Should You Eat like a Caveman?

By Jennifer Pinkowski

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2044343,00.html#ixzz1FMXen169

 Most New Year's resolutions have an awfully short shelf life. By the end of January, folks who swore they would lose weight and shape up may already be back on the Krispy Kremes. But that's not entirely our fault, claims Arthur De Vany, a former economics professor at the University of California, Irvine. In his new book, The New Evolution Diet, De Vany argues if we really want to get fit, we should follow the lead of our ancient ancestors, Paleolithic humans who lived as nomadic hunter-gatherers some 40,000 years ago.

For more than 25 years, De Vany has been an advocate of what he calls "evolutionary fitness": a regimen of low-carb eating and interval- or cross-training workouts (with periodic fasting) aimed at controlling insulin. But he has also become the grandfather of the growing Paleo movement, a health philosophy built around the belief that modern life — dating from the advent of agriculture 10,000 years ago — is simply alien to our genes.......

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2044343,00.html#ixzz1FMXuqdDX

Paleo in a Nutshell Part 1: Food

Here is a video about food.

Paleo in a Nutshell Part 1: Food

Is Sugar Toxic?

Is Sugar Toxic?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html?_r=1&amp=&pagewanted=all

Sugar: The Bitter Truth<---You Tube video

Please watch this and learn something instead of watching trash tv!

An Apple a Day is Not Enough - A Poem by Taylor Mali

Are Carbs More Addictive Than Cocaine? The Body: Details.com

Are Carbs More Addictive Than Cocaine?

How To Find Real Food At The Supermarket [Flowchart]

How To Find Real Food At The Supermarket [Flowchart]

Daily diet soda tied to higher risk for stroke, heart attack

Daily diet soda tied to higher risk for stroke, heart attack 

61 percent higher risk of vascular events for those who drank diet soda each day, study finds

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41479869/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/

 

It may not be the diet soda per se, and the study group was relatively (small 2500) and only for 9 years, but are you going to wait another 9+ years to find out the probable bad news before you stop drinking colored chemical water?  Just reduce it, or get over it and drink water!

Baby Carrots

"Most of those cute little "baby carrots" you pack in your child's lunch box and snack on at work are not really babies at all, but rather cut down from full-grown carrots that are rejected for size and deformities. Baby-cut carrots are not as nutritious as whole carrots. Much of a carrot's nutritional value is in it's skin and the area adjacent to it, and that part is peeled away on a baby-cut carrot. And since baby-cut carrots are completely peeled, they are then soaked in a chlorine solution to kill bacteria and help preserve them. This is standard even for organic baby-cut carrots. To get the most nutrition from your carrots and avoid harmful chemicals used in processing, read labels closely and look for true organic baby carrots-these grown and harvested as babies-not baby-cuts."

-Mary Janes Farm Magazine, Feb-Mar 2011

Eating any carrot is better than not eating any carrot (or vegetable) at all.  If you are not eating vegetables, start today and continue to eat them every day.

Food for Thought

Here is a glimpse of the food I traditionally eat.  It primarily consists of meat, eggs, vegetables and sweet potatoes.



strengthspecialist@gmail.com

Simple Healthy Eating

Many people ask if I discuss nutrition.  I do.

I recommend eating meat and vegetables and drinking water.  If I were a caveman, or a man of the paleolithic era, I would hunt for food, and gather a variety of edible plants.  This method of eating is absolutely the best way to eat.

Take into consideration the mass production of chicken and beef.  Livestock are often fed one type of grain, that is cheap and encourages rapid growth.  Companies would prefer this because the cost of feeding the animals is less, and they get bigger faster so they could sell more, more quickly.  The nutrient quality fed to the animals is low and as a result, the quality of the meat is low.

Similar to livestock, what you eat determines whether you are an animal (human) that gets bigger faster and are composed of high quality nutrients or just a low quality, fast fed, product of the food industry.  You are not pent up in cage or yard, and you do have to opportunity to choose what to eat, it only makes sense for you to choose a variety of foods with high nutrient density.  

Paradoxical caveman with fast food tray.

'Big Mistake'





In conclusion, stop eating like caged chickens...get off the abundance of grains and get some variety in your diet.

Egg-cellent!

How to make hard-boiled eggs:

Egg Nutrients
Eggs are a naturally nutrient-dense food, which means they have a high proportion of nutrients to calories. One large egg has 70 calories and provides 13 essential nutrients in varying amounts. Eggs are an excellent source of choline and a good source of the highest quality protein and riboflavin. Many of the egg’s incredible nutrients are found in the egg yolk, including choline, folate, lutein, zeaxanthin and vitamin D. The yolk also includes healthy monosaturated and polyunsaturated fats and almost half of the high-quality protein found in eggs.

