Copyright: Michael Gadlin"Artists Michael Gadlin and Aliki McCain [Co-Owners], together, have begun creating a vision for their Art and community. Situated in the RINO district, ArtHaus was created to be an art studio, gallery, and place to learn. ArtHaus was built to be a place between art and community."
Primal Diet Guide to Shopping, Eating & Dinning
Mark Sisson at Mark's Daily Apple has a great post on how to "Shop, Cook, and Dine Primally":
"You know what not to eat, and the Primal Blueprint Shopping List shows you what you should be eating, but what’s next? How do you apply your newfound knowledge? How and where should you shop? Once you’re well-stocked, how do you begin to cook Primally? What equipment do you use and where do you get the proper recipes? And when you’re eating out, how do you make good choices? What do you tell the waiters? How do you navigate the nutritional minefield that is the modern restaurant menu? If it seems overwhelming, it’s really not."
Learn more here.
Body Rhythms: What is the best time to exercise ... and tweet?
The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article on biorhythms and their importance to our health. Columnist Sue Shellenbarger writes:
Most people organize their time around everything but the body's natural rhythms. Workday demands, commuting, social events and kids' schedules frequently dominate—inevitably clashing with the body's circadian rhythms of waking and sleeping.
As difficult as it may be to align schedules with the body clock, it may be worth it to try, because of significant potential health benefits. Disruption of circadian rhythms has been linked to such problems as diabetes, depression, dementia and obesity, says Steve Kay, a professor of molecular and computational biology at the University of Southern California. When the body's master clock can synchronize functioning of all its metabolic, cardiovascular and behavioral rhythms in response to light and other natural stimuli, it "gives us an edge in daily life," Dr. Kay says.
Here are a couple of biorhythms regarding physical activity:
- “Physical performance is usually best, and the risk of injury least, from about 3 p.m. to 6 p.m."
- “Muscle strength tends to peak between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at levels as much as 6% above the day's lows ...”
And a few rhythms not discussed in your biology or psychology class:
- Twitter messages are less likely to be “steeped in fear, distress, anger or guilt in the morning.”
- “… re-tweeting is best from 3-6 pm
- “… posts to Facebook at about 8 p.m. tend to get the most "likes."
Learn more at The Peak Time for Everything
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Success Stories: How Sarah became The Paleo Mom
Sarah before. Image: The Paleo MomI continued to gain weight after that. I was now a postdoctoral fellow in a very high-profile research lab in Toronto, Ontario, doing ground-breaking medical research and working 80-100 hour weeks. I stopped weighing myself after 260 pounds and always assumed that I gained 10-15 more pounds after that based on the fact that I went up an entire clothing size (or was it two?). However, when I look at this picture, taken the summer of 2004, I think I may have been underestimating how heavy I was at my biggest. Until now, I’ve always said that I was 265-270 pounds at my biggest. But now, I think I was pushing 300 pounds. I was wearing plus-size 26 clothes. I was miserable. I dyed my hair crazy colors to compensate for low self-esteem.
Read Sarah's story at The Paleo Mom
Oceana report: Less ocean-based protein for "costal & small island developing nations"
Image: Oceana
"Coastal and small island developing nations are vulnerability hotspots to food security risks from climate change, ocean acidification and both combined. Many of the high-ranking nations based on climate change indicators are located in the tropics and low latitudes."
"Wild caught seafood is often one of the healthiest and most accessible options for protein in coastal and small island nations. Losing this resource may mean more dependence on less healthy processed foods that are imported from abroad. Communities that have recently made a shift from eating traditional seafood items to importing cheap, processed foods have suffered widespread health problems. For example, in Pacific Island nations about 40 percent of the population has been diagnosed with diabetes, cardiovascular diseases or hypertension. Losing seafood accessibility due to changing ocean conditions may further expand these nationwide health crises."
