User travis culp - PaleoHacks.com most recent 30 from http://paleohacks.com 2013-05-20T18:21:50Z http://paleohacks.com/feeds/user/2618 http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/rdf http://paleohacks.com/questions/194914/anyone-have-reactive-hypoglycemia Anyone Have Reactive Hypoglycemia? Travis Culp 2013-05-08T20:17:52Z 2013-05-11T14:48:58Z <p>I had been plagued by this for about the last 20 years. Was able to manage it with certain diet compositions, but I knew there was some nutrient missing. Tried magnesium, zinc, chromium etc. with no perceptible difference. I then decided to try taking a biotin supplement (500mcg d-biotin once a day), and lo and behold, it completely corrected it for me. I don't know if it's because my gut bacteria aren't producing it or I have some failure of biotinidase that is causing it to be insufficiently recycled, but whatever the reason, this supplement has completely corrected it. </p> <p>I've seen some studies where it's used to help diabetics, so I'd say that if you're having trouble managing your blood glucose in some way or another, you might want to give it a try. </p> <p>Interestingly, I used to be unable to take vitamin k-2 because even 45mcg for a few days would cause a day of blood sugar episodes until my levels dropped again. I can now take 360mcg a day with zero issues. They're both involved with carboxylation, but I corresponded with a K2 researcher and he wasn't sure why that would occur but said they don't interact at all. No idea, but I'm psyched about being able to carboxylate osteocalcin and MGP. </p> <p>Lastly, this supplement is most often used by women trying to grow healthier hair and nails, and I definitely noticed that what hair I have grows faster, as do my fingernails. My skin is also much less dry, since it's involved in the processing of EFAs and other fatty acids. </p> <p>It comes in large doses like 5 and 10mg, but I don't really see the point of taking that much, though I don't know if it'd actually be harmful. I've seen some reports of people getting acne from it, but I think that's simply the result of them finally having adequate sebum production, and because they're deficient in vitamin A and/or zinc, it exacerbates the situation. I noticed no such reaction. </p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/63215/could-zinc-and-k-2-be-a-1-2-punch-for-reversing-preventing-dental-caries Could Zinc and K-2 be a 1-2 Punch for Reversing/Preventing Dental Caries? Travis Culp 2011-09-07T00:24:37Z 2013-05-08T02:07:16Z <p>K-2 concentrates in the saliva in order to mineralize calcium in our teeth. Zinc supplementation increases salivary calcium levels: <a href="http://jdr.sagepub.com/content/84/1/35.short" rel="nofollow">http://jdr.sagepub.com/content/84/1/35.short</a></p> <p>Weston Price treated caries with his high vitamin butter oil, which contained a lot of k-2, but I wonder if correcting a zinc deficiency at the same time would make this process faster/more effective. The increased salivary calcium is likely for the proper functioning of taste buds, but I'm sure it's in a form that would mineralize. Most people coming from the SAD are going to be deficient in both of these (k-2 because most avoid a lot of egg yolks, butter and organ meats and zinc because of the high phytate content of the SAD, reduced red meat intake and also organ avoidance). </p> <p>For what it's worth, zinc picolinate appears to be the most bioavailable form. I have encountered no stomach aches as a result of taking it without food. </p> <p>Edit: I should also mention that zinc should be taken away from the copper-rich foods in your diet. The most concentrated source of copper that we eat is probably liver, which itself has a lot of zinc as it is, so the "advertised" levels of both in liver are likely overstating the bioavailability of each. If you took zinc at a time when you eat liver, you might negate most of the copper. </p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/63475/is-the-omega-6-fats-cause-inflammation-argument-too-simplistic Is the "Omega-6 Fats Cause Inflammation" Argument Too Simplistic? Travis Culp 2011-09-08T04:47:57Z 2013-04-26T20:56:47Z <p>As far as I can tell, some sort of stimuli, whether it be an injury or just a need to constrict or dilate something causes various phospholipases to hack a fatty acid out of the membrane of a cell for conversion into an eicosanoid. These phospholipases have very specific tasks that they are sent out to accomplish:</p> <p><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Phospholipases2.png" alt="alt text"></p> <p>Those are the actions of 4 different ones. When that fatty acid is released it can then become the corresponding signalling molecule. The only way that I can see for the system to break down is if there is a dietary deficiency in either the n-3 or n-6 fats that would make it difficult for these phospholipases