The Primal Blueprint (24 page)

Manufacturing glucose from protein requires its own source of energy, so liver cells happen to use fats (fatty acids, really) to fuel this conversion. When liver cells are involved in gluconeogenesis, they are unable to completely burn off those fats to the final end products of carbon dioxide and water. Consequently, they produce an energy-rich by-product known as a ketone (also called a ketone body). Ketones are very safe, desirable, energy-efficient forms of fuel in and of themselves. They are quite literally the fourth fuel. A 2004 article in the
Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
referred to numerous studies suggesting that a low-carbohydrate intake and the resulting mild ketosis may offer many benefits, including reduction of body fat, minimized damage from insulin resistance and free radicals (from metabolizing a high-carbohydrate diet), and a reduction of LDL cholesterol.

Many cells actually prefer ketones to glucose, given the choice between the two. Cardiac muscle, skeletal muscle, and even certain brain cells thrive on the four and a half calories per gram delivered by ketones. After a little adaptation, the brain can do very well getting 75 percent of its energy from ketones. The fact that we can so easily convert to this alternative energy source plan may be the best proof that Grok didn’t always have access to lots of carbs.

So what exactly is ketosis? Ketones can’t be stored conveniently the way fats (and excess glucose) can be stored in fat cells or the way glucose can be stored as glycogen. Ketones simply circulate in the bloodstream where they are available to be picked up by any cells that want and need the energy they provide.
Ketosis
is the scientific name for a relative condition in the body where ketones start to accumulate in the bloodstream to a point beyond which they can all be picked up for energy. There is nothing wrong
with being in ketosis. It is a natural, normal part of human energy production and metabolism. You have probably been in mild ketosis any time you have fasted or skipped a couple meals in a row.

Ketones happen to be somewhat acidic, and because the body works hard to maintain a slightly alkaline (nonacidic) state, unused ketones are excreted in urine, stool, or even breath (some describe the smell of ketone breath as that of overly ripe apples or acetone). People who are trying to stay in a mild state of ketosis often use “ketostix” to measure the amount of ketones in their urine. For them, more is better because each gram of ketones excreted means extra fat has been burned.

Some people—including some misinformed doctors—maintain an unnecessarily dim view of ketones and ketosis. I believe these criticisms arise because the diets in question allow for only 20 grams or less of carbs per day, a level that does not allow for the plentiful intake of nutrient-rich vegetables. While we are not meant to run primarily on carbohydrate energy, we do depend heavily on the nutrients offered by low-carb vegetables and most fruits. Other people may be mistaking ketosis for ketoacidosis, a much different (and deadly) condition that affects insulin-dependent diabetics and alcoholics.

In the normal
Primal Blueprint
maintenance program, we rarely even get to a state of ketosis. (But we still burn lots more fat and produce more ketones than high-carb people.) Because 100 carb grams a day seems to be the cutoff point above which ketosis is reduced, the recommended range of 100 to 150 grams per day of vegetable- and fruit-based carbs is plenty to fuel those glucose-/glycogen-dependent systems while the majority of our energy comes from fat.

On the
Primal Blueprint
accelerated fat-loss program (detailed in
Chapter 8
), we will look to achieve what I call the weight loss “sweet spot”—a level of mild ketosis—by dropping carbs into the range of 50 to 100 grams per day. For Primal weight loss efforts, we ensure that protein needed for gluconeogenesis comes from our diet (not our muscles) and that we have plenty of fat to meet our daily fuel requirements. Primal diehards who average very low-carb intake over extended periods (50 to 100 grams or less per day) will likely benefit from having an occasional higher-carb day (maybe 250 to 300 grams of nonsugar carbs) to fine-tune insulin sensitivity.

“
My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people. —
Orson Welles
”

By understanding how the metabolic processes work for protein, fat, carbohydrate, and ketones and knowing that you can control these processes through your diet and exercise habits, you needn’t agonize over day-to-day calorie counting. As long as you are generally eating a
Primal Blueprint
–style plan and providing the right context of calories, your body will ease into a healthy, fit, long-term comfort zone effortlessly.

