A Video and Explanation of Eating Low Glycemic. This is what really made it “click” for me! You must watch!

The Video I want you to watch is viewable in the link at the bottom of this page of explanation.  Please read and then listen.  But, if you get NOTHING else from this whole posting and the following video, let me simply restate the doctor’s opening (and most important) statement right here:  One of the most important things you can do to EXTEND YOUR LIFESPAN is to keep your glucose and insulin levels as low as possible.  Although the doctor only mentions “extending your lifespan” in his opening sentences, keeping glucose and insulin levels low will also cause your body to lose fat and become lean and healthier very quickly.  And, as the author of this blog, you need to know that the biggest part of all I do with regard to my own nutrition is aimed at this one very simple goal.  Low Glucose and Low Insulin means Longer Longevity, Leaner Body, and Better Overall Health throughout.

If you are just at the start of hearing about Eating Low Glycemic, this video is what finally made it all “click” for me at the beginning of my Low Glycemic Eating Journey.  The Doctor in this video is basically the Nutrition Doc at Cenegenics in Las Vegas.  You may not recognize the name “Cenegenics”….and, you may not even recognize the name of their most famous patient, Dr. Life….who happens to also be one of the foremost doctors there these past 10 to 15 years.  But, I bet you recognize the before and after pictures of Dr. Life because (if you ever fly commercial at all) you have seen them again and again on the back cover of the magazine in the seat back pocket in front of you on the plane!  All the doctors at Cenegenics eat only Low Glycemic nutrition.  And, as you can see from Dr. Life’s Before (age 56) and After (age 74) pictures, it is helping them change their own lives…… and the lives and bodies and longevity of their patients as well.  (By the way, those photos are absolutely no more retouched than the Before and After pics you have seen of anyone else on this blog….including myself.   Friends, if you Just Eat What I Eat……that is to say, what the guy on this video says to eat, you will have dramatic Before and After pictures of yourself too!)

As you may remember from other postings, my brother was under the care of the Docs at Cenegenics in Las Vegas….mainly Dr. Dave Golan….for nearly a year (before cost caused him to swap to some Age Management doctors that are based here locally.)  Without a doubt, Cenegenics is the Gold Standard of the Industry.  I will not soon forget the look on Doug’s face as he recanted to me his initial experience there.  (Doug had managed to allow his belly button/upper waist measurement to blossom to over 40 inches around before he finally decided that he HAD to go see these docs.)  And, upon his return, he described the whole day long experience that he had there with them.

You read that right.  The initial visit at Ccnegenics is almost 8 hours long.  Your visit happens about 2 or 3 weeks after you have had your initial bloodwork drawn and forwarded to them for their pre-analysis.  They had a special doc for each part of their process.  (They even allocated a large chunk of your day there on the topic of just teaching you how to exercise like they do….would it surprise you to hear that they do high intensity, short duration exercise….does that sound like anything familiar that you read about on this blog….CrossFit?)

But, the thing that I may have found the most interesting of all was Doug’s comments about the Docs themselves.  Does your regular Doc look like a picture of health and fitness?  On average, the answer to that is:  “My doc looks just about like an average american.”  Our regular docs from the traditional medicine industry look just about like us….over 20% of them are actually obese….and, the percent that actually smoke isn’t that much lower than the percent of your educated co-workers that do!  Does something about that seem wrong to you?  It does to me.

It is not that way at the Cenegenics Institute.  They have a zillion docs running around their huge, state-of-the-art facility.  Their ages seem to start around 50ish and go up into the late 70’s…..and, every single one of them looks like a Mobile ReTouched Photo of what each of us would like to look like if we had the choice.  Average Waist size is close to 30 inches on these middle-aged to upper-middle-aged men.  They walk around the institute with a spring in their step and a self-assuredness that reminds one of the High School Quarterback walking through the school hallways the Monday morning immediately AFTER winning the most important Friday Night Football game of his life.  (I visited with Dr. Golan after he had left Cenegenics….there in Vegas…with my beautiful wife.  I could not help but smile when this 52 year old man came to get us at the front desk for our initial visit.  When he turned to take us back to his office, the first thing you couldn’t help but notice was the size of his small bum and waist in proportion to his wide shoulders….and, the spring in his step as he walked.  And, after 5 or 6 hours with him, the other thing I would have to give you is that he exuded so much happiness about his life and what he was doing in Age Management Medicine that I had to later describe it as borderline “giddy”.  Now, which kind of Doc do you want handling your body’s care?  Your doc, who assures you that “this is all just part of the aging process”…..or, these guys, who are anything BUT an example of the traditionally accepted “aging process”?)

