Allicin (from garlic) and the possible benefits for your heart.

[devilock76]

Only supplement I take is L theanine for stress.. seems to be helping so far

I try to avoid supplements, then again I also try to avoid most medication unless it is absolutely necessary and there are no lifestyle changes I can make to render the medication not necessary. I did that for anxiety and I did that for acid reflux. It was not the easiest thing to do but I did not like the way the medication made me feel so I decided to do something about it. Since then I have taken an even stricter stance about such things. My doc is bugging me about I should take the pain pill for my Achillies tendon regularly to build it up and I am refusing saying no I am only taking it as needed. In short where it is just nothing but pain on a certain day.

Now that being said supplements can also be fortification. Best example I can give is vegan diets. If you are on a vegan diet B12 can be a major concern and most research says pills are not the best way as b12 is absorbed better before it hits the stomach. So fortified milk alternatives are a good choice. Also 5 hour energy can work as it is a huge shot of B12.

Ken

[truthwolf1]

One thing the primal, Mediterranean diet, atkins, south beach have in common is to limit grains.

The American food pyramid for years has been grains and more grains are healthy for you. This might work if your genetic make-up adapted with evolution but for others like myself maybe not so.

I have been following the Dr. Davis heart scan guy for awhile and if anything after 6 or so months I have dropped weight (30 or more pounds), lost my acid reflux, feel more focused and have more energy. The theory is that wheat is quite evil for some people but not necessarily for all..

Been waiting on going to get bloodwork but my bet is that it has improved with giving up pizza, burgers, buritos, donuts, deep fry and anything else with flour.

My main consumption is all different kinds of protein from meat/cheese/fish/nuts and usually half or more a plate of salad and veggies. Good dose of olive oil and very limited sugar also.

The only supplement that Dr. Davis and your local doctor will strongly urge you to get caught up on is Vitamin D.

[lxskllr]

The only supplement that Dr. Davis and your local doctor will strongly urge you to get caught up on is Vitamin D.

Sunlight should give you all the D you need. Some yard work in the sunshine will fix you up, unless you live in Ireland :^D

[truthwolf1]

Sunlight should give you all the D you need. Some yard work in the sunshine will fix you up, unless you live in Ireland :^D

Very true but when you live in Ireland or Minnesota your levels can severly drop, especially in the winter. My levels were very low and I was prescribed a common 50,000 IU

Low levels of D are seen in many with heart disease.

[devilock76]

Been waiting on going to get bloodwork but my bet is that it has improved with giving up pizza, burgers, buritos, donuts, deep fry and anything else with flour.

Not to critique your theory but you do realize that all those foods you listed as giving up from grain you also have some other significant things in common, like being friend or deep fried and the amount of grease and saturated fat.

Ken

[truthwolf1]

Not to critique your theory but you do realize that all those foods you listed as giving up from grain you also have some other significant things in common, like being friend or deep fried and the amount of grease and saturated fat.

Ken

The wrong kind of Oils do play a part but I am still on the fence about real butter and fat. It goes back to the processed and GMO manipulation argument.

[truthwolf1]

http://www.trackyourplaque.com/blog/

[lxskllr]

The wrong kind of Oils do play a part but I am still on the fence about real butter and fat. It goes back to the processed and GMO manipulation argument.

I use butter as my grease topping of choice, and prefer olive oil for cooking. I've been using canola lately due to the cost of olive oil, but I'm always looking for deals. Bacon grease is good for flavorful frying, and I don't think a bit of lard in baking is going to hurt anything. Like most things, just be moderate with the heavy greases, and get some exercise. I'm no fan of exercise for it's own sake, but I try to find ways of moving, while getting something done. I use a lot of manual tools, park far from the door, and take stairs rather than the elevator. That may not turn me into an Olympian, but it all helps, and it all matters. What blows my mind is the labor saving devices people pay good money for, then they pay even more money to a gym so they can add work to their life O.o

[ABW]

I am fortunate to have a great doctor who puts up with me and my experiments. I get blood drawn evey 6 months to track changes in my levels and to see which supplements are working etc.. I will give you a simple taste my latest lunacy.. I go into much more detail in my real life. I track my inflammation levels, ionized cal, pth, pthrp, etc.. I'm nuts..

