Weight Loss, Paleo Diet & Calorie Partitioning

Video Transcript: 

“Hi this Dr. Ruscio and today I would like to talk with you about weight gain.

Weight gain of course, hugely popular issue, everyone has a solution gadget or gismo for weight loss. Today I would like to talk with you about some simple concepts that have been shown to be highly effective for weight loss. The first and the most important concept that we have to understand and achieve in order to lose weight effectively, and I should say lose fat effectively and really keep it off is to achieve this concept called calorie partitioning.

So, what calorie partitioning looks like is this: Every time we eat food, we end up having calories in our bloodstream and calories, generally speaking, can go one of two ways. They can go into your mitochondria, where the mitochondria will then burn them for energy and so you’ll have energy and you won’t gain fat because your calories are being burned for energy.

On the other side of the coin your calories can go into your fat cells and if you have too much calories going into your fat cells, then you get tired because you’re getting fat. What’s really a tragedy is that sometimes people will have no motivation to exercise and they think it’s because they’re lazy, but more often than not it’s because their calories are going in to their fat cells and they’re getting stored as fat. No calories are going into the mitochondria to be burnt as energy and so people are tired because they’re actually getting fatter.

The really important concept is to try to figure out how can we steer most of our calories or partition them into the mitochondria so we burn them as fuel and so we don’t gain fat, so we therefore have energy also. The way we really achieve this is by having a good hormonal milieu where we have growth hormones where they should be; catecholamines, meaning things like epinephrine, dopamine, noradrenaline, where they should be; and also adequate levels of the hormone glucagon and we’ll go over that in a little more detail in a second.

On the other side of the coin we want to avoid having high insulin levels because insulin will steer calories into the fat cells. Again, you’ll be tired and you won’t have that much energy because all of your calories will be going into your fat cells. How do we achieve this? The most important initial concept is to limit your daily carbohydrate intake to a total intake of 100g or if you’re really trying to be aggressive, 50g per day. The reason for this is because the strongest stimulator of this partitioning is going to be your carbohydrate intake. So the best way to achieve this, again, is to keep your calories in the below 100 or 50 range depending on how aggressively you want to attack this. Also, eat every 3 to 5 hours, generally speaking and opt for more ancestral or traditional foods. Things like healthy sources of protein, healthy fats, and lots of vegetables and some fruit.

This is also known as the paleo diet. The paleo diet is a great diet to be eating from a multitude of perspectives. Now if you want more information on this I will give you a few links. Now one important thing to know is that there are three macronutrients. There are proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. If you limit carbohydrates, naturally you have to have an increase in consumption of protein and fat. One of the questions people sometimes ask is: are you saying I should eat more fat and if so doesn’t fat make you fat and won’t fat cause heart disease?

Really this is somewhat of an erroneous group of assumptions to make. While going into that is really beyond the scope of this video. You can see this video here where I’ve reviewed a study published by the researcher Christopher Gardner over at Stanford. He did a great job at elucidating the fact that fat really will not make you fat, generally speaking fat is certainly not bad for your heart if used in the appropriate context so you can see more of that video there which I entitled “low fat vs. low carb.” For more information on how this whole relationship between diet, your hormones, and calorie partitioning all works you can watch my video on diet, hormones, and blood sugar.

So what if you’re someone who tries this and it doesn’t work for you or if you’re someone who has been doing this and it still isn’t working? Usually it’s going to work for everybody to some extent but not everyone will get all the way toward their fat loss goals. That may be because three things are present.

Now the first is digestive problems usually there is an infection or some kind of food allergy. Infections are things like candida or fungus, bacterial dysbiosis, worms, amoebas, parasites, and these things are actually more common than you’d think. Or food allergies, and the most common allergies are gluten dairy, soy, eggs, nuts, artificial sweeteners, and corn, just to name the big ones there. Both of these things will cause someone to have high levels of inflammation. When inflammation is high it can really cause perturbations or problems in this calorie partitioning.

There’s another very important area to look into and that is of your hormones. There’s something called the sex hormone to stress hormone ratio. Oftentimes people are under too much stress or they’ve got internal inflammation. Things like infections that we’ve talked about or food allergies that are caused and their stress hormones go way too high and they have excess of stress hormones relative to their steroid or stress hormones. Stress hormones in high levels cause your body to break down muscle and gain fat. Sex or steroid hormones are euthanizing anti-aging they cause your body to maintain muscle mass and lose body fat so the ratio of these is very important. Having a ratio that is positive on the side of your steroid or your sex hormones is very important so that’s another thing for us to look at cause that will again affect this calorie partitioning like we’ve been talking about.

