Antibiotic-Free Diet for Health and Weight Loss?

Let me state from the outset of this post that I am a layperson when it comes to nutritional health research. However, that does not prevent me from accessing the vast amounts of information online and elsewhere (and taking a college class in nutrition here and there) in my quest for answers to my insatiable desire to learn more about health.

I recently watched Dr. Oz’s show and his interview with Dr. Martin Blaser regarding the deleterious effects of over-used antibiotics on human health and obesity.1  Not only is there a link between prescribed antibiotics and obesity in America, but antibiotics in our meats, dairy products and eggs seem to be a problem, as well. (I highly recommend that you watch Dr. Oz’s program to learn more. See link in references below.)

Why do antibiotics that make us fat? Sharon Begley references Dr. Martin Blaser in a 2013 Reader’s Digest article: “The rise of obesity around the world is coincident with widespread antibiotic use,” says Dr. Blaser. “Early exposure to antibiotics may prime children for obesity later in life.”

Antibiotics kill the bad bacteria that cause infection, so sometimes you need to take them. However, those same antibiotics kill a lot of the good bacteria in the gut, as well. Studies show that a deficit of healthy, probiotic flora in the intestinal tract causes or leads to weight gain.2

To make matters worse, some antibiotics (such as ciprofloxacin) can increase the prostaglandin ghrelin in the body as much as six times. Ghrelin increases hunger, which leads to overeating. Ghrelin also increases abdominal fat.3

Sharon Begley further explains the reason farmers add antibiotics to food: “The drugs alter the gut bacteria in cattle, pigs, and other animals, substituting bacteria that are better at extracting maximum calories from feed, which makes the animals plump up.”4 If antibiotics make humans fat, of course they make animals fat and when we consume animal products pumped full of antibiotics, they must be making us fat. I should have made the connection before.

This means that our intestinal flora could control whether or not we gain or lose weight. Research shows that thin people have a greater number of bacteroidetes (good bacteria or probiotics) in their intestinal tract than overweight people.

So, my question is: How do we increase the bacteroidetes in our guts?

Ray Sahelian, MD wrote on April 6, 2014 that ingesting the probiotics like acidophilus could replace the harmful bacteria in the gut.5

Another way to increase bacteroidetes in your intestinal tract is to consume raw, whole, unpasteurized, grass-fed, antibiotic-free cow’s or goat’s milk. These types of milk contain the probiotics acidophilus and lactobacillus, as well as the enzymes necessary for digesting proteins in the milk.6 As some of you know, I have been on a mission to locate raw goat or cow milk, because I am allergic to dairy products. I wanted to find out if I would have the same allergies to unpasteurized milks. I have recently had the joy of purchasing a share of a cow and am reaping the benefits of freely consuming delicious, whole, raw dairy products without a single allergic side effects! (And for those of you wondering, it is an A1/A2 Jersey cow.)

To further increase bacteroidetes in your intestinal tract you can consume more prebiotics, a type of dietary fiber that feed the good bacteria in your gut. According to microbiologist Andrew Gewirtz of George State University, bacteroidetes increase in the presence of fructans. Fructans (short for Fructo-oligosaccharides or FOS) are the compounds found in asparagus, artichokes, garlic, and onions.7 FOS or Fructans are also found in high amounts in Jerusalem artichoke, blue agave, chickory, bananas, barley, wheat, jicama, and leeks. Interestingly, FOS has been used as a sweetener in Japan for years.8 This may possibly be yet another key to the mystery of trim, healthy cultures.

I, like so many thousands of other people in America, have been consuming lean chicken breasts and egg whites in order to lose weight and inches of fat, not realizing until Dr. Oz’s interview with Dr. Blaser that the antibiotics in the meat could be inhibiting my efforts. Since that show, I have begun making the switch to organic proteins. Of all diets this is probably one of the healthiest and easiest, so I might as well experiment on myself. (By the way, organic means antibiotic-free when it comes to meat, dairy and eggs.) After nearly two weeks I am still not completely antibiotic-free, because I don’t want to waste the foods I have already purchased. As soon as we finish up the antibiotic-infused foods in our house I’ll really get down to testing this antibiotic-free diet.

I’ll keep you posted on my progress and if any others of you are trying the “antibiotic-free diet” or have been on it for some time already, I’d love to hear from you. I have a lot of questions: Is it working for you? Have you lost weight? Have you been able to keep it off? Have you lost fat? Have you lost inches? Have you gained muscle mass? Are you healthier? Is your immune system stronger?

Thanks for reading!

