Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Reprogramming The Meme
The human brain is very complex. It contains over 100 billion neurons, linked together by thousands of synaptic connections. The brain is the control center of the body and is responsible for all the functions of the body. Motor control and hormonal secretions are derived by the brain. Though the brain is the control center of the body it is also the place where we store and interpret information.
From the moment the brain is developed we begin to collect information. The information that we gather through our development embeds into our psyche and becomes the foundation of our moral and value stature. We are all taught certain ideas, behaviors and beliefs that are transmitted to us through rituals, gestures, mental awareness from person to person-- these are meme's. Meme's are considered to be accepted as ideas that we embrace as rules or guidelines. Meme's can be negative or positive constructs that turn on and off during times of our lives. By reprogramming the meme we can redirect the negative ideas and beliefs and turn them into positive and inspiring ideas. Here is an example of what I am talking about. Let's say that you have this idea in your head that you have to eat everything on your plate. This idea has been instilled in your memory banks during your time growing up. Your mother would always say "you can't leave the table until you eat all the food on your plate." Her mother would say the same thing, her grandmother would tell her mother and so on and so forth. This is how a meme is developed. It is an idea that get's passed on and on and becomes common. If we don't stop and identify the meme we will continue passing it along generation to generation. We will continue to force down the food no matter how stuffed we get because we can't leave the table until we eat it all. For some reason we feel compelled to continue to follow the meme. Until one day we break it by stopping the idea of having to eat everything on our plate.
To turn a negative meme into a positive meme we must reprogram it into our memory. By rephrasing the idea of having to eat everything on your plate you could say, I am going to eat until I am comfortably satisfied and give myself permission to leave the table with food on my plate. This new meme can be transferred to your kids stopping the negative idea with a positive idea.
The food on your plate meme is just one of thousands of meme's that are common to us. Once you identify a meme you can change it so that you don't find yourself always following the same negative pattern. By changing all the negative mind viruses that have been passed on from generation to generation you can reprogram the psyche to be more positive and not so held down to years and years of underlying guilt.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Fat Must Accompany Protein For Hydrolysis
Here is a topic that usually gets me in arguments with many folks. Sometimes I feel like an alien in this world because of the way I think. I like to challenge everything. I debunked the calorie thinking years ago and now I want to challenge the dietary fat theory. If something doesn't make sense I will not prescribe to it. For example, throwing away the egg yolk and eating only the whites is ridiculous to me. Yet, this is what unconscious America is taught. It is believed that by throwing away the yolk you are doing a "healthy act" reducing the risk of high cholesterol and heart disease. This is ludicrous!!! What people don't know is that if you eat egg whites without fat (yolk) it doesn't get converted as protein through the liver it actually gets converted into sugar. High levels of sugar in the blood is one of the key factors for increasing cholesterol levels. Eating healthy fats that the body has been able to digest for thousands of years is not the killer. The egg is the most complete food on the planet.
Proteins and fats must be joined together to sufficiently be hydrolysized through the liver. Without getting too deep into the scientific breakdown of chemistry, here is a simple way of understanding this concept. It is known that dietary fat contains fat soluble vitamins A,D,E,K. I feel that these vitamins are stored in fat to help protect them from the digestive enzymes produced during the digestive delivery sequence. Dietary fat produces the most energy yielding 9 calories per unit of enery per gram. Fats are comprised of hydrogens that are split up during combustive processes in the digestive tract and muscle cells. When a dietary fat is digested, fatty acids are produced. One fatty acid, the essential linoleic acid helps the body absorb fat-soluble vitamins and minerals. I believe that one reason why fat yields so much energy is because it helps moderate the combustion of food in the mouth, stomach and intestines, to allow vital nutrients to get transported into the bloodstream safely. The stomach acids are highly concentrated and breakdown everything we eat. If the body didn't have such a remarkable system for breaking down food, the human species would exist. There has to be a powerful mechanism to help digest dense foods for human survival. Even though fats contain more energy and hydrogens than proteins and sugars they eventually breakdown into smaller constituents to enter into aerobic and anaerobic metabolism.
