A+ article - Which nutrients is your diet missing?

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  • KetoGirl83
    KetoGirl83 Posts: 546 Member
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    Thanks for sharing!

    My body clearly loves zc and the closer to that I eat the better I feel but I worry that I'll be missing nutrients. And yet I had a severe deficiency of vitamin D and B12 before I changed to this woe so it looks like my previous very varied and colourful diet was much worse for me. So confusing.

    ::flowerforyou::
  • kpk54
    kpk54 Posts: 4,474 Member
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    KetoGirl83 wrote: »
    Thanks for sharing!

    My body clearly loves zc and the closer to that I eat the better I feel but I worry that I'll be missing nutrients. And yet I had a severe deficiency of vitamin D and B12 before I changed to this woe so it looks like my previous very varied and colourful diet was much worse for me. So confusing.

    ::flowerforyou::

    Yes. It paints a pretty bleak pic for nutrient density on Zero Carb if one clicks on the "Optimal Food List" of the site and looks at the category and compares it to most other categories. Eating organ meats and/or fish would improve the nutrient density.

    However, it seems your D and B12 deficiency would have improved eating ZC especially if you eat fish, eggs and dairy of the animal kingdom? That's a good thing.
  • KetoGirl83
    KetoGirl83 Posts: 546 Member
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    kpk54 wrote: »

    Yes. It paints a pretty bleak pic for nutrient density on Zero Carb if one clicks on the "Optimal Food List" of the site and looks at the category and compares it to most other categories. Eating organ meats and/or fish would improve the nutrient density.

    However, it seems your D and B12 deficiency would have improved eating ZC especially if you eat fish, eggs and dairy of the animal kingdom? That's a good thing.

    I'm sorry I was not clear. They did improve dramatically, as did all other markers. I had been a vegetarian leaning on vegan since my early teens. My diet was "very healthy" by most doctors definition. Except that I ended diabetic and 315lbs.

    So this is definitely better for me. But to break the mindset that I'm missing critical nutrients is still difficult.

    ::flowerforyou::
  • kpk54
    kpk54 Posts: 4,474 Member
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    No. I gotcha @KetoGirl83. I wasn't clear.

    Switching diet is a big mental adjustment. You from veg to carnivore. Me from low sodium/low fat to high sodium/high fat. Eek!

    We each need to chose whatever makes us feel the best and hope we're doing what's best for the long haul. Who knows what will be trending in the diet/health/fitness industries 20 years from now. :) Looks like very low carb should be here to stay for TD1, TD2 though.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
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    KetoGirl83 wrote: »
    Thanks for sharing!

    My body clearly loves zc and the closer to that I eat the better I feel but I worry that I'll be missing nutrients. And yet I had a severe deficiency of vitamin D and B12 before I changed to this woe so it looks like my previous very varied and colourful diet was much worse for me. So confusing.

    ::flowerforyou::

    Eating zero carb because veggies don't agree with me, but I love them! I keep going around and around in my head trying to justify some reason I "need" to eat them and I've read more recently about the nutrients we might need more of eating this way. It really seems like even without eating organ meats, we are very near the RDA on everything and considerably beyond RDA on most things. Assuming we are not overlooking our red meats. Marty also has several writings on zero carb, and even though I think he probably thinks including vegetables is best overall, his zero carb writing supports a zero carb diet as well. I'll have to go find the link I'm thinking of.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    edited March 2017
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    Ok. Here's Marty's zero carb link
    https://optimisingnutrition.com/2016/11/07/zero-carb/

    If you compare zero carb with and without organ meats, the only big difference is Manganese. It's easily supplemented if you're concerned. I don't know if I am or not because I have read up on it yet. But, it's not like we are getting none. It's just lower than RDA. Other areas that are also lower than RDA aren't completely zero, they just aren't 100%.
    One thing I have read elsewhere, which Marty doesn't seem to address is that when you don't eat plants, you don't actually need as much if certain other nutrients. Like Vitamin C, for example. So it's really not a problem that zero carb doesn't meet the RDA, which is based on eating a standard American diet, because we don't need as much antioxidants eating a low oxidative diet.
    I'm not sure if that applies to everything that zero carb is lower than RDA on, but again, supplementing is simple enough if you happen to be concerned about it. I bet I would get a good answer in Principia Carnivora on this... I know many of them don't eat organ meats and some even cook their beef well done. Most seem to eat raw though...

    p4125kclhdc8.png

    Anyway, seeing this charted helped me feel more comfortable about my nutrition intake. Even though some areas are lower than RDA. I just don't think it applies in a diet without plants. It has made me stay away from quick foods like processed meats too and I'm definitely going to look into incorporating some organ meats at some point. I figure having a little ground into beef should be an easy way to go.
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,104 Member
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    Vitamin A is a huge one on your chart, too, @Sunny_Bunny_ - and that one is crucial to thyroid/adrenal functions and eye health, among other concerns. So I guess that if you aren't eating organ meats, that might be something to incorporate... I happen to love my liverwurst/braunschweiger, but if I don't eat it for a couple days, I take some Vitamin A I have at night, since with supplements, it's best offset from vitamin D...

