Cardiologist video about diet to improve weight, fatigue etc.

[Complex CFSer]

Dr Steven Gundry, cardiologist's video on how diet helped his own weight and has effect on overall health including serious fatigue/lacking energy. Perhaps some ME/CFSers are due to diet or at least exacerbated by weight? It's a waffly repetitive video but here is the link. He claimed this stuff was unpublished anywhere as of June 2016 but then updates to say it's gone viral.

http://silenceyourcravings.com/?n=db

Upshot of the information is:

4 bad "health foods"
1) tomatoes (contain lectins which are really bad for humans, cause leaky gut, a defence of the plant against being eaten - replace with leafy greens, olive oil and animal protein) you can eat tomato pulp but not seeds or skin (also containing lectins are nightshades aubergines, peppers and potatoes)
2) beans (very high lectins)
3) cashews (they are a bean) or peanuts (which can cause colon cancer in males)
4) grains (also contain lectins) and brown bread is even worse than white and makes you crave other bad foods

Good to eat
dark chocolate 70% cocoa or above
walnuts, pistachios or macadamia
almonds are "OK"
coffee (unless filled with sugars, sweeteners or creamers) instead add hemp or coconut milk
stevia
extra virgin olive oil (fights inflammation)

He talks about the microbes in your system, 25 trillion per person.

 

[Complex CFSer]

Still watching the video, cursor froze so had to force reboot and post the thread prior to doing so. Will post again with other findings in the video once I've finished collating them.

 

[Complex CFSer]

For every cell in your body you have 9 microbes that are not human. Most reside in the gut and help to digest food, they can send messages to your brain by using your hormones to communicate with your neo cortex. Microbes also help your immune system fight off illness.

Antibiotics - one round of antibiotics kills off your entire microbiome. Even if you have never taken antibiotics, if you eat non-organic meat regularly, it has them in it. It can take your gut microbiome 2 years to recover from a round of antibiotics.

2008 study showed that one pack of Splenda (artificial sweetener) kills of 50% of your gut microbiome. It's the main sweetener in many diet sodas.

Good microbes are critical for weight management.

Helicobacter pylori communicates with your brain about your ghrelin levels. Ghrelin is the hunger hormone and tells your brain you are not hungry after you have eaten. Less than 6% of American children test positive for H.pylori. Antibiotics have wiped out H. pylori. (what I don't get is that H.pylori is the microbe that is supposed to be responsible for stomach ulcers and they treat people against it?)

You have yeasts (e.g. candida), fungus, moulds, bacteria. Good microbes keep them in check but when you have antibiotics they overgrow. The bad bacteria "hijack your vagus nerve" and send messages to you brain to eat the foods they want to eat. Hence cravings for sugars, refined carbohydrates, processed foods and saturated fats. University studies agree that microbes influence what we eat and released a statement about this.

Particularly bad 'bug' called "methanobrevibacter smithii" and overweight people more likely to have it.

As the fat builds up, energy production goes down.

Rebalance the good bacteria to control the bad bacteria and you don't have to stop eating your favourite foods.

You eat a 'superfood', that is for your good bacteria! Prebiotics.

Probiotics are good but are not your own ones and not as beneficial.

 

[Complex CFSer]

If you take probiotics, then spend a couple of weeks there and then leave because they have nothing to eat. You need to also take prebiotics. Clinical studies prove prebiotics work.

Bifidobacteria are the most important type of good microbe to us. They stimulate the immune system and increase resistance to infection and diarrhoeal disease, reduce chronic gut problems and enhance gut health. Most with IBS have low bifidobacteria levels.

You have to feed your good bugs food that the bad bugs can't eat.

He is of course selling his own supplement (called PreBio Thrive, which contains agave inulin and organic acacia and is only available online!) but you don't have to buy that you can just look for good quality prebiotics. This could help people a lot with fatigue.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good prebiotic? I can see plenty of inulin on eBay, is that the only type of prebiotic there is?