Protein/Weight Management
One egg provides 6 grams of protein, or 12% of the Recommended Daily Value. Eggs provide the highest quality protein found in any food because they provide all of the essential amino acids our bodies need in a near-perfect pattern. While many people think the egg white has all the protein, the yolk actually provides nearly half of it.

The high-quality protein in eggs helps you to feel full longer and stay energized, which contributes to maintaining a healthy weight. In fact, research* shows that eggs eaten at the start of the day can reduce daily calorie intake, prevent snacking between meals and keep you satisfied on those busy days when mealtime is delayed.

Muscle Strength, Repair & Preservation
Research indicates that high-quality protein may help active adults build muscle strength and middle-aged and aging adults prevent muscle loss. Consuming eggs following exercise is a great way to get the most benefits from exercise by encouraging muscle tissue repair and growth.

An Egg a Day? Yes – in fact, studies demonstrate that healthy adults can enjoy one or two eggs a day without increasing their risk for heart disease:
· A 2007 study of 9,500 people reported in Medical Science Monitor showed that eating one or two eggs a day did not increase the risk of heart disease or stroke among healthy adults. The study noted that eating eggs may actually be associated with a decrease in blood pressure.2
· A review of more than 25 studies that appeared in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition in 2000 showed that eating an egg a day isn’t associated with increased risk of heart disease in healthy men and women, even after taking into account other aspects of their diet that may increase the risk for heart disease.3
· A six-week study conducted by researchers at the Yale Prevention Research Center in 2005 showed that adding two eggs a day to a healthful diet did not significantly increase blood cholesterol levels in young or middle-aged men and women with normal or even moderately elevated blood cholesterol levels.4
· A 1999 Harvard University study that collected data from more than 100,000 men and women found no significant difference in heart disease risk between healthy adults who ate less than one egg a week and those who ate more than one egg a day, and that eating up to one egg a day is unlikely to have a significant overall impact on the risk of heart disease or stroke.5
· A study presented at the Experimental Biology conference in 2007 showed that egg consumption contributed less than 1 percent of the risk for heart disease when other adjustable risk factors were taken into account. The researchers concluded that wide-sweeping recommendations to limit egg consumption may be misguided, particularly when eggs’ nutritional contributions are considered.6
· In 2006, Nutrition Bulletin published a review of scientific studies from the past 30 years showing that eating eggs daily does not have a significant impact on blood cholesterol or heart disease risk. The authors noted several benefits of egg consumption – including the high-quality protein

The Good Egg
Research Snapshot 2
What the Numbers Reveal:
Studies have looked at the affect of egg consumption on blood cholesterol levels and have found a small impact. This is important because newer research has identified the LDL:HDL ratio (“good” cholesterol to “bad” cholesterol) and the Total:  HDL ratio (the sum of all cholesterol components to “good” cholesterol) to be better indicators of heart disease risk than either indicator alone. eggs provide – and argued that consumption of one to two eggs a day should be actively encouraged as part of a calorie-restricted weight-loss plan.7
· A 2008 study from Surrey University published in the European Journal of Nutrition provides evidence that increasing dietary cholesterol intake by eating two eggs a day does not increase total plasma cholesterol when accompanied by moderate weight loss. The study authors concluded that cholesterol-rich foods should not be excluded from dietary advice for weight loss.8
· A review of over 30 studies published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition in 2008 argues that the LDL:HDL ratio is a much better indicator of heart disease risk than either indicator alone because the ratio reflects the “two-way traffic” of cholesterol entering and leaving the blood system.9
· A research review, published in 2000 in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, concluded that healthy adults can enjoy eggs without significantly impacting their heart disease risk. The authors, who reviewed 30 years of cholesterol research, found that dietary cholesterol has a relatively small affect on plasma total cholesterol and that egg consumption, specifically, has little relationship to high blood cholesterol or incidence of heart disease.10
· In 2005 researchers at the University of Connecticut found that healthy elderly adults who ate three eggs a day for one month did not experience an increase to their LDL:HDL ratio or to their Total:HDL ratio, which are two major indicators for heart disease risk.11
· The Journal of Nutrition published a study in 2008 that found that overweight men who eat eggs while on a carbohydrate-restricted diet have a significant increase in their HDL levels (the “good” cholesterol) compared to men who do not eat eggs.12 A 2008 study from the journal Ateriosclerosis, Thrombosis, Vascular Biology found low HDL is associated with poor memory and a decline in memory in middle-aged adults.13
· A 2008 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that a diet rich in choline and betaine is associated with lower concentrations of homocysteine, a marker of inflammation. High levels of homocysteine or inflammation have been associated with cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s and dementia.14


