Author Archives: slimbirdy

Migrating Motor Complex & a Pro Metabolic Diet

Interesting side effect of meal spacing! Have you heard of the Migrating Motor Complex?

In our private FB group a while ago, I mentioned teeth & the Dr Ellie mouthcare system. I have been implementing a few things from her regime and made a surprise discovery.

One of the actions to help your teeth heal themselves is to NOT eat & drink all day but to limit your intake of food or liquid, including water to only certain blocks of time. End your meal with a tooth protective food like milk, cheese, celery then rinse with water & ideally chew Xylitol gum for 10 minutes. Spit it out & then not eat anything else for at least 1-3 hours.

This then helps your teeth threefold: –

a) Limits the time your mouth is acidic & eroding your teeth

b) Xylitol brings your mouth immediately back to neutral PH within 5 minutes (to do this naturally takes your body about an hour.)

c) Gives time for your mineral rich saliva to heal & repair teeth

So, I’ve been doing this timing:

7:30am – 1 cup juice, ½ cup lemon coffee, 1 cup milk

10:30am – second Breakfast

1:30pm – Lunch

5:30pm – Dinner

During the second breakfast & lunch, I have my juice & coffee, all at the same time. With Dinner is only the juice. Rinse the teeth, xylitol gum. Then stop.

The side effect of all of this – besides teeth being less sensitive already in a short time of doing this – is vastly improved elimination. Like needing to go first thing in the morning – which never used to happen.

Normally my body is slow to start in the mornings. But not now. After the first juice, I have to go – and sorry about TMI – but the elimination is full and complete, no straining.

Is it the xylitol?

(A few days I forgot to take the xylitol gum with me, but the effects were the same from the meal spacing)

Is it better digestion?

(because energy is not continually being directed to intake of food/drink?)

Or liquids continually washing away digestive juices?

I’m not sure.

Then I came across something called the Migrating Motor Complex. This is a series of muscle contractions which happen when we are not eating. Its function is to move particles & debris through the gut like a cleaning mechanism. The whole process can take 2-4 hours but if we eat again, it stops the process. Which means everything gets backed up. The villi in our gut are clogged up & can’t absorb nutrients properly. And the complete elimination cycle gets stalled as well.

When we sleep overnight, the body has a chance to complete this process at least once in the 24-hour cycle but obviously my body needed to do it more often. When I’ve spaced meals properly at least a second time in the day, the elimination is improved. Ideally, I try to keep the meal timing to the example above, so it happens a few times in the day, but sometimes circumstances don’t allow it.

This is why sometimes people claim that fasting is beneficial. However, most of us know of the stress inducing, thyroid destroying effects of prolonged fasting. Even skipping breakfast & not eating until late in the afternoon will have negative effects. However, we don’t need to be so extreme to attain the benefits. It’s just in the correct spacing of meals.

Transitioning from Keto, Low Carb or Carnivore

Now while I plan to continue to do this for the health of my teeth as well as gut, I just wanted to mention those who are in the early stages of transitioning from a Keto, Low Carb or Carnivore Diet.

When you first start pro metabolic, those who have impaired their carbohydrate processing system will not initially be able to space their meals out like this. Your body will not be able to utilise carbohydrates as fuel initially, and the body will think its starving. At the beginning I always felt like I would nearly pass out if I didn’t have something to eat every 2 hours. I give an example of my eating day when I first started here.

So, your Migrating Motor Complex and meal spacing may have to take a back seat to getting your carbohydrate processing system to work first. The quickest way to do this, is to eat moderate protein, high carbs and low fat and force your body to adapt back again. Once you can drink OJ alone and feel energised instead of dizzy, then you will know you are well on the way to healing.

I’m amazed in all my health reading I’ve never come across this before. Thanks, Dr Ellie, for the accidental discovery via your excellent teeth care system.