I feel that fat is a major cofactor in the delivery process of proteins, vitamins and minerals. Protein which is another complex nutrient contains active enzymes that are alive. I believe that protein and fat must coexist in order to keep the protein enzymes alive. All meat has fat combined with it because the enzymes interact with the fat soluble vitamins. The enzymes have to survive in order to be useful in the body. If the enzymes suffer or starve they will die which results in malnourishment for the body. Proteins by themselves entering the stomach are too sensitive to survive without fat protection. It is like George W. Bush walking into Bin Laden's camp by himself. The outlook wouldn't be good for the former president. But if he had lot's of secret service agents, and military personnel he would have a better chance of survival. (I realize the analogy is a little obscure but it is all I can come up at this time with to illustrate my point).
Protein must be accompanied with fat to withstand the digestive acids and to be able to be hydrolysized through the liver for proper transport into the bloodstream. If protein is ingested without a fat present then the protein will not survive the enzymatic reactions through the stomach and intestines. By the time the protein gets to the liver it is in the form of sugar and will proceed to enter the bloodstream as sugar. High sugar can result in hyperinsulinemia, fat storage and high cholesterol. It is very important to combine fats with proteins. Throwing away good fat or avoiding it altogether is a big mistake. If you have any questions regarding today's post please email me at dconant2004@yahoo.com, and I will gladly respond to you. Now go scramble up some eggs in sweet butter--yummy!!!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
How Much Protein Do You Need
There seems to be a lot of confusion about protein intake. I don't know where the fear of eating protein came about in America. It seems that people are afraid of eating protein. I try to explain to folks on a daily basis the importance of protein and they look at me like I am some kind of witch doctor or evil person. They tell me that if you eat too much protein that your kidneys will get destroyed, or that it is dangerous for your heart, or that you will get fat, or that you will lose muscle. I look at them with a furrowed brow and say -- HUH! Here is the truth about protein and why you must consume it daily.
Proteins form the major components of muscles, skin, tendons, blood vessels, hair, and cores of bones and teeth. They help you grow, heal wounds, and make up collagen - the connective tissue that gives your body its shape. Proteins are involved in practically every function performed by a cell, including regulation of cellular functions such as signal transduction and metabolism. For example, protein catabolism requires only a few enzymes termed proteases. Proteins are very complex and are living structures that are the basis of tissues. Proteins are made up of amino acids. There are non-essential amino acids and essential amino acids. The non-essential amino acids are made up inside the body and are not required from external sources (food). However, there are 9 essential amino acids that must be taken in via diet every day to complete protein synthesis in the body. The body cannot manufacture essential amino acids, they must come from food.
The process of protein in the body works as follows. Once you ingest a protein source it take roughly 30 minutes to 2 hours to pass through the liver and enter the blood stream. The blood protein only stays active for 3 hours. If it is not utilized it is excreted out of the body via the kidneys. When protein levels drop this causes a catabolic event to occur which in turn can ignite muscle tissue to fire off protein to feed the internal organs. You see organs are vital to the survival of the human being. If the vital organs are not being kept fed with protein, sugar and fat then they become compromised. In order to sustain the regular balance of the vital organs cellular chemistry adequate amounts of nutrients must be replenished. Protein is a very complex substrate that must be replenished throughout the day to keep the blood proteins high to keep feeding the vital organs. When we don't eat enough external protein then the body will take it from itself. When the body takes from itself to feed itself this is known as acute catabolism. An event you don't want to happen. Losing muscle creates greater fat storage. Fat is metabolized through muscle tissue. If you lose muscle tissue you lose the ability to metabolize off the fat.
Here is a brief calculation to figure out how much protein you need per day.
If you are not an active person (sedentary) multiply your weight by .80 and the result is your daily number of protein grams you need to consume per day.
If you are moderately average multiply your weight by 1 and this is your daily number of protein grams you need to consume per day.
If you are bodybuilding and/or very active multiply your weight by 1.1 -1.3 and this is your daily number of protein grams you need to consume per day.
Most people I deal with don't even come close to taking in enough protein. They are afraid of damaging their insides. I consume huge amounts of protein to test my body. I consume on average 8-12 eggs a day, 1 to 2 pounds of beef a day and I have never had any issues with kidneys or heart. In fact, I get leaner and leaner from eating more protein. I have never gained fat from eating high protein. I have been eating like this for over twenty years. I don't advocate that you consume that many eggs or that much beef for you, because we are all different in needs. My needs exceed the norm. However, I do advocate that you consume the required amount of protein that matches your activity level.
This is just a brief look at protein. I am currently writing a book on nutrition that will discuss protein in more depth. If you have any questions regarding this blog please email me your questions at dconant2004@yahoo.com, and I will be happy to reply.
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