The diet that I am recommending for our collective mission here with the 5Bs, as well as anyone else interested in improving their overall well being, usually freaks people out initially. At the end of the day it is rooted in sound science and facts, and not influenced by flawed studies funded by companies with ulterior motives. Many people have heard and believe in the “Lipid Hypothesis.” This is the outdated theory that saturated fat and cholesterol intake increases cholesterol levels in the blood, which increase your chance of heart disease. This theory is simply not true, as long as the saturates are of a certain type, and the cholesterol is not oxidized. Your acceptance of that caveat is essential if you are going to fully embrace what some have called the Mountain Dog Diet. While the emphasis of this post is on the benefits of a higher fat and organic style diet subsequent posts will cover the other macro nutrients, hydration, nutrient timing and related topics.
What’s so different about a high fat and organic diet compared to standard diets in general?
Concept #1: The best food comes from animals that have been fed their natural diet.
Remember the old saying you are what you eat? It’s NOT true! You are what your food has eaten. Here’s a sample of a few of the mainstays in this diet and a little about why.
Grass Fed Beef – This type of beef is from cows that have been fed their normal diet consisting of grass. The only exception would be in winter where hay, root vegetables and silage are ok. Cows are termed ruminant animals, and have a really cool chamber in their stomach called a Rumen. Think of it as a big fermentation vat. This chamber is one of four chambers in the stomach that turns grass into high quality protein, and ensures a great Omega 3 to 6 ratio. This is all dependent on the PH of the rumen.
I cannot recommend “normal” store bought grain fed beef as these cows have been fed grain, and grain feeding depletes all of the things in the fat that make it healthy and magical – namely a perfect balance of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fats, and CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid). The unhealthy Omega 3 to 6 ratio that is heavily skewed toward Omega 6 is very inflammatory to your body, and is thought to increase chances of heart disease and overall bodily inflammation. The PH of the rumen is heavily affected by grain, greatly increasing acidity, thus completely throwing off Omega 3, CLA, and other levels.
In case you are wondering what exactly happens to the cow fed their unnatural diet, www.eatwild.com states “when fed an unnatural diet of grain, acidosis can result and lead to a condition called “rumenitis,” which is an inflammation of the wall of the rumen. Rumenitis then leads to liver abscesses as the rumen wall becomes ulcerated, bacteria are able to pass through the walls and enter the bloodstream. Ultimately, the bacteria are transported to the liver where they cause abscesses. From 15 to 30 percent of feedlot cattle have liver abscesses, hence the need for antibiotics and such.” Not pretty.
Going back to Omega-3s, they are most abundant in seafood, but they are also found in large quantities in animals that are pasture raised. There can be anywhere from two to six times more Omega 3’s in grass-fed meats. The reason is simple, Omega-3s are formed in the chloroplasts of green leaves and algae. Roughly sixty percent of the fatty acids in grass are actually omega-3s.
What about cows that have been “finished” on grain? When cattle are taken off omega-3 rich grass and shipped to a feedlot to be fattened on omega-3 poor grain, they begin losing their store of this beneficial fat as one would suspect. Each day that an animal spends in the feedlot, its supply of omega-3 is diminished. There are some great graphical representations and more detailed info on this process on the very informative afore mentioned website www.eatwild.com.
Grass fed beef is the number one component of the diet. This should represent a large source of your protein intake at all times.
Free Range Eggs – Chickens that have been free to roam around, and feast on their natural diet of bugs, insects, and grass lay the highest quality eggs. Natural sources of fat soluble vitamins are by far the best and you will get four to six times more Vitamin D from a free range egg. You also get three times more Vitamin E. In addition, free range eggs give you twice the Omega 3’s and seven times more beta carotene. As with the grass fed beef, whole free range eggs should almost never come out of your diet.
Wild Caught Salmon – Perhaps no food is better at supplying healthy Omega 3s than wild caught salmon. These salmon have been fed their natural diet of tiny shrimp-like creatures called Krill. This diet of Krill not only gives salmon their lovely reddish orange color, it also gives them the big dose of Omega 3's. Be careful when you’re shopping not to pick up “Farm-Raised” Salmon. These Salmon have been enclosed in pens and fed a very unnatural diet of corn meal, soy and even chicken feces pellets.
There are several different types of wild caught Alaskan salmon for you to choose from. Sockeye Salmon and Chinook/King Salmon to name a few. You can also get the Sockeye or Pink Salmon canned. These are all good, as long as they are wild-caught. You will get around 2.5 – 3 grams of Omega 3 per every 7 ounces.
