My current diet

[RRM]

The problem with the wai diet is that we constantly have sugar coming into our mouths.

Rinse with water after each sip.
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=3062

Today I actually tried to stagger my sugar intake, having more at once

Very bad idea regarding your insulin system.

I'm thinking more animal foods (protein as energy)

Protein equally stimulates the insulin system.

I have somewhat of an aversion to coconut oil; I think I developed it when I was eating fruit shakes, in which I included raw honey and coconut oil. They made me sick, and now I have an aversion both to honey and coconut oil, although I know I was fine with coconut oil before that. Would having a little of it each night remove the aversion?

Yes, it might.

She said the amount swallowed is negligible

I agree.

[RRM]

So how would they feel about, for example, a soft-spoken, gentle, single, very-thin white-man in his 20s who's interested in poetry, music etc. and works with kids? What if this man did not hide his beliefs - anarcho-communist, atheist, pro-women's reproductive rights, euthanasia, homosexuality (but he's not homosexual), and children's rights (as in, as long as they don't infringe on the rights of others, and understand the potential consequence of their actions [eg smoking wrecks your lungs], they should enjoy the same freedoms as adults). I doubt someone with all of these views would be well accepted, but maybe some views are not as taboo as others?

People get accepted easily, even if their views are controversial.
Ghanians generally feel that white people are weird anyway; its something they expect.
What really matters, are your actions; if you dont organize a protest march against christianity or islam, you will be fine.
If you dont impose your views on others, you will be fine.
You could work as a teacher, as they will assume that you will be a good one.
And only if the children learn little, or bad things, people will oppose you.
In Ghana there are many, many white people who work for NGOs.

[Mr. PC]

Well that's [social paradigm in Ghana] certainly better than in North America! What if the children learned, for example, to question authority? I know in teachers college here they don't like it if you encourage children to question your own authority / whether what you're teaching them is true etc. I imagine that would be the same anywhere.

I knew about the protein spiking insulin, and that it's a bad idea to consume much sugar at once; it wasn't really a good idea.

But still, if energy from protein is used gradually, how does it trigger the same insulin response? Does Insulin take the protein into the blood all at once, then the energy from the protein in the blood is gradually converted into sugar as needed?

The dentist also told me that Caps are not a good idea. He said they're more prone to cavities and more problematic if a cavity does occur.

[RRM]

Well that's [social paradigm in Ghana] certainly better than in North America! What if the children learned, for example, to question authority?

Ha ha, they will not like that!
Having respect for, and obeying people that are older than you is a big thing in Ghana.
They feel that without it, society will fall apart, and will become as a-social as western cultures.

But still, if energy from protein is used gradually, how does it trigger the same insulin response?

It doesnt, as is the same with sugars.
But sipping juice is much 'easier' than taking 'just one bite' of meat all the time.

Does Insulin take the protein into the blood all at once, then the energy from the protein in the blood is gradually converted into sugar as needed?

Insulin secretion is in response to the amino acids that enter the blood,
and stimulates the uptake of amino acids from the blood (in bodyfat / protein).

[Mr. PC]

Ok, so I'm thinking of insulin as a car, and it drives the energy where it's needed. Does it drive it from the blood into the tissue, or from the wherever, into the blood? Or both?

[RRM]

Does it drive it from the blood into the tissue, or from the wherever, into the blood? Or both?

Insulin has several anabolic functions, including the uptake of energy from the blood into fat (adipose tissue) and spare glucose (glycogen, in the liver and muscles).
Insulin is just one of the hormones of the system that regulates blood-energy levels (others are glucagon and somatostatin).
These hormones oppose and complement each other, so that energy can be directed in any way desired.

[Oscar]

And a hormone is a biochemical messenger substance.

[Mr. PC]

Ok, so way more complex than I was thinking. So just to reiterate, so I know I have this clear

Stuffing yourself with protein in a short time period is just as likely to cause diabetes, and screw with your energy, as doing the same with sugar, and this is equivalent gram for gram / calorie for calorie. So eating an entire stake in 200 calories of protein from a stake in 15 minutes, is just as unhealthy as drinking 200 calories of sugar from juice in 15 minutes. I know you've said this same thing many times, I'm just afraid I'm misinterpreting (as I often do). Also, other carbs (rice) would be the same I imagine. So eating 200 calories of rice in one sitting would have those same effects as protein or sugar.

Fat's gotta be the exception there, it is digested more slowly (although I thought this was the case with complex carbs as well. Hence some foods have lower G.I.)

