How I Got Myself To Tolerate Starches Better

[Rafael Lao Wai]

Thanks, this sounds reasonable. I know I have a problem with food high in Tyramine and natural MAOIs, particularly cominations of the 2 (despite never having taken pharmaceutical MAOIs).

I see. So things like methylene blue would be no good in your context, right? Even haidut, which regularly eats cheese and internal organs, limits tyramine when taking methylene blue.

 

[Lynne]

I see. So things like methylene blue would be no good in your context, right? Even haidut, which regularly eats cheese and internal organs, limits tyramine when taking methylene blue.

Yeah, no MB for me!

 

[Alex Jaramillo]

Good stuff. Funny, we are both basically coming to the same conclusions at the same time lol, I also switched from milk to meat. Beef is awesome.

Same here. I tolerate butter and beef really well. But something about cheese, eggs and milk just makes me feel dumpy

 

[ecstatichamster]

Pretty much most grass fed meat is low in fat. There are cuts such as chuck that are a little fatty.

Cuts like top of round or bottom of round or eye of round have no fat in them to speak of. Even industrial beef cuts of these are almost zero fat.

If you want to cut fat and eat beef, that’s the way to do it.

 

[Cirion]

I am not as worried about beef fat anymore, if CLASH and correct and beef tallow is virtually the healthiest fat you intake alongside some cocoa butter and a little coconut oil. I may do some experiments and see how I react with 80% lean beef vs 96% lean beef just to see for myself. Now that I'm collecting data and actually making plots of various health markers, I can play games like these.

 

[chimdp]

Some people do bad on milk and fruit and are left with little other than starches and meat. However, starches could also produce problems. I'm currently eating a lot of starches plus sugar and adequate protein with fat and I'm leaning out. I'm not sure if this is because I reduced my milk intake significantly. Anyways, starches were giving me some problems like being hungry 3 hours after eating, blurry vision, tiredness and a few other uncomfortable/annoying symptoms...

But here's how I solved the problem:

Stew/soup
Making stew/soup can significantly improve the digestion and absorption of the food, thus reducing gut irritation. It also makes meal prepping super easy. This might sound boring but I make a massive bowl of stew/soup and then divide it in 3-4 meals throughout the day and it works great. Especially for winter time.

Glycine
Endotoxins are always a concern no matter what kind of food you eat, but more so with starches. Glycine is a potent endotoxin receptor (TLR4) antagonist and I add about half a tsp per meal. This really helps me with recovery from workouts, reduces endotoxin symptoms, stabilizes blood sugar, reduces blurry vision, etc. Glycine also significantly lowers the insulinogenic effect of the meal and will help prevent blood sugar rollercoasters.

Sugar
Fructose has an insulin mimetic effect and can actually lower blood sugar levels. The "optimal" dose according to studies is around 10g per meal so I add 2tbsp of sugar per meal. This helps to lower the insulinogenic effect of the meal, it also promotes glucose uptake into cells, increases sugar oxidation significantly and improves glycogen storage.

Saturated fat
I mostly put in ground beef in my soup so I get a fair bit of saturated fat with each meal, but I also add stearic acid. The fats promote bile flow which helps to lower endotoxins, control gut bacteria, and the stearic acid has a nice thermogenic and cortisol lowering effect. Depending on how you respond to fat, fat can also help to stabilize blood sugar from a meal due to slower glucose absorption.

AC + CO + ACV + Cascara
Last but not least, if you really struggle with gut issues from starches, except for experimenting with different kinds of starches to see which you do best with, I would advise experimenting with activated charcoal + coconut oil + vinegar + cascara sagrada. If my gut doesn't feel optimal, that combo definitely sorts me out in no time. This is not to be used long term, but only to help sort out gut issues in the short term. The longest I used it was for 2 weeks twice a day. Nowadays I only use it once a day and once in a blue moon if I feel I need it.

Edit: I've done a post (9 Ways to speed up glycogen resynthesis post-workout) on speeding up glycogen synthesis after a workout, but it's also applicable for those that just want to increase their glycogen stores regardless if they train or not.

@Hans Do you have some stew/soup recipes you could share? I have an instantpot and should probably start using it as a slow cooker. I'd be curious to see what kind of starches you are using.

Also, when you say add 10g of sugar are you referring to adding table sugar, fructose powder, or fruits/juices? Are these meals pure starch with no sugar (except for the 10g you mentioned)?

 

[Hans]

@Hans Do you have some stew/soup recipes you could share? I have an instantpot and should probably start using it as a slow cooker. I'd be curious to see what kind of starches you are using.

Also, when you say add 10g of sugar are you referring to adding table sugar, fructose powder, or fruits/juices? Are these meals pure starch with no sugar (except for the 10g you mentioned)?

Well, I just add whatever starch or veggie I want with meat and then boil. Afterwards I add salt, sugar and spice. Currently I'm using only potatoes because they don't give me issues.
I add 2 tbsp sugar per meal, which is about 30g sugar of which is 15g fructose. Dried fruit, fruit juice or whole fruits can also work. I never have starch on its own.

