How do I optimize my diet for prevention of chronic disease?

The cause of most chronic diseases can be summed up using the Bad S’s: Sweets, Starches, Snacks, Seed oils, and Sitting, Smoking, Salt, Sleep Disturbance and Stress. 

Should I go on a diet?

There are so many diets out there: Paleo, Vegan, Ketogenic, Atkins, Zone, Mediterranean, Whole 30, Weight Watchers, and Nutrisystem to name a few. One of the main issues with dieting is that eventually you will go off, and then what happens? The whole plan falls to pieces and we typically regress to our original habits. The common promotion of eating three meals a day, “healthy” snacking, and counting calories create and perpetuate the problem. We are encouraged to graze like cows and eat to satisfy emotions. But we are not well adapted to that behavior.

We recommend watching this interview with Dr. Mark Hyman, one of the foremost leaders of health, from the Cleveland Clinic.

Our goal is to improve the way you view food and how it fits into your life and your health. 

How can I optimize my diet without “dieting”?

First, we recommend you start with a baseline body composition analysis. You improve what you measure, so don’t be discouraged by your initial reading if it is not ideal. This measurement helps you set an attainable goal and achieve it.

Weighing on a scale alone is not adequate. The body composition test allows you to know your muscle and fat mass, including your visceral fat. Visceral fat leads to diabetes and heart disease, so knowing this measurement is crucial to your overall health.

Come back regularly for additional body composition analyses. Seeing “The Judge” for detailed, measurable improvement over time will help you stay motivated.

Drink more water. Your urine should be copious and clear in appearance.

Avoid sweets (both natural and artificial). There is added, hidden sugar in every processed food. Avoid them all!

A rare sweet treat can be handled by most, but sugar is a toxin that should be avoided like tobacco.  Processed food companies became the new employers for the scientists who increased the addictive nature of tobacco.

Artificial sweeteners raise insulin levels without also raising glucose. Elevated insulin is THE MOST COMMON inflammatory stimulus, promoting prediabetes and arterial disease, among other chronic inflammatory conditions. These conditions dramatically flare when acute triggers, such as a virus, cause additional inflammatory sickness. Covid-19 is an extreme illustration of this effect. Artificial sweeteners are a “gateway drug” that strengthens your sweet tooth. They are a slippery slope to more sugar and carb cravings.  

Avoid starches including bread, pasta, white potatoes, and rice. Eat real food with no limits on vegetables, including sweet potatoes. 

Limited amounts of fruit provide micronutrients and fiber, but come with sugar. Do not juice. It removes  fiber that makes the sugar in fruits absorb more slowly with less rise in insulin. Avoid dried fruit, as it is almost pure sugar.

Stop snacking. Snacks are typically full of sugar and undermine our need to have periods of fasting to allow our insulin levels to drop. Fasting for 12-16 hours daily is a great “house cleaning” strategy.

Include good fats in your diet such as olive oil, coconut oil, nuts, seeds, olives, and avocados. Include lean protein such as salmon, sardines, and poultry, in your diet. Eat red meat on a limited basis. When purchasing red meat, look for grass fed and organic options if you can afford them.

Intermittent fasting (only drinking water, black coffee, and unsweetened tea) for 12-16 hours per day allows your insulin sensitivity to be regained by allowing your insulin levels to fall. I call it “window feeding” because you eat within a window or 6 hours as a goal.

Learn about the influence of your Microbiome. While probiotic supplements may help, eating a probiotic diet is even better. This includes fermented foods such as unpasteurized sauerkraut and KimChi. High fiber vegetables feed your good bacteria and can fix a great deal of health issues.

Get connected, motivated, and informed to support your changes.

Need help getting started? Request a complementary Discovery Call with Dr. Backs and begin your journey to better health.

How does Vitamin D Deficiency affect my health?

