Nutrition

Vitamin A
Functions:
- Supports proper differentiated growth and development of the body
- Supports immune function
- Supports storage of glycogen in the liver
- Healthy skin
- Vision
- Cholesterol conversion into pregnenolone
Sources: milk, cheese, eggs, beef liver, beef kidney

Vitamin B
Consists of eight water-soluble vitamins described below (these cannot be stored in the body)

Vitamin C
Functions:
- Needed for growth and repair of tissue
- Supports the immune system
- Antioxidant
Sources: potatoes, orange juice, kiwi, watermelon

Vitamin D
Functions:
- Needed for proper calcium absorption
- Suppresses parathyroid hormone
- Improved immune system modulation
Sources: sunlight, eggs (depending on quality of eggs), oysters, shrimp, beef liver

Vitamin E
Functions:
- Antioxidant
- Opposes estrogen
- Promotes progesterone
- Protects cells from damage caused by iron excess
- Protects cells from damage caused by PUFA excess
Sources: kiwi, eggs, shrimp

Vitamin K
Functions:
- Proper calcium absorption
- Proper blood clotting
Sources: aged hard cheeses, kiwi, eggs, beef liver, beef kidney

Calcium
Functions:
- Needed for bone and teeth formation
- Needed for nerve function and muscular contraction
- Suppresses parathyroid hormone
- Supports glucose metabolism
- Protects against excitotoxic damage of cells
- Needed for heartbeat regulation
- Lowers blood pressure
Sources: milk, cheese, yoghurt, powdered egg shells

Magnesium
Functions:
- Important for the efficient utilisation of ATP in cells
- Supports thyroid hormone
- Improves management of calcium in the body
- Inhibits stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol)
Sources: potatoes, coffee, orange juice, oysters

Potassium
Functions:
- Important for cellular stability
- Supports carbohydrate utilisation
- Opposes calcification of soft tissues
- Improves CO2 retention
Sources: potatoes, milk, yoghurt, orange juice, kiwi, watermelon, beef liver, beef kidney

Sodium
Functions:
- Suppresses stress hormones (aldosterone, adrenaline, cortisol)
- Required for cellular energy production
- Spares magnesium from being lost in urine
- Pro-thyroid
- Protects brain and nerve cells from excitotoxic damage
- Supports restful sleep
- Key component of stomach acid and bile
- Supports the thermogenic effect of food (helping the body convert calories into heat rather than storing them as fat)
Sources: salt, cheese, shrimp, oysters

Zinc
Functions:
- Opposing heavy metal toxicity
- Essential for proper thyroid function (conversion of T4 into T3)
- Important for maintaining androgen levels
- Suppresses aromatase (aromatase converts testosterone into estrogen)
- Indispensable to protein synthesis and wound healing
- Helps maintain the integrity of the intestinal lining
- Supports immune system regulation
- Improves CO2 management in the body
Sources: oysters, beef, beef liver, beef kidney, shrimp, cheese, yoghurt, eggs

Copper
Functions:
- Key to iron regulation
- Key to production of ATP (the key unit of energy required by every cell in the body)
- Helps prevent 'age spots' forming on skin
- Key to maintaining the structure of tissues (required for the cross-linking of collagen and elastin)
Sources: potatoes, oysters, shrimp, beef liver, beef kidney

Selenium
Functions:
- Essential for proper thyroid function (conversion of T4 into T3)
- Protects against PUFA toxicity
- Neutralises the toxic effects of heavy metals in the body
Sources: oysters, shrimp, beef liver, beef kidney, beef, eggs

Iron
Functions:
- Essential for cellular energy production
Sources: beef liver, beef kidney, oysters, beef, shrimp

While following this kind of protocol does help some people lose weight, the model it is based off is incomplete.

'Calories in vs calories out' dieting is based on the idea that each person has a fixed rate of at which they burn calories at rest, proportional to their bodyweight. This fails to account for the fact that ‘calories out’ depends entirely on the metabolic state of the individual, which is highly dependent on the quality of their nutrition.

Some diets lack certain key nutrients required for efficient metabolism, thereby inhibiting the body’s ability to utilise calories. Some diets also contain metabolic toxins that diminish the body’s ability to utilise calories.

For these reasons, diets that are equal in calories but that vary in nutritional content can have vastly different weight gain/loss outcomes.

A chronic calorie deficit will trigger a suppression of the active thyroid hormone T3. Lowering T3 causes a lowering of the metabolic rate, which lowers the rate of caloric burn at rest.

For this reason, CICO dieting often hits a wall when the body adjusts to the new low calorie lifestyle.

An alternative is to improve the quality of the foods, such that the metabolic rate increases while caloric intake is kept the same (or even increased too, by a lesser amount). This would be preferred by the body as it is a more complete solution: all nutrient requirements are being met and energy is being produced and utilised in abundance.

I think it is much more useful to think of the body as a dynamic energy-processing system, rather than a ledger of calories.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but potatoes seem to be a good source of fiber. Very filling.

Carbonated water and diet sodas also feel filling, and they don’t even have calories. Diet sodas can help people lose weight. I like to drink Diet Coke when I’m on a cut. The caffeine gives me energy.