Mark Sisson's Blog, page 51

How the Heck Do I Clean That? Natural and Non-toxic DIY Cleaning Solutions for Your Home

We talk a lot around here about taking care of your body, but what about your home? The cleanliness and safety of your environment play a big role in your overall health. You’re already doing the work to make sure the food and water that goes in your body are as clean as possible. The next step is to examine the substances you’re using to clean your home.

In honor of National Cleaning Week, today I’m offering all-natural, non-toxic solutions for cleaning your home from top to bottom. A host of companies now make greener cleaning products, but you don’t need to invest in a bunch of specialty supplies.

You can attack almost any cleaning project if you have a short list of supplies on hand. Here’s what you need:

Vinegar: Vinegar is acidic, containing somewhere around 5 percent acetic acid depending on the type. It has antibacterial properties, and you can use it in a wide variety of cleaning applications.1 Distilled white vinegar is more affordable than other types and is the one I recommend for cleaning.Castile soap: Castile soap is gentle enough to be used on your body and effective enough to tackle any cleaning project. Dr. Bronner’s is a popular brand. Use any scent you like.Baking sodaMicrofiber and/or cotton clothsSpongesEmpty spray bottlesCleaning brushes, both stiff- and soft-bristledSilicone spatula or scraperMicrofiber mop

Optional items:

SqueegeeEssential oils: Tea tree (melaleuca), lavender, thyme, oregano, and other oils have antimicrobial properties.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... If nothing else, they make your house smell good without artificial fragrances.LemonsSalt, which you probably already have in your kitchenHydrogen peroxideWhy Should You Use Non-toxic Cleaning Products?

Commercial cleaning products often contain harsh cleansing agents and fragrances. These substances can be absorbed through the skin, eyes, and lungs. Even mild exposures may cause irritation and inflammation, skin rashes, and other adverse reactions in sensitive individuals. They simply aren’t good for your health, not to mention your children’s and pets’ health. Even “green-certified” products can contain ingredients that you don’t necessarily want in your home. 

Besides the human health effects, many ingredients found in common cleaning products come with significant environmental concerns. These ingredients can harm plants and wildlife, contaminate drinking water, and adversely affect soil and even air quality. Check out the Environmental Protection Agency and the Environmental Working Group to learn more.

Health reasons aside, it’s more cost-effective to buy those staple ingredients in bulk and make your own products. It takes very little time, and the payoff is substantial.

Important Tips Before Getting Started

When you switch to a new cleaning product, homemade or otherwise, it’s always a good idea to test it on a small area of carpet, fabric, hardwood, or stone before you clean a large surface. For marble or granite, check manufacturer guidelines.

Using Vinegar as a Cleaning Agent

As I said, vinegar is acidic, so it can damage some delicate surfaces if you use it at full strength. It has more potent cleaning and antimicrobial properties undiluted, but you’ll want to dilute it for softer or more porous surfaces like natural stone tile.

Even though many recipes call for combining vinegar and baking soda, once the initial chemical reaction has taken place—that fizzing we’re all familiar with from elementary school science—you’re left with sodium acetate and water. Sodium acetate isn’t an effective cleaning agent, so you’re basically making more expensive water. The chemical reaction itself can help clean a clogged drain or a crusty pan, but for the most part, vinegar and baking soda are more effective when used separately.

A Quick Castile Soap Chemistry Lesson

Castile soap is a base. Mixing it with acids breaks it down and neutralizes its effectiveness. Don’t combine castile soap with vinegar, lemon juice, or hydrogen peroxide. Oxygen bleaches like OxyClean contain hydrogen peroxide, so don’t mix those with castile soap either. If you want to harness the different cleaning effects of castile soap and hydrogen peroxide, for example, use them separately with a rinse in between.

You can mix castile soap with water and baking soda. Baking soda adds a little grit to castile soap, which is useful for scrubbing and doesn’t undercut the soap’s effectiveness.

Essential Homemade Natural Cleaner Recipes

You can clean most things in your house with either a soft scrub or an all-purpose cleaner. There are lots of variations of these recipes online. These are the ones I like.

DIY Soft Scrub Recipe½ cup castile soap1½ cup baking soda¼ – ½ cup water (use distilled water if your tap water is very hard)2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

Mix the castile soap and baking soda in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix ¼ cup water with the vinegar. Combine it with the baking soda mixture. Add more water to get the consistency you want. Store a thicker paste in a covered container. If you add enough water to make a pourable solution, use a funnel to put it in a squirt bottle.

* I know I just said not to mix vinegar and castile soap. In this case, the baking soda is also a base. It protects the soap from being neutralized by the baking soda.

DIY All-purpose Spray Recipe

Mix either of the following in a spray bottle.

Recipe 1 (my preferred):2 cups water (use distilled water if your tap water is very hard)2 tablespoons castile soap10-20 drops of your favorite essential oil (optional)Recipe 2:1 cup filtered or distilled water (distilled if your water is very hard)1 cup distilled white vinegar10-20 drops of your favorite essential oil (optional)Lemon Vinegar Recipe

This one is optional, but it’s one of my favorite homemade products, especially for cleaning kitchen counters.  Collect lemon peels, or peels from any citrus fruits, in a large jar. Keep them in the freezer if you won’t have a bunch at once, as you might if you’re making a batch of lemon curd or freezing lemon juice.

Once you have enough, pour distilled white vinegar over them until they are completely covered. Place a lid on the jar and let them sit on your counter for one to three weeks.

Strain the vinegar through a fine mesh strainer. Discard the peels, and keep the vinegar in a jar. Use this vinegar in place of the white vinegar in the all-purpose spray above. It leaves a pleasant lemon scent, plus you get the cleaning power of lemon!

Ok, let’s get cleaning!

 

How to Clean Your Cast Iron Skillet

Contrary to popular belief, it’s probably fine to use dish soap on cast iron, but many purists avoid it anyway. The one thing you never want to do is soak your cast iron pan in water, soapy or otherwise!

The easiest way to clean cast iron is with plain hot water, a stiff-bristled brush, and elbow grease.

For stuck-on food, pour about ¼ to ½ inch of water into the pan, put it on the stove, and crank up the heat. When it starts to simmer, use a silicone spatula to scrape up the stuck-on bits. Pour the water out carefully and attack any remaining stuck-on bits with a brush or silicone scraper. While the pan is still warm, you can also add some kosher salt and use a towel or your fingers (don’t burn yourself!) to scrub at the bottom.

Once clean, dry it thoroughly with a kitchen towel and rub a small amount of oil into the surface. There are countless opinions about which oils are best. The general consensus is: none of the ones Primal folks will want to use. I usually rotate between coconut, olive, avocado, and lard.

DIY Natural Oven Cleaner

Remove the racks. You’ll clean those separately.

Give the entire inside of the oven and the door a wipe down to remove crumbs and surface grease.

Make a paste of two parts baking soda to one part water. Smear it thickly on the inside of the oven door and inside the oven wherever there is baked-on gunk. (Hat tip to Bren of the Bren Did blog for researching the best method.) Let it sit for 20 minutes, then use a damp cloth or sponge to remove it. For really caked-on messes, repeat this step, but close the oven and let it sit overnight. The following day, remove the dried paste using a silicone scraper and warm water.

Now that the crust is gone, wash the entire inside of the oven with your DIY Soft Scrub or All-purpose Spray. Use damp cloths to thoroughly wipe down every surface.

Finally, clean the racks with DIY Soft Scrub. Use your bathtub if the kitchen sink is too small. If needed, let them soak overnight in hot water with a squirt of castile soap. You can also run them through your dishwasher if they fit.

How to Clean Your Stainless Steel, Porcelain, or Ceramic Sink

Rinse the entire sink with hot water and give it an initial wipe down with a cloth or sponge. Sprinkle baking soda all over the surface and start scrubbing. For stainless steel, make sure you’re working in the direction of the grain.

Next, spray the whole thing with vinegar or your DIY Lemon Vinegar All-purpose Spray. Let it do its fizzy thing, then rinse thoroughly.

Alternatively, your DIY Soft Scrub will work great on a grimy sink.

For stainless steel, finish by drying the sink. Then, put a few drops of olive or avocado oil on dry microfiber cloth and rub down the surface.

How to Clean Your Coffee Maker or Keurig with Vinegar

First off, always consult the user’s manual to see what internal parts and filters need regular cleaning or changing.

Most removable parts of a coffee maker—carafe, lid, filter baskets—are dishwasher safe. Again, double-check your manual. Run these through a dishwasher cycle weekly.

