9 Principles for Heart Health, Healthy Metabolism and Weight Management

Dietary and exercise principles that truly help the heart and keep the weight off.

My goal is to provide you with live charging truth and health information. I want you to be around longer for your family and to live out your God given purpose in this life with energy and vitality.

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1. No Refined Sugar

Includes candy and things labeled as sugar, cane sugar, artificial sweeteners such as sucralose (Splenda), acesulfame potassium, splenda, aspartame, saccharin (Sweet’N Low) and others. Limit sugar alcohols such as erythritol, maltitol or anything that ends in "ol". Stevia and monk fruit are a bit better but are usually blended with a sugar alcohol so be mindful. Better options are raw honey, maple syrup, blackstrap molasses, allulose, pure coconut nectar. It's actually refined sugar that is the biggest culprit behind heart disease, not cholesterol. Refined sugar has a direct heart impact (here and here) and damages and increases inflammation in blood vessels by contributing to atherosclerosis/plaque buildup (here and here) increases LDL— the bad cholesterol, and lowers HDL—the good cholesterol (here and here), and increases blood pressure and risk of type II diabetes.

2. No Refined White Flour Products

These are basically refined sugar. The difference is the product itself is nothing but sugar and not just added to the product. Of course, then even more refined sugar is added into the product to make it even worse. This includes most confections, baked goods, white bread, regular pizza crust, regular waffles and pancakes. Healthier versions of these do exist. While working toward a healthy weight it's best to either restrict these types of foods or choose whole grain options. You can also make your own out of whole grain flour, sprouted flours, ancient grains or grain free options such as cassava or yucca flours.

3. No Vegetable or Seed Oils

Includes the "Hateful Eight" (also mentioned in my Memorial Day post with additional health tips you might find helpful) which are sunflower oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, ricebran oil, canola oil and grapeseed oil. Choose healthier fruit oils instead which include extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), coconut oil, avocado oil. Best to use use olive oil raw to drizzle over foods ands salads. For cooking stick to coconut oil, ghee (clarified butter) and avocado oil.

4. Eat 1 Gram of Protein Per Pound Per Pound of Body Weight or Per Pound of Lean Body Mass

If you’re at a normal body mass index (BMI) then get 1 gram of protein per pound of total body weight. If your BMI is at an overweight or obese level then get 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass (LBM). A normal BMI is between 18.5 to 24.9, overweight is between 25 and 29.9 and obese between 30 and 39.9. Morbid obesity is reached at a BMI of 40 and above. Protein is highly thermogenic and it is much more difficult for protein to be converted into fat, shown even at 5.5 times the recommended amount. However, aiming for these protein targets further reduces the likelihood you will eat too many calories overall (you’re still most likely eating meals with a variety of foods mixed with carbs and fat) and it keeps your goal more attainable and sustainable. If your’e tracking your macros or calorie intake and still feel hungry after hitting your protein goal or overall calorie goal then you can eat an additional serving or two or protein to help you feel satisfied, contribute to your muscle building or fat loss goal (remember, protein is thermogenic and even at more than the RDA can boost metabolism and support lean body mass) assuming you’re still keeping overall calories reasonable for your body type and activity level.

5. Don't Eat Late at Night or Within 3 Hours of Bedtime

It's best to eat only in the daylight hours or at least not within 3-4 hours of bedtime and, most importantly, not between the hours of 10pm and 4am. These are prime sleeping hours If something is needed to take with medication or under doctors orders then have something light, small (less than a hand size) and easily digestible in the evening. Additionally, make anything that has to be consumed in the evening protein or healthy fat as these options have less of an insulin and blood sugar spiking effect. Carbs/glucose at night will very likely be stored as body fat as the body is trying prepare for sleep. Below is a good chart to show you why you don’t want to be digesting food and disrupting sleep during the normal sleeping hours. Notice the time when melatonin secretion starts and deepest sleep occurs. Digestion of food will disrupt these processes. Keep in mind that not only food and food timing, but light and exposure to light (especially blue light) at certain times, also affects our sleep. You can also dive a little deeper on a past piece I wrote about this here.

6. Eat Carbohydrates Early in The Day If Not Going Low-Carb

Once down to a healthy weight, this is not as crucial. However, while losing weight and working toward a flexible metabolism (ability to burn both carbs and fat for energy) you have more time to move, walk and exercise for your body to use the carbs/glucose for energy throughout the day instead of being stored as fat when you start the day with healthy whole food complex carbohydrates. I do recommend combining whole food complex carbohydrates with protein to further increase satiety and help hit your daily protein target (very important for strength, efficient metabolism, hormones and overall health). Additionally, these types of carbohydrates (think beans, lentils, whole grains, root vegetables) also help to increase satiety and help you feel fuller longer with less cravings for sweets or more food shortly after eating.

Here's a list of foods rich in complex carbohydrates:

• Whole Grains - Sprouted versions are best

  • Oats - (ensure they're organic and certified glyphosate free and, if gluten sensitive/intolerant, certified gluten free. Steel-cut oats are especially good.

