Reader Results

This page documents health changes our readers have experienced after adopting the Perfect Health Diet. If you have improved your health on our diet, please leave your story in the comments. Sharing your results encourages others — it lets them know that healing is possible! — and encourages scientists to investigate natural healing methods. We also welcome any reports of difficulty, since we and our readers can help you troubleshoot; such questions may be posed on the Q & A page.

Our sincere thanks to everyone who has posted a success story!

Reader reports are arranged by condition:

Also, a few of our favorite reader success stories have appeared as blog posts:

Obesity, weight loss, food cravings, binging

 

Person
Quote
Health Issue
Mary(more here) There is a whole pan of dark chocolate gluten-free brownies in my kitchen, and I’ve
had no desire for them all day. I’m crediting the supplements (I’m on all the
PHD recommended supplements save kelp), and I’m particularly thinking copper
has made a big difference (I’ve suspected a copper deficiency for some time
as I started going gray young). Or perhaps also selenium. (I’m
hypothyroid…hoping for some improvement there.)In any case, I feel great
physically, I’ve not been binge-y or nearly as much as a sweet freak (and
I’ve been known to eat an entire bag of caramels in less than an hour, and
then head out to the store for more), and I’ve felt mentally stable and
pretty happy. I feel great on this plan, and maybe more importantly, I’ve
noticed that I have many more calm, good mood days than otherwise. I think
it’s the combination of the Perfect Health eating plan and the recommended
supplements. I’ve not lost more weight since my last check-in – I seem to be
at a plateau – but I’m still seven pounds down since I started, so that’s
good.
Reduced
cravings, improved mood, weight loss
LizardFace I’ve
been doing PHD for 6 months after 45 years of eating the SAD. I wasn’t super
overweight, but was gaining every year, 6′, 200 lbs. I craved sweets. Six
months later I am down to 180. I eat rice and sweet potatoes but don’t crave
them, never crave sweets, don’t think about food all the time like I used to.
Try it yourself and see.
Reduced
cravings, weight loss
erp
(
comment 1 and comment 2)
I agree completely with Paul that when you’re well nourished, you’re never
hungry. I’ve been following the PHD/cum supplements coming up on one year
next month and can honestly say, I have no cravings and am never hungry. When
I see one of my former nemeses like hazelnut biscotti, while walking the
aisles of the grocery store, I need only remember that I have visible ribs
now and have moved down from size 16 to size 6, to smile and move on. It took
a while, but the trip is well worth it…. I’m 77 and over the years, I’ve
tried to lose weight by going low carb. The weight losses were successful,
but I didn’t stop craving high carb/sugary stuff and would always gradually
go back to the bad old ways and gain the weight back. One year later strictly
following the PHD, I lost almost 40 lbs and not only don’t I crave carbs and
sugar, I am actually repelled by the smell of a bakery. Yeast and cinnamon
are off putting. When grocery shopping, just knowing that I have a visible
rib cage is enough to keep me moving out of the cookie aisle. Whether it’s
self-hypnosis or balanced nutrition, I say thank you to Paul and Shou-Ching
and all the people who comment here.
Reduced
cravings, weight loss
Nancy I
am a 64 year old woman who has fought weight control all my adult life.
January 2011 I started following Dr. Harris’ 12 steps, J Stanton’s “Eat Like
a Predator” and the Jaminets PHD. I am maintaining my weight loss without
cravings or white knuckling and feel great. Thank you! Thank you! I have
printed out so much from each of your blogs and share with all who ask. My
husband is also on board. I may even take up hunting this season!
Reduced
cravings, feel great
Peter After
approximately six months of PHD I have zero craving for sweets and have
easily resisted entire tables groaning with plates of cakes, doughnuts,
cookies and so forth. Resisted is the wrong word though – it’s as if all
desire for a (formerly craved) substance has left my body. I’m not sure if
it’s related, but I have no desire to drink alcohol these days.
Reduced
cravings
Stabby (also here) I have been eating the PHD for a while, and it has really reduced any sort
of cravings and tendency to mow down, even if the food is really yummy.

My gut feels better, I have better digestion with less bloating from
fruit/sugar. If I eat some organic dairy I don’t get as many pimples as I
used to, and if I do they are noticeably smaller, they barely become inflamed
and they heal more quickly. Paul introduced me to the idea of a goldilocks
zone for fiber, whereas in the past I either had too much (conventional low
fat, grainy, animal-food-phobic) or too little (standard low carb). Also
probiotic supplementation likely helped, which was also Paul’s suggestion.

I have had other improvements in health since discovering books like the
Primal Blueprint or blogs like Evolutionary Psychiatry, however those are the
only ones that I can directly ascribe to Perfect Health Diet. But no doubt if
I had switched from a low fat diet with grains to Perfect Health Diet I would
have experienced the improvements in energy and psychological resilience.

food
cravings
Katelyn I
was ZC but am no longer-I cycle carbs by using white potatoes. Leanness,
satiaty, energy, bathroom habits, etc. have all improved! I owe thanks to you
and to Kurt Harris, whom I respect a lot, in getting me to not fear adding
them. I was scared to, but have had only positive results! Keep up the great
work!
weight
loss, food cravings, low energy, digestion
Sarah Atshan I
also had an mental adjustment period of accepting white rice. I had cut
starch out of my diet for so long. I found including 400 calories of white
rice &/or potatoes, reduced my cravings for something sweet. My calories
naturally lowered without hunger. I was also able to start intermittent
fasting, something that was impossible for me to do before the starch.
food
cravings, hunger
Erik
(
comment 1 and comment 2)
Your
book and writings have totally changed the way I think about my diet,
nutrition and health. So in the past year, I have minimized grains, cut out
processed food, do not eat sweets and avoid omega-6 rich cooking oils like
the plague. I have increased my intake of saturated fat by several fold and
use butter and coconut oil as my cooking oils. I eat eggs for breakfast and
add cream/coconut milk to my coffee. I eat sardines and salmon weekly. I get
plenty of sunshine and exercise several times a week. I eat just as much
fruits and vegetables as I did in the past. I do however consume more sweet
potatoes and potatoes. I use to avoid the “evil” potato as well!… I
basically do not calorie count and eat to what I feel. I have actually lost
weight and my skin has become healthier as well. My lips do not become
chapped like they use to in the past. I always had chapped lips for most of
my life…. I have been well overall. The phd is working great for me. Also,
my son’s gastrointestinal issues have been improving from the addition of
probiotics and better nutrition. He is also starting to say a lot more words
this summer. He is asking for things with words for the first time. I can’t
say what helped him since there are so many variables interplaying but I am
happy to see improvements in language. Our pediatrician was shocked and
excited about his improvements. I think his probiotics, gluten free diet,
vitamin supplements and intensive ABA therapy have helped a lot. My son’s
autism has been a very good learning experience. I feel very lucky to have
you as a fantastic resource of information. Many thanks again for your help
and kindness!
weight
loss, chapped lips; his son: autism, GI issues
jtl When
I began implementing PHD a few weeks ago I cut fruit back to about 80
calories/day and upped starch intake with sweet potatoes, potatoes, sourdough
buckwheat pancakes, and white rice. Within a couple of weeks chronic health
issues such as itchy, flaky scalp, tense painful neck and shoulder muscles,
and cyclical vaginal itching had disappeared, my mood had improved
noticeably, and I was able to do a little weight-lifting without it wiping me
out physically and mentally. 2 weeks ago I cut out fruit entirely and began
getting all my carbs in PHD proportions from white rice, sweet potatoes,
sourdough buckwheat cakes, and potatoes and saw a dramatic improvement in
mood and ability to work-out without negative effects, and the
fuzzy-headeded/blurry-eyedness that I’ve felt intermittently throughout the
day for as long as I can remember disappeared. For the first time in my life
I felt happy, relaxed, patient, care-free, clear-headed/eyed, and not hungry
(I’ve always noticed being hungry in my head, not my belly).
fungal
infections, impaired mood, fatigue, dry eyes, food cravings
Gary I’d
be glad to offer testimony confirming that PHD is a weight-loss diet. My own
loss isn’t dramatic, about 15 lbs. in the past year. My primary health
problem is sleep apnea, which I’ve had for many years/decades. It has led to
high blood pressure and weight gain. It is not caused by my weight but rather
sleep apnea caused me to gain weight. I’ve been thoroughly tested and know
the reasons for the apnea and am recovering primarily by using a cpap
breathing machine at night. PHD got my attention because it was primarily
about good health. I started following it a year ago and can say that it has
significantly improved my health. In addition, I also began to lose weight, a
welcome side benefit. I follow the basic diet recommendations and take all
the supplements. I get enthusiastic about PHD and tell my friends about it,
but the most frequent response I’d get was that it may be great, but it means
home cooking everything. I’d counter that home cooking isn’t hard. So finally
I set up a small website that shows how I’ve done my own interpretation of a
PHD meal plan and the home cooking that make it possible to do it during the
week, working 50-hour days and making 2 or 3 meals a day for me and my
spouse. I call it “10 minute meal.” It might be of use to others:
10minutemeal.com
weight
loss, high blood pressure
Jaybird I
have been shocked that unlike all previous diets for the first time in my
adult life I consistently, not just choose, but desire the PHD foods over the
crap foods. I feel full and more satisfied as well as crave PHD tastes. Even
my craving for a pizza with its wheat crust has reduced greatly after the
first 3 months on PHD. On past gov’t pyramid diet, vegetarian acid/alkaline
diet, and even a strict paleo diet, they seem to require a herculian will
power to choose to eat “healthy”. I had to definitely choose the less food
reward. I came accept this was just the way it is in life…until PHD. You
definitely can lose weight on the PHD! I don’t understand the Jaminets
conceding PHD is not a weight loss book. Their section on weight loss is the
best advice I’ve found in years of reading diet info. I went from 250 to now
182 in 6 months! It seems to me you need to get more clear exactly what PHD
recommends for weight loss. You seemed confused in your description of PHD
weight loss. 400 cals? I now eat 600 calories a day of safe starches and
continued to lose weight at 2 lbs a week. Remember, total calories is king
and the PHD foods will satisfy at a lower calorie intake like no other. Also,
you can add lemon in your water throughout the day.
weight
loss, food cravings
S,
email
Two
weeks ago my doctor diagnosed me with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. After
chatting to me a little about nutrition and its effect on the body, he wrote
down the title of your book “The Perfect Health Diet” and said that
it could help me. I went home and immediately ordered the book online and
received it a few days later (yippee!) Although I’m not even half way into
the book (I decided to start again after discovering it’s not light bedtime
reading!) I am certainly seeing sense in what the book says and am already
feeling a lot better just in myself – more energy, happier, less hormone mood
swings and not bloated at all. I’ve lost a bit of weight since I started two
weeks ago (6lbs) and my skin is… well… the least spotty its been since I
was about 11 years old! I’m certain that the diet is the reason for these
changes.
PCOS,
weight loss
gp2x I
can’t believe how much better I feel!… I had been eating (very) low-carb and
high-protein for the better part of a decade – and I had gotten a lot of
practice arrogantly dismissing suggestions (from any source) that I should
change anything about my diet…. Results: (after 1.5 months or so.)

  1. <span
    >I’m no longer
    “brain-dead” and unable to think in the evenings after work.
  2. <span
    >I no longer have fruit
    or chocolate cravings.
  3. <span
    >I’m much happier, and
    wake up looking forward to the day.
  4. <span
    >I’ve been much more
    social.
  5. <span
    >The extra starch has
    not resulted in weight gain. (I always gained weight when eating carbs
    before.)
  6. <span
    >It looks like the
    fasting (which I’ve never tried before) is helping my alertness and also
    contributing to healthy weight loss.

It
took less than a week for me to notice dramatic changes…. I can’t recommend
this book highly enough.

food
cravings, mood, alertness
Robert I
started PHD a few weeks ago, after finding the blog, and then reading the
book. I have only positive experiences to report. I had been overweight in
the past, and lost weight by low-calorie dieting on processed foods, along
with strength training. After a while I would revert to some degree of
overeating, and have to diet again. I’m mildly overweight now but I have been
losing 2 lbs. per week on the PHD. Keep in mind this is before any calorie
counting. I keep telling myself I will plug things in to Fitday, but so far
my hunger is autoregulating itself and the weight is coming off. Besides
weight loss, I feel great. I haven’t wanted to eat any take-out or sweets,
and that is unusual for me.
weight
loss
Morris
G (
comment 1, comment 2, comment 3)
A
couple of months after starting PHD there was an obvious improvement in mood
and cognitive function. Now 12 months later the mental improvements persist
but do not seem to be growing. … I’ve had joint “noises” for about 20 years
(I’m 72yo) but no direct discomfort from the noise effect. The frequency and
magnitude has increased over time but only very slowly. I tend to think that
the degree of crepitude correlates (weakly) with general joint health eg time
to recover from episodes of tendonitis or discomfort caused by overuse. I
have ignored this “crepitude” as being an unavoidable aging effect until
recently, when my manageable back/neck aches spontaneously improved and that
happened about 3 months after adopting the PHD diet (although I didn’t know
at the time that the diet was PHD). For example I can sleep on my back for
the first time in 8 years and turn my neck 90 deg without any discomfort. My
exercise regime has not changed from pre-PHD and is not too strenuous, about
2-3 hrs total/week of which most is moderate effort cardio with some
resistance. The odd thing is that pre-PHD, with the same exercise effort, if
I increased calories my fat would easily but slowly increase, but not now….
I feel great …  
mood,
cognitive function, joint function, weight
Richard
M, email of Oct 19, 2011
May I firstly congratulate you and Shou-Ching for writing such a wonderful
book. After researching nutrition and health in my spare time for many years
I have never come across a book that has been able to tie all of the major
aspects of a healthy diet together in such a concise manner whilst being so
extensively well referenced.

The amount of improvements that I have seen since implementing this diet
is numerous. My energy levels are much steadier throughout the day (as
opposed to the constant ‘peaks and troughs’ I experienced whilst following a
vegetarian diet for 4 years); my cravings for sugar have virtually
disappeared; I have only suffered from one cold in the past 10 months as
opposed to my usual 2 or 3; my weight is effortlessly stable; I never feel
hungry despite switching from 6 small meals per day to just 3; the list goes
on!

energy,
food cravings, weight, illness
Connie As far as the PHD only being for healthy people, I wanted to share my
experience. I’ve lost about 60+ pounds on the low carb (mostly back in 2000).
My low carb methods evolved over time and eventually I avoided all fake
sugars including diet sodas and almost all prepared foods (including low carb
products) and had to be careful of dairy and nuts – trigger foods for me
which caused me to overeat. I also thought that low fat would bring me more
success, so tried to stay low fat. Whenever I would stop doing low carb, I’d
gain some weight back. But it was very difficult for me to stay low carb
because I was doing low fat and also not getting enough omega 3. And when I
did cheat with sugary foods, I’d eat a lot of it.

Then I discovered PHD this year. I was afraid of “safe starches” and fat,
but thought I’d give it a try. At first I actually gained some weight because
I was adding coconut oil snacks and the plain Greek yogurt and my favorite
safe starch – sweet potatoes – all became trigger foods and I couldn’t stop
eating them. So I stopped the coconut oil snacking and the Greek yogurt and
the sweet potatoes for a while and focused on getting enough Omega 3 and
reducing my Omega 6. (My ratios were not optimal.) Now, I’m doing the
Intermittent Fasting too (fast 16 hours, feed 8 hours – eating 3 times and
eating coconut oil for my breakfast). It’s amazing – I’m not hungry and it
feels great! I’ve reintroduced yogurt, kefir and a daily sweet potato, but
now those 3 items that had been my trigger foods are no longer and I feel
satisfied very easily and don’t overeat them as before. Maybe it was because
my Omega 3/Omega 6 ratio was out of wack? Maybe it was because my body had to
get used to safe starches after so long without them? Maybe the IF helps?
Maybe after several months of PHD supplements that I’m finally not
malnourished? I’m not saying that I don’t ever eat sweets and don’t ever eat
too many. But it’s a lot easier and happens only rarely. And sometimes I can
just eat a little taste of something on a rare occasion. But if I’m under
stress, it’s right before that time of the month, or if it’s meal time and I
haven’t had a chance to eat yet (usually all 3 factors combined) and I’m
tempted with a sugary sweet, then it’s so much harder for me to resist
temptation. And once I do, it’s hard to stop eating the sweets! The other key
thing is to try to make sure the fat/carb/protein ratios are adhered to for
each snack/meal. I know Paul has said not to just have a starch by itself and
that is important advice.

So, my problem of overeating isn’t totally gone, but my diet and weight
maintenance is so much better and easier than ever before because of the PHD!
And I feel better and happier and more satisfied than ever before!

weight
loss
David I’m still very new to this diet, and I’ve been generally getting in shape
and losing weight for a while now, but one thing I can comment on already is
the effect it’s had on rhinitis.

Simply put, my rhinitis has disappeared completely. I no longer wake up
with a runny nose. I don’t need to take steroidal nose sprays. I don’t even
blow my nose. Rhinitus is now a non-issue. I’ve read that wheat and soy often
cause rhinitis, so I suspect some sort of allergy was to blame.

One other benefit: I’m never hungry on the PHD and I’m really enjoying all
the food I CAN eat, while not missing the food I can’t eat.

rhinitis,
appetite
L.B. I have been following a “paleo” diet for the past seven months – a
combination of the PHD book, Mark’s Daily Apple and Kurt Harris’ blog. I am a
47 year old male, 6’ 1” and 175lbs.

My health and fitness improvements include the following:

  • <span
    >25lb weight loss and
    better body composition
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of chronic gout (a seventeen year affliction)
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of “creaky” joints in my feet and knees
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of life long irritable bowel symptoms
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of heartburn
  • <span
    >Improved cholesterol
    profile
  • <span
    >Less plaque build-up
    on my teeth
  • <span
    >Reduced carb and sugar
    cravings over time

This fitness plan has had a profoundly positive impact on my life. My wife
is also doing this with me and she has been able to get off her blood
pressure medication and she’s experienced many other benefits as well.

weight
loss, gout, creaky joints, IBS, heartburn / acid reflux, dyslipidemia, oral
health, reduced cravings, blood pressure
David Z. My success story: I’ve been eating what was mostly a “health food” diet
for twenty years. I followed the various trends and tried vegan, vegetarian,
raw, and more at different time periods. I’ve done juice fasting and
cleansing. At some times I followed it more religiously and other times less
so, but nonetheless slowly gained weight over the years.

This year I read Wheat Belly and started to think about cutting out wheat,
but that book rubbed me the wrong way and I wasn’t ready to commit. In
following up on it however I learned about paleo diets which led me to the
Perfect Health Diet. I was highly intrigued and implemented it before I even
finished the book.

I lost 25 points in the first two months on the diet, going from 215 lbs
to 190. I was not 100% compliant during this time period so was surprised to
see how effective it was. Since then I have mostly leveled off on the weight
loss while staying on the diet, but my pants continue to get looser and
looser.

190 is not a bad weight for me; I am 5’11″ and lift weights so while
this would be a high BMI I look pretty good. I’d like to lose another 10 or
15 pounds eventually but since this diet is so easy and pleasurable I’m not
stressing out over it and am giving myself as many years as it takes to do it
slowly.

Thanks!

weight
loss, body recomposition
Karin I have particularly severe, chronic, complicated, and often silent
migraines. I have had these since childhood all day everyday. Because they
were often silent (no pain) they would manifest in various other ways, thus
leading to misdiagnoses of mood disorders and schizophrenia for many years.
At one point I was also misdiagnosed with epilepsy as well. After one
particularly smart neurologist saw and tested me, I was placed on blood
pressure medications for migraines. This worked. The problem is that my body
constantly fights to readjust to the medications. After a few months at one
dose, it seems I start to get migraines again. So it would go up and the same
thing would repeat again. I was looking for a different solution and I
stumbled across this article.

I’ve been on the keto diet for nearly a month and it is the best thing
that has happened to me. I’m migraine free and medication free. My mood is
incredibly stable, I fall asleep quickly and stay asleep all night, I have
lots of energy, I can concentrate for hours on end, etc. I’ve lost weight
also, a much loved side effect. Thank you for writing this!

migraines,
mood, sleep, energy, weight loss
Jim, email of April 2, 2012 . I am down from 341lbs to 272lbs doing mostly Paleo, but modified with
some safe starches per your book. Just so you know this is not just about
weight loss for me, I was a type 2 diabetic with full metabolic syndrome and
most importantly, I had popping capillaries in my retinas that were leading
to blindness. All is better now, no pills etc.
diabetes,
obesity, diabetic retinopathy
Roxy Rocker I am the smallest I have ever weighed as an Adult. I weigh 218. When I
switched to Paleo/highfat I was 284 about 14 months.
obesity
Elyse I’ve been adding starches to my diet for the past 6 months and find that I
am more satisfied and eat far less “treats”– just 1-2 squares of 85% dark
chocolate most days. Definitely agree that food just isn’t that big of a deal
any more.
food
cravings
Connie Warner After doing very low carb for so long, I was worried too. I started with
fruit and sweet potatoes and it was hard to stop eating them at first. But
now that my diet is more balanced, I have it under control. I think there was
an adjustment period. I’m now taking the recommended supplements as well as
some of the suggested supplements and am following the PHD guidelines, which
have helped. My Omega 6/Omega 3 ratio was way out of balance for a long time.
Paul has said the cravings are due to missing nutrients. It’s great to have a
balanced diet – carbs, protein & fat – with NO cravings – it’s an amazing
feat for me! I feel better and happier and don’t feel deprived. I also do the
Intermittent Fasting (16 hour fast with 1 Tbs coconut oil and an 8 hour feeding
window) and this has helped me too. Food is less important to me, it really
is a lot easier than it sounds (I’m not suffering!) and I choose my foods
carefully to get all the nutrients I need in 2 meals with a snack in the 8
hour window. Sometimes I just have a spoonful of rice syrup to get some
carbs. Or you could add it to a homemade salad dressing or drizzle it on some
plain yogurt.
food
cravings
Java Gal Ok, have to comment – can’t contain myself anymore! I am a lurker of the
worst sort, but here goes. As a 54 year old woman, I am more energetic,
flexible (yoga three times a week), and healthier than I have been for, oh,
decades. My doc, a wonderful, but dye-in-the-wool vegetarian, told me to keep
doing what I was doing – cholesterol dropped, good TSH levels(I’m hypo), and
down 5 sizes. Talk about replacing a wardrobe! My worry, of course, is
gaining it all back, which, sorry to say, is an experience I have had already
in days of yore. I was an avowed low-carber back then and I can attest that,
while it was effective for losing weight, it was not a good long term
strategy. So far, as long as I stick to basic PHD principles, things are
going swimmingly. In general, PHD has been a huge success. Thank you Paul and
Shou-Ching!
obesity,
energy, flexibility, dyslipidemia, hypothyroidism, general health
Jennifer Fulwiler As I look for something to wear this weekend, I’m reminded that I am in
the middle of the wardrobe crisis that I’ve been waiting to have for ten
years: all my clothes are too big. I don’t mean a little loose; I mean I
perpetually look like I’m headed out to an M.C. Hammer costume contest.

Over the past few months I’ve lost 25 pounds. That’s a good thing, mainly
since the drop on the scale was more of a side effect of lifestyle changes
that have left me with more stamina and energy than I had when I was 20….

It’s too long of a story to explain in detail here, but the short-short
version is that it was Perfect Health Diet + rethinking what a reasonable
portion size looks like + accepting that spiritual warfare really does come
into play with getting healthy + learning to depend on a good jog for an
energy boost. What started it all was getting fed up with feeling awful all
the time; I started optimizing my life around foods and exercises that would
make me feel better and have energy, and the weight loss followed.

weight
loss, stamina & energy
Meli Hi Paul,

I just wanted to let you know that I was finally successful at adding back
in some carbs. I am now able to eat half of a small sweet potato on a daily
basis, while still losing weight! You were right, the weight gain (about five
pounds) was merely a temporary “hump” I had to get over before starting to go
back down. I was afraid I’d be stuck eating very low carb forever!

As a bonus, my eyes are no longer blurry, and my hair appears to have
started growing back. When I put it in a ponytail, there is a thick halo of
new fuzz where formerly my scalp was visible. I am suprised at how quickly
these issues began to resolve – it has been perhaps a month, if not less. I
haven’t been able to afford the supplements you recommended, but as soon as I
can I will get them.

You have my deepest gratitude, and respect. ~ Meli

Weight
loss, dry eyes, hair loss
Anonymous (also here) I have Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and am taking a very low dose
of risperdal (same drug in higher doses used to treat schizophrenia).

I had been doing very low carb for many years and do now wonder if it
actually made my symptoms much worse. (I was diagnosed with BPD while doing
very low carb.) Following the PHD diet has greatly reduced my symptoms. I
feel like a new person.

Better mood

I have found that following the PHD diet (in particular, getting enough
Omega 3 and not excessive Omega 6 and eating PHD “safe starches”, etc.,
eliminating toxins (grains, legumes, vegetable oils, soy, etc.), taking the
recommended supplements, and doing the optional intermittent fasting) has
helped me tremendously. I feel so much better now: better mood, more energy,
more patient, clearer thinking, happier, calmer, less emotional, less
anxiety, and better able to cope with issues such as difficult people.

Very nutritious, no cravings

This diet is super healthy and does allow plenty of choices: meat, fish,
vegetables (peas & green beans are fine), nuts (not peanuts which are a
legume), fruit, “safe starches” (rice pasta, sweet/white potatoes and white
rice), wine (which I like but don’t drink due to Rx), healthy fat like lard,
butter, cream, olive oil and coconut oil, dairy, chocolate, eggs, fermented
vegetables and some safe sweeteners such as rice syrup. A benefit of eating a
variety of healthy foods including “safe starches”: no cravings.

Intermittent fasting – easy

This is optional, but I’m so happy I discovered this. Fasting sounds
difficult and you’d think it would involve hunger and suffering and a strong
will power, but not so. No need to go hungry. And I’m not even hungry and
don’t suffer but feel great and clearer thinking/more energy in the morning
(even with my risperdal which for years had made me lethargic in the morning)
during my daily intermittent fasting (16 hour fast with coconut oil during
the fast with 8 hours feeding). When the fast is over, I eat normally:
usually 2 meals and a snack during the 8 hour feeding window, sometimes just
2 meals. I’m not ravenous when it’s time to eat, surprisingly. Sure, I’m a
little hungry, but in no hurry to eat and sometimes the fast lasts longer
than 16 hours just because of circumstances. And I exercise during the fast –
no problem with a lack of energy. No longer am I anxious about eating every 4
hours like I used to be while doing the low carb. In fact, I think I have a
much healthier relationship with food – it’s not so important and I know I
can go without it if I need to. Food doesn’t control me anymore. It has
really simplified my life.

Raynaud’s

Another benefit of the PHD is that my Raynaud’s is much better now and I’m
not as cold as I used to be. I think this was helped by eating more healthy
fat and Omega 3.

So give PHD a try if you want to feel better and be healthy too. I highly
recommend it – it really has worked for me.

Thank you so much, Paul and Shou-Ching, for all you do! 🙂

Borderline
Personality Disorder, mood, energy, anxiety, food cravings, Raynaud’s
Timothy J Hicks Background: I was an Atkins dieter in the 1990’s. Lost a lot of weight,
but staying on it was difficult.

Last year I came off a bout of depression determined to beat it without
drugs. I stopped eating sugar and (surprise!) started losing weight. Since
exercise is also helpful to depression, I thought that it would be better if
I kept losing weight to reduce my chance of injury while exercising. Along
the way I found that many of the things that are recommended in the Perfect
Health Diet greatly helped me in losing weight.

I lost a total of seventy pounds. As a man at fifty-five years old and 195
pounds, I am now in better physical condition than I was in my 20’s. This is
due in large part to the dietary recommendations in the Perfect Health Diet.

What is even better is that the recommendations in the Perfect Health Diet
led to removing the last things that were contributing to my depression. I
believe now that grains and omega-6 in vegetable oil was making me depressed.
That’s why adding omega-3 fish oil to your diet helps fight depression,
something I had started doing without understanding why.

To go back to the beginning, the Atkins diet had two flaws which
undermined long-term weight loss:

1) Atkins diet “phases” lead to the idea that somehow you lose
your weight and then slowly phase back into eating “normal” food.
Atkins didn’t say this exactly, but it’s implied.

2) When Atkins wrote the Diet Revolution book, he didn’t have access to
the research that we have now, and couldn’t see that some fats (high omega-6
vegetable oils) are bad for you, while some carbs in moderation (rice, sweet
potato) are okay. His blanket recommendation to get rid of all carbs would
have been better focused on SUGAR, FRUCTOSE and GRAINS.

The Perfect Health Diet is written so that you can read to whatever depth
of scientific detail you want to. I am about done with my third time through.
My particular health issue is depression, and the Perfect Health Diet has
many links to dietary causes of depression. The most helpful aspect is that
it is written from the perspective that this way of eating is a PERMANENT
change, and that this way of eating is based on sound science, including
cultural and epidemiology studies, not just lab experiments.

This book is a good companion volume to “Why We Get Fat: And What to
Do About It” by Gary Taubes.

The only qualification that I would add is that the book recommends eating
a lot of fish rather than using supplements for omega-3. This recommendation
is based on the observation that most fish oil capsules are stored at room
temperature and the oil may go rancid without you knowing it. My answer is to
take fish oil as a liquid and KEEP IT REFRIGERATED. It’s lemon or lime
flavored and refrigeration keeps the the fishy taste down. No capsules
needed, and it’s actually cheaper than capsules.

Again, as a person who has lost seventy pounds and now enjoy a life free
of depression. I wholeheartedly recommend the Perfect Health Diet.

depression,
obesity
Jon (email of Feb 7, 2012) Dear Paul,

Following your PhD diet I have continued to lose weight at a rate of one
half pound per day! In 27 days I have miraculously lost 13.6 pounds! Overall
it has been consistent but on the days when I increase my probiotic intake it
seems that the loss is considerably more rapid!! While there were some days
in the beginning that were very rapid weight loss, I expected it to even out
and slow down by now but in fact yesterday I was surprised to find i had lost
1.4 pounds in a single day, so the theory that the early pounds were merely
rapid water loss and that the rest of the weight loss would be very slow has
simply not been supported by my experience.

Since I’m eating 1500 cal per day and 54% of that is fat, 26% is carbs,
and 20% is protein, I’m not on a ketogenic diet, but at the rate I’m losing
weight, it seems my body is responding as if I were on a ketogenic diet. Is
that possible?

I must tell you, that being insulin resistant, I was a prime candidate to
become a pre-diabetic patient. Now that I found your diet, and I’m
successfully losing weight, and this is the first diet that I’ve been able to
succeed at, I am so incredibly appreciative of the work you have done.

I’ve been gaining weight for years, and there has been no solution to the
weight gain so far, and therefore I believe your diet, literally, is going to
save my life.

I’ve got about 50 pounds left to lose! I plan to lose it the slow way, I
am planning on a half a pound a week but with your diet I’ve been beating
that rate on a consistent basis.

Thank you thank you thank you,

Jon

Weight
loss
hadrion I decided to give Perfect Health Diet a go first and see where that takes
me. What I’ve learned from asking question to the Jaminets and reading their
answers is that a little sugar here and there in products and the sugar in
fruit isn’t going to kill you.

I can’t do a low carb Paleo diet as I never feel right on that kind of
eating plan and I end up gorging on nuts more than anything.

After 2 weeks on Perfect Health Diet I’ve seen some pretty impressive
changes in my body. My skin is clearer and less red. I’ve lost the
“bloat” I would get in my stomach after meals containing gluten. In
fact, I get full quicker on less food but the sense of full isn’t
uncomfortable; it’s just my body telling me to stop eating. I’ve lost some
weight in mid section that has been my most stubborn area as well. My wife,
who suffers from eczema, has had her condition lessened to the point that
it’s not an issue right now following the diet with me.

This leads me to a few things, chiefly, that gluten is not good for my
wife & I. My energy levels are more consistent and there’s less crashing
during the day avoiding gluten. I’ve had no inflammation although I stopped
my inflammation years ago following CS’s advice and using the supps he
recommends.

While I’m not dismissing Peat’s philosophy of diet, so far I feel pretty
great. I really think there’s a middle ground between these 2 styles of
eating that will work for people long term. That said, I’m going to stick to
Pefect Health for a full month and chart my progress and then I might try to
introduce some Peat ideas into the mix and see how the sugar from OJ and Ice
Cream play with how I feel. I have a feeling that it’s not going to be a
problem adding in those down the road. I am following Peat’s suggestion to
eat a raw carrot and coconut oil daily,

What I would encourage any of you dealing with inflammation or who feel
extremely bloated after a meal with wheat in it is to try to avoid gluten and
see if your body feels different. I had gone gluten free before but all I did
was replace wheat bread with gluten free breads and I paid no attention to
the oils used to make the products. The Perfect Health style of eating with
safe starches like potato, sweet potato and white rice makes following the
diet easy and pleasurable. We even made Perfect Health ice cream which uses
rice syrup in place of sugar and it was delicious and totally satisfied any
lingering sweet tooth.

So far, following the plan set out in the PHD has led to some nice
results.

