Hi Ernst
There is always a debate about frequency of eating - whether eating more few times or eating less more times. I follow Dr Berg a little bit, what he says is that eating small meals many times activates pancrease over and over again to release insulin and eventually the person can develop insulin resistance means some form of diabetes. Whereas eating less than full but just two times won't cause insulin spike frequently and that's good for endocrine system. He has dozens of you tube videos on ketosis and intermittent fasting. Is ketosis a better way for managing health where body fulfills its energy needs from fats instead of carbs/glucose ? He doesn't like fruits or fruit juices either because of glucose triggering insulin spike.
As you have some sports background too, so is interesting to know can athletes ever get insulin resistance despite eating lot of meals a day or what they prefer?
Thank you
Insulin resistance is caused by fats in the blood stream. So if a person eats several meals a day, one that has fat, one that has sugar, etc. yes, it will cause problems. Nothing sweet should be eaten with fat or especially after fats until the fats have been fully metabolized. So after a meal with fats, its best to not eat sweet thigns the rest of the day.
athelets dont have an issue becuause they are usually young, old athlets may have some problems, but in general, athlets have a faster metabolism that is processing the fats faster due to thier energy needs and so there is less chance the fat levels in teh blood will be high enough to cause insulin resistance. Its fats with sugars that cause insulin resistance, sugara alone willn ot due it. THe cure for diabetes is no more than 10% of calories from fats.
Yes, what Ernst said about not eating fats and carbs together is good advice.
Also, I think Keto and intermittent fasting is quite good for reducing insulin resistance.
A really balanced way, that I like, and a lot of athletes, is carb cycling. Eating most of your carbs around your workout or major activity. The best time to eat carbs is after a workout because your muscles are primed for glucose uptake as opposed to fat storage. Some people really like to workout fasted, and then eat carbs after... all the rest of the meals keto. There are quite a few benefits to carbs if eaten properly, and timed properly.
The problem with modern society is a high carb diet with low activity which leads to insulin resistance.
After a workout growth hormone levels go up and eating carbs means insulin spike too and that can suppress the GH.
Dr Berg saying things opposite to gym instructors.
@amit Yes, some people choose to ride the GH wave after the workout. It totally depends on our needs. Even eating protein spikes insulin, its actually why some people are fooled that taking BCAAs during a workout think they are still fasted, they are not. Leucine causes secretion of insulin.
And yes, anytime we feed we inhibit GH and stimulate mTORc1. GH = anti-aging, mTOR = aging. But the balance is important, because the more muscle we have vs body fat, the less insulin resistance.
"In a cross-sectional study, every 10% increase in the ratio of skeletal muscle mass to total body weight was associated with an 11% reduction in risk of insulin resistance and a 12% drop in risk of transitional, prediabetes, or overt diabetes."
So its all about balance and timing.
The problem with a strictly keto diet for the long term, is most people tend to rebound. If we want to eat some french fries, we totally can... albeit after a workout. Although of course we don't want to do that all the time because its deep fried, but you get the point. We can still have those things, just the right way.
Priming the muscle for glycogen uptake helps our muscle have energy for their next workout. Its the perfect balance I have found.
I experimented with both strictly keto and carb cycling. I prefer the carb cycling with proper timing and workouts. I feel keto is great for mental performance, but carb cycling is great for both physical and mental performance... no sleepiness after carbs when primed for glucose uptake.
Thanks for your comments.
How long the GH wave typically lasts after the workout?
BCAA comes with artificial sweeteners like sucralose which are said to kill healthy gut bacteria and increase potential risks
Is there any trustworthy BCAA brand which comes without artificial sweeteners?
How does BCAA gives more energy during the workout?
@amit That's a good question, I am not entirely sure the science behind how long it lasts, but from a feeling standpoint, it feels pretty incredible to still be fasted after a workout, indeed its the best time to do a little meditation and just revel in that post glow. I just listen to my body when it wants to eat afterwards. Although the glycogen uptake post workout might have a shorter window than the GH spike.
What I do know though is that the testosterone and GH spike from doing heavy lifting is quite short, about an hour. Its almost negligible to any permanent effect on the body, but its still there, and still feels good. So perhaps its the same post exercise. I am just not sure.
And yes, sucralose is not something I would want to take all the time. Occasional is okay.
I think the main thing about BCAAs is to prevent muscle breakdown during exercise. I think its a waste of money though, because if you are training fasted, the GH you have circulating through your system will prevent the muscle breakdown. There might be some benefit of adding luecine to your regular meals, as leucine specifically triggers Mtor. That is if you want to put on muscle. Or if you are someone who is mostly vegan, BCAAs are good to eat with your vegan meals to get the types of amino acids that stimulate muscle growth a little more. Otherwise, just eat tons and tons of meat.
Energy during workout is more about glycogen. Glycogen is fuel for the muscle, that's why I like carb cycling. Keeping the muscles full of glycogen, good performance, good lifting, more muscle, less fat... etc...
Thanks Cody. How you manage high uric acid as lots of meat eating will result into that ?
How about omega 3,6,9 supplement? Do they increase ldl cholesterol also along with hdl cholesterol?
@amit Well not going too excessive on the meat, using it more so to meet the demands of whatever protein synthesis is required. For longevity and not as much muscle building purposes, high meat isn't exactly required. But, there are some benefits of a high protein diet, for those who are in their older age, which can prevent muscle breakdown.
The main thing though is to make sure to eat plenty of vegetables, as they clear uric acid. Not only that, but the vegetables can help balance cholesterol. You can take an omega supplement, or just eat more fish and eggs, but I wouldn't be overly cautious of your ldl balance if you are eating plenty of healthy cooked greens and vegetables with nice soluble fibre, which can help keep it all in balance. There are omega balanced eggs and oils that you can buy and take. Is it necessary? Unless you are having some issues such as inflammation, maybe not. The vegetables are the balancing key here.
Thanks Cody...
Another thing is protein absorption supplements as body discards most of protein taken. Do you think they work or have any side effects?
@amit depends what supplements you are talking about. Also protein absorption refers to bioavailability. Animal proteins have quite a high bioavailability and plant proteins tend to be lower.
Eggs have a fantastic bioavailability. I would worry less about absorption and more so about synthesis and amino acid uptake. Insulin has quite the role in amino acid uptake and synthesis. Having a good insulin response will utilize the protein that you do absorb.