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Ten years ago, I ate a high protein diet. I regularly ate and recommended a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. That meant I was putting down 160, 170 grams of protein a day myself.

Later, I moderated my protein intake and focused more on my fat intake, thinking that I’d be better off in the long term eating less protein and using my muscle mass, physical and mental performance, and overall vitality as a “signal” for when protein was too low. Researchers were looking at high protein intakes, noticing they could raise IGF-1 and trigger mTOR, which in some animal models have been linked to cancer and reduced longevity, and positing that lower protein intakes were healthier. I was never “low-protein,” but I certainly ate less than before. I will say that throughout all this time a major determinant of my protein intake was my instinctual hunger for it. When I ate a lot of protein, I did so because I desired it on a base, Primal level. When I ate less, I did so partly because of the research but also because I wasn’t as hungry for it (and my performance never indicated I was lacking).

But in recent years, I’ve been eating more protein again. In fact, I eat by most accounts a high-protein diet. Why? What changed?

I took a fresh look at the research.

I’m always researching. That’s the nature of my work here, and it never stops. As I read more into the protein/IGF-1/longevity connection, I became skeptical of the idea that protein is harmful because it “spikes IGF-1.” It turns out that elevating IGF-1 isn’t necessarily a bad thing; resistance training spikes IGF-1, and the beneficial effects of resistance training are largely dependent on the IGF-1 increase. It turns out that the majority of human research into IGF-1 and longevity shows either a positive relationship (higher IGF-1, longer lifespan) or a neutral one.¹ Really low levels of IFG-1 are bad for longevity, while really high levels are linked to cancer—and even those relationships aren’t totally clear. If protein was spiking IGF-1, that might actually be a good thing. After all, the more protein an older person eats, the longer they live and the healthier they live.

The more I looked, the more the evidence for limiting protein seemed to fall apart. The more I realized it consisted almost entirely of myths and misconceptions.

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Common Myths about High Protein Diets

What are the most common myths and misconceptions about high protein diets?

High protein damages your kidneys

I’d already covered the myth that protein is bad for your kidneys. It’s not, it’s actually good for them, and it protects against many of the maladies that do increase your risk of incurring kidney disease. While an unhealthy kidney may have to limit protein, a healthy kidney will not.

High protein creates toxic gut metabolites

Another popular trope was that protein fermentation in the gut creates toxic “fecal water” that has carcinogenic effects. Eating more protein than you could digest was supposed to trigger protein fermentation, which would lead to toxic fecal water and colon cancer. Also false: studies show that while high protein diets can increase protein fermentation, they do not increase fecal water carcinogenicity and may actually decrease cytotoxicity.²

High protein destroys your bones

Another myth is that protein “leaches” calcium from your bones and causes osteoporosis. The opposite is actually true. Human research consistently finds that higher protein intakes protect against osteoporosis, improve healing after bone injuries, and help prevent falls and fractures in older adults.³

High protein converts to sugar

Several years back, you could hear people say that eating extra protein is “just like eating chocolate cake.” They were wrong.  Gluconeogenesis—the creation of glucose from protein—is demand driven, not substrate driven. Your body will only convert protein into glucose when it needs the glucose. It will not turn protein into glucose just because it’s laying around and available. One study even found that eating 160 grams of protein in a single meal had no effect on blood glucose levels.⁴ If anything, high protein diets will improve blood glucose control.⁵

So if high protein diets don’t decrease longevity (and maybe even increase it), don’t damage healthy kidneys, don’t give you colon cancer, and don’t worsen blood glucose levels, is there even a good argument against them?

The thing about the arguments against high-protein diets is that they were always theoretical. The supposed consequences of eating more protein were off in the distance, yet to be realized, but “they just had to be true.” You could never pin them down. They were based on some plausible mechanisms whose plausibility crumbled as time wore on. They never materialized.

