Mark Sisson's Blog, page 29

Ways to Track and Monitor Stress

Stress comes at us from all directions, and it’s not always the usual suspects like work, finances, and global strife that derail us. Even things we find enjoyable and meaningful—exercise, hobbies, volunteer work—contribute to our overall stress level as we struggle to fit everything into our busy lives.

As we’ve discussed before on the blog, stress adheres to the “Goldilocks principle.” Too much and too little stress can both get you in trouble. The goal is to find that just right sweet spot somewhere in the middle. In the right amount, stressors challenge us to adapt mentally and physically to our circumstances, prompting us to become stronger and more resilient.

I find the analogy of the “stress bucket” helpful in conceptualizing stress. This is a shorthand way of saying that all the stress we face, from sources we’d label both good and bad, gets thrown into the same pile. Our body has to process all of it. Ideally, we’d have more “good stress” (exercise, hot and cold exposure, stimulating mental challenges, etc.) than “bad stress.” Even then, though, we need to keep an eye on our total stress load to make sure the bucket doesn’t overflow.

There are both objective and subjective metrics you can use to track your stress over time. Objective variables are things you can measure with tools—biometric devices, blood tests, and such. Subjective measures are your personal judgments. An outside scientist can’t validate them, but subjective data are still very valuable. The goal of tracking these metrics is to prevent a health crisis and keep stress in a healthy range.

Here are some metrics you can use to track and monitor stress:

Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

Heart rate variability (HRV) is arguably the most accurate and most popular way to measure stress at the moment. HRV tracks autonomic nervous system activity—the branch of the nervous system that regulates the internal organs, maintains homeostasis, and prepares the body for action. The autonomic nervous system is divided into the sympathetic (“fight-flight-freeze”) and parasympathetic (“rest-and-digest”) nervous systems. In a perfect world, the sympathetic nervous system is activated when we have to rise to a challenge like interviewing for a new job or swerving to avoid an oncoming car. However, we generally want to walk around in a calm and relaxed state thanks to the parasympathetic nervous system predominating.

Unfortunately, that’s not how it works for most people. Chronic stress from all areas of our lives keeps the sympathetic nervous working overtime, pumping out adrenal hormones like cortisol and norepinephrine to deal with the constant threat (or what the nervous system perceives as a threat, anyway). Over time, this perpetual state of high alert creates all manner of problems.

HRV tells you how active the parasympathetic nervous system is relative to the sympathetic nervous system. Higher numbers reflect a more relaxed, less stressed state. Wearable trackers like the Oura ring, Whoop bracelet, and Apple watch all measure HRV, or you can sync a heart rate strap to one of several phone apps. Some apps even allow you to use your phone’s camera to measure HRV so you don’t need any additional devices.

What is a good heart rate variability score?

The general rule of thumb is that a higher resting HRV is better, but there aren’t clearcut guidelines for optimal HRV scores. The prevailing wisdom is that you shouldn’t compare your score to other people’s. Rather, you should track your own HRV over time and learn what factors cause your HRV to fluctuate up or down. In other words, get to know your unique patterns, then take steps to increase your HRV (i.e., decrease your chronic stress) if appropriate. Tracking your HRV over time lets you see when things are headed in the wrong direction, perhaps due to a period of poor sleep, work stress, or overtraining.

Learn more about HRV in this MDA post: Have You Checked Your Heart Rate Variability Lately?

What Your Resting Heart Rate Says About Your Stress Level

All else being equal, a higher heart rate—particularly a higher resting heart rate—indicates a more stressed-out state.

Heart rate is controlled by the autonomic nervous system, with higher heart rate indicating more sympathetic nervous system activity. This makes sense. Since the sympathetic nervous system gets you ready to fight or flee, it increases heart rate to pump more oxygenated blood to the muscles.

Resting heart rate used to be a go-to method of tracking stress, but now that HRV is so easy to measure, HRV is the preferred method. If you have an Oura ring, it gives you a daily Readiness Score that takes into account resting heart rate, HRV, and other factors like body temperature and sleep. Whoop offers a similar Recovery indicator.

How Stress Affects Sleep

Sleep disturbances are common when you’re stressed. Possible signs that you’re dealing with a lot of stress include difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, getting too little sleep, sleeping more than normal, or insomnia.

You can measure sleep objectively using a wearable sleep tracker, or subjective assessments can often suffice. It’s pretty obvious when you’re not sleeping well, after all. It’s worth paying attention to fatigue, too, in addition to how much time you spend in bed and how well you sleep. Stress may affect your sleep cycles or sleep efficiency in ways you wouldn’t necessarily detect but which nonetheless leave you feeling unrested.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

Poor sleep is itself a physiological stressor, so the sleep-stress spiral can become a double-edged sword. The opposite is also true—getting good sleep can help equip your body to deal with stress. Making an effort to optimize sleep, especially during stressful times, is imperative. Check out these posts for tips about maximizing your sleep:

The Definitive Guide to Sleep17 Ways to Improve Your SleepHow to Manufacture the Best Night of Sleep in Your LifeCortisol Tests

Cortisol is an adrenal hormone often called “the stress hormone,” although it is one of several hormones involved in the body’s stress response. Arguably, though, it is the most important as it triggers many of the processes we associate with the fight-flight-freeze response: mobilization of fuel (especially glucose), slowing digestion, facilitating increased blood flow to the muscles. It also plays other essential roles in the body not related to acute stress.

When you’re dealing with chronic stress, a blood, saliva, or 24-hour urine test (where you collect all your urine for one day) might show that you have either abnormally high or abnormally low cortisol.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... Some practitioners, especially in the functional medicine space, will also order a DUTCH test, which measures cortisol in the urine at five different time points throughout the day. (Repeated salivary cortisol tests can do the same.) When your HPA (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal) axis is working properly, cortisol follows a daily rhythm where it is naturally highest in the morning and lowest in the evening. Chronic stress can interfere with that rhythm and flatten the curve, meaning there is less variation in cortisol levels throughout the day. Studies have shown that a flattened curve predicts breast cancer survivalhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10861... and is associated with health problems like type 2 diabetes.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

Motivation

I hear all the time from coaches who work with athletes across a variety of sports that no metric beats motivation to train. In other words, the best way to tell if they’re up for a training session is whether they want to do the training session. Mark says essentially the same in Primal Endurance. Tracking HRV, sleep, and heart rate all are well and good, but ultimately, how you feel is your best guide in terms of daily training decisions. (Yes, sometimes even the most dedicated individuals have to summon some willpower to get out the door. Still, seasoned athletes learn the difference between “I’d prefer to stay in my comfy bed” and “I need a rest day.”)

This same concept applies to other areas of your life. Instead of “willingness to train,” think of it as “willingness to participate.” If you consistently dread going to work, or if you feel like it’s a major struggle to prepare another dinner, that’s a sign you’re overstressed. And yes, it’s extremely common—the norm even. That doesn’t make it good or right or least of all healthy.

Sure, you’re never going to be excited to do the boring parts of adulting like scheduling dentist appointments and remembering to give your cat her daily medicine. But if you consistently have the blahs about doing things you know are worthwhile—and especially things that are normally enjoyable like going out with friends—it’s time for a stress inventory.

Other Subjective Markers You Can Use to Measure Stress

Journaling can help you keep track of subjective ratings over time. To be systematic about it, make a list of germane variables and rate them on a scale of 1 to 5, for example. Use an app or even an excel spreadsheet to track your ratings. Otherwise, try free-journaling, then look back to identify patterns.

Emotional symptoms of stress

Anger, irritation, overwhelm, sadness, and generally feeling moody are all signs of chronic stress.