 

[Hans]

I should add that making soups with a gelatinous source also completely prevents any gut irritation for me and makes my bowel movements perfect and regular.
Cow hooves, trotters, chicken feet, ox tail, etc., are all good sources and relatively cheap. Definitely worth the effort to aid some natural collagen to improve gut health and mobility.

 

[tara]

Yes to good hearty starchy vege and meat soups and stews!
Very versatile.
Can freeze and reheat well, too, for when you don't have time to cook later.

Good to vary the ingredients so you don't get sick of eating the same thing all the time (or maybe risk developing intolerances?)

Good ingredients can include at least the following and probably others, depending on what's seasonally available near you:
I generally try t include at least one from each of these categories:
meat: beef - gelatinous or stewing cut or joint; chicken frames, feet or necks; lamb bones; pig trotters
roots or tubers: potato, sweet potato, taro, celeriac ...
onion: some kind of onion, leek, etc
leafy greens: kale, spinach, parsley, celery, leek greens ...

Optional extras:
carrot, tomato, pumpkin, courgette, capsicum, ...
Herbs ...
Lentils etc, if you are into them ...
Or if wanting to incorporate well cooked grains, you can include eg rice noodles, well cooked barley, buckwheat ...
You can also poach eggs in a serve of soup.
[ETA:] Mushrooms

 

[Runenight201]

Thanks to my tried and true mushroom stew I was able to digest white rice so cleanly today, it felt amazing. Never before have I felt it so smoothly slide down my digestive tract. My brain lit up with pleasure and energy as all that glucose was directly digested without any inflammation or irritation.

Go Go Team Soup!

 

[tara]

Thanks to my tried and true mushroom stew ...

:)

 

[accelerator]

Thanks to my tried and true mushroom stew I was able to digest white rice so cleanly today, it felt amazing. Never before have I felt it so smoothly slide down my digestive tract. My brain lit up with pleasure and energy as all that glucose was directly digested without any inflammation or irritation.

Go Go Team Soup!

Recipe?

 

[Runenight201]

Recipe?

I go back and forth on the shrooms, but I believe that recipe called for boiling the shrooms with onions, tomatoes, bouillon seasoning, spinach, and cilantro. Eyeball ingredients to what seems reasonable, just make sure there’s plenty of broth to drink and seasoning and fat to enjoy :)
Cook the rice separately and then mix in with soup.

one could also try that soup recipe with additional beans and sub out the rice with a tuber for a more mineral rich dish. I like the yucca :)

for seasoning, the Hispanics got it on point. They sell a powder called sopa de Fido, check the international isle at the grocery store, which has salt, onion, garlic powder, (crack???? It’s so good!), and who knows what else, prolly some preservative, but it’ll be fine! I promise you’ll still feel good after eating it with all the nourishment from the soup!

 

[berk]

To be honest I was drinking lots of milk with sugar and some fruits a while ago and I was gaining fat around my midsection and I wasn't even eating a lot. I thought it was the sugar, but after reducing my milk and keeping the sugar in the diet I started to lean out while eating more. I was rather pleasantly surprised lol. My fats also increased after cutting the milk. The only fat I get is from the meat itself and the little bit of stearic acid I add.

how is your total diet now looks like?
And why do you think you have gained muscle?

 

[berk]

do feel better and I'm not gaining weight, except muscle though.
Have you done an OGTT or checked your fasting glucose and insulin?

why do you think you have gained muscle? How do you measure this?

 

[Dave Clark]

I see. So things like methylene blue would be no good in your context, right? Even haidut, which regularly eats cheese and internal organs, limits tyramine when taking methylene blue.

Is the MB a problem with tyramine at a certain dosage point, or is it any amount of MB, or is it symptomatic based on the individual's sensitivity?

 

[Hans]

how is your total diet now looks like?
And why do you think you have gained muscle?

Mainly ground beef, potatoes, coffee with milk and sugar (but I'm going to eliminate it soon) and fruit smoothies. I want to switch to goats milk soon though.
Most people can gain some mass even when dieting, but that depends on how much fat they have and how close they are to their genetic potential.

why do you think you have gained muscle? How do you measure this?

Yes, I measure my calves, quads, midsection, chest, shoulders and arms to keep an eye on my progress.

 

[berk]

Mainly ground beef, potatoes, coffee with milk and sugar (but I'm going to eliminate it soon) and fruit smoothies. I want to switch to goats milk soon though.
Most people can gain some mass even when dieting, but that depends on how much fat they have and how close they are to their genetic potential.

Yes, I measure my calves, quads, midsection, chest, shoulders and arms to keep an eye on my progress.

Thanks.
You have a pm ;-)

 

[David90]

Great Post. I sometimes struggle with Starch Digestion, so this will come in Handy, in the Future.

 

[Rafael Lao Wai]

Is the MB a problem with tyramine at a certain dosage point, or is it any amount of MB, or is it symptomatic based on the individual's sensitivity?

I'm curious about this too. Haidut was using high dosages (around 15mg per day I think?), which is very different than somebody using 500 micrograms per day. @haidut would be able to answer this much better than I.