Skin
redness, bloating, weight loss, eczema
Ole I have been on the PHD diet for over a year now. (I bought the draft
version in September 2010). My health has improved a lot. I have lost about
25kg and I’m now about 87kg (i’m 185cm tall). I’m probably healthier than an
average person on just about any performance metric. (Picture of me in summer
of 2010 and 2011. http://blisunn.no/2011/07/min-brors-nye-livsstil/)
weight
loss
Shelley I’ve been reading paleo, WAPF, low-carb sites for over a year now and
following your PHD as well. You can add me to the list of your success
stories as I lost 15 pounds , have no “cravings” eliminated GERD, heart
palpiations, panic attacts and other annoying pains.
weight
loss, food cravings, GERD / acid reflux, heart palpitations, panic attacks /
anxiety
P.wen Paul & Shou-ching,

Just want to thank you guys for all that you do. I’ve been doing paleo for
2 years now and this year my weight had been yo-yo-ing due to my binge
eating. After my thanksgiving binge I finally decided to get serious and add
in about 50-100g of carb per your recommendation and my cravings for sweets
had decreased a lot. Being able to eat starch got rid of the feeling of
deprivation and I no longer feel the need to eat dessert after every meal.
I’ve definitely gone off the PHD over Christmas but I was able to minimize
binging. After starting the PHD, I’ve also been less neurotic with food and
not feel as guilty when I eat food thats “not paleo”. I’m going to keep up
with PHD and hopefully I can get to a healthy stable weight and healthy
relationship with food!

weight
loss, binge eating, food cravings
Els and here and here I have been on PHD for almost 2 weeks now, doing IF 16/8 at the same time,
and have started with the supplements you have recommended 4 days ago. Since
I started PHD I do no longer crave for sweets. I used to eat chocolates
almost everyday and haven’t had it for over 2 weeks now. 🙂 I am so happy I
found your blog and got your book. Keep up the good works….

5 weeks ago I found PHD website and ordered the book. I am now on my 4th
week of PHD and doing pretty well eating 20% carbs. I also am taking the
supplements Paul had recommended after I emailed him to ask what I can add to
the one I was taking. One of the things I immediately noticed after doing PHD
is that it improved the quality of my sleep (used to keep waking up several
times at night and that is now a thing of the past because I now sleep
uninterrupted for 7-8 hours); and no more cramps in my calves (that used to
happen occasionally after a heavy work out); no more menstrual cramps as
well. Also, today is the first time i had my monthly period that i didn’t get
a pimple in my face. I usually get a big, really deep and hard to get rid of
pimple just before or during my monthly period and my husband or a
dermatologist would actually help me get it out especially if I had an
important function to attend to. I was thinking that may be IF and the
removal of wheat in my diet did greatly help me in seeing immediate improvement
in my sleep. So yes at least in my experience, a great improvement in my over
all health since I incorporated the principles that I learned from the PHD
book. And btw, I have a very sensitive skin (Atopic skin type or atopic/atopy
syndrome – a hereditary component, as my doctor calls it because my mo and
grandma had it too) and I usually get itchy and/or red spots in my skin all
the time but in the last 4 weeks the anti-itching cream which I carry
everywhere has never been used even once. And to top it all off, I lost 3 lbs
in the last 4 weeks (losing the 15 lb excess weight is not even on top of my
list because I am trying to get pregnant). I don’t have any health problems
and hardly get sick. I simply want to eat healthy and trying to figure out what
diet works best for me. And I found it! Thanks to PHD. Thanks to the
Jaminets! At 42, 5’6″ height, 125 lbs weight, and doing PHD on 20%
carbs, I feel great! And yes, I am sticking with PHD for the rest of my
life….

Btw, I continue to shed off some more fat even after I’ve increased my
carb intake to 30% last week. When I started the PHD 6 weeks ago, I weighed
128 lbs and now 122.4 lbs. I just hope I keep losing the last few fat I
wanted to shed off. Btw, I only weigh myself once a week at the same day and
time without fail and I also use a Digital Body Fat Caliper to measure my
body fat. So yes, I am definitely losing some body fat and no muscle loss!
That’s only after doing PHD for 6 weeks without changing my usual cardio
& weight training regimen. My trainer was very impressed when she weighed
me last week. I told her about PHD because she’s one of those people who
believes in eating 5-6 small meals a day. 🙂 I’ve done that for years but I
am definitely doing better by practising IF 16/8 and eating only 2-3 meals a
day. I am definitely seeing positive results since I started the PHD! The
elimination of wheat, sugar and cheese which I used to eat a lot everyday has
done great wonders in my body.

food
cravings, cramps / menstrual cramps, sleep, acne / pimples, body composition
Brian P. Many thanks for your book and blog as it has helped me lose 35 pounds and
counting over the last 5 months, along with a general improvement in energy
level and “evenness”. Extremely gratifying to find a way of eating which is
sustainable, totally satisfying and results in natural weight loss. And, I
have yet to add high intensity workouts to my normal morning and afternoon
walks. I have been talking to anyone who has expressed interest as the
potential of the diet is obviously tremendous!!

P.s. I strongly suspect PHD played a pivotal part in my wife getting
pregnant naturally, just prior to starting her next round of IVF.

weight
loss, energy, mood, infertility
Peter When I ate a VLC diet I found that hard liquor was extremely satisfying.
As soon as I added back starches, my desire for alcohol diminished greatly.

Like Cheeseslave’s experience when she IF’d, I wonder if a craving for
alcohol could show the body is trying to prop up blood sugar levels and wants
ethanol, since it digests quickly to glucose.

craving
for alcohol
Clarissa Just adding in my similar experience to Peter’s. When VLC Paleo I was
sucking down 2-3 glasses of wine a night. I’ve bumped up my carbs to the PHD
level, and have been able to stay off alcohol entirely for the last couple of
months. I’ve also lost about 5 more lbs since upping my carbs and quitting
alcohol. Now when I get a strong craving for alcohol, I can “satisfy” it by
having a few starchy carbs. Since going off alcohol and upping carbs I’ve
seen improvements in my mental function and sleep pattern.
craving
for alcohol
elizabethe I’ve struggled all my life with overweight, binge-like eating disorder
symptoms, and fluctuating weight and (undiagnosed but quite obvious) volatile
blood sugar. I’ve been roughly following PHD for some months now and it has
seriously reduced all of my previous binge-eating, hunger craving symptoms,
as well as vastly increasing the amount of time I can go between meals
without feeling frantic or emotional. I haven’t lost much weight, but my
weight has stabilized whereas before I was on a steady gaining trend.
binge
eating, weight gain, glycemic regulation

High blood pressure

 

Gary I’d
be glad to offer testimony confirming that PHD is a weight-loss diet. My own
loss isn’t dramatic, about 15 lbs. in the past year. My primary health
problem is sleep apnea, which I’ve had for many years/decades. It has led to
high blood pressure and weight gain. It is not caused by my weight but rather
sleep apnea caused me to gain weight. I’ve been thoroughly tested and know
the reasons for the apnea and am recovering primarily by using a cpap
breathing machine at night. PHD got my attention because it was primarily
about good health. I started following it a year ago and can say that it has
significantly improved my health. In addition, I also began to lose weight, a
welcome side benefit. I follow the basic diet recommendations and take all
the supplements. I get enthusiastic about PHD and tell my friends about it,
but the most frequent response I’d get was that it may be great, but it means
home cooking everything. I’d counter that home cooking isn’t hard. So finally
I set up a small website that shows how I’ve done my own interpretation of a
PHD meal plan and the home cooking that make it possible to do it during the
week, working 50-hour days and making 2 or 3 meals a day for me and my
spouse. I call it “10 minute meal.” It might be of use to others:
10minutemeal.com
weight
loss, high blood pressure
Advocatus Avocado I’m a great proponent of the PH diet. I’m pleased to report that after
dramatically increasing my saturated fat intake and following some of the
proscriptive measures in the book that my blood pressure has decreased from
130/85 to 118/74. My resting heart rate has also decreased, and I now sleep
much more soundly.
blood
pressure, sleep quality
L.B. I have been following a “paleo” diet for the past seven months – a
combination of the PHD book, Mark’s Daily Apple and Kurt Harris’ blog. I am a
47 year old male, 6’ 1” and 175lbs.

My health and fitness improvements include the following:

  • <span
    >25lb weight loss and
    better body composition
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of chronic gout (a seventeen year affliction)
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of “creaky” joints in my feet and knees
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of life long irritable bowel symptoms
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of heartburn
  • <span
    >Improved cholesterol
    profile
  • <span
    >Less plaque build-up
    on my teeth
  • <span
    >Reduced carb and sugar
    cravings over time

This fitness plan has had a profoundly positive impact on my life. My wife
is also doing this with me and she has been able to get off her blood
pressure medication and she’s experienced many other benefits as well.

weight
loss, gout, creaky joints, IBS, heartburn / acid reflux, dyslipidemia, oral
health, reduced cravings, blood pressure

Mood and cognitive function

 

Mary(more here) There
is a whole pan of dark chocolate gluten-free brownies in my kitchen, and I’ve
had no desire for them all day. I’m crediting the supplements (I’m on all the
PHD recommended supplements save kelp), and I’m particularly thinking copper
has made a big difference (I’ve suspected a copper deficiency for some time
as I started going gray young). Or perhaps also selenium. (I’m
hypothyroid…hoping for some improvement there.)In any case, I feel great
physically, I’ve not been binge-y or nearly as much as a sweet freak (and
I’ve been known to eat an entire bag of caramels in less than an hour, and
then head out to the store for more), and I’ve felt mentally stable and
pretty happy. I feel great on this plan, and maybe more importantly, I’ve
noticed that I have many more calm, good mood days than otherwise. I think
it’s the combination of the Perfect Health eating plan and the recommended
supplements. I’ve not lost more weight since my last check-in – I seem to be
at a plateau – but I’m still seven pounds down since I started, so that’s
good.
Reduced
cravings, improved mood, weight loss
Bella Perhaps
this is as good a place on your site as any to share the improvements I
experienced after switching from a gut healing diet that generally can be
described as VLC Paleo to PHD. What’s even more remarkable than the
improvements themselves is that they occurred *within 48 hours* of seriously
increasing my safe starch consumption. I couldn’t have special ordered it any
better. 1. Constipation is gone. 2. Fungal (?) rash is gone. 3. Powdery
substance in urine is gone. (After reading here about how VLC diets can cause
excess excretion of uric acid, I’m certain this was the problem.) 4. Energy
and mood are way better. 5. I like what I’m eating now, I am sated, and my
instincts are no longer telling me something’s missing. This intangible
effect has made perhaps the biggest impact on my day-to-day quality of life.
Thank you PJ and S-CJ! Your PHD came into my life at exactly the right time
and produced exactly the changes I needed. Sweet relief! I am still working
out some hormonal issues, and fighting fungi, but my glucose deficiency
symptoms are gone, and I feel better than I have in a year, which is to say I
feel normal, finally. My husband has virtually no symptoms of colitis now.
We’re looking forward to his upcoming flex sig to prove that the disease process
has been reversed, so that the GI doctor will stop telling us that there’s no
way dietary changes alone could’ve cured the disease, that my husband must be
in symptomatic remission with a still-flaming colon. Doc doesn’t know what to
make of us. So indulge me in a bit of gushing when I tell you I’m utterly
grateful for both your product (the book) and service (advice on your site).
The one-on-one advice is a very powerful way to connect with your audience.
It’s as if I can *feel* the sense of community and healing when I’m on your
site. You’ve got a special thing going.
fungal
infections, low energy, impaired mood, constipation
jtl When
I began implementing PHD a few weeks ago I cut fruit back to about 80
calories/day and upped starch intake with sweet potatoes, potatoes, sourdough
buckwheat pancakes, and white rice. Within a couple of weeks chronic health
issues such as itchy, flaky scalp, tense painful neck and shoulder muscles,
and cyclical vaginal itching had disappeared, my mood had improved
noticeably, and I was able to do a little weight-lifting without it wiping me
out physically and mentally. 2 weeks ago I cut out fruit entirely and began
getting all my carbs in PHD proportions from white rice, sweet potatoes,
sourdough buckwheat cakes, and potatoes and saw a dramatic improvement in
mood and ability to work-out without negative effects, and the
fuzzy-headeded/blurry-eyedness that I’ve felt intermittently throughout the
day for as long as I can remember disappeared. For the first time in my life
I felt happy, relaxed, patient, care-free, clear-headed/eyed, and not hungry
(I’ve always noticed being hungry in my head, not my belly).
fungal
infections, impaired mood, fatigue, dry eyes, food cravings
Deacon Patrick Thank
you for the gift of better brain function you have given me! A few months ago
I switched to ketogenic diet, and now a completely Paleo diet based in large
part on your Perfect Health Diet — the differences I’ve experienced are
amazing…. The more ketogenic my diet, the better my brain capacity,
cognitive energy, energy stability, longevity, and the better I feel….
brain
injury recovery
Pia I
am struck by this from Paul’s post: “Good health, I believe, leads to
good spirits.” Have been on PHD for only about 3 weeks and I am amazed
by my new outlook on life. I was not ‘unhealthy’ before (by modern
standards)– but I feel so much more able to see the positive now. Thanks a
million.
mood
gp2x I
can’t believe how much better I feel!… I had been eating (very) low-carb and
high-protein for the better part of a decade – and I had gotten a lot of
practice arrogantly dismissing suggestions (from any source) that I should
change anything about my diet…. Results: (after 1.5 months or so.)

  1. <span
    >I’m no longer
    “brain-dead” and unable to think in the evenings after work.
  2. <span
    >I no longer have fruit
    or chocolate cravings.
  3. <span
    >I’m much happier, and
    wake up looking forward to the day.
  4. <span
    >I’ve been much more
    social.
  5. <span
    >The extra starch has
    not resulted in weight gain. (I always gained weight when eating carbs
    before.)
  6. <span
    >It looks like the
    fasting (which I’ve never tried before) is helping my alertness and also
    contributing to healthy weight loss.

It
took less than a week for me to notice dramatic changes…. I can’t recommend
this book highly enough.

food
cravings, mood, alertness
Lisa Weis Yours
is by far, the best Paleo / Ancestral diet that makes sense…. I was very
strict Paleo for a good 8 months, and yes felt fantastic and lost 10ks etc.
But then started feeling tired, moody. Enter some carbs (from the suggestion
of your book) in the source of potato and rice and taro – and now I’m feeling
a whole lot better. Did I put on weight. Of course not! Essentially now I eat
what my body craves. I can listen to it now and it responds accordingly. It
knows when it needs more carbs (eg., after exercise). And it knows how much as
well.
fatigue,
mood
Sarah I
eat circa 100g carbs from starch a day not including veg and this has been
one of the best things I’ve ever done for my health along with including a
vitamin C supplement. My low-level depression and anxiety have completely
disappeared and the diet is considerably more varied and easier to stick to
than VLC.
depression,
anxiety
Morris
G (
comment 1, comment 2, comment 3)
A
couple of months after starting PHD there was an obvious improvement in mood
and cognitive function. Now 12 months later the mental improvements persist
but do not seem to be growing. … I’ve had joint “noises” for about 20 years
(I’m 72yo) but no direct discomfort from the noise effect. The frequency and
magnitude has increased over time but only very slowly. I tend to think that
the degree of crepitude correlates (weakly) with general joint health eg time
to recover from episodes of tendonitis or discomfort caused by overuse. I
have ignored this “crepitude” as being an unavoidable aging effect until
recently, when my manageable back/neck aches spontaneously improved and that
happened about 3 months after adopting the PHD diet (although I didn’t know
at the time that the diet was PHD). For example I can sleep on my back for
the first time in 8 years and turn my neck 90 deg without any discomfort. My
exercise regime has not changed from pre-PHD and is not too strenuous, about
2-3 hrs total/week of which most is moderate effort cardio with some
resistance. The odd thing is that pre-PHD, with the same exercise effort, if
I increased calories my fat would easily but slowly increase, but not now….
I feel great …  
mood,
cognitive function, joint function, weight
Peter After eating a meat and vegetables diet for a 1.5 years I read PHD and
added back starches. I had been craving them, so it wasn’t hard to do.

The addition of starches warmed my body temperature (always an issue
because I have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis), improved my energy level, helped
with symptoms of adrenal fatigue (as per Dr. BG), improved my bowel function,
and improved my mood. I also reduced my grocery bill (which in turn made for
a more harmonius family life) because I instantly desired about one-third of
the protein I used to eat.

Of all the symptoms of glucose deficiency the most concerning was the flat
mood. Clearly my brain was low on energy despite the “no human requirement
for carbohydrate” dogma.

Many thanks to Paul!

hypothyroidism,
bowel function, mood
Karin I have particularly severe, chronic, complicated, and often silent
migraines. I have had these since childhood all day everyday. Because they
were often silent (no pain) they would manifest in various other ways, thus
leading to misdiagnoses of mood disorders and schizophrenia for many years.
At one point I was also misdiagnosed with epilepsy as well. After one
particularly smart neurologist saw and tested me, I was placed on blood
pressure medications for migraines. This worked. The problem is that my body
constantly fights to readjust to the medications. After a few months at one
dose, it seems I start to get migraines again. So it would go up and the same
thing would repeat again. I was looking for a different solution and I
stumbled across this article.

I’ve been on the keto diet for nearly a month and it is the best thing
that has happened to me. I’m migraine free and medication free. My mood is
incredibly stable, I fall asleep quickly and stay asleep all night, I have
lots of energy, I can concentrate for hours on end, etc. I’ve lost weight
also, a much loved side effect. Thank you for writing this!

migraines,
mood, sleep, energy, weight loss
Michelle IME, a comprehensive stool test proved helpful. I found a fungal infection
which I treated with two bottles of ProEnt-2. I found bacterial overgrowths,
which I treated with Natren probiotics. The stool test showed gluten
intolerance as well, and seeing the results on paper helped me to take the
leap & kiss gluten goodbye.

I was also positive to toxoplasma, which I have not treated due to cost
and efficacy of treatment. Maybe down the line?

I had a sudden severe arthritis flare and have been on low dose pulsing
Doxy for it, successfully, since 2008.

My thyroid function has improved as I’ve gotten healthier. My guess is
improving iodine status and other micronutrient status, plus knocking back
infections are the major contributors.

I’m no longer anemic.

I used SAM-e successfully, for 2-3 years at 200-400 mg per day, upon
waking to help with low mood….

I can’t tell you how empowering it felt to take steps, and to slowly see
my labs improve. In my case, my labs tends to improve a bit ahead of
symptoms.

Good luck to you! There are often many pieces to the puzzle! You may find
it helpful, as did I, to minimize your variables, and track your protocol to
the best of your ability.

Infections,
arthritis, hypothyroidism, anemia, mood
Anonymous (also here) I have Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and am taking a very low dose
of risperdal (same drug in higher doses used to treat schizophrenia).

I had been doing very low carb for many years and do now wonder if it
actually made my symptoms much worse. (I was diagnosed with BPD while doing
very low carb.) Following the PHD diet has greatly reduced my symptoms. I
feel like a new person.

Better mood

I have found that following the PHD diet (in particular, getting enough
Omega 3 and not excessive Omega 6 and eating PHD “safe starches”, etc.,
eliminating toxins (grains, legumes, vegetable oils, soy, etc.), taking the
recommended supplements, and doing the optional intermittent fasting) has
helped me tremendously. I feel so much better now: better mood, more energy,
more patient, clearer thinking, happier, calmer, less emotional, less
anxiety, and better able to cope with issues such as difficult people.

Very nutritious, no cravings

This diet is super healthy and does allow plenty of choices: meat, fish,
vegetables (peas & green beans are fine), nuts (not peanuts which are a
legume), fruit, “safe starches” (rice pasta, sweet/white potatoes and white
rice), wine (which I like but don’t drink due to Rx), healthy fat like lard,
butter, cream, olive oil and coconut oil, dairy, chocolate, eggs, fermented
vegetables and some safe sweeteners such as rice syrup. A benefit of eating a
variety of healthy foods including “safe starches”: no cravings.

Intermittent fasting – easy

This is optional, but I’m so happy I discovered this. Fasting sounds
difficult and you’d think it would involve hunger and suffering and a strong
will power, but not so. No need to go hungry. And I’m not even hungry and
don’t suffer but feel great and clearer thinking/more energy in the morning (even
with my risperdal which for years had made me lethargic in the morning)
during my daily intermittent fasting (16 hour fast with coconut oil during
the fast with 8 hours feeding). When the fast is over, I eat normally:
usually 2 meals and a snack during the 8 hour feeding window, sometimes just
2 meals. I’m not ravenous when it’s time to eat, surprisingly. Sure, I’m a
little hungry, but in no hurry to eat and sometimes the fast lasts longer
than 16 hours just because of circumstances. And I exercise during the fast –
no problem with a lack of energy. No longer am I anxious about eating every 4
hours like I used to be while doing the low carb. In fact, I think I have a
much healthier relationship with food – it’s not so important and I know I
can go without it if I need to. Food doesn’t control me anymore. It has
really simplified my life.

Raynaud’s

Another benefit of the PHD is that my Raynaud’s is much better now and I’m
not as cold as I used to be. I think this was helped by eating more healthy
fat and Omega 3.

So give PHD a try if you want to feel better and be healthy too. I highly
recommend it – it really has worked for me.

Thank you so much, Paul and Shou-Ching, for all you do! 🙂

Borderline
Personality Disorder, mood, energy, anxiety, food cravings, Raynaud’s
KH I’m type 1 diabetic …

Just this morning, I took my A1c home test (by Bayer) which includes two
tests in the box. Because of the unbelievably low result of first test, I
took the second one (different finger, different hand) to check… Results:

test 1- 5.2

test 2- 5.3 …

I know the diet here is helping me a lot and I’ve been feeling more
energetic lately and less moody, which my husband is VERY HAPPY about!!

Type
I diabetes, energy, mood
Brian P. Many thanks for your book and blog as it has helped me lose 35 pounds and
counting over the last 5 months, along with a general improvement in energy
level and “evenness”. Extremely gratifying to find a way of eating which is
sustainable, totally satisfying and results in natural weight loss. And, I
have yet to add high intensity workouts to my normal morning and afternoon
walks. I have been talking to anyone who has expressed interest as the
potential of the diet is obviously tremendous!!

P.s. I strongly suspect PHD played a pivotal part in my wife getting
pregnant naturally, just prior to starting her next round of IVF.

weight
loss, energy, mood, infertility
Peter After eating a meat and vegetables diet for a 1.5 years I read PHD and
added back starches. I had been craving them, so it wasn’t hard to do.

The addition of starches warmed my body temperature (always an issue
because I have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis), improved my energy level, helped
with symptoms of adrenal fatigue (as per Dr. BG), improved my bowel function,
and improved my mood. I also reduced my grocery bill (which in turn made for
a more harmonius family life) because I instantly desired about one-third of
the protein I used to eat.

Of all the symptoms of glucose deficiency the most concerning was the flat
mood. Clearly my brain was low on energy despite the “no human requirement
for carbohydrate” dogma.

Many thanks to Paul!

Hypothyroidism,
energy, adrenal fatigue, bowel function, mood

Mental health conditions

 

Sarah I
eat circa 100g carbs from starch a day not including veg and this has been
one of the best things I’ve ever done for my health along with including a
vitamin C supplement. My low-level depression and anxiety have completely
disappeared and the diet is considerably more varied and easier to stick to
than VLC.
depression,
anxiety
Kate I
too have had Raynaud’s all my life … In the past two months, I have modified
my diet in line with Paul’s suggestions for Migraine. I now eat 200 calories
worth of safe starch, all the recommended supplements, and as much coconut
oil as I can stomach. I am also doing the 16/8 fast. My Raynaud’s has further
improved, as measured by the fact I sometimes forget to turn the heat up in
the morning, and cold extremities don’t always alert me to my
forgetfulness!… Thanks for asking about the Migraines. They are in fact
vastly improved, which I attribute solely to your recommendations. I can say
that, because I have tried virtually everything else in the past…. Clearly
something remarkable is happening, thanks to your recommendations! A little
history. I started getting these headaches in my late 30s. (I am now 52). In
the beginning I thought I had the stomach flu, because in addition to the
headache I would always throw up or have dry heaves. The worst headaches
would keep me immobilized in bed for up to two days. My brother-in-law, a
neurologist, convinced me they were migraines. I finally consulted a doctor,
who put me on midrin, which did not help, and a few months later I started on
imitrex, which did help, at least at first. Eventually, my headache pattern
evolved, and I had at least a mild headache every day, punctuated by the
occasional doozy. Apparently, this is a pretty common progression, especially
with women my age. I always suspected there was something wrong with my
lifestyle or diet, and over the years I have tried numerous experiments, but
nothing ever worked. … In January, in my blog travels, I stumbled on your
site. I ordered the book and was intrigued by your and Shou-Ching’s ideas
about disease and chronic conditions. I was already familiar with the idea of
a ketogenic diet for epilepsy, so I was immediately interested in trying a
more ketogenic diet for myself. I ordered all your basic supplements, and
immediately upped my kelp to two capsules. I had been using coconut oil for
curries, so I started using it habitually. Started eating 200 calories of
starches that you recommended—this was a little scary, after studiously
avoiding them for four years! I was afraid I they might keep me awake at
night, but I am sleeping like a log. Started fasting 16/8, which was easy
once you absolved me for having cream in my morning coffee! Within a
week of starting this regimen my chronic headache started to disappear!

Some days I would only have a headache for part of the day, and occasionally
I would have no headache at all! I read somewhere on your site that NAC is
good on a ketogenic diet, so I ordered it too. I had never heard of this
supplement before. It seems to have made a further positive difference. I
have started taking it twice a day. Once before bed, and once in the late
afternoon, when the headache sometimes starts coming back. Since I
added NAC, I have been nearly headache free.
Another amazing
development concerns anxiety. Over the years I have become somewhat anxious
when I drive on highways. I grip the steering wheel tightly, sit forward in
the seat, and am generally hyper vigilant. I always chided myself for my lack
of nerves, but that didn’t help. As mentioned above, this was magnified by
the Topomax. I never had this issue when I was younger; indeed I used to fly
helicopters in the army. Two weeks ago I drove up to New Jersey to pick up my
daughter, a 3.5 hour trip from where I live in Northern Virginia. I stopped two
hours into the trip to make a pit stop, and I suddenly realized I was totally
relaxed, and had been for the entire trip! The PHD is strong brain medicine
indeed! Thanks for all your research, insights, and ideas. I think the
Perfect Health Diet is going to be a game changer for many people. Hopefully
it is the start of a sea change at how we approach the chronic maladies of
our times.
Raynaud’s,
migraines, anxiety
Stephanie When I went on the Perfect Health Diet plan, I hoped to clean up my eating
habits and address some of my thyroid issues through food choices. As it
happens, the PHD plan is not just about food; there is actually a pretty
aggressive recommended supplement plan. (Aggressive, that is, for me, as I’ve
traditionally been a “multi-plus-maybe-some-vitamin-D” person.) Since the
supplement plan didn’t involve drastically cutting sugar or giving up the
fresh, hot gluten-filled rolls I was habitually baking for my family (as the
food plan does, sigh), I did the pills first.

Because I was not expecting to get any bang for my vitamin and mineral
buck, I didn’t watch for any reactions, good or bad, that I might have to
this or that supplement. I didn’t take a scientific approach to starting on a
new pill or capsule. I included each recommended supplement in my morning
cocktail as it arrived in the mail. Pretty quickly (thanks to Amazon Prime),
I had added the following to my multi-vitamin and 1000 IUs of vitamin D3:
vitamin C (500 mg), vitamin K2 (100 mcg), copper (2 mg), chromium (200 mcg),
iodine (500 mcg), magnesium (400 mg), and selenium (200 mcg).

Within a few days after I was on everything, I noticed a major change, not
physically, but mentally — a major reduction in OCD symptoms and general
anxiety. I was first struck while I was driving to the food store. I had a
feeling of competence and ease. I was not gripping the steering wheel. I was,
in fact, steering with one hand. This is not something I do. Generally, I
drive waiting for an accident, acutely aware of my killing potential. But now
I felt…not indifferent to others’ wellbeing, by any means, but as capable as
the other drivers on the road.

This was strange! And it took a little mental work for me to accept that
perhaps I felt like a competent driver because I am one, not because I was
suddenly drugged and delusional. A few days later, I began to feel that I was
perhaps a bit too mellow. In poking around a little, I learned that the
recommended dose for magnesium for women is 200 mg (400 mg is the recommended
dose for men). Also, I have low blood pressure, and I was concerned that too
much magnesium would lower it even more. So I bumped my dose down. That felt
more natural.

Then, the real test: I had an upset in my personal life, the sort of thing
that generally sets me off in a spiral of obsessing, “phoning in” my
obligations to my sons, driving my husband crazy, clenching my jaw, eating
obsessively, and just generally getting sucked into a vortex of negativity
and pulling my family and friends down with me. Only I didn’t. I was upset
for a bit, processed the situation, and moved on. This was major, and
completely unexpected.

With minimal research (laziness being central to my character), I learned
that many folks with OCD find symptom relief with selenium supplementation,
so I’ve decided that this was likely key to my newfound mental health
improvement. I’ve taken magnesium in the past with no reduction in OCD
symptoms.

I may in the near future try eliminating selenium for a bit to see if my
OCD symptoms ramp up. The trick will be finding a “good” time to invite that
lovely obsessing back into my psyche.

If you grapple with OCD, you might want to give selenium a try. Note that
too much selenium is toxic, so monitor your intake. And if you regularly eat
Brazil nuts, you are already getting a big hit of selenium, so be careful.

Obsessive-compulsive
disorder, anxiety
Anonymous (also here) I have Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and am taking a very low dose
of risperdal (same drug in higher doses used to treat schizophrenia).

I had been doing very low carb for many years and do now wonder if it
actually made my symptoms much worse. (I was diagnosed with BPD while doing
very low carb.) Following the PHD diet has greatly reduced my symptoms. I
feel like a new person.

Better mood

I have found that following the PHD diet (in particular, getting enough
Omega 3 and not excessive Omega 6 and eating PHD “safe starches”, etc.,
eliminating toxins (grains, legumes, vegetable oils, soy, etc.), taking the
recommended supplements, and doing the optional intermittent fasting) has
helped me tremendously. I feel so much better now: better mood, more energy,
more patient, clearer thinking, happier, calmer, less emotional, less
anxiety, and better able to cope with issues such as difficult people.

Very nutritious, no cravings

This diet is super healthy and does allow plenty of choices: meat, fish,
vegetables (peas & green beans are fine), nuts (not peanuts which are a
legume), fruit, “safe starches” (rice pasta, sweet/white potatoes and white
rice), wine (which I like but don’t drink due to Rx), healthy fat like lard,
butter, cream, olive oil and coconut oil, dairy, chocolate, eggs, fermented
vegetables and some safe sweeteners such as rice syrup. A benefit of eating a
variety of healthy foods including “safe starches”: no cravings.

Intermittent fasting – easy

This is optional, but I’m so happy I discovered this. Fasting sounds
difficult and you’d think it would involve hunger and suffering and a strong
will power, but not so. No need to go hungry. And I’m not even hungry and
don’t suffer but feel great and clearer thinking/more energy in the morning (even
with my risperdal which for years had made me lethargic in the morning)
during my daily intermittent fasting (16 hour fast with coconut oil during
the fast with 8 hours feeding). When the fast is over, I eat normally:
usually 2 meals and a snack during the 8 hour feeding window, sometimes just
2 meals. I’m not ravenous when it’s time to eat, surprisingly. Sure, I’m a
little hungry, but in no hurry to eat and sometimes the fast lasts longer
than 16 hours just because of circumstances. And I exercise during the fast –
no problem with a lack of energy. No longer am I anxious about eating every 4
hours like I used to be while doing the low carb. In fact, I think I have a
much healthier relationship with food – it’s not so important and I know I
can go without it if I need to. Food doesn’t control me anymore. It has
really simplified my life.

Raynaud’s

Another benefit of the PHD is that my Raynaud’s is much better now and I’m
not as cold as I used to be. I think this was helped by eating more healthy
fat and Omega 3.

So give PHD a try if you want to feel better and be healthy too. I highly
recommend it – it really has worked for me.

Thank you so much, Paul and Shou-Ching, for all you do! 🙂

Borderline
Personality Disorder, mood, energy, anxiety, food cravings, Raynaud’s
Timothy J Hicks Background: I was an Atkins dieter in the 1990’s. Lost a lot of weight,
but staying on it was difficult.

Last year I came off a bout of depression determined to beat it without
drugs. I stopped eating sugar and (surprise!) started losing weight. Since
exercise is also helpful to depression, I thought that it would be better if
I kept losing weight to reduce my chance of injury while exercising. Along
the way I found that many of the things that are recommended in the Perfect
Health Diet greatly helped me in losing weight.

I lost a total of seventy pounds. As a man at fifty-five years old and 195
pounds, I am now in better physical condition than I was in my 20’s. This is
due in large part to the dietary recommendations in the Perfect Health Diet.

What is even better is that the recommendations in the Perfect Health Diet
led to removing the last things that were contributing to my depression. I
believe now that grains and omega-6 in vegetable oil was making me depressed.
That’s why adding omega-3 fish oil to your diet helps fight depression,
something I had started doing without understanding why.

To go back to the beginning, the Atkins diet had two flaws which
undermined long-term weight loss:

1) Atkins diet “phases” lead to the idea that somehow you lose
your weight and then slowly phase back into eating “normal” food.
Atkins didn’t say this exactly, but it’s implied.

2) When Atkins wrote the Diet Revolution book, he didn’t have access to
the research that we have now, and couldn’t see that some fats (high omega-6
vegetable oils) are bad for you, while some carbs in moderation (rice, sweet
potato) are okay. His blanket recommendation to get rid of all carbs would
have been better focused on SUGAR, FRUCTOSE and GRAINS.

The Perfect Health Diet is written so that you can read to whatever depth
of scientific detail you want to. I am about done with my third time through.
My particular health issue is depression, and the Perfect Health Diet has
many links to dietary causes of depression. The most helpful aspect is that
it is written from the perspective that this way of eating is a PERMANENT
change, and that this way of eating is based on sound science, including
cultural and epidemiology studies, not just lab experiments.

This book is a good companion volume to “Why We Get Fat: And What to
Do About It” by Gary Taubes.

The only qualification that I would add is that the book recommends eating
a lot of fish rather than using supplements for omega-3. This recommendation
is based on the observation that most fish oil capsules are stored at room
temperature and the oil may go rancid without you knowing it. My answer is to
take fish oil as a liquid and KEEP IT REFRIGERATED. It’s lemon or lime
flavored and refrigeration keeps the the fishy taste down. No capsules needed,
and it’s actually cheaper than capsules.