The third is toxins and toxicity. Now a number of papers have been published showing that different environmental toxins can affect metabolism through different avenues. I reviewed a study published in obesity reviews that showed that certain toxins can affect thyroid function and that can poison the ability of the body to get past a certain limit point of fat loss. I also reviewed another study where plastics, different environmental chemicals have been linked with thyroid problems, weight gain, and diabetes. There are some resources for you within these three causative factors for more reading and/or viewing to get yourself more information.

You can also visit my blog where you can find all this information categorized neatly to help you navigate this. The take home message is the first most important thing you can do is achieve good calorie partitioning so you have your calories going in your mitochondria being burnt for energy and not being stored as fat. That is first and foremost achieved by limiting your daily carbohydrate intake. Secondary to that there are other things like problems with digestion, problems with the sex and steroid to stress hormone ratio and problems with toxicity that may be causing someone not to ideally respond to limiting their daily carbohydrate intake. So this is just a preview to what can be a much more lengthy discussion of each one of these items in detail but hopefully this gives you a basic idea and wets your appetite to looking into this further and try some of this

This is Dr. Ruscio and I hope you found some of this information helpful. Thank you.”

Your spouse: The biggest barrier to a gluten-free diet?

You swore to support each other in sickness and in health, yet when it comes to a gluten-free diet, you may have found your spouse to be your biggest barrier to success.

Spouses complain that eating gluten free is too expensive and too restrictive, they tell you that you’re making a big deal about nothing, or perhaps they simply cannot imagine life without those staples of Western civilization, bread and pasta. Whatever the reason, spouses are often one’s greatest saboteur when it comes to maintaining a gluten-free diet.

Gluten-eating spouse sabotaging your gluten-free diet?

Their transgressions can be maddening. They order pasta with garlic bread in front of your newly gluten-free children, who proceed to cry through the rest of the meal. They dip their knife into your gluten-free mayonnaise after having used it on their whole wheat bread. They don’t read labels, feed the kids something with gluten in it, and then go off to work while you’re left at home to deal with your children’s stomach aches or behavioral outbursts.

Does going gluten free unearth marital issues?

Sometimes a spouse’s stubbornness unearths dormant marital discord that may require attention. Or the new gluten-free dieter becomes assertive and demanding for the first time in the relationship, which can rattle spousal dynamics. But given that gluten is linked to 55 known diseases and many neurological issues, going gluten free is worth the fight.

How to win over your reluctant spouse to a gluten-free lifestyle

The first spouse to go gluten free is often the wife. This is because moms usually spend more time caring for and feeding the children, and are more apt to notice health issues and take dietary action.

Also, the hormonal upheavals of pregnancy and childbirth can be a health tipping point for many women, who must buckle down to manage an autoimmune disease, adrenal dysfunction, hypothyroidism, inflammation or other issue after the baby is born.

So how does one win over a reluctant spouse to support a gluten-free diet?

How others have gained support from their spouse for a gluten-free diet

Patience, persistence, education, and even the willingness to nag are the ticket, say those who’ve done it.

• “My husband had to see a lab test with positive transglutaminase antibodies [regarded as a celiac marker] and stool IgA antibodies to gluten [a marker for gluten intolerance] to be convinced our child needed to be gluten-free.”
• “I would nag and nag and nag. I would send video via cellphone of one of the kids losing it after eating gluten.”
• “Experiencing the severe sleep deprivation of a breastfeeding baby who was colicky and having that go away when I went gluten free.”
• “He saw how differently I acted and felt on a gluten-free diet, and saw positive changes in our son.”
• “He saw how sick I got when insensitive visitors who insisted on eating gluten contaminated my kitchen and my food.”
• “He saw I was literally unable to move, stand, use my hands, or do anything unassisted for six weeks.”
• “We called a mediator to write up a divorce agreement at the start of a GAPS diet [a stricter, grain-free diet many moms have discovered helps their children who have autism symptoms]. He told me he would leave if I didn’t go back to the way things were. I told him I could not and would not ever go back. Many rough times later, he is eating with us and on his own healing journey. We went from numb, angry, ramen-eating zombies to people who fell in love on a deeper level.”

Many spouses eventually embrace gluten-free diet

Given enough time on a gluten-free diet—even if it’s initially against their will—even the most stubborn of spouses may see the light. For instance, when the wife and kids are eating gluten free at home, the husband can get his gluten fixes only when eating out. During such a gradual weaning, some are amazed to find they also suffer from a gluten intolerance. One husband discovered gluten to be a trigger for his canker sores and migraines. The chronic back pain and depression of a spouse magically lifted on a gluten-free diet. Others find they are more energetic and clear-headed.

You, too, may find that your resistant spouse not only becomes more supportive but also embraces the diet as his or her own.

Gluten could be causing your child’s cavities

While childhood is full of surprises, some parents are unprepared for the staggering dental bills and persistent cavities children get, even when they brush and floss regularly. Parents know to restrict sugar, but what they may not realize is that a hidden gluten intolerance and poor gut health, not a fluoride deficiency, may be the cause of those cavities.