Once every couple months, clean and descale your coffee maker or Keurig. Unplug the unit and remove all the removable parts. Run them through the dishwasher, or wash them in a sinkful of hot water with a few drops of castile soap. Use a dry microfiber cloth to wipe down the inside and outside of the machine.

Put everything back together, then fill the reservoir with distilled white vinegar. Run a brew cycle. Dump it out, then run another cycle with plain water. Repeat if necessary to get rid of the vinegar taste or smell.

Cleaning a Wooden Cutting Board

To clean a wooden cutting board, especially after using it for raw poultry, rinse it and use a brush to scrub it under very hot running water. Then, spray it with undiluted vinegar and wipe it down with a clean, dry cloth.

You can also sprinkle it with salt and use a cut lemon to scrub the surface. The abrasiveness of the salt mixed with the acidity of the lemon will clean and freshen the surface.

How to Clean Your Toilet Naturally with a DIY Cleaning Solution

Start by pouring one cup of vinegar into the toilet bowl and four cups into the tank (yes, the tank needs cleaning, too). Spray the inside of the bowl with your DIY All-purpose Cleaner or squirt DIY Soft Scrub under the rim. Let it sit while you go clean the sink, mirror, and shower.

Next, scrub the inside with a toilet brush. For very dirty toilets, sprinkle some extra baking soda directly on the toilet brush and add a small squirt of castile soap. Flush the toilet and repeat if necessary. Flush again and rinse off the brush in clean water.

Finally, use your DIY All-purpose Cleaner and a sponge or microfiber cloth to clean the handle, outside of the toilet, and toilet seat. It probably goes without saying, but don’t use that same sponge or cloth to clean anything else until you wash it.

DIY Natural Grout Cleaner for Showers and Tile Floors

Start with a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and warm water like your DIY Lemon Vinegar All-purpose Spray. Spray it on the grout and let it sit for about five minutes. Then grab a stiff brush and get scrubbing.

If the grout still needs more love, use your DIY Soft Scrub. Sprinkle some extra baking soda over the grout for extra scrubby-ness.

For really tough stains, put a scoop of baking soda in a bowl and add enough hydrogen peroxide to make a paste. Smear it over the grout, wait 5 to 10 minutes, then get to work with your scrub brush.

DIY Shower Cleaner Spray

Once you’ve cleaned your shower grout, let’s keep clean, eh? For shower maintenance, fill a spray bottle with diluted vinegar, anywhere between a 2:1 and 4:1 ratio of water to vinegar. Optionally add a few drops of your favorite essential oil.

After each shower, give the walls and shower door a quick squeegee. A few times per week, spray the walls with the vinegar spray. (Do not use on marble or natural stone tiles.)

How to Clean Your Showerhead Naturally with Vinegar

Does your showerhead spray little needles of water in all directions? Are half the pinholes clogged? Easy fix.

Remove the showerhead if you can, then soak it in a small container of straight vinegar. For gold, brass, or nickel-coated showerheads, remove after 30 minutes. Otherwise, you can leave it to soak overnight. Optionally give it a quick scrub with a toothbrush, then reattach it and run hot water to clear it out.

If you can’t remove the showerhead, place a couple of cups of vinegar in a plastic bag. Place the bag over the showerhead and secure it with string or pipe cleaner. Then follow the instructions above.

DIY Natural Bathtub Cleanser

Follow the instructions above for cleaning a sink.

If your tub is mildewy, start by spraying the entire surface with undiluted vinegar. Let it sit for an hour, then sprinkle on baking soda and do an initial scrub of the whole surface. Rinse well, then give it a second cleaning with your DIY Soft Scrub.

DIY Non-toxic Carpet Cleaner Recipes

Carpet stains are tough because the best cleaning method depends on what caused them in the first place. Here are some good general recommendations for spot cleaning:

Try to clean spills right when they occur. Blot up wet messes with a clean towel; don’t rub the stain into the carpet.

Next, spray the spot with a cleaning solution. You can use the DIY All-purpose Cleaner made with castile soap, or make a solution of 1 cup water, ½ cup hydrogen peroxide, and 1 teaspoon of castile soap. Gently work at the stain with a clean cloth. Once the stain is up, spray the area with diluted vinegar and dab it with another clean cloth to remove any remaining soap.

For larger carpet cleaning machines, know that adding anything besides the manufacturer-approved cleaning solution probably voids your warranty. If you don’t care, try filling the tank with very hot water and adding just a couple drops (yes, really) of castile soap. Clean the carpet, then do a second round with just hot water and a cup or two of vinegar. Make sure you suck up as much water as possible with the machine.

The same cleaning solution should work for upholstery, but don’t forget to test it in an inconspicuous spot to make sure it won’t lift the color.

DIY Natural Glass Cleaner for Windows and Mirrors

Spray the window or mirror with 1:1 solution of vinegar and water (distilled if you have hard water). Squeegee and/or wipe the glass with a dry microfiber cloth.

For dirty outdoor windows, mix 1½ teaspoons of castile soap with 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Use that solution to clean the windows first, then follow up with the diluted vinegar.

Non-toxic DIY Floor Cleaner for Wood, Tile, Laminate, or Linoleum

For hardwood and tile floors, good ol’ vinegar will do the trick. Mix ½ cup vinegar or Lemon Vinegar per gallon of warm water. Mop the floors with a microfiber mop.

For more delicate surfaces like natural stone, it’s better to skip acidic cleaners. In that case, you can mop with a solution of 3 tablespoons of castile soap in a gallon of water. You might want to do a second pass with just water to make sure all the soap is up.

How to Clean Your Mattress

Maybe you never thought about cleaning your mattress, but it accumulates dirt, dead skin, mites… actually, don’t think about it too hard or you won’t want to get into bed tonight.

First, strip all the bedding and wash it in hot water. Then, get your vacuum out and vacuum your mattress. For stains on the surface, you can use the carpet spot-treating solutions above, but make sure you don’t get the mattress too wet. Use a barely damp cloth to rub at the stain.

Next, stir ~10 drops of your favorite essential oil into a cup of baking soda. Place it in a mesh sieve and dust the baking soda evenly over the top of the mattress. (You can also use plain baking soda for this.) Let it sit for about an hour, then vacuum thoroughly again. If you want, lightly spritz the mattress with a homemade linen spray like this one, but make sure it’s completely dry before replacing the mattress cover and sheets.

DIY Natural Makeup Brush Cleaner

Castile soap works great on makeup brushes. First, clean the brush heads with plain water to get as much makeup off them as possible. Then, put a squirt of castile soap on a small dish and swirl the brush head around in it to clean the bristles. Rinse the bristles under running water, massaging them with your fingers to release the dirt and soap.

Repeat these steps until the water runs clean. Replace the soap in the dish as often as needed.

Optionally, you can put some diluted vinegar in a small jar and swirl the brushes in the vinegar as a final cleaning step. Either way, dry the handles with a towel and lay the brushes out to dry completely.

DIY Yoga Mat Cleaner Spray

You should wipe down your yoga mat regularly, especially if you’re bringing it to a yoga studio. Make your own spray by combining ¼ cup of vinegar or Lemon Vinegar with 1 cup of water and, optionally, a few drops of your favorite essential oil. Spray evenly over your mat and wipe with a clean towel.

To deep clean your mat, run some warm water in your bathtub and add a squirt of castile soap. Soak the mat for 10 minutes or so, then scrub both sides with a sponge. Rinse well (a detachable showerhead is great here). Hang to dry completely—ideally in the sun, the best natural disinfectant of all—before rolling it up again.

DIY Jewelry Cleaner

Jewels can be delicate, especially soft stones like opals, pearls, lapis lazuli, and turquoise. If you aren’t sure how to clean a specific piece of jewelry, please ask a jeweler.

For solid metal pieces, fill a bowl with warm water and add a couple drops of castile soap. Let your jewelry soak for a few minutes, then rinse. (For small jewelry, plug the sink drain first!) Use a cotton cloth or a toothbrush with very soft bristles to clean any remaining dirt off the pieces.

If you have tarnished sterling silver jewelry, line a bowl with aluminum foil. Add 1 cup of hot water, 1 tablespoon of baking soda, and 1 tablespoon of salt. Let the jewelry soak in this solution. After about 10 minutes, it should look much better. Remove it carefully and rinse it under clean water, then dry with a clean cloth. This works for silverware, too.