Again, as a person who has lost seventy pounds and now enjoy a life free
of depression. I wholeheartedly recommend the Perfect Health Diet.

depression,
obesity
Shelley I’ve been reading paleo, WAPF, low-carb sites for over a year now and
following your PHD as well. You can add me to the list of your success
stories as I lost 15 pounds , have no “cravings” eliminated GERD, heart
palpiations, panic attacts and other annoying pains.
weight
loss, food cravings, GERD / acid reflux, heart palpitations, panic attacks /
anxiety

Digestive disorders

 

Angie It’s
anecdotal, but all four people in my family experienced a variety of new
symptoms (seasonal allergies, constipation, worsening of heartburn, bladder
spasms, dry eyes, increasing tiredness and low energy) when we did GAPS.
These problems didn’t resolve until we luckily stumbled upon PHD and added
back safe starches. I think GAPS would be much improved by allowing more PHD
safe starches and doing away with all the honey and nuts which are
considerably harder on many people’s systems (they definitely are on mine!)
than potatoes and white rice.
Allergies,
heartburn, dry eyes, low energy
Dr. Jacs In
an effort to jazz up my nutrition and increase my energy availability, I’m
doing the
target=”_blank” title=”Perfect Health Diet”>Perfect Health Diet with a vengeance. I really love this way of eating, and
feel well on it. It’s good for my gut and my sleep.
digestion,
sleep
Erik
(
comment 1 and comment 2)
Your
book and writings have totally changed the way I think about my diet,
nutrition and health. So in the past year, I have minimized grains, cut out
processed food, do not eat sweets and avoid omega-6 rich cooking oils like
the plague. I have increased my intake of saturated fat by several fold and
use butter and coconut oil as my cooking oils. I eat eggs for breakfast and
add cream/coconut milk to my coffee. I eat sardines and salmon weekly. I get
plenty of sunshine and exercise several times a week. I eat just as much
fruits and vegetables as I did in the past. I do however consume more sweet
potatoes and potatoes. I use to avoid the “evil” potato as well!… I
basically do not calorie count and eat to what I feel. I have actually lost
weight and my skin has become healthier as well. My lips do not become
chapped like they use to in the past. I always had chapped lips for most of
my life…. I have been well overall. The phd is working great for me. Also,
my son’s gastrointestinal issues have been improving from the addition of
probiotics and better nutrition. He is also starting to say a lot more words
this summer. He is asking for things with words for the first time. I can’t
say what helped him since there are so many variables interplaying but I am
happy to see improvements in language. Our pediatrician was shocked and
excited about his improvements. I think his probiotics, gluten free diet,
vitamin supplements and intensive ABA therapy have helped a lot. My son’s
autism has been a very good learning experience. I feel very lucky to have
you as a fantastic resource of information. Many thanks again for your help
and kindness!
weight
loss, chapped lips; his son: autism, GI issues
Jordan Reasoner I
have battled Celiac disease for some time and got about 80% better with a
Paleo diet… but the Perfect Health Diet was the first book that could finally
answer that last 20% with science based logic.
Celiac
disease
Brussie About
5 years ago, I started having horrible stomach problems (pain, bloating,
etc.), extreme fatigue, weight gain of about 15 lbs, and anemia. After many
useless visits to traditional doctors, I finally went to see a naturopath who
put me on a restricted diet: no sugar (or fruit), no grains other than rice,
no cow dairy, no legumes, no nuts. It was actually pretty much a PHD diet.
Within 4 months on this diet I felt 80% better; the fatigue was gone, I lost
the weight, and the anemia went away (with some help from iron supplements),
and my stomach pain was intermittent and brief when it did occur. I went on
like this for about 2 years. Then, about 2 years ago, I discovered the paleo
diet. It was already similar to the way I was eating with some minor tweaks:
upping the fat content of my diet, eliminating rice and sweet potatoes,
adding back some moderate fruit. Within a year of eating this way, I began
experiencing some additional stomach discomfort, more bloating and pain. I
went to see a doctor for some help. Unfortunately, she just made the
situation worse…. Well, I adopted the PHD in October 2010 and I am happy to
say that my stomach issues are almost completely gone…. I would definitely
recommend PHD to anyone looking for a healthy way of eating. I would also
recommend it for anyone who is still experiencing stomach issues while on a
paleo diet.
digestive
problems
Peter After eating a meat and vegetables diet for a 1.5 years I read PHD and
added back starches. I had been craving them, so it wasn’t hard to do.

The addition of starches warmed my body temperature (always an issue
because I have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis), improved my energy level, helped
with symptoms of adrenal fatigue (as per Dr. BG), improved my bowel function,
and improved my mood. I also reduced my grocery bill (which in turn made for
a more harmonius family life) because I instantly desired about one-third of
the protein I used to eat.

Of all the symptoms of glucose deficiency the most concerning was the flat
mood. Clearly my brain was low on energy despite the “no human requirement
for carbohydrate” dogma.

Many thanks to Paul!

hypothyroidism,
bowel function, mood
Alex I recently had my carotid arteries evaluated via ultrasound for plaque and
narrowing and was told there is no evidence of either. A year ago, just
before adopting a PHD type diet, an MRI of my heart revealed “significant”
plaque on one of my coronary arteries and less significant on another…. I’m
in my mid 40s, lean, active, and have seen many health improvements since
adopting the diet (less joint stiffness, no more chronic back pain, milder
colds, fewer allergy symptoms, less gas, less bloating, need for less sleep.
atherosclerosis,
joint stiffness, back pain, allergies, bowel distress
L.B. I have been following a “paleo” diet for the past seven months – a
combination of the PHD book, Mark’s Daily Apple and Kurt Harris’ blog. I am a
47 year old male, 6’ 1” and 175lbs.

My health and fitness improvements include the following:

  • <span
    >25lb weight loss and
    better body composition
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of chronic gout (a seventeen year affliction)
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of “creaky” joints in my feet and knees
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of life long irritable bowel symptoms
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of heartburn
  • <span
    >Improved cholesterol
    profile
  • <span
    >Less plaque build-up
    on my teeth
  • <span
    >Reduced carb and sugar
    cravings over time

This fitness plan has had a profoundly positive impact on my life. My wife
is also doing this with me and she has been able to get off her blood
pressure medication and she’s experienced many other benefits as well.

weight
loss, gout, creaky joints, IBS, heartburn / acid reflux, dyslipidemia, oral
health, reduced cravings, blood pressure
Joan Hi Paul

I haven’t posted for a while but continue to be an avid reader of your
blog. I thought an update was due.

Quick background: Crohn’s for 16.5 years. Steroids for most of that time
as other Crohn’s meds ineffective. Got off steroids in Oct 2011 after 14
months on an almost zero carb diet. Glucose deficiency symptoms led me to
your site. Added in safe starches in November and started to implement PHD
with recommended supplements. Did a home fecal transplant in December.

I’ve particularly concentrated on raising my Vit D levels
(supplementation) and optimising thyroid function (selenium and iodine and
increasing thyroid hormone). Both are now in the normal range.

All these things improved my general sense of well-being and energy levels
but the Crohn’s was still a problem.

I did a Metametrix GI Effects Stool test in March hoping to find something
significant. The results were disappointingly good: no pathogens; commensal
bacteria were all present (a result of fecal transplant??). I did have high
inflammation and red blood cells present, indicating active Crohn’s.

During this time, since coming off steroids, I was able to observe the
nature of the Crohn’s without the confusion of medications. My observations
convinced me that it was an infection and research indicates mycobacterium
avium paratuberculosis (MAP) is the most likely pathogen. High E.Coli counts
in my stool test seem to confim this.

So, re-reading you assertion that intra-cellular bacteria can only feed on
glucose not ketones, I realised that the exacerbation of the Crohn’s was due
to coming off the ketogenic zero carb diet and adding in too many starches
(300 – 400 cals). For the last month I’ve dropped back to 200 cals, kept to a
daily 6 to 7 hour feeding window, and added in BCAAs and MCT oil (I was
already taking coconut oil). My Crohn’s symptoms have improved steadily. I
have very little tummy pain now. I do still have some diarrhea but that is
probably due to the high fat content of my diet.

It is very unlikely that anti-MAP antibiotics will be made available to
Crohn’s patients anytime soon, therefore I’m convinced a ketogenic, low-fibre
form of PHD is the best way to manage my Crohn’s. Thanks for all your
information, Paul. I’m thrilled with my progress thus far.

Regards, Joan

Footnote2: My sister continues to be free of eczema. Thanks so much,
again.

Crohn’s,
hypothyroidism, general wellbeing; eczema
Raham Robert Fodrek Thank you so much for all the support you offer. I have been following
your diet for a few months and in many ways feel much better. Last year at
this time I could barely walk (29 years old). I was diagnosed with Crohns
along with several other autoimmune diseases (including a lesion on the
spinal cord).
Crohn’s,
autoimmune diseases, spinal cord lesion
Nick Hi Paul,

Thank you so much for the fantastic information! I am one of the new
followers of the PHD. I listened to the your interview with Dr. Mercola and
wanted to learn more. I bought your book and started reading it immediately.
I am about 3/4 through it and all the information is just fascinating. For
about 12 years now I’ve been suffering from acid reflux. Trying many
different medicines including the deadly “purple pill”. I was on this for
roughly 7 years and just up until recently I started experiencing more and
more heartburn and a boat load of other problems. I was tested and poked and
prodded and what the doctors came up with is that my gastric levels were
elevated. He recommended I get off the PPI and switch back to the H2. I did
this for 3 more years but recently I started getting uncontrollable heartburn
all the time. I then checked out your interview about 2 weeks ago and started
on the PHD for about a week now and have not had to take my ranitadine in 5
days. It almost seems to good to be true. I am very grateful for the
information in your book. Thank you very much!

acid
reflux
hadrion I decided to give Perfect Health Diet a go first and see where that takes
me. What I’ve learned from asking question to the Jaminets and reading their
answers is that a little sugar here and there in products and the sugar in
fruit isn’t going to kill you.

I can’t do a low carb Paleo diet as I never feel right on that kind of
eating plan and I end up gorging on nuts more than anything.

After 2 weeks on Perfect Health Diet I’ve seen some pretty impressive
changes in my body. My skin is clearer and less red. I’ve lost the
“bloat” I would get in my stomach after meals containing gluten. In
fact, I get full quicker on less food but the sense of full isn’t
uncomfortable; it’s just my body telling me to stop eating. I’ve lost some
weight in mid section that has been my most stubborn area as well. My wife,
who suffers from eczema, has had her condition lessened to the point that
it’s not an issue right now following the diet with me.

This leads me to a few things, chiefly, that gluten is not good for my
wife & I. My energy levels are more consistent and there’s less crashing
during the day avoiding gluten. I’ve had no inflammation although I stopped
my inflammation years ago following CS’s advice and using the supps he
recommends.

While I’m not dismissing Peat’s philosophy of diet, so far I feel pretty
great. I really think there’s a middle ground between these 2 styles of
eating that will work for people long term. That said, I’m going to stick to
Pefect Health for a full month and chart my progress and then I might try to
introduce some Peat ideas into the mix and see how the sugar from OJ and Ice
Cream play with how I feel. I have a feeling that it’s not going to be a
problem adding in those down the road. I am following Peat’s suggestion to
eat a raw carrot and coconut oil daily,

What I would encourage any of you dealing with inflammation or who feel
extremely bloated after a meal with wheat in it is to try to avoid gluten and
see if your body feels different. I had gone gluten free before but all I did
was replace wheat bread with gluten free breads and I paid no attention to
the oils used to make the products. The Perfect Health style of eating with
safe starches like potato, sweet potato and white rice makes following the
diet easy and pleasurable. We even made Perfect Health ice cream which uses
rice syrup in place of sugar and it was delicious and totally satisfied any
lingering sweet tooth.

So far, following the plan set out in the PHD has led to some nice
results.

Skin
redness, bloating, weight loss, eczema
Brian Paul, Many thanks for the excellent work and great book.

I started PHD a few week before Christmas, and even with a few holiday
wobbles, I can honestly say that I am already starting to see a number
benefits.

I have no serious health issues as such, but a number of smaller/low level
chronic ones – headaches, gastric reflux, fatigue, stomach bloating and
gradual weight gain.

Gradually over a few shorts weeks the aforementioned issues have either
gone or dramatically subsided. My weight is starting to decrease (albeit
slowly) and my energy levels /sleep pattern is far better.

I’ve recommended your book to family and work colleagues as a result.

I think the main plus point of the diet is that it is ‘doable’.
Eliminating wheat and reducing fructose has been surprisingly easy, reducing
vegetable oil exposure more difficult.

Being allowed to each ‘safe starches’ has been great, as I’ve found
strictly low carb both difficult to sustain and left me not feeling optimal.

All in all I’m delighted, and so glad I found your website & book.

Many thanks

headaches,
acid reflux, fatigue, bloating, weight gain
Shelley I’ve been reading paleo, WAPF, low-carb sites for over a year now and
following your PHD as well. You can add me to the list of your success
stories as I lost 15 pounds , have no “cravings” eliminated GERD, heart
palpiations, panic attacts and other annoying pains.
weight
loss, food cravings, GERD / acid reflux, heart palpitations, panic attacks /
anxiety
Peter After eating a meat and vegetables diet for a 1.5 years I read PHD and
added back starches. I had been craving them, so it wasn’t hard to do.

The addition of starches warmed my body temperature (always an issue
because I have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis), improved my energy level, helped
with symptoms of adrenal fatigue (as per Dr. BG), improved my bowel function,
and improved my mood. I also reduced my grocery bill (which in turn made for
a more harmonius family life) because I instantly desired about one-third of
the protein I used to eat.

Of all the symptoms of glucose deficiency the most concerning was the flat
mood. Clearly my brain was low on energy despite the “no human requirement
for carbohydrate” dogma.

Many thanks to Paul!

Hypothyroidism,
energy, adrenal fatigue, bowel function, mood

Autoimmune disease

 

Raham Robert Fodrek Thank you so much for all the support you offer. I have been following
your diet for a few months and in many ways feel much better. Last year at
this time I could barely walk (29 years old). I was diagnosed with Crohns
along with several other autoimmune diseases (including a lesion on the
spinal cord).
Crohn’s,
autoimmune diseases, spinal cord lesion

Sleep quality

 

Dr. Jacs In
an effort to jazz up my nutrition and increase my energy availability, I’m
doing the
target=”_blank” title=”Perfect Health Diet”>Perfect Health Diet with a vengeance. I really love this way of eating, and
feel well on it. It’s good for my gut and my sleep.
digestion,
sleep
Kathy After
cutting back on coconut oil and adding all the supplements suggested by PHD I
am sleeping 6 hours straight and can dose the next two hours, a ginormous
improvement. Oh, and I upped my carbs! Delightful!
insomnia
Advocatus Avocado I’m a great proponent of the PH diet. I’m pleased to report that after
dramatically increasing my saturated fat intake and following some of the
proscriptive measures in the book that my blood pressure has decreased from
130/85 to 118/74. My resting heart rate has also decreased, and I now sleep
much more soundly.
blood
pressure, sleep quality
Karin I have particularly severe, chronic, complicated, and often silent
migraines. I have had these since childhood all day everyday. Because they
were often silent (no pain) they would manifest in various other ways, thus
leading to misdiagnoses of mood disorders and schizophrenia for many years.
At one point I was also misdiagnosed with epilepsy as well. After one
particularly smart neurologist saw and tested me, I was placed on blood
pressure medications for migraines. This worked. The problem is that my body
constantly fights to readjust to the medications. After a few months at one
dose, it seems I start to get migraines again. So it would go up and the same
thing would repeat again. I was looking for a different solution and I
stumbled across this article.

I’ve been on the keto diet for nearly a month and it is the best thing
that has happened to me. I’m migraine free and medication free. My mood is
incredibly stable, I fall asleep quickly and stay asleep all night, I have
lots of energy, I can concentrate for hours on end, etc. I’ve lost weight
also, a much loved side effect. Thank you for writing this!

migraines,
mood, sleep, energy, weight loss
Janusz I’ve been on the PHD for about 3 weeks. Beginning the first week I could
feel the difference in terms of energy and better sleep.
sleep,
energy
Els and here and here I have been on PHD for almost 2 weeks now, doing IF 16/8 at the same time,
and have started with the supplements you have recommended 4 days ago. Since
I started PHD I do no longer crave for sweets. I used to eat chocolates
almost everyday and haven’t had it for over 2 weeks now. 🙂 I am so happy I
found your blog and got your book. Keep up the good works….

5 weeks ago I found PHD website and ordered the book. I am now on my 4th
week of PHD and doing pretty well eating 20% carbs. I also am taking the
supplements Paul had recommended after I emailed him to ask what I can add to
the one I was taking. One of the things I immediately noticed after doing PHD
is that it improved the quality of my sleep (used to keep waking up several
times at night and that is now a thing of the past because I now sleep
uninterrupted for 7-8 hours); and no more cramps in my calves (that used to
happen occasionally after a heavy work out); no more menstrual cramps as
well. Also, today is the first time i had my monthly period that i didn’t get
a pimple in my face. I usually get a big, really deep and hard to get rid of
pimple just before or during my monthly period and my husband or a
dermatologist would actually help me get it out especially if I had an
important function to attend to. I was thinking that may be IF and the
removal of wheat in my diet did greatly help me in seeing immediate improvement
in my sleep. So yes at least in my experience, a great improvement in my over
all health since I incorporated the principles that I learned from the PHD
book. And btw, I have a very sensitive skin (Atopic skin type or atopic/atopy
syndrome – a hereditary component, as my doctor calls it because my mo and
grandma had it too) and I usually get itchy and/or red spots in my skin all
the time but in the last 4 weeks the anti-itching cream which I carry
everywhere has never been used even once. And to top it all off, I lost 3 lbs
in the last 4 weeks (losing the 15 lb excess weight is not even on top of my
list because I am trying to get pregnant). I don’t have any health problems
and hardly get sick. I simply want to eat healthy and trying to figure out what
diet works best for me. And I found it! Thanks to PHD. Thanks to the
Jaminets! At 42, 5’6″ height, 125 lbs weight, and doing PHD on 20%
carbs, I feel great! And yes, I am sticking with PHD for the rest of my
life….

Btw, I continue to shed off some more fat even after I’ve increased my
carb intake to 30% last week. When I started the PHD 6 weeks ago, I weighed
128 lbs and now 122.4 lbs. I just hope I keep losing the last few fat I
wanted to shed off. Btw, I only weigh myself once a week at the same day and
time without fail and I also use a Digital Body Fat Caliper to measure my
body fat. So yes, I am definitely losing some body fat and no muscle loss!
That’s only after doing PHD for 6 weeks without changing my usual cardio
& weight training regimen. My trainer was very impressed when she weighed
me last week. I told her about PHD because she’s one of those people who
believes in eating 5-6 small meals a day. 🙂 I’ve done that for years but I
am definitely doing better by practising IF 16/8 and eating only 2-3 meals a
day. I am definitely seeing positive results since I started the PHD! The
elimination of wheat, sugar and cheese which I used to eat a lot everyday has
done great wonders in my body.

food
cravings, cramps / menstrual cramps, sleep, acne / pimples, body composition

Allergies, rhinitis, sinusitis

 

Angie It’s
anecdotal, but all four people in my family experienced a variety of new
symptoms (seasonal allergies, constipation, worsening of heartburn, bladder
spasms, dry eyes, increasing tiredness and low energy) when we did GAPS.
These problems didn’t resolve until we luckily stumbled upon PHD and added back
safe starches. I think GAPS would be much improved by allowing more PHD safe
starches and doing away with all the honey and nuts which are considerably
harder on many people’s systems (they definitely are on mine!) than potatoes
and white rice.
Allergies,
heartburn, dry eyes, low energy
Alex I recently had my carotid arteries evaluated via ultrasound for plaque and
narrowing and was told there is no evidence of either. A year ago, just
before adopting a PHD type diet, an MRI of my heart revealed “significant”
plaque on one of my coronary arteries and less significant on another…. I’m
in my mid 40s, lean, active, and have seen many health improvements since
adopting the diet (less joint stiffness, no more chronic back pain, milder
colds, fewer allergy symptoms, less gas, less bloating, need for less sleep.
atherosclerosis,
joint stiffness, back pain, allergies, bowel distress
David I’m still very new to this diet, and I’ve been generally getting in shape
and losing weight for a while now, but one thing I can comment on already is
the effect it’s had on rhinitis.

Simply put, my rhinitis has disappeared completely. I no longer wake up
with a runny nose. I don’t need to take steroidal nose sprays. I don’t even
blow my nose. Rhinitus is now a non-issue. I’ve read that wheat and soy often
cause rhinitis, so I suspect some sort of allergy was to blame.

One other benefit: I’m never hungry on the PHD and I’m really enjoying all
the food I CAN eat, while not missing the food I can’t eat.

rhinitis,
appetite

Anemia

 

Michelle IME, a comprehensive stool test proved helpful. I found a fungal infection
which I treated with two bottles of ProEnt-2. I found bacterial overgrowths,
which I treated with Natren probiotics. The stool test showed gluten
intolerance as well, and seeing the results on paper helped me to take the
leap & kiss gluten goodbye.

I was also positive to toxoplasma, which I have not treated due to cost
and efficacy of treatment. Maybe down the line?

I had a sudden severe arthritis flare and have been on low dose pulsing
Doxy for it, successfully, since 2008.

My thyroid function has improved as I’ve gotten healthier. My guess is
improving iodine status and other micronutrient status, plus knocking back
infections are the major contributors.

I’m no longer anemic.

I used SAM-e successfully, for 2-3 years at 200-400 mg per day, upon
waking to help with low mood….

I can’t tell you how empowering it felt to take steps, and to slowly see
my labs improve. In my case, my labs tends to improve a bit ahead of
symptoms.

Good luck to you! There are often many pieces to the puzzle! You may find
it helpful, as did I, to minimize your variables, and track your protocol to
the best of your ability.

Infections,
arthritis, hypothyroidism, anemia, mood

Fatigue, low energy

 

Angie It’s
anecdotal, but all four people in my family experienced a variety of new
symptoms (seasonal allergies, constipation, worsening of heartburn, bladder
spasms, dry eyes, increasing tiredness and low energy) when we did GAPS.
These problems didn’t resolve until we luckily stumbled upon PHD and added
back safe starches. I think GAPS would be much improved by allowing more PHD
safe starches and doing away with all the honey and nuts which are
considerably harder on many people’s systems (they definitely are on mine!)
than potatoes and white rice.
Allergies,
heartburn, dry eyes, low energy
Bella Perhaps
this is as good a place on your site as any to share the improvements I
experienced after switching from a gut healing diet that generally can be
described as VLC Paleo to PHD. What’s even more remarkable than the
improvements themselves is that they occurred *within 48 hours* of seriously
increasing my safe starch consumption. I couldn’t have special ordered it any
better. 1. Constipation is gone. 2. Fungal (?) rash is gone. 3. Powdery
substance in urine is gone. (After reading here about how VLC diets can cause
excess excretion of uric acid, I’m certain this was the problem.) 4. Energy
and mood are way better. 5. I like what I’m eating now, I am sated, and my
instincts are no longer telling me something’s missing. This intangible
effect has made perhaps the biggest impact on my day-to-day quality of life.
Thank you PJ and S-CJ! Your PHD came into my life at exactly the right time
and produced exactly the changes I needed. Sweet relief! I am still working
out some hormonal issues, and fighting fungi, but my glucose deficiency
symptoms are gone, and I feel better than I have in a year, which is to say I
feel normal, finally. My husband has virtually no symptoms of colitis now.
We’re looking forward to his upcoming flex sig to prove that the disease
process has been reversed, so that the GI doctor will stop telling us that
there’s no way dietary changes alone could’ve cured the disease, that my
husband must be in symptomatic remission with a still-flaming colon. Doc
doesn’t know what to make of us. So indulge me in a bit of gushing when I
tell you I’m utterly grateful for both your product (the book) and service
(advice on your site). The one-on-one advice is a very powerful way to
connect with your audience. It’s as if I can *feel* the sense of community
and healing when I’m on your site. You’ve got a special thing going.
fungal
infections, low energy, impaired mood, constipation
jtl When
I began implementing PHD a few weeks ago I cut fruit back to about 80
calories/day and upped starch intake with sweet potatoes, potatoes, sourdough
buckwheat pancakes, and white rice. Within a couple of weeks chronic health
issues such as itchy, flaky scalp, tense painful neck and shoulder muscles,
and cyclical vaginal itching had disappeared, my mood had improved
noticeably, and I was able to do a little weight-lifting without it wiping me
out physically and mentally. 2 weeks ago I cut out fruit entirely and began
getting all my carbs in PHD proportions from white rice, sweet potatoes,
sourdough buckwheat cakes, and potatoes and saw a dramatic improvement in mood
and ability to work-out without negative effects, and the
fuzzy-headeded/blurry-eyedness that I’ve felt intermittently throughout the
day for as long as I can remember disappeared. For the first time in my life
I felt happy, relaxed, patient, care-free, clear-headed/eyed, and not hungry
(I’ve always noticed being hungry in my head, not my belly).
fungal
infections, impaired mood, fatigue, dry eyes, food cravings
Hunter‘s wife My
wife and I have been VLC for a couple years now, myself probably a little
longer than her and I tend to eat more saturated fat too. She recently
stopped taking birth control and her menstrual cycle just stopped. Also for
years and years, maybe as long as the past decade, she’s been chronically
constipated, depressed, and always tired and wanting to sleep 10+ hours.
She’s been thru tons of tests and no doctor can find anything wrong with her.
I started doing some research on her results from multiple blood tests and
found her TSH has been slowly increasing and was at 3.13. We started checking
her basal body temperature in the mornings and she’s usually around 96….
Both of us have also avoided salt for most of our lives as well as most
packaged/processed foods that might contain salt. So we started supplementing
Iodine, starting about a month ago and slowly increasing the dosage each
week, as well as eating about 200-400 carb calories a day from white rice,
taro, and cassava (all covered in pastured butter). Some mornings now her
temperature has reached as high as 98.2 and her constipation has suddenly
improved a lot.
hypothyroidism,
fatigue, constipation, amenorrhea
Lisa Weis Yours
is by far, the best Paleo / Ancestral diet that makes sense…. I was very
strict Paleo for a good 8 months, and yes felt fantastic and lost 10ks etc.
But then started feeling tired, moody. Enter some carbs (from the suggestion
of your book) in the source of potato and rice and taro – and now I’m feeling
a whole lot better. Did I put on weight. Of course not! Essentially now I eat
what my body craves. I can listen to it now and it responds accordingly. It
knows when it needs more carbs (eg., after exercise). And it knows how much
as well.
fatigue,
mood
Richard
M, email of Oct 19, 2011
May I firstly congratulate you and Shou-Ching for writing such a wonderful
book. After researching nutrition and health in my spare time for many years
I have never come across a book that has been able to tie all of the major
aspects of a healthy diet together in such a concise manner whilst being so
extensively well referenced.

The amount of improvements that I have seen since implementing this diet
is numerous. My energy levels are much steadier throughout the day (as opposed
to the constant ‘peaks and troughs’ I experienced whilst following a
vegetarian diet for 4 years); my cravings for sugar have virtually
disappeared; I have only suffered from one cold in the past 10 months as
opposed to my usual 2 or 3; my weight is effortlessly stable; I never feel
hungry despite switching from 6 small meals per day to just 3; the list goes
on!

energy,
food cravings, weight, illness
Karin I have particularly severe, chronic, complicated, and often silent
migraines. I have had these since childhood all day everyday. Because they
were often silent (no pain) they would manifest in various other ways, thus
leading to misdiagnoses of mood disorders and schizophrenia for many years.
At one point I was also misdiagnosed with epilepsy as well. After one
particularly smart neurologist saw and tested me, I was placed on blood
pressure medications for migraines. This worked. The problem is that my body
constantly fights to readjust to the medications. After a few months at one
dose, it seems I start to get migraines again. So it would go up and the same
thing would repeat again. I was looking for a different solution and I
stumbled across this article.

I’ve been on the keto diet for nearly a month and it is the best thing
that has happened to me. I’m migraine free and medication free. My mood is
incredibly stable, I fall asleep quickly and stay asleep all night, I have
lots of energy, I can concentrate for hours on end, etc. I’ve lost weight
also, a much loved side effect. Thank you for writing this!

migraines,
mood, sleep, energy, weight loss
Java Gal Ok, have to comment – can’t contain myself anymore! I am a lurker of the
worst sort, but here goes. As a 54 year old woman, I am more energetic,
flexible (yoga three times a week), and healthier than I have been for, oh,
decades. My doc, a wonderful, but dye-in-the-wool vegetarian, told me to keep
doing what I was doing – cholesterol dropped, good TSH levels(I’m hypo), and
down 5 sizes. Talk about replacing a wardrobe! My worry, of course, is
gaining it all back, which, sorry to say, is an experience I have had already
in days of yore. I was an avowed low-carber back then and I can attest that,
while it was effective for losing weight, it was not a good long term
strategy. So far, as long as I stick to basic PHD principles, things are
going swimmingly. In general, PHD has been a huge success. Thank you Paul and
Shou-Ching!
obesity,
energy, flexibility, dyslipidemia, hypothyroidism, general health
Jennifer Fulwiler As I look for something to wear this weekend, I’m reminded that I am in
the middle of the wardrobe crisis that I’ve been waiting to have for ten
years: all my clothes are too big. I don’t mean a little loose; I mean I
perpetually look like I’m headed out to an M.C. Hammer costume contest.

Over the past few months I’ve lost 25 pounds. That’s a good thing, mainly
since the drop on the scale was more of a side effect of lifestyle changes
that have left me with more stamina and energy than I had when I was 20….

It’s too long of a story to explain in detail here, but the short-short
version is that it was Perfect Health Diet + rethinking what a reasonable
portion size looks like + accepting that spiritual warfare really does come
into play with getting healthy + learning to depend on a good jog for an
energy boost. What started it all was getting fed up with feeling awful all
the time; I started optimizing my life around foods and exercises that would
make me feel better and have energy, and the weight loss followed.

weight
loss, stamina & energy
Janusz I’ve been on the PHD for about 3 weeks. Beginning the first week I could
feel the difference in terms of energy and better sleep.
sleep,
energy
Anonymous (also here) I have Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and am taking a very low dose
of risperdal (same drug in higher doses used to treat schizophrenia).

I had been doing very low carb for many years and do now wonder if it
actually made my symptoms much worse. (I was diagnosed with BPD while doing
very low carb.) Following the PHD diet has greatly reduced my symptoms. I feel
like a new person.

Better mood

I have found that following the PHD diet (in particular, getting enough
Omega 3 and not excessive Omega 6 and eating PHD “safe starches”, etc.,
eliminating toxins (grains, legumes, vegetable oils, soy, etc.), taking the recommended
supplements, and doing the optional intermittent fasting) has helped me
tremendously. I feel so much better now: better mood, more energy, more
patient, clearer thinking, happier, calmer, less emotional, less anxiety, and
better able to cope with issues such as difficult people.

Very nutritious, no cravings

This diet is super healthy and does allow plenty of choices: meat, fish,
vegetables (peas & green beans are fine), nuts (not peanuts which are a
legume), fruit, “safe starches” (rice pasta, sweet/white potatoes and white
rice), wine (which I like but don’t drink due to Rx), healthy fat like lard,
butter, cream, olive oil and coconut oil, dairy, chocolate, eggs, fermented
vegetables and some safe sweeteners such as rice syrup. A benefit of eating a
variety of healthy foods including “safe starches”: no cravings.

Intermittent fasting – easy

This is optional, but I’m so happy I discovered this. Fasting sounds
difficult and you’d think it would involve hunger and suffering and a strong
will power, but not so. No need to go hungry. And I’m not even hungry and
don’t suffer but feel great and clearer thinking/more energy in the morning
(even with my risperdal which for years had made me lethargic in the morning)
during my daily intermittent fasting (16 hour fast with coconut oil during
the fast with 8 hours feeding). When the fast is over, I eat normally:
usually 2 meals and a snack during the 8 hour feeding window, sometimes just
2 meals. I’m not ravenous when it’s time to eat, surprisingly. Sure, I’m a
little hungry, but in no hurry to eat and sometimes the fast lasts longer
than 16 hours just because of circumstances. And I exercise during the fast –
no problem with a lack of energy. No longer am I anxious about eating every 4
hours like I used to be while doing the low carb. In fact, I think I have a
much healthier relationship with food – it’s not so important and I know I
can go without it if I need to. Food doesn’t control me anymore. It has
really simplified my life.

Raynaud’s

Another benefit of the PHD is that my Raynaud’s is much better now and I’m
not as cold as I used to be. I think this was helped by eating more healthy
fat and Omega 3.

So give PHD a try if you want to feel better and be healthy too. I highly
recommend it – it really has worked for me.

Thank you so much, Paul and Shou-Ching, for all you do! 🙂

Borderline
Personality Disorder, mood, energy, anxiety, food cravings, Raynaud’s
KH I’m type 1 diabetic …

Just this morning, I took my A1c home test (by Bayer) which includes two
tests in the box. Because of the unbelievably low result of first test, I
took the second one (different finger, different hand) to check… Results:

test 1- 5.2

test 2- 5.3 …

I know the diet here is helping me a lot and I’ve been feeling more
energetic lately and less moody, which my husband is VERY HAPPY about!!

Type
I diabetes, energy, mood
Joan’s sister Hi Paul

You will remember 12 days ago I asked you about my sister who has CFS and
was taking 100 mls a day of safflower oil to keep eczema under control.

You wrote: My guess is that there is a high level of oxidative stress
which is diminishing AA levels, and the safflower oil makes more arachidonic
acid and relieves the problem. So the strategy I would try first is (a)
supplementing antioxidants…. and (b) treating any infections. Also, get serum
25OHD levels tested and normalize vitamin D/A/K status.

Your advice was spot on and the results have been miraculous. She started
supplementation with zinc, copper, selenium, vitamins C, E, D and K and NAC.
Within 24 hours her eczema was much improved and she began reducing the
safflower oil. Now 10 days later she is down to 10 mls of safflower oil and
is confident she can discontinue it completely in a few days. Her eczema has
completely cleared and her skin is looking good.