THE WEIGHT OF THE NATION, PART 2 - CHOICES
The second section of the four part series of THE WEIGHT OF THE NATION focuses upon choices that individuals can and do make that affect their weight control and ultimately their health. According to the National Institutes of Health $800Million is currently budgeted annually for research on the causes, consequences, prevention, and treatment of obesity in the U.S. best current research evidence shows that small changes in lifestyle can produce small weight loss that yields positive results for current and long term health. The National Weight Control Registry identified the following characteristics of persons who maintain a weight loss:
- 78% eat breakfast every day
- 75% weigh themselves at least once a week
- 62% watch less than 10 hours of TV per week
- 90% participate in physical activity daily
The obesity epidemic is overwhelming our resources as a nation- but we can each do our part to fix it. For more information visit Part Two, Choices.
The Paleolithic Diet: A New Look at Our Oldest Diet (Part I)
Some attribute the increase in obesity, an underlying factor in many of the modern diseases, to a lack of will power, a puzzling argument that fails to explain the increasing body mass over the past three decades. Others blame easy availability of food and lack of exercise: we take in too many calories and don’t burn enough. The simplistic solution proposed: eat less and exercise more. While our sedentary lifestyle contributes to obesity, the real culprit is low-quality fuel. We chose, and are surrounded by, low quality foods. Physical anthropologist Gary J. Sawyer puts it simply:
"We do not know how to eat properly. We feed ourselves, but we fail to give ourselves proper nutrition."
The magazine artist chose the above illustration. I would have added more protein. Still, a nice illustration.
Read the rest of my article at Living Well
Success Stories: How Tara became Primal Girl
Tara before. Image: Primal GirlI saw dozens of doctors – German ones, Canadian ones, American and Dutch. Some told me I was suffering from allergies. Others made me keep a food journal and count calories. Some gave me acne medication. I was poked, prodded and bled. The one conclusion that all of the doctors shared was that I was overreacting, hysterical and wasting their time. According to them, I was just fat and lazy – and probably a hypochondriac.
I was miserable.
Read Tara's story at Primal Girl
Tara after. Image: Primal Girl
Arctic Sea Ice: Who is right about the Northwest Passage?
You’ve probably seen the recent headlines announcing that Arctic sea ice reached a record low this September and the fabled Northwest Passage has been opened to shipping the past five summers. According to Climate Progress:
And, for the fifth consecutive year–and fifth time in recorded history — ice-free navigation was possible in the Arctic along the coast of Canada (the Northwest Passage), and along the coast of Russia (the Northeast Passage or Northern Sea Route.)
So, when was the last time the Northwest Passage was open? On this there are divergent views. Meteorologist Jeff Masters, co-founder the Weather Underground, writes inClimate Progress:
We can be confident that the Arctic did not see the kind of melting observed in 2012 going back over a century, as we have detailed ice edge records from ships (Walsh and Chapman, 2001). It is very unlikely the Northwest Passage was open between 1497 and 1900, since this spanned a cold period in the northern latitudes known as “The Little Ice Age”. Ships periodically attempted the Passage and were foiled during this period. Research by Kinnard et al. (2011) shows that the Arctic ice melt in the past few decades is unprecedented for at least the past 1,450 years. (emphasis added)
It is interesting the timeframe is cut off at 1900. According to Larry Bell, founder and director of the Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture and author of Climate of Corruption, just 3 years later, historical records suggest the Passage may have been open. Writing about Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen:
In diary entries he wrote in 1903, sailor Ronald Amundsen reported his experience on board a ship in those waters: “The Northwest Passage was done [had opened]. My boyhood dream – at the moment it was accomplished. A strange feeling welled up in my throat; I was somewhat over-strained and worn – it was a weakness in me – but I felt tears in my eyes. Vessel in sight . . . Vessel in sight.”
Then, around mid-century:
During the early 1940’s a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) schooner assigned to Arctic patrol made regular trips through the Northwest Passage. And in 2000, that is to say, 7 years before the first-ever satellite records), another RCMP patrol vessel was renamed the St. Roch II and recreated the voyage, making the crossing in only three weeks. The crew reported seeing very little ice except for the occasional icebergs they passed.
