#6. Going overboard with “beneficial” fats: Mega dosing fish oil.
Fish oil is another amazing fat, but that doesn’t mean you should take extremely large quantities of it. Ever wonder where this idea came from?
The reason for taking a lot of fish oil was to counter high intake of omega-6 fats that is very common in the Western diet. The goal was to reduce omega-6 to omega-3 ratio to closer to between 4:1 and 2:1 from the more common ratio of 25:1 that Westerners are eating.
Because people were eating huge amounts of omega-6 fats, it was thought that the best solution was to balance it with a high intake of omega-3-filled fish oil. However, recent evidence indicates that this is not the best practice.
A better solution is to reduce your omega-6 fat intake by avoiding vegetable and seed oils and all refined foods. Opt for animal fats, which are low in omega-6s, when cooking because they aren’t easily oxidized. Boost omega-3 intake by eating a variety of seafood.
A related caution: a 2013 review by Fenton expresses the concern that people may inadvertently get too many omega-3s in their diet if they eat fatty fish a few times a week, take fish oil, and eat multiple servings of omega-3 enriched foods (eggs, bread, butter, oil, orange juice are just a few of the foods being fortified with omega-3s).
Whether hypersupplementation is intentional or accidental, it appears to cause a dysfunctional immune response that leaves the body vulnerable to infection and disease.
If the omega-3 fats being consumed have been oxidized, which often occurs with poor quality fish oil because omega-3 fats have a lot of fragile carbon double bonds, they can damage tissue and DNA, and may increase disease risk.
Solution: Try to radically lower omega-6 fat intake by limiting vegetable fats to well below 10 grams a day. Then balance that number with omega-3 fats from a variety of sources including fatty fish, pastured meat, and high-quality, stabilized fish oil.
#7. Out of whack blood sugar abnormalities despite low-carb intake.
Low-carb diets can significantly improve blood sugar tolerance and insulin health in people with insulin resistance and diabetes.
As you probably know if you’ve researched low-carb diets, in the long-term, very low-carb eating can cause the metabolic hormones, insulin and leptin to get out of balance. The absence of insulin release due to massive, chronic carb restriction leads to no leptin release, and leptin is the hormone that blunts hunger.
This is the reason that some form of carbohydrate cycling can be beneficial: Eating carbs every so often (such as every 5 to 7 days) keeps the cells sensitive to insulin and the brain responsive to leptin so that you don’t experience deranged hunger.
Problems arise when cheat meals get out of hand. For example, have you wondered what happens to your body if you eat a high-carb, high-fat cheat meal or, simply have a standard high-fat, low-carb dinner but top it off with a higher carb treat (wine or chocolate)?
Any excess glucose in the bloodstream will attach itself to available protein in a process called glycation. Glycated protein causes oxidative stress, and over time, increases disease risk. One of the proteins that often gets glycated is LDL cholesterol.
Glycated cholesterol has a negative charge on the proteins surface so that it is more attracted to the wall of the artery and will cause plaque formation and atherosclerosis.
The higher the blood sugar, such as after a carbilicious cheat meal of pasta, pizza, bread-laden Italian food, or sweets, the more glycation of LDL takes place and the more damage occurs.
Solution: First, everyone should test their fasting blood sugar whether they’re eating low-carb or not. Fasting glucose is your window to insulin health, which is your window to inflammation in your body.
Fasted glucose should be between 70-90 mg/dl, with a goal of below 84 mg/dl.
Second, be honest and cautious about what you are actually putting into your mouth. Track your diet so that little things don’t slip into your mouth and past your consciousness.
Watch out for very high-carb cheat meals from refined foods. Consider carb cycling instead of cheat meals, favoring complex, whole carbs such as sweet potatoes, squash, fruit, and possibly boiled grains.
Third, get your hemoglobin A1c level tested, which provides an idea of how your body is handling glucose over the past three months. Hemoglobin A1c reflects hemoglobin that has been damaged by glycated glucose. A level below 5.5 percent is indicated and below 5.3 percent is preferable.
#8. A chronic acid load that degrades lean tissue and increases cancer risk.
Eating animal protein, dairy, and grains lead to the formation of acid in the body. In contrast, eating fruits and vegetables leads to the production of bicarbonate, which adds alkali to the body, neutralizing acid.
Healthy people with well-functioning organs who eat decent quantities of fruits and vegetables are generally able to manage the acid load so that it is not dangerous. But with aging, the acid load isn’t handled well due to declining kidney function.
Or, if your high-protein, high-fat diet is poor in plants relative to protein, as most are, you’ll experience a high acid load. The body responds by trying to neutralize excess acid by breaking down muscle tissue and bone.
Now, due to inconsistent study outcomes, scientists haven’t come to a conclusion on the benefit of monitoring pH (an indicator of the amount of acid) for disease prevention.
But, a higher pH does appear to be beneficial for muscle tissue repair and bone building, and the foods you eat to improve your pH are all consistent with those that are recommended for health and longevity—an emphasis on fruits and vegetables and a de-emphasis on grains—so it’s not a bad idea to eat for an alkaline status.
Solution: Despite the debate about the benefit of monitoring your acid load with pH strips, eating more fresh plants is rarely a bad idea. Realistically, high-protein diets call for at least a few pounds (2 to 3) of veggies a day. If you’re not close, boost your intake and see if you don’t feel better.
Source: http://main.poliquingroup.com