Not only that, but some of her CFS symptoms have improved. Her constant
headache is not as severe, irregular heartbeat episodes have almost
completely stopped and she is tolerating slightly more physical activity.
Needless to say she is absolutely delighted and wants me to pass on her
deepest gratitude to you. Her words are, “It’s a miracle”. Once again
Proverbs 13:12 springs to mind. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a
longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Her sense of despair and resignation
has gone and you have given her hope of a better future. Words seem
inadequate to express thanks for that.

I’ve ordered a couple of copies of your book and I’m sure she will be more
than open to reading it and making dietary changes. I hope she will also
follow up your advice to treat any underlying infections.

Any interesting note: prior to starting the anti-oxidants she craved the
safflower oil and could hardly wait for her next ‘dose’. That has been
replaced with feeling nauseous even at the thought of the oil. Obviously her
body no longer needs it.

In searching the net I found this paper that seems to support your advice:
Determination of fatty acid levels in erythrocyte membranes of patients with
chronic fatigue syndrome. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14744043

And this letter in the Nutritional Neuroscience discussing the paper’s
findings: Oxidative Stress Might Reduce Essential Fatty Acids in Erythrocyte
Membranes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients
http://cfids-cab.org/cfs-inform/Hypotheses/nijs.demeirleir04.pdf

Thank you once again, Paul, for your generosity in sharing your knowledge
and your time. The effect is life-changing.

Kind Regards

Joan

chronic
fatigue syndrome, eczema
Brian Paul, Many thanks for the excellent work and great book.

I started PHD a few week before Christmas, and even with a few holiday
wobbles, I can honestly say that I am already starting to see a number
benefits.

I have no serious health issues as such, but a number of smaller/low level
chronic ones – headaches, gastric reflux, fatigue, stomach bloating and
gradual weight gain.

Gradually over a few shorts weeks the aforementioned issues have either
gone or dramatically subsided. My weight is starting to decrease (albeit
slowly) and my energy levels /sleep pattern is far better.

I’ve recommended your book to family and work colleagues as a result.

I think the main plus point of the diet is that it is ‘doable’.
Eliminating wheat and reducing fructose has been surprisingly easy, reducing
vegetable oil exposure more difficult.

Being allowed to each ‘safe starches’ has been great, as I’ve found
strictly low carb both difficult to sustain and left me not feeling optimal.

All in all I’m delighted, and so glad I found your website & book.

Many thanks

headaches,
acid reflux, fatigue, bloating, weight gain
Brian P. Many thanks for your book and blog as it has helped me lose 35 pounds and
counting over the last 5 months, along with a general improvement in energy
level and “evenness”. Extremely gratifying to find a way of eating which is
sustainable, totally satisfying and results in natural weight loss. And, I
have yet to add high intensity workouts to my normal morning and afternoon
walks. I have been talking to anyone who has expressed interest as the
potential of the diet is obviously tremendous!!

P.s. I strongly suspect PHD played a pivotal part in my wife getting
pregnant naturally, just prior to starting her next round of IVF.

weight
loss, energy, mood, infertility
Peter After eating a meat and vegetables diet for a 1.5 years I read PHD and
added back starches. I had been craving them, so it wasn’t hard to do.

The addition of starches warmed my body temperature (always an issue
because I have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis), improved my energy level, helped
with symptoms of adrenal fatigue (as per Dr. BG), improved my bowel function,
and improved my mood. I also reduced my grocery bill (which in turn made for
a more harmonius family life) because I instantly desired about one-third of
the protein I used to eat.

Of all the symptoms of glucose deficiency the most concerning was the flat
mood. Clearly my brain was low on energy despite the “no human requirement
for carbohydrate” dogma.

Many thanks to Paul!

Hypothyroidism,
energy, adrenal fatigue, bowel function, mood

Dry eyes or skin

 

Angie It’s
anecdotal, but all four people in my family experienced a variety of new
symptoms (seasonal allergies, constipation, worsening of heartburn, bladder
spasms, dry eyes, increasing tiredness and low energy) when we did GAPS.
These problems didn’t resolve until we luckily stumbled upon PHD and added
back safe starches. I think GAPS would be much improved by allowing more PHD
safe starches and doing away with all the honey and nuts which are
considerably harder on many people’s systems (they definitely are on mine!)
than potatoes and white rice.
Allergies,
heartburn, dry eyes, low energy
Melinda I
had severe dry eyes while eating too low carb. Following Dr. Paul’s
recommendations at “Perfect Health Diet”, I upped my carbs to his
minimum of 50 grams of starch per day and the dry eyes went away. He says
that minimum keeps mucus membranes intact and protective.
dry
eyes
Susan I’ve
instituted “Paleo” in our house since 1/1/11. Very strict about
only plants and protein. About 4/1/11 I realized I was experiencing extremely
dry eyes and mouth. I read your post about glucose deficiency and added rice
and potatoes back into our diet. This cleared the problem up within 3 days
and I was super grateful. It also *normalized* our diet, as it’s easy to go
out to lunch and have rice/potatoes while avoiding wheat/grains.
dry
eyes
Erik
(
comment 1 and comment 2)
Your
book and writings have totally changed the way I think about my diet,
nutrition and health. So in the past year, I have minimized grains, cut out
processed food, do not eat sweets and avoid omega-6 rich cooking oils like
the plague. I have increased my intake of saturated fat by several fold and
use butter and coconut oil as my cooking oils. I eat eggs for breakfast and
add cream/coconut milk to my coffee. I eat sardines and salmon weekly. I get
plenty of sunshine and exercise several times a week. I eat just as much
fruits and vegetables as I did in the past. I do however consume more sweet
potatoes and potatoes. I use to avoid the “evil” potato as well!… I
basically do not calorie count and eat to what I feel. I have actually lost
weight and my skin has become healthier as well. My lips do not become
chapped like they use to in the past. I always had chapped lips for most of
my life…. I have been well overall. The phd is working great for me. Also,
my son’s gastrointestinal issues have been improving from the addition of
probiotics and better nutrition. He is also starting to say a lot more words
this summer. He is asking for things with words for the first time. I can’t
say what helped him since there are so many variables interplaying but I am
happy to see improvements in language. Our pediatrician was shocked and
excited about his improvements. I think his probiotics, gluten free diet,
vitamin supplements and intensive ABA therapy have helped a lot. My son’s
autism has been a very good learning experience. I feel very lucky to have
you as a fantastic resource of information. Many thanks again for your help
and kindness!
weight
loss, chapped lips; his son: autism, GI issues
jtl When
I began implementing PHD a few weeks ago I cut fruit back to about 80
calories/day and upped starch intake with sweet potatoes, potatoes, sourdough
buckwheat pancakes, and white rice. Within a couple of weeks chronic health
issues such as itchy, flaky scalp, tense painful neck and shoulder muscles,
and cyclical vaginal itching had disappeared, my mood had improved noticeably,
and I was able to do a little weight-lifting without it wiping me out
physically and mentally. 2 weeks ago I cut out fruit entirely and began
getting all my carbs in PHD proportions from white rice, sweet potatoes,
sourdough buckwheat cakes, and potatoes and saw a dramatic improvement in
mood and ability to work-out without negative effects, and the
fuzzy-headeded/blurry-eyedness that I’ve felt intermittently throughout the
day for as long as I can remember disappeared. For the first time in my life I
felt happy, relaxed, patient, care-free, clear-headed/eyed, and not hungry
(I’ve always noticed being hungry in my head, not my belly).
fungal
infections, impaired mood, fatigue, dry eyes, food cravings
Doris I
reached my weight loss goals by eliminating grains and limiting dairy to
butter and cream and reducing fruit intake. That said, over the last month or
so, I was wondering why my body seemed to be drying out from the inside out.
I want to tweak my diet to optimum health and found your book. The
information about the importance of mucin was helpful. What was missing in my
diet was the carbs that you and the missus recommend. Sweet potatos, white
rice etc. Maybe less protein than I’ve been eating and more saturated fat.
(I’m alarmed by the stomach and other cancers suffered by long term adherence
to the Optimal diet …) I’m having better results every day. I am fascinated
that I have a laboratory of my own body to put your ideas to a test and have
them show positive results. Thank you both so much for your work and above
responses to questions and comments.
Dry
eyes, GI tract

Autism

 

Erik
(
comment 1 and comment 2)
Your
book and writings have totally changed the way I think about my diet,
nutrition and health. So in the past year, I have minimized grains, cut out
processed food, do not eat sweets and avoid omega-6 rich cooking oils like
the plague. I have increased my intake of saturated fat by several fold and
use butter and coconut oil as my cooking oils. I eat eggs for breakfast and
add cream/coconut milk to my coffee. I eat sardines and salmon weekly. I get
plenty of sunshine and exercise several times a week. I eat just as much
fruits and vegetables as I did in the past. I do however consume more sweet
potatoes and potatoes. I use to avoid the “evil” potato as well!… I
basically do not calorie count and eat to what I feel. I have actually lost
weight and my skin has become healthier as well. My lips do not become
chapped like they use to in the past. I always had chapped lips for most of
my life…. I have been well overall. The phd is working great for me. Also,
my son’s gastrointestinal issues have been improving from the addition of
probiotics and better nutrition. He is also starting to say a lot more words
this summer. He is asking for things with words for the first time. I can’t
say what helped him since there are so many variables interplaying but I am
happy to see improvements in language. Our pediatrician was shocked and
excited about his improvements. I think his probiotics, gluten free diet,
vitamin supplements and intensive ABA therapy have helped a lot. My son’s
autism has been a very good learning experience. I feel very lucky to have
you as a fantastic resource of information. Many thanks again for your help
and kindness!
weight
loss, chapped lips; his son: autism, GI issues

Constipation

 

Bella Perhaps
this is as good a place on your site as any to share the improvements I
experienced after switching from a gut healing diet that generally can be
described as VLC Paleo to PHD. What’s even more remarkable than the
improvements themselves is that they occurred *within 48 hours* of seriously
increasing my safe starch consumption. I couldn’t have special ordered it any
better. 1. Constipation is gone. 2. Fungal (?) rash is gone. 3. Powdery
substance in urine is gone. (After reading here about how VLC diets can cause
excess excretion of uric acid, I’m certain this was the problem.) 4. Energy
and mood are way better. 5. I like what I’m eating now, I am sated, and my
instincts are no longer telling me something’s missing. This intangible
effect has made perhaps the biggest impact on my day-to-day quality of life.
Thank you PJ and S-CJ! Your PHD came into my life at exactly the right time
and produced exactly the changes I needed. Sweet relief! I am still working
out some hormonal issues, and fighting fungi, but my glucose deficiency
symptoms are gone, and I feel better than I have in a year, which is to say I
feel normal, finally. My husband has virtually no symptoms of colitis now.
We’re looking forward to his upcoming flex sig to prove that the disease process
has been reversed, so that the GI doctor will stop telling us that there’s no
way dietary changes alone could’ve cured the disease, that my husband must be
in symptomatic remission with a still-flaming colon. Doc doesn’t know what to
make of us. So indulge me in a bit of gushing when I tell you I’m utterly
grateful for both your product (the book) and service (advice on your site).
The one-on-one advice is a very powerful way to connect with your audience.
It’s as if I can *feel* the sense of community and healing when I’m on your
site. You’ve got a special thing going.
fungal
infections, low energy, impaired mood, constipation
Vincent I
thought others might be interested in the results of my experiments with
preventing constipation over the last few months. (See my previous comments
and Paul’s recommendations to me in this thread for background.) My regimen
was as follows… Diet: Added enough white rice to raise consumption of safe
starches above 600 calories daily; ate berries, turmeric, oregano, spinach,
and fermented vegetables regularly; initially eliminated tubers (which I had
difficulty digesting) and later replaced them with fermented tubers; and
replaced coconut oil with olive oil. Anti-fungal medicines: I respected
Paul’s advice regarding anti-fungal drugs, but decided to postpone using them
until after I had tried non-prescription supplements. Supplements: Conformed
my nutritional supplements to the PHD recommendations and added NAC; added
grapefruit seed extract, olive leaf extract, Kolorex advanced candida care
(horopito), Now Foods candida clear, and occasional activated charcoal; and
tried a few probiotics, including ThreeLac.

After a few weeks of little improvement, I experienced my
first normal bowel movement in a long time (years?). After more changes to my
regimen, I now have normal stools on most days. The greatest improvements
coincided with the times I added fermented tubers and (later) ThreeLac. I
also think that cranberries, turmeric, increased amounts of safe starches,
the Now Foods anti-fungal, and removal of my beloved coconut oil were all
quite helpful. My victory is not complete — I still get diarrhea fairly easily
and the occasional hard stool — but the improvement is incredible.

Many
thanks, Paul, for helping me fix a problem that has plagued me for a long
time. I wish you, Shou-Ching, and all your readers the great health and
happiness you deserve.

constipation,
fungal infection
Anna I’m
so grateful to you for this information. I’ve been suffering for weeks but I
took the recommended supplements and did nothing else — and experienced
relief the second day. In a world full of useless and confusing information,
having a good source is such a godsend. Thank you for all that you do.
constipation
Hunter‘s wife My
wife and I have been VLC for a couple years now, myself probably a little
longer than her and I tend to eat more saturated fat too. She recently
stopped taking birth control and her menstrual cycle just stopped. Also for
years and years, maybe as long as the past decade, she’s been chronically
constipated, depressed, and always tired and wanting to sleep 10+ hours.
She’s been thru tons of tests and no doctor can find anything wrong with her.
I started doing some research on her results from multiple blood tests and
found her TSH has been slowly increasing and was at 3.13. We started checking
her basal body temperature in the mornings and she’s usually around 96….
Both of us have also avoided salt for most of our lives as well as most
packaged/processed foods that might contain salt. So we started supplementing
Iodine, starting about a month ago and slowly increasing the dosage each
week, as well as eating about 200-400 carb calories a day from white rice,
taro, and cassava (all covered in pastured butter). Some mornings now her
temperature has reached as high as 98.2 and her constipation has suddenly
improved a lot.
hypothyroidism,
fatigue, constipation, amenorrhea
Betty You
have blessed my life. I had one final symptom that was chronic all my life.
Constipation. I e-mailed you last week and you offered up some suggestions.
PRAISE THE LORD! I have had NO IBS, or constipation since following your
advice. I am, and will be forever grateful.
constipation
Robin I had been on a Paleo diet for about six months when it dawned on me that
I needed the rice to avoid constipation. Addition of starchy roots and a bit
more animal fat did not help the situation. Once I reintroduced rice ( 1 cup
on a daily basis) , the problem was solved.
constipation
Anonymous I’ve been following the PHD and taking the recommended supplements and
many of the therapeutic supplements for several months. Last week, I just
started supplementing with Zinc and NAC. This week – no more constipation for
the first time in many, many years – amazing! Thank you so much!
constipation
Helena’s mom Hi Paul, Thank you again! You helped my mom who has suffered with chronic
constipation for 60 plus years. She had taken Senna for decades. I read your
post about using Magnesium Citrate instead. It works like a charm and she is
no longer taking toxic Senna. Thank you!
constipation

Fungal infections

 

Bella Perhaps
this is as good a place on your site as any to share the improvements I
experienced after switching from a gut healing diet that generally can be
described as VLC Paleo to PHD. What’s even more remarkable than the
improvements themselves is that they occurred *within 48 hours* of seriously
increasing my safe starch consumption. I couldn’t have special ordered it any
better. 1. Constipation is gone. 2. Fungal (?) rash is gone. 3. Powdery
substance in urine is gone. (After reading here about how VLC diets can cause
excess excretion of uric acid, I’m certain this was the problem.) 4. Energy
and mood are way better. 5. I like what I’m eating now, I am sated, and my
instincts are no longer telling me something’s missing. This intangible
effect has made perhaps the biggest impact on my day-to-day quality of life.
Thank you PJ and S-CJ! Your PHD came into my life at exactly the right time
and produced exactly the changes I needed. Sweet relief! I am still working
out some hormonal issues, and fighting fungi, but my glucose deficiency
symptoms are gone, and I feel better than I have in a year, which is to say I
feel normal, finally. My husband has virtually no symptoms of colitis now.
We’re looking forward to his upcoming flex sig to prove that the disease
process has been reversed, so that the GI doctor will stop telling us that
there’s no way dietary changes alone could’ve cured the disease, that my
husband must be in symptomatic remission with a still-flaming colon. Doc
doesn’t know what to make of us. So indulge me in a bit of gushing when I
tell you I’m utterly grateful for both your product (the book) and service
(advice on your site). The one-on-one advice is a very powerful way to
connect with your audience. It’s as if I can *feel* the sense of community
and healing when I’m on your site. You’ve got a special thing going.
fungal
infections, low energy, impaired mood, constipation
Vincent I
thought others might be interested in the results of my experiments with
preventing constipation over the last few months. (See my previous comments
and Paul’s recommendations to me in this thread for background.) My regimen
was as follows… Diet: Added enough white rice to raise consumption of safe
starches above 600 calories daily; ate berries, turmeric, oregano, spinach,
and fermented vegetables regularly; initially eliminated tubers (which I had
difficulty digesting) and later replaced them with fermented tubers; and
replaced coconut oil with olive oil. Anti-fungal medicines: I respected
Paul’s advice regarding anti-fungal drugs, but decided to postpone using them
until after I had tried non-prescription supplements. Supplements: Conformed
my nutritional supplements to the PHD recommendations and added NAC; added
grapefruit seed extract, olive leaf extract, Kolorex advanced candida care
(horopito), Now Foods candida clear, and occasional activated charcoal; and
tried a few probiotics, including ThreeLac.

After a few weeks of little improvement, I experienced my
first normal bowel movement in a long time (years?). After more changes to my
regimen, I now have normal stools on most days. The greatest improvements
coincided with the times I added fermented tubers and (later) ThreeLac. I
also think that cranberries, turmeric, increased amounts of safe starches,
the Now Foods anti-fungal, and removal of my beloved coconut oil were all
quite helpful. My victory is not complete — I still get diarrhea fairly easily
and the occasional hard stool — but the improvement is incredible.

Many
thanks, Paul, for helping me fix a problem that has plagued me for a long
time. I wish you, Shou-Ching, and all your readers the great health and
happiness you deserve.

constipation,
fungal infection
KirkC I
started PHD ten months ago after having previously pursued a low-carb paleo
approach. At that time, I had a toe fungal infection which made the toenail
of my right toe nearly black, plus it made my foot half-numb. It was getting
so that I didn’t even like to go for long walks, which I have done all my
life. After six months of PHD eating, some of the fungus had receded and some
feeling had returned to my foot. Recently, after a discussion or two on your
blog mentioned Epsom Salts, I added a nightly foot soak in Epsom Salts. It
seemed to me that almost immediately there was a reduction in both the
visibility of the fungus as well as a reduction in the numbness. As of today,
most (but not all) of the feeling has returned to my right foot. Although I
suspect the most recent improvement resulted from Epsom Salts, it might also
be due to other changes which finally registered results. Those changes, in
reverse order (most recent changes first): Nature’s Way Primadophilus, Yerba
Prima Bentonite, intermittent fasting, recommended supplements, PHD
nutrition.
fungal
infection
jtl When
I began implementing PHD a few weeks ago I cut fruit back to about 80
calories/day and upped starch intake with sweet potatoes, potatoes, sourdough
buckwheat pancakes, and white rice. Within a couple of weeks chronic health
issues such as itchy, flaky scalp, tense painful neck and shoulder muscles,
and cyclical vaginal itching had disappeared, my mood had improved
noticeably, and I was able to do a little weight-lifting without it wiping me
out physically and mentally. 2 weeks ago I cut out fruit entirely and began
getting all my carbs in PHD proportions from white rice, sweet potatoes,
sourdough buckwheat cakes, and potatoes and saw a dramatic improvement in
mood and ability to work-out without negative effects, and the
fuzzy-headeded/blurry-eyedness that I’ve felt intermittently throughout the
day for as long as I can remember disappeared. For the first time in my life
I felt happy, relaxed, patient, care-free, clear-headed/eyed, and not hungry
(I’ve always noticed being hungry in my head, not my belly).
fungal
infections, impaired mood, fatigue, dry eyes, food cravings
Juan Camilo Thank
you Paul, you’ve been a huge help and so far, the one who’s had the right
answer to many problems.
fungal
infection
Bill
(
comment 1 and comment 2)
VLC
sucked the life out of me… maybe I didn’t do it right but for a young active
male it is a definite no go for me and I never had dandruff until I went ZC….
Got way better with starches and is now on it’s way out with starches plus
antifungals!… I thought I would share an update on my antifungal therapy. I
have been taking 200mg of Diflucan along with 2 caps of Kolorex for almost 2
weeks now… so not much time but I have seen some very significant changes in
that time period. I am eating a diet high in sweet potatoes and lower in
fat/protein. Probably anywhere from 50-60% carbs, 20-30% fats and 10-20%
protein. Before when attempting this high carb diet, my digestion went to
hell. 3-5 bowel movements a day, starting with 1 good one and then each one
after got worse. Never diarreah but not well formed, etc (sorry to be TMI).
My sebhorreic dermatitis would flare up even though my skin was more moist
and healthy (maybe increased oils flared this). Allergies seemed to be worse.
Sleep was sometimes better and easier, sometimes worse. I went high carb
because I seemed to develop some thyroid symptoms on low carb that were
easily erased with a high carb PHD. Now, two weeks into Diflucan, my
digestion is almost perfect. 1-2 solid bowl movements a day all well formed.
No IBS like urgency at all anymore. Better athletic performance, smoother
healthier skin (the seb derm redness has vanished but there is still some
minor flaking… upping the bone broths, vit C, vitamin A to speed healing).
Congestion is much much better and my gums have stopped bleeding!
fungal
infections
Kirk I forced my toenail fungus into a major retreat by switching to the
Perfect Health Diet (which added more carbs, which, according to Paul,
supplies the body the glucose needed to fight fungal infections). I also
added in a number of their recommended supplements.
toenail
fungus

Hypothyroidism

 

Becky

Am
doing quite well on PHD … Having Hashimoto’s, I avidly followed your
Carbohydrates and the Thyroid series, and have found there is DEFINITELY a
thyroid improvement (energy levels, reduced neck swelling) when some carbs
are in my diet. Like Claire, on PHD my thyroid medication was reduced, but to
1/3 of the previous dose. This is all thrilling … Thank you so much for all
your work.
hypothyroidism
ET I
am extremely grateful to you and Shou-Ching. Your book and this website has
helped me tremendously. I had soft tissue recovery issues, joint
inflammation, skin issues etc. After endless doctors visits, a smart
dermatologist suggested I had a leaky gut and gluten sensitivity. At one
point Hashimoto was also thrown into the mix. Paleo and GAPS took care of
most of the joint inflammation and skin problems, but my T3 and some of my
thyroid symptoms got worse while I was on the (unintentional) ketogenic
healing diet. Your posts on this issue have been helpful, and I am now upping
my carb intake. I have bought the book to a few people in my family and my
best friend…. I am so happy.
joint
inflammation, skin issues, hypothyroidism
William Trumbower MD What
a wonderful series of posts!! I treat thyroid problems in my practice and
have Hashimoto’s myself. I check FT3/RT3 ratios on almost everyone. I think
this is the best lab test for your thyroid related metabolic state. The most
useful is the old fashioned history and physical exam. Old time thyroid docs
did this with no lab tests to guide them. The thyroid gland controls the
metabolism of the hypothalamus and pituitary. TSH allows the
hypothalamus/pituitary to receive adequate thyroid hormone in the face of a
hypometabolic state (starvation etc). Chronic elevated systemic inflammation
and malnutrition inhibit thyroid function and thus ALL endocrine function,
including adrenals. The longer I am on the PHD and appropriate supplements,
the less desiccated thyroid I require. It used to take 21/2 tabs daily and
now I use 1/2 tab daily. I have increased my safe carb intake as weight loss
is no longer my main goal and feel great! Thanks Paul
hypothyroidism
Hunter‘s wife My
wife and I have been VLC for a couple years now, myself probably a little
longer than her and I tend to eat more saturated fat too. She recently
stopped taking birth control and her menstrual cycle just stopped. Also for
years and years, maybe as long as the past decade, she’s been chronically
constipated, depressed, and always tired and wanting to sleep 10+ hours.
She’s been thru tons of tests and no doctor can find anything wrong with her.
I started doing some research on her results from multiple blood tests and
found her TSH has been slowly increasing and was at 3.13. We started checking
her basal body temperature in the mornings and she’s usually around 96….
Both of us have also avoided salt for most of our lives as well as most
packaged/processed foods that might contain salt. So we started supplementing
Iodine, starting about a month ago and slowly increasing the dosage each
week, as well as eating about 200-400 carb calories a day from white rice,
taro, and cassava (all covered in pastured butter). Some mornings now her
temperature has reached as high as 98.2 and her constipation has suddenly
improved a lot.
hypothyroidism,
fatigue, constipation, amenorrhea
Peter After eating a meat and vegetables diet for a 1.5 years I read PHD and
added back starches. I had been craving them, so it wasn’t hard to do.

The addition of starches warmed my body temperature (always an issue
because I have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis), improved my energy level, helped
with symptoms of adrenal fatigue (as per Dr. BG), improved my bowel function,
and improved my mood. I also reduced my grocery bill (which in turn made for
a more harmonius family life) because I instantly desired about one-third of
the protein I used to eat.

Of all the symptoms of glucose deficiency the most concerning was the flat
mood. Clearly my brain was low on energy despite the “no human requirement
for carbohydrate” dogma.

Many thanks to Paul!

hypothyroidism,
bowel function, mood
Joan Hi Paul

I haven’t posted for a while but continue to be an avid reader of your
blog. I thought an update was due.

Quick background: Crohn’s for 16.5 years. Steroids for most of that time
as other Crohn’s meds ineffective. Got off steroids in Oct 2011 after 14
months on an almost zero carb diet. Glucose deficiency symptoms led me to
your site. Added in safe starches in November and started to implement PHD
with recommended supplements. Did a home fecal transplant in December.

I’ve particularly concentrated on raising my Vit D levels
(supplementation) and optimising thyroid function (selenium and iodine and
increasing thyroid hormone). Both are now in the normal range.

All these things improved my general sense of well-being and energy levels
but the Crohn’s was still a problem.

I did a Metametrix GI Effects Stool test in March hoping to find something
significant. The results were disappointingly good: no pathogens; commensal
bacteria were all present (a result of fecal transplant??). I did have high
inflammation and red blood cells present, indicating active Crohn’s.

During this time, since coming off steroids, I was able to observe the
nature of the Crohn’s without the confusion of medications. My observations
convinced me that it was an infection and research indicates mycobacterium
avium paratuberculosis (MAP) is the most likely pathogen. High E.Coli counts
in my stool test seem to confim this.

So, re-reading you assertion that intra-cellular bacteria can only feed on
glucose not ketones, I realised that the exacerbation of the Crohn’s was due
to coming off the ketogenic zero carb diet and adding in too many starches
(300 – 400 cals). For the last month I’ve dropped back to 200 cals, kept to a
daily 6 to 7 hour feeding window, and added in BCAAs and MCT oil (I was
already taking coconut oil). My Crohn’s symptoms have improved steadily. I
have very little tummy pain now. I do still have some diarrhea but that is
probably due to the high fat content of my diet.

It is very unlikely that anti-MAP antibiotics will be made available to
Crohn’s patients anytime soon, therefore I’m convinced a ketogenic, low-fibre
form of PHD is the best way to manage my Crohn’s. Thanks for all your
information, Paul. I’m thrilled with my progress thus far.

Regards, Joan

Footnote2: My sister continues to be free of eczema. Thanks so much,
again.

Crohn’s,
hypothyroidism, general wellbeing; eczema
Michelle IME, a comprehensive stool test proved helpful. I found a fungal infection
which I treated with two bottles of ProEnt-2. I found bacterial overgrowths,
which I treated with Natren probiotics. The stool test showed gluten
intolerance as well, and seeing the results on paper helped me to take the
leap & kiss gluten goodbye.

I was also positive to toxoplasma, which I have not treated due to cost
and efficacy of treatment. Maybe down the line?

I had a sudden severe arthritis flare and have been on low dose pulsing
Doxy for it, successfully, since 2008.

My thyroid function has improved as I’ve gotten healthier. My guess is
improving iodine status and other micronutrient status, plus knocking back
infections are the major contributors.

I’m no longer anemic.

I used SAM-e successfully, for 2-3 years at 200-400 mg per day, upon
waking to help with low mood….

I can’t tell you how empowering it felt to take steps, and to slowly see
my labs improve. In my case, my labs tends to improve a bit ahead of
symptoms.

Good luck to you! There are often many pieces to the puzzle! You may find
it helpful, as did I, to minimize your variables, and track your protocol to
the best of your ability.

Infections,
arthritis, hypothyroidism, anemia, mood
Java Gal Ok, have to comment – can’t contain myself anymore! I am a lurker of the
worst sort, but here goes. As a 54 year old woman, I am more energetic,
flexible (yoga three times a week), and healthier than I have been for, oh,
decades. My doc, a wonderful, but dye-in-the-wool vegetarian, told me to keep
doing what I was doing – cholesterol dropped, good TSH levels(I’m hypo), and
down 5 sizes. Talk about replacing a wardrobe! My worry, of course, is
gaining it all back, which, sorry to say, is an experience I have had already
in days of yore. I was an avowed low-carber back then and I can attest that,
while it was effective for losing weight, it was not a good long term
strategy. So far, as long as I stick to basic PHD principles, things are
going swimmingly. In general, PHD has been a huge success. Thank you Paul and
Shou-Ching!
obesity,
energy, flexibility, dyslipidemia, hypothyroidism, general health
Agatha Thanks for this Paul – very helpful. I have noticed my temperature has
increased since starting PHD – I used to be always cold and being warmer
feels much, much better – being constantly cold is a miserable way to live.
hypothyroidism
Peter After eating a meat and vegetables diet for a 1.5 years I read PHD and
added back starches. I had been craving them, so it wasn’t hard to do.

The addition of starches warmed my body temperature (always an issue
because I have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis), improved my energy level, helped
with symptoms of adrenal fatigue (as per Dr. BG), improved my bowel function,
and improved my mood. I also reduced my grocery bill (which in turn made for
a more harmonius family life) because I instantly desired about one-third of
the protein I used to eat.

Of all the symptoms of glucose deficiency the most concerning was the flat
mood. Clearly my brain was low on energy despite the “no human requirement
for carbohydrate” dogma.

Many thanks to Paul!

Hypothyroidism,
energy, adrenal fatigue, bowel function, mood

Carpal tunnel syndrome<

 

Justin (and here) I started feeling terrible in the winter of 2007. I went to five doctors,
none of them knew what was wrong with me. I had blood drawn about 15 times
for various lab tests. I was afraid I would be bedridden one day because of
the pain.

The first doctor who helped me did so by diagnosing me with fibromyalgia.
I was informed that my previous doctors did not believe fibromyalgia existed,
since it could not be tested with a blood sample. I began to have a disdain
for most doctors.

He started me on Savella 50mg/day. I improved on Savella, and was told to
do a cleanse diet to detect food sensitivities. Many people with fibromyalgia
have food sensitivities as well. I did not have the will power to execute
this plan properly. However, I was not going to rely on doctors anymore, so I
began my search for healing on my own.

I tried a few different things, natural supplements, and diets. Some gave
no help, some gave a bit of help, then I plateaued. Most importantly, with
regard to the food restrictions I tried, I had such cravings that I did not
care about my fibromyalgia pain and just indulged. Then, when I was full, I
cared about my fibromyalgia pain again.

I learned of the Perfect Health Diet from a friend in the summer of 2011.
I did not think I would be able to do it all, knowing my failures in the past.
So, I started small. I had a friend with celiac and was most convinced by the
section on the toxicity of wheat and other cereal grains. Thus, I began by
eliminating these. I noticed an improvement within a few weeks: I could type!
No more Dragon NaturallySpeaking for me! It was not carpal tunnel, in fact, I
still have bumps that come and go in my elbows and have to limit my
weightlifting when I use my biceps in any way. Still trying to figure that
one out, but typing is not a problem anymore, as you can see here.

In light of my previous failures, the key that made the avoidance of wheat
and company successful was that I could eat a lot of fat. After a few weeks,
I had some cravings for bread, but nothing as strong as my cravings for
things excluded in other trial diets. Now I have no cravings for bread.

I thought all would be cured by avoiding gluten, so I started cutting back
my Savella dosage. When I got down to none, I felt fine for a week, then I
slowly started to feel bad again. I got back on Savella, at 1/4 the original
dose.

I decided I would put more effort into the other parts of the PHD. Next in
line was vegetable oil. I had been eating a lot of salads, and I loved ranch
dressing. With a few false starts, I finally broke the habit of vegetable oils,
and was encouraged by some weight loss.

Next, I went half in on the supplements. I noticed the magnesium had
significant effects on my muscle soreness and neck stiffness. I read the post
on constipation and decided to add selenium, vitamin C, NAC, copper, etc.
Finally, I got started on working up to high dose iodine, with the
recommendation of starting low and doubling every month. In the last two
weeks I have been at 12mg/day iodoral, and I have recently noticed a great
uptick in my mood and lowered occurrence of stiffness in my neck. I have been
getting much more done at work, and have not had as much “brain
fog”.

In fact, it took some forced thinking to recall how far I’ve come. I used
to stand up very slowly, and limp for a bit afterward because of pain in my
hips. I used to try to play volleyball, but could not move suddenly or land
the wrong way lest I feel great pain. I used to accept that I would always be
stiff and have difficulty moving in the morning. I used to get random pains
in the bottom of my foot which made me limp. I used to take a lot of fiber
and was still not regular. I used to be 25 pounds heavier. I used to have
strong cravings for sugar, bread, chicken strips, and chips, just to name a
few. I used to have acne flare ups all the time. In the past I had to stop
typing every five minutes and massage my elbows for ten minutes; it usually
hurt to turn my neck; my shoulders were frequently sore; I could not throw a
baseball, a football, or a frisbee. Frequently, I could not remember details
of things I knew a lot about. I would get confused and get tired easily.