Kristy x

Protein Powder Recipes with 40UP Collagen Protein Powder

Since reviewing the new pro metabolic friendly protein powder 40UP – Collagen Protein Powder by Collagen X a few months ago – see review here. I’ve been super keen to test this new product out in all my past protein powder recipes.

I’ve finally had a chance to find them all, test a few out and can confirm – this new protein powder works in all my past protein powder recipes!

I have always found that protein powder worked really well as a flour substitute which is great if we are craving a type of baked good but want to avoid starch. But up until now, the existing protein powders on the market would cause more harm than good in our Ray Peat Inspired Pro Metabolic Diet.

40UP – Collagen Protein Powder by Collagen X is different to anything else available because it’s a combination of whey protein and Peptan Collagen along with a number of other nutrients that make it more easily assimilated. There is way more information on why its beneficial on my original article here.

Protein Powder Recipes

On to my many protein powder recipes for delicious high protein snacks:

Raw Protein Cookies

Coconut Protein Chews

High Protein Snack

Protein Chocolate

Coco Loco Protein Shake

Protein Bar

Peanut Butter Protein Balls

Brownie Recipe

Macadamia Slice

White Chocolate Coconut Slice

Chocolate Brownies with Sweet Potato

Chocolate Cheesecake Fudge

Peanut Slab Bar

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cups

Peanut Butter Chocolate Slice

Peanut Butter

Yes, I was a bit obsessed with peanut butter in the past but in these protein powder recipes, I now use Peanut Butter Powder which has nearly all of the PUFA oils removed. Mix the powder with a little coconut oil and ta da – a much better pro metabolic “peanut butter” tasting option. If you want to avoid peanuts altogether, then macadamia nut butter is the best substitute in our pro metabolic diet.

Enjoy!

If you are purchasing the new 40UP – Collagen Protein Powder by Collagen X, remember the 10% discount code – SLIMBIRDY – when ordering.

Happy cooking,

Kristy x

Join our private Facebook group for more discussion on all things pro metabolic & specifically weight loss related – Slim Birdy – ZEN Beach Diet – Eating Peaty Group | Facebook

Best Protein Powder – Ray Peat Inspired

Have I found the best protein powder that fits Ray Peat and pro metabolic principles?

I think I have! It’s called 40Up by Collagen X.

The guys at Collagen X are amazing. Their understanding of pro metabolic principles and Ray Peat’s work factors into their product formulations. When I hit them with my concerns, they had already thought of it, countered it in their formulation and had studies to show the benefits. Their level of attention to detail on this was super impressive.

Real food vs processed food

Before we get into why I think it’s the best, I just wanted to say that overall, I favour real foods over more processed foods. However, there are instances where people don’t have access to grassfed or uncontaminated sources of protein. So, sourcing the next best option may be a necessity – to supplement at least part of your diet.

In the case of THIS particular protein powder though, you are getting SO MUCH MORE than just a single ingredient isolated protein.

Ray Peat’s concerns on protein powder

Here are a couple of quotes from Ray that shows his stance on protein powder:

“Whey, which is sold as a protein supplement, and egg whites contain too much tryptophan and can be antithyroid if used excessively.” -Ray Peat, PhD

“For example, whey protein contains much more tryptophan than whole milk or cheese does and would tend to suppress the thyroid and activate the whole serotonin-stress system. Whey might be good for fattening pigs, but its acceptance in the health food industry as a powdered protein supplement is just another example of the harmful effects of serotonin mythology.”-Ray Peat, PhD

Whey protein can be:

Insulinogenic – i.e. stimulates production of insulin
High in anti – metabolic amino acids
Stimulating to the immune system – meaning irritates it
Allergenic – Drying amino acids may make them allergenic

Keeping the above issues in mind and Ray teaching us to consider everything in context, the Collagen X crew has formulated this product to overcome these downsides. They’ve made the best protein powder that is truly beneficial for the body.

When I received it, I couldn’t believe how massive the bag was!

Here is a summary of how 40Up protein powder is different:

Combination of whey protein AND Peptan Hydrolysed Collagen in one product

Helps to balance the amino acids

Sourced particular whey that is (naturally) the lowest in Tryptophan, Cystine and Methionine.