One of their docs, of course, was a Doc who specialized in nutrition….specifically, the “right” kind of nutrition to make you leaner, healthier, and live longer.  Luckily for us, the folks at Cenegenics make this video accessible to the public on their website.  And, it does a better job than anything I can do for you to teach you why you eat Low Glycemic….and, how.

One apology:  It takes 28 minutes to watch it.  Now, I know you are an “Average American”.  And, as such, you like to get your information in segments of about 2 to 3 minutes at a whack.  Well, this just isn’t going to be one of those type of educational opportunities.  I have listened to it end-to-end multiple times.  And, each time I watch it, I digest a little more than the last time.  My brother was right in his initial assessment of the video when he originally described it to me…..It changed his life! And, it will change yours too if you watch it and listen with the intent to learn………..(After the link are a few comments of interest from me on the Doc’s comments.  You may want to read them in case you may not have absorbed it all from the Video.)

Here is My Summary of the What I got from the Cenegenics Video on Eating Low Glycemic:

Of everything you will learn in this video, the most important fact is this statement made in the opening statement from the Doctor:  “Perhaps THE most important thing you can do to EXTEND YOUR LIFESPAN is to keep your glucose and insulin levels as low as possible.”  Although the doctor only mentions “extending your lifespan” in his opening sentences, keeping glucose and insulin levels low will also cause your body to lose fat and become lean and healthier very quickly.  And, as the author of this blog, you need to know that the biggest part of all I do with regard to my own nutrition is aimed at this one very simple goal.  Low Glucose and Low Insulin means Longer Longevity, Leaner Body, and Better Overall Health throughout.

What are the facts?

99% of all Cellular Function is Carried out by Proteins.  In their ideal state, protein molecules are very slippery and bouncy and they quickly move about amongst each other and get their job done.  What slows them down?  Glycation.  Glycation is the attachment of sugar to protein molecules.  Sugar basically acts like a sticky molasses if you will, causing the protein molecules to stick to each other and have a tougher time getting around to do their work.  We are in the process of glycation at all times.  But, it should be our goal to reduce glycation to its minimum level at all times.  (This can be done through nutrition and exercise since both lower blood sugar and insulin levels.)   Higher levels of glycation cause eventual cellular disfunction.  Inflammation. And, degenerative disease.  Degenerative disease eventually kills you.  Period.  So, the more you can reduce or slow glycation….by keeping your blood glucose and insulin levels low, the longer you are likely to live and the healthier you are likely to be while you are in the process of living.  (In other words, the 10 to 15 years you are likely to add to your lifespan by Eating Like David Eats are not likely to be spent convalescing in the nursing home.  You might actually live pretty well to the very end….and, simply drop dead.  How does that strike you?)

Protein and Fats have very little effect on blood sugar levels.  So, a Low Glycemic eater will eat lots of both…..in comparison to the amount of carbs that they will ingest.  (As my readers, you know I eat a ton of both….I get a lot of my fat in the form of Raw Organic Almond Butter which is nature’s most perfectly balanced source of fat…..excepting Salmon.)  All carbs are digested as glucose.  Period.  But, some carbs are digested much more quickly than others………..for instance, Cheerios versus Broccoli.  In other words, “High Glycemic” Carbs versus “Low Glycemic” carbs.  Carb sources like those found in cereal are almost immediately digested and sent to the cells as glucose when eaten.  Therefore, they cause an almost immediate “spike” to your blood glucose and insulin levels.  A carb like broccoli, on the other hand, can take around 2 hours to really fully be assimilated.  And, as such, glucose and insulin levels stay relatively flat throughout the digestion process.

