We're back with Q&A #6 with Robb and Nicki for Episode 399 of the podcast.

And don't forget to submit your own questions for the podcast here: https://robbwolf.com/contact/submit-a-question-for-the-podcast/

Show Notes:

1. [3:24] Book recommendations for us nutrition nerds.

Sarang says:
Hey Robb,
You have been successful in making me and thousands of guys like me to become total "nutrition nerds". We have all been listening to your podcasts from months/years and reading all kinds of books and blogs we can find to quench the thirst for more knowledge. For some reason, its a highly addictive subject and I'm thinking and reading about it most of the time.
It would be great if you could list out some books that are knees deep in the science and not just superficial advice. The whole paleo/nutrition community would be thankful for that.
Thanks in advance!

Notes

1-Kung San: Men Women and work in a foraging Society- https://www.amazon.com/Kung-San-Women-Foraging-Society/dp/0521295610

2-African Exodus: The origins of Modern Humanity-https://www.amazon.com/African-Exodus-Origins-Modern-Humanity/dp/0805058141

3-The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves- https://www.amazon.com/Rational-Optimist-Prosperity-Evolves-P-s/dp/0061452068/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1529600750&sr=1-1

4- The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World-

https://www.amazon.com/Ascent-Money-Financial-History-World/dp/0143116177

5-Lecture Notes on human metabolism- http://watcut.uwaterloo.ca/webnotes/Metabolism/

2. [13:03] Liver Stress

Maryann says:
First, thank you and Nikki for all you have done and sacrificed to spread the message of clean eating and sustainability.

Do you know of or have your read any research on possible liver stress associated with consuming the amounts of protein recommended in the keto gains calculator for a 57 year old female athlete? 

I will elaborate if you need more background information.

Sincerely,
Listener #7

3. [16:38] Protein needs Bodybuilding Keto - Muscle Gain

James says:
For an intermediate to advanced ketogenic bodybuilder/powerlifter looking to maintain muscle mass during a cut; what would be your initial recommendation on protein consumption?

Same question for building muscle.

Also: much research seems to have been done on fat loss. Are there any studies showing the performance of the ketogenic diet when t comes to muscle gain versus a higher carb approach? Maybe less muscle gain but fat free?

4. [21:33] Keto and true HIIT

Greg says:
Hi,
I eat a Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD) and do Crossfit.  I primarily consume more significant amounts of carbohydrates (max 20g for 195lb male) before doing classic CrossFit workouts where HIIT is part of the workout.  I do this because:

1.  I perform better than without the carbs.
2. I feel and recover better afterwards.
3.  I am afraid of my body going catabolic because it can't get energy fast enough during workouts.

A lot of what I've read about Keto and exercise deals with endurance workout and weightlifting.  What is the best approach specifically for Keto and HIIT for optimizing performance and/or safety (avoid going catabolic)?

Thank you!
Greg

5. [27:12] A question about having carb withdrawal symptoms despite very high blood ketones.

Rob says:
Hi there,

I was wondering if you could shed some light on my usual response to being in ketosis.

I've been on a very strict ketogenic diet for about 6 months now. I've tested my blood ketones hundreds of times using an Abbot Freestyle meter and I'm almost always in the 1mmol to 3mmol range. I have experienced some of the commonly talked about keto symptoms such as occasional feelings of euphoria, appetite suppression (sometimes to the point of nausea if I've consumed a lot of fat), trouble sleeping due to that buzzing ketosis feeling in the body some speak of.

The trouble is I don't seem to do well when my ketones are derived from my own body fat, or at least it appears that way. I say this because I still often feel classic "carb-starved" feelings if I haven't eaten (irritable, trouble concentrating, etc). Eating lunch solves that, but this seems strange given that my ketones could still be at 3 yet I experience those symptoms. Perhaps those very few carbs in the lunch are what my body wants or perhaps my body prefers ketones from other sources than my own body fat.