    And the working it into with ground beef is generally the way most folks do it... I've heard anything from 2 oz minced and cooked with 1 pound of ground beef to half and half, mixed at the factory with kidney/liver/heart meat and traditional ground beef base.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
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    KnitOrMiss wrote: »
    Vitamin A is a huge one on your chart, too, @Sunny_Bunny_ - and that one is crucial to thyroid/adrenal functions and eye health, among other concerns. So I guess that if you aren't eating organ meats, that might be something to incorporate... I happen to love my liverwurst/braunschweiger, but if I don't eat it for a couple days, I take some Vitamin A I have at night, since with supplements, it's best offset from vitamin D...

    And the working it into with ground beef is generally the way most folks do it... I've heard anything from 2 oz minced and cooked with 1 pound of ground beef to half and half, mixed at the factory with kidney/liver/heart meat and traditional ground beef base.

    Do you think the store bought liverwurst is ok? I may give that a try. I don't really know if I like it or not honestly. Lol
    Bacon chips might be a good vessel?
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,104 Member
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    It is okay, but not the best. If you aren't focused on grassfed/organic meats now, I wouldn't worry about it too much overall (I know about toxin risks - but if I can't afford to buy any other type, what can I do?). I know US Wellness Meats is supposed to be one of the best, and Chris Masterjohn has some great discount offers he mentions on his podcasts... I'd just make sure to include any detoxifying things with this. I'd say find a discount meat and add it in. If you feel worse, drop it...if you feel better, keep it. Not sure really what else to suggest there...
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,104 Member
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    Oh, and I've not done it with bacon chips, but if you're still doing eggs on your zero carb plan, it is absolutely amazing stirred into scrambled eggs... It's fine on it's own, and if you're feeling really daring, I love it on cheese crisps and/or bell pepper strips. I bet it would be good on cucumbers, too.
  • RalfLott
    RalfLott Posts: 5,036 Member
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    Happy Pi Day.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
    edited March 2017
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    Currently I have started shotgunning it with Life Extension Mix Capsules and I do take veggie based supplements that may be good for preventing/reversing cancer by lower CRP levels.

    I was at 20K+ units of Vit D plus K2 to get my Vit D level out of the 20's. I am able to maintain levels of around 100 on about 5K units daily plus K2.

    https://cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/vitamin-d-fact-sheet
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
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    KnitOrMiss wrote: »
    Vitamin A is a huge one on your chart, too, @Sunny_Bunny_ - and that one is crucial to thyroid/adrenal functions and eye health, among other concerns. So I guess that if you aren't eating organ meats, that might be something to incorporate... I happen to love my liverwurst/braunschweiger, but if I don't eat it for a couple days, I take some Vitamin A I have at night, since with supplements, it's best offset from vitamin D...

    And the working it into with ground beef is generally the way most folks do it... I've heard anything from 2 oz minced and cooked with 1 pound of ground beef to half and half, mixed at the factory with kidney/liver/heart meat and traditional ground beef base.

    Vitamin A is also the one that poses the biggest overdose risk, especially pre-formed, which is what's in meat and organs (which is why polar bear liver is toxic to humans), so even though it's a bit shy of 100% RDA, you're not likely to risk deficiency... like....ever, and I'd be careful with the amount of liver consumed, both at once and in any given time period, especially when coupled with supplementation.
    Ok. Here's Marty's zero carb link
    https://optimisingnutrition.com/2016/11/07/zero-carb/

    If you compare zero carb with and without organ meats, the only big difference is Manganese. It's easily supplemented if you're concerned. I don't know if I am or not because I have read up on it yet. But, it's not like we are getting none. It's just lower than RDA. Other areas that are also lower than RDA aren't completely zero, they just aren't 100%.
    One thing I have read elsewhere, which Marty doesn't seem to address is that when you don't eat plants, you don't actually need as much if certain other nutrients. Like Vitamin C, for example. So it's really not a problem that zero carb doesn't meet the RDA, which is based on eating a standard American diet, because we don't need as much antioxidants eating a low oxidative diet.
    I'm not sure if that applies to everything that zero carb is lower than RDA on, but again, supplementing is simple enough if you happen to be concerned about it. I bet I would get a good answer in Principia Carnivora on this... I know many of them don't eat organ meats and some even cook their beef well done. Most seem to eat raw though...

    p4125kclhdc8.png

    Anyway, seeing this charted helped me feel more comfortable about my nutrition intake. Even though some areas are lower than RDA. I just don't think it applies in a diet without plants. It has made me stay away from quick foods like processed meats too and I'm definitely going to look into incorporating some organ meats at some point. I figure having a little ground into beef should be an easy way to go.

    This chart is awesome. Part of me wishes I had it on Friday at my doctor/dietitian appointment. She insisted I am/would be deficient in water soluble vitamins with so few or no vegetables and without a multi-vitamin. I wasn't in the mood to argue with her, though, so I just left it with an "I'll look into a multi."

    Ah... Healthcare facilities... Bastions of conventional wisdom.
  • canadjineh
    canadjineh Posts: 5,396 Member
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    You forgot finger quotes around "wisdom" lol