to find their targets. Assuming that you met the minimums for these fats (whatever they may be), the signalling would proceed as designed. </p> <p>According to S. Guyenet, the amounts of both of these have increased in the American diet (with much more being n-6 of course). This would indicate that a deficiency has probably not worsened. </p> <p>If you look at this: </p> <p><img src="http://www.eatwild.com/images/gr_essential_fat.gif" alt="alt text"></p> <p>Grain-fed beef has less n-6 fats than wild game. I'm not saying this is anything near the SAD, just that the real difference appears to be less n-3. Indeed, the seasonal consumption of nuts could skew this temporarily. If hunter-gather's have to eat a high n-6 fat diet temporarily, do they experience more inflammation during that period? </p> <p>The "n-6 fats cause inflammation" idea implies that all of it is instantly converted into inflammation signalling molecules as it is digested, but really, they're just getting packed into fat cells or oxidized in mitochondria like any other fat until they are called upon to be converted. The composition of our diets is reflected in the fatty acid composition of our depot fat, but to say that a particular fatty acid stored in an adipocyte is more or less inflammatory than another is baseless, as far as I can tell.</p> <p>To be clear, I'm not saying that industrial seed oils are healthy by any means. I think they are unhealthy because of possible oxidation/rancidity and because their chain lengths could make them more conducive to lipogenesis. I just don't see how a particular tribe focusing on bison and brains is going to have less inflammation than one focusing on elk + nuts. It simply doesn't make sense provided that they both hit the minimums.</p> <p>It seems to me that a greater risk is in a deficiency of either one, or in a less than optimal starting point for synthesis (i.e. linoleic acid instead of arachidonic acid) but if you ate enough arachidonic acid, maybe that there is so much more linoleic acid wouldn't matter. I'm assuming that cell membranes would be constructed of the optimal components if enough of them are consumed, even if less optimal components are consumed as well.</p> <p>I haven't really thought about this before, so if I'm missing something let me know.</p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/190047/whats-up-with-eating-disorders-and-paleo/190471#190471 Answer by Travis Culp for What's up with eating disorders and Paleo? Travis Culp 2013-04-09T17:03:09Z 2013-04-09T17:03:09Z <p>I think that "paleo" as it is practiced by the vast majority of people is disordered eating. I think the majority of paleo books feed into it with their heavy emphasis on fear-mongering. I wish people were drawn toward nutrient-dense foods instead of driven away from supposedly scary ones. There is no such thing as a healthy diet coupled with an unhealthy relationship with food. I don't believe that intentional fasting is a healthy practice in the least bit and should not be necessary at all to lose bodyfat. If it is, the diet is sloppy to begin with. If the concepts of binging, cheating, compensatory fasting etc. routinely arise, there is a serious problem. </p> <p>I think the primary reason why we see these things is that paleo attracts people primarily as a weight loss diet and fails very often to produce appreciable results. The emphasis on carbohydrates instead of calories sets people up for failure from the first step. Nearly all of the gurus promoting these high fat low carb crap diets seem to get pudgier by the year. At each plateau, people are offered a new disordered eating technique to add to the pile. Your problem must be fruit! You ate breakfast? Are you crazy? </p> <p>I'd like to see all of these gurus defenestrate themselves from their eating windows...if they can fit through them.</p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/190439/on-the-rice-controversy/190464#190464 Answer by Travis Culp for On the Rice Controversy Travis Culp 2013-04-09T16:37:19Z 2013-04-09T16:37:19Z <p>Heavy rice-eating countries with higher life expectancy than the US: Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan. </p> <p>Last I checked, the obesity rates in Japan and South Korea at least were under 5% and their carbohydrate intakes were in the 250-300g/day range.