When our body senses glucose, the pancreas starts creation of insulin.  We use our elevated insulin levels to “Inject” the glucose into our cells…. so that the glucose can be broken down to be later combusted as fuel.  So, if you spike your glucose levels, you are going to effectively cause a spiking of your insulin levels.  Since the insulin is going to quickly inject the glucose into the cells….(that is its job)…your glucose levels are going to very shortly thereafter “crash” back to “normal” levels.  But, the bad news is that Insulin levels do NOT do the same thing.  Insulin is a long chain substance that very slowly reduces in your blood stream.  And, the really bad news is that, when insulin is present in the bloodstream to that degree, it BLOCKS the cells from being able to break down the glucose they have stored (in the form of fat) into “free fatty acids”.  Free Fatty Acids are what we are supposed to be using throughout the day for part of our energy.  If you cannot have access to them (thanks to your elevated insulin levels) you are going to get lethargic and…..you guessed it….hungry….again.  Guess what you do?  You start craving (and ultimately eat) some more High Glycemic Food!  And, you start the whole cycle all over again.  Glucose through the roof.  Pancreas goes into high production making Insulin.  Insulin injects Glucose into the cells making Glucose levels crash quickly.  Your body cannot use the fat that is sitting in the fat cells waiting to be used as “Free Fatty Acids” energy because the process is blocked when Insulin levels are High in the blood stream.  Since you don’t have access to your glucose fat storage….(the Free Fatty Acids)….you start feeling lethargic again….and, hungry….and, well, you get the idea.  Radical Up and Down all day long.  And, throughout the whole process, you are just getting fatter.  And, worse yet, high insulin levels cause “Oxidative Stress” on your body.  In other words, these artificially high levels actually speed the aging process of your body’s internal environment.  In other words, Keeping your insulin levels high all the
time…as do Eaters of the Standard American Diet….literally shortens your lifespan.  Oh.  And, the continuous overproduction of all that insulin (to keep up with all the glucose you are continuously pouring into your body) literally….eventually…. overworks your pancreas to death.  Does the term Type 2 Diabetic sound familiar to you?  This degenerative disease is exactly a result of the Standard American High Glycemic Diet.  The overworked Pancreas can no longer produce enough insulin to keep blood glucose levels down.  And, your body must have pharmaceutical insulin given to it artificially to do the job.  More bad news here though…..we are still using high (artificial) insulin levels to accommodate your High Glycemic Standard American Diet.  And, as you will remember, high insulin levels cause Oxidative Stress on your organs and thereby increase the speed at which degenerative disease…and, eventual death….occurs.

Please Keep your glucose and insulin levels low.  They should roll gently up and slightly down at the bottom of the graph.  If they do, Oxidative Stress will be minimized and degenerative disease will be slowed.  And, simply put, you will live better and longer……………Oh.  And, for you folks that want to actually look good while you are living longer, the other good news is that:  When insulin levels are low, your body CAN release the glucose that has been stored as fat in your cells throughout the day….perhaps most importantly in between each of your Low Glycemic Meals.  This fat is released as “Free Fatty Acids” and is burned as energy making you feel NOT lethargic and NOT hungry.  And, as a result, you DON’T crave some more High Glycemic food.  And, you don’t start the whole damaging bad cycle described above all over again.  And, you get a Lean Hard Body and Belly……….like David has.  Just Eat What I eat………….please!

What can’t you Eat:

1.            All Sweets

2.            All Starches – bread, rice, potatoes (except yams), pasta, cereal (except Old                                      Fashioned Cooked Oatmeal), crackers, chips

3.            Certain Vegetables – Corn, Beets, and carrots.  Corn is too starchy.  And, beets and carrots are loaded with sugar.

4.            Fruits – Banana, kiwi, pineapple, papaya, mango, all melons, all dried fruits (like raisins) except apricots), ALL fruit juices (since they are immediately assimilated into the blood stream right at the tongue.  (If you want fruit, eat the ones that are on the approved list.  But, never drink it in the form of juice.)

5.            No Beer.  No Sweet Wine.

In short, avoid “High Glycemic” anything.  Here are some basic glycemic examples that will shock you.  The glycemic index of table sugar is 100.

1.            Beer is 110

2.            Bread is 95

3.            Rice Cakes = 120

4.            Baked Potato – 85

5.            Broccoli – 30

What can I eat?:

Fish, veggies, meat, fruit, and nuts….eat 5 servings of veggies every day.

What else can I do to keep my glucose and insulin levels even lower than that which I am doing with my diet alone?  Exercise lowers both glucose and insulin levels.