Bob

So, I just bought my first cast iron skillet. I've been seasoning it with coconut oil. When I am done cooking, I take the extremely hot pan over to the sink and spray it down with water - as hot as the water can get. Then, I use this little chain mail looking thing specifically designed for cleaning cast iron, but only if there is something stubborn on it that won't spray off. Then I dry immediately and grease it up again.

So yesterday was spent flying. At the airport, there was a Dunkin' Donuts. I ordered egg bites, and they were willing to ring up a side of sausage for $1.10. For some reason, when I opened the container it had 3 sausage patties in it. I was very happy, lol. Then by the time we settled into our room and went for supplies it was late, so I had a meat snack and some pork rinds with a little salsa for dipping.

Why a healthy brain requires a meaty diet Story by Emily Craig Nutrients from meat such as steak help bone health, fertility and immune function© Provided by The Telegraph We all think we know what we should be doing to keep our brains fit, whether it’s learning a new language, socialising or getting enough sleep. Among this catalogue of habits, eating a juicy steak is unlikely to be at the top of your list. But it should be, according to one Harvard-trained psychiatrist who specialises in nutrition science and brain metabolism. She recently claimed that the brain “needs meat” because it is jam-packed with nutrients that are either difficult or impossible to get from plant sources. Scientists and nutrition experts seem to agree. “Animal-sourced foods – meat, fish, dairy and eggs – are nutrient-rich foods,” says Alice Stanton, a professor of cardiovascular therapeutics at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, who has authored reports warning against shunning meat from our diet. A diet that consists exclusively of plant-based foods risks the brain as well as bone health, fertility and immune function, she warns. Why is meat good for the brain? Meat, particularly red meat, is one of the best sources of zinc. A 250g steak contains around 10.3mg – surpassing the daily recommended intake for men (9.5mg) and women (7mg). Failing to include enough of this mineral in your diet can lead to cognitive impairment – difficulties remembering, learning and concentrating – according to Dr Katherine Livingstone, a senior research fellow at the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition at Deakin University in Victoria, Australia. B12 – a vitamin found only in animal products – is another reason to eat meat, as it is vital for the healthy function and development of brain and nerve cells. “Deficiencies may impact on our memory, thinking and social abilities as we age,” Dr Livingstone adds. Adults are advised to eat 1.5 micrograms (mcg) per day. Liver (100mcg per 120g), beef (4.4mcg per 250g) and chicken (0.53mcg per 150g) are among the most potent sources. The brain 'needs meat' because it is jam-packed with nutrients that are either difficult or impossible to get from plant sources. - iStockphoto© Provided by The Telegraph Additionally, meat is a complete protein, meaning it provides all the essential amino-acids that the body needs. Eating enough of this macronutrient can lower the risk of dementia by a fifth, according to a study from the Mayo Clinic in Arizona. This may be down to protein supporting the function of neurons in the brain, the scientists suggested. UK health advice sets out that people need around 0.75g of protein per kilogram of body weight, which equates to around 56g per day for men and 45g for women. Per 100g, chicken (32g), pork chops (31.6g) and lamb chops (29.2g) are the richest sources. For comparison, plant-based sources of protein – such as tofu (8.1g), red lentils (7.6g) and chickpeas (7.2g) – can contain just a quarter of that amount for the same serving size. Prof Ian Givens, the director of the Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health at the University of Reading, notes that meat also contains docosahexaenoic acid, a long-chain omega-3 fatty acid that maintains brain and neurological function – though oily fish contains even more. Selenium is a mineral that protects cells from damage and is vital for brain signalling. Men need around 75mcg per day, while women should have around 60mcg. Pork is one of the richest sources (18mcg per 100g), along with chicken thighs (15mcg per 100g) and turkey breast (10mcg per 100g). What meat should we eat and how much? Official UK advice recommends eating no more than 70g of red or processed meat per day – which is around the size of a deck of cards – but there is no official guidance on white meat (chicken and turkey). We all know that red meat can be high in salt and saturated fat, meaning that eating too much over time can raise cholesterol and blood pressure, ultimately contributing to heart and circulatory disease. Diets high in saturated fat have also been linked to poor cognitive function, studies show. The key, as usual, is moderation. Prof Givens recommends eating slightly less than officially recommended – the equivalent of around 50g of unprocessed red meat per day and cutting out processed meat intake to zero. It’s also important to be savvy about the cut of meat you choose. “Fattier cuts, especially red meat, tend to be high in saturated fat. Choose lower-fat versions of minced red meat,” says Rob Hobson, a registered nutritionist and the author of the cookbook Unprocess Your Life. “It doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy fattier meats occasionally, but it’s healthier to go for lean meat most of the time. Cuts of poultry like the thigh, drumstick and wings are fattier but you can just remove the skin after cooking if you want to reduce the saturated fat content,” he says. For comparison, 100g of lamb can contain around 20g of saturated fat, while the same amount of turkey breast contains less than 1g. But when it comes to white meat, although it is a good source of lean protein, it contains fewer of the micronutrients found in red meat – especially B12 and iron, Mr Hobson notes. “As plant-based foods have grown in popularity, it has been assumed that meat is bad for you, but in fact it is very nutritious, especially lean red meat. There are wider issues surrounding meat in terms of its impact on the environment but nutritionally lean red meat is more nutritious that lean white meat,” he adds. Prof Givens adds: “The justification for red meat consumption is really a nutritional one so I would go for lean beef, which generally has a higher iron and zinc content than lamb, although both tend to have similar vitamin B12. Pork is generally lower in all these nutrients.” Can vegetarians and vegans still have good brain health? While meat forms part of a healthy diet, people can still get the vitamins they need from plant-based foods – but it can prove more difficult and they will need to take supplements. Vegetarians and vegans need to eat plenty of other sources of protein, such as beans, lentils and quinoa, to make sure they are consuming the right mixture of amino-acids. Additionally, B12 is found naturally only in animal products, meaning those whose diets are plant-based need to eat foods fortified with the vitamin, such as cereal or soya products, or take a supplement. Studies have shown that a B12 deficiency is widespread among vegans. Research has also revealed that the body better absorbs brain-supporting minerals zinc and iron from meat than plants. ARTICLE SOURCE: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/nutrition/why-a-healthy-brain-requires-a-meaty-diet/ar-BB1krrSt?

