Anonymous wrote:I have a very large extended in law family. Across all the women over 50 they basically fall into three categories. Normal BMI - thin to normal who eat like birds and have always eaten like birds, Normal BMI - thin to normal who don’t eat carbs but eat a normal volume of food, and Obese BMI - maybe over 30 into the next category but nothing like what you see in some of the midwestern states. The obese ones are not bing eating or eating massive amounts but they do eat carb heavy foods.

Carbs seem to have a very bad impact on women over 40-50.

Anonymous wrote:

Gladly! I actually started down this path because of ongoing GI issues: low absorption of nutrients (chronic low ferritin, and other blood markers); endless bloating and burping, signs of gut inflammation (blood/mucus in stools, etc). Without going too far down the rabbit hole of IBS, gut/brain microbiome, etc....I ended up listening to a variety of podcass by Rhonda Patrick (Found my Fitness) and reading/learning about research by Valter Longo (USC), Dr. Andrew Huberman(yale), Dr. David Sinclair, Peter Attia, Satchin Panda, Matthew Walker (the Slee p Guru) Steven Gundry. While I dont subscirbe to everythign they say/do/recommend and there are differences of opinion between these researchers, the overall commonalities they share are the following: metabolic dysfunction is a result of a terrible western diet of sugars, inflammatory oils, etc. This changes the gut microbiome in profound ways and the gut microbiome regulates everything from cardiometabolic health to emotional wellness (feel good brain chemicals are produced in the gut!). what these researchers tend to share is the folowing: some form of time restricted eating, with many supporting occasional extended fasts for health reasons; high fiber, plant rich, polyphenol rich diet with omegas; low intake of highly processed foods; the importance of sleep and the importance of exercise. Protein requirements seem to be a debate, but overall studies suggest that high animal protein diet is linked to lower lifespan.

I spent a lot of time listening to these podcasts while walking and it has slowly changed everything for me and my family. We eat more vegetables, I eat more nuts and avocadoes (which used to hurt my stomach); I add prebiotic fiber (tasteless) to my am coffee. We eat more legumes than we used to (hummus, blackbean soup, etc) . I switched regular bread for occasional real, high quality sourdough (because fermenetation and its delicious) and whole wheat pasta for white. I don't diet, but I do do IF and occasionally short "fasting mimickingdiet/lowcalories'protein fasts, once every 3/4 months). I tried to take walks after dinner and not eat right before bed. I don't rule anything out, but as I've moved toward a high fiber, high plant, high monounsaturated fat diet, I have found my tastes really have changed. Basically, to sum it up, a whole foods diet prioritizing fish as an animal protein (butI do eat cheese, dairy, chicken and beef, just not daily, I drink red wine and occasionally white but no sweet cocktails unless its super special); moderate exercise, sleep, and I take a couple supplements (iron, probiotics/prebiotics, berberine and omegas). I lost my stomach bloat and fat (esp after my 3rd short fast), sleep better, and my digestive issues are resolved (although I had to go slow on all the fiber at first). Most of all, it seems sustainable, do-able in social and work travel situations, and reasonable.

OP here — This is great, thank you! I listened to two of Rhonda Patrick’s podcasts and it’s very interesting info. Provides significant and illuminating detail to the broad strokes you hear in media headlines. I’ll start diving into the rest as well. I am motivated to feel better as I age (I’m 46) and ready to make bigger changes to my diet.