Important because tryptophan contributes to serotonin production
Cysteine & methionine can raise inflammation & mitochondrial disfunction

High Branch Chain Amino Acid content (BCAA)

High proportion of leucine, isoleucine & valine
These BCAAs can block tryptophan absorption in the gut, reducing serotonin production even further.

Supports lowering Estrogen & Prolactin

Fortified with Zinc & Vitamin B3 both shown to lower these hormones

Added Magnesium

Enhances estrogen excretion
Plus, additional anabolic effects – i.e. growth of muscles, bones etc

Added Glycine – a massive 4.8g per serve

Ray Peat – “A generous supply of glycine, against a balanced background of amino acids, has a great variety of anti-stress actions. Glycine is recognized as an “inhibitory” neurotransmitter and promotes natural sleep. Used as a supplement, it has helped to promote recovery from strokes and seizures, and to improve learning and memory. In every type of cell, it apparently has the same kind of quieting, protective anti-stress action. The range of injuries produced by an excess of tryptophan and serotonin seems to be prevented or corrected by a generous supply of glycine. Fibrosis, free radical damage, inflammation, cell death from ATP depletion or calcium overload, mitochondrial damage, diabetes, etc., can be prevented or alleviated by glycine.”

Contains Prebiotic (oligofructose)

for gut integrity
reduced endotoxin levels

Added Creatine – 3g per serve

Participates in cellular energy production
Reduces tryptophan
Reduces oxidative DNA damage
Assists in creation of lean muscle mass

Vitamin C via the Natural Acerola Cherry Extract

Vitamin C is essential to assist gelatin to create new collagen in the body

Contains Calcium

Calcium to phosphate ratio determines whether tryptophan will be converted to excess serotonin, or Niacin.

No Additives or Unwanted Ingredients

40up is free from harmful additives, artificial sweeteners, and fillers, GMO, phosphates, gums, etc that are often found in other protein powders. Unnecessary additives and ingredients that can disrupt the gut and hormonal balance have been avoided.

WOW! – the Best Protein Powder I’ve ever seen

As you can see this is not your ordinary cheap single source protein powder. It is a carefully sourced and crafted balance of the anti-inflammatory amino acids with supporting nutrients to make it a pro-metabolic, muscle building, supplemental powerhouse.

The Company

Collagen X is an Australian company, and they do ship internationally as well.

40Up can be found here:

40UP Collagen & Whey Protein Powder – Vanilla Flavoured | CollagenX

Discount Code

Remember to use code: SLIMBIRDY for a 10% discount.

How exciting!

I’m off to dust off my past protein powder recipes like Chocolate Brownies and see if this works in it too. I’ll report back soon!

Cheers

Kristy x

For more in-depth information see:

https://collagenx.com.au/pages/why-40up

https://collagenx.com.au/blogs/pure-collagen/why-its-hard-to-gain-muscle-and-lose-fat-after-40

Bacon and Egg Pie Recipe

This Bacon and Egg Pie recipe was just another variation on a similar breakfast type casserole I featured in my 3 Day Summer Diet RESTART book.

Every time I make one, it seems to be slightly different. However, this Bacon and Egg Pie is super yum, so it’s worth a recipe post of its own.

Print Recipe

Egg and Bacon Pie

High Protein Breakfast Casserole

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Pro Metabolic

Keyword: breakfast, Easy to make, high protein

Servings: 6

Equipment

1 square baking dish
1 non stick baking paper
1 bowl
1 fork
1 sharp knife
1 chopping board

Ingredients

10 large eggs
5 rashers short cut bacon (no fat)
1/2 red capsicum
5 medium mushrooms
4 slices cheddar cheese
salt/pepper
2 TBS potato starch
1 sheet frozen puff pastry optional

