, edited and sometimes read by Brock, the Ben Greenfield Fitness Podcast "sidekick". Audio Question from Johnny @ 00:21:15 He really enjoys swimming (with his kids) but he gets red, itchy skin and sometimes even welts. Is there anything he can do about that? Also, should he be concerned about the amount of chlorine in the water in his shower? ~ In my response, I mention this podcast with Dr. David Getoff. And a full spectrum antioxidant like Lifeshotz. I recommend this shower head water filter for chlorine. And also this whole house water filtration unit. Audio Question from Alexander @ 00:37:53 Is going on a triathlon camp for 8 days (swim, bike and run everyday). Do you have any advice on how to fuel for those 8 days so he doesn't feel terrible (from overtraining) for a week afterwards. He has a history with overtraining and doesn't want to experience that again. ~ In my response, I recommend my article on high volume fueling. Audio Question from Bill @ 00:45:52 Have you done any research on the supplements "Resolve Advanced Pre-workout Anabolic Primer" offered by Dr. Di Pasquale? Audio Question from John @ 00:50:27 Has lost 90lbs, stopped taking insulin and has done 20 triathlons. Is currently almost immobilized by spinal stenosis and nerve compression in the lower back. Has been looking into TENS units for pain relief. Could you comment on Dr. Ho's TENS unit and his decompression belt. ~ In my response, I discuss the Dr. Ho belts and also TENS units. Audio Question about MAT @ 00:56:58 She has been competing in Triathlons for 8 years (top age grouper). Has neuromas in her feet and has had trouble with her hamstrings, gluteus (especially during her long runs). Has done ART, massage and foam rolling but felt they were just bandaids. She is now using Muscular Activation Technique (MAT). What do you think of MAT? Is it worth the time and money? ~ In my response, I reference the Advanced Muscle Integration Technique and this MAT Client FAQ. Audio Question from Tim @ 01:04:12 Has started using Extreme Endurance and it really seemed to help with recovery and muscle soreness but his teeth have started to get discoloured. He went to the dentist and they thought that something in his diet was leaching magnesium and/or iron. The dentist figured that Time was likely getting enough of both of these minerals from his diet (kale, spinach, broccoli). Do you think it is possible that EE was leaching these minerals into his teeth? Audio Interview with Daniela Knight @ 01:13:00 Daniela is our first MyList featured interview. Take a look at Daniela's myList entry and visit her website. Prior to asking your question, do a search in upper right hand corner of this website for the keywords associated with your question. Many of the questions we receive have already been answered here at Ben Greenfield Fitness! ====================================== [contact-form-7 id="6222" title="Ask Ben"]======================================

AIR DATE: November 1, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: “Finding The Diet That's Right For You” If you've been listening to my podcasts or read my blog for any length of time, then you've obviously heard me talk about one of the basic philosophies that I think is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle. Here it is: "Find a diet plan that is right for you, follow that plan exactly as prescribed by the author and then keep doing that plan for the rest of your life making appropriate tweaks along the way to keep it working." But how do you go about figuring out what the "right" diet and lifestyle plan is for you? That's what we'll be exploring further in Episode 33 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" with a highly-qualified guest expert named  (listen to my March 2012 interview with Peter in ). TRY THESE DELICIOUS NEW PRE-MADE PALEO MEALSUSE COUPON CODE "LLVLC" FOR 10% OFF YOUR ORDERNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: TRY THE WORLD'S FINEST CACAO BEAN LOW-CARB CHOCOLATEEnter "LLVLC" at checkout for 15% offNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast: RENEE ASKS:I have been refining what I think is my perfect diet for about 3 years now. During that time my diet has drastically changed for the better. I eat a very strict Paleo autoimmune diet with no dairy, nuts or nightshades. This has worked very well for me and now I am experimenting with a few little things here and there to tweak my diet that help me go from feeling good to feeling great. I am wondering about the cross-reactivity of coffee with gluten. I have heard that this can be a problem for some people, but I dismissed it because I didn’t want to believe that it can be a problem for me. But now I’m thinking that it IS a problem for me because after quitting coffee I started losing weight with no other changes in my diet. And it's not just calories because I replaced the coffee with a coconut oil cocoa that would have equal calories since I made my coffee into a coconut oil latte anyway. I know that gut issues are the minority of manifestation of gluten intolerance, so this effortless weight loss might be showing some type of healing. I also heard that a study came out early this year confirming that a coffee/gluten cross reactivity is a significant problem. What are your thoughts on this issue? MICHAEL ASKS:I'd like to hear Peter address hypercaloric feeding on a ketogenic diet in combination with weight training. Is it possible for someone who is already basically lean and healthy to overeat and train his way up in size? What is the likely practical limit to size gain and performance in weightlifting with insulin levels being kept very low? MIKE ASKS:I have found success stabilizing my weight on a diet of 20-30g of carbs per day. However, I can't seem to lose those last stubborn pounds. I am a 5'8" male and currently weight 160 pounds with 19% body fat. My goal is to get down to 15% body fat. I started monitoring my ketones and after a month was able to lose another 4 pounds and 1% body fat, but it was very hard for me to maintain the high percentage of fat in my diet required to get my ketones high enough. Recently I started slow lifting and I really like that program. But when I increased my protein to aid muscle development I knocked myself out of ketosis and am right back to the 19% fat, 160-pound mark. I suspect a hormonal problem is contributing to the difficulties in losing but I’ve tested my testosterone twice and both times it’s near the high end of the "normal range." Recently my TSH also tested fine at 1.9, my Free T4 Direct was in the middle of the lab range at 1.32, and my TPOab was also in the middle at 12. My Free T3 was on the low end of the lab range at 2.2 (with the lowest reference range being 2.0). Given all of the above, are there variations I could try in my diet that could get me unstuck and help me reach my goal? MARYANN ASKS:I’m a 76-year old woman with the H63D gene for hemochromatosis and have high ferritin. My latest test was 436 and it goes up and down with an all-time high of 625. My doctors says that a phlebotomy is unnecessary unless it goes over 1000. I also have paroxysmal atrial fibrillation which I understand eating the Paleo way is the best for this. My A fib discussion board members say my ferritin is way too high now. What diet would you say would be the best for me? TINA ASKS:I am 42 years old and have been overweight since having children in my early 20s. I am 5'4" and weigh 199 pounds. My A1c was 5.8 when I check it a few months ago and my doctor advised me that I’m at risk for Type 2 diabetes and that I need to start exercising 30 minutes per day. I have been playing around with low-carb/Paleo and primal diets for the past few months but I can't decide which way to go. I have read tons of information and listen to many health podcasts like the ones from Jimmy Moore, Balanced Bites and Fat Burning Man. Where do I start? I crave sweets at least once a day and that continues to be my biggest downfall. How do I pick the diet that’s right for me? PALEOZETA FROM AUSTRALIA ASKS:I would like Dr. Attia to talk about intermittent fasting and…well, diarrhea. Sorry. About 10 minutes after I eat again following an intermittent fast, which works very well for me in conjunction with my ketogenic diet, I tend to have one or two bouts of diarrhea. I was reading that it could be our body expelling the toxins in it, but I’m not so sure about that. I’ve heard other people who do IF having this same issue. Do you have any insights about this? JAN ASKS:I'm a peri-menopausal woman, and I eat a low-carb, high-fat version of primal. My doctor is pushing statins on me strictly on the basis of my LDL-C which registered in at 142 using the Freidewald Equation. My HDL is 79 and my triglycerides are 71. Because of my insurer and financial situation, getting an NMR Lipoprofile test to measure my LDL-P is out of my reach to better assess my risk factors. I can't even get them to do a C-Reactive Protein test to assess whether there's inflammation. Is there any dietary tweak I can make to bring LDL-C lower without negatively impacting my excellent HDL and triglyceride readings? ERIC ASKS:It seems very timely that Dr. Attia will be on your podcast, Jimmy, as your latest Apo B results showing 238 and an LDL-P score of 3451 would appear to be quite alarming based on his recent “The Straight Dope On Cholesterol” series. Since Dr. Attia is a huge fan of ketogenic diets AND has a lot of knowledge about the importance of lipid markers, I would imagine he would be in a fantastic position to help clarify what is going on here. He seems to believe that the Apo B number is one of the most important markers of cardiovascular health. By the way, what is Dr. Attia’s Apo B number? JACK ASKS:Since cycling is a topic that is rarely addressed in Paleo/low-carb circles, does Peter have any tips for maximizing endurance athletic performance while on a ketogenic diet? Whenever I try to do cycling while in ketosis, I often feel fatigued and lose some of my power. Alternately, if I eat a lot of carbs and sugar-laden cycling food, I get stomachaches and