The
Primal Blueprint
is about enjoying a healthy, happy, balanced lifestyle. As Dr. Andrew Weil said in describing the title of his book
Eating Well for Optimum Health
, “eating well” refers not only to choosing natural, nutritious foods but also to enjoying the experience as one of the great pleasures of life. It’s likely that Grok appreciated food much more than we do today, because he had to work so hard for his meals and was never assured of success. Throughout history, food has represented a centerpiece of cultural celebration—let’s not kill the momentum now!

If you wish to succeed with healthy dietary habits, it’s important that you discard any negative emotions you have toward eating and embrace each meal as an opportunity to enjoy yourself. I strongly recommend that you give yourself permission to eat as much as you want (from the broad list of
Primal Blueprint
-approved foods), whenever you want, for the rest of your life. While this suggestion might scare the heck out of you, releasing yourself from restriction and deprivation enables you to become more connected with your physical nutritional needs rather than being driven by emotional triggers. Take notice of that point in every meal where you have attained satisfaction and feel comfortable stopping—not the point at which you are full, but the point at which you are no longer hungry for the next bite—knowing that you can eat again whenever you like. If you wish to enjoy a indulgent treat, do so with full attention and awareness to the pleasure that every single savored bite gives you. Reject feelings of anxiety, guilt, or rebellion connected to your food choices and replace them with the idea that you deserve to eat the most delicious, nutritious foods possible.

When it comes to specific meal choices, I prefer to let my taste buds guide me to the most enjoyable and nourishing foods within the broad guidelines of the
Primal Blueprint
. Forget the scientifically unproven admonitions to eat certain food-type combinations at certain times or align your food choices with your racial heritage, body shape, or blood type (I can’t remember if my blood is O positive or O negative, but when I eat my Primal Salad most afternoons, my brain always thinks, “Oh, positive!”).

Humans have evolved on widely differing diets from settlements all over the globe. While there are certain genetic predispositions to grain or dairy allergies, for example,
Primal Blueprint
foods satisfy and nourish everyone, regardless of where the last five or 500 generations in your bloodline lived or what they ate. In the Q&A section, I’ll comment further how to reconcile the evolutionary-based
Primal Blueprint
diet with concepts like the metabolic-type eating recommendations that have become popular in recent years (hint: one is a gimmick and one is aligned with the fundamental basis from which all human biology originates—evolution).

Essentially, my goal is for you to become a modern forager with a keen sense of what you need to do (or not do) to thrive day in and day out. When you understand this basic concept, the resulting sense of personal power you will gain is tremendous. When you eat
Primal Blueprint
style, there is no city you can’t travel to, no restaurant you can’t negotiate with, no grocery store you can’t shop in…no family holiday you can’t endure!

Ever notice how some people freak out if they miss a meal or can’t find exactly what they want on a menu? They become irritable and start complaining about being light-headed—as if their world might stop if they don’t inhale some calories right away. Ironically, other than a lifetime of cultural socialization and a metabolism they’ve built to depend on sugar instead of fat, there is no reason skipping a meal should be a big deal. Our ancestors ate sporadically—with continually varied mealtimes and food choices. It’s quite certain that they didn’t always have enough, with the seasons and hunting success being major factors for their amount and diversity of food choices. Our genes thrive on intermittent scarcity and can even handle occasional excess. In fact, they expect it.

Our genetic ability to thrive on intermittent eating habits is an important concept to retain, because it unburdens us of having to eat every meal on a set schedule, to balance food groups (meat with starch, grains with protein, etc.), or to align our foods with time-of-day traditions (cereal for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, etc.). Skipping meals, fasting briefly, and simply freeing yourself from an obsessive need to eat three squares or six small meals a day when the clock strikes a particular hour might actually benefit your body by aligning more closely with your historic genetic experience to eat sporadically. Unburdened by the strict and ill-advised “rules” of Conventional Wisdom, eating becomes much simpler and more enjoyable. You might even discover that you experience even greater pleasure from food if you miss a meal here or there or alter your eating pattern from time to time.

