SUNDAY PALEO / October 16, 2011

Late afternoon in Grand County, Colorado. October 2011. Image: CyberMed

ENVIRONMENT

Vermont Eyes 90% Renewable Energy Use By 2050 
"The plan, the culmination of Gov. Peter Shumlin's efforts to move the state toward a sustainable energy future, calls for the development of cleantech projects, energy conservation, increasing residential and commercial electrical and heating efficiency and making a push toward establishing plug-in electric vehicle infrastructure." - EnergyBoom 

HEALTH / FITNESS

7 ways to protect your heart before it breaks 
"Your heart is one impressive, overachieving organ: In the minute it takes you to read these paragraphs, it will have pushed a whopping 1.5 gallons of blood through 60,000 miles of blood vessels—that's more than twice the circumference of Earth. Yet despite your ticker's superpowers (and the fact that it keeps you, well, alive), most women don't do enough to safeguard their heart health." - TodayHealth 

How I Would Change Gym Class 
"No, I’m not considering a new career path, and no, this isn’t a policy discussion. I’m not proposing comprehensive school reform (although that’s probably what it’d take to work). I’m just having fun. In the process, hopefully I outline some tangible activities you parents find helpful enough to try." - Mark's Daily Apple 

NUTRITION

Paleolithic eaters find community at breakfast 
"Layton started the Facebook group Eating Paleo in Montreal a year ago. Roughly one hundred local dieters, from professional athletes to firsttimers, exchange recipes, review restaurants and list grocery store finds. They also organize monthly breakfasts." - The Gazette

Could you go without processed foods for a month?
"Because eating well doesn't just make us healthier, it makes us happier. "It feels really good," Wilder said. "Physically, yes, but emotionally, too. I can't think of a better way to have good relationships with people than around the dinner table." - Grist

Bad Genes? Fruits and Vegetables Fight Heart Disease Risk 
"In a new study, people with alterations in a gene called 9p21 had an increased risk of having a heart attack. But if they ate a diet high in raw fruits and vegetables, that increase was virtually eliminated." - MyHealthNewsDaily 

My Escape From Vegetarianism 
"To other vegetarians, I know that any time a former vegetarian speaks about their negative experiences with vegetarianism, it can feel almost like an insult to their own beliefs. Which is why people like Lierre Keith who have spoken out publicly (and in her excellent book, The Vegetarian Myth) have been violently attacked for doing so. So it's not easy finding the right words to describe my own personal experience." - Everymon to Ironmom

RECIPES

Primal Texas Chili 
"Texas chili doesn’t let anything get in the way of and distract from the two main ingredients, chunks of beef and chili powder. Hearty, heavily seasoned and ranging from a bit of heat to fiery-hot, this is the type of chili that’s so thick you almost need a fork to eat it." - Mark's Daily Apple

Grilled Chicken Kabobs 
"This weekend we decided to make the most of the summer weather (hitting 80 in October is definitely summer weather when you live in the north east) and make some grilled chicken kabobs.  It was really easy and turned out delicious." - Against the Grain 

SUCCESS STORIES

How I Lost 70 Pounds On The Primal Diet 
"Losing weight is a challenge. It has taken me most of my adult life to find a workable way to do it. Along the way I have tried many, many different approaches from heavy exercise regiments, to calorie restriction and even becoming a vegetarian. Up until about one year ago ..." - Courageos Mind

Eat This!

By Leslie Why Reap

This is exciting stuff.  This is Paleo side dish heaven on earth.  Seriously, it is exciting for those of us who have given up grains and starchy tubers like potatoes but would still love to languish in the glorious texture of mashed potatoes.  Languish, luxuriate and leave the high glycemic index of potatoes behind and instead dip into a like dish that is jam packed with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and there for anti-cancer properties!  Who knew that CAULIFLOWER could be so tasty….maybe you all did, but I didn’t.