</p> <p>Personally, when I eat a meal, half the plate is covered with steamed basmati rice. </p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/189677/can-paleo-help-with-hereditary-familial-high-blood-cholesterol-hypercholeste/189955#189955 Answer by Travis Culp for Can Paleo help with *hereditary* (familial) high blood cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia type II a)? Travis Culp 2013-04-07T00:21:14Z 2013-04-07T00:21:14Z <p>High fat, low carb/fiber shot my cholesterol to 393 from 180 (now back to 190 when I removed the lunacy). It's happened to tons of people. Eat a pile of dairy fat and take a ride on the simulated FH roller coaster. Boosting it further if you already have FH is insane. </p> <p>She should do what her doctors tell her and eat a bunch of soluble fiber and avoid butter/cream/coconut like the plague. I bet she hyperresponds to dietary cholesterol as well. She should also be focusing on doing whatever it takes to ensure that her slow turnover LDL pool stays free of oxidation as much as possible. This means a lot vitamin C, a lot of vitamin E (raw sunflower seeds) and the other antioxidants present in fruits and vegetables. Fuck it, everyone should be doing that no matter what. </p> <p>If all else fails, statins are probably a good idea. People with FH are probably the only ones who truly benefit anyway. </p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2583391/" rel="nofollow">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2583391/</a></p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/189179/pot-belly-and-methuselah/189189#189189 Answer by Travis Culp for Pot belly and Methuselah Travis Culp 2013-04-03T02:19:00Z 2013-04-03T02:19:00Z <p>I'm guessing it's the result of a decline in testosterone secondary to your poor sleep and possibly some cumulative nutrient insufficiencies like zinc and magnesium. </p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/189075/interstitial-granuloma-annulare-need-paleo-help/189091#189091 Answer by Travis Culp for Interstitial granuloma annulare-need paleo help! Travis Culp 2013-04-02T17:28:31Z 2013-04-02T17:28:31Z <p>That's a weird one. If this happened since changing your diet, have you tried rolling back to a previous working version? Maybe you're reacting to a food or supplement. Could you have unbalanced vitamins D and A? </p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/188958/dizziness-and-lightheadedness-associated-with-high-carbohydrate/188961#188961 Answer by Travis Culp for Dizziness and lightheadedness associated with high-carbohydrate. Travis Culp 2013-04-01T22:10:46Z 2013-04-01T22:10:46Z <p>Sounds like reactive hypoglycemia. For me at least, it's a lot worse with low-carb or with high glycemic carbs like bread or sweet potato/potato. The best carbohydrate sources for me have been basmati rice and fruits where the fructose exceeds the glucose by a lot, such as apples and pears. Eating these things in the context of a balanced meal that contains meat and fat has helped slow down the glucose uptake further. </p> <p>I've always been like this on any diet, but I'm holding out hope that there is some nutrient insufficiency that I might be able to eventually correct that will allow me to mainline glucose like so many people can. I kind of doubt it though, since my mom and brother are the same way. </p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/188649/magnesium-issues/188650#188650 Answer by Travis Culp for Magnesium issues Travis Culp 2013-03-31T01:20:28Z 2013-03-31T01:20:28Z <p>I've only ever gotten the same anxious feeling from taking 200mg or more of magnesium glycinate at once. You might try getting mag glycinate in 100mg tablets and if you have the reaction, you can just take half of one. You might be reacting to the B6 in that, but it's hard to say. </p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/188529/best-sources-of-vit-c-e/188613#188613 Answer by Travis Culp for Best sources of Vit C & E Travis Culp 2013-03-30T19:48:54Z 2013-03-30T19:48:54Z <p>Eat a couple handfuls of raw sunflower seeds. Great source of magnesium as well.</p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/188555/fat-people-and-insulin-resistance/188603#188603 Answer by Travis Culp for fat people and insulin resistance? Travis Culp 2013-03-30T18:25:04Z 2013-03-30T18:25:04Z <p>Probably the best way to prevent it is by preventing mitochondrial atrophy in skeletal muscle. </p> <p><a href="https://www.thieme-connect.com/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-2007-978828" rel="nofollow">https://www.thieme-connect.com/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-2007-978828</a><br> <a href="http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/28/3/662.short" rel="nofollow">http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/28/3/662.short</a><br> <a href="http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/21/8/1353.short" rel="nofollow">http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/21/8/1353.short</a><br> <a href="http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/85/7/2463.short" rel="nofollow">http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/85/7/2463.short</a><br> <a href="http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/26/11/2977.short" rel="nofollow">http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/26/11/2977.short</a><br> <a