{"id":2011,"date":"2016-10-05T12:45:21","date_gmt":"2016-10-04T23:45:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/dietnet\/?p=2011"},"modified":"2021-05-18T09:39:47","modified_gmt":"2021-05-17T21:39:47","slug":"my-dna-test-results-are-in-can-i-eat-carbs-or-not","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/dietnet\/2016\/10\/05\/my-dna-test-results-are-in-can-i-eat-carbs-or-not\/","title":{"rendered":"My DNA test results are in! Can I eat carbs or not?"},"content":{"rendered":"

As expected, I have the digestion of a Hunter Gatherer. If you have blood sugar or weight issues, you might too.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I suspect there are a lot of other people out there with similar digestive abilities. The symptoms they are likely to have would be:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Poor carbohydrate tolerance
\n\u2022 Insulin Resistance \/ Type 2 Diabetes
\n\u2022 Overweight \/ obesity<\/p>\n

For those of you who think you might be like me, and don\u2019t know what to do about it, that\u2019s going to be the main point of this post.<\/p>\n

But first a bit of background. (For the full background, you might want to read my previous posts \u2013 DNA testing for better health and fitness<\/a> ~ DNA testing for carb digestion<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Image source<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

To recap, what I had tested was my AMY1 gene<\/h3>\n

This tells me how much salivary amylase I\u2019m genetically programmed to produce. Amylase is the enzyme that breaks down starches, so is directly related to how well I can digest carbs.<\/p>\n

The variant (or copy number variation \/ CNV) of this gene is usually between 1 and 12.<\/p>\n

\u2022 CNV of 1 to 4 = Low salivary amylase production, doesn\u2019t digest carbs well
\n\u2022 CNV of 5 to 6 = Low to moderate production, can digest a moderate amount
\n\u2022 CNV of 7 to 8 = Good production, can digest a reasonable amount
\n\u2022 CNV of 9 or more = Very good production, can eat carbs till the cows come home<\/p>\n

I have a copy number (CNV) of 3. It wasn\u2019t a surprise; I\u2019ve been eating fairly low carb for years, decades even. So it\u2019s good to know that\u2019s the right way for me to eat.<\/p>\n

But I did have a bit of a flirtation recently with eating slightly higher carbs, even with a small amount of grains, and I enjoyed it. There were some good results (better sleep) but some bad results, which I won\u2019t go into for now.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

So now, I\u2019m back on the straight and narrow, and know this is what\u2019s best for me, for the rest of my life.<\/p>\n

That sounds all doom and gloom, doesn\u2019t it? But it\u2019s really not. I have found in the past that having a 100% commitment to an eating plan is half the battle. There\u2019s no decision to be made about whether to have a bit of the cake at Mr X\u2019s birthday morning tea. It\u2019s already decided.<\/p>\n

There are some logistical difficulties sometimes, when out and about. But there are so many more options that when I went gluten free 20 years ago. Sometime it just takes a bit of planning ahead. Tonight I\u2019m meeting friends for a pre show dinner, at a Sushi bar. But I know they have raw salmon on a bed of lettuce and carrot, shrimp cocktails, and chicken niblets, so I can eat there without having to eat rice.<\/p>\n

Although I\u2019m never going to have the digestion of a CN 5+, there are some things I can do to maximise my carb digestion potential.<\/p>\n

Eating foods high in citric acid can help amylase production<\/h3>\n

Foods that might help include:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Drinking lemon juice or apple cider vinegar in water before a meal. This helps with digestion of protein and fat as well.
\n\u2022 Citrus fruits – lemons and limes contain the highest levels; while oranges, grapefruits and mandarins are also beneficial.
\n\u2022 Other good fruits include berries, apricots, kumquat, cherries and gooseberries
\n\u2022 Good vegetables include artichoke (globe), Cayenne Pepper, some types of lettuce, some types of capsicum, tamarind and tomato
\n\u2022 The dried root of Salvia miltiorrhiza, (known as Danshen or red sage) a plant native to China and Japan<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Other ways I can improve my amylase production<\/h3>\n

\u2022 Chewing really well, to make sure what amylase I produce is used to its maximum \u2013 even soups or smoothies should be \u201cchewed\u201d. So chew each mouthful for 25-30 seconds and practice mindful eating to slow down the rate of eating. Take a deep breath before eating, smell and savour each bite and don\u2019t eat in front of the TV or while doing other activities<\/p>\n

\u2022 Short term stress (eg from exercise) increases the production, but long term, chronic stress decreases it. So here\u2019s another reason to make time for regular exercise, particularly high intensity.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Gut Bacteria \u2013 having a well balanced gut biome can help with digestion, so fermented foods and probiotics may be helpful.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Amylase Inhibitors<\/h3>\n