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References https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9713753/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6612361

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Spring Clean Your Pantry for a Healthy Year

The pantry can be a place for quality foods – canned wild-caught salmon, almond flour noodles, quality cooking oils and all of your favorite sauces and condiments made without sugar. The pantry can also house the usual carb suspects – chips, cookies, crackers, pasta, cereal and bread. If you’re not careful, this cool and dark space could derail your best efforts to eat foods that make you feel your best.

Follow these 8 easy steps and you’ll be well on your way to having a pantry that feeds your body in the way that your genes expect you to be fed.

1. Unload the Junk Food

The first step toward a Primal-minded pantry is purging it of the wrong foods.

Sure, the Primal lifestyle involves flexibility, but the pantry is a place to be a little more rigid so that you can leave your flexibility for situations where you may have less control (for example, traveling or engaging in a business dinner).

Toss out anything that:

You’ve decided isn’t part of your lifestyle right nowIs overly processedMakes you feel tired, slow, or causes other physical changesYou consider your “weakness”

If you get rid of things that might cause you to stumble, it’s easier to stay on the right path in your day-to-day life. You remove the burden of foods calling out to you every time you pass the pantry. After those are out of your home, you only have to make sound decisions at the grocery store.

This doesn’t mean you have to be wasteful. Deliver your unopened items to a food bank or other charity that would appreciate a food donation.

2. Stock Up on Nuts and Seeds

After getting rid of the items that don’t work, load up on quick snacks that do work. Raw almonds, walnuts, macadamias are some fantastic options that will stay fresh for at least a couple months. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds are some other great options.

As with anything, just be sure to watch the flavored varieties. Certain natural flavorings are fine, but others introduce industrial seed oils and sugar to an otherwise quality snack. Keep an eye on ingredient labels.

 

3. Replace Industrial Seed Oils with Better Culinary Fats

Keep your pantry well-stocked with olive oil and avocado oil. You’ll be using on a daily basis. Fat does go rancid, though, so be sure to buy only as much oil as you’ll finish in a month.

Not sure which ones you’ll use the most? Check out The Definitive Guide to Fats.

4. Be Ready for Your Sweet Tooth

We all have a sweet tooth. Sweet stuff tastes good to us because it’s quick energy that can be stored (as body fat – evolutionarily a good thing, not so great for modern life).  So it’s normal for us to want some sweets in the pantry – just don’t go crazy with it and stick to acceptable sources. Honey is good to have on hand, as is semi-sweet dark chocolate (go for a good quality, mostly-cacao, low-sugar chocolate bar).

It’s also a good idea to stock your pantry with alternative flours and sweeteners that you can use to make healthier versions of your favorite bakery items. Some recipes to try:

Primal and Keto Brownies

Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies

Keto Blueberry Muffins

5. Fill Your Cup

Tea and coffee absolutely have a place in your pantry. In the Primal community, we love our coffee in the morning. Black, green, and herbal teas are a great mid-morning or afternoon pick-me-up, as long as you don’t sip so late that you mess with your sleep.

I also always have on hand chai collagen mix and matcha collagen mix to get a serving of collagen through a lightly sweet, frothy latte.

6. Flavor, Flavor, Flavor

Healthy, clean eating often gets the bad rap of being bland and tasteless. Herbs, spices, sauces, marinades, and dressings will keep you from getting tired of eating the same old thing, and will inspire you to create new dishes based off of ingredients that you already use frequently.

7. Jerky

Keep some jerky on hand for a quick protein snack – beef, buffalo, salmon, turkey, deer, moose. Even better, make your own jerky so that you get to choose what goes into your body. If you’ve never tried pemmican, take a crack at it. It’s a fan favorite recipe.

Keep in mind that most homemade jerky (or quality jerky purchased in a store) is less processed and will therefore go rancid much faster than the stuff you get at the truck stop. I somehow doubt, however, that eating your jerky on time will be a problem.

8. Canned Goods

You’ve ditched the canned beans and cherry pie filling, but don’t eschew the can altogether. It’s a good format for vegetables, and its convenience simply cannot be ignored. Canned tomatoes are just as good as most fresh tomatoes (sadly, it’s tough to find a good tomato nowadays). Pasta sauce made without sugar or industrial seed oils help along a quick dinner when you’re in a pinch. Artichoke hearts in the jar, canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix), canned salmon or sardines, and canned coconut milk are also staples to have on hand.

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New and Noteworthy: What I Read This Week — Edition 123

Hey folks! You may have noticed something a little different this Friday. Weekly Link Love is now our New and Noteworthy series. We’re following the same format that a lot of you have been reading for over a decade now: it’s a collection of interesting reads I found around the Internet over the week. Enjoy!

Research of the Week

Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 without infection is enough to generate protective T-cell memory.

Dim light increases West Nile Virus exposure in chickens.

Some early Native Americans were coppersmiths.

Cows should eat a little seaweed every day.

The Southern European Atlantic diet traditional to North Western Spain and Northern Portugal is linked to reduced all-cause mortality. Who knew traditional diets were healthy?

New Primal Blueprint Podcasts

Episode 477: Wade Lightheart and Matt Gallant: Host Elle Russ chats with Wade and Matt about magnesium and digestion.

Episode 478: Mark Sisson: Host Brad Kearns chats with yours truly about some recent developments in my thinking on diet, fitness, and business.

Health Coach Radio: Parker Stevenson wants you to track the health of your business.

Media, Schmedia

Some “experts” think we should dye meat blue to curb our “insatiable” demand for animal protein.

uBiome founders charged with fraud.

Interesting Blog Posts

The cyclical nature of health and diet.

Don’t let negativity linger.

Social Notes

You love to see it.

Don’t forget to meander.

Everything Else

Adulteration of elderberry products is a big issue.

Dietary carbs and energy expenditure.

Can antibiotic-resistant microbes thrive on microplastics?

Things I’m Up to and Interested In

More unintended consequences: Average person gained 1.5 pounds per month during lockdown.

Important reminder: Why eating too much impairs thinking.

This will surprise some (but not me): Smaller farms have increased yields and more biodiversity than larger farms.

This is interesting: How musical training affects the adult brain.

Very cool: A map of Alexander the Great’s empire.

Question I’m Asking

How has your weight changed over the last year?

Recipe CornerSheet pan recipes are great and highly efficient, including this sheet pan chicken stir fry.Skirt steaks are underrated. You have to cut them the right way or else they’re tough, but man is it rewarding.Time Capsule

One year ago (Mar 20 – Mar 26)

The Definitive Guide to Body Composition – Learn all about it.What to Do When You’ve Hit a Weight Loss (or Other) Plateau — How should you handle it?Comment of the Week

“Mark, I think what you said was:

‘If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life that he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.’
Henry David Thoreau”

-Exactly, jeff!

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Ask a Health Coach: Consistency, Control, and Chronic Cardio

Hi there, folks! In this week’s Ask a Health Coach, Erin is back to answer your questions about the pros and cons of consistent eating patterns, how to avoid chronically overdoing it in the gym, and staying motivated when everyone around you is addicted to a SAD lifestyle. Do you have questions for Erin? Post them in the comments section below or over in the Mark’s Daily Apple Facebook group.

Angie asked:
“I read somewhere that eating the same foods at the same time every day is best thing for fat loss. You know, for consistency. Can you tell me what times you recommend eating for the fastest results?”

Instead of telling you the best time to eat, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. The key to fat loss isn’t eating the same thing day after day after day — or eating it at the same time. Your body isn’t keeping score on what you ate and when you ate it. And it’s certainly not built for sticking to a rigid schedule that goes against everything our bodies and brains are designed to do.

Yes, Your Body Thrives on Inconsistency

Life, by nature, is totally inconsistent and training your body to adhere to a strict eating plan is the fastest way to fail because life will always get in the way. Always. There will always be curve balls: waking up too late to make a satiating protein-packed breakfast, forgetting to go grocery shopping, enjoying a much-needed vacation one day with free-flowing margaritas that in no way, shape, or form fit into your daily macros.

Hanging your hat on consistency in an inherently inconsistent world might yield results, but you deserve better than obsessing over food, sticking to a strict eating window, and constantly trying to force the situation.

Listen, the body is highly adaptive — it thrives on inconsistency. When the body gets used to a certain way of doing things, it starts to conserve its efforts (i.e. stall progress). You’ve likely seen this in the fitness world. Train your body the same way day after day, and after a while your strength will plateau. That’s why personal trainers recommend changing frequency, intensity, and type of activity every so often, so that you can increase your ability to adapt to new variables (and keep crushing it). Same thing goes for food.