href="http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/9309627" rel="nofollow">http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/9309627</a><br></p> <p>There are piles of studies on the subject. I suspect that the vast majority of the benefit can be achieved by performing one set to concentric failure (in the 10 or so rep range) for each muscle group once a week. It would take about 30 minutes. </p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/187044/does-the-paleosphere-have-its-own-flawed-diet-heart-hypothesis Does the Paleosphere Have Its Own Flawed Diet-Heart Hypothesis? Travis Culp 2013-03-22T19:25:16Z 2013-03-30T16:39:19Z <p>Back in March of 2011, I got a lipid panel run after eating a diet loaded with butter and cream and at or less than 100g of carbs per day for 6 months or so. Pretty standard "paleo/primal" or "perfect health" diet, right? My lipids were as follows:</p> <p>Total cholesterol: 393 (srsly)<br> HDL: 55<br> Triglycerides: 54<br> LDL(Iranian): 271<br></p> <p>BTW: My total testosterone the first time was low 300s, so my total cholesterol was actually higher than my testosterone! I didn't get it tested this time, but I can tell that it has increased dramatically (ahem).</p> <p>Obviously I said "LOL fuck this diet" and got rid of butter and cream and increased carbohydrates. Over time, I've stopped adding pretty much any extra fat to my diet from refined sources (I just eat the fat attached to the steaks, 3-4 egg yolks a day and a lot of raw sunflower seeds primarily) and I've greatly increased my intake of both carbohydrates from basmati rice(250g+ every single day) and fructose (I eat a metric fuckton of apples and other high-fructose tropical fruit every day). </p> <p>This is the result of yesterday's lipid panel:</p> <p>Total cholesterol: 190<br> HDL: 84 (srsly)<br> Triglycerides: 39 (srsly)<br> LDL (Iranian): 66</p> <p>I can't possibly fathom how the latter could in any way be a worse result than the former or what benefit there could be from increasing fat or decreasing carbs/fructose, though I see people all the time recommend that for increasing HDL and decreasing TGs, respectively. That HDL is with zero coconut intake and a total fat % in my diet of about 30%.</p> <p>To quote our good friend Mr. Taubes: What if it's all been a big fat lie?</p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/188448/student-new-to-paleo-and-how-paleo-is-my-diet/188462#188462 Answer by Travis Culp for Student, new to Paleo and how Paleo is my diet? Travis Culp 2013-03-29T21:10:03Z 2013-03-29T21:10:03Z <p>The fact that all of your meals are plural should tell you everything you need to know. There's no satiety there. The first thing to do would be skew the meat portion of your diet upward. You're huge and highly active, so if you want to keep the grains for now go ahead but replace a lot of it with meat. Basically don't eat a meal unless there's a slab of meat on the plate. Try that and report back. </p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/188395/are-gurus-trustworthy-how-to-improve-a-poor-incentive-structure-in-the-guru-in/188404#188404 Answer by Travis Culp for Are Gurus trustworthy? How to improve a poor incentive structure in the "guru" industry Travis Culp 2013-03-29T16:38:29Z 2013-03-29T16:38:29Z <p>The answer, of course, is that none of them are trustworthy. I'd put them on the same level as a used car dealer, with about the same or greater chance of their advice causing me physical harm. </p> <p>The reason why paleo isn't taken seriously is because it has mutated from a research collaboration into a rapidly growing industry. Why does everyone call it a fad diet? Because there are a bunch of hucksters branding it and selling useless crap. We've allowed it to become a fad diet. </p> <p>Paleo needs a coup badly. It needs to go back to its roots as a research collaboration by people whose investment in it is their own health and well-being. I donate lots of my time to helping people because there have been and will be lots of people donating their time to helping me. </p> <p>I'd rather have a bunch of unqualified hobbyists (with real jobs) scouring Google Scholar and bouncing ideas off of each other to create hypotheses than a legion of bullshitters with letters after their names trying to steal our money. They can shove their e-books where the e-sun doesn't e-shine. </p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/188211/should-we-be-demanding-recent-lipid-panels-from-the-various-diet-gurus Should We Be Demanding Recent Lipid Panels from the Various Diet Gurus? Travis Culp 2013-03-28T18:13:13Z 2013-03-29T13:13:50Z <p>If we're handing them our money and/or risking our health by taking their advice, does it seem fair that they should post a recent lipid panel in good faith so we can at least have some grasp of the safety or efficacy of their approach?