What has pushed me to a breaking point is a water fast I attempted this weekend. I began my fast after lunch on Friday (extremely low carb high fat) and during the fast felt exactly the same as I have on any fast I've ever done pre-keto. It was really difficult. I was irritable, had headaches, trouble concentrating the exact same feeling as a carb withdrawal. I was testing my ketones frequently in the days leading up to the fast so it should have been a breeze, in theory. And yes, I took plenty of sodium, potassium and magnesium - it doesn't change it at all.

To thicken the plot further, I tested my ketones regularly throughout the whole fast. On Friday night they were about 3mmol and by Saturday lunchtime they were up around 4. By Sunday lunchtime they were up at 5-6 mmol yet I still felt like I was in serious carb withdrawal! Is it possible that ketosis is just not for me? I've heard Dom D'agostino mention that a minority of people don't thrive in ketosis.

Any help would be appreciated!

Rob

6. [35:30] Keto and Picking a Primary Care Doctor

Kilson says:
Hey guys! Huge fan of the show! I just read through "Wired to Eat" and really enjoyed it. I think it is a really good "catalyst" for getting started in the right foot. I've been messing around with Keto for a while now. Almost 3 years ago I was walking around at 357lbs and found out about keto, started boxing and lifting and made it down to as low as 250lbs! After some injuries and some life struggles I flew back up too 300lbs. For the last few months I'm back on the grind and trying to make it back down to a weight I feel good at. Big part is thanks to podcast like yours! So thank you very much! Oh right!... The question...
I haven't gotten a physical or seen a doctor in a while now. Maybe close to two years. I'm having some trouble picking a Primary Care Provider. What are some things you look for in a Doc? Do you use some sort of platform to find a doctor who is in the know about stuff like Paleo and keto? I really want to get on top of this and find a doctor. Im from New York which is flooded with doctors but not sure who to go with. Any suggestions on how to narrow the choices? THANKS!

Notes:

SteadyMD.com

http://paleophysiciansnetwork.com/

For Episode 398 of The Paleo Solution Podcast we have guest Derrick Johnson. Derrick is a multi-time national championship winning Olympic weightlifter, all-time American record holder, and founder and president of the Kings of Weightlifting.

Show Notes

00:00 – Pre-intro and summary
3:17 – Derrick’s background and how he started olympic weightlifting
6:54 – Sports background
9:06 – Nutrition, painkillers, and knee surgery
11:57 – How low carb and keto got on Derrick’s radar
17:12 – Controlling inflammation
17:51 – Winning championships and breaking records
20:36 – Nutrition first and what Derrick is eating
31:30 – Food with Derrick’s family
32:56 – Derrick’s training
37:00 – Coaching and dealing with hard charging athletes
40:54 – Olympic weightlifting and kids specializing in sports
43:14 – Periodization and movement variability to prevent injury
45:00 – Where to find Derrick

Derrick Johnson:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/4derrick
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/4derrick/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/4derrick/

Kings of Weightlifting (Derrick’s Non-Profit, free after-school Olympic weightlifting program for underprivileged youth with the goal of strengthening the community one kid at a time.)
Website: https://www.kingsofweightlifting.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheKingsOfWeightlifting/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekingsofweightlifting/

It's time for Q&A #5 with Robb and Nicki for Episode 397 of the podcast.

And don't forget to submit your own questions for the podcast here: https://robbwolf.com/contact/submit-a-question-for-the-podcast/

Enjoy!

Show Notes

1. [3:30] Are vegetables out to kill us?

Robert says
Hi Robb,

I love the new format of the podcast, and really enjoy the episodes that leave the health sphere just a little. The episode about self-defense was a great listen!

This question is really aimed to help you get rid of your pesky listeners - especially those that you've convinced to eat a meat and veggie diet. After the zero-carb episode with Dr. Shawn Baker, I decided to give carnivorousness shot. Some greasy used car salesman keeps telling me to try it and see how I look, feel and perform, so I figured might as well.

