Nourish Balance Thrive

Today’s podcast is a conversation I had with a wonderful fount of knowledge, Beverly Meyer. Beverly has been a client of natural health therapies since 1972.  After a successful but exhausting career in business (with interviews in Glamour, Venture, Entrepreneur and Inc.), she devoted herself full-time to the study and practice of health therapies. She’s been helping clients with a wide variety of health problems ever since. On today’s show we’re chatting about the very undervalued vitamin - Vitamin K, and the role its lack plays in all kinds of physical conditions from facial and mouth bone abnormalities to fertility and pregnancy. No matter what you’ve heard about Vitamin K in the past, you’re sure to hear something you didn’t know on this podcast episode.

Around the age of 61 Beverly discovered that her narrow palate was at the root of issues she was experiencing - anxiety, heart issues, etc. The shape of her jaw (V-shaped instead of U-shaped) was pushing back on her skull causing undue pressure on her brain. Wearing a particular kind of mouth guard for a while corrected the problem but she wasn’t satisfied. She began questioning why the last few generations of people have had more narrow palates than those in the past. What she discovered was that our diets in the last decade have been deficient in Vitamin K2 in particular, an essential vitamin in the development of bones and facial structures. The is a very intriguing conversation that will uncover the importance of Vitamin K and explain why everyone needs to be on some kind of supplementation to provide Vitamin K to their diet.

Vitamin K is one of the fat-soluble vitamins… and the way these fat-soluble vitamins work is that they all move and work together. If any of them is missing the function of the others are compromised. Vitamin K is the most neglected and misunderstood of the bunch. It’s lack is now being traced to health problems of all kinds. It’s a vitamin most people in the western world don’t get much of in their regular diet. What should you do in light of this information? Today’s guest, Beverly Meyer, is an expert on Vitamin K and shares a great deal of actionable information on this episode, so set aside some time to hear what she’s got to say, and what she recommends for the average person to do about their lack of Vitamin K.

Beverly Meyer’s way of understanding what Vitamin K does in the diet is a clever, 3-word sentence she’s come up with, and all of the words begin with the letter “K,” (Isn’t that Klever?)

Here it is: K Karries Kalcium (K carries calcium). Vitamin K is the delivery truck that picks up calcium and delivers it to the proper address. When you get deficient in K, the places in your body that need calcium don’t get it. So what happens to the calcium? It could float around aimlessly in your bloodstream causing plaque in your arteries. It could turn into plaque on your teeth. It could contribute to gallstones or kidney stones. Find out more about why K is so important in your diet by listening to this episode.

There are foods you can add to or increase in your diet that will give you additional Vitamin K2. Animal organs, pastured eggs, blue cheese, and many others are on the list of the best foods to include. But even then you won’t likely get enough to prevent the abnormalities that come from a diet deficient in Vitamin K. That’s why Beverly Meyer, today’s guest, recommends that everyone from age 3 through all stages of adulthood, use Vitamin K supplements. In today’s conversation Beverly recommends a couple of different brands of Vitamin K supplements that are natural and safe and shares more foods you can eat to help make up for any Vitamin K deficiency.

Dr. Weston Price

On the Trail of the Elusive X-Factor: A Sixty-Two-Year-Old Mystery Finally Solved

Nutri-West GB-Plus

Biotics Research Beta Plus

Vitamin D3 Complete, with A and K2

Walkabout Emu Oil Vitamin K2 with MK-4

www.OnDietAndHealth.com - Beverly’s website

Primal Diet, Modern Health - Beverly’s podcast

Iron levels and biochemistry have impacted my personal performance in a dramatic way. Recently I've been racing cyclocross, something for which I lack talent. For those of you who don't know cyclocross, it's a lot like short track mountain bike racing but most of the bikes look a road bike with drop handlebars. The start is really important, and the course has hundreds of corners and so the sport doesn't suit slow-twitch athletes like me. This year I've been enjoying some dramatic gains in my performance. These gains are nothing to do with training, in fact, I've been training less than ever before. The key to performance is health, and that's why I've got Dr. Tommy Wood on again today to talk about some of the biochemical tweaks I've been making and also the serious issue of iron overload (haemochromatosis).