</p> <p>Should we make this thread a repository of all of them? Please post a link to any you find or any gurus you think should be added to the list. If any of you correspond with these folks and agree with the importance of transparency, please request one. </p> <p>Here are the ones I've found thus far:</p> <p>Gary Taubes (3/11)<br> TC: 204<br> LDL: 116<br> HDL: 68<br> TGs: 64<br> Source: <a href="http://garytaubes.com/2011/04/before-sugar-were-talking-about-cholesterol/" rel="nofollow">http://garytaubes.com/2011/04/before-sugar-were-talking-about-cholesterol/</a></p> <p>Jimmy Mooore (1/13)<br> TC: 419<br> LDL: 332<br> HDL: 75<br> TGs: 60<br> Source: <a href="http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/jimmy-moores-n1-experiments-nutritional-ketosis-day-211-240/17390" rel="nofollow">http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/jimmy-moores-n1-experiments-nutritional-ketosis-day-211-240/17390</a></p> <p>Harley Johnstone (5/11)<br> TC: 186<br> LDL: 116<br> HDL: 58<br> TGs: 62<br> Source: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftbHme_Q5Gs" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftbHme_Q5Gs</a></p> <p>S. Boyd Eaton (~1/13)<br> TC: 171<br> LDL: 101<br> HDL: 61<br> TGs: 41<br> Source: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6ORzcIybag" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6ORzcIybag</a></p> <p>Paul/Shou-Ching Jaminet (~5/12)<br> TC: Low 200s<br> LDL: 90-130<br> HDL: 60-100<br> TGs: ~50 Source: <a href="http://perfecthealthdiet.com/reader-results/comment-page-1/#comment-76742" rel="nofollow">http://perfecthealthdiet.com/reader-results/comment-page-1/#comment-76742</a></p> <p>Chris Kresser (2010)<br> TC: 213<br> LDL: 138<br> HDL: 61<br> TGs: 42<br> Source: <a href="http://vimeo.com/12515512" rel="nofollow">http://vimeo.com/12515512</a></p> <p>Stephan Guyenet (9/08)<br> TC: 252<br> LDL: 131<br> HDL: 111<br> TGs: 48<br> Fasting insulin: 2.3 uIU/mL<br> Fasting glucose: 88 mg/dL<br> HbA1c: 5.8%<br> Sources: <a href="http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2009/06/when-friedewald-attacks.html" rel="nofollow">http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2009/06/when-friedewald-attacks.html</a><br> <a href="http://wholehealthsources.blogspot.com/2008/09/few-numbers.html" rel="nofollow">http://wholehealthsources.blogspot.com/2008/09/few-numbers.html</a></p> <p>Peter Attia(7/2011)<br> TC: <br> LDL: 59<br> HDL: 85<br> TGs: 81<br> Source: <a href="http://eatingacademy.com/how-low-carb-diet-reduced-my-risk-of-heart-disease" rel="nofollow">http://eatingacademy.com/how-low-carb-diet-reduced-my-risk-of-heart-disease</a></p> <p>Mark Sisson<br> ????</p> <p>Robb Wolf<br> ????</p> <p>Dean Ornish<br> ????</p> <p>Ray Peat (Maybe Danny Roddy would be sufficient here?)<br> ????</p> <p>Petro Dobromylskyj<br> ????</p> <p>Nora Gedgaudas<br> ????</p> <p>Ron Rosedale<br> ????</p> <p>Michael Eades<br> ????</p> <p>William Davis<br> ????</p> <p>Martin Berkhan<br> ????</p> <p>Sally Fallon<br> ????</p> <p>Chris Masterjohn<br> ????</p> <p>Loren Cordain<br> ????</p> <p>Matt Stone<br> ????</p> <p>Robert Lustig<br> ????</p> <p>Mehmet Oz<br> ????</p> <p>Jack Kruse<br> ????</p> <p>Edit: I'm not a guru, have not and will never make a thin dime off of information that I believe should be free, and generally recommend things that are only a few degrees off of conventional, but to make this fair: <a href="http://i48.tinypic.com/2ry0xs4.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://i48.tinypic.com/2ry0xs4.jpg</a></p> <p>Travis Culp<br> TC:190<br> LDL:98<br> HDL:84<br> TGs:39<br> Source:http://i48.tinypic.com/2ry0xs4.jpg</p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/188243/what-if-your-child-wanted-to-be-vegan/188258#188258 Answer by Travis Culp for What if your child wanted to be vegan Travis Culp 2013-03-28T22:33:29Z 2013-03-28T22:33:29Z <p>I wish my family had smacked me around and/or staged an intervention when I first mentioned it.</p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/188142/did-obama-betray-americans-with-the-monsanto-protection-act/188179#188179 Answer by Travis Culp for Did Obama Betray Americans with the "MONSANTO PROTECTION ACT?" Travis Culp 2013-03-28T16:18:24Z 2013-03-28T16:18:24Z <p><img src="http://media.tumblr.com/124b42fb095abcae9c2175d194c2aae0/tumblr_inline_mj8yxhDjNS1qz4rgp.gif" alt="alt text"></p> <p><img src="http://i.imgur.com/CBcd63V.gif" alt="alt text"></p> <p><img src="http://media.tumblr.com/fa20c7c12406e8bb9741c550c77e1a54/tumblr_inline_mi8bu9UC5i1qz4rgp.gif" alt="alt text"></p> <p><img src="http://media.tumblr.com/ae6ffd132fb0cbd2e17073bcba96e58f/tumblr_inline_mi8btlwrMx1qz4rgp.gif" alt="alt text"></p> <p><img src="http://i.imgur.com/FTPOdjL.gif" alt="alt text"></p> <p><img src="http://i.imgur.com/7tbRJTK.gif" alt="alt text"></p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/188013/calorie-restriction-the-original-ketogenic-diet/188022#188022 Answer by Travis Culp for Calorie Restriction: The Original