Things You Think Are Healthy (That Aren't)

     Today, I will discuss some common frequently asked questions and statements I often get about a meat based diet. 

    1. "Fiber is good for you." - The only study worth a damn that was ever conducted on fiber and constipation (the one thing you think fiber is good for) showed conclusively that high fiber diets lead to constipation and gut issues. Not only is fiber not GOOD for you, it might actually be BAD for you. Another argument FOR fiber is that the microbes in your gut eat it. This is true, but both the good and the bad bacteria thrive on carbohydrates and fiber. If you are constantly feeding the bad bacteria, you might encounter bacterial overgrowth which may lead to leaky gut and IBS. Feed your bacteria fermented veggies like saurkraut and kimchi instead. This will add new beneficial bacteria to your gut without wrecking it with fiber. 

    2. "Vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals, plus fiber." - Vegetables may contain vitamins and minerals, but they will always be present with "anti-nutrients". Things like gluten, lectin, oxalates, and phytic acid present in vegetables, seeds, grains, and nuts WILL block the absorption of these nutrients into your system. For example, vegetables can not contain vitamin A, despite the fact that you think carrots of full of it. Carrots contain "beta carotene", which 40% of people can NOT convert into absorbable vitamin A, and if you do convert beta carotene into vitamin A, you will not absorb nearly as much as is present in the carrot because of the lectins and oxalates that block absorption. Vegetables do not contain the BIOAVAILABLE forms of vitamins A, D, K, E, B12, plus about 30 other nutrients. You know what does? An egg. This means that vegetables are JUST empty sugar and fiber, and see the first point about fiber. 

    3. "I drink a gallon of purified water a day, I'm so hydrated!" - First of all, that is awesome that you don't drink tap water! Second of all, if you ONLY drink purified water all day, you will not "hold onto it". This means a lot of trips to the bathroom and peeing out a lot of electrolytes and some minerals with each bathroom trip. It isn't the fact THAT you are drinking water, it is WHAT you are drinking in your water. If you put just a 1/4 teaspoon of pink salt in a 32 oz water bottle and sip on that (when your thirsty) throughout the day; you will be hydrated, satisfied, and replenishing your electrolytes at the same time. Liberally salt all the food you eat throughout the day as well. It isn't necessarily the water that is hydrating, it is the MINERALS and electrolytes present in the water that are hydrating. 

    4. "I'm training for a marathon!" - I would not recommend long, slow, steady cardio, especially running, to anyone, at anytime. The damage to your joints, the lack of muscle building (and possible muscle wasting), and the hunger response is unacceptable for the lack of fitness that comes from long cardio. If you would like to run a mile every now and then just to prove you can, go for it. Outside of that you should only be walking or sprinting. Look up "marathon runners" on Google images, it's like they have one foot in the grave. They are scrawny, gobbling down sugar DURING races just to maintain their energy, and they are HUNGRY. You will receive just as much heart benefit from 15 hard minutes on the elliptical as you will from running, without the joint destruction, and 10-15 minutes is just about right for "cardio". 

    5. "I eat 'complex' carbs like oatmeal, beans, and brown rice." - These are the sugars your nutritionist and doctor are always trying to get you to eat because they are LOADED with fiber (see point 1 above again), and they are "low-glycemic". This means that the fiber will slow the digestion of the carbohydrate, leading to a less steep and longer insulin spike. Well I say: "Who gives a crap how slowly the sugar is absorbed?" The sugar will STILL be absorbed, the gluten, oxalates, and phytic acid present will STILL wreak havoc in your body, and you will STILL feel like crap. Complex carbs like oatmeal are in the same boat as "simple" carbs like a Snickers bar, there is no difference to your liver

    6. "I don't eat 'saturated' fat because it gives you heart disease." - Saturated fat is what you are made of. This means that when you ingest saturated fat, it is very easily utilized by your body for energy in the absence of carbohydrates. Most other seed and fruit oils (with the exception of coconut oil) are mainly composed of either monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats. One of the issues with seed oils (and they are in almost every product in a box or with a barcode) is that by the time they are on the store shelves, they are RANCID. You ingest this rancid fat and it produces rancid cholesterol that your body then absorbs and it begins to wreck your health. Saturated fat is solid at room temperature and generally will last for years, if properly stored, without going rancid. When you ingest saturated fat, your body knows exactly what to do with it: either burn it for energy on a low carb diet, or store it for LATER energy if carbs are present. When it comes to fat consumption, plant based fats are the "bad guys", and saturated animal fat is the gold standard. 

    7. "I eat a 'balanced' diet composed of 30% fat, 30% protein, and 40% carbs." - I hate to say this, but  "balanced" diets are a myth. Their is something your body does when you ingest fat and carb together. These are the two main forms of energy your body will utilize. When consumed together you will activate something called the "Randle Cycle". When a cell's mitochondria fills up with either fat or carbohydrate, it will "lock the door" to either carbohydrate or fat because it now has plenty of energy in that cell. This sugar that got locked out is now circulating in your bloodstream, raising your blood glucose level, and this often gets labeled "insulin resistance". This in turn damages blood cells and your liver will convert this extra carb into bodyfat just to get it out of your bloodstream. Boom! "Balanced" diets lead to fat gain. Only when the cell is low in energy will it "unlock" and start using fat and sugar for fuel again. This can be achieved via a no carb diet, fasting, and exercise (but not exercise in the presence of carbohydrate). It seems we, as a species, are designed to run on animals and not plants (and ESPECIALLY not combined). 

    8. "I eat plant based." - So let's put all the issues above together into the perfect diet to very slowly destroy your health and shorten your life: the good ol' plant based diet. My argument is that the Standard American Diet is already a plant based diet. The grain in the bread, the seeds in the oils, the potato chips and grain based pretzels, hell even Oreos are vegan. But let's say you decide to go vegetarian or vegan. You are now getting your fats predominately from seed oils, you are now getting your calories mostly from sugar, and you are now consuming inferior plant "proteins". It will be almost impossible to get the nutrition you need because of the vitamin blocking properties and the anti-nutrients in the plants. 

    In my OPINION, I believe the reason people feel great for the first 2-4 weeks on a plant based diet is because they are FASTING and they don't know it. All the anti-nutrients present in their new diet are blocking vitamins, minerals, and protein from being absorbed by the body, so they are essentially fasting, because despite the fact that they are eating huge volumes of "food", it is all empty sugar and fiber. The problem is, normal fasting is fantastic for you, but ingesting that much poison while fasting is the reason most vegans stop within a year and the number one reason for quitting is "catastrophic health failure".

    

    So there's the list of some of the most common objections I will get to the Go Fit Yourself lifestyle, why they are bunk, and how you can argue with people that are still indoctrinated into the mainstream health cult.