This dish is PERFECT for those of you on the Paleo diet, GAPS diet, the CORE diet, an Anti-Candida Diet, Gluten/Grain Free or Low Glycemic diet.  It also fits in well with Weston A. Price and Nourishing Traditions.   Let’s face it, this dish is universally awesome and tastes great (yes even Vegans can enjoy this dish with some minor alterations.  Yes, I just used the word “Vegan” in a Paleo post.  (Vegans are people too you know.)  Perhaps I am so enthusiastic about this dish because in addition to being over-the-top healthy, it is an excellent vehicle for my favorite condiments, golden grass fed butter and lovely Celtic sea salt.

So this is how it all happened. 

Click to read more ...

Developing a Modern Paleolithic: Many dams are “relics of a bygone age”

Removal of Glines Canyon Dam as of Oct. 4, 2011. Image: WikimediaBy Dr. John

You may be aware that removal of the Glines Canyon Dam on the Elwha River, which began on September 17, represents the largest dam removal in American history. Earlier this year, two outdated dams no longer in use on the Twelve Mile River in South Carolina were also removed.

Regardless of your position on the environment, removal of many dams should not be a contentious issue. The article “American Waterways: Go with the flow”, published in the Oct. 1 issue of The Economist, provides pertinent data on dam removal:

• “In this century’s first decade, 410 American dams were removed. While that is just a small portion of the more than 84,000 dams in America, the rate of removal is growing; more than twice as many dams were removed between 2000 and 2010 than in any other decade.”
• “Some – around 2,540 – generate hydropower, but most do not.”

The Economist also notes:

Like the Twelve Mile River dams, many of them are relics of a bygone age: holdovers from the Industrial Revolution built to power mills long defunct for industries that have largely vanished from America.

The goals of dam removal include public safety (the older the dam, generally the greater the risk of failure), water recreation (fishing, rafting, etc.) and restoration of aquatic life (for example, the salmon population of the Elwha River is expected to boom from 3,000 to 400,000 following dam removal).

Undamming rivers, when possible, helps restore our natural world – remember clean air, clean water, flowing streams and rivers (OK, maybe you don’t). It also helps restore the Paleolithic resources on which we depend.

SUNDAY PALEO / October 9, 2011

Food market, Otavalo, Ecuador, South America. Image: John MichaelANTHROPOLOGY

Prehistoric Children Finger-Painted on Cave Walls 
"Researchers have uncovered evidence that children as young as 2 decorated France’s Rouffignac caves with markings known as finger flutings at least 13,000 years ago, drawing not only simple lines but also symbolic shapes." - History.com

ENVIRONMENT

World’s second tallest structure will power 100,000 homes a day with hot air 
"If a clean energy project in the Arizona desert goes forward, the second tallest structure on Earth will be a 2,600-foot solar updraft tower, which could last 80 years and generate 200 MW of electricity each day -- using only hot air." - Grist

Nearly All Deep-Sea Fisheries Are Unsustainable 
"The authors of this Marine Policy paper say that the best policy would be to end economically wasteful deep-sea fisheries, redirect subsidies to help displaced fishermen and rebuild fish populations in productive waters closer to ports and markets, places far more conducive to sustainable fisheries." - Save Our Seas 

The Self-Sufficient Office Building 
“The story is that this building is pushing the boundaries of performance in all categories, not just in one or two,” said Jason McLennan, the chief executive of both the certifying institute and the Cascadia Green Building Council, a chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council that administers the better-known LEED rating system. “For this building type and this scale, it’s the first in the world to go this far.” - The New York Times 

MODERN DISEASES

How Inflammation Affects Your Health 
"Chronic inflammation is another story. It occurs when inflammation persists, and the dilated blood vessels and hyped-up immune system become the body's new norm. However, not only is it not part of the normal healing process, research indicates that it may be at the very core of chronic diseases such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease." - MyHealthNewsDaily 