feel bloated and grouchy most of the ride. Peter's blog has been the only thing I've ever seen talking about this topic and I’d appreciate hearing more from him about this. ROGER ASKS:Does a ketogenic diet repair or re-regulate an underactive thyroid? I’ve been on this diet for a year and a half now, but my hypothyroid symptoms still exist although I feel much better. My latest blood tests suggest I have low T3. I’m athletically built, never been overweight and exercise moderately. I’m wondering if Dr. Attia is a proponent of doing any thyroid supplementation in conjunction with a ketogenic diet as a beneficial approach to treating these hypothyroid symptoms? MICHELE ASKS:I heard you mention on your previous podcast with Jimmy that you use vegetables as a vehicle for consuming more fat. How important are vegetables in the diet if you’re eating a high-fat, low-carb diet? I always get confused because you hear how important it is to eat a lot of vegetables but I’m not particularly fond of a lot of them when trying to increase my ketones. TOM ASKS:We often hear the phrase used in the low-carb community that “there’s no dietary requirement for carbohydrate.” I’ve always assumed this comment was directed at the usual suspects like breads, cereals, pastas, legumes, etc. However, I have to ask, are vegetables really necessary to consume? In my case, I’m referring to non-starchy vegetables, such as kale, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and so forth. While vegetables contain vitamins, nutrients, fiber, and phytochemicals, I’ve read that cruciferous vegetables are also potentially goitrogenic. Cooking these vegetables for long periods of time supposedly helps to mitigate any deleterious effects, but the suggested cooking time is a minimum of 30 minutes. So what’s the scoop on veggies? DARREN ASKS:Over the past year and a half, I've been following a low-carb diet stopping short of nutritional ketosis. I'd put my daily carbohydrate input close to 100g out of a 2700- calorie diet. It has allowed me to accomplish and exceed the goals that I set out to do: - Lowered my Triglycerides from ~330 to

AIR DATE: October 25, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: “Nutritional Ketosis 6-Month Update” You've heard the old adage "when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade." Well, that's exactly what we had to do with this episode of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" when our scheduled expert unexpectedly had to cancel at the last minute. We originally had heart surgeon, researcher and author  ready to take on your questions about the topic "High-Fat Diets: Good vs. Bad" for Episode 32. But when he couldn't show up, we decided to shift gears and talk about our host Jimmy Moore's current nutritional ketosis experiment since we're coming up on his 6-month update in a couple of weeks. If you've been following his n=1 journey every 30 days at his blog since he first began in May 2012, then you know it has been quite successful for him helping him shed 50+ pounds so far (check out ) when his normal low-carb lifestyle wasn't producing the results he wanted. CHECK OUT THE LOW-CARB MEALS FROM DIET-TO-GO:Low-Carb meal plans from . No carb counting, no cooking.Enter "LLVLC" at checkout for 25% off!NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Check out all of Jimmy's latest updates here:- - - - -  And don't miss his CarbSmart columns on this topic:- - -  Listen in to hear Jimmy give this impromptu update on how this experiment is going for him, take a few questions from the LIVE listeners on the line and share about what's to come in the remaining six months of his n=1. CHECK IT OUT! NOTE: Dr. Gundry will be rescheduled for early 2013. TRY LOUISE'S FOODS LOW-CARB BREAKFAST BITES & GRANOLAUSE COUPON CODE "LLVLC" AT CHECKOUT FOR 15% OFF!NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: 

AIR DATE: October 11, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: “Getting Low-Carb To Join The Scientific Mainstream” In recent years, we've seen a lot of momentum happening within the scientific realm towards carbohydrate restriction that could quite possibly be the beginning of the next low-carb revolution. This is the hypothesis of this week's special expert guest on "Ask The Low-Carb Experts." He is Brooklyn, NY-based SUNY Downstate biochemistry professor and the founder of the  named  joining us to talk about the hot topic "Getting Low-Carb To Join The Scientific Mainstream." There's a plethora of quality research being conducted out there on carbohydrate-restricted diets on a variety of fronts from metabolic syndrome to epilepsy to cancer. But unfortunately these research projects for the most part are not being funded by major funding sources like the National Institutes for Health or other key sources. So how do we get low-carb to join the scientific mainstream so that more investigation can be done into the veracity of this way of eating? That's what we explored in this conversation with Dr. Feinman. CHECK OUT THE LOW-CARB MEALS FROM DIET-TO-GO:Low-Carb meal plans from . No carb counting, no cooking.Enter "LLVLC" at checkout for 25% off!NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: TRY LOUISE'S FOODS LOW-CARB BREAKFAST BITES & GRANOLAUSE COUPON CODE "LLVLC" AT CHECKOUT FOR 15% OFF!NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  ***Dr. Feinman talked about a project he is helping high school senior Matthew Engel with encouraging people on a low-carb diet to take pictures of what you eat and e-mail it to them. Here's the address: *** Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast: TC ASKS:I'm interested in what Dr. Feinman thinks about the Harvard study recently cited by Dr. Barry Sears from The Zone Diet entitled  HARMONY ASKS:I'm a little too young to properly remember the battle over cigarettes. But are there any lessons we can learn from that experience to use in the promotion of the science behind low-carb diets? DEBBIE ASKS:In Canada, . It seems after decades of nutritional decay, government health leaders there are finally seeing the light on the science. Do you think a similar announcement for adults will be forthcoming in Canada? How close are we in the United States seeing something similar to this happen here? BOB ASKS:It seems to me that the main reason low-carb diets are not an accepted part of the mainstream is that organizations such as the USDA and the NIH produce documents such as the Food Pyramid and MyPlate that push for carbohydrates to be a major part of a healthy diet. In light of the evidence that supports the health benefits of a high-fat, low-carb diet, why has there not been a lawsuit challenging this erroneous advice? Wouldn't someone who has meticulously followed this advice and then developed worse symptoms with their diabetes, for example, have a legitimate case and be able to set the precedent that high-fat, low-carb is a valid alternative? Are you aware of anything like this in the works? NANCY ASKS:People like Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz seem to have a lot of influence with average people when it comes to healthy living because of their prominence on national television. I personally do not watch them because I like to do my own research and come up with my own informed decisions on how to live a healthy life. But everyday I hear people around me asking, 'Oh did you see what Dr. X said about BLANK?' Is there anyone out there who you see breaking into mainstream television like Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz have to promote the scientific principles of low-carb lifestyle? What would it take to make something like this happen in terms of sponsorship, profitability and keeping the messages communicated focused on what the science is showing? RICHELLE ASKS:I would like to suggest that efforts be directed at the universities and scientific publications – especially textbooks. This year I purchased the “Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology 12th edition” and I was mortified by the ignorant comments in the textbook about cholesterol, nutrition, heart disease and basic metabolic processes like lipid metabolism and ketosis which was actually confused with ketoacidosis. This is a current textbook teaching emerging medical professionals and it's spouting information that has long since been dismissed and corrected. Food and pharmaceutical companies pay for research to be conducted in the universities that have the experts that write these textbooks and so it is obvious why it is difficult to change their minds, perhaps unless the government insists. We need to convince our government health departments of the fact that unhealthy populations cost the government and the community a boatload of money. Does Dr. Feinman have any ideas about where and how to start making inroads on this front? PETRO ASKS:Given the remarkable results of treating both metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes with a low-carb diet, is Dr. Feinman aware of any research on the combination of treating either of the two conditions with both a low-carb diet and metformin? Previous research suggests the combination of metformin and exercise may be more complicated than expected. If Type 2 diabetes is the health crisis of the future, it seems that careful research into the combination of treatments typically used is indicated and ought to be ripe for funding by any responsible health organization. DAN ASKS:What research has been done or is planned for the effectiveness of low-carb in controlling diabetes and especially reducing cardiovascular risk for diabetics? Studies like ACCORD or ADVANCE claim to show no or worse cardiovascular benefit to lowering blood sugar with drugs. What about those who maintain excellent blood sugar control with low-carb? Doctors are quick to prescribe statins to diabetics, though I don't see any benefit in the study data for diabetics who haven't already had a heart attack. It would be good have data that shows diabetics who control blood sugar with low-carb have no higher cardiovascular risk than non-diabetics.