Forgetfulness and lack of focus

Acute stress may actually increase memory and attention because you need all your senses heightened when facing a threat. Chronic stress, on the other hand, interferes with cognition and may manifest as forgetfulness, brain fog, and an inability to focus.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... (These symptoms could also be related to sleep impairment, which is widely known to impair cognitive functioning.)

Food cravings or the opposite, lack of appetite

You might have experience with feeling either ravenously hungry—but mostly for sweet, salty, or fatty foods—or else having no appetite whatsoever during particularly stressful times in your life.

Gastrointestinal symptoms

One of the things cortisol does is divert blood flow away from the gut. Stress can also affect the microbiome.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26479... And of course, we don’t always make the best choices around food and alcohol when we’re feeling stressed. All these factors can manifest in various digestive or G.I. symptoms including stomach aches, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, and heartburn. People with chronic issues like IBS may also experience stress-related flares.

Aches and pains

When you’re chronically stressed, you also tend to hold tension in your neck, shoulders, jaw, lower back, hips, hands, and/or feet. Some people believe that you can diagnose what types of negative emotions you’re experiencing based on where you feel the most tension or pain. Whether or not that’s true, it’s certainly the case that stress can manifest as physical discomfort. In addition to aches and pains, stress sometimes triggers more serious issues like migraineshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23263... and fibromyalgia flares.https://academic.oup.com/painmedicine...

Don’t Let Tracking and Monitoring Stress You Out

Tracking and monitoring are supposed to help you gather data that you can use to head off health problems, make better decisions, ingrain new habits, or run self-experiments. On the surface, it seems like more information is always better, but there’s a catch. Namely, the tracking and monitoring can itself become stressful. Too much reliance on data from trackers can also disconnect you from your intuition about what you need.

A perfect example of this is food tracking. Weighing and measuring food can be extremely helpful if you’re experimenting with a new eating strategy like a keto diet. Likewise when you’re trying to find out if certain foods are triggering health problems. However, it can quickly become tedious and take the joy out of cooking and eating. Worse, it may make you feel like you aren’t allowed to listen to your hunger and satiety signals because you are “supposed” to eat a given amount.

In other words, there are pros and cons to self-monitoring. It’s always good to foster self-awareness and approach your day-to-day behaviors more mindfully. Just make sure that you aren’t obsessing over the data nor giving too much power to wearable devices. Tracking should make you feel empowered to make choices that support your overall health and well-being.

Finally, it’s worth noting that stress affects everyone differently. It might manifest for you in ways not mentioned here. Pay attention to the variables most relevant to you.

For tips on managing stress, check out these Mark’s Daily Apple posts:15 Ways to Fight Stress 10 Actions for an Anti-Stress Protocol The 5 Best Adaptogens for Stress Reduction References https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4266573/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4263906/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10861311/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4255120/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5579396/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26479188/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23263845/https://academic.oup.com/painmedicine/article-abstract/17/3/469/1889412 (function($) { $("#df85ylC").load("https://www.marksdailyapple.com/wp-ad..." ); })( jQuery );

The post Ways to Track and Monitor Stress appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

How to Roast Garlic (Plus a Bonus Recipe!)

Oven-roasted garlic is the new latest and greatest Internet culinary craze. Everything old is new again, huh?

Seemingly simple, this take on a savory topper to vegetables and Italian-inspired dishes has foodies in a frenzy. It’s unclear what made this classic technique so trendy again, but roasted garlic cloves have a delicious aroma and a mellow, rich taste. Like other alliums, garlic is a good source of prebiotic fiber to feed your gut microbiota, and it boasts some other impressive health benefits as well. Even if you usually find garlic a bit too pungent for your taste, I’d strongly encourage you to give this recipe a try.

Making Roasted Garlic

Makes: Recipe is for one head of garlic, but you can make as many as you want at one time!

IngredientsOne head of garlic1-2 Tbsp Primal Kitchen Olive Oil or Avocado Oil

Directions

The smell and taste of roasted garlic is delicious in SO many recipes, and it’s very simple to make.

To make roasted garlic, first cut off the top quarter or third of your head of garlic horizontally so you can see all of the little cloves inside.

Next, you have three options depending on what you have on hand:

Place the head of garlic cut side up in the center of a small piece of parchment. Drizzle a teaspoon or two of olive oil or avocado oil on top of the exposed cloves. Wrap the parchment up over the garlic and tie with a piece of butcher twine.Place the head of garlic cut side up in the center of a small piece of parchment. Drizzle a teaspoon or two of olive or avocado oil on top. Wrap up the parchment over the garlic like a little package. Then place the covered garlic in the center of a small piece of foil and wrap the foil up over the top of the garlic.Place the garlic in a small ramekin cut side up and drizzle it with oil.

Any of the above options will work! Once you’ve prepped your garlic, place it on a small sheet pan and put it in a 375 degree Fahrenheit (190 degree Celsius) oven for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the garlic cloves are soft.

When finished, allow the garlic to cool for a few minutes, then remove it from whatever paper or container it is in. Squeeze the garlic from the bottom so the cloves squeeze out of the top. Squeeze the roasted cloves into a small ramekin and then use in your favorite recipe.

How to Store Roasted Garlic

I find that I use roasted garlic right away, so I personally never need to store it. There are concerns about botulism from storing garlic in oil at room temperature, so store garlic covered in oil in the fridge for short-term storage. However, I recommend if you make extra garlic and want to store it, keeping it in the freezer works best.

Simply squeeze out the cloves and place them into a freezer-safe vessel, or mix them with oil and freeze the mixture in ice cube trays.

Ways to Use Roasted Garlic:

Add roasted garlic to your favorite roasted vegetables, salad dressings, or soups. Below are a few recipes in which you can use roasted garlic. Simply add as much roasted garlic as you want or replace 1 to 2 times the amount of garlic in the recipe with the roasted garlic:

Butternut Squash Soup
Swedish Meatballs
Mashed Root Vegetables
Lemon Butter Chicken

Bonus Recipe: Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

This is a great little salad dressing featuring roasted garlic. It is delicious over massaged kale salads and can be adapted for any type of salad year round!

Ingredients:1 head roasted garlic2-3 tbsp. olive oilJuice from 1/2 lemon1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar1/4 tsp. onion powder1/2 tsp. honeySalt and pepperDirections:

To make this dressing, squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out into a small bowl and mash with the olive oil. Whisk in the lemon juice, vinegar, onion powder, and honey. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dress your salad and enjoy!

More Recipes for Garlic Lovers from Mark’s Daily Apple:Garlic Soup with Mushrooms and Chive OilGarlic Balsamic Chicken Skillet with Cherry TomatoesRoasted Bone Marrow with Rosemary and GarlicRoasted Garlic FAQsHow long does it take to roast garlic?

With your oven set to 400 degrees, you’ll want to cook garlic cloves for 30 to 40 minutes. You’ll know they are done when they feel soft when you press on them. They should have a nice carmelized color and a rich aroma.

How long does roasted garlic last?

When kept in an airtight container, roasted garlic should last about 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Alternatively, freeze whole roasted garlic cloves on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then transfer them to an airtight container. Or, mash the cloves and freeze them in ice cube trays with olive oil.

Can you cook garlic in the air fryer?

You can! If your air fryer has a Bake or Roast setting, you can follow the directions above. Start checking the garlic after 20 minutes and remove it when it’s soft. Or, air fry at 380 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Is garlic a vegetable?

Yes, garlic is technically a vegetable. More specifically, garlic is an allium, as are onions, leeks, shallots, chives, and scallions. You can eat garlic raw or cooked. Garlic has long been used used in traditional medicine, and research suggests it indeed has many health benefits.