Raw Grass Fed Dairy – The same things that applied to grass fed beef, applies to grass fed dairy. You get more CLA, and Omega 3s. The Journal of Dairy Science did a study in 1999 on CLA in grass fed dairy, and found that it contains 500 percent more CLA than cows fed grain.
So what are the best sources for saturated fats in the Mountain Dog Diet?
1) Animal fats – Grass fed ground beef contains not only the correct ration of Omega 3 to Omega 6 (1 to 1 or close to it), and CLA, it also has the saturated fat you need. Grass fed beef tends to have about half the saturated fat that grain-fed beef has. Leaner cuts like sirloin are ok, but remember, the magic is in the fat. That doesn’t mean you should eat all Ribeyes, just not to fear the fat, and there will be less of it in grass fed variety. Animal fats will help with fat soluble vitamin uptake which is essential to our overall health.
2) Virgin Coconut Oil – Coconut oil does a number of very good things for people. Most – 95 percent – of the fat in coconut oil is saturated, and about half is Lauric Acid. The fat is a special type of fat, medium chain triglyceride, that is easily converted into energy by your liver. If this energy cannot be used at the time of consumption it will pass through your body without being retained as or converted into body fat. For this very reason 3FU3L uses coconut oil in their protein supplement, it aides in satiety without the negative consequences of increased subcutaneous body fat. There is another side of coconut oil too that shouldn’t be forgotten and it relates to general health. It’s loaded (more than any other food source) with Lauric acid. This is a fat that is extremely anti-viral and antimicrobial. Lauric acid converts to its active form Monolaurin, which has been given to HIV patients and is showing much promise. You can see some of the research at www.lauric.org. It’s also found heavily in breast milk, which is a reason why babies who are breast feed seem to have stronger immune systems.
3) Grass Fed Butter – The reality is that butter IS HEART HEALTHY! It contains a perfect ratio of Omega 3 to 6. The saturated fats are generally short and medium chain for quick and easy digestion and for protection against infection. Lecithin is also a natural component of butter that assists in the proper assimilation and metabolization of cholesterol and other fats. Butter also has this thing called “Wulzen Factor” in it. Researcher Rosalind Wulzen discovered that this substance protects humans and animals from calcification of the joints-degenerative arthritis. If nothing else put some in your morning coffee and Bullet Proof your coffee as well as your health!
What about polyunsaturated fats (Omega 3, 6, Alpha Linolenic Acid)? These too are essential, and you have to get them from your diet. The amount needed though often gets distorted. You’ll get plenty from your diet in the form of Salmon, and also some extra in your beef and dairy due to those sources being grass fed.
If you are taking flax, chia, or other grain type forms of Alpha Linolenic Acid – remember this, your body can only convert a very small amount of it to its usable form in the body of DHA. As a result these grain type Polyunsaturated fats are not recommended. You are better off getting it naturally in the foods described above. Under no circumstance would it be recommended that you consume polyunsaturated fats high in Omega 6’s such as corn oil, cottonseed oil, regular safflower oil, etc. These have potentially deleterious effects due to their inflammatory affect within your body.
Concept #3: Fat soluble vitamins and their role in endocrine function
One of the biggest problems with low fat diets is the fact that they do not take into account the need to properly assimilate fat soluble vitamins. If you do not think this is important, you are wrong! Fat soluble vitamins include A, D, E and K. The issue here is long-term health as these vitamins are so important to your endocrine systems. In addition, there are many studies that show low fat and low cholesterol diets long term create more depression.
Here are some of the things that these vitamins do:
Vitamin A
This vitamin is extremely important, so much that your liver can store it for a fairly long time. It helps with protein and mineral metabolism. It helps to ensure proper thyroid function, and it helps in the production of sex hormones. Those things are all critically important (or should be) to athletes.