Nor did the supposed benefits of low-protein diets ever appear. On the contrary, low protein diets have been shown to have unabashedly negative effects. Low-protein diets:

• Slow the metabolism, increase insulin resistance, and cause body fat gain.⁶
• Impair the immune system and make infections more severe.⁷
• Reduce muscle function, cellular mass (yes, the actual mass of the cell itself), and immune response in elderly women.⁸
• Impair nitrogen balance in athletes.⁹
• Increase the risk of osteoporosis.¹⁰
• Increase the risk of sarcopenia (muscle wasting).¹¹

Those are proven effects. Those are realized consequences.

The Benefits of High-Protein Diets

Meanwhile, pretty much all the research we have on high-protein intakes finds or suggests benefits.

Less hunger

Of all the macronutrients, protein increases satiation the most.¹² This means a low-carb diet replete in protein can help control your appetite naturally—without you even trying. You just aren’t as hungry, and that makes it much easier to control calorie intake.

Lean mass retention during dieting

Weight loss from dieting is often non-specific. People lose muscle as often as they lose body fat. But with extra protein in the diet, you’re more likely to lose body fat and retain muscle mass during weight loss. In women, for example, a low-calorie, high-protein diet was better than a conventional high-carb, low-fat diet at promoting lean mass retention, even in the absence of exercise.¹³

Better cognitive aging

In older adults, high protein intake in excess of calories was the only macronutrient that was not associated with dementia. Those who ate excess amounts of fat and carbohydrate were at greater risk of dementia, while those who ate “excess” protein were not.¹⁴

Good safety profile

We know that athletes eating up to 3.3 grams of protein per kg of bodyweight each day for over a year have no negative effects and only positive ones.¹⁵ Lean mass increased, fat mass decreased. Kidney and liver function were fine. Blood lipids were good. Now, you could say that “a year of high protein dieting isn’t enough to show all the negative effects,” but you’d be pontificating about the future again. About unrealized potentialities. “Just you wait!”

There are caveats, of course.

High protein should always be paired with physical activity. Throughout human history, you couldn’t get protein without working for it. Meat and physical exertion have always been linked. You expend energy, engage your muscle fibers, obtain meat, eat the meat, activate muscle protein synthesis. It’s the same cycle. Only today, you can divest from that relationship. You can step out of the cycle. You can have a delivery guy drop off a crate of frozen steaks. You can stumble into the kitchen and whisk 40 grams of whey isolate into your water. It takes no physical effort, and that’s going to have ramifications.

One potential ramification of inadequate strength training is the buildup of ammonia, a toxic metabolite of protein digestion that we normally clear by converting to urea and expelling through the urine. If we “overload” the system, the ammonia may linger and cause health issues like brain fog. Resistance training has been shown to reduce serum ammonia in rats. They tied weights to their tails and had them climb ladders—the rat equivalent of lifting weights—and found that it reduced serum ammonia.¹⁶ If this holds true in people, then resistance training increases your protein “ceiling” by improving ammonia clearance and urea metabolism.

So make sure you’re lifting heavy things and moving around frequently—these activities increase your “protein ceiling.”

Another factor that increases your protein ceiling is dieting. The more calories you cut, the more likely your body is to start catabolizing muscle tissue. Eating a high-protein diet can mitigate this effect and stave off muscle loss.

And then there’s bed rest and injuries: both increase the amount of protein you should be eating. If you’re on bed rest or recovering from an injury or illness and can’t exactly make it to the gym, you should still eat extra protein to stave off lean mass attrition and improve healing. The binding principle is “protein ceiling.” Anything you can do to increase that protein ceiling and increase your “need” for protein, whether it’s physical activity or calorie restriction or injuries that require more healing, will make higher protein intakes safer and more effective.

Provided you get adequate physical activity, eat a nutrient-dense diet, and have good kidney health, there’s no reason not to try eating more protein if it appeals to you. The results may pleasantly surprise you—especially if you’re trying to lose weight and retain (or gain) lean mass.

What’s your protein intake like these days? How much protein do you eat?