References:
1 Klein CJ. The scientific evidence and approach taken to establish guidelines for cholesterol intake in Australia, Canada, The United Kingdom, and The United States. LSRO. 2006 www.lsro.org. Accessed November 2006. 2 Qureshi A, et al. Regular egg consumption does not increase the risk of stroke or cardiovascular diseases. Medical Science Monitor. 2007; 13(1): CR1-8.
3 Kritchevsky S and Kritchvesky D. Egg consumption and coronary heart disease: an epidemiological overview. J Am Coll Nutr. 2000; 19(5): 549S-555S.
4 Katz DL, et al. Egg consumption and endothelial function: a randomized controlled crossover trial. Int J Cardiol. 2005; 99:65-70.
5 Hu FB, et al. A prospective study of egg consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease in men and women. JAMA. 1999; 281:1387-94.
6 Tran NL, et al. Balancing and communicating risks and benefits associated with egg consumption – a relative risk study. Presented at Experimental Biology 2007, Washington, D.C.
7 Lee A and Griffin B. Dietary cholesterol, eggs and coronary heart disease risk in perspective. Nutrition Bulletin (British Nutrition Foundation). 2006; 31:21-27.
8 Harman Nicola L, Leeds, Anthony R, and Griffin, Bruce A. Increased dietary cholesterol does not increase plasma low density lipoprotein when accompanied by an energy-restricted diet and weight loss. European Journal of Nutrition.2008; 47:287-293
9 Fernandez ML and Webb D. The LDL to HDL Cholesterol Ratio as a Valuable Tool to Evaluate Coronary Heart Disease Risk. JACN (in press).
10 McNamara DJ. The impact of egg limitations on coronary heart disease risk: do the numbers add up? J Am Coll Nutr. 2000;19(5): 540S- 548S.
11 Greene CM, et al. Maintenance of the LDL cholesterol: HDL cholesterol ratio in an elderly population given a dietary cholesterol challenge. J Nutr. 2005; 135:2799-2804.
12 Mutungi G, et al. Dietary cholesterol from eggs increases plasma HDL cholesterol in overweight men consuming a carbohydrate restricted diet. J Nutr. 2008;138:272-276.
13 Sing-Manoux, et al. Low HDL Is a Risk Factor for Deficit and Decline in Memory in Midlife. The Whitehall II Study. Arterioscler, Thromb, Vasc, Biol. 2008; 28:1557-1563.
14 Detopoulou, Paraskevi et al. Dietary choline and betaine intakes in relation to concentrations of inflammatory markers in healthy adults: the ATTICA study. AJCN 2008; 87:424-430.

This information is from: http://www.incredibleegg.org/

8 Amazing Blogger Weight-Loss Transformations

8 Amazing Blogger Weight-Loss Transformations

There is a trend among these people for weight loss.   Diet and Exercise.  Read some of their tips.  Learn from someone who has gone through it all already.

Simple healthy meal-spaghetti squash

It is all pretty easy.

Heat tomato puree with cut veggies.
Cook beef with garlic, onions, and seasonings. I added garlic, pepper, salt, oregano, and italian seasoning.
Microwave a squash for about 12 min. Scoop out the seeds. Scrape.

Serve meat sauce over noodle like squash.

The CURE for chronic diseases (diabetes, heart disease, obseity, HBP, HCHO)

If you are at all concerned about diabetes or health in general these videos are for you.


Even if you are not concerned..this is worth your time!  Learn something and share the knowledge.






The 7 keys:
1) Optimize nutrition (minimize sugar, eat more vegetables for fiber and nutrients)
2) Balance your hormones (with optimal nutrition, exercise and low stress)
3) Cool off your inflammation (with optimal nutrition and exercise)
4) Fix your gut (with optimal nutrition and exercise)
5) Enhance detoxification (with optimal nutrition and exercise)
6) Boost your energy metabolism (with optimal nutrition and exercise)
7) Calm your mind (breathe and let go)

5 Factors Behind Exercise Discomfort - Health Key

5 Factors Behind Exercise Discomfort - Health Key

5 Factors Behind Exercise Discomfort

Exercise can be uncomfortable when beginning any new type of training or when getting back in the saddle after a long break.

In last week's column I talked about the discomfort of exercise when starting out and also when competing at the elite level. It's universal; it happens to everyone, and it is not a sign that you are not cut out for exercise. On the contrary, everyone is cut out for exercise. And for the vast expanse of training levels between the two extremes, exercise is a feel-good experience - most of the time.

