SUNDAY PALEO / March 25, 2012

Hungry for a bowl of white rice? Instead, switch from white rice (one of the lowest quality foods) to blueberries (one of the highest).

This Sunday we look at some recent nutritional wins and losses. 

Wins: The Paleo diet

On March 16, Reuters reported: 

Eating more blueberries, apples and pears may be linked to lower risk of diabetes, according to a new U.S. study.

The study revealed, “blueberry-lovers had a 23 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared with those who ate no blueberries.” Consuming apples and pears was also associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Medical professor Dr. Loren Greene, not part of the study, noted:

While fruit sugar raises blood glucose levels rapidly, other substances in fruit such as fibers and pectin may have diabetes-related benefits.

The study abstract is located here. 

Take care of your health: Add some blueberries, apples, and pears to your diet in place of processed foods or the lowest quality foods you think you consume.

Losses: The typical modern diet

According to an article in the March 16 MyHealthNewsDaily, Harvard School of Public Health researchers in Boston reviewed “four previous studies examining the link between eating white rice and the risk of Type 2 diabetes.” The results suggest:

Eating white rice regularly may raise your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

The researchers found “the more white rice eaten, the higher the risk of Type 2 diabetes.” The risk of developing diabetes increased by “11 percent with each increased daily serving of white rice." 

Professor Bruce Neal of the University of Sydney in Australia, not part of the study, cautions that the findings do not prove cause-and-effect between white rice and diabetes. The study reveals an association between the two. While Neal notes, “more work is needed to substantiate the idea that white rice increases the chances of getting Type 2 diabetes,” he also adds:

... diet-related ill health is now widely believed to be the leading cause of chronic diseases around the world.

If future studies reveal a cause-and-effect relation between consumption of white rice and Type 2 diabetes, what could be the mechanism?

The researchers said that rice has a high glycemic index, which means the body rapidly converts the carbohydrates in rice into glucose. The glycemic index of white rice is about 64, on a 100-point scale. (From comparison, ice cream has a glycemic index of 61, and orange juice rates a 50, according to data from Harvard.)

The study's conclusion:

Higher consumption of white rice is associated with a significantly increased risk of type 2 diabetes, especially in Asian (Chinese and Japanese) populations.

Take home advice: Switch the lowest quality foods in your diet with the highest. Ditch the white rice and add blueberries, apples and pears, or any of the many healthful foods from the original human diet. Try some of the recipes below.

Paleo diet recipes

• Budget Friendly Balsamic Mustard Chicken and Oven Roasted Veggies
• Corned Beef - Paleo Style
• Asian Beef Braise
• Sesame Coleslaw with Seaweed 
   

Living Paleo

• Life is Great
• Erika Knows No Bounds

SUNDAY PALEO / February 12, 2012

A winter day. Eagle County, Colorado.

This Sunday, I review two research studies that demonstrate the health benefits of the Paleo diet. (Maybe you can send your skeptic friends over for a look.) Also, you will find a link to a high-rise urban farm of the future, under construction in Sweden today. Finally, you will find 3 Paleo recipes to consider.

Beneficial effects of a Paleolithic diet on cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes: a randomized cross-over pilot study.
This small research study compares the Paleolithic diet and a diabetes diet in persons with type 2 diabetes managed with oral medications.

For three months, 13 patients with type 2 diabetes alternately ate a Paleolithic diet “based on lean meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, root vegetables, eggs and nuts” and for another three months ate a “diabetes diet designed in accordance with dietary guidelines.”

The researchers evaluated a number of physical parameters and performed lab tests including a glucose tolerance test on each patient.  

When the results of the two diets where compared, the Paleolithic diet resulted in lower weight, lower BMI, smaller waist circumference, and improved HbA1c, triacylglycerol, and diastolic blood pressure. The Paleo diet also resulted in higher levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, the good cholesterol.