 

[Complex CFSer]

OK done a search and Wikipedia says:

Top 10 Foods Containing Prebiotics
Food Prebiotic Fiber Content by Weight
Gum Arabic 85%
Raw, Dry Chicory Root 64.6%
Raw, Dry Jerusalem Artichoke 31.5%
Raw, Dry Dandelion Greens 24.3%
Raw, Dry Garlic 17.5%
Raw, Dry Leek 11.7%
Raw, Dry Onion 8.6%
Raw Asparagus 5%
Raw Wheat bran 5%
Whole Wheat flour, Cooked 4.8%
Raw Banana 1%
Source:[14]

Food Amount of food to achieve 6 g serving of prebiotics
Raw Chicory Root 9.3 g (0.33 oz)
Raw Jerusalem Artichoke 19 g (0.67 oz)
Raw Dandelion Greens 24.7 g (0.87 oz)
Raw Garlic 34.3 g (1.21 oz)
Raw Leek 51.3 g (1.81 oz)
Raw Onion 69.8 g (2.46 oz)
Cooked Onion 120 g (4.2 oz)
Raw Asparagus 120 g (4.2 oz)
Raw Wheat Bran 120 g (4.2 oz)
Whole Wheat Flour, Cooked 125 g (4.4 oz)
Raw Banana 600 g (1.3 lb)
Source[14]

Hence the supplement form is more realistic!

 

[Complex CFSer]

...funny thing is that wheat bran is on there and it's a grain which is the bad food!

 

[Timaca]

Overall, for me, I go with what cardiologist Robert Ostfeld has to say in this video, and what Dr. Kim Williams says in this video ( He is past president of the American College of Cardiology and current chief of cardiology at Rush University Medical Center). They both suggest a whole foods, plant based diet, low in oils is best for health. I have more videos by them (and others) on the resources page of my blog, if you are interested in viewing them.

I don't believe lectins are bad for humans, since the longest lived and healthiest people on the plant consume them on a day basis. (See Blue Zones for more info). Eating lectins raw (as in raw beans and raw grains) isn't a good idea, but that isn't how people eat lectins!!

Having said all that, I do eat whole foods, plant based and still have CFS (my labs, including my lipid panel are great though--except for my immune function and viral titers--those are abnormal).

I believe the pathogens that I'm battling did set off multiple food intolerances in me, which is a bummer. Rice seems to be the only grain I can eat (I am testing quinoa at the moment). I certainly can't eat wheat, corn or oats which is a bummer. I can eat most fruits except berries. I can eat most vegetables and legumes. I eat very little oil. I don't seem to do well with nuts or seeds (sadly)...but will retest seeds again soon.

I do wish everyone better health....and luck in finding the diet that works for them. For me it is a whole food, plant based diet, with little oil, omitting the foods that give me problems.

Best,

 

[HowToEscape?]

Absolutely, it’s all true. The whole grains diet, the no grains diet, the Paleo diet, the my supplements diet, the my new special souper supplement diet, the my meditation DVD and breathing air diet, and the attend my mass seminar and revenue event diet, they’re all the one weird trick which will cure your belly fat, fatigue, depression cancer hair loss ED And bad breath.
Please forward blank checks, your bank routing number, your mothers middle name, birthdate, fingerprint and 23 and me genotype to our supersecret post office box in the Maldives, because the FDA is being paid by big Pharma, monsanto, and Boris and Natasha to hunt us us down.

 

[Complex CFSer]

@Timaca People do eat tomatoes raw.

He did use multiple references throughout the video and there is plenty on the internet explaining lectins are harmful to humans, here is one example:

"Do dietary lectins cause disease?"
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1115436/

In the video he also explained that in Italy they peel the tomatoes and scoop out the seeds when using tomatoes to reduce the amount of lectin consumed.

I know it's true about grains also because humans were not designed to eat grains and there's a lot of information on that out there.

We need certain fats to be healthy so the right oils, as he suggests extra virgin olive oil is a good choice, Mediterranean diets contain a lot of this and they have better health.

This guy apparently invented an artificial heart and has done over 10k (I think that was the figure) cardiac operations and seen the effect of the diet on the human body. He talks about his experience in the video and from recall his publications as well.

 

[Complex CFSer]

Here's a research article on grains:

"The Dietary Intake of Wheat and other Cereal Grains and Their Role in Inflammation"
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3705319/

"In the present review, we describe how the daily consumption of wheat products and other related cereal grains could contribute to the manifestation of chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases. Both in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate that gliadin and WGA can both increase intestinal permeability and activate the immune system. The effects of gliadin on intestinal permeability and the immune system have also been confirmed in humans."​

 

[Complex CFSer]

On the grain issue:

"Fatigue as a determinant of health in patients with celiac disease"
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19935081

"Non-coeliac gluten sensitivity"
http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e7982

"Non-coeliac gluten sensitivity: piecing the puzzle together"
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4406911/

So you don't have to have coeliacs to have fatigue from wheat.