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li{padding:0;clip-path:none;background:none;line-height:1.5em;list-style:disc}.tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-source-link{text-align:center}.tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-ingredients ul li[data-tr-ingredient-checkbox]:before{display:none} Roasted Garlic Recipe Author: Mark's Daily Apple [image error] Print Recipe [image error] Pin Recipe Description

The smell and taste of roasted garlic are delicious in so many recipes, and it’s very simple to make. Add roasted garlic to your favorite roasted vegetables, salad dressings, or soups, or enjoy it spread on crackers or crostini. 

Ingredients

One head of garlic

1–2 Tbsp Primal Kitchen Olive Oil or Avocado Oil

Instructions

First, cut the top quarter or third of your head of garlic off horizontally so you can see all of the little cloves inside.

Next, you have three options depending on what you have on hand:

Place the head of garlic cut side up in the center of a small piece of parchment. Drizzle a teaspoon or two of olive oil or avocado on top of the exposed cloves. Wrap the parchment up over the garlic and tie with a piece of butcher twine.Place the head of garlic cut side up in the center of a small piece of parchment. Drizzle a teaspoon or two of olive or avocado oil on top. Wrap up the parchment over the garlic like a little package. Then place the covered garlic in the center of a small piece of foil and wrap the foil up over the top of the garlic.Place the garlic in a small ramekin cut side up and drizzle it with oil.

Any of the above options will work! Once you’ve prepped your garlic, place it on a small sheet pan and put it in a 375 degree Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius) oven for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the garlic cloves are soft.

When finished, allow the garlic to cool for a few minutes, then remove it from whatever paper or container it is in. Squeeze the garlic from the bottom so the cloves squeeze out of the top. Squeeze the roasted cloves into a small ramekin and then use in your favorite recipe.

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New and Noteworthy: What I Read This Week—Edition 168

Research of the Week

Adding perch to Eurasian lakes reduces methane production ten-fold.

Mask mandates don’t affect transmission in Catalonian school children.

Magnesium and L-theanine: great combo for sleep.

More steps, less death.

Glycine with NAC extends life in rodents. Maybe you, too.

Creatine augments the effects of SSRIs in depression.

New Primal Kitchen Podcasts

Primal Kitchen Podcast, Episode 21: Q&A on Testosterone with Yours Truly

Primal Health Coach: Sylvia Hall

Media, Schmedia

It’s a great profit model.

Interesting Blog Posts

I use all three of these methods for making food more anti-inflammatory.

Appalachian truffle hunting is on the rise.

“Why I continue to change my diet.”

Social Notes

In times of crisis, sit with yourself.

Everything Else

The genetic history of the Tibetans.

Birds on fire.

Old keto/cancer study. How long have we known it might help?

Things I’m Up to and Interested In

Fascinating: How sex chromosomes matter in heart disease treatment.

Great overview: Nina Teicholz on the History of Vegetable Oils.

Reminder: Even “genetic obesity” isn’t destiny.

Incredible stat: Americans consume an average of 34 grams of unprocessed red meat per day.

Remember that changes occur under the hood: Exercise remodels body fat even without fat loss.

Question I’m Asking

How much has your grocery bill risen in the last few months?

Recipe CornerHow to sear scallops (just nix the vegetable oil for avocado oil).Burnt carrots with goat cheese, arugula, and crispy garlic chips. Swap out seed oils as needed.Time Capsule

One year ago (Mar 5 – Mar 11)

What Are Branched Chain Amino Acids and Do They Help Muscle Growth and Recovery? — Well?9 Ways to Customize Your Keto Diet— How to modify.Comment of the Week

“Re the snow leopard,, my guess is that free soloist Alex honnold climbs more with his gut that his hands. How else could you maintain that zone. I need to re-read that book.”

-I imagine that’s pretty close to the truth.

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Success Story: This Went Better Than Expected!

I’m coming to you today with a Success Story from Mark’s Daily Apple reader Gerhard. Gerhard started Primal with one goal in mind, only to unlock a host of life-changing benefits. Love when that happens. 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. Thank you for reading!

Dear Mark,

We’ve never met, but you’ve had a profound impact on my life. I never knew when would be the right time to send you a success story. But over the years I’ve come to realize it’s a process and not an end destination. So here’s my story so far.

As I’m writing this it’s been exactly six years to the day that I started my “30 day primal experiment.” For several years I’d had eczema around my eyes. It came and went, but I was done with it. So after reading The Primal Blueprint and many success stories on your website I decided to “try this primal thing” for a month to see what would happen.

At the time I didn’t even know what brain fog was, let alone that I had it, but within three days of starting the experiment, it lifted. I remember having the thought “Is this how easy thinking is for everyone else?” The eczema took a bit longer, but after it was gone it never returned. Turns out I’m quite sensitive to gluten.

You see, I’d been diagnosed with bipolar disorder about seven years prior to going primal. I thought taking a pill every day was just how life was going to be for me. But the mental clarity I’d gained gave me the confidence to taper off of the medication (with the help of my doctor by using tapering strips). About a month ago I celebrated three years of being medication-free!

Since starting the medication I’d gained about 20 kilograms of weight (44 lbs) and I had already managed to lose half of that by eating less and moving more. Within the first ten weeks of going primal I lost the other 10 kilograms! This put me pretty much at my college weight.

So what started with trying to get rid of eczema did exactly that, but it ended up doing so much more. I feel the decision to go primal was a pivotal moment in my life.

Some other noteworthy things I’ve done in the last six years are running a half marathon and raising money for cancer research by riding my road bike up French Alpe d’Huez six times in one day. That’s a total elevation gain of about 6.350 metres (20.800 ft). This is something I didn’t think I’d be able to do, but thanks to training based on the method laid out in your book Primal Endurance, I did it.

I’ve done calisthenics exercises for a few years and recently I decided to take “lift heavy things” in another direction by starting a 5×5 barbell program. I’m curious to find out where this will take me.

There’s a lot more I could say, but the bottom line is: I’d advise anyone also considering ‘trying this primal thing’ to give it a (solid) go for a month. You have nothing to lose, but you may have a lot to gain. I know I have.

Thank you Mark, from the bottom of my heart.

Kind regards,
Gerhard

The post Success Story: This Went Better Than Expected! appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

Embracing the Heat

Last week, I told you how to embrace the cold—how to make the most of an uncomfortable ambient temperature. Today, I’m giving you some ideas on how to embrace the other uncomfortable ambient temperature: heat. What can you do to make the most of hot weather? How do you handle heat? How can you make something objectively unpleasant—and even dangerous—beneficial, pleasant, and enjoyable?

Because you shouldn’t just give in and turn on the AC and forget about doing anything. You shouldn’t run away from the heat. You should be able to face it head on and make friends with the heat, not enemies.

How to Embrace the HeatWake up early.

Get up early, earlier than usual go outside, and get as much intellectual work done as you can before the heat ramps up.

Lee Kuan Yew, the founder of Singapore, often said that air conditioning was the single biggest factor in his country’s rise to prominence. Once AC was installed in the cities, his people finally had relief from the oppressive tropical heat and could do real intellectual work. The same is true for the individual. Heat makes thinking, writing, and creating harder. Early morning before the sun starts hitting hard is the best time to get creative, intellectual work done. Or any work, really—yard work, labor, etc.

Get up before the sun starts asserting itself. Another advantage of doing this is that the early morning natural light will entrain your circadian rhythm so you can get to bed earlier and fall asleep faster and sleep more deeply.

Sit with the heat.

Don’t reach for the AC right away. Take some clothes off and just sit with the heat and the sweat and the misery. Let it envelop you and know that you will be fine. You’re going to survive, it’s not that bad, you’re simply going to be uncomfortable. Accept the fact that you’re going to feel the heat and know that you, as a human, have a long history of handling extreme temperatures—both cold and hot. It’s what you’re built to do. You got this.

