Mark Sisson's Blog, page 310

Coconut Amino Beef Skewers with Crispy Kale

You’ll taste a bold blend of ginger, garlic, lemongrass and the sweet/salty flavor of coconut aminos in every bite of these intensely flavored and aromatic strips of beef. Served with crispy coconut-sesame kale on the side, this is perfect party finger food and pretty great as a main course, too.

If you haven’t cooked with coconut aminos before, think of it as a soy-free, gluten-free replacement for soy sauce and tamari. Made from aged coconut sap and sea salt, the flavor is both sweet and salty. It doesn’t taste like soy sauce, but has the same mysterious umami quality that adds an interesting dimension of flavor. It’s great with beef and also works well as a marinade for fish.

The addictive crispy kale served on the side is an especially tasty version of the ubiquitous kale chip. A blend of coconut and sesame oils, plus a generous hit of salt, turns kale into a snack that’s better than a bag of chips. If you’re looking for a side dish instead of a snack, try roasting the leaves a little less, so they’re still slightly tender with a only a little bit of crunch.

Servings: 4

Time in the Kitchen: 30 minutes, plus 2 hours to marinate

Ingredients:

Beef Skewer Marinade

2 pounds (900 g) beef top sirloin steak or flank steak, sliced thin across grain into strips about 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick (3mm to 6mm)
1 tablespoon grated or finely chopped ginger (15 ml)
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup coconut aminos (60 ml)
1 tablespoon fish sauce (15 ml)
2 tablespoons coconut oil (30 ml)
1 teaspoon ground coriander (5 ml)
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric (a generous pinch)
1 tablespoon minced lemongrass (15 ml)

Crispy Coconut-Sesame Kale

2 bunches lacinato kale leaves (torn off the stems), roughly chopped
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil (45 ml)
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil (5 ml)
Salt to taste

Instructions:

In a large bowl whisk together the ginger, garlic, coconut aminos, fish sauce, coconut oil, coriander, turmeric and lemongrass.

Mix the beef into the marinade so it’s completely coated. Cover the bowl and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

(If using wood skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes.)

Preheat a grill for high heat and lightly oil the grate.

Thread 2 to 3 pieces of the marinated meat onto each skewer.

Grill the skewers for 2 to 3 minutes then flip them over. Grill the second side for about 3 minutes then flip the meat once more. Keep the meat on the grill for another minute or so until the meat is lightly browned and a slightly crispy around the edges.

To make the coconut-sesame kale, preheat the oven to 350 ºF (176 ºC).

In a large bowl mix together the coconut oil and sesame oil.

Add the kale leaves and toss really well, using your hands to rub the oils into the leaves until evenly covered. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

Spread the kale out in a single layer on one or two large baking sheets. Roast 15 minutes, stirring once. If the kale is not crispy enough for you, roast it a few minutes more but make sure it doesn’t burn.

Immediately after coming out of the oven, toss the kale leaves with more salt to taste.

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The Power of Gradual and Consistent

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!

When I had just turned 18 my grandfather gave me some advice. He had lived through the Great Depression and fought in World War II and the Korean War. He managed to raise a family of five, get a bachelor’s, two masters’, and later a doctorate. He spent 40 years in the same career, and when he retired he refused to claim social security or any other government “handouts” as he called them. He also refused to take any money from the US military for his service in two wars. As he put it, he was lucky to live and not be injured and that money needed to go to those who deserved it. He had a pension from a 40 year career and his investments, but he started life on his own and alone at 14, yet managed to succeed in what he did with almost no help from anyone. He wasn’t rich when he retired, but he had plenty to live on and some to give away as well. He was also married to the same woman for almost 60 years. When my grandfather offered advice, you listened. I still remember his words clearly, “Son, you’re an adult now. You’re out of school and about to start working. People are going to tell you to do this and to do that. Listen to their words, but be careful what you apply. A lot of people’s advice is only worth half considering. My advice is simply this: be consistent and be gradual, but always do more.”

At 18 years of age I found myself with no options for going to college and only able to find part-time work earning minimum wage. One of my buddies was insistent that I immediately start saving 10% of my income. Good advice, granted, but not exactly realistic at the time. But I remembered my grandfather’s words: consistent and gradual. So I applied my friend’s advice, but in a way that was consistent and gradual. I saved 1% of all income and purposed to add an additional 1% each year until I retired. There were some months where I only took home $160 a week after taxes. But I saved $1.60. I continued this for 10 years and at age 28 I was saving 10% of my income and I’ve continued this practice. I don’t worry about inflation or if my benefits cost me more this year or if I get a raise or not. In a month I’ll be 38 and as of Jan 1, 2014 I’m saving 20% of my income. There’ve been rough spots and layoffs and medical bills and an ever growing family, but I’ve managed to adjust our income/savings by 1% each year and we never notice a loss. The only thing I noticed is that I managed to put away 19.5K last year and 20 years later I’m already seeing the benefits of compound interest.

Right about now you might be asking what this has to do with Mark’s Daily Apple? Well, in my case it took me until I was 35 to realize that “be consistent and be gradual, but always do more” applied to more than just savings. It also applies to time with family, learning, and especially physical health.

Here we are in the third week of January. Statistically speaking, this is the week where 90% of New Year’s resolutions will fail. This is the week when the gym memberships go unused and the ellipticals don’t see any use before they’re eventually covered in “things” and eventually sold at a yard sale a few years later. Ask most gyms and they’ll tell you that the third week of January is their slowest week of the year. This is true for the 24-hour, exercise-in-the-windows-with-the-world-watching gyms as well as the local CrossFit boxes. Sadly, this is failure week for the vast majority of people that want change in their physical well-being. And the reason why is simple: most people bit off more than they could handle. They weren’t consistent and gradual. They were full of gusto and then fizzled.

I remember it clearly. I was 25 years old and in my mind high school was just a couple of years past, not 7. I decided I needed to get into shape again. I still had fond memories of running cross country in high school and setting three state CIF records (1 of which still remains unbroken). Surely I couldn’t have deteriorated that much! I used to walk with my girls to the playground at their school. I knew it was about one mile away. One night I decided I’d stretch and jog there and back. There were two minor hills involved, but what did that matter? So I did and at the half-way point I had so much energy I thought I’d go a bit further. I ended up doing about three miles with some minor hills. Mind you, I hadn’t run more than a 100M sprint in over six years. The next day I was definitely sore. The day after that was unbearable. I couldn’t walk without limping. My thighs hurt to the touch and I couldn’t fully extend my legs. I almost fell down our stairs because I couldn’t walk right. Pushing the gas pedal felt like someone was stabbing my calf muscle with a knife. The only time it didn’t hurt was sitting at my desk, but if I had to eat or urinate I could barely stand. It took a full six days before it didn’t hurt and another four before I wasn’t sore anymore. No more running for me…

Five years or so later I again realized I needed to get into shape. I was 30 and my gut was having an impact on my ability to view my feet. Sure, it was only 20 or 25 lbs, but it seemed that all of it had coagulated onto my waistline, and besides, I needed to deal with it before it became 30 or 40 lbs. So I got up early and decided to do three sets of as many pushups and situps as I could, just like in my high school days. Sixty pushups and seventy-five situps later I started my day. By that night I had tendinitis in my elbows and my abs hurt. By the next morning I couldn’t straighten either arm all the way and I could barely stand up straight. My arms recovered in a day or two, but my abs were even more painful on the third and fourth days. It took a full week before I was normal again. Well, no more situps or pushups for me…

Three years ago my wife decided to join the local gym. They had a special of getting a free personal trainer for 12 sessions… basically three times a week for the first month to show you how to use the equipment, proper technique, etc. On day number one the PT decided to start with an evaluation. My wife did squats, lunges, crunches, knee pushups, bench presses, burpees, and numerous other exercises all to exhaustion. She came home tired, but energized and ready “to hit it”. But the next morning she could barely move. Literally every muscle and joint in her body hurt. She tried ice. She tried heat. She tried stretching. On the second day, she called to cancel her PT session saying she was in too much pain. She cancelled again the third day. Eventually, the membership was abandoned.