Some people think of anaemia as synonymous with iron deficiency, but iron deficiency is just one of many things that can cause anaemia. Diagnosing anaemic tendencies requires the consideration of the production, destruction and loss of red blood cells. Other nutrients such as zinc, B6, B12 and folate are as important as iron for the production of red blood cells. Sometimes we see results that show both iron overload and anaemia.

Most micronutrients cause little harm when consumed in excess. Vitamin C is a good example--consume too much and you'll simply pee it out. Excess iron is different in that there's no easy way to excrete it. The main way we lose iron is through bleeding, and for men and postmenopausal women this doesn't happen very often. Excess iron becomes bound to proteins and acts as a pro-oxidant, literally causing your tissues to rust. If left untreated, the excess iron can cause diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver and a host of other chronic diseases.

The day after we recorded this interview four of my six follow-up appointments were with masters athletes with iron overload. Please don't guess, do the test!

Research shows diet can have an impact of the absorption of iron. Things that block iron absorption:

• Calcium rich foods like dairy, leafy vegetables and sardines (whole with bone).
• Phytates from leafy vegetables and nuts.
• Tannins in red wine and coffee.
• Anthocyanins in any colour berry (the darker the colour of the berry the better).

Things that increase iron absorption:

• Vitamin C.
• Added fructose, table sugar.

Iron overload can be ruled out as part of our O2 Boost programme. Place your order and I'll send you a PDF requisition form that you can print and take directly to LabCorp--no need for a visit to your doctor's office. The results will be back in just a couple of days and then I'll send you a written report and a link to my schedule that you can use to make an appointment for the included 30-minute call.

• [0:02] Introduction to today's show with Dr. Tommy Wood.
• [0:18] An upcoming live event where Dr. Wood will be speaking.
• [2:06] Why would you even care about iron overload?
• [4:55] You can run your blood chemistry through Nourish Balance Thrive.
• [5:36] What is iron and why is it needed in human biology?
• [7:09] Ways you can tell if you have an iron deficiency.
• [8:54] Is there any evidence to show that athletes could be in danger of Anaemia?
• [11:14] Why is iron overload a concern and mutations in the HFE gene.
• [15:37] What blood markers should be watched to determine iron levels?
• [17:06] What can happen when there is too much iron (one example)?
• [21:29] How a good handle on your iron levels can be a major win for your life and competition.
• [22:06] What should be done if iron overload is discovered?
• [23:30] Bloodletting as a solution? Really?
• [30:25] How should a person who's a victim of iron overload change their diet?
• [37:45] The importance of testing then trying various solutions, and testing again.
• [38:23] What is Lactoferrin and how does it relate to iron issues?
• [42:23] How can Lactoferrin be used as an anti-microbial?
• [43:03] How to get a blood test from the Nourish Balance Thrive team.

Haemochromatosis

O2 Boost

Primal Docs

Re-find Health

Get your blood chemistry done by the Nourish Balance Thrive team

Webinar with Tawnee Prazak

Richard Nikoley's article about iron

23andMe (salivary genetic test)

MTHFR Support

Medscape error: The second mutation involves a G→C substitution at nucleotide 197, leading to a histidine to aspartic acid substitution at amino acid position 63 (H63D).

Iron Disorders Institute

The Iron Chart Christopher Mentioned (PDF download)

Blog Post: In Defense of Low Fat Diets

Inositol Hexaphosphate

Lactoferrin

British Journal of Nutrition paper on Lactoferrin

The Spritzlet App

Chris Armstrong

Richard Nikoley

Dr. Jaime Busch

Jimmy Moore

Denise Minger

Vinnie Tortorich

Vinnie Tortorich has become a sensation in the personal training and fitness world because of his work with celebrities and by his moniker, "America's Angriest Trainer." His book, "Fitness Confidential" has been on the Amazon bestseller list for over 2 years and is currently #6 in the Amazon "health and fitness" category. It's a bestseller because it's both funny and helpful. How does a fitness trainer become such a successful writer? Hear Vinnie tell the story himself, in the way that only he can, on this episode.