In view of the recent dramatic reduction in Arctic ice this summer, Mark Serreze, Director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center, is likely correct: “We are now in uncharted territory.” However, leaving out references to the times in when the Northwest Passage may have been, or was open, you avoid the appearance of presenting only information that supports one point of view.
There is also a discrepancy regarding the year satellite records of Arctic sea ice became available. Here Bell seems to be significantly off on his dates.
If you have additional information or thoughts on issues above and the recent reduction in Arctic sea ice, please submit your comments.
Patient's fatal heart attack turns doctor to Paleo diet
As I drove home I could not get one thing out of my mind. This gentleman had been to my office to see me just the week before, and I was very encouraging to him about how things were going. He was in his early 60’s, and suffered from high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and obstructive sleep apnea. The thing is, they were all VERY WELL CONTROLLED! His blood pressure was perfect, his diabetes numbers mirrored that of a non-diabetic patient, and his cholesterol was well below the goals set by multiple cardiovascular studies. In addition, his cardiologist had convinced him that his meat based diet was the culprit of his seemingly uncontrollable heart disease, and he had adapted a strict vegan diet for well over a year. In many parts of the country that’s not too hard to believe, but to a Cajun from the land of boudin and pork cracklins, this was quite the feat! So, I asked myself…how could this skinny, well controlled hypertensive, diabetic, vegan Cajun gentleman in his early 60’s have just died from his fourth heart attack? Something was wrong!
MovNat Success Story: "like I was 10-years-old again"
In the blink of an eye, everything became clear again. Why get stressed? Why eat processed food when you can pick up fresh food around the corner? Why not get out there, grab a tree branch and ignore the weird looks? Why not learn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu? Why not set a good, healthy example for my kids? Why not choose to be strong, happy, and free?
Terra: Skógafoss, Iceland
Skógafoss, located in the south of Iceland, is abeautiful waterfall that drops 60 meters (196 ft). A path around the right side takes you behind the fall. If you are prepared, hiking trails lead to a pass between two glaciers. (The current PaleoTerran banner image was taken along a trail nearby.)
Bacteria and the "food fight" in your gut
A new study discussed in this recent post on Scientific American looks at the role of gut bacteria, such as Firmicutes, may plan in the zebrafish in “managing” calories. Before you ask "Firmicutes in zebrafish?," consider:
Studies with people and mice have also shown that high-calorie diets stimulate the growth of Firmicutes in the gut, hinting that this particular group of bacteria may respond to its host’s diet in similar ways across many different species. What remains unclear is whether Firmicutes helps animals absorb more calories from their food in a mutually beneficial partnership or if the relationship is more complex—and sometimes less than benevolent.
So, what role might these Firmicutes play in the “food fight” in your gut?
Are Firmicutes graciously helping us extract more calories from our food, taking only a modest cut for themselves? Are they selfishly increasing their own numbers when the eating is good, forcing our cells to sweat to get the most out of our food? Are they in fact making digestion too easy, liberating so many calories from our food that we absorb far more than we need? Perhaps there is truth in all these scenarios.
Link
The Food Fight in Your Gut: Why Bacteria Will Change the Way You Think about Calories
Video: "Food is Information"
In this YouTube video, Dhru Purohit, CEO of The Clean Program, cardiologist Dr. Alejandro Junger, and wellness coach John Rosania talk about a Big Idea: Food is Information. Here are a few excerpts:
Dr. Junger
When you put food into your mouth and is digested and absorbed into you body, it is broken down in little pieces and these pieces will go and join receptors in the cell that will tell the nucleus, the DNA, many things about your environment … the food will tell the cells if it is summer or winter, if there are certain minerals lacking which would mean that those fields are not appropriate for them to live in permanently, and many other things and also it will give you information of certain things that are threats to the body, for example carcinogens and things like that. So with that information, the cell will start activating and deactivating genes in order to adapt and survive….
Where does the body get the information to turn on certain genes .. or to turn off certain genes? … mostly from the nutrients.
Dhru Purohit
Most doctors … will tell you a calorie is a calorie. … What we are saying is that calories are not necessarily just equal. Food has deeper information…
… your food is telling you body how to express itself, its telling your genes how to express itself, it is telling your gut what kind of environment to create inside of the body.
