#i am going to eat like i havent been fed in a Decade when i get home. im hungry and my legs are sleepy tired.

[transgaysex]

i am so fucking hungry everypony

[healthmessenger]

The Actual Coronavirus diet…according to HealthMessenger

On March 23, the World Food Programme issued guidelines on the “do’s” and “dont’s” of eating while on quarantine. In last week’s article, I gave my take on each of the 7 tips on keeping a healthy diet in the face of coronavirus…according to the WFP…   

Some of you subsequently reached out to ask what my guidelines would be. Even though I have not personally contracted the virus…yet…and havent had to quarantine, I did preventatively tweak my diet;

Full Disclosure…

As some of you already know, I strongly advocate for low carb diets, especially when tackling auto-immune diseases such as type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, etc… . I myself have recently adopted a modified Ketogenic diet in an attempt to rebalance my macros to boost my immune system. The “modified” part comes with the addition of low GI fruits(strawberries, raspberries, kiwi, apples, pears, apricots, tomatoes) and low GI starches(sweet potatoes) around workouts in order to maintain a high metabolic rate. I have also started supplementing with Vitamin D in order offset the lack of sun exposure. That’s enough about me though… . Let’s see what the science has to say…

Low-carb nutrition and immune function

On Number 15, 2019 a study published in ScienceImmunology showed that mice fed a Ketogenic diet for seven days were protected from a lethal flu virus by increasing the number of specialised immune cells in their lungs. But interestingly, this protection only came once the mice had metabolically adapted to the high-fat diet. Giving exogenous ketones without the metabolic adaptation did not confer the same benefit.  Obviously, that’s a far cry from saying a keto diet will do the same for influenza in humans or for COVID-19, simply because 1)Humans are not mice and 2)something tells me we can’t do the same study where we purposely infect people with a lethal influenza strain. To be completely honest, the paper is incredibly dense with detailed discussion of the immunologic and genetic responses, but I think the basic conclusion is good enough. The metabolic adaptation to a ketogenic diet can affect the function of the immune system to the point where it can prevent a lethal infection. But one question we should ask is, if we follow a diet that is proven to help with weight loss and metabolic health and may also beneficially affect immune function, wouldn’t it be worth trying? What do we have to lose?

Quality, quality, quality…

So, now more than ever, you might want to jump on a low-carb diet. I am not going to debate which LCHF diet is the best, simply because there is no clear cut answer to that question and also because I have partially answered that question in a previous article. Having said that, the quality (nutritional density) of the food you choose must prevail over the underlying food category (fruits vs vegetables vs meat vs etc…) promoted by the diet you eventually decide to pick. I don’t care wether you are vegan, carnivore or anything in between, the quality of the ingredients/foods you pick must be of the highest quality possible. That is as organically grown as available in your area. You are better off eating a grass-fed, grass finished steak over an “enhanced” apple(genetically modified with added sugar). Vice versa, you are better off eating an organically grown apple from your grandmothers’ apple tree over an antibiotic treated piece of meat. The same rule of thumb applies across food categories. Simply pay a  bit more attention to the labels and do not hesitate to ask your well-intentioned butcher/gardener.

Cook your Food

France’s health and safety agency (ANSES) convened an expert group to investigate whether the COVID-19 disease can be potentially transmitted via contaminated food.

In light of the scientific knowledge available, ANSES has suggested transmission through food could occur if a person infected with the virus prepares or handles food with dirty hands – and contaminates it.   

“This could concern all types of food (animal or plant products),” ​noted the agency​. “Furthermore, while there is no evidence to suggest that consumption of contaminated food can lead to infection of the digestive tract, the possibility of the respiratory tract becoming infecting during chewing cannot be completely ruled out.”​

As with other known coronaviruses, the novel coronavirus is sensitive to cooking temperatures, ANSES continued. “Heat treatment at 63​°C for four minutes (temperature used when preparing hot food in mass catering) can therefore reduce contamination of a food product by a factor of 1,000.”​

ANSES has reiterated that cooking food and observing good hygiene practices when handling and preparing food are effective at preventing contamination of the novel coronavirus.

Load up on fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds

This one sounds like a no brainer…until you adopt a low-carb diet. Studies after studies have shown that the consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds is obviously a common recommendation when it comes to strengthening ones immunity.  I would recommend 2-3 pieces of low GI fruits(below 50) per day and at least 5 vegetables(below 30) a day. As far as nuts and seeds are concern, choose raw over salted. Portions will vary on an individual basis. A hand full per day is good rule of thumb though. Forget about the rainbow 

Stay the hell away from refined carbs and sugars

I know how tempting it can be to reach out to cookies whilst binging on the latest Netflix series, awaiting for the quarantine to end …but please…dont… .

