Mark Sisson's Blog, page 178

Coconut Oil Is Going to Kill Us All (or Maybe Not…)

I was beginning to rest on my laurels. It had been months since the inbox had flooded with upset readers asking me to address the latest episode of the conventional establishment’s attack on healthy food and living. Until last week, when people starting freaking out about the American Heart Association’s attack on coconut oil. As USAToday put it, “Coconut oil isn’t healthy. It’s never been healthy.”

I was surprised. While I get most of my scientific references from USAToday (the “Works Cited” section of my upcoming keto book is just a single link to USAToday.com) and they’ve never let me down in the past, I didn’t know what to make of their coconut oil claims.

Had I entered an alternate timeline? Did the Tokelau people of the South Pacific obtain 50% of their calories from PUFA-laden soybean oil, and not saturated fat derived from coconuts? Did the Kitavans thrive on an admittedly high-carb diet not by supplementing it with coconut cream and meat, but by dousing their yams and fish in Unilever margarine shipped in from across the ocean?

I did some digging, revisited some other sources I’ve used in the past. Turns out I wasn’t crazy. Everything was the same. The Tokelau people really did show zero signs of heart disease despite eating a 50% coconut fat diet. They really did start getting fat and diabetic and heart diseased only after the introduction of wheat, sugar, and vegetable oils. And the Kitavans did eat a high-coconut oil, high-carb diet and thrived while doing it.

I could probably stop this post here. I mean, 50% of calories from coconut oil and pristine health is about as resounding a debunking of the AHA’s position you could produce. Let’s keep going, though….

When it boils down to it, the AHA’s condemnation of coconut oil is just another salvo in their futile war against saturated fat consumption. They focus only on the tendency of coconut oil to increase LDL and ignore everything else it does, even referring to coconut oil’s lack of “offsetting favorable effects.”

LDL has something to do with heart disease. Maybe it’s the LDL particles. Maybe it’s the oxidized LDL. Maybe it’s all that and more. I just wish the AHA would branch out a bit is all. For example, you’d think the American Heart Association would find it interesting that PUFA metabolites are actually biomarkers of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (fatty liver + liver inflammation). If you want a non-invasive way to diagnose it, just look at how much PUFA they’re metabolizing. They don’t. Maybe they haven’t seen the research.

It’s hard to blame them; their entire world rests on the foundational axiom that LDL cholesterol drives heart disease. If they question that axiom, everything starts falling apart real fast. Their continued existence depends on them not noticing “offsetting favorable effects.” 

About those supposedly missing favorable effects, coconut oil does many different things besides raise LDL, many of which are “good.”

Coconut oil consistently raises HDL in humans who eat it. Higher HDL is linked to protection from heart disease, and higher HDL:Total cholesterol ratios are often the best predictors of protection from heart disease, beating the AHA’s favorite HDL:LDL ratio in predictive power.

It even improves cardiometabolic status in heart disease patients—the group the AHA is convinced coconut oil will kill. Patients who ate coconut oil saw reductions in waist circumference and body weight and increases in HDL. Another study also found that coconut oil reduces waist circumference, albeit with the biggest effects seen in males. That said, an even earlier study found that overweight women were able to reduce abdominal fat using dietary coconut oil. Seems to be good for goose and gander, even if the geese have heart disease.

To the AHA’s credit, a doctor quoted in the USA Today article noted, “You can put it on your body, but don’t put it in your body.” You just got permission to rub it on your skin as lotion, make it into deodorant and apply it to your armpits, and use it to condition your hair. 

Personally, I put stock in actual clinical research into the topical effects of coconut oil—without the same fear-mongering around its dietary intake.

In hair, the shorter-chained fatty acids allow coconut oil better penetration to the hair proteins. This protects them from sun damage and results in less hair protein loss when compared to mineral oil or sunflower oil.

On the skin, coconut oil performs admirably against mineral oil in the treatment of scaly skin. It also beats mineral oil in dermatitis patients.

Oil pulling with virgin coconut oil (swishing it around in your mouth, making sure to get between the teeth, before brushing or eating in the morning) reduces the presence of cavity-causing bacteria in the saliva. Just don’t swallow.

The late Seth Roberts eliminated toenail fungus with virgin coconut oil. He applied a thin layer to the affected foot each day, then covered them with socks. This is just an anecdote, but we know that lauric acid—one of the primary fats in coconut oil—is antimicrobial.

In the interest of fairness, I’ll follow up with some negatives. Coconut oil isn’t a panacea.

It’s terrible for frying eggs. Maybe I’m doing something wrong, but my eggs always stick when I try to use coconut oil as the frying medium. No, I’m not adding the eggs too early. This doesn’t happen with other fats. The taste isn’t great with eggs, either, to be honest.

Coconut oil is not the same as whole coconut. The cultures that did so well on high-coconut fat diets weren’t eating spoonfuls of refined (or even virgin) coconut oil. They were by and large processing and using the whole coconut—flesh, juice, fiber, and all. It’s one of the reasons why I’ll often turn to coconut butter over oil, like if I’m making a curry. Coconut butter is flesh and fat and fiber. If you intend on emulating the Tokelau diet with 50% of calories from coconut fat, stick to whole coconut, not straight oil.

It does raise LDL. This doesn’t worry me, especially given all the “offsetting favorable effects,” but it may be an issue for certain people. Anytime you make a big dietary change—like suddenly eating a bunch of coconut fat—you should track changes to your physiology and biomarkers.

I will say this for the AHA: At least we can dispense with the accusations of conflicts of interest. After all, the coconut industry of America just pledged to donate up to $500k from coconut seed sales to the American Heart Association. For the AHA to come out strongly against coconut oil after getting such a sweet deal only confirms the objectivity of the assessment. Even if they’re wrong, they’re not biased.

Oh, wait. It was the soybean industry that pledged to donate the money to the AHA? Never mind.

Anyway, that’s my take on the latest AHA attack on coconut oil. What’s yours?

Thanks for reading, everyone. Take care!

The post Coconut Oil Is Going to Kill Us All (or Maybe Not…) appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

Introducing the Primal Endurance Mastery Course!

I’m thrilled to introduce the launch of an exciting new direction for our educational and publishing ambitions here at Primal Blueprint: The Primal Endurance comprehensive online multimedia educational mastery course. Quite simply, this endeavor brings the Primal Endurance book to life with a robust library of instructional and interview videos, audio content, and digital books based on content in the Primal Endurance book and podcast.

Like our Primal Health Coach course, your course enrollment avails you to an online portal where all the content is thoughtfully organized and easy to navigate. You’ll be able to stream or download the Primal Endurance book and audio book, numerous other eBooks and audio programs, and access a massive library of videos consisting of interviews with the world’s leading endurance athletes, coaches and trainers—as well as leading experts in health, science and medicine.

There are over 120 videos in this course, hitting you from every direction with impactful content to help you achieve the primary objective of the Primal Endurance approach: escape chronic cardio and become a fat burning beast!

Brad Kearns, my co-author on Primal Endurance, hosts the online course. He traveled the continent conducting the expert interviews, and also walks you through the entire content of the book in carefully structured, bite-sized videos aligned with the book chapters. If you’re too busy to read or if you like to augment your book knowledge with video instruction, this course is for you. Here are just a few examples of the valuable video content:

Chapter by chapter presentation of the book content, consisting of both lectures and practical instruction. You’ll get everything from step-by-step recipe videos, running technique instruction and drills, swim technique instruction and drills, and a series of “Finishing Touches” videos giving you concise marching orders to become healthy, happy, stress-balanced, fat-adapted Primal Endurance athlete.

Olympic triathlon gold medalist Simon Whitfield shares his deepest feelings about what made him a champion, how he lost perspective with his mindset and logistics, and how he made a dramatic turnaround to return to the Olympic medal stand with a silver 8 years later.


Former Los Angeles Lakers Strength and Conditioning Coach Tim DiFrancesco takes you through five mobility flexibility exercises so you can discover your weaknesses and high injury risk areas, then delivers corrective exercises to get you a rock solid performance foundation.