1. http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/fat-drug-how-antibiotics-make-you-gain-weight

2. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265434.php)

3. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090520055519.htm

4. Begley, Sharon. “When Germs are the Good Guys.” Reader’s Digest. October 2013: p. 112.

5. http://www.raysahelian.com/bacteroidetes.html

6. http://www.robinsonfarm.org/FactsRawMilk.html

7. Begley, Sharon. “When Germs are the Good Guys.” Reader’s Digest. October 2013: p. 111

8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fructooligosaccharide

THM “Deep E” or “Refuel” Foods Chart

“E” stands for “Energizing.” “E” meals are protein-centered meals that have a medium amount of carbohydrates, but have less fat. They utilize glucose as their chief fuel. The result is weight loss.

When you are working to lose weight, you want to eat what Serene and Pearl call “Refuel” foods, along with the “S” and “Fuel Pull” meals. What is confusing to me in the book is that “Refuel” foods are actually “Deep E” foods, so that’s what I call them.

“Deep E” foods are those foods restricted to the initial 2-week weight loss cycle for those just starting out on the THM diet. The purpose of these two weeks is to detoxify your body and get you accustomed to this new way of eating. It’s kind of like a practice run before getting into the THM lifestyle.

Deep E (Refuel) Foods for Days 6, 7, 13 & 14 of Weight Loss Cycle

Forbidden Deep E Foods	Allowed Deep E Foods	Allowed Deep E Foods
Beverages No cream or coconut milk in coffee Dairy No kefir No goat’s milk Protein No egg yolks Oils & Nuts No more than 1 tsp fat with any meal/snack	Beverages Almond, hemp or flax milk Black coffee Tea THM earth milk Vegetables & Fruits Any vegetables (except potatoes) Sweet potatoes! Berries Apples Any fruit in moderation (except bananas) 100% fruit jam/jelly Grains & Legumes Beans Quinoa THM pancakes* THM pan bread* Sprouted breads Sprouted wraps Chana dahl = dried lentils, peas or beans	Oils Low fat and minimal, but not nonfat No more than 1 tsp fat with any meal/snack 1 tsp nuts/seeds/nut butter/meal Proteins EAT PROTEIN WITH EVERY MEAL! Chicken breast Fish Cottage cheese 0% fat Greek yogurt Egg whites Desserts Meringues* Slick trick puddings* Smoothies*

*Recipes from the THM book

The Australian Meat Craze: Aussies are Way Ahead of Americans

reprinted from an article I wrote on September 23, 2012

“…a crispy, fatty wonderland of tasty, tasty textures of flavors, all there to be discovered.” If this sounds like a quote from Anthony Bourdain, you’re right. In one of his No Reservations shows, Bourdain took a trip to Australia to chow down on hunks of beef, lamb and pork. Viewers had the opportunity to witness a surprising cultural sea change from Australia’s bland and tasteless to the brand new world of savory and succulent marbled meats, crispy skins, and oily fat drippings. Gone are the days of low fat, lean, and boring; Australians are crazy for woodfired Argentine meats, like those offered at Porteño’s in Sydney. The natives want real meat loaded with fat—and they eat a lot of it. And what about side dishes of vegetables? Even their Brussels sprouts are deep fried, making them far more flavorful than the average veggie.

Host Anthony Bourdain didn’t go into the health reasoning behind this dramatic evolution, but it certainly makes me ask the following questions: Are Aussies worried about gaining weight now that they’re eating all that fat? Are they gaining weight? Are they increasing their meat consumption in an attempt to up their protein intake? Are they healthier as a result? Are they stronger?

This brings to mind the “Dukan Diet,” you know the one where you eat more meat to lose weight. Rumor has it that both Kate Middleton and her mother were on the diet to lose weight for the big royal wedding.  The diet is high in lean meat proteins like beef, veal, rabbit, chicken, turkey, ham, veal, fish, and shellfish. It’s also high in eggs and lowfat dairy products.

Unfortunately, Aussies, like Americans, are facing their own overweight crisis. Perhaps now that this new high meat protein diet is in vogue, Aussies will start slimming down again. But what about all the meat fat their eating? According to Sally Fallon followers, eating all that high meat protein with the fat should trim their waistlines back to normal and keep them there.

So bring out the juicy cuts of organic grilled beef dripping with crispy fat! Such a wildly delicious way to lose weight and keep fit is certainly tempting to me! I’m boiling some all natural, grass fed beef ribs as we speak.

Fire up the barbie, mate!

Sources:

http://mydukandiet.com/dieting/attack-phase.html

http://www.wikihow.com/Eat-Meat-and-Lose-Weight

Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations “Sydney Education: Fresh seafood; charcuterie; Australian Barbie” episode, aired Sunday, September 23, 2012 on the Travel Channel.