I remember another time where I had quickly worked up to running three miles, in part because I’d been challenged to join a friend in a 5K. I went from nothing to running three miles straight in about six weeks. Once I hit three miles, I decided I need to do five miles and started pushing it. Within two weeks I had an inflamed Achilles. It took 10 weeks to heal, during which time I could do no running and even some walking hurt. When I tried to run just a mile 10 weeks later, I was limping home after about 100 yards.

All of these situations lacked two things: gradual changes and consistency. Ironically, the lack of consistency was actually hampered by the lack of gradual change. It turns out the order of my grandfather’s words were important. Being gradual allows for consistency. Here I had mastered this concept financially… and even in regards to our family time and other things, but when it came to physical health, I missed it completely.

Around the time of my wife’s failed gym evaluation, we stumbled across paleo/Primal. We knew we were eating crap and one day we noticed our girls were a bit heavier than they should be… at the higher end of the “normal” range. Despite a summer of playing outside from sunup to sundown, they were still a bit too pudgy. We committed to making a change for the whole family and decided to cut out all fast food and soda and later all processed foods. We were on the road to Primal without realizing it. While looking for recipes, we found Mark’s Daily Apple and refined our eating even more. But I couldn’t escape the fact that while we were eating better, we weren’t being active. I’m pretty sure that somewhere in our subconscious we were afraid of the pain of activity. The phrase may be “no pain, no gain”, but our past pain simply hadn’t been worth it.

I knew I had to do something, though, but all at once it hit me… grandpa’s words apply to all areas of life. Up to this point, I was walking about two to three miles a day, but that was it. I knew I needed to do a bit more. Heck, I wanted to do more. But I didn’t want the pain. And truth be told, I was in my mid-30s and didn’t want to risk injury either. So I tried the gradual and consistent approach. The first step was to stay consistent. So I kept eating whole, unprocessed foods and continued walking two to three miles a day. But for anything new, I knew it had to be gradual.

That evening I stretched and went out for a run. I know I could have run at least a half mile. I probably could’ve run a mile. I would’ve been sweaty and out of breath, but I know I could’ve done it. But I also knew that if I overdid it, I wouldn’t do it again. So I jogged one quarter of a mile and walked back. I was gone for all of maybe seven minutes and didn’t even break a sweat. My family was like “um, I thought you were going to go running”. It was only one quarter mile, but it was a start. Guess what? I didn’t have any pain the next day or the following day. So two days later I did it again. Exactly one more quarter mile jog and a quarter mile walk back. I did this three times a week that first week, every other day. I never felt any pain or soreness. The next week, I added another quarter mile… one half mile jog out and a half mile walk back… three times, every other day. Week three was three-quarters of a mile. After a month I ran my first mile. I’m sure I could have done this on day one or even on week two, but I decided to be gradual and consistent. In hindsight, I realize that not only did my muscles need to build up gradually, but so did the connective structure of tendons and ligaments and bones and joints. My body needed time to adjust to the new stress.

I continued to add one quarter mile a week each week for five months. After five months, I was running five miles, three times a week, every other day. Of course, at this distance I felt soreness from time to time. But I never felt pain. And best of all, I never had any injury setbacks. Once I hit the five mile point, I made a slight adjustment. I now ran five miles or 45 minutes, whichever came first. I didn’t want to get into chronic cardio and I wasn’t looking to race, but over time, I got down from my first 11 minute mile to averaging 9:15-9:30 min/miles. Besides, I had read that with cardio anything more than about 45 minutes and you’re looking at diminishing returns. I also didn’t feel like overworking my heart. I figured a 9 min/mile was sufficient. To do this day, I have no desire to run marathons or to complete my runs under seven minutes a mile. I still run 45 minutes or five miles, whichever comes first and I’ve been doing this for over a year now.

A year later I was still eating better, walking two miles, six mornings a week and running five miles or 45 minutes, three times a week. All this work had helped strengthen my core and built endurance and brought my weight down about 27 lbs. Seeing the success of applying “gradual and consistent” to my running, I decided to start doing core bodyweight exercises the same way. I knew I could do 20-25 pushups and 3-5 pullups and 7-10 dips and probably 30 crunches. But I didn’t. Instead I did one set of 10 pushups, 2 pullups, 3 dips, and 10 crunches. Two days later I did two sets of the same. Two days later it was three sets of the same. And then I increased each slightly every week. I added two pushups, one pullup, one dip, and three crunches each week. Within a few months I was doing three sets of 25 pushups, 10 pullups, 15 dips, and 25 crunches. And again, I had no injury setbacks. In fact, the combination of eating better, cardio, and exercise all improved my immune system so much that I had zero sickness setbacks in the last calendar year.

Fast forward to today. I only run 5 miles/45 minutes twice a week now. One other day of the week I do about a quarter mile’s worth of sprints followed by a shorter two mile run. I’ve added more bodyweight exercises that I do twice a week and one day a week I do resistance work (lifting heavy things besides my own body). I’m 6’ 2’’, 178 lbs, about to be 38 years old, and for the first time since my senior year of high school I can see definition in my stomach area. I’m no six pack wielding underwear model, but I don’t care to be either. I look good with a shirt off at the beach in summer and that’s really all I care about.

But this brings about another aspect on “be consistent and be gradual, but always do more”. There comes a point where you need to enjoy what you have. You can still do more, but maybe that “more” is a new thing. My grandfather eventually retired and enjoyed not having to work and save. But he was still “doing more” as after retirement he started getting into photography. For me, I had to learn to be content with a 5 mile or 45 minute run… with having stomach definition. For me, “doing more” wasn’t more miles or more crunches. For me it was dropping a day of distance running and doing sprints instead. I was gradual and consistent and doing more, but now more meant new. It’s good to allow our motivations and desires to push us, but it’s equally good to learn to be content where you’re at or with what you have.

I know this is long, but I want to encourage others that it’s not just about good intentions. As my grandfather would say “it’s about being gradual and consistent”. It’s about sticking it out. It’s about the long haul. But it’s also about knowing your limits and being willing to start below your limits. It seems counter-intuitive to start below your limits if you want to surpass them, but the end results show themselves. Maybe you skipped the gym today after your first two weeks. Maybe you were in pain but decided to push through but now the pain is worse. My advice is simple: stop, rest and recover, and then start over. But scale it back. Do less than you know you can in the beginning. You can make bigger strides later. Skip the pain. Skip the injury setbacks. Let your body adjust gradually. Start small, start with less, and than gradually add more. No baby walks out of the womb. It crawls before it toddles before it walks before it runs. Maybe you want a six pack stomach. Does it really matter if you have it in three months or in six? How will you feel if you never have it at all because you did too much at the beginning and ended up failing? How will you feel when you realize you’ve had the same New Year’s resolution for 10 years in a row and have never seen success in completing it? Don’t give up, but do scale back in the beginning. Knowing your limits is awesome. But if you’re just starting out and if you’re about to become a statistic, then STOP. Scale it back and start small. Let your body gradually build up.

AJ

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Primal Events Across the Nation and Beyond in 2014!

This year my team and I are hitting the road to deliver the Primal experience to cities across the United States and beyond. From the shores of Malibu to the mountains of New York, and from Delaware, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and California, all the way to the Mayan Riviera in Tulum, Mexico – we’re coming to you with a lineup of life-changing events. And we’re doing it in more ways than one. There’s everything from classroom-style evening seminar presentations, to action packed all-day events, to transformative weekend retreats. I hope you’ll join us!

Here’s a quick rundown of Primal events in 2014, including the introduction of two brand new ones: PrimalCon New York and the Primal Blueprint Roadshow!

Introducing PrimalCon New York – June 5th-8th

PrimalCon is coming to the east coast! To all of you who made your voices heard that we needed to branch PrimalCon out to other locations: thanks….and I better see you in June! PrimalCon New York is scheduled for June 5-8th, 2014 and tickets are on sale now. We have discovered a truly amazing facility in upstate New York called the Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, NY. Mohonk is a historic Victorian castle located on secluded parkland in the lush Hudson Valley, 88 miles north of New York City. Travel is easy to New York-area airports or the Albany airport 80 miles north.

Mohonk is one of the classic New York state resorts, family owned and operated since 1869. It’s a sprawling 280-acre facility featuring sweeping lawns, award-winning gardens, a beautiful lake, and extensive hiking trails. We will engage in extensive outdoor activities and dine on customized Primal-menu offerings from their award-winning chefs in their exquisite private dining room.

