Skinfold site Triceps

Measure your triceps and measure the hip point.  Do this with the instructions found in the booklet and calipers available from our office.  http://www.fatbackdiet.com/?page_id=42

In Women, the triceps should be about the same as the hip measurement.  So if a measurement of 18mm is found on the caliper on the triceps – you should see that the hip is about 18mm.  It may be less if you are training or exercising while following the FatBack Diet.  If the hip measurement is 50% to 100% higher, so in this case 27 to 36 mm, prediabetes or diabetes is likely.

In Men, the hip measurement should be within 1.5 times the triceps.  So if the triceps measures 15, the hip should be 15 to 22.  If the hip is twice the triceps I suspect prediabetes, if the hip is three times the triceps, I suspect diabetes.

Again, a scale does not provide valuable information; the calipers are the only reliable tool for true health in the body.

There are two components to blood sugar problems.  One is the blood sugar.  The other is the hormone insulin, which is secreted by the pancreas in response to dietary carbohydrates, pure protein intake, sweet foods or overeating.

So just measuring the blood glucose (sugar) is one half of the story, but an important half.  The best way to test is with a glucose challenge test.  In this test, fasting glucose is measured.  Then 75 grams of carbohydrate is eaten or drunk.  Glucose is then measured every half hour or hour until 2 hours pass.  The fasting test should be below 95, the ½ and 1 hour test should be less than 160 and the 2 hour test should be within 10% of where it started when fasting.

The other half of this equation is measuring insulin.  This is done with fasting insulin which should be between 2 and 10.  With insulin measured again 2 hours after the 75 grams of Carbohydrate, the insulin should go to between 20 and 60.

Who should get these tests?  Anyone with high abdominal body fat, fasting sugar > 100, anyone with a triglyceride:HDL ratio of greater than 3, anyone with high blood pressure, anyone with a direct family member with diabetes type 2, people with resistant migraines, yeast infections, eczema on the palms.

Our latest headline in the medical journals stun us with the numbers: “two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese”. The cause is, of course, unidentified but the result is listed as a higher risk of “coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke, hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, joint disease, cancer, sleep apnea, asthma, and other chronic conditions”. The researchers emphasized that weight gain can cause the onset of diabetes. Here is a case of cart before the horse.

While in a general family practice setting in my office, I found that about one-third of my patients in any given day had pre-diabetes numbers on blood tests. But were not obese, nor was their main reason for seeing me related to the pre-diabetes issues. I am measuring blood tests that catch diabetes traits very early, so as to better treat and prevent any diabetes.

This diabetic gene that over 30% of people inherit is what ultimately causes the weight gain. The weight gain does not cause the diabetes.
If we keep seeing the weight as the cause of diabetes we are continually missing the “catching” these people at younger ages and before the high blood sugar has had a detrimental impact on their health. The FatBack Diet is a way of encouraging a diet that does not rely on carbohydrates as the main energy. It instead emphasizes three-meals-per-day with fats as the calorie of choice – served with vegetables/ legumes, whole proteins and some fermented foods.

Look for future posts to list the blood tests that are a must for everyone to screen for diabetes and prediabetes problems.

May son, at age 13, came in the kitchen one day and said, “I love the feeling of having to want to eat.”

He was experiencing pure desire.  The most basic of desires are those that dictate the want of food and drink; hunger and thirst.  Lack of these feelings is a sign of apathy and depression…or a sign that you are eating too frequently.  Assure that there is at least 4-6 hours between meals and you may in fact feel hunger.  And you too might be compelled to say.  “I love the feeling of having to want to eat.”

Ciao,

Richard

 Fiber – Soluble fiber packs the benefits.

 Total fiber intake is essential to our health.  Authorities throw around the number “30 grams” as optimal.   It is well-established that people eating the lowest 20% of fibrous foods have statistically more cancers and cardiovascular disease and diabetes than people eating the top 20% of fibrous foods.  But what kind of fiber is so essential?

 There are 2 kinds of fiber; soluble and insoluble.

 Insoluble fiber is the stuff that is just the roughage of the food.  Insoluble fiber is in found in the husk of a whole grain and the skin and seeds of a fruit or vegetable.  It does not get absorbed and does not absorb water, thus the name insoluble.  If you ate an ounce of sand, that would equal about 32 grams of insoluble fiber, representing your optimal daily intake.  Obviously sand sounds like an absurd dietary supplement, but it is not far from the habit of eating 15 grams of bran fiber in a breakfast cereal each morning.  There is no surprise that recent studies have provided light that it is the soluble fiber that packs the benefits.

 Soluble fiber absorbs water and like insoluble fiber it does not get absorbed.  Soluble fiber is found in beans, the inside of fruits and vegetables, and the inside of grains.  Notice that white rice and white flour still has some fiber, this is the soluble fiber that remains.

 A recent study (Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;90:664-671.) soluble fiber was the fiber that provided people decreased breast cancer risk.  The researchers summarized the benefits of soluble fiber as it relates to breast cancer, “Soluble fiber has been shown to be more effective in controlling blood glucose, insulin, and insulin-like growth factors, which have been positively related to risk of breast cancer.”  They went further to find that total fat intake was not a risk factor for cancer risk.

 Throughout my nutritional training, I have been struck by the contradiction of nutritional recommendations in America.  I was told that if one ate refined grains they would suffer ill health.  But the same professor would quote the impressively low breast cancer rate in Thailand, and the low diabetes and heart disease rates in countries like Japan, France and Mediterranean countries.  If you were to travel to these countries you would see what I saw, white rice, white flour and white pasta.  Brown rice in Asia is virtually unheard of.  On a recent trip to France, I was slicing-up a pear for the hors d’oeuvre plate, when my French host said, “We peel those here”, and by “here”, she meant in this country.  The ample intake of vegetables marks the healthy component in these countries.  Throughout Asia, vegetables are eaten at lunch, usually in a nutritious soup and at dinner.  In the Mediterranean, fresh vegetables and beans are a major part of most meals in conjunction with traditional fats and meats and fish.