Even in the middle, however, a little discomfort now and then is not unusual or unexpected. And it's not a sign to quit your fitness program. Instead, I use it as an opportunity to get to know my body better. You can do so as well by breaking down any exercise discomfort you experience into its essential components.

Exercise physiology physician Massimo Testa, M.D., advises athletes to assess exercise discomfort as a combination of five factors:

• Your level of fitness
• The intensity of the exercise
• The degree to which you can tolerate the exercise
• Your motivation to keep exercising
• The degree to which you perceive you are suffering

The first factor comes into play when, say, walking three miles feels hard because it's way beyond your fitness level. The other four factors may all be negligible - the pace is not too intense, you can tolerate exercise well and feel motivated, and sunshine mutes any grumbling - but your newness to fitness alone can spike your feeling of discomfort. Once you are walking five miles at a pop regularly, however, walking three miles won't even register on your discomfort radar. The work your body does to walk three miles won't change, but your improved fitness will shrink your discomfort.

Meanwhile, if you exercise at an intensity that is 70 percent to 80 percent of the greatest intensity you could possibly do, you (or anyone) will be uncomfortable starting out. After you're experienced training at that intensity, though, you won't be uncomfortable with pushing yourself that hard. That's essentially the basis of interval training: You train at a higher intensity in short bursts (say, a few minutes) interspersed with rests (blocks of time at low-intensity) and soon higher-intensity exercise doesn't hurt quite so much, because your muscles and lungs are getting in better shape.

Your brain also gets in better shape, creating a greater tolerance for exercise. As it learns to manage greater fatigue, your brain will interpret the same signals from your body differently.

Likewise, the signals to your brain (or your interpretation of them) change with your level of motivation. As you exercise, the level of signals coming from your body has a value - a number from 1 to 10, say - but the message from your cerebral cortex modifies that value, given your motivation. A 7 today can feel like a 10 next week if it's raining and you don't want to be out there. Other days, it can feel like a 3, if you're with friends.

This is where the chatter going on in your cerebral cortex is cardinal to your fitness: It's responsible for telling you how long you want to push yourself, either I can't stand this another second! or I can hold this for another 30 seconds. You can control that chatter - and thus the impact of the motivation variable - very effectively.


( Eric Heiden, M.D., a five-time Olympic gold medalist speed skater, is now an orthopedic surgeon in Utah. He co-authored Faster, Better, Stronger: Your Exercise Bible, for a Leaner, Healthier Body in Just 12 Weeks (HarperCollins) with exercise performance physician Max Testa, M.D., and DeAnne Musolf. www.heidenothopaedics.com)

Copyright © 2010, Tribune Media Services

Omega-3s are incredibly potent anti-inflammatory supplements

Omega-3s are incredibly potent anti-inflammatory supplements

Omega 3 fats are essential fats found naturally in oily fish, with highest concentrations in salmon, herring, mackerel, and sardines.  A body of scientific evidence which suggests that they reduce cardiovascular disease risk, blood pressure, clot formations, and certain types of fat in the blood.

Why am I so damned hungry? Resting Metabolic Rate -by C. Gonzalez

 Here is a great little explanation of your increased hunger with increased strength training, courtesy of C. Gonzalez of CrossFit Hillsboro

As we're all approaching the end of our strength microcycle in our CrossFit classes, many of you by now have got the be thinking "why the hell am I so damed hungry? And how am I supposed to lose weight if I'm eating all of the time?"  Valid points.  let's hope I know what I'm talking about......


All of you have heard of the crazy buzz word "Metabolism" (MB).   What is the metabolism though and what does it mean when people have a "high or low" metabolism?  MB is the combination of two reactions  in your body: 1) The break down of food to store as fuel and; 2) The use of that same stored energy to use as fuel.  Without getting into the details of what affects the MB, like thyroid, hypothalamus, food intake, etc, I'll try to keep this as straight forward as possible.


Strength training places huge metabolic demands on the entire body like the muscles, bones, connective tissues, cardiovascular system, etc.  When the body is under the stress of external loads when weight training, it's screaming at you (louder than I do)  saying, "What the hell are you doing to me!"  Well, those screaming mus-kles are going to need quite a bit of energy to repair themselves.  If you were to look at those same mus-kles during a WOD, it would look literally like a war-zone with oozing, tearing, seeping & building going on.  Those cells need a load of energy & oxygen to repair themselves, but where do they get that energy from?   Like the plant in Little Shoppe of Horror man eating plant says, "FEED ME!"

