Guide to Food - Optimizing your Nutrition to Supercharge your Avatar There has long been a superstition amongst UO players that food/drink impacts a variety of in-game success checks - skill gain, stat gain, chance to hit, chance to cast successfully, etc. Through careful analysis of the Demo, UOR staff re-created the era accurate effects of food/drink. What food does in UO:Renaissance: While this guide is meant to bring attention to the above benefits of food, it's secondary - and more important objective - is to educate the Citizenry of Britannia on proper nutrition. Health Crisis in Sosaria! It has become painfully apparent that traditional nutritional recommendations are leading to a crisis in the health of our people. The graphs below help illustrate the problem we're now facing. Cases of Type 2 Diabetes in Sosaria: Cases of Gastric Distress Disorders - Chron's, Irritable Bowel, Ulcerative Colitis, etc Simply put, the situation needs to be addressed. Lord Brittish's treasury is being drained – Sosaria Care cannot possibly hope to keep up with the rising costs of health care. No amount of Mandrake Root, Ginseng, or Garlic are going to be enough to cure the world's ills. Change must happen and it must happen now! The problem: Notice the bulging waist lines of most Sosarians. For two generations we have had a misunderstanding of proper macro nutrient ratios. While we changed our diets to conform to a ratio of 20% fat 30% protein and 50% carbohydrates, our prevalence of type 2 diabetes, chron's disease, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel, heart disease, celiac's disease, rosacea, heartburn, and a host of other ailments has sky rocketed. Sosarians are bulging at the seems - the typical size of a fancy shirt and fancy pants has increased by 50% just in the last 10 years. The sheep of Sosaria are being worked to death and being kept in squalid conditions to support the demand for cloth to support our growing waist lines. The other victims: The cause of the problem: When our Avatar's digestive system breaks down carbohydrates a variety of things happen. Carbohydrates and Glucose: - First, the digestive system immediately converts the carbohydrate source into glucose. - With elevated levels of blood glucose, the pancreas must produce insulin or our Avatar would go into shock and die. - Elevated insulin shuttles glucose into adipose tissue (fat cells), causing our Avatar to gain weight. - If too much carbohydrate is consumed, the body releases too much insulin, causing blood sugar levels to crash. - Low blood sugar leads to fatigue. - This fatigue generates hunger and typically leads to re-feeding. - Repeatedly following the above cycle causes your Avatar's body to become insulin resistant which leads to greater swings in blood sugar and insulin. - Chronic fluctuations in this body system leads to increased hunger, increased weight gain, and increased fatigue. - The above process is the direct cause of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Insulin and Glucagon: - In the absence of blood glucose and a demand for energy (exercise), your Avatar's pancreas would normally produce Glucagon. - Glucagon causes fat cells to release stored energy which causes your Avatar to lose weight. - On a typical 20/30/50 diet, Glucagon is almost never released because blood glucose levels are elevated and Insulin is being released. - It is very difficult, if not impossible, to lose fat / burn adipose tissue without Glucagon! The small intestinal biome: - In your Avatar's body there are 10x as many bacterial cells as there are human cells. - The vast majority of these bacteria live in your Avatar's small intestines. - Your Avatar's body and these bacteria have a symbiotic relationship - they break down food that your Avatar can’t break down to provide your Avatar energy. In return, your Avatar provides the bacteria food and a home in which to thrive. Good bacteria vs. Bad bacteria: - Different types of bacteria eat different types of food. - The bacteria that consume carbohydrates and glucose can quickly overwhelm your Avatar’s small intestine. - These bacteria, in high numbers, can produce large amounts of methane and CO2 which cause gas, bloating, heart burn, and gastric distress. - These bacteria can also overwhelm your Avatar’s immune system – leading to chronic infection of the digestive system, skin, and even internal organs. - It is the compound problem of gas production and compromising of the immune system that is the direct cause of chronic heart burn, digestive ailments like Chron’s, IB, and UC, as well as chronic skin conditions like body and face acne and even rosacea. The solution: The solution is simple! Stop feeding your avatar carbohydrates! For several million years the human race has existed as hunter gatherers in Sosaria. The farming industry you see below is not something our Avatars require! The culprit: Big Agribusiness While carbohydrates provide a low human labor per calorie food source which is economically accessible and even protected by powerful Sosarian lobbyist groups, they are NOT ESSENTIAL MACRO NUTRIENTS. In fact – this might shock you, but of the 3 macro nutrients - Fat, Protein, and Carbohydrate – Carbohydrates are the ONLY ones that are non essential! Don’t let the food industry lie to your face! You can not only survive on a carb free diet – you can thrive! How your body thrives on a carb free diet: In the absence of carbohydrates and blood glucose, your Avatar’s body will enter Ketosis and start cleaving fat molecules to produce ketone bodies which it uses for fuel. All of your Avatar’s body’s cells will run on these ketone bodies except for your brain cells which require glucose. Thankfully the liver is fully capable of producing glucose to special deliver to the brain to keep you fired up and ready to go! Benefits of Ketosis: - Insulin is not produced since blood glucose is low or zero. No more fatigue! No more fat cell storage! No more insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome! TYPE 2 DIABETES WILL INSTANTLY BEGIN REVERSING. - Glucagon is produced