Also it gets depleted from strenuous exercise which a few of us engage in. Grass-fed butter and egg yolks are excellent day to day sources. Do not fall for the vegetarian belief that you can get plenty of Vitamin A in carrots and other veggies. The Vitamin A in those foods are really not Vitamin A, it is a carotene, often referred to as Provitamin A. True vitamin A, or retinol, is found in foods like cod liver oil, butterfat from cows grazing on pasture, liver and fish – especially shellfish. Your body has to convert the carotenes to retinol, and it only does that well in the presence of fat. Fat stimulates bile salts, which help with this conversion. So you better add some butter to your veggies if you even want a prayer of getting enough Vitamin A on a vegan diet. Actually, grass fed butter is the most easily absorbed food source for Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Although the benefits of this were covered in a previous post, Vitamin D is worthy of some additional insights. This vitamin (actually it is more of a Pro-hormone) cannot be stored in our livers for very long. We need a more continual supply of it. A very compelling reason for an athlete to ensure a good intake of Vitamin D is the fact that it greatly affects healthy insulin function. It also helps maintain a healthy nervous system, which is extremely important if you train hard. Good food sources include whole eggs, sardines, mackerel, herring, shrimp, butter and oysters. An excellent source of vitamin D is Fermented Cod Liver Oil. It is a good idea to get your Vitamin D levels tested. There are many autoimmune disorders thought to be caused by low Vitamin D levels. If you should request the test, the test you want to request is known as a 25 (OH) D test.
Vitamin E
This vitamin is a very strong antioxidant and good for maintaining cardiovascular health. Good food sources include red palm oil, green leafy veggies, liver, egg yolks, and wheat germ. Wheat germ can be sprinkled into shakes, on yogurts and in oatmeal. Grass fed beef is also a great source for this vitamin. If you remember from the supplement post, Vitamin E is also recommended to be taken with your fish oil supplement to combat potential oxidation.
Vitamin K
This vitamin is important for blood clotting, and is also very important in maintaining proper bone density. Good food sources include leafy green veggies, liver and cabbage type veggies. Spinach is excellent for this.
Concept #4: Keeping your liver healthy
Liver function is very important in terms of general health but also in terms of fat burning. Your liver is a very key organ that takes a beating cleansing our systems of toxins, metabolizing proteins and so on. If it’s stressed out, you can’t burn fat as efficiently. It can also get to the point rather easily, where it can’t break down aldosterone, which leads to excess water retention. Every single day your liver actually produces a quart of bile that emulsifies and absorbs fats. Your gall bladder (providing you still have one), then stores this until it is needed. Your liver does many other important things as well such as converting glucose, fructose and galactose into glycogen, which it stores. If you are partaking in a lower carb type of diet your liver will convert the stored glycogen into glucose and then release it into your bloodstream. Once glycogen is fully depleted, it will convert fat and protein for energy. I don’t like it when someone is converting their protein into glycogen.
Your liver is pretty resilient, and can even do some regeneration of damaged cells. Despite this, it can be a good idea to use a few supplements to help your liver out (Liv 52, Alpha Lipoic Acid, and Milk Thistle -- some of which can be found in Kill Cliff). There also food sources that can be incorporated into diets to help the liver and gall bladder, such as real lemon juice (not from concentrate – helps with bile formation) real cranberry juice (not from concentrate – helps dilute and expel waste), and Apple Cider Vinegar.
Of course the saturated fats recommended above also help. Saturates protect the liver from toxins!
Some of you may be reading this and still have a negative reaction to the notion of a higher fat diet, I assure you you are not alone in this perspective. However, you must also be willing to make changes to your status quo if you want to see potential progress. Perhaps this type of diet does not work for you in the end, but you cannot in good conscience dismiss it out of hand without at least trying it. Give it four months before you render a verdict. Allow time for your body to adjust and adapt before you switch to something else. In the end you will be glad you did!
What’s so different about a high fat and organic diet compared to standard diets in general?
1) A higher fat and organic diet will improve your health. You may find that your cholesterol levels improve, your joints feel better, your skin looks better, and you do not feel the typical lethargy associated with traditional calorie restrictive diets.
2) The increased focus on fat soluble vitamins will help with gains through better endocrine function. Remember, the theme here is health, and making better choices regardless of whether you are trying to gain muscle or lose fat.
3) The primary focus of this diet is a nutrient driven approach.
4) This diet focuses on Micronutrition NOT Macronutrition.
This diet emphasizes the following key concepts:
There are actually MANY other key concepts that tie into this discussion typically such as carb intake/sources and rotations, veggie and fruit consumption, what spices and condiments can do for your metabolism, etc. but for the sake of this conversation we will limit it to these four.
For the purposes of this discussion, I’m going to give you more of a view from 30, 000 feet. Approaching these topics from a higher level will hopefully introduce you to all the concepts, rather than only focusing on a few of them.
3) The primary focus of this diet is a nutrient driven approach.
4) This diet focuses on Micronutrition NOT Macronutrition.