Ever Heard of Metabolic Adaptation?

Sure, your body will adapt at the beginning of a hyper restrictive eating plan, but then it won’t change again until you change the variable. When it comes to cutting calories for fat loss, the body will adapt to that consistently-delivered lower number of calories. It gets used to what you give it! The problem, is, you’ll need to continue going lower and lower until you can’t possibly decrease your calories any further. You won’t win this one, trust me — your body will keep adapting.

That response is called metabolic adaptation.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24571... And it’s a good thing. While it works to conserve more energy when there’s a deficit, it also works to burn more energy when there’s a surplus. Got some high-calorie days and some low-calorie days? A few glasses of wine here, a few chocolate-chip cookies there? Your body can totally handle what you give it. The body isn’t wired for a steady, expected delivery of fuel. It is designed to roll with inherent, inevitable inconsistency. And I’d argue that you’d be much better off if you learn to love that about it.

Lance asked:

“Recently, I’ve been asking myself why I’m working so hard on my health when so many folks
around me have surrendered to a SAD diet and sedentary lifestyle. What can I do to stay
motivated when everyone else seems not to care?”

First of all, I applaud you for giving these thoughts the attention they deserve. I know from experience that it’s hard to be the only one who seems to care about their health. And the fact that you’re consciously chewing on these thoughts means you care about yourself and the outcome. While there’s tons of data out there about how eating Standard American Diet (SAD) foods and having a sedentary lifestyle can lead to cardiovascular disease and diabetes, there are just as many people plopped on their couches, downing their daily dose of refined grains, overly processed snack-foods, and sugar-laden drinks.2

The Only Person You Can Control is You

Here’s the deal though, you can’t control other people or their actions. You can, however, decide that your health and happiness are worth making the effort to continue working on yourself. You can decide that you’d prefer not to take a conscious role in adding to your chance of developing a chronic disease. You can decide that obesity doesn’t have to be in your future, regardless of what your inner circle does or doesn’t do.

What Motivates You?

Getting clear on your motivation for change is going to make the biggest difference here. Sure, avoiding medications and doctor visits down the road plays a big role, but really think about why your health is important to you. That why is the driving force behind your actions, and it’s likely influenced by a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, meaning you’re either motivated by something internal (eating fresh veggies makes you feel more energetic) or something external (you like the way your pants fit when you’ve been eating supportively).

Your own personal and important internal motivations are what you want to really anchor to; these will be your strongest why. It’s really important to discover your own deep-down reason for staying committed to the path you’re on — and letting the naysayers carve out their own.

Amanda asked:

“Now that my gym is back open, I like taking the hour-long spin classes they offer, but I notice that my heart rate gets very high. It’s definitely not slow and steady cardio like Mark recommends in the Primal Blueprint and it’s too long to qualify as sprints. When or how do I fit these workouts into a primal lifestyle?”

If we were sitting face-to-face on a Zoom call, I’d have so many follow-up questions for you. But since we’re having more of a one-sided conversation today, I’ll do my best to answer. In a nutshell, I’d say that the best way to fit these workouts in depends on your goal. If your goal is to have fun and your spin class is the most fun-filled hour of the whole day, I say go for it. That said, if your goal is to lose fat or improve your fitness, I’d take a closer look at why you’re committed to doing this chronic cardio, especially when you have a hunch it’s not in your best interest. For reference, some of the key fitness takeaways of the Primal Blueprint include:

Moving around at a slow paceLifting heavy thingsSprinting every once in a while

Clearly, sixty minutes of moderate-to-high heart rate doesn’t check off any of those boxes. Instead, it sort of puts you in this black hole of intensity that’s not easy enough to be easy or hard enough to be hard.

Exercise Isn’t a Form of Punishment

Diet culture tells us that we should use exercise as punishment or compensation, rather than joy.https://edrdpro.com/its-time-to-drop-... And unfortunately, a lot of money is spent on marketing to make you feel bad for not fitting into a certain mold. That’s why it’s so important to get clear on why you’re so committed to this class. Like I said above, if you love the social aspect, the music, getting out of the house, whatever, that’s a good thing. If you’re using it to cope with or avoid emotions, you’re obsessed with the calories burned feature, or you’re using it to ensure you’ve “worked off” last night’s dessert, I’d dig a little deeper.

What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Let’s go.

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References https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24571926/https://www.uab.edu/inquiro/issues/pa...https://edrdpro.com/its-time-to-drop-out-of-diet-culture/

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This is Why Your Pull-ups Aren’t Working

The pull-up might be the best measure of overall strength and fitness. As a simple measure of strength, it’s unmatched; you’re actually lifting and moving through space and time an entire human body. It targets almost every muscle in the upper body, and more than you’d think in the lower body. If you want to build muscle or lose body or just get fitter and stronger, there’s no getting around doing a pull-up or two or ten. If I had to choose one upper body exercise to do for the rest of my life, it would be the pull-up.

Pulling your entire weight is hard, though. The vast majority of average people walking around in this world are unable to do a single unassisted, high-quality pull-up. And half of those who think they’re doing pull-ups are doing them completely wrong, setting them up not just for suboptimal results but life altering injuries.

Today, I’m going to tell you why your pull-ups aren’t working and how you can improve them.

 

Proper Pull-Up Form: Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Here are some common mistakes people make when doing pull-ups.

Mistake: Using Momentum

The fix: Be strict.

This is about mastering the strict pull-up, not any of the other momentum-driven varieties. That means pulling your body with intention, avoiding momentum, and using only the strength of your upper body.

Mistake: Loose Body

The fix: Brace yourself.

As with most other exercises, maintaining a cohesive line running from head to toe is important. Tighten your glutes, brace your abs. You’ll find yourself forming a “hollow” body position, with a slight curvature running through your spine. These kinds of pull-ups are actually harder (no kicking or momentum allowed), but they’re more rewarding and get you much stronger, much faster.

Mistake: Chin Over Bar

The fix: Chest to bar.

A full pull-up occurs when your chin goes over the bar, but using “chin over bar” as a cue can sometimes lead to people leading with their chin or straining their neck to clear the bar. A better cue is “chest to bar.” Even if you don’t actually touch your chest to the bar, you won’t feel compelled to  compromise your neutral head position just to get your chin up and over.

Mistake: Bent Elbows at the Bottom

The Fix: Locked elbows at the bottom.

Lock your elbows out entirely at the bottom of the pull-up. Not only does this makes the movement stricter, harder, and more beneficial, it also takes the strain off from and fully unloads the bicep tendon. If your elbows are still flexed at the bottom, your bicep tendon never gets a break from constant tension.

Mistake: Flared Elbows

The Fix: Drive elbows toward the floor.

As you ascend from the bottom, imagine driving your elbows into the ground. This is a great cue for engaging your lats and back muscles, rather than just pulling with the biceps.

Mistake: Training Only One Pull-up Grip

The Fix: Try different hand positions.

There are several different ways to position your hands during the exercise. Overhand grip (hands facing away from you) pull-ups are the classic form and probably the most difficult variety. Underhand grip (hands facing toward you) chin-ups may be the easiest and incorporate more of the biceps. Neutral grip (hands facing each other grabbing two parallel overhead bars) pull-ups are the gentlest on the shoulder capsule. If you have shoulder pain or mobility issues, neutral grip is worth a try.

How to Increase Your Max Rep Pull-ups

What if you can’t do more than one or two pull-ups?

All you need is one.

Grease the groove.

Every time you pass the pull-up bar, do a pull-up or two. Every single time. If you’re greasing the groove at the gym during a workout, just do pull-ups in between sets of other exercises. One or two here, one or two there. Keep each rep crisp. Don’t struggle. You should be resting long enough between grease the groove sets that you’re fresh every time. You’re building neuromuscular pathways that make the movement easier and more efficient.

Ladders.

Ladders are simple ways to build a lot of volume. If you can do 2 pull-ups, here’s how a pull-up ladder workout looks.

1 pull-up, rest 30 seconds, 2 pull-ups, rest 30 seconds, 1 pull-up, rest 30 seconds, 2 pull-ups, and so on.

If you can do 3 pull-ups:

1 pull-up, rest, 2 pull-ups, rest, 3 pull-ups, rest, 1 pull-up, and so on.

If you can only do 1 pull-up, just do sets of 1 with 30 second rests.

Continue the ladder until you feel failure approaching. Keep the reps crisp.

How to Do One Pull-up When You Can’t Do Any

What if you can’t do a single full pull-up?

Not to worry. There are ways to get there.