Vitamin D is an important nutrient, actually a hormone, that helps the body absorb calcium, which is essential for maintaining strong bones and teeth. It also plays a role in the immune system, muscle function, and reduction of inflammation. Optimal levels of vitamin D: 60-90 mg/dl. Don’t let anyone convince you that this can be “too high” and to stop your supplement. They don’t know the benefits of vitamin D levels above the population normal because the population as a whole is deficient.

Up to 75% of Americans are affected by suboptimal (< 50 ng/ml) vitamin D, which significantly increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, cognitive impairment, and cancer. Having darker skin, being obese, and not getting enough sun exposure to the skin are all linked to reduced vitamin D3 levels.

Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include muscle pain, tiredness, fatigue, hair loss, back pain, bone loss, poor wound healing, and depression. It increases the risk of statin muscle pain. However, most individuals who are vitamin D deficient have no specific symptoms. 

What causes vitamin D deficiency?

• Inadequate sun exposure. Sunlight is the optimal source of vitamin D. When the skin is exposed to UVB radiation from sunlight, it produces a form of vitamin D known as cholecalciferol, or vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is then converted into its active form in the liver and kidneys. This particularly affects individuals who are in institutions like nursing homes.

• Dark skin. Melanin, the pigment that gives skin its color, reduces the skin's ability to produce vitamin D in response to sunlight. Melanin absorbs UVB radiation from sunlight, which is needed for the skin to produce vitamin D. This means that people with darker skin require more sun exposure to produce the same amount of vitamin D as people with lighter skin.

• Old age. The skin's ability to produce vitamin D declines with age due to a variety of factors, including a reduced ability to convert sunlight to vitamin D, decreased skin thickness, and lower levels of the precursor molecules that are needed to produce vitamin D.

• Obesity. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning it is stored in fatty tissues. Therefore, people with higher levels of body fat may require more vitamin D to achieve the same blood levels as people with lower levels of body fat. 

• Diseased kidneys. The kidneys are important for converting vitamin D into a form that the body can use. If the kidneys are not working well due to a disease, they may not be able to convert vitamin D properly, leading to a deficiency of vitamin D in the body.

• Digestive tract issues (such as Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, or cystic fibrosis). Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means it needs to be absorbed in the presence of dietary fat in the small intestine. Digestive tract issues can affect the absorption of vitamin D in the small intestine. These conditions can cause inflammation or damage to the intestinal lining, which can interfere with the absorption of dietary fat and, consequently, vitamin D.

• A vegan diet without proper supplementation. Vitamin D is primarily found in animal-based foods such as fatty fish, liver, and egg yolks. Therefore, people following a strict vegan diet that avoids all animal products are at risk of vitamin D deficiency.

• Sunblock. When the skin is exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, it triggers the synthesis of vitamin D3, which is then used by the body. However, using sunblock or sunscreen can reduce the skin's ability to produce vitamin D, as it blocks the UV radiation from penetrating the skin. It's important to find a balance between protecting your skin from harmful UV radiation and ensuring adequate vitamin D levels.

How can I treat vitamin D deficiency?

• Increase sun exposure. Make an effort to get a healthy amount of sun exposure without putting yourself at risk for skin damage or skin cancer. It's recommended to get a moderate amount of sun exposure, typically around 10-15 minutes per day, without sunscreen, on the arms, legs, and face.

• Eat vitamin D rich foods. Foods that are rich in vitamin D include salmon, sardines, tuna, egg yolks, fortified milk, and shiitake mushrooms.

• Vitamin D supplements. Supplementation can bring your levels into the optimal range. We recommend a combination of Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K2. Vitamin K2 enhances vitamin D absorption, delivery, and the binding of Vitamin D3 in the appropriate tissues, enhancing its activity and benefit. Vitamin K2 also improves arterial elasticity and insulin sensitivity. The product we stock and recommend is called "K Force."  

How do I know if I’ve properly treated my vitamin D deficiency?

Get a blood test measuring the serum concentration of 25(OH)D3. A “normal” level of vitamin D is at least 30 ng/mL or higher. However, our “optimal” range is 60-90 ng/ML. 

If you have been diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency and have started taking supplements or made changes to your diet, get your vitamin D levels retested after a few months.