Vinnie started using a gym before the commercial ones existed. As a kid, he stepped into a cinder block shed with a metal roof in a neighbor's back yard. That's when he first started working out and got interested in health and fitness. There was no such thing as a personal trainer in those days. Vinnie began doing actual training when others saw the results he was getting from his own exercise routines and wanted to know how he was accomplishing it. That was the beginning of a long and multi-faceted career as a trainer and health enthusiast. Listen in to this fun conversation as Christopher asks Vinnie about a variety of topics having to do with health, training, and the culture surrounding them.

Initially Vinnie Tortorich was being told that he needed to have a "name" that was easy to be remembered and passed along via the Internet. That was quite a thing to say to a guy who didn't even know how to use a computer. He first chose, "America's Trainer" which was OK, but clearly doesn't have the same effect. A friend suggested that he call himself "The Angriest Trainer" because of his proneness to rant about the stupid, unhealthy things that the American public has been taught as being "good for them" and "healthy." He decided to go with it, and the name's now commonly known in the health and fitness community. If you take the time to listen to this episode you'll get to hear one of Vinnie's characteristic rants about trainers and doctors, and why we accept that it's OK for them to be fat.

We tend to be skeptical about something that sounds so simple. How could the removal of just two things from our diets have such dramatic impact? It's because those two things are THE main things that contribute to over fatness. But it's not as easy as it sounds. Sugar is in almost everything you buy off the shelf at the grocery story. Grains have become a staple of the Standard American Diet. When you start talking about removing those from your diet, it's anything BUT simple because our bodies literally become addicted to both. Hear Vinnie's explanation of how he discovered this truth and how he applies it to those he trains, in this episode.

Christopher Kelly has noticed that many of the people who come to him for fitness and health coaching have reached a midlife crisis point of some kind. They've hit a point where their health issues are starting to surface and they realize they have to do something about it. It's enough to make him feel that he only wants to take clients who are in that age range! But something Vinnie Tortorich wrote in his book, "Fitness Confidential" made Christopher rethink that. Vinnie tells the story of a young boy whose life was forever changed by the education Vinnie gave him at a critical point in his life. The lasting results he experienced are proof that the right knowledge, applied well early in life, could be the solution to the American health crisis. Hear the whole story on this episode.

• [0:05] Introduction and welcome to the America's Angriest Trainer: Vinnie Tortorich
• [0:25] Vinnie's book: Fitness Confidential (co-authored with Dean Lorey) - you should get it. NOW!
• [1:13] How Vinnie came to write his book, an interesting and amazing story.
• [4:43] How the book came to be #6 in Amazon's health and fitness category with an almost 5-star rating.
• [6:01] How and why Vinnie got into being a personal trainer, before there were personal trainers.
• [7:59] Some of the early "famous people" who Vinnie has trained and the stories behind how he met them.
• [10:37] How Vinnie took the "If you don't look good, I don't look good" philosophy and made a business out of it.
• [12:14] What is the most important part of what Vinnie does, taking people off of sugar and grains?
• [13:30] Vinnie's current training schedule with a handful of clients every day, and why he will always be doing it.
• [14:44] Vinnie's attitude about the fad diets that come along year after year, and a few stories about it.
• [18:55] How the paleo diet fits into the "fad diet" category, and how it doesn't. Vinnie's got an interesting perspective.
• [20:10] Christopher's opinion about the paleo diet and fad diets… Vinnie asked him.
• [21:19] Why following a diet that had an "end" is setting yourself up for failure.
• [22:37] How Vinnie became known as "The Angriest Trainer."
• [24:35] How the "anger" becomes a positive energy that Vinnie uses to motivate and guide people toward real nutrition.
• [29:25] Why Christopher thinks the people he's working with are so highly motivated, and now it relates to a story Vinnie tells about children he has worked with.
• [35:43] Would the fitness community be better off to focus its attention on educating children about proper nutrition?
• [37:24] The story about the Disney "It's A Small World" ride being re-engineered because the average rider is overweight.
• [38:55] No fat person wants to be fat… and how crazy our culture has become about the use of that word.
• [42:41] How can a person know if their doctor is truly knowledgeable about nutritional issues?
• [46:11] What does Vinnie think about Christopher's lack of "qualifications" to be a nutritional consultant.
• [52:22] Things Christopher wants to talk about with Vinnie on a future show.