Movement Nutrition Queen Katy Bowman discusses the critical importance of engaging in more frequent and varied forms of everyday movement, and warns against manifesting the “lazy athlete” mentality where you are overly sedentary outside of your devotion to regular workouts.


Mobility WOD and Crossfit San Francisco legend Kelly “K-Starr” Starrett reflects on the athlete mindset, the need for a foundational, comprehensive training approach instead of shortcut approach, and the intricacies of proper hydration.


Dr. Phil Maffetone, the pioneer of aerobic training and balancing fitness with health, shares the secrets of his 30+ year journey guiding endurance athletes away from breakdown and toward health and longevity.


Dr. Cate Shanahan scares the heck out of you, detailing the dangers of consuming refined vegetable oils and sharing how to improve your fat burning capabilities both on and off the race course.


Kimmie Smith and Dr. Dawn McCrory deliver a complete self-myofacsial release program using Yoga Therapy Balls. You’ll not only work through your rough spots, you’ll stimulate a parasympathetic nervous system response that’s guaranteed to help you completely unwind from a busy day of work and/or training.


Fat- and keto-adapted ultramarathon running star Zach Bitter details the powers of keto-adapted endurance performance, including how he ran all night for 40 miles of pacing at Western States 100, consuming only water and liquid amino acids.


Ageless wonder multiple world champion triathlete Pete Kain becomes your personal trainer with a demonstration of assorted creative gym exercises with the Bosu ball, stretch bands and a fun progression of core exercises from beginner to awesome “feel the burn” level 10!


Primal Endurance’s own Lindsay Taylor, Ph.D, ironman triathlete, behavioral psychologist and Facebook Primal Endurance Group hostess, talks about the psychological aspects of successful endurance training – setting healthy goals (and recommitting each day), and cultivating intrinsic motivators.

It’s no secret that endurance athletes struggle from over-training syndrome, difficulty reducing excess body fat, and dietary patterns that promote carbohydrate dependency. The Primal Endurance Mastery Course liberates you from these hazards so you can pursue ambitious goals while preserving your health and maintaining a balanced life. You’ll follow a simple, enjoyable, intuitive approach that is less stressful, less exhausting, and that enables you to go faster on less total training time.

In the process, you will enjoy an effortless reduction of excess body fat that is so elusive when you train in the old chronic cardio/carbohydrate dependency paradigm. Instead of doggedly following rigid schedules and weekly mileage obligations, you’ll become flexible and empowered to always make the best decisions to protect your health and build fitness.

No more frustration with recurring illness, injury, and burnout episodes that leave you discouraged! The simple, commonsense principles of Primal living and training are appropriate for all enthusiasts—from elite professionals to raw beginners.

If you want to see what the course is all about before pulling the trigger, Brad Kearns has created a series of videos called “9 Steps to Becoming a Primal Endurance athlete.”

This content will give you a good feel for what the course material covers, but you will be absolutely blown away at the volume of content in your digital library, especially the exclusive, in-depth interviews from some of the greatest endurance athletes of all time and also some of the leading health, performance and medical experts in the endurance scene, particularly the burgeoning fat-adapted and keto endurance scene.

You can also check out the Primal Endurance Facebook Group if you want to engage with Primal Endurance enthusiasts. This is a private space to share thoughts openly, and to get input and support from others as you embark on this journey to living and training Primally.

Are you ready to gain mastery over the challenges of endurance training? I’m offering this course—with lifetime access to all the resources here PLUS ongoing members-only support and additional educational materials we add over time—for a special introductory rate you won’t want to miss. It’s limited time only, so don’t wait! And just to sweeten the deal, I’m throwing in a free pack of my PRIMAL KITCHEN® Coconut-Cashew Bars for the first 100 people who sign up.

Want to learn more? Check out more about the course here. This course is near and dear to my heart, folks. I can’t wait for you to join me and see what we can make possible for your training success and lifelong health. Thanks, as always, for your support.

The post Introducing the Primal Endurance Mastery Course! appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

Dear Mark: Ketosis and HIIT, Keto After Menopause, Inuit and Ketosis?

For today’s edition of Dear Mark, I’m answering a few questions from you folks. First, can a person maintain their high intensity interval training while starting a ketogenic diet? Is there anything you should watch out for? Second, is keto a good option for postmenopausal women? Though we don’t have any direct research on the subject, there is hope. And then we discuss the peculiar case of the Inuit and the missing ketones.

Let’s go:

First, Matt B asked:

I’d also like to know if HIIT workouts can be properly fueled during ketosis. My swimming coach is convinced that ketogenic diets are terrible for HIIT workouts and therefore advises against ketosis entirely.

As I said in last week’s post on keto caveats and contraindications, starting a ketogenic diet while in the midst of a season or when you’re about to start one probably isn’t advisable.

Here’s what you can do:

Once the season ends, go keto for at least six weeks. Try to stay in full-blown ketosis—low carbs, high fat, moderate protein—for those six weeks. Maintain your normal training schedule and realize that your performance will suffer for the first 3-4 weeks.

After those six weeks, incorporate carbs before or after intense training efforts. Note their effects. Do the carbs help your performance? Keep eating them, making sure to time them with your workouts. Do the carbs have no effect? You may not need them after all.

The season is a different story. You’ll probably need some carbs around your workouts and meets. If you still want to remain in ketosis, don’t worry too much; as long as you use the carbs you eat, they’ll go toward refilling your muscle glycogen stores without impacting your ketogenic status too much.

Luckily, the benefits of full blown ketone adaptation don’t just disappear. Your muscles will still be good at burning fatty acids and ketones. You’ll still have higher mitochondria density to produce more energy. And as long as you revisit ketosis on occasion, you should maintain most of the metabolic benefits.

Regarding keto, Louise asked:

Would you recommend it for perimenopausal/menopausal women?

That’s tough to answer based on the literature. There aren’t any dedicated ketogenic diet studies on post-menopausal women. Though what we have on low-carb diets, which are often ketogenic by accident, is quite positive.

For instance, post menopausal women on a low-carb, high-fat cheese-and-meat-based diet fared better than women on a low-fat, high-carb diet. Their blood lipids improved, including lower LDL particle numbers and higher HDL. There’s no word as to whether this was a ketogenic diet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they attained ketosis.

In another, post-menopausal breast cancer survivors were randomized to either a low-fat diet or a low-carb diet. Although average weight loss was similar in both groups, more individuals on the low-carb arm lost a greater percentage of their body weight.

A full-blown paleolithic diet is also quite good for post-menopausal women. In one study, going paleo helped post-menopausal women lose more body fat, more abdominal body fat, more inches on the waist, and achieve lower triglycerides.

As many of my commenters noted in the original post, the scientific community at large just doesn’t like to focus on post-menopausal women. Maybe it’s that the questions are too complex (hormones are complicated, especially when they change so rapidly). Maybe there’s not as much money behind it (youth sells—and I say this as someone in his 60s). Whatever the reason, it’s not right. Hopefully, we get more research coming down the pike. I think I’ll do a post on gender disparities in research, come to think of it. Stay tuned for that.

Still, I see no reason why a ketogenic diet wouldn’t help post-menopausal women.

My general advice for everyone stands: Try it out for a few weeks, see how you feel, and be honest with yourself. Don’t feel beholden to any dietary “regimen” or “ideology” (except, perhaps, “eat real food”) if it doesn’t work for you. Sure, quality matters. You can do a ketogenic diet wrong, so make sure you do it right. Don’t do a soybean oil/Splenda/cream cheese keto diet and complain about keto when it doesn’t work, but don’t do something even if it’s clearly not working for you just because someone you trust recommended it.

Melanie asked:

I would be interested to hear more – can you expand? What kind of mutation do the Inuit have and how does this prevent ketosis? Thanks you, Claudio!