You must accept the heat. You can’t change it. It’s here, you’re in it, and you are going to deal with it.

Consume electrolytes.

It’s not enough to simply drink water in hot weather. Drink water, of course, but doing that without heeding the importance of electrolytes—sodium, magnesium, potassium, and calcium being the foremost ones to worry about—will have you urinating out most of the water you consume without actually absorbing much of it. So what does this mean?

For most people in most situations, sprinkling salt in all your water is adequate. (A squirt of lemon will make it more palatable.) Getting enough sodium will help you retain the other electrolytes. If you’re really going to be exerting yourself in the heat, then go with a legitimate electrolyte supplement like LMNT or my tried and true homemade electrolyte drink: coconut water, salt, blackstrap molasses, and lemon or lime juice.

Read my previous posts on electrolytes—what they are and how to get them—for more information and more ideas on electrolyte repletion.

Wear linen.

I wear lots of linen lately, ever since moving to Miami. Linen is a legitimate performance material that doesn’t get enough respect. It’s not just lounge material. It breathes, it looks good, it feels great, and there’s something special about wearing “natural” fibers that words or science can’t quite capture. Plus, there are no plastic synthetic fibers in linen, so when you wash it you aren’t adding to the microplastic load on Earth and its ground water.

Little known fact that may or may not be totally accurate: linen is made from flax, so in a pinch you can chew on your linen shirt to extract enough omega-3s to satisfy your daily requirements.

Good linen company here.

Take your clothes off.

Remove them all. Get naked. Put on your birthday suit. Do so only in a socially acceptable place, like your own home or backyard or property, but take them off. Your home is where “society” ends and your dominion begins. You’re not a character in a TV show who has to be fully dressed at home. You can let loose and remove the cotton shackles that bind your thermoregulation. You can take you clothes off—as many as it takes to feel comfortable.

Get sun, but not too much.

Hot weather means strong sun, and strong sun means vitamin D production. But if you aren’t acclimated to the sunlight, or you have strong genetic proclivities toward sun vulnerability, strong sun can burn your skin and increase the risk of skin cancer.

Of course, sun avoidance is linked to more cancer and more health issues than sun exposure, but you still need to do it safely.

Slowly build sun tolerance. Get ten minutes today, fifteen tomorrow, and so on.Avoid burning. Get out while you’re ahead.Get early morning sun. AM sun is higher in infrared light, which protects your skin against subsequent UV damage.Don’t rely on sunscreen. Many of the products on the market do more damage than sun itself. Covering up with hats and clothing or finding shade are much better options than slathering sunscreen containing questionable compounds. Good sunscreen exists, but it’s still not ideal.

Read this post on safe sun exposure for further details. Or this one.

Eat spicy food.

Spicy food cools you off by heating you up and speeding up the sweat effect, thereby cooling you. I wouldn’t advise using this method to increase heat tolerance during exercise or active intense heat exposure. It’s more about the “impression” of ambient heat—how hot you “feel.”

A little “hack,” if you will, is to sprinkle some cayenne in a glass of water and drink it. Add only as much as you can tolerate. This is coincidentally also a great morning wake-up in the absence of coffee.

Avoid stress.

Stress is stress is stress—stress is fungible. Heat is a major stressor, and if you’re trying to deal with a heavy commute after a bad night’s sleep and not training for two weeks and junk food at night and arguing with your family and putting things off you should have already taken care of, the heat will take an even greater toll on you. Heat is an unavoidable stressor, furthermore. It’s there, you can’t escape it, it’s in the environment, and you’d better soften its blow by handling all the other stressors you can control.

This lines up well with the first recommendation: get the hard stuff done early before the world heats up. There’s nothing quite so unpleasant as trying to handle stressful duties and situations in 100-degree weather. Get it done early and what’s normally stressful won’t be.

Use the car sauna.

On a truly hot day, your car can hit upwards of 130 or 140 degrees F. Go get in the car, sit there, and just take the heat. Imagine it’s a sauna. It is a sauna. Feel that heat. Feel the sweat trickling down your neck down your shirt. Feel your heat shock proteins coming to life, pulsating, activating.

Don’t leave your dog or toddler in the car on a hot day, but for you—an adult with a functional forebrain—it can be very beneficial. Just don’t die or fall asleep. Be smart.

Do long easy workouts and short hard workouts.

I wouldn’t recommend long, grueling hikes in the heat. I wouldn’t recommend extended CrossFit-style metabolic conditioning workouts in the heat. I wouldn’t recommend running a marathon in the heat. But I would recommend long easy workouts and short hard workouts in the heat. Think a shaded walk. Think a hike through the forest. Think a nice swim (see below for more on that). Staying in an aerobic heart rate zone (take 180, subtract your age, and keep your heart rate under that number) will keep you from overexerting yourself, overheating, and running into problems.

I’d also recommend short, hard workouts. Intensity up, duration down. Five minute kettlebell session in full sun. Push the sled (or the car) around outside. Drag the barbells outside. Run some hill sprints (rest in the shade).

Your body can handle long easy stuff and short hard stuff in intense heat, no problem. It’s the long hard stuff that causes problems.

Go swimming.

This is the perfect opportunity to get some time in the water.

Swimming is a great workout, yes. You can sprint and get an incredible cardiovascular workout and muscle pump. You can go long and slow and make it aerobic. You can take some dumbbells or kettlebells into the water and do underwater workouts (like Laird Hamilton).

But swimming is also relaxing. It’s play. It’s fun. It’s an underutilized mode of transportation. Some would say that humanity is an aquatic species, or at least amphibious. We’ve always congregated along the coastlines whenever possible, and our giant brains are largely a product of our evolutionary access to the long-chain omega-3s found in shellfish and marine animals. We’re supposed to be spending lots of time in water.

Natural bodies of water are optimal—you get the natural mineral soak, the splash of the salt water cleansing and renewing you, the fury of the surf pounding you, the silt and sand and rocks underfoot, the overall wildness of the endeavor—but a nice pool works great as well.

That’s how I beat the heat: not by fighting it, but by joining it. Enjoying it. Accepting it. Using it to actually improve my day to day life.

I’d love to hear how you deal with the heat. How do you embrace hot weather?

Let me know down below.

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6 Surprising Signs of Perimenopause and Menopause

When you think about perimenopause and menopause, you probably think of hot flashes (aka hot flushes), night sweats, trouble sleeping, perhaps weight gain. These are the most well-known symptoms, but there are many others that your doctor and your mother probably never told you about.

Research shows that most women, and even many medical professionals, don’t know how to recognize the signs of perimenopause.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15180... This is partly due to a lack of education and understanding about what perimenopause entails, but it is also because the signs and symptoms of perimenopause and menopause can be ambiguous.

Are your brain fog and forgetfulness related to menopause, or are they simply signs of aging? Are you feeling anxious because your estrogen is plummeting or because you’re trying to balance the demands of a career, parenting teenagers, and caring for an elderly parent (during a pandemic, no less)?

There is no test for perimenopause, so women often don’t recognize that they are in perimenopause until they have been experiencing symptoms for a number of years. Only in hindsight do they see how their seemingly disparate issues are related. To add to the confusion, perimenopause and menopause can look wildly different from person to person. Some people skate through with relatively few issues, while others have debilitating symptoms that severely disrupt their quality of life.

All this ambiguity means that many people don’t talk to their doctors about the changes they’re going through, despite feeling that something is wrong. And unfortunately, even if they do bring it up at their next check-up, their doctors may write off their symptoms as “just getting older.” That’s why it’s important to spread the word about some of the less notorious—but still meaningful—signs of perimenopause and menopause in order to get the best treatment possible.