AIR DATE: September 27, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: “The Truth About Low-Carb Research” On this week's episode of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" we delve deeply into the science supporting carbohydrate-restricted diets as we welcome an outstanding health and fitness researcher named . You may recall hearing him in  or on his own outstanding Top 20  discussing his comprehensive book examining all the historical research on nutrition, fitness and health entitled . And he'll be joining us as one of the special guest speakers on the . Jonathan spent over a decade pouring over literally thousands of pages of research data in an effort to learn so much more about what's true and not true about diets and can articulate practically anything you want to know about low-carb diets as found in the research literature. He has become very well-versed at the overwhelming evidence supporting this healthy way of eating and we were so pleased to have him joining us in Episode 28 to take on YOUR questions about this topic. CHECK OUT THE LOW-CARB MEALS FROM DIET-TO-GO:Low-Carb meal plans from . No carb counting, no cooking.Enter "LLVLC" at checkout for 25% off!NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: TRY LOUISE'S FOODS LOW-CARB BREAKFAST BITES & GRANOLAUSE COUPON CODE "LLVLC" AT CHECKOUT FOR 15% OFF YOUR ORDER!NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast: MIKE ASKS:I've read Good Calories Bad Calories as well as Why We Get Fat both by Gary Taubes. Are there areas of Taubes' research where you uncovered different or conflicting findings from the data? Also, has anything in your research uncovered whether different diets tend to benefit different people? It seems to me that the diet community is very polarized and everyone is seeking a "one-size-fits-all" solution. Based on your research do you think some people would do better on a low-carb diet than others? Do you think we are close to determining at the outset which lifestyle modifications will work best for certain people? For example, are we headed towards a day where someone can answer a questionnaire or take a blood test and get feedback on the types of diets likely to work best for them? Thanks for your responses to my questions. REBECCA FROM AUSTRALIA ASKS:I have a question about fat. Why is it in The Smarter Science Of Slim that only low/no-fat products are recommended? For example, you only cite the use of low-fat dairy. And not very much of it at that. This is disturbing to me particularly since I find fat much more satiating than green veggies or protein. I know that Jonathan also recommends including healthy fats in your diet, but it's not much either. I still have a major issue with the whole low-fat ideas he is promoting. I have listened to Jonathan being interviewed on podcasts many times, and also regularly listen to his "Smarter Science Of Slim" podcast. But this question has never really, to my mind, been appropriately addressed and answered. I know he can talk a lot about the research, but I would really appreciate a simple answer that doesn't include the re-telling of all that research. NICK ASKS:You emphasize LEAN protein and LOW-FAT dairy. While you do say that some fat can be healthy and yet there still seems to be a remnant of lipophobia - or perhaps, lipo-skepticism - in your diet plan? Despite all the emerging evidence, you still seem to believe, to a degree, that fat makes you fat. You call your program SANE, but isn't this a quite in-SANE position on nutrition you are taking? JEAN ASKS:I am currently making changes to my diet eating low-carb and using the principles of The Smarter Science Of Slim. I have lost some weight and have felt better overall, but sometimes I have a craving for sweets like chocolate brownies. Recently I heard  and she talked about taking amino acids when you crave carbs or sweets. I am wondering if you have seen any research on the use of amino acids in curbing carbohydrate cravings. If so, would you recommend using them as supplements and in what dosage? A PALEO REGISTERED DIETITIAN NAMED KELLY ASKS:Want to address your input on the Paleo diet for people with Type 1 diabetes. It has done wonders for me as well as my clients. In your research, have you determined what amount of carbohydrate intake is ideal for a Type 1? Or do you think it is best for Type 1 patients to cycle their carbohydrates or use intermittent fasting as a means for lowering blood sugar and insulin requirements? DAYTONA ASKS:Many of us have to convince our doctors that we aren’t killing ourselves on a low-carb diet. If you could make a one-page handout that we could bring with us to the doctor with references to major studies highlighting the effects of a low-carb diet on health (for example, weight control, cholesterol, kidneys and blood sugar) and any other convincing data, what would you include? BOB ASKS:In listening to both Jonathan's and Jimmy's podcasts and it seems that the major difference in what you each are advocating is the amount of protein that can or should be consumed. I understand the reasoning behind each of your positions, but what conclusion do you come to collectively? Or do you just agree to disagree? CLAIR ASKS:My question is about yogurt! I am so confused about what yogurt to eat and how to count it. Jonathan recommends low-fat greek yogurt and I have heard that the carb count on yogurt is not actually what it says due to the bacteria in it. I have been getting a low-carb yogurt from a particular grocery store across the border in Canada and I just don't know if this is the best option. I am not a huge fan of greek yogurt, but would be willing to choke it down if it is indeed the best choice.

