Jason Steed Certified Primal Health Coach
Handling Things with Food, Fasting and Family
Plusses to having COVID-19? I can finally pick my nose again ;-] And I know there are rumors about life on the other side of this thing with superhuman antibodies, but there's just not much evidence yet on what that truly looks like. Plus I can still be a germ spreader, so I suspect I'll be masking and hand sanitizing into the future.
I'm sticking with my low carb/keto diet as I continue to throw all the arsenal I can at this rogue virus. NOTE: There's no empirical evidence that ketosis combats COVID-19, but here's an article from Impact Metabolism that I found really informative. I'll talk more specifics in this post. Metabolic boosts also come from good rest, mindfulness and a positive attitude. The caveat is the more "tools" we try to juggle, the more stressed we can be. And I promise, stress is the wellness factor that trumps all others!
My keto diet is meant to keep my white blood cells from getting distracted from their job – killing COVID-19.
July 5, 2020
COVID, Day 3: Ah, the Power of Food (4:16)
I geek out a little at the cellular level. Here's why...
Geek out with me a bit on the topic of white blood cells. I have my mind a visual of all the assignments that my cells have as they try to identify and eradicate this foreign invader. The science is still quite premature to say too many definitive things about either the havoc from or treatments for COVID-19. I'll try to sum up my research by saying that this virus is much more pervasive in the digestive and respiratory tracts when cells are oxidized/compromised and when dealing with other metabolic distress like system-wide inflammation, leaky gut, auto-immune imbalance, etc.
I want to be sure all my white blood cells are free from distractions such as foreign food particles (known as POS's) at gut junctions and elsewhere. For me that means minimizing and eliminating WGA (wheat germ agglutinin) and gliadin proteins found in breads. I also want to minimize sugars, both in their refined and natural forms. In theory, my finite supply of white blood cells and other immune and hormonal functions can then hone in on my virus with much more acuity.
Enough Science. Let's Talk Food
I coincidentally started a month-long keto reset diet on the same day as symptoms showed up. These symptoms might have been linked to COVID-19 or Strep Throat (I tested positive Friday for both), but they were mild at best. My diet focuses first on healthy fats and adequate proteins. But I also want some benefits from starches and fiber, so I find those sources from slower carb-burning foods like sweet potatoes, colorful veggies, and ancient grains like millet and soaked wild rice. Here's a snapshot of a few of this weekend's meals, including asparagus chicken wraps, breakfast scramble with liver and sausage, Instant Pot bratwurst wraps, and red salmon salad.
Intermittent Fasting
I've got to kill off the bad cells and keep the good ones alive. I'm intermittent fasting every day, and my fasting window is from 7:30pm until 1pm-ish. Eating TMAD (Two meals a day) does a few things for me in combating both of my viral and bacterial infections. I had heard that COVID-19 might interfere with the body's ability to properly kill off dying cells and protect healthy cells. I don't know where to track my source on this, but this is indeed a byproduct of many diseases. Intermittent fasting can be hugely powerful because it facilitates autophagy, the natural process by which the body gets rid of cells that are no longer healthy
I'll add a caveat that daily intermittent fasting is not my longer-term solution. I know, though, I can benefit from it during these few weeks because my body is fat adapted, meaning my body prefers fat fuels over glucose fuels. If your food energy primarily comes from carbs and glucose-based foods then skipping meals can be stressful to your body and brain, putting you into a fight-flight response. When fight-flight boosts cortisol then the benefits of fasting are reduced, maybe even eliminated. Yep, there's that stress factor again.
How is the Family Coping?
We had our weekly home church today, including breaking sacrament bread, then having our 16-yr-old bless and serve the bread and water. We then watched a gospel-centered lesson online where a particular message stuck with me. It talked about how we never have to fear that somehow the wrong thing has happened to us. In our trials we need not feel abandoned or punished. That's just not the way life works. The opportunities we need in life are always personalized, but we tend to want to "keep score" with people around us, or even with a past version of ourselves. I asked our kids (ages 10 thru 17) what they thought of their dad having the infamous "Coronavirus." Responses ranged from "It doesn't make Summer very fun." to "I guess we'll just get through this thing together and help each other out."
Today's Immune Boosters
I've taken the following supplements fairly regularly for several months as we entered flu season 8 months ago, and I plan to continue:
- Zinc, 50 mg (NOW)
- Vitamin D2, D3, 2,000 iu (Primal Blueprint)
- Vitamin B-12, tincture (Garden of Life)
- MSM Turmeric Devil's Claw compound, 750 mg (Solaray)
- Red light therapy, 10 min. (near infrared)
- Cold shower (yes, that's an immune booster)
Today's Symptoms
Today I felt a little constricted in my sternum area, just while doing some backyard calisthenics. It felt almost like if I took a deep breath I might need to cough. But there was no coughing. Other than that, I have felt a little bit of lingering congestion. My energy level has been good. I'm staying as active as the boundaries of our yard will permit, and monitoring symptoms of our family.
What does Oura think
Last night's poor sleep report from my Oura ring wearable might be partly due to the late night fireworks. Also I had overslept during my afternoon nap. I felt fairly rested, though, and I'm used to having Oura give me a lecture about getting to bed earlier. But it was nice celebrating July 4 on our front porch with the family!