What is Perimenopause?

Before getting into the symptoms, let’s do a quick refresher on perimenopause, menopause, and the difference between the two.

Perimenopause begins when your menstrual cycle starts to become irregular. Once this happens, you’re considered perimenopausal until a full year goes by without having a period, at which point you are officially in menopause. This whole phase is often referred to as the “menopausal transition.”

While the conventional wisdom is that perimenopause starts for most women sometime in their mid-40s, hormone changes can start much earlier. In fact, some experts argue that perimenopause actually begins for most women in their mid-30s and lasts for two to three decades.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14483... On average, women usually hit menopause in their early 50s. However, the length of the menopausal transition, symptom type and severity, and age of menopause are all affected by race and ethnicity, overall health, socioeconomic variables, and other factors.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23760...

During perimenopause, estrogen and progesterone levels decline overall, although they can fluctuate up or down, sometimes dramatically, from day to day. Once you hit menopause, estrogen and progesterone are consistently much lower than during the premenopausal years. Erratic and declining hormones, especially estrogen, are probably responsible for most unwanted perimenopause symptoms.

6 Surprising Symptoms of Perimenopause and Menopause

Each of the following issues increases during the menopausal transition thanks to the aforementioned hormonal changes. Aging, stress, dietary issues like micronutrient deficiencies, or other health problems can also exacerbate them. As I said, that makes it difficult to pinpoint whether (peri)menopause or something else is to blame.

If you are a woman in your mid-30s or beyond, and you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s worth asking your doctor about treatment options. Hormonal therapy seems to offer relief for each of these issues, at least for some women, but it may not be right for you. In that case, there are always other treatments available.

Dry, Itchy Skin

Estrogen plays a central role in keeping skin hydrated, supple, and elastic. When estrogen levels fall during the menopausal transition, you may notice that your regular skincare routine no longer seems to cut it. All of a sudden, your skin becomes dryer, and new wrinkles appear. (You can thank a precipitous decline in collagen for the wrinkles, another casualty of both age and declining estrogen.) You could also see an uptick in acne outbreaks thanks to your hormones being all over the place. Some women also experience formication, an extremely unpleasant sensation of bugs crawling on their skin.

For immediate relief, the usual dry skin advice applies:

Stay hydratedUse body lotions or oils to moisturize the skinTry oatmeal bathsAvoid very hot water

Topical hydrocortisone cream may help, or you might need to ask your doctor for something stronger for more severe itching. For a longer-term remedy, collagen supplementation can alleviate dryness and wrinkles and improve skin elasticity.

Hormonal Headaches and Migraines

Falling estrogen is a well-known migraine trigger, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that migraine frequency and severity can increase during perimenopause and menopause, especially for women who are already prone to migraines.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16618... https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21207... That’s not always the case, though. Some lucky women get fewer migraines, especially once they are in menopause. It’s not obvious why some women’s migraines get worse, others’ get better, and still others’ stay the same. Sometimes hormone therapy helps, but unfortunately, exogenous hormones may also make things worse.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21207...

Whatever the reason, headaches can be more disruptive to women’s lives than other menopausal symptoms, even though you’re more likely to hear about how awful hot flashes and night sweats are. When researchers surveyed 418 women and asked them to rate their experience with 25 different menopausal symptoms, they said headaches were the most severe. They also reported experiencing headaches more frequently than hot flashes or sweating, although only 8 percent were aware that headaches could be a symptom of perimenopause.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15180...

Hair Loss

Many women notice that their hair starts thinning during their 40s. Over the next couple of decades, hair changes can range from mild thinning to significant hair loss and alopecia. These issues tend to increase with age.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22503... Not surprisingly, hair loss is often chalked up to “normal aging” rather than menopause-related hormone shifts—declining estrogen and progesterone and the subsequent rise in androgens.

That said, lots of things can contribute to hair loss during this period. A temporary loss of hair called telogen effluvium can follow any stressful event, or even significant weight loss or a major dietary change that your body perceives as stressful. Before trying over-the-counter hair growth serums or supplements, it’s best to talk to your doctor and ask them to check your levels of key nutrients like iron, zinc, vitamin D, and selenium, which all play a role in hair and follicle health.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... More generally, it’s always a good idea to make sure you are eating a well-balanced diet that contains sufficient protein and micronutrients.

Breathing Difficulties

This is perhaps one of the more surprising symptoms on the list, but multiple studies demonstrate that lung function decreases during menopause and that this is not just a function of getting older. For example, in one study of nearly 1,500 women, lung function declined significantly during late perimenopause and early menopause, more than would be expected purely based on age.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27907... Not just significantly—the data showed, “The effect size for FEV1 [a measure of lung function] was comparable with smoking 20 cigarettes per day for 2 years, and for FVC [another measure of lung function] to smoking 20 cigarettes per day for 10 years.” That’s pretty dramatic, to say the least. The researchers postulated that this decline might be driven by systemic inflammation associated with low estrogen levels.

Another study compared over 400 women in the menopausal transition to same-aged women who were still menstruating. The menopausal women had poorer lung function and more respiratory symptoms like wheezing and shortness of breath.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18028...

If you are finding it harder to breathe during exercise, or you wake up feeling like someone is sitting on your chest, that could be related to menopause. In addition to the standard recommendation to talk to your doctor, breathing exercises and yoga may help.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... They can also improve other menopausal symptoms ranging from hot flashes to depression, according to some studies. If nothing else, you’ll get relaxation and stress-busting benefits.

Urinary Incontinence

Perimenopausal and menopausal women have more urinary symptoms like overactive bladder and urge incontinence, which is a euphemistic way of saying that we struggle not to pee on ourselves. Many women chalk it up to having had babies or participating in impact sports like running. However, any woman can deal with incontinence, leaking, and waking up to pee multiple times per night, thanks once again to hormonal shifts. These symptoms can also indicate a more serious issue called genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27472... If you are struggling with pain, low libido, or sexual dysfunction in addition to incontinence, definitely see a doctor.

Incontinence is not something we just have to live with, having boxes of special undergarments discretely shipped to our doors for the rest of our lives. A pelvic floor specialist can help diagnose the root cause and recommend treatment options.

Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS)

This is exactly what it sounds like—a persistent burning or tingling sensation in the mouth. BMS symptoms last for at least four to six months, often longer, and are sometimes accompanied by numbness, dry mouth, or changes in taste. While BMS many things cause BMS, including allergies, nutrient deficiencies, and certain medications, it is much more common in perimenopausal women than in any other demographic. As many as 90 percent of BMS suffers are perimenopausal women, though nobody knows exactly why.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21093...

People with BMS are advised to avoid smoking, spicy foods, salty foods, and alcohol. Hormone therapy might help, and some pharmaceutical options show promise.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

When to Talk to Your Doctor about your Perimenopause or Menopause Symptoms

Many women avoid talking to our doctors about symptoms that we find embarrassing. We’re also conditioned to believe that our issues are normal and that discomfort is just part and parcel of having a menstrual cycle, so we suck it up.

If you’re noticing any of these symptoms, especially if they are new or getting worse, it’s worth talking to your doctor and trying to get to the root of them. While they may be “normal,” you don’t simply have to accept them. Hormonal therapies, dietary modifications, or alternative therapies could offer relief. Some of the potential risks associated with hormone therapies are lessened if you start when you’re younger (before the age of 60) or closer to the time of your menopause, so don’t put it off.

Perimenopause FAQsWhen does perimenopause start? How long does it last?

Perimenopause may start with hormone changes as early as your 30s, but for most women, the first noticeable symptom is irregular menstrual periods sometime in their mid- to late-40s. Perimenopause lasts until you go 12 months without menstruating, at which point you are in menopause.

Is there a test for perimenopause?