Bacteria in your mouth feed off of all carbs just as well. So eating rice is just as bad for your teeth as drinking sugar. However, it's not so much about how many carbs you eat, as how long your mouth has carbs in it for. So constantly munching rice would be as bad as constantly munching/sipping sugar.

Short, medium, and long chain fatty acids are harmful to mouth bacteria (doesn't that mean all fat?)

So I feel like a high fat diet is where it's at for me. I've been putting as much OO in my OJ as I can stand, and eating avocados and tomatoes drenched with OO, the extra oil I pour into my juice. I've re-introduced rice with tomatoes, and sometimes mushrooms, as my munchfood, because I can also cram a lot of OO into that. I've also been trying to up my Salmon, Yolk, Beef intake. Each day if I don't have beef, I have fish, but the frozen fish is gross sashimi style, (I can't sustainably make myself eat it) so I make sushi with the salmon and avocado (sometimes mango). Sometimes I put unsalted butter on this.

Is there any way I can make my diet fattier? Am I taking the right approach here? I was doing the strict diet again for a little bit, it's just that with my teeth now (and the dentist being VERY expensive), I'm really concerned. I got fillings in my front teeth, but one of those teeth already feel like it's getting sharper (I noticed them feeling sharper before chipping). I wonder if I'm feeling my teeth with my tongue too often.

I know other people use a straw; I don't feel like the straw prevents juice from acidifying my mouth. Do people drink with the straw going right to the back of their mouth?

Thanks

[RRM]

Is there any way I can make my diet fattier?

I dont understand why you want to take it to the extreme.
Overdoing it generally creates a backlash.
I think its smarter to gradually increase your fat intake, and analyze the effects.

I know other people use a straw; I don't feel like the straw prevents juice from acidifying my mouth. Do people drink with the straw going right to the back of their mouth?

Yes, as you suck on the straw, you kinda suck it straight to your throat,
so that it acidifies your mouth to a lesser extend.

[Mr. PC]

I've been increasing my fat, and eating less often than I was (take a bite of orange with OO, rinse with water after, wait 5 minutes.) I've been brushing my teeth using the method the dentist recommended (similar to the baits method) first thing when I wake up and last thing before bed (after waiting an hour after eating), using the enamel building toothpaste the dentist recommended, as well as fluoride rinse each night, flossing before I brush.

I may be eating too little now, 6 oranges, avocado, banana, 200grams beef, 7 eggyolks, 100ml OO (might be more, not sure, but I get a lot of OO), a 2 - 4 tomatoes daily. Mushrooms and rice/tomato with OO are my munchfood.

Now I remember when I first got my fillings, my 1 front tooth felt very round on the bottom, but now it's slightly sharper. That might be normal, but I'm not sure. Is there anything I can add to my diet that is specifically good for teeth? It could even be a vegetable, I just need to make sure that whatever my teeth need for re-mineralization I'm getting enough of. (vitamin D and Calcium?)

Now, I don't think the actually fillings can remineralise, only the original tooth. The front fillings I have are almost like caps, they make up the bottom section and a little bit in front and behind of the tooth. So I guess I just have to be extra careful keeping those clean, since my saliva/nutrition can't help them. I'm also wonder, I have a habit of licking my teeth to make sure they're clean all the time; maybe this wears them away more quickly, or maybe it's harmless. Do you know, or is there a way for me to know?

Thanks

[Oscar]

I'm also wonder, I have a habit of licking my teeth to make sure they're clean all the time; maybe this wears them away more quickly, or maybe it's harmless. Do you know, or is there a way for me to know?

I think it's harmless (or helpful, under normal conditions).

[Mr. PC]

Thanks guys.

So I just want to make sure. Some people use coconut oil as a toothpaste. Does that mean it's harmless for teeth (if I eat it)? Does it also mean that, when I wait ah hour after eating before brushing, that I'm ok to take a bite of coconut oil during that time?

[Mr. PC]

So I saw the dentist against today (different dentist same office) and he tells me I have only 2 cavities (as opposed to the 8 or so the other one told me I had). So I'm thinking, either one of these dentists are wrong, or my teeth have re-mineralized. But apparently that's impossible for a cavity, right?

If they have I guess that means I've been taking really good care of my teeth.

[Oscar]

Re-mineralization can happen if cavities are in the beginning stages. Once beyond a certain point, it's irreversible.

[Mr. PC]

Ok, well he told me there were two 'indents' in my teeth which could potentially become cavities. Maybe they were beginning cavities which had re-mineralized.