This diet emphasizes the following key concepts:
- The best food comes from animals that have been fed their natural diet.
- Correct ratio of fats with a special emphasis on saturated fats.
- Fat soluble vitamins and their role in endocrine function.
- Keeping your liver healthy.
There are actually MANY other key concepts that tie into this discussion typically such as carb intake/sources and rotations, veggie and fruit consumption, what spices and condiments can do for your metabolism, etc. but for the sake of this conversation we will limit it to these four.
For the purposes of this discussion, I’m going to give you more of a view from 30, 000 feet. Approaching these topics from a higher level will hopefully introduce you to all the concepts, rather than only focusing on a few of them.
Concept #1: The best food comes from animals that have been fed their natural diet.
Remember the old saying you are what you eat? It’s NOT true! You are what your food has eaten. Here’s a sample of a few of the mainstays in this diet and a little about why.
I cannot recommend “normal” store bought grain fed beef as these cows have been fed grain, and grain feeding depletes all of the things in the fat that make it healthy and magical – namely a perfect balance of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fats, and CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid). The unhealthy Omega 3 to 6 ratio that is heavily skewed toward Omega 6 is very inflammatory to your body, and is thought to increase chances of heart disease and overall bodily inflammation. The PH of the rumen is heavily affected by grain, greatly increasing acidity, thus completely throwing off Omega 3, CLA, and other levels.
In case you are wondering what exactly happens to the cow fed their unnatural diet, www.eatwild.com states “when fed an unnatural diet of grain, acidosis can result and lead to a condition called “rumenitis,” which is an inflammation of the wall of the rumen. Rumenitis then leads to liver abscesses as the rumen wall becomes ulcerated, bacteria are able to pass through the walls and enter the bloodstream. Ultimately, the bacteria are transported to the liver where they cause abscesses. From 15 to 30 percent of feedlot cattle have liver abscesses, hence the need for antibiotics and such.” Not pretty.
Going back to Omega-3s, they are most abundant in seafood, but they are also found in large quantities in animals that are pasture raised. There can be anywhere from two to six times more Omega 3’s in grass-fed meats. The reason is simple, Omega-3s are formed in the chloroplasts of green leaves and algae. Roughly sixty percent of the fatty acids in grass are actually omega-3s.
What about cows that have been “finished” on grain? When cattle are taken off omega-3 rich grass and shipped to a feedlot to be fattened on omega-3 poor grain, they begin losing their store of this beneficial fat as one would suspect. Each day that an animal spends in the feedlot, its supply of omega-3 is diminished. There are some great graphical representations and more detailed info on this process on the very informative afore mentioned website www.eatwild.com.
Free Range Eggs – Chickens that have been free to roam around, and feast on their natural diet of bugs, insects, and grass lay the highest quality eggs. Natural sources of fat soluble vitamins are by far the best and you will get four to six times more Vitamin D from a free range egg. You also get three times more Vitamin E. In addition, free range eggs give you twice the Omega 3’s and seven times more beta carotene. As with the grass fed beef, whole free range eggs should almost never come out of your diet.
Wild Caught Salmon – Perhaps no food is better at supplying healthy Omega 3s than wild caught salmon. These salmon have been fed their natural diet of tiny shrimp-like creatures called Krill. This diet of Krill not only gives salmon their lovely reddish orange color, it also gives them the big dose of Omega 3's. Be careful when you’re shopping not to pick up “Farm-Raised” Salmon. These Salmon have been enclosed in pens and fed a very unnatural diet of corn meal, soy and even chicken feces pellets.
There are several different types of wild caught Alaskan salmon for you to choose from. Sockeye Salmon and Chinook/King Salmon to name a few. You can also get the Sockeye or Pink Salmon canned. These are all good, as long as they are wild-caught. You will get around 2.5 – 3 grams of Omega 3 per every 7 ounces.
Raw Grass Fed Dairy – The same things that applied to grass fed beef, applies to grass fed dairy. You get more CLA, and Omega 3s. The Journal of Dairy Science did a study in 1999 on CLA in grass fed dairy, and found that it contains 500 percent more CLA than cows fed grain.
Notice the inclusion of RAW in addition to grass-fed. The nutritional value of milk plummets due to pasteurization, the vitamin A is completely destroyed and the proteins become more difficult to digest often creating strong immune system responses and allergies. The Weston A. Price Foundation has a sister website called www.realmilk.com that is excellent in explaining the benefits of raw milk.