The Inuit are an interesting bunch with regards to ketosis. Despite eating almost nothing but seafood and marine and land mammals and their fat, with negligible amounts of carbohydrates, the Inuit rarely show evidence of ketosis. A legitimate fast isn’t even enough to reliably produce ketosis in the Inuit. It turns out that many of them possess a gene variant that prevents ketosis and drops blood sugar during fasting and starvation.

Similar variants in other groups are considered deleterious. It can be fatal to infants and children without instant treatment. It’s rare in most populations, probably because it’s historically been such a knock on reproductive fitness. You want your toddler to be able to survive a day without food, after all.

Yet in the Inuit and other Arctic populations, these mutations are incredibly common. What’s going on here? Why was it preserved in the Inuit, let alone selected for?

First of all, the gene variant doesn’t seem to be deleterious in adult Inuit. A number of studies have shown that Inuit with the mutation tend to have less body fat and better blood lipids, though the mutation is still dangerous in kids and babies.

The mutation also makes it easier for carriers to burn free fatty acids in mitochondria. This is a good thing for a population like the Inuit on a traditional diet, because they’re swimming in free fatty acids and they aren’t able to produce ketones or eat enough carbohydrates for energy. Free fatty acids are everywhere. If you can use them more efficiently, you’ve got a great, reliable source of energy on demand.

Without a mutation like this one, the Inuit would likely be in permanent, deep ketosis. That can be hugely therapeutic in the right context. Ketones can prevent and treat epilepsy, for example. But what if there is a problem with long-term ketosis? Given the high-fat nature of their diet, this mutation is the only thing standing between a traditionally-eating Inuit and chronic, unavoidable ketosis. The rise of this mutation may have been a way to stave off that possibility.

In a roundabout way, ketone adaptation is a way for anyone not carrying the anti-ketotic genetic marker common among Inuit to obtain Inuit-type metabolism. Long term ketone adaptation leads to an increased ability of skeletal muscle to directly oxidize free fatty acids for energy; the Inuit with the mutation do that already.

That’s it for me. Thanks for reading, everyone. Be sure to help out below with your take on the questions and any advice you have for the people who asked them.

Have a great rest of the week!

The post Dear Mark: Ketosis and HIIT, Keto After Menopause, Inuit and Ketosis? appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

Weekend Link Love – Edition 457

RESEARCH OF THE WEEK

Seasonality may have driven the development of agriculture.

Even seated upper body activity suffices to break up sedentary time.

Old Japanese women who eat the most protein and high-antioxidant foods are the least frail.

Low-carb diets work well at getting type 2 diabetics off their meds, even left to their own devices with only occasional assistance from remote clinicians.

CrossFit is no more dangerous—and may even be safer—than comparable types of training.

Coffee boosts ketones.

Ketones fight gout.

NEW PRIMAL BLUEPRINT PODCASTS

Episode #174: Amy Berger: Host Elle Russ chats with Amy Berger, a Certified Nutrition Specialist and Nutritional Therapy Practitioner,  specializing in and practicing low-carb diet therapy for a variety of conditions. She’s also the author of The Alzheimer’s Antidote: Using a Low-Carb, High-Fat Diet to Fight Alzheimer’s Disease, Memory Loss, and Cognitive Decline, which she and Elle discuss in depth. Great episode.

Each week, select Mark’s Daily Apple blog posts are prepared as Primal Blueprint Podcasts. Need to catch up on reading, but don’t have the time? Prefer to listen to articles while on the go? Check out the new blog post podcasts below, and subscribe to the Primal Blueprint Podcast here so you never miss an episode.

Adaptogen Effects: Asian and American Ginseng
Is Keto for Everyone?—Cautions, Caveats, and Contraindications
My 16 Favorite Fat Sources

INTERESTING BLOG POSTS

What might have caused the great leaps of technological innovation in the paleolithic?

A different take on work-life balance.

MEDIA, SCHMEDIA

Don’t let your kids “drink.”

The Qatari camels break the Saudi blockade.

EVERYTHING ELSE

A nice little refresher: 61 names for sugar.

Orcas vs fishermen (guess who’s winning).

Where things fell apart.

Skin all the way.

Cats are only barely domesticated.

THINGS I’M UP TO AND INTERESTED IN

Podcast I appeared on/contest they’re offering: Wellness Force, where I spoke about Primal living in the modern world, the power of intuition, the myth of “good” and “bad” genes, and much more. They’re offering a great chance to win $200 in Primal Kitchen® goodies. 

An article I enjoyed: The one where Gary Taubes skewers the AHA.

New development I’m following with great interest: Poop doping for cyclists.

Terrible news: Tick-borne meat allergy is spreading.

Try not to smile: Gorilla in a kiddie pool dances to “Maniac.”

RECIPE CORNER

Paleo fried chicken meatballs with collard greens. I’d go to KFC if they had these.
Like mango? Your answer is irrelevant to whether you like mangú, or Dominican mashed plantains.

TIME CAPSULE

One year ago (Jun 25 – Jul 1)

10 Reasons You Should Be Eating More Monounsaturated Fat – You getting enough?
Why Exercise Actually Does Matter for Weight Loss – Not for the reasons most people expect.

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

“I’m a proud member of the seven percent of Americans who get a kick out of messing with the people who make up dumb surveys.”

– Ha! You’re probably right, Nick.

The post Weekend Link Love – Edition 457 appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

Fab Four Collagen Smoothies

Today’s awesome recipe post is served up by Certified Celebrity Health Coach and friend to Mark’s Daily Apple, Kelly LeVeque. I’m thrilled she’s with us today, and I hope you enjoy these four incredible recipes as much as I have.

The Fab Four is the light structure for eating healthy without “eat” or “do not eat” lists. Simply look at your plate and ask yourself—”Do I have all four components?” Protein ups collagen, supports muscle tone, and metabolism; fat benefits hormones, skin, and cellular health; fiber promotes gut microbiome proliferation and detoxification; and greens (or veggies deep in color) provide cancer and inflammation fighting phytonutrients. This combination is a fail-safe for my clients to stop fighting not to eat and instead mix their nutrients to regulate over 8 hunger hormones in their body! They easily go 4-6 hours without thinking of food or snacking on processed foods and report increased energy, clearer skin and overall Body Love!

I created the Fab Four Smoothie formula to help my clients learn how to build a low sugar meal replacement smoothie. This is very different from the many juice shops, grocery smoothie bars and smoothie recipes online, which can be loaded with sugar, specifically fructose sugar from excess fruit, agave, dates and juice. When it comes to weight loss and energy, the #fab4smoothie is the key! For some new clients, I spare them the science and simply ask them to start every day with a Fab Four Smoothie. Within the first week I am getting exciting texts about how their skin is glowing, energy is high and the scale is down.

The Fab Four smoothie limits fruit and instead helps you fill up on protein, fat and fiber, which naturally help to elongate and balance your blood sugar curve. This combination keeps you from crashing before lunch and sabotaging your healthy eating efforts. When you arrive at your next meal alive, you can easily make conscious decisions to put the Fab Four on your next plate.

Looking to kick chocolate cravings? Start with a Chocolate Collagen protein, almond butter and flax seed smoothie. Sneak in a handful of spinach—you won’t even taste it! Looking to increase nutrition? Not a fan of super green smoothies? Opt for a small handful of micro greens: they contain up to 14x the nutrition of the full-grown plant.

Fab Four Acai Flax Master

1 serving of Vanilla Coconut PRIMAL KITCHEN® Collagen Fuel
1 tbsp flax seeds
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tsp flax oil
1 packet unsweetened frozen acai
1 small handful broccoli sprouts

Acai berries are extremely high in anthocyanins, a plant antioxidant associated with the ability to lower cholesterol levels, fight oxidative stress and help prevent aging. With twice the antioxidants as blueberries and loaded with vitamin A and fiber this berry is a skin superhero!

Broccoli sprouts can deliver up to 14x the nutrition as the full grown vegetable without making your smoothie taste green. Broccoli spouts are rich in sulphoraphone a potent anti cancer chemical!