 

[Sundancer]

I cannot eat gluten but do not have coeliac or allergy.
likewise with cowsdairy, but goat's milk is ok, not too much though.

and what I eat, very slowly I try to add new things...very slowly.
What I eat is decided by my body, not by a diet.

not too much grains ( buckwheat and rice), very low on fruit, veggies ( cooked well), chicken, salmon, sometimes a bit of lamsmeat, lentilles, eggs, ghee,( no cheese, makes me very ill) linseedoil, hempoil, oliveoil, some nuts ( indeed, no cashews, no peanuts, my belly rejects those firmly)
Oh and of course no sugar or artificial additives/sweeteners etc.

But I've regained my weight, I was much too thin and now almost back to normal ( which is pretty slender for a woman my age)

 

[Timaca]

Hi Complex CFSer~
People certainly have different food sensitivities, and wheat is one for me (as is corn and oats). I get headaches and joint pain from those foods (among other issues like sleep disturbance and nerve pain). So, I don't eat those foods. But I eat brown rice, and a lot of it.

My lab tests show a very low level of inflammation (hsCRP test). My result was .3 and less than .9 is good. I recently heard Jane Esselstyn speak at a conference. They are running a study (can't remember where--somewhere in Ohio I think) on teenagers who are diabetic or prediabetic. Putting them on a WFPB diet not only improves / reverses their diabetes but also substantially improves their inflammation levels. I think one study has been published and they are working on another one. (I'm pretty sure it was diabetes....)

You might be interested to watch this video featuring Dr. Lim (also mentioned on my blog). It (along with the other videos) will address all the issues you bring up. I really like Dr. Kim Williams. He is very smart, and very humble. I suggest you watch some of his videos. If I am going to believe any cardiologist, it is him...with his background, leadership and knowledge. He is amazing.

Tomatoes, are eaten raw as you mentioned, but again, lots of people who live in the Blue Zones eat them and do just fine.

Good luck finding what works for you!

 

[Complex CFSer]

@Sundancer - I suspect I have non-coeliacs gluten intolerance also, or at least wheat intolerance. Your diet sounds really good and testament to that, is that your weight is also good, not overweight.

@Timaca - for a long time I found that tomatoes and peppers seem to give me problems, even before I knew about the nightshade family of plants I had noticed the symptoms I got from them. So now I know about lectins I'm wondering if it's the missing information as to why. Thanks for the links, I will have a look. At the moment I'm having medical testing (the latest being sleep apnoea) to try to find out medical causes for my CFS. If all that fails I will have to try with diet because I have methylation problems and have already found improvement with methyl B12, so clearly what we put into our bodies is not only very important but also needs to be matched to our individual physiology.

 

[Timaca]

@Complex CFSer ~ Like you, I am leery of the foods in the nightshade family.....so I don't eat a lot of them, and I pay attention to how I feel when I do eat them. It is always easier for me if a food gives me a more immediate (and rather strong) response...then some kind of vague response.

It does get difficult when it is a chemical in a food rather than just a food that is an issue. For example, I think I have a histamine intolerance, but it seems to apply just to animal protein (or it could be that animal protein has more histamine than vegetables). I can eat very fresh fish, but not fish that is smelly or has been frozen. I can't eat other animal protein, and I suspect that is because it has been dead for awhile and thus the histamine levels are quite high.

I can't eat berries (will test them again this summer). I suspect it is due to the benzoates in them. People who have trouble with histamine, often have trouble with benzoates. One way to be sure is to eat some cinnamon as that is very high in benzoates. I haven't done that yet, because after awhile I get tired of testing foods that very well might give me a problem, for I really don't like the end result (which is often a bad headache for 2 days!)

So for now, I stick with my safe foods. However, I am testing some quinoa and the small amounts I'm eating seems to be okay....so that would be awesome to be able to add that to my diet.

Good luck with the sleep apnea test. Let me know what you think of the videos when you watch them. Check out all the videos on my resources page if you like the 3 I posted on this thread. There are a few more and they are all quite good. (IMO)..

Wishing you answers and better health!