The author's conclusions:

Over a 3-month study period, a Paleolithic diet improved glycemic control and several cardiovascular risk factors compared to a Diabetes diet in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Bottom line, the Paleolithic diet won hands down.

Metabolic and physiologic improvements from consuming a paleolithic, hunter-gatherer type diet.
The authors of this study recognize that “contemporary American diet figures centrally in the pathogenesis of numerous chronic diseases-'diseases of civilization'.” They studied whether the Paleolithic diet “confers health benefits…in nine nonobese sedentary healthy volunteers” compared to their usual diet.

The participants consumed their usual diet for 3 days, then “three ramp-up diets of increasing potassium and fiber for 7 days,” followed by a “paleolithic type diet comprising lean meat, fruits, vegetables and nuts, and excluding nonpaleolithic type foods, such as cereal grains, dairy or legumes, for 10 days.”

Compared with their usual diet, the paleolithic diet resulted in significantly lower blood pressure, improved oral glucose tolerance test and  “large significant reductions in total cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and triglycerides.” (emphasis added)

The take home message:

In all these measured variables, either eight or all nine participants had identical directional responses when switched to paleolithic type diet, that is, near consistently improved status of circulatory, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism/physiology.

First Vertical Greenhouse Under Construction in Sweden
Developers in Linkoping, Sweden are building a new kind of urbran farm. Known as the Plantagon Greenhouse, this “greenhouse for vertical farming in cities provides a way to use excess heat and CO2 from industries while growing crops.” The facility will take 12-16 months to complete.

Hans Hassle, CEO of Plantagon, states:

This is a historic day for Plantagon. This ceremony marks the realization of the vision of creating functional sustainable solutions for the growing cities of today and tomorrow, where we can grow food in the cities in a resource-smart way, making use of the special conditions of the city.

Paleo Recipes

• Lemon Lamb Meatballs with Garlic and Thyme
• Tuna Stuffed Eggs
• baked spanish chicken wings with almond sauce

SUNDAY PALEO / January 22, 2012

Puerto Arenas on the Straight of Magellan, Chile.

… Dr. Frassetto and her team at the University of California in San Francisco tested the Paleo-diet on out-of-shape volunteers. The group ate lots of food without losing any weight or exercising. “In two weeks, everybody’s blood pressure went down and everybody’s cholesterol and triglyceride levels got better. The average drop was 30 points, which was pretty amazing. It’s the type of drop you get by taking statins for six months,” said Dr. Frassetto.

from Can a Stone Age Diet Make You Healthier?

Looking for great Paleo recipes? Sarah Fragoso at Everyday Paleo prepares Yummy Greek Meatballs, Mark Sisson at Mark's Daily Apple prepares Primal Scotch Eggs, and Live Caveman prepares Roasted Beef Ribs. Concerned about the cost? NorthWest CaveGirls provide some advice and links.

Hayley and Bill over at Primal Palate have a new cookbook full of great recipes and continue to add new ones to their site such as this week' Spicy Cinnamon Lamb Steaks. Their cookbook has recently been reviewed at PrimalDocs.com.

Speaking of books, Mark Sisson just updated The Primal Blueprint in a new paperback edition. Also, Tom Woods recently interviewed Mark on Primal nutrition and exercise (below). Tom was psyched to hear everyone he talked to was enthusiastic about the diet. As one person told him:

Do it. It’s the best thing I ever did.

SUNDAY PALEO / January 8, 2012

This beautiful image of the Omega nebula, a stellar nursery located in the constellation Sagittarius, was taken using the Very Large Telescope located in the Atacama Desert of Chile. Light from these newborn stars will take 6,500 light-years to reach Earth. (image via Wired) 

Hold on, we are now jumping back to....Paleo bling!? Hang this 9 cm stone pendant around your neck with a leather strap and you would be stylish 25,000 years ago. It would probably go well with your pelt. The pendant, found in the Basque province of Spain, was used for sharpening stone tools. Form, function and fashion.  