To my surprise, I didn't develop horrendous constipation, gastrointestinal distress, or even scurvy. In fact, I felt pretty damn good.

After a couple of weeks I started looking at re-introducing some higher fat foods into my diet, like avocado. In seeing who else has been down this road, I found that others stay with a carnivore diet avoid avocados, coconut, and other fatty fruits and veggies because of the high salicylate count.

Holy smokes, now I've got another thing to worry about! I have no history, signs or symptoms or salicylate intolerance, so I'm wondering if salicylate intolerance is limited to only those who exhibit intolerance to salicylate, or can modern day marvels make others intolerant to salicylate as well? Yes, I'm trying to kid, but honestly I never knew how much gluten was dragging me down until I avoided it.

At the end of the episode with Dr. Shawn Baker, he talks about how eating fruits is likely better than eating vegetables. Ignoring the fact that avocado is a fruit, is this the strategy you would take?

I know I can introduce it and see how I feel. That strategy falls apart a little when the placebo effect is strong - getting objective measurements is pretty challenging at this point. And researching this feels like I'm hitting some dogmatic areas of the internet.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks much!
Robert

Side note: I signed up for the Keto Masterclass a while ago. I've been struggling with Keto for a couple of years - I seem to respond well to the ~70-100g carb range, getting down to 30g never worked. Well, going carnivore really helped with this! The meals I was eating lined up perfectly with the ketogains macro calculator. Not sure how many would buy into it, but this could be another tool in the keto toolkit.

2. [9:14] Storage kit in case of emergency

Karen says:
Hello,

Some (or many??) years ago there was an article/blogpost (or maybe a podcast) on the website about which (paleo/keto) foods, drinks and other stuff you need to have in storage in case of an emergency. I can't find it anymore.  Do you have this somewhere? (or maybe some idea for a podcast?? :-) )

Looking forward to hear from you.

Best regards,

Karen

Notes:
http://www.icanfixamerica.com/controversial-truth-episode-21/
http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/tag/robb-wolf

3. [11:00] Goal: Min effective dose for gaining several pounds of muscle--3-5

David says:
Hi Rob,
I'm 46, paleo for 8yrs, but not rigid, 165lbs, 10-12% body fat. In 2008 I was in great shape, but eating an unhealthy low carb diet and had food issues.
I also hurt my shoulder and rehabbed for several months to get back to health. Also had back issues, albeit minor. I have always been good at backing off before major problems arise, except with the shoulder.
I found Doug McGuff's book and a trainer who promoted that type of training as well and have been pain free ever since. I lift at a gym 2x/wk and do one-limb eccentric movements 7 reps with 10 sec negatives, then switch and resetting with help from other hand. Rest 1 min and do a regular set of 8-10 with 5 sec negatives. This is all machine for chest, legs, and a mix of the other parts of body. Wed workout is chest, back, shoulders 2 exercises each, and Fri is legs and arms-bi's and tri's.
I really have grown to like the high intensity nature of the work out and have come to terms with sacrificing my former size --180 and in good shape.
I'd like to be able to get bigger, without injury risk and extra time. I am guessing it takes much more sets and reps, and want to do it safely. Interested in new ideas. Thanks and I've really enjoyed following you since I found your article in '10 on Tim Ferriss's blog.
David

Notes:
https://www.t-nation.com/training/defrancos-training-rules-for-washed-up-meatheads

4. [18:19] Maintaining a healthy gut after antibiotics

Whitney says:
Hi Robb and Nicki.  I would like your thoughts on protecting the gut after large doses of antibiotics.  A quick back story to my question is that my son had a ruptured appendix at the age of 11.  It took the doctors 4 days to figure out what was wrong and kept telling us he had a viral infection and to wait it out.  Three surgeries, two pic lines, multiple weeks of high doses of antibiotics (at 1 time he was on 3 doses of 1000mg of vancomyacin a day) and finally a case of c diff, we finally got him healthy.  I made them give him probiotics in the hospital and gave him  prescript assist on my own with the ok from his I.D. doctor.  At 15 he's seems perfectly healthy but I still wonder what the after effects of those doses of antibiotics will be down the road and how that will affect his health later on.  Are there any ways to regain what he lost in an instance like this?