The FatBack Diet Kitchen

 Condiments / Oils:

Butter

Celtic grey salt

Crème Fraiche

Rendered fats from meats

Honey/Maple syrup

Raw organic sugar

Pumpkin/Sunflower seeds

Almonds/Pecans

Quality olive oil

Vinegar or Lemon

Mayonnaise

Herbs:

Keep a bunch of some fresh herbs on hand and use whenever possible.  Alternate between, rosemary, thyme, dill, fennel, parsley, cilantro, chives, scallions

 STOCK: Make stock from any meat parts and or vegetables and freeze – use whenever possible

Protein:            With natural fat intact.  Try for organic/ free range/ local whenever possible.

Chicken/Turkey whole, with bone & skin

Wild game meats

Grass-fed beef or lamb (not too lean)

Organic organ meats – pate, terrine, etc.

Fish and Shellfish: anchovies bluefish catfish cod clams crabmeat haddock halibut herring lobster mackerel, mussels oysters salmon sardines scallops shrimp any local sustainable fish – [whole sardines, canned salmon, anchovies: have bones-in for better nutrition]

Whole Eggs

Cottage cheese – whole and / or Plain Yogurt – whole (YOU sweeten)

Goat yogurt/cheese such as Chevre

Sheep milk yogurt/cheese such as Valbreso feta/Pecorino Romano

Raw Milk Cheeses and Raw Milk

Kefir or other cultured dairy products

All legumes have some protein – they need to be slow cooked properly

Vegetables/Fruit:

Seasonal Vegetables and Fruits

Keep dark leafy greens as a regular in the diet.

“Starchy” Carbohydrates – if tolerated.  Moderate based upon your glycemic control:          

True Sourdough Bread

white or brown rice

millet or quinoa

pasta

Rolled oats

Potatoes, sweet potatoes

Winter squash of any type

Unbleached small batch flour

Crackers with quality oils or no oils in ingredients

Traditional tortillas

Utensils: (other than the basics):

pressure cooker (For making bone broths)

cast iron skillet

heavy deep pot – like a Crouset

food processor and/or handheld mixer

Now for this one, I have found a very good quality store bought that is really close to homemade, fresh mayonnaise in the cooler of some gourmet shops and health food stores.  It is by “deLouis fils” and will have a short shelf-life once opened – about 10 days.

To make my own – take 2 egg yolks from (pasture-fed chickens if possible), mix with 1 ½ TBS fresh lemon juice and 1 tsp Dijon mustard and a pinch of salt.  Blend with a handheld blender or a whisk.  Once well-mixed, start pouring the oil mixture slowly in while continually mixing.  I use 50% olive oil and 50% grapeseed oil.  This comes out with the best flavor – all olive oil is pretty intense.  Use about ¾ cup of oil to get the right thickness of mayonnaise.

It will be a little thinner than store bought because of the lack of chemical thickeners, but will thicken once cool.  Will keep in Refrigerator for up to 7-10 days.

Enjoy. – Dr. Richard Maurer

Let’s keep it really simple here.  I make one salad dressing 90% of the time.  So let’s just do that one first.  Households in Europe and the Mediterranean have no store bought salad dressing – it is quick and simple to make it yourself and the quality of the oil is always better.

In a separate jar on in the bottom of the salad bowl mix together:

Extra virgin, cold pressed Olive oil, lemon juice (fresh), Celtic salt, Dijon mustard, a pinch of sugar

 Now, for a little discussion.  Olive oil is at least 4 ounces to accommodate the juice of one lemon.  The mustard is Grey Poupon and the sugar is less than ¼ tsp.  This isn’t even a single gram of sugar, but it adds a lot of flavor – by lessening the bitterness of some of the bitter mesclun greens.  Easy huh?

The other 10% of the time, I make Ceasar salad dressing.  This is the same as above with this change: Add an egg yolk to the lemon juice first, whip together.  Then slowly add the olive oil while whipping.  When it thickens slightly – I add the other ingredients.  This is served with romaine lettuce, anchovies and pecorino romano cheese.

Make your own Yogurt:

You will need:

Glass jars

Real milk

A prior batch or bought plain whole yogurt

A tight-lidded insulated cooler

Cream, optional

Start with a good quality whole milk – I buy fresh local raw milk from Jersey Cows.

If a thicker yogurt is desired, add several ounces of whole cream per quart of milk

Heat  milk and cream mixture until some bubbles form on the surface

Cover and let set until about room temperature

Add 2-4 TBS of an established plain yogurt, your prior batch or store bought to each quart mason jar

Pour the cooled milk into the mason jars over the yogurt, cover and shake to mix contents

Place one or multiple jars into an insulated cooler like the “Playmate” coolers and fill to the lids with hot water from your tap – cover tightly and let set on the counter overnight.  

Keep in the warm “cooler” for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours if a stronger culture is desired.  Personally, I will pour some of the lukewarm water out in the morning and refill with hot tap water to extend the culture time to 12-18 hours.

Lauric acid is one kind of saturated fat and is associated with several health benefits. Unfortunately, Americans’ intake of lauric acid has almost been eliminated with the misguided decrease in saturated fat intake. This healthful oil is traditionally found in heavy cream and butter of grass-fed animals. One of the highest sources is sheep milk products and lamb. Vegetable sources include coconut oil.