Our Paleolithic ancestors' survival depended on stone tools and what we know of their diet points to an overall robust health. Today, even though we have wonderful tools that allow us to peer into deep space, we have lost sight of our original health and our original diet. Although the Paleo diet varied in different parts of the world, it did not include processed foods, sugar, bread, pasta, pastries, cookies, candy….. (That sentence may be a hard to read for some.) If you want to know what the Paleo diet is not, go to your local Starbucks and look at the top shelf. Also, be wary of much of what exists on the second and third shelves.

Fortunately, a growing number of people are rediscovering the original human diet. The State Journal of West Virginia has a story on Kimberly Huneycutt:

“A former California girl, Huneycutt found herself at the age of 40, unhealthy, aged beyond her years and tired after a life spent in the sun and eating a traditional "American" diet that included processed foods.”

"It's been really amazing," says Honeycutt about the transformation she experienced on the Paleo diet. 

Nutritionist Stella Metsovas has developed the Paleo Mediterranean diet. Although the “Mediterranean principles” she uses are not clear from this brief article, the description of Paleo diet is solid:

“The Paleolithic diet consists of grass-fed meat, free-range fowl or wild-caught fish, seasonal fruits and vegetables, and generous portions of healthy fats – including nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil and coconut oil. Grains, legumes, dairy products, sugar, vegetable oils and processed foods are absent from this diet.”

You might not start at grass-fed, free-range, or wild-caught stage, but switching to fish, meat, vegetables, fruit, nuts and berries will put you leagues away for all that stuff on the top shelf.

Maybe you are concerned about starting the Paleo diet because of harm to animals. Unfortunately, as a look at the numbers in Australia shows, no one gets off the hook on this one. However, the Paleo diet appears to be the better choice. When you compare the use of rangelands versus croplands on animal life, the numbers don’t look good for agriculture.

Relying on grains and pulses brings destruction of native ecosystems, significant threats to native species and at least 25 times more deaths of sentient animals per kilogram of food.

Finally, in the category “if we trash the planet, we trash ourselves”, the good news is that global investment in cleantech companies increased by 13% to $8.99 billion in 2011. Better yet, the Cleantech Group believes “2012 will be an all-time record year for global cleantech investments." 

John Michael: Paleo Fasting

It was when I returned to the US after a year abroad that I became interested in fasting. Whether I was escaping muggers in Bogotá, or taking cover from tear gas during a student protest in Valparaíso, my adventures in South America had given me a hearty appetite: I never knew what would happen next, so I had to keep the calories coming. But back in the States, life became standardized. Surprise and danger ceased to be a feature of my day, and suddenly I felt I was eating too much.

In Buenos Aires, I would consume steamed fish and vegetables twice daily, with fruit and nuts filling the space between. I often mixed things up with beef or poultry, and ate so many mandarin oranges that the Bolivian fruit vendors down the street would start preparing a sack when they saw me coming. Even then I was still hungry, and would sometimes sneak a cookie or two at night. But in Denver my appetite vanished.

There, after eating, I would feel heavy and glutted with energy. Food stuck inside me, and I was always full when it came time to eat again. At first I thought I would switch things up, and decided to consume some grains. This introduced other problems, like stomach pains and flatulence. It was only when I was a few days away from moving back to my hometown in Missouri and became too nervous to eat that I realized I had been consuming too much.

Within a few hours of skipping breakfast, I began to feel lighter, more clear-headed, and energetic. “Only eat what you need,” I thought, my experience reinvigorating this platitude. I had stumbled on a new way of viewing my body: it was an organism, and food was its fuel.

Before I’d just been stuffing food in my mouth, either to address hunger, or to feel comfort. When I broke my fast that evening, I discovered I’d gained the heightened awareness necessary to consider each mouthful I ate. “If I eat this,” I found myself thinking, while contemplating a slice of strawberry, “what effect will it have?”

There’s speculation that our ancestors regularly experienced food shortages – going without sustenance for days at a time – and that our bodies evolved to expect them. What is known with certainty is that the body responds in a distinct way to a lack of food.