I do want to point out that there is little scientific support for the consumption of pasteurized dairy that you find in most stores. Dairy is not a necessity, nor is it required for this diet. You will get plenty of Omega 3’s from your Salmon, Vitamin D from your eggs and certain fish, Vitamin A from Beef – liver especially, and calcium and minerals from green leafy veggies. However, one can look at raw milk as a very good supplement!
Most diets, even those that are termed “high-fat,” do not advise the use of saturated fats outside of what normally can be found in peanut butter, nuts, avocados, etc. This is clearly a major mistake. Saturated fats play an enormous role our in our health and well being. Here are just a few of many reasons to NOT avoid saturated fat:
I do want to point out that there is little scientific support for the consumption of pasteurized dairy that you find in most stores. Dairy is not a necessity, nor is it required for this diet. You will get plenty of Omega 3’s from your Salmon, Vitamin D from your eggs and certain fish, Vitamin A from Beef – liver especially, and calcium and minerals from green leafy veggies. However, one can look at raw milk as a very good supplement!
Concept #2: Correct balance of fats with a special emphasis on Saturated Fats
- Saturated fats make up 50 percent of our cell membranes! They give cells the correct amount of rigidity to allow “messages” in and out.
- Saturates allow the body to use and retain Omega 3’s better!
- They make our immune systems better (see butter and coconut oil!)
- A few specific types of saturates are the best food for the heart. The fat around the heart is highly saturated.
So what are the best sources for saturated fats in the Mountain Dog Diet?
1) Animal fats – Grass fed ground beef contains not only the correct ration of Omega 3 to Omega 6 (1 to 1 or close to it), and CLA, it also has the saturated fat you need. Grass fed beef tends to have about half the saturated fat that grain-fed beef has. Leaner cuts like sirloin are ok, but remember, the magic is in the fat. That doesn’t mean you should eat all Ribeyes, just not to fear the fat, and there will be less of it in grass fed variety. Animal fats will help with fat soluble vitamin uptake which is essential to our overall health.
2) Virgin Coconut Oil – Coconut oil does a number of very good things for people. Most – 95 percent – of the fat in coconut oil is saturated, and about half is Lauric Acid. The fat is a special type of fat, medium chain triglyceride, that is easily converted into energy by your liver. If this energy cannot be used at the time of consumption it will pass through your body without being retained as or converted into body fat. For this very reason 3FU3L uses coconut oil in their protein supplement, it aides in satiety without the negative consequences of increased subcutaneous body fat. There is another side of coconut oil too that shouldn’t be forgotten and it relates to general health. It’s loaded (more than any other food source) with Lauric acid. This is a fat that is extremely anti-viral and antimicrobial. Lauric acid converts to its active form Monolaurin, which has been given to HIV patients and is showing much promise. You can see some of the research at www.lauric.org. It’s also found heavily in breast milk, which is a reason why babies who are breast feed seem to have stronger immune systems.
3) Grass Fed Butter – The reality is that butter IS HEART HEALTHY! It contains a perfect ratio of Omega 3 to 6. The saturated fats are generally short and medium chain for quick and easy digestion and for protection against infection. Lecithin is also a natural component of butter that assists in the proper assimilation and metabolization of cholesterol and other fats. Butter also has this thing called “Wulzen Factor” in it. Researcher Rosalind Wulzen discovered that this substance protects humans and animals from calcification of the joints-degenerative arthritis. If nothing else put some in your morning coffee and Bullet Proof your coffee as well as your health!
What about polyunsaturated fats (Omega 3, 6, Alpha Linolenic Acid)? These too are essential, and you have to get them from your diet. The amount needed though often gets distorted. You’ll get plenty from your diet in the form of Salmon, and also some extra in your beef and dairy due to those sources being grass fed.
If you are taking flax, chia, or other grain type forms of Alpha Linolenic Acid – remember this, your body can only convert a very small amount of it to its usable form in the body of DHA. As a result these grain type Polyunsaturated fats are not recommended. You are better off getting it naturally in the foods described above. Under no circumstance would it be recommended that you consume polyunsaturated fats high in Omega 6’s such as corn oil, cottonseed oil, regular safflower oil, etc. These have potentially deleterious effects due to their inflammatory affect within your body.
Most diets in the bodybuilding world, even those that are termed “high-fat,” don’t advise the use of saturated fats outside of what normally occurs in the peanutbutter, nuts, avocadoes, etc. that are typically recommended. I think this is a mistake. Saturated fats play an enormous role our in our health and well being. Here are just a few of many reasons to NOT avoid saturated fat:
Saturated fats make up 50 percent of our cell membranes! They give cells the correct amount of rigidity to allow “messages” in and out.
