Dr. Steven Gundry with diet recommendations for ApoE4

[Julie G]

I'm not sure if it's the "real" (or whole) story, but I appreciate the link, Plumster. I agree with Dr. Fuhrman's cautions on lectins and would even expand them a bit. People try to make this a black and white issue... whereas I suspect that there are many grey areas. I think that tomatoes, based upon evidence from the Mediterranean Diet, can be very healthy. It's with noting that it's commonplace in that region to remove the skins and seeds to minimize lectins and associated side effects. I also agree that legumes can be very healthful for some. The recent evidence from the PURE study is pretty convincing.

As someone with slow GI motility (secondary to a connective tissue disorder) and likely a lingering SIBO, I have to be careful with legumes. They seem to get stuck in my tummy . I suspect that there are many people like me, walking around with mild (or not so mild) GI and other inflammatory issues that have to proceed cautiously with lectins.

[Corey]

Hi Everybody-- I'm new here and just getting into Dr. Bredesen's book after reading and listening to a lot and also the MIND diet book and wanted to pick up the best Dr. Gundry book-- would you recommend The Diet Evolution or The Plant Paradox to read to help build the best diet for me (Apoe4/4)- Thank you!

[Tincup]

Hi Everybody-- I'm new here and just getting into Dr. Bredesen's book after reading and listening to a lot and also the MIND diet book and wanted to pick up the best Dr. Gundry book-- would you recommend The Diet Evolution or The Plant Paradox to read to help build the best diet for me (Apoe4/4)- Thank you!

Plant Paradox is a year old, Diet Evolution is 10 years old, so definitely Plant Paradox. There is also a Gundry section in the Wiki and we posted transcripts of all our Gundry consults linked here..

If you've not done so, recommend reading the Primer written by one of our members who is a doc.

[Corey]

Ok great thank you-- I panic shopped quite a bit over getting my genetic testing results so trying to be more efficient from here and the Diet Evolution was recommended in the primer so I wasn't sure if The Plant Paradox had diet plans or was more a discussion. Thanks for the transcriptions link, I will dive in! Much appreciated-- Corey

[Corey]

Thank you so much this is fantastic!

[Magda]

Hello Corey,

I am sending a warm welcome your way.
Congratulation on finding dr Bredesen's book and our forum. As Tincup recommended, I also would like to point you to the PRIMER. It is a great please to start exploring. It has written by our member, doctor Stavia.

When you have a free minute please tell us more about yourself. For now, please take it slow, small baby steps usually work best. It does take time to discover which diet strategie works best with your unique biology, it is definitely more of a marathon then a sprint Please do not hesitate to post questions if you get stuck. We are here to support and help.

Be well,
Magda

[Liko]

Hi Corey! Welcome to the group! This is a great place for resources and support. In addition to the Primer and Wiki linked above, you'll find a wealth of knowledge in these forums.

The search function (magnifying glass icon at the top of the screen) can be very helpful. I like using filtering functions to narrow down results when there are too many to make sense of.

Again, welcome!

[Robinh]

I'm ApoeE4/4 and really getting sick of trying to figure out what I need to eat. I eat almost entirely whole foods, but I don't feel well on a purely plant-based diet, so I do eat some animal foods here and there. I am active, meditate, don't smoke, but I do drink dry red wine in moderate amounts. I eat enormous amounts of veggies, with mostly nuts and olive oil for fat but also a little dairy and animal fat here and there. I eat fish and seafood here and there, but the quality stuff is unaffordable and much of it is high in mercury anyway (which I already have way too much of in my system). And I just don't feel like choking down canned sardines and kale every fricking day for my dinner. I feel like the stress of worrying about my diet is going to do me in before what I'm actually eating impacts me. I feel like Dr. Bredesen's diet is mostly about what we CAN'T eat (which is most everything but sardines and kale), versus what we can eat. Avoid saturated fats, starchy carbs, excessive proteins, alcohol, and pretty much anything with actual calories except for monounsaturated fats. That makes no sense evolutionarily. Did we really run around on the savannas drinking shot glasses of olive oil, snacking on nuts and lettuce? Seriously. I'm not sure what we were doing, but it wasn't that. And anyway, many studies show that high fat diets cause insulin resistance regardless of what type of fat is consumed, so there goes the olive oil. Maybe I just don't need to worry so much, since I'm eating better than 95% of the population anyway. But the way Bredesen frames his recommendations, very few would be able to follow them over the long haul. Even an orthorexic like me.

[NF52]

I'm ApoeE4/4 and really getting sick of trying to figure out what I need to eat...I feel like the stress of worrying about my diet is going to do me in before what I'm actually eating impacts me... Did we really run around on the savannas drinking shot glasses of olive oil, snacking on nuts and lettuce? Seriously. I'm not sure what we were doing, but it wasn't that... Even an orthorexic like me

Welcome Robinh!

Thank you for making me laugh several times while reading your post. Maybe not your intent, but if you're not a writer, you could be. I had to look up "orthorexic" and, in the spirit of meeting your somewhat dark humor, will share a link to this quiz (Not for those without a sense of humor!) Am i an orthorexic ?

As someone who is also 4/4, with a robust family history of AD and cardiac disease, I somehow got to age 66 with zero calcium on a coronary artery calcium scan, a low AiC score and a brain that seems to be doing its level best to keep working. I am aware that I don't have a good explanation for why I am still healthy and other people who exercised more, weighed less and slept better are not. I'm mostly confident in saying that:
1. Genes are not destiny.
2. Lifestyle choices are important, but not always silver bullets.
3. Healthy eating probably shouldn't be stressful. If it is, maybe it should take a back seat to other goals (sleep, cognitive challenge, social engagement, exercise, making others laugh) for a while.
3. It's important to find purpose, and meaning, and hopefully joy in life, especially as we get older.

I assume that Dr. Bredesen, and the wise people on this site who know his work and views much better than I do, would say "Be kind to yourself, and listen to how you feel as the guide for what you eat." A wise guide to all things ApoE 4 is Stavia, a physician and fellow 4/4, who wrote the PRIMER.

Please keep sharing your thoughts with us. Hugs from someone who confesses to being a natural omnivore!

[Tincup]

Ok great thank you-- I panic shopped quite a bit over getting my genetic testing results so trying to be more efficient from here and the Diet Evolution was recommended in the primer so I wasn't sure if The Plant Paradox had diet plans or was more a discussion. Thanks for the transcriptions link, I will dive in! Much appreciated-- Corey

Hey Corey,

The Primer was written long before Plant Paradox was published. Stavia does mention it at the very end of the primer in an update here. Though it is just a link, but no title in the text of the post.