This week we shift gears a bit from our typical topics on “Ask The Low-Carb Experts” when we welcome a very popular blood sugar control advocate and outspoken health blogger  to the show. She appeared in earlier this year and raised some eyebrows amongst my listeners there with her frank messages about certain issues that can happen to people when they go on a carbohydrate-restricted diet as she outlined so beautifully in her latest book . The response to that podcast interview with Jenny was so overwhelming that I decided to invite her on ATCLX to field questions directly from my listeners about the topic “Overcoming The Problems With A Low-Carb Diet” which was sure to be one of the more controversial and most talked about episodes in the short history of this podcast! Get ready for an in-depth examination into what real-life low-carb living is all about. TRY THESE DELICIOUS NEW PRE-MADE PALEO MEALSUSE COUPON CODE “LLVLC” FOR 10% OFF YOUR ORDERNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  TRY THIS NEW LOW-CARB SNACK OPTION FROM NICK’S STICKS:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast: YVONNE ASKS:I have been eating a Paleo low-carb diet for over 18 months and as you can imagine I have had great success with it. Besides the weight loss I just started feeling better overall, sleeping better, working out better, you name it. I’ve always had a sweet tooth, but I find that in the past couple of months my sugar cravings are so intense that I have a hard time not giving in. I must have no willpower at all and will stuff my face with all kinds of sugary treats. I see the chocolate or ice cream and I just eat it. How is it possible that I still have such intense sugar cravings after all this time on the Paleo low-carb diet? DEBY ASKS:I am a 55-year old, 273-pound woman with Type 2 diabetes and an A1c of 5.6. I control my diabetes with a good grain-free, low-carb diet and no medications. My carb intake is around 20-30g daily and I don’t eat any added sugars or sugar substitutes. My calories generally fall between 1300-1600 daily and I track everything I consume to keep myself honest. I have had all kinds of tests run on myself and everything shows I’m good. However, I’ve been doing this since the beginning of the year and I just can’t lose weight. I’ve tested my ketones and they show I am not producing any. What am I doing wrong and what else can I do? I am very discouraged right now. My doctor recommended that I increase my calories to 2100 a day because I am so big, but in the first week of doing that I gained two more pounds. Needless to say I went back down to what I was doing previously. I tried asking about this on the Atkins diet forum and they told me that I MUST be doing something wrong which upset me because I have been doing everything exactly right. Believe me, I am not cheating or doing it wrong. Do you have any suggestions or help so that I don’t feel like the lone duck on an island. KIM ASKS:I’ve been following a low-carb eating plan for 3 1/2 months and can’t seem to lose more than 7-9 pounds all of which happened within the first seven weeks. I keep close track of what I eat, which ranges between 20-40g carbs per day, moderate protein (usually about 80-100g) and higher fat. My ratios are usually around 75% fat, 18% protein, 7% carb. I can’t figure out why I’m not losing weight. My carbs are coming mainly from vegetables and some processed meats. I tried increasing my fat and decreasing protein and I gained weight. I only tried this for about a week because the last thing I want to do is GAIN weight! I’m 5’6” and weigh 194 pounds, so it’s not like I don’t have extra weight to shed. I am 47 years old, and have been on medications for hypothyroid for 15 years. I’ve recently been diagnosed with iron-deficient anemia, but I don’t know if that has any bearing on this or not. I do use artificial sweeteners, but they do not seem to affect my blood glucose levels. I exercise by walking by dog about 45 minutes, 5 days a week. I kept track of my blood glucose levels for about 3 weeks trying to find out what the problem could be, but didn’t really know what I should be looking for. My fasting levels are about 91 each morning, and never went higher than 105 at any time that I tested, usually hovering between 83 and 93. When I fast for any length of time, I get extremely sleepy, so I don’t seem to be able to do well with that. I’m totally flummoxed and don’t know what to do. It’s very depressing to think I’ve avoided sugar and flour for almost four months and have lost hardly any weight at all. I know this is the best way to eat and plan on continuing to do so regardless. But I really want to lose weight in the process of eating healthier. Do you have any suggestions for me? BARB ASKS:I am a 44-year old pre-menopausal woman following a low carb diet as prescribed by Dr. Steve Phinney. That amounts to around 100g of protein daily, about 135g of good animal fats like butter, ghee, whole eggs and all cuts and types of meats, coconuts, olive oil and avocados. My carbs are kept around 20g total per day and are all from fibrous vegetables. I don’t eat any starchy vegetables and no fruit or sugar. My diet basically follows a Paleo template, so I know that I am not getting any hidden carbs in my meals as I simply do not eat anything processed. This works out to be close to 1800 calories per day as I precisely weigh and measure all of my food. I am not taking any medications and I feel well overall. My energy levels are really good and I have no signs of thyroid issues. I am doing CrossFit for exercise 2-3 times per week. In the first two weeks of low-carbing as described above, I lost 7 pounds. The next week I lost nothing. The next week I actually gained a pound. I realize that the scale is not the be all, end all. But I am hearing about all of these other people having wonderful results with a well-formulated low-carb diet–but it is not happening for me. Are there some people that low-carb diets simply do not work for? Perhaps the reason why I’m not losing weight is that I’m still eating too much at 1800 calories? My CrossFit workouts take a ton of energy so I can’t see myself feeling or performing well on much less food than this. Help! LEEANN ASKS:I have 20 more pounds I want to lose and am having a difficult time figuring out how to do it. There are experts that state that exercise is required, others say only lift weights and don’t do cardio; still others state that exercise isn’t required to lose weight. Some even say you have to decrease your calories or intermittent fast in order to lose weight. And there’s even those who say that even if you’re eating “low-carb” you can’t have certain foods (such as dairy) in order to lose weight. I’M SO CONFUSED! I currently eat until I’m satisfied enjoying my meats, eggs, cheese, heavy cream, and of course my veggies. I avoid grains, eat very low sugar (less than 15g daily), low-carb (less than 40g) every day and I have maintained my weight for 6 months without hunger, so I’m really happy about that. I am healthy as all my current metabolic health numbers look fabulous. How can I get most of that 20 pounds I have left to shed off my body? CRIS ASKS:I’m a 53-year old woman and I have lost 50 pounds on a low-carb diet over the past year and a half. I still need to lose 50 more pounds, but have been stalled out for nine months. I have great blood sugar, cholesterol and other key health markers thanks to my healthy low-carb way of life. I do still have high blood pressure, though, and have come to grips with the fact I may never lose all the weight that I want to. I just want to be healthy and OFF these blood pressure medications for good. But I feel like my blood pressure will not budge until I lose more weight. I have tried lowering my protein, increasing dietary fat and more–but nothing is working. Should I start counting calories now? How would I determine what level of calories a woman like me should be consuming? VINCENT ASKS:I have been eating low-carb for over a month but my morning fasting blood glucose level is still pretty high ranging from 97-111. This is the same that it was prior to starting my low-carb lifestyle. The rest of the day my blood sugar is pretty normal with numbers in the 80s. Do I need to be concerned about this? JANA ASKS:I’m a 34-year old, 5’4″ tall, 185-pound woman who just started a low-carb diet last week and I’ve already lost quite a bit of weight. However, at night when I lay down my joints in my shoulders and hips hurt. I felt this same way at the end of both of my pregnancies. Also, my lower back has been hurting which combined with the joint pain has made it difficult for me to get good sleep. Are toxins being released in my body making this happen and when will it stop? BEN ASKS:Whenever I go on a low-carb diet I pass through several phases. The first phase is the initial withdrawal from sugar and carbs. This can last up to two weeks for me, involving intense cravings, headaches and nausea. The second phase is when these withdrawal symptoms disappear and I enter into a state of mild euphoria in which I feel amazing. I am free from cravings, I have newfound energy and my mood elevates. I love the food choices I am eating and feel motivated. It’s the third phase that always slips me up and causes me difficulty. Usually after about one month or so into my low-carb way of eating, my cravings come back full force, which is odd because I am not doing anything drastically different. It feels as if I am constantly experiencing a blood sugar low (even though when I check my numbers they are right on target). This is also accompanied by growing boredom with my food choices. There are times when I wake up in the morning and I don’t eat for half the day because I am so bored with my food choices. I don’t want to break the diet, but I can’t stand eating bacon & eggs or any other low-carb food choice. I just hit a motivational brick wall. I feel spent and can’t seem to go any further. I am completely burnt out. After a month or so of these feelings, I usually give up and binge on high-carb, sugary foods. Is there any way to avoid this combination of boredom, monotony and a return of sugar cravings? Have you heard of many other people who have gone through a similar pattern of experience with low-carb diets? DIANNE FROM THE UK ASKS:I have read