Low Vitamin B12 Tied to Brain Atrophy, Cognitive Impairment 
"The study found that higher levels of several markers of vitamin B12 deficiency, most notably methylmalonic acid (MMA) and homocysteine, were associated with lower global cognitive function scores and lower total brain volume roughly 5 years later." - Medscape Neurology 

Junk Food Looks More Tempting When Blood Sugar Drops 
"More worryingly, after a mild blood sugar drop, our brains are less able to fight our desire for ice cream and pizza, the researchers said. And the response from the part of the brain responsible for inhibiting such cravings was particularly weak in obese people, the study found." - MyHealthNewsDaily 

Brain scans show obese less able to stop food cravings 
"Brain scans of thin people who looked at pictures of high-calorie foods showed increased activity in a region of the brain used for impulse control, but obese people showed little activity in this region, the researchers found." - MSNBC.com

RECIPES

Dad’s Grilled Lemon Chicken 
"Anyhow, what I’ve learned first hand is that Paleo can be done and it’s not as difficult as many people think.  I knew this going into it because, well my wife runs this very popular blog called Everyday Paleo, which most of us have heard of.  And yes I have cooked many meals in the past, for those who remember Dad’s Pork Chops, yeah that was me." - Everyday Paleo 

Harvest Spiced Drumsticks 
"Fall is here, which means the kids are back in school, cozy sweaters are being worn, pumpkins are ripe for the picking, and warm comfort foods are on our tables. This fall, we have created a tasty chicken recipe that will fill your home with all the wonderful aromas of fall flavors, and is also a perfect 'left-overs' option to send along with your kids to school." - Primal Palate

The microenvironment: “… an entirely new way of thinking about cancer”

Image: iStockphotoBy Dr. John

Mainstream media is slowly recognizing the importance of exercise in reducing chronic inflammation. On October 3^rd, USA Today published the article Cells ‘neighborhood’ can help prevent breast cancer by Liz Szabo. The story featured Lu-Ann Doria in her fight with breast cancer, and, more broadly, presented exercise as an important tool in improving the cellular microenvironment of our tissues. The health of this microenvironment is crucial to keeping microscopic cancer cells, which are probably developing continuously, from becoming serious, and sometimes deadly, tumors.

Szabo, after interviewing William Li, MD, President & Medical Director of the Angiogenis Foundation, Lynn Matrisian, PhD, Professor and Chair of Cancer Biology at the Ingram-Vanderbilt Cancer Center, and Patricia Ganz, MD, medical oncologist at UCLA’s Jonnson Comprehensive Cancer Center, writes: 

• “Exercise helps improve the neighborhood, keeping cancers in check.”
• “Exercising, for example, sends out anti-inflammatory signals that make it harder for tumors to grow.”
• “Failing to exercise – and putting on a lot of weight – damages the neighborhood, making it easier for cancers to wreak havoc.”
• Exercise reduces inflammation by lowering “insulin and sex hormones such as estrogen that let tumor cells survive and spread” while “smoking, heavy drinking, being obese and eating processed foods all increase inflammation.”

According to Li,

"It's an entirely new way of thinking about cancer. The microenvironment actually protects us from cancer in ways we don't fully understand."

And, quoting Lynn Matrisian:

The microenvironment, in some cases, may make the difference between a tiny little cancer that doesn’t hurt you, and one that becomes a major danger to your life.

Exercise, like the anti-inflammatory Paleolithic diet, is a powerful tool for controlling inflammation, a component of many illnesses including cancer. Maybe its time to put down your computer or smartphone and go for a walk, a sprint, or enjoy another Paleo fitness activity. Maybe, I should too. 

Related posts:
Inflammation impairs frontal lobe brain function 
An "Insight of the Decade": Chronic inflammation kills 
Are mainstream nutritionists beginning to recognize the value of Paleolithic  

Stop the madness, Break the cycle!

