Adults Only: Ocean Health

"We know the oceans are warming. We know they are acidifying. And now, to cap it all, it turns out they are suffocating, too."

This reality is hard to share with children. On the other hand, since adults have been ineffective in stemming ocean warming and acidification - and are just now learning about ocean suffocation - maybe it's the children who will rise up and change the oceans destinies. 

Learn more
New Scientist: The oceans are heating, acidifying and choking

Related Posts

• Ocean dead zones & fertilizer (Mostly for those non-organic foods)
• Oceana: Save The Oceans
• The Colbert Report: Outlawing sea level rise in North Carolina
• Ocean Acidification by the Numbers

Fight this, Paleo

A small section of the soda isle. Straws easily accessible.

The Paleo/Primal movement has a vibrant online community led by advocates such as Mark Sisson, Loren Cordain, and John Durant. However, the physical world with its enormous quantities of processed and artificial foods is a different ballgame altogether and simply no contest.

Yesterday afternoon I stopped at an outlet of America’s leading discount department stores. This particular store has a rectangular footprint similar to a soccer field, though is much larger. The grocery section includes rows and rows of refined carbohydrates and sugar. Just a small sliver of what was available is seen in the cellphone image above.

The battle for better nutrition is daunting, though the spirits are high.

Fortunately, I then stopped at a nearby Goodwill store to drop off some items. The parking lot was packed. While I waited in the drive-through drop-off area, a young man lifting a sofa with a small forklift bumped and tipped a particleboard dresser that spilled its top drawer on the pavement. The fractured drawer was a minor loss in view of the adjacent mass of furnishings and 40 or so large boxes overflowing with donations.

The wonderful message conveyed by the scene and the crowd I imagined to be inside was one of reuse, recycle and repurpose. Meeting needs at low cost.

We produce and use. Fortunately we also circulate.

Related Posts

• Is sugar toxic? You decide.
• Dr. Lustig presents "Sugar: The Bitter Truth"
• Shop Different: Rethink Fabrics
• Patagonia, the new local economy, and fabric recycling

Transitioning from a vegetarian diet to the Paleo Diet

Writing in Primal Docs, Nutrition Therapist Neely Quinn provides advice for vegetarians considering a transition to the Paleo Diet: 

"So how does a vegetarian transition to Paleo? This is actually a pretty common concern among vegetarians, and sometimes a valid one. In my experience with clients and readers, I’ve noticed that some people’s bodies stop producing enough of the necessary enzymes and other digestive juices to break down meat after being vegetarian for a while."

Learn more

Primal Docs: How Does a Vegetarian Transition to Paleo?

Related Posts 

• Success Story: Vegetarian gives up high-grain, low-fat diet
• Success Story: After 20 years on a plant-based diet
• Success Story: Bryan in Galveston
• Ethical case for veganism based on "dodgy arguments"
• Review Part 2: In Search of the Perfect Human Diet

Success Story: Vegetarian gives up high-grain, low-fat diet

"I decided to stop eating red meat when I was 12 years old. It was a decision I made based on something I had read about slaughterhouses. I eventually transitioned into a full-blown vegetarian. My mom followed suit and we primarily lived off veggie burgers and salads during my teen years. Oh yeah, and popcorn was a big staple in our house, with fat free “butter” sprayed all over it."

And later:

"Eating a high-grain low-fat diet was causing a host of issues, including an increase in seasonal allergies, acne problems, and constant digestion trouble."

Read more: Mark's Daily Apple

Seismic Airguns: "100,000 times more intense than a jet engine"

Image: Woods Hole Science Center

The price we pay for using seismic airguns to search for oil and gas under the ocean floor is the stunning, or death, of ocean life. When do we finally say no? As Oceana reports:

"Seismic airguns are towed behind ships and shoot loud blasts of compressed air through the water and miles into the seabed, which reflect back information about buried oil and gas deposits. These blasts harm marine mammals, sea turtles, fish and other wildlife.

Impacts include temporary and permanent hearing loss, abandonment of habitat, disruption of mating and feeding, and even beach strandings and death. For whales and dolphins, which rely on their hearing to find food, communicate, and reproduce, being able to hear is a life or death matter."

Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch

"Carry the pocket guide that's right for your region to help you choose ocean-friendly seafood wherever you live or travel."

Read more: Monterey Bay Aquarium SeafoodWatch

Success Story: Tim Bauer Survives a Walk Around the Block

Tim weighed 440 pounds. He had sleep apnea and GERD and was borderline diabetic. His marriage was failing. He wondered if he would see his “two beautiful daughters grow up, graduate, have children of their own.” Food had taken over his life:

"Food was my release. It was my dearest friend. It never judged me or laughed at me, and it was there for everything. When I was happy, I'd celebrate with pizza. Sad? Drown it in nacho cheese. Worried? The crunch of Doritos can cure that. Stressed? That's nothing a pint or two of Ben & Jerry's couldn't cure. Angry? Take it out on a burrito."

Then, a remarkable thing happened: he survived a walk around the block. That was the first step that eventually led him to a Paleo diet and lifestyle. 

Read more: I Lost Weight: Tim Bauer Cut Out Fast Food And Sugar And Lost 225 Pounds

New Book: The Paleo Manifesto

Just recieved my copy of The Paleo Manifesto by John Durant. Here is what Steven Pinker, the Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, has to say:

“In an age of material abundance and high technology, why are we failing to thrive? Why are so many of us fat, tired, achy, depressed? Starting with the insight that every species is well suited to its natural habitat, John Durant explores how we might alter our own habits and habitats in ways that allow us to flourish. Durant is original, open-minded, and the nicest and smartest caveman you’ll ever meet. The Paleo Manifesto is brimming with ideas and a fascinating read.”

Global Fever

"Each of the last three decades has been successively warmer at the Earth’s surface than any preceding decade since 1850."

"Warming of the climate system is unequivocal."

Source
Working Group I Contribution to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report
Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis
Summary for Policymakers 

My son screamed at me: “IT’S NOT ABOUT THE CALORIES!”

I always had a weight problem.  In my mind, I knew how to diet and I knew about nutrition.  For the longest time, I really tried to follow what I thought was right-mainly counting calories.  But my life was crazy: I was working 60-80 hours a week and raising three kids.  Eventually, I just gave up.  I gained SOOOO much weight.  I gained 70 pounds.  I was trying my best to stay active-I walked the dog, chased the kids around, but was still rapidly gaining weight.  Finally, I went to see a doctor.  His suggestion? To cut my caloric intake to 800 calories a day.

After the doctor visit, I went home to see my son.  He was the one who introduced me to Crossfit and Paleo, and basically screamed at me, “IT’S NOT ABOUT THE CALORIES!”  

Paleo Inspiration: Jeanne’s Story
via The Food Lover's Kitchen 

Does an inflammatory diet play a role in schizophrenia?

"Overall, there is accumulating evidence, albeit mostly adjunctive treatments, that agents working on inflammatory pathways have some benefits in people with schizophrenia. In the next few years the field will begin to see data on many treatments with anti-inflammatory properties that are currently under study. Hopefully advancements in understanding inflammation and effective treatments having anti-inflammatory properties may help revolutionize our understanding and provide new targets for prevention and treatment in schizophrenia."

Source: A review of anti-inflammatory agents for symptoms of schizophrenia.

$1 million X PRIZE : Measuring ocean acidification

The X PRIZE Foundation new prize Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health X PRIZE is offering “$1 million to the team that invents the most accurate sensors as well as another $1 million to the team that devises the most affordable and easy-to-use sensors.”

The sensor’s technical goals are threefold: to operate at depths of at least 3,000 meters, take measurements that are precise to the level of the annual pH change (roughly 0.002 on an acid-to-base scale that stretches from 0 to 14) and avoid the need for frequent recalibration. In addition, the sensors should be cheap so that they can be used widely.

Apply here. 

Source: New X PRIZE to Help Track Increasing Ocean Acidity

Related Posts

• Ocean Acidification by the Numbers
• First "State of the Planet Declaration"