A brief easy to understand example---

For a year I took a high grade fish oil(the best you can get a the store) to raise my hdl and lower my tri's.(that was my goal) After a year and bi yearly draws nothing had changed. More research into the proper levels of EPA to DHA led me to a new oil and a year later my HDL is up by 33% and my tri's are down by 62%..

Bottom line is that some supplements DO work and some are snake oil. You must realize that most drugs are synthesized from nature and we all know that drugs do work.(bad or good they have an effect) It really comes down to knowing what you are trying to achieve and finding a product that achieves that goal.

[devilock76]

The wrong kind of Oils do play a part but I am still on the fence about real butter and fat. It goes back to the processed and GMO manipulation argument.

The body does need fat, if memory serves particularly the brain. It is the type of fat and amounts that are an issue in the american diet. I think in moderation there is nothing wrong with most cooking oils, grease and butter. In moderation. However your food list has some high load items on it. Personally I have become a fan of using smart balance. Oil wise I mostly use canola or olive. On occasion I use crisco shortening for some things.

I personally think grains are good. It is how processed and what type. Whole grain and particularly oats can be good for you.

Ken

[ABW]

There are just to many variables.. Even whole grains can be bad for certain people. In the hospital we recommend only oat for people with high tri's because grains by any other name tend to raise your numbers.(especially processed grains) I think hard red wheat is ok also..The old saying eat a balance diet just keeps poping in my head..

[sgreger1]

I am fortunate to have a great doctor who puts up with me and my experiments. I get blood drawn evey 6 months to track changes in my levels and to see which supplements are working etc.. I will give you a simple taste my latest lunacy.. I go into much more detail in my real life. I track my inflammation levels, ionized cal, pth, pthrp, etc.. I'm nuts..

A brief easy to understand example---

For a year I took a high grade fish oil(the best you can get a the store) to raise my hdl and lower my tri's.(that was my goal) After a year and bi yearly draws nothing had changed. More research into the proper levels of EPA to DHA led me to a new oil and a year later my HDL is up by 33% and my tri's are down by 62%..

Bottom line is that some supplements DO work and some are snake oil. You must realize that most drugs are synthesized from nature and we all know that drugs do work.(bad or good they have an effect) It really comes down to knowing what you are trying to achieve and finding a product that achieves that goal.

Yah my doctor gives fish oil to people with cholesterol I think it is and every time i'm in there he is just getting done showing someone their lab work and they are losing like 30%. It apparently does work very well as i've seen more than one of his patients raving about it. I think there is a lot of studies backing up the assertion that fish oil is good for you too so I wouldn't doubt it at all.

I have vitamin D deficiency as of ym last visit, n sure why. Probably because I work in an office. Hopefully that is taken care of by the time i go back next time, been trying to get lots of sun.

[ABW]

Yah my doctor gives fish oil to people with cholesterol I think it is and every time i'm in there he is just getting done showing someone their lab work and they are losing like 30%. It apparently does work very well as i've seen more than one of his patients raving about it. I think there is a lot of studies backing up the assertion that fish oil is good for you too so I wouldn't doubt it at all.

I have vitamin D deficiency as of ym last visit, n sure why. Probably because I work in an office. Hopefully that is taken care of by the time i go back next time, been trying to get lots of sun.

Hey sgreger..

It does work well..

The Vit D can be tricky as hell to figure out what's going on. My sister has low D right now and she is as crazy as I am about trying to figure out things that are off. Whatever you do don't go type in low Vit D in the Internet because you will come back in a min sure that you have ALS and you don't..lol..

I am sure your levels will come back up With my sister they have finally tracked it to something with her thyroid..

[devilock76]

There are just to many variables.. Even whole grains can be bad for certain people. In the hospital we recommend only oat for people with high tri's because grains by any other name tend to raise your numbers.(especially processed grains) I think hard red wheat is ok also..The old saying eat a balance diet just keeps poping in my head..

Certain medical issues not withstanding it is that simple, balanced diet, active lifestyle and/or exercise = good health. Just like losing weight is nothing more than calories in < calories out.

Ken