If you’ve never been to a PrimalCon, I am certain that you will have the time of your life. And if you’re a PrimalCon veteran ($100 discount for PrimalCon alums!), consider coming out to the Hudson Valley this June for this exciting new Mohonk event. The event page has extensive details and even an overview of our daily agenda, so you can see exactly what kind of fun you are in for!

PrimalCon Vacation Tulum and PrimalCon Oxnard

PrimalCon Vacation Tulum is less than a month away and there are only eight rooms remaining in our block with no guarantee of expansion at this time. Get your tickets today before it’s too late!

Also, ticket sales are open for PrimalCon Oxnard, our fifth annual event at the Mandalay Beach Resort on September 25-28, 2014.

The Primal Blueprint Transformation Retreat

With the great success of the Primal Blueprint Transformation Retreats (formerly known as Luxury Retreats) in 2013, Vanessa Lambert is increasing her efforts to ramp up these events in 2014 (and maybe even adding another location besides Malibu). If you’re not aware, the Retreats are hosted in one of Malibu’s most exquisite estates, and are designed to immerse you in real world scenarios, guiding you step-by-step through Primal eating, exercise, and lifestyle strategies over the course of two full days and three nights. These retreats are limited to 12 spots, so if you’re interested contact us immediately. The first one in 2014 is scheduled for April 10-13 in Malibu and will likely fill quickly.

Primal Play Day

The first ever Primal Play Day is less than two weeks away! Think of Play Day as the best of PrimalCon jam packed into a single day. Each Play Day will start out with a 2-hour meet and greet, and hot topic discussion. Then there will be guided movement and mobility sessions, followed by a Primal picnic, and then an afternoon of paddle boarding and kayaking in the Pacific Ocean. This event is led by our expert coaches Adam and Vanessa Lambert, and is designed for any fitness/skill level. The first Primal Play Day is scheduled for Saturday, February 15, in beautiful Malibu, CA. You can learn more and get your tickets here. So come out, learn a few things, move your body, play, have fun, eat some delicious food, and do it all with your fellow Primal enthusiasts.

Introducing the Primal Blueprint Roadshow

The Primal Blueprint Roadshow is a brand new event we’re kicking off this year. Led by popular veteran PrimalCon presenters Tracy Barksdale, Darryl Edwards, Tara Grant, Bob Montgomery, and Orleatha Smith, this dynamic group will cover all aspects of Primal living – everything from getting started to getting super creative with your meal planning and workouts if you are Primal veteran. Presentations and groupings will be customized for beginner and intermediate guests, and feature extensive question and answer interaction, fitness workshops, rehab and mobility assistance, “playshops” where you’ll learn how to make exercise fun again, and a cooking demonstration with top Primal chefs who will cook you lunch – and teach you how to make it yourself!

Two locations dates are already on the books: Inglewood, CA (Mar. 29) and San Diego, CA (Mar. 30). You can learn more and get your tickets here.

The Primal Blueprint Transformation Seminar

The Primal Blueprint Transformation Seminar is designed to give you a detailed but easy-to-follow introduction to Primal living through the Primal Blueprint 8 Key Concepts and 5 Action Items. If you are new Primal living, this is the place to start.

If you are convenient to West Bloomfield, MI (Feb. 8), Newark, DE (Feb. 27), or Bryn Mawr, PA (Mar. 20), don’t miss these fast-paced, 2 1/2 hour seminars, consisting of live presentations, entertaining slide shows and audience question and answer interaction.

Phew. Well, that’s it, ladies and gentleman. It looks to be an action-packed year. I and all the other presenters and coaches look forward to meeting you in person this year. Let us know what you think in the comment board and Grok on!

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Is Gently Cooked Food Better for You?

As Primal eaters, you have no doubt been the recipient of many an email populated with scary studies about the association of meat consumption with various degenerative diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Heck, a new one just came out that I’m sure I’ll be receiving dozens of times in my inbox (turns out controlling for body weight negates the links!). And though most of them can be explained by the “healthy user effect,” the failure to control for other variables, and the processed meat versus unprocessed meat dichotomy, a few do appear to suggest a link between certain diseases and eating meat that’s been cooked a certain way:

One study found that people who prefer their red meat well done are 8.8 times more likely to get colorectal cancer than people who prefer their red meat rare.
Another study found that well done meat seems to increase the risk of pancreatic cancer.
And a recent review of several different studies found that consumption of well-done meat is associated with elevated cancer risk in humans.

Cooking isn’t bad, of course. It makes food taste better, gives us access to a wider range of foods – like starches – that would otherwise be fairly indigestible, kills food-borne pathogens, improves the texture of foods (meat becomes more tender, fat renders, vegetables soften), and increases the calories we can extract from food.

But there’s a dark side to cooking. Depending on the methods and ingredients you use and the temperature you apply, cooking can create carcinogenic and toxic compounds, and oxidized fats – and these may be involved in some of the diseases studied. It may not be the meat itself, but how we treat the meat. So – what compounds should we be worrying about?

Heterocyclic Amines

When meat is directly exposed to high temperature, the amino acids, sugars, and creatine within it react to form heterocyclic amines (HCA). In animal studies, HCAs are mutagenic – they provoke harmful DNA mutations, can change gene expression, and cause cancer. Epidemiological studies link HCA intake in humans to many of these same cancers (including cancer of the prostate, pancreas, and colon). Caution appears to be warranted.

Advanced Glycation Endproducts

When steak is browned, when sugar is caramelized, or when you get a nice crust going on that roast, you’re creating advanced glycation endproducts via the Maillard reaction. Most AGEs actually form endogenously, inside our bodies, but dietary AGEs appear to have some negative effects of their own. Dietary AGEs have been shown to drain a person’s antioxidant stores, opening them up to an inflammatory cascade that includes insulin resistance and, potentially, diabetes, while low-AGE diets can increase insulin sensitivity in humans.

Oxidized Lipids

Polyunsaturated fatty acids in meat (or in the seed oils used to marinade the meat) can become oxidized when exposed to high heat. When eaten, these oxidized fats are incorporated into circulating lipids, thus increasing the risk of atherosclerosis.

The easiest way to minimize your exposure to heat-related toxins is to emphasize gentle cooking methods and de-emphasize higher heat methods.

More abrasive cooking methods include:

Grilling over an open flame – the worst, grilling is consistently associated with higher levels of HCA
Pan-frying
Deep frying
Broiling
Smoking
Searing
Blackening
Incinerating

Minimize those.

Gentler cooking methods include:

Steaming
Poaching
Boiling
Braising
Simmering
Baking
Pressure cooking
Crockpottin’

Emphasize those, because they all limit the formation of HCAs, AGEs, and oxidized lipids. They’ll take you most of the way, but there are other variables to tweak (or at least be aware of) for greater protection:

Cooking temperature - Most studies indicate that 300 ºF, or 150 ºC, results in minimal HCA formation, even when pan-frying; 400 ºF is when the carcinogens really start accumulating quickly. As for AGEs, watch for browning. That’s the Maillard reaction, and it’s a good basic indicator of AGE formation.

Creatine content of the meat - The more creatine in the meat, the more HCA will be formed. That’s why grilled salmon has more HCA than grilled burger, and it’s why the mid-90s trend of post-workout creatine monohydrate pancakes resulted in an exponential spike in cancer deaths among weight lifters (ok, that’s not true).

Saturation of the fat - The more saturated the fat you use to cook, the more resistant it is to oxidation from heat exposure. Highly saturated coconut oil bests mostly polyunsaturated sunflower oil, for example. Same goes for the fat in the meat; ruminant fat is more resistant to oxidation than chicken fat.

Antioxidant content of the fat - Some fats come with antioxidants that increase their resistance to heat. Even though it contains ample amounts of polyunsaturated fat, sesame oil is quite resistant to heat because of the antioxidants it bears. Extra virgin olive oil and red palm oil are other examples of good fats high in antioxidants.

Antioxidant content of the meat - Pastured animals allowed to eat fresh grass, wild forage and herbs will effectively produce antioxidant-infused meat with greater oxidative stability than animals raised on concentrated feed.