The Cholesterol Conundrum

Ivor Cummings

Rob Wolf

Dr. Tommy Woods

Marion Nestle

Joe Friel has trained endurance athletes since 1980. His clients are elite amateur and professional road cyclists, mountain bikers, triathletes, and duathletes. They come from all corners of the globe and include American and foreign national champions, world championship competitors, and an Olympian. He is the author of ten books on training for endurance athletes including the popular and best-selling Training Bible book series. He holds a masters degree in exercise science, is a USA Triathlon and USA Cycling certified Elite-level coach, and is a founder and past Chairman of the USA Triathlon National Coaching Commission. Joe conducts seminars around the world on training and racing for cyclists, multisport athletes, and coaches, and provides consulting services for corporations in the fitness industry. In this episode of the podcast, Christopher Kelly interviews Joe about a wide variety of topics. It's a rare glimpse inside the mind of a pioneering coach that you'll enjoy.

Joe Friel is a man driven by curiosity. His blog contains thousands of articles he's written over the years, chronicling his studies of diet, exercise, and everything related to training and performance. He wants to know why things happen the way they do and how to use that knowledge to make improvements in health and performance. That curiosity is what has made him into a world-class coach, and he's willing to share it with anyone who cares to listen. In this conversation, Christopher dives deep into that knowledge to find some gems.

In 1998, Joe wrote the book Cycling Past 50. Turning 70 prompted him to revisit the science, and he started writing up his latest findings on the blog. The feedback from that series of posts was overwhelmingly positive, and so Joe was prompted to start work on Fast After 50. The book is well-referenced, accessible and prescriptive.

"If you don't look good, we don't look good" - Vidal Sassoon. Coaches make recommendations that work, even if they're not backed up by science. Often, the science is playing catch up. For example, coaches knew that the Fosbury Flop and aerobars worked long before there was science to show why. That's why it pays to know someone like Joe!

That's because as we age, we naturally begin to decline in muscle mass and therefore, strength. The right kind of strength training, varied through the year will enable older athletes to maintain their ability to compete at a high level and preserve their health at the same time. Joe Friel recommends working the larger muscle groups during the off season on a regular basis, as much as 3 times per week. Then, during competitive seasons, cutting back on the degree of weight training, but not stopping altogether. When followed, this practice helps older athletes maintain their strength, which impacts endurance and performance. Get the details to Joe's thoughts about strength training on this episode.

• [0:05] Welcome and introduction of Joe Friel - coach and author.
• [1:40] How Joe met the co-author of his book, The Paleo Diet for Athletes, Loren Cordain, and how he started practicing a Paleo lifestyle in the first place.
• [3:22] How the book "Fast After 50" impacted Christopher differently each time he read it.
• [4:28] What was it about Joe's 70th birthday that inspired him to write this book?
• [6:33] How does Joe reconcile a situation when as a coach he knows something works, but there isn't scientific evidence to prove it?
• [8:06] The differences between athletes and "normal" people and why many studies don't apply across the board because of those differences.
• [12:02] Why decreased aerobic capacity declines as an athlete ages, and what they can do to prevent it being as severe.
• [15:46] How Joe came to the conclusion that most aging athletes are defaulting to training over long, slow distances.
• [17:22] How does Joe reconcile his beliefs on these issues with the research recently shown by Dr. Phil Maffetone.
• [20:13] Why do aging athletes begin keeping larger stores of fat?
• [22:05] Joe's insights on how the accumulation of stress plays into these issues as well as how genetics impacts it.
• [24:51] Has the Paleo diet been helpful for his clients in keeping body fat off?
• [26:16] A 10% carbohydrate intake along with 60% fat: Joe's personal diet ratios.
• [27:43] Why Joe doesn't think a low carb diet will cause problems with high intensity workouts for aging athletes.
• [31:30] Carbohydrate loading before events: Joe's opinion about the practice.
• [35:50] Why do older athletes lose muscle mass? What can be done to counteract it?
• [38:54] Strength training tips for older athletes.
• [40:43] Strength training suggestions for high performance athletes.
• [42:40] Joe's response to the recent press coverage raising questions about the safety of endurance events.
• [45:41] How lifestyle issues figure into the safety of endurance athletes.
• [47:25] Joe's thoughts about people who could be taking advantage of his knowledge and resources through coaching, etc.
• [49:15] Joe's current coaching company and his role training coaches.
• [50:29] Resources Joe recommends.