Instructions

Peel & finely slice mushrooms.
Wash capsicum & dice into small cubes
Dice bacon into fine cubes
Slice up cheese into smaller pieces.
Crack 3 of the eggs into a bowl & whisk with a fork
Sprinkle the potato starch over these eggs & whisk with a fork to blend & remove lumps.
Add the rest of the eggs & whisk with a fork to combine.
Lay the non-stick paper over the square baking dish
If using puff pastry, pull it out of the freezer & lay on top of the non-stick paper
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (360F)
As the puff pastry defrosts, slowly push it into the baking tray, so that it is even on all sides. Slice off any edges that are sticking up as these will just burn in cooking. I usually just put these on top of the dish & it bakes nicely.
Put the puff pastry in the oven for 10 minutes to cook by itself. It puffs up a bit, but will be held down by the ingredients eventually.
After 10 minutes, pull it out of the oven, pour the egg mixture inside the puff base, then add the mushrooms, capsicum and cheese. Just push these down into the egg mixture with a fork and distribute evenly.
Last of all, sprinkle the bacon over the top & do not push these into the egg mixture. This ensures the bacon cooks and gets a little crispy. Add the little cut triangles of puff pastry on top.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Once done, it should be slightly risen and browned on top. Allow about 10 minutes to cool a little before slicing.
I store in a large glass airtight container in the fridge & eat it for the week as my work lunch, heating it up in the microwave.

Egg and Bacon Pie Notes…

I can already hear people shouting – “but puff pastry isn’t Peaty or pro metabolic!”

All true due to the wheat flour content, so leave it out. The recipe is still super yum without it. It just becomes a crustless slice.

I choose to eat it occasionally as I have been on this pro metabolic journey for over 5 years now, I’m at my desired weight, my Lemon Coffee protocol has improved my digestion, so I can now eat a few things I wouldn’t have in the past and still feel great.

This is an important concept to understand about different types of food. There are certain things we should be eating more often to ensure our body gets the nutrients and fuel it needs, to operate at optimal levels for great health and thyroid function. However, it’s important to know the upside and downside of all food, so you can make informed decisions about what and how much of it, you are choosing.

So, choose wisely to suit your body and enjoy your food. Stressing over anything, especially food is not the lifestyle for optimal health.

Happy cooking,

Kristy x

Losing Weight with a Pro Metabolic Diet

Recently in our private FB group, I asked the question:

“What are people struggling with most when it comes to a pro metabolic diet? “

The largest item at 42% was Losing Weight.

I asked the same question on my IG stories and 85% was Losing Weight.

So, it’s time to create this:

Summary on Losing Weight with a Pro metabolic Diet

First of all, here is a summary of all articles I have written on Losing Weight with a Pro metabolic Diet before. Read through them slowly, as you may pick up new things that you didn’t notice previously. Sometimes people are just not ready to take in or act upon information at certain times:

At first I was losing weight, now it’s coming back!

Best diet for weight loss

Best way to lose weight long term

Body temperature affects weight loss

Dieting Weight Loss Health

Best exercise for weight loss

Discussion on exercise for weight loss

Discussion on fasting

Five weight loss mistakes

Free 7 Day email course – How to eat for Weight Loss

High cortisol causes belly fat

Why losing weight fast is bad advice

Metabolic rate and burning calories

Polyunsaturated fats and weight gain

Beginners Guide to a fast metabolism

Eleven factors for weight loss

What I eat in a day from 2019

What I eat in a day updated in 2021

Meal plan to get you started

Main points to understand about Losing Weight with a Pro Metabolic Diet

Losing weight the healthy way takes time

Sometimes 2-5 years may be required until you get to your goal. It takes patience, and to understand what you are doing. But the good part is, you won’t have to lose weight ever again!

Unless you are severely underweight though, you DON’T need to gain weight when starting a pro metabolic diet

If anything, you should just be able to stabilise where you are while you are learning about your calories, macros and food types to improve your metabolic rate.