Protective foods consumed with the meal - Certain foods seem to mitigate or even negate the harmful effects of heat-related toxins. Interestingly, many of them appear to confirm the healthfulness of certain cultural traditions.

Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and bok choy are highly protective against HCA mutagenicity. Maybe that’s why steamed broccoli goes so well with steak.
Coffee contains polyphenols and fibers that can bind and inhibit HCAs. Maybe that’s why an after-dinner espresso or coffee is a common tradition in many cuisines.
Red wine polyphenols inhibit carcinogen action in the gut after meat consumption. Maybe that’s why red wine tastes so good with red meat – it’s actually healthier that way.
Chlorella when taken with or immediately before a meal containing HCA inhibits its mutagenicity. Maybe that’s why I… umm… always crave algae with my pork chops.

Pretty much any plant food you eat with your meat, especially the colorful ones, will have a favorable impact on carcinogen formation, lipid oxidation, or mutagenicity. Blueberries, beets, salad greens, carrots, tomatoes, apple slices, spices – it’s hard to go wrong. They certainly won’t hurt.

Marinades - Almost uniformly, marinating your meat will reduce the formation of toxic compounds like HCA and AGE, even if you grill it or pan-fry it. Use a quality antioxidant rich fat, like olive oil; an acidic medium, like citrus juice or vinegar; and some antioxidant rich flavorings, like herbs, peppers, garlic, ginger, and spices like turmeric or cayenne and you’ll probably produce a marinade capable of inhibiting toxin formation. Maybe not completely, maybe a few AGEs or HCAs will slip through, but anything is better than just throwing it on the grill or in the pan naked and dry. For some ideas that will surely help make your meats healthier and more delicious, try some Primal marinades.

The ingredients of the marinade matter. Sugar, for example, will increase the formation of heterocyclic amines, especially when combined with soy sauce. Does that mean any marinade that includes anything sweet is out? No. Using honey, citrus juices, and other whole food sweeteners all appear to reduce HCA formation, most likely because of the presence of other bioactive compounds (phytonutrients and other antioxidants) in the sweeteners. Even brown sugar seems to inhibit HCAs more than table sugar (though not as much as honey). Soy sauce and sugar may even be acceptable components of a marinade just so long as you include something protective like ginger and garlic, as one study found that teriyaki sauce (which contains soy sauce, sugar, garlic, and ginger) reduced HCA formation when used as a marinade. In that same study, Kraft honey BBQ sauce increased HCA formation, probably because it’s mostly high fructose corn syrup.

In other words, it’s not as simple as saying “this ingredient increases the risk” because other ingredients can counter or mitigate the effect. A good general rule when making marinades: the more herbs and spices you use, the more protective (and better-tasting) your marinade.

Okay, with all that info out of the way, how do we make sense of it? What are some ground rules we can hew to?

Use liquid whenever possible. Water, stock, coffee, wine, even a bit of citrus juice will help reduce the formation of harmful compounds. Generally, any cooking method is made more gentle with the addition of liquid.

Keep the temperature low when applying direct heat. Stir-frying, pan-frying, grilling – try to keep the temperature on medium-low to medium.

Learn to love rare to medium-rare meat and avoid medium well to well-done meat. Most epidemiological studies linking cooked meat to cancer only find positive associations with well-done meat. Besides, well-done steak is a culinary travesty and you should already avoid it on principle. Even when pan-frying or grilling, it’s usually only the well-done burgers that form lots of carcinogens.

Marinate, marinate, marinate. Plan ahead so that you can soak your meat in some antioxidant rich medium or another. Even ten to fifteen minutes before cooking can be effective.

If you don’t have time to marinate your meat, apply spices and herbs to the surface before cooking. Add some chopped garlic and ginger (or even garlic powder and ginger powder) to your steaks, some minced thyme and rosemary to your lamb, and cumin and turmeric to your chicken – or use them all at once! Even black pepper can help. When preparing ground meat, mix the spices and herbs directly into the meat, not just on the surface of your formed burgers.

Drink wine, eat broccoli, have espresso, and eat other mitigatory foods alongside your meat. Luckily, people on a Primal eating plan aren’t just downing charred steak and nothing else. They’re eating plenty of plants, too.

Regularly make complex curries, tagines, goulashes, and other stews, which incorporate all the protective elements in one tasty package: liquid, spices/herbs, low temperature, gentle cooking.

As much as I love a good braised meat, I won’t deny the deliciousness of a seared steak or crispy sweet potatoes. Here are a couple cooking tricks I’ve developed over the years that should reduce toxin formation while allowing you to enjoy crispy, browned foods.

Searing a steak or cooking a stir fry? Add a bit of lemon or orange juice mixed with spices and herbs when you turn the meat. The juice and herb mixture will provide moisture and help protect the surface of the meat in contact with the pan, you’ll still get some decent browning on one side, and once the meat’s done, you can let the juice reduce down into a sauce. (Extra tip: add half a cup of really gelatinous bone broth to the liquid to make the reduction even richer.) Will this eliminate HCA formation or completely inhibit lipid oxidation? Probably not, but it’s way better than just charring the meat dry.

When making any starchy root dish that involves applying high heat to obtain a crispy exterior, start with pre-cooked tubers. So, if you’re doing fries, cook the potatoes the day before and keep them in the fridge. Peel them, slice them into the fry shape of your choice, and lightly sauté each side in a stable cooking fat like ghee or coconut oil (or ghee and coconut oil!) over medium heat. Since you don’t have to worry about cooking the interior and it only takes a couple minutes to get a nice crust on each side, your cooking time is reduced by about 80% and the temperature needed is far lower as well. Fewer carcinogens and less lipid oxidation.

Ultimately, healthy eating is about striking a balance. You can sear your steaks and live long - just don’t do so exclusively or eschew healthy plant foods alongside them. You can throw some chicken thighs on the grill – but to mitigate the risks, just make sure they’re marinated.

Let’s hear from you. How do you cook most of your foods? Are you a fan of gentle cooking? Got any good tips for minimizing harm while maximizing taste?

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What to Look for When Choosing a High-Quality Dark Chocolate

This is a guest article from the chocolatiers of Santa Barbara Chocolate. Santa Barbara Chocolate is the supplier of my favorite chocolate, and they’ve been a more than welcome sponsor of PrimalCon since the very beginning, donating boxes of dark chocolate coins for guests to enjoy. PrimalCon attendees can attest, their chocolate is top notch.

As a big fan of really dark chocolate myself – as I know many of you are – I’ve reported on the health benefits of dark chocolate, and explored whether all chocolate is created equal. Still, with all the various labels and terms thrown about these days, choosing a high-quality dark chocolate can be a little confusing. What separates bad from good from best? So I decided to go straight to the source and get expert advice from professional chocolatiers…

Strike the Right Balance

With recent developments and knowledge about the world of chocolate, more and more people are turning to the idea of eating pure chocolate sourced from healthy trees, grown under the care of happy farmers, and produced with quality ingredients. Yet how do you go about finding the excellent dark chocolate with these qualities? There are many components that affect the quality of chocolate and consumers should aim to strike the right balance between harvesting practices, manufacturing processes, quality ingredients and of course, for those conscious consumers, ethically grown and traded. The flavor and texture of any chocolate will naturally reflect these qualities when selecting and tasting chocolate based on the above factors. When you find that chocolate that meets these standards it will delight and inspire your taste buds.

Shade Grown with Love

A chocolate company that starts their journey on the right foot will have an ethical interest in the environment and the farmers. First, look for chocolate that is shade grown in the depths of the green rainforest. There is a huge difference when it comes to shade grown chocolate and sun bleached chocolate. Rather than growing cacao beans on a farm where the plot of land and the branches are exposed to the harsh sunlight, ethical companies use a natural organic approach known as shade grown. This means the cacao plants are planted in the rainforest and given the chance to do what they do best, to stretch for the sun when they need it and to shrink back into the shade when they want to stay cool. The plant works in harmony with nature and can develop the natural and organic way. Mother earth is in the flavor, and with shade grown chocolate you can enjoy the benefits of the sweet damp soil and the earthly nutrients that add to the flavor.

How can you tell if a chocolate is shade grown?