www.TrainingPeaks.com

Joe's book: Fast After 50

The cardiac stresses of excess exercise - blog post from Dr. John Mandrola

Book: Fitness Confidential

Joel's blog: www.JoeFrielsBlog.com

www.TrainingBible.com - Joe's coaching company

Loren Cordain

Dr. Phil Maffetone

Stephan Guyenet

Tim Noakes

Mark Allen

Dr. John Mandrola

Vinnie Tortorich

Chloe Archard is one of the founders of Paleo Britain, a website dedicated to promoting and highlighting British companies that are producing real, high-quality, truly healthy, sustainable foods. The site was established by Chloe and her 4 sisters and has become an important resource for those in the UK desiring to find out more about the Paleo way of life. In this conversation Julie talks with Chloe about the basics of Paleo and how she became interested in it in the first place, gut biome testing and how it can be used to optimize personal health, nursing, natural childbirth, and much more. You’ll enjoy hearing this experienced mom’s perspective on raising children to be healthy in an unhealthy world.

One of the questions Julie asks Chloe Archard, co-founder of Paleo Britain in this conversation is how the Paleo way of life is being accepted in the UK. Julie’s answer reveals that the misconceptions about Paleo there are similar to what is happening in the U.S. and other places around the world. The media has become one of the most difficult hurdles with its constant characterization of Paleo as completely “non carb” or “caveman” in its approach. Chloe says it’s a matter of patient education and personal integrity that will make the difference over time. She’s a wise woman and you will learn a lot from her about how you can help the Paleo community make inroads into the culture by learning how to respond well, yourself.

The basic belief of the Paleo way of eating is that we should consume real, whole, unprocessed, and nutrient-dense foods that nourish our bodies. It’s a way of eating that naturally excludes nutrient-poor and processed foods known to have detrimental effects on health. One of the simplest ways to assess whether a food falls into those categories is to ask “What would our ancestors have eaten?” You don’t have to go back too far in history to realize that much of the foods consumed today are not only fairly recent developments in the history of human food consumption, they are not even close to what has traditionally made up a healthy human diet. In this episode, Chloe Archard, founder of Paleo Britain chats with Julie about how to make good food choices yourself and how to help your children understand and adopt a healthy food lifestyle themselves.

The healthy human microbiome is a balanced ecosystem that fuels many things in your body like digestion and vitamin useage. Some studies have also linked the microbiome to human mood and behavior as well as gut health, human development, and metabolic disorders. Chloe Archard became interested in the importance of the gut biome and began doing testing on herself to determine how healthy her gut was and what she could do to improve the quality of her health (and therefore her life). In this episode Julie and Chloe have an extended conversation about the gut biome, it’s importance, and how testing from companies like uBiome can help everyday people get a detailed look at the true state of their health so they can take control of their health once and for all. You’ll enjoy the conversation and learn a lot in the process.

The “breast is best” campaign has been very successful in the UK. Chloe Archard, co-founder of Paleo Britain is thankful for that. But she feels that most women who adopt the slogan and the practice of breastfeeding their children have not clearly understood “why” breastfeeding their children is best, and are therefore more prone to abandon the practice under the cultural pressures that are sure to come. In this episode Chloe chats with Julie about why breastfeeding really is best, how mothers can stick with the practice for the long term health of their children, and how she thinks about the weaning process in light of her commitment to Paleo.