Ketogenic Diet. Travis Culp 2013-03-27T20:33:59Z 2013-03-27T20:39:30Z <p>It has nothing to do with the vast majority of HG societies ever observed. I think maybe they're imagining themselves hunting mastodon on a tundra during the last glacial maximum or something along those lines. I doubt that even the neanderthals were actually anything close to obligate carnivores. </p> <p>During our entire evolution there were the smart ones back near the equator eating a highly varied diet (the Hadza are known to eat 880 different species - 741 of which are birds, to be fair). There can be massive sex differences in diet just among a single group. During a period of a year, the Hadza men were observed eating about 40% meat, while the women ate less than 2% meat (in camp). We are a highly adaptable species that can live off of a great number of things. </p> <p>I've read that their hunting failure rate is 97%, even with bows, steel arrowheads and several types of poison (so just imagine a neanderthal with a relatively crude spear). They simply cannot eat meat every day. Most of the time they're going to be eating their fallback foods like tubers and baobab </p> <p>Anyway, I think the people who eat these diets must be doing so as a means to treat a particular health issue, not because the think it's something their ancestors did. </p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/187897/would-a-pound-of-beef-liver-a-day-cause-vitamin-a-toxicity/187900#187900 Answer by Travis Culp for Would a pound of beef liver a day cause vitamin A toxicity? Travis Culp 2013-03-27T06:16:44Z 2013-03-27T06:16:44Z <p>Depends. If you have a high vitamin D level and are currently deficient in vitamin A, then you could do that for a short while and it would be beneficial. Assuming no cooking losses and complete absorption, you'd be looking at about 76,000IUs per day. You'd also be pretty much guaranteeing copper sufficiency, which is a hurdle for a lot of people. </p> <p>If you are only just beginning vitamin D supplementation and have no signs of vitamin A insufficiency, you'd be better off with a pound a week.</p> <p>If you eat an ounce of hard cheese a day, you'd cover K2 and if you ate a handful or two of raw sunflower seeds, you'd cover vitamin E. All 4 appear to interact and increasing one seems to exacerbate existing insufficiencies of the others. </p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/187811/is-it-true-that-you-can-only-get-vitamin-a-from-animal-sources/187814#187814 Answer by Travis Culp for Is it true that you can only get vitamin A from animal sources? Travis Culp 2013-03-26T20:10:41Z 2013-03-26T20:10:41Z <p>It's not true that you can't convert beta-carotene to retinol, but the conversion rates I've seen in studies are quite low. I haven't seen evidence of this, but I suspect that vitamin D supplementation increases the absorption and conversion of both beta-carotene and phylloquinone to retinol and menatetrenone, respectively, but still not to levels needed as a result of the increased vitamin D levels.</p> <p>Many have success with cod liver oil, but some of the supplements are molecularly distilled and have low amounts of vitamin A. </p> <p>Liver would be the way to go given the significant nutrient density, especially the copper, which is difficult to obtain from other foods. </p> <p>You could also just take a preformed vitamin A supplement. They're typically sold as 10,000IUs per capsule, which is probably excessive for a person who doesn't take vitamin D or get a lot of sun, but correct for someone who does. </p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/187782/emergenc-not-paleo-i-need-it/187787#187787 Answer by Travis Culp for Emergen'C..not Paleo? I need it?! Travis Culp 2013-03-26T17:44:24Z 2013-03-26T17:44:24Z <p>I take one first thing every morning. I have concerns that the pure powder out of a large container becomes oxidized over time and that the tablets/capsules that require me to eat them with a meal are either having their absorption inhibited by glucose uptake or else they're increasing iron absorption (which I definitely do not want). </p> <p>Anyway, the tiny amount of sugar in them is irrelevant. </p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/187707/why-do-carbs-make-me-depressed/187780#187780 Answer by Travis Culp for Why do carbs make me depressed? Travis Culp 2013-03-26T17:03:06Z 2013-03-26T17:03:06Z <p>My wild guess is that because carbohydrate metabolism requires more magnesium, there is a transient depletion occurring that is pushing you beyond the threshold for perceptible depression. Do you supplement with magnesium glycinate?