Chocolatier’s recommendation: The flavor of the chocolate is the best test. Shade grown chocolate won’t exhibit strong astringency or overly acidic flavors. Rainforest Certified Cacao is another measurement.

Ripened to Perfection

Second, look for chocolate that is sustainably grown and ripened to perfection. The old joke that chocolate is actually a fruit isn’t too far from the truth. Chocolate comes from the fruit known as the theobroma cacao. Just like any fruit, if you want to produce the best taste, you pick it when it is ripe. Unfortunately in our modern world of hustle and bustle and to meet high demands, many companies will rush to harvest the fruit and use pesticides to increase yield. For instance, some companies add artificial enzymes such as acetone or enzymatic polypeptides to their cacao to produce a chocolate flavor and thereby eliminate the traditional and difficult step of cacao fermentation. The traditional process of fermentation is one of the most important steps in making great chocolate flavor. The golden rule to remember when it comes to anything good in life is that it is quality and not quantity. Companies snatching the fruit before it is ripe produce chocolate that is acidic in taste or sometimes green potato like in flavor as the fruit is only partially ripe or not ripened at all. True manufacturers of first class chocolate will not cheat the growing or fermentation process. They encourage sustainable growing practices to reduce pesticide use and only pluck the fruit from the trees when the time is just right.

How can you tell if a chocolate is sustainable grown and fermented correctly?

Chocolatier’s recommendation: You’ll notice right away in the flavor. Properly fermented pure chocolate will have the characteristic cocoa flavor without too many other flavors competing. Look for chocolates sourced from cocoa beans that are UTZ Certified as an additional measure.

The Natural Way

The next step in finding premium dark chocolate is to consider the manufacturing process. You are not going to get the definitive taste of chocolate from a company that does a slap dash job when it comes to turning the bean into a bar of luscious and rich dark chocolate. The production process has so much to do with final taste and texture – this is where you can spot the good and the bad from the downright ugly.

Look for chocolate connoisseur companies that have strict manufacturing and quality control practices over the entire production process. These companies handle their production of the cacao bean with care and precision to bring out that true velvety chocolate taste with a supple bitter note that lingers on the tongue. The fruit is not only sustainably grown and fermented properly, but also the beans are roasted and blended with true care to ensure quality. For example, two important phases of chocolate manufacturing that have a significant impact on the final product are the roasting of the cocoa bean and the conching of the chocolate. To reduce cost, companies will over-roast the beans to hide the imperfections of cheap cocoa beans and will under conche the chocolate to save time in production. Companies that care about quality and the essence of taste do not cut corners like these. They roast and conche their beans to perfection and have their manufacturing and quality control processes audited.

How can you tell if a chocolate company has strict manufacturing and quality control practices over the entire production process?

Chocolatier’s recommendation: Look for companies that have ISO and or HACCP Certifications for their manufacturing processes. Does the company exhibit good intentions and care? What does your intuition say?

How can you tell if the cacao has been over-roasted or under conched? 

Chocolatier’s recommendation: Taste the chocolate and see if it is smooth and the sugar doesn’t seem separate. Average chocolate when it melts seems to be in parts (sugar separate from the cocoa butter separate from the cocoa fiber). Premium chocolate will be smooth with a solid marriage of cocoa butter, sugar and cocoa fiber which produces a velvety smooth texture. Over roasted cacao that has shell in it will often have a burnt rubber taste.

Quality Ingredients vs Cheaper Alternatives

The FDA regulates which ingredients can and cannot be used in chocolate, and thus, have issued standard definitions for chocolate. In sum, a quality dark chocolate typically only has three to four ingredients. The main ingredients are cocoa mass, cocoa butter and sugar. However, during the manufacturing process, it is easy for companies to slip in cheaper ingredients to supplement the more expensive quality ingredients. For example, some companies will use low cost artificial sweeteners in their chocolate production rather than real sugar. Also, common practice of some chocolate companies is using cheaper “cocoa butter equivalents” (CBE) such as vegetable or hydrogenated oils rather than the pure cocoa butter. For those true chocolate lovers, watch out for these substitutes in the ingredients. In Europe, manufacturers can add the CBE known as PGPR and not even list it on the ingredients.

Nothing compares to the deep and luxurious taste of the finest, high quality dark chocolate, and nothing else should be used to make it.

How can you tell if a chocolate is using cheaper alternatives in their ingredients?

Chocolatier’s recommendation: Always opt for quality ingredients. Make sure to look at the ingredients label. Make sure the ingredients include cocoa mass (or cocoa liquor), cocoa butter and sugar. Watch out for CBE (cocoa butter equivalents) ingredients such as vegetable or hydrogenated oils. Also, ask if the chocolate is made from Grade AA Cocoa Butter and GMO free cane sugar. Using Grade AA cocoa butter creates that wonderful melting sensation in your mouth that CBE cannot even come close to creating. Cane sugar, when added sparingly, perfectly complements the taste of the cacao bean and produces a finished result that is the very best it can be. Natural vanilla, as long as it isn’t too much, can help accent the chocolate’s nuances too.

Strong Ethics Equals an Honest Taste

Finally, the most important factor worth investigating when seeking high-quality chocolate are the ethics behind the business. You may think this does not have much to do with the taste of the final product but in reality it plays a major role. A standard, run of the mill chocolate company who believes only in profit, will pump out chocolate designed and produced with many cut corners. The result will be a product designed without care for our world. As we say at Santa Barbara Chocolate “save the Earth – it’s the only planet with chocolate.” Choose your chocolate company carefully and look for those who believe in strong ethics and hold integrity close to their heart. A company that is selective over how they produce chocolate from the bud to the bean to the bar is going to put a lot more effort into creating something worthwhile.

Our natural organic approach is an important step in achieving harmony when it comes to chocolate production. The same can be said when it comes to ethically produced chocolate. The sad reality behind the situation is that cheap chocolate and mass produced chocolate can be procured at the disadvantage of the local people. In a world where we are becoming more aware of the hardship faced by others it’s important to take an approach of integrity and be conscious consumers. This means selecting chocolate companies that deal exclusively in ethical trade from the farmers to the family who tirelessly work to bring extraordinary chocolate to our shelves. Making the world a better place for all is certainly worth the small amount of extra expense. That is why our motto at Santa Barbara Chocolate is “Healthy Trees, Happy Farmers, Great Chocolate.”

The Truth Is in the Taste

Once you have discovered a company that is integral to quality ingredients and ethical in their farming, harvesting, and manufacturing practices, then you are well on your way to finding the best high-quality chocolate on the shelves. The final truth will be in the taste. Many dark chocolate connoisseurs enjoy a high percentage of cocoa and only a hint of sweetness. With dark chocolate that is over 75% cocoa you can taste the exotic long notes of flavor that resounds on the tongue and deepens with every bite. Dark chocolate should be smooth, rich and complex regardless of cocoa content. Many chocolatiers think that dark chocolate holds more flavor and depth than red wine and it will ignite all the senses.

When sampling solid dark chocolate, notice the aroma and how it prepares the palate for something magical. As you slip the chocolate onto your tongue a quality dark chocolate will be pleasing in texture and the taste will linger and grow. Dark chocolate is an experience for the senses, and if chosen right can be pure bliss, and a healthy, sweet indulgence.

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Dear Mark: Milk Thistle and Estrogen, Low Libido, and Pollution Mitigation

For today’s edition of Dear Mark, we’ve got a three-parter. First, I cover the potentially estrogenic effects of milk thistle extract and discuss whether or not it’s a problem for your endocrine health that outweighs the benefits to liver health. Next, I discuss the reasons why someone might have a low libido eating a paleo style diet, and give a few potential solutions to explore. And finally, Carrie helps a reader figure out some ways to mitigate or avoid the damage wrought by air pollution. It’s everywhere these days, but that doesn’t mean we have to sit there and accept our fate.

Let’s go:

I’ve been drinking a tea with milk thistle while doing a Primally-based sugar detox, as recommended by the authors. A week into drinking like three mugs a day, a friend told me she discovered that milk thistle mimics estrogen, which she can’t have because she’s a breast cancer survivor. I tapered off my drinking of the tea, and yesterday felt some symptoms that makes me think her research is right – but I can’t seem to find anything online that’s conclusive on the issue. Or at least anything I can understand.