Wellness Mama

Chloe’s blog post, “Can you prevent morning sickness?”

uBiome

http://www.paleo-britain.co.uk/

The Eat Better Podcast

If anyone knows, Mark Allen does. Mark is a six-time Ironman Triathlon World Champion. He was able to win his first Ironman in 1989, and his last 1995 at age 37. He has also excelled at the Olympic distance, winning the sport's inaugural World Championships in 1989 in Avignon, France, by more than a minute. He was also undefeated in 10 trips to the Nice International Championships, and from 1988-1990 he put together a winning streak of 20 races. In this candid conversation, Christopher Kelly asks Mark a wide variety of questions about heart-rate and training, nutrition, mindset, and much more. All of that and much more in this episode of the podcast.

When Mark Allen saw his first Ironman race on television he was immediately intrigued. He wondered if he had what it took to even finish the race. He'd done no biking and very little running over the years but felt that being on the swim team in college would make up for it in some ways. It turns out he was right. Looking back now Mark sees that the cardiovascular development swimming had created in him translated into the physical endurance needed to be a good triathlete. Even though he didn't win an Ironman race for some time, his first experiences showed him that with work and training, he could do it. Hear how Mark overcame the challenges to eventually become the "Fittest Man" in the world.

Mark's swimming background didn't prepare him for the physical rigor that running demands. In swimming the body's weight is entirely supported, but running is the exact opposite. Every step taken is a "pounding" of the body into an inflexible surface, so the transition was difficult and even painful. Those 3 years were a process of building up the fluidity of his running style, and the amazing thing is that he did all of it without a coach. That can be an encouragement to you, especially if you're starting out. Everyone starts at the beginning and you can start where you are today and begin building the skills need to one day, possibly, become a world champion like Mark. Hear the rest of Mark's story on this episode.

Mark Allen was among those who could be considered the "pioneers" of the triathlon world. He began doing triathlons before there were coaches and before there was much science to tell us what the body needs and how it functions best in an endurance-type sport. As he competed alongside others, he learned three important things:

#1 - You're going to get plenty fit with less training than you think you'll need. You can never do as much as you write down as part of your "ideal" program and in the end, you won't need it.

#2 - The bulk of your endurance training will happen when you're astride the bicycle. As a result, you won't have to do huge volumes of running to be ready for a triathalon.

#3 - Because you're doing 3 sports in one, you don't have to do as much high intensity speed work as an individual sport athlete will.

"Once that gun goes off, you have to deal with yourself." That's what Mark Allen says when talking about the neglected issue of mindset. All the numbers and training in the world don't matter if your internal landscape is not developed. How will you handle it when something unexpected comes up? How will you handle seeing another athlete pull away from you. What will you do to keep your mind quiet and press ahead when things are not going as you expected. How do you deal with those mindset issues as a triathlete? Mark Allen has some great advice for you in this episode, so make sure you listen in to the conversation.

• [0:05] Introduction of Mark Allen: The World's Most Successful Triathlete
• [0:53] Mark's athletic experience as a child and how he entered the world of triathlons at 24 years of age.
• [1:57] How swimming earlier in life "created" Mark to be a triathlete.
• [3:05] Beginning his triathlete career without much running or cycling background.
• [4:32] Working up the skills to become a practiced runner over a 3 year period without a coach.
• [7:00] Three "lightbulbs" that went on for Mark during his early years as a triathlete.
• [8:16] How much training does today's triathlete do?
• [9:34] Why "heart rate" training is the very best way for athletes to train.
• [14:23] The ideas and philosophies behind Mark's coaching practice.
• [16:09] How to correct for climate issues such as heat, humidity, etc. when using the heart-rate method of training.
• [19:23] The impact of a big meal, sickness, dehydration, and sleep deprivation on exercise and heart-rate.
• [21:53] Mark's philosophy about using power meters as opposed to day to day observations about your situation and condition.
• [25:12] Where Mark would start with a new client to help them tap into stored fat reserves for energy instead of loading up on carbohydrates.
• [27:05] Mark's general guidelines for macronutrient guidelines for endurance athletes.
• [29:34] When does an athlete know if they're going too low-carb?
• [32:20] What is Mark's opinion on the Paleo diet? Good? Bad?
• [37:36] Mark's approach to biochemistry and when he adds that component to his normal training regimen.
• [40:15] Under what conditions would Mark send a potential client away?
• [43:21] What research does Mark keep up with and why?
• [44:34] The importance of mindset in racing and endurance sports and how athletes need to manage it well.
• [51:22] Is there a time that endurance athletes should move on to something else?
• [55:23] Where you can find out more about Mark's coaching