Laboratory evidence suggests sugar impairs white blood cell function and triggers acute rises in blood sugar, leading to an increased risk of infections and complications. Therefore, it would make sense that we want to limit these blood sugar elevations. Refined carbohydrates and simple sugars are two of the biggest offenders for blood sugar spikes and should therefore be eliminated.

This is not to say that studies show avoiding these foods results in fewer infections. (We don’t have that clear evidence.)

However, one simple solution is to use the measurement of your own blood sugar as a guide. If higher blood sugar is associated with more complications, it makes sense we want to limit that. I suggest measuring your blood sugar either with a regular glucometer or, even better, with a continuous glucometer (CGM) if you have access to one. If the foods you eat cause your blood sugar to rise above 140mg/dl (7.8mmol/L), consider eating something different.

Again studies show that a low-carb, moderate protein, higher fat diet effectively reduces blood sugar and can even reverse type 2 diabetes. We don’t have proof that this will “boost your immune system,” but it may help keep blood sugars in check which may be associated with decreased infectious risk.

Chicken soup/bone broth

Treating colds and the flu with chicken soup may be the most popular urban myth of all time. Surprisingly, it may not be 100% a myth. One study showed chicken soup “inhibited neutrophil migration,” which the authors suggest could improve our ability to recover from infections. However, this is one of those instances where laboratory findings may not translate to clinical improvements such as fewer or less serious infections. But it’s hard to argue with a tasty homemade soup with chicken(grass-fed), a few low-carb veggies, and plenty of real salt. Immune booster or not, it sounds like a great meal for a period in self-isolation.

Herbs and Spices

Turmeric

Turmeric is a spice commonly used in Indian and Asian cuisine, including curries. It contains a bright-yellow compound known as curcumin, which emerging research suggests might enhance immune function. However, there isn’t any convincing evidence showing that it helps fight viral infections yet. On the other hand, adding turmeric to your food adds flavour, and taking a curcumin supplement is unlikely to cause any harm in otherwise healthy people. If you have any medical conditions — especially if you take blood thinners — check with your doctor before supplementing with curcumin.

Echinacea

Echinacea is an herb that can reportedly help prevent the common cold. But is this reputation well-deserved? A recent systematic review of randomised trials found that echinacea may possibly have a mild protective effect against upper-respiratory infections but doesn’t appear to reduce the length or severity of illness. While it’s impossible to say whether it might offer any protection against COVID-19, it appears to be safe to take on a short-term basis. If you’re at high risk, you may consider taking it for the next several weeks.

Garlic

Garlic, a popular and pungent herb with a characteristic aroma, is widely believed to have antibacterial and antiviral effects, including helping to fight the common cold. A 2014 randomised controlled trial did find that people who took a garlic supplement had fewer colds and recovered more quickly from colds than people who didn’t take garlic. Although this is encouraging, this is just one study. Other high-quality trials are needed to confirm whether garlic is truly beneficial for the common cold or other upper-respiratory infections. For now, enjoy garlic for its zesty flavour and unmistakable aroma rather than counting on it to boost your immunity during the coronavirus pandemic.

Supplements

Vitamin C

For decades, Vitamin C has been used to help prevent the common cold. Among other functions, this vitamin can help maintain healthy skin that provides a barrier to germs and other harmful invaders. In addition, some — but not all — studies suggest it may improve the function of certain white blood cells that fight infection. In addition, there is conflicting evidence about the potential mortality benefits of high dose Vitamin C for patients with sepsis, the most severe form of systemic infections. While it’s unclear whether taking a Vitamin C supplement is beneficial for COVID-19, for most people there’s no harm in taking up to 2,000 mg per day (the upper limit set by the National Academy of Medicine).

For smokers and high-risk individuals, it’s definitely worth considering. Vitamin C is water-soluble, so your body will excrete whatever you don’t need into your urine. However, at very high doses, Vitamin C may cause diarrheas or increase the risk of kidney stones (especially in men), so be sure not to exceed 2,000 mg daily.

Vitamin D

As both a hormone and a vitamin, Vitamin D plays a number of important roles in health. In recent years, people have taken very high doses of Vitamin D with the intention of boosting immunity. But is this an effective tactic? A 2017 systematic review of 25 randomised trials found that taking a Vitamin D supplement seemed to have a mild protective effect against respiratory-tract infections in most people, but provided much greater protection in those who were very deficient in Vitamin D. If your Vitamin D levels are low, you may have a better chance of staying well if you supplement with 2,000 IU per day (or more, with medical supervision). Many — perhaps even most — people are deficient in vitamin D. So it’s probably wise to take a Vitamin D supplement right now, especially if you’re at increased risk for COVID-19. Of course, your body can make Vitamin D on its own when your skin is exposed to sunlight, so try to get some sun whenever you can. How much sun depends on the time of year and your location. A good starting point is 15 minutes of exposure to a large body part (such as the torso or back). Just remember to avoid sunburns, as excess sun exposure carries its own risks