Is milk thistle another thing that should go on the “no” list because of the hormone issue? Or is this a myth?

Meg

It’s not really a myth, no. Milk thistle has been shown to have estrogenic-mimicking effects, about on par with common soy isoflavones, making them a theoretically poor choice for people with breast cancer. Some sources claim that it’s only the “above ground” parts of milk thistle – the leaves and stalk – that are estrogenic, whereas the seeds are not. I don’t really buy that. The study above used silymarin to mimic estrogen (albeit very modestly), and silymarin is definitely present in the seeds (PDF).

Even so, remember that milk thistle is primarily taken to increase liver health. What’s one of the myriad responsibilities of our humble livers? To process, metabolize, and excrete excess estrogen. We need a healthy liver to get rid of extra estrogen that may contribute to estrogen dominance-related breast cancer. Even if milk thistle is mildly estrogenic, the benefits to our liver health probably outweigh those effects. Sure enough: in one recent study, an herbal conglomerate featuring milk thistle as one of the active participants actually increased estrogen metabolism, effectively reducing the amount of active estrogen by speeding up its clearance from the body. The authors concluded that this likely meant a reduction in breast cancer risk. A very recent in vitro study found that silymarin had a synergistic effect with a common anti-breast cancer drug, while silymarin itself has shown anti-carcinogenic effects on isolated human breast cancer cells.

If you already have breast cancer or have had it and are trying to keep it at bay, milk thistle may be contraindicated; you’d want to discuss that with your doctor, of course. But if you’re looking to improve general liver function, recover from a night of drinking, or save your life after eating toxic mushrooms you found out in a field, milk thistle is a good idea. Plus, I think the totality of the evidence indicates that it’s probably protective against breast cancer, if anything.

You might try a different form than tea, though. Silymarin isn’t very water soluble, making regular old tea an ineffective route of consumption. So any effects you noticed probably weren’t due to the milk thistle. Try a basic milk thistle extract in pill form for a couple weeks to see if those effects return.

I have been on the paleo diet for just shy of a year now and have seen great results. I feel really good health wise and energy wise, but my libido has been really low. I tried to investigate if others noticed this same issue, only to get more confused. For each person claiming low libido, the next blog claims just the opposite. Can you please give me a suggestion as to possible solutions to this issue? My doctor’s suggestion of going off my paleo diet does not appeal to me, I feel great otherwise! And randomly trying supplements from a GNC does not seem like a healthy alternative. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Brian

Factors that affect libido?

Calorie intake: Simply put, you can’t go too low. If you’re overweight or obese or have metabolic syndrome, your testosterone production will be inhibited and a lower calorie intake that results in weight loss will generally have a beneficial effect on testosterone levels and thus libido. Calorie restriction also increases testosterone in obese men by improving testicular function and reducing the conversion of testosterone to estrogen.

But that’s in overweight or obese men. In lean healthy young men, extended calorie restriction is associated with lower levels of testosterone. Since you’re seeing “great results,” that makes me think you’ve probably lost the weight you set out to lose. You’re not losing anymore weight, nor are you obese – you’re no longer getting the benefits of consuming all those animal fat calories that were attached to your body. You need to make up the difference, not so much that you start regaining weight, but enough to reduce the negative effects on libido.

Also recall that since this way of eating is so nutrient dense, it’s easy to be satiated on fewer calories – maybe, sometimes, too few calories.

Stress: Stress is a big player in your libido, too, and cortisol has a lot to do with it. As I always say, acute stress is different than chronic stress. Acute (in the first 30 minutes or so) stress actually increases testosterone for a bit. Longer term, cortisol seems to inhibit erections and reduce male sexual arousal, both of which are highly useful barometers of libido. Chronically elevated cortisol also inhibits GnHR, a hormone that stimulates the release of hormones responsible for sperm count, ovulation, sexual activity, and testosterone secretion.

Sleep: Sleep is the foundation for health. And that goes for your sexual health, too. While there are times when acute sleep deprivation can lead to an increase in sexual function, most cases of sleep deprivation lead to lower libido. In men, 33 hours of sleep deprivation lowers testosterone, but not cortisol.

Training: Make sure you exercise. Strength training, especially the kind that involves compound movements, increases testosterone, and a common refrain among lifters (which I can personally corroborate) is that lifting heavy things definitely boosts libido. Sprinting isn’t too shabby at it, either.

Don’t exercise too much, though. Chronic cardio (longterm treadmill running) is particularly bad for reproductive ability, reducing testosterone and semen quality (in addition to other deleterious changes).

Supplementation: Supplementation can help, but, as you say, not randomly chosen supplementation. I also wouldn’t mess with hormonal supplementation without a medical professional’s guidance or advice. Instead, check out the adaptogens, those compounds (usually herbs) that help you respond to stress. They don’t blindly “raise stress” or “lower stress.” Rather, they modify and improve your response to stressors. They help you adapt to the stimulus and mount an appropriate response, whatever appropriate means in a given situation. I discussed several of them in a couple posts last year (here and here). Tongkat ali seems to be particularly good at mitigating the negative impact stress has on libido/testosterone. Maca is another with noted benefits to libido (without affecting testosterone, oddly enough). I also highly recommend Primal Calm, a blend of anti-stress nutrients I use myself.

Specific nutrients: Certain nutrients are particularly important for sexual health.

Zinc – Without zinc, you can’t make testosterone. Slamming zinc won’t really help improve libido unless there’s a deficiency, though. Eat oysters and red meat to keep your zinc topped off.

Cholesterol – Cholesterol is a precursor to testosterone. Your body’s pretty good at making cholesterol, but supplementary cholesterol (in the form of egg yolks or shrimp, ideally, or brains if you want to really get Primal) can’t hurt. Dietary cholesterol can increase strength levels by way of testosterone, particularly if you’re weight training (and you are weight training, right?).

Let’s send it over to Carrie…

What do you suggest for a woman looking to conceive in the next few years to protect herself and future child from inevitable exposure to air and water pollution?

I am a public interest attorney working in the central San Joaquin valley in California for environmental justice for farmworkers. The air quality ratings are frequently “very unhealthy” and my chest gets very constricted whenever I go outside in my work areas. I have only lived in this area for the past year and we will move again in three to five years (mainly to escape the pollution). I live in an area that is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, so on nights and weekends I am not exposed to the air and we use a Berkey water filter. My husband and I follow an ancestral eating plan.

I know the easy answer is just to take myself out of the situation, but most of my clients don’t have that luxury. Like most public interest jobs, the salary is punitive, so I am looking for recommendations that are lower cost or proven to be successful.

Thank you for all of the free information you provide. It is truly a public service!

Best,

Clare

I’ve always worried about the pollution levels having lived in LA/Malibu for so long and I’ve looked into this. Keep in mind that anything that protects you will also protect your baby, or future baby.

Masks may help, not with every possible particulate in the air, but enough to consider:

In a 2012 study, R95 activated carbon filter masks were only effective against a single type of airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in Hanoi, Vietnam. Most of the worst PAHs still showed up in the urine of participants, indicating that they were making it through the mask.
Among people with cardiovascular disease, wearing one of these masks improved cardiovascular health and reduced symptoms of environmental pollution.

Plants! Herbs, shrubs, grass - anything green will reduce air pollution. Consider getting some of the plants from NASA’s list of the top air-filtering plants for your home. This won’t help you when you’re out in the field, but it’ll at least improve things at home.

Glutathione! It’s the major antioxidant and detoxification compound produced by our bodies. How we metabolize and synthesize glutathione helps determine our susceptibility to air pollution, and air pollution’s damaging effects are mostly mediated by increased oxidative stress (which glutathione reduces), so boosting glutathione levels as best we can will also improve our ability to stave off the negative effects of environmental pollution. How do we do it?