Fortunately, help can be just a meal away. Many have witnessed a near-miraculous halting of dental decay simply by putting their child on a gluten-free diet and restoring gut health.

Gluten intolerance causes wide range of dental defects

Defects in dental enamel are common in children who cannot tolerate gluten. In some children, dental problems may be the only symptom of a gluten intolerance or celiac disease (an autoimmune gluten intolerance). In addition to tooth decay, one may see enamel defects: white, yellow, or brown spots on the teeth; mottled or translucent teeth; pitting or banding of the teeth. Unfortunately, the majority of dentists peg these problems on excess fluoride or an early illness, missing an opportunity to alert parents to a possible gluten intolerance.

Going beyond gluten to repair the gut and stop cavities

For many children, simply transitioning to a gluten-free diet works wonders for halting decay and improving dental health. Others may need more intensive dietary restrictions and nutritional therapy. This is because gluten damages the lining of the small intestine, causing it to become inflamed and porous. As a result, the small intestine cannot properly absorb nutrients from food, causing malnutrition. This also allows undigested food to escape into the bloodstream, triggering an immune reaction and intolerances to foods other than gluten, most commonly dairy, eggs, soy, corn, and other grains.

The inflamed and damaged intestinal walls also disturb the balance of bacteria in the gut, allowing bacterial and fungal infections to take root. The overall result is a chronically inflamed, poorly functioning gut. Sometimes (but not always) other digestives issues, such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, or acid reflux, are also present.

Gluten and food intolerances cause inflammation, which may lead to cavities

Together these conditions can cause not only tooth decay and poor dental health but also other inflammation-based conditions, such as eczema, allergies, or behavioral issues. Taming the inflammation and allowing the gut to repair may require your child follow a diet that eliminates foods in addition to those containing gluten. Parents can run a lab test to screen for problematic foods or have their child follow an elimination diet for several weeks before reintroducing potential problem foods, one at a time, every 72 hours to see whether they trigger a reaction.

Although these diets can be a challenge to implement in our fast-food, sugar-addicted society, many parents find the pronounced improvement in dental health and other conditions makes it worthwhile. Bonus: as inflammation subsides on this diet, many parents say the palate of their normally picky eaters grows to include a wider variety of healthy foods, making meal times less of a struggle.

Ask me for tips and strategies to help improve your child's dental health.

Can gluten intolerance cause infertility?

Couples trying to conceive may want to add a gluten-free diet to their regimen. Research shows a clear link between celiac disease (gluten intolerance) and infertility in both women and men.

Infertility affects about 10 percent of couples wanting to have children, or more than 6 million Americans. Several studies have shown the prevalence of celiac disease is higher in women with unexplained infertility. Also, women with celiac disease are three times more likely to miscarry and four times more likely to experience complications in pregnancy.

Gluten’s effect on the reproductive system extends beyond fertility. In a 2011 Russian study, women with celiac disease generally began menstruating a year or more later than their peers, and suffered significantly more menstrual irregularities and amenorrhea (lack of menstruation).

Knowing whether gluten intolerance is a pregnancy risk can be difficult as symptoms aren’t always obvious. Studies have shown women with undiagnosed celiac disease often do not have digestive complaints, the symptom most associated with celiac. This is consistent with findings in the general population: the majority of those with celiac disease do not, in fact, suffer from digestive problems.

Gluten intolerance also affects male fertility

Women aren’t the only ones whose reproduction is affected by gluten intolerance. Male fertility is also at risk. Newer research shows that 20 percent of married men with undiagnosed celiac disease have infertile marriages. Semen analysis has shown problems with both the structure of sperm and its motility. Another study showed men with undiagnosed celiac disease tend to have hormonal imbalances that may lead to infertility. There is good news, however. Sperm function and hormone balance were both shown to improve on a gluten-free diet.

Studies look at narrow segment of gluten-intolerant population

These studies, while illuminating, look at celiac disease only, which accounts for a small minority of people with a gluten intolerance. Celiac disease is an autoimmune reaction to gluten. “Gluten intolerance” is a broader category that includes people whose health is compromised by gluten, although their reaction may not be autoimmune. If studies were expanded to include the full range of those who have an immune reaction to gluten, the rates of infertility and birth complications due to gluten intolerance could be found to be quite a bit higher.

Study shows sugar makes us more stupid; omega 3 to the rescue

A recently published UCLA study shows what many have suspected all along: Eating too much sugar makes you stupid. Scientists found that just six weeks of bingeing on sweets and soda will sabotage both learning and memory. Fortunately, consuming omega-3 fatty acids can counteract some of the damage.