your Diet 101 book and it seems that you are saying that not all low-carbers have to stick to around 50g net carbs or less daily. To clarify, are you saying that up to 100g or even 120g of carbs per day can still be ketogenic for some people? Or that not all low-carbers have to be ketogenic to gain the weight loss and heart health benefits of the low-carb lifestyle? LISA ASKS:I have noticed the following pattern happen a few times and I wanted to get your comments about it. After a couple days when my carbs are kept below 50g daily, I’ll lose a little bit of weight, but I will also feel a bit shaky kind of like I used to feel when I was hungry before going low-carb with obvious weakness and a faster heart rate that is gone by noon. Have you heard of this and is there some sort of correlation between having lost weight and the shaky feelings? CLAUDE ASKS:I have been on the low-carb diet off and on for years. While I believe in it I can’t seem to lose much weight on it. I do feel good while consuming less than 20g carbs a day. I believe my problem might be too much protein. I tend to eat about 16-20 ounces of meat a day. I currently weigh 350 pounds which is down from my all-time high of 440 pounds. I have lost 50 pounds over the past year, but my weight has stalled out for three months in a row. I drink a lot of diet soda, so maybe that’s preventing me from getting over the hump. Do you have any ideas for me? GRETA ASKS:I am reading your Diet 101 book and I have to say that while it’s not exactly an uplifting and encouraging work of prose, I definitely appreciate the honesty. Here is my issue: When I want to see if something I ate is going to work for me, how do I tell if it’s something I should keep eating? I read that I’m not supposed to use a scale and that testing my urine ketones with Ketostix is unreliable. So how do I tell if I should keep eating dairy or if stevia is okay for me, for example. If I weigh and I’m up from the day before, can I extrapolate that to mean something I did the day before didn’t work for me? JO ASKS:What is the true impact of low-carb and ketogenic diets on female reproductive hormones? I am someone who battles with estrogen dominance and these diets as well as intermittent fasting have all wreaked havoc with my hormones. My menstrual cycle becomes irregular and PMS symptoms were off the scale eating that way. I also found that my candida problems got worse on a ketogenic diet and my weight predictably increased. I also dealt with a nasty spell of constipation while on a very low-carb, ketogenic diet. Paul Jaminet talks about adding in small amounts of safe starch to help and this certainly worked for me. I follow a fairly strict Paleo diet protocol, so I don’t tend to eat a high-carb diet anyway–just a small amount of starchy veggies amounting to under 150g a day. And I consume plenty of good fats. I think there needs to be more education for women so they can work out how low-carb they can safely go without experiencing these adverse side effects. Have you seen this? MICHELLE FROM CANADA ASKS:I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes a couple of years ago and since have adopted a Paleo lifestyle for the past six months to stop any progression towards diabetes which runs in my family. I test daily and my fasting blood sugar numbers and they’re looking really good at around 74 in the mornings. Getting a blood glucose monitor has really helped me in figuring out which foods spike my sugars. My question is about something that Diane Kress from The Diabetes Miracle has talked about regarding the liver self-feeding every 5 hours so you need to space your meals in less than five hours intervals to prevent it from releasing glycogen on its own. I’ve read her book to try to learn more about this but haven’t seen this really addressed anywhere else and am wondering if it’s really a concern. I’d like to hear Jenny’s thoughts on this and if it is a concern, how often to eat and how much. I have done a couple of experiments testing my fasting blood glucose numbers first thing in the morning and then don’t eat anything until later in the day. When I check my numbers hourly throughout the morning while still fasting, I noticed that my glucose numbers gradually rise over the course of the morning. Is this because of what Diane Kress says about the liver’s self-feeding mechanism?

AIR DATE: July 26, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERTS: FEATURED TOPIC: "Are Starches Really Safe?" One of the most controversial issues in the Paleo/low-carb communities over the past year is the concept known as "safe starches" popularized by people like Paul Jaminet in his book . When I , I was simply curious about the seemingly bizarre idea that consuming starch could somehow be a part of a healthy nutritional plan in light of the predictable negative blood sugar impact of consuming these foods. The conversation that ensued between  and low-carb physician  in the months that followed literally defined some clear lines of distinction between those in the Paleo community who see starchy foods such as white rice, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, plantains as harmless to health and those in the low-carb community who view starch as something to be avoided if you want to optimize your health. Who's right? Who's wrong? That's what we'll seek to answer in Episode 21 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" with the author of  Nora Gedgaudas. With a panel of experts slated to tackle this important Paleo/low-carb health issue coming up next month at the upcoming  in Boston, Massachusetts in two weeks, this podcast gave YOU a chance to ask the questions you think need to be out there regarding this topic. TRY THIS NEW LOW-CARB SNACK OPTION FROM NICK'S STICKS:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast: WALLY ASKS:Is it okay to eat fruit when it's out of season? For example a banana in Chicago in the dead of winter? DANA ASKS:I have athletic boys who I feel NEED to consume safe starches after sports? Is this true or am I just falling for conventional wisdom? Will they miss out on any nutrients or energy in their lives if they choose to avoid starches? Honestly, they are not big fans of sweet potatoes (although I keep making them and presenting them and will continue to!). How about white potatoes? What's the nutrient difference? HANK ASKS:Are safe starches okay as a staple of the "Paleo diet" or should they only be used in proportion to your activity level? Robb Wolf, Mark Sisson and other Paleo/primal leaders advocate for higher-carb levels for endurance athletes for instance, but some people like "Free The Animal" blogger Richard Nikoley seem to do okay with white potatoes as a part of their diet on a regular basis even without endurance exercise. What are your thoughts? DANNY ASKS:In my view the entire controversy over "safe starches" is completely overblown because the applied dose is never discussed. I am a near zero carb dieter who remains in nutritional ketosis all the time. I don't ever each starches as part of my diet. As a keto-adapted runner these supposedly "safe starches" work against me. However, I did read Paul Jaminet's The Perfect Health Diet and found the suggested dose of starchy carbohydrates -- 20% of calories -- to be quite reasonable when compared to clinical studies on low-carb which also have about 20% of calories from carbohydrates. The goal of the safe starches is not to suggest sugar is safe, but to stave off "excess gluconeogenesis" so the liver does not need to work to produce glucose and instead the minimal amount that is needed will be supplied by the diet. Unfortunately, I think the safe starch message has been twisted by the bodybuilding crowd who have descended upon Paleo and given them a way to cling to their old alternating high-carb/low-carb days, substituting sweet potatoes for post-workout sugar/protein bombs they used to ingest. As a low-carb advocate the applied dose is the real bone of contention as it is being incorrectly applied by Paleo at large. What do you think? LISA ASKS:Is it possible to stoke food cravings leading someone to possibly overeat from consuming safe starches? Or is this desire completely avoidable for someone with a fat-burning, balanced metabolism? NICK ASKS:Pretty much all longevity research has shown that the key is keeping the amount of insulin your body needs to use over its lifetime as low as possible. Thus, however "safe" glycating starches might be in the short term, by definition, how can they be considered metabolically benign to most of us whose capacity to process glucose declines as we age? JIM ASKS:Is the safety of starches in a Paleo diet largely dependent on the individual's current health, goals, and food tolerances relative to the chosen starch sources? Consider two examples: A clinically obese, sedentary individual eating a Paleo diet and a lean, active individual eating a Paleo diet. It seems reasonable to limit starch for the sedentary individual, in favor of high quality proteins, fats, and non-starchy carbohydrates to help facilitate hormonal repair and weight loss. In the case of the active individual, adding starches seems like an easy way to replenish depleted glycogen stores and help facilitate improved recovery from exercise. Assuming an individual has a good relationship with food and a healthy hormonal system, how does starch cause harm? PETER ASKS:Is time of day important in terms of the effects of carb consumption, and, if so, would it be better to eat carbs in the morning or evening? And does eating fat along with carbs mitigate the effect of those carbs on blood sugar? If so, is there a rule of thumb or ratio you can use? CESAR ASKS:I would like to ask you about manioc and manioc flour, mainly because it is one of the most common sources of carbohydrates in my country of Brazil. I have chosen it as my main source of carbs because it is gluten free and the only main anti-nutrient I could find in it is acceptable levels of cyanide. The toasting and preparation of the flour supposedly eliminates most of the cyanide. I have also read that the detrimental effects of manioc's cyanide is greatly reduced with the proper amount of meat protein, which I eat a lot of, so I hope there is some truth in there. Do you have any thoughts on this as an acceptable starch source?