The post A Fresh Look at High-Protein appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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When we talk about “getting enough electrolytes,” we usually mean the big three: sodium, potassium, and magnesium. There are many others, including calcium, chloride, and bicarbonate, but the big three are the ones targeted by supplement and sports nutrition companies.

In part, that’s because sodium especially, but also potassium and magnesium, are lost through sweat. Athletes need to replenish these electrolytes during and after hard workouts or endurance outings in order to maintain optimal hydration and performance. Sodium and potassium work together to manage fluid balance throughout the body and facilitate muscle contractions and nerve firing. Magnesium is critical for cellular energy production and the transport of sodium and potassium across cell membranes.

I’m not going to go into a lot of detail about the other functions of electrolytes in the body since Mark recently covered the topic in his Electrolytes 101 post. Suffice it to say that if you don’t maintain the proper levels of electrolytes, you’re in a world of hurt.

Should I Be Taking Electrolyte Supplements?

Not everyone needs to supplement with electrolytes, but everyone needs to get the right amount. Your kidneys do a good job keeping electrolytes in balance by retaining or excreting specific electrolytes as needed. However, the kidneys can only do their job if you provide enough electrolytes to begin with, and there’s the rub. Even Primal folks who consume abundant produce and animal products may struggle to get enough electrolytes from their food due to mineral-depleted soil. Paleo godfather Loren Cordain speculates that potassium intake in particular lags behind our biological needs.¹

Furthermore, if you’ve jumped on the ketogenic train, you need more electrolytes than the average person. When you drop your carb intake, insulin secretion decreases accordingly. This triggers ketone production as well as a rapid flush of electrolytes. Failure to replenish lost electrolytes, particularly sodium, is probably the number one culprit behind the dreaded keto flu.

Sports drinks are not the best way to up your electrolyte intake, though. Most of them are designed to provide energy (read: sugar) and hydration first and foremost. They probably won’t offer the amount of electrolytes you want, plus they usually contain other undesirable ingredients you don’t need. Luckily, it’s easy to up your electrolyte intake with better, more Primal-friendly sources.

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How Much Sodium, Potassium, and Magnesium Do You Need?

Sodium: The current recommended daily intake for adults is 1,500 mg per day, but that’s probably not enough for most people. The sweet spot seems to be between 4 and 6 grams per day for adults who do not have salt-sensitive hypertension or kidney disease.

Potassium:² The FDA’s recommended daily intake (RDI) is 4,700 mg per day.

Magnesium:³ For adult females, 310 mg per day up to age 30, 320 mg per day thereafter. For adult males, 400 mg per day up to age 30, 420 mg per day after that.

Keto Dieters’ Electrolyte Requirements

Keto dieters should aim for:

• 3 to 5 grams (3,000 to 5,000 mg) of sodium
• 1 to 3.5 grams (1,000 to 3,500 mg) of potassium
• 300 to 500 mg of magnesium

These are in addition to what you get from food. If you are already getting at least the RDI of potassium from your diet, you might choose not to add more. However, as I said, it’s unlikely that you consistently get enough.

How to Get Electrolytes without Sports Drinks

Start with Food

Getting electrolytes from your diet is preferable to supplementing. Start by estimating your typical daily electrolyte intake, ideally by tracking your food for a few days using an app. I prefer Cronometer, but any app that provides detailed nutritional information will do. Don’t forget to track beverages, too.

If you find that you’re not hitting your targets, try adding more electrolyte-rich foods first, then supplement as needed.

How to Get Sodium in Your Diet

(Note: All the nutrition information below comes from Cronometer.)

Bacon and other cured meats, canned fish, or salted nuts can contribute up to a few hundred mg of sodium per serving. Smaller amounts naturally occur in some produce like beets and carrots, and in seaweed and fresh seafood. Dairy products also contain sodium, and even your drinking water contributes a little.