  • Quinoa

  • Buckwheat

  • Whole wheat (avoid if gluten sensitive/intolerant, get organic)

  • Brown rice

  • Barley (whole-grain, not pearled)

• Legumes - Sprouted versions are best

  • Lentils

  • Beans (black, kidney, pinto, adzuki, mung, etc.)

  • Chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans)

• Starchy Vegetables:

  • Potatoes

  • Sweet Potatoes

  • Corn (ensure organic and Non-GMO)

  • Peas

  • Squash (butternut, acorn, spaghetti)

• Fruits and Vegetables:

  • Bananas

  • Apples

  • Broccoli

  • Spinach

  • Kale

  • Carrots

  • Asparagus

  • Zucchini

  • Brussels Sprouts

  • Root Vegetables

• Other:

  • Whole-grain breads, cereals, and flours (preferably sprouted)

  • Peanut butter (relatively low-carb but contains complex carbs)

There is the method of restricting your carbohydrates for your last meal to stimulate fatty acid oxidation (burning fat for fuel) all throughout the day. This can have the benefit of not only burning fat during the day, but also helping to improve sleep (carbs can release serotonin) and also allowing you to still have some glucose in your system to help fuel an intense workout if you like to train at a high intensity in the morning in a fasted state. This method does work if done properly. I've done it myself. But, in my opinion, there's a few things to keep in mind if doing this.

1. If you don't train at a high intensity in the morning and just keep it moderate to low intensity, you really won't need the extra glucose and you'll ensure you'll be burning more fat during your morning exercise.

2. You may run into issues with cravings if you're not used to this and resort to eating low quality, refined, sugar filled carbohydrates later on.

3. If you don't time it right (again, 3-4 hours before bed) and you're eating any more than a small handful of food, you'll could set yourself up for the glucose you consumed in the evening to be stored as fat as your body releases higher amounts of insulin shuttling the glucose into fat storage in an attempt to quickly clear the bloodstream of glucose as it tries to shut down for the night. This happens when melatonin is released at night in preparation for sleep while insulin is simultaneously in your system.

4. If you don't have a decent amount of muscle mass (roughly above the average of 35% for males and above 30% for females) which gives you an increased metabolic rate to begin with and allows for a higher consumption of carbohydrates (remember, muscle is your primary glucose disposal site), you're even more susceptible to fat gain eating carbs in the evening. There are plenty of other things you can do to help you wind down for sleep that don't put you in this position (eliminating screen time 1 or more hours before bed, reading, music, stretching, etc.).

So, if you don't carefully manage those four factors (workout intensity, cravings, meal timing, muscle mass), then it's probably best for you to stick to unrefined, whole food and complex carbohydrates in the morning, have time to use them, reduce them throughout the day and have plenty of time after your last meal to wind down and have a good nights sleep. And in the event you do happen to eat soon before bed, if it's not a three course meal and it's protein or fat and not carbohydrates, your body will have less of an insulin response and you'll mitigate any possible fat gain.

7. Morning Fasted Exercise

Your glucose levels will most likely be the lowest that they will be all day when you wake up in the morning. Take advantage of this and go for a 15-20 minute or longer walk or do your exercise routine in a fasted state before consuming any calories. Since no or very little glucose (especially if you stopped eating 3 hours or more before bed) is in your system, body fat will be burned and be the primary fuel source used to fuel your exercise.

8. Focus on Healthy Fats and Omega 3s

Omega 3s, healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids lower blood pressure, blood triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol, increases HDL (good) cholesterol, reduces risk of arrhythmia (irregular heart beat), reduces inflammation, reduces overall risk of cardiac events and mortality and improves blood circulation. Although is generally healthier to replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats, some saturated fats are healthy and necessary in moderation and not the horrible cause of heart disease as once thought. Some saturated fat is needed for healthy hormone balance and production. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends getting less than 10% of total daily calories from saturated fat. There are those who get more and do very well and thrive in good health. Anything in excess can be problematic (even water) but remember, the real culprit behind heart disease from a dietary standpoint is refined sugar and refined carbohydrates. The problem is exacerbated when combining saturated fat with refined carbs and sugar. Healthy types of saturated fat include:

• Stearic acid which is a type of saturated fat found in foods like cocoa butter (dark chocolate-aim for 72% dark cacao or above), animal fats (grass-fed/finished, pasture raised, organic) and some plant fats (notably coconut oil). Unlike other saturated fats, stearic acid appears to have a neutral and even beneficial effect on cholesterol levels and does not seem to raise heart disease risk.

• Full-fat fermented dairy foods such as yogurt, kefir, and cheese may have a positive effect on heart health due to their probiotic content and fermentation process.

9. Try Something New Everyday

There’s a whole world of colorful fruits, veggies and healthy foods to try! Mix it up, explore and make it a joy 😁!

Eat The Rainbow!

Additional Resources

Fullscript.com - For a wide range of recommended supplements for health, athletics, recovery, detox and more

Bodyhealth.com - For supplements to support exercise and general health.

Dr. Cowan's Garden - For exceptional super foods and supplements for optimal health, vibrancy and energy.

BiOptimizers - For gut, digestive and overall health with clean, tested and pure ingredients for optimal health and maximum longevity.