AIR DATE: July 19, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERTS: FEATURED TOPIC: "Transitioning To The Paleo Diet" The Paleo diet has come on strong in recent years as people have become increasingly frustrated by the constant (and nauseating) promotion of high-carb, low-fat nutritional plans as the only way to get healthy. Unfortunately, these dietary approaches simply leave most dieters hungry, irritable and miserable. If only we could convince people to hearken back to the dietary dictates of our ancestors when obesity, diabetes and heart disease didn't exist, then perhaps we could salvage the weight and health of modern man. That's exactly the passion of bestselling author of  (read Jimmy's review ) and Paleo lifestyle expert . Robb joins us in Episode 20 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" to address all of your questions about changing your diet over from the SAD, vegetarian/vegan or even a low-carb diet to a Paleo lifestyle. If you've been considering making the switch over to a Paleo diet and have any questions about how to go about doing that, then Robb is the man to provide the answers. VISIT DR. SPENCER NADOLSKY'S LEANER LIVING STORE:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast: LAURIE ASKS:How is butter different from cream when it comes to Paleo? I have a friend who shuns cream and cheese and other dairy but still uses butter. I am trying to transition to Paleo but am trying to figure out the differences. Is cheese better than cream as far as Primal versus Paleo? KAT ASKS:Can you explain your statement about eating fat on a Paleo diet? It seems I've heard you say that if you want to lose fat then you need to eat less overall which includes less fat. Do you really believe that is true? DAYTONA ASKS:What are your thoughts on the proliferation of Paleo desserts, e.g. Paleo brownies, chocolate truffles, waffles, etc. Where does that fall in the fundamental Paleo concept of Just Eat Real Food? I know you like to use the caveat of do whatever improves how you "look, feel and perform" but I’m curious what your personal opinion is on these recreations and how eating them everyday impacts one’s health. JACK ASKS:Is BPA consumption a concern for someone who eats canned fatty fish every other day on his Paleo diet? I eat this way because it's cheap, especially mackerel and sardines packed in brine which I enjoy. LINDSAY ASKS:I am a 47 year old female who has made the transition from triathlete to competitive bodybuilder. I was a vegetarian for nearly 20 years but added meat back into my diet about one year ago when I made the switch. Recently I tweaked my "clean" diet further to remove all grains and adhere to a more Paleo style of eating. As difficult as it was to give up my oatmeal, I am happy to say I am now bloat-free! I understand that a pre-contest bodybuilding diet is not necessarily going to be the same as a healthy diet. I have a competition coming up in 10 weeks and was wondering if you could comment on how to structure a pre-contest diet that would allow me to reach the single digit body-fat percentages on a Paleo diet. I know fat is good for the healthy diet but my mind still tells me to limit it pre-contest. I know there's Professor Cordain's "Paleo for Athletes" book out there but I'm not really looking at my situation from a performance standpoint - purely aesthetics. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Incidentally, I listen to Robb's podcast and really wish I could come up with some smart-allec comment for him. SCOTT ASKS:What advice would you have for someone with a depressed Thyroid and Autoimmune conditions (likely linked to a leaky gut) incorporating more polyunsaturated fats into the diet? These are normally recommended and allowed on a Paleo Diet (in a good balance of Omega 3 and 6 of course), but it seems that there is some research often cited by Dr. Ray Peat about all PUFA's (not just the unfavorable Omega 6's) leading to anti-thyroid and gut permeability. Is this a possible reason for someone to not see great results from transitioning to Paleo, specifically that the consumption of PUFA's counteract the benefits of removing other problematic foods like grains and dairy? Would you still recommend attempting a Paleo template a la Chris Kresser even if it meant not consuming Omega 3's? Any thoughts you have on Ray Peat's claims would be awesome to hear! MEG ASKS:How long does it take before weight lifting and sprinting activity will make a measurable impact on my body composition? I have been doing these type workouts twice a week for 8 weeks now but so far there is no change in body fat percentage or weight, and only a 1cm change to my upper body measurements. I am so disappointed with this result! I am 40 years old and I eat a Paleo template but do eat some cheese and heavy cream. I get 30-100g of carbohydrate a day, all from veggies, berries and salads. Could it be that I'm expecting too much? If not, then when can I expect the muscle to increase and the body fat to reduce? CHIROPRACTOR DR. SMITH ASKS:I am a 57-year-old chiropractor. About six years ago I had a mild heart attack for no particular reason. I've always taken pretty good care of myself. However, looking back over the years, I was big into 'healthy whole grains', lots of fruits, not too many vegetables and plenty of of protein and LOW FAT. An Angiogram showed my arteries were half clogged but I decided not to have the bypass surgery or the stents put in. My current theory is that decades of rises in blood sugar and the predictable insulin responses have contributed significantly towards my coronary artery disease. I have been 90% Paleo for nearly a year and I look, feel and perform much better. My questions are: do you think sugar and grains can cause heart disease? And how do I explain to my would-be naysayers that eating Paleo is good for my damaged heart? MICHELE ASKS:I have been eating this way for a while now and it is hard to remember that time in my life when I chose to eat crap. I would love to hear what challenges Robb has faced introducing the Reno Police/Fire Fighters to the Paleo lifestyle. PETER ASKS:We all know that factory-farmed meats and associated grain-fed animal foods are not so good for you and that grass-fed meats and organs are a far superior choice for your health on a Paleo diet. But what if you just can't get grass-fed meats? Do you still eat the factory stuff or avoid it altogether and get your nutrition from other sources? MATTIAS ASKS:Today I was banging my head against a wall with a vegan. The topic was phytic acid. I've seen great results for my psoriasis after ditching grains and legumes switching to a Paleo diet. Her point though is that the binding properties of phytic acid are the greatest benefit in this radiated environment while the legumes themselves provide plenty of minerals, even if phytic acid binds to some. Does she have an actual claim here? DIANA ASKS:This question is about dairy not being Paleo. I understand that man did not evolve consuming dairy. However, I would like to submit that in India they have been consuming dairy for possibly 6000 years. Until the introduction of Westernized foods, I'm thinking they did not have a problem with poor health due to food consumption. It is my belief that dairy in the US is only an "allergen" because it has been pasteurized. Have you ever considered the possibility that dairy would be a perfectly acceptable food for humans if it was consumed in its "raw" form? Given the perfect world scenario that milk if not contaminated and not requiring pasteurization, it is actually a perfect food. If you think about it, milk's sole purpose is to be a food and to nourish another individual unlike anything else we eat. Any thoughts? MARK ASKS:I work at a senior center and will be discussing the Paleo Diet with them in-depth tomorrow. I normally talk about the benefits of such a style of eating or similar and many are coming around to the idea that beef and eggs are not bad for them. But the grains and dairy thing can be a difficult one to wrap one’s head around about giving them up (or at least restricting them). Can you share any case stories from your own experience of implementing and transitioning the senior citizen population to a Paleo diet? AMBERLY ASKS:I am allergic to eggs, so do you have any creative ideas for breakfast? (I know I can have lunch or dinner foods, but that gets old after a while.)