Assisted pull-ups

If you have access to an assisted pull-up machine, you can use that to build up to a full, unassisted pull-up. Attaching a resistance band to the bar and looping it underneath you to start pulling you up is another way.

Chair assisted pull-ups

You can also use a chair or stool to apply a counterbalance. Place the chair just in front of the pull-up bar, and lightly rest one foot on it as you do a pull-up. If you want more assistance, allow a bit more of your leg’s weight to rest on the chair. If you want less assistance, allow less weight to rest on it.

Jumping pull-ups

Jump up and grab the bar and do a pull-up, using the momentum from the jump. Gradually titrate down how hard and high you jump, giving yourself less of a boost each workout until you’re barely using any momentum, and then none at all.

Negative pull-ups

Stand on a chair or bench and get yourself into the top position of a pull-up (chin over bar, chest touching ideally) and hold yourself up over the bar, slowly lowering yourself and accentuating the eccentric.

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How to Turn a Burger Into the Perfect Food

Potentially controversial statement alert: burgers are the most perfect food. 

Hear me out. 

Burgers are delicious. They are portable. As meat goes, ground beef is relatively affordable. It takes less than 10 minutes to cook a burger on the stovetop or grill. Kids and adults like them equally.

Most of all, they are endlessly adaptable. Burgers are the vanilla ice cream of main dishes: great on their own and also a perfect canvas upon which to build your culinary masterpiece. 

The problem is, since burgers are ubiquitous in the fast food world, they sometimes garner an unfair reputation for being unhealthy. Not so! Sure, a drive-thru burger isn’t the world’s healthiest food. Nor is it the worst by a long shot. In any case, there are ways to take a basic burger and build a healthier meal. 

It’s time burgers ascend to their rightful place in the food hierarchy—at the top, obviously. First, though, let’s give them a little glow up to make sure they are as nourishing as possible. 

 

5 Steps for a Healthier, Tastier Burger1. Ditch the Bun

Primal folks know this already, but it still has to be said.

A few short years ago, ancestral diets were labeled as fads. Today, every restaurant from fast food to fine dining offers lettuce wraps like it’s no big deal. What a shift! Iceberg lettuce is the most common bun substitute, but don’t stop there. Try red romaine or Swiss chard. Collard greens are my favorite. Try blanching them to make them softer and less bitter (see below).

Bun lovers can make grain-free buns, of course, but who says you need to eat burgers with your hands, anyway? Cheeseburger salad is the best way to enjoy a burger if you ask me.

How to blanch collard greens:Bring about 2 inches of water to a boil in a wide, deep skillet. Prepare a bowl of ice water.Trim the thickest part of the stem out of each collard green. Try to leave the leaf mostly intact, but you will probably end up with a 2- to 3-inch slit in the leaf.Lower the heat to a simmer. One at a time, submerge a collard green in the water for 1 minute, then transfer it to the ice water.Pat the leaves dry with a clean kitchen towel. They are now ready to use. Burger recipes to try:

Keto Bison Burger

BBQ Cowboy Burger

Avocado and Egg Burger

2. Boost Your Beef

Mark has been beating the drum about grass-fed beef and why it’s superior to CAFO-sourced meat for as long as MDA has been around. That’s not the only way to upgrade your burger, though.

From a nutritional perspective, the best thing you can do is add organs to your burger. Coarsely chop a few ounces of heart, liver, or kidney in a food processor, then mix it into a pound of ground beef before cooking. You won’t be able to taste it and neither will your kids, wink wink.

Pro tips: Quickly saute the liver or kidney before grinding it for a better texture. Heart can be raw or cooked. Your butcher might even be willing to grind it for you.

Don’t limit yourself to beef, either. Bison is almost exclusively pasture-raised, has slightly more protein and less fat, and is richer in omega-3s compared to beef.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... Lamb makes excellent burgers, too. Bison and lamb are usually more expensive than beef, so try a 50/50 blend to stretch your dollar. Poultry isn’t as nutrient-dense as beef, but for variety, maybe include a turkey or chicken burger on the menu now and then.

3. Elevate Your Condiments

Iffy condiments are usually the biggest strike against restaurant burgers, especially mayo or mystery sauce that are probably made with soybean oil. I happen to know a source for mayo, ketchup, mustard, and other condiments made only with ingredients that the Primal community would approve.

When you’re dining out, be willing to be that person—the one who asks for their burger to be lettuce-wrapped with no condiments and then pulls a bottle of ketchup or barbecue sauce out of their bag when the food arrives.

4. Add Avocado

Besides being a delicious source of mostly monounsaturated fats, avocados deliver prebiotic fiber to support a diverse microbiome.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32805... They may also help mitigate any postprandial inflammatory response to your meal.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23196...

Yes, I know there will be an extra charge for that avocado. Worth it.

5. Pile on the Toppings

One of my favorite things about burgers is that you can transform them in countless ways by adding different toppings. Balsamic glazed onions, mushrooms, and Swiss cheese? Yes, please. Blue cheese and buffalo sauce? Don’t mind if I do!

Use burger night as an excuse to add a variety of colorful vegetables to your plate. Think outside the classic lettuce-and-tomato box:

Hatch or poblano chile peppersPickled vegetables—not just cucumber pickles, but also sauerkraut, kimchi, or curtidoColeslaw (made with avocado or olive oil mayo, naturally)Sprouts or microgreensIncorporate fresh herbs with chimichurri sauce, or make a Greek burger with lamb and minty tzatziki.

You can even mix vegetables directly into your ground beef for variety and flavor. Try finely chopped mushrooms or shredded carrots or beets. This is also a great way to use beet or turnip greens if zero-waste is your thing.

Don’t worry, carnivores, I haven’t forgotten you. Double or triple down on your burger by stacking corned beef, pastrami, bacon, eggs, or even pulled pork. I can’t say that this makes your burger healthier per se, but tasty? Absolutely.

The top of this post is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but in all seriousness, I’m struggling to think of another food that checks all the boxes: adaptable, delicious, portable, Primal-friendly, and kid-approved. Tell me why I’m right or wrong in the comments!

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References https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5858688/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32805028/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23196671/

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How to Cook Eggs Perfectly, Every Time: Poached, Sunnyside Up, Jammy, and More

When you ask people what foods they learned to cook first as a child, most often they’ll tell you scrambled eggs. Even though a kid can do it, there’s a lot of variation to your scrambled eggs. They can be dry or watery, fluffy or flat. That goes for other egg methods too – there’s a big difference between an overcooked hard-boiled egg and a perfectly jammy egg. So, I put together a tutorial on how to cook eggs perfectly, no matter how you like them.

Eggs cook quickly and are inexpensive, so you can try your hand at a cooking method you’ve never done before! If you mess up, you’re out a few pennies and a few minutes, and you can try again.

Let’s start with the most intimidating of the cooking methods: poaching eggs.

How to Make Poached Eggs

For poached eggs, you want to use super fresh eggs. A fresh egg will have a firmer, tighter white that will stay together better when poaching.

Fill a pot with water no greater than 2 inches high, about the height of a teaspoon if you measure it from the tip of the bowl to the beginning of the spoon handle. Bring the water to just barely a simmer and add a pinch of salt. You should be able to see some bubbles at the bottom of the pot.

Using a meat thermometer, watch for your water to come to around 190 degrees. Then  you’re ready to go.

When you can maintain 190 degrees, crack an egg into a small ramekin. Use a large spoon to swirl the water in the pot to break up any bubbles at the bottom of the pot.

Spin the water gently with the spoon in a circular motion around the inside of the pot to create a small vortex so there’s a still spot of the water in the middle and the rest of the water is spinning around it.

In this middle spot, gently press the ramekin into the water as you are pouring the egg into it. Watch your fingers – the water will burn! The lip of the ramekin cup should go under the water as you pour the egg in. The egg will swirl in the pot and the egg white will start to solidify. If the white part is loose and starts to travel around the pot, gently spin the water around the inside edge of the pot again with a spoon to encourage the egg white to stay together.

Set your timer for around 4 minutes. At the four-minute mark, use a slotted spoon to gently pull the poached egg out of the water. The egg is done when the yolk has a nice spring to it and still feels soft and liquidy in the middle, but the white is pretty firm.

Poached eggs are delicious on so many things. We served ours on toasted sweet potato slices, arugula, and topped them with a pinch of salt and pepper. Gently cut the poached egg open while it is still warm so the warm yolk can run over the sweet potato toast.