During the first day, the liver uses its stores of glycogen, making glucose to feed cells. When glycogen stores are exhausted, usually around the second day, the body starts breaking down fat and muscle. Then, after three days, the liver spares muscle, and begins to produce ketone from fat. This process, called ketosis, continues until fat stores are depleted or food is consumed. 

Whether or not fasting is beneficial for the body is still controversial. In an effort to illuminate this topic, the Los Angeles Times interviewed several medical professionals, among them Mark Mattson, PhD.

Researchers aren't sure why the body apparently benefits from a state of mini-starvation. One theory is that the process produces just enough stress in cells to be good. "What our evidence suggests is that nerve cells in animals that are on dietary energy restriction are under mild stress," Mattson says. "It's a mild stress that stimulates the production of proteins that protect the neurons against more severe stress."

According to Mattson’s Nature Medicine profile, he became interested in fasting while researching caloric restriction; his early studies showed that “a low-calorie diet protects the brain, as it does other organs, from the ravages of age-associated disorders such as Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases.”

Mattson's biggest public splash came from a study published last year, showing that regular fasting confers the same health benefits as total caloric restriction. The team showed that mice starved every other day, but allowed to gorge in between, consume only 10% fewer calories than normal, but still have healthier blood glucose levels and recover better from brain injury. This supports the idea that semistarvation boots up stress-response proteins, which then protect cells from aging and disease. Mattson is now hunting for those protective molecules.

Exciting stuff, but not everyone’s jumped on the bandwagon. WebMD suggests there are no proven benefits to fasting, and warns those considering a fast to check with their doctors first.

Apparently, the mental clarity I experienced from not eating can be aimed toward higher pursuits, for, while doctors remain skeptical, religions agree about fasting’s advantages. Whether motivated by a desire for self-restraint, or a willingness to repent, fasting is embraced by the world’s creeds as an effective way to connect with God. There’s even the remarkable story of Prahiad Jani, an 83-year-old practitioner of Hinduism, who claims to have been fasting since World War II, sustained by a spiritual elixir supplied to him by Amba, his patron goddess. “I am strong and healthy,” he recently told reporters, “because God wants me to be.”

John Michael: Getting Back on Paleo

Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

Recently I spent a few weeks staying at a friend’s house in Catriel, a small town in northern Patagonia. We had worked together a few years before, teaching English in her institute to the children of the oil workers who lived there. My stay in Catriel was wonderful: I saw old students, who had all grown up, and yet still remembered the classes we had had together; I ran into old friends, who all had new stories to tell me about their lives; and, far away from the hectic streets of Buenos Aires, I felt like I could relax for the first time in months. The only downside to my stay was I stopped eating Paleo.

In the house I was staying in, family meals were mandatory, and since I was generally teaching in the institute, I almost never cooked. Which meant that I ended up eating what everyone else was eating. While the food was delicious, and the company was enjoyable, I quickly began to notice the effects of going off Paleo. As the bread, spaghetti, and fried foods went down my throat, gradually my waistline began to swell. I found myself with less energy during the day, and had difficulty falling to sleep at night. I even discovered that my allergies had increased, though I’m not sure how much that was due to my diet.

Although I only spent three weeks at my friend’s house, it took me almost a month to get back on Paleo. The first obstacle were the bad habits I had acquired in Catriel: because the grains and dairy products I was eating didn’t seem to satisfy my hunger, I had taken to eating snacks, like cookies and drinkable yogurt, several times per day. They became soothing, an indulgence I allowed myself when I didn’t want to deal with life’s difficulties.