Interview of Mark by Phil Maffetone (Chris mentioned this) - http://philmaffetone.com/alleninterview/

Mark's coaching website www.MarkAllenCoaching.com

www.FitSoul-FitBody.com - Retreats Mark does with Brant Secunda

Phil Maffetone - http://philmaffetone.com/about/

Brant Secunda - http://www.shamanism.com/brant-secunda/

Will Catterson is a high school maths teacher and competitive swimmer, and in February 2002 he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

Will is amazing in that he immediately worked out that the American Diabetes Association nutrition guidelines are wrong. From that moment onwards, Will has been striving to continue an active life without riding blood sugar rollercoaster.

If you ever want to know about how much a particular food is likely to affect your blood sugar, just ask a type 1:

"I would never wish type 1 diabetes on anybody, but it has given me a unique window into how the body operates... I only get into trouble when I eat something that requires a lot of insulin... if I eat a meal that requires a lot of insulin, it's just not going to go well. I know that the workout that I'm about to do or the competition that I'm about to attempt is just not going to go well."

Since Will is a very competitive swimmer, I wondered if switching to a low-carb diet has affected his performance in the water:

"I haven't noticed any detraction from my performance. The glycogen seems to last longer. And a typical swim meet will have about sometimes five races in a single half-day."

Unfortunately, that's not where the story ends:

"I still had some fatigue. And it wasn't making any sense. At first, I thought it was just I was over training. I remember even taking a couple of months where I was completely off, I was resting a lot. And I was still fatigued."

"I remember climbing the stairs. I worked at a school that's two stories. And even with just 24 stairs, which should be nothing to an athlete, I remember a pretty significant burning sensation in my thighs just getting up two flights of stairs which seemed completely ridiculous. And it was really getting me frustrated. So that was one major symptom. Other symptoms were like sleep wasn't -- Sleep was okay. I just couldn't figure out why it wasn't great.

I had the diet in place. I didn't have a super stressful job. I have a good relationship. Everything was, on the outside, was great. But my sleep was just not quite there. Those were the -- Oh, I remember the third symptom was bloating only after a workout. So I'd go to the pool and usually train on an empty stomach."

Poor sleep, fatigue and bloating are the three most common complaints I hear. You're doing everything right--the Paleo diet, prioritising sleep, training appropriately, managing stress, and something is still not right. Now is the time to do some testing.

Will's results showed high cortisol, low testosterone, yeast overgrowth and an h. Pylori infection. For those of you that don't know, h. Pylori is a very famous bacteria known to cause stomach ulcers. Antibiotics can be effective, but I know that botanical herbs also work well:

"It's not completely gone but ever since I completed the protocols that you had me on with supplements and the H. pylori and the yeast, that was the first symptom to really significantly decrease, as well as the fatigue and the sleep is much better too."

But if everyone agrees that H. pylori bacteria is trouble, then why is your doctor not screening for it?

"I've got several doctors. And I asked them all. It's sad, the endocrinologist, the doctor that treats diabetes, he just kind of shrugged it off and almost gave me a no answer at all. I think he might have said something along the lines of, "We'll test your testosterone." But when the total testosterone came out normal, he just forgot about it and said, "Well, I guess, you're just tired. Or maybe, well, you exercise a lot so, therefore, of course, you're tired."

"That was totally unhelpful. My general practitioner was a little bit more interested, but he had no answers. In fact, I brought up the H. pylori with the general practitioner, and I have a copy of this email. I should send it to you. When he found out that I had H. pylori, and I asked him how to treat it, he suggested the course of antibiotics. And I asked him, "Is there any way that I could get rid of those without doing antibiotics?"