Pineapple Green Dream

1 serving of Vanilla Coconut PRIMAL KITCHEN Collagen Fuel
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp chia seeds
1/ cup pineapple chunks (fresh or frozen)
Handful of Organic Girl Super Greens

Leafy greens provide a variety of phytonutrients including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, and are rich in minerals including iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium and vitamins, including vitamins K, C, E, and B vitamins.

Pineapple provides the enzyme Bromeliad, an enzyme that digests proteins and is often used to treat muscle injuries and is applied as a digestive aid.

Coconut Cantaloupe

1 serving of Vanilla Coconut PRIMAL KITCHEN Collagen Fuel
1 tbsp coconut cream
2 tbsp chia seeds
1/4 cup frozen cauliflower
1/2 cup cantaloupe

Cauliflower: adding frozen organic riced cauliflower to your next smoothie is a great way to add fiber, phytochemicals (antioxidants) that fight aging and thicken your smoothie without diluting it all in one.

Chocolate Cashew Cup

1 serving Chocolate Coconut PRIMAL KITCHEN Collagen Fuel
1 tbsp cashew butter
1-2 tbsp chia seeds
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 handful of spinach

Kelly LeVeque is a Certified Celebrity Health Coach, Holistic Nutritionist and Wellness Expert based in Los Angeles, California. Guided by a practical and always optimistic approach, Kelly helps clients improve their health, achieve their goals and develop sustainable habits to live a healthy and balanced life. Working with well-known names such as Jessica Alba, Chelsea Handler, Evan Peters (to prepare for X-Men) and Emmy Possum. Kelly is extremely passionate about the science of human nutrition and the desire to help her clients achieve their personal health goals. Kelly LeVeque has parlayed her passion for health, wellness and the science of nutrition into her first book, Body Love. Body Love will help you feel empowered, not overwhelmed by food and nutrition, live in balance, weigh what you want and free yourself from food drama forever.

Thanks to everyone for stopping by—and to Kelly for contributing today. She’s got an excellent GIVEAWAY going on her Facebook page: a personally signed copy of her new book, Body Love, and a Primal Kitchen care package that will have you set for summer with our Mayo, Chipotle Lime Mayo, Honey Mustard Vinaigrette, Greek Vinaigrette, Ranch Dressing, Avocado Oil, and our Dark Chocolate Almond Bar. The contest closes June 30, so hurry and enter! Have a great weekend, everyone.

The post Fab Four Collagen Smoothies appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

This Lifestyle Opened a Path to Feeling Unstoppable!

It’s Friday, everyone! And that means another Primal Blueprint Real Life Story from a Mark’s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me here. I’ll continue to publish these each Friday as long as they keep coming in. Thank you for reading!

My story is similar to many out there; I was stuck in a cycle of diets, restriction and anxiety. I’ve always been interested in health and wellness, and I eagerly followed the advice doled out by fitness magazines and conventional “wisdom”: eat six small meals a day—a protein with a carb, don’t let yourself get hungry, avoid fat, exercise intensely six days a week. I wanted to be a healthy, fit woman so I obeyed this advice.

The problem: this “healthy” lifestyle was making me feel decidedly unhealthy. I was constantly tired, sore, constipated, gassy and bloated. (On a side note, when I spoke to my gynecologist about my digestive issues she actually told me it was normal to eliminate only twice a week!) I broke out so frequently that I started using Proactiv in my late thirties. I thought about food constantly (probably because the food I was eating wasn’t very enjoyable or satiating), and I was always worried about missing a meal and becoming dizzyingly hungry as a result. I felt irrationally emotional about food because I was restricting myself and working so hard—but my pants were getting tighter! When a few acquaintances assumed I was pregnant because of my disproportionately bloated stomach I went in a funk for weeks.

I had heard about this whole low carb eating lifestyle for a while, initially brushing it off as crazy. This was not what my fitness magazines said was healthy! The body needs carbs for energy, right? However, I believe that the universe sends signs when we are ready for them. Within a week all of my favorite podcast hosts were either interviewing Mark Sisson or Mark Hyman (author of Eat Fat, Get Thin). I was seeing low carb articles in Outside magazine and Time claimed “We were wrong about saturated fats!” The government revised its food pyramid!

This new information began to seep into my very being and I knew it was time to change my mindset and attitude about what was healthy. I bought The Primal Blueprint and Eat Fat, Get Thin and read them in a weekend. I was convinced by the information to complete a four week trial, following the plans created by the Marks. My husband had just returned from a beer and junk food infested snowmachine trip, so I caught him at the perfect sugar-crash low and he agreed to do the trial with me.

We felt a little woozy and low energy the first few days. My husband, initially quite hungry, snacked regularly on nuts. After about four days, something shifted. My bloating was gone—it just disappeared! My digestion was showing significant signs of improvement, and I was absolutely loving what we were eating. Everything we ate was so satiating and delicious that we found we were naturally satisfied with less food.

There was no restriction or judgement surrounding eating; this beautiful food was making me healthy and I loved and appreciated every bite. This food mindset was totally revolutionary for me. After about two weeks I began to sense this incredible sense of non-stop energy, clarity, and enthusiasm for life. I was waking up without an alarm clock, full of energy and excited to begin the day. Brain fog that I hadn’t even known was there disappeared and left me feeling more intelligent, focused, and clear in my communications. My husband felt the same way.

We had no idea that it was possible to feel this good; we thought we were healthy and happy before, but this was a whole new level of life. The four week trial naturally turned into our lifestyle. I can’t imagine living any other way. It’s difficult for me to describe the impact of this transformation, but I feel like I have been freed from the obsessive/restrictive/self-esteem crushing diet and exercise patterns in which I had lived most of my life. I liken it to a physical and mental blockade dissolving, which opened the path to feeling absolutely unstoppable.

In this time my purpose became clear to me. I had to try and help others feel this way. If I could help just one other person awaken his or her glow, I knew that it was worth trying. I started the website, Awaken Your Glow, to share my experiences and hopefully inspire others.

When I heard about the Primal Blueprint Certification program I immediately knew I was meant to enroll. I absolutely loved every module and would honestly get excited to read and learn each weekend. I really appreciate that the Primal Blueprint philosophy takes into account all facets of life. Yes, nutrition and movement are crucial, but so are sleep, nature, play, mindfulness, and slowing life down. I feel honored to be an official Primal Health Coach.

Thank you, Mark! You have changed my life.

Katie Harrison

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Adaptogen Effects: American and Asian Ginseng

I’ve been using adaptogens for quite some time, but in the last year I’ve been experimenting a little more with them. You may have caught my mention of a few adaptogenic varieties in one version of my daily big ass salad (not for a flavor hit). I’ve also briefly highlighted ashwagandha and holy basil, and I’ve always been a big believer (and user) of Rhodiola rosea for normalizing stress response.

All well and good. But what’s the backstory on adaptogens? What is there to gain? And what about the other options? 

What Are Adaptogens?

The essence of adaptogens, natural substances that help the body adapt to various stress inputs, is this: they don’t make a name for themselves for the specific ailments that they might resolve, but for their ability to restore balance and banish stress from the body and mind. They’re the golden boys of holistic medicine, purely because they are themselves holistic.

Let’s dive into some real-world scenarios. Your average functional herb—let’s say ginger—has a finite number of beneficial functions when ingested. Those functions might include boosting digestion, relieving nausea, aiding immunity, and fighting infection. All very commendable outcomes.

But then let’s look at an adaptogenic herb. When ingested, the pathways on which it acts within the body are virtually infinite—by its very nature, it works to alleviate stress of all kinds, the chronic version of which we know is often the root cause of most diseases and common ailments. 

It’s an exclusive club. In their comprehensive volume on adaptogens, David Winston and Steven Maimes set out three key requirements for a herb to attain that all-important adaptogen badge:

1. An adaptogen is nontoxic to its recipient.

2. An adaptogen produces a nonspecific response in the body—an increase in the power of resistance against multiple stressors including physical, chemical, or biological agents.