Now, I do still have elbow pain and some psoriasis/rash, so all is not
perfect. I am beginning to think these are unrelated to the fibromyalgia and
that the fibromyalgia is gone. I am at 1/32nd of the original Savella dose,
feeling fine, but will report back if I regress when taking the dose down to
zero.

THREE AND A HALF MONTHS LATER:

I posted earlier about my progress with being on Savella for a
fibromyalgia diagnosis I received a bit over 2 years ago. With following the
PHD about 40% or so I began to cut back on my medication. I did it too quick
the first time, and began to feel terrible. So, I stepped up the PHD
compliance of my diet as much as I could. I then began slowly cutting the
dosage until I was off completely 3 months ago.

I delayed reporting because I wanted to be sure symptoms would not flare
up again. Today I ran my fastest 2 mile time, then played ultimate frisbee
for a few hours later in the day. I feel great. I used to get extremely sore
from just trying to run half a mile, which was also pretty depressing. I am
feeling strong and limber with no trace of soreness.

fibromyalgia,
carpal tunnel

Arthritis, joint inflammation, crepitus

 

ET I
am extremely grateful to you and Shou-Ching. Your book and this website has
helped me tremendously. I had soft tissue recovery issues, joint
inflammation, skin issues etc. After endless doctors visits, a smart
dermatologist suggested I had a leaky gut and gluten sensitivity. At one
point Hashimoto was also thrown into the mix. Paleo and GAPS took care of
most of the joint inflammation and skin problems, but my T3 and some of my
thyroid symptoms got worse while I was on the (unintentional) ketogenic
healing diet. Your posts on this issue have been helpful, and I am now upping
my carb intake. I have bought the book to a few people in my family and my
best friend…. I am so happy.
joint
inflammation, skin issues, hypothyroidism
Morris
G (
comment 1, comment 2, comment 3)
A
couple of months after starting PHD there was an obvious improvement in mood
and cognitive function. Now 12 months later the mental improvements persist
but do not seem to be growing. … I’ve had joint “noises” for about 20 years
(I’m 72yo) but no direct discomfort from the noise effect. The frequency and
magnitude has increased over time but only very slowly. I tend to think that
the degree of crepitude correlates (weakly) with general joint health eg time
to recover from episodes of tendonitis or discomfort caused by overuse. I
have ignored this “crepitude” as being an unavoidable aging effect until
recently, when my manageable back/neck aches spontaneously improved and that
happened about 3 months after adopting the PHD diet (although I didn’t know at
the time that the diet was PHD). For example I can sleep on my back for the
first time in 8 years and turn my neck 90 deg without any discomfort. My
exercise regime has not changed from pre-PHD and is not too strenuous, about
2-3 hrs total/week of which most is moderate effort cardio with some
resistance. The odd thing is that pre-PHD, with the same exercise effort, if
I increased calories my fat would easily but slowly increase, but not now….
I feel great …  
mood,
cognitive function, joint function, weight
Alex I recently had my carotid arteries evaluated via ultrasound for plaque and
narrowing and was told there is no evidence of either. A year ago, just
before adopting a PHD type diet, an MRI of my heart revealed “significant”
plaque on one of my coronary arteries and less significant on another…. I’m
in my mid 40s, lean, active, and have seen many health improvements since
adopting the diet (less joint stiffness, no more chronic back pain, milder
colds, fewer allergy symptoms, less gas, less bloating, need for less sleep.
atherosclerosis,
joint stiffness, back pain, allergies, bowel distress
L.B. I have been following a “paleo” diet for the past seven months – a
combination of the PHD book, Mark’s Daily Apple and Kurt Harris’ blog. I am a
47 year old male, 6’ 1” and 175lbs.

My health and fitness improvements include the following:

  • <span
    >25lb weight loss and
    better body composition
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of chronic gout (a seventeen year affliction)
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of “creaky” joints in my feet and knees
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of life long irritable bowel symptoms
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of heartburn
  • <span
    >Improved cholesterol
    profile
  • <span
    >Less plaque build-up
    on my teeth
  • <span
    >Reduced carb and sugar
    cravings over time

This fitness plan has had a profoundly positive impact on my life. My wife
is also doing this with me and she has been able to get off her blood
pressure medication and she’s experienced many other benefits as well.

weight
loss, gout, creaky joints, IBS, heartburn / acid reflux, dyslipidemia, oral
health, reduced cravings, blood pressure
J.L. I just returned from a book club meeting where we discussed The Perfect
Health Diet at length. I have to say, I am most fascinated by the chapter
focused on chronic disease and infection!

I am a living testament to the power of diet and “immuno- warfare”, if you
will (a.ka. antibiotic therapy). I muddled through 32 years of life on this
drug or that, all in the hopes of ending my “not-so in love affair” with
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). I was diagnosed at age 3 after a bout
with what doctors thought to be a cold virus, and that which followed was
years upon years of aspirin (24 chewables daily, to be exact), gold salts,
NSAIDs and DMARDs. Ugh!

Since beginning to uncover secrets of old three years ago, I have eaten a
Weston Price, biblical, Paleo-ish diet and dabbled in various and asunder
supplements. This part of my new-found health journey yielded results good
enough to keep me off prescription meds, but something was still lurking in
my body causing imbalances, hiding out in my joints and other deep, dark
places.

Thank God for my integrative MD…He ordered Metametrix testing, and lo and
behold, found parasitic and fungal infections (imagine that, right?). I
reluctantly gave in and started rounds of Flagyl (antibiotic) and Nystatin
(antifungal), along with Primal Defense Ultra probiotics and a much lower
carb/no sugar diet. The results have been nothing short of WOW!

I can sometimes feel the anger welling up inside me when I think of the
years of my life this degenerative disease has robbed me of. But as quickly
as the feeling comes, it fades when I’m reminded that I wouldn’t be enrolled
in a Naturopathic Doctor program now. Moreover, my passion in life certainly
wouldn’t be helping others with chronic, degenerative diseases if it hadn’t
been for those nasty bugs that attacked that little three year old girl many
years ago.

Thank you kindly for joining the crusade and bringing your diet and this
life-restoring information to light. May the Immuno-warfare games begin!

rheumatoid
arthritis, chronic infections
Michelle IME, a comprehensive stool test proved helpful. I found a fungal infection
which I treated with two bottles of ProEnt-2. I found bacterial overgrowths,
which I treated with Natren probiotics. The stool test showed gluten
intolerance as well, and seeing the results on paper helped me to take the
leap & kiss gluten goodbye.

I was also positive to toxoplasma, which I have not treated due to cost
and efficacy of treatment. Maybe down the line?

I had a sudden severe arthritis flare and have been on low dose pulsing
Doxy for it, successfully, since 2008.

My thyroid function has improved as I’ve gotten healthier. My guess is
improving iodine status and other micronutrient status, plus knocking back
infections are the major contributors.

I’m no longer anemic.

I used SAM-e successfully, for 2-3 years at 200-400 mg per day, upon
waking to help with low mood….

I can’t tell you how empowering it felt to take steps, and to slowly see
my labs improve. In my case, my labs tends to improve a bit ahead of
symptoms.

Good luck to you! There are often many pieces to the puzzle! You may find
it helpful, as did I, to minimize your variables, and track your protocol to
the best of your ability.

Infections,
arthritis, hypothyroidism, anemia, mood
Thomas An unanticipated but very welcome result of getting on PHD has been relief
of arthritis in my ankles. I sprained my ankles dozens of times while playing
basketball growing up, and had slight arthritis in both ankles by the time I
was 26. Since then, any type of prolonged running makes my ankles sore and
painful for hours, with a little bit of swelling. In the last month that has
stopped completely- I feel great after playing ball now. I don’t know if PHD
is responsible for the relief, but I can’t imagine what else it could be.
arthritis

Back pain

 

Alex I recently had my carotid arteries evaluated via ultrasound for plaque and
narrowing and was told there is no evidence of either. A year ago, just
before adopting a PHD type diet, an MRI of my heart revealed “significant”
plaque on one of my coronary arteries and less significant on another…. I’m
in my mid 40s, lean, active, and have seen many health improvements since
adopting the diet (less joint stiffness, no more chronic back pain, milder
colds, fewer allergy symptoms, less gas, less bloating, need for less sleep.
atherosclerosis,
joint stiffness, back pain, allergies, bowel distress

Raynaud’s syndrome

 

Becky Hat
tip and thank you: After I started reading your blog, and adding in “safe
starches”, my Reynaud’s largely cleared up with temperatures over 20F. This
wasn’t the intention, but a wonderful side-effect. Last month, when the sun
came out and the temps got over 25, I enjoyed a successful 2-mile snow hike
for the first time in three years. =)
Raynaud’s
Kate I
too have had Raynaud’s all my life … In the past two months, I have modified
my diet in line with Paul’s suggestions for Migraine. I now eat 200 calories
worth of safe starch, all the recommended supplements, and as much coconut
oil as I can stomach. I am also doing the 16/8 fast. My Raynaud’s has further
improved, as measured by the fact I sometimes forget to turn the heat up in
the morning, and cold extremities don’t always alert me to my
forgetfulness!… Thanks for asking about the Migraines. They are in fact
vastly improved, which I attribute solely to your recommendations. I can say
that, because I have tried virtually everything else in the past…. Clearly
something remarkable is happening, thanks to your recommendations! A little
history. I started getting these headaches in my late 30s. (I am now 52). In the
beginning I thought I had the stomach flu, because in addition to the
headache I would always throw up or have dry heaves. The worst headaches
would keep me immobilized in bed for up to two days. My brother-in-law, a
neurologist, convinced me they were migraines. I finally consulted a doctor,
who put me on midrin, which did not help, and a few months later I started on
imitrex, which did help, at least at first. Eventually, my headache pattern
evolved, and I had at least a mild headache every day, punctuated by the
occasional doozy. Apparently, this is a pretty common progression, especially
with women my age. I always suspected there was something wrong with my
lifestyle or diet, and over the years I have tried numerous experiments, but
nothing ever worked. … In January, in my blog travels, I stumbled on your
site. I ordered the book and was intrigued by your and Shou-Ching’s ideas
about disease and chronic conditions. I was already familiar with the idea of
a ketogenic diet for epilepsy, so I was immediately interested in trying a
more ketogenic diet for myself. I ordered all your basic supplements, and
immediately upped my kelp to two capsules. I had been using coconut oil for
curries, so I started using it habitually. Started eating 200 calories of starches
that you recommended—this was a little scary, after studiously avoiding them
for four years! I was afraid I they might keep me awake at night, but I am
sleeping like a log. Started fasting 16/8, which was easy once you absolved
me for having cream in my morning coffee! Within a week of starting
this regimen my chronic headache started to disappear!
Some days I
would only have a headache for part of the day, and occasionally I would have
no headache at all! I read somewhere on your site that NAC is good on a
ketogenic diet, so I ordered it too. I had never heard of this supplement
before. It seems to have made a further positive difference. I have started
taking it twice a day. Once before bed, and once in the late afternoon, when
the headache sometimes starts coming back. Since I added NAC, I have
been nearly headache free.
Another amazing development concerns
anxiety. Over the years I have become somewhat anxious when I drive on
highways. I grip the steering wheel tightly, sit forward in the seat, and am
generally hyper vigilant. I always chided myself for my lack of nerves, but
that didn’t help. As mentioned above, this was magnified by the Topomax. I
never had this issue when I was younger; indeed I used to fly helicopters in
the army. Two weeks ago I drove up to New Jersey to pick up my daughter, a
3.5 hour trip from where I live in Northern Virginia. I stopped two hours
into the trip to make a pit stop, and I suddenly realized I was totally
relaxed, and had been for the entire trip! The PHD is strong brain medicine
indeed! Thanks for all your research, insights, and ideas. I think the
Perfect Health Diet is going to be a game changer for many people. Hopefully
it is the start of a sea change at how we approach the chronic maladies of
our times.
Raynaud’s,
migraines, anxiety
Anonymous (also here) I have Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and am taking a very low dose
of risperdal (same drug in higher doses used to treat schizophrenia).

I had been doing very low carb for many years and do now wonder if it
actually made my symptoms much worse. (I was diagnosed with BPD while doing
very low carb.) Following the PHD diet has greatly reduced my symptoms. I
feel like a new person.

Better mood

I have found that following the PHD diet (in particular, getting enough
Omega 3 and not excessive Omega 6 and eating PHD “safe starches”, etc.,
eliminating toxins (grains, legumes, vegetable oils, soy, etc.), taking the
recommended supplements, and doing the optional intermittent fasting) has
helped me tremendously. I feel so much better now: better mood, more energy,
more patient, clearer thinking, happier, calmer, less emotional, less
anxiety, and better able to cope with issues such as difficult people.

Very nutritious, no cravings

This diet is super healthy and does allow plenty of choices: meat, fish,
vegetables (peas & green beans are fine), nuts (not peanuts which are a
legume), fruit, “safe starches” (rice pasta, sweet/white potatoes and white
rice), wine (which I like but don’t drink due to Rx), healthy fat like lard,
butter, cream, olive oil and coconut oil, dairy, chocolate, eggs, fermented
vegetables and some safe sweeteners such as rice syrup. A benefit of eating a
variety of healthy foods including “safe starches”: no cravings.

Intermittent fasting – easy

This is optional, but I’m so happy I discovered this. Fasting sounds
difficult and you’d think it would involve hunger and suffering and a strong
will power, but not so. No need to go hungry. And I’m not even hungry and
don’t suffer but feel great and clearer thinking/more energy in the morning
(even with my risperdal which for years had made me lethargic in the morning)
during my daily intermittent fasting (16 hour fast with coconut oil during
the fast with 8 hours feeding). When the fast is over, I eat normally:
usually 2 meals and a snack during the 8 hour feeding window, sometimes just
2 meals. I’m not ravenous when it’s time to eat, surprisingly. Sure, I’m a little
hungry, but in no hurry to eat and sometimes the fast lasts longer than 16
hours just because of circumstances. And I exercise during the fast – no
problem with a lack of energy. No longer am I anxious about eating every 4
hours like I used to be while doing the low carb. In fact, I think I have a
much healthier relationship with food – it’s not so important and I know I
can go without it if I need to. Food doesn’t control me anymore. It has
really simplified my life.

Raynaud’s

Another benefit of the PHD is that my Raynaud’s is much better now and I’m
not as cold as I used to be. I think this was helped by eating more healthy
fat and Omega 3.

So give PHD a try if you want to feel better and be healthy too. I highly
recommend it – it really has worked for me.

Thank you so much, Paul and Shou-Ching, for all you do! 🙂

Borderline
Personality Disorder, mood, energy, anxiety, food cravings, Raynaud’s

General health

 

Kate “However,
some of the effects of nutrient deficiencies are insidious and might easily
escape notice, because they develop gradually over months or years.” I could
not agree more. Moreover, while your your body may give you hints all is not
well, that does not necessarily point you in the right direction.
Particularly when you are embracing the latest ill thought out nutritional
theory de jour. In my case, I went from “carb loading” on my swimteam as a
teen, to thinking carbs were the most healthful food, which segued into low
fat, whole grain obsession as an adult. By my late forties, I had a number of
niggling health problems, which were partially resolved by a 180 shift to a
low carb diet, which I took to further extremes, which created more issues…I
think many people know their body is trying to tell them something, but in
the midst of the cacophony of government and health agencies’ dietary advice,
most people have no idea what to do. I am finally finding my way out of a
dark tunnel using the PHD framework of optimizing macro and micro nutrition,
getting tests, and careful experimentation. This is the first diet and
approach to health I have seen that really tries to reconcile all the
research, and consider all the traditional wisdom, in contrast to the usual
practice in recent decades of enshrining one or two possibly good ideas to
extreme and ultimately damaging dietary prescriptions.
miscellaneous
issues
Richard
M, email of Oct 19, 2011
May I firstly congratulate you and Shou-Ching for writing such a wonderful
book. After researching nutrition and health in my spare time for many years
I have never come across a book that has been able to tie all of the major
aspects of a healthy diet together in such a concise manner whilst being so
extensively well referenced.

The amount of improvements that I have seen since implementing this diet
is numerous. My energy levels are much steadier throughout the day (as
opposed to the constant ‘peaks and troughs’ I experienced whilst following a
vegetarian diet for 4 years); my cravings for sugar have virtually
disappeared; I have only suffered from one cold in the past 10 months as
opposed to my usual 2 or 3; my weight is effortlessly stable; I never feel
hungry despite switching from 6 small meals per day to just 3; the list goes
on!

energy,
food cravings, weight, illness
Jeanie Graham Campbell My husband is doing fabulously on the PHD. It stalled my weight loss, but
I felt great. Once I get down to where I want to be (another 7 or so pounds),
I’ll be rockin’ the PHD!!!
A. b. Dada I added back white potatoes and even white rice based on Dr. Harris’
advice and definitely feel better (less orthostatic hypotension) — plus I’m
actually slimmer than I’ve ever been, yet my muscles are much stronger.

Low carb for 12 years before this year!

orthostatic
hypotension, body composition
Ellen MM’s
nighttime numbness made me think about a similar mystery that I experienced.
I have had for the last several years, not exactly numbness, but a strange
burning sensation in feet and/or legs only at night when I would wake. not
every night, but frequently. If I moved my legs a bit it would go away. It
started after being VERY low carb for over six months. I hadn’t noticed, but
now that I think about it, it seems to have dwindled significantly, perhaps
completely. I have been eating 200 C safe starches for a three and a half
months now. Chalk up another one for PHD!
strange
burning sensation

Chronic infections

 

Jesper I
was struggling for a while and had to keep upping the abx dose every couple
of months to get the same effect as before, and not deteriorate. I read about
some of Pauls tips and started eating high fat low carb, and i felt there was
a difference. Also started doing ketogenic fast in the morning. I have a lot
less symptoms now than before and i feel like the abx hits harder, especially
true during my morning fast. I think high fat low carb is a good idea for the
people with this bacteria especially those who struggle with abx resistance.
chronic
bacterial infection
Natalie As
someone dealing with chronic disease (a very unfun combination of Lyme,
Babesia, and Bartonella), I know I’m always looking to find out more of what
has worked and what did not work for others. This blog along with many of the
readers of this blog have been a tremendous help to me personally. For
example, I now know I can avoid the daily “coma naps” if I don’t go crazy on
the carbohydrates. I’ve actually received some excellent diet advice from my
doctor, but he never told me to chill on the carbs!
chronic
infections
Thomas The
part of this blog post that starts “Thus common symptoms of a
bacterial infection of the brain are those of cognitive hypoglycemia and
serotonin deficiency
” and continues for several paragraphs describes
precisely the mysterious changes I have experience over the last decade of
life (I am now 33), with the one variation being that I suffer extreme
fatigue rather than insomnia or restlessness. Every other sympton, including
the odd mental state you mention, is a perfect match, and I experience them
all to a marked degree…. I have been diagnosed with general anxiety but never
depression. I do not feel sad ever, just irritable and anhedonia-ac, if I may
coin a word. Anti-depressants, and I’ve tried a bunch, do absolutely nothing
for me. I began to decline after suffering the second subdural hematoma of my
life at age 20 when I was in Italy, followed by a 5 year binge on alcohol….
I’ve been doing PHD for about 7 weeks now, and tried a ketogenic fast this
past weekend. I ended up going 33 hours with some coconut oil and cream. It
was a bit tough having to eat a bunch of oil on an empty stomach, but nothing
too bad. I can’t say there was any improvement cognitively or with anhedonia,
but there seemed to me to be a pronounced calming effect after about 24 hours
of fasting. I often stutter or stumble over words (again, for about 10 years
now), which usually goes away only with two or three alcoholic drinks. But
the speech problems stopped almost completely during the fast, which makes me
thing that there is some link to anxiety and stuttering. I’ve been on PHD for
a few months, and about a month ago went to the low-carb therapeutic
ketogenic version of the PHD. After reading some of Paul’s posts, I believe
that I might have a brain infection as a result of a head injury from more
than a decade ago (Paul, if you recall, my condition has a lot of
similarities to the one you once had). I started taking doxycycline a few
days ago, and I have already noticed pronounced improvement (whether due to
the diet or the antibiotic or both) in controlling the irritability and
anxiety that have plagued me for years…. I definitely feel great since making
the diet changes. My blood pressure, which has been creeping upwards over the
last few years to 135/80 or so, is back down to 110/70. My testosterone is
824, and I am pleased to see that I maintaining my strength in the gym
despite being on a ketogenic diet. The improvements I’ve seen recently have
done more for my well-being than anything in the last decade, and I am profoundly
grateful to you for all your excellent advice.
brain
infection
J.L. I just returned from a book club meeting where we discussed The Perfect
Health Diet at length. I have to say, I am most fascinated by the chapter
focused on chronic disease and infection!

I am a living testament to the power of diet and “immuno- warfare”, if you
will (a.ka. antibiotic therapy). I muddled through 32 years of life on this
drug or that, all in the hopes of ending my “not-so in love affair” with
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). I was diagnosed at age 3 after a bout
with what doctors thought to be a cold virus, and that which followed was
years upon years of aspirin (24 chewables daily, to be exact), gold salts,
NSAIDs and DMARDs. Ugh!

Since beginning to uncover secrets of old three years ago, I have eaten a
Weston Price, biblical, Paleo-ish diet and dabbled in various and asunder
supplements. This part of my new-found health journey yielded results good
enough to keep me off prescription meds, but something was still lurking in
my body causing imbalances, hiding out in my joints and other deep, dark
places.

Thank God for my integrative MD…He ordered Metametrix testing, and lo and
behold, found parasitic and fungal infections (imagine that, right?). I
reluctantly gave in and started rounds of Flagyl (antibiotic) and Nystatin
(antifungal), along with Primal Defense Ultra probiotics and a much lower
carb/no sugar diet. The results have been nothing short of WOW!

I can sometimes feel the anger welling up inside me when I think of the
years of my life this degenerative disease has robbed me of. But as quickly
as the feeling comes, it fades when I’m reminded that I wouldn’t be enrolled
in a Naturopathic Doctor program now. Moreover, my passion in life certainly
wouldn’t be helping others with chronic, degenerative diseases if it hadn’t
been for those nasty bugs that attacked that little three year old girl many
years ago.

Thank you kindly for joining the crusade and bringing your diet and this
life-restoring information to light. May the Immuno-warfare games begin!

rheumatoid
arthritis, chronic infections
Michelle IME, a comprehensive stool test proved helpful. I found a fungal infection
which I treated with two bottles of ProEnt-2. I found bacterial overgrowths,
which I treated with Natren probiotics. The stool test showed gluten
intolerance as well, and seeing the results on paper helped me to take the
leap & kiss gluten goodbye.

I was also positive to toxoplasma, which I have not treated due to cost
and efficacy of treatment. Maybe down the line?

I had a sudden severe arthritis flare and have been on low dose pulsing
Doxy for it, successfully, since 2008.

My thyroid function has improved as I’ve gotten healthier. My guess is
improving iodine status and other micronutrient status, plus knocking back
infections are the major contributors.

I’m no longer anemic.

I used SAM-e successfully, for 2-3 years at 200-400 mg per day, upon
waking to help with low mood….

I can’t tell you how empowering it felt to take steps, and to slowly see
my labs improve. In my case, my labs tends to improve a bit ahead of
symptoms.

Good luck to you! There are often many pieces to the puzzle! You may find
it helpful, as did I, to minimize your variables, and track your protocol to
the best of your ability.

Infections,
arthritis, hypothyroidism, anemia, mood
Louise My 10 yo daughter is being treated for a lyme/bartonella infection and her
LLMD is supplementing her with the B6 metabolite P-5-P, L-methylFolate and
methylB12 to address the MTHFR defect that is so prominent in a lot of kids
with lyme induced autism and immune disregulation. My daughter is responding
well to treatment; her speech, executive function, handwriting, sound/light
sensitivities have improved greatly with antibiotics and supplementation, and
the ~80% implementation of your diet. Thank you so much for your hard work,
you are helping so many.
Lyme,
bartonella

Fibromyalgia & CFS

 

Justin (and here) I started feeling terrible in the winter of 2007. I went to five doctors,
none of them knew what was wrong with me. I had blood drawn about 15 times
for various lab tests. I was afraid I would be bedridden one day because of
the pain.

The first doctor who helped me did so by diagnosing me with fibromyalgia.
I was informed that my previous doctors did not believe fibromyalgia existed,
since it could not be tested with a blood sample. I began to have a disdain
for most doctors.

He started me on Savella 50mg/day. I improved on Savella, and was told to
do a cleanse diet to detect food sensitivities. Many people with fibromyalgia
have food sensitivities as well. I did not have the will power to execute
this plan properly. However, I was not going to rely on doctors anymore, so I
began my search for healing on my own.

I tried a few different things, natural supplements, and diets. Some gave
no help, some gave a bit of help, then I plateaued. Most importantly, with
regard to the food restrictions I tried, I had such cravings that I did not
care about my fibromyalgia pain and just indulged. Then, when I was full, I
cared about my fibromyalgia pain again.

I learned of the Perfect Health Diet from a friend in the summer of 2011.
I did not think I would be able to do it all, knowing my failures in the
past. So, I started small. I had a friend with celiac and was most convinced
by the section on the toxicity of wheat and other cereal grains. Thus, I
began by eliminating these. I noticed an improvement within a few weeks: I
could type! No more Dragon NaturallySpeaking for me! It was not carpal
tunnel, in fact, I still have bumps that come and go in my elbows and have to
limit my weightlifting when I use my biceps in any way. Still trying to
figure that one out, but typing is not a problem anymore, as you can see
here.

In light of my previous failures, the key that made the avoidance of wheat
and company successful was that I could eat a lot of fat. After a few weeks,
I had some cravings for bread, but nothing as strong as my cravings for
things excluded in other trial diets. Now I have no cravings for bread.

I thought all would be cured by avoiding gluten, so I started cutting back
my Savella dosage. When I got down to none, I felt fine for a week, then I
slowly started to feel bad again. I got back on Savella, at 1/4 the original
dose.

I decided I would put more effort into the other parts of the PHD. Next in
line was vegetable oil. I had been eating a lot of salads, and I loved ranch
dressing. With a few false starts, I finally broke the habit of vegetable
oils, and was encouraged by some weight loss.

Next, I went half in on the supplements. I noticed the magnesium had
significant effects on my muscle soreness and neck stiffness. I read the post
on constipation and decided to add selenium, vitamin C, NAC, copper, etc.
Finally, I got started on working up to high dose iodine, with the
recommendation of starting low and doubling every month. In the last two
weeks I have been at 12mg/day iodoral, and I have recently noticed a great
uptick in my mood and lowered occurrence of stiffness in my neck. I have been
getting much more done at work, and have not had as much “brain
fog”.

In fact, it took some forced thinking to recall how far I’ve come. I used
to stand up very slowly, and limp for a bit afterward because of pain in my
hips. I used to try to play volleyball, but could not move suddenly or land
the wrong way lest I feel great pain. I used to accept that I would always be
stiff and have difficulty moving in the morning. I used to get random pains
in the bottom of my foot which made me limp. I used to take a lot of fiber
and was still not regular. I used to be 25 pounds heavier. I used to have
strong cravings for sugar, bread, chicken strips, and chips, just to name a
few. I used to have acne flare ups all the time. In the past I had to stop
typing every five minutes and massage my elbows for ten minutes; it usually
hurt to turn my neck; my shoulders were frequently sore; I could not throw a
baseball, a football, or a frisbee. Frequently, I could not remember details
of things I knew a lot about. I would get confused and get tired easily.

Now, I do still have elbow pain and some psoriasis/rash, so all is not
perfect. I am beginning to think these are unrelated to the fibromyalgia and
that the fibromyalgia is gone. I am at 1/32nd of the original Savella dose,
feeling fine, but will report back if I regress when taking the dose down to
zero.

THREE AND A HALF MONTHS LATER:

I posted earlier about my progress with being on Savella for a
fibromyalgia diagnosis I received a bit over 2 years ago. With following the
PHD about 40% or so I began to cut back on my medication. I did it too quick
the first time, and began to feel terrible. So, I stepped up the PHD
compliance of my diet as much as I could. I then began slowly cutting the
dosage until I was off completely 3 months ago.

I delayed reporting because I wanted to be sure symptoms would not flare
up again. Today I ran my fastest 2 mile time, then played ultimate frisbee
for a few hours later in the day. I feel great. I used to get extremely sore
from just trying to run half a mile, which was also pretty depressing. I am
feeling strong and limber with no trace of soreness.

fibromyalgia,
carpal tunnel
Joan’s sister Hi Paul

You will remember 12 days ago I asked you about my sister who has CFS and
was taking 100 mls a day of safflower oil to keep eczema under control.

You wrote: My guess is that there is a high level of oxidative stress
which is diminishing AA levels, and the safflower oil makes more arachidonic
acid and relieves the problem. So the strategy I would try first is (a)
supplementing antioxidants…. and (b) treating any infections. Also, get serum
25OHD levels tested and normalize vitamin D/A/K status.

Your advice was spot on and the results have been miraculous. She started
supplementation with zinc, copper, selenium, vitamins C, E, D and K and NAC.
Within 24 hours her eczema was much improved and she began reducing the
safflower oil. Now 10 days later she is down to 10 mls of safflower oil and
is confident she can discontinue it completely in a few days. Her eczema has
completely cleared and her skin is looking good.

Not only that, but some of her CFS symptoms have improved. Her constant
headache is not as severe, irregular heartbeat episodes have almost
completely stopped and she is tolerating slightly more physical activity.
Needless to say she is absolutely delighted and wants me to pass on her
deepest gratitude to you. Her words are, “It’s a miracle”. Once again
Proverbs 13:12 springs to mind. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a
longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Her sense of despair and resignation
has gone and you have given her hope of a better future. Words seem
inadequate to express thanks for that.

I’ve ordered a couple of copies of your book and I’m sure she will be more
than open to reading it and making dietary changes. I hope she will also
follow up your advice to treat any underlying infections.

Any interesting note: prior to starting the anti-oxidants she craved the
safflower oil and could hardly wait for her next ‘dose’. That has been
replaced with feeling nauseous even at the thought of the oil. Obviously her
body no longer needs it.

In searching the net I found this paper that seems to support your advice:
Determination of fatty acid levels in erythrocyte membranes of patients with
chronic fatigue syndrome. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14744043

And this letter in the Nutritional Neuroscience discussing the paper’s
findings: Oxidative Stress Might Reduce Essential Fatty Acids in Erythrocyte
Membranes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients
http://cfids-cab.org/cfs-inform/Hypotheses/nijs.demeirleir04.pdf

Thank you once again, Paul, for your generosity in sharing your knowledge
and your time. The effect is life-changing.

Kind Regards

Joan

chronic
fatigue syndrome, eczema

Acne

 

Els and here and here I have been on PHD for almost 2 weeks now, doing IF 16/8 at the same time,
and have started with the supplements you have recommended 4 days ago. Since
I started PHD I do no longer crave for sweets. I used to eat chocolates
almost everyday and haven’t had it for over 2 weeks now. 🙂 I am so happy I
found your blog and got your book. Keep up the good works….

5 weeks ago I found PHD website and ordered the book. I am now on my 4th
week of PHD and doing pretty well eating 20% carbs. I also am taking the
supplements Paul had recommended after I emailed him to ask what I can add to
the one I was taking. One of the things I immediately noticed after doing PHD
is that it improved the quality of my sleep (used to keep waking up several
times at night and that is now a thing of the past because I now sleep
uninterrupted for 7-8 hours); and no more cramps in my calves (that used to
happen occasionally after a heavy work out); no more menstrual cramps as
well. Also, today is the first time i had my monthly period that i didn’t get
a pimple in my face. I usually get a big, really deep and hard to get rid of
pimple just before or during my monthly period and my husband or a
dermatologist would actually help me get it out especially if I had an
important function to attend to. I was thinking that may be IF and the
removal of wheat in my diet did greatly help me in seeing immediate improvement
in my sleep. So yes at least in my experience, a great improvement in my over
all health since I incorporated the principles that I learned from the PHD
book. And btw, I have a very sensitive skin (Atopic skin type or atopic/atopy
syndrome – a hereditary component, as my doctor calls it because my mo and
grandma had it too) and I usually get itchy and/or red spots in my skin all
the time but in the last 4 weeks the anti-itching cream which I carry
everywhere has never been used even once. And to top it all off, I lost 3 lbs
in the last 4 weeks (losing the 15 lb excess weight is not even on top of my
list because I am trying to get pregnant). I don’t have any health problems
and hardly get sick. I simply want to eat healthy and trying to figure out what
diet works best for me. And I found it! Thanks to PHD. Thanks to the
Jaminets! At 42, 5’6″ height, 125 lbs weight, and doing PHD on 20%
carbs, I feel great! And yes, I am sticking with PHD for the rest of my
life….