The study looked at the effects of fructose -- in the form of cane sugar (sucrose), high-fructose corn syrup, and corn syrup -- which is found in the American diet in everything from soft drinks to baby food. A whopping 156 pounds of sugar per year is what the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates an average American consumes, including 82 pounds of fructose, the sugar that was studied. In total, we Americans are consuming 150 more pounds of sugar per year than we did in 1822. Put another way, our sugar consumption has increased by almost a pound of sugar per person per year. Every year. That’s a lot of sugar.

Sugar lowers the brain chemical needed for memory

While sugar’s role in obesity, diabetes, fatty liver, and even Alzheimer’s Disease has been established, this is the first study to show how sweeteners directly affect the brain.

Sugar reduces the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a brain chemical necessary for the formation of memories and for learning and recall. As expected, those with diabetes or pre-diabetes (insulin resistance) show lowered levels of BDNF. Additional research links low BDNF levels to depression and dementia.

DHA can help protect the brain from sugar damage

In the UCLA study, two groups of rats were given a fructose solution for six weeks in addition to their regular feed. One group of rats also received omega-3 fatty acids in the form of flax seed oil and DHA, an omega-3 compound that protects the brain from damage and facilitates memory and learning.

The rats were trained to learn a maze in five days. After six weeks of being given the sugar solution, they were then put back into the maze to test their memory. The rats that received the omega-3 oil and DHA were able to negotiate the maze much faster. The brains of the DHA-deprived rats showed a decline in synaptic function, poor communication between neurons, and worsened memory. These rats also developed a resistance to insulin, a hormone necessary not only for blood sugar regulation but also for brain function. Insulin controls synaptic function, and so imbalances in insulin may disrupt neurons and cause memory loss.

The study clearly suggests that fructose impairs memory and learning. It also suggests that a daily intake of DHA, such as through salmon, walnuts, flax seed, or a supplement, can help protect the brain from the harmful effects of sugar.

DHA cannot stand up to 156 pounds of sugar

Of course, simply adding more DHA to your diet isn’t going to counteract the damage of eating 156 pounds of sugar a year. The best way to stay smart is to cut out the sweeteners and moderate your carbohydrate intake to a level that doesn’t disrupt blood sugar balance. A bonus side effect of this lifestyle change is a way out of your daily energy highs and lows, and who knows, maybe even a dropped pound or two.

For help getting started on a brain-healthy diet, contact my office.

Does your child with food intolerances feel left out?

Your gluten-free third-grader walks in the door and immediately bursts into tears. Someone brought cupcakes to celebrate a birthday at school and everyone got one but her. “No one will want to be my friend because I can’t eat gluten,” she says between sobs.

Moments like these can test the strongest resolve. You’re in growing company, however. Eight percent of children have food allergies, a figure that has risen 20 percent in the last 10 years. Many children today also have celiac disease or gluten intolerance, which tends to run in the family.

Some children must be on a special diet, such as the GAPS or ketogenic diet, that eliminates all sugar, grains, processed foods, and other staples of the American diet. While the health reasons for the diet may be obvious, a child’s emotional reaction can muddy the waters. Children may feel left out, angry, anxious, sad, or embarrassed, which can distress parents.

The solution? Model the attitude you wish to see in your child. Self-confidence, calmness, and a positive attitude are the approaches recommended by child psychologists.

The real experts, of course, are moms raising children with food allergies or intolerances. What follows are some of their tips.

What to do when your child with food intolerances feels left out

• Validate. If your child feels the diet is unfair, or if she is sad, angry, or embarrassed, repeat back to her what she says and commiserate.
• Educate. Help your child make the connection between the offending food and the reaction. For some children, it’s easy because the reaction is swift and severe. For others, the reaction is delayed or not as clear, such as bedwetting, anxiety, or a rash that appears several days later. Education can help your child to see the consequences for himself.
• Praise. One mom whose daughter must be on a ketogenic (low-carb, high-fat) diet to control seizures frequently tells her daughter how she proud she is of her for following a diet most adults couldn’t.
• Treat. Making snacks for your child to bring to birthday parties and social gatherings is a fact of life. One mom buoyed the situation her child faced by making food that looked better than what the other children had.
• Model. If you suffer from an autoimmune disease, obesity, or other chronic health disorder due to your previous poor diet, use yourself as an example of the consequences of poor choices, and demonstrate how you can work your way back to good health eating the same diet as your child.
• Offer perspective. Most everyone struggles with something that makes them feel different. For some, it’s a food intolerance. For others, it may be asthma, behavioral issues, or another struggle your child doesn’t have. Perspective can help your child feel less different.

Hardships and the occasional meltdowns aside, managing food intolerances can teach children how their diet affects their health and how to better care for themselves, lessons that will serve them well as they become more independent in their teens.

And for children of a parent with an autoimmune disease or other chronic disorder, an immune-friendly diet can help prevent the development of autoimmune disease or an inflammatory disorder.