</p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/187667/what-implications-does-a-mitochondrial-paradigm-of-metabolic-and-degenerative-dis/187690#187690 Answer by Travis Culp for What implications does a mitochondrial paradigm Of metabolic and degenerative disease have for paleo'ers? Travis Culp 2013-03-26T03:36:05Z 2013-03-26T03:36:05Z <p>I think caloric restriction is a dead-end and that a valid approach is simply to ensure that one has a sufficient intake of all necessary mitochondrial co-factors (magnesium, ubiquinone, zinc, iron, carnosine, carnitine, niacin etc.) as well as sufficient stress on muscles to ensure that mitochondrial atrophy doesn't occur. </p> <p>The "have no essential nutrient insufficiencies and go outside" method solves basically everything. </p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/187639/whats-the-reason-for-so-many-people-being-allergic-to-nuts-and-peanuts/187677#187677 Answer by Travis Culp for whats the reason for so many people being allergic to nuts and peanuts ? Travis Culp 2013-03-26T02:07:37Z 2013-03-26T02:07:37Z <p>My wild speculation is that it's due to a simultaneous imbalance and insufficiency of vitamins A and D during development.</p> <p>source: I don't get sick because of vitamin D supplementation but I do get allergies without concurrent vitamin A supplementation. With both, I have an impenetrable forcefield from the unholy abyss of despair. </p> <p>I suspect that correcting these things will greatly mitigate existing allergies. </p> <p>source: recently I was unable to eat most fruit, nuts and shellfish and can now eat them due to vitamin A supplementation. similarly, I don't get hay fever anymore, but I live in the same place as I did then. </p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/187566/is-this-a-good-meal/187574#187574 Answer by Travis Culp for is this a good meal Travis Culp 2013-03-25T19:12:37Z 2013-03-25T19:12:37Z <p>Sounds like it would produce a disappointing amount of satiety, at least for me. Next time find some actual cold turkey and throw it in the mix as well. Or better yet, some red meat. Some potatoes would be a good addition as well.</p> <p>It all boils down to whether you can produce lasting satiety with fewer calories than you used to. On a standard western diet, it's not the carbs or fat that cause the caloric excess, it's the lack of satiety as a result of the low amount of protein, fiber and water in the food. </p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/20494/could-low-carb-flu-actually-be-wheat-withdrawal Could "Low-Carb Flu" Actually be Wheat Withdrawal? Travis Culp 2011-01-25T21:44:54Z 2013-03-25T03:14:23Z <p>I was just reading this post on Dr. Davis' Blog: <a href="http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/heroine-oxycontin-and-whole-wheat-bagel.html" rel="nofollow">http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/heroine-oxycontin-and-whole-wheat-bagel.html</a></p> <p>And all of the symptoms sound the same as what people are attributing to a glucose/ketone body crossover. I've always been skeptical that such a crossover exists, especially when I read that we are constantly producing ketones between meals and in response to the digestion of ketogenic fats.</p> <p>Has anyone here cut out wheat first and then some time later cut down on carbs and experienced the symptoms?</p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/187421/can-to-much-vitamin-a-from-food-cause-headaches/187423#187423 Answer by Travis Culp for Can to much Vitamin A from food cause headaches? Travis Culp 2013-03-25T00:09:54Z 2013-03-25T00:09:54Z <p>That's basically impossible from beta-carotene since the conversion is so low. What you should look into though is magnesium glycinate, as many have stopped having migraines as a result of supplementation with it. </p> <p>For what it's worth, I've determined that I've been quite low on preformed vitamin A and have taken over 300,000IUs of it in the past few weeks and have had no perceptible changes except improvements in my skin. So yeah, a little beta-carotene isn't going to do anything. I'd wager that you're still low on it, especially if you take vitamin D.</p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/187404/paleo-diet-vs-cover-model-diet/187413#187413 Answer by Travis Culp for Paleo diet vs cover model diet Travis Culp 2013-03-24T23:16:07Z 2013-03-24T23:16:07Z <p>The answer is a substantial intake of exogenous anabolics and thermogenics coupled with a very low calorie diet (especially leading up to the shoot). They'd probably also dehydrate themselves quite a bit to "dry out" in the day or so before the shoot. Nobody walks around like that for any length of time. Those pictures would then be run through hours of photoshop and there you have it. </p> <p>It'd be a lot healthier mentally and physically to instead develop a healthy body image and just be happy with whatever a nutritionally-complete diet and reasonable amount of exercise produces. </p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/187290/how-to-cope-when-veganbecause-of-animal-consumption-not-dietand-aip/187386#187386 Answer by Travis Culp for How to