Dr. Junger
(Referring to plaque buildup in the cardiac arteries) The lifestyle we are carrying today, is a continuous insult, so the people that are getting continuous irritation in the artery, continue to get irritation, continue to get irritation …
(The solution) … “a big part of it, is what you eat and what you don’t.
John Rosania
Toxic tagalongs are … all those preservatives, conservatives, chemicals that are used to … keep processed foods stable ….
Why food is information interests me and why I think it is useful … it makes me more excited about recognizing that food is the base ... the main foundation. (to health)
Paleo Loaf-less MEAT LOAF (A no grains meat loaf!)
By Suzanne
I was drawn to the October 2012 Cook's Illustrated article by Celeste Rogers entitled "Meatier Meatloaf" as it sounded like a Paleo lover's dream come true. Rogers (2012) states "Meatloaf packed with bland starchy fillers hardly deserves its name" (p. 6). I agree; however, after eagerly reading the ingredient list I found myself disappointed to see the following ingredients included: soy sauce, white sandwich bread- although only 1/2 slice, dijon mustard, and a ketchup glaze with brown sugar. I decided not to be deterred from preparing an essential American comfort food for my family modified to meet a Paleo diet.
After studying the recipe I turned to two cookbooks in my library frequently referred to for advice when cooking and baking; The Catalan Country Kitchen (1993), by Miramar Torres and Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961) by Child, Bertholle, and Beck. Surprisingly, Child et al. has a recipe for a meat loaf prepared with ground veal. Child's recipe uses onion, mushroom, and tomato paste- for me essentially an endorsement of the Cook's Illustrated recipe "Meatier Meatloaf" using the same ingredients as a base. I decided to re-work the Cook's Illustrated recipe using the influence of Child combined with Paleo ingredients and serve it to my family for approval.
The recipe underwent multiple revisions and incited serious emotional dialogue between family members alike as I undertook the recreation of this loaf-less MEAT LOAF. Rogers' (2012) article notes the history of meat loaf dates back to Roman times; however, it became a greater aspect of American cooking during the 1930s Great Depression when combining meat with grains allowed cooks to feed more with less.
Ingredient list:
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 sweet onion (organic) chopped
8 ounces mushrooms- sliced- your choice of type
1/4 cup vegetable broth
3 tsp. tomato paste
2 cloves garlic minced
2 eggs
1/4 cup walnuts coarsely chopped
1 tsp. French organic thyme
1 tsp. herbs de Provence
1 pound grass feed hamburger meat
1 pound ground lamb
Celtic salt to preference
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
bacon strips to cover loaf
Instructions:
Sautée onions in olive oil on low heat until transparent, approximately 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and 1/4 cup broth and continue cooking on low heat until the broth is absorbed. Add tomato paste and stir until the mix is coated with tomato. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
In a small bowl, combine garlic, thyme, eggs, walnuts, and herbs de Provence. Mix well and set aside, allowing the mixture to rest for 10 minutes. In a separate large bowl, place the meat and add salt and pepper. Combine all ingredients with meat in large bowl and mix well with hands. Shape meat loaf on a prepared pan (it will feel moist and mushy) and cover with bacon slices. Bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 60-75 minutes. The recipe yields 6 adult servings. YUM.
THE WEIGHT OF THE NATION, Part One: Consequences of Obesity
By Suzanne
According to Donald Lloyd-Jones MD, Chair of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, ideal cardiovascular health is characterized by meeting each of the following criteria:
- Optimal levels of total cholesterol
- Normal blood pressure
- Not having diabetes
- Having a lean BMI
- Not smoking
- Participating in recommended levels of physical activity
- Pursuing a healthy diet
How do you measure up? Surprisingly, less than 1% of the United States population currently meet these criteria. A key reason: overweight and obesity affect 69% of the U.S. population. The initial one hour segment of the WEIGHT OF THE NATION focuses upon the health consequences of overweight and obesity. Together, they are creating a tsunami of chronic disease costing an additional $150 Billion in health care costs.
See PART I here.
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