Boiled Eggs

When boiling eggs to make hardboiled eggs, soft-boiled eggs, or jammy eggs, it’s best to use eggs that have been in the refrigerator for at least 2-4 weeks, as they will be easier to peel. (If you bought them at the grocery store, there’s a good chance they’re that old by the time they get to you.) Use the float test below to make sure your eggs are still good!

Fill a pot of water about half full with water and a pinch of salt and bring it to a boil on your stovetop.

Once the water is boiling, add your eggs and set your timer.

For jammy or soft-boiled eggs, set your timer for 6.5-7 minutes.For hardboiled eggs, set your timer for 10-11 minutes.

Set up a bowl filled with ice and water. Once the timer goes off for your soft or hard-boiled eggs, use a slotted spoon to take the egg out of the pot and plunge them into the cold water. This will help the egg yolk stop cooking. Allow them too cool in the water for around 10 minutes.

Once the eggs have cooled, gently place the egg on a hard surface (we used a cutting board) and roll it back and forth to help the shell crack in a bunch of different places. Carefully peel the cracked shell away. Sometimes running the egg under lukewarm water when peeling helps.

For jammy eggs, slice the egg in half lengthwise. Enjoy as is, sprinkle a little salt and pepper on top, or spoon out the silky yolk onto a slice of bacon or sweet potato toast.

For hardboiled eggs, pack for breakfast or snacks, or slice in half and serve alongside sliced avocado or crispy bacon.

How to Make Fluffy Scrambled Eggs

In a small bowl, whisk together 2-5 eggs and a pinch of salt and pepper if you’d like.

Heat a well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon of avocado oil or butter to the pan and swirl it around. After adding the oil or right as the butter is just melted, pour the eggs into the pan so they fill the entire diameter of the pan.

Just as you see the edges start to set against the side of the pan, use a silicone spatula to move the soft egg from the edges to the center of the pan. As you drag the egg from the edges to the center, some cooked egg will be pushed to the center, while the uncooked egg will be displaced to the edges, cooking the egg slowly.

Continue dragging the edges of the egg toward the center of the pan and add about another ½ tablespoon of butter cut into small chunks to the pan. This part is optional, but it helps make the eggs extra creamy.

When the egg mixture is still a bit runny but beginning to firm up slightly, begin folding the egg with a silicone spatula by folding the edges of the egg towards the middle of the pan. This will encourage the egg to cook gently without breaking up the egg into a bunch of tiny pieces. After doing this a few times, turn off the heat and continue folding the egg to the center of the pan to encourage light cooking. The eggs are finished when they are soft and silky. They should have a little gloss to them and be creamy, but still mostly cooked.

Remove the egg from the pan to stop it from cooking and place it on your plate. Top them with a pinch of salt and pepper and serve alongside your favorite breakfast foods. We served ours with an arugula salad and a few slices of crispy bacon.

How to Make a Perfect Omelet

In a small bowl, whisk together 3-4 eggs and a pinch of salt and pepper. Arrange any fillings you want to use in the omelet (we used chopped up roasted broccoli and shredded cheddar cheese).

Heat a well-seasoned cast iron pan over medium heat. Once hot, add a tablespoon of avocado oil or butter to the pan and swirl it around. Right after adding the oil, or after the butter is just melted, pour the eggs into the pan so they fill the entire diameter of the pan.

As the egg cooks, you will see the edges of the omelet turn from translucent to opaque. Lower the heat slightly and watch the egg continue to cook. Once the egg begins to bubble and parts of it begin to firm up slightly, add your toppings to one half of the omelet.

Carefully flip the half of the omelet without toppings directly on top of the half with the fillings. Allow the egg to cook for an additional 45 seconds to 1 minute.

Use a spatula to carefully flip over the omelet and allow it to cook for an additional minute or so, or until the egg is fully cooked and the cheese filling inside is melted.

Place on to a plate and cut in half, if you’d like.

How to Cook Sunnyside Up Eggs Evenly

Tip: Sunnyside eggs are a little finicky and the time to prepare one to another may vary based on the temperature of the pan, size of the egg, freshness of the egg, etc., so feel free to adjust the time it takes for the white to set.

Heat a well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Once hot, add 1/2 tablespoon of avocado oil and swirl it around. After swirling the oil around in the pan, gently crack an egg into the center of the pan.

Allow the edges of the egg white to set and turn from clear to white, but the egg whites around the yolk should still be very runny. When you see this, drizzle a tablespoon or two of water to the pan around the edges of the egg white.

Quickly cover the pan with a lid. Once you hear the water you added sizzle aggressively, turn off the heat. Keep the lid on the pan for 45 seconds to a minute or so, then take a peek at the egg. When the egg is finished, the egg white should be fully set but the yolk still liquidy. If the white around the yolk is not yet set, cover the pan again. If the yolk starts to film over with white, you’ve cooked the egg a little too long.

Serve your egg as is, or dip a piece of bacon or sweet potato fry into the yolk.

How to Make Over-hard Eggs (And Flip Them Without Breaking the Yolk)

Heat a well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Once hot, add 1/2 tablespoon of avocado oil and swirl it around. After swirling the oil around in the pan, gently crack an egg into the pan. If you are making multiple eggs at a time, use 1 tablespoon of avocado oil and crack a few eggs into the pan at a time, trying to confine them to different areas in the pan.

Allow the whites of the eggs to mostly set. You’ll see the whites begin to bubble as they firm up. Once the white is fairly set, carefully flip the egg over with a spatula. The whites near the yolk may still be shiny and not set yet, but as long as the edges are set and the whites are bubbling, you should be able to flip the egg over without an issue.

Allow the egg to cook on the other side. Use a finger to feel the yolk in the center of the egg. When it feels firm and no longer springy, the yolk is firm and fully cooked.

Repeat with more eggs, if desired. Serve with your favorite sides.

Tip: For an over easy or over medium egg, simply cook the egg for less time before removing it from the heat. For an over easy egg, the yolk should feel liquidy when touched. For an over medium egg, the yolk should feel springy like a ball of fresh mozzarella.

Egg FAQsWhat’s the Best Kind of Cookware to Cook Eggs?

While there are some less toxic non-stick cookware out there compared to the past, we think a well-seasoned cast iron skillet is a great primal option. It is durable, heats evenly, and cooks eggs quickly. For boiling and poaching, a stainless steel saucepan works best.

There are a lot of tutorials out there on how to make eggs in different ways, but I find that at least for methods like scrambling and frying eggs, you see mostly non-stick pans are used in tutorials and videos. Don’t shy away from cast iron! It’s intimidating, but once you get the hang of it, it will become your new favorite.

How Do I Choose the Best Quality Eggs?

Whenever possible, opt for pastured eggs. Chickens that are pastured have the best chance to eat not just packaged chicken feed, but also bugs, roots, and other scraps that make their yolks rich and nutritious. Here’s an article with details on how to choose the best eggs for your family.

Where to Find Pastured Eggs?

Local farmers and farmers’ markets are a great place to find quality eggs. You can also talk to them about how they raise their chickens, what they feed them, and maybe buy some other proteins or veggies from them.

How to Tell the Difference Between a Store-bought Egg and a Farm-fresh Egg

You can often tell the difference between a store-bought and farm fresh egg by looking at the yolks side by side. A fresh egg yolk will have a rich, deep yellow to orange color, while mass-produced eggs are a much paler yellow. ,

Keep in mind that farmers can add items like marigolds to chicken feed, which artificially turn their yolks more golden or orange.

Do You Have to Refrigerate Eggs?

Eggs in the United States are refrigerated because their protective shell layers are washed off in preparation to be sold. If you get eggs from a farmer or your neighbor, ask if they’ve been washed.

How Long Do Eggs Stay Fresh?

Unwashed eggs are shelf-stable for about two weeks, and they keep for up to three months in the refrigerator.

How Do You Know Whether an Egg Has Gone Bad? The Float Test for Egg Freshness

Eggs have a decent shelf life in the fridge, but how do you know if an egg is still good to use? Oftentimes, eggs can be used beyond their sell by date, but to be sure, I use the float test.

Fill a large jar with water and carefully place the egg into the water.

If the egg sinks to the bottom and rests on its side horizontally, the egg is fresh.If the tip of the egg points directly downward so the egg is vertical in the water, the egg is older and should be used up right away (these are great options for boiling).If the egg floats in the water, it’s spoiled and should be tossed.

If an egg has spoiled, you’ll know the second you crack it. The rotten egg smell is so strong that there’s a good chance you’ll have to open your windows and leave your house until it clears. When in doubt, use the float method. It’s not something you want to experience.