I kinda like listening to him. But he's definitely a drug pusher. He basically thinks we all should get on Metformin and Statins as soon as we exit the womb, lol. Basically, if your LDL is above 100, your death is imminent and treating you is an emergency.

This morning's 4 egg omelet had pepper jack cheese, pepperoni, salami, and some banana peppers for a little zing zing, lol. I'm going on vacation tomorrow. When I return it's going to be BBBE for September.

So those are both positives. Reduced inflammation paves the way for some healing to take place. There were periods of time where I also stalled on the scale, but continued to drop notches on my belt. Some people refer to that as body recompositioning. It would be good to know what you are eating and when. If you're still eating 3 meals a day, have you made a point to eliminate snacking? How about not eating at least 3-4 hours before going to bed? How about your choice of beverages? If you're not tracking calories and macros, I would recommend doing so for a few weeks. Carb Manager is a great app and it's free.

No. The guy I keep seeing in my feed is Dr. Mohammed Alo. Interesting, I just looked him up to make sure I had his first name correct and it turns out he's right here with me in Ohio.

You're making excellent progress 🙂 That initial drastic weight drop is always exciting that first week (the water weight), but then it does slow down and become more realistic. Weight loss isn't linear. Somedays will even go up, leaving you scratching your head, lol. My video on "Seeing is believing" shows my Carb Manager chart over there last several years of my weight loss journey. Down, down, up, down, stall, down, up, up, drastic down, stall again, lol.

I use mustard once in a while, especially if I have kielbasa or a similar sausage. But, I consider myself "mostly carnivore" and not a strict carnivore. To me, mustard is just another seasoning.

Hot dogs isn't high up on my list of staples. nor that of tasty treats, lol. But, I will have them once in while if didn't pack a lunch and my options are limited. I've also attended some graduation parties or family reunions this year where hamburgers and hotdogs were the only meats present, to which I had my fill a'plenty. Like Dr. Berry says, you technically CAN do this diet using hot dogs, vienna sausage, and other cheap forms of meat, and it would still be a whole lot better than the standard american junk diet.

Lol. Makes me think of this meme...

It's possible. Most references will say that they're caused by stress and anxiety, or because you’ve had too much caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol, certain medications or supplements, or abnormal electrolyte levels. For example, low potassium can be a problem, as can high potassium. They usually go away on their own. However, if they are present in conjunction with shortness of breath, dizziness, chest pain, fainting, sweating, nausea, or with neck, jaw, back, or stomach pain, then you should get checked out. Together these could signal a heart attack.

Sounds like you are getting enough electrolytes, but to be sure you could get an electrolyte panel just to make sure. If you are in the USA, OwnYourLabs.com can get you all sorts of labs (through Labcorp) for bargain prices. A couple other thoughts that come to mind include 1) transitioning. Yes, some can adapt to a keto-carnivore diet and start using fat and ketones for energy within days. Most people it takes a few weeks. But there are some with whom it takes months, especially if they were very carb-heavy beforehand. Your cells might be saying "I want my glucose, I don't want these darn ketones" lol, but eventually you will adapt and they will prefer to use fat for energy instead of glucose. 2) Have you tried isolating those foods? You mentioned ground beef with various amounts of fat, added beef fat, pork belly, and eggs. You could have a sensitivity to one of these. Try eating just the ground beef for a few days or a week and see how you feel. If you feel an improvement, then add back in the eggs for a week and see how you feel. Then add in the pork belly for a week, etc. Maybe you have a sensitivity to egg whites, or pork, both of which are usually due to the grains these animals are fed. You could even have a histamine-intolerance to the beef. Very rare, but if that's the case, we can deal with that as well. So I would rotate your food, just eating one at a time, just to rule one of them out as a potential issue.