3. An adaptogen has a normalizing influence on physiology, irrespective of the direction of change from physiological norms caused by the stressor.

What’s in It for You?

Stress is all around us, but chronic stress does us no favors. 

Taking our cue from Grok, most of what we do is all about alleviating that stress by both traditional and modern means. We clean up our diet to reduce inflammatory stress and avoid toxic stress, we simplify and streamline our lifestyle to minimize emotional stress.

That’s all very well, but there’s only so much you can sidestep stressful circumstances. Even the most avid Primal enthusiast is still going to come up against any number of difficulties and demands over the course of a day, and it’s for this reason that we might turn to adaptogens.

Back in 1958, the idea of adaptogens was first introduced to the scientific world (having been present in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years) as substances that increase the “state of nonspecific resistance” to stress. By their very nature, adaptogens are generalists—their role is to protect against stressors of all kind and to maintain a state of homeostasis within the body. This makes them very powerful indeed and very different from other natural medicinal compounds, which only target certain conditions or areas of the body. 

How are Adaptogens Grown and Harvested?

As scientists delve deeper into the world of natural medicine, the list of official adaptogens continues to grow. It’s a very Western way of doing things, this need to class substances into certain categories. People have known for millennia about the healing properties of ashwagandha or sea buckthorn but probably didn’t see the need to create a VIP club.

I’ll take up other adaptogens in future posts, but for today I’m going to focus on American ginseng and Asian ginseng (divided up into white and red). Here goes.

American Ginseng

As the name suggests, this variety is native to the hardwood forests of the United States and Canada. It’s a gnarled root that prefers to grow on the shade-dappled forest floor of the Eastern seaboard. Increasing worldwide demand for American ginseng has taken its toll, with entrepreneurial ginseng hunters pushing it to endangered species status in many locales.

The root itself is light tan in color, with leaves that grow in a circle around a straight stem. Off-yellow, umbrella-shaped flowers sprout from the centre and produce red berries. As lovely as I’m sure they are, it’s only the root that we’re after here. This contains the lion’s share of it’s therapeutic active ingredients, namely ginsenosides and polysaccharide glycans.

American ginseng roots typically take around six years to reach maturity, meaning ginseng farms aren’t too common but are on the rise due to its increasingly uncertain status in the wild. Avid foragers can, however, still wild-harvest the stuff, but they must abide by a strict set of rules set down by the government.

Asian Ginseng

From a botanical perspective, Asian ginseng, otherwise known as Korean ginseng, is relatively similar in looks to its American cousin. As with its Western counterpart, only the root is harvested, and that root also takes around six years to mature.

Because Asian ginseng has been an integral part of traditional and Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years, its production is more established. The vast majority of Asian ginseng is sourced from farms in Korea, China and Japan, after which it is either sun-dried to produce “white” ginseng, or repeatedly steamed and then dried to produce “red” ginseng. As we’ll see later in the post, red ginseng appears to be the more potent of the two.

Comparing American and Asian Ginseng

Both Asian and American ginseng can claim their impact from substances called ginsenosides. These natural chemicals are found in high concentrations in both species of ginseng, along with varying degrees of beneficial polysaccharides. However, the subtle variations in these two active ingredients, along with a healthy dose of volatile oils in Asian ginseng, create markedly different reactions within the body.

In holistic medicine, American ginseng is the more calming of the two and is often used by practitioners to promote physical and mental peace and balance. Research shows that American ginseng acts upon more pathways within the body than its Asian counterpart.

Asian ginseng, on the other hand, is employed more as a stimulant than a calming tonic. While American ginseng contains a wider range of ginsenocides (29 vs. 20), Asian ginseng is said to be more effective medicinally.

Adaptogenic Research

Ginseng root is surprisingly humanoid in shape, with the root forming a fat body, little spindly arms and legs and a knobby head. That same appearance didn’t escape the notice of the ancient Chinese, with “ginseng” deriving from the Chinese word “rénsh?n”, which roughly translates to “man root”. It was this humanoid shape that purportedly tipped ancient healers off to ginseng’s legendary therapeutic powers. “Panama,” the genus which encompasses both American and Asian ginseng, equates to “all-heal” in Greek.

So, the literary origins of our ginsengs are certainly intriguing, but what about their status within the scientific literature?

Immunity

There’s actually been a vast amount of research into the immune-supporting effects of both American and Asian ginseng. COLD-fX, a popular anti-cold and flu medication, is in fact largely composed of American ginseng extracts. In one study, 43 older folks who took COLD-fX experienced a 48% reduction in risk of acute respiratory illness, and a 55% reduction in severity.

Another study found that American ginseng extracts “reduced the mean number of colds per person, the proportion of subjects who experienced 2 or more colds, the severity of symptoms and the number of days cold symptoms were reported.” In the case of American ginseng at least, it appears to be the polysaccharides, which comprise around 10% of the root, that are responsible for these immune-stimulating effects. They’ve also been shown to suppress pro-inflammatory responses, which may further assist the immune system in doing its work.

Asian ginseng has also had its fair share of pro-immunity research. An article from last year showed that a combination of red ginseng and vitamin C enhanced activation of immune T and NK cells, thereby suppressing viral infection and reducing lung inflammation. Another used red ginseng extract to great effect, helping to protect a bunch of rodents against respiratory syncytial virus infection. According to the researchers, it did this by “improving cell survival, partial inhibition of viral replication and modulation of cytokine production and types of immune cells migrating into the lung.”

Muscle Damage and Physical Endurance

Historically, this is where ginseng has received a lot of research funding. After hearing about the supposed endurance-promoting effects of Asian and American ginseng, rumor has it that the Soviets began promoting their own version—Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus). While it has attained status within the realm of adaptogens, Siberian ginseng isn’t actually a ginseng at all (note the different genus), and doesn’t appear to have the same gusto that its American and Asian namesakes have.

Rumors aside, the official status of ginseng as an athletic herb is hotly contested. On the one hand, American ginseng studies on rats have indicated that ginseng supplementation reduced exercise-induced muscle damage and inflammation, while a similar study in a small group of human males found that American ginseng was “unable to attenuate post-exercise reductions in muscle strength.” It’s fair to say that more research is called for in this department.

The jury is out on Asian ginseng with regards to exercise recovery as well. A meta-analysis published last year found that, across the board, there was a definite reduction in post-exercise fatigue from ginseng supplementation, but no discernible physical performance enhancement. Another study also found that Asian ginseng actually prevented an increase in muscle mass following resistance training, which might suit some but deter those who have aspirations to bulk up.

Cancer

Unsurprisingly, with so many antioxidants packed into one tiny root, both species of ginseng have been shown to exhibit strong anti-cancer properties. Within the literature, American ginseng has shown its ability to inhibit tumor growth, particularly with regards to colon cancer. It’s thought that American ginseng’s mysterious “compound K” is to thank for this anti-carcinogenic effect, reducing inflammation around the site of the tumor and instigating direct tumor cell die-off.

Asian ginseng also has its fair share of cancer-culling properties, including the ginsenoside Rh2. In one study, Rh2 was found to play a role in supporting positive genetic responses to tumor development, which in turn promoted enhanced immune function and prevented the spread of breast cancer cells. Another study showed that Asian ginseng supplementation of 800 mg daily resulted in an 87% improvement in cancer-related fatigue. Patients who supplemented with Asian ginseng also reported improved quality of life, appetite, and sleep. I’ll take those side effects any day.

Attention and Cognitive Function

There’s preliminary evidence to suggest that both American and Asian ginseng can effect positive short-term improvements in cognitive function. A 2015 study gave 52 volunteers between the ages of 40 and 60 200 mg of American ginseng and measured the changes in cognitive performance over the course of six hours. They found that the ginseng supplementation improved working memory cognitive performance at the three-hour mark. Other research has found similar properties in Asian ginseng, particularly with regards to cognitive reaction time.

Diabetes

Once again, it’s both species of ginseng to the rescue. North American ginseng has demonstrated changes that enhanced insulin secretion, improved blood sugar control, and reduced diabetes-induced arterial stiffness.