Saturates allow the body to use and retain Omega 3’s better!
They make our immune systems better (see butter and coconut oil!)
A few specific types of saturates are the best food for the heart. The fat around the heart is highly saturated.
Saturated fats make up 50 percent of our cell membranes! They give cells the correct amount of rigidity to allow “messages” in and out.
Saturates allow the body to use and retain Omega 3’s better!
They make our immune systems better (see butter and coconut oil!)
A few specific types of saturates are the best food for the heart. The fat around the heart is highly saturated.
Concept #3: Fat soluble vitamins and their role in endocrine function
One of the biggest problems with low fat diets is the fact that they do not take into account the need to properly assimilate fat soluble vitamins. If you do not think this is important, you are wrong! Fat soluble vitamins include A, D, E and K. The issue here is long-term health as these vitamins are so important to your endocrine systems. In addition, there are many studies that show low fat and low cholesterol diets long term create more depression.
Vitamin A
This vitamin is extremely important, so much that your liver can store it for a fairly long time. It helps with protein and mineral metabolism. It helps to ensure proper thyroid function, and it helps in the production of sex hormones. Those things are all critically important (or should be) to athletes.
Also it gets depleted from strenuous exercise which a few of us engage in. Grass-fed butter and egg yolks are excellent day to day sources. Do not fall for the vegetarian belief that you can get plenty of Vitamin A in carrots and other veggies. The Vitamin A in those foods are really not Vitamin A, it is a carotene, often referred to as Provitamin A. True vitamin A, or retinol, is found in foods like cod liver oil, butterfat from cows grazing on pasture, liver and fish – especially shellfish. Your body has to convert the carotenes to retinol, and it only does that well in the presence of fat. Fat stimulates bile salts, which help with this conversion. So you better add some butter to your veggies if you even want a prayer of getting enough Vitamin A on a vegan diet. Actually, grass fed butter is the most easily absorbed food source for Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Although the benefits of this were covered in a previous post, Vitamin D is worthy of some additional insights. This vitamin (actually it is more of a Pro-hormone) cannot be stored in our livers for very long. We need a more continual supply of it. A very compelling reason for an athlete to ensure a good intake of Vitamin D is the fact that it greatly affects healthy insulin function. It also helps maintain a healthy nervous system, which is extremely important if you train hard. Good food sources include whole eggs, sardines, mackerel, herring, shrimp, butter and oysters. An excellent source of vitamin D is Fermented Cod Liver Oil. It is a good idea to get your Vitamin D levels tested. There are many autoimmune disorders thought to be caused by low Vitamin D levels. If you should request the test, the test you want to request is known as a 25 (OH) D test.
Vitamin E
This vitamin is a very strong antioxidant and good for maintaining cardiovascular health. Good food sources include red palm oil, green leafy veggies, liver, egg yolks, and wheat germ. Wheat germ can be sprinkled into shakes, on yogurts and in oatmeal. Grass fed beef is also a great source for this vitamin. If you remember from the supplement post, Vitamin E is also recommended to be taken with your fish oil supplement to combat potential oxidation.
Vitamin K
This vitamin is important for blood clotting, and is also very important in maintaining proper bone density. Good food sources include leafy green veggies, liver and cabbage type veggies. Spinach is excellent for this.
Concept #4: Keeping your liver healthy
Your liver is pretty resilient, and can even do some regeneration of damaged cells. Despite this, it can be a good idea to use a few supplements to help your liver out (Liv 52, Alpha Lipoic Acid, and Milk Thistle -- some of which can be found in Kill Cliff). There also food sources that can be incorporated into diets to help the liver and gall bladder, such as real lemon juice (not from concentrate – helps with bile formation) real cranberry juice (not from concentrate – helps dilute and expel waste), and Apple Cider Vinegar.
Of course the saturated fats recommended above also help. Saturates protect the liver from toxins!
Some of you may be reading this and still have a negative reaction to the notion of a higher fat diet, I assure you you are not alone in this perspective. However, you must also be willing to make changes to your status quo if you want to see potential progress. Perhaps this type of diet does not work for you in the end, but you cannot in good conscience dismiss it out of hand without at least trying it. Give it four months before you render a verdict. Allow time for your body to adjust and adapt before you switch to something else. In the end you will be glad you did!
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