frequently as your Avatar's metabolic needs demand energy. This causes metabolism of adipose tissue! Cya later fat cells! - Your Avatar's small intestinal biome changes! No more carbohydrate/glucose eating bacteria means no more gas, bloating, heartburn, chron’s, acne, etc! - Your Avatar's body switches to ketones for fuel which have a longer shelf life and can be produced on demand from storage. This means increased stamina, less hunger, and less fatigue. - Your Avatar's body becomes more stable! Less hormone fluctuations, less pressure on the immune system, and a more stable energy system means better and more restful sleep which leads to increased sense of well-being throughout the day! - Your immune system isn't under chronic siege - improving your overall immune health! Your Avatar will get sick less often and allergies might dissipate or disappear altogether. - Many experience a renewed mental clarity as if a mental fog has been broken. This is probably a combination of all of the above symptoms dissipating, allowing your body to function as it was meant to function. Glucose, Ketones, and Cholesterol: - With elevated glucose levels, your Avatar's body will very rarely cleave fat molecules into ketones. This leads to a buildup fat - cholesterol being the big culprit - in the circulatory system. - On a Ketogenic diet, even though your Avatar will be getting most of your energy from fat, your lipid profile will improve. - Although dietary cholesterol and fats will sky rocket, they will not be able to accumulate in the circulatory system because they have become your Avatar's primary fuel source. - The result of this, contrary to conventional wisdom, is that a High Carb diet promotes Heart Disease and risk of stroke / heart attack while a Ketogenic diet will reverse those problems. Glucose, Ketosis, and Cancer: - Nearly all known cancerous cells operate by metabolizing glucose. - Ketogenic diets have recently been shown to inhibit cancer cell growth by starving them of their only food source. How to enter Ketosis: - Don't feed your Avatar carbs! - Try to achieve the following macro nutrient ratio: 30% protein 70% fat. - So this means: Don't eat more meat - eat more fat! - Let me say that again: Don't eat more meat - eat more fat! - Most people have a lot of trouble with this because they have been trained their entire lives to avoid fat. Time to indulge Sosaria! Check it! Good foods: High Fat: Butter: Oil: Mayonaise: Heavy Cream: Sour Cream: Green Olives: High Fat and Protein: Eggs: Avacados: Oily Fish: Fatty Meats: Cheeses: Almonds: High Protein: Lean Meats: Lean Fish: Protein Powder: High Fiber + Low Carbohydrate Vegetables: Leafy Vegetables like broccoli and spinach: Herbs and spices: Bad foods: Protein and/or Fat but also have Carbs: Milk: Peanuts and Peanut Butter: Carbohydrate Rich Foods: Fruits: Flour and Sugar and foods made with either: Baked Goods and Bread: Vegetables that grow underground (roots): Tomatoes, Peas, and other vegetables that fruit from plants: Sugary Drinks, Soda, and Juice: Beer: Most Wines (except very dry wines): How to maintain optimal health while in Ketosis: - Drink plenty of water! - Carbohydrates promote water storage. Without carbohydrates and glucose, you'll want to drink a little more water to stay hydrated. - Add a little more salt to your food and try to eat foods rich in potassium, magnesium, and zinc (broccoli, spinach, and avocados are key!). - Loss of water + more water intake can lead to your electrolyte balance getting screwed up. Either supplement, eat the foods above, or drink some Powerade Zero to compensate. Otherwise you'll feel terrible! Don't get the keto flu - power through! Myths and Misconceptions about Ketosis: - Ketosis will wreck your cholesterol levels. Debunked. Dietary cholesterol has almost no bearing on blood cholesterol. Our liver is capable and does produce large quantities of both LDL and HDL. Switching to a Ketogenic diet will burn cholesterol before it can build up! - Ketosis will wreck your liver and kidneys. Debunked. As long as you're not eating too little fat and are properly hydrated, you'll be fine. The only risk here is using too much protein as a fuel source - we shouldn't be using protein as a fuel source if we're eating enough fat! Gluconeogenesis is the process by which the body uses protein for fuel - we absolutely don't want to go there! That causes muscle loss! The liver and kidneys cope with ketosis just fine - many many people have been in ketosis for decades and it is recommended for Epileptics or other individuals with seizure disorders. - Keto will make your breath stink. It sure will! Chew some gum son! That smell is ketone bodies literally evaporating out of your mouth and pores like gasoline evaporates. LOSING WEIGHT WHILE BREATHING IS WHAT I CALL IT! - You will die without Carbs. Absolutely debunked. This is pure fiction. - Ketogenic Diets are expensive. False! Just shop frugally. Walmart, Costco, Winco, etc. Find the staples and get going! Fat is calorie dense! Fat is twice as calorie dense as carbohydrate (9 cals/gram vs 4 cals/gram) so you need half as much food by weight! Eat up son! - You'll miss vital macro nutrients on a Ketogenic Diet. False! Keto friendly foods are the most nutritionally dense food! Grains and sugar have almost no nutritional value and are usually "fortified." Misc. Facts about Ketosis: - Ketogenic Diets have been statistically proven to control seizure disorders and have been used for over 100 years. If you are epileptic, ask your neurologist about a Ketogenic Diet! - All cells are wrapped in a lipid layer! The brain, skin, and major organs, are all comprised of large quantities of fat! Optimal brain, organ, and skin health demands consumption of lots of high quality fats! - Ketosis has been strongly linked to HYPE TRAIN ACTIVATION! FIRE IT UP UOR! HOP ON THIS KETO TRAIN AND ACTIVATE YOUR HYPE! Notice clear complexion, trim waist line, and copious hype.
I don't know who just linked to this during our Discord discussion about the effects of hunger levels, but this thread deserves a big ol' bump!