Asian ginseng, especially the red variety, may be effective in treating patients with impaired glucose tolerance, impaired fasting glucose, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. 

Adaptogenic Cautions

Of the two, Asian ginseng appears to be the more potent and the more potentially problematic in terms of dosages. Overuse can cause serious burnout and lead to the development of undesirable side effects.

While most trials reported no adverse effects from either Asian or American ginseng, side effects from both can include:

insomnia
high blood pressure
anxiety
vomiting
nosebleeds

You get the gist. Just your stock-standard list of undesirables, attributable to most medicinal overdoses. Just quietly, there’s another, slightly more enjoyable side effect of ginseng—euphoria. Which isn’t to say go whole-hog on the stuff, but we could all do with a bit of euphoria every now and then.

Based on the side effects, most of the contraindications relate to cardiovascular, diabetic, and psychological complications. Those on diabetic medications should probably run their ginseng aspirations past the doctor, as both species have been known to lower blood sugar. Both can also interfere with blood thinning medications like aspirin and warfarin, increase risk of side effects from antidepressants, or amplify the potency of certain medications for ADHD. If you’re on meds, play it safe and always talk to your physician first.

Finding the Best Adaptogenic Supplement

With increasing popularity, however, comes an increasing risk of encountering ginseng-based products that are questionable in their integrity. As with all natural supplements, quality definitely matters, so here’s a few quick tips to help you get your hands on the good stuff:

Know your latin names! Only buy products that guarantee pure extract of Panax quinquefolius or Panax ginseng.
When buying Asian ginseng, look for products that use primarily the red variety. As explained earlier, studies indicate that this may be the more potent of the two.
Consider supplementing with fermented ginseng. It’s probable that this is more bioavailable and faster-acting.
Try to determine whether the ginseng is unpeeled, as much of the therapeutic active compounds in the root are concentrated in the skin.
Traditional herbalists rarely use ginseng on its own in their decoctions, so if considering the purchase of a multi-herb ginseng supplement, do your background research on all the ingredients first.

Another thing to keep in mind is that ginseng works best when taken cyclically. It’s best if you use it for short bouts, then take a break to allow your body a bit of a breather from its impact.

Thanks for reading, everyone. Stay tuned for more forays into the wonderful world of adaptogens! And don’t be shy: share your thoughts in the comments section below!

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Is Keto for Everyone?—Cautions, Caveats, and Contraindications

In a few months, I’ll be releasing a book extolling the virtues of a ketogenic diet. I’m currently several months into a ketogenic experiment, which is going well. I just wrote a Definitive Guide explaining why you should consider going keto. I’m on record as stating that everyone should dip into ketosis from time to time. You’d think I’d recommend that everyone go keto. Right?

There are caveats. There are contraindications. There are very good reasons for a person not to go keto, or at least to take a few extra precautions. Today, I’m going to tell you when you should exercise particular care when considering a ketogenic diet.

If You Have Diabetes

In type 2 diabetes, the evidence is crystal clear: Ketogenic diets work, perhaps better than any other diet.

In obese diabetics, a ketogenic diet improved glycemic control to a greater degree than a low-calorie diet.

And just recently, a study came out showing that very-low carb ketogenic diet advice was more effective at spurring weight loss than conventional low-fat diet advice in type 2 diabetics.

However, the authors from the obese diabetic study recommend that diabetics going keto maintain medical supervision to avoid dropping blood sugar too low. Another typical feature of diabetic keto studies is regular and supervised adjustment of medication dosages. This makes sense. If your glucose control improves, the old dosage of the medicine designed to control your glucose might be excessive and counterproductive. Rather than eyeball it yourself, get an expert’s eye.

If You’re Pregnant

In one study, mother mice on ketogenic diets during pregnancy produced offspring with reduced growth in certain areas of the brain and increased growth in other areas. In another study, mice born to keto mothers were more resistant to anxiety and depression and more physically active than mice whose mothers ate standard diets. Maternal ketogenic diets have also been shown to negatively affect mouse fertility and slow the growth of the offspring.

Before you start slamming waxy maize in an attempt to knock yourself out of ketosis, there are some caveats to this particular caveat:

These were mice, of course. I trust you are not.
They were eating refined ketogenic chow made of oils and powders, rather than the whole foods-based ketogenic diets I recommend to humans.
They ate almost zero carbohydrates (just 0.7% of calories), which I’d never recommend to anyone, let alone a pregnant woman.
The keto chow fatty acid intakes were imbalanced, with far more PUFA than saturated fat.
This was an extreme diet designed to maximize ketosis. It had to be, because it’s harder for non-humans to slip into ketosis—which perhaps indicates ketosis is probably less safe for other animals than it is for humans.

Still, it gives me pause. As a pregnant woman building a human, you’ll need all the nutrients at your disposal. You don’t want to restrict anything nutritious. It’s no time to be experimenting.

If You’re Breastfeeding

Remember that little metabolite known as oxaloacetate—the protein- or carb-derived bit necessary for finishing the Krebs’ cycle and producing ATP from fat and glucose? The one where if we don’t have enough, we start making ketones? Lactating women also use it to produce lactose, the milk sugar that provides much of the nursing baby’s energy needs. That means that lactating women can eat more carbs and protein and still remain in ketosis. It also means that eating a strict ketogenic diet extremely low in carbs and protein is likely to impair milk production.

There isn’t much research, and many women report remaining ketogenic while nursing without issue, but there are a few case studies of breastfeeding women suffering lactation ketoacidosis, a dangerous condition where chronically low insulin prevents the cells from accessing blood glucose and promotes unchecked ketone production. Triggers of lactation ketoacidosis have included starvation (don’t starve yourself, or even fast, and breastfeed), twin lactation (feeding two increases the amount of lactation substrate you need to consume), and a low-calorie/low-carb/high-fat diet (bad combo).

If You’re a Competitive Athlete, and the Season’s about to Start

Becoming keto-adapted provides major benefits to athletic performance. But it doesn’t come instantly. You’re laying a foundation of dense, fat-burning mitochondria, and it takes time to put it all together. For those first 4-6 weeks, you’re in no man’s land. You’re not fully adapted to burning free fatty acids in the muscles. You’re pretty good at burning ketones, but you haven’t yet laid that dense network of fat-burning mitochondria that can really produce large amounts of energy in a short period of time on demand. The capacity for rapid energy generation just isn’t there. Glucose is still the most dependable source of high-octane fuel for intense efforts, and there’s very little of it coming in.

If you want an instant performance boost, now is not the time to begin a ketogenic diet.

If You Don’t Have a Gall Bladder

The gall bladder collects and concentrates bile, creating a “superbile” that it can unleash to digest dietary fat. Without a gall bladder, your liver still makes bile, but it’s not the super-concentrated stuff that makes short work of large amounts of fat.

Ketogenic diets tend to contain large amounts of dietary fat. You can still do keto without a gall bladder, but you’ll have to be careful. Favor shorter-chained fats, like the ones found in MCT oil and coconut, as those are easier to digest and require less bile.

If You Have a History of Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are relatively common in epileptic patients on ketogenic diets, occurring in almost 7% of subjects. This is caused by excessive urinary acidity (ketones are acidic), which increases uric acid and calcium calcium oxalate stone formation.

Luckily, potassium citrate alkalinizes the urine and prevents kidney stone formation on ketogenic diets. If you or your family has a history of kidney stones, include some potassium citrate in your ketogenic diet. A great source is lemon juice. A couple tablespoons of lemon juice, some sparkling mineral water, a dash of sea salt make for a refreshing drink. You know what? Even if you don’t have a history, still increase your potassium (leafy greens, avocado). There’s no good reason not to, and it may stave off any impending stones.

Make sure to drink water, too. Low water intake is another risk factor for kidney stone formation.