For the body to build and repair the damaged tissues, it's first going to require lots of oxygen to keep the fire burning (a fire needs oxygen to burn, right?).  When your body is in the state of rebuilding itself after a WOD, you are usually at rest, or in active recovery (not working out).  During this time your are in what's called your "oxidative" or "aerobic" state where the majority of calories supplied for fuel come from stored, adipose (fat) tissue.  This fat has loads of calories and and is a great source of energy for the body to access as fuel, given it's location in and around the damaged muscle/cells.   While at rest after a WOD, the body is simply churning through body fat for fuel and this energy source can only be burned when enough oxygen is present.  Resting, recovering, sleeping is when you will burn the greatest amount of body fat as a result of your WODs.  You will however burn a BIT of body fat (not too much) during our WODs, but it just takes too long to break down fat for quick energy during "Kalsu",  "7's" or 300.  

When your body is constantly breaking down fat for fuel, repairing damaged cells and performing countless other metabolic reactions, the requirement for calories becomes even higher (double wammy).  Your heart beats a little faster to supply oxygen to your muscles, your body temperature rises slightly and your body fat starts singing taps.   You'll have to eat more to provide amino acids, carbohydrates most importantly, water to sustain body functions during repair.  This is the reason for the incredible success each of you have had as a result of a well designed, periodized, strength & conditioning program.

So, forget what those silly charts say on the treadmills at Globe-O-Gym that tell you to keep your heart rate at 100 BPM if you want to lose body fat.  Instead, pull the tether cord, get off the machine and pick up a barbell for some deadlifts, cleans and snatches.

So, don't be afraid to eat something even though you're trying to lose body fat.  If you want to lose more, eat more, and CrossFit too.

The 12 Types of Emotional Hunger

The 12 Types of Emotional Hunger

By: Dr. Roger Gould, M.D.

Below are the 12 types of emotional hunger that fuel emotional eating. In order to lose weight for life, you will have to conquer all 12 types. Look over the list -- which type of emotional hunger derails your diet?

Type 1. Dulling The Pain With The Food.

If you get really hungry when you feel angry, depressed, anxious, bored, or lonely, you suffer from Type 1 emotional hunger, and you use food to dull the pain that these emotions cause.

Type 2. Sticks And Stones May Break Your Bones, But Cake Won't Heal What Hurts You.

According to Dr. Gould and Mastering Food, if you react by getting hungry when others talk down to you, take advantage of you, belittle you or take you for granted, then you suffer from Type 2 emotional hunger. You eat to avoid confrontation.

Type 3. A Full Heart Fills An Empty Belly.

If you crave food when you have tension in your close relationships, you suffer from Type 3 emotional hunger. You eat to avoid feeling the pain of rejection or anger.

Type 4. Hate Yourself, Love Your Munchies.

If you tend to become hypercritical of yourself, if you label yourself "stupid," "lazy," or "a loser," you have Type 4 emotional hunger. You eat to "stuff down" self-doubts.

Type 5. Secret Desires Have No Calories.

If your hunger gets activated because your intimate relationships don't satisfy some basic need like trust or security, you suffer from Type 5 emotional hunger and you use food to try to fill the gap, according to Dr. Gould and Mastering Food,

Type 6. Forty Gulps And The Well Is Still Empty.

If you eat to make up for the deprivation you experienced as a child, you have Type 6 emotional eating.

Type 7. It's My Pastry, and I'll Eat If I Want To.

If you eat to assert your independence because you don't want anyone telling you what to do, you have Type 7 emotional hunger.

Type 8. I Can't Come To Work Today--I'm Eating

According to Dr. Gould and Mastering Food, if your appetite kicks in when you're faced with new challenges--if you use food to avoid rising to the test, or to insulate yourself from the fear of failure--you have Type 8 emotional hunger.

Type 9. Aroused by Aromas, Not by the Chef.

If you stuff your face in order to avoid your sexuality-either to stay overweight so that nobody desires you or to hide from intimate encounters--you suffer from Type 9 emotional hunger.

Type 10. I'll Beat You With this Éclair.

Emotional eaters often eat to pay back those who have hurt them, often in the distant past. They use their bodies as battlegrounds for working out old resentments. If you do this, you're really battling type 10 emotional hunger

Type 11. Peter Pan and the Peanut Butter Cookie.

If you eat to make yourself feel carefree, like a child, you have Type 11 emotional hunger. You eat to keep yourself from facing the challenges of growing up.

Type 12. That Stranger In Shorts Wearing Your Face.

If you overeat because you fear getting thin, either consciously or unconsciously, you have Type 12 emotional hunger.