Egg Freshness and Cooking Methods

The freshest eggs aren’t always the best option for every egg preparation.

For soft or hard-boiling eggs, opt for slightly older eggs. These will peel more easily.For poached or sunnyside up eggs, opt for more fresh eggs. This will keep the white tight.For any other cooking methods, you have flexibility to use whatever eggs you have on hand.Egg Nutrition Information

For 1 Large Egg:
Calories: 70
Fat: 5g
Saturated Fat: 1.5g
Cholesterol: 185mg
Protein: 6g
Carbs: 0g

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New and Noteworthy: What I Read This Week — Edition 122

Hey folks! You may have noticed something a little different this Friday. Weekly Link Love is now our New and Noteworthy series. We’re following the same format that a lot of you have been reading for over a decade now: it’s a collection of interesting reads I found around the Internet over the week. Enjoy!

Research of the Week

The interaction between alcohol sales, crime, and how long a baseball game goes after the 7th inning.

Spending money on your pet might make you happier than spending money on yourself.

CEO facial aging responds reliably well to market and business stressors.

Soybean oil causes changes to the microbiome that look atherogenic.

Strength training is enough to reduce liver fat, even without weight loss.

New Primal Blueprint Podcasts

Episode 475: Dr. Al Danenberg: Host Elle Russ chats with ancestral periodontist and Primal Health Coach Dr. Al Danenberg.

Episode 476: Ryan Baxter: Host Brad Kearns chats with Primal Health Coach Ryan Baxter about the power of nasal breathing.

Health Coach Radio: Meredith McCarty thinks you might just be your own bottleneck.

Media, Schmedia

Will Princepal Singh be the first Indian in the NBA?

Interesting Blog Posts

Cows: part of the solution.

What one person learned helping thousands get off anti-depressants.

Social Notes

What’s good for the Hadza…

Don’t forget to meander.

Everything Else

The app that lets you sabotage your own Zoom meetings.

Can Covid change your personality?

Sounds great.

Things I’m Up to and Interested In

This looks bad: Controlling for energy intake, added fructose or sucrose increases liver fat; added glucose does not.

Interesting article: Lost in Thought: The Psychological Risks of Meditation

What do you think?: Is it time for a lockdown on sugar?

This is interesting: Vaccine passport roadmap for the EU.

Great news: More HDL, lower covid severity.

Question I’m Asking

How are you training lately?n

Recipe CornerIs this the world’s best braised cabbage?Sometimes you just want to roast some carrots.Time Capsule

One year ago (Mar 5 – Mar 11)

Should You Track Sleep? – Well, should you?10 Ways to Stop Secretly Sabotaging Yourself — Stop doing it.Comment of the Week

“As a retired Latin teacher, I am completely in love with etymology! My favorite and very applicable Latin word used in English is addict. We live in a world full of addictive substances. Ad means to or toward (think advance). Dict, like diction or dictation, means speak. When you’re addicted, that substance keeps speaking to you!”

-Fascinating, Cynthia.

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Is Fear of Success for Real?

It seems counterintuitive to fear the very thing you want. But let me assure you, fear of success is real and there’s a good chance it’s what’s holding you back right now.

You’re familiar with the fear of failure, right?https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/bl... Those of you who’ve had a major setback or flop in one or more areas of your life probably know this one pretty well. That fear of feeling disappointed, embarrassment, shame, or even public humility can stop you in your tracks.

Fear of failing isn’t the only thing that keeps people stuck though. Spoiler alert, it’s not a lack of willpower or motivation either.https://www.marksdailyapple.com/motiv... Like a lot of challenges in life, the issue is rarely the thing you think it is.

What is Fear of Success Anyway?

It’s not success itself you’re afraid of, but the potential price you’ll have to pay for it. I see this a lot in my health coaching clients. Their fears often manifest as anxiety around the changes and consequences that may occur if they were to knock their goal out of the park. Even before we really get started in our sessions, they’re obsessing over the regular workouts, the uncomfortable conversations they’ll be having about why they don’t eat bread, the glaring they’ll get from envious friends who no longer want to associate with them because they’ve “changed.”

Sure, there are a lot of obvious reasons to want success, but depending on your environment, your level of self-efficacy, and your internal self-talk, your fears around it may overrule your actions https://www.marksdailyapple.com/self-...

Fear of Success and Self-Sabotage

Humans love routine. So much so, that you might be apprehensive about anything that’s outside your comfort zone — or your ability to control it. Because of that, you might actually be resisting opportunities and sabotaging your own success because you’re scared of what will be different if you succeed.

 

Self-sabotage can look like:Quitting. Setting aside time for a sit-down breakfast, then gradually reverting back to your old toast-and-OJ ways.Perfectionism. Sharing your big plans to start every day with an hour of meditation, then never actually acting on it.Procrastinating. Putting low-demand tasks ahead of high-priority ones (i.e., not exercising because the plants need to be watered today).Excuses. Justifying your third glass of wine because you had a rough day.

It’s a scary proposition to believe that it’s possible to have everything you want in life, especially if self-doubt plays a recurring role in your psyche. But let me be the first to tell you, that you can have it. In fact, you deserve to have it and you can totally handle whatever changes come up.

Why Would I Be Afraid of Success?

As I mentioned, one of the most common reasons you could be consciously or subconsciously sabotaging your own success is the fear of change. The brain loves predictability — and that unpredictability is enough to derail anyone’s well-intentioned plans from the get-go.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... Other reasons you could be fearing success are:

Not feeling good enough or worthy enoughMemories of being told you don’t deserve successFeeling worried about being judged or losing friendsFinding yourself in a situation you don’t know how to handleGetting noticed more (being uncomfortable with attention)Having to work harder and feeling more pressureWorrying about others’ expectations of youNot wanting to get your hopes up in case you don’t succeedBeing afraid that the grass won’t actually be greenerThinking others can’t be successful if you are (the “not enough for everyone” mindset)Fearing other people’s disappointment if you don’t come throughAny limiting beliefs in general

Maybe it’s the way your family talks harshly about people who don’t eat “regular food.” Maybe it’s your internal dialogue that tells you that you’ll always be a “snacker” or uncoordinated. Or maybe you did get your health on track at one point but had an awful experience — and doing it again would be too painful to do again.

The original theory about Fear of Success came from a doctoral dissertation by M.S. Horner, specifically around women and success, in which she studied the relationships between the motive to do well and need for achievement. In her research, Horner used a modified Thematic Apperception Test that relied on verbal prompts, instead of visual cues, then assessed her participants’ reactions to the scores.https://sites.google.com/site/motivat...

She found that 65% of the women responded negatively to placing high on the test due to their perceived negative consequences associated with success, reporting that “women, in general, learn early on that success in certain areas represents deviance from the prescribed social norms and results in social criticism.”

Keep in mind this study was conducted in the 1970’s and we’ve come a long way since then, but fearing success in one way or another is common in both men and women. And really, I’d argue that it’s been holding us back for way too long.

Ready to Face Your Fears?

If you want to get past your fear of success, you’ve got to get clear on what’s causing it. You might already know the source, or perhaps you didn’t even realize you were self-sabotaging. Either way, these steps will help you work through what’s stopping you so you can start moving forward.

Step 1: Ask what could happen if you succeed.

Really think about it — the positives, the negatives, and everything in between (there’s no wrong answer here). The key to moving ahead is to acknowledge where you are, so take 20 minutes to jot down any possible consequences of losing the weight, getting stronger, or whatever it is that you’re working toward. Things feel a lot more overwhelming when they’re circling around in your head and this is a great way to nail them down and see what limiting beliefs are holding you back.

Step 2: Clear the doubt that you can handle it.

Depending on your goal, you might be adding more tasks to your already full plate. Or you might get more attention. Or maybe you’ll make some people jealous. Self-doubt plays a huge role here, so consider this your friendly health coach reminder that you have what it takes to handle any of the consequences that come your way. You’ve handled change before, and you can absolutely handle it again.

Step 3: Know that change is the only constant.

People spend so much time worrying about the “what ifs.” But what ifs are all we’ve got. Instead of trying to control every outcome, have faith in the process and find peace in the fact that there will always be changes in life, whether you self-sabotage or not.

Step 4: Channel the qualities of a successful person.

Describe the characteristics of someone who’s excited to get up 15 minutes early to make themselves an epic protein-forward meal. Or lovingly high-fives themselves in the mirror. Or prioritizes walking because it makes them feel amazing. Keep a running list of these characteristics, review them daily, and begin to feel what it would be like if those characteristics belonged to you. And if self-doubt starts to creep back in, review step 2.