By and large, though, most of the sodium you consume in a day comes from the salt you add to your food. Different types of salt contain different amounts of sodium. A teaspoon of sea salt has about 2,100 to 2,300 mg of sodium, whereas a teaspoon of kosher salt only has between 1,100 and 1,900 mg.

Primal eaters should feel free to salt their food liberally. Your food will taste better if you do! Also, adding a generous pinch of salt to your drinking water enhances the body’s ability to absorb the water so you stay hydrated. (Add a squeeze of lemon to mask the taste.)

Foods Rich in Potassium

Primal eaters usually don’t include many of the highest-potassium foods in their diets: legumes, dried fruits, bananas. No worries! A medium-sized banana contains 422 grams in a medium-sized fruit. There are plenty of Primal-friendly options that beat it. Here’s just a sampling:

• Avocado (1 whole, 136 g): 690 mg
• Clams, cooked (10 small, 100 g): 628 mg
• Butternut squash (1 cup cubed, 205 g): 582 mg
• Spinach, raw (3 cups, 90 g): 502 mg
• Beets, cooked (1 cup diced, 157 g): 479 mg

These don’t beat bananas, but they still get honorable mentions:

• Coconut water (8 ounces, 240 ml): 410 mg
• Ground beef, 85% lean, raw (4 ounces, 113 g): 333 mg
• Sockeye salmon, raw (3 ounces, 85 g): 306 mg
• Canned anchovies (Wild Planet brand, one can, 85 g): 235 mg
• Broccoli, raw (1 cup chopped, 91 g): 288 mg

Potatoes are still controversial in the ancestral health space, but they contain more potassium than any of the foods listed above. A medium-sized baked potato (131 g) clocks in at 512 mg of potassium. Eating the skin nets you an additional 400 mg! If you don’t want to eat white potatoes, and you’re not aiming for very low carb intake, a medium-sized sweet potato (150 g) delivers 713 mg of potassium.

As you can see, though, it takes quite a lot to hit the RDI of 4,700 mg per day, even if you eat plenty of these relatively high-potassium foods.

Best Foods for Magnesium

With both magnesium and potassium, you’ll get some from most Primal foods. Some of the higher-magnesium foods are:

• Almonds, dry roasted (¼ cup, 35 g): 96 mg
• Spinach, raw (3 cups, 90 g): 71 mg
• Pumpkin seeds, roasted (¼ cup, 16 g): 42 mg
• Chia seeds (1 Tbsp, 10g): 39 mg
• Avocado (1 whole, 136 g): 39 mg
• Sockeye salmon, raw (3 ounces, 85 g): 23 mg

Remember, you don’t need nearly as much magnesium as you do potassium or sodium.

Supplement Electrolytes as Needed

You can purchase magnesium and potassium as individual supplements. Check your daily multivitamin/multimineral formula, too, to see how much you’re getting there.

The easiest way to add sodium is from good ol’ salt. Losalt is a lower-sodium salt that contains 1800 mg of potassium and 688 mg of sodium per teaspoon.

You can also buy electrolyte powders that you add to water. Read the labels to see how much sodium, potassium, and magnesium you are getting with each product and to make sure they don’t have added sugar. Some products don’t contain all three electrolytes, which might be desirable or not depending on what you need. Others contain all three but in paltry amounts. My personal favorite is LMNT, which contains good amounts of the big three in the correct proportions.

What about Baking Soda?

Some evidence suggests that baking soda is anti-inflammatory and can buffer acidosis, which is why it’s becoming increasingly popular among athletes and folks with autoimmune issues. It also seems to boost ketone production.⁴

The chemical formula for baking is sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3). One-quarter teaspoon contains 315 mg of sodium, plus bicarbonate, another electrolyte. The downside to using baking soda as a supplement is that it can cause significant GI distress if you overdo it. Start small!

A Note on Safe Supplementing

It’s almost impossible to overdo electrolyte intake when you’re talking about the minerals that naturally occur in real food. However, supplementing is a different story. With any electrolyte, you can run into problems by taking too much. That’s why I suggest tracking your food intake first—so you know how much more of each you actually need.