Some foods can reduce salivary amylase including:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Some herbs and spices such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger, dandelion, lemon balm, rosemary and gingko boloba
\n\u2022 some tea extracts \u2013 so have weaker rather than strong tea, and favour green or white over black tea.<\/p>\n

Alcohol<\/strong> decreases the activity of amylase, so<\/p>\n

\u2022 Avoid alcohol before meals
\n\u2022 Limit alcohol with high starch meals<\/p>\n

Smoking<\/strong> decreases the activity of amylase<\/p>\n

\u2022 Stop smoking
\n\u2022 Or at least avoid smoking before high starch meals<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Some prescription medication are highly inhibitory, including:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Antihistamines
\n\u2022 Sedatives
\n\u2022 Tricyclic Antidepressants
\n\u2022 SSRI Antidepressants
\n\u2022 Neuroleptics
\n\u2022 Parkinson Medication
\n\u2022 Beta blockers (decrease protein secretion)<\/p>\n

My best carb foods<\/h3>\n

Best are low starch foods:<\/p>\n

Veges such as :<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Leafy Greens (eg kale, beet greens, bok choy, rocket), Spinach, Herbs
\n\u2022 Other Salad veges: Celery, Cucumber, Bean Sprouts
\n\u2022 Brassicas: Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Chinese cabbage
\n\u2022 Squashes: Pumpkin, butternut
\n\u2022 Root veges: Swede (rutabaga), turnip, beetroot (beets)
\n\u2022 Other: Artichoke (globe), Asparagus, Capsicum, Eggplant, Fennel, Onions, Snow Peas<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Low Starch Fruits:<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Berries – Blueberries, Cranberries, Raspberries, Strawberries
\n\u2022 Stone fruit – Apricot, Cherries, Peach, Plum
\n\u2022 Citrus – Grapefruit, Lemon, Orange
\n\u2022 Tropical fruits – Coconut, Kiwifruit, Mango, Passionfruit, Pineapple
\n\u2022 Melons – Honey dew melon,
\n\u2022 Avocado<\/p>\n

Nuts & seeds:<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Coconut
\n\u2022 Almonds, Brazils, Macadamias, Walnuts
\n\u2022 Peanuts, Cashews (really legumes)
\n\u2022 Pine Nuts, Sesame Seeds<\/p>\n

Second best foods<\/h3>\n

Resistant starch (amylose) can be fermented in the small intestine, which leads to some health benefits. So I will continue to eat small amounts of resistant starches.<\/p>\n

Veges:<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Salad veges: Lettuce, Tomato, Capsium
\n\u2022 Brassicas: Broccoli, Cauliflower
\n\u2022 Root veges: Carrots, Parsnip, Radish
\n\u2022 Squashes: Zucchini
\n\u2022 Other: Leeks, Mushroom<\/p>\n


\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Fruits:<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Unripe bananas<\/p>\n

Legumes & Beans:<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Green peas, Green beans
\n\u2022 Black beans, Kidney Beans, Lentils
\n\u2022 Black eyed peas, Chick peas, Great Northern Peas<\/p>\n

Avoid foods<\/h3>\n

These are the foods that are high in the starch known as amylopectin<\/p>\n

Vegetables:<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Potato
\n\u2022 Sweet potato, kumera, yams
\n\u2022 Corn<\/p>\n

Grains:<\/strong>
\n\u2022 All gluten grains \u2013 wheat, spelt, kamut, rye, barley
\n\u2022 All non-gluten grains and pseudo grains \u2013 oats, buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa
\n\u2022 This means breads, cereals, pasta are all out unless I make them myself from low starch foods<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In summary<\/h3>\n

This way of eating will be similar to how I\u2019ve eaten for a long time. I\u2019ll be eating:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Meats, fish, poultry
\n\u2022 Some dairy<\/a> \u2013 butter, ghee, and a little cream, yoghurt or cheese
\n\u2022 Good fats<\/a>
\n\u2022 Nuts & seeds, including coconut
\n\u2022 Low starch or resistant starch vegetables
\n\u2022 2-3 serves of fruit a day
\n\u2022 Herbs, spices, other flavourings<\/p>\n

It\u2019s similar to both GAPS<\/a> and Paleo<\/a>. I just need to remember that even carbs that are allowed on those plans need to be eaten in moderation.<\/p>\n

Originally posted on Steemit –\u00a0https:\/\/steemit.com\/health\/@kiwideb\/my-dna-test-results-are-in-can-i-eat-carbs-or-not<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As expected, I have the digestion of a Hunter Gatherer. If you have blood sugar or weight issues, you might too. I suspect there are a lot of other people out there with similar digestive abilities. The symptoms they are likely to have would be: \u2022 Poor carbohydrate tolerance \u2022 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[39,37,45,18,40],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/dietnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2011"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/dietnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/dietnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/dietnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/dietnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2011"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/dietnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2011\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2053,"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/dietnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2011\/revisions\/2053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/dietnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/dietnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/dietnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}