By Leslie Why Reap

I have had limited feedback on my blogs with the exception of the first one I posted entitled “Progression to Paleo.” I pretty much got taken apart piece, by out of context piece, by a hardcore Paleo-ite (yes I made that up).  Oh yes and then there was my mom consistently and persistently emailing me after every post to say, “It’s great!  What do you think about making them shorter?”  Well today this was corroborated by one of my closest friends so….“Mom, you have been validated.”  Well, at least I have three readers!

So I spent my work week perfecting the template for my updated Nutrition Plan offering.  It has a new moniker, “The Anti-inflammatory and Alkaline Approach to Excellent Health.”  I spent hours weaving together the critical elements of: immune system, gut microflora (bacteria), blood pH levels, chronic inflammation, and disease to create what I hope to be a cohesive and compelling fabric so to speak.  This high nutrient, healthy fat, low/no grain, low glycemic approach will meet the needs of even the staunchest of grain and sugar addicts.  I also learned a few things along the way . . .

Ah-ha!

You have 2-3 pounds of bacteria in your gut!  Wow, really?  70% of your immune system cells are housed in your gut.  Not a surprise.  But 2-3 pounds of good and bad bacteria, little guys (and girls I guess) tooling around down in there doing their thing…Wow, that’s quite a colony.   100 Trillion bacterial buggers to be approximate.  WHAT are they doing?  Ialready knew this but thought you might not.  They are training and developing your immune system.  They are actually digesting the food that YOU eat, extracting critical nutrients (or trying to anyway).  Perhaps one of their most important tasks...the good bacteria are the police.  They are keeping the undesirable buggers and their cousins, fungals and yeasts,  in check, kind of like permanent martial law.  You don’t want to see what happens when the fungals, yeasts and other bad guys start to out number the good guys…your immune system starts to breakdown and anarchy reigns.  Although I am guessing several of you may already be experiencing this immune dysfunction and not have a clue as to why.  Take a look at what and who you are feeding those 100 trillion.  Are you feeding the good guys or the bad guys?  

Bananas rot from the inside out.  Cheese rots from the outside in.  Which food is alive?  Yes, bananas are the “live” food here.  I guess this was not an “ah-ha” as much as it was just a really good analogy (that I borrowed).  So it turns out that we humans rot from the inside out as well.  What does that mean?  It means that just because you look okay on the outside, doesn’t mean your internal terrain (your microflora) and therefore, your immune system, is intact, healthy and thriving.  Here are some external warning signs that let you know the bacterial balance  inside might be heading toward anarchy (aka, that you are over feeding the bad guys):  repeated sinus, ear and eye infections, constipation, diarrhea, gas, IBS, stomach pain,  allergies, headaches, fatigue, skin eruptions (hives, acne, excema) athletes foot, nail bed infections, hormonal imbalances and strong carbohydrate cravings (sugar feeds yeast!)

Here is my pitch:

It is not a new one, but hopefully it is one that brings to light the simplicity of what is going on in the USA today.  It is a message that can be easily grasped by the public at large…ready to grasp?  Here we go: 

Poor Diet and Lifestyle Choices = Acidic Body (altered pH) = Inflammation = Pain = Stress = More Inflammation = More Pain = Damaged Tissue = Chronic Inflammation.

Chronic Inflammation + Poor Diet + Stressed Lifestyle = “Dis-ease,”

Disease and Early Death.

Stop the madness, break the cycle. 

You choose, health or dis-ease.  Any questions?