“
Perhaps the single quickest and most exciting revelation for converts to the Primal Blueprint eating style is that by eliminating sugars and grains from your diet and emphasizing plant and animal foods, you will experience more consistent energy levels and a naturally diminished appetite
.
”

On this topic, it’s interesting to note that your need to consume calories on a regular schedule will diminish substantially when blood glucose levels are moderated and you start burning fat more efficiently through low-insulin
Primal Blueprint
dietary choices. In contrast, if you eat the typical Western diet of 300 to 500 grams of
carbohydrate per day (instead of the 100 to 150 from complex sources as suggested by the
Primal Blueprint
), you are going to experience significant blood glucose fluctuations and corresponding cravings for quick-energy, high-carbohydrate foods. This is perhaps the single quickest and most exciting revelation for converts to the
Primal Blueprint
eating style is that by eliminating sugars and grains from your diet and emphasizing plant and animal foods, you will experience more consistent energy levels and a naturally diminished appetite.

These benefits will be long lasting, but they might take a bit of time to realize. Every once in a while, people commenting on
MarksDailyApple.com
mention difficulties with energy level swings when participating in my online 30-day
Primal Blueprint
Challenge. When switching from a carbohydrate-based diet to a Primal eating style, keep in mind that it takes your body two to three weeks to “learn” how to burn fats better. During that time, your body expects sugar as fuel (which it’s getting less of—perhaps for the first time in decades) but hasn’t perfected yet how to get the most out of your fat reserves. Don’t worry, it will. By limiting carbs (and, hence, lowering insulin) you are sending a new series of hormonal signals to your genes. In turn, they are down-regulating their sugar-burning systems and up-regulating their fat-burning machinery.

While you may experience a few episodes of light-headedness during the transition, rest assured that the shift will be complete in a few weeks and energy levels will dramatically improve. Meanwhile, grab a handful of nuts or a cold drumstick to munch on if you get hungry for a snack (I’ll detail some of my favorite snack choices in
Chapter 4
). You should always satisfy your cravings with abundant amounts of approved foods instead of suffering through them with willpower and other flimsy, short-duration weapons. Don’t worry, these primal food choices will deeply satisfy you without bringing about a sugar crash later, as will happen when you reach for a bagel. This is due to the high caloric density and slow burn rate of foods high in fat and protein (such as meat, nuts, and seeds) and the high water and fiber content (which moderate the blood glucose impact) of fruits and vegetables.

Because modern life is all about schedules, we often find it convenient and enjoyable to eat regular meals. I’m simply suggesting you pay more attention to your hunger levels than the clock. For example, I eat breakfast nearly every day, but in a wide range of food choices and total calories—based on my appetite, activity level, and the day’s schedule. Often I will have my huge Primal Omelet with four to five eggs; chopped mushrooms, peppers, onions, and tomatoes; cheese; avocado; turkey meat; and salsa. On other days I will grab a few pieces of fresh fruit and some nuts or make a protein smoothie to have on the go. Some days I simply skip breakfast altogether, with no accompanying guilt, hunger pangs, or low blood glucose. As long as you are eating Primally most of the time, fluctuating habits work fine, and definitely help with weight control.

When you can be flexible with your food choices and eating schedules, your diet becomes more psychologically pleasing and less stressful to follow. However, the key is to make informed choices that minimize your exposure to toxic foods and, when you indulge or get off track, allow your body to return quickly to balance. If you enjoy a decadent dessert or a weekend away from healthy food options, simply eat a few low-insulin meals in a row and return to regulated energy levels and optimal metabolic function. Even a short walk after a big meal and rich dessert can mitigate the insulin response by diverting some of the glucose from your bloodstream into working muscles.