What is visceral fat and how do I reduce it?

There are two types of fat that our body stores: subcutaneous fat and visceral fat.

Subcutaneous fat is stored just under the skin. We can feel it in our arms, legs, and hips. Think of it as the fat that you are able to pinch with your fingers.

Visceral fat, or visceral adipose tissue, is the fat that is stored inside the body cavity and wraps itself around and infiltrates our internal organs, such as the heart, liver, or intestines. This fat is metabolically active and functions as if you had another organ in your body which produces negative hormonal effects. We call it “angry” or “inflammatory” fat.

Why is visceral fat dangerous?

Visceral fat is also referred to as “active” or “inflammatory” fat because it produces substances that contribute to insulin resistance, leading to Type 2 Diabetes. Insulin resistance is the prediabetic state where your body is losing its ability to properly balance insulin and regulate blood glucose. 

Visceral fat secretes a protein called retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) that increases insulin resistance in the body. It also releases inflammatory substances called cytokines, which leads to chronic inflammation.

High levels of visceral fat are associated with increased risk for:

• Type 2 Diabetes

• Heart disease

• Breast cancer

• Colorectal cancer

• Alzheimer’s disease

• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

It is very difficult to be healthy with high amounts of visceral fat. Lowering visceral fat eliminates a major driver of chronic diseases.

What are the sources of visceral fat?

The root causes of visceral fat are refined carbohydrates, processed foods, and artificial sweeteners ingested without periods of fasting. This type of diet is typical in Western cultures. In order to eliminate visceral fat, the secret is to minimize the five S’s: Sweets, Starch, Snacks, Seed oils, and Sitting.

How do you test for visceral fat?

There are many ways to estimate your visceral fat. MRI, DEXA, and CT scans are accurate but costly and inconvenient. A cheaper way to estimate visceral fat is to measure your waistline. A healthy waistline in women is typically 35” or lower, and 40” or lower for men. However, these measurements are prone to variability. They are inexpensive, but not precise.

At the CureCenter, we have a simple, non-invasive, and cost-effective way to measure and monitor visceral fat. We use the InBody 570 analyzer to obtain accurate body composition data on our patients repeatedly over time. This data allows us to monitor not only visceral fat, but percent body fat, skeletal muscle mass, and hydration levels. This information is crucial in monitoring the benefit of our treatment and demonstrating optimal results. The InBody data goes far beyond the scale and helps us provide motivation for ongoing lifestyle improvements.

Body composition tests using the InBody 570 only take a few minutes and are completely painless and non-invasive. The process is similar to stepping on a scale - only this machine measures much more than your average at-home device. If you have a pacemaker or defibrillator, or you are pregnant, we don’t use the InBody, even though the risk is not high.

How do I eliminate visceral fat?

• Reduce your sugar intake, especially sugary drinks, refined white carbohydrates, and processed foods.

• Avoid artificial sweeteners. They raise insulin in the same way as sugar, even though they are lower in calories. They also perpetuate cravings for real sugar by feeding your sweet tooth, like a “gateway” drug.

• Restrict eating to a window of time (ideally 6-8 hours) and devote time every day to fasting (drinking only water or non-sugary drinks). At least 16 hours of fasting, including sleep, is a goal we promote to our patients. We call it “window feeding.”

• Exercise as much as you can most days.

• Eat a low-glycemic diet. Low-glycemic foods consist of green vegetables, whole fruits (in moderation), beans, and lentils. 

• Get a good night’s sleep. Too little sleep or too much sleep on a regular basis can lead to more visceral fat storage.

• Manage stress. Mindfulness practices like prayer, meditation, or yoga can help manage your body’s stress response and lower cortisol levels.

• Limit alcohol. When your liver is processing alcohol, it is not processing fat.

• Quit smoking. Tobacco use can negatively affect your ability to deal with glucose and increase insulin resistance.

• Targeted supplements and medications can improve insulin sensitivity for some individuals with stubborn visceral fat.