At the beginning, large amounts of calories are NOT required to heal

This false information of needing lots of calories (like 2,400 to 2,800 calories for women) has created a lot of issues for many people and is downright dangerous to promote. There have been stories of people having dangerously high blood sugar, high cholesterol and triglycerides to heart attack levels, onset of diabetes/ prediabetes and large amounts of weight gain like 60 pounds (30kg) when trying to follow this advice. This would be accumulating fat around your organs too, making it more difficult for them to work properly. So DON’T do this.

Starting calories

In my books the ZEN Beach Diet, the 3 Day Summer RESTART & the Lemon Coffee + Pro Metabolic Diet Weight Loss Dynamite books, we start at the minimum level of calories recommended for a healthy adult woman. This is 1,800 calories. For those who have been trying to ‘diet’ on 1,000 to 1,200 calories, it is advised to increase to this amount slowly, to get your body used to it to avoid weight gain. Like over a few months.

Calories after 12 months or so

Depending how your body responds, there may be opportunity to increase calories beyond this and continue to lose weight, depending on how your metabolic rate is progressing. There are so many other factors involved in this too like your age, your lifestyle, your health, the stress in your life, exactly what you are eating etc. For some, their optimal long term calorie level may be the same, or it may be less, or it may be more. It is so individual, and NO-ONE can tell you what that is. It’s up to you to test and measure and experiment as you go.

Your health

The state of your health plays a big part in your ability to lose weight. Ray Peat often said that most issues will resolve themselves once a person increases their metabolism. So, all diseases he believed stemmed from this one problem. The way to increase your metabolism is all detailed in my ZEN Beach Diet book. So it’s highly recommended that you grab a copy. If you already have it, read it again to ensure you are doing everything outlined.

The additional liver function benefits and other benefits in the Lemon Coffee program actually assisted me to obtain the healthy liver I didn’t even know I needed and the result was a loss of another 5kg (10lbs.)

Bottom line is we approach losing weight with our health in mind first. We don’t go hungry, but we don’t over stuff ourselves either. It is really a balancing act of knowledge and consistency, that will get you there in the end.

High Calorie Bullies

I had a person recently in our private group argue adamantly that my approach to a pro metabolic diet was too low in calories and stressful for the body. She claimed that no-one could possibly increase their metabolism on 1,800 calories and they shouldn’t stay at that level long term. Fortunately, she removed herself from the group as the last thing we need is high calorie bullies!

Funnily enough most of what she was saying was in line with my philosophies however she hadn’t read my books and had no idea what my philosophies actually were. However, she was wrong on two counts. Some people CAN increase their metabolic rate on 1,800 calories – I did! And I’m 5ft 10 inches tall. Others in our private group have as well. And at NO POINT did I say that everyone MUST stay at 1,800 calories for the long term. So it seems she was just making up her own stories and arguing against herself! Can’t please everyone.

Anyway, the point is, don’t let any high calorie bullies get into your head, as it is not the best way forward for most people.

We take a slow and steady approach and make tweaks in our own lives to suit our own bodies best.

See you in the groups!

Cheers

Kristy

Chocolate Mousse – High Protein Low Fat

This recipe for Chocolate Mousse High Protein is so easy to make and eat for breakfast!

One of the issues I commonly see is people drinking coffee first thing in the morning without food. Coffee is great and thyroid healthy ONLY when we drink it properly and that is WITH food. Or at least before or after food. The food part must happen close to the coffee drinking to supply the necessary carbohydrates to support the increase in metabolic rate caused by the coffee. Otherwise, we cause stress to the body, raising cortisol. This is why some people get the jitters and feel terrible. Read more about Coffee Drinking here.

Often, we don’t have time to stop and make something to eat, so this is why pre-prepared, easy-to-grab little bits of nourishing food is so important.

This Chocolate Mousse High Protein recipe is high in the RIGHT protein, low in fat, features enough carbohydrates to support the coffee drinking AND has fruit as well. And to make it even more perfect, it tastes AMAZING too!

Let’s get cooking!

Print Recipe