I used to use LoseIt and even paid the annual premium so that it would track things like "net carbs". But then I discovered Carb Manager, and it does everything I need it to without paying the annual premium, and the data in the database is more accurate, and easier to edit should you find a mistake.

Thanks for the video links. I'll watch them and see if they reference actual studies, particularly that 50's one you referred to. I'd love to be armed with the research paper itself.

A couple years ago I would have rolled my eyes at all this, laughing it off as conspiracy theories. Now here I am today basically trying to say the same thing, hoping to wake others up who are caught in the never ending system of junk food, obesity, and prescriptions. I would agree with this. For example, my doctor is a good guy, and very intelligent and very learned, but schooled in the mainstream medical system that it's hard for him to reconcile my diet with it's good results. It's cool that I lost weight and feel awesome, but "YoU hAvE tO eAt OATS" lol 😄 Although he's siding with me and telling my wife to quit the junk food and just eat fruit when she's got that sweet craving. At our last appointment he asked how she was doing. I said pretty good but she's eating a truckload of fruit, way too much, and he actually looked at her and said "you can't do that. I said have a piece of fruit, not eat fruit all day long" lol. There's this doctor on YouTube that the algorithm keeps shoving in my face now. He's very anti-carnivore and anti-keto. Smart guy. Likeable. But his name might as well be Dr. STATIN because you would think the whole world needs to be on them after listening to him, lol.

So my wife is on the keto/animal-based train almost full time now and is losing weight. She's basically no grains, a Keto Chow shake for breakfast, meat, cheese, and some fruit for lunch, and then whatever carnivore dinner I prepare in the evening. She's in that phase where experimenting with various keto recipes is fun for her. We've all been there. Anyway, tonight she attempted to make a "potato chip" substitute. Our friend Jan who we met that lives down the street gave us a couple packets of potato flavored keto chow with the mission to try and create either a "potato chip" or "french fry". We mixed the Keto Chow with 16oz of cottage cheese, spread it real thin, and baked it. It was good. It had more of a cracker like feel to it, but you could taste the potato. And it was about 99% or more carnivore friendly.

This would be fine. Whey comes from the cheese making process, and is an animal protein. It contains all the amino acids and is therefore a complete protein. You just want to make sure it's clean. You could do this and still be mostly carnivore, carnivore enough. Keto Chow isn't strictly carnivore because of the acacia gum (it acts as an emulsifier and lets butter or other fats stay mixed even when refrigerated) along with a few other plant-derived ingredients (like cocoa powder in the chocolate). They do make versions with beef protein as well as unsweetened. My wife uses Keto Chow currently. You mix it with your choice of fat and water. Currently we use a mix of water and heavy cream. It's good stuff.

I still have an aversion to chewy fat. I have to cut it so that I am eating it along with the meat. If the blob is too big, I cut it and push it to the side. Now I can tolerate it if it is fried to a crisp. So a lot of times I will trim the fat around my steak AND then add it to the pan. As the steak cooks, the fat trimming get crispy, and then I can enjoy both.

Nice article. I always figured "2000 calories a day" was just a number that made the math simple, in order to establish a standard.

That's awesome. These are nice little milestones in your recovery. Remember every improvement, both big and small, as these will keep you motivated to stay the course.

Are those studies online and could you link to them. I have a friend who is suffering from a bad form of MS. He doesn't work now and he's always snacking on carbs and putting on some weight. I've talked about carnivore - but it might pack a better punch armed with some studies and evidences.

As far as what they do - nothing. In fact, I use the Soda Stream CO2 cartridges in my DrinkMate. The DrinkMate though has this patented lid. The fizz infuser is built into the lid. After carbonating, there's a little button on the lid that you can gently press to let the pressure out slowly. This is why I can carbonate anything. The Soda Streams don't have that. The fizz infuser simply dips into the liquid in the container, but it's not sealed at the top of the bottle. Therefore if you fizz something besides water, it will bubble over and make a mess.

I like your taste in food, lol 😄 Welcome aboard! Yesterday was my typical staples, except for dinner. There's a place around the corner that sells pulled pork. So we got some of that without any sauce to take home and enjoy.

So what I hear is your numbers are improved, even if only slightly, and you're feeling great. I would say, keep doing what you are doing 😉