Zinc

Zinc is a mineral involved in the white blood cell response to infection. Because of this, people who are deficient in zinc are more susceptible to cold, flu, and other viruses. One meta-analysis of seven trials found that supplementing with zinc reduced the length of the common cold by an average of 33%. Whether it could have a similar effect on COVID-19 isn’t yet known. Taking supplementary zinc may be a good strategy for older people and others at increased risk. If you decide to take zinc, make sure to stay below the upper limit of 40 mg per day, and avoid administering nasally, due to the risk of olfactory complications.

Fasting

With all the focus on how certain foods affect your immune system, you may also wonder, what about fasting? As counterintuitive as this one may sound, fasting protocoles are proving more and more effective at boosting immune functions..

One study in mice showed that fasting, or more specifically refeeding after a fast, restored immune function that had been suppressed by chemotherapy. During the fasting period itself, however, fasting appeared to impair the immune system, especially in the elderly. This is a very important caveat to keep in mind, especially if yo have already been infected by COVI-19. Fasting should only be used a a preventative tool. 

Over the long term, intermittent fasting and refeeding will boost the immune system. Keep this in mind in preparation for the next pandemic. Sorry but yes, we will likely face other, more or less severe, pandemics in the coming years/decades. Better be safe than sorry.  However, during an acute pandemic, where the immediate risk of infection is higher than usual, it may not be a good time to try fasting, given the potential for a temporary decrease in immunity.

This may sound surprising for those who have heard the phrase, “starve a fever.” The theory is that humans have evolved to not feel hungry and purposely avoid food during an acute illness as a protective mechanism, which may in turn limit nutrients the virus needs to replicate. To be clear, this is all conjecture without any quality supporting evidence.

Other evidence suggests that ketones are beneficial for immune function, and perhaps that could be why some recommend fasting. But considering all of the data together, if that were the case, you are better off adopting a keto diet and not fasting. Based on the limited data available, I suggest not fasting longer than 36 hours during the outbreak of the coronavirus, especially if you are older than 60 years old. It’s logical that you can continue with shorter-duration time-restricted eating, although there is no data on this either.

There you go…my official guidelines on keeping a healthy diet in the face of coronavirus…

Coming up next: Why you cannot “catch” a virus

Until then…take care of you and your loved ones.

To Your Health

The Health Messenger

[healthmessenger]

How NOT to choose a diet!!!

It is important to recognise that eating is personal, public and political and impacts all aspects of human life. Nothing more fully and powerfully influences the daily lives of everyone than our food, food choices and food systems. Food is a tool to nourish life but also for taking political action and for averting the dangers of climate change and preventing unnecessary harm.

Diets, an ideological stance.

Some diets, from plant-based diets(like the Vegan diet) on one end of the spectrum, to meat only diets (like the Carnivore diet) on the other extreme end of the spectrum and everything  in between (Keto, Atkins, Vegetarian); have reached cult-like status, turning one camp against one another in a partisan fashion, to the extent that switching allegiances is often perceived as a betrayal… . Truth be told that diets are, more than people probably would like to admit, a reflexion of our political/societal views as well as our desire to belong to a group of individuals who share similar values, thoughts and overall perspective on the world in which we live(There is even a diet called The World Peace Diet).  By and large, our choice of diets are often intrinsically governed by our ideologies. Take the Vegan diet for example. A majority of people adopt a plant-based  diet for one of three reasons(Health Benefits, Environmental Protection and/or Animal Rights). The last two often prevail over the first one, for arguably good reasons (More on that debate in my article titled “The Top 3 Reasons People Adopt A Vegan Diet…and 2 Reasons No to Adopt It…” ). The Carnivore or the Paleo diet, on the other end of the spectrum, tend to attract politically conservative folks with more historically and traditionally entrenched views. Many animal-based eaters(including myself) become so largely because of cultural, social and familial pressures. The feeling of alienation one is subjected to when pressured to give up a particular food group is often seen as an infringement on someone’s rights and freedom of choice. Without waning to generalise, people on the more conservative side to the political spectrum tend to downplay issues such as climate change an animal rights. 

“Thank you for the ideological rant about how not t adopt a particular diet…but what about my health?” ; and “How do I choose a diet that is right for me?”