There is no definitive test to tell you when you are in perimenopause. Perimenopause is determined by looking at the regularity of your menstrual cycle and other symptoms you may be experiencing. Your doctor may also measure your estradiol (estrogen) and follicle-stimulating hormone.

What are the most common symptoms of perimenopause?

Perimenopause is different for every person. Besides irregular periods, you might experience headaches, moodiness, depression, anxiety, sleep problems, difficulty focusing, memory issues, hot flashes, sweating, low libido, or sexual dysfunction. Some women barely notice any symptoms, while others report that their symptoms significantly impact their quality of life.

What are the best supplements for perimenopause?

Some of the more common supplements that may be useful are black cohosh, maca, black seed oil, red clover, ginseng, evening primrose, St. John’s Wort, and wild yam. Always check with your doctor to ensure any supplement is safe for you and will not affect any medications you’re taking.

Related Posts from Mark’s Daily Apple:Menopause: Beyond the StereotypesMenopause, Part II: Psychological Well-beingMetabolism and Menopause: What Does Research Suggest Is the Best Dietary Strategy?Dear Carrie: Hot FlashesReferences https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15180197/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1448368/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3698989/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5266650/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23760434/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16618254/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21207200/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21207200/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15180197/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22503791/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5315033/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27907454/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18028993/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6329219/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27472999/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21093630/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4520363/ (function($) { $("#dfxLyLi").load("https://www.marksdailyapple.com/wp-ad..." ); })( jQuery );

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Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

Simple, creamy, and comforting, this homemade, healthy butternut squash soup is the ideal weeknight dinner. This classic cup of soup features a delicate, earthy flavor with a rich and velvety texture. Bring this autumn squash soup recipe into your rotation year-round! Try serving it with fresh microgreens or steak bites on the side.

How to Make Butternut Squash Soup

Skip the store-bought squash soup or the overpriced bowl at the lunch counter and make butternut squash soup right at home.

Tip: you’ll need a blender or food processor to make sure your soup has the right consistency.

How to Peel Butternut Squash

Starting with a whole squash can be daunting if you don’t know how to handle this oddly shaped gourd, but it’s simple:

Start by using a vegetable peeler to remove the hard outer peel.Next, use a large, very sharp kitchen knife to cut off the stem end and the bottom.Cut off the neck of the squash, right above where the squash starts to become round.Stand each piece on end and carefully slice lengthwise through the middle.Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds.

Now that your squash is cut into quarters, you can chop it into whatever shape you want. For this recipe, you’ll want 3/4-inch to 1-inch cubes.

Can you Freeze Butternut Squash Soup?

Yes! This soup is perfect if you like to meal prep. To freeze: let it cool, separate it into freezer-safe glass or silicone containers (like Souper Cubes) and place it in the freezer. It’ll last in the freezer for up to three months.

Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients2 Tbsp. olive or avocado oil1/2 minced onion3 cloves garlic1 chopped medium butternut squash (about 7 cups)4 cups broth of choice (I used a low sodium chicken broth)2/3 cup milk of choice1/2 tsp. black pepper1/2 tsp. salt1/2 tsp. ground ginger1/4 tsp. smoked paprika1 Tbsp. butterhandful of fresh sage leavesDirections

Heat the oil in a pot on your stovetop over medium heat. Once hot, add the minced onion and saute for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it begins to soften. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, then add the butternut squash chunks. Use a spoon or spatula to stir the butternut squash so it is coated in the oil and cooks for a minute or two.

Add the broth to the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and allow it to cook for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is tender. Add the pepper, salt, ginger, and paprika and stir.

Remove the pot from the heat and add the milk slowly, stirring as you go to prevent it from curdling.

Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth, or carefully transfer to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend. Adjust seasoning to taste. Set aside.

Heat the butter in a small pan. Once melted and bubbling, add the sage leaves. Fry the sage in the butter for a few minutes until it browns and becomes crispy. Carefully remove the sage from the pan and blot it on a piece of paper towel or a cloth. Crumble on top of the bowls of soup and/or place a few whole sage leaves on top.

Tips: The amount of salt you add will vary based on the sodium content of your broth. I always recommend adding less salt at the beginning. You can add more after you blend it up and season to taste!This soup would also be delicious with some crispy bacon on top. Feel free to use bacon drippings or animal fat in lieu of the oil.I highly recommend roasting a head of garlic (recipe coming soon!) and adding at least half of the head of roasted garlic to the soup before blending. It adds a wonderful flavor!Don’t have butternut squash? 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li{padding:0;clip-path:none;background:none;line-height:1.5em;list-style:disc}.tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-source-link{text-align:center}.tasty-recipes-entry-content .tasty-recipes-ingredients ul li[data-tr-ingredient-checkbox]:before{display:none} Butternut Squash Soup Recipe Author: Mark's Daily Apple Total Time: 35-40 minutes Yield: 6 servings [image error] Print Recipe [image error] Pin Recipe Description

Simple, creamy, and comforting, this homemade healthy butternut squash soup features a delicate, earthy flavor with a rich and velvety texture. It is ideal for a weeknight dinner. Freeze leftovers for up to three months.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. olive or avocado oil

1/2 minced onion

3 cloves garlic

1 chopped medium butternut squash (about 7 cups)

4 cups broth of choice 

2/3 cup milk of choice

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. smoked paprika

1 Tbsp. butter

Handful of fresh sage leaves

Instructions

Heat the oil in a pot on your stovetop over medium heat. Once hot, add the minced onion and saute for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it begins to soften. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, then add the butternut squash chunks. Use a spoon or spatula to stir the butternut squash so it is coated in the oil and cooks for a minute or two.

Add the broth to the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and allow it to cook for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is tender. Add the pepper, salt, ginger, and paprika and stir.

Remove the pot from the heat and add the milk, slowly and stirring as you go to prevent it from curdling.

Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth, or carefully transfer to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend. Adjust seasoning to taste. Set aside.

Heat the butter in a small pan. Once melted and bubbling, add the sage leaves. Fry the sage in the butter for a few minutes until it browns and becomes crispy. Carefully remove the sage from the pan and blot it on a piece of paper towel or a cloth. Crumble on top of the bowls of soup and/or place a few whole sage leaves on top.

Notes The amount of salt you add will vary based on the sodium content of your broth. I always recommend adding less salt to start. You can add more after you blend it up and season to taste!This soup would also be delicious with some crispy bacon on top. Feel free to use bacon drippings or animal fat in lieu of the oil.I highly recommend roasting a head of garlic and adding at least half of the head of roasted garlic to the soup before blending. It adds a wonderful flavor!Don’t have butternut squash? You can make this soup with a variety of autumn/winter squash and root veggies, including a combo of acorn squash, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, or carrots. Prep Time: 10 minutesCook Time: 25 minutesCategory: Soup Nutrition Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe Calories: 213 Sugar: 6g Sodium: 247mg Fat: 11g Saturated Fat: 6g Trans Fat: 0g Carbohydrates: 29g Fiber: 8g Protein: 3g Cholesterol: 5mg Net Carbs: 20g

Keywords: Butternut squash soup

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New and Noteworthy: What I Read This Week—Edition 167

Research of the Week

How an abrupt nationwide ban on alcohol reduced injury-related mortality by 14% in South Africa.

The historical origins of cultural divergence in Vietnam.

Specific cognitive skills appear to be very heritable.

Exercise maintains adipose tissue function as we age.

Frogs are excellent pesticides.

Keto for MS shows promise.

New Primal Kitchen Podcasts

Primal Kitchen Podcast, Episode 20: Creating a Primally Pure Beauty Routine with Bethany McDaniel

Primal Health Coach: Laura Timbrook

Media, Schmedia

Scientists question whether other scientists are making sound claims about red meat and health.

