We’ve all heard of gluten.

We’ve heard that it can be bad for us, not bad for us, mildly bad for us, etc.

But what is it really and what does it actually do?

Gluten is a mixture of proteins found in many grains, processed foods and commercial drinks that contain two specific proteins called gliadin and glutenin.

And for anyone sensitive, whether they know it or not, these can cause specific inflammatory responses throughout their body, most of which they never connect to the gluten they consumed.

It can cause stomach aches and IBS.

It can create a constant swelling of the stomach that we may confuse with excess body fat. So we try to exercise it off, but without any results as it isn’t body fat, it’s swelling caused by an inflammatory response.

When it gets into our blood stream it can affect any part of our body where it lands, or our whole body, as it will create an inflammatory response wherever it goes.

It can create aches we don’t understand, tiredness or lethargy, an overstimulated immune system, and even (by landing on healthy cells) lead to our immune system mistaking our own cells for harmful bacteria and so attacking them.

It can cause skin issues: redness, dryness, skin patches and more.

And it can cause a redness and/or puffiness in our face that we can’t seem to get rid of, and even spots of hyperpigmentation or pimples on our chin.

With all of this, it’s important to understand what it is, how and if it is affecting us, why, and what we can do about it.

So let’s dive in and see.

Do you ever have strong sugar cravings during the day, or when you start a diet to lose body fat?

Do you have a protruding stomach after you eat, or later in the day, that doesn’t make sense?

Do you get gassy or have bloating after eating certain foods?

Or do you ever feel like the food you ate in the morning is still floating in your stomach at dinner time, making you feel like you couldn’t eat more, but you’re still hungry?

These all come from a specific thing, or type of thing. 

It causes intense sugar cravings, a protruding stomach, gassiness and bloating, and makes us feel full or give us indigestion or heartburn.

It makes sticking to a diet a nightmare, raises cortisol levels, makes gaining muscle harder, and causes hormonal issues and energy crashes.

And it affects our mood and makes it harder to get good, deep sleep.

So let's see what these things are, how they work and what we can do about them.

Did you know that when Estrogen levels rise too high, it can unbalance other hormones? And this significantly impacts body fat gain and loss?

We've covered several hormones now, from Insulin and Cortisol causing fat gain and preventing fat loss, to Growth Hormone and IGF, the hormones that come out while we sleep and which are largely responsible for fat loss.

We cover all of these because they all work together, each influencing the other, and if we want sustainable fat loss, we need to address each one.

But high Estrogen also plays a large role in all of this in both women and men, building excess body fat and lowering testosterone and growth hormone.

It also lowers thyroid, a hormone that regulates our metabolism, which in turn regulates body fat and energy levels.

And it lowers progesterone in women and men, a calming, fat-burning, testosterone-building hormone.

All of this leads to excess body fat, decreased muscle mass, worsened mood, higher stress levels, slower recoveries, and lower energy.

So let's see what's actually happening here, what causes this, and what we can do about it.

As of today, about 42% of Americans are considered clinically obese. This is a large rise from the 1970’s when only about 10% were.

To combat this, recently, many have turned to GLP-1s. These are medications originally approved for the treatment of diabetes, but which have shown results in lowering appetite and blood sugar levels, and so allowing for loss of body fat.

However, they work by bypassing the body’s natural systems and in some cases lowering the body’s ability to naturally perform these actions as the body gets used to receiving them.

And, for some, they can come with severe side effects to one degree or another: increased risk of heart attack, bowel obstruction, gallstones, thyroid cancer, vision loss, muscle loss and weak or brittle bones especially for those in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, and severe stomach paralysis.

So understanding how these work inside our body, and what to do to ensure we fill any necessary nutritional gaps they may cause, becomes quite important.

There is a lot going around right now about whether it’s better to eat meat or go on a vegan diet.

And there are many proponents of each, quite passionate, providing many different reasons why one is better than the other.

Unfortunately, they often contradict each other.

Some say meat causes an inflammatory response in the body, and can lead to weight gain or protein toxicity. That it’s bad for cardiovascular health and can raise cholesterol levels. And that it doesn’t contain fiber and other important vitamins and antioxidants.

Others say a pure vegan diet doesn’t provide all the nutrients present in meats such as b12 and other key vitamins, or iron, and that it leaves many people protein deficient due to lower levels of protein in plants, leading to lower strength and immune function.

But for each reason put forth as to why one is bad, someone else holds up an example to show how it isn’t true.

And, of course, there is also the moral aspect, which is personal to each individual.

But on a straight scientific basis, how is it that we do not have a definitive, agreed upon answer as to whether we should eat mostly meats or mostly plants?

And why is it that some people do better on meats, without reactions, and others on a plant-based diet?

Well, with all of our ability to test and watch the various reactions within the body at the cellular level, it would seem pretty easy to find out.