cope when Vegan(because of animal consumption, not diet)and AIP? Travis Culp 2013-03-24T18:45:18Z 2013-03-24T18:52:18Z <p>I had a vegan diet for 8 years. I had started to do more and more research on nutrition and one day I woke up and said, "I've become a nutritional martyr." Started eating shrimp, eggs and cheese and then moved to chicken, beef etc. I dropped 30 pounds, have control of my reactive hypoglycemia and all around feel quite good. Still bald as fuck though LOL. </p> <p>The only animals I have qualms about eating these days are cephalopods, just because of their intelligence. It's kind of arbitrary though. Also catfish. I had a pet bullhead catfish years ago named "Catfish Baby." There's no way in hell I would eat one now. </p> http://paleohacks.com/questions/194914/anyone-have-reactive-hypoglycemia Comment by Travis Culp Travis Culp 2013-05-09T05:20:13Z 2013-05-09T05:20:13Z VB: My dark circles are fading, actually, due to the biotin or k2. I've seen people claim that either one made them go away. Stephen: egg yolks are probably the best food source. I think my hypoglycemia was most under control pre-supplementation when I was eating about 4 a day. I wonder though if the pastured hens are fed a biotin supplement or if battery eggs are better in that regard. http://paleohacks.com/questions/194914/anyone-have-reactive-hypoglycemia Comment by Travis Culp Travis Culp 2013-05-09T05:17:48Z 2013-05-09T05:17:48Z One thing I noticed was that I could eat natto every day but not take the equivalent amount of mk-7. I only recently discovered that natto is a fairly good source of biotin (that I think is added to the culture since the bacteria require it), but I don't think it's a sufficient amount since heavy natto consumers are more prone to diabetes than those who don't eat it. http://paleohacks.com/questions/191305/is-there-any-k2-in-grain-fed-animals Comment by Travis Culp Travis Culp 2013-04-14T02:29:38Z 2013-04-14T02:29:38Z It's in the cheese made from their milk. http://paleohacks.com/questions/188226/what-do-you-guys-think-of-abel-james Comment by Travis Culp Travis Culp 2013-04-11T23:48:30Z 2013-04-11T23:48:30Z If you can afford it. http://paleohacks.com/questions/188226/what-do-you-guys-think-of-abel-james Comment by Travis Culp Travis Culp 2013-04-11T23:48:20Z 2013-04-11T23:48:20Z Shouldn't paleo have helped your PMS by now, Matt? Take some magnesium and report back. http://paleohacks.com/questions/190908/is-anybody-here-against-short-term-prescription-drug-use/190932#190932 Comment by Travis Culp Travis Culp 2013-04-11T23:43:51Z 2013-04-11T23:43:51Z Yeah but my doc prescribed me Castratox for the sole purpose of shrinking my balls. What then, Marie? What then?!?! http://paleohacks.com/questions/190725/how-to-get-your-body-into-ketosis Comment by Travis Culp Travis Culp 2013-04-10T23:38:30Z 2013-04-10T23:38:30Z Most people advocating ketosis have significantly more belly fat than you do. http://paleohacks.com/questions/190698/louana-coconut-oil-is-it-better-then-corn-oil Comment by Travis Culp Travis Culp 2013-04-10T23:35:50Z 2013-04-10T23:35:50Z If someone's deficient in linoleate or allergic to coconut, it's worse. http://paleohacks.com/questions/190623/meta-whats-the-deal-with-bill-bailey Comment by Travis Culp Travis Culp 2013-04-10T19:24:47Z 2013-04-10T19:24:47Z It's kinda surprising that he bothers with coming back since all traces of his posts vanish into the ether each time. http://paleohacks.com/questions/190623/meta-whats-the-deal-with-bill-bailey Comment by Travis Culp Travis Culp 2013-04-10T19:20:10Z 2013-04-10T19:20:10Z Sadly, I'm unable to ip-ban http://paleohacks.com/questions/171412/update-anyone-cured-perioral-dermatitis-naturally Comment by Travis Culp Travis Culp 2013-04-09T20:38:33Z 2013-04-09T20:38:33Z Did you take an oral antibiotic for a skin condition? http://paleohacks.com/questions/190421/16-year-old-girls-with-hypoglycemia Comment by Travis Culp Travis Culp 2013-04-09T20:35:46Z 2013-04-09T20:35:46Z Foods that are insulinogenic without a commensurate glucose rise are much worse. This girl isn't a bed-ridden morbidly obese person. She's clearly quite active and will need to replete muscle glycogen. http://paleohacks.com/questions/190330/is-paleofantasy-just-a-simple-misguided-book-or-is-there-something-deeper/190476#190476 Comment by Travis Culp Travis Culp 2013-04-09T20:31:33Z 2013-04-09T20:31:33Z And your misspellings. http://paleohacks.com/questions/190330/is-paleofantasy-just-a-simple-misguided-book-or-is-there-something-deeper/190476#190476 Comment by Travis Culp Travis Culp 2013-04-09T18:33:03Z 2013-04-09T18:33:03Z Probably has the same ratio of fact:misinformation as any paleo author trolling for an easy buck. http://paleohacks.com/questions/190421/16-year-old-girls-with-hypoglycemia Comment by Travis Culp Travis Culp 2013-04-09T18:14:07Z 2013-04-09T18:14:07Z Actually, it's not like that at all.