It wasn’t until I met up with my dad, who had travelled to Chile for vacation, that I realized how bad my eating habits had become. With his encouragement, and even just his company, I was able to gradually get back on the Paleo diet. This time, I paid attention to the subtle shifts that occurred in my perception of food. Before, the sight of cookies would make me salivate; a whiff of pastries as I passed a bakery would cause me to slow my pace. Now, under the influence of my father’s company, I began to notice the blandness of non-Paleo foods, how they were often just a mix of flour, sugar, milk and fat that quickly turned into a sweet mash in my mouth. And I became attuned to the delicate flavors of natural foods, which suddenly displayed their variety to me: each carrot, apple, plum, or date was unique in taste and texture; a veritable cornucopia of culinary experiences expanded in my imagination as I left behind the suddenly drab monotony of industrial foods.

In retrospect, I see it was my father’s presence that allowed me to get back on track with Paleo. What’s the moral of this story? While it’s important to make the right decisions for yourself with regards to diet and exercise, these decisions are often made easier by having the support of like-minded individuals. Thanks, Dad!

By John Michael

Mark Sisson's 21 DAY TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION

"In an effort to maximize exposure about living, eating, and moving primally, Mark Sisson of Mark’s Daily Apple is offering a sweet deal (including a hefty list of valuable freebies) for those who purchase his new book The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Total Body Transformation between October 18 and 24.  A practical, action-oriented guide, Mark’s new book outlines a step-by-step 21-day plan for individuals looking to transition quickly into a Primal lifestyle." - MovNat

Progression to Primal, Evolution Step III ~ You Have Arrived

By Leslie Why Reap

Hello!  Wow, how do you feel?  Everyone has arrived at Progression to Paleo:  Evolution Step III!  I have evolved significantly since I wrote the first of these three  posts, way back on August 28^th.  I had two major revelations along the way.   

First, I learned that the goal of being 100% Paleo is great but the actual practice of Paleo as it works for me and perhaps for many others, would better be defined as “Primal” (see Mark Sisson’s blog www.marksdailyapple.com ).  Mark talks of not just nutrition but a lifestyle shift. He talks about the 80/20 rule and about having the physical and emotional  health needed to truly enjoy life.  After all, life is not entirely about nutrition (no snickers here from those that know me well).  Life is for living.  Let’s do it cleanly and smartly.  So, I am officially changing the name to “Progression to Primal.”   

Secondly, I learned that most everyone likes short blog posts.  High quality, low word count.  As much as I wanted to educate the world, I have learned that the world can only digest small bites of hard hitting, engaging facts with some key action item(s) that they incorporate and make their own.   

Brief Summary of the Three Evolutionary Steps:  (This summary is for my brother who is just realizing now how smart I am and he wants to catch up.)

Progression to Primal ~ Step 1:   Eat lots of vegetables and fruits, 50% of your plate at each meal.  Drink water and skip almost all other beverages.  Eat “real” food, 3 meals, and 2 snacks if needed.

Progression to Primal ~ Step 2:  Give up grains.  Eat high quality protein and increase your healthy fats.

Progression to Primal ~ Step 3:  Write shorter blog posts...oh wait, that is my evolution.  Heal your gut.  Adopt a Primal lifestyle.  Get your needs met. 