Btw, I continue to shed off some more fat even after I’ve increased my
carb intake to 30% last week. When I started the PHD 6 weeks ago, I weighed
128 lbs and now 122.4 lbs. I just hope I keep losing the last few fat I
wanted to shed off. Btw, I only weigh myself once a week at the same day and
time without fail and I also use a Digital Body Fat Caliper to measure my
body fat. So yes, I am definitely losing some body fat and no muscle loss!
That’s only after doing PHD for 6 weeks without changing my usual cardio
& weight training regimen. My trainer was very impressed when she weighed
me last week. I told her about PHD because she’s one of those people who
believes in eating 5-6 small meals a day. 🙂 I’ve done that for years but I
am definitely doing better by practising IF 16/8 and eating only 2-3 meals a
day. I am definitely seeing positive results since I started the PHD! The
elimination of wheat, sugar and cheese which I used to eat a lot everyday has
done great wonders in my body.

food
cravings, cramps / menstrual cramps, sleep, acne / pimples, body composition
Hunter and here Well I can comment on the topic of acne. Since starting to follow the
perfect health diet around the beginning of this month my acne has completely
cleared up. To give you a little history, I discovered both Cordain’s the
paleo diet and Sisson’s primal blueprint nearly 2 years ago and upon cutting
out grains and dairy I saw immediate improvement in my moderate acne that I
have been struggling to find a cure for since I was about 15. I turned 34
this month. At first I thought for sure that it must’ve been the 3+ glasses
of milk plus cheese plus yogurt plus ice cream that I was consuming nearly
everyday, but my acne did continue even though I was following a relatively
strict paleo diet, although acne inflammation was usually to a much lesser
degree than before I had changed my diet. I have still not been able to nail
down the cause, until now I think…

Cordain’s advice has been to avoid saturated fat and simply eat all the
lean meats, fruits & vege’s you can eat. So I had been eating as much as
10 servings of fruit a day, sometimes more, and less vege’s because well
fruit tastes better. And I had been supplementing with Carlson’s liquid fish
oil, typically twice a day. When I came across your site recently and started
reading your advice on fish oil, fructose consumption, and limiting meat
intake I adjusted my diet and have seen immediate positive results.

I increased my sat fat intake, mainly from coconut oil which I had
actually tried cutting out earlier this year (due to Cordain’s advice) and
I’ve started limiting my meat to about 1lb a day, and I’ve started limiting
my fruit to 2 or 3 servings a day while increasing vege intake, especially
from green leafy vege’s, while increasing my carb intake a little by eating
some white rice for the first time in years.

All of those changes I think are good, but I believe that in particular
the increase in sat fat intake has been clearing up my acne because I was
already experimenting with sat fat intake before finding your site and buying
your book a few weeks ago and I was noticing immediate improvement on the
days that I cooked my food with coconut oil compared to the days that I was
limiting sat fat intake. It was just last month that I was waking up every
single morning to find new acne forming on my face but the day that I started
spooning coconut oil is the day that stopped. Of course like I said it has
only been 2-3 weeks now so I can’t claim to have actually cured my acne yet,
but I’m going to continue following the perfect health diet closely and in a
few months I’ll have a more accurate confirmation. Hopefully a positive one.
I’ve even reintroduced some dairy back into my diet recently, per your advice
and mostly from raw milk cheese yet still in relatively small amounts.

BTW, I had already been experimenting with intermittent fasting for the
past year and I noticed that when I fasted my face would definitely break out
the next day. Since discovering your advice on eating green leafy vege’s,
berries, and plenty of coconut oil during a fast I have followed a 16/8
eating cycle for the past 8 days straight without any skin problems at all. I
also just feel “better” during the fast while previously, I thought that a
fast wasn’t a fast unless I consumed nothing but water and black coffee. Your
advice both in your book and on this website has been invaluable to me. Thank
you!

I’ve been
following your advice strictly for nearly 4 months now, except I normally eat
200-400 carb calories per day, and my acne has completely cleared up. My skin
“feels” different, it was like I could feel a change in the texture of my
skin. In almost 20 years of trying every prescription drug, lotion, cleanser,
etc, this is the first thing that has worked (accutane worked for about 1
year). I do nothing to my face now but wash it once a day and follow the PHD
=D

acne

Infertility, amenorrhea, PCOS

 

Hunter‘s wife My
wife and I have been VLC for a couple years now, myself probably a little
longer than her and I tend to eat more saturated fat too. She recently
stopped taking birth control and her menstrual cycle just stopped. Also for
years and years, maybe as long as the past decade, she’s been chronically
constipated, depressed, and always tired and wanting to sleep 10+ hours.
She’s been thru tons of tests and no doctor can find anything wrong with her.
I started doing some research on her results from multiple blood tests and
found her TSH has been slowly increasing and was at 3.13. We started checking
her basal body temperature in the mornings and she’s usually around 96….
Both of us have also avoided salt for most of our lives as well as most
packaged/processed foods that might contain salt. So we started supplementing
Iodine, starting about a month ago and slowly increasing the dosage each
week, as well as eating about 200-400 carb calories a day from white rice,
taro, and cassava (all covered in pastured butter). Some mornings now her
temperature has reached as high as 98.2 and her constipation has suddenly
improved a lot.
hypothyroidism,
fatigue, constipation, amenorrhea
S,
email
Two
weeks ago my doctor diagnosed me with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. After
chatting to me a little about nutrition and its effect on the body, he wrote
down the title of your book “The Perfect Health Diet” and said that
it could help me. I went home and immediately ordered the book online and
received it a few days later (yippee!) Although I’m not even half way into
the book (I decided to start again after discovering it’s not light bedtime
reading!) I am certainly seeing sense in what the book says and am already
feeling a lot better just in myself – more energy, happier, less hormone mood
swings and not bloated at all. I’ve lost a bit of weight since I started two
weeks ago (6lbs) and my skin is… well… the least spotty its been since I
was about 11 years old! I’m certain that the diet is the reason for these
changes.
PCOS,
weight loss
Brian P. Many thanks for your book and blog as it has helped me lose 35 pounds and
counting over the last 5 months, along with a general improvement in energy
level and “evenness”. Extremely gratifying to find a way of eating which is
sustainable, totally satisfying and results in natural weight loss. And, I
have yet to add high intensity workouts to my normal morning and afternoon
walks. I have been talking to anyone who has expressed interest as the
potential of the diet is obviously tremendous!!

P.s. I strongly suspect PHD played a pivotal part in my wife getting
pregnant naturally, just prior to starting her next round of IVF.

weight
loss, energy, mood, infertility

Genetic disorders

 

Zach and Mathias My
son, who is 6, … has been on the diet for less than one month and his
hands have relaxed enough for him to regain his pointing ability (which had
been lost)
. Zach, the 12 year old on the diet, is much further
progressed in the disease. Zach has been on the diet since late October,
2010, reaching 80% fat levels towards mid-December. The following are the
improvements that have been noted by Zach’s family and therapists: Zach
has begun holding up his head
even though his neck has been hyper
extended backwards since he was 9, he has begun pointing with his
finger again
instead of the palm of his hand, he is moving
his right arm again
some, and the latest thing is that he is
now able to go from a laying position to a sitting position
on
his own
by hanging on to something or someone. He has not done this
since he was 9 years old. Both boys have begun smiling and laughing all
the time
…. Zach has gotten off all pain medicine
and only has a small amount of 3 [anti-spasmodic] medicines left which
hopefully he can get off of over the next year.
Neurodegeneration
with Brain Iron Accumulation (NBIA)

Migraines, headaches

 

Rob Sacks By
day 23 [of a ketogenic fast] I became free of headaches. There was still some
sort of migraine activity — I could often feel the sensations that in all my
previous life, had always been followed by a headache — but no headache
resulted….Then I started following a diet similar to those used by
neurologists at Johns Hopkins to treat children with epilepsy, with calorie
restriction, frequent meals, and a ratio of fat to protein (by weight) of
four to one. After two days of this diet, my headaches stopped again. That
was only 48 hours ago but I’m sure the diet is working because I challenged
myself last night with a sure-fire migraine trigger by staying up past my
bedtime to watch the eclipse. Normally this would create a debilitating
headache, but the only result was a slight migrainy feeling that was easily
controlled with two aspirin. Before the fast, aspirin had no apparent effect
on my migraines…. A bad varicose vein is dramatically improved, and a teary
eye problem (which I think was caused by a clogged tear duct, and which I
previously controlled with large amounts of vitamin C) has resolved almost
completely.
migraines
Kate I
too have had Raynaud’s all my life … In the past two months, I have modified
my diet in line with Paul’s suggestions for Migraine. I now eat 200 calories
worth of safe starch, all the recommended supplements, and as much coconut
oil as I can stomach. I am also doing the 16/8 fast. My Raynaud’s has further
improved, as measured by the fact I sometimes forget to turn the heat up in
the morning, and cold extremities don’t always alert me to my
forgetfulness!… Thanks for asking about the Migraines. They are in fact
vastly improved, which I attribute solely to your recommendations. I can say
that, because I have tried virtually everything else in the past…. Clearly
something remarkable is happening, thanks to your recommendations! A little
history. I started getting these headaches in my late 30s. (I am now 52). In the
beginning I thought I had the stomach flu, because in addition to the
headache I would always throw up or have dry heaves. The worst headaches
would keep me immobilized in bed for up to two days. My brother-in-law, a
neurologist, convinced me they were migraines. I finally consulted a doctor,
who put me on midrin, which did not help, and a few months later I started on
imitrex, which did help, at least at first. Eventually, my headache pattern
evolved, and I had at least a mild headache every day, punctuated by the
occasional doozy. Apparently, this is a pretty common progression, especially
with women my age. I always suspected there was something wrong with my
lifestyle or diet, and over the years I have tried numerous experiments, but
nothing ever worked. … In January, in my blog travels, I stumbled on your
site. I ordered the book and was intrigued by your and Shou-Ching’s ideas
about disease and chronic conditions. I was already familiar with the idea of
a ketogenic diet for epilepsy, so I was immediately interested in trying a
more ketogenic diet for myself. I ordered all your basic supplements, and
immediately upped my kelp to two capsules. I had been using coconut oil for
curries, so I started using it habitually. Started eating 200 calories of starches
that you recommended—this was a little scary, after studiously avoiding them
for four years! I was afraid I they might keep me awake at night, but I am
sleeping like a log. Started fasting 16/8, which was easy once you absolved
me for having cream in my morning coffee! Within a week of starting
this regimen my chronic headache started to disappear!
Some days I
would only have a headache for part of the day, and occasionally I would have
no headache at all! I read somewhere on your site that NAC is good on a
ketogenic diet, so I ordered it too. I had never heard of this supplement
before. It seems to have made a further positive difference. I have started
taking it twice a day. Once before bed, and once in the late afternoon, when
the headache sometimes starts coming back. Since I added NAC, I have
been nearly headache free.
Another amazing development concerns
anxiety. Over the years I have become somewhat anxious when I drive on
highways. I grip the steering wheel tightly, sit forward in the seat, and am
generally hyper vigilant. I always chided myself for my lack of nerves, but
that didn’t help. As mentioned above, this was magnified by the Topomax. I
never had this issue when I was younger; indeed I used to fly helicopters in
the army. Two weeks ago I drove up to New Jersey to pick up my daughter, a
3.5 hour trip from where I live in Northern Virginia. I stopped two hours
into the trip to make a pit stop, and I suddenly realized I was totally
relaxed, and had been for the entire trip! The PHD is strong brain medicine
indeed! Thanks for all your research, insights, and ideas. I think the
Perfect Health Diet is going to be a game changer for many people. Hopefully
it is the start of a sea change at how we approach the chronic maladies of
our times.
Raynaud’s,
migraines, anxiety
Sharon
McAllister
Before the Perfect Health Diet, I was getting migraines almost every day.
I was on a low-fat, high fiber diet which is, necessarily a high carbohydrate
diet. I ate lots of legumes, lots of whole grains, and lots of fruits and
vegetables. I also ate low-fat and non-fat dairy. As you can see, the only
good thing in my diet was the vegetables. I was on this diet for about 4
years. My bowels were regular for the first time in my life, and it did feel
good to not always be constipated. I believed I was doing all the right
things. I now know that slowly over time toxins were building up in my
system. Eventually, I realized that immediately after eating a meal (a meal
that I thought was superfood healthy), I got a migraine before I could even
get up from the table. I couldn’t understand it! I began to research, and by
the grace of God, I found your diet and immediately purchased your book. I
have many migraine triggers, so they are not completely gone, but the
frequency and intensity have reduced substantially. My doctor has put me on
several different maintenance drugs over the years that were suppose to
reduce the frequency and intensity of my migraines, but none of them worked
at all. Your diet has done far more than anything else I’ve tried. I am still
hoping that one day I will be migraine free, but with my hormone related
migraines, it will probably not be until after menopause. I’m 48 years old
though, so maybe not too much longer to wait. My adult niece has also been a
migraine sufferer for years and she is now on your diet, and it is working
great for her too. We both owe you a great deal of thanks!
migraines
Karin I have particularly severe, chronic, complicated, and often silent
migraines. I have had these since childhood all day everyday. Because they
were often silent (no pain) they would manifest in various other ways, thus
leading to misdiagnoses of mood disorders and schizophrenia for many years.
At one point I was also misdiagnosed with epilepsy as well. After one
particularly smart neurologist saw and tested me, I was placed on blood
pressure medications for migraines. This worked. The problem is that my body
constantly fights to readjust to the medications. After a few months at one
dose, it seems I start to get migraines again. So it would go up and the same
thing would repeat again. I was looking for a different solution and I
stumbled across this article.

I’ve been on the keto diet for nearly a month and it is the best thing
that has happened to me. I’m migraine free and medication free. My mood is
incredibly stable, I fall asleep quickly and stay asleep all night, I have
lots of energy, I can concentrate for hours on end, etc. I’ve lost weight
also, a much loved side effect. Thank you for writing this!

migraines,
mood, sleep, energy, weight loss
Brian Paul, Many thanks for the excellent work and great book.

I started PHD a few week before Christmas, and even with a few holiday
wobbles, I can honestly say that I am already starting to see a number
benefits.

I have no serious health issues as such, but a number of smaller/low level
chronic ones – headaches, gastric reflux, fatigue, stomach bloating and
gradual weight gain.

Gradually over a few shorts weeks the aforementioned issues have either
gone or dramatically subsided. My weight is starting to decrease (albeit
slowly) and my energy levels /sleep pattern is far better.

I’ve recommended your book to family and work colleagues as a result.

I think the main plus point of the diet is that it is ‘doable’.
Eliminating wheat and reducing fructose has been surprisingly easy, reducing
vegetable oil exposure more difficult.

Being allowed to each ‘safe starches’ has been great, as I’ve found
strictly low carb both difficult to sustain and left me not feeling optimal.

All in all I’m delighted, and so glad I found your website & book.

Many thanks

headaches,
acid reflux, fatigue, bloating, weight gain

Kidney stones

 

George
(email of Oct 14, 2011)
Just
a quick thank you for your website and the book which I purchased a month
ago. I had been a low carber for several years and over that time have
suffered 4 painful bouts of kidney stones. Your post on kidney stones on a LC
diet was eye opening. My urologist did various tests and I ended up with
having high levels of uric acid and oxalates. Incorporating your PHD, I
dramatically brought down my uric acid levels. I hope this and the other
benefits of your PHD will help prevent future stones.
kidney
stones

Diabetes & glycemic regulation

 

PeterC’s dad There might not be a perfect known diet for diabetes, but approximately
six months ago, my dad, an obese man in his early 70s with Type II diabetes
and recovering from congestive heart failure (with other health problems as
well), began following a not-especially low carb version of PHD along with
daily intermittent fasting.

Not only has he lost around 30 pounds, he’s been able to go off all his
meds except for insulin, which he has cut in half. Although his blood
pressure is still high, it’s pretty good for him, and most of his other
numbers have gotten better. His glucose is the best and most stable its been
in a very long time, possibly decades. I plan to write more about him and
show some before and after photos, with more detailed numbers and so forth,
when I get the chance.

He feels the best he’s felt in a long, long time. Where he used to say,
“If I live,” now he’s sure he’s going to live. Interestingly, he’s stopped
snoring as well, along with many other symptoms of better health.

I could write a lot more about him and plan to do so in the future.

diabetes
Daniel’s stepdad My
step dad was diagnosed T2D and had to take Metformin (high dosage) I convinced
him that his problem wasn’t high glucose but high insulin levels and that
Metformin was just a bandaid. I managed to get him to read Sisson’s articles
at MDA and follow the Primal Blueprint. This was NOT easy-he is very
stubborn. But Mark does have a way with words and now my step dad-in 8
months-has great BS readings and does not take any medication. His best
friend is also T2D and used to take 6 “mega shots” (his words) of insulin
everyday and now, after about 6 months, he is down to one shot per day. They
both have lost weight and both are in their late 50?s. Dont give up! the PHD
or Primal Blueprint are actually perfect to handle diabetes. Just dont listen
to the ADA!!
diabetes
Newell Wright I am a type II diabetic and a Perfect Health Diet follower, so I want to
chime in with my experience….

I switched from the Atkins Induction diet to the Perfect Health Diet. I
have been eating rice, potatoes, bananas, and other safe starches ever since,
as well as fermented dairy products, such as plain, whole milk yogurt. I have
also slowly lost another seven pounds. I enthusiastically recommend the book,
Perfect Health Diet by Paul and Shou-Ching Jaminet.

Today, my fasting blood glucose reading was 105. Note that since following
the Perfect Health Diet, my fasting blood glucose reading has gone down.
Previously, I was suffering from the “dawn phenomenon.” My blood
glucose levels overall were well below 140 one hour after a meal and 120 two
hours after a meal. Only my fasting BG reading was out of whack, usually
between 120 and 130, first thing in the morning.

For dinner tonight, I had a fatty pork rib, green beans, and a small baked
potato with butter and sour cream. For dessert, I had a half cup of vanilla
ice cream. One hour after eating, my blood glucose level was 128 and two
hours after, it was 112.

So not only am I losing weight on the Perfect Health Diet, my blood
glucose levels have actually improved, thanks to the increased carbs
counteracting the dawn phenomenon, just as Dr. Kurt Harris (another proponent
of safe starches) said it would.

So for me, as a type II diabetic, this “safe starches” exclusion
is pointless. I realize that I have greatly helped my diabetes situation by
losing a lot of weight prior to switching to the Perfect Health Diet. And I
am taking Metformin Extended Release pills every day. Nevertheless, despite
the type II diabetes, I am doing just fine on the Perfect Health Diet, thank
you. I reject the diabetic exclusion of safe starches.

diabetes
Jim, email of April 2, 2012 . I am down from 341lbs to 272lbs doing mostly Paleo, but modified with
some safe starches per your book. Just so you know this is not just about
weight loss for me, I was a type 2 diabetic with full metabolic syndrome and
most importantly, I had popping capillaries in my retinas that were leading
to blindness. All is better now, no pills etc.
diabetes,
obesity, diabetic retinopathy
KH I’m type 1 diabetic …

Just this morning, I took my A1c home test (by Bayer) which includes two
tests in the box. Because of the unbelievably low result of first test, I
took the second one (different finger, different hand) to check… Results:

test 1- 5.2

test 2- 5.3 …

I know the diet here is helping me a lot and I’ve been feeling more
energetic lately and less moody, which my husband is VERY HAPPY about!!

Type
I diabetes, energy, mood
elizabethe I’ve struggled all my life with overweight, binge-like eating disorder
symptoms, and fluctuating weight and (undiagnosed but quite obvious) volatile
blood sugar. I’ve been roughly following PHD for some months now and it has
seriously reduced all of my previous binge-eating, hunger craving symptoms,
as well as vastly increasing the amount of time I can go between meals
without feeling frantic or emotional. I haven’t lost much weight, but my
weight has stabilized whereas before I was on a steady gaining trend.
binge
eating, weight gain, glycemic regulation

Atherosclerosis

 

Alex I recently had my carotid arteries evaluated via ultrasound for plaque and
narrowing and was told there is no evidence of either. A year ago, just
before adopting a PHD type diet, an MRI of my heart revealed “significant”
plaque on one of my coronary arteries and less significant on another…. I’m
in my mid 40s, lean, active, and have seen many health improvements since
adopting the diet (less joint stiffness, no more chronic back pain, milder
colds, fewer allergy symptoms, less gas, less bloating, need for less sleep.
atherosclerosis,
joint stiffness, back pain, allergies, bowel distress

Body composition, strength, athleticism

 

Ryan In a month on your diet, I haven’t lost a single pound—I wasn’t really
overweight to begin with when I start—but my body fat % has decreased 2.5%
from 17.5 to 15. I have never had an easier time putting on and maintaining
muscle in my entire life, despite the fact that I am not really doing any
exercise, well, save for a half hour of yoga, 5 days a week.
body
composition, muscle development
David Z. My success story: I’ve been eating what was mostly a “health food” diet
for twenty years. I followed the various trends and tried vegan, vegetarian,
raw, and more at different time periods. I’ve done juice fasting and
cleansing. At some times I followed it more religiously and other times less
so, but nonetheless slowly gained weight over the years.

This year I read Wheat Belly and started to think about cutting out wheat,
but that book rubbed me the wrong way and I wasn’t ready to commit. In
following up on it however I learned about paleo diets which led me to the
Perfect Health Diet. I was highly intrigued and implemented it before I even
finished the book.

I lost 25 points in the first two months on the diet, going from 215 lbs
to 190. I was not 100% compliant during this time period so was surprised to
see how effective it was. Since then I have mostly leveled off on the weight
loss while staying on the diet, but my pants continue to get looser and
looser.

190 is not a bad weight for me; I am 5’11″ and lift weights so while
this would be a high BMI I look pretty good. I’d like to lose another 10 or
15 pounds eventually but since this diet is so easy and pleasurable I’m not
stressing out over it and am giving myself as many years as it takes to do it
slowly.

Thanks!

weight
loss, body recomposition
Billy Greetings from Liverpool UK! I recently bought your book and converted
from paleo (one year) to using your safe starches and more fat which works
much better for me – i’m 28, athletic build and live a very active lifestyle
so super low carb made me look like i was literally starving – gaunt and not
good. I have some colour back in my cheeks now and much more energy!
body
composition, energy
Matt Dear Paul

I completely agree with the review on your book given by Chris Kresser. It
certainly is, in my opinion, the best book on nutrition out there. I’ve
bought copies for my entire family.

I’m an amateur bodybuilder and I’ve been struggling to gain muscle mass
for the past year. I’ve been on high carb and high protein diets but barely
gained any muscle mass, only fat and water mass.

I’ve read your book and greatly increased my saturated fat intake from
butter and whole eggs while simultaneously removing all grains, excess
omega-6 and fructose from my diet. I’m getting leaner and my muscles are
developing better.

What’s really surprising is that my calorie intake is higher and I’m
losing fat mass!! About 400 calories more per day. (I keep a very accurate
record of my calorie intake).

bodybuilding,
gaining muscle while losing fat
Java Gal Ok, have to comment – can’t contain myself anymore! I am a lurker of the
worst sort, but here goes. As a 54 year old woman, I am more energetic,
flexible (yoga three times a week), and healthier than I have been for, oh,
decades. My doc, a wonderful, but dye-in-the-wool vegetarian, told me to keep
doing what I was doing – cholesterol dropped, good TSH levels(I’m hypo), and
down 5 sizes. Talk about replacing a wardrobe! My worry, of course, is
gaining it all back, which, sorry to say, is an experience I have had already
in days of yore. I was an avowed low-carber back then and I can attest that,
while it was effective for losing weight, it was not a good long term
strategy. So far, as long as I stick to basic PHD principles, things are
going swimmingly. In general, PHD has been a huge success. Thank you Paul and
Shou-Ching!
obesity,
energy, flexibility, dyslipidemia, hypothyroidism, general health
John D. After ‘standard’ PHD (maybe too low carb PHD) for about six months I’ve
been doing Leangains-style for the past 3-4, and I too have better success
than before. (Success = weight loss without significant muscle loss.)

In my case I lift once a week (Body By Science-style), and on that day I
drive carbs above 200g. I do 60-90g carbs on off days. Protein is consistent
at 130-150g per day, which I know is too high for PHD but I tell myself it’s
only temporal. All days are 16/8 IF.

By watching calories (1600 off day, 2000 workout) I’ve (slowly) lost
around 15 lbs over 6 months, but maintained or increased my strength (as
measured by weight and/or time-under-load).

So I am a fan of LG + PHD. The big question is what happens when I stop
watching those calories? My entire life to date it’s meant a slow creep up
back to ~my starting weight. I’m hoping this time will be different; I’ve
been lighter before, but never had this little fat mass. We’ll see.

weight
loss, muscle gain
A. b. Dada I added back white potatoes and even white rice based on Dr. Harris’
advice and definitely feel better (less orthostatic hypotension) — plus I’m
actually slimmer than I’ve ever been, yet my muscles are much stronger.

Low carb for 12 years before this year!

orthostatic
hypotension, body composition
Mowgli When I started primal/phd, the numbers on the scale didn’t change, but I
went from a 4 pack to a solid 6 pack, and got much faster despite less
running.
running
speed, body composition
Els and here and here I have been on PHD for almost 2 weeks now, doing IF 16/8 at the same time,
and have started with the supplements you have recommended 4 days ago. Since
I started PHD I do no longer crave for sweets. I used to eat chocolates
almost everyday and haven’t had it for over 2 weeks now. 🙂 I am so happy I
found your blog and got your book. Keep up the good works….

5 weeks ago I found PHD website and ordered the book. I am now on my 4th
week of PHD and doing pretty well eating 20% carbs. I also am taking the supplements
Paul had recommended after I emailed him to ask what I can add to the one I
was taking. One of the things I immediately noticed after doing PHD is that
it improved the quality of my sleep (used to keep waking up several times at
night and that is now a thing of the past because I now sleep uninterrupted
for 7-8 hours); and no more cramps in my calves (that used to happen
occasionally after a heavy work out); no more menstrual cramps as well. Also,
today is the first time i had my monthly period that i didn’t get a pimple in
my face. I usually get a big, really deep and hard to get rid of pimple just
before or during my monthly period and my husband or a dermatologist would
actually help me get it out especially if I had an important function to attend
to. I was thinking that may be IF and the removal of wheat in my diet did
greatly help me in seeing immediate improvement in my sleep. So yes at least
in my experience, a great improvement in my over all health since I
incorporated the principles that I learned from the PHD book. And btw, I have
a very sensitive skin (Atopic skin type or atopic/atopy syndrome – a
hereditary component, as my doctor calls it because my mo and grandma had it
too) and I usually get itchy and/or red spots in my skin all the time but in
the last 4 weeks the anti-itching cream which I carry everywhere has never
been used even once. And to top it all off, I lost 3 lbs in the last 4 weeks
(losing the 15 lb excess weight is not even on top of my list because I am
trying to get pregnant). I don’t have any health problems and hardly get
sick. I simply want to eat healthy and trying to figure out what diet works
best for me. And I found it! Thanks to PHD. Thanks to the Jaminets! At 42,
5’6″ height, 125 lbs weight, and doing PHD on 20% carbs, I feel great!
And yes, I am sticking with PHD for the rest of my life….

Btw, I continue to shed off some more fat even after I’ve increased my
carb intake to 30% last week. When I started the PHD 6 weeks ago, I weighed
128 lbs and now 122.4 lbs. I just hope I keep losing the last few fat I
wanted to shed off. Btw, I only weigh myself once a week at the same day and
time without fail and I also use a Digital Body Fat Caliper to measure my
body fat. So yes, I am definitely losing some body fat and no muscle loss!
That’s only after doing PHD for 6 weeks without changing my usual cardio
& weight training regimen. My trainer was very impressed when she weighed
me last week. I told her about PHD because she’s one of those people who
believes in eating 5-6 small meals a day. 🙂 I’ve done that for years but I
am definitely doing better by practising IF 16/8 and eating only 2-3 meals a
day. I am definitely seeing positive results since I started the PHD! The
elimination of wheat, sugar and cheese which I used to eat a lot everyday has
done great wonders in my body.

food
cravings, cramps / menstrual cramps, sleep, acne / pimples, body composition

Gout

 

L.B. I have been following a “paleo” diet for the past seven months – a
combination of the PHD book, Mark’s Daily Apple and Kurt Harris’ blog. I am a
47 year old male, 6’ 1” and 175lbs.

My health and fitness improvements include the following:

  • <span
    >25lb weight loss and
    better body composition
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of chronic gout (a seventeen year affliction)
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of “creaky” joints in my feet and knees
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of life long irritable bowel symptoms
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of heartburn
  • <span
    >Improved cholesterol profile
  • <span
    >Less plaque build-up
    on my teeth
  • <span
    >Reduced carb and sugar
    cravings over time

This fitness plan has had a profoundly positive impact on my life. My wife
is also doing this with me and she has been able to get off her blood
pressure medication and she’s experienced many other benefits as well.

weight
loss, gout, creaky joints, IBS, heartburn / acid reflux, dyslipidemia, oral
health, reduced cravings, blood pressure

Dyslipidemia

 

L.B. I have been following a “paleo” diet for the past seven months – a
combination of the PHD book, Mark’s Daily Apple and Kurt Harris’ blog. I am a
47 year old male, 6’ 1” and 175lbs.

My health and fitness improvements include the following:

  • <span
    >25lb weight loss and
    better body composition
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of chronic gout (a seventeen year affliction)
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of “creaky” joints in my feet and knees
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of life long irritable bowel symptoms
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of heartburn
  • <span
    >Improved cholesterol
    profile
  • <span
    >Less plaque build-up
    on my teeth
  • <span
    >Reduced carb and sugar
    cravings over time

This fitness plan has had a profoundly positive impact on my life. My wife
is also doing this with me and she has been able to get off her blood
pressure medication and she’s experienced many other benefits as well.

weight
loss, gout, creaky joints, IBS, heartburn / acid reflux, dyslipidemia, oral
health, reduced cravings, blood pressure
Java Gal Ok, have to comment – can’t contain myself anymore! I am a lurker of the
worst sort, but here goes. As a 54 year old woman, I am more energetic,
flexible (yoga three times a week), and healthier than I have been for, oh,
decades. My doc, a wonderful, but dye-in-the-wool vegetarian, told me to keep
doing what I was doing – cholesterol dropped, good TSH levels(I’m hypo), and
down 5 sizes. Talk about replacing a wardrobe! My worry, of course, is
gaining it all back, which, sorry to say, is an experience I have had already
in days of yore. I was an avowed low-carber back then and I can attest that,
while it was effective for losing weight, it was not a good long term
strategy. So far, as long as I stick to basic PHD principles, things are
going swimmingly. In general, PHD has been a huge success. Thank you Paul and
Shou-Ching!
obesity,
energy, flexibility, dyslipidemia, hypothyroidism, general health
Mike Gruber My TG seem to run a little lower if I eat some carbs. Pre-Paleo, I was
114. Post-Paleo, it had run as high as 167, and was 139 when last tested in
May of ’10.

I added “safe starches” and started the full PHD supplementation
program in late January of ’11. At my last blood draw (May of ’11), my TG was
finally under 100 (85).

dyslipidemia

Oral & dental health

 

L.B. I have been following a “paleo” diet for the past seven months – a
combination of the PHD book, Mark’s Daily Apple and Kurt Harris’ blog. I am a
47 year old male, 6’ 1” and 175lbs.

My health and fitness improvements include the following:

  • <span
    >25lb weight loss and
    better body composition
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of chronic gout (a seventeen year affliction)
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of “creaky” joints in my feet and knees
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of life long irritable bowel symptoms
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of heartburn
  • <span
    >Improved cholesterol
    profile
  • <span
    >Less plaque build-up
    on my teeth
  • <span
    >Reduced carb and sugar
    cravings over time

This fitness plan has had a profoundly positive impact on my life. My wife
is also doing this with me and she has been able to get off her blood
pressure medication and she’s experienced many other benefits as well.

weight
loss, gout, creaky joints, IBS, heartburn / acid reflux, dyslipidemia, oral
health, reduced cravings, blood pressure
Ray Among many of the benefits of giving up gluten completely has been the
disappearance of a life long dental plaque problem (I’m currently 51); a
problem so bad I needed to have my teeth cleaned every four months to keep my
dental hygienist happy.
dental
plaque

Eczema

 

Firlefanz I’ve had a sore on my right hand for over two months now. Nothing I did
really helped, I tried fatty salves, zinc salve, disinfectant spray …
nothing helped. But this morning, it’s practically healed. No more red skin,
in fact, the hard skin part simply flaked off and left healthy skin behind.

Small, but noticable. This diet reduces inflammation in the whole body. I
think this was one tiny example of it.

hadrion I decided to give Perfect Health Diet a go first and see where that takes
me. What I’ve learned from asking question to the Jaminets and reading their
answers is that a little sugar here and there in products and the sugar in
fruit isn’t going to kill you.

I can’t do a low carb Paleo diet as I never feel right on that kind of
eating plan and I end up gorging on nuts more than anything.

After 2 weeks on Perfect Health Diet I’ve seen some pretty impressive
changes in my body. My skin is clearer and less red. I’ve lost the
“bloat” I would get in my stomach after meals containing gluten. In
fact, I get full quicker on less food but the sense of full isn’t
uncomfortable; it’s just my body telling me to stop eating. I’ve lost some
weight in mid section that has been my most stubborn area as well. My wife,
who suffers from eczema, has had her condition lessened to the point that
it’s not an issue right now following the diet with me.

This leads me to a few things, chiefly, that gluten is not good for my
wife & I. My energy levels are more consistent and there’s less crashing
during the day avoiding gluten. I’ve had no inflammation although I stopped
my inflammation years ago following CS’s advice and using the supps he
recommends.

While I’m not dismissing Peat’s philosophy of diet, so far I feel pretty
great. I really think there’s a middle ground between these 2 styles of
eating that will work for people long term. That said, I’m going to stick to
Pefect Health for a full month and chart my progress and then I might try to
introduce some Peat ideas into the mix and see how the sugar from OJ and Ice
Cream play with how I feel. I have a feeling that it’s not going to be a
problem adding in those down the road. I am following Peat’s suggestion to
eat a raw carrot and coconut oil daily,

What I would encourage any of you dealing with inflammation or who feel
extremely bloated after a meal with wheat in it is to try to avoid gluten and
see if your body feels different. I had gone gluten free before but all I did
was replace wheat bread with gluten free breads and I paid no attention to
the oils used to make the products. The Perfect Health style of eating with
safe starches like potato, sweet potato and white rice makes following the
diet easy and pleasurable. We even made Perfect Health ice cream which uses
rice syrup in place of sugar and it was delicious and totally satisfied any
lingering sweet tooth.

So far, following the plan set out in the PHD has led to some nice
results.

Skin
redness, bloating, weight loss, eczema
Joan’s sister Hi Paul

You will remember 12 days ago I asked you about my sister who has CFS and
was taking 100 mls a day of safflower oil to keep eczema under control.