Use whey protein isolate, which increases glutathione production and endogenous antioxidant status. Works even better if you lift weights with it, since a combination of whey protein isolate and resistance training boosted glutathione levels, HDL, and total antioxidant capacity in young men.
Find a good, clean, safe source of raw milk. Raw milk contains proteins that increase glutathione production.
Eat at least two or three egg yolks a day. Peptides found in the yolks increase glutathione synthesis. You might even want to throw in a raw white or two, too, since they contain proteins that have similar effects as the raw milk on glutathione.
Make sure you’re getting plenty of selenium, which is needed to recycle glutathione in the body. Brazil nuts and wild salmon are the best sources.
Take NAC (n-acetyl-cysteine) supplements. They increase glutathione status and help detoxify industrial contaminants, in this case lead (but I imagine it would work for other contaminants, too). Include some vitamin C for better conversion into glutathione.
Unfortunately, most glutathione supplements don’t work very well because they just get broken down in the gut. Glutathione injections which bypass the digestive system do work but are incredibly expensive. On the other hand, it looks like liposomal glutathione may work (at least in rabbits).

Oh, and one last thing. Although there’s evidence that exercising outdoors in high pollution areas increases inflammation and oxidative stress, this is an acute effect that is outweighed by the general benefits of long term exercise. It turns out that exercising outdoors over the long haul makes you more resistant to the negative effects of pollution. So keep exercising, even outdoors! You can reduce your pollution load during exercise, of course, by sticking to the morning (when pollution is lowest) and avoiding major roadways.

That’s about all I can think of. I strongly believe that the most powerful and effective measure we can take is to boost glutathione levels. Pollution is inevitably going to get to us, but we can reduce the impact it has on us by shoring up our defenses. Good luck!

Let’s hear from you guys, now. Got any suggestions for the questions Carrie and I might have missed?

Thanks for reading!

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Weekend Link Love

My PALEOCON talk – The New Low Carb Paradigm: The Future of Endurance Training – is almost here. Check it out for free this Wednesday the 5th.

Check out this preview video of the PALEOCON behind the scenes look at Hu Kitchen, the Primal/paleo NYC restaurant making waves in the industry.

I’m speaking at the February 7th LA premier of Cereal Killers, and I’m giving away two pairs of tickets: one pair to the February 7th showing and one pair to the February 4th showing (which I will not be attending). For a chance to win a pair of free tickets, leave a comment expressing interest. Winners will be randomly chosen.

Primal Blueprint Podcast News

Episode #4 is now available.
All episodes are on the Primal Blueprint YouTube channel. You can subscribe to the channel, so you don’t miss an episode.
It’s also now available on Stitcher for those of you that requested this.
If you’ve liked what we’ve done so far, consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks!

Thanks to all the listeners for making The Primal Blueprint Podcast the #1 Health podcast on iTunes last week!

Research of the Week

A new open-access review explains how manipulating carbohydrate and/or calorie intake can make radiation therapy more effective against tumors.

Have you eaten salmon spine lately? It’s better than just taking fish oil at reducing inflammation in colitis.

Even if you get enough sleep, messing with your circadian rhythm increases insulin resistance and inflammation.

Interesting Blog Posts

Before you take that pill to lower your risk of something or other by some impressive sounding percentage, let Dr. Eades explain to you the difference between relative risk and absolute risk.

These paleo kids lunches make me wish I was in 2nd grade.

Media, Schmedia

It’s good to see someone (especially a dietitian) change their tune when presented with undeniable evidence.

Zoo elephants are fat. To combat this, an elephant conservation group is planning a “near-wild” preserve to, well, preserve the elephants’ ancestral ways of life.

Everything Else

I wonder how much of this is driven by our nation’s collective, insatiable desire for Sriracha.

The majority of antibiotics used in animal feed are likely contributing to the rise of antibiotic resistant bacterial infections in humans.

Other than pinpointing weaknesses in the Death Star, this is maybe the best use of hologram technology I’ve ever seen.

“Lipitor tore up my tendon that was no damn good…”

Humans can smell fat.

A New Zealand school’s decision to instate unstructured playground play without any rules eliminated bullying and resulted in a “surprising” lack of bedlam and broken bones.

This is a cool challenge: Squat 30 minutes a day for 30 days.

Recipe Corner

Parsnips don’t get a lot of play, but adding some curry powder and roasting the heck out of them renders them incredibly delicious.
Movie theaters really need to start serving popcorn made of ground beef.

Time Capsule

One year ago (Feb 3 – Feb 9)

How to Incorporate the Primal Blueprint into a Busy Family and Work Life – It’s one thing to read about this stuff. It’s an entirely different thing to put it into practice in the real world.
Push-ups: The Perfect Primal Exercise – There’s really no excuse for not doing a few sets of pushups every now and then, especially given the benefits.

Comment of the Week

I successfully managed all 5 tests simply by falling down the stairs.

- That’s one way to do it.

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How to Make Flavored Salts

At first glance, flavored salt might strike you as a “why bother?” type of project. Who has time to make their own flavored salt when you can just grab a jar of seasoning salt from the spice aisle at the grocery store? But the arguments for making your own seasonings are much stronger than the lazy argument against.

Making flavored salt is quick and easy. You probably already have some of the ingredients right at your fingertips: kosher or sea salt, fresh herbs, spices, dried mushrooms and citrus fruit are a great place to start.
Making flavored salt is fun. Make one and you’ll immediately find yourself brainstorming new combinations. What about cocoa powder-espresso salt for steak? Or spicy sumac salt for seafood and vegetables? Stock up on glass jars, because you’re going to want to make one batch after another.
Fresh is best, even when it comes to dried seasonings. Homemade flavored salt adds more vibrant flavor to your meals and has health benefits to boot. No one really knows how long that store-bought seasoning salt has been sitting on the store shelf or how long that same seasoning salt then sits in your pantry. Homemade flavored salt can be made in small batches with organic ingredients, promising fresh flavor and antioxidants.

A few guidelines to get you started:

Use kosher or sea salt
The flavorings added to the salt should be dried
Add 1 to 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of flavoring for every 1/4 cup (60 ml) of salt
Once the flavoring and salt are mixed together, briefly grind in a coffee grinder, food processor or mortar and pestle to really combine the flavors (briefly and gently; you don’t want to completely break down the salt crystals)
Store the flavored salt in an airtight container. Use within 6 months for optimum freshness.
Flavored salts can be rubbed on meat or seafood before cooking or add a finishing touch of flavor after the protein is cooked. Flavored salt can also be sprinkled on cooked or raw vegetables and eggs.

Suggested Ingredients:

Kosher or sea salt
Dried Herbs (see below for instructions on drying your own fresh herbs)
Rosemary, sage, lemon verbena, thyme, basil, oregano, lavender (use culinary grade)
Spices (for the freshest, healthiest selection buy organic spices sold in bulk)
Fennel seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seedsHot peppers, peppercorns
Paprika
Turmeric
Dried mushrooms
Dried sea vegetables (dulse, nori, wakame, kombu)
Dried organic citrus peel
Tea Leaves
Unsweetened coconut flakes

Instructions:

Choose your flavor (or add multiple flavorings to one batch).

If not already dried, then dry your flavorings:

Air dry herbs or use a dehydrator. Herbs without of lot of moisture (rosemary, sage, thyme) dry quickly, often in about 3 days if picked off the stems, spread out on baking sheet and left at room temperature. Herbs with more moisture (basil, chives, mint) preserve better in a dehydrator.
To dry citrus peel, use a paring knife or vegetable peeler to trim away just the colored part of the lemon or lime peel leaving the white part behind. Spread out on a plate at room temperature for several days.
Some sea vegetables should be toasted to remove moisture. Roast dulse and kombu in a dry skillet for 5 to 7 minutes, then let cool before crumbling or chopping.
Most whole spices will be more flavorful if toasted in a dry skillet for a few minutes. Let cool completely before adding to the salt.

Large pieces of dried mushroom, citrus peel and seaweed should be pre-chopped (by hand or in a coffee grinder or food processor) into smaller bits before adding to the salt.

One you combine the salt and flavorings, blend briefly to combine the flavors, using a mortar and pestle, coffee grinder or food processor.

If the salt seems moist at all, then spread it out on a sheet pan overnight to dry or dry it in a low-heat oven (200 ºF/93 ºC) for 30 minutes before packing the salt in an airtight container.

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Build Strength, Increase Stamina, Overcome Injury: Done, Done and Done!

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 friend John was able to postpone/eliminate an imminent heart valve replacement by changing his lifestyle and “going Primal”. He is the one who turned me on to the Mark’s Daily Apple web site. I studied, and studied and studied. It all made so much sense that I was instantly committed.

