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Topping Up: Friday the 27th
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Topping Up: Friday the 27th

posted 2 days ago in Updates
Topping up is a weekly post rounding up what's happening in my world and things that caught my attention. Subscribe to my newsletter by clicking the paper airplane icon on the right side of any page.
I was back in the kitchen this week, making sandwiches for the Santa Cruz Farmer’s Markets. It was fun to get creative, making cashew-based mozzarella for a vegan caprese sandwich and a buckwheat tabbouleh with roasted vegetables, both on our gluten-free baguette. 

Back In the Saddle

After surgery, I had strict orders to not raise my heart rate for 12 weeks. This week I passed the threshold and got in my first workouts (and stretches) on Peloton (@airjoshb) and my first 15-minute run. All seems good, but I lost my marathon fitness, so I’m starting from zero (again). Add me on Peloton or Strava, so I can cheer you on.
https://www.strava.com/athletes/airjoshb

Research I'm Pondering

I found an interesting study, “Short-term dietary methionine restriction with high fat diet counteracts metabolic dysfunction in male mice” published in Physiological Reports, that combined a high-fat diet with short-term methionine restriction from protein sources and had striking results on metabolic health. Benefits observed from the 10-day intervention included:
  • Rapid Weight Loss: Mice lost 15.5% of their body weight by day 10.
  • Improved Metabolic Health: There was a rapid and robust improvement in metabolic parameters, including reductions in body weight, triglycerides, glucose, insulin, adipokines, and hepatokines, and significant liver mass reduction.
  • Cardioprotective Effects: A decrease in circulating ceramides implying a protective cardiovascular effect.
  • Enhanced Metabolic Activity: Increased energy expenditure in adipose tissue and significant changes in protein expression related to lipolysis and lipogenesis.
This was a limited study on male mice, but it would be easy to experiment with (consulting a health care professional first). The reduction in methionine (an amino acid in protein) was extreme, reducing intake by 80%. That could be achieved with a well-formulated ketogenic diet with a lot of plant-based protein. Key is that overall calories and protein levels stayed the same, so this isn’t a starvation or low-protein diet, just limiting methionine (and probably glycine) intake. Here’s how it might look.
  • 60% Fat: Quality fat from olive oil, grass-fed butter, and foods like avocados, coconut, cheese (which also has protein), and cream.
  • 25-30% Protein: Low methionine diets limit 0.8g-1.1g of the amino acid. Protein sources include egg whites, cottage cheese, lentils, peas, quinoa, white fish, and white meat chicken or turkey. Some nuts like almond butter or macadamia work. I’d add a daily scoop of protein powder like pea, whey, or pumpkin seed via a smoothie, and take 2-3 servings of amino acids, like BodyHealth Perfect Aminos.
  • 10-15% Carbohydrates: Stay within keto limits for carb intake, usually under 50 grams per day, focusing on low-carb vegetables like leafy greens.
Excess methionine (often from red meat) is linked to oxidative damage and disease, so there are potential longevity benefits on top of weight loss/metabolic health recovery, but the amino acid is critical for protein synthesis, so this is a time-boxed intervention and I’d track in Cronometer to get an accurate view of daily intake.

What I've Been Podding

This week, I didn’t do much writing. However, we recorded a new episode of the Switch it On! podcast for our bakery (switchbakery.com) where I discuss my first job, tease our GF/good-gut health bistro coming this fall (exciting!), and my experience getting wheat-bombed.

What I Watched

I saw two movies that couldn’t be more different in vibe and production. 28 Years Later was unexpected and managed to stuff a lot of world commentary in a more human/emotional story than you’d expect from a zombie movie. Yesterday, Amanda and I went to the new Alamo Drafthouse in San Jose and watched F1. This was a heck of an adrenaline-pumpinggood time. I love a movie that dives into the details of how the world works, and this has geeky techie car stuff, along with several great performances.

What I’ve Been Listening To

Brad Pitt did his first podcast with Dax Shepard to discuss his career and F1. If you like him as an actor, his excitement for this movie is clear, as is the effort the entire crew put in to make it.

Something Inspiring

Check out Faith Kipyegon breaking her own mile world record, chasing 4 minutes. Her story as a mother and the fastest woman in the mile is inspiring. I teared up watching her strive to shatter boundaries.