AIR DATE: June 28, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERTS: FEATURED TOPIC: "How To Beat Carbohydrate Addiction" Say the word "addiction" and most people immediately think of cocaine or heroine addicts, people who abuse alcohol and tobacco, or some other bad habit that is causing serious bodily damage to the addicted. Webster's Dictionary defines addiction as a "compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal." Sound familiar anyone? While most people who consume carbohydrate-based foods don't want to admit it, they are very likely addicted to these sugary, starchy, whole grain-based foods which in turn is making them more obese and chronically ill as the days go by. Nutritional psychotherapist and addiction specialist  is here with us in Episode 19 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts" to get to the heart of the issue about why we crave something so deeply that we are becoming more and more aware is actually harming us. Julia is the author of a newly-revised book  that addresses many of the issues we'll be discussing in this podcast. If you have any questions about carbohydrate addiction that you would like for Julia Ross to address, then feel free to send it to me by 3PM ET this Thursday afternoon at . Or you can ask your question LIVE on my show by calling (712) 432-0900 or Skype the show for FREE by calling the username freeconferencing.7124320900. Whether you call or Skype, be sure to use the access code 848908. Listen LIVE and  if you like what you hear. This is your chance to interact with the best nutritional health experts in the world, so don't be bashful. For those of you using the Windows version of Skype to call into the show on Thursday night, you can locate the dial pad by selecting the Call tab at the top of the page, then click Show Dial Pad. Please see the image below for reference: And if you use the Mac version of Skype, here's how to call in:

One of the more controversial areas of debate about the healthy low-carb lifestyle is what to do about sweeteners. Some say the taste of sweet itself is an addiction that needs to be overcome by complete abstinence from consuming anything sweet on the tongue. Still others believe that finding adequate sugar substitutions in your diet is a lot healthier way to eat than a sugar-filled one. And then there are those who say it is better to eat sugar, honey or other natural sugars than to risk consuming chemical-based sweeteners that are doing God-knows-what to your body. So who do you believe about what you should do? That's where this week's expert comes in. He is a naturopath and board-certified clinical nutritionist named Dr. David Getoff and he's going to help us sort through it all in Episode 18 of "Ask The Low-Carb Experts." Dr. Getoff is quite knowledgeable about all of the ins and outs of both the natural and artificial sweeteners available for consumers to purchase and will give us the cold, hard facts about what is right and what is wrong answering your questions. VISIT DR. SPENCER NADOLSKY'S LEANER LIVING STORE:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast: LISA ASKS:What are your general thoughts about natural non-glycemic/low-glycemic sweeteners like stevia, erythritol, xylitol, and lo han. I have used these alone and in blends like ZSweet. Right now, I'm really enjoying Nature's Hollow's "maple syrup flavored" xylitol syrup which I use when a recipe calls for honey or agave. CAROL ASKS:Does Splenda really kill the beneficial intestinal bacteria? Jorge Cruise says in his book The Belly Fat Cure that you should avoid sucralose in your diet because of this. MICHELLE ASKS:Are the deep yearnings and calling for sugar due to candida overgrowth, a vitamin deficiency, excess insulin, a bad habit, or cellular mitochondria seeking fuel? Or maybe all of this? ELISE ASKS:I use both stevia and xylitol. Do either of these inhibit weight loss? And is there any truth to the claim that xylitol is toxic for pets like dogs and cats? LYNN ASKS:Is stevia ok? Is it low-carb or Paleo? ANDREI ASKS:I would like to know if stevia causes an insulin response. JAN ASKS:I consume multiple Diet Dr. Pepper's every day and have for many years. I have noticed that when I substitute Iced Tea or H2O for all but say one or two for several days running I have a downtick in weight. I have seen the UT San Antonio study that says Aspartame in Diet Drinks can cause Insulin to go up which I suppose could affect fat burning, but I have also seen a lot of research that says it has NO effect. If it isn't the Aspartame, why does my weight trend down when I stop drinking the soda? Is it the sodium? GRETA ASKS:I'm a Diet Coke person and I've been off of it since last Thursday as well as all other sweeteners.  How can we really tell if sweeteners are impacting our weight loss?  How long should we get off of them before trying to add something back in? Should we rely on our weight measurement from day to day? SHALEAH ASKS:If I choose to use artificial sweeteners, which ones are the least detrimental and have the most minimal effect on insulin and poor health? BRENDA ASKS:I know that coconut sugar is not calorie-free, but could you enlighten us about whether it's a good sweetener to use or not? DANA ASKS:I like using erythritol, stevia, and occasionally Splenda for sweetening my food. I would like a good "comeback" for those people who call anything other than "table sugar" -- artificial. White sugar itself is massively processed and artificial, so I'm not understanding their reasoning. Why is maltitol permitted to be put in food as a sweetener when it is well-known to cause a painful and drastic reaction in the gut even in small amounts? NORM ASKS:I was excited to look into Stevia-bases sweeteners, but I found out that all three major brands add sugar alcohols which are terrible for people with digestive problems. Can you tell me why they add sugar alcohols and can you get stevia without these? LAURA ASKS:I am a Type 1 diabetic and I live in Spain and the only sweetener I've found there that has no fillers like maltodextrin is a liquid mixture of saccharin and cyclamate. The taste is vastly better than the pure saccharin available in the United States, but I wondered if you would comment on the safety of this mix. Also, would you comment on any possible connections between artificial sweeteners and infertility/miscarriages? PAM ASKS:I have been using a pure stevia powder with only stevia and no fillers for several years and I use it daily in many things, like my Bulletproof coffee, water and fresh lemon, apple cider vinegar dressing, and homemade hot cocoa with unsweetened coconut milk. Is it likely that this stevia contains mycotoxins? What are the possible outcomes of consuming a good bit of stevia daily? This is the only form of sweetener I use. CHERYL ASKS:What about Acesulfame Potassium (aka Ace-K) and what impact does it have on blood sugar? It seems to be in just about everything diet these days, especially diet soda. APRIL ASKS:I consider myself highly addicted to sugar and eating a dessert made with things like erythritol, stevia, or Splenda causes me to want to eat even more sugar-free treats. Is there any way I can get this under control or is it better to just avoid these altogether? I do find the longer I abstain from them the less I crave them. But then some event comes up where I make something sugar-free and the cycle continues. Any advice is very much appreciated! COLLEEN ASKS:Earlier this year I discovered the "low carb" world and now eat 50-100g of carbs per day, mostly from fruit, vegetables, nuts and some dairy. I am 45 years old, slightly overweight, have eaten primarily high carb, low fat my entire adult life, and prior to changing my eating had fasting glucose in the 90s, normal cholesterol and triglycerides. Over four months I have lost 12 pounds without effort since adopting a higher fat, low carb diet. However, once or twice a week from rice or even bread. I also have 2 teaspoons of sugar per day in coffee. Is this acceptable? How important is it to eliminate sugar altogether? Is this more important than trying to fit exercise into my schedule?