Step 5: Be okay with setbacks.

Heck, be okay with flat out failing. Take this quote from inspirational author, Anthony J. D’Angelo who said, “In order to succeed you must fail, so that you know what not to do the next time.” Or this one from Thomas Edison, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Adopt a growth mindset when it comes to your goals, knowing that setbacks and failures are just opportunities to learn how to get better at whatever it is you’re doing.

Step 6: Focus on the journey (not the destination).

Right now, you’re establishing new habits that will bring you closer to your goal. Take a little pride in those new habits and remember that even if you’re taking baby steps, you’re totally lapping everyone else who’s stuck in their old ways. Listen, if your goal is to stop drinking soda, the idea of going Coke-free all day probably sounds scary, so start slow, decreasing one habit (soda) and increasing another (water). One day you’ll look back and be amazed at how far you’ve come.

6 Ways to Overcome Fear of Success

Depending on where you’re at, the road to success might be paved with a lot of self-reflection, but it’s 100% worth it if you want to stop self-sabotaging and finally start living. Follow all six of these steps or try a few on for size and see what happens. Let me know in the comments what works for you!

Ask what could happen if you succeedClear the doubt that you can handle itKnow that change is the only constantChannel the qualities of a successful personBe okay with setbacksFocus on the journey (not the destination)

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References https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-squeaky-wheel/201306/10-signs-you-might-have-fear-failure https://www.marksdailyapple.com/motivation-intrinsic-extrinsic/https://www.marksdailyapple.com/self-efficacy-health-goals/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6762527/https://sites.google.com/site/motivationataglanceischool/f-theories/fear-of-success

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Proper Squat Form: Common Mistakes You Might Be Making

Everyone needs to squat.

The squat is a foundational human movement pattern and resting position. Watch a young child study the ant trail on the ground, and they don’t bend over to gawk at it. They squat down and sit in that squat position comfortably for as long as it takes. Watch Hadza tribesmen cook and share meat around the fire. They aren’t sitting on camp chairs. They aren’t standing awkwardly. They’re sitting in a squat, comfortable as can be. Go to many Asian countries and you’ll see regular people, even elderly people, sitting in a full squat as they wait for the bus or visit with friends.

To squat is to be human. It is to explore and inhabit the full range of our body’s motion. It is to remain mobile, agile, and effectively young. If you can achieve and sit in a full squat at age 70, you’ll be in the 99th percentile and, hopefully, avoid most of aging’s physical ravages and functionality degenerations.

Squatting is also an incredible exercise that targets every muscle in the body, particularly when you do so with added weight. Glutes, hamstrings, quads. Core, lumbar, traps. For that reason, squatting is incredibly anabolic, meaning it provides a total-body hypertrophic stimulus. Anecdotally, people report growing muscle everywhere after picking up a regular squatting habit, even those muscles that aren’t directly involved.

But whether you’re squatting just to maintain the ability to move into that position or squatting to train, you need to do it with proper form.

 

Proper Squat Form

The basic form for squats, whether you’re carrying a load or doing with with just bodyweight:

Feet about shoulder width apart.

This can vary. What I like to do to determine the optimal distance between the feet for squatting is to take a step, gather your feet, and imagine you’re about to jump as high as you can. Stop, and look down at your feet. How far apart are they? That’s a good place to start. But for most people, this will be about shoulder width.

Toes flaring out about 5-20 degrees.

Toes should be pointing mostly forward, with some wiggle room (5-20 degrees). If you have “duck feet” and your toes flare out far to the sides, you run the risk of your knees caving inward and seriously shortchange your power (and safety). The wider your foot stance, the more your feet should be turned out.

“Screw your feet into the ground.”

With the feet planted, “screw” your right foot clockwise into the ground and your left foot counter-clockwise into the ground.

This can also be described as “spread the floor.”

Core tight.

A squat doesn’t work very well if your core is fluid and floppy. You need to be a solid, cohesive piece. That means having a flat back, engaged abdominal muscle complex, engaged lumbar muscles, and a neutral spine. You need to brace before you squat and stay tight throughout the entire movement.

Neutral head position.

The neck is part of the spine. Don’t forget to keep a neutral head position.

Hips back.

You “sit back” when you squat, as if you’re reaching for a chair behind you with your butt. You break at the hips first, not the knees.

Knees lined up with feet—”knees out”

Your knees should line up with your feet. If you find your knees caving inward (valgus), which can be devastating to your knee health, the cue “knees out” will help.

Chest up.

Keeping your chest up will help you maintain a neutral spine and “aim” you in the right direction as you rise from the squat. This becomes especially important when you have weight on your shoulders.

Go as deep as you can without form breakdown.

Some people will get all the way ass to grass before their form breaks down. Others will barely break parallel before their back starts rounding. Go as low as feels safe.

Common Squat Mistakes

What are some common squat mistakes and how can you fix them?

Breaking at the knees first.

The first joint to “break” in a movement is the joint that accepts the majority of the load. When attempting a squat, the average person with no experience squatting and a lifetime of sitting in chairs will start bending the knees before the hips. This places the bulk of the load on the knees, a relatively weaker joint.

If you break at the hips first, you place the bulk of the load onto the posterior chain/hip complex, which is much stronger than the knee joint.

Imagine there’s a chair behind you and you’re reaching back with your butt to find it. That’s how a squat should feel, and it’s how you cue yourself to break at the hips.

Letting your knees cave in.

As I mentioned above, your knees should stay in line with your feet during a squat. When they cave inward, also known as “valgus,” you disrupt the transference of force, almost like putting a “kink” in a hose.

Valgus knee during a bodyweight squat might not be catastrophic. It can actually be a normal movement pattern in a resting squat, especially if you know what you’re doing. But with added weight or at a high speed, knee valgus is a great way to tear a meniscus.

To avoid knee valgus, think of the cue “knees out.” Another good cue is “press the lateral heel,” meaning feel and focus on the outer half of your heel pressing into the ground. Doing so will enforce your knees staying in line with your feet.

Squatting with tight calves.

When your calves are tight, your ankle dorsiflexion (bringing toes toward shins) is poor. Squatting with poor ankle dorsiflexion is a bad idea for a couple reasons. First, if you can’t dorsiflex, you won’t be able to keep your heels on the ground. You’ll come up onto your toes, which can place a ton of undue pressure on the knee joint—especially if you’re squatting under a load. Second, you’ll have a hard time keeping an upright torso posture. Some “lean” is normal and expected, but squatting with really tight calves will force you to lean so far forward that you drop the weight or bend at the lower back.

Fix your calves before you do any serious squatting. Work on your ankle mobility.

Head and neck out of neutral.

People can have their torso in the right position, perfect knee placement, good hip drive, but their head and neck are all over the place. To fix this, pick a spot on the wall ahead of you and keep your eyes on it throughout the movement. This mitigates your tendency to look around and move your head and neck out of neutral.

Rising with hips first.

I see this a lot. Rather than rise up from the squat as a single cohesive piece, people will rise with the hips while leaning forward at the torso. This turns the squat into more of a deadlift or good morning, and it takes the legs out of the equation and places a ton of stress on the lower back.

Think of “chest up” as you rise and you will ascend as a single cohesive piece.

Bracing at the wrong time.

Remember how I said to get your core and back and entire torso tight before you squat in order to create a cohesive lever for moving the weight?

All too often people will get under a bar, accept the load on their shoulders, and then try to brace. Your body is already compromised with the weight; you can’t truly get tight with 300 pounds on your shoulders. You have to get tight and brace before you accept the weight.

Not breaking parallel.

When you only squat to parallel, you are placing a ton of stress on the knee. Research indicates that the greatest compressive and shear forces acting on a knee during a squat occur at 90 degrees, or parallel. Beyond 90 degrees (deeper), the compressive and shearing forces actually get smaller.

Now consider that people are able to squat a lot more weight when they only go to parallel, so they’re placing a ton more force on the knee than the person who squats past parallel with less weight.

It’s probably safer to stop short of parallel than it is to stop at parallel.

Collapsing at end range, or “dropping” into the bottom.

The descent of a squat should be controlled. If you’re dropping or collapsing into the bottom of a squat, you are more likely to get injured, get slack, and get sloppy.

Slower down, faster up.

I hope this article helps your squat, whether you’re trying to lift heavy or simply improve your mobility as you age. Happy squatting!

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