"When I asked him if this was possible to do without antibiotics he said flatly no. He emailed a GI doctor while I was in the office with him, and he replied almost immediately and he said, "There is no known alternative cure for H. pylori."

March 2015:

August 2015:

In just a few short months, Will has been able to turn everything around:

"It's just making things so much easier. It was really kind of depressing to walk up two flights of stairs and feel fatigued. It was just the sort of message on a daily basis that, Hey, something is wrong. And now that's gone. In fact, I was just thinking about it this morning as I was walking up to my classroom and thinking, Man, that's so cool. I feel a normal amount of fatigue by climbing 24 stairs. Also, I slept through the night last night, and it was -- I mean, that in of itself is pretty cool.

I woke up, and my alarm went off pretty early unfortunately because the only time I can get in a swimming workout is about 5:30 to 6:45. But the workouts, I've even moved up a lane. I'm generally in the fast lane at the pool, but there are two fast lanes and so I just recently I've bounced around a little bit and even sometimes can jump into the superfast lane. It's just really nice to be able to do the performance that you know you're capable of. Like you know that you've got this in you."

And that for me, is the essence of my motivation for testing and correcting biochemistry. You may not be the best athlete in the world, but at the end of this process you will know all the hard work is yielding your very best performance.

I would like to thank Will for recording this interview with me. Leaving my job at the hedge fund to do this work has not been easy, but this privilege makes up for it a thousand times over.

Do you know someone with type 1 diabetes still struggling with the blood sugar rollercoaster? Please, share this story. Or are you a type 1 doing everything right and still struggling? Get in touch, together we can figure it out.

I don't think many people heard this interview with Robb Wolf when it was originally broadcast back in June 2014. At that time, the Nourish Balance Thrive podcast didn't exist, and Julia and I awkwardly broadcasted it on our other show called the Paleo Baby podcast.

Robb is an amazing guy. With his second child just weeks away, he must have had so much on his mind at the time of this interview, and yet he delivered an incredible hour of wisdom.

Sadly I don't think much has changed in the past year or so. Rather than greater acceptance as something you ought to try first, the Paleo Diet has continued to be misunderstood by the mainstream media. No this is not necessarily a low carb or high protein diet! The strawmen arguments will not die.

Listen to the interview and let me know what you think. Do you have questions for Robb? Perhaps I could get him back onto the show to answer them, let me know in the comments below.

You can hear me on Robb's show here.

Gabriela Schneider is the Primal Blueprint Certified Expert, young science writer and cook behind beyondthebiteforlife.com. Gabriela has been using a combination of the autoimmune immune protocol, a ketogenic diet, and the PK protocol to treat her neurological chronic Lyme disease.

About a year ago Gabriela was kind enough to gift us this guest post on the PK protocol for Lyme, and since then the article has been viewed over 6,000 times for an average of five minutes.

Gabriela's blog has lots of fantastic ideas recipes for those eating according to the autoimmune protocol, and I'd also highly recommend her Instagram account.

The book I mentioned the interview is called Healing Lyme by Stephen Buhner.

During the interview, Gabriela mentions Dr. Kaslow, but meant to say Dr. Cahill (in reference to her parasite doctor).

I've got my wife Julia (Julie) Kelly on the podcast this week to answer some frequently asked questions that she receives during nutrition coaching sessions. We didn't get time to cover everything, so I think will do another follow-up show later.

The questions are:

1. Why do you do this? What makes you different?
2. What's the difference between a food scientist and registered dietician or nutritionist? Marty Kendall of Optimising Insulin recently linked this article on the Diabetes Australia website. I think this is solid evidence to support Julie's decision not to become registered or licensed.
3. How many calories should I eat?
4. Do I need to track calories?
5. How many grams of carbohydrate, fat and protein should I eat?
6. When will I lose weight?
7. I still haven't lost any weight, when's that going to happen?
8. Do I need to be in ketosis?
9. What should I eat for breakfast?
10. What about when I'm travelling?
11. Can I bend the AIP rules?

Pictured below, our daughter Ivy. Ivy eats exactly the same food we do.

Did we miss your question? If so, please leave it in the comments section below will be sure to answer it in the next episode.