Interesting Blog Posts

What the Nords teach us about having fun.

What happens in your brain after you die? A lot, apparently.

Social Notes

The power of citrulline for cardiovascular health.

Never count out analog.

Everything Else

I’ve been hearing about nuclear fusion for decades now.

Where Sci-Hub is most popular.

Things I’m Up to and Interested In

Interesting article: The genealogy of everyone.

No thanks: AI project seeks to make every human on earth identifiable.

Lucky genes: ACE2 gene variant predicts COVID severity.

Interesting job opening: Grizzly bear conflict manager.

Fascinating post: Why running on “compliant” surfaces like board walks helps you go so fast.

Question I’m Asking

What do you think happens in the moment before (and after) death?

Recipe CornerChinese beef noodle soup. Compared to Vietnamese, Thai, and Japanese, Chinese noodle soups are underrated.Tartiflette, a luxurious comforting food.Time Capsule

One year ago (Feb 26 – Mar 4)

Is Oatmeal Good For You? It Depends — Is it?How to Create a Powerful Morning Routine (and the Surprising Reasons You’ll Want To)— How and why you should.Comment of the Week

“Total click-bait and disappointing that you did so Mark! The article notes that TN implemented an “academic” model of preschool: an “academic framework that focuses on basic skills like knowing letters and numbers instead of on child development strategies such as exploring learning through interaction and lots of outdoor play… Even discussion during ‘story time’ is generally limited to questions with a single ‘right’ answer, instead of engaging children to think more deeply.” Your link is like saying, “Food simply doesn’t work” after researchers look at the the SAD.”

-You’re right. I will revise my comment to be more accurate: “Academic pre-K doesn’t work. Let the kids play.”

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Ask a Health Coach: How to Transition Kids to a Primal Diet

Hey folks, Board-Certified Health Coach Erin Power is here to answer your questions about how to get your kids to eat healthier. Whether you have teens in the house or are just starting your baby on solids, you’ll learn actionable tips on transitioning your family from a Standard American Diet to a Primally aligned one. Got a question you’d like to ask our health coaches? Leave it below in the comments or over in the Mark’s Daily Apple Facebook group.

 

Angela asked:
“What’s the best way to transition my carb and sugar-loving teenagers to paleo? I’ve been eating this way for a while, but I think it’s finally time my kids started eating like this too.”

By the time your kids can buy their own food, it’s harder to get them to follow your food rules. That being said, my guess is you’re still the one bringing home the groceries and making the meals. Which means you’re still in charge when it comes to (the majority of) what goes in their mouths.

Is Paleo Good for Teens?

Teens can benefit from a paleo diet as much as you and I can. Even more so as teens’ nutrient needs are higher during this stage than nearly any other time of their life.https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/h... Not only that, issues like acne, irritable bowel, and ADHD can be reversed and corrected through improving diet and gut health.https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full...

You did the best you could to feed your kids as they were growing, and now that you know differently about food, you want to do differently. That’s awesome. The thing is, if your teens spent much of their childhood consuming packaged and overly processed, hyper-palatable food, opting for real food like ribeyes and roasted broccoli might not be their first choice. At least not right away. But you don’t have to change their diet overnight.

Think back to when you started eating this way. You probably weren’t excited about leaving your low-fat yogurt-and-banana routine behind. Or having a square or two of dark chocolate for a special treat instead of a big ol’ frosted cupcake. What was the first thing you did? What is the most sensible first step for your teens?

The Adolescent Mindset

Your teens have a routine that they’re comfortable with. Whether it’s what they buy at school, what they eat at friends’ houses, or what they expect to see when they stand there loitering in front of the open fridge. They’re also at the age when they’re trying to figure out who they are and how they fit into the world around them. Combine that with hormonal changes, school and social pressures, and the detrimental effects of diet culture, and you’re lucky to get them to even look at a nutrient-dense meal.

The key is to make dietary changes that don’t feel like a punishment and don’t push your teens too far out of their comfort zones.

During adolescence, they’re making psychological and social changes that help them become more responsible and independent, and differentiate themselves even more from mom and dad. So, just putting a big-ass salad in front of them probably won’t fly. What will, however, is making gradual changes that don’t flip their world upside down.

Healthy Eating Tips for Parents

Here are the four things I tell my parent-of-teens clients who are in the same situation as you are.

Make One Change Per Month.
Start with a small step like adding a veggie at dinner or replacing one processed snack with a better-for-you version. Do too much at first, or you risk having a rebellion on your hands. Instead, make one simple change or swap and leave it there until that’s the new norm.Get Your Teen Involved.
Kids who help out in the kitchen are more interested in eating what’s being cooked. Not only that, it boosts their confidence, gives them a sense of accomplishment and pride, and helps them become more self-sufficient when they’re out there making meals on their own.Don’t Sweat It.
You can’t control everything. So, don’t worry too much if your kid doesn’t want dinner one night because they snacked at a friends’ house. Or they grabbed a cookie for breakfast on the way to school. Teach them to embrace the 80/20 principle and guide them toward making the right choices when they can.Walk the Talk.
Continue to be a positive role model for your kids. You might not think they notice what you’re eating and doing, but they do. Even if it doesn’t click for them right away, they’re absorbing your words and actions.

As Mark likes to say, “don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.” You may have your Primal way of eating totally dialed in. But really, any changes that trend toward eating more real, whole foods, and less processed garbage is a win here.

 

Jen asked:
“I am about to delve into the world of foods with my nearly 6-month-old baby, and everything I read is telling me to start with grain-based infant cereals (wheat, barley, rice, oatmeal). Aside from the fact that we’re a primal household, I have also been allergy tested and am allergic to all of those grains, as is my teenage son, so I’m not about to give a known family allergen to my baby either. How do I go through this stage trying to keep my baby primal, and what should I start with?”

For some reason, the “experts” decided that feeding babies a string of highly processed foods loaded with synthetically produced vitamins was a good first step. Most pediatricians promote a timeline that starts with rice cereal, then oatmeal, then barley, fruits, and sweet veggies. Follow that protocol and you’ll be on the fast track to juice boxes, pudding cups, yogurt squeezers in no time.

Food Preferences Start Early

It’s always been fascinating to me that babies’ food preferences start when they’re in utero.https://www.npr.org/2011/08/08/139033... During pregnancy, what you eat actually influences the tastes and smells your little one naturally prefers.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11114... Flavors, especially garlic, anise, vanilla, and carrot, are transmitted through the bloodstream and into the amniotic fluid.

It turns out, if a baby has experienced a flavor in the womb (or in breast milk), they tend to prefer it more. In one study, subjects were randomly assigned to drink carrot juice every day during their last few months of pregnancy or after birth.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... Researchers found that the babies of those women had a stronger preference for carrots than the babies of subjects who were instructed to avoid them altogether. Another study found a similar effect when expectant moms consumed garlic.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/a... Their kids had a preference for it that persisted well into their teens.

There’s also a period of time between the ages of four to nine months when babies are more receptive to various tastes and textures.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... Repetition seems to influence preferences as well. Meaning, the more you can offer a range of healthier foods early on, the better off they’ll be later in life.

The Best Primal First Foods for Infants

As we learned from Angela’s question above, it’s never too early to start forming good habits. And, as you and I both know, there are far more nutritious, easily digestible foods than rice, barley, oats, and wheat. Since you and your son both have allergies, it’s wise to consider an alternative approach.