In particular, excessive potassium can lead to heart arrhythmias. When taken correctly, potassium supplements are generally considered to be safe for adults whose kidneys are healthy. As always, ask your doctor if you’re not sure if they’re right for you.

The post Ways to Get Your Electrolytes (That Aren’t Sports Drinks) appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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A lot of people use Cinco de Mayo as an excuse to hit up their favorite taco shop and kick back with a margarita, completely unaware of the historical significance. Did you know that May 5th marks the anniversary of the day that Mexico drove out French military in 1862? Now you know why you’re clinking your salt-rimmed glasses and piling on the guacamole.

While there’s nothing wrong with a meal of Mexican food, it might be tough to stick with your eating style if you’re picking up takeout. Here are 6 Mexican-inspired recipes that you can whip up on May 5th, whether you’re following a gluten-free, paleo, or Primal lifestyle.

Shrimp and Cauliflower Rice Bowls Recipe

An artfully arranged rice bowl is a hearty meal that’s packed with a variety of colors, flavors, textures, and even temperatures. The thing is, the good stuff usually sits on top of a packed bed of rice, which could push your carbs over the edge if you’re trying to keep them low. Riced cauliflower is an easy substitute that creates just as satisfying a bowl as the real thing. While it looks like a lot of effort, this shrimp and cauli-rice bowl recipe comes together in just a few minutes.

Get the recipe here.

Keto Burrito Recipe

Everyone loves a good burrito. They’re hearty, filling, and you can stuff them with whatever you’re in the mood to eat. Wrap them up, and they make a convenient and flavorful meal on the go. Can you have burritos when you’re keto, though?

When you’re keeping your carbs low, good burritos can seem out of reach. Traditional flour tortillas send your carb counts through the roof, and inflammatory grains drain you of all of your energy. Other store-bought tortilla options are either just as carby, they have questionable ingredients, or they simply just don’t hold up.

We found a way. This keto burrito recipe has all of the flavor you’re looking for, without the carb-loaded carrying case. Instead, we use a thin, crepe-like egg pancake that compliments any burrito ingredient combination you can dream up.

Get the recipe here. 

Egg Tacos with Avocado and Lime Recipe

These aren’t fried eggs, nor are they scrambled. The eggs in these tacos are just slightly set, with a warm, runny yolk that is barely scrambled into the whites. Slide one of these gently cooked eggs into a warm tortilla, top with cool avocado and lime and slices of jalapeno and you’ve got the perfect breakfast taco. Although these egg tacos are delicious for dinner, too.

Get the recipe here. 

Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas Recipe

The whole point of sheet pan meals is to make life easier by delivering a flavorful, balanced meal to your table with very little cooking and cleanup involved. These sheet pan steak fajitas deliver on all counts. Strips of steak, bell pepper and onions served with avocado and salsa is a delicious mix of protein, colorful vegetables and healthy fat. Everything cooks together at the same time. After dinner, a cutting board, one bowl and two sheet pans are the only cleanup you’ll be stuck with.

Get the recipe here. 

Taco Salad in an Edible Bowl Recipe

Taco salad made from seared steak, avocado, tomato, shredded lettuce, and creamy chipotle dressing is delicious without any embellishment. But if you happen to have cheddar cheese in the refrigerator and a few extra minutes to grate it and bake it, then why not make an edible cheddar bowl?

Get the recipe here. 

Layered Taco Casserole Recipe

This layered taco casserole is comfort food without a helping of regret. There are still layers of everything that make taco casserole great: tortillas, seasoned ground meat, chile peppers, cheese, and a mile-high topping of shredded lettuce, fresh tomatoes, avocado and green onions. But the tortillas are Primal- and Paleo-approved, the ground meat is grass-fed, and the cheese is high-quality aged Cheddar.

Get the recipe here. 

The post Gluten-free, Paleo, and Primal Cinco de Mayo Recipes appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.