SUNDAY PALEO / October 2, 2011

Grand Teton National Park. Image: CyberMed, LLC

ENVIRONMENT

There Will Be Oil 
"The date of the predicted peak has moved over the years. It was once supposed to arrive by Thanksgiving 2005. Then the "unbridgeable supply demand gap" was expected "after 2007." Then it was to arrive in 2011. Now "there is a significant risk of a peak before 2020." - Wall Street Journal

Wall Street Journal embraces peak oil denialism 
"The thing is, Yergin has been demonstrably getting it wrong about oil for years. There are countless examples, well chronicled here, but he is so wrong, so often, that it only takes about 5 minutes with Google to find an egregious example." - Grist 

FITNESS

Strong Support for the Brain Benefits of Aerobic Activity 
"We concluded that you can make a very compelling argument for [aerobic] exercise as a disease-modifying strategy to prevent dementia and mild cognitive impairment, and for favorably modifying these processes once they have developed." - Medscape Neurology 

Interval Training for Fat Loss 
"Are you looking to kick things up a notch this summer? Are your abs almost visible? Interval training can help you lose fat and improve your fitness. What’s not to like? Here are 4 reasons to incorporate interval training workouts." - Defined Wellness 

NUTRITION

Junk Food Looks More Tempting When Blood Sugar Drops 
"The researchers scanned the brains of 14 people (five obese and nine nonobese) while they looked at images of high-calorie foods (such as ice cream and hamburgers), low-calorie foods (salads and fruit) and nonfoods (a chair or a lamp). Participants were hooked up to an IV and their blood sugar (glucose) levels were manipulated." - MyHealthNewsDaily 

Feeding the flame: Some foods worsen inflammation – but the right diet can soothe body 
"The physical symptoms of chronic inflammation are wide, ranging from joint pain, gastrointestinal problems like bloating and diarrhea, skin problems and lack of energy. Experts warn that over time, low-grade, chronic inflammation can lead to more serious problems, such as Alzheimer’s, fibromyalgia, colon cancer and heart disease." - The Daily 

PALEO LIFESTYLE

Ken Korg Finally Gets It 
"The pantry has finally been purged. It was a big job, one Ken began immediately after that first chat with Valentina but only just finished because he had run out of garbage bags for all the old food (their pantry is a walk-in and just massive)." - Mark's Daily Apple 

RECIPES

Mint Lamburgers - Make it Paleo Recipe 
"These juicy burgers are just packed with flavor, and sit atop a crisp Greek salad. We think so highly of this recipe that we shared it with Liz (who writes Cave Girl Eats) and her "Cave Husband" when they spent a day with us at the beach this past summer." - The Food Lovers Primal Palate 

FROM THE ARCHIVE

Becoming Paleo, Part 1: The Yale Food Addiction Scale 
The Yale Food Addiction Scale is a survey designed to detect and measure the severity of food addiction. While food addiction’s not fully recognized by the medical establishment as a disorder, several studies have been conducted to explore the possibility of its existence. 

Electric bike prototype by Ford

Image: Ford Motor Company

High tech electric bike prototype by Ford Motor Company points to a less hydrocarbon driven world - as long as alternative energies are used to charge the battery. 

Found via ENN.

Mocha Muffins (or dare I say Cupcakes?)

Whole Wheat bread (glycemic index 72) increases blood sugar as much as or more than table sugar or sucrose (glycemic index 59).  

Dr. William Davis, MD

By Leslie Why Reap

First of all, I don’t eat anything that doesn’t taste really good.  Second of all, I don’t typically (80% rule) eat things that are not high quality and nutrient dense.   So in an effort to bring you great taste and pretty decent nutrient density, I baked, tasted and reviewed this recipe for you today.  I deem it blog worthy, I hope you will agree!   I made these wheat/gluten/grain free treats two ways, the first batch with butter and then to make them dairy free, second batch with coconut oil.  Both batches  came out moist, springy and not too sweet but sweet enough (especially if you were to ice them).

Click to read more ...