1. Nutritional Density/Quality

I am going to try as much as I can not to fall prey to such dogmatically held beliefs when comparing diets. I strongly believe that there is no perfect and/or ideal diet and that by and large, the quality of the food you eat (its nutritional density) is a lot more important than your diets’ macro-ratio. Ask me to choose between a grass-fed/grass finished steak and GMO derived apple, chances are I will go for the steak, every time. On the other hand, if I am handed an apple from my grand-mum’s organically grown garden and a steak from an intensive/battery raised cow, I will definitely choose the apple over the steak. What does that make me? Yes, you guessed it right…this makes me a nutritionist. Nutrition is, has always been and should always be about nutrient density, never about macro-ratios or food groups. Don’ get me wrong though. I am not asking you to eat organically grown tropical fruits (read high sugar) all day long as this would spike your insulin and could potentially lead to type 2 diabetes; nor am I telling you to turn into a carnivore, unless your objective is to reverse/combat an auto-immune disease… A good starting point is to simply avoid and eventually eliminate so-called processed foods from your diet. Here are a few rules of thumb to avoid processed food:

Don’t buy/eat food your grand-mother would not recognise as food

When reading labels, don’t pick packaged food containing   Artificial Coloring (Yellow #5 & Yellow #6, etc…); Artificial Sweeteners (High Fructose Corn Syrup, Aspartame, etc…); Additives(Monosodium Glutamate, Potassium Bromate, etc…); Preservatives(Sodium Benzoate,Sodium Nitrite, Sodium Sulfite, Sulfur Dioxide, etc…) and by-products of processing fats (TransFats). Unpronounceable and/or unidentifiable names should serve as a yardstick (More on Preservatives and Additives to avoid in next week’s article). 

Only shop around sections located at the outskirt of your grocery store and/or supermarket. That’s where you find fresh fruits/vegetables, raw seeds/nuts/legumes, fresh fish/poultry/meat and fresh herbs/spices. The  sections in the middle are where most of the processed foods are located.

2. Allergies, Genetical Predispositions and Medical Conditions

This brings us to the second most important determinant  when choosing a diet, allergies, genetical  predisposition and any other medical condition that is specific to you. I have always been a big advocate of reverse engineering when it comes to choosing your lifestyle diet. A lifetime diet is a diet designed to sustainably suit/support your health markers. It is also a diet that you can sustain and enjoy over the long term without feeling miserable. As a rule of thumb (and based on my personal experience), any diet that promotes avoidance and /or elimination of major food groups should raise a fair degree of skepticism. As funny as this may sound, Keto (High Fat), Vegan (High Carb) or Carnivore (High Protein) diets all have something in common, they all eliminate one or two other major macro group(s). This is not to say that these diets are to be avoided like the plague. Far from that. They can definitely serve as powerful “tools” during short periods of time to achieve specific objectives such the reversal of auto-immune diseases (Carnivore), the reduction of cholesterol and blood pressure (Vegan) or the treatment of certain neurological ailments (Keto).

Your GP can prescribe two main types of allergy tests : the first is a skin tests and and second a blood tests:(sometimes both are prescribed as part of an annual health check).  A skin test (also called a scratch test) is the most common allergy test. With this test, the doctor or nurse will put a tiny bit of an allergen (like pollen or food) on the skin, then prick the outer layer of skin or make a small scratch on the skin. Blood test  cover a wider array of health markers, including triglycerides , cholesterol  levels(LDL and HDL), creatinine, etc… .

3. Personal Health Goals

The most important question you must ask yourself before adopting any diet is: “What is my goal? What am I trying to achieve here?”.  Now that we have ruled out ideological, political and any other partisan stances from the equation, we are going to solely focus on health goals.  As mentioned earlier, I tend to look at diets as tools for achieving certain goals at particular points in time. Whether it is putting on muscle for a competition (or simply to look good in front of the mirror …and other people), quickly loosing weight so that you can fit into that beautiful dress/suit you havent you have last worn a decade ago, or simply adopting a diet that is going to expand your lifespan and overall health so that you get to see your grand-children grow, your short, medium and long term goals must be clearly identified from the outset. These goals can and shall be revised periodically as you move through life. A body of studies of shown that people adopting plant-based diets tend to live longer on average, but controversially not for the reasons you might expect. Vegans just tend be more health conscious than the average folk. They usually exercise more often, drink less alcoholic, are less prone to consuming harmful drugs, etc…basically their entire perspective on health is inherently determined by an intrinsic desire to adopt a better “lifestyle”. On the other hand,  people who wish to improve athletic  performance, especially strength, might want to adopt a diet  rich animal-proteins (animal-proteins have been proven to be more bioavailable and to possess the full spectrum of amino acids necessary to building muscle). Once your objective has been achieved, it is usually recommended to switch back to  healthier “maintenance” levels. The bottom line is that “context” is key. It goes without saying that, as with any other major decisions pertaining to your health, consulting with your GP is highly recommended.

I sincerely hope that this will help you and your loved-ones  to make an informed decision….

To Your Health

The Health Messenger