A. Heal Your Gut:  “All Diseases Begin in the Gut.”  Hippocrates, 460-370 BC

If you have read the last few posts you will be familiar with the knowledge that 70% of our immune system cells reside in and along our gut.  Without the proper balance of microflora in our guts our immune system weakens and puts us at risk for not only significant digestive issues but for all sorts of inflammatory issues such as allergies, autoimmune diseases, cancer, heart disease and more.   Adopting the right Primal or Paleo diet, may be enough to restore balance to a gut that has been overexposed to the typical American  diet and lifestyle.   Depending on the current state of the gut however, some individuals cannot simply change their diet and restore the bacterial balance.  Perhaps their guts have become  more permeable or “leaky” due to do  long term exposure to the typical American diet plus the additional destructive elements of NSAIDs, antibiotics, birth control pills, environmental and food toxins, chronic stress and/or chronic sleep deprivation.  With increased permeability, instead of letting just the nutrientsthrough into the blood stream, large molecules of undigested food proteins as well as other toxic matter can leak through.  This can by caused by an overgrowth of Candida Albicans a yeast that goes fungal and starts puncturing your intestinal wall when the “good” bacteria is no longer there to police things.  Or it could be a H. Pylori, C. Difficile, Klebsiella overload or simple a combination of the aforementioned evils.  Whether it is diet, stress, infection, antibiotic use or a combination of those factors, just be aware that you may need to take extra steps necessary to heal the lining and seal your gut.  Part of this process will be finding the right gut healing diet for you.  Once you are healed then you can progress to a full Primal diet of organic fruits and vegetables, high quality protein, nuts and occasional raw dairy and limited or no grains or legumes.  There are two very similar dietary approaches that have significant antidotal and some very scientific evidence to support their gut healing properties.  For further information on healing your gut, please investigate The GAPS diet (http://gapsdiet.com/) and/or The Specific Carbohydrate Diet . (http://www.scdiet.org/1about/index.html). 

1. Adopt a Primal Lifestyle

A Primal or Paleo lifestyle is just that, a lifestyle.  It goes beyond just what you eat.  It is about how you sleep, exercise, relieve stress AND what you put in your mouth.   Our Paleo ancestors were not “plugged” in 24x7, kept up til well past dark with Facebook and Kindles.  All that electronic blue light just gobbles up melatonin, never to return again that night.  Disrupted melatonin = poor sleep.  Poor sleep or too little sleep (less than 7 hours) will make you 3 xs more likely to get a cold or the flu.  Chronic sleep depravation has been linked to higher levels of obesity, depression and disease.  So unplug at least 1 hour before bed and have a face to face conversation or read a real book.  Exercise!  It comes in many forms.  Paleo people walked everywhere or ran or hiked or climbed.  So just move.  Run up the stairs, walk from the far side of the parking lot, hike up a hill, get outside, and reconnect with the earth.  Do a few sprints like your being chased by a bear and then throw down 20 pushups every day.  No need for 45 minutes a day, just do something every day to build strength, your heart included.   Find something you love to do that gives you energy and fills your emotional bucket and schedule time to do it, often.  Connect and spend face time with the people that you love and that love you.  Here is a summary of Mark Sisson’s 10 “Primal Blueprint Laws,” worth consideration, I think:

1. Eat lots of plants and Animals
2. Avoid Poisonous things
3. Move Frequently at a Slow Pace
4. Lift Heavy Things
5. Spring Once in a While
6. Get Adequate Sleep
7. Play
8. Get Adequate Sunlight
9. Avoid Stupid Mistakes
10. Use Your Brain

C.  Get Your Needs Met

What are your needs?  Do you know what your needs are?  Sit down with a pencil and piece of paper (note I didn't say computer) and write down your needs.  Don’t include the needs of your children, spouse, parents, friends, and boss, try to pull apart that big glob of gunky, nebulous “needs” and identify YOUR needs.  Is it my need or my child's need to attend an Ivy League school?  Big difference isn’t it?  Write down everything, emotional needs, physical needs, spiritual needs, financial needs, any needs you might have.  Then put them in categories.  Then prioritize them in each category and overall.  What is rising to the top?  Are these top 10 needs being met?  What would you have to do in order to have them be met?  Is the action required legal and safe? (Have to ask yourself that one before proceeding!)  Maybe the list looks like something like this…"I need to feel fit and healthy.  I need to retire at 65.  I need to retire with 500K in my 401K.  I need to work out every day.  I need to feel loved and appreciated.  I need to eat high quality, nutritional foods."  Identify the top 10 needs that AREN'T being met and write down how you are going to get from where you are now, to where you want to be. 

The unmet need, just like the unspoken thought, word, or feeling is one that can become toxic if it is not expressed.  Yes, it can make you physically ill.  Stress kills.  Get it out, find your voice and get on with this wonderful life.  It is the only one you’ve got. 

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

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. 

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. 

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