If You’re Still Growing

I don’t mean spiritually. I don’t mean “backpacking through Laos trying to find myself.” I mean: Your growth plates are open for business and you’re actively getting taller. If that describes you, a ketogenic diet may unnecessarily reduce your growth rate.

Some kids need to be on a ketogenic diet for medical purposes. But even in those cases, the diet arrests growth without reducing body weight or resting energy expenditure, probably by reducing insulin-like growth factor 1, or IGF-1. IGF-1 is extremely important in growing children and teens. It initiates the growth of bones and other tissues. The keto-induced reduction in IGF-1 has led some longevity enthusiasts to pursue keto to reduce unwanted growth (cancer) and aging. That’s fine for adults. But kids need to grow.

Other research has found that ketogenic diets don’t arrest growth in children. Still, I’d advise against taking the chance, unless you have a very good reason.

If You’re Lapsing into a Refined Food Ketogenic Diet

It’s easy to construct a ketogenic diet out of refined, isolated fats and products. A couple spoons of coconut butter here, a Bulletproof coffee there, a nibble of low-sugar dark chocolate, a coconut milk matcha latte spiked with MCT oil. Yeah, you’ll be in ketosis. Yeah, you’ll be hitting your fat requirements. But you’ll have eaten very little food in the process, and that’s a bad idea if you’re trying to lead a sustainable, healthy way of eating.

Look to the failings of the clinical epilepsy diets made of oils and multivitamins. They do a great job at staving off seizures, but they often leave patients undernourished and suffering from stunted growth, bone mineral density issues, and kidney stones.

Make sure whole foods comprise the base of your ketogenic diet.

Most of these aren’t absolute deal-breakers. There are workarounds and solutions. But it’s also proof that you don’t need to be ketogenic to be healthy.

Would I recommend ketosis for most people most of the time? No. Keto is a tool in your toolbox. I look at it as a way of resetting your metabolism once in a while to a point of greater metabolic flexibility. Some people choose to be in ketosis for years at a time. I prefer to go in and out from time to time, knowing that a few weeks in ketosis leaves my engine running smoother and more efficiently. 

What about you, folks? If you’ve ever tried a ketogenic diet with these or other conditions, how did it work?

Thanks for reading. Take care.

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6 Healthy Eating Tips for First Trimester Pregnant Mamas

Today’s post is served by good friend to Mark’s Daily Apple, Stephanie Greunke. Stephanie has teamed up with Melissa Hartwig of Whole30® to create the Healthy Mama, Happy Baby program.

Food aversions and nausea plague up to 80% of women during the first trimester of pregnancy, which can be really frustrating for the mama who is trying to eat a healthy, nourishing diet. While there is no one specific cause of food aversions and nausea, some of the proposed factors include increased hormone levels (specifically estrogen, progesterone, and hCG), hypoglycemia, thyroid dysfunction (specifically increased serum free T4 and decreased serum TSH), a woman’s enhance sense of smell, stress, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, and physiological changes of pregnancy such as delayed gastric emptying and constipation.

One of the largest studies to date of pregnant women, the Collaborative Perinatal Project, found nausea and vomiting in pregnancy to be more common in younger women (the incidence is highest among women younger than 20 years old and drops significantly after age 35), women pregnant for the first time (primigravida), women with less than 12 years of education, women with multiple gestation, women carrying female infants, and women who are obese. Also, women whose mothers experienced nausea and vomiting with pregnancy are more likely to experience it.

If your “morning sickness” progresses to severe and persistent vomiting with substantial weight loss, you may be experiencing a condition called Hyperemesis Gravidarum, which is a much more severe form of this common pregnancy concern and requires management and follow-up with your provider. Please, don’t try to tough it out on your own!

At Whole30 Healthy Mama, Happy Baby, we understand that morning sickness can put a halt on your dedicated efforts to eat healthy! The good news is that most women find the worst morning sickness symptoms usually end around 12-16 weeks, and typically nausea is a good sign that the pregnancy is progressing well. Researchers have found that the presence of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is correlated with lower rates of miscarriage. Hopefully, that fact makes you feel just a little better!

So, keep your head up, mama. Today I have six tips to help you eat healthy despite aversions and nausea.

Bring the whole darn grocery store home with you.

This tip comes from Whole30 Headmistress and HMHB co-creator Melissa Hartwig. She experienced lots of food aversions during her pregnancy and used this strategy. That’s why we love Primal Kitchen® products—you can stock your pantry and fridge with them, so you’ll always have flavorful and delicious options to make meals based on what sounds good to you in the moment. The more stocked your fridge and pantry are, the better chances you’ll have that you’ll be able to find something you can stomach. Don’t be afraid to ask your partner or a friend to run out and grab something for you when the mood strikes. You might be at the grocery store a bit more often during this time, but it usually only lasts a few weeks.

Capitalize on what and when you can eat.

Are there certain times of day when you feel better or have more of an appetite? Try to think outside of the box. Maybe you can’t imagine eating an egg immediately upon waking, but perhaps it sounds a little more appetizing as an early lunch? Some women notice that their nausea is worse in the morning but better by evening. I recommend trying to have lots of options in the fridge that could work for easy-to-prepare dinners. That way you can still make dinner based on what sounds good to you in the moment.

Avoid your major problem foods.

For example, if you know that you don’t tolerate dairy well normally, then try to avoid it throughout pregnancy. If ice cream sounds really good, but typically diary messes with your digestive system, then it’s probably going to do more harm than good. Instead of ice cream, see if a frozen, non-dairy smoothie would do. You might even be able to sneak some veggies in that way!

Balance your meals/snacks with a combination of fat/protein/and carbs.

Low blood sugar can be a trigger for nausea as well, so as best you can, try to eat throughout the day, even if you’re feeling sick. It’s commonly known that pregnant women crave carbs, and that’s okay! However, any time you can, try to combine fat, protein, and carbs, to give your body more nutrients to work with and help keep your blood sugar regulated throughout the day. Craving some gluten free crackers? Stack them with almond butter or a little rotisserie chicken and Primal Kitchen Mayo.

Stay hydrated.

Becoming dehydrated can actually aggravate symptoms of morning sickness, so try to sip on a variety of beverages throughout the day. Plain water is great, but if you find that it’s difficult to tolerate, you can try sipping on chamomile, ginger, or peppermint tea (hot or iced!). You could also try sparkling water, as some mamas say it helps settle their stomach. A small amount of ginger kombucha could be a good option as well.

Focus on key nutrients.

You don’t need to choke down an organic kale salad with wild-caught salmon to optimize your nutrition during this time. Give yourself grace and just focus on a few key nutrients for you and your growing baby during this hard time.

Folate (B9) is involved in making and repairing DNA as well as preventing neural tube defects, which is really important during the early weeks. Outside of liver, the best source of folate is dark leafy green vegetables (such as kale, collard greens, spinach, and dandelion leaves). You just need 2.5-3 cups of steamed spinach to meet your daily prenatal requirements. With that being said, leafy greens and liver are probably “off the menu” for most of your meals right now. You can include other sources of folate, such as chickpeas, pinto beans, lentils, avocado, and beets (if they work well for you); however, this is where a prenatal vitamin comes in handy. I like to recommend prenatal vitamins that contain a methylated version of folate (versus folic acid) for optimal absorption and utilization.
Omega-3 fatty acids are important for your baby’s brain and visual development. Higher intakes have been associated with improved memory, cognition, and IQ. Since the amount of these essential fatty acids baby receives depends on mom’s dietary intake, it’s important to make sure they’re included in sufficient amounts through food and/or supplements. Because of the potential for mercury contamination, it’s important to choose fish low in mercury, such as wild-caught salmon, sardines, and herring. For mamas who can’t stand the thought of fish during the first trimester (which is most), I recommend talking to your provider about adding a fish oil supplement to your regimen.
Vitamin B6 helps your body metabolize proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, helps form new red blood cells, and supports brain and nervous system development. It’s also well-known that vitamin B6 can help alleviate nausea and vomiting, which sets it apart as an important player in your prenatal diet during the first few months. Food sources of B6 include fish, liver, chickpeas, poultry, beef, bananas, potatoes, and pistachios. If none of these options sound good or you’re really suffering, you can talk to your provider about using a B6 supplement.
Choline, like folate, is important for preventing neural tube defects. It’s also important for healthy brain development and can have long-term effects on your baby’s cognitive abilities, memory, and mood regulation. According to new research from Cornell University, pregnant women who increase choline intake during their third trimester of pregnancy (930 mg/day vs. 480 mg/day), may reduce the risk of their baby developing metabolic and chronic stress-related diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes later in life. While the need for choline increases during pregnancy (and even more while breastfeeding), there aren’t many foods rich in this nutrient outside of eggs and liver. You’d need to eat about four eggs a day to reach your prenatal daily requirements. Since eggs and liver may not work for you during these tough weeks, make sure your prenatal vitamin contains choline. I like Innate Response’s Baby & Me Multivitamin.