SUNDAY PALEO / September 25, 2011

Arches National Park. Image: CyberMed, LLC

ENERGY

Canada's Geothermal Resources Could Power the Country One Million Times Over 
"Heavy concentrations of geothermal stores near the surface in the Northern and Western parts of Canada (including British Columbia, Alberta, the Yukon and Northwest Territories) are the stars of the new report, though resources exist across the country." - EcoGeek 

Teen’s invention boosts solar panel output 40 percent
"Unlike other devices that let solar panels move to follow the sun, the SunSaluter doesn't use a motor -- instead, it turns because the different metals it's made of expand in the sun at different rates. That means Full's invention is about 1/60th as expensive as traditional solar trackers -- $10 versus $600 -- and simple enough to be maintained by kids in developing communities." - Grist

GOING PALEO

How Ken Korg Got the Ball Rolling 
"Ken Korg’s doctor has been on his back since the last physical, pushing Crestor and blood pressure meds on him. He doesn’t want to end up like his father did, wedded to the pill organizer for the last fifteen years of his life, but he also doesn’t want an early heart attack." - Mark's Daily Apple 

NUTRITION

Organic Farming Outperforms Conventional Practices in 30-Year Study 
"America's farming techniques affect the health of our families, our communities, and our planet. The Farming Systems Trial shows that organic farming is the healthiest and safest way to feed the world, provide much-needed jobs, reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and protect precious natural resources," says Mark Smallwood, Executive Director of Rodale Institute. - SustainableBusiness.com

Chocolate Good for Heart? 
"Researchers from the UK and Colombia say their meta-analysis of seven studies focused on chocolate and a reduction in heart disease shows eating small amounts of chocolate could reduce the risk of heart disease by 37%, and the risk of stroke by 29%." - Care2

SUCCESS STORIES

The Unconquerable Dave: Still Unconquerable 
"Back in January I received an email from an all-cap typing, keg-throwing, tree-climbing Primal enthusiast with a grizzly beard and an indomitable spirit that blew me (and eventually Mark’s Daily Apple readers) away. His name? PAPA GROK, aka DAVEMAN, aka The Unconquerable Dave. If you haven’t read his original story take a gander now." - Mark's Daily Apple

Success Story: Gus VanDerVoort 
"I had what I called the 'H disease' -- hypertension, high blood pressure and heartburn. I was 50 pounds overweight, lethargic, couldn't move. I felt like an old man, and I was only 48," said the Bartlett resident. "My doctor wanted to put me on two more prescription meds; that was the straw that broke the camel's back." - The Commercial Appeal 

TERRA

Water Evaporated from Trees Cools Global Climate, Researchers Find
"This shows us that the evaporation of water from trees and lakes in urban parks, like New York's Central Park, not only help keep our cities cool, but also helps keep the whole planet cool." - ScienceDaily

URBAN FARMING

The rise of urban farming 
"There is a population and culture that is finally saying that all this processed stuff is not good and the only way we can guarantee that food we use is safe is to grow it ourselves." - The Christian Science Monitor

Cities ease rules to encourage urban farms 
"City Farm is among farms sprouting in cities across the nation to meet demand for locally grown food and to make vacant lots productive and attractive. Cities are changing zoning rules not just to allow more and bigger urban farms but to encourage them." - Tucson Citizen 

Paleolithic Nutrition: Alzheimer’s and Diet

Americans over the age of 65 have a one in a million chance of winning the lottery, and a one in eight chance of developing Alzheimer’s.

Dr. John
Lecture: New Research on the Role of Nutrition in Neurological Function

By John Michael

There are currently 5.4 million people with Alzheimer’s disease in the United States, and “barring medical breakthroughs,” by 2050 that number is projected to grow to as much as sixteen million. According to the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2011 Facts and Figures, “between 2000 and 2025, some states and regions across the country are expected to experience double-digit percentage increases in the overall number of people with Alzheimer’s.” Nor is the United States alone in experiencing an increase in this disease. A recent study reported a growth in the number of cases in Beijing, and in Britain the Prince of Wales last year warned of a coming epidemic. 

Click to read more ...

Shepherding cattle at the 30,000 acre J Bar L Ranch in Montana

The Perennial Plate Episode 70: The Cows and The Horses from Daniel Klein on Vimeo. Found via Grist.org