There’s nothing wrong with starting your infant on paleo foods. In fact, newborns already produce the functional enzymes and hydrochloric acid required to break down protein and fats.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/48921... Even better, you probably have some of the best “first” foods in your fridge and pantry right now. Look for non-allergenic, fresh (and organic if possible) foods that provide the brain-boosting and developmental nutrients your baby needs, including:

AvocadoFully cooked egg yolk (avoid egg whites until after one year)Sweet potatoAlmond or cashew butterPureed fruits and veggiesPureed salmon, chicken, and beefUnsweetened yogurt

My hope is that you have a forward-thinking pediatrician who’s open to the idea of going against the grain (no pun intended). I also highly recommend checking out Sally Fallon’s The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby and Child Care and anything by The Paleo Mom, Dr. Sarah Ballantyne. And if you’re looking for extra guidance from one of our Board-Certified health coaches, head over to myPrimalCoach.com and see how easy it is to work with an ancestral living expert one-on-one.

Have you transitioned a family member to a paleo or Primal diet? Let me know what worked (or didn’t work) for you.

References https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/health/a/adolescenthttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2329048X18786799https://www.npr.org/2011/08/08/139033757/babys-palate-and-food-memories-shaped-before-birthhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11114151/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1351272/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/dev.21059https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8032951/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4892100/ (function($) { $("#dfMiJF4").load("https://www.marksdailyapple.com/wp-ad..." ); })( jQuery );

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Embracing the Cold

While some people use the winter as an excuse to burrow into their blankets and do as little physical activity outdoors as possible, that’s a huge mistake. Wintertime is an excellent time to get outside. Don’t hurry from warm interior environment to warm interior environment, trying to minimize exposure. Dally outdoors. Feel the chill. Experience the elements. Embrace the cold.

How to Embrace the Cold

To embrace the cold, you must understand that cold is just a feeling. To go outside in cold weather, the promise of heat and warmth and soft blankets in the house behind you—this is true luxury. The cold poses no threat to your safety and security, only to your momentary comfort. And so you must go forth boldly into the cold. As the cold air hits your skin, you are losing body heat in an eternal exchange between you and your environment, but this is okay. It’s uncomfortable, yes, but it’s not going to hurt you. You must understand this.

You must understand that cold exposure will increase the activation of brown fat, a metabolically active type of adipose tissue that burns energy to keep you warm, thereby improving metabolic health. Understand that in order to grow, in order to benefit from any training modality, you must first feel discomfort. This is a law of nature that cannot be avoided. You must first feel the discomfort and then recover from it. When you are exposed to cold your body is learning to adapt to it; cold exposure is a training session just like lifting weights or running sprints. Think of it as a beneficial part of the process, and it won’t feel so bad.

Best of all, feeling the cold makes you appreciate the warmth.

There’s nothing better than a hot bath after a two-hour hike through the snow.

There’s nothing better than a warm bed after a long day working outside in the cold.

There’s nothing better than a hot meal after a training session in the cold garage.

You need to experience both extremes to appreciate them.

Ways to Embrace the Cold

Okay, so how do you do it?

Go for a daily walk with as little clothing as possible.

Ideally you do it shirtless or in a T-shirt and shorts. You can even go barefoot. After all, remember what I said before: you are in no danger of dying from exposure. You can always return to a warm place. You will be fine. Keep that in mind and get walking.

Plus, as long as you’re moving, you won’t really get that cold. That’s the secret of cold exposure. Movement staves off subjective cold.

Exercise in the cold.

If it’s not directly outside, you can do it in an unheated garage. Start out with warm clothing on because, after all, you do want to raise your body temperature before you perform any intense movements.

Keep the warm clothing on as the workout proceeds, if you must, but the point is is to exercise outside in the cold. What this does is send a message to your nervous system that you can handle the stress of physical activity and exertion in cold weather. It can be a powerful stimulus to expend more energy, which is often one of our weak points in the colder months.

Go snowshoeing as much as possible.

For my money it is one of the best ways to traverse the snowy expanse. I haven’t done it much since I was a kid living in Maine. Back then, it was often the best way to get around, to explore during winter. We kids had a ton of freedom, rain or snow or shine. When the snow was feet deep and we weren’t content to sit around and play the video games and electronic devices that had yet to be invented, we had to snowshoe if we wanted to exercise that freedom.

I can’t do it much these days. Miami doesn’t get much snow, and snowshoeing doesn’t really work in sand. When I do hit the snow, I’m snowboarding. But man, snowshoeing is fantastic fun. You can climb and descend steep slopes. You actually have better traction than on normal ground. You can head off in between the trees, going where the normally-shod don’t dare to go, and really get around.

I wish I had to opportunity to snowshoe during winter whenever I wanted. If you do, take advantage. Go where it’s quiet and empty, the only sound you hear the satisfying crunch of the snowshoe touching down and digging in. There’s nothing like coming upon a babbling brook half frozen over, walking to the edge, confident you’ll be fine because you’re snow-shod.

It forces you into a different pattern of movement. You’re not quite as agile as you are in normal shoes. You have to think about what you’re doing and where you’re going. You have to be deliberate.

Get plenty of sunlight.

The sunlight still matters. You may not be making much vitamin D from the paltry UVB available but you will be getting bright natural sunlight into your eyes and on your skin. This has powerful effects on your circadian rhythm, improving your sleep and subsequent resistance to the harmful effects of blue light after dark. The sun still matters even though it’s cold. It arguably matters even more because it’s more scarce than during spring and summer.

Grab all you can.

Get into the cold ocean.

I used to hate swimming in cold water, but now I love it. I find it bracing, to be honest. It’s far from comfortable, mind you.

The best way to do it, I’ve found, is the following:

Run some beach sprints. Not much has changed from 2007. You run the beach sprints at low tide, when the sand is nice and flat and slightly damp. This isn’t just your workout for the day. It gets you hot and sweaty, and it gets your body temperature up so you not only can handle the cold, you crave the cold. Note: if you’ve already trained that day, don’t push yourself too hard. Run a couple sprints instead of a full workout or even just take a brisk walk, throw the frisbee around, wrestle with the kids, run the dog. You get the picture. Just move and get the blood pumping.

Go right in the water. Don’t think about it. Don’t slowly introduce body parts. Just go for it. Get your head underwater ASAP. The real cold shock hits when your head goes underwater. That’s when mild panic can set in. That’s when your nervous system truly wakes up. It’s also what forces the quickest adaptation to the temperature for the rest of your body. If your head and its precious cargo can withstand the cold, the rest of your body will have no issues.

Rub yourself down with the cold water. Rub it into your hair. Get some sand in your hand and rub your body down. Scrub it. For my money, there’s no better hair than post-beach swim hair. Does something magical to your hair and skin.

Stay out there as long as you can. Be safe, obviously, but try to go longer than a quick dip and dash. An unheated pool or cold plunge will also do the trick, but there’s nothing quite like the cold ocean.

Hot tub in the cold.

One of my favorite snow-time activities is to get in the hot tub. You get that hot cold contrast that makes life worth living. You can even do snow plunges and then get back in the warm water.

Obviously, you need a hot tub for this to work, but if you can swing it, it’s outstanding.

Engage in snow sports.

I’m a big snowboarder personally—it just feels better on my knees—but any of the classic snow sports are admirable and effective ways to embrace the cold: skiing, cross-country skiing, ice biking, mountaineering, ice skating. The point is to get outside in the cold and engage in activities you can only do in the snow.

When I snowboard, I’m not all bundled up. I keep my limbs as exposed to the air as I can. Maybe I’ll just wear a waterproof top layer to avoid getting wet. I want to feel the wind chill as I rush down the mountain, and I want to get my internal engine going so hot that it extinguishes the cold.

Those are my suggestions for embracing the cold. The most important thing is the first point I mentioned: understand that the cold isn’t going to kill you and will only make you stronger, healthier, and more appreciative of the warmth and life in general.

How do you prefer to embrace the cold?

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