You wrote: My guess is that there is a high level of oxidative stress
which is diminishing AA levels, and the safflower oil makes more arachidonic
acid and relieves the problem. So the strategy I would try first is (a)
supplementing antioxidants…. and (b) treating any infections. Also, get serum
25OHD levels tested and normalize vitamin D/A/K status.

Your advice was spot on and the results have been miraculous. She started
supplementation with zinc, copper, selenium, vitamins C, E, D and K and NAC.
Within 24 hours her eczema was much improved and she began reducing the
safflower oil. Now 10 days later she is down to 10 mls of safflower oil and
is confident she can discontinue it completely in a few days. Her eczema has
completely cleared and her skin is looking good.

Not only that, but some of her CFS symptoms have improved. Her constant
headache is not as severe, irregular heartbeat episodes have almost
completely stopped and she is tolerating slightly more physical activity.
Needless to say she is absolutely delighted and wants me to pass on her
deepest gratitude to you. Her words are, “It’s a miracle”. Once again
Proverbs 13:12 springs to mind. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a
longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Her sense of despair and resignation
has gone and you have given her hope of a better future. Words seem
inadequate to express thanks for that.

I’ve ordered a couple of copies of your book and I’m sure she will be more
than open to reading it and making dietary changes. I hope she will also
follow up your advice to treat any underlying infections.

Any interesting note: prior to starting the anti-oxidants she craved the
safflower oil and could hardly wait for her next ‘dose’. That has been
replaced with feeling nauseous even at the thought of the oil. Obviously her
body no longer needs it.

In searching the net I found this paper that seems to support your advice:
Determination of fatty acid levels in erythrocyte membranes of patients with
chronic fatigue syndrome. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14744043

And this letter in the Nutritional Neuroscience discussing the paper’s
findings: Oxidative Stress Might Reduce Essential Fatty Acids in Erythrocyte
Membranes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients
http://cfids-cab.org/cfs-inform/Hypotheses/nijs.demeirleir04.pdf

Thank you once again, Paul, for your generosity in sharing your knowledge
and your time. The effect is life-changing.

Kind Regards

Joan

chronic
fatigue syndrome, eczema

Hair loss

 

Meli Hi Paul,

I just wanted to let you know that I was finally successful at adding back
in some carbs. I am now able to eat half of a small sweet potato on a daily
basis, while still losing weight! You were right, the weight gain (about five
pounds) was merely a temporary “hump” I had to get over before starting to go
back down. I was afraid I’d be stuck eating very low carb forever!

As a bonus, my eyes are no longer blurry, and my hair appears to have
started growing back. When I put it in a ponytail, there is a thick halo of
new fuzz where formerly my scalp was visible. I am suprised at how quickly
these issues began to resolve – it has been perhaps a month, if not less. I
haven’t been able to afford the supplements you recommended, but as soon as I
can I will get them.

You have my deepest gratitude, and respect. ~ Meli

Weight
loss, dry eyes, hair loss

Heart palpitations

 

Shelley I’ve been reading paleo, WAPF, low-carb sites for over a year now and
following your PHD as well. You can add me to the list of your success
stories as I lost 15 pounds , have no “cravings” eliminated GERD, heart
palpiations, panic attacts and other annoying pains.
weight
loss, food cravings, GERD / acid reflux, heart palpitations, panic attacks /
anxiety

Cramps, menstrual cramps

 

Els and here and here I have been on PHD for almost 2 weeks now, doing IF 16/8 at the same time,
and have started with the supplements you have recommended 4 days ago. Since
I started PHD I do no longer crave for sweets. I used to eat chocolates
almost everyday and haven’t had it for over 2 weeks now. 🙂 I am so happy I
found your blog and got your book. Keep up the good works….

5 weeks ago I found PHD website and ordered the book. I am now on my 4th
week of PHD and doing pretty well eating 20% carbs. I also am taking the
supplements Paul had recommended after I emailed him to ask what I can add to
the one I was taking. One of the things I immediately noticed after doing PHD
is that it improved the quality of my sleep (used to keep waking up several
times at night and that is now a thing of the past because I now sleep
uninterrupted for 7-8 hours); and no more cramps in my calves (that used to
happen occasionally after a heavy work out); no more menstrual cramps as
well. Also, today is the first time i had my monthly period that i didn’t get
a pimple in my face. I usually get a big, really deep and hard to get rid of
pimple just before or during my monthly period and my husband or a
dermatologist would actually help me get it out especially if I had an
important function to attend to. I was thinking that may be IF and the
removal of wheat in my diet did greatly help me in seeing immediate improvement
in my sleep. So yes at least in my experience, a great improvement in my over
all health since I incorporated the principles that I learned from the PHD
book. And btw, I have a very sensitive skin (Atopic skin type or atopic/atopy
syndrome – a hereditary component, as my doctor calls it because my mo and
grandma had it too) and I usually get itchy and/or red spots in my skin all
the time but in the last 4 weeks the anti-itching cream which I carry
everywhere has never been used even once. And to top it all off, I lost 3 lbs
in the last 4 weeks (losing the 15 lb excess weight is not even on top of my
list because I am trying to get pregnant). I don’t have any health problems
and hardly get sick. I simply want to eat healthy and trying to figure out what
diet works best for me. And I found it! Thanks to PHD. Thanks to the
Jaminets! At 42, 5’6″ height, 125 lbs weight, and doing PHD on 20%
carbs, I feel great! And yes, I am sticking with PHD for the rest of my
life….

Btw, I continue to shed off some more fat even after I’ve increased my
carb intake to 30% last week. When I started the PHD 6 weeks ago, I weighed
128 lbs and now 122.4 lbs. I just hope I keep losing the last few fat I
wanted to shed off. Btw, I only weigh myself once a week at the same day and
time without fail and I also use a Digital Body Fat Caliper to measure my
body fat. So yes, I am definitely losing some body fat and no muscle loss!
That’s only after doing PHD for 6 weeks without changing my usual cardio
& weight training regimen. My trainer was very impressed when she weighed
me last week. I told her about PHD because she’s one of those people who
believes in eating 5-6 small meals a day. 🙂 I’ve done that for years but I
am definitely doing better by practising IF 16/8 and eating only 2-3 meals a
day. I am definitely seeing positive results since I started the PHD! The
elimination of wheat, sugar and cheese which I used to eat a lot everyday has
done great wonders in my body.

food
cravings, cramps / menstrual cramps, sleep, acne / pimples, body composition
Erik I also recall during the summer getting cramps in my calves and triceps
when I didn’t consume enough carbohydrates. It was very easy to under consume
carbs when you cut out grains and legumes. The cramping went away when I
added in sweet potatos, rice and yams. Now, I make an effort to get more
carbs in my diet. I also noticed that my body odor would be stronger on days
that I consumed less than 100 calories of carbs. For me, I have found that
very low carbing doesn’t work well and there are side effects.
cramps,
body odor

Multiple sclerosis

 

Sara H I am a non-menstruating woman who with MS …

I do practice ketogenic dieting (thanks to you!) and I definitely feel the
benefit. I have not been successful finding a doctor who will treat me with
antibiotics but will continue to search. I do the coconut oil but I am prone
to fungal infections so I am careful not to take too much. I once lived in an
apartment for over 2 years working out of my home and when it was time to
move out noticed mold on the ceiling and after further investigation
discovered that the heating ducts were filled with it. I’m pretty sure this
is where my health problems began.

I have had no new lesions since first being diagnosed and looking at me
you would not know that I have MS …

multiple
sclerosis

Body odor

 

Erik I also recall during the summer getting cramps in my calves and triceps
when I didn’t consume enough carbohydrates. It was very easy to under consume
carbs when you cut out grains and legumes. The cramping went away when I
added in sweet potatos, rice and yams. Now, I make an effort to get more
carbs in my diet. I also noticed that my body odor would be stronger on days
that I consumed less than 100 calories of carbs. For me, I have found that
very low carbing doesn’t work well and there are side effects.
cramps,
body odor

Leave a comment ?

553 Comments.

  1. Hi Mary,
    Yes. I get about 3 of those per day.
    I wish I knew how to technically trouble-shoot it for Paul. People’s email just get randomly “hi-jacked”.

    • It’s actually nothing to do with email but is instead website comment spam. They are usually deleted by someone on the website backend, I imagine, so that’s why you don’t often see them on the site itself, but usually email and RSS subscription to comment threads get sent out before the post maintenance takes place.

  2. I’ve suspended my subscription due to the continued spam attacks to my email box. I’ll just check in from time to time at the blog. Too bad somebody always has to ruin it for others, isn’t it.

    Happy 4th!

    • Hi Mary,

      Sorry about that. I hope to have that fixed in a few weeks. The problem is that we implemented caching software to speed up page loading, but we introduced a bug that prevents our spam filter from learning about new spammers. So we’ve gotten some repetitive spam. Once we fix the bug the spam filter should go back to catching these things.

      Paul

  3. I just found your site, and have been eating Paleo for quite some time. I have learned a lot from Weston Price, Dr, Mercola, Michael Pollan, and Kevin Trudeau. Most of what I learned is the same type of diet. I am very surprised that you would sanction the use of a microwave. I got rid of mine years ago. I don’t trust them, and think they change the food, beyond just losing some nutrients, I think they contribute to cancer. Kevin Trudeau is adamant about it. I just don’t think they are good for you.

  4. Mary Wilkinson

    I was eating entirely vegan until May 1 of this year when I got results from lipid panel and triglycerides were sky high. I found your diet looking for ways to increase HDL and started on it immediately. All was going well and I felt very helthy. Then after 6 weeks I started to get TMJ. I was taking the D3, the Vit C, the K2 and the magnesium. I feel that the sudden onset of the TMJ indicates it is a nutrisional deficiency but in wht area? Any ideaas? I am 64

  5. ❓ Could you look into/discuss gallstones/liver stones, and clearing gall stones safely without having gallbladder removed please?

  6. Dr. Herb Mandell

    Dear Paul and Shou-Ching,
    I have been on the PHD for just five weeks now and have experienced some dramatic relief! After years of severe GERD, (the same symptom which led to esophageal cancer and death in an older brother), I am experiencing virtually no acid stomach nor reflux. Given my improvement, I was able to cut my dose of PPI in half with the blessing of my GI doc, and cut out extra doses of OTC antacid. I hope to cut back more in the future. (The PPI can cause some serious side effects when taken in large doses for long periods of time). I also am noticing that after eating a filling meal such as spaghetti with (rice) pasta, I no longer feel bloated. Also, I notice less aching in my fingers and wrists, and my arthritic knees are less painful. Thank you both so much for your incredible work!

    • Herb,

      I have a close friend who is struggling with GERD. Are there any specific parts of the PHD that you emphasized to help your GERD symptoms?

      Thanks

      Rick

      • Rick,
        I would emphasize safe starches, staying away from vegetable oil, beans, and legumes, and carefully checking the contents of any packaged foods for high-fructose corn syrup (amazingly common) etc. before purchasing. Also, when dining out or visiting friends, be sure to bring along safe foods to consume if you are not certain of the fare beforehand. Using these strategies, not only is my reflux resolved, but I have virtually no more heartburn. Good luck to you and your friend!
        Regards,
        Herb

        • Hi Herb,

          Have you been able to get off medications? Glad to hear you are doing well!

          • Hi Paul,
            I have now successfully gotten off 3/4 of my PPI medication (Dexilant) without any rebound or other ill effects. I hope to get off the last 30 mg in time, but will take it slowly as I have been on this med for almost 7 years.
            My cardiologist also put me on a statin prophylactically many years ago- not for my cholesterol, which has never been high, but because my C-reactive protein ( a non-specific measure of inflammation) ran between 20 and 25, and he hoped the statin would lower it (it did not). The normal high is 5, so you see it was markedly elevated So I started the PHD diet on July 1 of this year and just got the results of retesting- my level is now 7!! Quite a tribute to the PHD diet, almost down to normal after just 6 weeks. So the statin is now discontinued as well! Many thanks to you and Shou-Ching for your landmark research.
            Regards,
            Herb

      • Hi Rick,

        I’m working on a GERD post soon. The usual causes: SIBO/gut infection; food sensitivities; choline deficiency; circadian rhythm disruption. PHD addresses all of these, I’ll discuss the specific parts in my post. To start with, you should try eliminating toxic foods and omega-6 rich foods, supplementing choline, eating bone/joint/connective tissue soups and stews for extra cellular matrix components, taking extra vitamin C for collagen, doing intermittent fasting, eating liver (vitamin A) and optimizing vitamin D for mucosal immunity, and tending to all the circadian rhythm factors.

  7. I have just started introducing the PHD way of eating into my life as well as my family. I struggle with anxiety and concentration when anxious. I have also been struggling with weight loss, for many years. i have been trying to understand your recommended supplements but feel uncertain of what would be the most suitable for my lifestyle. I live in South Africa, and am struggling to find the same products as suggested on your website. I would sincerely appreciate your help.

    • Hi Khat,

      Anxiety usually reflects some sort of infection, possibly confined to the gut (it can affect the brain by long distance communications). Weight gain often has a similar cause.

      Supplements are less important than food. Liver and sunshine are key. Take all the PHD supplemental foods, and tend to circadian rhythm factors.

      Best, Paul

  8. Hello Paul,
    I’ve just spent several hours reading your website, and I find this information fascinating. I can’t afford to buy the book at the moment, but I wonder if you could suggest what I could do for chronic constipation. Triphala worked for awhile; maybe I need to increase the dose. I’d appreciate your advice. Thanks!

  9. Hi Paul and Shou-Ching,

    I just came across your website while exploring possible answers to my health problems. Although I haven’t ordered your book yet or started to follow the diet, I plan to do so. My problems started about 20 years ago with periodic brain fog. Over the years, I finally pinpointed chocolate, peanuts, and crying as the sources. I haven’t eaten chocolate or peanuts since then, but even the smell of peanuts will give me 24-hour brain fog (but not if I see them first and breathe through my mouth, so it’s something in the nasal passage that goes to my brain). For about 10 years I have also had excess phlegm in my throat and for the past 2 years puffy eyes that start with seasonal allergies but just continue, and also when I have the brain fog (recently because of empty-nest crying), tiny sebaceous cysts on my chin and cheeks. At first I thought the phlegm and puffiness and cysts might be liver disease, but recent blood tests all came back normal. I have started to suspect histamine because I think crying and chocolate and peanuts all release histamine into the brain. Does this make any sense to you?

    • Hi Karen,

      I have to confess all this is new to me. I have no idea what it could be. Histamine is a clever idea.

      Peanuts are a common allergen, and chocolate is also a common source of food sensitivity (possibly due to cockroaches and other insects that tend to contaminate it). Crying could be stress-related.

      I don’t have alternative ideas, but I’ll keep an eye out for something relevant to this pattern.

  10. Thank you Folks
    Just finished “The perfect health diet” book. Was a bit of a challenge
    to get through but very glad I persevered.

    Paleo had been my way of eating for 14 months now. 35lbs gone
    on my 5’2″ frame was a very good thing but not enough… weight loss
    stalled, started becoming hungry after supper again.

    Daughter emailed me about your website and the rest is history.
    Well, as of almost 2 weeks ago. I’ve been eating only within the 8 hour
    window.

    It’s 7pm I just finished supper: can salmon, an avocado with a drizzle of homemade dressing and a baked potatoe loaded with organic butter
    and 2 pieces of 90% chocolate. I feel stuffed and yet, in a little over a week
    I’ve lost another 5lbs. It is sooo easy to be lazy and just have 2 cups of coffee in the morning (with cream) and wait to eat till 11:30-12:00ish.
    Feels like cheating, but it’s not.

    I feel wonderful (before any weight loss) I sleep better. The last of the inflamation in my leg and foot has all but disappeared and I feel finally full
    when after supper rolls around.
    Thank you for finding the extra key. Who knew it would be this easy!
    Shouting from the rooftops won’t spread the word as quickly as a quiet smile and answering the questions that surface.
    Thank you
    Many blessings
    Jennifer

  11. I finally got a chance to look at the micro-nutrient section of UK edition. Thanks for recommending bell peppers! There’s no need to supplement C when I can eat a red bell pepper and some lettuce greens. Problem solved. I’m also looking forward to eating oysters for zinc and dark chocolate for magnesium.

    I gave vitamins another chance this summer, and while they have some interesting effects, for whatever reason, all three of my Aristotelian souls (vegetive, perceptive and rational) work incomparably better when I don’t take them. And in light of the suggestions in the UK edition, I feel fairly confident that I can obtain an abundance of nutrients without them.

    I’ve also discovered that certain mineral waters (from Spain and Italy and California) are good sources of lithium, magnesium, calcium and silicon.

    Thanks for your ongoing research on circadian rhythms. Some of the lighting and light blocking products and your advice on circadian rhythm entrainment have been enormously beneficial.

    I’m also quite sure now that I have re-discovered in the sphere of barefoot running, and after years of research, practice and reflection, “the one best way.”

    Of course, any wild animal can possess perfect health and physical perfection, but humans have a rational soul, and that needs to be cultivated as well. To the day when we can all take perfect health and physical perfection for granted! To the day when your insight is conventional wisdom.

  12. Hi Paul and Shou-Ching,
    first of all thanks for writing this book. I read it in 2 days straight and got so much valuable information out of it. Impressive!

    My health issues are acne and fungal infections. Acne cleared up impressively on the PHD which I contribute mostly to beef liver, salmon, coconut oil, butter, bone broth, and avoidance of gluten and PUFAs.
    However my fungal infection – mostly on the scalp and small patches on the arms – persists. The odd thing is that, the fungus flares up everytime I eat saturated fat from beef, lamb or bone broth. I know this sounds weird, but I’m keeping track of this phenomenon for almost 1 year. So I need antifungal cream whenever I eat these foods.

    I’m considering:
    • „Starving“ the fungus by avoiding beef,lamb,bone broth.
    • Supplemental iodine + selenium (from brazil nuts)
    • NAC
    • Taking collagen hydrolysate instead of bone broth
    • I already take 1g Vitamin C, Zink, Probiotics, weekly liver+daily eggs without results

    I’d appreciate your thoughts on this tricky fungus 😉

    Greetings from Austria
    Michael A.

    • Hi Michael,

      Try supplementing some vitamin A (not beta carotene, but the active retinoic acid from cod liver oil) and making sure vitamin D status is good and you get some K2. Also, try eating more carbs (for immunity); checking iron status; and providing more choline (egg yolks, liver, or supplements) and pantothenic acid to help dispose of excess saturated fatty acids.

      Best, Paul

      • Thanks for your fast reply Paul!

        I already eat 200-300g liver weekly and egg yolks daily. Is it still advisable to supplement Vitamin A?

        Cod liver oil is a great hint and I’ll check the others too. Thanks!

        Michael

        • Hi Michael,

          Well, you shouldn’t need more A, but experiment and see if it helps. Also, check your iron status and make sure you don’t have an excess; if so give blood. Liver is very iron rich.

          • I finally figured it out!

            Iodine was the missing key to kill malassezia furfur. Also VERY strict avoidance of wheat was necessary in my case.

            I would suggest people with fungal infections to try the following:
            1. Strictly no allergens (especially wheat)
            2. Vitamin A (weekly liver should be sufficient)
            3. More carbs
            4. Seaweeds and/or KI for iodine

            However I still have one question to close the case:
            You stated in your book that grains induce hypothyroidism. How does that happen? Does the immuno-reaction against grains somehow use up iodine? And if iodine is scarce in the blood stream it is drawn from thyroid hormone like you described in the book (“respiratory burst”)?

            Thanks again Paul. You and your book improved my life in so many ways!

          • Oh and by the way, I found that iodine is used to treat “severe seborrhea and fungus/pus-forming infections” in dogs and horses (e.g. http://www.fullersupplyco.com/naturals-iodine-shampoo-8oz)

            I assume it would also work great in humans to KILL the fungus, but where do you buy iodine shampoo for humans? Did the “anti-dandruff-shampoo”-lobby promote zinc pyrithione, salicylic acid, ketoconazol and others to SUPPRESS fungal growth and not kill it?! They have to ensure returning customers someway 😉

  13. Alright, thanks Paul!

  14. Hello Paul,
    You book is filled with incredible data… I have encouraged my colleagues and friends to buy a copy.
    I have a question referring to page 130, the macro-nutrient profile of meat. I believe that the meat you refer to here is corn fed beef and not grass fed beef which have much higher percentages of omega 3. Please could you clarify this – we eat a lot of grass fed beef with the understanding that we are obtaining higher levels of omega 3 over those who purchase store bought corn fed beef.
    Thanks

    • Hi Andrew,

      Although grass fed beef has more omega-3 than grain fed, levels are still very low compared to fish. So if you are eating salmon once a week, whether you eat grass fed or grain fed beef is irrelevant to your omega-3 status.

      Grass fed beef also has lower omega-6 levels, which is good. But the main benefit is that the animal is healthier so there is less inflammation and therefore it is less likely to bring inflammatory compounds.

      • Thanks for your fast response, Paul.
        I consume about 5 servings of Salmon a week, about 10 servings of grass fed beef and roughly 2-3 serving of poultry. I will also have 2 free range organic eggs each morning with either fish or vegetables. I also take a tablespoon of high quality cod liver oil and also 2-3 tablespoons of coconut oil. I make my own jerky from our grass fed ground beef supply and eat this daily as a snack or when cycling.
        I have never had by omega ratio properly calculated, but just assumed that my consumption of fish and fish oil has given me a good balance.
        Unfortunately I was told 20 years ago by my doctor to avoid fats because of cholesterol risk, so had eaten a high grain diet for a long period. I shifted to Paleo 18 months ago and then found your book. Since then I have enjoyed adding some starch to by diet as this has helped me keep my weight up – I am naturally thin at 160lbs/6ft and the additional carbohydrates allows me to worry less about losing weight. Bibimbap is one of my favorites. Funny that I used to make this without knowing what it was called – I just add coconut milk (GMO Free in a can) for extra saturated fat.
        Cheers and thanks again
        Andrew

        • Hi Andrew,

          That sounds pretty good to me. We recommend about 1 pound of salmon per week, and if a serving is 4 ounces, that would make four servings. I don’t know what your serving size is.

          It is important to minimize omega-6 fats by avoiding vegetable seed oils and eating meats and animal fats from ruminants or seafood.

  15. Hello Paul
    I would really appreciate your thoughts on my last post.
    Thanks very much..!
    Andrew

  16. Hi Paul,
    I want to first thank you for sharing this knowledge with me as it has truly changed my life. I am a 28 year old female who has struggled with body image, anxiety, OCD and digestive problems. I had always been considered thin by family and friends, however I was always looking to drop those last few pounds. I found Paleo about a year ago and thought that I had found the answer. I was VLC and practicing IF on a regular basis. Although I saw results on the scale..I continued to have severe anxiety, obsessive thoughts about my weight and continued to struggle with digestive issues. I found the PHD recently and my world turned upside down (in a good way)I no longer care about the scale. I did regain about 5lbs but I am at a healthy normal weight. My skin, hair and mood have improved dramatically. For the first time I am able to enjoy activities that I once did as a young kid. I sleep better than I ever have. Thank you for everything 🙂

  17. Hi Paul, I have been following (not perfectly but fairly well) PHD for about a year and a half. Some recent bloodwork showed me at the lowest end of the scale for iron. In addition I’ve been diagnosed with vitiligo which seemed to start last summer and seems to ‘flare’ (it gets itchy and irritated) occasionally. I’ve, since adolescence had issues w fungal infections (athletes foot, toenail-which improved with PHD but still plagues me)and have a tendency to what I think is gut related OCD type behaviour (hair pulling, also since adolescence-also improved w diet). I’ve also had terribly painful periods most of my life. While it all sounds like a hot mess I feel well and function very well. Friends and family would consider me healthy. I just wondered if you saw some ‘magical’ link between them all that I am missing. While much has improved with PHD (which I am so grateful for) the low iron and recent vitiligo have me perplexed. The fungal and OCD issues seem to have flared of late too… I did cheat with some (too much) commercial sugary icecream at the end of the summer-perhaps that’s all it takes to set me back… Thanks Paul, for your time and input. You are incredibly generous.

    • Hi Tami, are you sure you have vitiligo? Pityriasis versicolor (a fungal infection) can look very similar to vitiligo. Try scratching the unpigmented patches with your fingernails… if your skin scales (like dry skin), its very likely that its a fungal infection.

      Are you getting enough iodine?

      For me, the following helped to eliminate fungi:
      1. Strictly no allergens (especially wheat)
      2. Vitamin A (weekly liver should be sufficient)
      3. More carbs
      4. Seaweeds and/or KI for iodine

      In another post Paul also recommended selenium, iodine, zinc, copper, chromium, iron, vitamin D, vitamin C, glutathione (or NAC, glycine) for anti-fungal immunity.

  18. Hi Michael,
    Thank you for your post, I appreciate your input. Unfortunately I am sure it’s vitiligo. I’d rather be dealing with fungus over autoimmune. I saw a dermatologist and specifically asked if it could be fungal but she says it is classic vitiligo (I believe one can differentiate using a woods lamp which she used). I don’t have any scales or dry skin in the area (jaw line). I’ve been wheat-free for almost 5 years now and grain free (except white rice) for the last 1 1/2 to 2 years. I do aim for weekly liver but am not always reaching my quota. It’s possible iodine is low, however I did a patch test with it a couple of months ago and could still see some staining the next day which I believe indicates its probably normal. I seem to start. but not stick with seaweed. I was doing the zinc/copper recommended dosages when I didn’t have liver in a given week, but woke one night with a terrible copper taste in my mouth, like i’d had pennies in my mouth, and decided to stop them. I take D (have had it tested and its great) and C. I’m sure I get enough dietary iron (which is why I thought it strange it was so low). Selenium I’m pretty sure I satisfy thru diet. Chromium and glutathione I have not tried and am not familiar with. Overall the fungal issues are improving and I am sure another year or two with PHD will see more improvement. It’s the recent low iron and autoimmune that have me hmmmmming… My best guess is that its all gut related, so will continue to focus in that department. I’m sure it can take some time and tweaking to get things just right there! Thanks again for your input Michael!

    • a couple of my own observations,

      i came to the conclusion that the iodine spot/patch test was meaningless, too may variables…iodine type, iodine strength, skin type, skin temp, climatic conditions (temp, humidity etc), ‘rubbing’ from clothing/bedding, perspiration…

      With the copper taste, i experienced a similar thing when taking some zinc&copper capsules (Jarrow Zinc Balance).
      one capsule was fine, but if i took two (=2mg copper as copper gluconate) the taste would ‘repeat’ on me for hours.

      I changed from capsules to tablets & to a different form, 2.5 mg copper for copper glycinate (Solgar Chelated Copper). & the taste problem was gone.

      Of course the only way to find out if your are deficient in copper or not is probably from blood tests, ie. Serum Copper & Ceruloplasmin

  19. Hi Paul, I was wondering what your thoughts on hemp seeds are? They contain high PUFA levels but also seem to be good for the immune system.

  20. Dear Paul,
    Thank you for you all the work both you and Shou-Ching Shih put into publishing the Perfect Health Diet book. I’m learning so much. I have a question about herbs and their effect on the hormonal system and toxicity. Would you recommend elimitating all herbs from diet or are there safe herbs to eat and if so what are they and how much per meal?

  21. Dear Paul,

    I lost weight on Paleo, and had amazing energy for the first few weeks. This energy faded away so I looked for something more sustainable. Since I adopted PHD, I’m feeling a whole lot better now. 🙂 I’m also encouraging my family to follow PHD.

    I’m using the free LIFT app (iPhone & web based)to help in developing new PHD habits. On LIFT there is a “Eat perfect health diet” habit group that can encourage us on this journey. If you are looking for accountability and encouragement in developing new consistent PHD habits, check out lift.do and search for the habit “Eat perfect health diet”.

  22. Hello everyone. I’m completely new to all this, and only started looking at Paleo / low carb diets when I started teaching GCSE Food Technology again last year (yes I’m in the UK). I researched first of all into eating sugar and found some disturbing info about how bad it really is for you, then progressed to low carb diets then here. Unfortunately I have to teach the syllabus which preaches the UK healthy eating guidelines (high carb low fat), but I do manage to sneak in some low carb info as ‘an alternative viewpoint’! I’ve pestered my GP about the following symptoms for ages, and have finally had blood tests done (waiting for results):

    IBS symptoms, crashing fatigue after eating, brain fog most mornings despite decent amounts of sleep, craving sugary food even after eating till it hurts! Pale stools for days on end and a very bad reaction to caffeine, (hyperactive, then chest tightness, then constant peeing then hugely upset stomach) add to this an overactive bladder and urge incontinence and you can see why I was pestering the doc!!!!! But blood pressure fine But extremely poor circulation and I feel the cold before everyone else.

    Any thoughts on all this or shall I just wait on the test results (they are to test for ceoliac, diabetes etc.)

    yours hopefully

    Jo Whitham (Wales, UK)

    • Hi Joanne, I could have wrote all that myself – I suffer in very similar ways! I always get tired after eating, but usually from higher carb foods. I’m currently trying to do a ketogenic diet as it’s the only thing that seems to make me feel better and clear-headed. I also craze sugary food like mad, which isn’t helped by seeing it in the supermarkets all the time!

      • Yeah, I had that also pre Paleo and less so pre PHD. Create treats for yourself – mine is 90%+ dark chocolate (afternoon treat) and coconut ice cream on weekends. If you are on craving, drink some water with lemon or some flavored tea. I have a tub of Manuka honey and and take a quarter teaspoon if I feel like something really sweet. I also make my own dried meat and have this as a snack. I find the more fat I eat, the less I feel like sugar. Sugar is poison so be thankful to yourself for not eating it… Just remember some haling modalities say it takes the same time to repair your body as it took to get sick, so this is not an overnight fix. Just hang in there – it will pass and you will get better.

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  25. Doctor Herb Mandell

    Testimonial from Herb Mandell MD, Guest at Albert Oaks Perfect Health Retreat

    November 11, 2013

    My goal in coming to the Albert Oaks Perfect Health Retreat was to totally immerse myself in a culture of food, exercise, and circadian entrainment, with like-minded individuals, so that I might emerge with an integrated lifestyle and game plan to work with. Although I am still working on the circadian part, I have made some progress there, and am more than satisfied with my progress in all the other areas. I could not have predicted how helpful the staff, our talks with Dr. Jaminet, the environment, or certainly our gracious hosts, Damon and Joyce Young, would prove to be. These are tremendously big-hearted people who shared their wealth of knowledge, their Retreat, and their practical experience with us on so many levels. I am also eternally grateful to my lovely wife and lifetime partner, Peggy, who accompanied me on this journey with her quick wit, her deeply reflective insights, and her truly indomitable spirit. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunities for exercise here, and personally mastered the Primal 7, the bicycle course at the Velopark, and even went on to successfully complete a ten-segment zip line course on a weekend jaunt to nearby Wimberley.

    The information that I have absorbed has been nothing short of a huge paradigm shift for me. As a retired physician and medical director of a national children’s charity, I can honestly say that I have never so clearly comprehended the importance and role of diet, exercise, and other lifestyle elements in shaping one’s personal health status. While here I was able to achieve my goal of getting off my protein pump inhibitor medication, which I had taken for over seven years with very mixed results. While on the PHD diet, my C-Reactive Protein plunged from 35 to 7, and I was able to discontinue my statin medication as well. I have also made significant progress in addressing a chronic fungal infection while being able to cut back on medication for that also.

    The other guests here were very interesting folks, and I am sure we will remain friends, at least online, and hopefully again in person. Our host and chef, Damon Young, served as a powerful presence in anchoring our daily educational meetings, meals, and in suggesting exercise and other outdoor activities. He and his wife, Joyce, are a warm, deeply caring couple who are fun to interact with.

    The accommodations at the Retreat were extremely comfortable, with a large private room and en suite bath. We always had full access to the living room, dining room, exercise areas, yoga room, as well as laundry facilities. Yoga classes, in particular, were extremely enjoyable and an important integral part of a healthy approach to life and to aging. I can honestly say I feel several years younger, although I celebrated my 64th birthday while at the Retreat. The rest of the staff were spontaneous, high energy folks who did everything possible to keep us engaged and happy and helped ensure the success of our experience.

    Finally, some words about Austin, Texas. I found it to be a fascinating, intriguing, multi-cultural, and unexpected big city. It was easy to get to with a non-stop flight from the East Coast, and because it is laid out in a grid, easy to navigate as well. The one drawback, of course, is the traffic. We managed to pack in visits to a number of restaurants that were excellent by any standards, as well as the State Capitol building, the LBJ Library, the Broken Spoke, and some bohemian shops on South Congress Street. It helps that I have a nephew and niece in Austin, but anyone would find it a really cool town.

    I would urge anyone who is learning the PHD diet and philosophy to come to the Retreat for the total experience. You cannot put a price tag on your life, your health, or your ability to make the most of both.

  26. Testimonial from Peggy Mandell, Guest at Albert Oaks Perfect Health Retreat

    November 11, 2013

    My husband and I have just concluded a month long stay at the Albert Oaks Perfect Health Retreat, which exceeded our expectations in every way and added years to our lives.

    We began the Perfect Health Diet four months prior to attending the Retreat, beginning on July 1, 2013, and had already been experiencing amazing health benefits and weight stabilization when we arrived. But until coming to Albert Oaks, the only instruction I had in following the program was to go “by the book”–a wonderfully rich, informative, compelling book, indeed–but without the benefit of a community of other PHD program participants, experiences, and mentors to bring the program to life and make it second-nature. Now, I can’t imagine living any other way.

    As the cook in our family, I was especially looking forward to enjoying PHD compliant meals cooked by a professional chef using eggs and fresh produce from their own back yard garden. From the moment we arrived at the airport in Austin, Damon and Joyce Young treated us like family and welcomed us into their spacious, beautifully appointed home. So much thought and care had gone into creating a comfortable environment for learning and living, from the commodious dining room where guests, hosts, and staff ate together family style, to the lovely yoga studio and outdoor patio equipped with weights, medicine balls, and primal 7 exercise equipment, to the attractive living quarters replete with special lighting to help guests reset their circadian clocks, if need be, and enjoy a long, restful sleep each night.