Also, I know this is long so feel free to shorten it however you need.

Thanks for everything you do and know that you are making a huge impact on peoples lives out here in the real world.  Peace.

Notes:
Healthy Gut Healthy You- https://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Michael-Ruscio/e/B07912JZ8C/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

5. [23:24] Pork, Shellfish and Organ meats

Amanda says:
Hi! I have been searching the internet to find some articles that address or refute this thinking but I haven't come up with much.  I grew up in a moderately health conscious family.  Probably about 15 years ago, my Dad heard a couple of bad things about pork/shellfish so that was cut out of our diets.  I since have started eating pork again as I got older and ate my own food and it's become a very regular thing since I haven't been living with them.  So I supposed what they heard was from Dr. Ted Broer and his reasoning is that pigs eat garbage and don't sweat, and shellfish are bottom feeders.  So the idea is that what you're eating is toxic.  I haven't read whatever book my dad read but heard about it a lot as a kid/teenager.  I'm hoping you can help explain to me the science - how pork & shellfish are safe as long as you are getting them from a good source.  Also, are there any nutrients that we can get from pork, but not other meats?
The second part to my question is organ meats.  I have heard a lot about organ meats being very nutritious and high in iron, etc., but my mom just brought up that things like liver are filtering out toxins, so why would we eat that? Could you help me understand if that is a concern or if it isn't, why?
Thank you so much, love listening to your show!

Notes:
King San- https://www.amazon.com/Kung-San-Women-Foraging-Society/dp/0521295610/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1528821550&sr=1-1&keywords=kung+san+men+women+and+work

Paleo Manifesto: https://www.amazon.com/John-Durant/e/B00BM8APVI/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

6. [30:34] Keto/Paleo & Menopause

Laurie says:
Hey, Nicki and Robb!

Huge fan of your work and appreciate the science behind the 'what' when it comes to eating and training to optimize health. My question is this: what food choices, workout tweaks or other possible naturopathic supplements might I look into as I navigate the epic joy that is menopause?

Brief history for you: I stair-stepped into Paleo beginning about five years ago now (at around age 45), though I've been dairy free since my 30s. Since dipping into Keto about a year and a half ago and experimenting with macros, I think I've found my nutrition "sweet spot": around 50 grams of carbs (berries, chocolate, sweet potato), 90ish grams of protein (animal mostly, some plant proteins) and the rest from fats (coconut oils, animal fats, avocado, etc)...I'm 52,  5' 5 1/2" tall, 131 pounds and 17% body fat (per my last InBody reading)...I weight train 3-4 times a week (at least two of those super heavy), walk and garden a few days a week, run or do stair sprints every 7-10 days. Since I switched from a super low-fat, high carb, grain based diet, my HDL has risen, my triglycerides plummeted (from over 125 to 43!), my total cholesterol is improved and my fasted blood sugar is in the upper 70s, low 80s. My weight dropped from 150 and has been the same within a pound of two for five years running now...

And then: menopause. My sleeping has gone to hell with night sweats and I've had all sorts of weird food reactions since going off birth control for good four months ago. Doctor's suggestion of going off, then back on the pill a year ago seemed to do a number on my gut and I became a mess. So I went back off the pill four months ago and did my own AIP protocol and think I found the culprits (almonds and nightshades). My gut issues are much improved and I'm trying some Black Cohosh and using Clary Sage for the hot flashes with mixed results.

So, my question: I want to be back to feeling 110% all of the time (not a big ask, I don't think), but this menopause nonsense is getting on my last nerve. Anything I can do that doesn't include artificial HRT?  My insurance doesn't cover functional medicine, naturopathy or acupuncture, but I am hoping to change insurance.

Thanks for any help or insight!
Laurie