So as I began to explain to friends and family my journey into the world of the Primal lifestyle I was confronted with a recurring question: “are you trying to lose weight?” This question was asked with the implied, “you are already thin, what are you trying to accomplish!?” At that time (two years ago at the age of 53) I was carrying 147 lbs on a 5’ 6” frame. Yes, compared to most of the people around me (and the entire United States) I was indeed “thin”, with a distance runner’s body. “Nooooo, I am not trying to lose weight people!”

Looking back, there were several unrelated building blocks which prompted my lifestyle change. John’s averted heart valve replacement, mom’s time in hospice care (and all that I was exposed to through that experience), my back issue, my knee issue (both related to all the distance running) and my growing realization that doctors don’t seem to have nearly the answers that we expect them to have. There is so much sickness all around us; type 2 diabetes, heart disease, various cancers, osteoporosis, obesity, etc. Not to pick on children, but it is hard to not notice all the really heavy kids (childhood obesity went from 5.5% in 1980 to a current 17%, or so). When I was a kid, in the 60s and 70s, most everyone in my neighborhood was fairly skinny. “What the heck is going on?”, I asked. In a word – carbohydrates – is what is going on. There is a lot more to why our society is sick, but that’s the biggy.

If 2012 was the year I dipped my toes in the Primal water, 2013 was the year that I made my way out to the deep end of the Primal pool. I attended PrimalCon in Oxnard, then signed up for the Malibu Transformation Retreat in October. The grand finale was the Personal Coaching in December with Vanessa Lambert. Each one of these activities was an opportunity to learn more, connect more, and get healthier.

I have lost weight – 13 lbs of fat. I am now 132 lbs with 6% body fat. Losing weight was never the goal. Building strength and stamina and getting back into post-injury running was the goal – done, done and done!

Of equal, or greater importance, is the effect that I have had on the people around me. In a very organic way, people around me have seen the changes in me and slowly but surely some have transitioned from naysayers to skeptics to inquisitive to seeking advice – what a blast! I am very proud of the co-workers and friends who are making coffee with MCT oil and butter in the mornings, skipping the tortillas and packaged food, and loading up on a variety of meats and veggies. They are seeing the results and the fire is burning brighter all the time. The success is infectious!

Back on the home front, on Christmas eve my 19 year old son was complaining, again, of his recurring stomach issues. He had already been to two or three doctors, who after reviewing the results of various tests, produced nothing to help him. He was discouraged enough to take me up on my offer to support him in going Primal for the month of January. So far he has only had one bad morning. This after having a burger with a bun the night before. The month is not over just yet, but it looks like we may have solved his problem – gluten sensitivity. It has been challenging keeping a 19 year old Primal. Out of this challenge we have broadened our menu choices (thank you weekly Meal Plan!), fine tuned our Sunday afternoon mega-cooking session, and accelerated our learning and experience. Now all we have to do is to get our 18 year old on the program!

Looking back to two years ago, there is so much that has changed as a result of making the transition to the new lifestyle. Back then I was suffering from injuries – now I am pain free and running again. My wife is on board and has lost the weight that she wanted to lose. I am sharing what I have learned by leading a number of good people to achieve their physical goals. Life is good.

My wife and I are booked for the March Tulum event. Hope to see you there!

Kevin

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Try It for 21 Days, or Your Poor Health Back!

Over the years I’ve gotten all variety of excuses and complaints about why people couldn’t – or wouldn’t – try the Primal Blueprint eating and lifestyle strategy.

Some were just wholly anti-Primal/paleo from the get-go. They hated the “caveman” concept itself and dismissed it out of hand for that reason alone. (Bad Paleolithic past life maybe…who can say?)
Some argued I was irresponsible for encouraging people to eat fat – especially saturated fat.
Some argued I was insensitive for encouraging people to eat meat.
Some thought aspects of the Primal Blueprint eating plan were a “turn off.” (The offal recipes were too much apparently.)
Some thought I had it in for the food industry and all American farmers. (I promise you I do not grow all my own food and livestock in a personal biosphere.)
Some complained I couldn’t possibly expect people to adhere to such a difficult diet. (For the record, I don’t have any expectations of anyone and believe we all are responsible for our own choices.)
Some said they loved the principle itself but just couldn’t give up x, y or z. (I’ll let you all guess what x, y and z are.)
Some said they lacked the necessary willpower to make such a “big” change. (At least there’s honesty if nothing else.)
Some said they would try it but don’t consider themselves healthy or fit enough. (Yes, you read that right. Isn’t there an ecard floating around with this very concept? Please make one if not.)

I could go on (and trust me – it gets much more interesting and bizarre), but you get the gist. There are a million and one reasons not to go Primal. Too much work, too much change, too much money, too much hassle, too much bacon. (I kid.) The fact is, they’re the same reasons that are readily available to all of us when we want to avoid doing something good for ourselves. There are no limits on how to sell ourselves short, no shortage of ways we can keep ourselves as stuck as we want to be. It’s amazing how creative, persistent and “logical” we can be when we’re trying to subconsciously (or consciously) justify our M.O.

Of course, it all comes down to the ultimate question: how’s your way workin’ for you?

True, eating and living Primal doesn’t come automatically or easily for many people because it’s unfortunately so countercultural in many regards. It’s sad really – how far we’ve strayed from our innate blueprints, but it’s also why going Primal begins to feel so intuitively satisfying once you’re doing it and have made peace with the mismatch between it and conventional practice.

What if, in the middle of this cultural incongruence, you could find the health that you’ve wanted, the body that you’ve dreamed of, the life that felt good – amazing even. (Don’t believe it? Check out the Friday success stories.) Could you overcome the emotional inertia to make a foray into this unchartered lifestyle? Could you pick up hope again after maybe dozens of past disappointments (e.g. fad diets, exercises du jour, etc.)? Could you convince yourself to make an investment that begins with a mere 21 days?

Yes, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Let’s think a little bolder for the moment. Let’s imagine 21 days – 3 weeks of your life. Does it seem like a lot? Imagine how many weeks of your life you’ve lost criticizing yourself or worrying about your health or sitting on the sidelines because you didn’t have the energy or confidence to be out there doing what you wanted to do. Trust me, for most of us we’re way beyond putting it in terms of hours. Maybe it’s more accurately months, years, decades. If you don’t do Primal for the next 21 days, what will those days look like for you? Will they make you happy and fulfilled, or will you continue doing and feeling the same old, same old? What do you have to lose by going Primal for a mere 21 days?

The thing is, you can try the Primal Blueprint and even the 21-Day Transformation without shelling out a cent. (Of course, thousands of people have found the 21 Day book and the Transformation program more than worthwhile, but you can find all the essential information on the site here totally free.) The point is, the only thing you have to lose is your subpar health and everything that goes along with it (e.g. the gut, the love handles, the daily fatigue, the poor sleep, the insulin resistance, the poor cardiovascular conditioning, the rampant inflammation, etc.). No, not everything will be fixed in three weeks, but I guarantee you will make the best progress you’ve ever made toward these comprehensive goals. You won’t feel the same. You won’t look the same or sleep the same or move the same. You’ll have crossed a threshold to which you won’t want to return because it feels too good on the other side of it.

If you’re unsatisfied with the results of the Primal Blueprint after three weeks, however, you’ll have full opportunity to return to every facet of poor health and excess weight you brought to the program. Yes, you’ll be free to gain back every pound, recalibrate every blood marker, and relinquish every metabolic shift, biochemical enhancement and epigenetic upgrade achieved during the three weeks (no overstatement there). If there isn’t a safer, more secure assurance for those who are afraid to change their health and life, I’ll eat my own book – glossy cover and all.

But let’s not stop there. If you don’t take my word for it, listen to the hundreds of thousands of people who have taken the path before you. Maybe they experienced some of the same self-questioning, the same emotional inertia, the same hesitancy or skepticism, but see what happened when they took the plunge. Listen to their stories of change and adaptation. Witness their success and visualize yourself with the same potential. Imagine life on the other side of 21 days….

Grokkers, what do you have to say to those on the fence (or even solidly on the other side of it)? What could your stories – how you made the eventual choice and what happened afterward – offer them as they weigh the option? The floor is yours, and your audience is listening. Thanks for reading and sharing, everyone. Grok on!

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