    After a month of nutritious meals, great sleeping, and daily exercise, plus a stimulating educational program with world class scientist and eminently friendly and approachable Paul Jaminet, PhD, co-creator of the Perfect Health Diet, I feel ten years younger!

    It was so easy to get into the “habit” of going outside each day for a jog around the peaceful, tree-lined, South Austin neighborhood in which Albert Oaks is situated, or to take in the Texas sunshine for my requisite dose of vitamin D. Once I had clearance to go into Damon’s really cool commercial kitchen (a Texas Food Handlers Card was required), I enjoyed learning Damon’s chef’s secrets and lessons for great PHD meals–including the world’s best bone broth and most nutritious fermented vegetables. We all learned the benefits of intermittent fasting (eating only between noon and 8 p.m.), and delicious morning coffee and broth made it easy.

    The Perfect Health Diet is a lifestyle that can add years to one’s life simply by getting regular exercise and adopting regular sleeping habits, eliminating toxins from the diet such as grains, legumes and seed-based vegetable oils, and then eating wholesome, fresh, nutrient-dense foods in a perfect balance. Albert Oaks teaches one exactly how to do this in a community where everyone is committed to doing the same thing. All the supplemental foods that PHD recommends were amply provided, from great seafood at least once a week, to the delicious bone broth, to melt-in-your mouth liver mousse, to daily rations of fresh vegetables and fermented home-made kimchi, safe starches and satisfying meat dishes, to the ubiquitous eggs! It was sheer heaven hanging out in a kitchen where all the ingredients were abundantly PHD compliant. I tried my hand at cooking a few times and everyone in the kitchen was generous and supportive, especially the wry, iconoclastic and talented Damon Young. Arriving at Albert Oaks was like landing in a country where everyone spoke your language. I was treated to a shopping expedition with Damon to learn how he chooses food in a grocery store or farmer’s market. I envy his encyclopedic grasp of “cost per pound” and gift for mental addition, and am in awe of his boundless energy and creativity. Bringing PHD to life in a practical setting has been Damon’s dream and passion, and it is evident in every detail here at Albert Oaks.

    Many people go to Albert Oaks to eat healthfully and lose weight. While I had already achieved my ideal weight before I got there, it was extremely important to me to maintain my weight and this was easy to do. Many people go to Albert Oaks to find ways to overcome chronic illness through diet rather than medication, or to get off medications that are ineffectual, have nasty side-effects, or both. My personal goal was to reverse post-menopausal osteoporosis through diet and lifestyle, with the right mix of recommended supplements to maximize bone health, so that I could get off a medication that has dangerous side effects. By carefully following the PHD guidelines and also speaking personally with Paul Jaminet during our Skype Q & A sessions, I have been able to tweak my vitamin and mineral supplements with these goals in mind. If osteoporosis was unknown in Paleolithic times, surely we moderns can nourish our bones for strength and health by eating “the way we were meant to eat.”

    Another happy outcome of the diet for me, both before and during our stay at Albert Oaks, is that I now feel completely satisfied at mealtime, never get hungry before the next meal, but also never feel bloated, too full, or uncomfortable after eating. My body does a “happy dance” each day because it now gets exactly what and how much food it needs, and nothing harmful.

    This next unexpected consequence took me completely by surprise. For years I had pain in my neck from what I believed was age-related osteoarthritis. After trying everything (massage, yoga, chiropractic adjustments–all of which provided only partial, temporary relief), I woke up one morning at Albert Oaks and realized my neck did not hurt any more and I had regained full range of motion. I thought about all the changes I had made in my diet and what might have been THE magic bullet for taking away my chronic inflammation and muscle stiffness, and I decided it didn’t matter because it worked! PHD teaches, and I am living proof, that with the right diet and lifestyle one need not be sick, or chronically inflamed or infected, particularly in later life, just because one is aging.

    I am grateful beyond words for what PHD and Albert Oaks has done for me and my husband Herb, who will relate his own Albert Oaks story. By coming to Austin we have discovered a beautiful, vibrant part of central Texas hitherto unknown to us. On our days “off” we went canoeing on Town Lake, visited the magnificent State Capitol building and LBJ Library on the University campus, hiked all around the spectacular Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, enjoyed yoga “in the park” where Damon cooks BBQ and invites everyone to join him for volleyball, learned “contra dancing” with other Albert Oaks guests and staff, enjoyed some of Austin’s best country music at the legendary “Broken Spoke,” had a lovely bike ride in the park, spent a weekend out in the Hill Country where we rode 10 zip lines across a canyon on a beautiful Texas ranch, and met some of the warmest, friendliest, truly big-hearted and generous people we have ever encountered. Thank you Paul and Shou-Ching Jaminet. Thank you Damon and Joyce Young. Thank you wonderful retreat teachers, organizers, staffers, cooks and helpers: Beth, Hannah, Jorjan, Charlie, Paula and Seth. Thank you, Albert Oaks!

    POSTSCRIPT
    If you are thinking about coming to Albert Oaks and not sure you can afford the financial or time commitment, think again: ask yourself “how can I afford NOT to come here?” Not only is this all-inclusive immersion experience more affordable than any month-long vacation you could possibly take, it is such incredible value for the money. Think of all the other ways you spend your time and money with no measurable benefit. To attend Albert Oaks is to give yourself a gift for a lifetime with continuing good health returns. Surely you and your loved-ones are worth that!

    If you do come, know that like everything else in life, you get back what you give. Learning a new way of living and eating takes discipline, commitment and trust. The best advice I can offer someone just starting out is this: come with an open mind and an open heart, and be prepared to surrender your old habits and beliefs about what’s “bad” and what’s “good” to eat. Paul Jaminet’s fascinating classes will give you all the understanding you need to grasp the science of the PHD, and the pleasure of feeling great and living the fullest possible life will be your reward.

  27. Dear Paul,

    I’m considering moving out west, but, during short visits, e.g., one-two weeks, I am having some trouble adjusting to moderately high altitudes, which are around 4000-5000 ft. The main problem is a feeling of spaciness, general unease, a narrowing in the field of focus, and mental slowness.

    I feel better when I eat easily digestible carbs, such as non-alcoholic beer and white rice, and immediately after engaging in aerobic exercise, but the effect is temporary. When I return to sea level, within hours my mind feels more flexible and thought is once again spontaneous and creative.

    Do you have any advice or theory about acclimatization: how long it takes, whether it is possible ever to acclimatize fully? How diet, supplements or exercise might influence the transition? I do academic work, and I’m concerned about the effects of altitude on my ability to teach, think and write at the levels to which I am accustomed at sea level.

    Best,

    Euthyphro

    • Hi Euthyphro,

      Have you looked into whether you are anemic? Carbs need less oxygen so if you are anemic they will give you more energy. I would ask my doctor for some blood tests and in the meantime, eat some liver.

      Also be sure to drink plenty of water when at altitude.

  28. Dear Paul,

    That’s a fascinating point about carbs, as I’ve become accustomed to rely on fats for energy.

    Three years ago, I got some blood tests, and my iron/ferritin/hemoglobin levels were on the higher end of normal; this led me to donate a pint of blood, something I haven’t repeated since. As a result of the donation, my ferritin levels, as of two years ago, were on the low end of normal.

    On the PHD, I eat about 40-50 grams of dark chocolate a day and usually take vitamin 250 mg of C. Once a week, I eat liver, clams or oysters. I would happily supplement extra iron if it might speed up acclimatization. (Anecdotally, I’ve noticed lithium increases blood flow.)

    It’s been frustrating for me to experience diminished cognitive and cogitative capacities at moderate altitudes, e.g., 4000-5000 ft, since this is the average altitude of the major cities out west, and I would like to be able to live out there while still feeling my best. The cognitive changes are more pronounced and troubling for me than the physical fatigue, which doesn’t matter too much, since I’m physically fit.

    I’m wondering if it will ever be possible for me to adapt fully. Is it just a matter of time, do you think? Perhaps it requires a month or two? Does the body ever find a way to “saturate hemoglobin” with oxygen at these altitudes? Does the brain ever get the same amount of oxygen that it does at sea level?

    Thank you,

    Euthyphro

    • From my experiences doing astronomy at 10,000 to 15,000 feet, it usually takes ~3 days if you exercise and ~7 days if you don’t to get comfortable.

      It seems unlikely you would be iron deficient if you don’t give blood and do eat liver.

      If you are not adapting in a reasonable period of time, I would consult a doctor just to see if there is anything observable in blood tests.

      • Yes, I’m sure you’re right that exercise is a catalyst. Perhaps if I make an effort to exercise in the surrounding mountains (9,000 ft.), then the high desert (5000 ft.) will seem more like sea level.

  29. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! This was our first PHD Thanksgiving and my chance to show off to the family just how delicious PHD food can be. My crowning achievement as the designated cook, after serving Russ Crandall’s perfect smoked turkey and other sides, was when my brother (who eats unmentionable things normally) said, “this is the first time I’ve eaten an enormous meal like this and not felt stuffed or uncomfortable afterwards.” Yes, I noticed there wasn’t the usual post-prandial groaning and moaning, even after I served the grain-free apple cake with whipped coconut milk. Plus the after dinner conversation was more scintillating, read: coherent.

  30. Paul, Thank you for this opportunity to speak to you.
    I have been overweight since the age of 12 for which my mother treated me with adepex – amphetamines. She continued to supply these until I was 23 years old. At 17 I became I’ll with mono for 1 yr. I also was hit in the head by a baseball bat at that age. At age 19 I traveled to Mexico and nearly died from montezumas revenge. I was sick for about a year after that. Around this time I developed CFS. At age 26 I traveled to Central America, where I ended up for a year. I was infected by a microbe and nearly died. I contracted a rare skin fungal infection,for which the only treatment could be found in another country. Since that time I’ve been battling obesity and fatigue. I started thyroid treatment based on symptoms even though my TSH was 4.8. I have been recently diagnosed with diabetes insipidus (from the head injury at 17.). All the while I’ve continued to be obese. To top it all, 9 years ago my employer built a new facility and after moving in I became very ill. It was discovered that we were breathing diesel fumes from the boiler exhaust, which was next to the intake vents in our department. Since then I’ve had MCS, asthma, severe joint pain and a gluten allergy ( diagnosed with blood, skin and saliva testing). My employer has never accepted any wrong doing. Over the past 3 years I have been doing the HCG diet, intermittent fasting and Paleo. When I eat fruit or any other carb, I gain weight. I live on meat and vegetables. ( not any starches). I lost 50 lbs and I’ve lost about 60% of my once very thick hair. Plus my joint pain is now unbearable. I can barely walk when I stand up. I’m so morally and physically down. I don’t know where to turn. I happened upon your website as a link on Dr Kressers website. So here I am and I’m intrigued by what I read. I know my story is long and convoluted but perhaps your program can offer some relief for me. Thanks. Patty

    • Dear Patty,

      Well, a lot has gone wrong. Sometimes when you get a severe acute infection, the germs may persist as a chronic infection. That’s why after an acute intestinal infection you can end up with chronic fatigue. Mono (Epstein-Barr virus) often produces persistent chronic infections and is associated with a variety of diseases including multiple sclerosis. The fungal infection suggests suppressed immunity or nutritional imbalance, but those can be very dangerous. A TSH of 4.8 suggests a fairly severe hypothyroidism. Neurogenic forms of diabetes insipidus are often caused by chronic infections. Obesity is an inflammatory condition usually caused by infections (either systemic or in the gut), often exacerbated by bad nutrition, bad diet, and bad lifestyle.

      The hair loss indicates hypothyroidism and suggests your diet has been too restrictive (semi-starvation, either of calories or carbs or both). The joint pain is probably some mix of infections, inflammation from toxins originating in the gut, and circadian rhythm disruption.

      I think your best course is to not worry about weight for a bit, but focus on healing yourself and restoring immune function with a nourishing diet, and on circadian rhythm entrainment. Incorporate intermittent fasting, but don’t restrict calories. You’ll have to try to restore a normal gut flora and for that you’ll need some carbs and fiber in the diet, even though they may lead to some weight gain.

      If you could come to our Retreats that would be great, but at least you should try to read the book and include our supplemental foods such as liver and supplements in your diet, and work hard on circadian rhythm entrainment, adding in intermittent fasting and exercise as possible.

      Let me know how things go. It will take time to recover but the key thing is to make steady progress.

      Best, Paul

  31. On October 12, 2013 I began having strange/scary neurological symptoms (dizziness, falling down, knee-buckling sensation, heaviness in legs/feet, numbness/tingling in legs and feet, overall muscular jitteriness and tremors throughout my whole body.) In October alone I had at least 3 migraines (two of those back to back) which seemed to be increasing in overall frequency and intensity. My usual pattern was about once or twice a month. My doc prescribed Sumatriptan.

    I started the PHD on Nov. 9, 2013. I stopped sugar/grains (except white rice)/ and vegetable oils/legumes, etc. And since then I have not had ONE migraine! And I have not completely eliminated all the usual offenders (although I now consume much less than before) and I have even started drinking 4 ounces of red wine daily!

    I also have not had any more dizziness, the heaviness in my legs or feet is gone, and I have not fallen down anymore! Those were the most distressing symptoms! The jitteriness has calmed down and the tremors are minor compared to before. I still do have some numbness in my feet from time to time, but it is minor compared to before starting this diet. The diet and supplements have really helped. And it’s only been almost 4 weeks! I have lost some weight too. I still have ongoing digestive problems but even those have improved somewhat and I’m only taking Lansoprazole a few times a week now. I hope to get off it soon if possible.

    I’m still new to this diet and am learning how to implement it better on a daily basis. This website is a great support! Thank you Paul and Shou-Ching!

  32. Thank you so much Dr. Paul & Dr. Shou-Ching for a wonderful book. I keep re-reading sections because the info is so terrific. My sleep is better now, thanks to using my yellow glasses in the evening while watching TV. Also, I have a much better balance of my electrolytes (sodium/potassium) and minerals (zinc, copper and vitamins D/A/K2 resulting in more energy and reduced allergy symptoms/asthma.

    A couple of questions: I see bone broth post with photos on the PHD site, and notice especially the last photo which has strikingly whitish broth. My attempts produce tasty and nourishing broth but even using more acid (vinegar or citric acid) haven’t yielded such white looking broth. Any suggestions for me?

    Second question: I am fighting chronic sinusitis which plagued me for years. With PHD it is much better (I can breathe through both nostrils again!). But to accomplish this I have had to boost iodine (I use Iodoral) up to 12.5 mgm daily with extra beef kidney as source of selenium. I used to eat brazil nuts but noticed a garlicy odor to my armpits and increased night sweats. I calculate 800 ugm selenium per beef kidney so I eat one kidney per week, separated as steamed kidney chips, about 6-8 chips daily. Any suggestions or thoughts? Seems to be working for me, and I expect I can reduce the iodoral once my body has displaced competing halides (bromide, chlorine, etc.)

    Thanks again for such a well thought out, well-researched and plain spoken book. It is a treasure! I highly recommend it to all I speak to. You should publicize your PHD on Dr. Oz and other venues. I wish the schools taught what your book teaches, our kids/families would be so much healthier.

    Cheers!

  33. Thank you so much Dr. Paul & Dr. Shou-Ching for a wonderful book. I keep re-reading sections because the info is so terrific. My sleep is better now, thanks to using my yellow glasses in the evening while watching TV. Also, I have a much better balance of my electrolytes (sodium/potassium) and minerals (zinc, copper) and vitamins (balanced D/A/K2) resulting in more energy and reduced allergy symptoms/asthma. In short, I feel great, have maintained good weight and energy, and have very few cravings. I mostly steam my food, which includes grass-fed meat and organic potatoes, yams and wild caught salmon, bananas, etc. I take the supplemental foods including 3 egg yolks daily (allergic to egg whites), weekly 1/4 lb beef liver, tablespoons of coconut oil during morning fast, ect.

    A couple of questions: I see bone broth post with photos on the PHD site, and notice especially the last photo which has strikingly whitish broth. My attempts produce tasty and nourishing broth but even using more acid (vinegar or citric acid) haven’t yielded such white looking broth. Any suggestions for me?

    Second question: I am fighting chronic sinusitis which plagued me for years. With PHD it is much better (I can breathe through both nostrils again!). But to accomplish this I have had to boost iodine (I use Iodoral) up to 12.5 mgm daily with extra beef kidney as source of selenium. I used to eat brazil nuts but noticed a garlicy odor to my armpits and increased night sweats. I calculate 800 ugm selenium per beef kidney so I eat one kidney per week, separated as steamed kidney chips, about 6-8 chips daily. Any suggestions or thoughts? Seems to be working for me, and I expect I can reduce the iodoral once my body has displaced competing halides (bromide, chlorine, etc.)

    Thanks again for such a well thought out, well-researched and plain spoken book. It is a treasure! I highly recommend it to all I speak to. You should publicize your PHD on Dr. Oz and other venues. I wish the schools taught what your book teaches, our kids/families would be so much healthier.

    Cheers!

  34. Just wanted to share the good news that I was able to give blood yesterday, and, for the first time in years, my hemoglobin was high enough that they let me donate. (Proof positive that PHD is rich in red meat, liver, shellfish and leafy green vegetables; plus the diet is rich in vitamin K2 and my blood clotted immediately when they took the needle out–the tech was surprised– and I had absolutely no bruising at the vein site.) This was thrilling for me on many levels: we all love to think we can make a difference in someone else’s life, of course, but it turns out GIVING BLOOD IS ACTUALLY HEALTHFUL FOR THE DONOR. Since reading the PHD book, I have been fascinated by the “case for giving blood” since my husband and I have supported the blood drive at our local synagogue for many years. Now we can invoke this argument when recruiting donors:

    from pp 252-253 in the “Perfect Health Diet” by Paul Jaminet, Ph.D. and Shou-Ching Jaminet, Ph.D., Chapter 39, “A Strategy for Immunity”
    Iron Starvation
    Iron Is an essential mineral for nearly all life, including microbes. Iron’s natural forms are poorly soluble in in water, so the human body has a variety of ways to transport or store iron.
    The human immune system takes advantage of this situation by trying to starve pathogens of iron. Within hours of infection, concentrations of iron in intracellular fluid and blood drop dramatically. Cells that recycle iron from red blood cells cease releasing recycled iron; infected cells store their iron in ferritin, an iron storage protein that is inaccessible to most pathogens; neutrophils in infected tissue secrete proteins such as lactoferrin that chelate iron.
    This immune strategy can be defeated by excessive iron intake. [My italics.]
    Iron supplementation or elevated iron levels make tuberculosis far more severe.
    Iron overload exacerbates some viral infections, including HIV and hepatitis C.
    Blood iron levels predict mortality in people with HIV infection–the higher the ferritin, transferritin, and other iron markers, the higher the mortality rate.
    People with hemochromatosis, an iron overload disorder, have more infections.
    Iron deficiency, meanwhile, is protective against many infections, including malaria.
    For optimal immunity, then, it’s desirable to keep iron stores at low levels. To achieve that, most people should avoid iron supplementation and give blood regularly. [My italics.]

  35. I need some advice. I started on the PHD in November. I’ve been on Prevacid for the past 2 years, before that I was on a number of OTC acid-reducers (Rolaids, Tums, then Pepcid with Cal/mag) since the 80’s. I’m 53.

    I inadvertently skipped a dose or two of my Prevacid once I started the diet and found I did not need it! But over a few days time the heartburn started coming back. So I started taking Prevacid every third day. I found this did not help at all, so I just quit it altogether. I’ve had a tender place in my esophagus for a long time. While on Prevacid, I didn’t notice it that much and had no problem with food getting stuck. I still can’t swallow pills bigger than Levothyroxine (the other pill I am still on.) It’s tiny.

    I’ve been off Prevacid altogether for about 2 weeks now and have had rebound hyper-acidity which has made life kinda miserable. I’ve decided not to give in and restart this medicine, which I think is harmful to say the least, and instead tweak my diet, which is what I should have done to start with!

    I am still finding that I do not digest the proteins and fats very well at all. I am constipated too, and taking Mag. Citrate 400mg per day. I am finding that I have to fast at least one meal per day, sometimes two, because the food I eat just sits in my stomach.

    I am adjusting gradually to this lifestyle and I am incorporating as many of the concepts as I can handle. I’m probably not eating enough vegetables, and I am certainly eating much more meat than I ever have before. I don’t really like meat that much, to be honest.

    I would appreciate any feedback or advice. Thanks!

    • A few more things: I didn’t mention that I have a family history of Polycystic Kidney disease (my dad, his brother and their dad, also my oldest sister and several of her kids have been diagnosed with it – I have not, but then I haven’t had a kidney ultrasound.) So I am wondering if that might be the reason I am having so much problem with all the protein? Before this diet, I was a carboholic. I constantly ate chips and sweets all day long. Any “real” meals came out of a box or at the drive-up. So this is a major change for me. I’ve lost about 13 pounds already.

      I didn’t make clear that I am once again having trouble with food slowing down, sometimes getting stuck a few moments, at that tender spot in my esophagus now that I am off Prevacid.

      To make matters worse, I lost my insurance this year. So naturally I am now having more health problems that require doctor’s visits and labs, whereas before it was just a once a year physicals.

  36. Hi Paul,
    I have two 13 years old twin daughters and they have acnes on their faces even I thought we have been eating healthy. One thing I did learned just 2 months ago is that grains or carb/sugar are bad. So we started to eliminate this from our diet. It is not difficult since I was from Taiwan so we eat rice most very meal. Still, it has been kind of frustrated to them and me that they need to constantly watch what they eat in order not to have acnes (still they do have) and tother teenagers eat whatever junk foods and drinks, but have smooth face. Can I ask you what would be the ideal 3 meals and portions that I can feed them? Also, what supplements would you recommend? I am very health conscious and they are taking fish oil, coconut oil, DIM, probiotics, oil cleansing, clay, epsom salt bath. But still every month, the acnes would flair up because the hormone fluctuations. Thanks, Faith

  37. Hi Paul,
    I have 13 years old twin daughters and they have acnes on their face even though I thought we have been eating healthy. I did just learn that grains , carb/sugar are bad 2 months ago and try to eliminate these from our diet. Since I was from Taiwan and we eat rice most of meal, the eliminations are not hard on us. I am very health conscious and they have fish oil, probiotics, DIM, vitamin D, clay and epsom salt bath, oil cleansing for acnes problem, but still it does not go away. Each month, the acnes would flair up due to hormone fluctuations. I and they are kind of frustrated to see that other teenagers would eat whatever junk foods and drinks and still have smooth face. Would you please show me how to feed them 3 meals and portions of foods and recommend what supplements I could give them? I learned that acnes are due to hormones imbalance, sugar resistance, and gut problems. But how to come up with a diet plan and supplementation plan to nail this problem. Thanks, Faith

    • Hi Faith,

      It’s OK to eat rice, that’s not the problem. Try having them eat liver 1/4 lb per week or supplement vitamin A 30,000 IU per week, plus eat lots of spinach, carrots, and sweet potatoes, optimize vitamin D through supplementation, supplement vitamin C a few grams per day, zinc 100 mg/week, iodine 225 mcg/day, and pantothenic acid 500 mg/day.

      I am not sure the clay is beneficial, it might disturb gut flora. I would stop the DIM also, just eat vegetables, and stop the fish oil, just eat oily fish (salmon, sardines, herring, anchovies) once a week.

      Also, they should exercise daily, get bright sunshine during the day, dim lights at night, regular sleep.

      best, Paul

      • Hi Paul,
        Thank you so much for the response. They saw a naturopath doctor a month ago and she put them on DIM, Saw Palmetto, liver cleanse, probiotic, fish oil, and indian herbs for digestion. I know DIM is to take the bad estrogen out of body but just not sure if this is good for their age even though the acnes might be due to hormones fluctuation. Since I am a breast cancer survivor, I have been very cautious about the foods and supplements we take. Each meal we have protein, either meat or sea food, veggies, rice, and good fats (coconut oil, animal fats, olive oil, ghee) I do not know what else I can do. I am suspecting maybe I have been giving them too much foods( or too much nutrients) that overburden their bodies to cause the acnes problems ( hormone or gut problems) How much they need to eat at each meal? Why do you not want them to take fish oil? Even though the doctor said it is to bring down the inflammation, for some reason I am suspecting the fish oil make the acnes worse so recently I stopped it. Still I am confused about fish oil, and do not know should we take it or not.
        Can I also ask you I have difficulty staying asleep and usually wake up around 3 o’clock and can not go back to sleep? A lot of time I would wake up with digestion discomfort. (I am 48 years old and went through chemo 8 years ago. I also feel pretty moody in winter(I live in Michigan). The past 5 years I have been loosing a lot of hair. What can I do to improve my situation at this age if my life? Thank you for your help. Faith

  38. Hi –

    I’ve just finished reading the PHD book and found it fascinating.

    I’ve been following a general low carb Paleo Diet for about 2 years but have not lost the weight that I need to lose, and my blood sugar and cholesterol is terrible.

    My Background:

    40 year old East Indian male, 5’11″ in height, 202 lbs, 38.5 inch waist

    History of Type 2 Diabetes and metabolic syndrome — my father and his two brothers. Father died of hear attack at age 67.

    I’ve been on a low carb diet for approximately two years.

    Carb intake approximately 100 grams per day.

    Recent Glucose Serum Fasting = 7.6, no A1C test because the lap forgot to take it, Total Cholesterol = 8.22, LDL 6.08, HDL = 1.36, Triglycerides = 1.71, TC/HDL-C Ration = 6, blood pressure 122/86 but am on blood pressure meds.

    I have been exercising regularly and lifting weights using a SuperSlow method (Dr. McGuff’s method) of 5 weight lifting exercises once every 7 days. I do 45 minutes of walking every day and occasional running sprints.

    My doctor agreed to give me 6 months to try one more time to bring my numbers in line through diet and exercise. He wants to put me on statins and probably glucose control meds.

    In the PHD book it states in the section on Key Steps to Weight Loss that a diet of 500 carb calories, 300 protein calories and 500 fat calories is the minimum caloric intake consistent with proper nourishment.

    This translates to 38% carb, 23% protein and 38% fat. Is that correct? It seemed odd to me that these percentages deviate so much from the normal PHD breakdown of 20 – 30% carb, 15% protein and 50 – 60% fat.

    I need to lose weight and get my blood sugars and cholesterol levels down — what is the recommended % breakdown of PHD I should follow?

    Thanks!
    David

  39. Hi Paul,

    I read your comments above. I’ve been following PHD for quite some time. I gain weight steadily eating 500 cal of carbs unless they are all from fruits and vegs. 300 cal of protein will cause me to be somewhat hungry.
    I cannot seem to lose weight unless I severely cut down/eliminate grains and reduce total intake as well.
    I have Hashimoto’s and my resting metabolism is about 1500 calories.

    What would you recommend for losing weight in a healthy way?
    Thank you!

    • Hi k,

      I would focus on circadian rhythm entrainment (light optimization in both day and night, exercise, sleep, ambient temperature, social interactions, meal timing), intermittent fasting, and nutrition for the immune system (vitamins A, D, C, zinc, iodine; PHD supplemental foods).

    • Thanks, Paul! I read the other info in that link, and will increase my carbs to 60 grams per day and measure my post meal blood sugars. I think I’ll have to experiment with slowly increasing my carbs and see how my blood sugars react. I know that I just feel awful on 30 grams of carbs.

  40. Thanks, Paul.
    I do seem to sleep better if I get outside to set my cicadian clock.
    I sleep in a cool room.
    What do you mean about ambient temp? I keep my home about 65 degrees in the daytime unless the house heats up on its own in summer.

    What distribution of protein/fat/carb and how many calories? Meal timing?

    I already do IF.

    I do active yoga 4x/week and I do Whole Body Vibration ~5x/week.

    Social interaction?

    • Hi k,

      You want to be exposed to warmer ambient temperatures in daytime than at night. If you can get your home into the 70s during the day and 65 at night, that would be great. You also want to concentrate social interactions in the daytime, and get sufficient social interactions each day.

      • any suggestions/recommendations for people living in hot climates with no air conditioning and ambient night temps above 65F…?

        …i prefer to avoid air con…but i’m guessing that is the only option?

    • … and watch my nutrition too 🙂

  41. Paul, what would you recommend for someone with symptoms of low serotonin? (ie. depression, anxiety, irritability etc).

    I took SSRIs for quite a while but they worsened my health dramatically and I have been trying to recover ever since. I’m trying to figure out if supplements or dietary intervenetions will help me. I just ordered melatonin to help with my sleep (which is very poor since I came off the meds).

    • Forgot to mention – I have cut out grains and am still transitioning to a PHD way of eating, although I appear to have some problems with starches.

  42. Hello Paul,
    I just purchased and started reading PHD. I was surprised to read the part on cancer and how people with celiac are at high risk for lymphomas. 18 years ago my husband had stage 4 Hodgekins Disease (lymphoma). While in remission he never felt well. About 8 years ago he figured out for himself that he is wheat intolerant after many trips to the doctor and tests. He has been following a wheat free diet for all these years and feeling much better. After reading this section (and the link to the study) he will now eat gluten free …as well as the rest of the family. Thank you for your work and your book. We’ve never known diet to be related to the lymphoma. I wonder if he didn’t make these changes if he would still be alive today. Any input would be appreciated but just wanted to say thanks for your book.

    • Hi Elizabeth,

      Yes, I was shocked when I saw that data too — it is like a 40-fold higher rate of lymphoma with celiac which is huge, you never see hazard ratios that high.

      I would recommend eating lots of collagen and vitamin C to maintain gut barrier integrity, eating PHD, circadian rhythm entrainment, daily exercise, intermittent fasting, vitamin A and D and K2.

  43. Thank you Paul!
    Can you or anyone recommend a rice cooker? I would like to buy one for simplicity…I’ve been using the stovetop up until now. My main concern is unhealthy materials ..teflon, metals etc. Anyone suggest one??

  44. RICE COOKER???
    Can you or anyone recommend a rice cooker? I would like to buy one for simplicity…I’ve been using the stovetop up until now. My main concern is unhealthy materials ..teflon, metals etc. Anyone suggest one??

  45. Simply want to say your article is as surprising. The clearness to your put up is just
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    Thank you 1,000,000 and please keep up the enjoyable work.

  46. Hi Paul and Shou-Ching,

    Just writing to say that PHD has done wonderful things for me!
    In addition to all of the diet and supplements, I saw a significant improvement in chronic fatigue and acne after addressing a parasitic infection that I found via Metametrix GI Effects. I will retest to be sure the parasite is gone, as well as certify the state of fungus/gut bacteria, but Metametrix was a big key.

    I’ve been trying to focus on sleep for the past 2 years, but it’s only for the past 5 months after treating the parasite that I have finally seem some benefits.

    As of late, I thought I had cured my insomnia – I was sleeping soundly through the night without any type of sleep aid for almost the past 5 months. My chronic fatigue was also getting better, though I was not 100%.

    Anyway, I have deviated from my sleep schedule maybe 4 times to hang out with friends in the past 5 months. On these occasions, I happened to get exposure to bright light past when I normally go to sleep (normally I am in bed by 930-10 pm, and I might stay out until 11:30 pm – 12 am if I go out at all). This latest episode, I came back home at 1 AM because I had accompanied a pregnant friend to the hospital (good reason, right?). I have now observed a pattern, which is that these forays out past my bedtime resulted in insomnia/hypomania – I wake up, I don’t feel tired after only 5 hours of sleep, and my thoughts are harder than ever to calm down.

    Melatonin helps in getting me back on track before, but it makes me groggy and seems to exacerbate my fatigue. I prefer to make it naturally, by using the special lightbulbs at night’special glasses. Thus, I believe I’m sensitive to a melatonin deficiency caused by bright lights at night, but maybe I cannot deal well with an excess in the form of melatonin supplements either? As I said, the other supplements I found to help tremendously were phosphatidyl serine (PS) and Seriphos (Phosphorylated Serine), to decrease my cortisol, but I am wary of being dependent on any pill to sleep. In my experience, relying on a pill to sleep doesn’t really calm you down and makes insomniacs more agitated.

    Wikipedia says that my hypomania can sometimes be a sign of hyperthyroidism (I recently cut down on iodine from 1000 mcg to 250 mcg), B12 deficiency (I try to supplement as you recommend,500 mcg per week, plus liver and beef and shellfish a lot), and Wiki also said that lithium could help (though likely at greater doses than the half tablet that I have tried per your recommendations).

    I just find it strange I can be so sensitive to bright lights after a certain hour and that they can make me swing so quickly out of my fatigue to chronic insomnia/overworked mentally. If your saying, “eat what ails you” is true – could it be I need to eat brain (a rich source of phosphatidyl serine)? Are you aware of any literature linking mania / melatonin deficiency or mania and infections? I’ve tried coconut oil fasting and both times ended up with diarrhea/feeling very sick (and also noticed you didn’t include it in the new edition of the book, though it is present in the old edition and old blog post).

    Thank you for Paul, Shou-Ching, all for any and all advice

    Thanks,
    Miyo

  47. Hello Paul
    I put in a search for “post menopause” and found only one article relating to ” erp “, who was 76 in 2011 and couldnt lose weight prior to knee surgery. And that’s it. Do you have any other material on post menopause? In the last 24-30 months of menopause my weight shot up 20 kilos and no matter what I did, I couldnt stop it. It has now evened out and doesnt go up, doesnt go down. I DO have a herniated disc which means I can no longer speedwalk, just “lazy walk”. I live in a very hilly area so even lazy isn’t so lazy. But I need to lose that excess, which I’m carrying for 5 years now, and am totally stuck. Eating careful paleo a long time now, organic, blood tests all okay – and stuck. How can I connect with other women with this problem, or find more info? Conversely, what info would you need to see what I’m doing wrong [on a 1000/cal/day diet!] Thank you

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