So let’s dive in and see if we can answer this question for you.

For the last few years a sort of battle has existed regarding protein.

Is meat or vegan protein better?

How much protein should I take? Is it too little or too much? Do people in general need more protein or less protein?

Beyond that, some say that meat proteins cause an inflammatory response in the body so we should get protein from plants.

Others say we need more animal protein, that it’s a superior protein source and provides key nutrients not available in plant proteins.

Some say too much protein is toxic and others say too little protein impacts our hormones, muscle, bones, mood, and immune system.

So how do we answer this?

Well, we don’t.

Because we’re asking the wrong questions.

And the reason we’re asking the wrong questions is because we’re starting from the wrong point of data.

Let's dive in.

In today's world, from the viewpoint of our bodies, they're under constant attack.

Harmful toxins come in through our air, food and water, and even our clothing and personal care items. And these are at levels over 50 times that of just a few decades ago.

And they are affecting us quite significantly.

On top of that, our processed foods not only contain harmful chemicals, but have key vitamins and nutrients processed out of them. The exact nutrients our bodies need to fight or neutralize the harmful chemicals coming in.

But what do these chemicals do in our body? How do they affect us?

When we look at the amount of physical conditions occurring in society today, these either didn't exist or were in most cases quite rare just four or five decades ago.

Look at stress levels, hormonal imbalances, and common allergies today.

And look at how fast aging is occurring in our younger generations.

This is a real thing.

So let's dive in and see exactly how these chemicals affect us and what we can do about it.

Getting good sleep is one of the most important things we can do, not just for muscle building and fat loss but for our mood, energy levels, and overall health.

Sleep is when our body is able to recover and repair cells, a lack of it even affects our aging process, speeding it up internally, as well as visibly causing wrinkles and sagging skin.

During the first few hours of deep sleep is when many hormones, including growth hormone and IGF (major fat-burning hormone) are released.

Getting enough sleep also helps to keep cortisol levels lower and balance estrogen, testosterone, progesterone and thyroid.

So if we want a lean, toned or muscled body, then we need deep sleep every night for full recovery, muscle building, natural fat loss and hormonal balance.

Yet a third of Americans get poor sleep, and those with the worst sleep generally have poor health.

So what causes this and what can we do to not only get better, deeper, more refreshing sleep, but also to reverse the effects of poor sleep?

Let’s dive in and see.

It hasn’t been understood by most people just how vital our gut health is to our heart health.

But in truth, it’s key. If our gut health is good, and our digestive tract working properly, the risk of poor heart health is much lower.

If our gut is in poor condition, however (heart burn or acid reflux often, bloating, pains, regular diarrhea, or worse), then this will, over time, lead to poor heart health.

But gut health among Americans has diminished drastically in recent times, worsening every year mainly due to our processed foods and sugars, and the 50x increase in toxins in our environment in the last 7 decades.

Now, younger and younger people every year are experiencing more and more gut issues which were rare even in older individuals in earlier generations.

And along with them, they're experiencing more cardiovascular issues.

This is something we need to address now, for each of us, to ensure a long and healthy life.

Cardiovascular Disease, or Heart Disease, is the number one cause of death not just in the US, but in the world.

And, despite spending more on medical treatment for this, per person, than any other country, the US has one of highest rates in the world, higher than most so-called developing countries that don’t have the same money to spend on medical treatment for it.

As of 2019, approximately 7,617 in 100,000 Americans had heart disease. And many more are on the path to it, with this number growing every year.

Compare that to the early 1900s when there was very little heart disease.

(This is actually a created problem, and we’ll get to that.)

But the saddest thing is that while it is, in most cases, preventable (even when we’ve already started on the path to it), the solutions provided only allow us to “manage it” or slow it to a degree. Not reverse or prevent it.

And they don’t even do that very well.

If we want to lower our risk of heart disease, then we need to know the exact factors that do cause it so we can prevent them.

And it starts inside our blood vessels, at a very thin mucous lining that runs all along the inside walls of these blood vessels, protecting them from harm.

In the last article in the Heart Health Series we covered how consuming cholesterol is not actually the cause of heart disease.

And how lowering cholesterol levels with drugs, to lower high blood pressure, actually increases the risk of heart disease among those 60 and above.

But while the idea that cholesterol intake causes heart disease may be a myth, heart disease itself is quite real.

In this article we’ll dive more into this, covering what high blood pressure is, why and how it occurs, and what’s actually behind it.

If you’re over 40 years old, you’ve probably noticed that weight loss can become harder.

When we’re younger, in our teens, 20’s and 30’s, we can often (not always) get away with a lot. We can eat more carbs without gaining weight, and keep up our energy and strength levels high.

But after 40, things change. And this is a factor related to changes in our hormones as we age.