At the end of the day, just do your best. You won’t be able to eat perfectly during this time, and that’s okay. Make sure you’re taking a good prenatal supplement (gummy versions are fine during this time!), and know that your body is relying on the stores that you had built up before you became pregnant. You’ll be able to eat your piles of green, leafy veggies again soon! Hang in there, mama—and for more information and friendly advice, check out our Healthy Mama, Happy Baby blog.

Want to take your pregnancy, pre- or post-natal nutrition to the next level? Join the Whole30 Healthy Mama / Happy Baby program. Mark’s Daily Apple & Primal Kitchen customers can use code HMHBLOVESPK to receive $40 OFF your registration!

Stephanie Greunke is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in nutrition who specializes in women’s health. She is a certified personal trainer and prenatal and postnatal corrective exercise specialist. Stephanie guides and supports women locally and globally through her web-based private practice.

Thanks for stopping by today, everybody. Thoughts, questions, experience to offer on either food aversions or pregnancy health? Share them on the comment board, and have a great week!

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7779229
Jiang, X., J. Yan, A. A. West, C. A. Perry, O. V. Malysheva, S. Devapatla, E. Pressman, F. Vermeylen, and M. A. Caudill. Maternal choline intake alters the epigenetic state of fetal cortisol-regulating genes in humans. FASEB J. 2012;26:3563-3574.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3676933/#R9
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3046737/

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Dear Mark: Fat Roundup

Last week, I wrote about my 16 favorite fats. You had questions. For today’s edition of Dear Mark, I’ll answer some of them. First, I explain why my keto salad recipe didn’t include any dense protein. Second, I explain a few options for steaming heavy cream. Third, I tell where I get my mac nuts. Fourth, I discuss whether you should worry about dioxins in pastured eggs. And fifth, I address the question of dietary fat and fatty liver.

Let’s go:

JUST CURIOUS – LOVELY SALAD – BUT NO OTHER PROTEIN SOURCE IS INCLUDED???

—Frances

Yep. I intentionally left it out of the recipe. About half the time I’ll throw in some hardboiled eggs, a can of sardines or tuna, or some leftover meat, fish, or fowl from the night before, but not always. As I mentioned in the Definitive Guide, dietary protein, along with glucose, is a source of oxaloacetate. It’s the absence of oxaloacetate that inhibits ATP generation via Krebs’ cycle and necessitates ketone production. Too much protein can inhibit ketone production.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t eat protein. Protein can really help curb appetite, retain lean mass during weight loss, and improve physical performance. In fact, most people eating standard diets probably need more. And certain populations, like seniors and the ill and infirm, require more protein than the general population for the same effect.

But people seeking deep ketosis, whether for health reasons or simple curiosity, will often need to eat less protein. That’s what I’m interested in, at least for the time being. Hence the somewhat lower protein intake.

I just learned about Steamed Heavy Cream. Any tips from anyone on the proper way to do that?

—Nikko

If you have an espresso machine, that’s the best way to steam it. Few have one at home.

Heat the cream on the stove, then whisk it furiously. Incorporate as much air as you desire and pour into coffee.

Heat the cream on the stove, then blend. Stick blenders and stand-up blenders both work.

Get a cheap milk frother. Froth away.

Get a better milk frother. Froth even more.

Heavy cream won’t foam up like milk or half-and-half. The bubbles are smaller, denser, and more velvety.

Mark, where do you buy macadamia nuts and what brand are they?

—RFB

I have a few sources.

Trader Joe’s carries a nice dry-roasted, salted mac nut from Australia. If I’m there, I’ll grab a few bags.

These are good from Thrive.

Hawaii Costcos carry an incredible 2-pound (or so) bag of mac nuts. The brand escapes me, but it’s definitely not Mauna Loa or Kirkland. They’re the sweetest ones I’ve ever had. Not sure if they’re roasted or not. Whenever I’m on Maui or Kauai, I make sure to grab at least 5 bags to take home.

I don’t worry much about organic. Mac nuts are a low pesticide nut. Their shells are quite hardy, and most producers are able to grow them without using additional chemicals.

I do stick to raw or dry-roasted mac nuts. Just plain “roasted” usually means “fried in substandard vegetable oil” (that goes for any nut).

I am wondering, I eat quite a lot of eggs every day for my weight (woman, 55 kilograms). I eat about 4 eggs a day (local, pastured), but many sources say that mainly those eggs contain a lot of dioxin because chickens pick the polluted ground. What about the potential negative effects of higher dioxin in your pasture raised (also meats) food? Or is this effect negligible?

—Laura

They used to think that grass-fed beef had more dioxins due to the cows ingesting more polluted soil. It turns out that the cows they tested were eating out of dioxin-contaminated troughs and had industrial waste mixed in with their feed. The same has been shown to happen with pastured-raised chickens and their eggs—living in contaminated hen houses spikes dioxin levels. Soil dioxin levels matter, but they’re not the only source of dioxins in eggs.

Besides: eggs and other animal foods that may be higher in dioxins possess more of the nutrients that reduce dioxin toxicity.

Vitamin A has been shown to protect against dioxin toxicity; pastured eggs are higher in vitamin A than other eggs.

Dioxins exert damage through lipid peroxidation; people who eat pastured eggs show less lipid peroxidation than people who eat normal eggs.

I don’t think it’s a big deal, but I’m also not one to worry too much about things you can’t really control. What’s the alternative—eating battery-farmed eggs and missing out on higher levels of vitamin E, omega-3s, vitamin A?

No thanks.

Mark, what is your take on what Art De Vany said on the Tim Ferriss in that interview you linked to a couple weeks back? He said paleo folks are eating too much fat, leading directly to fatty liver. He also wondered why they need all that energy. I was surprised to hear that after all the good things I’ve heard about fat from you and others.

—Fittsdawg

Excess fat—fat that exceeds caloric requirements—does increase the chance of fatty liver. But it’s not the fat, specifically. It’s the excess. A recent study out of China found that the best predictors of non-alcoholic fatty liver were diets “higher in energy, protein, fat, saturated fatty acid (SFA), and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA).” After adjusting for BMI and age, the best predictor was high “total energy intake.” In other words, people who ate a ton of just about everything were more likely to have fatty livers. 

It can’t be the fat alone. De novo lipogenesis—the process by which carbs are converted into fat—plays an important and causative role in the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. 

And most significantly, the studies are quite clear that the best way to lose liver fat is to go low-carb, high-fat. You don’t have to do it that way. It’s just the way that the most people seem to find the most tolerable and sustainable.

A pilot study using the ketogenic diet helped non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients lose weight and drastically improve liver health markers.

A Spanish ketogenic diet (keto with wine, basically) cured people of the metabolic syndrome and improved health markers of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, with over 92% of subjects improving their liver health and 21% resolving it entirely.

Note that just because these were “high-fat” diets doesn’t mean they were eating “loads” of fat. Seeing as how they lost weight, they were most likely reducing calories overall. That’s just how low-carb, high-fat, ketogenic diets pan out. You inadvertently eat less. It’s how they work.

That’s it for today, folks. Thanks for reading.

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