AIR DATE: February 16, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: “All Things Lipids (Cholesterol 101)” Episode 6 of “Ask The Low-Carb Experts” features the topic “All Things Lipids (Cholesterol 101)” with blogger and doctoral candidate in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Connecticut  where he will be graduating this Spring. He is the creator and maintainer of Cholesterol-and-Health.Com and is the author of two blogs, The Daily Lipid at Cholesterol-and-Health.Com and Mother Nature Obeyed at WestonAPrice.org. He is also a frequent contributor to Wise Traditions, the quarterly journal of the Weston A. Price Foundation. Chris is the author of five publications in peer-reviewed journals, including a letter to the editor of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology criticizing the conclusions of a widely publicized study about the effect of saturated fat on blood vessel function, and letter to the editor of the American Heart Journal arguing that the effect of cholesterol ester transfer protein inhibitors on vitamin E metabolism should be studied before these drugs are deemed safe for preventing heart disease, a hypothesis published in Medical Hypotheses about the molecular mechanism of vitamin D toxicity and the involvement of vitamins A and K in this mechanism, a pilot study in humans suggesting that vitamin E protects against some of the negative effects of sugar consumption published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, and a review published in Nutrition Reviews about the potential for green tea to prevent or treat nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases. Chris Masterjohn has thoroughly studied the impact of cholesterol on your health and the answers he has discovered might just surprise you. If you have questions about cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides and more then this is the podcast for you. Here are some of the questions Chris addressed in this podcast: DARREL ASKS:My cholesterol has been high for quite a while. I was previously on Lipitor which made me feel pretty bad (old and feeble even though I’m neither) so I quit. This week my doctor got back my blood work and noticed my number was high (295) and insisted I go back on Lipitor. He said I was a ‘heart attack brewing’. I don’t want to and need some ammunition. Point me in the right direction. MARK ASKS:I have a senior lady that her doctor has recommended her to take statins for a while. She doesn’t want to go on them, and her doctor just ran an Lp(a) test and hers was at 80. I seem to recall that statins don’t really affect Lp(a) and it’s mostly genetic. I’m not sure of her triglyceride/HDL ratio at this time, but should she be worried? Seems that Lp(a) is only an issue if you have heart disease or a lot of inflammation. JOHN ASKS: http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2011/05/18/db11-0085 Question: Is MGmin LDL the silver bullet of atherosclerosis? I’ve read suggestions that small, dense LDL is the killer, but I see studies suggesting that large, fluffy LDL can also be atherogenic. JAMIE ASKS:In some countries (like Australia) you cannot get your cholesterol measured down to “small dense” and “large fluffy”. They only measure the basics, Triglycerides, HDL, LDL and Total cholesterol. From these numbers, is there a good ratio to indicate good health versus poor health? SHARON ASKS:My husband has high cholesterol which is made worse by another necessary medication he takes. Triglycerides were over 700; he is taking very high doses of statins, bring it to 600; We started Paleo (no sugars; no grains; full-fat dairy and meats) and blood results after two weeks showed them at 199. Is this possible to have such a dramatic change so quickly from this diet? If followup blood work shows continued improvement, what is the number that would get his doctor to take him off of the statins? SAM ASKS:I’m a 42-year-old male with little to no family history of heart disease. My latest VAP results include: Tot LDL-Chol Direct 167 H mg/dLTot. HDL-Cholesterol Dir. 52 mg/dLTot. VLDL-Cholesterol Dir. 23 mg/dLSum Total Cholesterol 241 H mg/dLTriglycerides-Direct 75 mg/dLTot. NonHDL Chol(LDL+VLDL) 189 H mg/dLTotal apoB100 – calc. 118 H mg/dLLP(a) Cholesterol 4.0 mg/dLIDL Cholesterol 23 H mg/dLReal LDL-Cholesterol 140 H mg/dLSum Total LDL-C 167 H mg/dLREAL-LDL Size Pattern A ARemnant Lipoprot(IDL+VLDL3) 37 H mg/dL My doctor insists I take a statin such as Lipitor. I say I may not need it. Which one of us is right? Also, is it possible that statins inhibit the formation of arterial plaque over time? PAUL ASKS:What are your thoughts on all the alarmism surrounding glycation and fructation? KAREN ASKS:I’m about to have blood work done to be underwritten for term life insurance. I’m concerned that my cholesterol levels may have elevated because I’ve only been LC’ing for about 9 months. If it comes back bad, do you have any advice for how to explain what’s going on to help mitigate the consequences? LEO ASKS:It’s been almost 2 years since going low carb. Before that time I was taking fenofibrate for almost 8 years because of very high trig (700 -380) and low HDL (37) because of eating SAD. Now my trig is 100 – 75, HDL is 57 and still improving without taking meds. I read that eating saturated fat and red wine will help increase HDL. At my last doctor visit he suggested in begin statins because my total cholesterol was 250 and my LDL was 148 and to see a cardiologist. I asked that he do the test for determining large and small LDL particles to which he replayed he was not qualified to request that test! I also mentioned to him that the LDL level is really a fictitious number gathered by the Friedewald equation. Would you suggest I see a cardiologist and check further? Would it be a good idea to request a CAC score, Lp(a) and test for density particles of LDL? WILLY ASKS:How are you? My question is what is Lp(a)’s role in heart disease and should we really even track it. As I recall Dr. Kurt Harris from the panu blog has what is considered a high level yet has a very low calcium score. While some on Dr. Davis heart scan blog have levels lower than his and suffer from high calcium scores or other cardiovascular issues. If we should be concerned with this lipid what is the best way to lower it? Niacin? Saturated Fats? Low Carb? I wonder if Lp(a) is just the new kid on the block for Big Pharma trying to keep the lipid hypothesis alive. VALERIE ASKS:Chris, In your most recent interview with Chris Kresser you indicate that a TC:HDL ratio of 4 might be cause for concern and should be evaluated. My husband and I just got our results back, our ratios are 4.3 and 4.6. We can rule out recovering from obesity and fatty liver disease. What do you advise we do if anything? Get retested to establish our averages? Without going into too much detail, we have been following a WAPF/Paleo diet for 4 years, we are healthy and fit, I am 47, my husband is 40. Next, I have in my notes a TC range of 180-250 as found in traditional cultures. Can you also provide a range for HDL and LDL? And last, what foods, herbs, supplements, and food preparation techniques would you advise to support a healthy LDL receptor uptake process? KYLE ASKS:There seems to be a growing interest in the blogosphere with the work of Dr. Ray Peat. A major tenet of Peat’s philosophy revolves around the toxicity of virtually any dose of polyunsaturated fats (PUFA)–both n3 and n6. Given your past work on EFAs and PUFAs in general, I’d love to hear your thoughts on Dr. Peat’s stance. LUKE ASKS:What is the relation of lipid volume in the blood and speed of blood flow in the arteries and the body in general? (e.g, the documentary “Supersize Me” made a big deal about animal fat causing slower measured blood flow) ELLEN ASKS:I believe higher cholesterol levels are healthier and protective against many illnesses. If my normal total cholesterol is around 205, and I make a diet change that has the effect of dropping my total cholesterol to 165, am I compromising the protective aspect of cholesterol? LDL is also lower at 92 and HDL has stayed about the same (55). Trigs are at 92. CRP is .75 and HbA1c is 5.5. MACKAY ASKS:Patient just came back with very high cholesterol, but sub markers were phenomenal. HDL 99Triglycerides 66HSCRP .4 Positive for celiac, although eats very little wheat. Total cholesterol 450. What could cause this? EDWARD ASKS:Regarding lab measurements…lipid panels: Cholesterol measurement – what is actually being measured in standard lipid profiles, and what is being estimated? Is LDL calculated based on your TG measurement? DEANNA ASKS:My stepdad has high cholesterol (mostly high Triglycerides) and has for many years—I have attached his lab report from last May—his numbers were better. Total cholesterol 252Triglycerides 534HDL 33Testosterone 235Free testosterone 8.9 He takes: 160mg Fenofibrate, Benicar, Lovaza, DHEA, Niacin, and just started taking Red Yeast Rice. My mother thought he was on a statin—but Fenofibrate and Lovaza aren’t statins are they? Are they just as bad? Haven’t heard much discussion on these meds. Filed Under: , ,